A big aloha to my e-friends around the world---
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Aloha friends and readers!
It feels as if I've been gone a long time, and I want to thank you for your patience in sticking with me. I am finally finding the time to slow down a little, take a deep breath, and relax with you. I am back in my beloved Hawaii, and you all know what that means to me. Long, lazy days in a beach chair, reading other people's books, mai tai Thursdays, watching one of my best friends dance the hula, morning runs along the shoreline, and hats. Lots of hats for a girl like me who shouldn't be in the sun as much as she is.
I have been waiting for a sunny day to write this post, actually. I've been on island for almost a week, and I wanted to take the perfect picture for all of you, to let you share my golden island. Unfortunately, it's pretty much been raining and cold--yes, cold, even for a northwest girl--for most of the trip so far. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the cooler weather, but I wanted to show you some sun. I even considered dredging up an old photo of warmer days. But then I thought--what the heck. Life is full of rainy days. As we say here in paradise, "no rain, no rainbows." Sometimes we have to make our own good weather to bring to the luau. So here's my shoutout from less than perfect Hawaii. I took the above picture last night, at a break in the rain. The gardenias are from my garden.
So, what have I been doing, you'll want to know. Boy, do I wish I could say "nothing." That's what I WANT to be doing. The truth is that I've been working like this is a real job. :) Just kidding; I know it's a real job, and in the last few months, it's been especially so. As most of you know, I finished the first draft of the book for 2011 in early January and sent it off to my editor. It came back like a boomerang with a lengthy revision letter. Between then and now, I have been revising...and revising...and revising. Which makes this a good time for a little chat about my wildly ineffective process. If I could go to the writer's process store and get another one, I certainly would. Sadly, for now, I'm stuck with the one I have.
It's not exactly productive, my process, and on the friendliness scale, I'd rate it somewhere between a serial killer and mad dentist. In other words, it can really bite me, and it does. Why is that, you ask? Here's the answer in a nutshell: I love to change things. For me, no paragraph or character or plot point is ever set in stone, not really. In any given book, I usually have one or two salient points that I want to make (in Winter Garden, it was all about Leningrad during World War II and the terrible cost of war on women; in True Colors, I cared about a particular injustice in DNA testing; in Firefly Lane, it was about a long term friendship and IBC) but beyond that particular point, I will consider any and all options. I will change lead characters drastically in the sixteenth draft, I will eliminate or change back stories, I will throw out whole plot lines. And as much as I often complain about my willingness to start a book over, it's the thing I love best, because every time I start over, I have a clearer understanding of what it is I'm trying to do. I honestly believe that when I begin a book, it is complete in my subconscious. My job, therefore, is to get out of my own way enough to uncover the story I want to tell. Picture me as an anthropologist with a tiny brush trying to expose the skeletal structure of the body in the dirt.
Lately, I've been brushing away a PILE of dirt. For some reason, this new book has been challenging. Honestly, I think it's because I loved Winter Garden so much. This is the first time in my career that I've had trouble following up a novel. But I can finally say--thank Heaven--that I'm closing in on the final draft. I better be. At this point, I've been editing for months and months. We even have a stunningly beautiful and different-looking cover, which I can't wait to show to you.
A few other things. I have been doing a fair amount of reading lately. Yes, when I'm stuck on my own book, I sometimes like to escape. A reader is a reader is a reader. Anyway, I'm thrilled to tell you all that I have read an absolutely PHENOMENAL book. It's called The Passage by Justin Cronin. Ballantine books is publishing it in June. I don't want to say too much--I'm no reviewer--and I wouldn't want to diminish anyone's enjoyment of this remarkable book. I'll just say that if you liked The Stand or Lord of the Rings, run don't walk to buy this book. It's a big work, but honestly, it's the best bit of commercial fiction I've read since Shadow of the Wind.
Well, I guess that's it for now. It's Thursday night, so I better get ready for my round of music and mai tais. Thanks again for sticking with me and I promise not to be such a stranger anymore.
Aloha--
Kristin
35 Comments:
Just checked out the synopsis for The Passage by Justin Cronin and if it has Stephen King's stamp of approval, it must be a pretty good back. I just added for my goodreads.com account. I can't wait for June 8th.
My thoughts exactly, and it lives up to the hype! Hope you like it.
What a beautiful picture!! I'm sure all the other Fireflies are with me when I say, "Wish I was there." But since we can't be, have a mai tai for all of us. :)
As to your process, it's perfect. How could it not be?! Look at all the amazingly fabulous books you've written.
I hope the sun has come out and you're getting some much needed beach time!!
xoxo
Kim
Welcome back -- we've missed you! I know the past few months have been crunch time for you, but I'm sure it is all worth it and you can breath a sigh of relief. However, saying that I'm sure you're already imprinting your your 2012 novel into your subconscious. Glad you're at home in Hawaii, getting a well-deserved break, and enjoying the sunshine and time with family and friends.
As for your process, it is uniquely you. I thoroughly enjoyed your comments and you are probably right -- somewhere in your subconscious it is complete. It's just getting out of the way that's hard. I always love to hear how you think and write. Please don't stop sharing! Can't wait to see the new 2011 cover.
Not much here. But I am seriously thinking about trying something I've always wanted to do since college. But, mum is the word for now.
Love the new TV pilot "Who Do You Think You Are?" Crystal is my favorite on American Idol. I like Sharon Osborne on "Celebrity Apprentice" and the skater on "Dancing With the Stars."
My husband has now read all your major books except for Between Sisters. He's opted to pass! Made me laugh. His favorites were Magic Hour, Winter Garden, True Colors and On Mystic Lake.
Enjoy Hawaii for all of us!
Blessings,
Patricia
Oh, I love this picture too! The gardenia is a perfect accent!
I can see that monitoring this blog is going to be hard on me. I have so little time to read fiction that news of "Passage" is practically sad. I DID love the Lord of the Rings series and while the compulsion is gone to pick up every Stephen King publication, I definitely still recognize him as an artist! I think my taste was satiated when my attendance at the movie "Cujo" actually saw me leaving the theater clutching my stomach! Something about prolonged scenes of terror.
So I'm hoping for something with more heart (Bilbo, Frodo) and less fear if I do get brave enough to tackle Passage. (?)
You must be every editor's dream. That's admirable that you are willing to overhaul your masterpiece.
And finally, an update: My last visit to my favorite "Friends of the Library" used book store yielded a copy of "True Colors"! So THAT will be my next dessert book (I can't wait to finish the second half of this 'advice I may need but am uncomfortable practicing' Meryl Runion 'professional development' book, "Power Phrases: The perfect words to say it right and get the results you want").
Take care and blessings!
Tracie
Tracie,
My dad's all about power phrases :)
Hey Patricia---
I sure wish you were right about the book for 2012. The truth is that I have NO idea. I repeat, NO idea, which is a scary place for me to be. As soon as I finish this current book, I will go in desperate search...of course, I'll be doing it on the beach, so how bad can it be? :)
good luck with whatever your secret endeavor is. I know I join with the fireflies to say GO for it!!
Tracie Lynn--
You sound like a reader after my own heart. I'll just say one more thing about The Passage--it made me cry about ten times. My husband thought I was mad as a hatter, reading this fantasy epic and crying...:)
Kristin,
In response to your post to me, my response is a riddle for you...
It may be all around you at this very moment. Just allow the gentle pacific breezes open your heart and mind. It would be something fresh and include your passion -- without saying much more.
XOXO
Patricia
I'm very excited, I just lent True Colors to a friend, I'm hoping her mom told her it was a borrow and not a keep though... I want to read it, but my mom just got The Tings We Do For Love and I can't wait to read that, the thing is, unlike me, she doesn't read multiple books at a time and she does't finish a book thats 400+ pages in a couple of weeks so I have to wait a while for her stanp of approval.
Patricia---
Okay, I'm listening to the breeze. :) Good luck!
Erin---
Multiple books at one time??? What a multi tasker you must be. Good for you! What all are you reading now?
Hello everyone! Kristin, thanks for sharing about your unique writing style. It is always fun to feel more connected to the process of something you are truly humbled by. Your talent, and that of many other writers, amazes me. It's my pie in the sky dream, and I admire how hard you work at it.
I have been pretty overwhelmed with work now, thus blogging as I eat lunch. It seems it is all I do, and after 21 years at the same job, I'm getting a bit melancholy. Might be time for change.
Though my time is not my own lately, I've managed to read a lot, which surprises me. The bad part is that I'm exhausted! I start reading when the rest of my house goes to bed around 9:30 and next thing I know it's midnight. I love it, but makes for one tired girl!
I finished Harlan Coben's, Caught. It was great. Patterson's latest one, Worst Case. Good also. The best of late though, was Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, a debut novel by Beth Hoffman. It was greatness !! Now, I'm reading an older Coben, just to pass time, as I'm saving Megan's Prima Donna for an upcoming road trip!
That's all I have for now. Hope all my firefly friends are doing well and your hearts are happy!
See ya!
Kristin--
Right now it's not so much reading multiple books as it is reading and writing. I have a couple books, Vampire Kisses book 4 and Harry Potter 3 and writing bits and peices of a book since I can't work onthe first chapter because I don't have my personal computer with the file and a short story that I started a while ago and just found.
Gee, I sent a post some time ago and it never showed up. Was it something I said? ;->
Kristin,
Cool, Sold (cried ten times)!
Michelle,
Yeah, I think my Dad's all about power phrases too, but doesn't know it. At one point that book (power phrases), actually had me cringing, as it instructed me on sales pitches. I flashed on all those uncomfortable sales calls and home visits received over the years and felt it was bad advice because it sounded as pushy as they all did. It's been a long time since I felt guilty cutting a sales person short but sales pitches still set my teeth on edge. Some people are natural sales folk, and, I think that's sort of a different thing (my Dad). But then, I myself am still shy even after 52 years of getting used to people, and that may explain my aversion to sales pitches. I do appreciate that "Power Phrases" informed me that the second greatest fear most people have, next to public speaking, is starting conversations with strangers. I'm horrible at small talk--it's that shy thing, but I love people who seem to warm up to complete strangers quickly, like my brother and father, and I think, with the advice of this book in mind, I will actually practice being more communicative in general.
And all that puts me back in mind of "Firefly Lane". I think Tully would probably have had no trouble being a, or dealing with, sales person(s, and I envy that. I identified with Kate the most, though I'd have liked to have more Tully qualities. As a teen I admired the Tully personalities...girls who were exotically pretty, great at drama and voice class, but were hard to get close to, and, rumor had it, were a bit damaged. :-)
OK, I've got to get to reading all the back posts on this blog so I don't ask anything that's already been answered...I hope this hasn't already been covered, but, Kristin, how *do* you come up with your plots? Is it a process that repeats itself with each book, or is it always different? Was it tough to write your 2nd book? They say everyone has a book in them...so after that first book, does a writer fear they can't live up to their own reputation with the second?
Alright, I've had the spotlight way to long here. You're all not believing that I'm shy...but I am. They say people who are uncomfortable at verbal communication are often much more verbose in writing. That's me. :-)
Toodles,
Tracie
Lynn, the same thing happened with some of my posts. What I realized I needed to do was after I hit the "publish your comment" button, I needed to make sure that the little box appeared that said my comment was waiting for approval. If I didn't see that, then I knew there was something in my post (a symbol or something) that was "holding up" my post. Hope this makes sense b/c all posts go through.
Kim
I second Kim's response;
You probably don't take as long to write your message, Lynn, as I do, but more often then not, the letters it asks me to duplicate have expired. At least I think that's what happens, because I'm really careful to duplicate them and they aren't accepted, but the new set is accepted right away (since there was not a long delay between when it asked for the letters and when it got them....I think) So, yeah, I look for that message that tells me my post will be considered, if it's not there I scroll back to the bottom and sure enough there are these evil little red words telling me I failed to copy the letters accurately (LIES!) and to try again. :-)
Aha! Maybe that's it. I usually do look for the 'pending' message, but I can't say for certain I saw it that time.
I heard someone on Rosie Radio saying Kristin was her favorite author and giving a shout out for Winter Garden. It was one of Rosie's staff. I had Sirius radio in a rental after a car accident...no one injured (too much) thankfully, but a lot of damage to the vehicle. Other driver charged with the accident and I have to go to traffic court. What an inconvenience.
Saw Charlaine Harris last night at a book signing. She was a lot of fun. I recommend the Sookie Stackhouse series (start at number 1 for sure) even if you are not a vampire fan. I was not, but these books are very entertaining.
Kristin,
In just a week and a half you'll be in *my* neck of the woods! I'm afraid the price of admission is a wee bit too hefty for me, so I'll have to miss the wonderful opportunity to meet you, but have a lovely time in So. Cal.!
I seem to recall you've lived in Southern California at some point. Are there friends in town to catch up with?
I'm visualizing perfect weather for you and I'll keep an eye out if I'm in Irvine that day....most Saturdays (and sometimes Sundays too), however, find me at the Newport Beach Public Library purusing the Friends book shop---(these days, for K. Hannah books!) So if you are out and about when you aren't at the Literary Guild of Orange County, you now know where to find me.
Lynn,
Had you seen the television "Showtime" series, "True Blood"? I didn't realize there were books. Which came first, I wonder?
Sorry to learn you were in an accident. Hope everything resolves quickly and that the only lasting result is a lovely new car!
I don't think I ever had a mai tai. I'll have to remedy that. :)
I've been reading the Percy Jackson series. It kind of interested me, but I'm not a kid. Then, I just decided so what? I read the first book and really enjoyed it and now am on book 4.
I also read Nora Roberts's Savor the Moment which is the third of four in her Wedding Quartet. It was a lot better than I expected. the series is very cute and romantic. Just straight romance which is a departure from her latest books - no paranormal, no suspense. Just lots of love and a wedding business.
Otherwise, nothing new in my life. Planning my upcoming nephew's baby shower, getting ready for the boy and my birthday, and getting over a nice Mother's Day cold (that last part wasn't fun). Little Miss used the potty again. She's slow to take, but she knows what to do and much applause when she feels like doing it. We went to preschool open house last week. *sniff* She's growing so quickly.
Happy week, Fireflies!
Tracie, the Charlaine Harris books came first. She actually had a tiny cameo last season. There is quite some differences within the series and the books, too. I haven't read the entire series, but I've watched the tv show.
Tracie Lynne,
I had never seen TrueBlood (I think it's HBO). At any rate, I don't have Showtime or HBO and I know most of the books were written first. I have heard that the show is a bit different from the books. I might rent them someday, but I was forewarned that the second season might be a tad offensive (depending on your own sensibilities).
She's written some other series and one of them is actually going to be made for tv as well.
No new car, but it's all fixed...guess that's the next best thing.
April,
I'm also on book 4 of the Percy Jackson series. My son gobbled them all up. Hey, a good book is a good book, I don't mind if it's for kids. Heck, Harry Potter was for kids and I inhaled those! We saw Rick Riordan at last year's National Book Festival. He was very interesting. I always enjoyed the National Book Festival, but it has become HUGE now. The lines are long, the venues are so crowded. Maybe they should go to a 2 day model. Hey, one can hope.
I usually walk around the National Book Festival, but I don't wait in line for anybody. I do recommend the Gaithersburg Book Festival. All local authors and NOT crowded. I met a few bestselling authors. They have a kids' section and a lot of games. It was a lot of fun. If you go to the National Book Festival this Fall, let me know! I'm usually there walking around and pointing at the lines. :)
Rick Riordan signed in DC two weeks ago, but I didn't find out until that day and couldn't make it into the city. I should finish the fourth book tonight and will go straight into the fifth and final.
I don't necessarily think the second season is more or less offensive than the first. The first is full of the nudity, sex and violence. I have a love/hate relationship with the show. I don't like it, but I find the show cleverly produced because every episode ends with a cliffhanger of some sort so I'm always curious as to what will happen even if I don't want to be. I also love Sookie's brother (can't remember the actor's name). The show is definitely not for everybody. This year, they're introducing the werewolves so they may lose me because I'm not into shapeshifters.
Hi Kristin!
I just finished Firefly Lane, simply amazing. I read it in 24 hours I just couldn't put it down. I honestly cried for the last 75ish or so pages but sincerely loved every second I got to escape into TullyandKate's world. So thank you, and good luck with the final editing of your next book, I'm sure it will be great!
-Sam
I finished Percy Jackson, all 5 books. It was so enjoyable.
Good news. I bought Winter Garden for my friend, and she loved it. I also recommended it to my co-worker and may lend it to her if she can't find it at her library. Don't mind lending as it helps rationalize the fact that I bought two copies.
I'm onto reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for book club. No matter what the content is, it'll be a nice escape from Little Miss who is in practice for her preteen years. She's testing all boundaries with the kicking, hitting and throwing things. I'm sporting a cut over my eye, and she's been in non-stop trouble all weekend. We just keep reminding ourselves that we're supposed to be the bad guys now, and she'll eventually turn into a productive and positive member of society. Then, and only then, we'll get our reward. :) In the meantime, it's a good thing she's cute.
There's a book called "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo?" I wonder if the girl with the dragon tattoo knows that. I few weeks ago I stopped at the pizza place near my work and was served by a very sweet 20ish year old with a lovely tattoo behind her right ear--only visible, I imagine, when her hair is up, which it has been on both of my visits. I found it a fun coincidence at the time because I was listening to Elizabeth Kostova's "Historian" read by Dennis Boutsikaris, among others, which also features a female with a dragon tattoo. Must be a popular theme these days. Still, I may have to find that book and if it's good, present it to my friendly pizza girl.
Thanks guys for the info on 'True Blood".
Glad your car, Lynn, is stitched up and happy again, and sorry your daughter took on the "Tasmanian Devil" archetype April. Yikes! Hope she outgrows THAT stage soon!
Gotta get back to reading "Pretty Birds" (a book inserted into my reading schedule because I met the author and got a signed copy while in Chicago--he, Scott Simon, was our keynote speaker at a conference I attended for work in April)so I can be ready for the "Summer Reading" program that starts Monday....I'm afraid the University Library has no Hannah books, so I may have to hold off on "True Colors" and the one I just bought, "Mystic Lake" for awhile. :-(
Take care all
Ah yes, I can attest to the fact that toddlers and teens require similar parenting. You have to make sure they have eaten enough of the right foods, gotten enough sleep and if something is going to be different from the regular routine you have to explain it all ahead of time. Even the tantrums are similar!
Just keep telling yourself, 'this too, shall pass.'
Hey Kristin!
I too, have been a bit out of touch! I was happy to see that you have been as well. I came out back in March and saw the beautiful picture of our property, watched the video, cried my eyes out with Winter Garden, all of that.. then I got lost!
I am reading/listening to the Steig Larsson trilogy about Lisbeth Sanders. The first is the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the
2nd one is The Girl Who Played with Fire, and the last one that was just released is called The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest.
I became fascinated with the 2nd book before I knew about the trilogy. Sadly, the author died in 2004 from a massive heart attack, and he sent these off to his publisher right before his untimely death. There are rumors floating around that there will be books 4, 5, and 6 published posthumously because he had them partially written, almost complete, on his laptop when he died, but those rumors are just that..Pure speculation.
You can't help but cheer for Lisbeth in these novels. The English translation is quite nice, considering that the original novels were written in his native tongue of Swedish. If you haven't read this trilogy, Kristin, you should. I just know you will love it.
As usual about this time of year, I am revisiting your novels that I have on MP3. I am listening to Between Sisters yet again..but I think I may have to listen to Winter Heart again very soon, because that book just got to me like no other since Magic Hour..God, you did such a phenomenal job on that book!
My husband and I are traveling to Canada in a couple of weeks, June
5th through June 18, 2010.. I have never been there, and neither has Arno, so it will be really cool to see it together. He has done a lot of traveling in his young lifetime (he is only 37) because he is from the Netherlands as you may remember, and his family travels at least once a year on their vacations. He has been all over Europe and he even makes me want to go as well, but don't tell him.. I HATE airplane flights with a passion.. especially since 09/11. Just the mere thought of having to get on a plane to go anywhere scares me so bad I make myself sick. Fear I know.. but it is very real.. Perhaps if we were rich enough to own our own plane it would be different, I don't know.
Anyway, just wanted to pop in and say hello! I miss coming around to post and participate. Work has slammed the proverbial "you have to go FULL TIME" gavel down, and I am trying to heed the call. I swear, it is hard to do when I have been part time since 1999.
Take care! Enjoy Hawaii!
Linda in NC
Tracie, did you like listening to The Historian? I have the book at home after meeting Elizabeth Kostova at a signing.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the first book in a trilogy. There is a foreign movie based on it and Hollywood is trying its hand, I hear.
The kid is only 2 so I fear she won't grow out of the phase overnight, but she is learning there are consequences to her actions which is a good lesson to learn. :)
Hope all the domestic Fireflies have interesting Memorial Day plans!
By the way, anwyone? Is it possible to read the peice that Patricia wrote that won the contest that Kristin sponsored? I looked for a link but couldn't find. :-(
Thanks,
Tracie
Tracie,
All of the winning entries are posted on the home page at the very bottom under Contest. You can read them all. There are quite a variety of stories. Thanks for asking about mine.
Blessings,
Pat
Thanks Pat! Cool! I'll read them all! By the way, your Ward's reading sounds similar to my Don's. I'm sure if I ever find an audio version of one of Kristin's books he'd enjoy it, but for print he tends towards the non-fiction.
April, I'm sorry to say I didn't like it enough to recommend it to my friend who borrows all of my audio books.
Maybe I'd have enjoyed print more...There were brief parts that I felt were nicely, even poetically delivered with their imagery...but overall it was too...pedestrian? Too passive maybe. Is she a librarian or an archivist when she isn't writing? I hope she doesn't read this because I wouldn't want to hurt her feelings (hope Scott Simon never stumbles on my little tirade about his masterpiece also!), but the many references to librarians was almost comic. It was almost like the librarian replaced the butler...you know, as in "the butler did it." :-)
TTFN,
Tracie
I did not read the book. I can't remember what her background is, but I remember she came across as a scholar. The book intimidates me because of its sheer size. Maybe I'll get to it eventually if only to tell my friend my thoughts as she highly recommended it to me. Thanks for your thoughts, though!
Kristin,
I love love love your books. Winter Garden was the first. Oh my, I am hooked. I can not stop reading your books. I have read True Colors, Magic Hour, Firefly Lane, and Between Sisters. Just picked up On Mystic Lake. I have never read a book so quickly or cried so hard. Im hooked.
Your books have me reflect on my own sisterly and female relationships and have me keep them in check. Forgiveness is so important. And dont sweat the small stuff.
As for me, my milestone is our 20th Anniversary. It is important to me. My son finished his first year of college and my daughter is in her senior year in the fall. Looking at colleges, starting a job, driving (she is a young sr) and boyfriends.... grey hair is a coming.
Again I love your books. I say take a siesta you deserve it then when the time is right you will dive into something wonderful.
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