OMG!
Please allow me to reveal the cover of my book. It's been created by the awesome (nay, LEGENDARY!) Tom Sanderson and frankly, I'm a very happy camper.
I'd just settled down for some serious writing when it appeared in my inbox. Since then it's been...oooh, pretty.
The publication date is (I think) early May 2009. It's now out of my hands and into the machine...
It seems REAL now, in a way it didn't before. It's got words, its got a cover, it's got the Puffin logo, it's going to be a BOOK. A manuscript no longer.
14 comments:
AWESOME!!! Must such a fantastic feeling after all that angst and hard work . The cover looks superb, a real eye-catcher!
That is one seriously cool and sexy cover.
Wow - how jealous am I!!
Looking forward to putting it on my shelves.
What was great was that everyone told me how excellent Tom was, but I've not heard anything since he and I met briefly many months ago. Then...BAM!
Cover arrives, complete and glorious.
Great news old mate! Chuffed to bits for you.
looks great! I love the clever way he's pulled evil out of the title
woof!
What a great cover!!!
Is the construction background a reminder of when you were a humble design engineer?
Can't wait for it's release
Dear Tony,
Yes, my engineering background has influenced several key scenes in the book.
Anyway, Book 2...just had a very satisfactory day down in a cafe writing and writing and maybe even writing some more. Ah, if only all days were like this. The scene (it'll mean nothing out of context) involved our heroine trying on a dress. And putting on a coat. And crossing a room.
Seriously, its thick with tension!
Also finished Something Wicked This Way Comes, the ending was amazing. My attempts at self-discipline have been terribly haphazard so I'm forcing myself to FINISH some of the books I've picked up this year.
Hmmm...maybe China Melville's Un Lun Dun next. I'm trying not to buy anymore until I've cleared my shelf. That's six books (the others being Fly by Night, To Kill a Mockingbird, Wicked Lovely, and two Stephenie Meyers).
And my new rule is once I start it, I have to finish it.
I'd recommend Un Lun Dun. His imagination has run riot and I loved his imagery and ideas.
Excellent cover Sarwat, congratulations. Should be just the sort of imagery that appeals to your targets and beyond. Love the cross/kiss and it's echo over the puffin logo.
Must be a fabulous feeling to draw a line under the re-writes/editing and focus on book 2 - v. jealous.
Happy cafe-writing autumn days.
Gareth
Fine, Un LUn Dun it is. If it's rubbish Tracy, it's YOUR fault.
Gareth,
Rewrites not completely done on Devil's Kiss.
Puffin have accepted it and it's gone off to the copy editor. Hopefully nothing more than the odd tweak to do.
Hyperion though want one more pass ovewr it. So it's possible that the UK and US versions will be subtly different (hey, so you'll have to buy both versions!)
I've looked through my US editor's comments (hiya, Ari!) and there's nothing that sends the story or anything in a different direction, it's more a tailoring for the US market.
But previously when I had to do a rewrite, my worries were could I write to order? The editor(for example) says 'add a spark of romance into this scene' and I thought 'bloody hell, how do I do that? I don't write romance!'
Having done it now I don't feel so anxious that;
a) I'll be asked to do something so radical it alters the fundamentals of the book. If it does I've done it wrong.
b) I'll be asked to write something beyond my abilities to deliver competently.
It's the second that's the concern, because you want everything to be written at the same level. Don't want people saying 'oh he can write action but his character relationships are really clumsy'. The key to breaking through amateur and professional is that everything you write is done equally well (or badly, we won't go there)and the writing ability doesn't vary with passion (i.e only the bits you love are written well) or mood (i.e writer's block. No matter how you feel you have to deliver the goods). You'd be surprised how paralysing it can be having people (a lot as it turns out!) waiting on you to GET THE BLOODY THING DONE!
The secret? Ignore them. It all boils down to loving what you're doing. We'd do it for free, right? THAT'S the attitude that needs to be maintained, because that's what got you there in the first place.
Here endeth the lesson.
All good advice.
I (in my ever-so-'umble, amateur way!) know what you mean about geting the consistency through action, expostion, relationships etc, particularly when acting on editing points, dipping in and out of chapters and not having a good long stretch of writing time to work in - kids!!!
Still, it's all part of the fun, skill and challenge of "crafting" your work once the initial splurge is done, eh?
Good luck with "colourising" (blame Meat Loaf) your American edition!
Gareth
I'll take the blame, Sarwat but I don't think you'll be disappointed in Un Lun Dun.
Interesting stuff about how the editing process works. Thanks for the insight.
Blimey Sarwat, that could have been a blog post all of its own! It must be hard feeling pulled in so many different directions but hey...take a peek at that cover!
:-)
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