First Book Release as Editor: Purple Haze by George Hudson

Cross-posted to CoffeeQuill:

I've mentioned a few times that I have been editing for a local publisher. It's been about a year since I first met with the senior editor and founder of Savant Books and Publications. I've gone through the interview, the training, the waiting for a manuscript, and the lengthy process of editing an unfamiliar story and working with a new author (in the midst of teaching, and for a time, editing someone else's psych dissertation).
Well, I am stoked to announce (though I am keeping the squeeing to a minimum), that today marks the release of my first edited work with Savant: Purple Haze by George Hudson. You'll be hearing more about it over the next few months, but I hope you'll take some time to check out the description. You can buy it directly from Savant, or through Amazon.
Purple Haze is about a murder investigation set in Tennessee. A skull is found in a lake, and a thirty-year-old mystery is brought to the surface...

Purple Haze by George Hudson

I'm not dead yet! I'm getting better!

Because a Monty Python reference can fix quite a lot.

So my life has been rather busy. How about yours?

I am still teaching English and Psychology--in fact a new quarter starts tomorrow and I have an 8 a.m. Psych 220 (I am enthused and exhausted at the thought of it)--and working on two committees at my university, soon to be advising student mentors.

I've been dealing with some irksome health issues, not the least of which is being out of shape. I went hiking on Tuesday morning and made it to the top, but was huffing and puffing most of the way (cue Big Bad Wolf joke here). It was a good workout, though. But I also found out I have thyroid issues, so I spent some being radioactive, you know, like you do, and will find out this Thursday if that did what it was supposed to.

This is the view from the top of the Makapu'u Lighthouse Hiking Trail. It actually ends above the lighthouse, so you can take a picture of it from above. (But the buildings in the distance of this photo, where the red roofs are, is Sea Life Park, on Oahu.)

I've also had some building/crafting/cleaning projects throughout the year, some of which are all-day affairs, others taking over weekends.

And I've been trying to write. I am finally making some headway with that, starting a new story just in these last few weeks.

Of course, all of this is in addition to my job as editor.

What you'll see coming up soon on this blog are: Updates and announcements for the first novel I'd edited, "Purple Haze" by George Hudson; those long-promised and hopefully long-awaited Sirens conference reports (women in fantasy/tales retold, my favorite!) and just in time to gear up for this year's; and writing prompts.

I know how hard it can be when you get stuck in a story or between stories and simply don't know where to go, so I will be sharing different writing prompts that can at least get you writing again, and maybe pull you out of the block.

For now, let me leave you with some inspiration, Neil Gaiman's Commencement speech on making good art. Regardless of the form your art takes, regardless of the circumstances life throws you, just keep making good art.

Neil Gaiman's Commencement Speech, Philadelphia University of the Arts, 2012

(The lighthouse on the Makapu'u Lighthouse Hiking Trail)

The Downfall of Blogs and Life

The latter gets busy.

Sometimes the busy-ness builds slowly, other times it hits you like a dump truck that just broke an axle. It stinks.


In the most unfortunate times, both methods happens at about the same time.


That's been my life since August.


Thus, here I am, letting you know I did not drop off the face of the earth, and that I am going to the sirens conference this week. My plan is to report back to you all with details and interesting tidbits.

Have a wonderful week, and I'll see you on the other side.

The Process

I'll say it for as long as I am a part of the publishing industry, and probably beyond: there is no one way for someone to get published. (Likewise, there is no one way to right a book, or come up with ideas, and so on.)

But there is a fairly general process that most people go through from getting an idea to getting published. Luckily for all of us, former literary agent and now author, Nathan Bransford has shared that process in gif form on his blog.

It is hilarious. Please, go read now.

The Beauty of Genre

You might think that Cracked.com is only all about the snarky, funny articles about how the earth wants to kill us or :::, and you'd be close to that.

But that doesn't mean the authors aren't doing their research, and it doesn't mean you can't learn something from a Cracked article (beyond the snark and tidbits of trivia).

I am currently reading (meaning I paused in my reading just to share this with you) an article titled, "4 Things Science Fiction Needs to Bring Back" and the author, Robert Brockway just mentioned something that struck a chord. he's discussing the current trend of genre, and how sci fi is seeing an increase lately. The article is what he thinks is leading to that, such as the optimism in sci fi (true, not all sci fi), and it's focus on the future of mankind rather than navel-gazing.

He says, "Great sci-fi isn't about a person; it's about people."

I would generalize that too, to say that "great genre isn't about a person; it's about people", or even "a great story isn't about a person; it's about people."

Telling a story, especially in genre writing, can't be about focusing on one person and their internal struggle to the exclusion of all other people. It can't be about every other character's actions, dialogue, thoughts and feelings revolving around the protagonist. There has to be interaction, and it strengthens the story when that interaction involves people with opposing goals and motivations, and not necessarily those people being the "good guy" and the "bad guy".

Think about the bigger implications of the story. Think about the plot beyond the protagonist's needs and wants. Think about the people of your story, not just the person.

Reading: Not Just For Boys

I've mentioned before that I have a writing blog, yes?

Generally, my intention is to keep the two separate, but I wanted to link to my most recent post over there. It's my analysis/reaction to an article about the lower number of teen boys reading as compared to girls.

I posted it on Coffee Quill because I found myself responding to it as a writer, rather than an editor.

As an editor, however, let it be known I am looking for any story that is interesting and written well, and if it geared towards teens, I don't mind whether it's "for" girls or boys, as long as it is good and get people to read. That said, a story that appeals to both is even better.

My original post: "Demystifying Books"

And another article that poses a few good questions about this same topic: "How can we get boys to read?"

There is No Escape

Editing can, at times, feel like the creepy, saliva-dripping, skin bubbling monster hiding in your closet and wait to jump and bite your hand off when you least expect it.

But, it isn't.

I teach a lot of English classes, and whenever the subject of editing comes up, mostly the students just want you to fix things and give them a grade. The eyes glaze over, and should you dare to ask for multiple drafts, you will be lucky to get them. Or, for that matter, to get drafts and finals that are significantly different.

Here's the thing, editing can be scary. I know a midlist author who regularly throws out huge chunks of text, chapter-long sometimes, and rewrites it from scratch. But editing is not a punishment. It's a way to make your work better, to hand over the best possible piece of writing that you are capable of, no relying on spellcheck or others to fix the problems.

With editing, there is pride. Tell yourself, "I can do this. I can see what doesn't work for this story, and I can make it better." And then you do.

It won't be easy--as the elusive "they" always says, the best things in life never are--but it is something you do to help yourself.

And seriously, if an editor has to choose between two stories with great plot and characterization, they're going for the one that's written better, the one that tied up the random plot thread, not left it to dangle over the climax of the story, distracting everyone.

You can do this.

You can.