Good Things! And So Forth.
Thanks to everyone who reached out to me after my last newsletter, but I think I must have raised a false alarm. Guys, I am 1000% totally completely fine.
When I wrote about the submission process, and how absolutely brutal it was, I didn't mean that I was in some sort of despair. There are some rough moments, but we all go through those, no matter our field.
The thing is, and I should have mentioned this when I was complaining, is that I don't have much to complain about. I have my dream agent and I'm with a dream agency. My last novel was well-received and continues to get some wonderful accolades. I'm not writing for a living but I am writing professionally, and that was a hurdle that, at times, seemed impassable.
I'm still not where I want to be, but I don't much care...and, anyway, as a writer, I don't know if you should ever be satisfied. That said, you can hit certain milestones. Like that feeling, described by Bernard Malamud in the introduction to a collection of his short fiction, when he wrote, "My writing had begun to impress me." Or that deep-seated certainty when you find your topic and voice. Or the moment when you realize your heroes (at least, some of them) have become your peers. But any writer who is content loses an edge.
I wrestled in high school, and fasted unhealthily to make weight prior to my matches - this, and my Latin genes, are pretty much why I've topped out at the whopping height of 5'9. Anyway, there were usually a few hours to kill after weighing in and before my match, and I would usually spend that time eating everything in sight. But I found, after a while, that I didn't wrestle well when I was full. I needed the irritation of want. When I had that, I wrestled better, with a sharper focus. Maybe I was just hangry, but something about need drove me.
We need the hunger.
I'm fine, and I greatly appreciate your concern, and it means so much to me that you're actually reading these newsletters. They're fun to write, and I like being more personal here than I am in social media, and differently than I am in my fiction...or, for that matter, in person. So let's keep going. This is what we've been training for.
Disney World
This is completely unrelated to writing, but my family went to Disney World (that's not us in the picture) and had a fantastic time. The writing world quiets in December and January, school is out, and my day job usually slows down, so it was a good time to get away. I hadn't been back since I was a child, and the opportunity to see it with my own child was special. I went there entirely pre-jaded, expecting to leave wearing of consumerism, and instead left clad in Mouse-gear. I have been converted.
In Conversation with Kathleen Barber
This is so cool! My friend Kathleen Barber's second book is coming out in February, and I'll be interviewing her at KramerBooks in D.C. for the launch on February 25th at 6:30 PM. Her new novel, Follow Me, is a masterclass in tension, and Kathleen has a unique ability to capture voices (particularly the voice of social media). Her first novel, Are You Sleeping?, was turned into a television series on Apple TV starring Octavia Spencer and Aaron Paul called Truth Be Told, and it's airing now. Plus, Kathleen is just one of the nicest people around and I'm proud to be her friend. Come out! I plan to embarrass her by asking intensely personal, awkward questions.
Shawn Reilly Simmons is one of the busiest writers I know. In addition to penning a well-regarded series ("The Red Carpet Catering Mysteries," now in its SEVENTH book), she writes short stories, is one of the chief organizers behind the annual Malice Domestic conference, and is one of the owners of Level Best Books. And she still finds time to be a lovely person and wonderful friend to many in the writing world. And a writer she recommends you read? Edwin Hill.
During a rather awkward dinner party that took place during Bouchercon in Toronto, I had the good fortune of being seated next to a soon-to-be-published author, Edwin Hill. We hit it off that evening and kept in touch, and a few months later he sent me an early copy of his debut mystery, Little Comfort. I loved the book and was intrigued by the main character, Hester Thursby, a Harvard librarian with a knack for tracking down the lost. Little Comfort went on to be nominated for an Agatha for Best First Novel, which was very exciting and well deserved. The second book, The Missing Ones, takes Hester in a new direction all together, and features a complex mystery and realistically drawn characters. I think what I love the most about Edwin's books is that they are thoroughly modern, but leave you with the sense you've just read a classic mystery, compelling and completely satisfying.
Thanks to Shawn for this suggestion, and click on the pics and names above to learn more about both writers and their most recent work.
It's contest time! As you know, the monthly contest winner wins copies of the two books listed in my "Two Writers You Should Read" segment. SO, the winner of this month's contest, and copies of Murder on the Chopping Block and The Missing Ones is...
belle.kuhlman96@___
Congrats, Belle! Check your e-mail for a separate note from me, and happy reading!
Like I said, December and January are slow months in the writing world. My next column for the Independent doesn't run until later this month, The Thrill Begins is on hiatus, and I've been knee-deep in edits.
But I do have news to share, which I can't share yet and, yes, I know how annoying that is. What I can tell you is to check out BOLO Books (a site you should regularly check out anyway) on January 16th for an announcement of a new project I'm involved with. It's pretty exciting, and I think you guys will dig it.
Until next time, thanks for reading, and I hope you're having a good 2020!