I listened to a woman read a chapter from her romance novel about gay male truck drivers. Within a few minutes, it became glaringly obvious that she knew nothing about gay men or truck drivers. I was incensed—this was my community she was writing about so badly—but I was also chagrined. I was reminded of my own 300-page gay romance novel I had written several years before. Like the author…
Sometimes I like to sit down and think about all the parallel universes where other Kaitlyns are going about their daily lives having walked down paths wildly divergent from my own. Here’s a peek at a few of those other universes. Before I (TO THE ENDLESS DISAPPOINTMENT OF ADULT KAITLYN) Decided I Hated Science: Kaitlyn Sage Patterson is an equine veterinarian. She lives on a sprawling farm tucked up against…
Publishing is rife with fear. Fear of bad reviews, fear of being dragged, fear of being forgotten or never published again or having our books canceled. And the thing is, some of these fears will, inevitably, be realized. We writers aren’t perfect, and the publishing industry certainly isn’t perfect. Something is bound to go wrong. I realize that, as I write this, I’m in the calm before the storm. I’m done…
Y’all. I didn’t get home until almost 7 last night. I’ve only spent one entire day at home since August 13th, and I am a homebody. I (try to) maintain a full-time job, a healthy marriage, and I’m currently actively working on THREE manuscripts. And that’s not taking into account the dogs, or exercise, or eating real, healthy food on a regular basis. I clearly did not get the memo…
It is with great pleasure that The Debutante Ball welcomes fabulous author Georgia Clark to the guest chair! Georgia is the author of the “feisty, feminist fairy tale,” THE REGULARS, along with two YA novels. In addition, she is an improv actor, screenwriter, book marketing guru, and a terrific friend. Information about her new, cutting-edge, online course on effective book marketing — The Pro-active Author — is here and below. If you…
The Debutante Ball is thrilled to welcome author Camille Perri to the guest chair! Her debut novel THE ASSISTANTS, released in May 2016, is a fast-paced, fabulous book that J. Courtney Sullivan calls “addictive, hilarious, and smart. It’s “9 to 5 for the student loan generation,” and Publishers Weekly describes it as “if the characters from HBO’s Girls were capable of larceny and blackmail.” I loved meeting Camille at the Point Street Reading Series…
Oh, this one’s easy. What did I love best about my year as a debut novelist? I PUBLISHED A GODDAMNED NOVEL, PEOPLE!! Okay, I won’t just exit stage right. Even though that was what I loved best, there were other things I also loved. Things like: Getting to know my fellow Debutantes. Other than Louise, whom I’d “met” on the AgentQuery website, all of these women were strangers to me. One year…
As the only Deb who has launched (but only for TWO MORE WEEKS because TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY both Aya’s and Heather’s books pub!!!), I’m going to focus a bit more on post-launch and let the others give you soothing words for the pre-launch. First let me say, my headline is a lie. I have no idea how one keeps one’s soul intact. I sold mine to the devil two…
Dear Debut Author, First off, congratulations! You have sold your first book! Your dream is coming true! Ahead of you is an absolutely thrilling, roller coaster of a year (or two), filled to the brim with new experiences and new people. You will do all the things that only writers daydream about—you will get your author photo taken and it will feel glamorous. You will receive blurbs from writers you…
I confess: I’m jealous of Louise and Jenny, with their nonexistent and paltry lists of regrets. Because I do have regrets. Not so much on the real life side of the equation, where I share their look-forward-not-back attitude, but on the authorial side. And, being as how one of our missions here on the Ball is to offer guidance by reverse example, I am going to list them all right here…
