We're going to call the MAGGIE story, The Forbidden Rose.
I'm pleased with the title, which I have decided has all kinds of thematic relevance.
Forbidden Rose is set in the same fictive world as Spymaster I and II.
They tell me Forbidden is not going to have scantily clad people on the front.
I don't know whether this is good or bad.
Many folks like the scantily.
But I'm game for anything. It'll be interesting to to see what they'll come up with in the not-so-much-nekkid category.
In other news, I'm doing the first plot layout of Adrian . . .
and working like the devil to fix Forbidden Rose,
(I'm not used to calling it that.)
which still has plotholes you could drop a mack truck through.
But, y'know ...
the fun part of writing, for me, comes when I'm doing the last fixes on a manuscript and making the language just right, or when I'm dreaming up the basic story.
Now I get to do both of these at once.
Yip -- as it were --ee.
YAY!!Adrian is going to make you work for his story? LOL.
ReplyDeleteYes. Yes. Yes.
ReplyDeleteI had this conversation with The Teenager.
"I have to write Adrian's story at the end of the time sequence. He's going to be ..."
"Make him young," says the teenager.
"He's not going to be all that old, for Pete's sake. You know, some folks are interested in adult people misbehav--"
"Nobody wants to read about Old People In Love."
"But--"
"Make him young."
Anyhow, certain complexities arise.
I will cope.
Very Umberto Eco-ish. I really like the title, though, and am looking forward to it and especially to Adrian's story.
ReplyDeleteI get a ding on 'Roman de la Rose.'
ReplyDeleteHadn't thought once of the Ecoecho.
Jo, this is all very exciting for your fans! To borrow a structure from Charlie Pierce:
ReplyDeletePart the First. You have a title! I love the Roman de la Rose echo and the Ecoecho, too.
Part the Second. No half nekked people on the cover is good, I think. Such covers offer folks who consider romance, historical fiction, or a combination thereof lesser genres ammunition. They're not right, of course, but there you are.
Part the Third. I fell in love with Adrian as soon as I met him, and I can't wait to read his story. Will this be the first of your works-in-progress to be referenced by the name of the hero?
Part the Fourth. Not to quibble with the young person, but won’t it be quite tricky making Adrian terribly young? I once added up all the hints you've tossed our way and I estimated he and his French spy will be c. 35 during the action of their story. For me, alas, 35 is a mere infant, but for a teenager, I understand it would mean Adrian has one foot in the grave and the other on the banana peel.
Ok, here's the really burning question--do you have a publication date, or anything pretending to be a publication date?
ReplyDeleteHmm. Adrian--young? In some ways Adrian was never young.
I'm not so sure teenagers think 35 is the end of life. Look at all those Georgette Heyer novels with heroes in their 30s--doesn't seem to have inhibited her success any.
(I now have this vision of an entire book written by an author, in parallel with writing an actual novel, which is nothing but dialog between author and characters. Imagine the wonderful death scenes as the author ruthlessly cuts someone's part entirely out...and the comparable scenes where the author coaxes the shy characters onstage.)
@ Annie --
ReplyDelete>>> I fell in love with Adrian as soon as I met him, and I can't wait to read his story. <<<
I was kinda dismayed by the whole prospect of an Adrian story, at first.
I didn't originally plan to write him.
I'm getting enthusiastic though.
>>>Will this be the first of your works-in-progress to be referenced by the name of the hero?<<<
Criminy. You're right.
Don't know what that means ...
>>>he and his French spy will be c. 35 during the action of their story.<<<
. . . which may be old for a hero-heroine pairing
in some folks' minds.
I'm thinking of running parallel stories in different time frames for this one.
Challenging stuff.
Nora Roberts does this in 'Tribute',
Sherry Thomas in 'Private Arrangements',
Daphne du Maurier in 'House on the Strand', and
Peter S. Beagle in 'Folk of the Air'.
Hard structure to make work. Kinda scary thing to attempt.
@ Anon --
ReplyDelete>>>>Ok, here's the really burning question--do you have a publication date, or anything pretending to be a publication date?<<<<
I think they are thinking,
(how's that for a weasel?)
summer 2010.
>>>Hmm. Adrian--young? In some ways Adrian was never young. <<<
In Forbidden Adrian is about 12. (I'd have to go back and look at my notes on this.)
He's hard hard hard to write as twelve. Aside from everything else ... he speaks somewhat limited but uppercrust French
and lowercrust English.
Complicated voice.
I just dunnoh ...
>>>I'm not so sure teenagers think 35 is the end of life. Look at all those Georgette Heyer novels with heroes in their 30s--doesn't seem to have inhibited her success any. <<<<
The main story line of Adrian has to be 1818, I think. So I will be writing an adult love story.
It's hard to talk about it at this stage of the game.
Maybe something cool will occur to me next week that makes it all easy.
*g*
>>>>(I now have this vision of an entire book written by an author, in parallel with writing an actual novel, which is nothing but dialog between author and characters. <<<<
Not entirely sequitor, but did you ever come across 'Naked Lunch'?
Thanks be for less nekkidness! I rave incessantly about your books to any friends or family who stand still long enough to listen but when it comes time for actual book lending I've met resistance.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the covers are beautiful, models sans shirts and chemises may reduce the potential pool of Jo-fans. Especially among men, people who commute with book covers in full view and those who pigeonhole entire rafts of excellent books by a single piece of artwork (plus stepbacks). Which is a damn crying shame.
I can't wait for The Forbidden Rose and I'll be counting down the seconds on my toes till I can get myself a copy.
@Anon --
ReplyDeleteI am so flattered and grateful that you recommend my books. Thank you.
My favorite authors are those handed to me by a friend who said, "You must read this."
That goes right back to Miss Swihart, my ninth grade teacher, who said, "Here. Try Jane Austen."
When we talk covers, we are talking marketing. This is a specialized and complicated field of human endeavor,
of which I know noooothing.
I *think* the idea behind the seminude and entangled on the cover is that this shouts 'Romance genre' to the book buyer, who has somehow got the book in her hand and not noticed it is a Romance.
As to making the covers less ... Romanc-y ...
The publisher probably figures 99% of all Romance sales are going to be to hardcore Romance readers. So they are not so much after the crossover market.
Unfortunately for me.
I kinda wish they slapped a little pink rose on the spine of genre Romance and said to themselves, 'The genre is now identified,' and then used a wide variety of covers and titles that related to the actual content of the story.
That way I'd be able to remember the title of books I really liked instead of just coming up with, 'It had Duke in it.'
But what do I know?
Hmmmm, see I know. I don't work in publishing, anymore, since the pay was rubbish : ) but I'm all about selling stuff to people through perception.
ReplyDeleteI think publishers are doing themselves and romance lovers a huge disfavour with "whoops my dress slipped off my shoulder' artwork. It makes it too easy for people to discount a genre that deserves more respect, and readers.
I reckon the Twilight covers are brilliant. Simple, sexy and stylish. They tell a bit about the story, set a mysterious mood and absolutely POP off the shelf when you see them in a bookstore. Those covers are working their little butts off to sell the book.
The opposite effect: me hovering in the romance section of Borders, looking at the vile peach-rhododendron-and-orgasming-woman cover on Lord of Scoundrels and thinking "I really, really want this book but I don't think I can carry it across the store, let alone have it on my bedside table".
God, I sound like such a design-snot. I'm sorry. Rest assured I'll buy your new one, even if it has rearing horses, glistening abs and leather pants on the cover.
@ Anon --
ReplyDeleteNo. No. You don't sound like a design snot at all. You sound like someone who knows something about design.
Go. Immediately. Buy Lord of Scoundrels. (If you haven't already.)
I wish they'd make cover distinctions between the different flavors of Historical Romances.
(sigh)
I hate to see Kinsale or Chase with covers that fail to show the quality of their wonderful writing.
I can't remember where I read this recently but apparently romance novels make up about 50% of all paperback sales in the US. So if you only sell to romance readers, that's already a pretty sizeable chunk of the market. I wouldn't worry too much.
ReplyDeleteJo,
ReplyDeleteHere is a rose named Maggie. They think it's an old Bourbon. I have it in my garden, and it's lovely.
http://www.antiqueroseemporium.com/rose-2104.html
I'm looking forward to The Forbidden Rose and Adrian
Martha
@Ros --
ReplyDeleteSales depend on about a dozen folks who 'buy' for Walmart and the grocery chains. If a book goes in those stores, it sells many copies. If it doesn't, it doesn't.
That simple. IMO.
I have no idea how THEY decide what to buy. Wish I knew *g*.
@ Martha -
ReplyDeleteThat is so cool. I went to have a look at it and it's just lovely.
I don't know whether they're going to put a rose on the cover or not. If they do, I hope it's one that pretty.