Publishing Monday: Good news—and AC, baby

Above are most of the research books I’m bringing with me on my latest novel writing retreat, which begins tomorrow morning. Hello, Umberto Eco and Oscar Wilde and 1880s’ Baedeckers! This time, I’m off to Atlantic City. Not that I like gambling—far from it!—but I do like cheap, luxurious mid-week hotel rooms where I can hunker down and stare at the ocean while ordering room service. Upon my return, I plan to write a guide entitled The Introvert’s Guide to Atlantic City, Or How I Went to AC and Avoided Slot Machines and Snookie.

My plan for these next three days: to finish writing the book “bible” for THE LILY MAID. My agent had given me this task when we last discussed my novel two months ago—she felt it would help me with this new draft—so time’s a-wasting. Another goal: to revise my first fifty pages anew, now that I’m armed with a new set of notes from said agent, her lovely and perceptive assistant, and two generous beta readers.

Meanwhile, I fear I’m starting to come down with laryngitis yet again. And I’m stretched out from trying to tie up all the various errands that need to be done before my departure, such as cleaning the hamster cage. (Don’t worry, Nibbles! I won’t let you down.)

But in the midst of this, I’ve had some wonderful news. My novel query for THE LILY MAID won the Backspace Query Contest for a scholarship to the Backspace Writers Conference. As part of my entry, I had to include my novel’s first two pages, so this feels like a lovely validation of where I’m going with this book. I’m really surprised—I never expected to win though, of course, one hopes to. I mainly entered the contest thinking it was a good spur for rewriting my novel synopsis, which has proved very helpful during the revision process. Anything else was icing on the cake.

So thank you, Backspace Writers Conference! I’m so pleased to be attending you.

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