ARC of FIRES OF NEW SUN in print

The Advanced Readers' Copies (ARCs) of THE FIRES OF NEW SUN are printed and will be sent to reviewers during the first week of September. I hope the reviewers will rave about how wonderful the book is... or at least give it a halfway decent review! Time will tell. FIRES OF NEW SUN is the 2nd book in THE BLENDING TIME trilogy. The actual publication date for "Fires" will be January 2012.

BTW: An ARC is not the polished version of a book. If you buy or 'win' an ARC it will have typos and may have a different ending than the final version.

10 Things Agents And Editors Want to See

Agent Kate McKean has a great blog piece on what writers need to think about when submitting their manuscripts.


http://blog.figment.com/2011/08/21/top-ten-things-agents-and-editors-want-to-see-everyday-of-the-week/

THE BEGINNING OF A NOVEL

Writing the opening of a novel is not easy, but it's critical. If you don't grab the reader on the first page (sometimes the first sentence), they will likely put it down.

Editors have told me they hate prologues that set the time, place, characters, etc. These pieces of information should unfold within the story.

Beginning with a dream scene is another editor turnoff.

Also starting with dialogue often doesn't work because the reader doesn't yet know who is who and can be confused.

A good video intro to beginning your novel is in Lisa Schroeder's blog:
http://writeoncon.com/2011/08/novel-beginnings-how-to-know-where-to-start-by-author-lisa-schroeder/

Boundaries for a Dystopia

I prefer a dystopia in the not-too-distant future--some place and time you and I can see evolving from present issues going on in our imperfect world. Although I loved the action and premise of the "THE HUNGER GAMES," the time (100 yrs or a 1000 yrs from now?) was unclear, and the wicked tools of the govt verged on fantasy.

I think things will be less sophisticated and more dysfunctional in the future. I set my books about 2070, a time which many of you will see. (Let's hope my plots don't really happen in your lifetime!). When societies break down, so does their infrastructure and technology (e.g., North Korea). Because of climate change (it's real, folks!) we are going to have a water crisis in the west; rising seas (Good-by Miami and The Netherlands); and possible ocean-current reversals.

But beyond the plotting of what it will be like and when it will happen, the main thrust of any good dystopia should be the main characters and their motivations. How will our "heroes" survive and change as the book progresses? Despite any futuristic gadgets, characters with heart and goals are what the reader should care about.

THE FIRES OF NEW SUN

THE FIRES OF NEW SUN (Jan. 2012)

Here's from the blub about FIRES from the publisher's website (Flux Books). This book is the sequel to THE BLENDING TIME. Book number-3 in the trilogy should be out in 2013.

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A fight for survival in a savage, dystopian reality

Following a perilous weeks-long trek under the blazing Savannah sun, dozens of Nswibe refugees have found safe haven at a New SUN outpost—a cavern-fortress hidden in the Blue Mountains. But their troubles are just beginning.

While the New SUN movement is tested by infighting and treachery, the outpost sustains a crippling 'gade attack. Survival is vital-defeat would mean slavery, death, and the end of the Blender program, Africa's last hope. To stop the power-hungry 'gades, Jaym, Reya, and D'Shay fight to reunite the splintered factions and mount a daring counterattack.

Writing a Trilogy

When I wrote THE BLENDING TIME (Oct 2010) I thought it would be a stand-alone title. But the publisher wanted the book open-ended for sequels. So in the sequel (THE FIRES OF NEW SUN, Jan 2012), I came up with additional characters, new plot twists, and an ending readers could not predict. Again, it had to end with our heroes having an opening for a final mission in Book-3 (no title yet).

Update: THE FIRES OF NEW is in ARC form (Advance Readers' Copy), probably full of typos that the editor and I will clean up next month. Book-3 of the trilogy is printed out (VERY draft form) and lying on a card table in the living room where I toil with my pen and do my best to make a decent revision of the thing. Then I sent to my agent for a look; he will give a quick critique (phone or email); I will feel crushed that it wasn't absolutely the finest manuscript in the world; then after a day or two of pouting I will grind away again. Finally the publisher gets my best attempt, he too will crush my ego, but in the end the book will be so much better.

After I complete the trilogy, I have to give up my characters which will be hard. I

REVISING MADE EASY (NO WAY!)

Revising (for this writer) is painful. It's absolutely essential, but I find that what was brilliant in the draft is pretty humbling as I revise. "Out, damn cliches!" or "Hey, Did I say the same thing 2 chapters ago?" or "Damn, this character isn't adding a thing to the story. But I like her! I can't get rid of her. But I have too. Rats."

Revising is like rebuilding a messy spider web. You must snip this strand-- but will that whole section collapse? Maybe if I pull this little piece web across here...

A decent revision takes lots of time and patience and you must be willing to cut those amazing pieces of brilliance that lead the story nowhere. I once had two chapters in THE BLENDING TIME where Jaym and D'Shay pulled off a great con job for a free meal, but had to cut the entire gorgeous scene because the agent (rightly so) thought it broke the story's tension. 'Twas agony to cut, but it make the story SOOO much better.

There are lots of good writing books on the revision process. Anne Lomott's "Bird by Bird" is one of my favs. Just remember, good revising will get an agent/editor to read you stuff. A poorly revised piece will be deleted/trashed after one or two pages. It's worth the work.