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Jenna's
Diary appears every Friday
July 18th
I'm getting
business cards printed up. I'll just have my name and "Author"
underneath, I figure I'll probably need them for book industry shmoozefests.
I've also
been trying out looks for the book jacket photo. The way I figure it,
I should find out who I'm going to be before I get famous. I was leaning
towards intellectual but I don't know if you get booked on a lot of talk
shows that way. I think the style that suits me best is a super-savvy
hot-chick but I don't know if that's a good look for a writer.
However as
Southern Edge publishing said, I am the creator of a new art form so I
guess I can look any way I want to.
In any case,
I'm getting more highlights.
July 19th
SIMON FINALLY
CALLED ME! He said that he always knew I could do it, that I was a genius,
etc. He didn't actually say those exact words he said "I'm just glad
that you've moved on with your life." but I know it's what he meant.
I'm glad he can see that unlike my friends, my life is moving ahead.
He talked
a bit about his show and about his writing until I very casually said.
"You've been working so hard--what you need is a retreat--would you
be interested in going up to my cottage so we could really concentrate
on work?"
I blabbed
on that a lot of my friends found the cottage a great place for artistic
inspiration that we get together and share ideas, critique and do workshop
exercises. The more I talked the more I got caught up in it. I told him
my friend Jenny was going up this weekend with her husband Brian to work
on their novel.
Before I
could even finish he interrupted and said "that sounds great! The
city is sweltering and I can't afford a holiday, I don't have a show this
weekend so it would be perfect."
FANTASTIC!!!!
WHOO HOOOO!
Jenny is
going to kill me.
July 20th
It's not
so bad when I think of it. There is loads of room and would it kill Jenny
and Brian to broaden their horizons? Besides they could give me us a ride
up.
July 21
What is it
with some people? I received another letter today from Axminster
publications- Romantic Fiction! Romantic Fiction! It's like they
didn't even bother to read the letter. I made it clear that it was literature.
I don't know what's wrong with that guy. Why on earth would I make Jayde
learn to operate an electric socket wrench?
What a waste
of my time. They could beg me to write a book on drill bits and I wouldn't.
On top of everything, they lose my manuscript. I should bill them for
it.
At least
now I know where my good bra went.
Jenny is
really pissed off at me. She went on and on about how she and Brian really
need this weekend and it wasn't fair for me to tell them they could have
the cottage to themselves and then invite all and sundry, blah, blah.
I didn't
think it was a good time to tell her she's a novelist.
July 22
I asked Simon
what time we should pick him up on Friday and he said that he found out
they'd added another show so he wouldn't be able to come up until Saturday
and not to worry about a ride.
He is so
sweet! He is always thinking over others (but most especially of me tee
hee). I told him it was no problem but he told us to go on ahead.
I am soooooo
excited! It is going to be sooooo romantic. I can just see us sitting
by the fire, he makes a toast to my success but I turn my head away shyly.
He takes my chin in his hand and turns my face toward him. I'm looking
down in a Princess Diana kind of way and he says "this is the just
the start. Together you and I are going to change the world. I love you
Jenna."
I love you
Simon.
July 23
Oh my gosh
this is too much. Another letter today this one is from I.M.Anonimus--I
think I should probably get a business manager I am going to be bigger
than I ever dreamed.
"We
believe this will give it the chance it deserves to be widely discussed
around the water-coolers of our great publishing houses." Oh my God!!!!!
I'm not so
sure what he meant when he said I had filched things (maybe it means improved?
My dictionary is holding up my dining room table) and that thing about
publishing bestsellers--I don't know why he put "unfortunately"
in that sentence.
I've noticed
something about publishers though, they say really nice things then at
the end they throw in something weird. Maybe they're frustrated writers.
Maybe they get jealous? It's like that old saying "those who can't
teach gym, write" or something like that.
God, you
order one stupid set of encyclopedias, write a bad cheque and all of a
sudden you're a criminal.
I don't think
I'm going to make them my first choice but I do appreciate them recognizing
my gift.
July 26
This could
be the house I go with. Pandora's Box
Press. If I had three piles this would go in my "Possibility"
pile.
The stuff
about the newsletter and the library writing group-- I think they are
jumping the gun a bit. I'd feel a little stupid giving lectures to these
groups without the book being published first.
The only
thing that's holding me back on giving them the OK to go ahead and publish
is the thing about the SASE. It raises some serious doubts in my mind--can
a place that can't afford postage stamps really pay me what I'm worth?
I'm going to have to mull this over.
I'm glad
I'm a very grounded person otherwise this could turn my head. You hear
the stories all the time of someone hitting it big first time out and
they just go to pieces.
I am lucky
that I'm blessed with level-headedness, but even for someone like me there
could be some pitfalls on the road ahead.
Two resolutions
that I'm going to make right now:
I will not
take heroin.
I will not
drink Absinthe.
There are
probably a few more things, but I don't have time right now because I've
got to find a bathing suit that doesn't look like sausage casing.
I'm on top
of the world!
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