Newbie Question #17

17. What should my manuscript look like?

There's a lot of debate about this (much more than you'd expect, and people can get really wound up about it.) HOWEVER, it is my contention that knowing manuscript format *is* the very secret handshake that everyone is looking for.

Science fiction author Vonda N. McIntyre has made you a lovely .pdf in manuscript format that explains manuscript format. People like to argue about this. Do I have to? Courier is ugly! So and so says I can send it however I like on their website. To which my answer is always: suck it up and send it in manuscript format. If nothing else, sending it the "old-fashioned" way shows that you're at least familiar enough with the business of writing to have stumbled across the way everyone used to do it.

The exception being in those rare cases when you're writing for a specific market (I'm thinking of an electronic magazine, like weekly science fiction magazine, Strange Horizons,) which may have it's own rules. In those cases, do what they say.

I confess that I don't much like the way Courier 12 pt, double-space looks either. So I write the book in whatever my current favorite font is (Georgia) -- single space (because it looks more like a book to me, and I just find it more attractive. I've got to stare at it for months, after all). Then, just before I send it in to the publisher I switch over to Courier 12 pt, double-space.

This is one really simple thing you can do to look professional. Why not just do it?

Newbie Question #16

16. Have you ever doubted yourself while writing? If so, how do you get over it?

I doubt myself all the time, just ask the folks in my writers' group. I constantly complain that I don't know what the f**k I'm doing or that my stories suck, etc., etc. I get over my doubt by tapping my support network -- my writers' group and my partner. (Because, if nothing else, my partner will say these magic words: "We need the money." Works for me every time. :-)

But I think this is actually a question about writers' block, which is I think a more delicate and harder question to answer.

There are a lot things about this business that can freak people out to the point that they can't write. Most of the really hard ones, IMHO, come after you publish that first book, but there are a few potential killers early on.

One of the reasons I find writers' critique groups of any kind (in-person or on-line) so vital to a writer's career is because they help prepare you for the first and foremost challenge to your ego, and that is: criticism.

People are going to hate your precious babies your entire career. They just are. (I just stumbled across a rather nasty review of Tall, Dark & Dead just today.) But, before you have the cache of a New York publisher's approval, rejection is even harder to take.

If you can't handle criticism or rejection, surviving as a writer is going to particularly difficult. My advice is to find a writers' group and practice taking those slaps in the face and pulling yourself back up on your feet. It's a skill set you're going to use all the damn time.

The other big one you're going to face is rejection. Publishers (and literary agents) are going to turn you down, early and often. It may take several years and dozens of books before you break in. This is why it's important to love what you do. If you like to write, it's easier to pick up your keyboard after you have that big huge weep fest after the sixteenth rejection for your beloved book comes in the mail (when you were SURE this would be the one).

My advice is to practice this attitude: "OMG,I suck; Damn, I'm a genius!" Seriously, I think you have to be a bit unstable to be a good writer. You have to be able to accept that you suck (so you can LISTEN to critique and learn from it), while simultaneously believing you are the best writer who ever lived (so you can get the morning after a crushing critique/rejection and write once again).

The other things that I, personally, found nearly crippling is the stuff that happens after you publish. The first negative review hurts. There will be one and it will feel horrible. You'll believe every word (when, ironically, you didn't believe a word of the praise in the positive reviews.) If you're me, you'll memorize the meanest thing the reviewer wrote and be unable to forget it. Ever. Ask me if we ever meet. I can still give it to you verbatim.

The other thing is what I call "second book-itis" or pysch out. After the adrenaline rush has coursed through your veins after the sale of that first novel, you suddenly realize you're contracted for another book THAT PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO READ. If you're like most authors, you probably lived with that first novel for years before anyone bought it. You had lots of time to massage it and make it the best novel you possibly could. Usually, too, the publisher has contracted you for another book -- either a sequel or something else. Either way, you're sitting down to write that next book (usually before the first one has come out) and, if you're me, you're absolutely frozen by the idea that it could really, really SUCK and kill your career before it's even started.

That one is the hardest one for me. I don't have any good advice except to say that you'll just have to push through. I tend to get over the "OMG people are going to read this" thing (which I often still get) the same way a lot of actors get over stage fright. I lie to myself. I tell myself that no one is going to read the book but me and maybe my editor. I trick myself into believing this by writing most of my book in something other than manuscript format and in a file named something like "New stuff."

I'm sure there are other reasons people get hit with writers' block, but these are the ones I've dealt with. What about the rest of you out there? What freezes your brain?

Newbie Question #15

Does this process ever get easier?

Parts of it do, but on the whole, not really, no.

For me, every book is a new learning process. I never really have seemed to settled on "how to write a book." And, there's always some point at which I have an ah-ha moment that you'd think I'd have learned years ago.

BUT, that being said, there are a lot of things that do get easier. For instance, I no longer blink at the idea of writing 2,000 words in a day. Sitting down and getting started isn't the chore that it used to be (of course part of that may be because it's my job now in a way that it wasn't before, but I do find that a blank page no longer fills me with a low-grade terror.) I'm not scared I'm going to write myself into a corner. I trust my characters, my instinct, my story-telling, my audience.

One of the most helpful things about writing that I ever read was this idea of "killing your Muse." Stephen King wrote in his book On Writing that if you sit down to write every day at the same time, your Muse will find you. And you know what? He's right. For me, it doesn't have to be the same time of day any more (thank Goddess), but it does have to be every day.

My friend and fellow writer, Naomi Kritzer, and I have talked about the fact that if you get out of the habit of writing something every day, even as professional writers, it can be very hard to start up again.

When I first started writing, I set myself a very minor word count goal. I told myself I needed to write at least 425 words every day. I don't know where I pulled that number from, but it used to sit on my desk. I didn't always make it, life being what it is (and I had a full-time job then). But it was a good discipline to shoot for that. The more words on page, the more progress made.

Also, it helps to know that some days are just hard... for everyone. I interviewed Neil Gaiman for Science Fiction Chronicle several years ago, and one of the things he said that really stuck with me is that he had days when writing was really difficult, but when he looked back at the words he couldn't tell which were the hard ones to write and which flowed like honey from his fingertips. Words are words and words on page are progress forward.

So, no, things don't necessarily get easier, but writing every day helps.

Newbie Question #14

14. How & why did you become a writer

“Why” is a lot easier to answer: I became a writer because I write, which is to say that there’s a pretty high percentage that I’d be writing stories right now even if I had never sold that first professional piece (or, god forbid, never sold another one again.)

Hopefully, that’s the reason you’re a writer too. Because if you’re in it for the fame, the glory, or the wads of cash you imagine you’ll be getting, you’re going to be wildly disappointed. I mean WILDLY.

Writing is a job. It’s a really hard job to get, and it’s an even harder job to keep. If you love doing it for its own sake, well, at least no one can take that from you, you know? Just the other day, I was hanging out with some writer friends at a coffee shop where we’d all gathered to work together, and we were all engrossed in our writing. Every once and a while one of us would pop up and excitedly share some clever or funny line she’d written, and I thought, “damn, but this is the life.” I’m a writer because I love writing. The act of writing can make me really happy. I amuse the piss out of myself. In the book I’m working on now, I’ve written so many scenes where I think, “Wow, that is _so_ just for me.” That might not seem the best attitude when you’re trying to sell commercially, but I think, actually, it’s quite healthy. Because at the end of the day, you’re writing for yourself. If you can’t take pleasure in your own words, what the hell is it for, anyway?

“How” I became a writer has two parts. I started writing in middle school when I was also, not surprisingly, devouring books by the shelf-full. I got particularly into one series by and author (Katherine Kurtz's DERYNI boosk) who was publishing at the usual timetable of a book a year. I just couldn’t wait. I started making up what I was going to happen to my favorite character in-between books. This is what’s called “fanfic,” but I grew up before the age of the Internet so no one ever saw what I wrote but me and the zillions of notebooks I filled.

I did this also with Anne McCaffery's DRAGONRIDER series. So I did a lot of what you could call practice writing. I used someone else's well developed characters and world, and practiced dialogue and scene setting and plotting (although at first most of my stories were very soap opera-like). This writing was pretty dreadful. BUT it was a good start at learning the craft of writing.

I did this sort of practice on-and-off throughout my life until sometime after college, when it occurred to me that a person could take a class in writing science fiction and fantasy. (By this point, I should note, I'd mostly begun trying out original characters/stories.) I've chronicled what happened after that on the FAQ page of my alter ego's website.

Newbie Question #13

13. Will an agent expect me to sign a contract? Should I sign one?

You know, honestly, I don't really know. I know that I requested and signed a contract with my first agent, and I didn't with my second.

This is also one of those questions that may be different depending on the genre you write in. There seem to be to be a lot more "handshake contracts" in science fiction/fantasy, though I'm not saying this is necessarily a better thing.

A contract with your agent is, however, very likely a GOOD THING. It's wise to have certain things spelled out in black and white, particularly if you've never entered into this kind of relationship before. It's good to know, for instance, under what conditions you can terminate your relationship with your agent (and visa versa.)

I think just as critical is to have a conversation in which you discuss beforehand what sorts of things your agent will and won't do for you. Will they share rejections? Will they give editorial advice? How often can you expect to hear from them?

Those things won't be spelled out in a contract, but they're good to know for your own sanity.

Newbie Questions #11 & #12

11. How do I know which agent is best for me?

12. How much should I expect to pay an agent to represent my book?

Last one first: NOTHING.

Remember the rule that money always flows to the author. A literary agent works the same way a real estate agent does, which is to say that you should pay nothing until the book sells. Then, you can expect to pay a percentage of that sale. When I was agent hunting in the late Cretaceous that percentage was 15%, now-a-days it could be slightly more, but not significantly so. (The exception is foreign sales -- since your agent has to pay sub-agents – but that’s nothing to worry about until a foreign sale happens.)

If your perspective agent charges a reading fee, I say that agent isn’t for you. There may be legitimate reasons why an otherwise reputable agent might charge reading fees, but to me it’s a big red flag that says “run away, run away fast.”

Keep repeating the mantra: money always flows to the author.

As for finding a good agent that fits you, that will be a more personal decision. In the end, you should consider the fact that your agent is your face in the professional arena. After that, it becomes a matter of taste.

For myself, I don’t like agents that edit. Even though my first agent was also a consulting editor, he never asked me to do editorial changes before submitting my work to publishing houses. I like that. It’s my personal feeling that if someone wants me to significantly rewrite a novel, I want to be paid to do so (remember the mantra!)

I also don’t need my agent to be my friend. In fact, I prefer a shark. Someone who I know will go for the best deal possible, even if it means not being terribly nice.

On that note, I do want an agent who is excited about my work. When I was in the process of finding a second agent (the first changed career to be a full-time editor,) I talked to a lot of agents. I had one offer to represent me. It became clear, however, that this agent hadn’t really read my work. Even though it meant being agentless for longer than I would have liked, I told him I wasn’t comfortable having an agent who wasn’t 100% into me. Your agent has to be your go-to guy/gal, your advocate, your nag… someone who e-mails you to say, “what have you got!?” If you’re not on their radar, then it’s easy to be forgotten… and this is your career on the line. You need someone who is going to be with you through good times and bad… because there’s always some bad in this business, I’m sorry to say.

Speaking of being “on the radar,” I think a case can be made for having an agent in New York. I also think that a case can be made that it doesn’t matter one wit. Perhaps the bigger issue is the size of the agency. We all want to have the Big Name Agent (you know the one who wrote the book on writing a bestseller) represent us because just throwing around his name is impressive as hell. However, I’ve had friends get lost among the various cogs in that particular machine. My experience has been that it’s much better to be part of a smallish stable. Ideally, you can end up where I am, which is to have a big name agent in New York who has a relatively smallish, but impressive client list… or at least never makes me feel less than an A-lister (even if I’m really a C- or D-list writer. And, no, that’s not false modesty. I have no delusions that I’m anything other than a solidly mid-list author.)

You should also find an agent with a track record. It might be great to be someone’s start up client (and I actually know people who have had that work out great for them,) but it’s a safer bet to go with someone established in the business. Because this is a business where it helps to know people who know people… and a completely new agent is less likely to have those connections.

But this is really a matter of taste. There’s nothing wrong with trying to land the biggest name agent (in fact, I always tell students to start at the top and work your way down.) There’s also nothing wrong with having an agent who edits all your work, holds your hand every step of the way, and has an office in Peoria. As long as you are comfortable with the relationship you have and your agent is finding you work, I say do what you will.

My last note is this: don’t hesitate to say no and be picky. It’s tempting to go with the first offer, but you’ve got to believe in yourself. Believe that what you’re doing is worth being paid for, and that this is an important job that not anyone can do. Don’t sell yourself short.

Newbie Question #10

10. How do I go about getting an agent? Where do I look for one?

The first piece of advice I want to give is this: finish your book first!

Now, assuming you've followed the above, finding an agent is an arduous process, but the single most important thing you're going to do as a writer (besides write the best book possible.) There are a few things you can be doing while you're writing your book, and they are --

1) read books you like and keep notes of any names listed in the acknowledgements; 2) subscribe to professional magazines <(for science fiction writers, Locus Magazine/ for romance folks, Romantic Times) and check listings to see who is selling what/who. In Locus, you can easily see which agents are selling a lot and a lot of new authors -- make special note of those names; and 3) attend conventions.

In science ficiton, there are plenty of panels where you can go and listen at the feet of actual agents and ask questions about the sorts of books they're selling, etc. In SF/F, however, DO NOT harass any agents or attempt to give "elevator pitches" unless specifically asked. Romance writers have it a little easier. At the romance conventions, you can actually sign up to pitch prospective agents and there are workshops you can attend to teach you how to do so effectively. (Note: you can find a list of conventions in the professional magazines listed above. SF/F writers could attend a convention every weekend, if they had the money and the time. Romance writers, you get a couple of big ones a year -- RT Convention and RWA's convention. Probably there are others, but I have to admit knowing much less about the romance process for finding an agent.)

Once you've got your list of prospective people, I recommend checking out their web pages, if they have them, and see what Predators & Editors has to say about them. If they have a web site, be sure to take note of what kind of package they want sent, whether or not you can simultaneously submit, etc, and FOLLOW THE RULES.

I should say that I found my first agent the old fashioned way... I got a recommendation from a professional writer friend. These are hard to come by because you have to be the sort of person who can effectively schmooze (without oozing) professional authors and get them to lend their name to your cover letter.

The cover letter is probably worth a post of its own, though you can find lots of advice out there. A quick search produced this: writing tips: the cover letter/query. I'm sure there are dozens more out there.

The other piece of advice: come up with strategies to deal with rejection. It's a fact of writing life. Persistence is more important than talent.

Newbie Question #9

9. How do you decide on a title for your book?

Titles are funny things. My first agent told me, “Don’t get attached to the title you picked.” My first agent had a famous client who recognized that he just wasn’t any good at titles and sent each of his novels in to his publisher named “n1”, “n2,” etc. (“n” being “novel.”)

Yet, with three notable exceptions, I’ve always ended up with the title I picked.

Again, I’m mostly working off anecdotal information, but my sense is that first novels often get re-titled. It’s hard to think like a publicity/marketing committee, and that’s who ends up approving the title. The original title for my alter-ego’s debut science fiction novel about angels was, “Dancing on the Head of a Pin.” It was sort of clever, but as my editor pointed out – if I wanted my name to appear on the spine of the book, it had to be shorter. Good motivation!

The marketing department came up with some alternative titles to consider, but I felt that they, well, sounded too marketing department-esque (no offense to marketing committees anywhere!) So, I begged my editor for forty-eight hours to come up with something snappier. I asked my friends who had read the book. I asked my partner for help. I got some great suggestions, but in the end I went with my partner’s suggestion: “Archangel Protocol.”

The way Shawn came up with the title was simple. She’s naturally a list-maker, so she sat down with a pen and paper and made one column of words related to angels. The second column had computer terms. Anything she could think of. Then she started putting them together until she got one that fit. This worked beautifully for the entire series: “Fallen Host,” “Messiah Node,” “Apocalypse Array,” and, the one I’m currently working on, “Resurrection Code.”

This method worked less well for my romances because we were saddled with two problems – the marketing folks really wanted the word “dead” to appear in every subsequent title and for it to be sort of a twist on a familiar cliché, like “Tall, Dark & Dead.” (Which, incidentally, I just came up with on my own by looking through a common phrase book for ideas, and then I did the all important Google search to see how many other books already had that title. I found one from 1958 and thought it would be okay to use again after all that time.) When we got stuck, I polled my FB friends; I posted a request for help here and on my other blogs. One of my favorite titles, “Dead If I Do” came from my friend Susan Harris’s response to a LJ plea.

I ended up having to change two of my Tate titles. The first one was “Dead Sexy,” which I’d originally called “Drop-Dead Gorgeous,” which you probably recognize as a recent MaryJanice Davidson title. I was two thirds the way through writing that book when I happened to read a recent releases column in Romantic Titles, which sent me into a scramble to re-title.

The second time, I was simply out-voted by the marketing folks. I’d initially wanted “Romancing the Dead” to be “Dead on Arousal” (my friend Sean M. Murphy’s most-AWESOME suggestion.) In the end, I think people thought the original was maybe a bit too provocative/sexy… who knows?

I think that having a good title to start with can be a good thing, but, obviously, it’s not necessary in order to sell. I tell title stories in classes I teach on writing, because I think it’s important to remember when you’re first starting out not to “sweat the small stuff.” You could waste a lot of time tweaking a perfect title only to have the marketing department tell you it’s a no-go.

It’s much, much more important to write a good, strong book. And remember: zen and the art of novel writing -- you’re responsible for the stuff between the covers. Make it the best you can, and let go of the rest.

Newbie Question #8

8. How do you decide how long a book should be?

I stop when I get to the end of the story.

But I suspect this is actually a question about industry standards, so here's what they are, according to the Nebula Awards:

Novel: a work of 40,000 words or more*
Novella: a work of at least 17,500 words but under 40,000 words
Novelette: a work of at least 7,500 words but under 17,500 words
Short story: a work of under 7,500 words

I should note that for anyone other than the Nebula judges 40,000 words is actually a really, really short novel. I don't think many publishers would accept a novel that was only 40,000 words -- though readers of this blog should feel free to prove me wrong.

My sense is that the average novel length these days (which, during the course my career to-date, has actually grown a lot shorter) is 80,000 words or longer (with the exception of young adult novels which can be as short as 60,000.)

I know that a lot of newbie writers have a hard time visualizing how many pages 80,000 words is -- but you can pick up any of my Tate Hallaway books and see how it translates into a printed book. A manuscript will, if you follow manuscript format, be a lot longer.

Questions? Comments? Spam?

Newbie Question #7

7. How do you set up your books? Do you outline them first or do you have an idea and just go with it?

That question has changed for me as my career has advanced, and, in some rare cases, on a book by book basis. So my initial answer is, "Yes. Both. All. None."

Before I go into an explanation of that, I will tell you that I'm a big fan of "pre-thinking," however you might choose to do that. It's my anecdotal experience that successful writers "pre-think" on some level. For some, this means a detailed synopsis/outline. I know of another writer who writes out idea trees/notes on butcher paper stuck to his walls. I've been to workshops that promote an organic brainstorming system.

I think all these methods have varying degrees of usefulness for me. There are some I personally resist: note cards (I lose them), strict outlines (I abandon them with glee.) BUT, just because they don't work for me, doesn't mean they won't work for you.

However you choose to organize your thoughts, I think it's incredibly helpful (particularly for a new writer) to have a pretty good idea of where your story is going before you write it. A dear friend and mentor, Joan Vinge likens her process to a road trip. She says she might not even know who is coming with her (characters), but she's planning to go from New York to California (just to stretch the metaphor a bit.) All sorts of unexpected things might happen along the way, but as long as she keeps her destination in mind, she can keep going forward. The story may end before they get to their metaphorical California, but the idea of going there has kept the story on track. For someone like me who is very organic in my thinking and process, I loved this idea because it freed me from the restriction of a rigid outline, but allowed me to consider the bones of my story and where I wanted to go with it BEFORE I STARTED.

I know, too, that a big concern for a lot of new writers is the idea of writing themselves into a corner. First of all, it has always been my contention there is no corner so tight that an author can't break a wall to get their characters out... but I also understand that the root of the fear is based on worrying that you'll get stalled because you don't know where to go with a certain plot line. "Pre-thinking" helps. If you have a note card, note book, scribbles, a diagram, an outline to go back and refer to, you less likely to get stuck.

Anything that keeps the story moving and the writer writing is a good, good thing.

But, back to your original question. These days I outline. Most of the books I write are sold on proposal. The proposal is a detailed (usually for me about 12 pages) synopsis that tells the beginning, middle and end and hits the emotional highlights for the main characters. What's left out is the subplots (and the surprises, because, with me, there are always some.)

However, I'm also writing a novel for a small press right now where, as I told my writer friend Naomi Kritzer, I'm writing without a net. I have no idea where the story is going.... and it's working. It's the kind of novel, however, that I have to mentally work overtime on. Literally. I dream about it. When I'm working out, ideas hit me. It's a very different (and much messier) process than I've gotten used to. But it tells me something, too. The just running with the idea method works for me for this book. So it might work for you.

I will leave you with this thought, though. I often encourage my students to try some method of pre-thinking because, let's face it, new writers have a lot of challenges to face. These questions you ask are just the surface of them. So, if you have an ace up your sleeve of a solid storyline that you know has a beginning, middle, and end, that's one less thing to worry about, you know?

Just a thought, Mr. Fox.

Newbie Question #6

6. How do you, when writing dialogue, make sure that each character sounds like a unique person?

Start with distinct, unique characters.

One thing I'm probably going to end up saying over and over during the course of this series is that conflict = drama. My suspicion is that if you're getting the critique that your characters all sound the same it's because they're difficult to tell apart for other reasons as well. They all come from the same socio-economic class. They're all the same ethnicity/race/(or in the case of science fiction/urban fantasy) species. They have the same agenda/goals. In other words, they have too much in common.

Romances are rarely exciting (to me, at least,) if a lady is marrying a lord she's perfectly suitable for. Better, IMHO, that she's totally smitten by the gardener/slave-gladiator/space pirate/rogue, etc. who is not only so WRONG for her (on the surface, of course), but completely outside of her expected socio-economic pairing.

If you've got a high class princess and a slave-gladiator in the same room talking to each other and they sound the same, then, I'm sorry to say: you're just not thinking.

The slave-gladiator isn't going to use fifteen dollar words, because he likely wasn't educated (if he was, your princess ought to be shocked and there better be a fascinating reason for it). Even if he was once a great lord/general/etc., his life now will probably be rougher and his language ought to show it. More swear words (or their equivalent). Less philosophical debate, more show me the money, as it were.

And, honestly, that's one of the easiest "tricks" (if you really need one). Make your heroine a space commander who uses crisp, militaristic sparse sentences. "Come. Now."

Meanwhile, your hero is a total fop of a space pirate that he uses twenty, lovely poetic words when he could use two. "Darling, only if you press those pert lips against my lily white a$$."

If you really KNOW your characters and their background this won't be difficult. Even if by some accident of plot you have two people (or more) together who are all from the exact same place and time, as long as they all have different agendas they will "sound" different because the reader will know who is who by who wants what.

Newbie Question #5

5. What do you consider the most important principle of fiction?

This is a good one, and I'd love to start a discussion about it because I'm not sure I have a ready answer.

My first impulse is to quote Stunk & White: Be Bold. Be Clear.

But I'm not sure that's a "principle," per se. I know that when I was first starting out, I spent a lot of time arguing with other genre writers about the importance of clarity. Some people thought that it was more important to be clever. They thought my preference for understandability meant that I wanted to appeal to the least common denominator, sell my soul for commercial success, and otherwise abandon the craft.

For me, the issue was that I wanted to tell a story that would be heard/read.

Ironically, the people with whom I had this argument are also commerically published now, so I guess that in the end clever and clarity aren't nearly as mutually exclusive as I first thought.

But I don't think that's really what's being asked here. I think you want to know what aspect of the craft you should concentrate on the most: plot, character, or what have you.

My answer is still the same. In the interest of being bold and clear, focus on story telling in general. Maybe for you that means you need to strengthen your characters. For me, it meant learning everything about plot... (because that's my weakest area.)

What do the rest of you think?

Newbie Question #4

4. How do you get ideas for stories?

A lot writers have weighed in on this question, but I love Neil Gaiman's response, and I respectfully suggest you read what he has to say.

The joke answer "from an idea factory in Schenectady [New York]" has been attributed to a number of science fiction writers from Ray Bradbury to Harlan Ellison.

My own answer builds on what Gaiman says in his essay, which is, essentially, ask questions and let those questions lead you to more questions. My addition is: cultivate a sense of wonder.

I will admit that I'm not one of those writers that complain of having not enough time for all the ideas brimming over in their mind. I often actually have to sit down and coax ideas out of my head. (Characters... now THOSE I often have to spare -- all waiting impatiently in my head for their story to come to me.) When I'm starting a proposal, I'll pull out pen and paper and start scribbling out thoughts. If I have a character in mind, I might just start by asking myself the simple question: "What's the worst thing that could happen to this person?" and start there. Because in order to answer that question I have to know what's important to the character, the "what's at stake?" question which leads nicely to conflict which is the heart of drama.

But when I'm not on a deadline for a story idea, I cultivate a sense of wonder by reading everything I can get my hands on. I read fiction. I read non-fiction on any subject that attracts me (I have a whole book, for instance, on the history of grave robbing that, believe it or not, has worked into my vampire stories.) As a former science fiction writer, I also read popular science -- well, literally, as I'm a long time subscriber to the magazine Popular Science.

I also think that story generation is easier if you're the kind of person who looks at the world and automatically thinks: "Huh, I wonder why things are this way?" or "Why is that person who s/he is?"

So the short answer is... be open, ask questions... and wait. My friend and mentor Maureen McHugh once said that ideas are like pearls. They start as a grit of something that gets into your mind and slowly other thing attach themselves to that initial bit, becoming nacre. Sometimes you just end up with a dirty oyster, but sometimes you get pearls.

Newbie Question #3

3. Did you have any formal training in order to become a writer? Classes? A degree?

The short answer is no.

I do, by chance, have undergraduate degrees in English and history, but I didn't take any class in creative writing during college that wasn't a requirement for graduation. Later, I took a game-changing class in writing science fiction and fantasy as an adult learner at a place called The Loft, but I'll talk about that in a second.

I think that more important than taking classes about the craft of writing is the act of reading. If you want to write, you MUST read. You should read everything you possibly can in any genre that excites you. Ideally, you should read widely in non-fiction as well.

I think that you can learn a ridiculous amount about our craft by reading. Now that *I* teach the occasional beginners' class on writing, I've found that people who read voraciously often have a "natural" ear for writing. (I put natural in quotes, because I think that the idea of talent is suspect, and that most people who come off as having innate talent actually have been students of the craft in some other way, such as being an intense readers or growing up in a house full of story-tellers, etc.)

BUT that being said, I think that a person can benefit greatly from a class in writing. Genre writers often face an uphill battle in academic settings, so I caution you to be prepared to defend your genre (espeically if you write SF/F/H) if your only option for a class in writing involves a university. People local to me (Minneapolis/St. Paul) are extremely fortunate because the Loft exists here. There's also a reallly strong community education/adult education culture in this area, so non-university options are out there for us... and possibly for you, if you dig around. If you are interested in writing science fiction specifically, there are workshops like Clarion that you can pay to attend. Romance writers, should also keep an eye on their local Romance Writer's of America chapter, because very often they offer writing workshops that can be invaluable.

As I said above, I took a class that transformed my life. I'm not even using hyperbole when I say that. I can absolutely credit that class with the beginning of my professional career for a number of reasons. First of all, since I started out as a science fiction writer, I learned a ton about the conventions of my genre. I also learned how to submit my writing (which is a process that can be extremely hard to fathom as an outsider.) But, most importantly for me, I learned the skill of critique and was introduced to peers who became my teachers, my friends, my support group, my gossip klatch, my lifeline.

Out of my class, I started a writers group* that still meets to this day and of which I am still a member, Wyrdsmiths. What I learned on an every-other-week basis from my peers was no less than transformative. In Wyrdsmiths, I settled down to the business of learning to hone my craft.

Wyrdsmiths was my informal, formal education, and I still study at their feet. I don't think you can ever stop improving your craft, and Wyrdsmiths is where I go to do that.

So the long answer: yes. Lots and lots of training....

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* My alter-ego wrote a very detailed article about how to start a genre writers' group for "The Broadsheet." You can find it here: Broadsheet Archives.

German Cover Art

Just out of total curiosity I Googled my German title NICHT SCHON WIEDER EIN VAMPIR and got this hit for cover art. Awesome, no?

And, yes, I finished my article for "Love Letter" the German Romantic Times. Actually, I was saved by the fact that I was asked to do something like this for my British release, only they never used what I wrote. So I polished and updated the older one, and viola as they say in another one of those European countries.

Newbie Question #2*

2. How do you come up with character’s names?

Ah, yes…. Naming. If you ask me names have magic.

I tend to spend an inordinate amount of time considering Names. I have several “Baby Name” books at home (and did, years before actually having a baby to name.) There are several baby name websites out there, some which are even organized by “most popular baby names for 1976” or even 1796, so you can use them for your historical novels, as well.

Also, because I was writing before the Interwebs, I also use this analog thing called a PHONE BOOK. There are other books (and web sites) out there for surnames, but if you live in a big enough city the phone book can be fun for diverse and ethnic last names. I actually chose my pseudonym using the random finger point method and the phone book – my publisher was very insistent that I have a last name that started with an “Ha” to put me next to other vampire writers like Harrison, Harris, Hamilton, etc.

Once I have these resources in front of me, I make a list of names I like the sound of. I make a second column of surnames that sound nifty. Then I spend days (even weeks) mulling over the combinations. If I’m on a really tight deadline, I’ll start writing with [fill-in name], but I find that the name I end up picking really imbues the character with a lot of life. For instance a Darcy Farthingworth is likely going to behave differently from a Shin Yu. Maybe not, but… you can see what I mean, I hope.

That’s the other thing that I love to do: play with expectations. Sometimes I do crazy things like naming my Sunni Muslim computer hacker “Christian,” because it instantly requires me to consider how he ended up with a name like that… and suddenly I’m character building, as it were.

Also, I think it’s important when you have several characters on scene to make sure they’re not all sporting names that sound similar. Jane, Jack, and John, for instance, might be hard for a reader to keep straight in their heads, especially if you’re in the middle of a scene comprised mostly of intense dialogue between the three of them. If you have a Walter, Ahmed, and Helena it might be slightly easier. (You still will need to make sure they don’t all speak in the same voice, but I see that’s a later question so I’ll save talking about that for now.)

Pick names you want to spend time with. I think naming is one of the most fun things writers get to do, so enjoy it!

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* x-posted from Wyrdsmiths' blog

Questions from a Newbie

I came into the office (aka Amore Coffee) this morning and discovered a lovely email from a young woman who is considering writing her first novel. She sent me a list of twenty-two questions about writing craft and publication, and rather than send back an email large enough to crash a server, I thought I'd answer them one by one here:

1. How do you develop your characters? Are they people you know?

I think that if you want write believable characters it helps to be a kind of Sherlock Holmes in real life. Not necessarily the Robert Downey, Jr., pugilist version, but rather a keen observer of human nature.

Or schizophrenic.

I joke about that last bit because one of the tricks I often use when writing characters is to ask myself the question: "If I was that person in that situation, how would *I* react?" (This can be a bit embarrassing when, later, you show that scene to your writers' critique group and they explain how galatically stupid your character is behaving.) However, I think this trick can work... but only if you can really stretch your imagination in a way that might include, for instance, you being an alien or of the opposite gender or of a different social-economic class or a vampire or.... you get the picture.

Which might lead you back to Holmes...

When I draw on real people, I tend not to borrow them wholesale from reality. What I do, instead, is smoosh together traits I've observed in a several of my friends (or even family, although drawing on your family can be dangerous if only because they're always looking for themselves in your work even when you intentionally avoid putting them there.)

I think the most important trick to remember when developing a character is to think about how weird we all really are, how diverse, how interesting -- and capitalize on that wherever you can.

What I mean is -- nobody is ever just one thing. A soldier is more than his or her orders or rank. She might be a failed opera singer. He might secretly read romances. Her father might have taught her to sail. His sister might be a lesbian.

The possiblities are endless. Though you don't want to just throw in quirk to be quirky or you run the risk of coming off like late season "Gilmore Girls" and stretching the OTHER edge of credibility. For myself, I try to bring out the weird so that it serves my plot in some way. Back to the soldier example, I might try to think up some issue that would put my character in direct conflict with an order. What if this was a future where being gay was outlawed? Having the soldier have to deal with his own family would make his life more complicated. Then you build on those complicaitons. What kind of relationship does s/he have with his/her sister? Is it a good one or bad? Which would lead to the hardest decision for our soldier hero/ine? That's the one you choose. IMHO, complications are critical to believable characters (and plot motion, but that might be a discussion for another time.)

To be a good storyteller, you have to be willing to torture your characters. Giving them an easy life kills drama.

I Need Help

I'm sitting at the coffee shop this morning banging my head. I'll tell you why. I've got about three days to write an article about "the Wiccan aspects of your series..." for the German equivalent of Romantic Times to help promote NICHT SCHON WIEDER EIN VAMPIR (Not Another Vampire) aka TALL, DARK & DEAD.

First of all, I *suck* at writing non-fiction. They only want 500 words, which is really, nothing, but it might as well be 500,000 for as difficult as I'm finding this. Secondly, Wicca? Really? Next to vampires, that's probably the subject I'm most bored of (particularly in its promotional aspect of Wicca 101). Third, the topic is too broad, and this is where I really would love some advice from you, gentle reader.

I'm sure there are a ton of you folks out there who are not only good at writing articles, but are experts. What's a good element of "Wiccan aspects of my novels" I could focus on and make snappy/interesting? If you were a German reader, what would you want to know to make you run out an buy TALL, DARK & DEAD (or Not Another Vampire, as the case might be)?

Someone at the coffee shop suggested I surf the Interwebs for similar articles. Good advice, only I just wasted a half hour reading about things that interest me and not really finding anything to inspire this little promotional piece.

Help!!

LEGOs and a New Laptop

Santa was very nice to our family. Mason got more LEGOs than he could possibly ever need, and I got a new .mp3 player (mine broke) and a new laptop. I'd been doing pretty well with the Mac that was given to me by friend and fellow writer Eleanor Arnason, but, I'm a PC girl, alas. More importantly, Penguin is PC. In order to do my revisions, I really needed a PC. Strangely, I feel guilty about this. I mean, I watch TV. I know Mac people are more cool than the PC folks.

Santa, however, neglected my most important wish. I am STILL hacking up a lung. I do seem to be improving, but it may be time to bite the financial bullet and go to the doctor (hang the expense!)

Even though Mason is off school for the next week, I'm back to "work" tomorrow. I have the last half of ALMOST TO DIE FOR to finish revising, and then my alter ego has a very tight deadline for the small press book she's been struggling with for over a year now (RESURRECTION CODE, aka "The Mouse Book").

Mason has taken to teasing me about the phone call my alter ego got from her editor/publisher and every once and a while he randomly pipes up with, "Uh, about that Mouse book...." implying that I need to get to work on it, least I face another phone call like that one.

Hope you and yours had a happy holiday of your choice!

Recovering... Sort of

Ugh. I have been so sick. This is now week three of a bad cough that I just can't seem to shake. (I should probably go to the doctor, but, like many people in this country, I don't have decent health insurance. I have "catastrophic" coverage, so if I'm ever hit by a bus, I won't be bankrupted, but the deductible is so high I might as well not have any.)

Also in deference to the holidays (for me, Solstice), I've taken a break from working on my revisions for ALMOST. Now I'm back at work and I'm having such a rough time getting motivated. My editor has been so good about putting in notes like, "A little more explanation here?" that I feel kind of guilty that my first impulse this morning is to write, "No."

Plus, I had a near heart attack this morning (emotionally, speaking,) because a friend of mine wrote to me inquiring if I had any copies of Tall, Dark & Dead to sell her. Seems a friend of hers was looking to get his daughter hooking on a new vampire series after having devoured the Twilight series, and she suggested me. Only, when her friend went to find my books at his local, independent bookstore, he was told they couldn't get copies and thought TDD must be out of print.

Now Penguin has its faults, but they have always been really good about letting me know when my books are being remaindered so I can have a chance to buy some of the remaining stock before the books vanish off the face of the earth. (This is how my alter ego is able to still supply our local bookstore with copies of her OOP books, lo, these many years later.) So I was kind of shocked by this news. I quick fired off a "eek!" email to my editor (luckily, I didn't sound grumpy, just confused,) and she wrote back and told me that my panic was for naught. Tall, Dark & Dead is still in print. They have over a thousand copies at the warehouse waiting for some independent bookstore to make a request. She figured my friends' friend was dealing with a bookstore that uses a distributor that doesn't deal directly with Penguin and that the distributor was temporarily out of stock. Sending us all into unnecessary panic.

I assume the news of remaindering is on its way soon enough, though. With the series dead, I can't imagine the books will remain in print too much longer after the book comes out next May. I should start budgeting for a few boxes, as depressing as that might seem. I'd much rather be ready for the news.

Anyway, I hope you all had a good Yule/Solstice. I sure did. My parents (who are secular humanists/Unitarians) came up to celebrate with us on Sunday. They brought Mason all sorts of snow goodies, which is quite appropriate given the storms that are supposed to roll through here soon. I got some awesome loot myself: a year's subscription to InTouch (which I love for its trashiness) and well as money on my coffee card and a couple of Captain America tee-shirts.

The Urge to Click*

One of the things that often surprises my students is that, until very recently, every bit of editing that happened to my manuscript was on paper. My editor might email me her comments, but after that I was expected to do them and then print out two copies and mail them to New York. (One stayed with my editor, the other went to a copy editor).

Until very recently (like within the last two years), I would get a copy edited manuscript back with post-it notes stuck all over it where the copy editor or editor had questions for me to address. I was expected to make changes in a colored pencil on the paper where I could (or reprint a page or two if I had to) and mail it back.

Weird, huh?

Now, finally, and for the first time, I got back a commented/track changed manuscript electronically as my _editorial letter_.

Penguin has been starting to do this for copy edited manuscripts, but this is my first back-and-forth that's just between me and my editor. I think I complained here (or perhaps elsewhere) that I wasn't necessarily fond of the new electronic copy editing, if only because the temptation to fire back snarky commentary to the occasional dense question from a copy editor was VERY STRONG. When there were post-it notes to scribble on, it was much easier to resist. I had to pick up a pencil and crib out some long rant. Now it's a click away. Much harder to remain professional. Though I managed to do it -- I think.

However, I find I'm liking the track changes editorial letter. I'm getting a much better line-by-line sense of what my editor had trouble with and, I find, more compliments dashed in here and there. The "ha! funny line!" bits, even for an old hand like me, still go a long way. My editor's standard e-mail editorial letter always had a line in there about how I gave her a great read and all that, but, you know, it feels more real when I can see where she put in positive comments.

Plus, the urge to respond to comments here is very different. It feels more like a conversation with my editor. She tends to start out with, "What do you think of..." which naturally calls for a response both in the text and in the comments field. Of course it helps that I have a long, well-established relationship with her, and I tend to trust her judgement. :-)

---------------------

* x-posted from Wyrdsmiths

Busy Week Ahead

No rest for the Wiccan, as the book cover says!

Srsly, I just got back my editorial notes from my editor for ALMOST TO DIE FOR. It's actually going to involve more than just a little tweaking. We're talking about adding another whole scene, which I'd considered but never figured out how to add in... (my editor can be surprisingly clever about such things.)

Plus, I got that call every writer dreads from my small press editor: "So, hey, [alter ego] about that book you're already over deadline on...." (No pressure!) Yikes. But I spent this weekend with a calendar and some serious consideration and I think I have a good answer for him, so I'm off to write that "Dear sir, I'm a total failure, but please spare me another couple more months..." (the check is in the mail!) e-mail.

Egad.

Oh, yeah, and I'm ridiculously sick. I have this cough I can't shake that morphed into some kind of weird sinus-y mess. Hooray.

Cough and a Proposal

At some point this weekend, I developed a hacking cough. No other sympthoms, just an annoying hack that hurts all the way down to the pit of your stomach. Bleah.

Today I'm hoping to get to work on a proposal idea I've had in my brain for an adult series for several months now. I'm have some problems coming up with some plot points, but I think I may actually break out "TAROT FOR WRITERS" and see what the cards suggest. Why not, eh?

Surviving the hack and getting some writing done are my big plans for the week. You?

Available for Pre-Order

Even though the copy edits are sitting on my desk ready for me to work on, I discovered that you can already pre-order HONEYMOON OF THE DEAD, the last in the Garnet Lacey chronicles on Amazon.com.

Get Your Tickets NOW!*

In my other persona as a science fiction author, I'm often asked to sit on panels where a bunch of us extol the virtues of being a science fiction writer/fan in these Twin Towns (seriously, there are lot of SF writers in Minneapolis/St. Paul). So I'm used to telling people we ARE the awesome, but even I did not realize the depths of our amazingness. Check this (this is NOT a joke):

The Mixed Blood Theater in Minneapolis will be presenting A Klingon Christmas Carol. The production runs from November 27th until December 13rd. Ticket prices are $18 for adults and $14 for students and seniors.

The best part is from the Mixed Blood site:

Scrooge has no honor, nor any courage. Can three ghosts help him to become the true warrior he ought to be in time to save Tiny Tim from a horrible fate? Performed in the Original Klingon with English Supertitles, and narrative analysis from The Vulcan Institute of Cultural Anthropology.

The classic Dickensian tale of ghosts and redemption adapted to reflect the Warrior Code of Honor and then translated into tlhIngan Hol (That’s the Klingon Language).

A co-production of Commedia Beauregard and the IKV RakeHell of the Klingon Assault Group.

Okay, not only is it a retelling, but it's also IN Klingon (with Vulcan commentary). How can you not love that? It's like we live somewhere between reality and ficition.

--- *x-posted from Wyrdsmiths

Oh, hi... How Long Have You Been Standing There?

I know, I know. I've been a terrible blogger.

I had a nice Thanksgiving with family and friends and a dead bird and all the trimmings, and now it's time to get back to work and I'm really not relishing it, I'm afraid.

This morning, in my in-box, was the copy-edited manuscript for HONEYMOON OF THE DEAD. I managed to transfer it to my PC (I'm a Mac user these days for a laptop), look at it to see if all the formatting came through, and then, with a sigh, closed everything up. I have fourteen days to get this all done, but just not up for it today... on a Monday, after a nice, long, relaxing holiday.

I also need to get going on proposals for a new adult series. I think you've probably read that before if you've checked my blog at all in the past month, so you know exactly how far behind I am on THAT little project too.

sigh.

Some Mondays are harder than others.

What are YOU doing?

Sorry I haven't posted much lately, but I really haven't had very much happening.

Mason is at home for one of his "intersessions," which means I've been very busy playing video games. I did turn 42 last Wednesday, which, as many of you know, is the answer to life, the universe, and everything.

I also need to work on my proposals for some new adult series to replace Garnet, but I have to admit that my heart isn't in it. I think, perhaps, I'm still mourning.

How about you?

Writing with Children

My son Mason is home for fall break. He has a year-round school, and so, several times a year, he has a couple of weeks off when no one else does. Some people will be getting off for Thanksgiving, but he's off now for two weeks... which has ground my writing to a halt. I'd meant to spend this last weekend finally working up a proposal or two for a new adult series (I had a flash of an idea while driving everyone to work the other day that involves an accountant to a vampire) but I muffed it. I spent the weekend instead, enjoying the sunshine and raking leaves.

Which isn't exactly Mason's fault, but I'm hoping to pin it on him, anyway. :-)

Today I also spent outside, in the sun, so I'm sure that's his fault too.

Hmph. Okay, obviously, I have time to blog, so I probably have time to write. But do you ever find that it's easier to do things that can be interrupted when kids are around? I could get started writing, but I hate it when I'm in the groove and suddenly there's some crisis or other and I have to get up to take care of it. It's hard to get back in the mood, as it were. Then again, I used to write on the job and I never seemed to mind little interruptions then.

I've talked to other stay-at-home writers and at least one agrees that she got more writing done when she had a nine-to-five. I think when we had our "real jobs" both of us felt much more comfortable carving out a minute here and there (stealing time from "the man") than we do taking time away from family obligations (even things like dishes, etc.)

Well, I'm off... to bake a chocolate beer cake. (seriously!)

Writing Date that Wasn't Much Writing

Monday has become my social writing day. I get together with two other local writers (Naomi Kritzer and Eleanor Arnason) at a coffee shop here in Saint Paul and we, in the parlance of parenting magazines, "parallel play." We each pull out our laptops and write. Usually, there isn't much chatting other than a pleasant "hello" or "so what are you working on?" but, yesterday, for some reason, we were all feeling like talking.

I suppose I should consider yesterday some kind of a failure, but I don't.

There's something really important about face time with other professionally minded writers, even if we only end up talking about good places to dine out. Especially since, by chance, all of us that get together are currently "at home" due to choice or unemployment. Getting out of the house at all is important in those situations, I think. The writing life can become awfully insular otherwise.

Good friends and strong coffee are the fiber of a good life, I think.

Blessed be.

Monday Morning, WIP

Not much to report, really. I finished up my revisions for the last Garnet Lacey book and sent them off. Now I'm waiting on the editorial letter for ALMOST TO DIE FOR, the first of the new young adult series, and to hear what my agent thinks of the little paragraph pitches I sent her of ideas for new contemporary urban fantasy adult books.

You?

In about an hour or so, I'm off to go pick up my friend and fellow author Eleanor Arnason and we're going to head to a coffee shop to write together. It's amazing to me how much more I get done when I'm sitting across from someone who appears to be working diligently on something. I don't know if Eleanor is over there playing Solitaire, but she looks so serious that I feel I should be too. It's clever of us, really.

German Titles

As you know, Bob, I sold rights to my books to a German publisher. I just got news today that they will be re-titling my books, as the play on words didn't work in German. The first book, originally TALL, DARK & DEAD will be NICHT SCHON WIEDER EIN VAMPIR (Not Another Vampire) and the second will be, BEISS NOCH EINMAL MIT GEFUEHL (Bite Once More, With Feeling!)

I kind of like NOT ANOTHER VAMPIRE because, well, there are a ton of vampire books out there and it works as a play on that, but also it goes to Garnet past relationship with Parrish and moving to Sebastian, as well as the fact that Sebastian isn't your average vamp.

What fun!

Knowing Changes EVERYTHING

It's very weird to be working on the revisions for a book I now know will be the last of the Garnet Lacey series. Every tiny fragment of plot left untied (or left intentionally for later development), suddenly needs tying, tidying, removing.

Also, I'd originally wanted Garnet to struggle with suddenly BEING married and all the weirdness that entails. You know, the first weeks of your marriage when you suddenly look at over your lover and think: "Husband? Wow. Really?" But now that seems... a bit depressing (since I'd also had them have a few of those first spats that seem so much WORSE now that you've committed to each other forever.

I'm also disappointed that the "Scooby gang" don't show up until near the end of the book. I want to spend more time with William, Matyas, Parrish, Teresa, and the rest.

Sigh. Parting IS such sweet sorrow.

Whatca' Reading?

I took a vacation to Valaprasio, Indiana to visit Mason's grandma and brought along a bunch of books because, even though I have revisions I should be working on, I really needed a bit of "input." I read Amy Thompson's THROUGH ALIENS EYES which I enjoyed tremendously, and I started Cherie Priest's FATHOM and sort of start-stopped Sharyn McCrumb's BIMBO'S OF THE DEATH SUN (it's become quite dated or it hasn't aged well, I think.)

Anyway, it got me wondering... what are YOU kids reading these days? Anything fun? Anything mind-blowing? Anything you want to recommend?

And It's Away....

I've got a busy day ahead of me, but I just wanted to report some good news. As of ten o'clock last night, I officially delivered electronically the copy of the final manuscript for ALMOST TO DIE FOR. Now the only thing I have to do to complete my initial contractual obligations is to finish the proposal for ALMOST FINAL CURTAIN, the second book in the Vampire Princess of Saint Paul trilogy.

Yipee!

Although, I tell you, there's no rest for the writer. I finally got my revision letter for HONEYMOON OF THE DEAD from my editor and, as they got a bit behind in their schedule, they want the edits back ASAP. Luckily, I managed to talk them into a couple of weeks or my head would have exploded trying to finish ALMOST while revising HONEYMOON.

However, it's kind of like that Chinese curse, "may you live in interesting times." For me, it's "may you have too many contracts." It's a funny problem to have since it's, ultimately, a good thing.

New Cover!

Here's the cover for the last in the Garnet Lacey series, HONEYMOON OF THE DEAD.

As I noted yesterday, the publisher decided to go with a whole new look for this book. Let me know what you think!

Done... Mostly!

I don't think I remembered to announce this here, but I finished a preliminary draft of the young adult book, ALMOST TO DIE FOR. A writer friend turned around critique in record time, so I'm trying to kick some a$$ so I can have her revision suggestions done in time for my partner to proof it for "teh stooopid." (otherwise known as egregious plot holes, bad grammar and crazy spelling goofs.)

Also, hopefully, I'll have cover art to share. I got an email of the new cover for HONEYMOON OF THE DEAD, but I'm waiting to see if it's okay to share. Warning: they've decided to go with a new artist for the final book. And a new font. And a whole new look. So, be on the look out for the _TITLE_ when the book comes out. I'll remind you. :-)

Sorry to be so brief, but I have to get back to revisions.

And Here A Miracle Occurs*

There's an old math joke that involves a complicated formula that goes on for a while and then the mathematician writes "and here a miracle occurs" and then goes on with the equation. Another mathematician standing nearby says, "Perhaps you could be more specific in this step here." My partner, who was a math minor in college, had a t-shirt with this on it because she had a professor who tended to skip several steps in the equation saying that those were "patently obvious to the casual observer."

The point of this little story is that I now find myself in the part of my proposal where I wrote "and then they settle into a routine," which is highly akin to "and here a miracle occurred" because the next scene is the grand finale and I'm not quite sure what I was intending to happen to build up to that.

Also, in case you were wondering "and then they settle into a routine" is NOT very dramatic in terms of story and pacing.

I think I came up with a solution last night (which involves a squid on the mantelpiece** finally going off, or in this case a witch on the mantelpiece,) BUT I still am left this morning wondering how to build up to the big finale.

Also, speaking of math, I discovered this morning that I can't count. Yesterday I thought I had eighteen days until my book is due. I actually had only seventeen (now, today, of course, we're down to sixteen.) Yipes!

Must go try make "and then they settled into a routine" exciting and foreshadowy.

Wish me luck.

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*X-posted from Wyrdsmiths

** For an explaination of the term "squid on the mantelpiece" see the Turkey City Lexicon: A Primer for Science Fiction Workshops

Why is Anything Else More Interesting When I Have a Deadline?

I shouldn't be posting here at all. I should be writing. Like. A. Fiend.

In eighteen days my young adult novel is due at Penguin USA. I've got about a hundred or so pages to write. I suspect I'll make it, given how much I can write during the day. The real question is: how much time will my readers have to read it and for me to revise it after they find everything what is wrong with it....

And wouldn't you know it? The world is full of shiny. I have have dishes that need doing. Kitty litter to change, and, suddenly, it all seems so much more interesting than writing.

So... distract me! What are you up to today? Anything fun?

Young Adult Taboos*

Apparently, there are very, very few.

This question came up for me because yesterday I was in the middle of writing a scene in my young adult novel that's fraught with sexual tension. Something funny (and vampiric) happens which causes our heroine to flee from a make-out session with the hottie Witch boy. He thinks she's off to go, you know, find some condoms. She, meanwhile, is trying to put her fangs back in the box, as it were. Hilarity ensues.

I wrote this thinking, "ha! Great scene! Good job, me!" Then, I paused. When I was a teen (back before written record) this sort of thing would have been completely taboo. It would have caused parents, schools, the media, the Congress of the United States... to freak out.

So, like any modern writer seeking answers to such things, I got on the Internet. I posted a question about it on Facebook. I asked a group of SF/F writers (some of which are writing young adult books). I said, "Can I mention condoms in YA? Is it taboo?"

To a person, they scoffed at me. No, no, I was told. Hardly anything is taboo these days. Mentioning condoms is _so_ not taboo that if the possibility of sex between teens is on scene then the RESPONSIBLE thing is to mention condoms!

Someone also pointed me to this great site: Ally's Diary. Ally is Ally Carter a teen author of teen books. She's the insider's insider being both a YA author and an ACTUAL TEEN. Specifically, she's got a great post about this (and a few other things) called, "Wrong Questions... Which I now pass on to you as a great resource for this kind of wrong question... which us forty-somethings trying to write for the modern teen audience seem to always have.

I mean, that's the thing, isn't it? My own experience of being a teenager was long before cell phones, texting, yes, even computers. (Not just the Internet, kids, but computers themselves.) What was taboo for me and my generation seems, well, like child's play to this.

Plus, I don't remember even having a catagory called YA when I was a teen. There was the children's section of the library and the adult section. It seems, in a lot of ways, it's still the same... only with better marketing.

*x-posted from Wyrdsmiths.

No Surrender and Dan Brown

I was over at Wyrdsmiths this morning and finally went through some of the "Smart Things" that Kelly McCullough posted yesterday, including this gem from Matt Hughes called, "No Surrender" which I whole heartedly recommend to anyone who either is just starting their writing career or in the middle of one of the many lows that come in the epicenter of it.

(Though for the record, I do find it difficult to take up a battle cry from that particular political bent from that particular country, but, alas, it does work perfectly for writers. And it in no way diminishes the point of his article.)

Also, this morning while sitting on the, ehm, "throne" I read the interview with Dan Brown (yes, that one, of Davinci Code fame,) in Entertainment Weekly. I have to count myself among his many detractors, however, I found his "screw y'all" attitude very refreshing... and I was profoundly struck by his discipline. Apparently, he gets up every morning at 4 am to write. He writes all day, but takes very regulated breaks during the day to exercise and makes time every week to work out with a personal trainer. I may not be terribly impressed with his artistry, but I can find no fault in his work ethic. You go, Dan.

I was surprised, however, that he doesn't seem to enjoy it. The article implied that after the sequel was turned in he plans to quit. At least for a while. But then I thought, well, okay. Maybe that's his thing. He just wanted to write a book and now that he's made multiple millions, he's going to retire.

The reason it struck me as so odd is that I can't imagine not writing. I think that if I made multiple millions and no one was clamoring for another book, I might retire to the life of a short story writer... or perhaps I might sit down on the French Riviera (or in my new Roman villa next to George Clooney's) and write something all for myself alone. But not make up stories? I can't imagine it.

I mean, connecting this to Mr. Hughes's inspiring article, I always thought that even if all the money dried up (which is much more likely than the multi-millions), I'd go in to a deep depression for several months (let's be honest,) and then I'd do the same damn thing: write something that I, myself find deeply satisfying. Maybe try my hand at a few shorts. But not write? I can't even picture it.

But speaking of a strong work ethic... it is now 23 days until ALMOST TO DIE FOR is due. I've still got a third of the book to go, but even if I only wrote 1,000 words a day, I'd finish with three days to spare. I'm trying to write double (at least!) so that I can get a first draft done in time for readers from Wyrdsmiths to eyeball it before it goes to my editor. Wish me luck!

Nose Dive in Production

Sunday and yesterday, I was hit hard by a nasty flu bug. My partner also left yesterday for Washington, D.C., so I was not only sick, but a temporary single-parent. Blurg.

I decided that the smartest thing was not to panic. My deadline is fast approaching, BUT I wasn't going to do any one any good trying to write while in a feverish haze. So I slept. I slept most of Sunday and nearly all of Monday (when I wasn't taking Mason to school, feeding him, or, ehm, driving the porcelain bus as we used to call it.)

My strategy seems to be paying off. I am brighter eyed and busier tailed this morning. Now, off to make words count and word count!

The Book That Wasn't (3 of 3)

This is the third and final "book that wasn't" in the Garnet Lacey series. Ironically, when I finished writing this proposal I realized I'd neatly come up with a point which could have been "the end" for the entire series (although I stressed to my agent that was NOT my intention.) After receiving these proposals my agent wondered if Garnet was sustainable now that Sebastian and she were married. I argued strongly that they could have been. After all, in my personal life, I believe that real romance starts AFTER the "happy ever after," but, you know, the divorce rate in this country suggests I'm in the minority.

Anyway, without further ado, here's the book that might have been Garnet Lacey #8, which I had titled OVER MY DEAD BODY:

Note: This is in synopsis format, which requires third person, present tense.

In the back part of her mind, Garnet Lacey knows that vampires aren’t homebodies; it’s just not practical. After all, how do you explain the fact that you never age to your friends and neighbors?

Yet Garnet figures that concern is far in the future. Right now she’s got such a great life. She has a cadre of awesome friends; a house in the country that she shares with her husband, the day-walking vampire, Sebastian Von Traum, and two magical cats; and she owns her own business, Mercury Crossing, Madison, Wisconsin’s premier occult bookstore and herb emporium. In fact, things are going so well that Garnet decides to celebrate by hosting a pagan festival/psychic fair through the store.

Organizing the event took months, and finally the big day is less than a week away. Garnet has hired a big name in the Witchcraft community to give a keynote address and perform a women-centered/life-affirming ritual. There will be nearly fifty different vendors selling everything from amethyst crystals to zinc health pills. She’s got energy massage workers, astrologers, tarot readers, and even a few Morris dancers to liven things up. It should be quite the do. Everyone at Mercury Crossing is excited, especially William, Garnet’s co-worker and best guy pal, who’s become sort of a local celebrity and Irish shamanism expert since his abduction by the fairy folk several months ago.

Meanwhile, Sebastian has been out hunting... for a new house.

And the new life that comes with it.

After a very public battle with a vampire Queen, word has gotten out. The vampire hunter blogs are abuzz. There’s even some footage of his fangs on YouTube. Ghouls are flocking to Madison hoping to score. And Sebastian’s accountant Larry suggests that the time is ripe for the usual identity do-over so that Sebastian and his family can go back to a life of relative anonymity. Maybe this time in Ohio or perhaps even South Africa.

Garnet is busy with preparations for the festival -- put the Reiki therapists next to the crystal dealers, or? And who are these people claiming to be “Elementals”? – when Sebastian surprises her with a gift. She tears open the wrapping to uncover a key. To their new house, ehm, in Spain.

Sebastian’s offer is met with stony silence. Garnet can’t understand why they would EVER leave Madison. Her store is here! Her friends! Things are finally going well. No zombies in at least a week! Besides, the worst moment in Garnet’s entire life was the day she’d been forced to leave behind her previous life and start anew after the Vatican witch hunters murdered her coven. How dare Sebastian ask her to do that all over again. Besides, Garnet doesn’t even speak Spanish.

She puts her foot down; she’s leaving over his dead body.

Sebastian points out he’s already dead.

And already packed.

He plans to leave for Spain at the end of the week, with or without her.

She feels utterly betrayed. Don’t their vows mean anything? They do -- only for Sebastian, who is a thousand years older than feminism, what a husband says should be the law, at least in matters of life and death, which he insists this is.

Lilith, Garnet’s resident goddess who is more ancient than male supremacy, disagrees. But, when Lilith gets mad, Garnet has to get going. Or there won’t be much of their marriage left at all, much less anything else.

Ignoring the crisis at home for the moment, she throws herself into to work and the final arrangements for the pagan festival. Garnet had been hoping for relief, but nothing seems to be going right at the bookstore either.

William, who is running a very popular workshop track on faeries, has come down with a sudden and terrible fever. The parks and recreation site manager calls Garnet to report that a flood has damaged their proposed event location. When a freak gust of wind causes Garnet to lose some important paperwork, Garnet is instantly suspicious – she’s been through this sort of stuff many times before.

Magic is afoot!

But who, what, and why?

Garnet’s investigation into the supernatural forces at work is interrupted by the arrival of Mátyás, Sebastian’s no-longer-immortal-half-vampire son. He sympathizes with Garnet about Sebastian’s ultimatum. Mátyás doesn’t want to leave town either, but he’s been through this situation before. He likens the experience to being an army brat – sometimes you just have to relocate.

Well, she didn’t sign up for that. In the middle of their discussion, however, four very strange people enter the store. Garnet sees all kinds at Mercury Crossing, but never such devotion to color coordination. There are two men and two women, and each has chosen clothes of a single color: red, white, blue or black (with hair to match!)

Spooky.

Turns out they’re a rock band calling themselves “the Elementals.” William, who has struggled into work despite his fever, jokes that they must do covers of “Earth, Wind and Fire” then, eh? The woman in blue notes that doing that excludes water, and so no, not so much.

Okay. Weird and humorless.

Anyway, the band was passing through and heard about the pagan festival. Is it too late to audition?

When Lilith growls, Garnet considers the fact that all the disasters that have befallen her lately have been related to the elements: William’s fever is heat-related, the site was damaged by flood, and the strange gust blew away her papers.

Could it really be that obvious?

Garnet doesn’t have time to figure it out because William faints. The band offers to help, but Garnet shoos them away with a promise of a try-out later. Underneath her skin, Lilith jitters.

William mutters in Gaelic, a habit he’s picked up from his time on the other side, but eventually comes around. When Garnet presses him, he confesses he’s passed out before. He says it’s been happening a lot since his last big class at the store when they did an exercise to conjure a Brownie. When Garnet and Mátyás look at him curiously, he explains not the Girl Scout kind, but the Irish faerie which supposedly will clean your house in exchange for a bowl of milk.

She asks William if they were successful. He asks her if she’s seen his apartment lately? It’s still a tip. No, William is certain that it was a dud. But, it is kind of weird that he’s been plagued by poor health since. He’d been planning to see an expert at the pagan fair. Garnet shakes her head at him in dismay, but thinks nothing more of it as William seems to have things under control.

When she arrives at home, Sebastian is chasing fringe-pagan blog papperatizi off their lawn. The bloggers threaten to camp out in the nearby field until he consents to an interview (with the vampire, get it!?) He nearly bleeds them all on the spot, but a little Lilith show of force scatters the bad-punning hooligans.

The second Garnet and Sebastian step into their living room, their fight starts up again. Even though the harassment Sebastian is suffering is obvious, Garnet is near to tears when she looks around their home and sees all the memories in each piece of furniture and do-dad collected over time. Sebastian understands, but this is always what he’s done to survive. There’s a reason he’s been so successful for so long, he reminds her.

They sleep on it, though fitfully. The wind and rain rattle the window, and Garnet wakes up to see a shadow outside that looks like someone prowling around. When she goes out, she encounters a mud creature. Another elemental?

Garnet tries to talk to the muddy blob, but it attacks. Téreza, the almost-dead-almost-vampire-all-crazy ex of Sebastian’s, helps her and Lilith fend off the monster. When it shatters into dust, a corn dolly falls to Garnet’s feet.

She’s seen this before, too, and she realizes that she was distracted by the rock band. This isn’t elemental magic; it’s the damn faeries again – the same troupe that first stole William.

Despite the late hour, she and Téreza rush to William’s apartment. He’s sound asleep, but, after they wake William up, Lilith “smells” something She doesn’t like. Garnet has to fight to keep Lilith under wraps. Garnet tells William about Lilith’s reaction and they determine that maybe his Brownie spell worked better than he’d thought.

Garnet has learned to be cautious with her magic, and though her first impulse it to just banish the little imp, she takes a wiser first step. Along with Téreza, William and Garnet draw the faerie out into the open in order to find out more about what it’s doing here.

Turns out, the Brownie has a bit of a crush on William and has ever since he was abducted to the other side. She wants bring him back home with her, and hasn’t figured out how yet. Despite the nice offer, William says no thanks. That enrages the tiny fairy, and William’s fever gets exponentially worse. The Brownie plans to kill William. If she can’t have him, no one will.

Lilith, Garnet and Téreza leap to William’s defense. A huge magical battle ensues. The Brownie might have won, except for one detail. Garnet has become much wilier about her own magic, and, when they first drew the faerie out, Garnet cleverly trapped it within a magic circle.

Without further ado, the trio sends the Brownie packing. Afterward, they do a general sweep of the rest of William’s place to clear it of stray bits of faerie (and there’s a lot.)

After the pixie is taken care of, things at the store settle down. The guest of honor for the festival arrives without hiccup, a new site is found, and all of the vendors are relatively happy with their assigned booths. Of course, there are a few headaches, but nothing of the supernatural kind.

Knowing she’ll either be leaving for Spain the next day or saying good-bye to Sebastian, Garnet can’t quite enjoy the event. Besides, ever since the faerie battle she’s been thinking about the destructive power of possessive love. Garnet considers letting Sebastian go on his own. She heads home depressed and reminiscing about all the great times she’s had with Sebastian. She remembers that first time they met and how they’d done a blood spell to convince the witch hunters who had been chasing them that they were dead.

That’s it!

Garnet explains her plan to Sebastian. They’ll weave a spell that will disappear them from the minds of all the fringe types. After all, most people know vampires really exist, but they just live in a state of denial that Garnet calls the Veil. Her plan is to strengthen the Veil around her and Sebastian. That way they can stay in Madison forever.

The only drawback is that everyone – even her friends – will forget that Sebastian is a vampire and that she’s harbors the Goddess Lilith. Garnet’s gotten used to the support from her friends about the odder parts of her life, but she thinks a price worth paying. Sebastian agrees with one caveat – one sign that the spell is broken, and they leave, no fighting, no questions asked. Garnet agrees.

The morning after the spell, Garnet is back at work, cleaning up after the festival. All her friends are there, and with a casual reference to Sebastian’s supernatural side, Garnet realizes the spell worked. They don’t know her secrets any more. Garnet feels a sense of loss, but, when William says something silly, her heartache eases. She knows that in time, it will all be okay again, and, at least, for now, she’s still at home.

THE END

The Book That Wasn't (2 of 3)

Here's the synopsis for the book that would have been Garnet Lacey #7, which I'd called LADY IN DEAD:

Note: This is in synopsis format, which requires third person, present tense. As you'll see, each book builds on the last, which I thought was mighty clever. ;-) Also, I thought this one was going to be one of the funnier ones....

Ever since an incident when her Book of Shadows went missing and endangered her first vampire lover, Daniel Parrish, Garnet Lacey has been trying to practice a lot more caution in her Witchcraft. To that end, her day-walking vampire husband, Sebastian Von Traum, has been teaching her his precise, scientific art of alchemy.

Too bad she sucks at it.

Garnet, who harbors the immensely powerful dark goddess Lilith inside her body, isn’t used to not being instantly successful, particularly in an aspect of the occult arts. But when it comes to mixing potions and distilling herbal essences, she’s a disaster.

She’s blown up part of Sebastian’s sanctum sanctorum, broken countless beakers, and, worse, nearly poisoned the cats. When Garnet’s latest attempt starts a small fire that almost destroys the grimoire that contains the magic formula to Sebastian’s vampirism, he’s had it. His patience worn thin, Sebastian declares she’s the worst student in the history of alchemy.

Garnet knows he’s right. But she’s so angry (at herself, really,) that she has to stomp off for fear that Lilith will erupt and cause even worse damage. Lilith has been particularly on the surface lately, too, because Garnet secretly took a vow not to practice any magic at all until she could be careful enough to wield that kind of power responsibly. She hasn’t attended a coven meeting in months, and it’s starting to put pressure on Lilith, who needs the release that magic gives Her.

Garnet is standing firm, however. She took the oath because she wanted to be able to prove to Parrish that he was wrong about her. After the incident with the lost book, Parrish made it very clear that he considered her thoughtless and, in fact, dangerously careless. He hasn’t spoken to her since.

Now she’s afraid he might be right.

Dejected, she wanders around the farm for a while, but lately Teréza, Sebastian’s almost-dead/almost-wife who’s entirely crazy, has been acting even stranger than usual, ranting about The Mother and portents of doom. Whatever that means.

So, to escape the crazy that is home, Garnet heads to her usual safe haven -- Mercury Crossing, Madison, Wisconsin’s premier occult bookstore and herb emporium which she owns and manages. William, her co-worker and best guy friend, has finally found his niche. After having been abducted by faerie folk, he’s been teaching Irish shamanism as part of his duties at the store. But, even seeing William fails to cheer her up... after all, it was her fault that he was taken in the first place!

Strangely, it’s bad news that finally snaps Garnet out of her self-pitying mood. Her friend Izzy, who has started dating Parrish, comes into to Mercury Crossing completely freaked out. Seems that Parrish’s Blood Sire (actually, Blood “Mistress” in his case,) is in town and demands an audience. Having dated Parrish, Garnet knows how much Parrish fears this woman and also that he can not disobey any order she gives. Izzy fears that this other vampire-woman will take Parrish away for good, and she’s desperate for Garnet’s help in the matter.

Normally, this is where Garnet would randomly and thoughtlessly cast some kind of spell to try to keep Parrish and his Mistress apart. She’s determined not to use the easy way out this time, despite Izzy and William’s insistence that she just DO something NOW. Lilith doesn’t help either, as she’s ready to blow. There’s got to be another way, says Garnet. There must be something that she can do that will not only help Parrish in his predicament, but also prove once and for all that she can be trustworthy and prudent.

Garnet decides the first thing she needs is more information. Why is Parrish’s Mistress in town now? What does she want? Garnet doubts that the Vampire Queen would just answer the questions of a mortal, but maybe she’d have some respect for a thousand year-old vampire. And, Garnet just happens to know one of those!

Of course, Sebastian has no interest in helping Parrish one iota. They’ve been rivals for Garnet’s affection and, though he wouldn’t admit it, Sebastian is jealous of Parrish’s current relationship with his ex-almost-wife-now-zombie-slash-vampire, Téreza. Garnet is able to use that last bit to convince Sebastian, however. If Parrish disappears thanks to a Vampire Queen, someone will have to take care of Téreza, and that gets complicated awfully quickly if Sebastian gets involved.

Besides, Sebastian is a bit curious. Since he can travel about in the daylight, he hasn’t had much contact with the traditional vampire community. They decide that’s their in: as the eldest vampire in the Wisconsin area, Sebastian extends a dinner invitation to Parrish’s Vampire Queen.

She accepts, and the night comes for them to meet. Sebastian and Garnet have been preparing all day long, though they’re not entirely sure for what. Will she be expecting carrots or people to munch on? Does one address a vampire queen as Her Royal Majesty or Her Bloody Nightmare?

They decide the wisest course is to be expecting anything, so they have munchies in the form of veggies and ghouls (including Izzy and William, who refuse to be left out of the excitement, even if it means they might be someone’s snack.) Mátyás, Izzy’s ex and Sebastian’s half-vampire/dreamwalking son also insists on being part of the gala event, despite the awkwardness of seeing his old girlfriend with her new beau, Parrish.

The Queen finally arrives with Parrish as her consort. There are, as it turns out, many courtly rules of entertaining another vampire that Sebastian knows nothing about. Despite a rough start, the Queen warms to Sebastian (though she completely ignores Garnet and the other “mere humans.”) The Vampire Queen has heard of Sebastian by reputation and also because Parrish once promised her a copy of Sebastian’s secret elixir of immortality.

When Sebastian presses her as to why she’s come into “his” territory, the Queen tells him that she has two reasons. The first is to punish Parrish for his indiscretions. It seems he killed a LaCrosse Witch who briefly had control of him, (thanks to that missing Book of Shadows of Garnet’s again!) The murder was uncovered by local authorities and making the case go away took a lot of effort on the part of the Queen, who complains of having to cover for Parrish’s sloppy mistakes a lot in the past. Garnet bites her tongue, but gives Parrish a “ha, you’re not perfect either” glance.

The second reason is that Parrish has failed to reproduce. Everyone looks at Izzy, and William notes that it’s not from a lack of trying. Awkward silence follows that remark until the Queen explains that she gets her power from her progeny’s blood-children. Parrish has never made another vampire, and the time has come for him to do so. It is, in fact, a requirement for his forgiveness for his past. The Queen gives Parrish an ultimatum, make a vampire out of someone in forty-eight hours, or return with her to Europe as her slave.

Sebastian is confused -- didn’t Parrish turn/heal Téreza when she was caught in-between life and death?

As if on cue, Téreza shambles into the room and rushes to the Queen. Sebastian thinks it’s an attack and leaps to stop her, but the Queen embraces Téreza as her “child.”

Everyone is shocked, though Garnet remembers the strange things Téreza said about “the mother” coming. Sebastian is livid. Not only is he angry that his ex is under the thrall of someone associated with Parrish, but also that this vampire queen must have been sniffing around Madison for at least a year.

His fangs descend. The queen snarls back.

Lilith explodes everywhere.

The party is officially a disaster when the Queen is forced to flee in retreat, vowing vengeance on the house of Von Traum.

Parrish stays behind to help pick up the pieces. Garnet asks him why it is that he never made a vampire. He reminds her that his own transformation wasn’t by choice. It was an accident when he robbed a stage coach. He wouldn’t wish eternal twilight on anyone.

Meanwhile, several of the ghouls that Sebastian rounded up in case the Queen expected blood are desperately throwing themselves at Parrish, begging him to turn them into immortal bloodsuckers. Parrish and Izzy have a loud fight. Izzy thinks Parrish should just bite someone and be done with it; Parrish doesn’t want to be stuck with a stranger forever. A mumbling Téreza wanders around reminding everyone just how heavy that burden can be.

Despite having more information, things aren’t any better. In fact, Sebastian is convinced that it is worse. William notes that Garnet tried holding back, and the whole thing fubared. Izzy agrees that maybe it’s time for some old-fashioned, on-the-fly irresponsible magic, after all. Lilith murmurs that She’d be a whole lot calmer if some serious magic went down.

While everyone is distracted, Téreza is taken hostage by the Queen.

In the panic that ensues, the pressure on Garnet to break her oath is huge. But Garnet persists and says no way. She doesn’t want to make things worse.

The gang pursues Parrish’s Mistress. As they follow her trail throughout the Madison area, Garnet begins to realize that she has been irresponsible – though not the way she first thought. She admits to herself that her reasons for hanging on so tightly to her oath are less pure than she’d like. She’s scared. It’s been so long now since she’s done magic (and the focus has been so much about her screw ups), she’s too petrified to do anything.

When the gang finds themselves the victim of a frustrating wild goose chase, Garnet unveils her plan. They will do magic. Sebastian, Parrish, Mátyás and she cast a blood spell that enhances their ties to Téreza. The four of them, Garnet hopes, have more pull than one stranger, even if that stranger is the vampire who turned Téreza.

When they finally uncover the queen’s hideout, a big battle between vampires ensues. Parrish’s Mistress is able to use her powerful glamour over Parrish to turn him against Sebastian, Mátyás and Garnet. Just when it looks like all will be lost, Garnet’s spell kicks in. Téreza surprises everyone by betraying the Queen. Plunging a stake into her heart, Téreza “dusts” her maker. Parrish spends a few frantic moments expecting his own demise, but instead he’s suddenly infused with the mantle of power. As the eldest existing progeny of his queen, Parrish becomes the new “monarch” of his family line.

Unfortunately for Izzy, Parrish’s new responsibilities will take him away from Madison from time to time, but Parrish reminds her that vampires are ramblers by nature. It’s impossible to live in one place forever.

Meanwhile, Garnet’s confidence in her magic (and her ability to be responsible) is restored. She and Sebastian agree that he can keep his alchemy and his sanctum sanctorum to himself.

THE END