9.24.14 - On Starting

Novel the 16th is underway. I feel like I need to start marking these moments as they happen - beginnings, and endings. So here’s a shot of my word counter at the end of today’s two writing sessions. I did 600 this morning, just spit them out, then had an interview that went longer than either of us expected, then took care of a few things (ahem… drinking tea and playing catch with the cats) before I returned to the manuscript and tossed down another 700. Perhaps not the most lightning strike of first days, but I’ll take it. Stephen King says it best:

“The scariest moment is always just before you start.”

It’s so true. I am always terrified of starting. Granted, Catherine and I have been massaging the plot for this book for a couple of weeks now, and will continue to do so, probably until the very end. And I have a 20 page synopsis done and 20 pages of notes, but the actual words, the opening line, the beginning - that’s what’s so freaking scary to me.

Oh, yes, it might do to mention this is the new Nicholas Drummond novel - the third in the series. Number two, THE LOST KEY, comes out Tuesday (“WHAT?” you say. “I hadn’t heard…”) and I refuse to be cowed by the good reviews and responses like I did when I was starting THE FINAL CUT. Oh, did I not mention that lovely bit of writerly neurosis? Yes, well. Now you know.

One of my favorite reader questions is which book is my favorite? For me, it’s the one that’s just released, because there’s no more pressure, no more worry and anticipation. It’s out in the world doing it’s thing, and officially out of the my fiddling writer’s hands. 

So until Tuesday, I will fret and bite my nails and drive you mad on social media and hope that the new book is well-received, but whilst I'm worrying, I'm going to keep my head down and keep on writing the next one. 

Because that’s what we do. We write, in the face of fear and anxiety, pain and illness, joy and sorrow. 

We write.

And so it begins…

9.18.14 - On Git 'Er Done!*

Productivity is sometimes my strong suit. I love making lists and checking things off. It gives me a perverse kind of pleasure, a little internal nanny-nanny-boo-boo to the forces of resistance that seem to hover around the edges of my world. I've even been known to add something to my To Do list that's already complete simply for the pleasure of marking it off the list.

Today was banner day for getting things done. I finished a minor technical revision on WHAT LIES BEHIND - changes based on an experts input on the science of the book, and sent it to my editor. I started the research for the new Nicholas Drummond novel. I also started the synopsis/narrative/outline of the story, but there's a bit more research to do for it to make much sense. 

And I achieved the gold standard of productivity - Inbox Zero. [direct link]

I'm beside myself with excitement. I've had 50 or so emails tagging around with me for the past month, and another 50 starred, which is my way of saying they're too important to be out of my line of sight for one reason or another, and I haven't had the time to sit down, go through them systematically, answering or archiving or deleting. But it's all clean now.

I'm going to give credit where credit is due - I use Gmail, and have for years. For a very long time I've been looking for a way to seamlessly incorporate my Gmail into my Mac. I've used Sparrow for years, but it's getting long in the tooth. Apple mail is hideous, and doesn't work at all with my archival system, which, I will admit, is rather extensive. (I blame it on all those years interning - they LOVED to have me file things. OCD much?) I tried a couple of ways to get directly into my Gmail from my dock, to limited success.

Then today, in a fit of despair, I hit the right terms on google and up popped Mailplane [direct link].

It's expensive. And I balk at the idea of paying for what's essentially a webmail link. But I downloaded the free trial, and oh, my. It's perfect. Immediate access, and I don't have to go online to get into my mail, which lets me focus on what I'm doing instead of trolling around.

I know this is going to help me rock my new productivity plans. And I proved myself right by getting to Inbox Zero.

Got some more good news today on the Nicholas Drummond front - THE LOST KEY got a brilliant starred review from Library Journal, and THE FINAL CUT paperback will be #7 on this week's New York Times and #30 on USA Today. It's also #9 on the iBooks list.  

 Now I'm going to go make chicken soup and bask in the glory of emptiness. I have a lovely weekend of research ahead, plus more cleaning of the house, hanging pictures and gardening and mulching. (I'll be watching Randy do that, probably.)

I hope you have something fun planned too!

*Also knows as GTD - Get Things Done - the brilliant task management system I try to employ.

9.16.14 - On New Beginnings

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Well, hello there! Long time no chat. Trust me when I say I’ve been up to my ears in work - and a bit of play, as well. 

So, to catch you up if you aren't on FB - WHAT LIES BEHIND is D.O.N.E. - and has been accepted by my editor, who really liked it. Will wonders never cease? And I mean that truthfully - I don’t think I’ve ever had such a difficult time with a book, and it took me literally until the 11th hour to get the story to come together properly, but the 5 months (5 MONTHS!) of work paid off. That book comes out in June (5.26.15 to be specific) and I’m incredibly proud of how it finally came together. Huge props to my husband and my BFF Laura Benedict for shepherding me through the process. And of course, all of you.

I did things differently this time, too. Usually my beta readers see the book before my editor, but this time, they’re going to see the last version prior to copyedit. I like shaking things up!

And so now it’s on to Nicholas Drummond #3. I had a week off between finishing WLB and flying to Cali to start ND#3 ( we have some titles, but none have been finalized yet.) I got back home Friday, spent the weekend putting my poorly neglected house and yard back to rights, spent yesterday cleaning my office, which, I must say, looks quite divine now, with everything put away and organized, and downloading research articles and books. I have a steep learning curve on this new book, so I actually have to do research prior to starting to write.

After a few weeks away from the craziness that was August, with the travel and the deadline, my schedule got all sorts of shook up. So I’m taking advantage of that to make some changes to how I work.

Sunday was my first SIS - Sunday Internet Sabbatical. It wasn’t as difficult as I expected. Since I’ve been on the road, I’ve been online in snatches, so I didn’t really miss it. I’m looking forward to the unplugged day, and I’m also not going to write on the weekends anymore. I feel like all I’m doing is working, as my house’s sad demeanor can attest to. I didn’t even play golf this summer, which is a travesty. So, let’s change that. Check.

I’m also trying to turn my laptop into my creative workstation, and do all my business on my desktop. And... doing an hour of business, then walking away. I am the worst about trying to sandwich in every single little thing that needs to be done to clear my plate for the writing, which oftentimes leaves me at 4 or 5 in the evening having accomplished a great deal, but none of it fiction. Which is my real job. 

So the plan is, I will limit the online business time to 3 times a day - 9am, lunchtime, and early evening - and then it goes off. No more answering email at 11 p.m. Check.

And, since I’m finding so much inspiration these days, I’m going to start sharing some with you.  My buddy Anna Benjamin sent me a box full, and they are lovely and profound. I will be using them as inspiration, and I hope you like them too. Ergo: see above.

So how about you? What have you been up to?  

7 Minutes With... Jenny Milchman

I have such a treat for y'all today. If you haven't heard the name Jenny Milchman, prepare yourself. She's going to be the next Laura Lippman, and you heard it here first.  When I read COVER OF SNOW, I was blown away - how could this be a debut? I wasn't the only one, Jenny was nominated for a slew of awards, and has had an amazing amount of success for a new author. If you haven't read it, get a copy now, and while you're at it, snag yourself her new book, RUIN FALLS. Here's Jenny! 

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Set your music to shuffle and hit play. What’s the first song that comes up?

It’d be something country. Maybe Sugarland or Lady A. That’s because we’re on the road, 4 months and 20,000 miles on the world’s longest book tour now that my second novel has come out. My kids are in the backseat—we “car-school” them—and my husband works from the front. And there’s something about the road that calls for country.

Now that we’ve set the mood, what are you working on today?

Absolutely nothing! Well, I’m filling out this delightful set of questions, of course. And Tweeting, FB-ing, answering email. But I just turned in edits for my 2015 release, As Night Falls, and I’m in a lull period prior to starting my next novel, and finalizing this one.

What’s your latest book about?

Ruin Falls is about a woman whose children go missing at the start of a long awaited family vacation. But this is not a child-in-jeopardy novel, don’t worry. The kids are safe all along, and the mom and you as reader both know that. The suspense in the story comes from whether Liz Daniels can become the kind of person who can get her children back.

Where do you write, and what tools do you use?

I’m pretty much a word processing kind of girl. In fact, until recently when we rented out our house for the world’s longest book tour, I wrote on a machine that had no USB port, was running Windows 98…and backed up on floppy disks. (This led to all sorts of fun encounters at Staples or Office Max where the clerk looked at me like I was Encino Man). Now I use a real, internet-enabled netbook, but I still won’t go on the web or do email or social media while I am writing in the mornings. Instead, I stare out at a mountain, and a creek, and use the screen only as a portal into my story.

What was your favorite book as a child?

Anything by Stephen King.

What’s your favorite bit of writing advice?

Find the joy. I know the whole, Writing is easy; you just sit down and open up a vein school of thought. And maybe it’s true for some writers and some books. But I think that when we are just itching to get to that computer or pad of paper every day, travel into the world of our story, then our readers will be just as excited to keep turning the page.

What do you do if the words aren’t flowing?

Knock on wood because so far at least this hasn’t happened, at least not during a first draft. Revising is like boxing my way out of a concrete cell, though. I weep, I pull hair out. Not even necessarily my own hair. But a first draft is more like a river that pulls me along.

What would you like to be remembered for?

A bookseller in Olympia, WA told me that after reading one of my books, she feels a little stronger as a person herself. I would love to be remembered for giving people that.

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Jenny Milchman is a suspense writer from the Hudson Valley of New York State, who lived for seven months on the road with her family on what Shelf Awareness called "the world's longest book tour."

Jenny's debut novel, COVER OF SNOW, won the Mary Higgins Clark Award for best suspense novel of 2013, and has been nominated for the Macavity and Barry Awards.

RUIN FALLS, Jenny's second novel, was published in 2014 to starred reviews from Booklist and Library Journal, and chosen as an Indie Next Pick.

Jenny is Vice President of Author Programming for International Thriller Writers, and the founder of Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day, which was celebrated by over 700 bookstores in all 50 states and four foreign countries in 2013.

Tour

Jenny is currently on a second World's Longest Book Tour, from 4/22/2014 until 9/3/2014 (with some additional Fall and Winter dates), covering 40 states, 20,000 miles and almost 200 bookstores, libraries, book clubs, and other events. See http://jennymilchman.com/tour/over-the-falls-2014 for a full tour schedule and map. Jenny would love to meet you on the road!

About Ruin Falls, released 4/22/2014

Liz Daniels has just set off on vacation, but when the family stops for the night, she wakes to find a terrifying reality. Her children are missing, and the hours tick by without anyone finding a trace of them. But in a sudden, gut-wrenching instant, Liz realizes that no stranger invaded their hotel. Instead, someone she trusted completely has betrayed her. Now Liz will stop at nothing to get her children back. From her guarded in-laws’ farmhouse to the woods of her hometown, Liz follows the threads of a terrible secret to uncover a hidden world created from dreams and haunted by nightmares.

7 Minutes With... L.R. Nicolello

I was at RWA this year, at the literacy signing, when this knockout girl approached me and started asking questions about publishing. Her debut novel was coming out in a month, and she was hoping to glean some tips. Turns out said girl writes for my publisher, writes wicked thrillers, and within minutes, I knew she was something special. I meet a lot of people, a lot of writers, and sometimes, you just click with people, and we clicked. Plus - Nicolello? Come on, how can you not love a girl from the Old Country. I read DEAD DON'T LIE, which totally freaked me out, and knew I wanted to share L.R. and her writing with you. Beauty, brains, talent - she's going to go far, very far, and you heard it here first! So here we go! 

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Set your music to shuffle and hit play. What’s the first song that comes up?

‘Empty Words’ by Christina Aguilera.

Okay, first, that’s hilarious. But, this song—oh, my heart—this song. I love how music releases just the right tsunami of emotions. I had this on repeat while writing a particular twist for my latest villain and walked away from the pages actually hurting for him and a little bit in love. (I blame Allison Brennan for that. : ) )

Now that we’ve set the mood, what are you working on today?

Today I’m on the beach but like every day, I’m multitasking, which I love. I’m prepping for the release of my debut book, DEAD DON’T LIE, while I finish up edits due back to my editor tomorrow for my second book in the series, DEAD NO MORE.

What’s your latest book about?

DEAD DON’T LIE is a romantic suspense featuring Detective Evelyn Davis, the best psychological profiler in the Seattle P.D., whose talent comes from heartbreaking experience. After two local families are wiped out, Evelyn believes a serial killer is at work. With each new discovery, the case becomes more personal and Evelyn starts to suspect the families aren’t the killer’s ultimate target—she is. 

I love writing kickass women who can hold their own, yet know how to let people into their hearts and lives, even if it takes them awhile to get there. Evelyn is one such woman, and I hope my readers love her as much as I do.

Where do you write, and what tools do you use?

My husband and I travel a lot for work, so I tend to write on my Macbook Pro wherever I can park myself in a chair and put in my earphones.  If I’m not near my laptop, I’ll pull out my iPhone or iPad and write in Evernote.

What was your favorite book as a child?

Funny story. I actually couldn’t read until well into first grade. Once I started, I never stopped, so the list is long and distinguished. Off the top of my head—probably Nancy Drew.

What’s your favorite bit of writing advice?

Two things come to mind: 1) Don’t edit until you’re done with the first draft. Sit down, and just write. 2) If you’re not disciplined enough to write every day, then hang it up now. 

Okay, I know the second bit of advice may sound a bit harsh, but when Catherine Coulter said those words to me, it was as if a pendulum swung in my mind. Total. Game. Changer.

What do you do if the words aren’t flowing?

Head to the gym, go to a movie, read, jump in the car and just drive—anything to give my mind some space to just be. Then I refer to the first bit of writing advice: Sit down, and just write.

What would you like to be remembered for?

Being a gracious, steadfast, and kind woman, wife, and friend who never gave up on her dreams or the dreams of others.

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L. R. Nicolello has been obsessed with all things suspense and justice related for as long she can remember. When other girls her age were watching the latest chick flick, she was watching Top Gun, dreaming of flying fast. She thinks a man in uniform is swoon-worthy and her husband likes to tease her about it, especially whenever they are near a military base. Growing up, her parents instilled in her and her sister that women can be strong without losing their femininity, and she takes that to heart with every character that comes to life.

She lives in blue-sky Texas with her husband and their ninety-pound “dog child”, but travels—a lot. When she’s not writing, she watches and re-watches her favorite television shows, exercises or reads anything she can get her hands on. www.LRNicolello.com Twitter: @LRNicolello

More about DEAD DON'T LIE

You can run from the past…but you can never truly hide...

Detective Evelyn Davis delves deep into the minds of monsters for a living. She’s the best psychological profiler in the Seattle P.D., with a talent that comes from heartbreaking experience. When Evelyn was just eighteen, she received word of her family’s murder in the form of a horrifying video. Fifteen years later, tracking down other psychopaths is the only thing that brings her some peace.

But now two local families have been wiped out. Though the chilling crime scenes suggest murder-suicides, Evelyn believes a serial killer is at work. So does Special Agent Marcus Moretti, whose easy charm and fiercely protective instincts are breaking down all her defenses. Evelyn needs to put aside her emotional attachment to find the madman stalking her city—but with each discovery, this case becomes more personal. She’s starting to suspect the killer wants her—and he is edging closer with every step, ready to make Evelyn pay a devastating price.