The Mystical Emporium
Home to all thing magical in the life of Marie-Claude Bourque, author of mystical romance and fantasy
ANCIENT WHISPERS
AMERICAN TITLE V WINNER
"Infinitally romantic and creative"
RT BOOKreviews
Dorchester ~ Love Spell
ISBN: 978-0-505-52833-9
Available Now
- Bushwhacking, Booze, and Nothing to Lose September 2, 2010Song of the day: Nothing to Lose by Operator Okay, tell me the truth. Do you ever have a moment where you just stop and wonder why it is that you write? Why do you subject yourself to torturous, lonely hours of work, real work, on a book where often there seems so little reward? [...] […]jbrayweber
- A Behind the Scenes Look at the Bustle September 2, 2010Okay, so it’s a horrible pun. But really, if you’re looking at the historical development over time of the bustle, could you resist? The fact remains that one of the classic elements of refined lady steampunk wear is the bustle. But what people seem to forget is that the bustle wasn’t always part of Victorian [...] […]bluemooncomm
Archive for the ‘Writing Ancient Whispers’ Category
Sweat and tears…
I was going through my non-fiction bookshelf tonight and decided to re-read The War of Art by Stephen Pressfield. It’s really a great little book which I learned about from author Allison Brennan in an online class I took from her.
It talks about resistance. Basically how when we attempt to do something for our better good, we encounter resistance in various form. The book describes what it is and how to still do our work despite it (because we never truly conquer it). It shows us how to be a pro as opposed to an amateur. How a pro shows up for work (write) when he should, as opposed to the amateur who talks a lot about it but doesn’t actually do it much.
I’m struggling with that a lot. Maybe being online makes me talk about writing more. Leaving less time for the actual writing.
I think I was successful in completing my first manuscript because I wrote in a vaccuum. I was on one online loop only which is mostly a crit group. So there was a big insentive to post new chapters. I knew nothing about writing so I just shut up, read what other said and read tons of book on the craft. (I still don’t know much about writing, but now I can’t seem to be able to shut up!)
And I had Pressfield to remind me that writing was hard and I had to have a Marines approach to the work. Get down and dirty and do it! Through everything! Seems it’s the only way.
I think I completed Ancient Secrets that way too. But it did take me a while to get there.
I guess there’s no easy way. Every success is made of a whole lot of sweat and tears.
BB
Of gernsey knitting and romance novels
(1) I didn’t read many romances before and while I wrote ANCIENT WHISPERS. I’d read most of the Dark-Hunter books and Christine Feehan’s Drake Sisters series, a few British chic lit, the regencies of Marion Chesney and a few Ellora’s Cave novels.
I knew the basic structure of a romance novel and went basically with my instinct from there. The seduction part turned out so so though and I’m glad my editor gave me lots of pointers to help me fix that part.
Regardless, I think I did well in the end for a first but I do need to learn more. I don’t really want to read paranormal romance right now but I’m dying to read a bunch of good historicals to assimilate the structure of courship. And face it, my sorcerers have a lot in commons with rakes, English Lords and Scottish Lairds. I’m also into reading deep “relationship” contemp with intelligent characters dealing with real life problems and for fun, I’m also dying to read a few over the top alpha heroes from the HQ present line.
So I’m doing a romance summer reading challenge. So far, I finished three books: A Desperate Duchess book by Eloisa James, a Julia Quinn and The Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase.
I heard so much good from the latter and I was not disapointed. There are so many reasons why this book is a success that I do think it’s mandatory reading for any romance writer. I got a copy at the library but I’m getting my own to take apart, list all the scenes and see how the romance plot is structured.
(2) This was a strange sort of week-end besides reading Lord of Scoundrels, with having to care for sick kids and being sick myself.
I’ve been knitting practically all my life and for a while did all kinds of traditional sweaters. I’d stopped that because of the said kids above and knitted mostly simple hats and socks for charity (and talked about that at author Heidi Betts’s blog last year).
Anyway, yesterday I dug out somehing I hadn’t touched in at least 7 years, a complicated fisherman gansey sweater half done in gorgious homespun Australian wool (you can start to glimpse the knitting geek coming back!).
So I sat there and worked on that for most of the week-end and I’m really into knitting complicated again.
So much that I’m planning some Victorian lace knitting for my steampunk outfits! Combine both passions, why not!
(3) I’m still addicted to all things sorcery however. I’m at the romcon book blog tomorrow talking about all kinds of sorcerers and I’m taking a break from romance with Dresden Files #2 and the very excellent Jim Butcher!
A waxing crescent moon tonight…
Bright Blessings
It’s this control thing…
I spent most of my morning preparing a big post with 15 Dorchester authors for tomorrow at Musetracks.
Then the afternoon was spent writing two blogs and one interview. I love those places where I will soon blog, yet it’s hard not to wonder why we authors need to be online.
I read somewhere that over 50% of romance buyers are not online. They buy at stores and most probably on name recognition and impulse.
If I look at how I chose books to read before I started writing, I am not surprised. Mostly I put books at the library on hold, usually after reading the New York Times Review on Sundays. I would pick up the latest Robert B Parker and Sue Grafton at the grocery store because I love those, and I picked up my first Sherilynn Kenyon because of the cover. I heard about Ellora’s Cave because they had an ad in the NYT reviews and I got a Keri Arthur book after seing the ad in US magazine. It just looked cool!
So there, nothing online.
It’s all about control for me. I hate having no control over things and I truly have no control over sales. Of course, I do (overdo) all I can to spread the word around but in the end there are so many factors that can affect my sales that over obsessing about my Amazon ranking and how fast people are adding me on Goodreads won’t really help.
I need to go back to obsess about POV violation and story continuity.
But for the next ten days, I have blogs and interviews and other promo commitments. So I’ll hold on tight and work through them.
And for a few days I’ll try to remind myself, no matter how out of character this is for me, to enjoy the simple fact that I have a book in print and not worry about what comes next.
Blessed be
Out of my hands now…
And so I survived the release of my first book.
In a way, it was better then I thought. People started to see the book in libraries this week-end which took me by surprise but in a good way.
The whole release thing was not a big splash but it was not like hearing crickets in the emptiness either.
No one went out to say it was the best book they ever read but no one said it was horrible, yet.
So I’m in a good place about this. It’s cool.I wrote a book, It’s on bookshelves at bookstores, really well placed too. So far a few people read and enjoyed it. A few mentionned staying up late to finish it, which is pretty awesome to hear.
Some people ordered it on Amazon, some got it on Kindle. People ordered it in Canada and the UK! It’s great 
I still have 2 more weeks worth of blogging and a few more mailing to do and I can go back to writing. I miss that. But when I do I’ll know I did all I could for Ancient Whispers.
It’s out of my hands now…
Inspiration rushing through…
I saw How to Train a Dragon today. Wow, it’s been a while since I really got into a movie like that.
I love this feeling of rooting for the hero and where everyone does what they are supposed to do and everything is tied up just perfectly in the end. The script is perfect in my book. All expectations are met and the ending is super satisfying. It reminded me why I so like to write fantasy. I’m still filled with goosebumps and pack with ideas.
I stopped by our local Barnes & Noble to see if they ANCIENT WHISPERS but not luck. It will be in June 1st. But it’s been sighted in Alabama which is very cool.
But I was thrilled to find the latest in the Dragonlance saga, Dragons of the Hourglass Mage. I just love this series and Weis and Hickman are getting better with each book. I’ve started to read it already and yes I can read again!!!
I have to do dragons one day. Had this great premise for a series a year ago and it all came back to me. Plus I’m getting tons of inspiration for my ANCIENT series. People are already asking for the next book in the series. I’m crossing my fingers for that to happen!!
Blessed be
Experiment of the day…
I’m experimenting first hand how being online can keep me fragmented and I tried something new today by not going online until midday.
It was nice to be by myself again. I had a chance to brainstorm some more on my new project and also go to the library.
It’s so weird to disconnect. On one hand, I miss talking to friends but on the other hand I feel a lot less hyper.
A very strange day today but happy regardless. Feeling more of a purpose, less stretched in all direction.
I got my box of 25 copies of Ancient Whispers today and I felt very proud. Wow, how long since I actually started to write this? Two and a half year.
Just saying it I’m floored. Two and a half years ago, I took a pen and started writing my first manuscript and now I’m looking at 25 gorgious books in a box! Mind boggling, no kidding I feel as if I’ve climbed a runaway train.
It’s not normal to get published that fast. I know it’s not. And there is nothing special about me that made it happen this way, just plain good luck.
And I know this, I’m so grateful for it and I know I have so so much to learn and I know how hard I have to keep working to improve my writing.
But I think I’m settled now. The book is out. I’m a little tired to tell people to try it. I just want to talk with everyone about something else. I want to hear about people’s lifes, focus on them more. I want to write more into the world I built. I’m thrilled that people have called my heroine strong and my heroes sexy. I’m glad to hear my High Priestess is fascinating.
I’m more into talking about the world I invented than about my own life right now.
I’m happy, I’m settled. I just want to continue to enjoy the small things in my life that are working good for me.
Blessed be.
Getting ready for the big day
Yes I did disappear for almost two weeks. It’s not like I was hiding or anything… Well yes maybe I was a little.
I had the chance to be completely alone for an entire week and took the time to catch up. Seems like ever since I started writing I hadn’t had a chance to do that.
I’m basically a loner. I’ve never gotten bored on my own and frankly I crave it. But it’s hard with kids and trying to maintain a somewhat constant online presence because (1) I do like talking with my friends and (2) it is sort of part of the job of writing.
When I do forget that I crave to be alone and force it through, I find I get cranky and just don’t know why.
Anyhow, this break alone was just what I needed. I worked hard, mostly preparing 150 letters to booksellers and doing an online workshop for a writing loop I am in.
And now, with 8 days to go before the big release day, I am starting my blog tour. Which feels like doing a round of the American Title again but with a lot less stress.
I wrote a few blogs today and at first I wondered if anyone would care. Everything I talk about revolves around reaching for our dreams. But today I hosted Charles Paz at Musetracks and I couldn’t help but be inspired by him
Check his post here.
And I’m feeling that sense of purpose again, I don’t feel like I’m back pedaling anymore.
I have things I believe in, things I want to say. I have a book that is what it is. I can’t make it better now or different. I know one blogger loved it. So right now that’s enough for me.
I’ll deal with the pressure of putting out 24 blogs in 3 weeks and then let it go, knowing I did all I could with what I have.
I turned the Emperor last night. I guess I’m ready…
Blessed Be.
The sweet lure of success…
How do you define success?
I’ve been thinking a lot about that lately. Will my joy at having my first book released be crushed by the bad reviews that are sure to come? Can the feeling of success of holding a real book with my name on the spine be damped by thinking only of selling the next one?
What is success anyway? Only good reviews and sales after sales? Where is the control in something like that?
As long as I was writing and submitting, I could measure my success by whether I met my self-imposed word count and submitted my work on my own deadlines.
Why did I suddenly change and gave power to others? I’m responsible for my own happiness. Not reviewers, agents and publishing house.
For a long time in my life, I was always able to see that even if the worse happen, I would be ok. Not sure why I changed but I realize now that I did.
The truth is even if my book flops, everyone hates it and I never sell again, I will be ok. I will still be able to take my pen and notebook and write the stories of my heart.
I will still be able to get them bounded at a print shop and hand them out to my boys for when I’m gone. Which is all I had in mind when I started in the first place.
A writer writes. As long as I write, I’m successful and so are you.
Added another 5 pages to The Axiom of Depth today. Moving forward.
What I was missing…
I remember when I started writing Ancient Whispers, it was more than a story. It was all of me. My experience, my emotions, all the things that made me go ah. Call it pouring my heart and soul into it.
As I’m in the midst of the sequel, Ancient Secrets, I see what, until recently, I was missing. So far all it was, was a story. Boy meet girl, big battle. But so what?
My father always asked “so what” at the end of his paleontology seminars. So what? What is the point of this? Why should we care?
I think fiction is the same. I think we, the writer, should care, should be so involved that the story of the moment is “the one”, the best one, the one that contains our hopes, our dreams, are pains, our deep thoughts in life, even as we craft love scenes and magical worlds. It should always be our intense vision of the moment.
I guess that’s what I had been missing.
Finished editing my first 4 chapters of Ancient Secrets today, about 40 pages. Hopefully my writing partners will give me their impressions so I can go over it once more before sending it out.
Brainstormed some more on the Steampunk story and came up with some awesome scenes. I’m loving this as well, but I’m still undecided about the title.
Blessed Be.
I need your discipline…
I spent 5 hrs straight at the coffeeshop today going through my galley proofs of Ancient Whispers and made it through half of the book, 150 pages. Not bad at all for one day.
Later, it occured to me that if I was to spent just 3 hrs a day, everyday writing or editing, I would be able to write, edit and revise 2 books a year. Is this the key to success? That constant discipline?
That how I did fitness, training daily. Of course, I have all my “life” obligation on top of that to fulfill but really 3 hrs. Some people easily watch that much TV a day. Two hours in the morning, one during the day or night. Is that possible? Shall I give it a shot?
Brightest Blessings
(as always find the artist by clicking on the image at the top)
