The Other Side of Writing
When you're a writer (PLEASE tell me that other writers do this too, and it's not just me????) there's a funny kind of push-pull reaction to reading about other people's new books. Sometimes, of course, it's simple, because they're books that sound fabulous but also sound like something you could never have written yourself. Those are the easy ones, and your (my) first and only reaction is: Ooh, I want to read that! But sometimes...
...Well, sometimes the reaction is more complicated...because although you're still thinking I want to read that!, and in fact already planning exactly how you'll afford to buy it and exactly how soon you can get it, you're also thinking: AAAAAGHHH! Why didn't I think of that FIRST???? I want to write those books!
This is the ugly side of writing, the embarrassing part to admit to. But as I was yelling at myself this morning for having had that dumb reaction to a couple of new series lately, it finally occurred to me that there's one way to suck out the venom from that particular snake-bite: by publicly sharing the book announcements that have sounded SO GOOD that they made me burn with jealousy for not thinking of them first! So here they are, the two that have REALLY gotten to me in the last few weeks:
First, from Marie Brennan, whose Onyx Court historical fantasy series for adults I adore, comes the announcement of her new series of high fantasies for adults, A Natural History of Dragons. "They are the memoirs of Isabella Trent, Scirland's foremost lady adventurer and dragon naturalist, and cover her illustrious career traveling the world to study dragons (and getting into large amounts of trouble along the way)." The excerpt that Marie posted on her blog is DELICIOUS. I want to read these books, I want to have written them, and I cannot wait for them to be published!
In a totally different genre (one I don't even write in! yes, writer-brains are weird), there is this announcement of Susie Day's new contemporary MG series, Mermaid Girls, "about 11-year-old Pea and her sisters Clover and Tinkerbell, and none of them have tails. Or fins. And Pea can’t swim. Their mum, however, is a bestselling super-author-type-lady of a series of books called MERMAID GIRLS, so, you know, title."
I'm not sure that that description alone, without context, will convey the sheer appeal of this series, but if you follow the link to Susie Day's website and read more of her totally charming writing, you'll see why I'm so excited about reading this series. (Well, that and I LIVE for reading crazy family stories for the middlegrade audience. I don't know why, it's just a total reading high for me. And I have every expectation that this series, as written by Susie, will be amazing.)
Of course the upside of being a writer is that you're also a reader. Even when I feel the strongest envy, I'm also taking out my debit card in anticipation of hugely enjoying those books myself.
And of course there's also a message in my dumb reactions. I only ever have this kind of weird response to other writers' news when I'm feeling insecure about my own writing and/or career. And for all that fabulous things have been happening for Kat lately, right now I'm working on an all-new, totally on-spec project that really scares me even as it obsesses me. It's eating my brain, I love it, I want desperately for it to work, but I'm terrified that it won't, or that worse yet, I'll think that it works but then I'll show it to other people and they'll laugh pityingly at me and revoke my membership in the Author's Club FOREVER...
...so in other words, it's exactly the moment I feel most tempted to jump ship and head for some other author's stable floating boat which must CLEARLY be going in the right direction, unlike my own crazy attempts...right?
Sigh. My head isn't always a smart place to be, especially on the 3rd day of looking after a sick toddler, and with upcoming Publication Day Crazies already cluttering up the place.
But. If you haven't been too put off by my scary revelations of Author Craziness, do please head over to the Authors for Japan site, which is OPEN NOW! for bidding. You can bid on the signed US hardcover of Kat, Incorrigible here, and bid on the signed UK ARC of Kat Book 2, A Tangle of Magicks, here.
And I can't wait to read Marie's and Susie's new books when they're published. Which books are you guys looking forward to right now?
...Well, sometimes the reaction is more complicated...because although you're still thinking I want to read that!, and in fact already planning exactly how you'll afford to buy it and exactly how soon you can get it, you're also thinking: AAAAAGHHH! Why didn't I think of that FIRST???? I want to write those books!
This is the ugly side of writing, the embarrassing part to admit to. But as I was yelling at myself this morning for having had that dumb reaction to a couple of new series lately, it finally occurred to me that there's one way to suck out the venom from that particular snake-bite: by publicly sharing the book announcements that have sounded SO GOOD that they made me burn with jealousy for not thinking of them first! So here they are, the two that have REALLY gotten to me in the last few weeks:
First, from Marie Brennan, whose Onyx Court historical fantasy series for adults I adore, comes the announcement of her new series of high fantasies for adults, A Natural History of Dragons. "They are the memoirs of Isabella Trent, Scirland's foremost lady adventurer and dragon naturalist, and cover her illustrious career traveling the world to study dragons (and getting into large amounts of trouble along the way)." The excerpt that Marie posted on her blog is DELICIOUS. I want to read these books, I want to have written them, and I cannot wait for them to be published!
In a totally different genre (one I don't even write in! yes, writer-brains are weird), there is this announcement of Susie Day's new contemporary MG series, Mermaid Girls, "about 11-year-old Pea and her sisters Clover and Tinkerbell, and none of them have tails. Or fins. And Pea can’t swim. Their mum, however, is a bestselling super-author-type-lady of a series of books called MERMAID GIRLS, so, you know, title."
I'm not sure that that description alone, without context, will convey the sheer appeal of this series, but if you follow the link to Susie Day's website and read more of her totally charming writing, you'll see why I'm so excited about reading this series. (Well, that and I LIVE for reading crazy family stories for the middlegrade audience. I don't know why, it's just a total reading high for me. And I have every expectation that this series, as written by Susie, will be amazing.)
Of course the upside of being a writer is that you're also a reader. Even when I feel the strongest envy, I'm also taking out my debit card in anticipation of hugely enjoying those books myself.
And of course there's also a message in my dumb reactions. I only ever have this kind of weird response to other writers' news when I'm feeling insecure about my own writing and/or career. And for all that fabulous things have been happening for Kat lately, right now I'm working on an all-new, totally on-spec project that really scares me even as it obsesses me. It's eating my brain, I love it, I want desperately for it to work, but I'm terrified that it won't, or that worse yet, I'll think that it works but then I'll show it to other people and they'll laugh pityingly at me and revoke my membership in the Author's Club FOREVER...
...so in other words, it's exactly the moment I feel most tempted to jump ship and head for some other author's stable floating boat which must CLEARLY be going in the right direction, unlike my own crazy attempts...right?
Sigh. My head isn't always a smart place to be, especially on the 3rd day of looking after a sick toddler, and with upcoming Publication Day Crazies already cluttering up the place.
But. If you haven't been too put off by my scary revelations of Author Craziness, do please head over to the Authors for Japan site, which is OPEN NOW! for bidding. You can bid on the signed US hardcover of Kat, Incorrigible here, and bid on the signed UK ARC of Kat Book 2, A Tangle of Magicks, here.
And I can't wait to read Marie's and Susie's new books when they're published. Which books are you guys looking forward to right now?