Interview with Author/Agent Lucienne Diver
April 28, 2009 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives
This month Around Town lingers in New York with an interview with literary agent and author (and fellow Italian food aficionado), Lucienne Diver.
Lucienne is a sixteen year veteran of the publishing business. She began as an agent at NYC’s Spectrum Literary Agency and moved last year to the dynamic Knight Agency (http://www.knightagency.net/). She represents over forty authors of fantasy, science fiction, mystery, suspense and romance. She’s a member of the Association of Authors’ Representatives (AAR), RWA, MWA and SFWA.
She is also the author of the young adult novel VAMPED, a May 2009 trade paperback release from Flux. I had the opportunity to interview Lucienne about her new book and how she juggles being both an agent and an author.
1. Congratulations on your new release! Please tell us about it–what kind of book is it? What’s it about?
Thank you so much! VAMPED is a young adult novel about Gina Covello, a teen fashionista who goes from chic to eek when she’s bitten by the geeky class chess champ turned vampire hottie at the after-prom party. Now in addition to wrestling her hair into submission and learning to apply make up without a mirror, she’s suddenly got to reinvent herself without her former social status. Which would be bad enough, except that the vampiress who turned her geek-boy sire (and new boyfriend) wants him all to herself for the fulfillment of some prophecy, which also seems to involve turning Gina’s former classmates into an undead army. In order to claw her way back to the top, Gina has to find a way to stop the vixen vampiress and save her classmates from fashion and other disasters.
2. Where did you get the idea for this story?
I used to have trouble torturing my characters. And then I “met†Gina. She started talking in my head one day, a newly made vamp-inista who thinks that a life without tanning options amounts to true horror. The idea intrigued me. So I wrote a story in which I threw everything I could at her. But Gina was wilier than I gave her credit for and not only weathered it all, but turned things to her ultimate advantage. My respect for her as a character grew, and it was only when I could love her as much as I could hate her that I was able to feature her in an entire series. Yes, sometimes it scares me that I talk about my characters as if they really exist, but for me they do.
3. You are also a well-respected literary agent. Do you think writers hesitate to sign with an agent who also writes? What is your experience with this?
I work very hard on behalf of my authors, and they know it. I also work to keep my writing and my agenting as very separate things, though, of course, one informs the other. The skills that I’ve learned editing my own work help me provide useful feedback to my authors. The empathy I feel for writers with the submission/rejection process shows in my response times. Also, I feel more in tune with the entire process from idea generation through publication because I’ve gone through it. There are actually a good number of both agents and editors who write. Many of us got into the business not only because of our love of reading, but of creating and of language in general. I’m sure there are writers out there concerned about pros who also write, but none of them have expressed it to me (knocking on wood as I type).
4. I work full time as well as write, and I know it can be a tap dance sometimes. How do you juggle the two careers?
Well, three if you count motherhood *g*
5. What are you working on next?
I’ve just turned in to my agent the first book in a new young adult series about teen witches. Next up, a middle-grade idea that’s been nagging away at me.
6. What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Don’t give up and don’t let rejection get you down. Rejection is part of the process. It’s not a reflection on you or even, necessarily, of your work, but often on the needs of the market or the tastes of the person to whom you’re pitching. If any advice is given about how to improve your work, take it as a sign that the agent or editor saw something worth nurturing. Take it under advisement. Keep writing, revising, growing. The road to publication is a journey and you’ll never make it to the goal if you get disheartened and stop along the way.
Thank you so much, Lucienne!
If you would like more information on Lucienne Diver, she maintains a blog of agenting and authorial musings: http://varkat.livejournal.com/ and can also be found via her author site: http://www.luciennediver.com/.
See you all around town!
A Fantasy Life
April 27, 2009 by A Slice of Orange in category A Fantasy Life by Janet Cornelow tagged as Janet Cornelow, Janet Quinn
By Janet Quinn Cornelow
Debra Young, who some of you know and who has been my critique partner for years, went to the last OCC meeting with me to hear Blake Snyder. He was an interesting and entertaining speaker with a great deal of information. Because I couldn’t go home after the meeting – the Orange Oil Termite people were there and I’m allergic to oranges – Debra and I went out after the meeting. While eating banana splits and making ourselves sick, we talked about Snyder’s points.
Debra and I meet the third Saturday of every month, so I decided that we should take one of his suggestions to heart and make a headline and a movie poster for our current projects. Of course, since neither of us have the ability to actually draw or put a movie poster together, we were suppose to come up with just the idea.
Our meeting came and Debra had forgotten what I said to do and I hadn’t had time. My online classes had kept me very busy that week. So as we ate fajitas, we came up with headlines and movie poster concepts. It really makes a person think about what it is her story is about. It does clarify the concept so that it can be explained to someone else.
My current project is Sam, the never-ending-story. (After I finish him, it is onto an urban fantasy and slaying monsters.) For Freedom’s Treasure, we came up with – When love is at stake, freedom is the ultimate sacrifice.
Figuring what type of movie poster would attract attention and make someone interested in your story is a bit more complicated. It is like designing a cover for the book. I am terrible at that. I never know what I want on the front of my book. However, we did come up with something. Now I wish I knew how to make it so I could post it on my website. Sam is standing in the foreground, in chains, protecting Jubilee. In the background are fields with crops growing. Up on the left, smaller, are the slave hunters looking for Sam and Jubilee.
We decide on the chains because the first time Sam was introduced in The River’s Treasure, he was in chains. Although he isn’t literally in chains anymore, figuratively he is.
Debra and I did go over the bullet points that Snyder came up with. Me, I’m still stuck on the one that says theme. I used to be a high school English teacher and I still can’t do theme. Debra wasn’t any help on the point. I think I’ll just skip that one and keep going.
OCCRWA May Online Class – “Writing the Synopsis” w Camy Tang
April 26, 2009 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives********** permission to forward **********
Hi everyone!
Check out the exciting online classes offered by the Orange County Chapter of RWA!
â€Writing the Synopsisâ€
With Camy Tang
May 11, 2009 – June 6, 2009
Enrollment Information at http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclassMay09.html
COST: $20 for OCC members, $30 for non-members
Enrollment deadline: May 10, 2009
If you have specific questions, email occrwaonlineclass@yahoo.com
ABOUT THE CLASS:
Whether you’ve got a complete manuscript or you’ve just started one, this class will help you write a complete synopsis for your story. I will take you step by step so that by the end of the class you will have written a one-page synopsis, a 4-6 page synopsis, and also a more organic “character” synopsis.
I will give you tips and tricks to ensure you have all the structural and character elements an editor is looking for: Inciting Incident, external goal, internal conflict, romantic conflict, major obstacles, epiphany, climax, and resolution. Never fear synopsis writing again–this class will make you synopsis savvy!
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:
Camy Tang writes romance with a kick of wasabi. Her chick lit Sushi series is out now, and next year she’ll release Deadly Intent with Love Inspired Suspense. Originally from Hawaii, she worked as a biologist for 9 years, but now she is a staff worker for her San Jose church youth group and leads a worship team for Sunday service. She also runs the Story Sensei fiction critique service, which specializes in book doctoring. On her blog, she gives away Christian novels twice a week and ponders frivolous things.
Visit her website at http://www.camytang.com/and sign up for her newsletter YahooGroup for monthly giveaways!
Enrollment Information at http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclassMay09.html
COST: $20 for OCC members, $30 for non-members
Enrollment deadline: May 10, 2009
Coming in June – “Is That Hollywood Calling?†with Cindy Carroll
Just because we can write books doesn’t mean we can write screenplays. “Is That Hollywood Calling?†is a quick and direct month long course on the differences between writing books and writing scripts. We will also look at how writing a screenplay can help improve your novel writing.
For a full class roster, go to
http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclasses.html.
Check out our full 2009 list of workshops.
Want to be notified personally two weeks before each class? Be sure you’re signed up for our Online Class Notices Yahoo Group! Sign up at the bottom of http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclasses.html or send a blank email to OCCRWAOnlineClassNotices-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
********** permission to forward **********
Freedom of the Press
April 25, 2009 by Marianne H. Donley in category Archives tagged as Lori Pyne, Musings At MidnightBy: Lori Pyne
As I read the news that yet another newspaper is going out of business, I worry. How many newspapers will survive the changes in economy and in technology? Will the remaining newspapers be enough to provide the information needed to have a dynamic democracy? Will the remaining newspapers, with their reduced staff and income, still have the resources to investigate individuals, corporations and governments? Will there be enough newspapers to offer a variety of points of view and viewpoints? Will the new media news appearing on my yahoo, google, blogs, websites be able to offer the depth of coverage currently offered in the newspaper?
Unfortunately I only have concerns and questions but no answers. I would love to hear anyone else’s opinion about this issue.
Presenting…Mary-Theresa Hussey, Harlequin Executive Editor
April 24, 2009 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as editor, Harlequin, Isabel Swift, Mary Theresa Hussey, Silhouette, writing
Presenting…Mary-Theresa Hussey
Did you know that when Harlequin Presents launched, it was intended to simply be a verb, that is Harlequin was “presenting” the author to the readers? Well, here I am to present Mary-Theresa Hussey, Executive Editor of the Silhouette imprint.
What does she do? She is responsible for overseeing the overall direction for all Silhouette lines: Desire, Special Edition and Romantic Suspense at the moment, as well as working with her own individual author base.
She is a remarkable reader with an amazing memory and is the unofficial “go to” person for all queries received that start: “I read a book about a guy with a girl and an escaped bear and a car race, but I can’t remember…” But let me let her speak in her own words! Tell us, how did it all begin?
“I began as an Editorial Assistant for Silhouette Romance, working for Tara Gavin in ’89. She said she knew she wanted to hire me when I sat down, saw Diana Palmer and Ann Major covers on her wall and knew the characters names!
From that point on I moved from Silhouette Romance, Special Edition and Intimate Moments, back to Silhouette Romance to be Senior Editor and then Executive Editor for Silhouette. I was also lucky enough to be in on the start of LUNA Books, and still work with many of those authors.”
My list is fairly eclectic. I’d love some Romantic Suspense or Desire writers, and currently work with Red Dress Ink and MIRA authors as well as a lot of paranormal/fantasy writers for Romantic Suspense and Nocturne as well as LUNA. While I’m not as active in acquiring as some other editors–I have a lot of management responsibilities as well–I do keep an eye out for strong projects to bring forward for the company.
“I first started reading series romance when I was 11. We were in Ireland and I ran out of my Nancy Drew titles and my aunt (also Mary Theresa), gave me a batch of Mills & Boon titles. The first one was a Janet Dailey title called THE MASTER FIDDLER and I was hooked by Cholla (yes, that was the hero’s name!). After that, I discovered the stash in the library and used book stores and I’ve never looked back!
“Even in college I used a friend’s local address to get access to the library so I could feed my addiction throughout the year. (I’m pretty sure the statute of limitations has run out on that crime. 🙂 ) I still love the books we publish, and my only frustration is that I’ll never get to read them all!
“I read a lot of Presents, Desire, Romantic Suspense, Special Edition, Intrigue and Blaze and a smattering from the other lines. I’ll also read a bunch of the MIRA and HQN titles as well. And of course all the LUNA titles I didn’t work on! So when I graduated and discovered I could actually get a job working for this company and get these books for free…Well, my fate was sealed!
“I was a series addict from a young age! Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Rick Brant, Cherry Ames, Vicki Barr, Trixie Belden, The Happy Hollisters, The Bobbsey Twins, Tom Swift, Tom Corbett and more were followed by Tolkien, Heinlein, Norton and others. Characterization, dialogue and fast-paced plotting are and were key. Along with romance, I still love fantasy, romantic suspense, mystery, thriller and larger than life stories.
“The best part of this job is access to the wonderful people—authors and colleagues and readers. Even when I’m reading a manuscript that won’t be publishable, I feel that there’s a sense of hope and positivism in romance that I don’t always find when reading other genres.
“For me, the most difficult part of the job is rejecting manuscripts and dashing hopes. It’s especially hard when it comes to projects that aren’t really very bad, but there’s nothing special about them. As we say, we can often work with a storyteller who needs structure, but someone who has structure but no voice, well, that just isn’t something that an editor can easily fix.
“On the positive side, one of my purchases has been for debut author Rachel Vincent’s werecat series. STRAY came out in ’07 and ROGUE in ’08. [Isabel interjects that Rachel made her debut on the April 13th 2008 New York Times Bestseller list at #32, whoo hoo!] and PRIDE is out now. I’ve already read the proposal for PREY. She’s got a wonderful voice and energy and enthusiasm and I really look forward to everyone else reading these projects.
“I have always felt that series novels have a ‘formula’ in the same way that other genre fiction or certain types of poetry does. There’s a structure, a rhyme scheme, an expected conclusion and a theme, but the writer’s voice and subject matter make it sing…or falter.
“And at the heart of genre fiction is the characters. The reason readers can return to a familiar story idea is the characters are believable, relatable and filled with emotion. The ability to have a reader live vicariously through the character is what makes a real storyteller.
“It’s not an easy thing to do either—I’ve tried maybe twice to write something and never got beyond two pages. The commitment needed to finish a book is intense, and the work is hard! I have total respect and admiration for those who make it look easy and who can face the screen or empty page day after day.
“As for what it takes to make a good editor, most editors I know are intensely curious about a lot of things, but always about people. They watch movies, read magazines, obsess about TV and pop culture. They respond to the zeitgeist, but what interests them is the individual in the situation. They also have to have great memories and incredible patience, as they read a manuscript multiple times!
“They must be willing to invest themselves by striving to help the author say what she wants to say as clearly and cleanly as possible, walking a delicate balance between being a “first reader,†a representative of the publisher and an advocate for the author. Communication is key, and making sure that the end goal—of a “good story, well toldâ€â€”is achieved.
“If I wasn’t going to be an editor—and money, skill and talent were no object!—I’d probably like to be a photographer for children, landscape or even weddings. But it makes a nice hobby at least!”
Their loss is our gain—though Matrice is also our unofficial photographer and in between the numerous piles of books, her office has many beautiful photographs of children and landscapes and family events. Truly, a renaissance woman.
Isabel Swift
http://isabelswift.blogspot.com
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