Preface

I'm leaking my much anticipated albeit diminutive preface to my faithful followers this very evening...(yo yo yo sup hun?)

Without further ado:

SEA ROSE - Preface

Nightmares are subjective. They are as personal and intimate as the closest of relationships, sometimes more so. Just as one man’s Juliet could be another’s Medusa—one’s nightmare could be another’s dream.

The jury’s still out—the jury in my head that is—on whether or not the events I experienced in the last year constitute a dream or a nightmare. I remember that it started out pleasantly enough before the experience twisted and turned—winding through darkness, past garishly colored incidents and pausing briefly in gray. Calm was never part of the equation.

On a perfectly pleasant day in August—an uncommon thing on the southeastern edge of Texas—my slumber began. Sultry is a kind way to describe a typical late summer day in this part of the world. Most just use words like sweltering, sticky and miserable. So a day that carries little or no humidity is a welcome respite. People come outside to enjoy it in masses—staying out from discovery until late at night reveling in the reprieve.

With a history every bit as thick and rich as New Orleans (but not quite as gritty) Galveston Island holds its own. In playing gracious host to pirate lairs, enduring massive hurricanes and wars, the sandy island has entranced layers of generations and captured their hearts and souls.

Something undulates just beneath the living surface of this island town. Natives may not recognize it, but when you grow up in a place where the dead have always remained that way, you can sense the difference. Their memories can be felt throbbing from the aged structures that they inhabit. Their stories continue while the rest of us move blindly between, around, and through them.

Very few are entrusted with the secrets of those who have gone before.




So...tell me what you think!

A Week in the Life

I'm set up on twitter and I got a new follower this week, Sterling House Publications. I'm sure they did some sort of complicated search to find out who wants to be published...still it was an interesting thing to have happen.

Rejection number two faced me as I opened my email this morning. I love the feeling I get when I'm just about to open a reply to a query and there's this excitement at the possibility that I could be picked up. Then I read it, and mild disappointment hits. And it is very mild, I'm not sure why...I've never really taken rejection from strangers all that hard. I guess it could be that the rejections are just so gosh darn nice....see the example below...

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Dear Ms. Parker,

Many thanks for your email regarding your novel SEA ROSE, which I am declining with my regrets.

Given the demands of running a boutique agency and continuing to best represent my current clients, I must make difficult decisions every day regarding what new projects I can sign. I appreciate your thinking of me, and wish you the best of luck in your search for representation.

Cheers,

Kate Schafer Testerman

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Last Day of School

This is what my children looked like nine months ago, perfectly scrubbed and coiffed, new clothes and all. They look happy even though it was the first day of school.

I should've taken a pic of them this morning before I drove them to their last day of the 2008-2009 school year. Equally as happy, not quite as scrubbed and coiffed. I think my oldest was wearing a shirt that was missing a button or two. That's what living in the trenches of having three school-aged children will do to you. After 170-some-odd days of packing 3 lunches (510 in all), surviving hours of homework a day (some of which seemed designed to be homework for parents), signing my name countless times, lamenting the bad grades, cheering the excellent, two science projects, social studies and language arts projects it comes to an end today.

There will be awards ceremonies for the children, as there should be...they worked hard. But we, as parents do it all for the love of our kids...so that they can learn better, do better...be better. I for one am ready for the break. But I know in less than three months time, my kiddos will stand just as scrubbed and coiffed as in this pic, ready for a new year full of work and opportunity.

Coca-Cola Rehab

'nuff said...

Jessy

I was so set on "robusting" my manuscript. Hubby says what I think, that the last half needs a bit more fleshing out.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, not sure which yet, a new character came to me right before I took a nap this morning, (yes, I know, I'm a brat). I fell in love with her and what's going to be her story. I know it sounds so freakin' nerdy and spacy to talk that way. I guess there are other ways I could say it, but that's how it feels. Like this little girl just walked up to me and asked me to tell her story. So now I'm all itchy to get it down before I forget her.

Jessy's her name and she's incredibly unlovable...because no one has loved her. She's a fifth grader who's smaller than everyone in her class and most fourth graders too. The rest I can't give away in case someone steals her from me...that would be pretty hard considering I have one reader...so honey, please don't steal Jessy.

First Rejection!

Yesterday I received my first rejection letter from a literary agent. Surprisingly, it didn't bother me all that much. Of course it was a very kind form letter (actually an email), didn't say anything like "you suck...don't ever write anything again", but it was a rejection nonetheless. It felt like a right of passage. For goodness sakes, who gets an acceptance on their first try in the publishing world? If you can name one, let me know!

I was a little triumphant because I'd moved on something big (at least I think it's big). I've taken many steps, written the darn thing, wrote queries, etc... and that feels good.

Before I send out anymore queries I think I'll get some beta readers. I need some more feedback on how to make this thing great. Any takers??? ;)

Spring in full swing...and other things

So it's been a little over three months since I've posted, but that's okay since no one is following my blog...yet. Truth is, it's been a little crazy around here. I started working on a novel in January and that's what I've been spending every spare second on. My poor family is living in squalor because of my preoccupation, but there's hope! Now that I'm shopping it around there may be a little extra time for chit-chat and I guess a little housework too.

Have you looked out the window lately? It's full spring! If it weren't for endless allergies this would be my favorite time of year.

There's a drainage ditch that runs behind my house that we (my family and I) lovingly refer to as "the creek". This is the only time of year you can find something other than discarded bikes and trash floating at the bottom. Right now it's filled with tall leafy grasses (okay--they're probably weeds, but this is an uplifting post) and those little pink buttercup looking flowers. At the bottom, once you look past the rusting bike wheel, you see schools of tadpoles darting. My favorite are the turtles that love to bask in the warm morning sun. They climb up onto large limestone rocks that poke out of the water or a long discarded wooden beam and stretch their necks and limbs as far as they can to soak up the best light of the day.

I'm thinking about taking a hint from the turtles...basking sounds nice, with sunscreen of course. Who needs clean dishes anyway?