My husband is a self-proclaimed OCIT and proud of it. What does that mean? It stands for Old Codger In Training. When we lived in Tennessee, his goal was to be one of those old men that sat on porch in his overalls, polishing his shotgun, and yelling at kids to get off the lawn. Now we live in Canada, so he’s revised that idea a bit and his goal is to grow into an old man and sit on the porch in his fleece with his ukulele and yell at the deer not to eat the garden. Part of his training involves yelling at drivers as they speed by, “Slow down, this is a neighbourhood!”
I, on the other hand, am generally very smiley and congenial. However, every once in a while, I give the OCIT a run for his money. And one of the things that sets me off is fireworks. The simple truth is, I don’t like ‘em. I know it makes me unpopular, but aside from the pretty factor (and I admit, they often are pretty and I have been known to ooooh and aaaah with the best of them), they’re noisy, cost a lot of money that I think most communities could spend in a better fashion, and the home variety tends to leave a lot of debris in the streets. So, yeah, you could say fireworks turn me into an COW (Crabby Old Writer).
Last October I was appalled to see a big “FIREWORKS FOR SALE” sign here at our village hardware store. In October? Oh, mannnnnn…. And then, of course, things started blowing up. As soon as it got dark, which in October is around 4pm, boom! Boom! Boom! I couldn’t believe the hardware store guy was going to sell fireworks for forever and make my life a living hell.
Our newspaper has a section where you can write in nice or evil things that people have done and award them a Smile or a Snarl. I fully intended to write a scathing one, blasting the owner of the hardware store for ruining our lovely island peace just to make a loonie. Fortunately for me, Sunday came around before I got to it and a bunch of our friends were over for Sunday Soup. I don’t know how we got on the subject, but I said in my best COW voice, “I’m so mad the hardware store is selling fireworks just to make some money. It really pisses me off. I can’t stand it. They freak out the deer and the cats and all those stupid explosions keep waking me up (from my nap) interrupting my writing.”
Everyone (all Canadians) stared at me for a second like I was a total idiot, and then my friend, Nathan said, “Fireworks are a Canadian tradition at Halloween. They’ll stop selling them next week.”
I’m pretty sure my face turned red like the flag. “Oh…uh…umm…okay. Yeah, I didn’t know that.” Hey, sometimes it’s tough being an immigrant!
Anyway, while Canada Day (July 1st) and The Fourth of July go by silently here, if you don’t like fireworks, make sure you have your earplugs handy in October, eh?
July 9th, 2010
| Posted by Joelle Anthony | 2010 Debs
| 4 Comments
If you’re a regular reader of The Debutante Ball, you probably have noticed that by the time you wake up (unless you get up really, really early), the guest post on Saturday is already up. I suppose it’s too much to hope that all of you slept in today. I’m guessing you’re probably wondering what happened to our guest today. Well, I’m here to confess that I think I was supposed to be in charge of the guest post. Today, I am not Deb Joelle, but Slacker Deb.
However, all is not lost! Twitter is the saviour of slackers (that’s where we all are, after all). I just tweeted this question and in seconds, the answers will pour in.
Debut Authors, what one thing do you know now that you wish you knew before your book came out?
Okay…ten minutes later…no answers. Yeah. All the writers are either enjoying their long weekend or writing (which is technically what I’m supposed to be doing right this minute). So…ummm..can I take a raincheck? Am I fired? Do I have to give up my tiara?
I’ll tell you what I wish I knew before my book was released that I know now. Make sure that marketing doesn’t take over your life because once your book is out, there’s not really much to do. It can be a big letdown. Keep writing before your big debut, even if it’s just a little bit and for fun. It will be easier to pick it up again after the big release.
Since my Twitter buddies didn’t come through, why don’t you give us your best advice or the thing you learned after publication that you wish you knew before. And have a great weekend!
But wait! These tips just in from Twitter users:
vickidelany Aim for the top. There is no ladder in the pub. business, only a slide. You have only one first book.
LiseFalkenberg You’re only as good as your last book and you’re still on your own. That’s what I’ve learned after 12 books published 
LadyHawkins That it’s OKAY to check Goodreads 10 times a day, b/c once the book is out, that stops almost IMMEDIATELY!
LadyHawkins Oh, and that book blogs are fabulous and lovely, but maybe don’t stress out over them so much.
Thanks!
July 3rd, 2010
| Posted by Joelle Anthony | 2010 Debs
| 2 Comments
One might consider spelling a natural thing for a word person to be good at, and generally speaking, on the page, I’m fine. And when I’m not, well, spell-check has my back. Where I have a problem is with visual things. For example, if I go to an event and afterward someone says, “Oh, you were at Fish Farm Protest? How many people showed up?” Like newspaper reporters trying to downplay the numbers of protesters because the cause is unpopular with the owner of the paper, I really can’t count a crowd. Or even estimate numbers. Sixty? Four hundred? I’m not sure. Other people, I’ve noticed, are really good at this sort of thing. They say confidently, “Oh, there were about five-hundred-thirty-eight people there.” and it turns out, they’re about right.
My friend Nicole asked me before my first signing if I had been practicing my signature. I just laughed. I mean, I’ve been signing my name for quite a few years now. My whole life has been practice for signing books. I spent all of seventh grade writing my name in different fancy script on my Trapper Keeper (and yes, perhaps a boy’s name was attached to it with a plus sign and little hearts, and yes, possibly that’s why I’m not very good at math, but let’s not go there). When it comes to signing my name, I’ve got flair. I do occasionally get carried away and add an extra “l” or “e.” Something like: Joellle or Joellee. I can’t help it. I get all excited with all the loops. Luckily, I’ve found a way to combat that. I just start writing my last name over the top of the extra letters.
With bookstore events looming, it definitely wasn’t my name I was worried about writing. What scared the tar out of me about signing books was writing other people’s names! Luckily, back in the days when I used to read a lot of blogs, I read on the author, Cynthia Lord‘s livejournal, about her little notebook. What she does is carry a notebook and she has each person write down their name (or whoever they want the book signed to) in it so she can actually see it written down. Not only does she have a very cool keepsake, but she didn’t end up buying a bunch of books inscribed Dear Brianna when it should’ve been Dear Breehanna either.
Because I am a lucky person, right before my tour, my lovely friend Alexa sent me a congratulatory gift on the occasion of being published. A little notebook! On the front is a fiddle and it says: Listen to your heart. Once you find the beat, you will always walk in tune. And now the inside is filled with the names of the people who I signed books for at my events.
July 2nd, 2010
| Posted by Joelle Anthony | 2010 Debs
| 3 Comments
As you might remember, when “mothers” were the topic, my mum stepped in and did my blog post for me. This week, I interviewed my dad for The Deb Ball. He’s got a great book idea that I think everyone would like to read. All you agents out there reading this can contact me if you want to sign him. Of course, I’m afraid it might be fiction when he wants it to be nonfiction!
Please join me in welcoming my dad, Deb Frank.
What’s the last book you read? Did you like it?
The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag. It was a good fiction story about a young girl and it was fun reading. Just good entertainment.
Do you have a Father’s Day memory of the two of us to share (preferably one that won’t embarrass me in some way)?
Before Joelle reached the age where she didn’t want to be seen with me at the mall, maybe four or five years old, and I worked nights, she and her younger brother came in on Father’s Day and jumped on the bed and were crawling all over me to wake me up. It was time for my special breakfast and to open Father’s Day gifts. But it wasn’t Fathers Day for another week so the next Sunday we did it again.
Where does your love of old cars stem from?
Watching The Little Rascals and the east side Kids on telly. Also, seeing kids in the neighborhood working on Hot Rods in the alley behind our house. I was nine when I got to sit in the back seat of a 1929 Model A Tudor sedan. It was red. It didn’t help that my folks were totally against hot rods and the punks that drove them. I never had a car till I left home.
Can you tell us a short story about your dad?
Years ago I pulled my 1961 Ford Fairlane into his garage to change the valve cover gaskets and Papabear wanted to show me how to do it. After twisting the head off four of the bolts, I took the car home. This is from the same man that could never wear a watch because he always overdid it and twisted the stem off.
Have you ever wanted to write a book? What would the title be?
Yes . How to Heighten My Consciousness Though Over Eating. I achieved the overeating, but not the wisdom.
Some of my best memories of the two of us are when you used to take me to the mall on Saturdays and I would get a book with my allowance and you’d buy a car magazine with yours. Do you still spend your allowance on car magazines?
Yes. And I have so many hot rod magazines that I have to shuffle them around to get to the toilet.
What’s your favorite food? Is it still Tiger Milk Candy bars and dried pineapple?
No. I am afraid not. I eat what old fat men eat. Hamburgers and beer.
What’s your best fatherly advice?
Do what brings joy to your life till the very end.
June 25th, 2010
| Posted by Joelle Anthony | 2010 Debs
| 8 Comments
I don’t really have much opinion on e-readers. I could see me having one if I had to travel, but otherwise, it’s not even on my wish list. However, in 2041, the year Restoring Harmony is set, things are different. Here’s an excerpt:
Two hours later there were still fourteen people in line ahead of me. I’d had a lot of time to work it out, and on average, each person spent four minutes getting their tickets. Allowing for overages, I still had an hour to go. The only book I had was my dad’s copy of The Olde Time Farmer’s Almanac. This was his idea of entertaining reading and he’d insisted that I take it along.
The last thing I wanted to do was haul a heavy book around. Not to mention valuable, at least to my dad. Buying the collector’s hardback edition, instead of an electronic one, was Dad’s big splurge every January. I’d begged Katie to let me take the E-ZBook Reader, but she wouldn’t part with it. Sometimes she could be so stingy. I opened the almanac to today’s date.
July 9th, 2041 – Oaks fall, but bending reeds brave the storm.
I smiled. I guess Dad thought that if he wasn’t around to actually give me advice, the Almanac was the next best thing. I flipped through the pages, reading about when to plant spinach and how to attract bees. It was all stuff I already knew by heart though.
In Molly’s world, newspapers have actually made a comeback because the internet is very unreliable. However, printing and shipping books is practically impossible without electricity to run the presses and oil for transportation, so the e-reader is the thing of choice. At least, it is if you can afford one, and if you can get an internet connection long enough to download the book you want.
The circumstances of Molly’s world make real books something you splurge on. They are big purchases, not just something you grab in line at the grocery store. Do I think this will happen? I’m not sure. Books have been around a long time. However, there was a time when only the rich had them, when they were a luxury. Perhaps we’re looking at that kind of thing again. In which case, I will embrace the few books I do own, and will gladly have an e-reader, just so I can keep reading debut authors!
June 18th, 2010
| Posted by Joelle Anthony | 2010 Debs
| 5 Comments
I might as well just admit it right here at the beginning. In regards to writing, the only discipline involved is me trying to make myself stop writing That’s right. Stop. Close up shop at the end of the day. Take a day off. Take a weekend off. Believe it or not, this has taken an immense amount of willpower along with a husband willing to kidnap my laptop.
It’s actually been quite a few years since I had to turn over my laptop on the one day off a week that I allowed myself, but even now, due to my affection for Twitter, it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea. Being published (or having sold a book, really) changed a lot of things for me too, so it wasn’t all discipline that got me to start taking weekends off. Selling the book took the pressure off (self-induced pressure, I might add). It allowed me to believe that getting published just might happen and perhaps I could chill a bit more.
My agent also sets a good example. Unless it’s an emergency, he’s pretty much unavailable on the weekends. I know he reads his email, but he doesn’t answer. One day, I thought to myself, if my agent, who has way more to do and a lot more people relying on him, can take weekends off, what exactly do I have to do that’s so important that I have to work six days a week and pretend to take one off? It’s not like publishing is going at the speed of light and I’m trying to catch up. Heck, at a walking pace I can (and have) lapped publishing multiple times.
It also occurred to me that getting out of the house occasionally might make my husband a bit happier too. I mean, he’s really good at pretending to listen to me go on and on about writing and publishing and books at the dinner table, but maybe he wouldn’t have to fake-listen if I had something else to talk about.
Until a few months ago, I’d actually gotten into a really good pattern. I wrote Monday to Friday, four to six hours a day, and took weekends off. But then I handed in my second book and turned to marketing Restoring Harmony. The problem with marketing is that I’m really good at it. And the better you are, the more work each task creates. I found that every email I sent, generated more things to do in the form of answers needed, interviews, event planning, and giveaways to organize. This is a real problem for a person who hates to have emails in her inbox and a to-do list that carries over. I found that days-off fell by the wayside, and if I wasn’t careful, I’d put in ten or twelve hours a day. And guess what? I am not made for that kind of workday.
In the end, I practically had a meltdown. But I learned some important things too. I learned that it’s okay to carry over your to-do list from one day to the next. And I remembered that if you don’t take days off, you end up freaking out and having to take a week off right before your launch or you’ll lose your mind. I also learned that people are generous and understanding and they don’t care if it takes you two or three days to answer their email. It doesn’t have to be answered the second it pops into your box (in fact, if it is answered quickly, they’re likely to answer back quickly and it can go on and on!).
And the most important thing I learned? If I write well…really, really well, and because it won’t be my debut, I can probably do a lot less marketing for my next book. And writing is exactly the reason I got into this in the first place. Plus, it doesn’t take any discipline at all!
June 4th, 2010
| Posted by Joelle Anthony | 2010 Debs
| 4 Comments
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