This week, we’re supposed to be writing about how to survive an edit letter — which refers to the list of revisions that your editor wants you to make after acquiring your book. I guess it’s hard to make big changes to your manuscript after you’ve sold it, but you should never really be that attached to your story anyway. You should always be open to making it better. I’ve…
Halloween is my favorite holiday next to Christmas and not just because of the candy (although it’s a pretty sweet bonus). Each year I look forward to horror movie marathons, haunted houses, and ghost stories. I love the darkness the season brings. There is something about the thrill, the adrenaline rush of being scared shitless following by the beautiful relief. I wish publishing had that type of effect on me,…
This week, in prep for Halloween, the Debs are writing about their biggest fears about publishing. It’s no surprise, with all its spookiness, that Halloween comes with its own list of fears. Wiccaphobia (witches), Formidophobia (scarecrows), Coimetrophobia (cemeteries), and well, Samhainophobia (Halloween itself). It’s also no surprise that publishing a book shares some of these same Halloween-related phobias. I’ve done some soul searching, I’ve established a safe word (bestseller), and I’m…
It’s hard to write about scary things the day after Halloween. The ghosts and goblins have disappeared, and my pre-coffee reflection scares me more than anything else this morning. But this week’s topic calls for fear, and fear is something with which I am very familiar. When I started writing, I feared I would never write well enough for publication. I wrote anyway. When I finished each of my manuscripts,…
When I was growing up, there were rules. Not crazy rules. More like “Halloween candy isn’t for breakfast” rules. Or “you can’t wear skirts so short they show your lady parts” rules. As someone now closer to making the rules as a parent than having to follow them, I now see these weren’t so much rules as they were common sense. In sixth grade, however, I befriended a girl whose…
From the 2013 Debs… Deb Dana is currently the featured author on Untitled Books’ My Week! The column refers to the UK edition of her book. Deb Kerry heard a rumor that there are galleys headed her way (the book kind, not the ship kind). She hasn’t seen them yet, but she lives in hope. Deb Kelly got a peek at her cover! She’s in love and cannot wait to…
I live in a very small town. The official count on the official sign is officially 9200. It’s a family-oriented place, a great place to raise kids, but for some reason my neighborhood has always been Halloween-challenged. I think the doorbell rang twice last year. Maybe three times. I didn’t recognize the kids and let them take as much candy as they wanted. I’m always hopeful that the tide will…
I’m aware the “creepy Halloween” posts don’t technically come along for a couple of weeks, but when I think of autumn my thoughts will always turn to Halloween and my son. I’ve always loved the time of year when pumpkins return to the markets, pumpkin seeds toast in the oven, and jack-o-lanterns can take their place on the porch without weirding out the neighbors (much…) My childhood autumns were filled…
Happy Halloween! I’m not going to trick you today, but maybe I’ll give you a little treat—a peek into the psyche of this writer. Maybe that’s not much of a treat at all, but hey, it’s calorie free! So this week’s theme is What scares you most about writing (and I guess by extension, publishing)? Oh, that’s easy. How about: EVERYTHING! But in the interest of brevity, I’ll talk about…
The Debutante Ball is delighted to welcome Julie Klam! Her new book is You Had Me At Woof. She is the author of Please Excuse My Daughter. She lives in Manhattan with her people and dogs. Julie joins the Debs in talking about a good…or maybe not so good…scare! Early in my relationship with my husband, when he was still charmed by my quirks, I invited him to join me…
