Somebody asked me a question the other day that made me ponder quite a bit (as excellent questions do). "What was the best thing anybody ever told you in the writing business?"
I'm definitely spoiled for choices, after all. I've been having conversations for lo, these many years, and I've probably forgotten more than half of them.
But I've settled on one simple phrase that brought me up short at a time when I could have gotten overconfident, and made me want to be a better writer. I think it's one of the most underused expressions in a conversation about writing, simply because it is so risky for the person delivering it to an aspiring storyteller.
And the phrase was: "You're not ready."
Let me explain how this came to be.
In the wee early days of my professional writing career, I had sold two books and I was starting to feel that I had the potential for making a go of this writing thing. I was a member of a large Dallas writers organization, but with 30 writers involved (many of them already professionals), getting individual attention for critique was difficult at best.
Someone suggested I join a sub-group, one that was headed by prominent local SF writer Patricia Anthony. Patricia was already someone who had encouraged me at group, and I felt that I got on well with her. Add to that, I was very impressed with what she was doing in her own work. So it sounded perfect.
When I approached her about it, she very kindly looked me in the eye and said, "I don't think you're ready for my group."
I was, momentarily, appalled, devastated, and stunned. I'd already sold two books; what did she mean I wasn't ready? And a million things came to my mind to say, from the angry to the defensive.
I swallowed every one of them.
Instead, I nodded and I said, "Then I'll keep working." And she smiled, patted me on the shoulder, and said, "Of course you will."
A year later, after I'd read something at the large group, she came to me and handed me a sheet of paper with the information about the meetings. "Now you're ready," she said. "If you still want to join."
I did, and it was a fantastic experience -- difficult at times, always challenging, but wonderfully invigorating as well. When I went to the first meeting, I saw what she meant. The people in that group were writing at an aggressively high level, and pushing each other to be better. If I'd come in when I'd asked, I'd have been bulldozed. I'd have felt completely out of place, outgunned and outclassed. I'd have made it a battleground instead of a friendly competition.
Eventually, the group broke up, people went their own ways, life happened. But I think that in that one, gentle, kind but uncompromising statement, Patricia Anthony made me realize that being published wasn't an entitlement, and it wasn't a guarantee. It was only one step in a long, long road with a thousand destinations -- a road that I'm thankful I'm still walking.
So thanks for telling me the truth, Patricia.
I will always strive to do the same for those who come to me.
-- Rachel
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( In which I can't help but blog about how much this statement by Thomas Nelson's CEO Michael Hyatt makes me crazy ... )
-- Rachel
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So, if you're reading FADE OUT, you will encounter the character of Bob the spider. I like Bob. Bob is just ... cute.
Well, I now have my very own Bob the spider. Not that I keep him as a pet, no, it's more that Bob is a giiiiiinormous orb spider -- seriously, his BODY is bigger than most entire spiders I've ever seen -- who's set up shop in the bush next to my driveway. Bob ambitiously built a web that stretched halfway into the driveway, the first day; we discussed, I amended his design with a stick, and he bounced up and down in his web and was visibly upset by my edits.
But by golly, he's keeping his web in the appropriate placement now. Communication!
Every day when I leave for work, and come home from work, I say hello to Bob. Bob ignores me. It's a comfortable relationship.
Just thought I would share.
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KISS OF DEATH rewrites are finished! Huzzah! As are page proofs for UNKNOWN. And speaking of UNKNOWN ... I'm going to have a giveaway in December for two copies of the bound galleys!
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SO excited about the upcoming signings ... this Friday night at Legacy Books in Plano, Texas at 7 pm ... then at the Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon ... then at Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego on Sunday!
Next Friday I'll be signing at the Borders Express in Exton, Pennsylvania, then Murder by the Book in Houston. (I'll also be stopping off in New York to film a segment for Penguin.com, and for Marianne Mancusi's show on BetterTV!)
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Okay, now I really do have to go to work. Like, the actual job. So I hope all my LJ friends have a fantastic Wednesday!
-- R.
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SO EXCITED! Tomorrow is THE RELEASE DAY for Fade out, and I am just on pins and needles. I always get so nervous before a book comes out, waiting for the responses to come back.
I told you I'd give you some drama. Here's some with Myrnin!
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Myrnin sounded very weak; Claire could hardly believe it was really him. “I do love you. I always have. Please stop this. You don’t know what you’re doing. You’re not well. Let me help—” He broke off with a strangled gasp. Ada had just hurt him, and it took a lot to hurt Myrnin.
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Happy Sunday! ONLY TWO MORE DAYS (for those who haven't already found FADE OUT on the shelves ...)
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“So,” Michael said, not looking up from the frets as he tried out a complicated new flood of sound, “I’m thinking of going electric. What do you think?”
Claire sighed. “Eve dumped me. I’ve been best-friend dumped.”
Michael’s playing stuttered, then smoothed out again. “Huh. I’m guessing that’s a no?”
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HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYBODY!
You'd think I'd go as a vampire, right? No. I'll post a picture later. :) But I figured that I'd also feature for you something from the Morganville Fan Gallery ... A lovely anime-style Eve as the Avenging Angel of Caffine, courtesy of Anita (Warrior Goddess)!
So ... in honor of that lovely work ... how about a little more Eve to set the mood?
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“I am the force that holds this lie of a town together,” Ada said, and glided closer, so close Claire could feel the cold chill generated by her image projection. “As far as Morganville is concerned, I am its goddess.”
“Word of advice,” Eve said. “It’s time for a change of religion.”
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Just a breath less crazy than I was yesterday. Momentarily, anyway. So here's today's quote, and YAY, FADE OUT IS OFFICIALLY COUNTING DOWN: Official release is on November 3!
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The house lights went down, and Michael walked onto the stage, to a sudden rush of applause, and he wasn't the Michael that Claire knew -- he wasn't the one who hung out in the living room and played video games and noodled around on his guitar and picked terrible westerns for movie night.
This was someone else.
Someone almost frightening, the way he grabbed and held the spotlight.
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Drive-by quote today, I'm in a huge hurry --
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Shane was drawn down to Claire like gravity, lips warm against hers, lazy at first, then getting hotter, breath coming faster. Her brain exploded in a thousand thoughts and memories . . . the soft skin at the back of his neck, the way he said her name in that sweet, hushed whisper, the sheer heat of him against her.
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| Date: | 2009-10-28 21:58 |
| Subject: | Such fun! |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: |  content | | Music: | "Angel" - Massive Attack |
I'd just like to say that the Big Bang Boo-k Fest: Night of the Vampire was REALLY FUN! Thanks to the folks from the Haltom City Library for hosting such an awesome event, and Stephen "Blackbeard" Sanders and his lovely wife for bringing that pirate flair! I really enjoyed meeting fellow vampire authors T.D. McKinney and M.L. Lacy, and I'm looking forward to checking out their work.
Also, a special shout-out to Jessica and her grandmother -- really awesome people!
-- Rachel
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I had several requests for more Amelie -- here you go!
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“You’re hiding behind children?” Oliver said.
“I’m not hiding at all. Not even from you.” Amelie slowly sat up, and in the multicolored glow of the lamps she looked young, and very tired. “We’ve played our games, haven’t we? The two of us, we’ve schemed and cheated and used each other all these centuries, for our own purposes. What did it bring us? Peace? There’s never peace for us. There can’t be.”
“I can’t talk of peace,” he said, and went to one knee, looking up into her face. “And neither can you."
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So, late in the day, but I've got one of the prime quotes of the book for you. BUT. Be prepared! And no, I will not tell you what's happening next. Please do not kill me.
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“Shane? Shane Collins? Are you kidding me?” A girl’s voice came from over Pennywell’s shoulder, and was followed by the girl sliding around the vampire and throwing herself all over Shane.
He dropped Claire’s hand in surprise, and to catch the girl before they both toppled over.
It took a second to put the dyed-black-and-pink hair and voice together, but Claire knew even before her brain supplied the name.
Kim. Oh, perfect.
And Kim was kissing Shane.
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So, we enter the week of INTENSE QUOTES, since we are 8 days and counting to the official release of FADE OUT! (Please note: in some locations, the books are already appearing on shelves, but there's no way for me to know where, or when. So keep your eyes peeled!)
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Claire touched the tip of the bone stake to Myrnin's chest, right over his heart, and said, “I swear to God I’ll stake you and cut your head off if you bite me.” Her hands were shaking, and so was her voice, but she meant it. She couldn’t live in fear of him; it hurt her to see him lose control like this. There was something shining and good in Myrnin, but there were times it just drowned in the darkness. “If I let you do this, you’ll never forgive yourself. Now let go, and get yourself a bag of blood.”
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With apologies to those avid readers who've already devoured the first three chapters on the website ... I just really like Eve's attitude on this one:
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Oliver slammed back the pass-through hinged section of the bar and came out to stand over their table, giving them the full benefit of his presence. And that, to put it mildly, was intimidating.
“What do you want, Eve?”
“Well, I’d like the blue-plate special of you thrown out of Morganville, with a side order of dead, but I’ll settle for a mocha for my friend.”
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Ooooh, it's getting so CLOSE! A mere 10 days now ... which means 9 more quotes to go ... 8 after this one! So I'm going to really start ramping it up, here ...
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Claire pulled in a deep breath. “I just don’t want to share you,” she said. “Not ever. Even before I met you. I know that doesn’t make sense, but—”
“It does,” Shane said, and kissed her. “It really does.”
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It's that time again ... for more action! With Action Shane!
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Shane snapped the crossbow up and took aim on Morley. “Don’t even think about it.”
Morley stuck his hands in the pockets of his dirty raincoat. “I tremble in fear, boy. Obviously, in all my long life, no one has ever threatened me with a weapon before.” His tone changed, took on edges. “Put it down if you want to live.”
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So, here we go ... being as how we're getting REALLY REALLY CLOSE to the books starting to creep out on the shelves, let's ramp up the drama a little!
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“Why do you want to protect her?” Michael asked. Shane glanced quickly at Claire, just a flash, but she saw the guilt in it. “Old-girlfriend blues?”
“Oh man, you’d better shut up,” Shane said.
“Eve wants to save her because they were friends; I get that. Claire just wants to save everybody—”
“Not everybody,” she muttered.
“But you, you hold grudges. You’d throw Monica under the bus in a hot second, but you don’t want Kim to get hurt.”
“Seriously,” Shane said. “Shut up. Now.”
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Don't forget, FADE OUT could start arriving in stores as early as next week in some places ... the official release date is November 3!
I've been hearing some requests from out there for more Eve, so here's a bit more for you ...
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Someone pushed into the chair next to Claire. Eve. She'd put on her best, mostly backless black velvet gown, fixed her hair into a chic, gleaming black cap, and when she crossed her legs the slit in her dress revealed an acre of leg and stiletto heels.
She was out of breath.
"Oh God, I thought I'd never make it," she whispered to Claire, and snapped open a black silk fan, which she fluttered to cool herself off. "That's my boyfriend, you know."
"I know," Claire said. She'd been prepared to not talk to Eve, but in two sentences, she found herself smiling. There was something so happy in sharing her joy. "He's okay, I guess."
Eve smacked her with the folded-up fan. "Bite your tongue. My boyfriend is a rock god, baby."
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First of all:
Marley Gibson, Patrick Burns and Dave Schrader are all experts on things that go bump in the night, and they've combined their collective experience to write, THE OTHER SIDE: A TEEN'S GUIDE TO GHOST HUNTING AND THE PARANORMAL. Marley is the author of the acclaimed young adult fiction series GHOST HUNTRESS, Patrick is a leading paranormal researcher who co-starred in the television series Haunting Evidence on TruTV, and Dave Schrader is the host of Darkness Radio.
All three authors will be featured TONIGHT in The Knight Agency chat room at 9pm ET. So get in the Halloween sprit and meet us for this otherwordly chat! Find out how they authors met, designed their co-writing relationship, developed their platform and are marketing the books to teens. Plus, they are more than willing to give us information on some of their scariest ghost hunting adventures! You;ll also get the chance to win some fabulous books!
To learn more about these authors visit: Marley Gibson at www.MarleyGibson.com; Patrick Burns at www.Patrick-Burns.com, and Dave Schrader at www.DarknessRadio.com.
What: Online Chat with Marley Gibson, Patrick Burns and Dave Schrader*
When: TONIGHT, October 21st @ 9pm ET
How To Chat: (1) Click on this link: http://client1.sigmachat.com/sc.php?id=115545 (2) Enter a username and password (any combination) (3) Click Login
*Your computer must be Java-enabled to chat.
( Next: Randomness ... )
And that's the general state of things in my world.
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Another late day, but hey, I'm here! :) Busy busy day, I'm afraid. Good busy!
Mmmm, I feel like a cute little Shane/Claire moment ...
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"How was your day?" Shane asked.
“Monica paid me fifty for a private lesson," Claire answered. Shane held up his hand, and she jumped up to smack it without breaking stride. “And how was yours?”
“There was meat," he said. "I sliced it with a big, sharp knife. Very manly.”
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Sorry for the late posting, guys. Technical computer thingy: resolved! Back on track, and now ... on to the quote ...
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“I heard this girl worked for Bishop,” said one of the guys, who had a tire iron resting on his shoulder. “Carrying around his death warrants. Like one of those Nazi collaborators.”
“You heard wrong,” Shane said. “She’s my girl. Now back off.”
“Let’s hear from her,” said the leader of the pack, and locked stares with Claire. “So? You working for the vamps?”
Shane sent her a quick, warning glance.
Claire took in a deep breath and said, “Absolutely.”
“Ah hell,” Shane breathed. “Okay, then. Run.”
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