squeetus

Pink mixers, pies, and the meaning of life

the actor and the housewife will be in paperback in the US in 2 weeks! Check out the new digs:

Since publishing the actor and the housewife, many people want to engage me in a discussion (or lecture) about married women becoming friends with other men. They make assumptions about my point-of-view, and are usually wrong. And it's made me realize that so many readers don't know or haven't thought through what it means to be a writer.

the actor and the housewife is about...an actor and a housewife, actually. They're both married to other people but they become friends. Many readers assume, therefore, that I wrote this book with the intent of teaching a lesson about how, contrary to popular belief, married men and women can be friends.

The truth? I have no strong opinion on the matter.

But wait! How could i possibly write a book on the subject and have no opinion about it?

Well, first I don't think that is the subject of my book. This is not a non-fiction book, representing years of research and clinical trials. This is a novel about fictional people and their own unique lives. That's all I ever wanted it to be. I don't have any intimate male friends, my husband doesn't have any intimate female friends. This isn't a personal issue for me. I don't have an opinion about other people having this kind of friendship. I've heard many personal stories about it working beautifully for entire lifetimes, and others about infidelity and heartache that follows. It's not for me to decide if people should or shouldn't have such friendships. That's up to them and the spouses, of course. I also didn't have an opinion about Becky and Felix's friendship when I began the book. I was simply interested in these two characters and in seeing where their friendship would take them.

That's where it started, of course, but a story becomes much more than the premise where I began. This book was fascinating for me, to explore issues of family and marriage, and friendship too, motherhood and daughterhood, and all the different niches the people in our lives take. At no point in the writing of the book did I ever consider it a treatise on the question of men and women being friends. And I never came to any global conclusions on the topic. I didn't try to, I didn't want to. I did form opinions about the case of Becky and Felix, of course. After two and a half years of immersing myself in their story, I came to know and understand them intimately, and love them too, and I was very excited to share their story.

Naturally the discussion of opposite gender friendship will come up as people read it. And that's a wonderful thing! One of the purposes of literature is to read about other lives and reflect on our own, form our own opinions.

I know some people will be offended by what I've said. They will think I'm being careless. They will say that a story has power (it does!) and that it's a writer's job to use that power carefully and only write stories that are morally uplifting (absolutely not!). Really, do you want to trust anyone with your morals? That's impossible! I can't possibly write a story that will be in keeping with everyone's personal morals and world views. I have offended people with every single one of my stories. Yes, every one. I get emails regularly about the abhorrent morals in princess academy, the obscenity of goose girl, the vulgarity of book of a thousand days, the lasciviousness in forest born, etc. We're all so different. There's no one way to see the world, no one kind of right story, no perfect character. I would be a fool to attempt it. Besides, it goes against every thing I believe in. We all want stories to change us, don't we? I can't change you. My book can't change you. The story you tell yourself from my book can.

SHANNON'S FUNDAMENTAL WRITING BELIEF
2. It is an author's job to tell a story that is true to the characters and the world they inhabit.
2. It's the reader's job to give that story meaning.

Of course I do a lot of work to allow for meaning. I do many drafts so that I can create layer upon layer of story. But I will never attempt to write a story that comes prepackaged with morals and universal meaning. It would be a sorry excuse for a book. And meaning is ONLY possible when the reader creates it for herself. You can teach facts. But no one can teach meaning, morals, understanding. The chemical reaction happens in the reader's head, not on the printed page. Book is dead, so the story is only alive inside the reader. If I tried to write uplifting stories that can change the world and teach people how to be, then I would fall flat on my face. I would cease to be what I should be - a writer. A story teller. A defense attorney for the characters. An objective observer. A person thrilled by the wonder of people I'm not and places I don't live.

Not everyone needs to love the stories I tell. Certainly not everyone does. But I am always grateful for those who do. It makes me feel less alone as a writer to write stories that fascinate me about characters who I love, despite their flaws, and then find readers who are willing to go on that journey with me and are happy they took it. Thanks a bunch. I wish I could give you all a great big hug. Or make you a pie. Which is basically the same thing.

Pies and prizes

Dean and I are coming your way this weekend, Southern California! See my events page for details. I've had many requests to extend the tour to other areas of California and other states. I wish I could! That's not in my power. It's up to my publisher where I go, and I have to limit the tours overall due to the smallish children who inhabit my house.

Please keep voting on the rapunzel's revenge book trailer contestants through Feb 25. I am so glad I don't have to select the winner myself...however, I am in the hot seat for the actor and the housewife book club contest.

This was really, really hard. So many lovely, touching, funny, and just stand out entries. The photos were great. Many groups incorporated pies into their meeting. One group served all kinds of homemade pies--shepherd's pie, pizza pie, etc., as well as a dozen different desert pies. Another made pies then in the tradition of Becky Jack, delivered them to neighbors who just might need the comfort of a homemade pie. Sweet!

One group of ladies dressed as stereotypical housewives, with hairs in curlers, cream-on-face, bathrobes, etc., and above them hung a whale made of cardboard and construction paper (a book reference -- awesome!). Another had a potluck, and the menu was typical Mormon food.
Spaghetti
Funeral Poatoes
Green Jello with carrots and without
Sprite with Sherbet
Iceberg Salad (from a bag, served with Ranch)
Fruit Pie
Fruit Crisp
Lion House Rolls
Hawaiian Bread

This had me laughing. I love it! And seriously, funeral potatoes are SO good. They're called that because after a funeral, in Mormondom, the women in the neighborhood typically make a big lunch for the extended family of the deceased, and someone always tends to bring a cheesy, saucy potato casserole. But hey folks, don't wait for a death in the family to try this at home! And I happen to be a fan of Jello, but I can't eat it with the carrot shavings. Makes me gag.

So many invented great games and ideas to get everyone talking. I was touched by the discussion accounts and feel so grateful to have such open-hearted readers who were willing to go on this book journey with me, even when it wasn't quite what they expected, or in some cases, approved of.

And now the winner...because it was impossible for me to judge the actual book group meetings, I judged on presentation alone. And the entry from kategory.org was very clever. As Becky did in the book, each lady wrote up her own information, if it had appeared in the fictional celebrity magazine Exclusive! The pictures are darling and funny, and I laughed and felt like I knew you. Email me privately and I'll get your mailing address and send you those hard-earned book prizes!

Thanks, everyone who entered! You are all darling. Now I really want some pie...

Forest Born crowning

the actor and the housewife won the City Weekly's Readers Choice award for best fiction book of the year. Thanks, City Weekly voters! I am so thrilled and honored. It makes me ridiculously happy when other people love Becky, Mike, and Felix too.

 I'll be at the King's English in Salt Lake City this Saturday at 2 pm for the forest born release party. It's been a really nice release week so far, with lovely reviews and happy responses from many of you. Thank you! I don't like to post full reviews on my blog or site for fear of spoilers, but I put up snippets of the reviews.

In honor of Rin this week, here's my favorite tree-related poem. (A little history--I first read this poem in the New Yorker and loved it so much I was going to memorize it, but I lost my copy and couldn't remember the title or poet. Then when I was reading Tithe by Holly Black, I saw that she quoted from this poem, and so I was reunited with the poem AND a week later met Holly for the first time! And I declare "Crown" one of my all time favorite poems and Holly one of my all time favorite people.)

CROWN
by Kay Ryan

Too much rain
loosens trees.
In the hills giant oaks
fall upon their knees.
You can touch parts
you have no right to—
places only birds
should fly to.

Aaah...I love that. I am stunned by her brevity, by her simple word choices. This could be the text for an early reader book, and yet she says things no one else has. This poem is like a buttermint on the tongue. I feel refreshed! And now back to daisy danger brown, and a different secret project that I may be able to talk about next month...

Two! (count 'em--two) Contests!

I feel so noticed! The fabulous John Green (author of Looking for Alaska, etc.) blogged about my August 21 post, and then did anyone catch that Roger Sutton commented on the last post? He's the editor of Horn Book magazine. As professional reviewers both, I was fascinated with their point-of-view. And I think Roger's right--what qualifies as a "spoiler" can be different for everyone. And you need to be able to talk about the book's plot to some degree in a review. I have had professional reviews (as well as casual reviews) that revealed the ending of the book, such as including naming the murderer in a murder mystery, unmasking characters in disguise, and declaring late-book deaths. There may not be easy rules with regards to spoilers, but in my opinion, if an event takes place in the second half of the book or is a mystery the story revolves around, it's best not to reveal it.

Okay, so here's the subject-promised contest number 1:

the actor and the housewife in a bookclub near you! Read the actor and the housewife with your bookclub and then report the experience. I'll select the account that interests me the most (I know! Vague criteria!) and the winner will get a big ol' box of books, filled with my titles (signed) as well as others. Remember how exciting it was to go to school the day book orders came in? And getting that new stack of books? That's how it'll be. But even cooler. No real guidelines for this. You can write me an account, send me a link where you've posted photos, or make a video, or do any combination of the three. However you want. Shorter seems better, i.e. a 3000 word commentary or a 15 minute video can get boring. Email me the account (or link to it, if you post a video or a blog with photos), with the subject line "Actor and the Housewife contest" to squeetus (at) gmail (dot) com. Please no attachments. Contest runs through January 2010.

And on to contest number 2:

 Rapunzel takes her revenge! Create a book trailer for rapunzel's revenge, post it on youtube, and send me the link. Please put "Rapunzel Revenge contest" in the subject line and send to: squeetus (at) gmail (dot) com. No rules, but again, shorter is better (I recommend under 2 minutes), and of course, keep it clean. Contest runs through January 2010, the month the sequel, calamity jack, will be released! I announced this contest earlier, so let me clarify something: Marcus Aurelius made this fabulous trailer, but it is not entered into the contest, so don't worry that you're competing against his awesomness. The winner for this contest will be selected by popular vote. In January, I'll post links to all the entries. Again, the winner gets an amazing array of books, including many of my titles, all signed.

Have fun with these! I can't wait to see the entries.

Also, one more link--this is a blog kept by an illustrator father and his four kids. For their third anniversary, professional illustrators chose a drawing made by one of the kids and redid it in their own style. I love how the profressional illustrations celebrate rather than "correct." Really lovely. What great kiddos!

Presenting...Dashti

Okay, intrepid readers, I know many of you will have opinions about this. Here's the paperback cover for book of a thousand days, to be released in September. The hardcover will keep the original.

This book has received more award and list loving than any book of mine besides princess academy. It's a very precious book to me and my husband's favorite. I'm thrilled to have it coming out in paperback. I don't announce on my blog everything, but I keep a list of honors my books receive on my website. Here's the one for book of a thousand days. I love those state awards. A committee chooses the nominees in each state, then for the year the children are encouraged to read the books from the nominee list and vote on their favorite. Truly children's choice. The lists are always full of wonderful books.

I don't post all my reviews, etc., for this book either. I keep an up-to-date list on my site. But I just got a happy-dance national review for the actor and the housewife, from New York Daily News that I want to share. It's short and magically spoiler-free, so I'm going to post it all here.

"The Actor and the Housewife" is completely unbelievable and totally credible. Where did Shannon Hale come up with this story? Becky Jack is a devoted wife and a Mormon who, against all odds, sold a screenplay. She is in her agents’ office when British screen star Felix Callahan walks in. They begin a sparring conversation, and things go from there.

But not to bed. Becky is devoted to her husband, Mike, and their four children. Her way of life, as well. Felix can’t quit her, though. She adores him, but not in that way. The dialogue is witty, the romantic suspense genuine, and the finale? It ends the way it should.

Ah! Makes me happy. It was featured in Parents magazine, will be featured in the August Family Circle magazine, and is an Indie Next Great Read this month. Hooray! Thanks to Michelle, a publicist at Bloomsbury, who has been working hard to help get it attention.

Reviewed to death

Ya'll are so sweet. I feel like I have a coven of best gal friends, who are always here to say, "They were mean to you? Then they're crazy! Here, have some ice cream." (and Marcus Aurelius too, who rocks via witty ironic statements) The last post wasn't about any particular review for any one book. On this blog, I try to be honest about the life of a professional writer, good and bad. When I was young and unpublished, I would've thought negative reviews wouldn't hurt me 9 books later. But they do. They always do. They always will.

As Laura ZM pointed out, how many professions require the worker to be publicly mocked for their work? For every detail of what they've done to be analyzed and criticized? There are some. Athletes. Coaches. Actors. I understand scientists are pretty hard on each other. American Idol contestants. Anyone who posts on youtube. But it's rare generally, I think. I don't like it. But I know it's part of the profession. If I want the privilege of writing books and sharing them with people, I have to take the lambasting. (I don't have to like it! But I do have to take it.)

I don't want to sound complainy here. I have no right to. I have had 8 books worth of really gorgeous reviews. (my ninth book, forest born, just got its first national review from Kirkus--and it was lovely! YAY!) There are always the lukewarm reviews to irritate and depress. And then there are the reviews that feel less like a critical response and more like two slaps and a gut punch. But here's the truth about reviews--they're all good. And I have to be grateful for them all.

I wince when I write that, because I don't want to accept the bad ones as good. And I certainly don't want to be grateful for them. Not for that one, at least, and not that other one. Do I really have to be grateful? Do I? Yes, I do. Say it, Shannon. Say it and mean it.

"Thank you, reviewers, who hated my book and wrote out your words so that all would know that this book, in your opinion, was less appetizing than a pile of fresh hippo poo. Thank you for taking the trouble to express that sentiment in 500 words or less. Thank you."

I kinda did mean that. Of course I'd rather have glowing, loving reviews! But someone told me early in my career, all reviews are good. Just as there's no such thing as bad publicity, there's always good that comes from any review. With shrinking review space and growing numbers of books published, any attention a book gets at all is good. For example, this happens: woman reads a negative review of book; woman goes to bookstore and sees that book; woman can't remember what review said, only that it mentioned said book; woman buys book. So, thank you. Thank you, angry readers who type.

Okay, that's easier said than felt. It is SO hard to read, often physically painful. So how do I handle the two-slap-gut-punch reviews? Sometimes I just feel down and dumpy all day. Sometimes I bury it, then it sneaks up on me and I think, "Why do I feel like crap?" until I remember. Just like with anything else bad that happens. My most effective method is NOT eating chocolate till I'm sick (though I try it...often), but to put it in perspective. "Waah, waah," I say to myself in a high, whiny voice. "I have my dream job and write books for a living that thousands of people love, but some people don't like them. Poor me, waah, waah, waah." Ironic that I use self-mockery to counter public-mockery, but hey, sometimes it works.

And of course, there are the good reviews too, that I cling to during the tougher times. the actor and the housewife has gotten at least two national double-slap-triple-gut-punch reviews. But then that's balanced by some outright shiny national reviews, and some simply gorgeous heartfelt emails from readers, and ultimately, the most beautiful response to a book I've ever had. A review that made me cry--stunned, overwhelmed, relieved, so grateful. This reader happened to be in a position to judge very harshly what I wrote--she is a Mormon mother of four living in Layton, Utah who is happily married and has had a male best friend. Just like my main character, Becky Jack. Wow. And on top of that, she is a writer too. That she so publicly offered her praise completely took my breath. Her name is Mette Ivie Harrison, and if you don't know her books The Princess and the Hound and The Princess and the Bear, she is a young adult writer of no mean talent, and I am so grateful for her thoughtful reading and voiced thoughts. Thanks, Mette.

The housewife is live

I have up the section for the actor and the housewife on my site now, with extras and info and the first ten pages. The book comes out in three weeks!

It got a great review from Publisher's Weekly (whew!) with no "but..." (That is, even nice reviews often have a "but" or exception statement, as in, "Though the characters were sparkling and dialog witty, the ending featuring the acid monster consuming all the main characters was both unexpected and unbalanced.") But since I am, as ever, a spoiler freak, I won't quote the whole thing. Here's the best line:

"Hale keeps the prose crackling with humor and has a sure hand in creating nuanced, believable characters"

It did refer to the book as "chick lit," which, as you know from my last post, I don't find unreasonable but possibly misleading. Jean, one of the ARC winners, sent me a lovely review. Again I (needlessly, probably) edit out the plot point parts:

"Witty and warm-hearted, the latest book from the ever-intriguing author, Shannon Hale, will delight audiences with its humor and loyalty...Between the pages of the book lie the unique twists and turns of humor and poignancy that Ms. Hale utilizes with skill and mastery in crafting a modern fairy tale of love, devotion and friendship."

Thanks Jean! I owe you $10 for that at least. I haven't heard back from the second person to receive an ARC. Maybe she loved it, but...

"It's not what I expected."

That's the first response I keep hearing from readers of the actor and the housewife. I wondered if the title or jacket was misleading, or the jacket text. Or all. They may be. But as I've listened to these readers, I've come to realize that, at least in part, it's something more ephemeral than all that: this book doesn't have a genre.

Some reviews have called it "chick lit," because there are elements of that, I suppose, and austenland could fit that description. But I think readers who expect chick lit will be surprised, and some might be disappointed.

So if it's not chick lit, then what? Fantasy? Sorta, but not really. There are no magical elements, no hero's journey or perilous adventure, no mythical creatures. But if fantasy is a genre that says, "Here's what's possible in our world--now let's add a little more..." then yeah, it is fantasy. Though not in the traditional sense. So again, readers expecting fantasy like my other books will be surprised, and perhaps disappointed.

So is it literary fiction? No. There are elements of that, but some of the plot and the fact that one of the characters is an A-list gorgeous British actor means that this book wouldn't be allowed in the literary fiction club.

Romance? Sorta...but sorta not.

Wish fulfillment? Sorta...but sorta not.

Comedy? Sometimes.

Drama? Sometimes.

So, no genre. It's just a novel. For some readers, that's enough. But for others, that can be confusing and upsetting. This has made me look at genre, what that means, why we like it.

Genre is a kind of a handle to hold, a way to manage the story. Genre does tend to follow a certain formula, though I don't think it's fair to say that all genre fiction is formula fiction. But as a reader I can understand the desire to have an idea of what I'm reading before committing to the book. I've had a few experiences where I'm reading a book by a fantasy author that doesn't turn out to be fantasy, and I'm like, Wait! We had a contract here--I read a book and you deliver some magical stuff!

That's what genre can be--a contract between reader and writer. You read this book, and there are certain things I promise to deliver. If you go see a romantic comedy film, there had better be a few laughs and the highly compatible couple had better get together in the end. If that doesn't happen, some viewers might think, "How unexpected and refreshing!" But probably most would be disappointed. "Where were my laughs? Where was the romance? I want my money back!" Dean and I once rented a little-known Jackie Chan movie, in which the characters talked for an hour and a half. Talked! I believe there was some fighting at the very end, but we'd bought out by then. It wasn't what we were expecting, and we were disappointed.

I get that, as a reader, as a viewer, genre can be helpful. But it can also be limiting. While sometimes it's comforting to slip into a familiar kind of story, other times I don't want to read the same tired old tale again and again. I want something fresh, something surprising. And as a writer, genre can be so limiting that I work very hard never to consider it while working. Editors and marketers always want to know, what's the genre? Who will be the readers? What's the hook? They're running a business, and those questions make good business sense. But those questions are useless to me as a writer. I'm trying to find and wrestle out a story. I'm keeping allegiance with the characters to do right by them. I'm creating a world like my own but different too, and a place where I'd like to be. I'm asking questions that I don't know the answers to. I'm aiming to write a story that I haven't read before. Sometimes that process results in a book that can be stickered as one absolute genre. And other times...I get the actor and the housewife.

I hope that readers can set aside ideas of genre and expectations and go on this reading adventure with me. I really hope so. Because I am terrifically proud of this book. Genre would have sucked the life out of this particular story. Maybe my publisher should put on a label: WARNING: This is not what you're expecting. Contains no genre. Read at your own risk. Maybe. And then again, sometimes, maybe surprise is a good thing.

I'm interested to hear your thoughts on genre and how they aid and hinder your reading writing experience.

On taking risks; or, why I'll never be rich

There is a great inclination to take the safe road. I'm not a gambler by nature. The safe road sounds very inviting to me. In my writing, the safe road would be to keep doing what I've been doing, giving my fans what they expect. If I was smart, if I was a product manager and analyzing consumer data to figure out what product to produce next for young adults, this is what I would do:
1. a sequel to princess academy
2. a fifth Bayern book
3. another fairy tale retelling like book of a thousand days

What I would most definitely not be doing: Investing three years in a science fiction trilogy.
What form of insanity is this? That is not what we want from Shannon Hale. She is a brand! She should deliver what we expect and want! I'm being somewhat facetious here, but some fans have let me know that they will not be reading my scifi books because it sounds too different from what I usually do.

And for my next adult book, if I were that savvy product manager, I would order up a chick lit, something in the vein of austenland, a light romp about a single woman looking for romance, full of humor and complete with a Hollywood ending.

What I would not have done: the actor and the housewife, a book that doesn't fit into a genre.
There's lightness and humor and romance of a kind, so people might get confused and think it is chick lit. But it's about a middle-aged woman, a religious woman (a MORMON!), a mother of four (a mother of four in UTAH!). It's not a quick jaunt, not a tight arc--it takes place over eleven years. Lots of stuff happens. Not all of it laughable. It's not what a lot of readers are going to expect. That may make them angry. That may cause them to warn others against the book and declare, "I used to like Shannon Hale, but she changed. I don't know what to expect from her anymore."

Alas, here I am. Not a smart businesswoman, but a weird little hausfrau still in my pajamas clicking away at a scifi trilogy one word at a time and biting my nails while I await reaction to my new book for adults. I knew I was taking a risk when I decided to write the actor and the housewife, hands-down the biggest risk I've taken as a writer for so many reasons. But I chose to do it anyway. And people have warned me, "Don't risk your career on a scifi trilogy--do another fairy tale retelling." Yet here I go. I'm not a brand. I'm not smart enough to write for my fans. I'm not clever enough to select a marketable story for my next project. And I'm not melancholy enough to pull off the "alas, poor me, how I suffer for my Art" persona.

I'm just clicking away. Wearing pajamas. And grateful that I don't have the pressure of supporting my family on my madness. So blame my husband. Since he's gainfully employed, I have the luxury of chasing down the stories that call to me. Even if they lure me off the safe road, onto risky cliffs that fall straight down.

I hope I don't come off as self-congratulatory here. I'm not the noble artist refusing to sell out; I'm the lame writer for whom writing is so hard, I can't tell any story but the one that is shouting at me the loudest. And I'm so easily bored, I have to keep trying new genres and styles so that I don't get complacent or discouraged and give up. I hope indeed to do more books like goose girl and book of a thousand days, and austenland too. We'll see where the next years take me. For now, I'm sailing new seas. Risks sometimes pay off. Maybe these will, maybe not. But I remind myself that the "payoff" isn't why I write in the first place.

Dear reader

Bloomsbury asked me to compose a letter to readers for the ARCs (advance reading copies) of the actor and the housewife. Here she is:

Dear Reader,
I never thought I’d say this, but it started with a dream.
    In August 2006, I was proofing the galleys for Austenland, my first book for adults. Austenland, the story of a woman obsessed with Mr. Darcy, is dedicated to Colin Firth: “You’re a really great guy, but I’m married, so I think we should just be friends.” I sent him a copy of the book. It’s weird, but he still hasn’t written back. Huh.
    Anyway, one morning I woke savoring a dream about an unlikely friendship. Becky was a Utah Mormon mother (kind of like me) and Felix was a British actor (kind of like Colin--I can call him Colin, right?). Perhaps my sleeping mind had been working over that question in my dedication--she’s married, he’s married, so what if they did become ‘just friends’?
    My husband got up with our toddler (bless him) while I lay in bed for an hour, luxuriating in Story. I loved hearing Becky and Felix speak together, seeing what trouble they caused, and trying to imagine how it would all turn out. The next day, I was supposed to be rewriting my new young adult fantasy, but the dream-story possessed me, so I began to write it out. The rush of scenes was so foreign to my writing process, I didn’t think I was starting a book, just dumping characters out of my mind and onto paper so I could be sane again. (Fat chance.)
    And...two and a half years later, here’s the book. I both laughed and cried harder while writing this than with any other. I am not Becky Jack; Colin Firth is not Felix Callahan. But what if…? He should really return my calls.
xoxo, Shannon Hale.

(This is the spine of the book. Isn't it attractive? I love that pie detail, and the colors are so pleasing and eye-catching.)

The Great Galley Giveaway

They're out there...somewhere...

This past weekend I attended a bookseller convention here in Salt Lake City and my awesome publisher gave away dozens of Advance Reading Copies of the actor and the housewife.

 
Cover not final, but probably close. It's exciting! And scary too. What will people think? What will they say? Aaah!

I just finished reading the typeset pages and am so pleased with it. It's exactly the book I want it to be. But what will others think? And when will I hear? When will people read and speak up and declare it a travesty/masterpiece/mildly acceptable way to pass an afternoon? Soon. I think. Very soon. I think.

Please note that this is a book for adults. The same brain that wrote princess academy wrote this one, and I am 100% okay with everything in it. I don't think I'd blush if my 12-year-old daughter read it, though I don't know that she could relate to all the situations and might want to discuss some of the stuff. But some people could be offended by the book--very offended. Extremely offended. Book-burning offended (if only! A good old fashioned book burning is great publicity!). Because of the adult book nature and other minor issues, I will only award the book to someone over the age of 18. If you're under 18, go ahead and enter, but if you win, I'll just need to get an email from your parent/guardian giving the okay and I'll send it to them.

How to win? Comment on this post. In precisely four days, I will count all the comments and have Dean randomly choose a number and that number of commenter will get the ARC! (as soon as I get to a post office. I'm really bad at it.) And since we're on the topic, here's something to comment on--have you ever been really offended by a book? What ticks you off the most? In your opinion, how can an author cross a line and turn off your internal reader? Please keep your comments clean, as you always do, you awesome people.

...with a sigh of relief

A  rite of passage for me as a writer is reading my copy-edited ms (manuscript). After I finish the final draft, my editor sends the ms to a copy editor. She reads it, making notes with a red pencil, calling out typos, checking timelines and consistency, fixing errors in punctuation, etc. I've had a book that didn't get a decent copy editing job, which was frustrating, but I felt like this one was great. It's my job to go through the book, noting any of the copy editor's queries and making sure I'm okay with all of her suggested changes.

But the important/scary part for me is reading my own book and knowing that I can't make many changes. I can add a sentence or two, cut out a couple of paragraphs, change a few words, but for the most part, it's a done deal. What if I read it and am frustrated? What if I hate it? What will I do?

Last week I read the copy-edited ms of the actor and the housewife. And I loved it. I did. That's a huge relief. This is my new book for adults, release date June '09. The main character is a stay-at-home mother from Utah who meets her #1 favorite actor in the first chapter, and then tells the next 11 years of her life. I don't know if it's a comedy or drama or romance or what. But I'm very pleased with it. Ah, the anticipation! Will others like it too? Or will they egg my house or cut the brakes on my car?

I wrote about starting this book in this post (bullet #4). And followup with a mention in this post (point #4). 2 1/2 years later, it's going to the typesetter's. What a long strange trip it's been.