Why Traditional Themes Work

There's a lot to be said for tradition. If something is a tradition, it means it has been around for a long time, and if it has been around for a long time, there is probably a good reason. In literature, the Great Books are (simply put) books that deal with Great Themes - themes such as good vs. evil, power, sacrifice, redemption, life and death, love, and many others. Themes such as these speak to the human condition, and authors ought to seek to imitate the Great Books if they want their work to speak across the ages. I frown on authors who tailor their books to the ever-changing tide of cultural opinion. You might find success for a moment, but when that tide changes, your books will be washed away with it, as irrelevant in the next moment as they were relevant in the moment before. If you write to please pop culture, or with only your immediate generation in mind, you will never find lasting success. And I'm not talking about Kleos, that greatest of ancient Greek virtues that makes the hero (or the writer, in this case) "immortal." I'm not talking about your reputation at all, I'm talking about themes and messages that transcend you, as the author, and speak directly to the heart of mankind. Ask yourself this - if someone were to pick up my books in 100 years, would they read something that still speaks to them? If the answer is no, then you have not written something worth reading.

But let's face it, books have to sell, right? Publishing is a business, and you must write books that appeal to your generation. Absolutely! Of course you do! But that is what is on the surface. It's the candy-coating, if you will. But what should be at the heart of your books, beneath the surface, are stories filled with traditional themes that grab the hearts of the readers and make them come back over and over again. In this scenario, you cannot lose.

Avoid, avoid, avoid the pop culture trap. Avoid promoting the current fad, the current political agenda, the current soapbox topic... anything that will be here today and gone tomorrow. Avoid it! There are Greater things to be said. If I am granted the ability to look back on my body of work at the end of my life to evaluate what I am leaving behind me, I want to see that I have written stories that are true, that are beautiful, that are good - stories that are lasting.

And NOW for a little teaser! Speaking of authors who have written lasting works, if you're familiar with my books, you know that I pair each one with a C. S. Lewis quotation, and that quotation so far has always been about Darcy. In book 5, The Scroll, I've chosen one that speaks to Darcy, but is about another character, and I bet my biggest fans will be able to guess who! Here it is:

"What can you ever really know of other people's souls—of their temptations, their opportunities, their struggles? One soul in the whole creation you do know: and it is the only one whose fate is placed in your hands." C. S. Lewis

One Year Ago

I've been reflecting today on all that has happened in my writing career since one year ago. A year ago, I had just begun the process of editing The Six for re-release with TWCS. We'd not even begun marketing efforts yet on that book, and I was looking forward to months ahead of editing, marketing, and writing. I'd barely begun work on writing The Enchanted, and terms such as "blog tour" and "swag" were strange and unfamiliar to me. Over the course of the months that followed, I wrote The Enchanted, edited, re-released (or, in the case of book 4, released for the first time), and promoted all four books, including new cover designs for the first three, took part in an official PR tour, travelled to Texas for a writer's festival, and wrote and submitted book 5, The Scroll. 12 months, five books (two from scratch), one trip, over a thousand E-mails, and hours and hours of quality time with my keyboard.  It was a productive year, to say the least.

Looking ahead, while I'm not one for New Year's resolutions per se, there are some goals I'd like to see realized by one year from today. First off, of course I'll continue editing The Scroll and will be completing all the marketing and promotion associated with that. I will also have completed my draft of book 6 by this time next year, and I hope to have started work on the next series of books I want to write. My sales and readership base have undoubtedly broadened since I signed with TWCS, and I'd like to see it broaden significantly more in the year to come. By this time next year, I'd like to have been listed on some bestseller list somewhere-whether it's through TWCS, Amazon, or the New York Times (hey, I'm not picky!), I just want to see it happen! I have a couple more writer's festivals to attend this year, and I'd also like to schedule some speaking engagements on top of those. By this time next year, I'd like to be a known author, and with enough word of mouth, it could happen!

Thanks so much to all of you who read my books and tell others about them. Your support means the world to me. Keep it up! And maybe we'll see a movie made of my books someday...

Once Upon a Time...

Every now and then I am reminded that my adventure with TWCS Publishing House is still quite new, and once upon a time, not so long ago, I was laboring away as a self-pub author, begging, borrowing, and stealing help wherever I could get it. Many of you who purchased my books before I signed with TWCS know that I had three students working on cover design for me. What you may not know is that they finished the cover for book 4 before I signed with TWCS, which nullified my need for the cover they had created for me as we changed the covers entirely. I thought perhaps some of you might be interested to see the original cover for book 4, however, because the girls did an excellent job of bringing to life my description of an item from the book: Tellius's coronation crown. I believe I described it something like this when I explained it to them. "It's like, sorta, a cross between an Olympic victory crown with olive leaves and a medieval-type simple crown with a single point in the center. It should be gold, and the leaves should touch top and bottom. Simple, but rich-looking. No jewels." And from those scattered thoughts, they created something pretty much exactly like I pictured it in my brain:

It's a beautiful picture, and hopefully it fits what you imagined when you read the coronation scene. I'm glad, however, that I didn't decide to have the crown on the cover of the official version of book 4. As The Enchanted came together, it became a much darker story than I once envisioned it, and the coronation sequence figured in less prominently. Still, though, I love having this image saved on my computer, and I thought it was high time to share it with all of you! 

Letting it Go: Thoughts on Editing

Okay, first off, I realize that I am so far overdue for a blog post it isn't even funny! Perhaps I can be forgiven, however, after some insight into the past six-eight weeks. In this span of time, I have wrapped up my blog tour for The Six, edited The Oracle, edited The White Thread, and finished writing the rough draft of book 4, The Enchanted - which I started in January. I have also prepared for and given birth to my third son (three boys, oh my!), and now I have a two-week-old at home along with my three-year-old and my five-year-old. As a teacher, I had to prepare for my maternity leave that would overlap final exam time for my 10th graders and finish teaching as much material as I could get through before the arrival of baby #3.

Can you forgive me for neglecting my blog? (Cue mini violin)

Moving beyond the hectic craziness that was the last 8 weeks, I'm now looking forward to a summer spent editing The Enchanted, working with my publicists to organize interviews and appearances, and writing book 5, as well as kicking off another blog tour for The Oracle and, later in the summer, a third blog tour for The White Thread. All things considered, however, it's actually less work than I've been engaged in this spring, so I think the future is bright!

Out of all this mess of stuff, the most difficult part has been the editing process, and I just wanted to share a few thoughts. Allowing a team of people to come in and rework your manuscript is a difficult thing, and I've actually called it humbling several times over this past spring. I knew that it would be hard to release my books into the hands of others, but I don't think I anticipated just how difficult it would be at times. Working with editors takes trust - a lot of it. I decided from the beginning that I would trust my editing team to make my books better, even if I didn't agree with changes they made and even if I didn't understand all the changes they made, and I'm glad I made this promise to myself. The fact of the matter is, they want me to succeed; they are not out to make my books worse, and I sometimes need to remind myself of that. The most difficult changes to swallow are the stylistic ones. For example, they do not want me to use hardly any creative dialogue tags or ly-adverbs, but I love using them! And when I read my favorite books, I see the pages full of them, as well (probably why I enjoy using them, as writing is an imitative art). However, if I can hold my books in an open palm and allow my editors to use their expertise to fashion my stories into more professional-sounding prose, then I think I've taken an important step. And quite frankly, nine times out of ten, when I go back and read a section they have helped me rework, it really is better. I find that I'm actually looking forward to editing book 4. As it is the first manuscript that was not previously self-published, I think I'll be able to approach it with more of an open mind. Although maybe I've just learned a little more trust and humility, which are things that we all need in life.

Upcoming Changes

As of Tuesday night (January 31, 2012) there will be a few changes made to my blog, and I wanted to let you all know about them ahead of time. I will be deleting my book cover images and links to Amazon (as well as deleting the books themselves from Amazon and Kindle). This is because everything is soon going to transfer to the care and control of my publisher, TWCS Publishing House. As soon as TWCS posts my first book to their website, I can and will go ahead and post the new cover to the blog. The hardworking editors at TWCS are in the process of doing an excellent clean-up of my first three books, and as each of them come up for re-release, I will keep you posted. Nothing about the story is changing, but those of you who elect to purchase and read the TWCS versions will notice a definite professional polish to them that I simply didn't have the resources to achieve as an independent author. I'm really excited about the changes that are happening and I hope you are too! If you have any questions, comment or shoot me an e-mail: kbhoyle@yahoo.com.

Writing Schedule

I sat down tonight and created a calendar for all the editing and writing that I need to complete over the next several months. I'll share the release dates as they get closer, but let's just say that I'm going to be VERY busy this spring and summer! I have my third baby arriving in May, and when this child is older, I should have some good stories to tell him or her about the time that I was pregnant. Anyhow, I am starting to write book 4 tomorrow, and I'm starting to feel really, really thankful that I put so much time and effort into my note-taking this fall. I *should* be able dive right in with minimal headache, although I do still need to bang out a rudimentary outline of JUST book 4 and put together my ring composition chart but... I'm not going to think about that right now. As long as I can get started tomorrow and at least write a page, I'll feel good. I think I set myself a doable schedule, starting slow this first week, and then shooting for 35 pages a week. I'll keep y'all posted as to how it goes!

I'm Official!

I know that I promised a character bio on Tellius, and I will make good on that, I've just gotten a bit swamped early this week with activities and so I am a little behind. I will do my best to get that done tomorrow night! I did HAVE to blog about what happened today, though! Today I signed a publishing contract with The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House (TWCS) for the first three books of The Gateway Chronicles and the remaining three in the series. So that means that I am now no longer an indie author, but an official, contracted author! Huzzah! Follow the link below to read about TWCS, and I'll keep the blog updated as I have news about the new releases of the books. (They are still available on Amazon and Kindle, but will go unavailable for a time as TWCS gets ready to re-release them).

http://www.thewriterscoffeeshop.com/publishinghouse/

Reflections on Rejection

The agency that was reviewing my manuscripts for the past couple months unfortunately decided to pass on pursuing a representative relationship with me. So, I'm left to reflect on being rejected, yet again. Here's the thing, though, the publishing industry is a very difficult industry, and I've often commented to people that getting an agent or an "official" publisher is rather like trying to get discovered in Hollywood. That being said, I'm not trying to bellyache, I just want to be honest about how I, an independent author, respond to this sort of experience, because perhaps it will help some of you out there who are just beginning your publishing journeys. I have been here before, but unfortunately this time is particularly discouraging. I had a very good referral to this agency, and it still wasn't good enough. Unfortunately, too, I happened to have a very bad day yesterday (having experienced something that I hope I will never have to experience again) and got home to open my e-mail and discover that the agent had finally e-mailed me back after having my manuscripts for almost three months. Now, obviously there is no way that he could have known the sort of day that I had had, but I had to shake my head at the extreme irony of the situation. Sometimes things just work out like that. Anyhow, he was very kind in "letting me down easy" and gave me a few recommendations for other agents to query, but I just don't know if I have the energy to start over from square one again (not right now, at least). Once upon a time I would have questioned my ability to write or tell a good story, but I don't do that anymore. My abilities as a storyteller and writer have already been confirmed by my readership (whom I love very, very dearly!), many of whom have contacted me spontaneously over the past two years to express their delight over my books. Some of my students are so enthusiastic about my stories that they pester me weekly to start writing book 3 already! I know that I write stories that teenagers want to read, so why is it that the professionals don't agree? I just don't know... it's rather puzzling to me. I can only conclude that this particular agency simply wasn't the right match for me. I do not thumb my nose at them or anything of that sort. I still have every respect for them as an agency. If all I ever become is a local "celebrity" (using that term VERY loosely), then that is good enough for me. It was a great joy for me to help some of my students write their outside reading reports on my books this month, and I will be happy to keep on doing that year after year. From here I will just keep plugging along. I will start writing book 3 in two weeks and will have the rough draft completed by the first week of August. I continue to sell a few books every week, and I hope to get a few more book signings set up over the summer, as well. I plan on unveiling the cover for book 3 in June, so keep on the lookout for that! You are going to love it.

In totally unrelated news, my brother the game designer, Dennis Hoyle, is unveiling his debut card game tonight! It's an award-winning card game called Drop Site and you can preorder it at http://www.bellwethergames.com.

The Waiting Game

What an amazing time this publishing experience has been! It's incredible to me that I have "fans." People have read my book, like it, and are eager for more! I have gotten nothing but positive feedback so far from my readers, and some of it has been VERY positive. So, now that I have gotten the first wave of books out and we are through the holidays, it is time for me to start actively promoting myself again. I feel like I am stuck in a waiting game for a while, though. I am waiting for those who have read and liked it to tell other people about it who will then go purchase and read it. I am also waiting to hear from some various people who have given copies to people in the media and the publishing industry and whatnot. I feel like official publication just HAS to happen for me! I don't know how long it will take, but I think I will get there eventually. As to what else I can do right now, I'm going to take some copies to the local libraries and try to set up a few more book signings. That's as good a place to start as any!

What's new?

Well! It's been a whirlwind couple months for me in which I've made some important decisions regarding my publishing prospects. So here's what's new:
-I decided to self-publish my book on Amazon with createspace.com.
-I successfully completed said task and now have a book for sale!
-I have sold 22 copies of my book in 3 days and am looking forward to the prospect of many more sales to come!
-I have been working hard at promoting my book and have a large book-signing party planned for December 10th.
-I have many more prospects in the works for the further promotion of my book, including (hopefully) some interviews in various media outlets in the Birmingham area.
-I will continue to search for representation by a literary agent and I hope that I will someday soon see myself signed by a publishing house!

Whew! I think that's enough to be getting on with for now. If you would like to purchase The Gateway Chronicles: The Six, you can get it on Amazon.com or you can also purchase it at www.createspace.com/3402648

Thanks!

Anything worth doing...

As I work my way through the goals that I set for myself this week, I've had to conclude that my expectations are unrealistic. Although I worked far ahead on my assigned readings, as I began to research agents to query this afternoon, the impossibility of having 20 queries out within a week assailed me . . . and that's okay. It really is true that anything worth doing should be challenging. I researched for a solid hour this afternoon (solely in my Writer's Market) and didn't even make it out of the B's. I really want to do this right, however, so I believe that it was time well spent. Right now I am just reading over the agent entries and selecting agencies that accept the following: New, unpublished authors, YA literature, and Fantasy literature. Once I have compiled a list of possibilities, I will have to research each one on the internet and check submission guidelines. Then it will be a matter of writing a good, strong query letter that I can tailor to each individual agency, and putting together a profession book proposal (for those that will accept it). All things considered, it's a long process. I'm going to sit down this evening and rewrite my query goals for the week.

With all of these things to occupy my mind, I think I'm entitled to a little recreation as well, wouldn't you agree? Unfortunately the object of my summer movie-going is still a couple weeks off, and I'm hoping that my anticipation of the movie will not eclipse the movie itself. I'm speaking, of course, of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I understand as well as anyone that film-makers need to make changes from book to script, but I've failed to understand (in the last three movies) the addition of story elements in lieu of tried and true elements from the books. Do the film-makers not realize that what makes Harry Potter beloved to the fans is . . . Harry Potter? I, for one, certainly do not go into a Harry Potter film desiring to see something new and cutting edge; I want to see the stories that I love come to life. With any luck, this most recent installment will not disappoint.

Lists

I came to the conclusion today that the only real way for me to get anything done is to make lists. List making is the equivalent of goal setting for me, and it is was the impetus for me to achieve my novel writing last summer. If I set myself a number of tasks to do each day (writing tasks) and make a list of them so that I can check them off when completed, I am that much more likely to actually achieve them. This is an entirely psychological approach for me, but it tends to work, and it is not the action of a control-minded A-type personality, but rather an impulsive B-typer who recognizes the need to reign in her randomness. There is also something infinitely fulfilling about checking something off a list. It's like giving myself a pat on the back, and even better is when I can work ahead on my list, achieving two days goals in one. (Last summer, for instance, I set myself to writing 3.5 pages a day, but I felt like a failure if I did not at least manage 7).

So . . . a list I have made, detailing specific readings and writings to do regarding the publishing process for the next ten days (culminating in at least 30 queries sent to agents and publishers). My readings for today are already complete, and very soon I will have finished this blog, making my goal for the day achieved. Smiles all around. I'll keep you abreast of my progress.