So, book no 12, the big juicy historical book, love-the-lead character, love-the-period, loved everything about doing it (and had never known I wanted to write historical fiction until now, or at least didn’t remember how much I loved it as a child/teen until recently) … has had great notes from UK Editor (and other readers attached to UK Editor), and great notes from Agent, and has now ether-hopped five hours back in time to Agent (who has, it must be said, been utterly behind this project from the first moment I mentioned it to her, not that she hasn’t about all the others, but this one has really bitten us both) – ready to greet the NYC morning and get on out there.
This has all been a very new venture for me and one I have enjoyed so much. And with at least two, maybe three other ideas that MIGHT take this to something like a series (never thought I’d say that again!) am excited and nervous and delighted that it’s on its way.
There have been so many weird/odd/exciting/moving (making me sound like a naff mystic writer now, but really, there have!) moments in the making of this book and I REALLY want to start talking about them. But I don’t feel like I can yet, at least not until it’s sold in a few other places and/or is a bit closer to publication in the UK.
I finished the last last read-through/tidy-up of the ms today, having been working on it all weekend and until 11.30pm last night (ah, those people who say how nice it must be to choose one’s own work hours – how does All The Time sound??!!) sobbing through the last five pages (always a good sign, seriously, not sobbing over the content, but that it feels ‘done’), and sent it off, having been working on it – pretty solidly with some stories, some articles, and a bit of theatre directing in between (edited to add : oh yeah, and a stage play, and the Mills & Boon/Harlequin documentary, but you know, MOSTLY working on the book) – since June 4th 2007. I even remember the day I started. Kicked off by a mystical moment. Honest.
Sigh.
THEN I looked at the mountain of Other Work I was meant to be doing while this was taking longer to get finished – longer to make its very very best – than I’d guessed. Eek.
So, now I have one short story, one article, and one first-draft play adaptation to do – all pretty quickly. And ten novels to read so I know what I’m talking about when I appear on a bunch of panels in the next month. Oh and another 2 to read for reviewing at the end of April, but they haven’t even come through the letterbox yet.
But those things need a different kind of work-head, so my book-brain can take a rest for a little bit, I’ll get that lot done just about in time, and now, right now, I’m going to plant geraniums and have a martini. Quite possibly at the same time.
Yay spring.