Wet Noodle Posse

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

My honeymoon

Yes, that's right.

I'm on a honeymoon.

(And if you're wondering about the shoes, they are English wedding shoes from the 1770s, courtesy of the Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto, a place I am now longing to visit.)

My companion on the honeymoon, or possibly the bride herself, I'm not sure I want to get into this too closely, is my book, The Rules of Gentility, which came out this month, and we are visiting and blogging together and ooh-ing and ah-ing over reviews.

Mostly, I'm happy to say, the reviews have been good, the Amazon comments the usual mixed bag, and the book and I have been blogging all over the place. It reminds me somewhat of a Regency-era bride being taken to visit friends and family all decked out in her wedding finery, and sometimes accompanied by a younger sister. It was thought to be an educational experience for a tender young girl.

When I mentioned this interesting fact to my editor while we were talking about rewrites (I intended to have the heroine's younger sister join her on the honeymoon) I got that far before she gave a great whoop of laughter. Naturally, she thought I was making it up and expecting the worst from me.

And I've been talking about the book. I mentioned it to Anglophile Joe the bus driver who likes Churchill. Our conversations usually revolve around we shall fight on the landing beaches ... we shall never surrender... "That must have cost you a bunch of money," he said. I told him no, they paid me. I don't think he really believed me.

It's funny the sort of misconceptions people have about writing and publishing. One of my favorites is that to produce something good, you have to suffer. I never felt this with The Rules. I usually went to write more of it chortling with glee that I was having such a good time and positively cackling at the keyboard. Was I just this lucky this one time? I haven't enjoyed writing other books so much although when you really get into it and let rip and your subconscious kicks in, that's the best feeling in the world.

Of course my other favorite myth is You can't do that in a romance... which has taught me to trust my instincts and my voice.

So, back to the honeymoon, which has been a lot of fun, but has given me a yearning to return to real life and get on with the writing.

What are your favorite myths about writing and publishing?

Contests at both my sites: www.janetmullany.com and www.janelockwood.com. Win valuable prizes, astonish your friends.

2 Comments:

At 9:01 AM, Lorelle said...: Lovely Janet! THE RULES is a positively brilliant book. When I finished reading a draft of the book, I wanted to turn to the first page and start all over again. It was the middle of the night and I was in a hotel in San Francisco in the spring of 2005. I can't wait to dig into the final version!

Myths about writing and publishing . . . hmm Writing is a snap. One book and you can retire in luxury. Oprah will call and beg you to be on her show. George Clooney will be dying to play the hero in your soon-to-be blockbuster movie. . .

Actually, this stuff might happen to you Janet. Your book is that good!

Bravo!
At 7:56 PM, Esri Rose said...: What a crack-up about the bus driver thinking you paid. I LOVE this book. I haven't snorted and chortled my way like that in a long, long time.

Favorite myth about publishing: Writing a book means selling that book.

The most common thing I hear when I tell Jane Q Public that I've sold a book is, "You've written a book?"

Answer: Well, no, I've written five books. And that's getting off relatively easy.