The End of the Affair

With few exceptions, most of the posts you will ever read about the practice of writing, anywhere on the Internet, will be positive. Sure, there'll be the occasional I submitted my novel to 11 agents...' but the punchline will usually be, 'and the 11th submission came up trumps'.

This post will be a little bit different.

This tale is what you might call the flip side of the coin - the side that lands in the dirt. And pretty much stays there. Except that, viewed from another perspective, it doesn't. This affair is a literary one and full of contradictions.

We'll start at the beginning. Well, not the very beginning because that took place a long time ago - in the 1980s.

My fantasy, Covenant, is a large book. It weighs in at 133,000 words and, believe me, that is the shortened version. It's a quest that involves a range of themes, both archetypal (truth, loss, justice and redemption) and esoteric (altered states of consciousness, reincarnation, and mysticism). Even for the fantasy genre, based on the feedback I've had, I'd say it's a little different.

It has been a long journey. You can find snippets elsewhere in this blog, but the facts are these:

- 20 submissions to agents.

- 40 submissions to publishers, which include Indies.

- Subbed in the UK, USA, The Netherlands, Denmark and South Africa

- Fastest decision time - 1 minute (no unsolicted subs at the moment, thanks).

- Slowest decision time - 1 year, 3 months and 16 days (Baen Books).

- Five contracts offered.

- One was solely for ebook publication.

- One was for a very limited print run.

- Three wanted author contributions from £1000 to £5000.

- One publisher wanted me to commit to buying 150 discounted copies.

High points:

- Being offered each and every one of those five different contracts. Okay, so I declined on the basis of my costs or their distribution model, but in each case - had I the available funds or the profile - it might have worked out. Bottom line? Publishing is a risky business and they wanted me to share the risk.

Low points:

- My editor at Samhain, Terri Smith, approving my book and then passing away before the revised contract could be signed. Followed by the replacement editor turning my book down.

- My ms or return postage not being returned by Capall Bann, and no reply to my phone call / registered letter. And this was after they'd sent me a proposal.

- Saga Whyte Press falling victim to the global downturn before my launch.

- The agent who wanted the 'small amount' of £70 to read my ms sample.

And after affairs, so I'm told, once the recriminations and rationalisations are little more than fading memories, there's a fresh perspective. Maybe it's not always forgive and forget, but it's learn the lesson and move on. The lesson for me was that, after years of subbing and editing, and all of the above, I decided that I don't want to do it anymore. Not with Cov. I do, however, want to see Cov in print.

It took Villayat SnowMoon Wolf Sunkmanitu, a fellow writer and photographer, less than 30 minutes to talk me through the pleasures and pitfalls of paperback self-publication. I know, from the feedback I've received, that there's a niche readership out there. And I used to have a reader group of around 30 people who received a chapter a week. So here's to the end of the affair and the onset of independence.

I aim to complete the proof edit by the end of July and commit to print in August / September.  And I'm waiting to hear about using a cover design from one of my former editors. So watch this space, and if you're into esoteric fantasy epics, you're welcome to join my mailing list. 

Guest spot - Stained Glass Summer by Monday Hardwick

Many writers will tell you that the story chose them. There they were, having a coffee at home or dozing on a train, and then WHAM, a voice or a face or gem of an idea appears. That's how a story of mine, The Superhero Club arrived on the page, and Musa Publishing signed it up back in January for a November launch date. It's a children's / YA tale of friendship, truth and acceptance, and unlike anything else I've written before. (That's right, no one dies!) 
To get to the bottom of what it means to be a YA author, I'm delighted to introduce my fellow Musa author Mindy Hardwick. 

1. Do you plot your books in detail from the start or do you let them develop organically?

Stained Glass Summer developed from character. One night, a spunky, teenage girl character sat down in my blue and white striped chair and said, “Hello, my name is Jasmine. It is time to tell my story.” A year later, I began working on my MFA in Writing For Children and Young Adults from Vermont College.  In that program, we worked a lot on character with the idea that plot would evolve from character. 

2. Have you changed your approach to writing since the publication of your first book?

Stories still start with a character, but, I have learned to do more outlining and plotting! I’ve learned a lot by attending RWA Conferences and listening to romance writers talk about what it takes to write two to three books a year—lots of outlining and plotting! I’ve also learned that with a good outline, I can work on scenes out of order.  So, if I’m stuck on one part, I can move to a different part of the story and not get too jumbled! 

3. What drew you to the YA genre, and does it present any special challenges as a writer?

My writing voice seems to fall naturally into the YA/Mid Grade genre. The topics I like to explore are teen and tween issues and my characters are young and trying to find their way in the world. One of the biggest challenges for me is I tend to write stories which are “tween.” This is a cross between the young middle grades and not quite young adult. I had a hard time selling Stained Glass Summer because of this age issue. It didn’t quite fall into either YA or MG. It was in the middle. But, I used to teach middle grades (6^th-8^th grade), and I knew the story belonged to their age group. 

4. Do you view high profile book series - such as the Twilight books - as positive role models for children and young adults?
Any book which gets a teen reading is great! We all like different books at different times in our lives. I think it’s important to find the right book for the right kid at the right time. 

5. Are there any authors and characters that have inspired you?

There are two books which inspired me as a teen and directly inspired Stained Glass Summer. Homecoming and Dicey’s Song by Cynthia Voigt. Dicey’s mother abandons her and her siblings in a shopping mall parking lot. Dicey must figure out how to get to her Grandmother’s and start a new life over. Dicey and my character, Jasmine, would be very good friends. They both have been abandoned by parents and they both have to start new lives with relatives. Both characters are resilient and know how to survive against the odds.

6. Tell us a little about your writing routine.

In the morning, I answer e-mails, work on workshops, blog, and update social media. I teach six distance learning classes to educators, and they can keep me busy! In the afternoon, I write. Lately, I’ve been leaving the house to go to coffee shops or libraries.  I try to go to yoga at least once a week, and I walk on our wooded trails a lot. I need that exercise to clear my mind and help me think about my stories. I find that a lot of my writing time is planning time while I am doing other things!

7. What was your journey to becoming an author at Musa?

Long! I worked on Stained Glass Summer for almost ten years before I sold it. I got a lot of “almost” or “not quite right for our list.” Then, I sent the manuscript to be professionally critiqued by freelance editor, Sarah Cloots.  It was after that point that the manuscript sold to Musa.

8. How would you describe Stained Glass Summer to a total stranger?

Twelve-year-old Jasmine adores her photographer Father and wants to be an artist just like him. But when Dad abandons the family, Jasmine is sent to spend the summer with her Uncle on a Pacific Northwest Island. Soon, Jasmine is learning stained glass from island glass artist, Opal, and thinking she might just be developing a crush on Island boy, Cole. But, it’s not until Jasmine finds herself mentoring another young artist that she can truly let go of her Father and call herself an artist by her own terms.

9. Where can we find out more about you and your writing?
Stained Glass Summer is available at Musa Publishing, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Itunes.

There is also a free discussion guide on my website here.  And I give Skype talks about the book.

You can find me at:

Website: www.mindyhardwick.com

Blog: www.mindyhardwick.wordpress.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/stainedglasssummer

Twitter: @mindyhardwick

10. What are you working on at the moment?

I am working on a tween/upper middle grade for boys entitled, Granddad Toys. I am also working on a chapter book for elementary school kids.