remembering Somebody to Love
I mentioned Someone To Love in a post at a blog, and just thinking about that book gave me enough PTSD symptoms. Wait a sec. I have to get up and find some chocolate.
Okay. Back again. If you look at the dedication (which I won't) it says something like thank you to Mike for that January, aka the January from Hell.
I signed the two-book contract in October and it wasn't until sometime around Christmas that year, after finishing grueling edits on the first book. (Hilary's fault for buying a partial) that I pulled out the contract to see when the book was due--as in the next book (Title To Be Decided) as in the book that I hadn't started yet as in the book I hadn't really planned out.
The due date? February first. This was my very first book contract and I was already about to blow it. I thought about trying for a later date, but Hilary said the book had been put in the schedule already and if I dropped out, well....they'd cope, but. . . . I so did NOT want to get a rep as one of those difficult authors.
I couldn't really get to work until the holidays were over; we had company part of that time. January 2, I started in.
This was back when my boys were small-ish. I guess 2003? Yeah, that's right. So I had a 12 year old, 9 year old and 5 year old. And I had to write a book in a month.
Luckily it was the month Mike didn't have to teach, so he basically became a full-time Dad. I sat in our bedroom hiding from the kids, my butt on a rocking chair, my feet propped on our bed -- and I wrote. It had to be about 88K words, so you do the math. I know I did at least 15 pages a day, usually more like 20.
Hilary got the book, pointed out it wasn't romance and sent it back to me to rewrite. So I did. (With a lot of help from people like Julie and Bronwyn...maybe I should send them some flowers right now.)
I still can't open that book. I still can't think about it. I'm off to get more chocolate.
Okay. Back again. If you look at the dedication (which I won't) it says something like thank you to Mike for that January, aka the January from Hell.
I signed the two-book contract in October and it wasn't until sometime around Christmas that year, after finishing grueling edits on the first book. (Hilary's fault for buying a partial) that I pulled out the contract to see when the book was due--as in the next book (Title To Be Decided) as in the book that I hadn't started yet as in the book I hadn't really planned out.
The due date? February first. This was my very first book contract and I was already about to blow it. I thought about trying for a later date, but Hilary said the book had been put in the schedule already and if I dropped out, well....they'd cope, but. . . . I so did NOT want to get a rep as one of those difficult authors.
I couldn't really get to work until the holidays were over; we had company part of that time. January 2, I started in.
This was back when my boys were small-ish. I guess 2003? Yeah, that's right. So I had a 12 year old, 9 year old and 5 year old. And I had to write a book in a month.
Luckily it was the month Mike didn't have to teach, so he basically became a full-time Dad. I sat in our bedroom hiding from the kids, my butt on a rocking chair, my feet propped on our bed -- and I wrote. It had to be about 88K words, so you do the math. I know I did at least 15 pages a day, usually more like 20.
Hilary got the book, pointed out it wasn't romance and sent it back to me to rewrite. So I did. (With a lot of help from people like Julie and Bronwyn...maybe I should send them some flowers right now.)
I still can't open that book. I still can't think about it. I'm off to get more chocolate.
Wow. And I seriously loved that book.
ReplyDeleteOh. Well, I hope my whining hasn't affected how you feel about it.
ReplyDeleteThere is a school of thought that if you live and breathe a book, it keeps it on track. That's the whole NANOWRIMO theory, I guess.
Actually I can't remember much about that month except how often my kids stood outside the bedroom door and yelled at me.
It was years before Mike ever said anything negative about my cooking again.
Not at all. Frankly I'm just fascinated that you were able to focus like that (I never could). Great story!
ReplyDeleteI remember that month. From my end, it was kinda fun, and I do still have a fondness for the book - but I didn't have to write it!
ReplyDelete