Well, I'm not sure if it's a normal thing to do, or not, but last night I had a Skype meeting with a book club in PA. Boy, was it fun! They said they were ages 22 thorough 91, and they all read Kergulen. And they all even liked it. I loved hearing their thoughts and trying to answer their questions, and was surprised at times how much more credit they gave me than I actually deserve.
For example, they were surprised how young I am. I decided to assume this meant they thought the writing was mature :). More credit than I deserve. One woman said she could tell I knew where the stories were going the whole time, and I had a definite ending in mind...if only she knew how much time I spent trying to come up with half-way decent ending for Kergulen. Since it's really more of a beginning than an ending, it was hard. WAY more credit than I deserve.
In Kings of the Red Shell, I tried ending it at two other places before I finally chose what I did, and that was with the counsel of a good friend and beta reader. It turned out to be a very good ending, but it was by no means my first impulse. 'Kings' was difficult because I originally intended for it and Alonca's Quest to be all one book. It became clear that the book was getting way to long, and that there was an excellent stopping point after the first part of the quest, so I rethought and rewrote, and, well, there you have it. Cutting the book in half gave me more space for character development in both books, and helped me slow down and explore more directions for Alonca's Quest. The only downside was having to come up with another cover and title, and since that's done, now I can just write.
I was also surprised to learn that 'Kings' made someone blush. Did anyone else feel that way? I worked really hard to walk that fine line between too much and not enough. It's like a stinking tightrope over an alligator pit because everyone has a different standard for defining it. I'll leave it at 'Parental Guidance Suggested'.
So I should really be working on a book instead of blogging again, but I just had to write down some of my thoughts from the Skype session, and also I want to say that if you have a book club, or just some friends who have read the books, I'd be happy to set something up with you, as well. Some writers like to stay aloof and enigmatic, but you might have guessed that I'm not really like that. I'll be like, hey, do you want to meet my son? How about my dog? Ask any question you want! And if you're in town, you can come over for some grilled chicken quarters :).
Oh, and be sure to subscribe to this blog if you want regular updates about my books, family, and other related topics!
For example, they were surprised how young I am. I decided to assume this meant they thought the writing was mature :). More credit than I deserve. One woman said she could tell I knew where the stories were going the whole time, and I had a definite ending in mind...if only she knew how much time I spent trying to come up with half-way decent ending for Kergulen. Since it's really more of a beginning than an ending, it was hard. WAY more credit than I deserve.
In Kings of the Red Shell, I tried ending it at two other places before I finally chose what I did, and that was with the counsel of a good friend and beta reader. It turned out to be a very good ending, but it was by no means my first impulse. 'Kings' was difficult because I originally intended for it and Alonca's Quest to be all one book. It became clear that the book was getting way to long, and that there was an excellent stopping point after the first part of the quest, so I rethought and rewrote, and, well, there you have it. Cutting the book in half gave me more space for character development in both books, and helped me slow down and explore more directions for Alonca's Quest. The only downside was having to come up with another cover and title, and since that's done, now I can just write.
I was also surprised to learn that 'Kings' made someone blush. Did anyone else feel that way? I worked really hard to walk that fine line between too much and not enough. It's like a stinking tightrope over an alligator pit because everyone has a different standard for defining it. I'll leave it at 'Parental Guidance Suggested'.
So I should really be working on a book instead of blogging again, but I just had to write down some of my thoughts from the Skype session, and also I want to say that if you have a book club, or just some friends who have read the books, I'd be happy to set something up with you, as well. Some writers like to stay aloof and enigmatic, but you might have guessed that I'm not really like that. I'll be like, hey, do you want to meet my son? How about my dog? Ask any question you want! And if you're in town, you can come over for some grilled chicken quarters :).
Oh, and be sure to subscribe to this blog if you want regular updates about my books, family, and other related topics!
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