Page 2:
“So, being accused of murder is shameful, but actually doing it is fine?” (Sasha)
“Exactly. If I’m going to get credit for something, I’d prefer it for something I really did do.” (Christine)
Sasha, page 5:
I could never see the point of yoga as a part of a fitness regime, too passive, and too easy to slip into a coma and call it a workout.
Sasha, page 23:
“Oh. Yeah. Baby.” My voice held about as much sexual excitement as a Jersey cow being milked.
Sasha and Lindsey at an exclusive spa, page 87:
After that we were off to our wellness class: ‘What Colour is your Aura’? Dude, I hope it’s tie-dyed.
Sasha, page 184:
Horniness had little to do with being culturally inclusive, unless you think of it in terms of an equal opportunity penis.
Page 217:
“What the fuck… this place looks like the Tasmanian Devil had an epileptic seizure in it,” Mick said.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Queries and Rejection Letters
I guess I was pretty lucky in that I landed a publishing contract relatively easily and relatively quickly.I’ve heard horror stories of novelists trying to get their first contract, and ugh... One mystery writer I know has a binder with 125 rejection letters... number 126 said yes, so perseverance paid off in his case.
Once I had the book done (February 2008), I left it alone for a while because I was busy as hell with work (teaching) and school (my MA). Things lightened up a wee bit in June and July, so I did some editing and revising of the manuscript ... took the 297 pages to 303 (but I actually didn’t change very much, just mostly caught typos and added a bit, obviously).
When school (teaching) ended in mid-August, I decided to send out a bunch of query letters.
A query letter is something you send to publishers to try to generate enough interest to ask for the whole manuscript. It’s sort of like a sales pitch or even a cover letter and CV for the book... submitting the entire manuscript would be like the interview, getting a publishing contract would be like getting the job.
I wrote a one page sales pitch and a two page synopsis of Blood and Groom. On August 16th, 2008, I mailed them out to twenty publishers and agents (only two were sent to literary agents).
I heard back (in one way or another) from eleven of the twenty (which is actually a good percentage of acknowledgements). Of the eleven who responded, five asked me to send them the whole manuscript, which is a very good response rate.
Ultimately, I received two contract offers!!!
Once I had the book done (February 2008), I left it alone for a while because I was busy as hell with work (teaching) and school (my MA). Things lightened up a wee bit in June and July, so I did some editing and revising of the manuscript ... took the 297 pages to 303 (but I actually didn’t change very much, just mostly caught typos and added a bit, obviously).
When school (teaching) ended in mid-August, I decided to send out a bunch of query letters.
A query letter is something you send to publishers to try to generate enough interest to ask for the whole manuscript. It’s sort of like a sales pitch or even a cover letter and CV for the book... submitting the entire manuscript would be like the interview, getting a publishing contract would be like getting the job.
I wrote a one page sales pitch and a two page synopsis of Blood and Groom. On August 16th, 2008, I mailed them out to twenty publishers and agents (only two were sent to literary agents).
I heard back (in one way or another) from eleven of the twenty (which is actually a good percentage of acknowledgements). Of the eleven who responded, five asked me to send them the whole manuscript, which is a very good response rate.
Ultimately, I received two contract offers!!!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
How I started and finished writing "Blood and Groom"
I had a couple of other books in the works in the summer of 2007, but I suddenly came up with an idea – from out of nowhere – for another book. I shelved the other two (they’re still in the works...) and got busy with what eventually became “Blood and Groom.”
From the summer of 2007 through Christmas 2007, I worked on it now and then – mostly on weekends. In roughly six months, I wrote about 162 pages – most of which were written during Christmas holidays when I had lots of time off work and was between courses in my MA.
Then I did something rather stupid...
Crime Writers of Canada (CWC) has annual awards for crime writing (fiction and non-fiction) in Canada. The awards are called the Arthur Ellis Awards (named after Canada’s last official hangman). A few years ago, Crime Writers of Canada announced a new award category: The Unhanged Arthur.
The Unhanged Arthur is for unpublished, aspiring novelists.
To enter into this category, one must have a completed manuscript. The process is thus:
Well, the in third week of February, I received notification that I had been selected as one of the ten finalists. This was on a Tuesday morning. I had until 5:00 pm the following Monday to deliver the completed manuscript to CWC.
Ooops!!!! I hadn't worked on it at all since Christmas break, and the 162 page half-finished book was still a 162 page half-finished book.
Luckily, the third week in Februray happened to be Reading Week – a week off from teaching and from my MA courses... THANK GOD!
I chain smoked, guzzled coffee, hardly slept, and the 162 page manuscript became 297 pages by the time I hand delivered it to CWC.
I didn’t make it any further in the contest than that, but at least having the deadline made me finish the book. I was a bit disappointed in June when I heard the Arthur announcements for the Unhanged Arthur category... and my name wasn’t there.
On the bright side, at least I now had a completed manuscript and lots of time during the summer to fine tune it and then try to find a publisher... which you’ll hear about in my next post!
From the summer of 2007 through Christmas 2007, I worked on it now and then – mostly on weekends. In roughly six months, I wrote about 162 pages – most of which were written during Christmas holidays when I had lots of time off work and was between courses in my MA.
Then I did something rather stupid...
Crime Writers of Canada (CWC) has annual awards for crime writing (fiction and non-fiction) in Canada. The awards are called the Arthur Ellis Awards (named after Canada’s last official hangman). A few years ago, Crime Writers of Canada announced a new award category: The Unhanged Arthur.
The Unhanged Arthur is for unpublished, aspiring novelists.
To enter into this category, one must have a completed manuscript. The process is thus:
- Send the first 25 to 30 pages of a completed manuscript to CWC, along with an entry form and whatever other paperwork they require.
- From all the entries (I believe there were about 120 entries the year I participated), a list of ten finalists would be selected.
- These ten finalists would be contacted by mid-to-late February.
- Upon being selected as a finalist, the contestant would have one week to submit the completed manuscript to CWC for further judging.
- The winner and runners-up would be announced at the Arthur Ellis Awards soiree in early June.
Well, the in third week of February, I received notification that I had been selected as one of the ten finalists. This was on a Tuesday morning. I had until 5:00 pm the following Monday to deliver the completed manuscript to CWC.
Ooops!!!! I hadn't worked on it at all since Christmas break, and the 162 page half-finished book was still a 162 page half-finished book.
Luckily, the third week in Februray happened to be Reading Week – a week off from teaching and from my MA courses... THANK GOD!
I chain smoked, guzzled coffee, hardly slept, and the 162 page manuscript became 297 pages by the time I hand delivered it to CWC.
I didn’t make it any further in the contest than that, but at least having the deadline made me finish the book. I was a bit disappointed in June when I heard the Arthur announcements for the Unhanged Arthur category... and my name wasn’t there.
On the bright side, at least I now had a completed manuscript and lots of time during the summer to fine tune it and then try to find a publisher... which you’ll hear about in my next post!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
The waiting game...
Okay, so I got the book contract in November 2008... and the book will be published in November 2009. As exciting as it is to know the book will be out this Fall, the waiting is the hardest part! It feels like the gestation period for an elephant.
However, things are starting to happen. The cover has been designed, I have met with various people from the publishing house (Dundurn), and "Blood and Groom" is in the Dundurn Fall catalogue. So, it's starting to feel more real now...
However, things are starting to happen. The cover has been designed, I have met with various people from the publishing house (Dundurn), and "Blood and Groom" is in the Dundurn Fall catalogue. So, it's starting to feel more real now...
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Synopsis: Dead Light District
Bordello Blood
As open minded as she is, private investigator Sasha Jackson feels out of place when her latest cases plunges her into the world of commercial sex. A classy madame has hired Sasha to find a missing Mexican hooker, which seems easy enough at first. However, things become complicated when a nasty pimp turns up dead in the wrong hotel. The case becomes even more complicated when a spaced-out call girl, an arthritic old lady and a Rastafarian pawnbroker enter the scene.
Sasha figures out why the hooker ran away but has no idea where she is running to. But how fast can anyone run in stiletto heels? It isn’t until the next body turns up that Sasha realizes why the hooker must choose between fight and flight, and why the choice is so difficult. What Sasha doesn’t count on is illegal immigration, a slumlord in sweats, a Neanderthal bartender, and that designer kitchen wares will both threaten and save Sasha’s life.
As confusing as the case is, Sasha’s personal life is even more in disarray. Her ex-boyfriend is hoping they can make beautiful music together, a forgotten high school romance resurfaces, and - after a bit too much wine - an innocent flirtation moves to the next level. For the moment, though, the only guys on Sasha’s mind are a blond kindergartener, a battered drag queen and a guy who just can’t keep his pants zipped up no matter what city he’s in.
Sasha tests her moral compass as she tries to understand the sex trade and what someone will do in a moment of desperation. She is even willing to look the other way, but then Sasha realizes her ass is incredibly hot and the killer is incredibly cold.
As open minded as she is, private investigator Sasha Jackson feels out of place when her latest cases plunges her into the world of commercial sex. A classy madame has hired Sasha to find a missing Mexican hooker, which seems easy enough at first. However, things become complicated when a nasty pimp turns up dead in the wrong hotel. The case becomes even more complicated when a spaced-out call girl, an arthritic old lady and a Rastafarian pawnbroker enter the scene.
Sasha figures out why the hooker ran away but has no idea where she is running to. But how fast can anyone run in stiletto heels? It isn’t until the next body turns up that Sasha realizes why the hooker must choose between fight and flight, and why the choice is so difficult. What Sasha doesn’t count on is illegal immigration, a slumlord in sweats, a Neanderthal bartender, and that designer kitchen wares will both threaten and save Sasha’s life.
As confusing as the case is, Sasha’s personal life is even more in disarray. Her ex-boyfriend is hoping they can make beautiful music together, a forgotten high school romance resurfaces, and - after a bit too much wine - an innocent flirtation moves to the next level. For the moment, though, the only guys on Sasha’s mind are a blond kindergartener, a battered drag queen and a guy who just can’t keep his pants zipped up no matter what city he’s in.
Sasha tests her moral compass as she tries to understand the sex trade and what someone will do in a moment of desperation. She is even willing to look the other way, but then Sasha realizes her ass is incredibly hot and the killer is incredibly cold.
Synopsis: Blood and Groom (published November 2009)
BLOOD AND GROOM
When not talking dirty at her part time phone sex job, or singing cheesy cover tunes in generic suburban bars, fledgling private investigator Sasha Jackson is spending her days trying to figure out how “till death do us part” applies to her jilted client.
Christine Arvisais was dumped by her gold plated fiancé days before mailing the wedding invitations. Four months later, he was shot in a Toronto ravine during his Saturday morning jog. Christine says she was wrapped in seaweed and bathing in mud when Gordon Hanes went to the mahogany paneled VIP room in the sky.
Then another former fiancé falls victim to another femme fatale and it appears Cupid’s bow is no match for the Grim Reaper’s scythe.
As Sasha continues her investigation, she uncovers a pattern of guys who skipped “I do” and now never will. It seems a coincidence, until Sasha learns the real meaning of “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”
With her dad driving her crazy via long distance, and her brother steeped in confusion about his own romantic comedy of Eros, Sasha must figure out who’s whacking would-be grooms before it becomes a case of four funerals and a wedding.
When not talking dirty at her part time phone sex job, or singing cheesy cover tunes in generic suburban bars, fledgling private investigator Sasha Jackson is spending her days trying to figure out how “till death do us part” applies to her jilted client.
Christine Arvisais was dumped by her gold plated fiancé days before mailing the wedding invitations. Four months later, he was shot in a Toronto ravine during his Saturday morning jog. Christine says she was wrapped in seaweed and bathing in mud when Gordon Hanes went to the mahogany paneled VIP room in the sky.
Then another former fiancé falls victim to another femme fatale and it appears Cupid’s bow is no match for the Grim Reaper’s scythe.
As Sasha continues her investigation, she uncovers a pattern of guys who skipped “I do” and now never will. It seems a coincidence, until Sasha learns the real meaning of “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”
With her dad driving her crazy via long distance, and her brother steeped in confusion about his own romantic comedy of Eros, Sasha must figure out who’s whacking would-be grooms before it becomes a case of four funerals and a wedding.
Sasha's Favourite Toronto Hangouts
Well, obviously, her brother Shane's restaurant Pastiche on Elm Street is one of her happy places, as is just about any restaurant with good food (and screw the boring vegan places, or the uptight fine dining establishments with snooty waitrons).
Any bar with good live music is a fave, as is any decent patio not facing a noisy, dirty street.Sasha's haunts include The Pilot Tavern (Cumberland Avenue), Cafe Diplomatico (College Street), The Hideout (Queen West), Cafe Volo (Yonge Street),
Sasha lives in Riverdale, on Carlaw, between Danforth and Gerrard. The renovated red brick detached home she shares with dad Jack and brother Shane is the home she grew up in. Not surprisingly, Sasha loves The Danforth.
Other favourite neighbourhoods include The Esplanade and St. Lawrence Market, Queen Street West, and Kensington Market.
PI Sasha Jackson heads to each of these fave hangouts in her debut caper
Blood and Groom.
Sasha Jackson Bio
Sasha is about 5'9", slim, has long blond hair (um, at least, well, it was long until the fire...) and she doesn't really need to wear an underwire support bra, but is damn glad she did that one night...
She's a Leo and reads her horoscope almost everyday (and always does the exact opposite of what it says). After the horoscope, she turns to the comics strips - which aren't nearly as funny as they used to be. Bring back Calvin & Hobbes! After the horoscope and the funnies, Sasha does the crossword (in ink) but only the regular crossword puzzles, never those damned cryptic ones, and don't even ask about those evil sudoku puzzles, arghh!
Sasha votes in every election (except for that one time when she couldn't get out of bed, ugh...), but she is not married to any one political party. However, if Sasha were an American, she definitely would have voted for Obama.
Organized religion scares the crap out of her, but she does believe in a higher power/superior being/heavenly den mother/cosmic CEO.
Some of her favourite quotations/adages are:
What? Me worry? (Alfred E. Neuman is sorely underappreciated).
Fall down seven times, stand up eight.
Hope is the confusion of the desire of a thing with its probability.
If you have 100 priorities, you have none.
Pickles make squishy bookmarks. (Did Confucius say this?)
Sasha still has a crush on John Travolta, circa the Grease and Saturday Night Fever days; she really thinks Archie should ditch Veronica and go for Betty; and although she loved playing with Barbie dolls, she mutilated every one she ever owned by either cutting their hair or applying ballpoint pen eyeshadow.
Sasha got kicked out of Girl Guides after just five weeks. Her Dad was a little embarrassed about this, but not at all surprised. Soon after her short-lived paramilitary stint, Sasha discovered boys and kissing - both of which were infinitely more interesting than selling cookies.
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