So I'm switching it up today. Author Emily Cale is swinging by to share her writing journey with us. Pull up a chair or a piece of couch and give it read. I think you'll find Emily fits in just fine around here.
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Wow! When Rebekah asked me to calculate
the number of days since I sent my first query letter, I never
imagined it would add up to that many. In some ways, it still feels
like I wrote that first manuscript a few weeks ago. I sent that first
query letter for my novella, Tamed, in June of 2010. Then I waited.
And waited. And waited. I'd love to tell you I was patient, but I
wasn't. Fortunately, I was out of the country at the time and unable
to stalk my email. The normal response time passed and I followed up
one night before going to sleep. When I woke up the next morning I
had two responses from the acquisition editor in my inbox. The first
said she was sorry for getting behind and that she'd read my
manuscript right that minute. The second was an acceptance letter
with contract.
I wish I could tell you that it's been
all uphill. I've learned a lot of things in those roughly 600 days.
1. You can do everything right and
still get a rejection letter.
2. You can royally screw stuff up and
still get a contract.
3. Don't submit partial manuscripts if
you haven't finished the book. No, seriously. Even if you think
you'll finish it in the three months it takes them to make a
decision.
4. If you screw up #3, it is in fact
possible to write 50,000 words in a week. You will hate yourself and
everyone who comes near you.
5. Rejection letters are harder to get
after you've gotten acceptances. I thought it would work the other
way, but it turns out that knowing how good a contract feels makes
the sting all that much worse.
6. Writing books doesn't get easier. I
actually think it gets harder. Now I know so much more and start
hearing my editors telling me what's wrong with a scene. I also worry
about how I'm going to sell stuff. I know I shouldn't, but I do. I
have some weird ideas and I have no idea if they would ever be
publishable.
7. Reviews are awesome and terrible all
at the same time. I've had some really fantastic reviews and some
that make me wonder if the reviewer read the blurb, let alone the
book. I'll tell you that my best rated book sells only half as well
as my worst rated. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but clearly
there is no correlation.
8. Waiting does not get easier. I panic
after every submission I send out. I've waited as little as 3 hours
for a response and as long as 5 months. I rarely know how long it
will take and the email always comes through when I'm least expecting
them and never when I'm stalking my inbox.
9. I have not started writing better. I
have started editing better. With each book, I get better at finding
the little things that need fixed and doing them before I submit.
10. I don't know a damn thing. People
ask me for advice and I know exactly how they feel. I still scour
blogs and forums for that one gold nugget of wisdom that will make it
all make sense. I'm starting to think it might not exist. If you find
it, be sure to let me know.
Since that first query letter, I've had
1 rejection letter, 2 revise and resubmits, 11 books contracted, 8
published, and I have one thing out on submission. Public Display of
Affection was my 10th contract and my 8th
published piece. I'm just as happy each time one comes out and this
piece has been especially exciting for me. I love both Lucy and
Samantha and find that a lot of readers seem to relate will to them.
Public Display of Affection Blurb:
After a heartbreaking end to her
relationship with her girlfriend, Lucy Stark is looking to try
something more adventurous. She turns to Madame Eve’s 1Night Stand
service to help her find the perfect woman to push her boundaries and
introduce her to the more daring side of a sexual encounter.
Samantha Taylor’s helped more than
one woman explore her sexuality, but Lucy’s the first to really get
to her. Keeping her walls up and the women she dates from getting
inside is a skill she’s managed to master. After one night of
unbridled passion, she has to decide whether to give up her hard
exterior or let the woman of her dreams slip away.
Buy Links:
Decadent Publishing:
http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=448&osCsid=fn8kmq8tlmb4opoa0mtloeeqf2
Amazon:
Author Bio:
Emily Cale spent the majority of her
childhood as a visitor to the worlds of her favorite authors. With
encouragement from her English teachers, she put pen to paper and
began imagining her own stories. Preferring the fascinating lives of
her characters, she majored in creative writing. When not lost in a
manuscript or a good book, she enjoys crocheting, rock climbing, and
playing board games. She currently lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
with her husband and a very spoiled cat. You can find her online on
her blog (http://www.emilycale.blogspot.com)
or Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/EmilyCale).
Thanks so much for having me here today!
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming by to play!
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