A ribbon-wrapped gift
Just over two years ago, I wrote to my friend Lisa with a big favor to ask. We'd already met online, already clicked as friends and offered to critique each other's next books, but this was something new. I have a book I really want to write, I told her, but I'm really nervous and I don't know if I can do it. What would really, really help would be if I could send you the chapters as I write them, and you could cheer. Would that be okay?
Lisa wrote back with absolute enthusiasm. I'll send you chapters of my novel, too, and it'll be like a literary tea party, where we exchange ribbon-wrapped manuscripts over our teacups and slices of cake!
So I gathered up my courage and I pressed SEND, emailing her the first chapter of my novel, Kat by Moonlight (aka, A Most Improper Magick), and in return, she sent me the first chapter of her novel, which also had a different name back then. And oh, we cheered for each other! Getting Lisa's emails full of love for Kat and her sisters filled me with the confidence and security I needed to keep going, one chapter at a time, even though I was so sure that what I was doing, by crazily writing the book of my heart instead of the book of the market, was commercial death and a terrible financial idea.
But I had a writing buddy to help me through now, and better yet, I had an AWESOME heroine acting as a literary sister to my Kat - Lisa's Beatrice Shakespeare Smith, aka Bertie, a rebellious blue-haired teenager who lives in a magical theater with four hilarious and loyal fairy friends, a sweet, sexy pirate who wants to be her boyfriend, a dangerous, sexy fairy who might want something else, and a scared orphan heart behind all her wit and courage. Bertie was smart and sharp and funny, and I cared desperately about what would happen to her - but most of all, her book made me laugh and laugh, which was priceless. (Both her books, actually, since I was lucky enough to read the first draft of Book 2 as it was being written.)
Yesterday, Lisa's (and Bertie's!) book was published, Act I in the Theatre Illuminata trilogy: Eyes Like Stars. If you love strong, smart heroines, you'll love this book. If you love theater, if you love humor, if you love romance....oh, wow, is this the book for you.
But most of all, I just want to say, on both my and Kat's behalf: HUGE congratulations to Lisa and to Bertie!!!!!!!!!!
This weekend, we'll be going down to Wales, where my pre-ordered copy of the book will be waiting for me. (I NEVER pre-order books...but I pre-ordered this one!) I've already read multiple drafts of Eyes Like Stars, but every single draft has been even better than the last, and I can't wait to curl up again on Saturday with Bertie and her friends.
Lisa wrote back with absolute enthusiasm. I'll send you chapters of my novel, too, and it'll be like a literary tea party, where we exchange ribbon-wrapped manuscripts over our teacups and slices of cake!
So I gathered up my courage and I pressed SEND, emailing her the first chapter of my novel, Kat by Moonlight (aka, A Most Improper Magick), and in return, she sent me the first chapter of her novel, which also had a different name back then. And oh, we cheered for each other! Getting Lisa's emails full of love for Kat and her sisters filled me with the confidence and security I needed to keep going, one chapter at a time, even though I was so sure that what I was doing, by crazily writing the book of my heart instead of the book of the market, was commercial death and a terrible financial idea.
But I had a writing buddy to help me through now, and better yet, I had an AWESOME heroine acting as a literary sister to my Kat - Lisa's Beatrice Shakespeare Smith, aka Bertie, a rebellious blue-haired teenager who lives in a magical theater with four hilarious and loyal fairy friends, a sweet, sexy pirate who wants to be her boyfriend, a dangerous, sexy fairy who might want something else, and a scared orphan heart behind all her wit and courage. Bertie was smart and sharp and funny, and I cared desperately about what would happen to her - but most of all, her book made me laugh and laugh, which was priceless. (Both her books, actually, since I was lucky enough to read the first draft of Book 2 as it was being written.)
Yesterday, Lisa's (and Bertie's!) book was published, Act I in the Theatre Illuminata trilogy: Eyes Like Stars. If you love strong, smart heroines, you'll love this book. If you love theater, if you love humor, if you love romance....oh, wow, is this the book for you.
But most of all, I just want to say, on both my and Kat's behalf: HUGE congratulations to Lisa and to Bertie!!!!!!!!!!
This weekend, we'll be going down to Wales, where my pre-ordered copy of the book will be waiting for me. (I NEVER pre-order books...but I pre-ordered this one!) I've already read multiple drafts of Eyes Like Stars, but every single draft has been even better than the last, and I can't wait to curl up again on Saturday with Bertie and her friends.