On Not Burying Your Light

Agent Pam has been visiting me this weekend. She flew out to New Mexico to speak at my local chapter, LERA, today. Thursday night we had a little reception for her with the chapter's unagented authors, where she also took pitches. Yesterday was mostly for sightseeing, along with Santa Fe writer friend and LERA member, Anna Philpott.

It's been great for me to spend this extended time with Pam. We message and talk on the phone sometimes, and we've been at a conference together, but having longer conversations about the industry and my writing career brings out different ideas. Long-term ideas. We are surprisingly sympatico on how we feel about books, writing and publishing.

I say surprisingly, because I never really expected to have a close relationship with my agent. All that advice saying "don't expect your agent to be your best friend" made perfect sense to me. Why would he or she be? But Pam is rapidly becoming an excellent friend, too.

Best of all, she's ballsy in a way I'm not. Now, those of you who've met me personally know I'm far from a shy flower. I'm a reasonably confident person and not a pushover. However, especially when it comes to my writing, I don't like to be pushy. I'm not sure I can explain why. While I believe my books are good, I don't like to shout about it. Maybe it's a female thing. Maybe it's an artist thing.

It's just my thing.

I tend to bury my light under the proverbial bushel. Even my day job boss, the lovely Laurie, said the other day that I was too modest in describing my published author status to a new higher-up in the company.

Who knew I'd be too-modest person?

Yeah - I hear some of you snickering out there.

Pam, however, is not shy about talking up my work. In fact, she marched into our local indie bookseller, who'd stonewalled me about setting up events, and within minutes had the guy practically begging to host my book launch for The Mark of the Tala.

She's also really good about bragging on her own accomplishments - perfectly willing to tell everyone that she's sold 50 books in her first two years of agenting. When I mentioned that I think it's funny she just comes out and says that, she replied that she read that women tend not to announce their accomplishments and she's working against that.

No burying the light for her.

Something for me to learn from.

Three Profound Impacts on My Writing in 2013

This week's topic is really quite interesting to contemplate. We ask each other, what are the Top Three Influences on Your Writing in 2013?

I have to say I'm answering this question differently this year than I might have in the past. My top three?

1) My CPs

I am blessed to be a part of an amazing group of writers who have been absolutely crucial to me this last year. Many thanks to Carolyn Crane, Marcella Burnard and Laura Bickle. Without their feedback, brainstorming and explaining my stories to me, I would have been lost. We meet weekly via Instant Messenger and maintain an accountability worksheet. Laura has had to back off to focus on her own work, but I cannot ignore the very important role she played in the books I wrote this year. I miss her greatly.

Also pinch hitting with answers, advice and last-minute reads were sister Word Whores Allison Pang and Kristine Krantz. Always there when I need them!

2) Reader Feedback

This was the year that I really started hearing from readers. From the blow-by-blow tweeted reactions to my books to long, detailed emails giving me their responses, these amazing people greatly influenced how I see my stories. Some very special ones: Carien Ubink - who also beta read for me twice when I needed it most - E and Has from The Bookpushers, who've been amazing with their insights into my stories, and Amy Remus from So Many Reads, who always asks interesting questions.

3) My agent

I signed with Pam in August 2012, so her influence started that fall. Still, my work in 2013 is largely in response to her. I wrote Master of the Opera (coming out January 2, eep!) at her suggestion. My Twelve Kingdoms trilogy will release starting this summer, because she sold it. While she has never directly edited my writing, her enthusiasm for my work and savvy guidance has had a profound impact on me. Much love going out to her.

I'll be interested to hear what my bordello mates say. Cheers all!

Why It's Crucial for Writers to Reward Themselves

This is my new wind sculpture.

It's by Lyman Whitaker, shown by the Wiford Gallery here in Santa Fe. This is the one we picked out in motion. That animation is a bit misleading, however, because the true movement is much smoother. One thing I love about this artist's sculptures is how effortlessly the pieces flow with the slightest breath of wind - almost as if they're moving on their own.

Magic.

I've wanted one of these sculptures for most of my life. Whitaker has been making them for 40 years and I've probably been looking at them nearly that long. We used to come down from Denver on spring break or long weekends, because my mother is an art nut. (I come by it honestly.) I remember being a little girl and staring up at the spinning sculptures in awe.

So, what happened is, I got my first advance check. Kensington sent the check for Book 1 (formerly called The Middle Princess, soon to be called something ELSE) of my Twelve Kingdoms series. This is not only my first check from them, for this trilogy - it's my first advance check EVER. Since my first professional publication in 1996, I've been paid for my work either upon completion or with royalties from sales. For those who don't know the business, and "advance" is shorthand for "advance against royalties." Kensington pays me ahead of time for the book that will eventually be published and will deduct my royalties from book sales from that money until I "earn out" the amount of the advance, at which point I get royalties.

It's a big step towards being Grown-Up Writer.

Those of you who follow my personal blog know I pre-spent some of this advance money when I bought my treadmill desk. I wanted to start off the new year on a healthy note, which has been working great. (At my lowest weight and body fat since early 2012, thank you very much!) When Agent Pam said she was sending my advance check (and made me tell her that she looked great in her new glasses first, which is another story), I realized that I intended to deposit the money and pay various bills with it.

Which seemed kind of wrong.

See, I've been working towards this moment - working pretty damn hard, in fact, what with the day job career, too - and it occurred to me that I should enjoy the reward. When I mentioned this idea on Twitter, a couple of people said that's the Christina Dodd Rule. She says every writer should spend his or her first advance check on something frivolous, in celebration. After all, it's a milestone event and should be treated as such. There will be plenty of opportunities later to pay bills.

So, that's what I did. Being my mother's daughter, I bought art.

Being a writer can involve long, tedious slogs of unrewarding work (see "since 1996" above). In fact, this week's topic is "How do you deal with writerly demoralization?" It's not an easy career - full of rejection and sometimes poor reviews and times when it seems Everyone Else's books are selling better than yours. There are long periods when nothing seems to happen at all. What keeps us going is hope and determination. The determination is the engine, but hope is the fuel.

Now, when I look out my studio window, I see the sculpture spinning - hope made manifest.