Eve Gaddy's Blog - Posts Tagged "cry-love"
A Long Time Coming
A Long Time Coming
Some books are a long time coming.
I had the original idea for Cry Love in 1999. I found the file not too long ago. It was a one line description that I had saved in my idea file, many computers ago. But it was a very different idea and at the time I was writing for Harlequin. There was no way this book would fit what they wanted. Since I am one of those writers who does best in total immersion, I filed the idea and kept writing other things.
I am also one of those writers who periodically experiences burnout. I think it has something to do with being so obsessive. (What, me obsessive?)
Anyway, every once in a while, especially when I was feeling burned out and battered by the business, I would pull the idea out and play with it. I went to see the movie Hurricane and found it and Denzel Washington, who plays Hurricane Carter, very inspiring. My husband and I were the only people in the theatre and it seemed as if it was playing just for me.
Several years ago, maybe around 2003 or 2004, I wrote the first scene. I was at a conference and laid down to rest and the scene came to me. A year or so later, I worked on the plot during an endless drive back from Savannah to Tyler with my daughter. Then I put it aside again.
I couldn't get going on it. I would write random scenes occasionally but what I had in no way resembled a book. I went on that way until I quit writing for about two years due to burnout, family death, twin grandbabies, and life in general. I played with my grandbabies, did a lot of needlework and didn't write a word of fiction. I decided if I never wrote anything else that was okay. I'd published sixteen books and that was enough.
Then I talked to Debra Dixon, President of Belle Books, and a friend I'd known for many years. The self-publishing boom had hit. Although I thought I had retired, almost all my friends are writers and I was still a member of many writing communities. I had the rights back to eight books and was toying with publishing them myself. But I couldn't figure out a number of things. Formatting for one. At the time I wrote in Word Perfect. Everything now requires Word, which I loathe and use only when I absolutely must.
So I asked for help on one of my writers loops and Debra Dixon gave me some great advice. She also mentioned I didn't have to do this all on my own. "I don't?" I asked. She said Belle Books was interested in reissuing my backlist. I knew about Belle Books, of course. I had always wanted to write for them, in fact. But I hadn't realized they had branched out from publishing only original southern fiction to more genres as well as reissues. I was in heaven. Belle Books bought my backlist in January 2011. My first reissue, On Thin Ice, came out with Bell Bridge Books in August of 2011. I love those books and it is such a pleasure to know they have a new life. I not only have a new publisher but I'm lucky enough to have a publisher and editors who are a dream to work with.
In one of our discussions about my backlist, Deb asked me if I had plans to write anything new. She knew all about what had been going on with me and that I had mentioned retiring, but she let me know Belle Books would be interested in an original from me. I said, "Well, I do have an idea for a book that's unlike anything I've ever written.
That was what it took. Not too long after I talked to Deb, I sent a synopsis of my new book to Belle Books. It was very vague and very short since I still had no idea exactly what I was doing, or even what exactly I was writing. We decided I'd write the whole book and submit it.
Except I couldn't write. I had the synopsis but the book was so complex I couldn't figure out how to write the thing. I contacted the fabulous April Kihlstrom, published author and writing coach extraordinaire. With her help I was able to begin seriously working on my book. April was a lifesaver. I truly doubt I'd have been able to write again without her help and encouragement.
My friends, many of whom I list in the acknowledgements, were essential to writing my Book of the Heart. I can't tell you how many talks we had on every subject under the sun. Or how many times I'd call one of them up to try to hammer out a scene. Or email someone with a problem I couldn't figure out. I'm pretty sure my friends were almost as glad as I was when I finished Cry Love. For that matter, so was my family. I might be just a tiny bit hard to live with when I'm writing.
Finally, nearly a year after I started writing it seriously, I typed THE END on Cry Love. Thirteen years after the original idea occurred to me, I finished the book. To call Cry Love a book of my heart doesn't even approach how I feel about it. This book was wrenched, sometimes agonizingly, from deep within my heart and soul. I love this book. I hope you will too.
Some books are a long time coming.
I had the original idea for Cry Love in 1999. I found the file not too long ago. It was a one line description that I had saved in my idea file, many computers ago. But it was a very different idea and at the time I was writing for Harlequin. There was no way this book would fit what they wanted. Since I am one of those writers who does best in total immersion, I filed the idea and kept writing other things.
I am also one of those writers who periodically experiences burnout. I think it has something to do with being so obsessive. (What, me obsessive?)
Anyway, every once in a while, especially when I was feeling burned out and battered by the business, I would pull the idea out and play with it. I went to see the movie Hurricane and found it and Denzel Washington, who plays Hurricane Carter, very inspiring. My husband and I were the only people in the theatre and it seemed as if it was playing just for me.
Several years ago, maybe around 2003 or 2004, I wrote the first scene. I was at a conference and laid down to rest and the scene came to me. A year or so later, I worked on the plot during an endless drive back from Savannah to Tyler with my daughter. Then I put it aside again.
I couldn't get going on it. I would write random scenes occasionally but what I had in no way resembled a book. I went on that way until I quit writing for about two years due to burnout, family death, twin grandbabies, and life in general. I played with my grandbabies, did a lot of needlework and didn't write a word of fiction. I decided if I never wrote anything else that was okay. I'd published sixteen books and that was enough.
Then I talked to Debra Dixon, President of Belle Books, and a friend I'd known for many years. The self-publishing boom had hit. Although I thought I had retired, almost all my friends are writers and I was still a member of many writing communities. I had the rights back to eight books and was toying with publishing them myself. But I couldn't figure out a number of things. Formatting for one. At the time I wrote in Word Perfect. Everything now requires Word, which I loathe and use only when I absolutely must.
So I asked for help on one of my writers loops and Debra Dixon gave me some great advice. She also mentioned I didn't have to do this all on my own. "I don't?" I asked. She said Belle Books was interested in reissuing my backlist. I knew about Belle Books, of course. I had always wanted to write for them, in fact. But I hadn't realized they had branched out from publishing only original southern fiction to more genres as well as reissues. I was in heaven. Belle Books bought my backlist in January 2011. My first reissue, On Thin Ice, came out with Bell Bridge Books in August of 2011. I love those books and it is such a pleasure to know they have a new life. I not only have a new publisher but I'm lucky enough to have a publisher and editors who are a dream to work with.
In one of our discussions about my backlist, Deb asked me if I had plans to write anything new. She knew all about what had been going on with me and that I had mentioned retiring, but she let me know Belle Books would be interested in an original from me. I said, "Well, I do have an idea for a book that's unlike anything I've ever written.
That was what it took. Not too long after I talked to Deb, I sent a synopsis of my new book to Belle Books. It was very vague and very short since I still had no idea exactly what I was doing, or even what exactly I was writing. We decided I'd write the whole book and submit it.
Except I couldn't write. I had the synopsis but the book was so complex I couldn't figure out how to write the thing. I contacted the fabulous April Kihlstrom, published author and writing coach extraordinaire. With her help I was able to begin seriously working on my book. April was a lifesaver. I truly doubt I'd have been able to write again without her help and encouragement.
My friends, many of whom I list in the acknowledgements, were essential to writing my Book of the Heart. I can't tell you how many talks we had on every subject under the sun. Or how many times I'd call one of them up to try to hammer out a scene. Or email someone with a problem I couldn't figure out. I'm pretty sure my friends were almost as glad as I was when I finished Cry Love. For that matter, so was my family. I might be just a tiny bit hard to live with when I'm writing.
Finally, nearly a year after I started writing it seriously, I typed THE END on Cry Love. Thirteen years after the original idea occurred to me, I finished the book. To call Cry Love a book of my heart doesn't even approach how I feel about it. This book was wrenched, sometimes agonizingly, from deep within my heart and soul. I love this book. I hope you will too.
Researchaholic
Researchaholic
I love research. There's nothing I like better when starting a book than to be able to do research. I love going to the library and finding books and articles on the subject I'm researching. I love being able to google the subject and have all kinds of books and articles show up in my browser. I make a research file for each book in my browser favorites and keep all the links in it. I also keep a file for print articles and I have both ebooks and paper books for research. I keep all my research for every book I've written. That way if I need to know something about jewel thieves, or Texas Rangers, or cops, or cold cases, or Hotshots, or any number of things I've researched in the past, I don't have to start from zero.
A really interesting thing happened just as I was starting to do research for Cry Love. I decided that even though I'd never heard of one, that it would have been logical for there to have been another Underground Railroad, but this one running from Texas to Mexico. After all, Mexico is a lot closer to Texas than Canada. Imagine my surprise when I found that my idea happened to be true.
First, I googled Texas-Mexico Underground Railroad to see if it had existed. I found a number of articles that referred to it, some with just a mention and some with more information. Information was scarce on the subject. There isn't a lot written about it, or at least, a lot that is accessible. Most people don't even know the Texas-Mexico Underground Railroad existed. I've read that much that's written about it is in Spanish, but even in Mexico the stories about it aren't well known.
The kernel of an idea I started with was that of a black man and a white woman who fell in love just prior to the Civil War. The man was a slave. Again, I didn't know much about the subject, but people fall in love all the time, so it didn't seem impossible for such a situation to have taken place. One of the books I found fascinating is Forbidden Fruit--Love Stories From the Underground Railroad, by Betty Deramus. One section that particularly interested me was about interracial love stories from the Civil War era. The stories were touching and emotional and often tragic.
Although I still research some of the medical references and situations and such, I do have my own personal go-to medical sources. My husband, Bob, is a retired physician who was a General Surgeon and Radiologist. He loves it when I ask him things.
Me: "I need something really exciting to happen in the ER." I go on to explain the circumstances, what I'm trying to accomplish, etc.
Bob: "You don't want the ER to be exciting. Things aren't going well if they're exciting."
Me: "Yes, yes, I know that. (He's told me this before. Many times.) But tell me what could happen that requires both a trauma surgeon and a neurosurgeon. Something they might argue about."
Bob: Sighs heavily. "Well, this could happen…"
Me: "No."
Bob: "Or this…"
Me: "No."
Bob: Audibly grinding teeth. "How many scenarios do you want?"
Me: "I want one that's exciting."
We go on like that for a while until I finally hear something that might work. Then, of course, I have to pick his brains about how to write the scene and finally, I ask him to read over it to make sure it doesn't sound stupid or that I haven't gotten something wrong. I'm fairly certain at times like that he wishes he wasn't a retired physician. My daughter is a Physician's Assistant so I have another source for answers to medical questions. I think she likes being asked. So far.:)
I also had to do some research about divorce in Texas. I warned my husband in case he came upon me reading about divorce and thought I was planning something. I don’t think he was worried. I'm pretty sure I've asked him questions about that as well. I've been a writer for a long time now, so he's accustomed to being asked about all sorts of subjects--both those he knows about and those he doesn't.
There are a number of groups for writers that are wonderful for doing research. An excellent one is the Yahoo groups Crime Scene Writers group, started by Wally Lind, a retired police crime scene investigator. The description from the Yahoo groups site reads: "A forum for asking and answering crime scene investigation, applied forensics, and police procedure questions for fiction or non-fiction writers. Writers are invited to ask and crime scene investigators, forensic scientists, and medical practitioners are invited to answer."
As with a lot of things, research has changed markedly with the Internet. It can make a writer's life both easier and harder. Easier to find books, articles and other resources to find answers to questions. Harder because it's common to get distracted by every article you read and keep clicking on different articles until suddenly you are reading an article that has absolutely no relation to whatever you were researching. Worse, two hours have passed and you still haven't found the answer to your question.
But you never know when you might need an article on Wolf Moon name variations.
I love research. There's nothing I like better when starting a book than to be able to do research. I love going to the library and finding books and articles on the subject I'm researching. I love being able to google the subject and have all kinds of books and articles show up in my browser. I make a research file for each book in my browser favorites and keep all the links in it. I also keep a file for print articles and I have both ebooks and paper books for research. I keep all my research for every book I've written. That way if I need to know something about jewel thieves, or Texas Rangers, or cops, or cold cases, or Hotshots, or any number of things I've researched in the past, I don't have to start from zero.
A really interesting thing happened just as I was starting to do research for Cry Love. I decided that even though I'd never heard of one, that it would have been logical for there to have been another Underground Railroad, but this one running from Texas to Mexico. After all, Mexico is a lot closer to Texas than Canada. Imagine my surprise when I found that my idea happened to be true.
First, I googled Texas-Mexico Underground Railroad to see if it had existed. I found a number of articles that referred to it, some with just a mention and some with more information. Information was scarce on the subject. There isn't a lot written about it, or at least, a lot that is accessible. Most people don't even know the Texas-Mexico Underground Railroad existed. I've read that much that's written about it is in Spanish, but even in Mexico the stories about it aren't well known.
The kernel of an idea I started with was that of a black man and a white woman who fell in love just prior to the Civil War. The man was a slave. Again, I didn't know much about the subject, but people fall in love all the time, so it didn't seem impossible for such a situation to have taken place. One of the books I found fascinating is Forbidden Fruit--Love Stories From the Underground Railroad, by Betty Deramus. One section that particularly interested me was about interracial love stories from the Civil War era. The stories were touching and emotional and often tragic.
Although I still research some of the medical references and situations and such, I do have my own personal go-to medical sources. My husband, Bob, is a retired physician who was a General Surgeon and Radiologist. He loves it when I ask him things.
Me: "I need something really exciting to happen in the ER." I go on to explain the circumstances, what I'm trying to accomplish, etc.
Bob: "You don't want the ER to be exciting. Things aren't going well if they're exciting."
Me: "Yes, yes, I know that. (He's told me this before. Many times.) But tell me what could happen that requires both a trauma surgeon and a neurosurgeon. Something they might argue about."
Bob: Sighs heavily. "Well, this could happen…"
Me: "No."
Bob: "Or this…"
Me: "No."
Bob: Audibly grinding teeth. "How many scenarios do you want?"
Me: "I want one that's exciting."
We go on like that for a while until I finally hear something that might work. Then, of course, I have to pick his brains about how to write the scene and finally, I ask him to read over it to make sure it doesn't sound stupid or that I haven't gotten something wrong. I'm fairly certain at times like that he wishes he wasn't a retired physician. My daughter is a Physician's Assistant so I have another source for answers to medical questions. I think she likes being asked. So far.:)
I also had to do some research about divorce in Texas. I warned my husband in case he came upon me reading about divorce and thought I was planning something. I don’t think he was worried. I'm pretty sure I've asked him questions about that as well. I've been a writer for a long time now, so he's accustomed to being asked about all sorts of subjects--both those he knows about and those he doesn't.
There are a number of groups for writers that are wonderful for doing research. An excellent one is the Yahoo groups Crime Scene Writers group, started by Wally Lind, a retired police crime scene investigator. The description from the Yahoo groups site reads: "A forum for asking and answering crime scene investigation, applied forensics, and police procedure questions for fiction or non-fiction writers. Writers are invited to ask and crime scene investigators, forensic scientists, and medical practitioners are invited to answer."
As with a lot of things, research has changed markedly with the Internet. It can make a writer's life both easier and harder. Easier to find books, articles and other resources to find answers to questions. Harder because it's common to get distracted by every article you read and keep clicking on different articles until suddenly you are reading an article that has absolutely no relation to whatever you were researching. Worse, two hours have passed and you still haven't found the answer to your question.
But you never know when you might need an article on Wolf Moon name variations.
