Writer on the Verge of Deadlines
May 29, 2017 by A Slice of Orange in category Writer on the Verge by Kate Carlisle tagged as deadlines, Kate Carlisle, Writer on the VergeFrom A Slice of Orange Archives
Deadline Hell. I’m there.
It’s my first trip and I’m not liking it much. In fact, I’m going a little crazy.
I wish I could blog about something happy and carefree but I’m harried and nervous and can’t sleep, can’t think of anything but the book and how much more I need to write and how little time I have to do it. I’ve lost all peripheral vision. I can only focus on one little page, nothing else.
I’ve lost track of what’s happening on all my favorite TV shows.
I can’t read anything new. I’ve taken to re-reading old favorite books because I already know what happens and don’t have to focus too much on the story.
And I’m living on TV dinners. That can’t be healthy.
I spend most of my time in sweatpants, a big old work shirt and comfortable shoes. It’s not a good look for me.
So why am I always smiling? 🙂
Kate Carlisle is always smiling because her first book, Homicide in Hardcover, from NAL, is now available everywhere!
Since this column was originally posted in February 2009, Kate as gone on to publish over 20 books. You can get a complete list of her novels at Kate Carlisle Bibliography. Four of her newest titles are available below.
Writer on the Verge — Of Malice!
April 18, 2009 by A Slice of Orange in category Writer on the Verge by Kate Carlisle tagged as Kate Carlisle, Silhouette Desire, Writer on the Verge
At the end of this month I’ll be attending my first Malice Domestic mystery conference in Arlington, Virginia. I’ve heard about the Malice conference for years and I’m very excited to be going with my first book out and available. There’s a speed-dating-type event where authors switch from table to table to meet readers, and I’ll also be sitting on a panel called “I Hear Voices.†I’ll see my agent and also meet my editor for the first time so there will be a bit of business going on. And Saturday is the Agatha Awards ceremony so there should be some dressing up. I’ll be sure to report back on everything that happened!
What are you on the verge of doing? Have you ever been to a mystery conference? Yes? How about sharing some mystery conference tips? 🙂
Meanwhile, I want to jump on Maureen Child’s bandwagon and shout out the news about the very fun new Silhouette Desire blog on eharlequin.com. I’m the newest author in the group and so far, we’re having a blast! Come by and comment if you have a minute. We’re giving away prizes every day this month!
Kate Carlisle is the author of Homicide in Hardcover, the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association’s No. 1 paperback bestseller for February 2009.
6 0 Read moreWriter on the Verge
December 18, 2008 by A Slice of Orange in category Writer on the Verge by Kate Carlisle tagged as Kate Carlisle, Writer on the Verge
I’m so worried about the economy!! Because, you know, who will buy my book if nobody has any money??? And I’m really nervous about all the bookstores closing! And what about Christmas? Should I spend any money?? How can I find the right present for my smart nephew? I’m not that smart!! And what about my mom? She’s such a pain in the—
AHEM! We interrupt this angsty blog …
and those economic woes …
and all those scary headlines …
and the deadline frenzy …
and the annoying hangover left over from the boring office party you were forced to attend …
and the soul-sucking insanity of scouring the earth for every last good place to promote your book …
and the perfectly reasonable fear of never selling another book, never, ever again in your entire life …
and the head-scratching confusion of finding the perfect gift for that way-too-intelligent fourteen-year-old on your list …
and the irrational need to spend more, more, more, just in case it’s not enough, because let’s face it, it will never be enough …
and the absolute knowledge that time will run out at the precise moment you remember something essential you forgot to buy …
We interrupt all that stuff …
… in order to take a deep breath … and wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, a delightful Kwanzaa, and a wonderful New Year!
And may 2009 bring you all the joy and happiness and health and book sales and promotional opportunities you can handle—and a soupcon more!
Kate Carlisle’s first mystery, Homicide in Hardcover, debuts February 3, 2009.
Writer on the Verge
November 18, 2008 by A Slice of Orange in category Writer on the Verge by Kate Carlisle tagged as Kate Carlisle, Writer on the VergeWrite? Promote? Write? Promote?
I’m writing Book Two, but what should I do about Book One? It’s a quandary every writer faces, but I think I know the answer to this one …
Sell, baby, sell!
Yup, that’s me. Kate the Promoter.
Okay, yes, I’m a little obsessed with promotion right now, but it happens to everyone, right? I’m determined to sell every book printed in order to trigger a second and third printing. Is that so wrong? I just wish I knew how many books my publisher is printing. Then I could really obsess.
But I don’t know how many they’re printing and they won’t tell me, so I’m forced to play with imaginary numbers on the calculator. I carry my calculator around with me, just in case I get the urge to figure out something.
That’s not weird, is it? No, it’s fun. Obsession can be fun. Really. And then there’s bookmarks. I really want bookmarks. I’ve got postcards, but bookmarks can go anywhere. And I’ll need pens. And magnets.
I obsess over my calendar daily. When my book comes out, I’ll need to fill my calendar with lots of speaking engagements. I’ll need to schedule readings, and maybe go on a book tour and meet booksellers and lots of readers. I need to do a blog tour, and contests, and I’ve got to get lots of reviews, do radio interviews, go to every conference in the country.
My protagonist is female, so I’m hoping to speak to a lot of women’s groups. There are women at Rotary meetings, right? And lawyers’ groups, legal secretary organizations, nurses’ associations, librarians, teachers.
Oh, and my protagonist stops for coffee in chapter seven. I wonder if barristas have speakers at their meetings. There’s a connection I could exploit. I wonder if they have a mailing list.
Maybe I need to take a nap.
Kate Carlisle’s debut mystery, Homicide in Hardcover, comes out February 3, 2009. Buy, baby, buy!!
Writer on the Verge
October 18, 2008 by A Slice of Orange in category Writer on the Verge by Kate Carlisle tagged as Homicide in Hardcover, Kate Carlisle, Writer on the Verge
I know the phrase “shock and awe” might seem like exaggeration, but that’s what I felt when, after so many years, I held my first book in my hot little hands. 
Here’s a preview of the real deal. Now that’s a beautiful thing! Kate Carlisle’s first book in the Bibliophile Mystery series, Homicide in Hardcover, arrives February 2009 from NAL.
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