Is my ms. too long????

Kawaguchi has written the story of her mother's life as fiction, though it is very much fact-based. It is the tale of a woman left with three little girls to raise alone in the depths of the great depression.

Memoirs, Great Depression, Historical, Appalachia

Question from the e-mail:  I have just completed my historical novel and want to submit it, but I can't even get the members of my writing class to read past the first couple of scenes. They all say it is "too long to sell, anyway." Well, it is pretty long -- 650,000 words.  But aren't there any agents who will take on a book this long?


Answer: I can't say it has never happened, so I guess anything is possible. If you have invested the time and energy to write a book that long, clearly you have made a committment.

Back in the day, my friend Diana Gabaldon posted a scene from her "practice book" in an online writer's forum and the next day had responses from some Very Well-Known romance writers...

Because she mentioned that in her query letter, an agent agreed to look at it and for a long time she didn't hear anything. Finally she called him and admitted that the 350,000 word ms. she had sent wasn't the WHOLE book, but only the first third or so of her planned story.

"Oh," he said. "I'll get back to you..."

Another few weeks crept by. Finally, he called and said,"You'll have to make it a series of books.  You have enough here for the first three, after that we'll see how it goes."

The first book in her series was OUTLANDER and the three book contract he got her brought in an advance just short of a million dollars. There have been seven or eight more since then. In fact Starz just signed them for a cable TV series. 

So in publishing, ANYthing can happen. But as a publisher, if I received a query on a 650,000 word book, I would start off by saying, "No thanks. With paper costs today, I can't print anything longer than 80,000 and come out. That, too, is an economic fact of life, Jenna.

So look at it as a possible series. Look for sub-plots that you can cut.  Tighten it up any way you can, and see what happens.

Lemon Dream Cake -- recipe

Jack Watson Series, Vol. 1

Tabitha Solo thought nothing of dropping the name of Scot Cunningham, the object of her high school crush who recently died in a car crash, as the inspiration for her first hit song, “Dreamer,” during a TV interview. But now, the FBI is asking about him, people are following her, and Carren Bixby--Tabitha’s manager and Scot’s one-time girlfriend--is behaving suspiciously. When Tabitha finds a listening device in her bedroom, she runs away and hires private detective Jack Watson.

Lemon Dream Cake

• 1  8  ounce package 

  cream cheese, softened
  
• 3/4  cup sugar, divided
  
• 3   eggs, divided
  
• 1  9  inch 

  unbaked pie crust
  
• 3/4  cup 

  Karo® Light Corn Syrup
  
• 1/3  cup lemon juice
  
• 2   tablespoons butter
  
• 1   tablespoon 

  Argo® OR Kingsford® Corn Starch
  
• 2   teaspoons 

  freshly grated lemon peel

   
•  Whipped cream OR whipped topping

   

   

   

Directions

 

1.PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees F.

2.BEAT cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 egg with an electric mixer in a small bowl, until smooth. Spread evenly in bottom of pie crust.

3.USING same bowl, beat 1/4 cup sugar, remaining 2 eggs, corn syrup, lemon juice, butter, corn starch and grated lemon peel until well blended. Pour over cream cheese layer. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup sugar evenly over filling.

 

4.BAKE 50 to 55 minutes or until filling is puffed and set. Cool on wire rack. 

 

To serve, top with whipped cream.

Catching UP!

Books that went to press, or back to press this week:

A ROSE FOR A FOREVER LOVE: A Coverton Mills Romance, by Lynette Hall Hampton
   Seth Armstrong felt obligated to marry his college sweetheatt when she became pregnant. The marriage was never a happy one and they both wanted out, but when Eve learns he’s fallen in love with someone else, she threatens to run to her home in England and never let him see his children again.


BURIED TRUTH, by Gunter Kaesdorf
    Young Attorney Brooke Wheeler searches for a truth buried under the surface and suppressed by long held secrets. She has been in love with the wealthy heir, Jeremy Wright, who has long been suspected of killing his high school girlfriend, Lindsey. Years later, those suspicions deepen when his wife, Cassie, suddenly dies. 

Galleys that went out, or went out again, this week:

A  GHOST OF BROTHER JONATHAN'S: Shannon Delaney Paranormal Mystery Series, Vol. 6, by Elizabeth Eagan-Cox
    A GHOST OF BROTHER JONATHAN’S takes Shannon Delaney on a cold-case quest to investigate a mystery surrounding one of California’s legendary shipwrecks… of 150 years ago.


WHILE I DANCED, by Lynn Slaughter
   A nerve-wracking audition for a summer ballet workshop reminds fifteen-year-old Cass how much she wishes her mom hadn’t died so young. 

LAINEE DELANEY BACK IN BUSINESS, by Frances Langley
    Lainee Delaney, social debutante turned private investigator wannabe, and substitute teacher gotta be to make ends meet, has just landed her first big case. Enter straight-laced and amazingly hot Cade Gainess, an acquaintance from Lainee's past who has done nothing but irritate her in their brief dealings with each other.   


SOLID OIL, by Russell Hunter
   The rainforest’s secret is known to a very few. But each is perfectly placed to profit from it. The secret is lithium—sometimes described as the oil of the 21st century—and the knowledge of it has spawned a crime cabal led by Vietnamese gangster-turned-investor Johnny Ho and including a diverse cast of fellow crooks.

Work began or Continued on the Following: 

VENDETTA, by Ian Welch
   Ethan is alone and destitute on the other side of the world. His Dad is murdered, their business fails, his Mum unable to cope takes her own life. This is too much of a coincidence, rumors indicate one man is responsible. Ethan learns the truth, but what can he do? He is dealing with a powerful adversary, a man who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. 

TOBY MARTIN: STATE FAIR SECURITY, by Barbara Grengs 
   Youngster Toby Martin is back in her fifth adventure. This time she's keeping her private eye open at the State Fair.

 LIVING THE CALL, by Barbara Garro
    By listening and answering God's call to serve...consider being a lifeboat and keeping people afloat. Hold out a ladder to raise people up. We are all God has to serve Him on our planet. Do you believe that? Or are you thinking God can do everything Himself?


REAP THE WHIRLWIND: Killian Kendall Mystery Series, Vol. 2,  by Josh Aterovis.
   Suicide, or murder? That's the question in the second Killian Kendall mystery. Will Smith suspects murder when an old childhood pal drowns, and asks his friend Killian for help in solving the mystery.

A SNUG LIFE SOMEWHERE,  by Jan Shapin
   A Snug Life Somewhere is about Penny Joe Copper, daughter of a roustabout shingle weaver, who is caught up in a 1916 union tragedy known as the Everett Massacre. Her brother Horace is killed, as is the cousin of a radical organizer, Gabe. When her love affair with Marcel, a music student seven years her junior, is thwarted, Penny Jo is pulled into Gabe’s campaign to avenge the “Everett Martyrs.” 

A STORY BOOK, by Elena D. Bowman 
   This is a sample of literary short stories from an author who already has several books with us. The theme of the collection is a writer’s connection with the creator.

MOONLIT BAY, by Elena D. Bowman
  A Paranormal Mystery Novel.
 

by B.R. Lynch

Every work day could be their last. Nine to five is just a dream. Freezing spray, driving winds and menacing federal regulations aren’t the only things hitting them in the face. Wet and Hungry is the true story of the Atlantic commercial fisherman. Wet and Hungry shows the adventures, dangers and hardships of these quirky and courageous people as they struggle with bad weather, anti-fishing groups, heavy expenses and devastating regulations.

Baked Atlantic Ocean Stripped Bass

Ingredients

1 freshly caught, medium-large, cleaned, whole stripped bass 6 to 8 pounds in a deep baking pan sprayed with Pam.

1 cup water *

1/2 cup white cooking wine
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
2 medium carrots, sliced (about 1 cup)
1 small green pepper, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
4 cups Pepperidge Farm® Herb Seasoned Stuffing
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

6 to 8 strips of bacon

1/2 to 1 cup of water (to place baste the baking  fish won't burn so it won't burn-- use as little as possible, so the dressing doesn't get runny.But keep it from sticking and getting hard)

Directions

• 1 Heat the water, 2 tablespoons butter, carrots and pepper in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil.  Remove the saucepan from the heat.  Add the wine and stuffing and mix lightly. 
  
• 2 Spoon the stuffing inside the fish.  Extra stuffing can go around the fish, but should be cooked in the same pan.
  
  
• 3 Heat the remaining butter in an 8-inch skillet over medium heat until it's melted.  Stir in the lemon juice and parsley.  Spoon the butter mixture over the fish.
  
• Garnish the top of the fish with bacon strips.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for an  hour and maybe a bit longer if the fish is very thick.  Long enough for the bacon to get crispy. Not long enough for the fish to be dried out.

e-Mail question--writing tip

In this Epic Award Winning novel, Survey Team Leader Nora Falconi's closest friend, anthropologist Marcus Cranshaw, has disappeared on Class M Planet No. 8055. Nora must find and rescue him before a long-awaited treaty takes effect, and 8055 becomes part of Ast territory.

QUESTION:  Arline, I'm taking another class and folks are complaining about my transitions. Not you, but my other teacher said that opening a scene with dialogue is good and gets the reader's attention right away. But the other students say they are confused.  How can I fix this?

ANSWER: Well, I know the textbook we used, too, advised dialogue. But I always advised that the WHO? When? and Where? questions have to  get answered in that first line or two of a scene. Otherwise the reader can feel disoriented.

That doesn't mean you can't start with dialogue, but -- lot of this is plain common sense. I can't tell you how many manuscripts I see as a publisher now  where scenes open with conversation between two people, but we don't know where they are, or even who they are. Worse, many times a third person will say something, then following the speech, will be the words, "Danny Martin joined them on the post office steps." It's just plain disorienting for Danny to speak, before he joins them. Sort of like someone sneaking up behind you and poking you in the back when you're not looking.

And it's even worse if the first two people have been talking for half a page before we find out they're at the post office. Especially if we've already built them a street corner, or a grocery store parking lot in our imagination, because when left without a clue, the reader's imagination will come up with something...

But you  can still do it with dialog!

"Lorrie!" Janet Eiselmann called to me from the top of the post office steps. "I've been meaning to call you. Did you hear about the murder? It's all over the news!"

"What murder?" I hurried up the steps as our postman, Danny Martin, came through the doors behind her. "No, I haven't heard a thing."

"Mayor Dabrovnik was found this morning, dead in bed, they said." Janet's eyes were wide and blue, but her voice was gleeful. "Shot in the forehead!"

"Who, beside me, would want to kill the mayor?" I asked remembering how much I had wanted to strangle him at the last city council meeting. "Don't look at me! I don't even own a gun."

"Don't play innocent with us, Lorrie." Danny laughed as he fished in his bag and handed me my mail. "We know you did it. Nobody could have wanted him dead as much as you after he turned down your last rezoning request."

Murder Mystery Chicken Recipe

Matching wits with competent criminals is the forte of Detective Sergeant Eva Wyatt. In this fast paced story, her quick thinking bags a contract killer, but to find the person who hired the shooter is a hard nut to crack.

Murder Mystery Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

8 boneless chicken breasts

8 slices swiss cheese

1 (10 1/2 ounce) can cream of chicken soup

1/4 cup white wine

1/4 cup melted butter

1 cup crushed crouton 

 

1 bay leaf

Directions:

1 Grease a large baking dish.

2 Place chicken breasts and bay leaf in the dish.

3 Top with slices of Swiss cheese.

4 Combine soup and wine, pour over chicken and cheese.

5 Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle the top with the crushed croutons.

6 Bake covered at 350 for 1 hour, then uncovered for 10 minutes.

7 Serve over rice.

Happy Labor Day!

Ribaldry tends to disguise a harsh existence. In 1056 England, there are no humane set of laws, no benign constitution, no protection for the masses (or the mighty) except might makes right and the practiced sleight of hand. The narration is Rabelaisian with overtones, always, of the darkness of life when the drinking ends, the money runs out and payment is due.

Question from the e-mail bag:  When should someone market Holiday themed short stories?

Answer: That depends on the market and the story.

If you have a Christmas -themed book, then your best acceptance time is in early spring, as it takes close to 9 months to have the book out and the Internet promotion, advance reviews, and sales campaign should begin in August or Sept. so it will be happening while the Christmas Shopping season is on.

If you have a Christmas-themed short story, that you want to market to monthly magazines, start sending it out in June or July.  For weekly magazines, start in August or September. 

Time frames are the same length of time, no matter what  holiday you choose.