First Book Friday

[pameladean]

I really do not have the hang of this internet thing.

Jim Hines hosts First Book Fridays on his LJ, wherein people talk about how they sold their first novels. There's a wide variety of experience, some of it quite strange and all of it enlightening. My account of selling what became The Secret Country and The Hidden Land went up yesterday. Many of you know the story already; but if you don't, there it is. I recommend Jim's LJ, in any event. He talks a lot more than I do about writing and the business of writing, and he's funny, too.

Here's the link.

Pamela

Comments

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

I think I mentioned on your blog years ago when I was having a go at writing my own YA fantasy novel, where halfway through I had this horrid awful terrible moment where I was afraid what I wanted to be writing was THE SECRET COUNTRY. I was forced (FORCED, I tell you!) to re-read the trilogy and discovered that no, I didn't want to be writing that story after all, it was okay, I still loved it beyond reason but I wasn't trying to write it myself, and then I was able to finish my book.

(Which has sat in storage the better part of a decade now because people keep paying me to write other things, but I am taking it out and revising it in the first half of this year. It is my dearest, dearest hope that I will sometime in the relatively near future be able to come to you, hat in hand, and ask if you'd be willing to read it to consider offering a cover quote for it. There is almost no one I would rather have a quote from. (The exception being Susan Cooper, for which I think you might forgive me. :))

Anyway, lovely writeup about one of my favorite series. O.O :)

[pameladean]

How well I know that feeling. One of the reasons the setup for the Secret Country books is so odd is that I felt I could control such possibilities by explicitly inventing a universe that was made of literature, thus bringing influences to the surface where they could be dealt with in whatever fashion was necessary.

And how lovely that you are taking this book out of storage after so long and giving it its due!

I have no trouble with your preferring a quote from Susan Cooper. 8-) I am theoretically quite happy to read your book and write a blurb, but I warn you that, as in all else, I am very wordy and don't do short pithy remarks well. I'd do my best, however.

P.

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

I'm really looking forward to it. I've published about, er, fifteen books since then, so I kinda think I can probably improve it in ways I couldn't have imagined in 2002. I hope. O.O :)

*laughs* *I* would roll around happily in a wordy blurb, though publishers do seem to prefer the pithy ones. :) Thank you, I shall approach you about it again...sometime! :)

[pameladean]

Good luck! Remind me of the context when you approach me, since my memory is a little flaky. But I confidently expect that one day you will need a blurb for this book.

P.

[lblanchard.livejournal.com]

I started reading The Secret Country on the train to see my little brother for what turned out to be the last time -- he died five days later. I couldn't even look at the cover for a very long time. Now, five years later, I might be able to open and meet these people whom I don't remember at all.

[pameladean]

Oww.

Which edition have you got -- purply with unicorns, or reddish with a sword? If you have the unicorns, I could send you a copy of the new edition.

P.

[shweta-narayan.livejournal.com]

And he has excellent taste :)

I saw your post go by and read it with great glee, but was not spooning enough to reply on Jim's lj iirc. So replying here with <3

[pameladean]

And the very same to you, my dear. Wish I could transfer a few spoons to you.

P.

[sdn.livejournal.com]

I am almost tempted to buy a gross of these and mail them to you, Shweta:

http://www.lionsdeal.com/wi-0001-09.html

[vr-trakowski.livejournal.com]

Heh, I remember when I first read 'em, I wrote Ace to ask why they didn't reprint them, since the difficulty of actually finding copies clearly meant that there was a market. Ace wrote back saying they had no record of ever publishing The Hidden Land.

I was very glad indeed to see that they had been republished, because it meant I could give them as gifts without having to go to England to find one or another copy!

[pameladean]

I snort in Ace's general direction.

When The Whim of the Dragon finally came out, Scott Imes of blessed memory, then manager of Uncle Hugo's Science Fiction Book Store, asked Ace if they were going to reissue the first two books. They said they were not, but they would put a note in the catalog saying they still had some in stock and that booksellers could order them. When the catalog came, there was no mention. Scott gave me his copy of the catalog "so you can present it in court!" He was joking about court, but not about the depth of annoyance and outrage.

P.

posting of how you sold The Secret Country and The Hidden Land

[animemomleika.livejournal.com]

I remember first reading The Secret Country from my local library when I was 13 yrs. I tried for many years to get a copy of the series, and was delighted when they were republished recently.

Today my oldest daughter is 11 yrs. and is just now reading The Hidden Land. I am glad we can share, one of my favorite book series. I treasure it and the rest of my books by you.

Last year I tracked down The Dubious Hills and Tam-Lin, from Powell's used books, right around the time I found your web page here. I have waited many years to get another glimpse into The Secret Country and I can't wait.

Thanks

Re: posting of how you sold The Secret Country and The Hidden Land

[pameladean]

I'm really delighted to hear that you grew up with the Secret Country books and that your daughter is reading them too. That is one of the things I was hoping for when I wrote them.

The new book actually takes place in Fence's Country, at Heathwill Library; but I'm going to have to write another one dealing with Ted's attempted reforms in the Secret Country itself, and with matters that had to be put off because I had to shorten the book. So with luck you'll get lots and lots of what you want.

P.

Re: posting of how you sold The Secret Country and The Hidden Land

[animemomleika.livejournal.com]

You're the reason I am now on live journal. I really enjoyed reading all your posts and my daughter Moira say's hello.

Re: posting of how you sold The Secret Country and The Hidden Land

[pameladean]

Eeek. I hope this continues to be a good thing. Hello to Moira!

P.