Welcome to Autumn (our front window)
There are dreams and then there are Dreams. Of the former…I’ve been having really strange ones lately. Like mini-movies that may or may not actually include me in it (do other people have dreams they aren’t in or is it just me?). The kind where you wake up, heart racing, wondering what happens next. And then bummed because you’ve woken up and you’ll never know now.
I have stories that have started out that way (kinda like Stephenie Meyer, I know, but *not* at the same time…mine have never had sparkly vampires in them) and some of them might even turn into full-fledged novels one day. Though in the light of day, things that make sense in the dream-world, don’t always hold up well under scrutiny. Chimpanzee wearing a purple-striped bikini and eating an ice cream cone while standing on a rolling ball? Um, maybe not.
I often tend to dream really crazy dreams when I’m working on a book. They don’t necessarily have anything to do with the book (Ask Me, for instance, definitely has no chimpanzees in it). Maybe they are just a by-product of your imagination working over time. After all, sometimes thorny plot issues have a way of solving themselves in those midnight hours.
As for Dreams with a big D…I’ve been wondering what mine really is now. Once upon a time, my Dream was to be a published author. And I am (since 2008! Whoo!). Was it a dream come true? Well, not totally (not that I’d trade it for the world! But no matter what you think it will be like, it’s not it). And while I’d love to have a Big Dream like hitting the NYT’s Bestseller list, I don’t really want that to be my Dream, you know? I’d like something, well, bigger. More meaningful and less commercial-y feeling.
What is it? I dunno yet.
What’s your dream? (don’t worry, I’m not going to co-opt it. Well, unless it’s really good…)
In writing-ish-ness, I’m still working on Ask Me. Need to finish it up in the next month before the holidays really kick in and The Max is off from school. Some days it is really flowing. Other days…pulling teeth, dude, pulling teeth. I like the story though. And the main character, Aria, even though I know I’m about to make her life really, really miserable.
On Cat Girl’s Day Off, the copy edit is all done and the galleys are about to come to me for a final review (maybe today or tomorrow! Ack!). The ARC cover has been settled on (love it). Only disappointing note is that I came up with a too-late-to-use title idea. But hey, if I get to write a sequel, I’ve got a great title for it now. So that’s something.
It was just so perfect. Sigh. My editor liked it too, but it was too late since the sales people have been out since September with sell sheets.
And in Sucks to Be Me third book-ish news…honestly, I really still don’t know what to do there. I do so love it that you guys email me and leave comments every week asking about the status. I am just so leery of self-publishing (though I don’t see that I have a choice in the matter if I want to get it out there). And the first two books are still selling (and have apparently reached far away places like Malaysia–thanks, Dylan, for the picture of my books in a store there!). I was reading this article on The Millions and it really rings true to me.
Though the idea of getting funding through Kickstarter is appealing to me and it looks like there are writers who have successfully done this (and then I could use that money to actually produce a physical copy of the book, not just an eBook, which is something I’d really like to do). Of course, if I did that I’d have to come up with some really cool things for backers…*thinks* Basically, the Kickstarter funding would replace the advance I would normally get from a publisher and cover some advertising and production costs. I have to look into that. It has definite possibilities. If anyone has any ideas related to that, I’m all ears. I don’t think (at least, not how things stand currently in publishing) that I want to normally self publish stuff…I like having a publisher to do the grunt work so I can concentrate more on the writing-y bit. But it may work for a third Sucks to Be Me book.
But first I have to finish Ask Me.
As a bonus for actually reading this long rambling blog post and getting this far, here’s a snippet that has not yet been worked into the book (but will be soon…though it may not survive exactly as written below…):
“Will?” I called again, louder this time. I stood by his car and switched my flashlight off to save the battery I had left. It wasn’t fair that I couldn’t ask myself questions and get answers. I tried it, even though I knew it wouldn’t work. It never had before. “Where is Will?” I said, feeling silly.
“Here.” He came up behind me, putting his hands on my shoulders and leaning forward. “Right here.” I could feel his breath on my right ear. I turned around and found myself nose to nose with him, literally. I backed up, but his car was in the way.
“Hi,” I said, suddenly wondering how my breath was. I hadn’t anticipated being quite this close to him. I swallowed and resisted the urge to lick my lips. Only girls in movies did that.
And the excerpt:
