May 2008 Archives
Finally, June first, the actual release date for Before the Storm, is here (well, it will be tomorrow), so I thought I would share with you some of my thoughts about this book.
The idea for Before the Storm initially came to me in two parts. I was thinking about a story idea involving a teenager who appears to be a hero but who may or may not be heroic in reality. At the same time, I took part in an annual event on Topsail Island called the Authors' Moveable Feast, sponsored by Quarter Moon Books. (side note: this was one of the most enjoyable events I've ever particpated in. Akin to "speed dating", authors move from table to table at a luncheon, taking ten minutes to tell the diners about his or her book). Once I saw Topsail Island, I knew it would be the setting for my next book. So immediately, I began to think about my teenaged "hero" and how his or her story would fit into that setting.
I wanted my teen's heroism to be a surprise to the town's people, so I needed to figure out why that would be the case. Thus, Andy Lockwood, a boy who is a simple, concrete thinker due to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, was "born." In my long ago career as a clinical social worker in the maternity unit of a hospital, I learned how drinking during pregnancy could impact a child, and later, when I worked with teens in my private practice, I saw some of those children and witnessed their struggle to fit in with their peers as well as to achieve in school. I also witnessed their considerable charm. Andy grew into a charmer in my mind, and I think you will come to like him very much--even as you wonder about his suspect heroism.
I'd like to say that I "gave" Andy a sister and a widowed mother, but my writing often seems out of my control, and that was the case here. Andy's sister Maggie and his mother Laurel simply appeared. As a matter of fact, as Maggie began telling me about herself, starting with the statement "My father was killed by a whale," I knew I was in danger of her hijacking the entire story. Anyone who's read the story will understand why I used the picture of the humpback above as my desktop image while I wrote Before the Storm.
I've discussed much more about the writing of, and research behind, Before the Storm here on my website, so I won't go into more of it now. Instead, I'd like to say how much the story means to me. Living with these fictional people for a year made them part of my heart. They feel real to me--as real as the affection and empathy I have for them. I hope your experience of them is similar, and I hope you find the story engrossing, suspenseful and rewarding.
If you'd like to discuss Before the Storm here on the blog, I welcome you to do so. But if your post might "give something away", please begin it with the word SPOILER, so those who haven't yet the book will be able to enjoy any surprises for themselves.
I had such a lovely ten days on the west coast! It was beyond wonderful to visit my brother and his family on their home turf for the first time in nearly two decades (!) and to meet my beautiful granddaughter and spend time with her and her parents. CC is one gorgeous, good-natured baby! Having had no little ones of my own, I feel particularly blessed to experience the joy of getting to know my stepdaughters' children. Here's CC getting her first
taste of "solid" food, which she was not crazy about.I got absolutely no work done on this trip! Well, four pages of revisions on After the Storm, with many, many more pages to go. And actually, I did work on some blog fixes and other non-writing tasks. That's where the need for an assistant comes in.
I've mentioned before how much book promotion has come to rest on the writers' shoulders. It's become quite a conundrum for many authors, in part because there are so many opportunities that it's difficult to sort out where to put ones energy. It's also a matter of "keeping up with the Jones's": if other authors are promoting their books, will mine lose out if I don't get the word out?
Here is what I've opted to do in conjunction with the release of Before the Storm:
Revamp my website (I don't even want to think about the hours and hours this took, but I love the result)
Hire a promotion company to help field media requests, set up radio interviews, etc.
Design these postcards to send to readers in the geographical areas where I'm doing signings. (I actually got a kick out of doing this, but what a time sink!)
Work with Circle of Seven Productions to develop the book trailer (another enjoyable time sink).
Work with a designer on an e-newsletter to announce the release of Before the Storm (if you signed up here or on my previous website, you'll be receiving the newsletter shortly).
Package and mail copies of Before the Storm to all the people who helped me with my research (this was a definite labor of love).
Write the discussion questions for Before the Storm.
Create ads for blogs that relate to the topics in my story (blogs on parenting teens, for example).
Write the extra material for the special Target release of The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes. (I would do anything to make the Target release a success!)
Package information about Before the Storm for booksellers and librarians at Shelf-Awareness.com, for readers at DearReader.com and for bookclubs at BookMovement.com. (If people don't know the book exists, they'll never get to read it).
I'd also love to increase my web presence through sites such as Facebook, RedRoom, and Amazon Connect, but doubt I'll have the time.
See why I need an assistant? I'm a writer, not a marketer, but it's a circular process: without marketing, books don't sell. Without sales, there won't be another contract. Without another contract, it's time to look for a different line of work.
I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining. Much of the above is fun and a different way to use my creativity. I wish, though, that it didn't come at the cost of writing time. I need to find a balance, as we all do in our professions and our lives. Toward that end, I think I'll work on my revisions this afternoon. . . right after I draft an ad for an assistant.
A few of you have already purchased my June release, Before the Storm, and at least a couple of you have asked why it's in trade (large-size) paperback instead of hardcover, so I thought I'd try to answer that question here. The first thing you need to know is that this decision is nearly always up to the publisher and not the author. The second thing you need to know is that, when a decision is up to the publisher, it's about business rather than aesthetics or status. So, why would a publisher opt to put a book out in trade rather than hardcover--or for that matter, mass market paperback, the size and type we're most used to seeing in the grocery store racks?
Publishing is an ever-evolving field and what's true today wasn't true five years ago and won't be true five years from now. But here is today's truth: more and more so-called literary fiction is being published in trade format, especially when a publisher is trying to build a writer's audience (and yes, after seventeen books, I'm still working on building my readership). That's because readers are more willing to try an author they've never heard of in paperback than in hardcover for an obvious reason: price. Another reason is that many readers (and I'd love you to weigh in on this) prefer trade paperbacks because they're easier to hold and carry than hardcover, and easier to hold and read than mass market paperbacks. In general, you can expect the paper quality and design to be superior to that used for mass market books. Also in general, you can expect the stories to be more "character-driven" (literary) than "plot-driven" (commercial), although if you've read my books, you know it's a pretty blurry line between those two categories.
I like being published in trade original, because I'm one of those people who prefers the size and feel of trade paperbacks. But I know many of you adore hardcover books and have collected most of my books in that format. I'm so sorry if this change disappoints you, but hope it won't keep you from enjoying the story.
The New York Times has recently broken its paperback best seller list into Trade and Mass-Market, so the change is here to stay, at least for a while. If you want a more in-depth look at the factors that go into a publisher's decision to choose one format over another, you can read this NYTimes article from 2006. But I'd much rather you spend your reading time enjoying a good book, no matter what shape or size in comes in!
My web designer and I apologize for the problems some of you have been having with my new blog. We're working out the snags. We're trying to make it so you don't have to register in order to leave a post--if you respond to this and future posts, for example, you should not have to register, but for previous posts, you still will. For now. I know some of your comments were lost on the previous post, and again, I apologize for that.
Thanks for bearing with us as we get the bugs worked out on the new site and blog. I hope it will be worth it in the long run!
![image_brenda1[1].jpg](http://dianechamberlain.com/blog/uploads//2008/05/image_brenda1[1].jpg "image_brenda1[1].jpg")
I can't believe what this woman has done. Four years ago, author Brenda Novak, whose son has juvenile diabetes, decided to hold an online auction to raise money for diabetes research. Many people, mostly her fellow authors, donated items and nearly $35,000 was raised. Since then, the auction has grown into a huge event that runs all of May. All told, Brenda's raised $250,000 dollars for diabetes research. This year, her goal is $300,000, with the first $150,000 going to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the balance to the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami. If you stop by the auction, set aside a chunk of time and be prepared to be overwhelmed! From signed books to trips to San Francisco to an African safari to a manuscript evaluation by an agent, there's something for everyone. My donation this year? Dinner for four (with me, of course!) at one of my favorite Raleigh restaurants. It's listed under the one-day auctions on the auction page. Diabetes touches so many of our lives and the lives of our loved ones. Here's a way you can help while shopping! What could be better than that?
As promised a couple of posts ago, here are some photos from my recent research trip to Topsail Island. I mentioned the wonderful pre-release dinner Glen Pierce hosted for me at Sterling Bryson's sound-front home. Here I am with my new friends on Sterling's porch. L to R, Craig and Dawn Brannon, Fred Beasley, John Brock, Brenda Sellers, me, John, Cynthia Harris and Glen Pierce. And here's dinner, which I'm still dreaming about! This beef was to die for, and the pasta salad was absolutely amazing. Sterling was the chef. "Two-Shot Ray" Barwick took these photographs.
My friend Susan let us use her adorable cottage as our home base while I did my research. Every room is just as cozily decorated as this one below. The cottage has a BIG Margaritaville theme at work, thus John and his new best friend!
Here I am near the northernmost tip of the island in North Topsail Beach, in front of the condemned beachhouse that inspired the setting in Before the Storm. This is one of a handful of uninhabitable houses that are in grave danger of being swallowed by the sea.
And finally, after having the island nearly to ourselves all week, it was Saturday and the beach was suddenly full of people. We had a few hours on the pier, watching dads fishing with their sons and the surfers, sunbathers and kiteboarders below, and then it was time to head for home. What a great week!
