Counting down 1 week and Thank You Mary

One week from today is the release of A Whisper In Time. I can't wait for people to get their hands on the next stage in Mark and Susanna's story!

But first, let me pause and give a word of gratitude.

I needed to research some information for a pair of books, one that is mostly written and one that I'll probably get started on this summer.  I planned a trip to Williamsburg, then contacted a high school friend who lived there--to ask her if we could meet for coffee.

Mary did so much more than that. She welcomed me into her home and accompanied me on my forays into the surrounding areas. Perhaps, best of all, she introduced me to other people who love history--people who were willing to share their ideas and knowledge so that the worlds I'll be creating in future books will be richer and more authentic.

Thank you, Mary! You have taken hospitality to a fine art and I am deeply grateful.

Happy birthday, Whisper Falls!

Today is the release day for Whisper Falls!

It has been a long time. Here are a few numbers to consider.

• How long from contract to release? 559 days, 80 weeks, or 18 months
• How long I wrote before publication? 14 years
• How many books have I sold? 4 novels
• How many words in Whisper Falls? 95,000 words
• How many revision cycles? 5
• How many sequels? 2
• How many people offered editorial advice? 6
• How many years did I research before beginning? 6
• How many people do I owe a debt of gratitude to? countless

So, with that, let me say a big thank you to everyone who has participated in the process:

• friends
• historians and docents
• school teachers
• fellow authors
• contest judges
• extended family
• cover artist
• cover models
• publisher
• editors
• agent
• husband and daughters
• readers

Happy birthday to my hero

It's my hero's birthday.  My real hero.

That would be my husband. If it weren't for him, I'm not sure if I would be a writer.

Being a writer is a horribly difficult career.  Only masochists should apply. Like any artform, it requires talent, hard work, lessons, practice, and practice. You do your best, display your talent to the world, and wait for.... rejection.

Yes, indeed, rejection is what writers get most of the time. I've been rejected by editors, by agents, by contest judges—and many were cruel. Once my books release, I'll be rejected by critics and readers—and many will be cruel. Let me assure you, even the most secure person gets their soul chipped away from all of that rejection.

That is why a writing career is a terrible choice for the writer's family. With all of the hard work, practice, and rejection it includes, things get neglected, like chores. Meals. Basic civilities. People.

Without the support and encouragement of my husband, I couldn't have done it.  He has waited patiently for more than a dozen years for my writing career to take off. He ignored the messy house (most of the time), pushed me to attend conferences, drove me on research trips, shrugged at the receipts for my expenses, and took the kids away on daddy-daughter trips so that Mom could write. He listened to my insecurities and then did what he could to leave me feeling ever-more-secure. He created the environment in which I could be my best. If my books do well, it's his success too.

Thank you, sweetheart. And happy birthday!

It takes a village

I have become an unapologetic user of people. Everyone I meet becomes a potential source of information for my next book. No one is exempt.

• Tom-the-personal-trainer offers me insights into the mindset of male athletes. 
• My physical therapist helps me figure out how to hurt people (and, not surprisingly, he is very good at that). 
• My nurse practitioner advises me on how long it takes for untreated wounds to become infected (when she's not taking care of me). 
• My cousin (who is studying to be an English professor) can now serve as my finger-on-the-pulse of academia.
• All female acquaintances with teenage sons are now my new best friends. 

Yesterday, I had brunch with a friend and two of her amazing kids.  One will soon be a secondary English teacher (yay! another finger-on-the-pulse). The other is a male high school senior.  Poor guy. I had a list of questions waiting for him. If he could have any classic car, which one? What types of sport teams are available in college?  How much do teen soccer players know about knee injuries?

WARNING to all males 14-18: Avoid me if you don't like talking to earnest old ladies. I have an endless supply of things I want to understand about your world.

So, friends, I may be unapologetic about picking your brain, but I am also deeply grateful.  It may be my mind assembling the puzzle pieces of the plot and my voice choosing the words, but it is your knowledge, experiences, and generosity that provide the building blocks.

I thank you all!

Thank you, Tom

Tom is my personal trainer.  But he's more than that.  He's my coach, cheerleader, spiritual guide, and friend.

For years, he's listened to me talk about my stories.  Then Whisper Falls came along. Since the book's hero is a seventeen-year-old mountain bike racer, I needed help. Tom became my story advisor.


Fortunately for me, Tom began playing sports at a young age. He understands what it's like to be a teen male athlete.  Tom volunteered (at least, that's the way I remember it. Yeah) to help me with my research. So I peppered him with questions, which he answered with patience and honesty. 

Mark--the male protagonist--is a better character, and Whisper Falls is a better book, because I have friends like Tom.

Thank You, Laura

My agent and I believed that Whisper Falls was a really good book, so we did what often happens in such cases. We submitted it to editors at publishing houses.

Months passed. No one offered to buy the book. And their feedback made me sigh (which is better than making me cry.)

• Time-travels are a hard sell.
• The story needs to be tighter.

I couldn't do anything about the first excuse.  But I could do something about the second. That's where Laura came in.

Laura is a recent graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, magna cum laude in English, whose dream job is to be a book editor.¹ She's also one of my daughter's roommates.  I needed editing advice, and Laura wanted to freelance-edit--a match made in writer's heaven.

We joined forces to make my book the best it could be. Laura's editing style was gloriously unobtrusive. In response to her gently-posed questions, I was able to revise the book with my ideas, my words, and my voice.  It was the same story, just better.


Three months later, my agent resubmitted the book.  We received an offer to buy Whisper Falls in four days.²

Thank you, Laura! 

1. I would highly recommend Laura to other novelists in need of freelance editing.³
2. Results are not, of course, guaranteed. Editing advice may free you to write a better book, but you still have to have a great voice, a great concept, and great market timing in order to win contests, land an agent, or sell.
3. The publishing house was so impressed by how polished my manuscript was that they have offered Laura contract copy-editing work.