Where things stand

Why is it that I have fantastic ideas of blog posts all day and then I get home, sit down at the computer for some hard core procrastination and I come up with nothing? I really want to write about how I came up with the idea of The Forest of Hands and Teeth and all about writing it, but I'm so tired right now I don't want to make it sound all boring and dull.* So, I'll hold off on that story for now...

Instead, you get a nice, boring update :) So... where are things now, you ask? I got an email from suber-uber agent Jim McCarthy today with a draft of the contract with Random House. What an amazing experience to open that up and see my name up there. And I still find it strange that no one is talking about book two. I'm sure we'll get there soon enough (and I already have an idea for what I want to write and another idea in case they don't like that one). So in my contract it's just "Untitled Book 2." And I feel like it's this pink elephant in the room cause... uh... they paid good money for that book and they know nothing about it. I try not to think about this, though, because I don't want to freak myself out.

I turn in edits to my editor, who really is super fun and enthusiastic and so amazingly great to work with, on Monday. According to her, we'll do a few back and forths and then it will hopefully go into copy-editing in mid-December so that it can come out in Spring 2009. If we miss the December deadline (and technically, my contract deadline is after that) then it's summer 2009 for us. But we're both really excited about it coming out in the Spring so I plan to do my part to make it so.

I was floored when my editor got me her editorial suggestions -- get this -- two days after the book sold. Super quick!! I'd heard so many horror stories about the editorial letter: pages and pages of single space issues to deal with. I'd heard of writers adding 20k words, adding new characters and sub-plots. My letter was like a dream! Only 6 points along the "give us more information about X" lines and to add more physical description (which I already knew was a weakness). I'm sure I'll have killer letters in my future, but so far things have been great. Of course, we'll see if I was able to address all the concerns once my editor gets a chance to read the new draft :)

So that's where things stand now. Just in case you were interested in what happens after the call. Now that I know the contract will be signed this year I'm busy planning ways to spend my advance (all on perfectly legal business related deductible items, of course). I found out that they'll want my author photo around February soooo... looks like I'll have to power up the old elliptical runner that we haven't used since we bought the house even though it takes up a good chunk of our den (lets hope it still works!).

JP has declared it NaStoWriMo -- National Story Writing Month -- and has pledged to write 25k words of short stories. He's doing awesome so far (though he's too lazy to use a word count meter) so go over and nag him/cheer him on. Seriously, comment on his blog and demand word count accountability!!

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* Plus, I started Jennifer Lynn-Barnes' book Golden and want to get back to it!!