QUERY THIS PAL!



TAKING AIM AT A BOOK DEAL



No more queries for this couch potato! Well, the couch is actually a chair in the man cave, seemingly chained to a desk and computer.



KATE FOLKERS, LITERARY AGENT



Something magical happened on Tuesday, November 16.  A long process of getting someone to believe in my 92 thousand word espionage thriller payed off.  I now have a literary agent!

Thank you Kate Folkers of the Martin Literary Management Agency.

Is it coincidence that a Field Of Dreams is on right now?

I realize this is just another phase of a continuing process, but it feels awfully damn good right now.  Of course, for all the hard work leading up to this moment, there remains plenty to accomplish.  Getting a book deal is no guarantee.  Over the past few months, I felt I was close to securing representation and I have all the rejection letters to prove it.  From the early stages of form written setbacks to letters of encouragement, some of which offered sound advice. 

Thanks to a connection with author Sara Paretsky, agent Dominick Abel gave me a phone call during the early stages of my search.  He offered sound criticism that I took to heart, leading me back to the dark, lonely days of rewrite, rewrite.  I'd come up for air to try again, only to realize I wasn't there yet.  The thought of giving up though, never crossed my mind.

Along the way I discovered the Guide To Literary Agents blog, a tremendous source of updated information.  I also stumbled across Thrillerfest, which I attended for the first time in July.  Talk about an invaluable learning experience!  I've interviewed Presidents, A-List actors and world class athletes but nothing was as terrifying as having to prepare for a pitch session before some the industry's best and brightest.  To help get me there, I owe a huge thanks to the kindness and advice of people like authors Shane Gericke and Lisa Gardner.  They were warm and inviting during a reception the night before as were a number of other authors.  JJ Cooper, my Down Under friend, thanks for the encouragement!  If you write thrillers and haven't yet sampled Thrillerfest, you really must give it a try.  Besides, it's in New York!

So why did Kate Folkers decide to offer me representation?  Why did I decide to sign with her?  From my end, it was a comfortable connection.  She got what my book was about.  She took the time to delve into it, offering both praise and criticism.  She was honest and had a plan.  I also was impressed with her multi-faceted background which I believe in the long run will pay off.

Since November 16, I've had plenty of time to come down from Mt. Small Achievement.  There's hopefully a book deal out there and I've got plenty of polishing up to do.  At least I'm not doing it alone anymore.

DOES DAVID BALDACCI EVER SLEEP?




John Carr, aka Oliver Stone is back

 Best-selling thriller writer David Baldacci has bested me again.  In releasing Hell's Corner today, he now has 20 published books to my 0!!!

Whew, I've got some catching up to do in the second half!

In the meantime, I spent a few good minutes with David this morning discussing his latest release, where he writes and how he combats writer's block.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Until you actually go through the process of trying to secure an agent and get published, the majority of newbie authors have great expectations.  Walking by a bookseller and seeing your work displayed through the window is the stuff dreams are made of.  What's that? New York Times Bestsellers' List!

Count me dreaming!

Ah, but they're not called dreams for nothing.  The truth has a way of slapping you back into reality.



Terry McMillan's latest novel

Overnight sensations are rare.  Rest assured a number of successful authors spent countless months in rejection land.  In September, Terry McMillan stopped by upon the launch of her latest novel,
Getting To Happy.  The book is the long overdue and awaited sequel to Waiting To Exhale.  After achieving blockbuster gold with Exhale, most would put a rush order on a followup.  Strike while the literary fire is white hot.  McMillian waited more than 15 years!  She wrote several books in-between but none achieved the same legendary status.

So why the delay?  McMillian told me she never gave most of the characters in Exhale too much thought after it was released.  The countless chatter, interviews and "when are you going to write a sequel" questions distanced her even more.  Finally though, Savannah, Gloria, Bernadine, and Robin won out.  Characters who's advancement in life had to be told.

I hadn't seen Terry in a couple of years so it was nice to catch up.  When I remarked to her that I had written a novel and how frustrating it was to secure an agent, she asked how long I had been looking.  When I told her since the end of July, she crossed her eyes and threw out a well placed "Child please."

I don't recall the name, but she mentioned a guy who'd won a Pulitzer Prize that couldn't land an agent for a couple of years before it finally happened.  The message was clear.  Keep plugging away and if it's something you want bad enough and you're talented enough, a breakthrough will eventually come.

So, I'm looking forward to exhaling myself one day.

OLD SCHOOL VS. NEW SCHOOL (OR DROP THAT eREADER... I DARE YOU!)

I was at Costco the other day bulking up when something caught my eye.  It was subtle, but left me with a warm feeling.

Adjacent to the clothes, cold cuts and cheeses, was a long table filled with various books.  Good old hardcovers and paperbacks with numerous people thumbing through them.  I was hit with one of the glaring design flaws of eBooks, a huge advantage that paper books have held for years.  Go to Amazon and the books that allow you to "see inside" have the same drawback.  You can only scan through the first several pages!  Even as a kid, I enjoyed not only glancing at the beginning of a book but turning to the middle and toward the end to see if the writing was consistent. 

Most published writers today know how to craft the first couple of chapters but what happens in the meat of the book?  Is the writing just as compelling?  How often have you excitedly started a novel only to be letdown by say page 50 or 100?  With a hardcover or paperback, I can flip through the pages.  It's more of a gamble with an eBook.

For me also, there is just something about holding a book and turning the pages.  My eyes suffer enough during the course of a day staring at various computer screens.  Sure while on vacation it's cool to lounge by the pool or beach, reading an iPad, Kindle, etc but I don't want to be in panic mode if it slips out of my hand or begins to run out of juice.

I can only imagine being on the edge of a cliff hanging moment when the battery power is about to run out on my eReader.  "Honey, I have to run back to the room and charge up!"

If I drop my book in the sand, no harm, no foul, and as long as I've got sunlight, I'm good to go.  If I'm not paying attention for a moment and suddenly my book is gone, there's no panic.  I don't mind spending less than twenty bucks to get another copy if need be.  Lose that iPad and I'm forming a search party!

I realize eBooks have recently been outselling hardcovers but call me a purist.  I'll always favor and have a soft spot in my heart and hands for good old paper.

MY BRUSH WITH JASON BOURNE

It was not unlike a clandestine meeting.

On each end, someone else was responsible for us getting together in 1983.  There was never any direct communication.  No one with notoriety passed through St. Thomas without a set of eyes upon them. 

I had only been living and working on St. Thomas for a couple of months when a fellow co-worker at the Virgin Islands Daily News informed me that my favorite author, Robert Ludlum, often vacationed there.  I told him I'd be interested in doing an interview.  He knew people who knew Ludlum and therefore, he'd see what he could do the next time Jason Bourne's creator was on the island.

Robert Ludlum

I'd forgotten about the conversation when out of the blue one day, I was told Ludlum agreed to the interview.  But, there was a condition.  Now this was the part that as a journalist, makes you take a seat. 

What's the condition?

"You can't disclose to anyone where he's staying and you can't run the interview in the paper until he's gone."

Now, this was the part that as a journalist, makes you jump out of your seat and say, "Is that all?  Yeah I agree to that."

Secret Harbour Beach Resort

A couple of days later, anxious as hell, I knocked on the designated door at the Secret Harbour Beach Resort.  Now the next part is a little fuzzy in my memory.  Come on, it was over 27 years ago!  What I can't remember is whether he or his wife opened the door.  In any event, I was welcomed in and led to the patio.  The backdrop was a breathtaking stretch of white sandy beach and a cove that fed into the Caribbean Ocean.

For nearly an hour I sat with Ludlum, picking his brain, listening to every word, hoping to not only gather material for a good article, but to possibly pick up pointers for the day when I got serious about writing my own thrillers.

One skill you learn over time is how to read upside down.  While on vacation, Ludlum would often write passages of his next project in a simple spiral bound notebook.  There it was, open on the table.  The makings of the next novel.  I started to read it.  Hey, he left it open!  I asked to be sure.  "So, you're working on your next book?"

He acknowledged my observation but wouldn't let me read it.  Now was that being hospitable!  I believe that notebook turned out to be The Aquitaine Progression.

When I was done, it was just as much a treat to discover Ludlum was a gracious, nice person.  I of course, honored our agreement and a few months later, a note addressed to me arrived from him.  He didn't have to, but essentially Ludlum took the time to say thanks.  I cherish that correspondence to this day.

THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR

I had to attend the funeral of good friend yesterday.  Though painful, I have to live with the fact that I'm responsible for his death.  It became obvious that his demise was necessary.  I fought for him time after time, and my wife bit her tongue for the longest time before admitting he should go.  It was tough for her to come forward with her feelings because she knew how much he meant to me.  When I got the feeling literary agents couldn't get past him either, I reluctantly knew it had to be done.

His name or circumstance doesn't matter.  Getting rid of him required a great deal of thought and a measurable amount of reworking but now that he's gone, I'm glad.  Truth is, I'm missing him less and less.

Such is the nature of rewriting and examining a manuscript over and over.  It's a tedious, sometimes ugly process.  Sort of like looking in a full length mirror and recognizing the areas that need work.  It's easy to walk away but that doesn't solve anything.  You've seen the reality and the question is, what are you going to do about it?

The writing process is reminiscent of one of my favorite childhood cartoon series -- The Rocky And Bullwinkle Show.  I loved when the narrator would sometimes tease alternate previews at the end, setting up the next episode.  When you tuned in again, the beginning was not without its drama as well.  Here is an example from the show, not that different from creating drama in a thriller novel.

Narrator: Well, today we find our heroes flying along smoothly...

Rocket J. Squirrel: Flying along smoothly?

Bullwinkle J. Moose: You're just looking at the picture sideways!

Rocket J. Squirrel: Actually it's like this!

Narrator: Oh... OH GOOD HEAVENS! Today we find our heroes plunging straight down toward disaster at supersonic speed!

Bullwinkle J. Moose: That's better.

Couldn't have written it better myself.  One example ends in rejection.  The other keeps your interest.  Mix in the right character development like Boris Badenov and  Natasha Fatale and we're talking signed to major deal category.

 

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

What works for you?  How do you get what's in your head out? 

Are you a Apple or Windows person?  Anybody old school and using a typewriter?

I don't really know the answer why, but I have a collection of fine point ink pens scattered throughout the house.  I use them to jot down notes or write short passages when I'm either away from my PC or don't feel like firing up Word just to record the brief ideas filtering from by brain.  Thank goodness none of the pens are over four dollars and I usually get them from drug stores or whichever office supply place is closer.

I've been a Windows man ever since we came out of the dark DOS age.  I look at the occasional screen freeze or slowness of operation as sort of a life metaphor.  From time to time you're going to have some ups and downs.  Just go with the flow and clean out the junk that's weighing heavily on you.

I must admit, damn you Steve Jobs, that I do long for one of those 27-inch screen, fully loaded iMac desktop computers.  As soon as I can gather enough funds to overthrow a third world country, I'm diving in!

Finding the right time to be creative and get the juices flowing has been tricky.  Sure, I could do my best John McEnroe and scream at my six-year old when he wants something.  "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!  CAN'T YOU GET YOUR OWN DAMN SNACKS BY NOW!  DON'T YOU SEE DADDY'S BUSY WRITING A BESTSELLER!"  Of course, I'd spend the rest of the evening dealing with all the crying and guilt feelings. 

I find that early evening works best for me in terms of being creative.  The kids are busy in the their own world and my wife is getting her True Blood updates or scouring the internet looking for discounted Christian Louboutin shoes.  As if they're ever going to be that magic 59.99 price which would make me say, "Go ahead, get crazy.  Buy three pair honey."

I'd write after the kids went to bed if I didn't have to get up just past 3AM to get ready for the job that actually pays me.  Where's my "major deal" signing announcement in Publishers Marketplace!

I also try to get creative after coming home from work.  It's generally quiet except for when the dogs decide it's time for them to play Tom & Jerry around the house.  They have to be fed, let out, let in and let out again.  Before you know it, I've eaten lunch and gone over several pages or notes, only to realize it's time to pick the kids up from school.

Ah, there's always the weekend.  A pot of coffee and a fresh start.