What I’ve Been Up To

I love May. It’s one of my favourite months of the year and despite a recent and much needed rainfall, we’re now enjoying sunny days and warm temperatures. As you’ll see from the photos, spring flowers are still blooming around our house. As we go for our daily walks, it’s fun to see the gorgeous flowers that have bloomed in our neighbourhood. Birds are everywhere and lawns are a rich green.

On the downside, I’ve been dealing with seasonal allergies which hopefully won’t last long. I’ve gone through a lot of tissues and am not quite as energetic as I have been, but that’s okay. It won’t last. After taking part in three separate in-person events last weekend, the downtime is welcome.

To date, I’ve only sent out two queries to agents. I know others advise to do so in batches, but I’d rather go slowly right now. Many authors describe the querying process as a nightmare. Queries are either ignored or not responded to for many months. A small number of agents might request to see the entire manuscript (one never submits the entire book in a query), which requires months of more waiting, only to wind up rejected. But I’ve been through this and know what to expect. The long time lapses will allow me time to write and edit the next two installments in the trilogy, so it’s all good.

I’ve pushed past the midway mark in the first draft of book #2, and am at about 65,000 words. I’m down to the last third where conflicts come to a head. It’s a funny thing, but action scenes take the longest to write. I find myself thinking and rethinking every word and paying close attention to how the action is playing out. I expect the last part will take a while to write, but that also depends on my momentum. This week, it’s good. Next week, who knows?

This weekend, we’re hosting a family BBQ to celebrate Mother’s Day. It’s the first BBQ of the season and my son will be making his fabulous steak sandwiches with fried onions and mushrooms, and an amazing sauce. To all the moms out there, I wish you a very Happy Mother’s Day!

Reaching Out and Meeting People

Last week, I had the privilege of attending three separate events over a five-day period. All were very different and by the end I was exhausted, but it was worth the effort.

The first event was a cultural roundtable hosted by local city representatives. The goal was for different cultural groups to meet one another and share our needs. I and my colleague represented the Delta Literary Society. While our needs center around gaining publicity for our events, it was interesting to hear about the challenges that other groups are facing. I was surprised to see twenty different groups attending that night: the police pipe band, quilters, potters, artists, acting groups, rockhounds, heritage groups, and so forth were all there.

At the second event, I was part of a panel of five people who talked about writing. We each read from our books to a lovely group of people. This was a new event hosted by our society, and we’re grateful for the terrific support we received.

Two days after that, I attended a craft fair that ran from ten until four. Again, I met some delightful folks, sold books, and answered questions about publishing and marketing.

I’m sharing all this to help the writers and introverts out there understand the importance of connecting with others in person. I know it’s scary and feels risky at times, but starting with just one small event can make a big difference in your confidence and in achieving your writing goals.

Writing is a solitary business in the early stages. If writers want to take their work to the next level, however, then they need to reach out and ask for feedback from others. Taking workshops and courses can be useful as well, and I do recommend attending some of them in person. Producing a published book is also a joint effort. Very few writers can do all of it on their own. And then there’s the marketing and promotion side of things. You can only do so much from your keyboard at home.

Other than my weekly critique group meeting and facilitating creative writing workshops on Saturdays, I’ve been enjoying a quiet week. My grandkids are sick today, though, so I’m off to take care of them. Their busy parents are accountants who are working long hours to meet the April 30 deadlines.

Until this week, the last few days were gloriously sunny, so we managed to enjoy several afternoon walks. With all the tree blossoms, daffodils, and tulips that have sprung up in our neighbourhood, it’s the perfect time to exercise outdoors. The tulips in the photos are from our garden. I didn’t even know we had them until now. We moved in exactly a year ago and I don’t remember seeing them. I was probably too busy unpacking to notice. But I’m noticing now. 😊

My Two Favourite Things

Those who’ve been following my blog a while know that my two favourite things in the world are writing and family time. Reading is a close third. Happily, I’ve been enjoying a lot of those activities these past couple of weeks.

As I write the second installment in my urban fantasy trilogy, I occasionally go back and tweak something in the first book. It’s hard to completely put it away. I submitted the first 5,000 words to a writing competition, so needless to say, I went through those pages thoroughly. I’ve also signed up with QueryTracker to help find agents, and submitted my first query yesterday. So, the journey has begun.

I’ve worked with two agents in the past, one in Canada and the other in the U.S. Both were sole operators. The first agent helped me edit my very first book, Taxed to Death, (now out of print) in the mid-1990s. The second agent I acquired around 2008 did no editing but she did receive encouraging responses from large publishers for The Opposite of Dark. I’m looking for larger, more established firms this time. It’ll be a long process, I expect, but I have enough on the go to keep me preoccupied. If I don’t find an agent or a publisher, that’s okay, too. I’ll likely self-publish the trilogy at some point. So, regardless of what happens, it’s all good.

On the family front, we celebrated Easter at our house this year, and held my granddaughters’ first Easter egg hunt. I hid the eggs in only three rooms, and it didn’t take three-year-old Ellie to figure out that there was chocolate inside the colourful wrappers.

I think that the worst of cold and flu season is over in our part of the world, as both girls have been going to daycare every day for the past three weeks, which is a record. Good health is crucial right now, as I have five in-person writing-related events coming up next week. Spring is a busy time in the writing world, but it’s always good to get out there and chat with people face-to-face.

Here’s my favourite photo of the day: A 3-year-old with her Easter duckie on grandpa’s motorcycle, while grandpa keeping a watchful eye. She loves the motorcycle, which doesn’t bode well for her parents when Ellie’s a teen. 😊

Beginnings and Endings This Spring

Two days ago, I finished the edits of my urban fantasy, tentatively titled, When Darkness Draws Near. I’ve been working on that book for so long (since before Covid) that it feels surreal. As I mentioned last time, there will be more changes down the road, but for now it’s ready to submit to agents and editors.

I wrote a query letter and synopsis last year, which has been critiqued by numerous people. I’m going over them again and researching the list of potential agents I’ve compiled over the past two years. The work never stops, does it?

Also, on Tuesday, I finished my volunteer work with the organizing committee for this year’s Bookfest 2024. It was a pleasure to work with such a professional and organized group of volunteers. The festival was great fun and I had a blast catching up with folks I hadn’t seen in months. There’s nothing better than being part of an event in your own community, where so many people know you.

I’m now switching gears and doing more activities with the literary society in my area. I was asked to be on the board last fall, and their festival is coming up in April. Today, I spent two and a half hours putting up posters in our community and there’ll be more volunteering next week. As the new kid on the block, I look forward to meeting many people.

Two weeks ago, we were babysitting our sick grandkids and as a consequence my spouse and I came down with colds. All is well now and I’m looking forward to hosting our Easter dinner on Sunday. We’ll do an Easter egg hunt inside the house, which will be the girls’ first experience. I’ll take photos 😊

We’ve gotten into the habit of walking nearly every day. The photos are just a sample of the sites we often see only minutes from our house. Tree blossoms line the street on one side of the shopping complex we frequent. The slough and the ducks are on the other side. As the weather improves, I’ll take more photos of life in beautiful Delta.

Meanwhile, to those who celebrate, a very Happy Easter, and I wish all of you a peaceful long weekend, however you celebrate.

How Do You Feel About Unresolved Endings in Fantasy Fiction?

I’ve been reading a fair bit of fantasy fiction these days (for several years, actually), partly because I love the genre but also because I’m looking for up-to-date publications to compare with my novel when I begin querying agents. The agents whose podcasts I’ve watched say that the ability to compare your book with other well-known novels (or even a movie) is an important component of query letters.

Through all this reading, I’ve noticed a common practice in the fantasy genre, and not just for world-building trilogies, but in urban fantasies. It’s where the author leaves major plotlines unresolved and on a cliffhanger that forces the reader to pick up the second installment to see how it ends.

A classic example of this is in a book I read a couple of weeks ago by Kat Ross, called The Fourth Talisman. I’ve read two of Ross’s novels before and loved them. This book, however, left the main plot unresolved, which was so annoying that I’m unlikely to pick up the second book.

I certainly don’t need or expect all plotlines to be resolved in each book in a series, especially in epic fantasies. Happily ever after tied up in a neat package isn’t always—and doesn’t need to be—the endgame in fiction.

I realize that this is a matter of personal taste and we all have preferences when it comes to endings, so I’d love to know what you all think. Does it bother you if the main plot isn’t resolved at the end of book one, or are you okay with it and likely to buy the second installment to see how a story ends? Note, that I’m speaking mainly of fantasies here. Mysteries, romance, and westerns tend to have different ways of ending a novel.

Meanwhile, I’ve been working diligently on this final draft of my urban fantasy. As you can see from the photo, I’ve been printing out the double-spaced pages and then reading every word aloud to catch awkward sentences, repetition, and typos. It’s a slow process but it’s helped a great deal. The manuscript in the photo is approximately 87,000 words and there are still nine short chapters to print, but this gives you a glimpse of the work that is involved.

Although this is draft #10, the work likely isn’t over. The manuscript is as good as it can be to submit, but if I’m lucky enough to find an agent, there will be more changes to make. That’s the reality of this business: editing and more editing until one day it’s finally ready for readers. I look forward to that day.

Cherishing the Freedom to Read

Last week was officially Freedom to Read Week in Canada. I’m a bit late to the party. On the other hand, every week is freedom to read week for me. As the organization’s website says, this event “encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom”, and I so agree.

We are living in an age where more people and governments want to stop others from reading certain books and, dare I say, thinking certain thoughts, let alone living the lives they choose. According to the info I read on the website, 8% of the challenges were related to pro-LGBTQIA2S+ content five years ago. The percentage is now 38%. Take from that what you will:

After reviewing the list of challenged books over the decades. I was surprised to see Doctor Zhivago among them. Now, I’m not saying that these books have been banned. Nor would I personally read all of them, but I wouldn’t try to stop someone else from reading material that is not to my taste. Freedom is about being able to choose.

Penguin Random House published their own list of banned and frequently challenged books, which included The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, Such is My Beloved by Morley Callaghan, Barometer Rising by Hugh McLennan, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, The Wars by Timothy Findley, The Diviners by Margaret Laurence, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, and many more which you can find HERE.

You know what’s so ironic? When I was in high school many years ago, at least half of those books were either required or recommended reading in the curriculum. Today, I heard that To Kill a Mocking Bird—one of my favorite books in the world—will be removed from the school curriculum here in British Columbia. We do live in a different time, don’t we?

Don’t let anyone stop you from reading, or writing, whatever you want. Authors already self-censor enough to satisfy publishers and readers. These days, it feels like things are being taken to a new, somewhat extreme level, and negative, hurtful extremism, in any form, worries me.

2 Great Tips From a Literary Agent

Almost daily, I receive invitations to attend free seminars and workshops focused on writing and marketing. Last week, a timely topic cropped up through a workshop called 3 Keys to Pitching, hosted by Jane Friedman (a familiar name in the writing community). Her guest was literary agent, Lucinda Halpern, who had some great tips on pitching to agents. She’s written a how-to book on the subject called Get Signed and has a website: www.getsignedbook.com

Since I’ve decided to pitch my urban fantasy rather than self-publish, I attended the hour-long workshop and found it helpful. I also found it good to know that my query letter is on the right track, thanks to the helpful feedback I’ve already received from others. But here are a couple of questions that made me stop and think. Lucinda suggested asking ourselves “What is Your Big Idea?” and “What do you serve for a reader?”

Basically, the big idea is about defining what the book is about in a couple of sentences, and what makes my book different from others. The second question really required some deep thinking. Lucinda sells a lot of nonfiction, but she feels that the question also applies to fiction. So, I’ve been asking myself if this story is merely escapist entertainment or is it more than that? Is there a message and/or a theme that will resonate with readers and give them something to think about? Will the message sufficiently entice an agent to submit it to publishers? Food for thought, isn’t it?

The books that have stuck with me the most lately offered unique takes on familiar themes. I’m thinking of Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, where the protagonist is trying to make a living as a writer and doing whatever it takes to get there. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is a story of a woman trying to succeed in a man’s world in the 1960s, but in her own determined way as an aspiring chemist.

An author’s voice and the topics they write about, their experiences and passions all make their writing unique. But will that uniqueness resonate with others? Is it marketable? These are the questions agents ask themselves, and it’s not a bad idea to keep that in mind if you’re hoping to land a contract with a traditional publisher.

On a personal note, my sister’s surgery went well and the mass on her ovary was benign. Yay for that! My spouse and I were sick for several days in February, then got well and wound up babysitting little Abby all last week due to a persistent fever. This week Ellie’s come down with a fever, so back to helping out.

We went for a walk on Monday and I snapped a photo of the first crocuses in our wild, wintry yard. Today, more have appeared. Spring is just around the corner, and I can’t wait! It’s been quite damp and grey in Vancouver recently (today’s better), but with any luck we’ll get to Porta Vallarta in about eleven months from now. Fingers crossed. 😊

3 Reasons to Write More Than One Book at a Time

It’s been a productive couple of weeks on the writing front. Happily, the grandkids have been healthy and going to daycare every day, which means I’ve had time to work on two of the three urban fantasy novels in my trilogy.

I’ve found it beneficial to work on more than one book in a series simultaneously. One reason is that events in book one are so fresh that I remember many more details. This makes it easier to insert new tidbits of flashback and build on subtle but important nuances or situations in book two. Secondly, it helps with the flow of both books. I’m less likely to create repetitive events and names. Third, I’ve found that while writing the second book, there are things I wanted, or needed, to change in book one for clarity and continuity.

The standard wisdom is not to write the second book when one is submitting the first book to agents or publishers. If you’re writing a trilogy, the recommendation is to only prepare outlines for books two and three. A complete manuscript could result in having to rework major components, so you’d be wasting your time.

For me, however, a first draft is like a detailed outline. It’s important to write the actual story to see if it even works, what the word count is, and if key elements have been introduced when they should be for pacing purposes. Because I don’t write quickly, I’ll probably only have a basic outline in place for the third book anyway, but we’ll see. The entire submission process could take quite a while and even then it might not work out. In that case, I can turn to self-publishing and release the books one after the other on my own timeline. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

Meanwhile, plans are shaping up for a couple of spring events, one of which is a local event called Bookfest 2024. For those of you who live in the Lower Mainland, please check it out the details on the Tri-City Wordsmiths page HERE. There are still some details to tweak and things that might be changed.

Also, until February 19, I’m offering the fifth installment in my Casey Holland mystery series for $.99. Some of the participating authors in this BookFunnel event will be selling their entire series while others are offering a single book for you to try. Here’s a little bit about Knock Knock:

When a home invasion kills senior Elsie Englehart, security officer Casey Holland is devastated. She’s supposed to be watching over elderly bus riders in an area frequently targeted by thugs. Determined to keep others safe, Casey escorts a senior to his home, only to come under attack by an armed intruder. Hospitalized and angry, Casey struggles to regain control of her life, despite interference from family and colleagues, and the postponement of her wedding. Yet another home invasion compels Casey to take action, but at what cost to her health and her relationships?

My Phrase for the Year

Most people don’t come up with a phrase for the year, but after events since my last blog, this one popped into my head. “It could be worse.”

As mentioned last time, our Mexico vacation was in jeopardy, and after a family discussion we decided to postpone the trip until next year, in order to be here for my sister’s surgery. Honestly, it was the right thing to do. Cancelling airline reservations meant paying a fee, but otherwise the process went smoothly. Meanwhile, I started arranging a family vacation in July, but we’ll be staying in British Columbia. My daughter and SIL understandably don’t want to travel on a plane with a one and three-year-old.

As some of you might have heard, BC endured one heck of a cold snap and a major snowfall last week. My daughter was at her office when the snow started to fall around three p.m. She left right away, but it took her over four hours to get home in what should have been a forty-minute trip. My spouse and I rescued the grandkids from daycare, which is a fifteen-minute walk away and got them dinner.

Temperatures reached as low as -13 Celsius in our area, which is unusual for Vancouver. That’s why we found ourselves without hot water in both bathrooms the following day. We called the plumber who advised us to heat up the house as much as we could stand it and keep the taps running. The water returned a day and a half later, and luckily, our pipes didn’t burst, however many others weren’t so lucky.

While all of that was going on, our refrigerator decided to lower its inside temperature permanently. We moved frozen foods to the deep freeze and the refrigerator goods to the freezer side which is still keeping them cool for now. The new fridge should arrive in another week. I’m not sure why, but historically appliances in our house seem to die in January.

This week, we’ve been helping look after the grandkids while my SIL works over time and my poor daughter is sick once again. It’s her second illness this month, and probably the fourth or fifth time since the youngest started daycare and she returned to work in September. As I write this, we got a text saying the kids are sick again today, so my spouse is babysitting while I get some things done here.

Meanwhile, the editing goes on, and I’m making slow but steady progress despite the distractions. And, yes, it could have been worse…so much worse, so I count my blessings.

Here’s a picture of our yard after the snowfall in our front yard last week.

Off and Running in 2024

Babysitting, packing up Christmas, house cleaning, editing, and meetings. This was my first week of January. The first curveball of the year is that my sister requires surgery which has now been set for February 7^th, the day she’s supposed to fly with us to Mexico. We’re not sure what to do yet, but we’ll sort it out at a family gathering this weekend.

Meanwhile, writers’ groups have reconvened after the holidays. Planning for upcoming events this spring are underway and escalating rapidly. Most of the editing is done in the mornings when my brain functions at its best. In the afternoon, I go for walks. The weather’s gotten colder here in the Lower Mainland, but I still get out. The stores are only a fifteen-minute walk away, so even in winter, I see no reason to use the car. Every year, I try to improve my fitness and go a little greener, with mixed results. Like else, it’s about making a consistent effort.

Although I write and edit on a computer screen to not overuse ink cartridges and paper, the final part of the editing process still requires printouts. Typos and superfluous words are easier to spot when I read every page aloud. It’s not the most environmentally friendly approach, but I’m using old manuscript drafts from the days when I printed out everything.

It’s getting exciting to be close to finalizing the manuscript, at least from my end. I think I started this novel six or seven years ago, and the original idea came long before that. But I’ve always worked on multiple writing projects. The time it takes to write a book isn’t something I worry about that much unless I’m working with a publisher’s deadline.

I’m writing the first draft of the second installment of this trilogy and running it by my critique group. I usually don’t share my work until the third or fourth draft, but my critique partners have been through the first book and know the characters, and I trust their judgement. Whether it speeds up the editing process remains to be seen, but I’m enjoying the journey. 2024 has already become an adventure with unexpected twists and turns. My word for this year might just be PIVOT.