I have to say, these past few weeks of sending Compromised out into the world have been great. But imagine my surprise when I discovered I still have to go about my life. Shocking, I know! I assumed that as a Published Author, I wouldn’t have to do the mundane things like… grocery shop. Or laundry. I mean, don’t Published Authors have people to do that for them? I shouldn’t have to go for the gym, someone should go in my place whilst I recline gracefully on my chaise and reap the benefits… no? That isn’t how it works? Sigh. Oh well.
On of the many day to day things that I have being doing is pondering the next book. Book 2 is already with my fabulous editor, so now is the time to be germinating, ruminating, perhaps even ratiocinating on Book 3. And I have some characters laid out that I like. And I think I have a story – it might need to develop a little more, but thicker plot generally (for me) comes out of the writing process. But in any case, its time to get a move on. Tomorrow is spring.
In other news, I signed up to go to the RWA National conference in San Francisco this summer! I’ve never been to a national conference before, so I’m very excited and deeply nervous. If anyone has been and can offer advice, my ears are open…
Happy writing –
Awesome things –
March 12th, 2008
Nifty news! I was just told by my editor that Compromised, in just over a week, has hit #11 on the Borders/Walden trade romance bestseller list, and #12 on the B & N trade romance list! Woo-Hoo!!!
But even cooler: my friend Vicki called to tell me that her sister’s local Books-A-Million in South Carolina has SOLD OUT of Compromised. So on the one hand – yay! I’m selling out the place! On the other hand – hey! Vicki’s sister’s local Books-A-Million in South Carolina! Get on the ball and order more books! (After all, one would assume you’d have millions of them at your disposal. It’s in your name.)
I’m so happy that the book is being well received. And thank you to everyone who has enjoyed it thus far.
Happy reading!
Kate Noble
This! Is! It!
March 4th, 2008
When I was in college I was in the marching band. (What? That’s right, I said it.) We followed our football team to a bowl game in Memphis, Tennessee, and the day before the game, we marched in a parade in the pouring rain. Marching down Beale Street, there was a sign for a club that flashed the words: “This! Is! It! (pause) This is it!” As we approached the sign, the drenched trumpet section, to keep ourselves amused, in time, and from shivering to death, began chanting along to the sign: This! Is! It! This is it!
Well kids, I can only say: This! Is! It! This is it!
Its here! My book is here! (I’m going to use a lot of exclamation points in this post. Fair warning.) Compromised is on store shelves! I popped into Barnes and Noble, wandered over to the Romance section, and low and behold it was there. My friend texted me from Borders. There too! On a table next to Meg Cabot! I love her books!
Seriously though, this has been an effort a long time coming, and there were a lot of people involved. I have many, many people to thank, and since I’m pretty sure I’m never going to win an Oscar – it’s ok, I’ve made my peace with it – I would like to take this opportunity to give my Oscar speech:
I would like to thank the Academy.
I would like to thank my family and friends for their unending support, and my Mom in particular for having her book club read my book.
I would like to thank my agent Kelly, who plucked me from all the queries on her desk and her incredible patience when I ask stupid questions.
I would like to thank my editor, who guided my words, and got them in shape. She’s like a personal trainer who made my sentences and chapters start doing pilates 5 days a week.
(The orchestra starts up, forcing me to speak louder and faster)
I…I would like to thank my 10th grade English teacher Mrs. Reeves! I would like to thank my roommate for not taking it personally when I only grunted at her from behind my laptop! I would like to thank my --
(The orchestra gets louder now, and the camera goes to a wide shot of the Kodak theater)
Hey! I want to thank the RWA! I want to thank all the judges of all those contests I entered when I first started for your criticism! I want to thank my cat Cordelia! And most of all I want to thank you! Thank you, for reading, and I hope you enjoy Compromised!
Not too shabby, right? I do hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday, and if you happen to wander by a book store, and notice a book with a girl in a yellow dress on the cover called Compromised, pick it up, give it a once over. I loved writing this book, and sincerely hope you enjoy it, too.
This is it!
T minus Ten, Nine…
Feb 23rd, 2008
Its all starting to happen. In less than ten days (March 4th), Compromised is going to be in stores. Its going to be shipped to my brother-in-law and my best friend Vicki, who pre-ordered the minute the Amazon posting was active. (Thanks! Love you guys!) Some reviews are already being posted. It’s something I’ve been anticipating since I got the Call-with-a-captial-C over a year ago, and working towards for a couple before that, and now…
…now I’m its all so calm. Weirdly calm. Where’s my overwhelming stage fright? Where’s my champagne? Where’s my massive book release party like Carrie Bradshaw had where Ron Livingston showed up and you knew she was pregnant that season because she was wearing all those no-waist flowy dresses. Granted, I would look like hell in one of those dresses, but I wouldn’t mind Ron Livingston stopping by. (note: I know Carrie Bradshaw is fictional. Its one of the main problems I have with that show). But I digress…
Don’t get me wrong, part of me is jumping out of my skin. When I got an advance copy of the book in the mail the other day, I skipped around my apartment like a five year old. But the other part of me, the much larger, more practical part, has to do the laundry. And my taxes. And go to work on Monday. And think of plot twists for my next effort. So any giddy nervousness I may have falls away. Which is unfortunate. Because you only get to have your first novel published once, and I want to enjoy every last hyper, silly, adrenaline fueled bout of stomach butterflies I get. T minus ten, nine, eight…
Valentine’s Day Blog:
Happy Valentine’s day! I hope you are spending it with someone special. I will be spending it with… my television. No, no! Don’t pity me! I have a very special relationship with my television. And this V-Day, I’m going to be indulging in one of my guilty pleasures: horror movies. And I find that they are especially appropriate on Valentine’s Day. Think about it: generally there’s love involved, and a heck of a lot of adversity to get to that love in the end. Deeper, more challenged love than any rom-com with Matthew McConnahey could possible manage. The Shining? Shelly Duvall loves her son, and she sacrifices a lot to get him to safety. The Exorcist? That priest sacrificed himself to save Linda Blair. I Know What You Did Last Summer? Freddie Prinze Jr and Jennifer Love Hewitt end up together -- even after the second one! My absolute favorite horror movie to watch on Valetine’s day is surprisingly, not the eponymous Valentine, starring the lovely David Boreanaz, but instead, the Omen. The real one from the 70s, not the odd remake with Live Schrieber and Julia Stiles, but the one with Gregory! Peck! And there’s love there. He loves his wife. And he’s torn, at the end, having to kill the child he raised as his son whom he discovered is the child of the devil. So I’m going to settle back, light a candle, eat some chocolate, and watch Gregory Peck dig up graves and be chased by dogs and ancient prophecy.
Ah, love.
Well, what do you guys do?
The Commitments
February, 2008 - I have kept a diary for most of my life. Or, at least, since the age when keeping a diary was important to a growing girl with more imagination than social skills. But keeping a blog, I have a feeling, will be much different.
While a diary can be unstructured, unfettered, a blog has to have topics and themes. I can ’t just keep a log of events. Darn it all, I have to think about what I want to say! So, time to choose a topic. And I’ve chosen…Commitment.
Commitment is a vital part of being a writer. You can have all the talent in the world and voice that sings like Whitney Houston, but if you don’t have the commitment to set your words on the page, day after day after day, then you’re not a writer.
My typical day goes something like this: Get up early, write, go to my day job (yes, I have one. One day I’ll achieve my goal of being able to give it up) gym, dinner, reality TV, more writing, bed. When deadlines loom, writing takes up a bigger and bigger part of the day. First the gym membership will get dusty, but that’s ok, because I’ll have given up eating regularly, so it all evens out. Reality TV goes eventually – I have to have something to look forward to, don’t I? The point is, if it’s important, and if you’re committed to it, you’ll find the time – ala Tim Gunn, you make it work.
Ok, so that was my first blog. Pretty rocky, right? Well, when learning something new, it takes me a little while to get into the flow. But I’m committed. And I’m excited. So, stick with me kids, it can only get better.
