This week I had to take a break from my book to do some housekeeping on other projects. It couldn't be avoided, and I love the fact that I get to work on more than one kind of book and write two or three books a years(two children's one adult) I consider myself very lucky. I've been working on the second draft of RUBY PARKER HOLLYWOOD STAR during the day and reading the page proofs for the American Edition of THE ACCIDENTAL MOTHER in the evenings, both things needed to be completed by the end of this week. It's fun to go back and read Ruby Parker after a few months break and with fresh eyes. I realised that my editor did have a point when she said sometimes my thirteen year old heroine sounds like a twenty-five year old who's been around the block! Writing a series is interesting because you have to get back into the skin of the main character every time you begin a new book, especially if it's told in the first person as the Ruby books are. Clearly at the beginning of the first draft of this book it took me a little longer than I thought! As for reading the page proofs for the US Edition of The Accidental Mother, that's just fun. I'm excited about it being published in the states. It's a book I'm really attached to and that did very well in the U.K. I really like my U.S editor too. I'd love it to sell a few copies over there, but I suppose I'll have to cross my fingers until September 2007 and wait and see! But as we all know pre-publication fear is pretty much par for the course in the this job. That and post publication anxiety!
Anyway starting first thing on Monday back to the book and I'll be powering ahead, because now the fire had been lit and I'm flying!
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Over amongst the Novel Racers you posted:
"Also I've been looking at the other racers blogs and now I feel boring and sedate. Must think of a way to improve like all of yours."
So of course I had to come see yours. Hard to judge from two entries -- you need at least three points to determine an arc -- but so far neither boring nor sedate. Comfortable, maybe, and nothing wrong with that.
(I did notice you had a MySpace page and ran screaming away. Joined once to gain access to a discussion group on race relations here in the USofA and am still getting strange things sent my way by MySpacers who've tracked me down. Scared of MySpace.)
I am interested in your work (which I confess I've not read) and more interested in how you work (because there are always things to learn). Glad to hear you're flying on your book. Just wrapped one Thursday night -- and the last week was a mad blur of typing followed by the absolute certainty that I'd sent my rough notes-copy by mistake.
At any rate, now that I've found your blog, I'll be dropping by to see what you're up to.
-- KeVin
Wotcha!
Looking forward to reading more of your blog so I don't know whether I should nag you to blog more, or nag you to work on your book. :D
Only two mugs of tea today and I'm feeling dozy and headachey...I'm experiencing caffeine withdrawal, I've got to nag SOMEBODY!!!
I only do housework when absolutely necessary.......I'm totally blocked :-) Hope you aren't and it doesn't sound that way!
thank you for reading my blog guys! I'll try harder to be dangerous with it. Maybe next time I'll write on the edge of a high cliff...I too am a bit scared of myspace, it is a bit scary but quite fun too - SO FAR. Nicola keep up giving up caffiene - it's worth it in the end. Vodka is much better.
ps house is now a tip which menas I'm writing again. Yipee!
Hey Rowan - the word counter is up! Well done.
I have a question. I notice that you are writing towards 120,000 words. Is this the same length as your baby group book? I like the thickness and the weightiness of it. (I am currently a few chapters in on the baby group - I must advertise your book on my blog page. You could do this too with an Amazon associates account).
Thanks for your suggestion - I'm going to take a deep breath and chase on Monday - well, there's always hope for that friday afternoon call... yeah right! I enjoyed your blog - you sound very fired up which is how I should be so will take note!
HI Rowan, I'm a first time visitor to your blog - spotted you at the coffee morning on Kate's site - just read your dinner party post -really made me chuckle. I have house guests coming in about 3 weeks and already I'm panicking about the amount of cleaning I'll have to do. Particualrly worried about what lurks in cupboards and under beds!!!! I'm hoping to have a first draft of my first novel finished by the end of June so it's a toss up between opening the door on a clean house with a frustrated host still short of a few thousand words OR offering up a happy but grubby house! Hope the dinner party was fun for you!
Hi Rowan - How are you? I'm a fellow novel racer - but I'm giving it up for a bit as I have a postgrad to do in the summer. My mum actually works with your Godmother Elizabeth Wiggett(I live in St Albans) - so just thought I'd let you know about the connection. Hopefully I'll be back in September after my course and bugging you all for inspiration to write etc...and Good luck with your three books.
Thanks for the tip, Rowan, off for huge supply of chocolate - will need it as prospective agent seems to have left the country!
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