Thursday last ...
... on Thursday last I gave my second novel, whose working title is Hope Remains, to my agent.
And now I feel oddly bereft.
I have become so used to spending my days immersed in the sadnesses and joys of the characters, in watching them move about in my head, in omitting long passages that I had planned for them and in discovering the things that they led me to ... that now my days feel empty.
The original idea for the novel came from the fact that my great-grandmother survived the sinking of the Titanic ... but facts do not a novel make and so I invented a life and a love for her. What she realises about herself in her lifeboat in the cold lonely mid-Atlantic is at the heart of the novel both emotionally and actually (there's a pleasing symmetry in that).
I hope the language serves the characters and their stories well but now, until my agent has had time to read the book and tell me where she thinks it needs work, I have to leave the characters and their stories alone.
And I find that I miss them.
In the nursery rhyme Monday's Child, Thursday's child 'Has far to go ... '. I hope that Hope Remains and its characters won't have too far to go before a publisher provides them with a home. (And I find a better title!)
And it's been odd, but since October last I have never once felt like MATing ... perhaps I've kicked the habit?
14 comments:
How lovely to see you're posting again and congrats on finishing your second novel (not sure of the process - is it actually finished?).
'Hope Remains' as a title sounds good to me and the plot too. I hope I'll see the published novel in the shops in due course.
Thanks so much, Margaret.
The answer to your question is yes and no ... Hope Remains (working title)is finished in the sense that I have delivered as good a draft as I could manage to my agent. But it is only a good draft.
At the moment a professional reader is reading the book and she will advise my agent where work needs to be done, and my agent will also read it. And then my agent and I will discuss what needs work. And when I have reworked it and it is in the best shape possible, my agent will 'go out with it' as they say in the world of agents.
From the happy day when a publisher decides to take it on, I will work on the book with that publisher's editor. So you see what I mean by yes and no ... .
My agent's idea is that Hope Remains won't be published until the autumn of 2011, to anticipate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, in April 2012. But obviously the final decision about that belongs to the publisher.
Oh I'm so happy to hear this news. I have been patiently waiting for your new novel. I absolutely love Speaking of Love. Looking forward to the publication...
Lovely to hear that you've finished. Welcome back to the blogosphere! I hope you here some good news from your agent soon.
Thank you both so much.
It will be while until publication, but my agent is going to let me know how she feels about the book at the end of June ... .
Fantastic news - it sounds brilliant already. Will it really be 2011 before it's published!
I think it will Annabel. But watch this space. I will blog about progress ... and thanks so much for your early enthusiasm.
Congratulations on reaching this milestone, Angela!
Thank you, Simon.
What fantastic news, Angela. It seems as if this novel has flowed out of you. I look forward to reading it!
Good luck, Angela. I hope your second novel really takes off for you. You're clearly engrossed in the world you've created so I'm sure it will be a great read.
I'm lucky that I'm writing a series so now my first book, Cut Short, has launched, I'm working on the second one, Road Closed which, according to my publisher, is out in 2010...!
I'd love to hear what you think of Cut Short - it's out in paperback so not expensive, and available on amazon where you can read some reviews (all 5 star so far!) It's a quick read, ('sharp and eminently readable' Crime Time Magazine, 'a taut, slick, easy to read thriller' Watford Observer, and 'a fantastic read' Events Supervisor Borders are just a few of the comments I've had, so you can see it's not a tough book to read.)
Please let me know what you think - leighrussell2009@live.co.uk
Thank you for your enthusiasm Angie and Leigh.
I will blog further news on the book when there is some to blog about.
(I have emailed you directly, Leigh, about Cut Short.)
Congratulation Angela. I really hope your new book does amazing things for you. I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on a copy!
It's going to be a while until it's published, Australian Online Bookshop ... not until autumn 2011, probably. But thank you so much for your enthusiasm.
By the way, on my last royalty statement for Speaking of Love, there was a wonderful entry:
Australian sales to end-December 2008: 248 copies of the paperback. Beautiful Books, my publisher, has not yet sold the book to Australia officially ... but perhaps some of those 248 copies were sold through your bookshop?
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