I’m back home now and slowly catching up. It was snowing when we arrived, the truck wouldn’t start, there was a small flood in our basement, a pop can had exploded in a drawer and our car got stuck on an ice patch in the driveway.
But other than that, all is lovely. The sun came out this afternoon, and the vehicles are lined up and functioning.
I also got caught up with my agent, at last: we talked of film rights, ebook contract terms, the impossibility of getting republished in the UK (due to their prejudice against France) and the consequent possibility of me publishing my novels in ebook form there myself. (More on that later.)
And then, of course, we talked of The Next Novel, which she’d just read (in part, at least). She wasn’t as happy with it as I’d hoped she would be. Tears are part of The Writing Life, and that’s a fact. The cure for the dreaded Despond is to simply get to work, which I’ve already begun.
But speaking of tears, I’m just now posting a signed bookmark and bookplate to Rachel Maes, with very fond memories. This is the post I wrote about her shortly after I’d met her and her mother at a reading: Moved to tears. Thank you Rachel, for being such a loyal fan. It means a great deal.
Sandra, I just read this now and I cannot tell you how much this means to me. You cannot know how much you’ve always inspired me and how your kindness always amazes me. The fact that you continually remember this one event, that has always been etched in my memory, will always be a testament to wonderful person you are. Thank you for being a gracious writer, one who deserves loyalty from all your fans.
Rachel, you are so sweet—you’re getting me weepy all over again!
A comment from Jordan (who can’t post directly to Disqus):
Sandra,
I felt a bit sad reading that your editor’s reaction disappointed you, so I felt compelled to write. I tend to take things like that personally, too. But I’ve learned that we often make too much of these encounters by focusing on a critical word or two and not seeing the bigger picture. Perhaps her feelings about the book, as a whole, aren’t as negative as you perceived them to be. And, in any case, it’s just one person’s opinion. It doesn’t predict how your fans, and fans of this genre, will react.
I have a lot of faith that this will be a good book. It’s a great subject matter, and you’re an excellent historical novelist. Just remember that! Good luck with the continuing revision!
P.S.: It’s amazing to see all that snow in your photograph. (Here in Chicago, we tend to grumble that we’ve got the longest winters known to man. We officially stand corrected.)
Jordan, that’s kind of you, and thank you for your faith.
Prejudice against France! How strange, and only a bit stranger (from my perspective) than hearing they don’t want any Jewish stories. (And what won the Booker?)
Yes: a puzzle, Lilian. I remember a talk by a NY agent who claimed that one could NEVER sell a historical about France in the U.S. “Impossible!” Curious how well my Josephine B. Trilogy sells in the U.S., eh?