Word Wenches

A Makeover for Lady M

Susan Sarah here ... we've discussed covers before at Word Wenches, and I'd like to revisit the wonderful world of cover art, with a twist -- not to look at lots of lovely, lovely covers (and we Wenches have been collectively VERY fortunate in terms of cover karma!) -- but this time to toss around some ideas and to hear what you all think about cover art for mainstream historicals, rather than romance covers for now.

The trade paperback edition of LADY MACBETH will be out next spring, and the publisher is whipping up fresh back cover copy and choosing clips from the reviews and quotes for the book ... and they're discussing cover art. Instead of a "Mini-Me" version of the hardcover jacket art, the trade paper edition may get a whole new cover. They haven't decided about that yet, but the possibility seems strong. And they've asked me for ideas and input, so I've been thinking about it ....

  I have ideas and images to suggest to the art dept., but I'd love to hear what readers think. LADY MACBETH is a mainstream historical, falling within the range of fictionalized biography; these novels are primarily female-centric historical fiction, focusing on actual historical women. What sort of covers work best for these books? And in particular, what would suit the historical Lady Macbeth?

I am a sucker for a beautiful cover, whether original cover art or a fine art reproduction. I drool over color, design, composition, motif and theme, and I've sometimes purchased a book on the strength of a gorgeous or at least successful and fascinating cover. And I love the fine art covers often seen on mainstream female-centric historical fiction. The art historian in me (with thousands of artworks somehow still catalogued and computerized in my brain) loves wandering through bookstores looking at the virtual galleries of cover art displayed on front tables and racks.

Wenches Susan/Miranda and Edith have had gorgeous portrait and fine art covers for their mainstream novels (see sidebar), and Mary Jo has also had gorgeous covers for her hardcover fantasy historical romances. Susan/MIranda is lucky enough to have actual portraits of the main characters of her novels--not everyone has the advantage of cover art by Sir Peter Lely!

From the first, the art for LADY MACBETH posed a dilemma for the art department, with that early the 11th century setting. No contemporary portraits existed, and 11th century art, while beautiful in its own right, looks downright academic on a juicy novel, without the impact of a Waterhouse or a Rossetti, let alone a vibrant Lely portrait. So the landscape art for the hardcover jacket of LADY MACBETH was a wonderful solution -- evocative, exciting, and very striking. 

If we're not going to see the golden tones of the Lady Macbeth castle cover, what then? What sort of image might evoke my 11th century Lady Macbeth, and be marketable, interesting, striking cover art? Would a fine art image of a lovely, poignant or compelling anonymous woman, probably done in the 19th century, be right for this book? Some art depts. love to portray women with heads partly or completely missing (this especially suits some Tudors), but I don't think that's the look for Lady Macbeth. Considering the time period of my book, we could see a swatch of the Bayeux Tapestry, or a manuscript illumination. Or another Scottishy landscape or castle. Not sure those work either for the trade edition.

Secretly I long for a lush, painterly, romantic and gorgeous Pre-Raphaelite image, though that may not happen -- some publishers think that trend is winding down, and they're searching for new looks. ::sigh:: All the Waterhouses were taken by the time my book came out.

Have so many beautiful fine art images appeared on bookcovers by now that the fresh, breathtaking impact (though individually and indisputably gorgeous) is diluted? We see repetitions in fine art covers, no question. Partly this is due to the finite number of available and suitable images, and art departments looking at the same sources -- and the permissions of museums and collections can be expensive and may come with conditions that limit and influence what shows up on a cover.

What cover styles do you prefer for hardcover and trade historical female-centric fiction? (whew, that's a mouthful). Are you a fan of fine art portrayals of women for historical books, or are you over them and attracted by something more unexpected? Does a fine art cover signal to you what sort of read it is, and is that a good thing, or a tired thing?  Do you like landscape covers for their power to evoke a time and place, or do you find them a little distancing, and prefer the immediacy of a human image?

And the art dept. would love to know, and I would too -- what sorts of covers capture your interest as a reader looking for a good historical novel, and does it influence you to buy the book? Thanks for any and all suggestions!

Susan Sarah

R&R: Refill and Recovery

Susan Sarah here ... Jane asked a great question a few weeks ago about how authors fill the creative well after the exhaustive process of finishing a book to deadline (or, um, a little past deadline....). Since I’m building today's wee blog from her question, she gets an autographed book! I’ll send Jane a copy of a Susan King or Sarah Gabriel book with thanks for the inspiration.

I recently finished a manuscript and sent that to my editor, and I have another manuscript in progress with due dates pending ... but that leap from one book straight into another can seem like a pretty wide gap. The creative well needs some refill and recovery first. After submitting a book, there may be only a short time before the work has to start in earnest again – if the editor is as fast and efficient as my Avon editor, that manuscript might come flying back through the door a week or two later with suggestions for revisions or at least a few tweaks. If the editorial process takes more time, the clock starts ticking on the next book in the queue, and all too soon it’s time to do some research or resume actual writing if work has already begun.

But first, a little rest and relaxation, some refilling of the well and author recovery is essential. Writing one book after another can be challenging when deadlines are tight – and flat-out exhausting mentally, emotionally and physically. Without R&R between books, burnout looms. I know -- I’m one of those who can burn the candle at both ends and in the middle, too.

My candle burns at both ends
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends --
It gives a lovely light.
                                             ~ Edna St. Vincent Millay

There are certain things that always seem to spark the creative urge again, so that I can start thinking and writing at a good pace -- and not only that, but feel creative and inspired again. If all goes well (barring complications) – and if resuming work almost immediately is a good idea to stay on track with the deadlines – these methods usually help my overworked creative brain to rest, and help refill the inner well and stir that story soup to simmering once again....

  The first thing I have to do is clean house. This Phase I is not only imperative after a book has gone in, but therapeutic too. Either I thrive on Chaos in order to Create – or I’m so busy burning candles at both ends at deadline time that I ignore everything but the very basics of household management...the first explanation sounds better, but the latter is probably more true. Anyway, suffice to say there’s a good bit of housework to be done and laundry to be folded once the book goes in ... it’s vastly therapeutic. And when I can see the floor of my office and the top of my desk again, it’s time for Phase II (the photo is of my cousin's daughter a couple of years ago, busy creating a little chaos herself).

This second stage in the recovery process is reading – a glorious glut of reading. It involves sitting around doing seemingly nothing ... but we all know what important work reading is, especially for writers. I’m catching up on what I’ve wanted to read, what I absolutely need to read, what I’ve promised to read. This can last for a few days or weeks, depending on the available time. And it goes hand in hand with Phase III ... which, for me, is catching up on movies and TV. So it's fun and enjoyable, but it’s also therapeutic ... watching movies is visual and auditory, and doesn’t have much to do with the written word. A different part of the brain is engaged, the eyes are not tracking words-words-words for the brain to translate into thoughts and images. And at the same time, films and TV shows fill that story well with character, plot, and other story elements, and as I'm absorbing story structure, I often find ideas starting to percolate. And then it’s on to Phase IV ....

If I can get away from home, I’ll do that next – a vacation isn’t always convenient or affordable, depending on the rest of the family's schedule, but for Phase IV, I’ll try to escape for a few days and rest up a bit. For me, it's an optional phase, as I really enjoy being home without a book to write – that’s a little vacation in itself – and after that break, on to the next stage ....

Phase V is when the urge to be creative in a three-dimensional way comes over me. Writing is two-dimensional and involves so much interior thought -- now I crave doing something on a big scale that's fast and totally different than writing stories, dealing with words. Something with a clear beginning, middle and end where the end is quickly in sight (unlike writing a book....) – a project that needs only a few hours, a day, or a bit longer. This could be gardening, depending on the time of year, or it might be knitting or crochet, or a little painting or drawing. Sometimes I'll just move furniture around in a few rooms (I love a total room swap, though it drives my family nuts)-- I'll redecorate ... and sooner or later, me being me, I'm gonna end up painting a room, wallpapering, or refinishing a piece of furniture. There’s something about that process that really helps balance the whole creative writing process for me. I’m climbing up and down on ladders listening to music, the windows are open, the fans are going, the rest of the family is banished from the vicinity (unless I suddenly need a tall person to do something, which happens pretty often). And at some point, the next story is going to start bubbling up as the paint is being rolled on the walls  .... and then it’s time for Phase VI ....

Now the stories and characters are starting to simmer and pop in my head again, and I go out and get fresh notebooks, pens, folders, and whatever lovely, addictive stationery items appeal ... because I’m ready to start writing again.

There’s endless variation in the phases, and the time frame might be days, weeks, even months if I’m on a good elastic schedule (this rarely happens). And I don’t always get to each phase, though my creative brain seems to like this pattern of recoup and refill. 

This time, it’s been barely two weeks -- et voila! the manuscript arrived today for some minor revisions and tweaking. I haven’t hit all the recovery stages but did enough to feel ready to start again ... and after the manuscript gets a tweaking, the next book is waiting for some attention ....

I’m sure you all have various ways to rest and recuperate after intense creative work – what works best for you?

Susan Sarah

P.S. The manuscript about to be tweaked is the next Sarah Gabriel: THE HIGHLAND GROOM, the tale of a Lowland lady and a Highland whisky smuggler, an Avon release for January 2009....

A Reading Holiday

Susan Sarah here -- a bit on the weary and bleary side, having just finished another manuscript and sent it in, with the last section written at top speed, day and night, which is unfortunately the best writing mode for me. I could attempt a more civilized pace, but eventually, every book, I have to kick the writing engines into overdrive. I'm hardwired to be a Hare, and make that wild and crazy dash for the finish line, after way too long ruminatin' under a tree... This time I really tried to be a Tortoise, organized and in control 'n stuff like that, but I plodded along in a clunky way, not very inspired. Once I let my Inner Rabbit free, that story popped and came together quite nicely. And very fast ... so I'm tired and ready for some rest.

Before I pick up where I left off on the other current work-in-progress (set aside so the bunny could make her mad dash to a tight deadline) ... I'm taking a reading holiday!

I have a real craving, a need-to-read, and I'm putting all else on hold -- housework (lots of that, I've just finished a book, gimme a break, have I done much clutter control? <scoff>), shopping, email, TV (OK maybe not Dancing With The Stars or American Idol, on which I'm *shamelessly* hooked)... Instead, I'm scanning the bookshelves upstairs and down and poring through my stacks of To-Be-Reads looking for just the right read. And if the books here in the house don't appeal at the moment, the craving will drive me out to the bookstores and libraries (even on cold and rainy nights, like tonight) to keep looking for that elusive, satisfying read ....

So there it is. I'm all set to plunge into a substantial reading frenzy, and I need your help. There's a zillion books in my house, and a pretty fair number of TBR's, and yet -- I'm not sure WHAT I want to read. I want something new. I want something unexpected. So I hope you'll help me out, and tell me --

What are you reading now that you love, love, love; what thrills you, surprises you, puts you in awe of story, characters, writing?  Is there a book whose characters are still with you, camping out in your heart?

What are you reading that seems fresh and exciting to you? Maybe it's a genre you haven't tried before, or a new author, or a new twist in a familiar genre....

Or maybe it's an oldie but a goodie -- a favorite comfort read you always turn to when you're ready to sink in to a relaxing read, a book that still thrills you.

What book have you read lately that sucked you in and didn't let go until you finished it? And would you put that on your keeper shelf and recommend it to everyone who would listen?

I'm looking for recommendations!!  Book lists! Tell me the title and author of that wonderful book -- I'm eager to learn about a new author or story from you all. And we'll ALL get some GREAT suggestions.

Susan Sarah

Audiobook Narrator Wanda McCaddon!

Susan Sarah here, welcoming our special guest at Word Wenches today: audiobook narrator Wanda McCaddon, who has recently recorded the audiobook of LADY MACBETH. The set (9 CDs, 13 glorious hours! *g*) is available to order directly from the audio publisher, Tantor Unabridged Audiobooks (www.tantor.com) and can also be ordered here: Lady Macbeth at Amazon.com (*please note Amazon's error in attribution – the CDs are narrated by Wanda McCaddon, not Josephine Bailey).

Originally from Staffordshire, England, Wanda now resides on the west coast. Her various careers include reporter, professor, stage and screen actress and audiobook narrator, and she has earned 16 Earphone Awards and has often been named one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices. Wanda has narrated over 600 audiobooks under her own and other names, including Donada Peters and Nadia May. Some of her releases include Karleen Koen’s Dark Angels and Through A Glass Darkly; Austen’s Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice; Bronte’s Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre; and countless other classics as well as nonfiction and recent novels. Her latest audio release from Tantor is my own Lady Macbeth.

Listen to an audio clip from Lady Macbeth here. 

I was thrilled to learn that Lady Macbeth would be released on CD--and a bit nervous about all the Gaelic and unfamiliar terms the narrator would have to pronounce. I contacted Tantor and offered to help, and they put Wanda in touch with me. I was impressed by her gorgeous voice -- as well as her careful attention to detail and sensitivity toward the needs of the story and characters.

I’m listening to the audiobook now, and it’s superb. Wanda’s rendition of Lady Macbeth is vibrant, subtle, and powerful. She adds a rich dimension to the story in ways that a writer, dealing with words on a page, can only imagine. I’m honored by her interpretation of my characters and story -- and it’s such a treat to sit back and listen!

I asked Wanda a few questions, which she graciously answered for us. Here are her responses ....

How I became a narrator:  I began out as a newspaper reporter in England, came to the USA, started on a PhD in English, taught at UC San Diego for three years, dropped out and became an actor. Doing readings for the local PBS radio station, in 1980 I met someone who turned me on to a couple in LA who were actually paying for people to record books on cassette. That was Books on Tape – basically a kitchen table operation at that time – and they were the pioneers. They paid $25 a recorded hour for men, and $15 for women!

How audiobooks get done:  In LA, New York, and a few other places, recording is done in studios, with the narrator at the mike in a booth, and an editor on the other side of the glass stopping them if they make a mistake or suggesting a change of emphasis or intonation. I would HATE that! I’m afraid I would be arguing with them all the time.
I am a holdover from the pioneer days. I work in a sound-proofed studio in my home – a monument to all the developments in recording over the last 28 years – cluttered with microphones, cassette recorders, DAT machines, ADATs, computers, M-boxes, hard drives and gizmos. My recordings go on CD or DVD to the publisher to be proof listened, and they send me a list of clicks, pops, extraneous noises and (heaven forfend) mistakes, to be redone.

How I set about narrating a book: Most narrators “prep” a book – pre-read it to familiarize themselves with plot and characters, check tricky pronunciations etc. I don’t  if I can help it (Lady M was an exception on account of all the Gaelic!), because a) I’m very good at tricky pronunciations off the cuff and most foreign languages, and b) I want to retain the spontaneity and excitement that is part of reading a book for the first time. I want that to come through in my narration (actually, even with Lady M I just “skim-read” it – just looking for names and Gaelic – and then consulted Susan by phone).

Voices and interpretation:  Some narrators (and some publishers) prefer a straight read without voicing the characters (in the trade, “unvoiced reading”). I’m in the other camp.  To begin with, in an audiobook something has to take the place of visual cues the reader would see on the page-- paragraph breaks, quotation marks etc.-- to alert them to who is speaking. And luckily, I can’t help it – when I read a work of fiction I hear different voices. 

The narrator’s job is to interpret to the ear all the author has packed into the words – what I call “teasing out the nuances.” It’s collaborative, and largely non-intellectual, and when the writer and narrator are in synch it can be astonishing. With Lady M it didn’t hurt that I am half Scots, know the land and the people and the history well and can do a passable Scottish accent! 

But that was only half the equation; the scenes were so vivid, I was so aware of sounds and smells and shadows and voices, of the fierceness of heart beat. Lady M just battered her way into me in the first scene, and that was it!  It was an exhilarating ride, and not always an easy one. I’m highly emotional, and many times I found myself in tears  -- a real pain in the butt for a narrator, as it means breaking off until the hoarseness clears and the nose stops running!

What kinds of books do I most enjoy? Fiction (well written!) is most fun, and most challenging because of the characters. History next, because I’m learning new and (hopefully) interesting things – although I rarely remember them beyond the next recording session. Biography last, and only if I like the subject.

Currently I’m lucky enough to be re-recording classics – Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Thackeray – what bliss!

Many, many thanks, Wanda, for visiting Word Wenches! This is fascinating stuff, and it's great to learn more about the audiobook world from such a gifted and knowledgeable insider. What a great job you have -- reading for a living would be divine.

Please help us welcome Wanda here at Word Wenches (wwwowww!). If you have more questions about audiobooks, feel free to ask! She'll be checking in to say hello.

~Susan Sarah

And the Wiener is . . .

Lori has won an ARC (advanced reading copy) of Susan Fraser King's Lady Macbeth!  Congratulations, Lori!  Please send your mailing address to Susan/Sarah or Sherrie and your autographed ARC will soon be on its way!

The Lady Has Arrived!

Susan Sarah here, so glad to finally be able to say – wahooooo, LADY MACBETH is available in bookstores tomorrow!! 

On Tuesday, February  12, 2008, LADY MACBETH will be (should be!) in bookstores everywhere, and online stores will be shipping copies. So let’s all cheer--hurray, hurrah!--because this has been a very long wait. I owe thanks and appreciation to the Wenches, who have been wonderfully supportive throughout the long process of writing, research, and production. Thanks are due to our readers and Wench visitors as well, for encouragement and interest in this book, and in all our Wenchly books.

  Last week I was sooooo thrilled to finally get actual copies of the book. The editorial, art and production teams at Crown have done an outstanding job, creating a beautiful book that is, I hope, just a pleasure to own and to handle. It has high quality touches throughout -- light metallic gold glossing on the cover details, a smooth finish jacket, parchment end papers, a stunning map and genealogy tree…and a fabulous surprise under the cover jacket! I didn't know about this special detail, which my editor kept a surprise. For me, it's one of the nicest things about the physical book, and it holds real meaning for the story, and for me personally.

...And I’m not going to tell you what it is. If you can get to a bookstore tomorrow and find the book, look under the jacket and you’ll discover the secret for yourself. If you do, please report back to us here. You can choose to keep the secret or to reveal it -- I'll leave that up to you.

Later in February, we Susans (Susan-Miranda and me, Susan-Sarah) will do an in-depth two-part Susans-Only interview about the research and other aspects of LADY MACBETH, so I’ll save all that authorish commentary for February 25 and 27. Stay tuned -- we'll have fun with it.

For today, to celebrate the launch of the book, I would like to give you more of the story. Last month I posted the Prologue when we talked about beginnings here at Word Wenches....

So here’s Chapter One of LADY MACBETH: A Novel, by Susan Fraser King . . . .
Well, part of it. The link at the end will take you to the rest of the chapter, if you would like to read on.  Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Susan Fraser King breathes new and vibrant life into a woman who has become an archetype....Not since THE MISTS OF AVALON have I been so transported by elegant lyric prose, a great galloping story, and the unforgettable life and voice of this Queen of the Scots. Highly recommended."                
- Eileen Charbonneau, Merritt Bookstore, Cold Spring NY, for BookSense.com

“King manages to challenge all our preconceptions without turning the strongest female character in literature into a pantywaist. Her footwork on this fictional ground is sure and graceful.”
-- BookPage

CHAPTER ONE

Anno Domini 1025...

Scarce nine the first time I was stolen away, I remember a wild and unthinking fright as I was snatched from my pony's back and dragged into the arms of one of the men who rode toward my father's escort party. We were heading north to watch our kinsman, King Malcolm, second of the name, hold an autumnal court on the moot hill at Scone. Proud of my shaggy garron and painted saddle, I insisted on riding alone in the length between my father Bodhe, older brother Farquhar, and several of their retainers. Then horsemen emerged from a fringe of trees and came straight for us. As men shouted and horses reared, a warrior reached out and plucked me up like a poppet.
   The memories of that day are vivid but disjointed. His furs smelled rancid and smoky; his whiskered chin was broad from my view beneath, trapped before him in the saddle; his fingers on the reins were grimy and powerful. I can recall the russet brown of his cloak, but I do not recall his name. I know it was never spoken in my hearing for years afterward.
    Kicking, shrieking, twisting like an eel in the arms of that stranger, I managed to tear his dagger from his belt, slicing my thumb like a sausage. With no idea how to handle the thing, I meant to defend myself. A fierce urge insisted upon it.
    He snatched the dagger back, but next I tore the large round brooch from his cloak, shredding the wool, and whipped it upward to jab it into his cheek. That slowed him. Swearing, he released me for an instant, and I lurched from the saddle, falling and breaking my arm in my thud to cold earth. Rolling by accident more than intent, I narrowly missed the forelegs of a horse as my kinsmen thundered past me.
    Shouting then, and steel and iron clashed, and within minutes of yanking me from my pretty saddle, the man was dead, and two of his guard with him. My father and the others took them down with swift and ugly certainty.
    Huddled beside the road on the frosted earth, I watched, arm aching, heart slamming, while men fought and died. Until then, I had never seen a skirmish, nor so much blood. I had heard steel ring against steel in the practice yard of our fortress in Fife, but I had never seen blade sink into flesh, nor heard the soft, surprised gasp as the soul abandons the body without warning. Since then, I have heard it too often.
    I own that cloak pin still, good bronze and smooth jet, and I will never wear it. In the little casket with my jewels, its dusky gleam reminds me to stay strong and wary.
    My brother Farquhar died of the wounds he took in my defense. I saw the angled sprawl of his body, though my father's men shielded me from the full sight. I remember, too, the taste of my salt tears, and my father's roar of grief echoing in the chill air. . . .

    My blood had even more merit once Bodhe had no other heir. Because I am descended in a direct line from Celtic kings, the purest royal blood courses through me and blushes my skin. I could prick a finger and it would be gold to some.
    I am Gruadh inghean Bodhe mac Cinead mhic Dubh--daughter of Bodhe son of Kenneth son of Duff. My grandfathers going back were kings of Scots, and I was born a princess of the house of Clan Gabhran that boasts Kenneth mac Alpin, the first king of Scots and Picts together. The line reaches back to the Picts who were native to this land, and the Scotti who came over from Ireland to settle as the Dalriadans in Argyll. We are proud of our heritage, and know the old names by heart: son of, son of.

    Because a man could claim the throne of Scotland by marrying me, I was not safe. Nor were my kinsmen, come to that: if they were killed, one after another, our line would be eliminated at its heart, making room for others' ambitions. Such is the way of things when one's heritage is ancient, pure, and royal.

    Little good did the blood of ancients do me. I was like a lark spiraling upward, unaware of the hawks above judging time and distance to the prize. . . .

To read further, please go to www.susanfraserking.com, choose EXCERPT, then scroll down past the Prologue to continue Chapter One of LADY MACBETH. . . .

(And please sign up for my newsletter to be eligible for a book giveaway!)

~Susan

More Happenings at the Word Wenches

On Wednesday, 2/6, John Dierdorf will be Jo's guest.  John loves the copy of the Oxford English Dictionary that lives on his computer. You know, the gazillion volume one that gives all the nuances of words and when they were first used, and where, and by whom? Through this lens, reading historical fiction takes on a new dimension--and writing it, a new challenge. But it's fun. Can that Regency duke drive a car? Can his lady wish him a cheery "hello"? Join in, find out, take some challenges, and have a chance to win an Advance Reading Copy of Jo's book, LOVERS AND LADIES. (details in the monthly newsletter which you've all signed up for, right?) This time the winner won't be a random pick, but John and Jo's selection of the person who enhanced John's visit most.

On Monday, 2/25 and Wednesday, 2/27, we'll have a two-part interview of Susan Fraser King in connection  with the release of Lady Macbeth: A Novel.  This is what we call a “two-fer” in the U.S.  It’s a two-part interview, and you also get two Susans for the price of one--Susan/Miranda will be the interviewer, and Susan/Sarah will be the interviewee. Such a deal!

P.S.  If you are Lynda Tisdell, be sure to read the announcement, below!

And the Wieners Are . . .

We said we'd be giving away a lot of books this month, and by golly, here's the proof!  We've chosen 5 winners from those who left comments on our blog posts.  Congratulations to the following:

Janice wins a Loretta Chase book of her choice
Marissa wins a copy of Edith's The Cad
Santa wins an Advance Reading Copy of Susan Fraser King's Lady Macbeth
JOYE wins a copy of Susan Holloway Scott's Royal Harlot
Betty Breithaupt wins a copy of one of the following books by Jo:  Christmas Angel, Forbidden Magic, or Winter Fire

To claim your autographed book, please send your mailing address to the appropriate Wench, or to Sherrie at sholmes@holmesedit.com. 

To the rest of you, please continue visiting us and leaving comments.  Who knows--you may very well be the next Word Wenches Wiener!  (Hint:  be sure to check in on Sundays when we post announcements, including book winners)

Getting Started with Lady Macbeth

Staring at a blank page, whether it’s yellow lined paper or a white screen with a patiently blinking cursor, waiting for those first few sentences of a story to form…it’s one of the most fundamental challenges of writing. The process of beginning a book is unique each time...

I’ve had stories hit the ground running with an action scene so clear in my head that I couldn’t wait to put it on paper—like the chase and abduction scene in STEALING SOPHIE (w/a Sarah Gabriel); other books have started out as a few sentences that haunted me until I wrote them down:

Wild as blackberries she was, sweet and dark and unruly, and she would never be his. Lachlann knew it, had always known it. Yet he paused in his work and leaned in the doorway of the smithy to watch her. He allowed himself that much. (THE SWORD MAIDEN, w/a Susan King).

Still others have started out clumsy and clunky, with one deleted sentence after another, taking forever to form before finally moving. I won’t give you an example on that one, just trust me--and it’s more than one book. Thankfully no one ever seems to notice that but me.

When I began writing LADY MACBETH, my challenge was this: where the heck should I begin a story as big and complex as this might be?! The story covers decades, and my main character would have to change and mature through the span of many years. And the ending would be known to many readers, since Macbeth and his queen are historically documented persons.

Lady Macbeth would need to be very much a product of her place and time – not Shakespeare's place and time, but that of 11th century Scotland, where the real queen lived. She would be a young woman raised in a warrior society, accustomed to the equality common to the Celts, steeped in poetry, legends, and traditions; a woman to whom truth and honor were all, and in whom anger burned pretty brightly. I figured she would just go for it—no-holds-barred, no prancing around the truth. And a first-person narrative would allow her to be blunt, honest, and opinionated about…well, just about everything.

So I started the book at a point later in her life, as she looks back—it's a convention, yes, but a pattern that often works so long as it's a bit unpredictable. Lady Macbeth is not dictating her story, but pondering it—maybe she’ll let someone record it on parchment, and maybe she won’t—she’s still deciding. I framed the story in present tense, prologue and later chapters, with the body of the story in past tense. That way, we know just where we are with her--she's in media res, on the verge of an action that could be very dangerous. But first she'd better think it through ….

Scotland, 1058

Snowflakes dazzle against the evening sky and fall gentle around this stark tower. The false King of Scots expects us to trudge our ponies through that cold deep, so that I may tuck myself away in some Lowland monastery. Malcolm Canmore, he who murdered my husband and now calls himself king, would prefer I went even farther south into England, where they have priories just for women. There his allies would lock me away, as the Scots will not.

But my son is the true crowned King of Scots, and I am under the protection of his name, and the strength of my own. Had I agreed to marry Malcolm Canmore despite all, I would be honored now.    

Weeks ago, at the turn of the new year, he sent a messenger with a length of green silk, gold-embroidered, and pots of spices and perfumes, with a request for my hand in marriage.
If power of that sort was what I craved, the gifts and request would have intrigued me. But I am a Celt and value honor more, and prefer Scottish wool to Oriental silk. Coarse by comparison, our weavings have the honest strength and handsomeness of this land.

I wrote an answer with the very hand Malcolm wanted, though my Gaelic script is worse than my Latin. Only a few words were needed for a refusal. I sent the note and most of the gifts back, and kept the silk. My handmaid, Finella, likes it.

As for convents, I will send another message to the usurper Malcolm: the dowager Queen Gruadh, lately wife to King Macbeth whom you have slain, chooses to remain in her fortress.

A dare of sorts, and we shall see what he will do.

The winds howl—it is no wonder February is called the wolf-month—and we sit, my companions and I, before the fire basket absorbing warmth and brightness. Dermot, my household bard, plays a melody on his harp. Shivering, I draw my cloak about my shoulders. Though I have lived scarce forty years and still burn with life, the chill riding the air this night is keen....

To read the full prologue, go to www.susanfraserking.com .

BTW -- LADY MACBETH is featured in the February 2008 GLAMOUR MAGAZINE, just out in stores now, as one of their Buzz picks of the month, under "900 Years of Kick-Ass Women"... and I'm thrilled! The book will be released in bookstores on February 12 .... please watch for it!

I'd love to give away a copy of LADY MACBETH, but I don't have any hardcover copies yet!

So I'll offer the Advanced Reading Copy of LADY MACBETH to one of the commenters to this post.

Good luck -- and I wish all of you great beginnings in 2008!

Susan

Wieners and Announcements!

And the wieners are: Louis won To Wed a Highland Bride by Sarah Gabriel. Keira Soleore won a book of her choice by Loretta Chase. Lesley Lanning won a Jo Beverley book of her choice from the following: Christmas Angel, Forbidden Magic, or Winter Fire.  Keira and Lesley, please let me or your respective Wench know your book choices, and we'll need mailing addresses for Louis and Lesley. If you want your book personalized, please include that information when you contact us. My e-mail is sholmes@holmesedit.com, and you can contact the Wenches directly by clicking on their picture on the left, which will take you to their Web site and contact information.

Congratulations to all of you for leaving comments and for winning books as a result.  Keep those comments coming, readers!  The next wiener may be you!

And now, some HOT news.

Romantic Times magazine has announced their 2007 Reviewers' Choice and Career Achievement finalists, and the Wenches made a downright impresssive showing.  Way to go, Wenches!

Reviewers Choice Nominations:
http://tinyurl.com/2pjeyx

Best Historical Paranormal:
Patricia Rice, Mary Jo Putney, Edith Layton

Historical Romance of the Year:
Jo Beverley, Loretta Chase

Career Achievement Nominations:
http://tinyurl.com/2b4lnw

Historical Romance:
Loretta Chase

Innovative Historical Romance:
Patricia Rice, Mary Jo Putney

And just so you don't forget, a quick reminder:

Scheduled for release in February, Susan Fraser King's Lady Macbeth received a rave review from Publishers Weekly: http://tinyurl.com/3xkswa

Library Journal chose Loretta's Not Quite a Lady as one of LJ's Best Books of 2007
http://tinyurl.com/3cgcsm

For a sneak preview of an excerpt from Loretta's June 2008 release, Your Scandalous Ways, please visit Romance B(u)y the Book at http://tinyurl.com/3ylu3r.

That's all, folks.  Remember to check in on Sundays when we post winners and announcements.  You can also check the Announcements sidebar to the right.