It Starts . . .

I heard from my editor who said she plans to have my editoral letter to me soon. I'm nervous and excited at the same time. Revisions are an unavoidable part of getting published but it's nerve racking wondering what will get to stay and what will have to be changed. Either way, I know it will be a better book in the end. She asked if I would be willing to change the title, which is fine by me. I've never been much for thinking up good titles. I always refered to my story as "The Mermaid Book". Not exactly attention grabbing. I suggested a few titles and she liked one of them but said it was too long. (If you can think of any one or two word titles that are exciting and imply that a mermaid is involved in the plot, send them to me right away.) I'll let you all know when a final title has been selected. My editor also asked me what I'd like to see on the cover. I gave her some enthusiastic suggestions (including a particular artist's name) so we'll see what comes of it. No details on a release date yet. I'm sure it will all depend on when they can get the cover art completed. I'll keep you posted as things progress.

What I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Getting a Book Published

People often ask me for advice about getting a book they've written published. So I thought I would write down some of the things I wish I'd known from the start.

1) Getting published is 90% not giving up, no matter what - If the mere thought of rejection letters is enough to make you feel like giving up on your writing dream than I would suggest you pick a different career right now. Write because you love it, not because you want to get published. Do stories come unbidden to your mind at any time of the day? Do they come to you in your sleep? Do you write because you can't help yourself? Then you are a true writer, my friend. If you keep writing and sending out those manuscripts eventually you WILL get published. It may take years, but in the mean time, your skills will grow and your love of the art will show in your writing. By the way, It's all right to fail. Expect it in fact. They say you have to get at least a hundred rejections before you get that first acceptance. Just keep all those rejection slips so that someday when you are famous you can rub all their noses in your success.

2) There are no shortcuts to getting published - I use to think that if I could just find a published author willing to edit my manuscript and let me use their name in submitting it to their publisher, I'd get published in no time at all. The truth is, editors hate when people use another author's name in their cover letter. They are not interested in what this other author thinks about your book. They want to make up their own mind about your writing. There may be some people out there who get published because they know the right people, but odds are good that it will not be you and me. would you really want to get published that way, anyway? If you do the work and write the best book ever no one will care if J. K. Rowling is your best friend or not. I use to look at some of the worst books out there and wonder why they would publish such trash but not my manuscript. In time I realized a better attitude was thinking I could write a better book--and then do it! Be proud of your work and let it speak for itself.

3) SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators - This group is invaluable to authors. They provide their members with updated lists of publishers addresses, which editors work where, what kind of manuscripts they are currently wanting, addresses of agents and how to contact them, basically everything you need to know if you want to get published. You do have to pay an annual fee to join but it is well worth it. I've talked to editors who said they tend to be more interested in SCBWI member's manuscripts because it shows that person must be serious about their writing.

4) Do the work! - One word. Research. When writing a book research everything. Even if your book is set in a fantasy world it must have some basis in fact or people will think it is just plain silly. Even if your pirate ships float in the sky instead of on the sea, you still need to know which is the port side and which one the starboard. Do not assume that people reading your story won't notice mistakes either. I remember reading a story about some kids who get a pet parrot. As a parrot owner myself, I could see right away the author knew nothing about how these animals behaved. It ruined the story for me. It will also ruin your chances of getting published.

You will also need to do a lot of research in trying to find out which publishers to send your manuscript out to. Nothing looks more unprofessional than for someone to send their picture book manuscript to a publisher that only does juvenile non-fiction. The easiest way to find a good fit for your manuscript is to find books similar to your own that have been published in the last couple years and find out which publishing house they were published by. (This information can be found in the first couple pages of the book.) Just a warning. Most publishing imprints are actually part of a larger publishing house. (For example: Orchard Books is an imprint of Scholastic Publishing) You do not want to send your manuscript to two different imprints who belong to the same house. Trust me, they will notice. You will want to find out weather the publishing houses you have chosen accept simultaneus sumbmissions (a manuscript that is sent out to more than one house at once). Some have no problem with it, others will never work with you again if you do. Make sure you know which is which and always let them know in your cover letter that you are doing it.

5) The R word. REVISIONS - It's enough to make any author want to run for the hills. The truth is, there is nothing more important than revisions. I revised my book so many times I've lost count. I must have rewritten the prologue alone at least a dozen times. Don't give into the temptation to just call it good enough because you are tired of that one problem chapter. If you are sick of it, give it some time and come back to it fresh another day. A word to the wise, once a book is accepted for publication, that's when the real revisions begin. Publishing houses ALWAYS ask you to make changes. Some of them quite big. There is no escaping it. Telling a publisher it is your story and you have no intention of changing anything is the quickest way to insure you never get published. Resign yourself to the inevitable and become the best reviser ever!

6) Writer's Groups - These are groups of authors who meet together weekly or monthly and critique each other's work. There are usually four to six members in a group. The authors in a group usually write the same kind of books. (Children's Books, Adult Books, Non-fiction Books, etc.) Anyone can start a writer's group, they just need to find others who are interested in attending. Usually people who live within driving distance. Writer's groups are invaluable to someone trying to revise a manuscript. My books always seem perfect to me because I wrote them. But when someone else reads my story, they don't always see things the way I do. If my writer's group sees problems in my plot, it's a sure bet a publisher will too. When I first started to attend a writer's group my hands shook as I read my work aloud. I don't even think about it now.

7) Unless you are a professional, do not illustrate your own book - Don't ask your cousin Fred to do it for you either, even if he is the most fantastic artist in the world. Big time publishers like to pick the artist for themselves. Usually someone they are comfortable with and have used many time before. Even if your book is the best children's story in the world they might decided to pass on it, if they think they have to have Fred do the illustrating when his style isn't the look they want right now. If you are a professional illustrator, that is a different story. But make sure you know the proper way to submit an illustrated manuscript. Some publishing houses have a different department for submitting artwork then just plain manuscripts. Make sure you know what it is ahead of time.

8) Query letters and cover letters - Many of the bigger publishing houses do not accept unsolicited manuscripts (they have to ask to see it). So how do you get a editor to ask to see your manuscript? A query letter. A query letter is a one page long letter that includes a discription of your story's plot and your qualifications as a writer. (Your degree in college. Other writings you've have published in the past. Anything that makes you sound like you know your stuff.) If the editor likes the sound of your story they will ask to see the rest. When sending in a requested manuscript, you will want to include a cover letter with a lot of the same information in it as the query letter. Make sure your contact information is on both your query letter and your cover letter so they will know who to contact if they decide they like your work.

9) Writer's Conferences - These fantasic conferences are held regularly all over the nation. There are always editors, authors, illustrators and agents invited to speak. This is where you can make your connections and get your manuscripts solicited. If you want to know if there is a conference near you, do a Google search by typing in the name of your state and "writers conference" and see what comes up. If you have a manuscript ready to go, it is worth any amount of money to attend one of these invaluable conferences.

Good luck all you authors at heart. I know you can do it!

This is the Writing that Never Ends . . .

Whenever I start a new book I always forget how much work it really is to finish one. The Mermaid of Windwaithe Island took nine months to write the first draft alone and two more years to polish and prepare for publishers. There were months of sending out query letters and waiting for answers. (Mostly rejections.) Two publishing houses wanted to see the manuscript, I sent it to the first one who answered and then waited almost two years more for a final answer. Luckily it was yes! Now if I can just make it until Summer of 2010 when the book will actually be published. For those of you who want to try your hand at writing a children’s book someday—don’t expect fast results. I am a little faster at writing and polishing these days, but manuscripts are still monumental undertakings.

Just to give you an idea: I am currently working on two manuscripts. (One is 192 pages into the first draft, the other is 109 pages.) I have two more books simmering on the back burner. (This means I’m working on extensive chapter outlines and key characters and scenes but haven’t actually started actively writing on them yet.) I got another great idea for a book the other day, but it’s going to have to wait for a while. I keep a file of ideas for future books. It’s quite full these days which means I won’t be running out of stories to tell any time in the near future.

Now if only I could get some publisher interested in taking on that quirky Valentine’s Day picture book manuscript I finished a while back . . .

Guess I'd better get back to writing now. So much to write, so little time! : )

The Only Thing You Can Count On Is Change

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains spoilers to Forbidden Sea. If you have not read the book yet, skip to the next entry.




Revisions.

The very word brings shivers to the heart of any author. Even so, nothing could be more necessary to the creation of a good book than some good old fashioned spit and polish. Anyone contemplating being an author better get used to the idea. You’ll never get a book published without extensive revisions, so learn to enjoy them. My editor has helped me improve my book in ways I would never have imagined possible. Most of her suggestions, when I stopped to consider them, were right on target. At first I might be sad about changes to the plot, but after some time and hard work, I can see for myself that these changes only improve my story for the best. Curious to know what in Forbidden Sea was changed? Here are a few examples.

Originally Adrianne’s name was Rhama and her sister Cecily was called Chloelle. When the editor asked me change the names, I chose Adrianne because that is the name of my cousin (spelled Adrienne in real life, but I thought the “a” looked more old-fashioned). Adrienne and her twin sister have been fans of my writing since they were little girls. This was my way of thanking them for their support over the years. Thank goodness Adrienne’s twin sister’s name was too modern to consider or I would have been in a real bind. Because of this last minute change, I still have a hard time remembering what my main character’s name is when I talk about the book sometimes.

Windwaithe Island was originally set in a completely fantastical world complete with its own religions, deities and lands. In order to bring it into the real world of the past, I had to do some in-depth research. Luckily, I’m a librarian with easy excess to many resources of information. I also have a very dear friend named Donna who can research what a dog kennel was like in the late 1800’s in her sleep.

In one early incarnation of the book, Adrianne never made it to the mercity. She decided she didn't want to meet the prince early on and had Jendayi take her back. I like it better the way it is now.


Lord Durran's ancestors were awarded Windwaithe Island after doing a favor for a king. They originally came from the Orkney Islands, which is where most of my research on mermaid legends came from. This information was cut from manuscript in the second round of revisions because it wasn't pertinent to Adrianne's story.


My title for this book changed many times during editing. Some of the titles that did not make it to the final round were: The Mermaid of Windwaithe Island, Between Moonlit Rock and Dark Ocean, and Dark Water. Which one is your favorite?

Forbidden Sea Soundtrack

The creative juices flow better if I have music playing as I write so I will often create soundtracks for my different books. I collect different songs reflecting the mood and theme of certain chapters or characters. For example:

The theme song for the mermaid in Mermaid of Windwaithe Island was Return to Innocence by Enigma. I’d listen to it over and over again to get a feel for what she was like. Listen carefully and you can hear the whales singing.

I also loved to listen to certain songs from The Time Machine soundtrack. (Hated the movie, but loved the music!) The song Eloi was my favorite from the CD. The music is majestic like my mermaid.

Various songs by Hilary Stagg, Gary Stadler, Secret Garden and Celtic Moods often helped me get into the right frame of mind for writing.

Though it is a modern song, Taylor Swift’s Teardrops on My Guitar perfectly describes the complicated relationship between the Adrianne and Denn. I consider it to be their theme song.

Character Sketches

As an author who is also an illustrator, I love drawing my characters as I work on a book. It helps my writing when I'm trying to describe what my characters look like, not to mention it’s a lot of fun. If you are a writer who is not an artist, try finding pictures of people in catalogs that are as close as possible to what you picture in your head. You can refer to them from time to time and it will help to get the creative juices flowing. My characters often change as I write. The sketch of the main character from my Mermaid of Windwaithe Island book started off older then she ended up, which is why she looks a lot older in the picture than she is in the book. My protagonist’s love interest, pretty much stayed the same throughout. The story was originally set in a fantasy world instead of a historical setting so the clothes they are wearing in the sketches are not historically accurate.