Editor's note: We'll wind up our conversation with Patrice in this post. But first, let me praise this author to the skies. She not only writes well and with passion, she's dedicated to the craft and business of writing. She has educated herself by reading, attending writing conferences, talking to other writers, editors and agents. And all along the way she has been learning. She is also very helpful to fellow writers. Visit her website http://www.patricesarath.com/
Do you plan to continue your focus in fantasy, or will you venture into other genres?
I think Gordath Wood holds clues to that. It combines fantasy, romance, and mystery because I love all those genres. I have been developing other projects that take these elements and toss them together in different ways.
How do you bring your characters to life?
Connie Willis http://conniewillis.blogspot.com/ once said at a convention, "People! Your characters are not real!" Which is true of course, and hey, it's Connie Willis, she should know. But if writers do their job right, then characters bring themselves to life. I actually don't know how I do it. Some people go through those personality profiles for their characters, but I think that would suck the life right out of them. As in so many things, I'm winging it here.
[Kae’s note: Sounds like Patrice, like Stephen King, may have some “boys in the basement.”]
Who are your five favorite authors, and why?
My influences are Jane Austen. J.R.R. Tolkien, and Alexandre Dumas. Then there are the contemporary writers who I love and in absolutely no particular order, Barbara Kingsolver, S.M. Stirling, Jane Smiley (Horse Heaven, of course). Sharon McCrumb for her giddy Elizabeth books and her gorgeous Appalachian mysteries. Stephen King -- no one can touch him when he's at the top of his game. Neil Gaiman. I could go on, but I think you said five. Oh wait! Michael Crichton! Can't forget him.
How did you come up with the idea for Gordath Wood?
I used to ride horses in the part of Connecticut and New York where the book takes place. It's the best place to ride in the world. You could get lost on those trails. And so...I wrote a book about getting lost on those trails.
What do you like best about writing?
I get to make up worlds and people for readers to enjoy. I have heard from a couple of readers that they couldn't put the book down. I love that. That's so cool.
What's the least favorite part of your career?
Well...the actual writing part. Whoever said that writing is sitting at the typewriter and opening a vein is absolutely correct. It's not easy and it can be extremely painful. Also, rejection letters suck. But it's part of the gig.
What advice would you give to new writers?
Funny you should ask that! I'm doing a once-a-week series on my Web site called Writing Lessons about what I've learned as a writer. I hope I can pass along some words of wisdom to writers young and old about getting the words down and whipping them into professional shape.
What do you do for fun?
I like to go hiking, go to movies, cook, rollerblade. I do yoga but I wouldn't call it fun (I have a complex relationship with yoga). I enjoy hanging out with friends and family. I'm starting riding lessons soon, after being away from the horse world for far too long. I would like to say that I knit and do crafts, but I'm really the most uncrafty person in the world.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
PATRICE SARATH TALKS ABOUT WRITING, BLOGGING AND FINDING YOUR VOICE
We sold Gordath Wood by Patrice Sarath to Ace/Penguin two years ago. The second book in the Gordath series, Red Gold Bridge, will be published in a few months. We thought it was high time that we gave our blog over to Patrice and allow her to share her experience with our readers.
Fairy tales, horses, romance, and adventure figure strongly in Patrice’s work. Her short stories have appeared in several top science fiction and fantasy magazines, including Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Realms of Fantasy, and Black Gate. She has sold stories to the anthologies Such a Pretty Face and Low Port and the British anthology Café Ole. Her story "A Prayer For Captain La Hire" was reprinted in Year's Best Fantasy 3. Her short story, "Ice," appeared in the June 2006 issue of Realms of Fantasy, and her stories have appeared in Weird Tales, Apex Science Fiction and Horror Digest. Many of her stories have been favorably reviewed on Tangent Online, SFSite, and other genre markets. She lives and writes in Austin, Texas, with her husband and two children.
Fairy tales, horses, romance, and adventure figure strongly in Patrice’s work. Her short stories have appeared in several top science fiction and fantasy magazines, including Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Realms of Fantasy, and Black Gate. She has sold stories to the anthologies Such a Pretty Face and Low Port and the British anthology Café Ole. Her story "A Prayer For Captain La Hire" was reprinted in Year's Best Fantasy 3. Her short story, "Ice," appeared in the June 2006 issue of Realms of Fantasy, and her stories have appeared in Weird Tales, Apex Science Fiction and Horror Digest. Many of her stories have been favorably reviewed on Tangent Online, SFSite, and other genre markets. She lives and writes in Austin, Texas, with her husband and two children.
PART I
When did you realize that you were a writer?
There wasn't any actual realization. I always wrote stories and poems when I was a kid. When I was a teen I wrote a bunch of novel starts and fanfic and really heartfelt poetry and all that stuff when you are figuring out your voice and your identity. When I was in my twenties, I became a reporter and editor but continued to write my fiction.
Do you remember the first story you wrote?
I was four or five. I think it was a very Richard Matheson piece -- science fiction horror, something about how machines were coming alive. I couldn't actually spell and I didn't really know that many words, but as I remember I was very absorbed in writing this scary thriller.
Can you describe your first published work?
"The Warlord and the Princess" appeared in Beyond the Rose, a little Irish chapbook. I got $5. It was a great feeling. I loved that $5 (I spent it, don't get me wrong, but I loved it.) I framed the acceptance letter. The story was about a warlord and -- you guessed it -- a princess, neither of whom is exactly what they appear to be, or what they present to the world. It was reprinted in Andromeda Spaceways In-Flight Magazine, a wonderful Australian magazine.
(Editor's note: You can read "The Warlord and the Princess" on Patrice's site:
www.patricesarath.com)
Do you hold to a writing schedule? How do you balance family, a full-time job, a website and a professional writing career?
I'll answer these together. It is vitally important if you have a family and a job to have a writing schedule. When my children were little, I wrote after they went to bed. Later, as they got older and were a little more self-sufficient, I could loosen up a bit, but in the early days it was every night after the dishes were done, the kids did their homework and had their baths and got their bedtime stories, then I wrote from about 9:30 to 10:30. That may not seem like much but I wrote a ton of short stories and a couple of novels.
Now my daughter is in college and my son is in middle school, so my writing schedule has loosened up. I'll still write at night but I can also set aside Sunday for a marathon writing session and no one will die or anything.
In my day job, I don't bring work home and don't work past eight hours a day, so that makes it very easy. I don't know how people who work long hours can still find time to write. They're the admirable ones!
When did you begin to gravitate to fantasy?
Obviously, from a very young age. ;-)
Do you hold to a writing schedule? How do you balance family, a full-time job, a website and a professional writing career?
I'll answer these together. It is vitally important if you have a family and a job to have a writing schedule. When my children were little, I wrote after they went to bed. Later, as they got older and were a little more self-sufficient, I could loosen up a bit, but in the early days it was every night after the dishes were done, the kids did their homework and had their baths and got their bedtime stories, then I wrote from about 9:30 to 10:30. That may not seem like much but I wrote a ton of short stories and a couple of novels.
Now my daughter is in college and my son is in middle school, so my writing schedule has loosened up. I'll still write at night but I can also set aside Sunday for a marathon writing session and no one will die or anything.
In my day job, I don't bring work home and don't work past eight hours a day, so that makes it very easy. I don't know how people who work long hours can still find time to write. They're the admirable ones!
When did you begin to gravitate to fantasy?
Obviously, from a very young age. ;-)
Stay tuned--Part II of Patrice's interview to come....
Thursday, January 29, 2009
FROZEN BUT FABULOUS
I had a feeling I wouldn't get out yesterday--but I certainly tried. Jon is in Florida helping his mom after a knee replacement and I was scheduled to join him yesterday. "Ah," I thought. "A few brief days in the Florida sunshine will be all I need to get me through the rest of a particularly dicey Pennsylvania winter." I packed my shorts, sunscreen and running shoes, stopped the mail, engaged the cat sitter, and confirmed my flight.
Unfortunately, the dire weather predictions that were playing in the background this week turned out to be 100% correct. When I got up at 6 AM yesterday, we had 4 inches of snow on the ground and the temperature was 22 degrees. Then it started to rain! What IS it about Pennsylvania that it RAINS when it's 22 degrees? Undaunted, I shoveled the walk, cleared the car, and finished packing. I checked out the online flight info every hour or so and my connecting flight to Charlotte, NC was still OK. Before I took my bag out to the car I checked once more--CANCELLED.
I neglected to mention that while all this was going on, I was in the middle of negotiating a deal for one of our clients, one that required some delicacy. Don't they all?
The happy news is that the deal was struck. The author, the publisher and I are happy. I'll tell you all about it after the contract is signed.
I'm not in Florida, but I'm resigned to that. I'm just thrilled about the deal, happy to have a cozy office in which to work, and loving my cup of hot coffee this morning. Oh, and it's a beautiful day today--bright sunshine and all. Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to deal with my totally frozen sidewalk!
Unfortunately, the dire weather predictions that were playing in the background this week turned out to be 100% correct. When I got up at 6 AM yesterday, we had 4 inches of snow on the ground and the temperature was 22 degrees. Then it started to rain! What IS it about Pennsylvania that it RAINS when it's 22 degrees? Undaunted, I shoveled the walk, cleared the car, and finished packing. I checked out the online flight info every hour or so and my connecting flight to Charlotte, NC was still OK. Before I took my bag out to the car I checked once more--CANCELLED.
I neglected to mention that while all this was going on, I was in the middle of negotiating a deal for one of our clients, one that required some delicacy. Don't they all?
The happy news is that the deal was struck. The author, the publisher and I are happy. I'll tell you all about it after the contract is signed.
I'm not in Florida, but I'm resigned to that. I'm just thrilled about the deal, happy to have a cozy office in which to work, and loving my cup of hot coffee this morning. Oh, and it's a beautiful day today--bright sunshine and all. Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to deal with my totally frozen sidewalk!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
MORE ON GORDATH WOOD
Go to http://litsoup.blogspot.com/. Author Patrice Sarath reveals valuable writer's insight in this post. And, stay tuned. We'll be featuring the jacket for Patrice's upcoming title in the Gordath series, Red Gold Bridge.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
A TALE OF TWO CLIENTS (OR PLEASE DON'T TELL US HOW TO WORK!)
We had a rather dramatic ending to our work week--we fired a client. Hate that.
Here's what happened:
In the "old days," agents made several hard copies of their clients' manuscripts which they would then mail to eager publishers. Some editors, publishers and agents still work that way. But the convenience of emailing manuscripts is catching on. Now, most of our editors prefer that we email manuscripts to them--usually in RTF (Rich Text Format). So, when we take on new clients, we ask for both hard copy and in an electronic RTF version.
Sometimes editors give us the option of sending either way. We prefer the email version for so many reasons--the salvation of trees, the elimination of many extra steps, plus saving ourselves the cost (constantly escalating) of making copies. So, whenever possible, we email manuscripts to publishers.
I explained this a few weeks ago to a client and asked her to please email her manuscript in RTF. She told me she was "technically challenged" and would have to get help. For the past two weeks we've been emailing back and forth as she and her helpers have been trying to send the manuscript via email. I learned on Friday, after she sent a PDF version, that it was not the technical aspects that bothered the author. It was the fear that editors would steal her work if they had it in an electronic format. I explained that this is standard practice now in publishing. We are working with professional editors and publishers whose ethics forbid such plagiarism. She consulted two "experts" and decided that her work would be in jeopardy if it was emailed to publishers. (Her "experts" are people who are technically savvy, not publishing pros.)
After several weeks of haggling, I told her I was releasing her from our agency contract. I love her book, but it's just not worth the fighting. I fear this kind of stubbornness would replay itself in many other ways during our relationship and life is just too short. We are in the trenches every day with editors and we resent being told how to do our business.
Compare this attitude with our other clients who simply convert their Word document into RTF and send it on to us. The author/agent contract is a collaborative dance. We respect the author's right to question our techniques, and we try to be as flexible as possible. But, the business is changing under our feet. And we pride ourselves on our work to keep up with these changes. It just makes us nuts to be second-guessed on standard publishing policy.
Am I crazy? How do you feel about sending electronic versions of your work to publishers before you have a contract?
Here's what happened:
In the "old days," agents made several hard copies of their clients' manuscripts which they would then mail to eager publishers. Some editors, publishers and agents still work that way. But the convenience of emailing manuscripts is catching on. Now, most of our editors prefer that we email manuscripts to them--usually in RTF (Rich Text Format). So, when we take on new clients, we ask for both hard copy and in an electronic RTF version.
Sometimes editors give us the option of sending either way. We prefer the email version for so many reasons--the salvation of trees, the elimination of many extra steps, plus saving ourselves the cost (constantly escalating) of making copies. So, whenever possible, we email manuscripts to publishers.
I explained this a few weeks ago to a client and asked her to please email her manuscript in RTF. She told me she was "technically challenged" and would have to get help. For the past two weeks we've been emailing back and forth as she and her helpers have been trying to send the manuscript via email. I learned on Friday, after she sent a PDF version, that it was not the technical aspects that bothered the author. It was the fear that editors would steal her work if they had it in an electronic format. I explained that this is standard practice now in publishing. We are working with professional editors and publishers whose ethics forbid such plagiarism. She consulted two "experts" and decided that her work would be in jeopardy if it was emailed to publishers. (Her "experts" are people who are technically savvy, not publishing pros.)
After several weeks of haggling, I told her I was releasing her from our agency contract. I love her book, but it's just not worth the fighting. I fear this kind of stubbornness would replay itself in many other ways during our relationship and life is just too short. We are in the trenches every day with editors and we resent being told how to do our business.
Compare this attitude with our other clients who simply convert their Word document into RTF and send it on to us. The author/agent contract is a collaborative dance. We respect the author's right to question our techniques, and we try to be as flexible as possible. But, the business is changing under our feet. And we pride ourselves on our work to keep up with these changes. It just makes us nuts to be second-guessed on standard publishing policy.
Am I crazy? How do you feel about sending electronic versions of your work to publishers before you have a contract?
Sunday, January 18, 2009
WE'VE ADDED A LIST OF A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE BLOGS
You'll note a new addition to our blog today--a listing of some of our favorite blogs.
Jon discovered Miss Snark a few years ago and we both read her every day when she blogged. Her blog is no longer active, but you should visit her index and see what she wrote about all things important to writers. Miss Snark really set the bar for bloggers. Irreverent, scathing, and hilarious, she told it like it was. Miss Snark was a made-up person. We don't know who she is or even it Miss Snark was a HE or perhaps a gang of agents--that's always been my suspicion because no one agent could have blogged as often and as well as she did and gotten any real agenting work done! Love ya, Miss Snark and miss you very much!
Evil Editor is good, covering everything from an editorial viewpoint. If you don't know him, let me make the introduction. Go see what he has to say!
We'll be adding more blogs in weeks to come and talking about why we love them.
Jon discovered Miss Snark a few years ago and we both read her every day when she blogged. Her blog is no longer active, but you should visit her index and see what she wrote about all things important to writers. Miss Snark really set the bar for bloggers. Irreverent, scathing, and hilarious, she told it like it was. Miss Snark was a made-up person. We don't know who she is or even it Miss Snark was a HE or perhaps a gang of agents--that's always been my suspicion because no one agent could have blogged as often and as well as she did and gotten any real agenting work done! Love ya, Miss Snark and miss you very much!
Evil Editor is good, covering everything from an editorial viewpoint. If you don't know him, let me make the introduction. Go see what he has to say!
We'll be adding more blogs in weeks to come and talking about why we love them.
Friday, January 16, 2009
IF DANIELLE STEELE GETS PUBLISHED, WHY CAN'T I?
One of our readers made a good point yesterday. This person commented about my post that for us "good writing trumps all." If that's so, said the reader, how do you explain the phenomenal success of writers like Danielle Steel or James Patterson? Let's face it, in my humble opinion, neither of these authors can (as my dear mother would say) write their way out of a paper bag. Yet most every book they write becomes a bestseller. Where's the justice?
I wish I knew. I really don't. I have absolutely no idea how writers like this become so successful. But, using my knowledge of publishing and publicity and a wild imagination, here are a few possibilities.
Any of you have any other ideas about how poor writers sometimes get to the top of the heap?
I wish I knew. I really don't. I have absolutely no idea how writers like this become so successful. But, using my knowledge of publishing and publicity and a wild imagination, here are a few possibilities.
- Perhaps they were innovators; did Danielle INVENT the bitchy female protagonist?
- Perhaps they were selfless self-promoters with inside tracks to powerful media folks
- Perhaps they had powerful agents and editors who pushed their books to the top of their publisher's lists
- Perhaps their books satisfy the lowest desires of lazy readers--action, sex, fantasy--and no effort to read!
- Perhaps they know something the rest of us don't?
Any of you have any other ideas about how poor writers sometimes get to the top of the heap?
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