I’m so excited to share that SWORD AND VERSE has been chosen as one of 6 finalists for the Compton Crook Award, awarded by the members of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society, Inc. (BSFS) to honor the best first novel of the year written by an individual author in the Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror genre. The Award was named in memory of Towson State College Professor of Natural Sciences Compton Crook, who wrote under the name Stephen Tall, and who died in 1981. Professor Crook was active for many years in the Baltimore Science Fiction Society and was a staunch champion of new works in the fields eligible for the award.
I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Linda Thompson of The Author’s Show about my debut novel, Sword and Verse, and that interview is being featured today! Click here to listen.
Summary: “Just let it go.” That’s what everyone keeps telling Hadley St. Clair after she learns that her father cheated on her mother. But Hadley doesn’t want to let it go. She wants to be angry and she wants everyone in her life—her dad most of all—to leave her alone. Sam Bennett and his family have had their share of drama too. Still reeling from a move to a new town and his parents’ recent divorce, Sam is hoping that he can coast through senior year and then move on to hassle-free, parent-free life in college. He isn’t looking for a relationship…that is, until he sees Hadley for the first time. Hadley and Sam’s connection is undeniable, but Sam has a secret that could ruin everything. Should he follow his heart or tell the truth?
When I first started reading this book, I didn’t think I would like the two main characters very much. But less than twenty pages in, as I got to know them better, I started to fall in love with both of them. (And don’t even get me started on Sam’s friend Ajay. I burn, I pine, I perish for an Ajay-centric novel.) That experience is the whole point of this sensitive, deeply involving story: it’s easy to judge the choices other people make, but there’s always more behind them. Sam and Hadley’s relationship, by any sane standard, should be impossible. But it’s real and lovely and deliciously steamy. Ashley Herring Blake writes some of the best makeout scenes I have ever read. Filled with characters who are both deeply flawed and deeply likable, this is a book that will suck you in.
The German translation of Sword and Verse, titled Feuer und Feder, is out today from Beltz! The German title translates to “fire and feather” or “fire and quill”.
…brought to you by the terrifying plot point I am supposed to be fixing right now.
1. Sharpen pencils. Writers need pencils, right? Really, you are just making life easier for Future You. It’s preparation.
2. Decide you need index cards to attack the particular plot problem you are working on. No, those index cards in the drawer won’t do. Go to the office supply store and spend an hour picking out just the right size, color, and style. Maybe you need sticky notes too! That could even be a separate trip!
3. Light a candle to call the Muse. Spend fifteen minutes sorting through your candle selection to find the perfect scent to match the mood of the scene you are supposed to be working on.
The answer is always Oxford Library, but that doesn’t mean I can’t spend time asking the question.
4. Make a cup of tea. Not only does this put off the inevitable moment when you have to sit down and work, it guarantees a break in an hour when you will have to go to the bathroom.
5. When you get up to go to the bathroom, make more tea. See? It’s an endless cycle.
Please not that my house does NOT look like this.
6. Search for images for your screensaver or Pinterest board to get you into the mood for the scene. Spend fifteen minutes artfully arranging them and/or writing cagey comments about what they represent.
7. Make a playlist of music to inspire your writing. This yields lots of fodder for procrastination: you can spend time making the list, tweeting and blogging about it, and then spend lots of time before you write deciding which songs to listen to.
8. Post a pithy observation about writing on Twitter with the #amwriting hashtag. Then look through the other entries under that hashtag, because it’s all about being a part of the community.
If writing a first draft that is over 150,000 words is wrong…then I am very, very wrong. #amwriting#itsjustadraft
Decide you need index cards to attack the particular plot problem you are working on. No, those index cards in the drawer won’t do. Go to the office supply store and spend an hour picking out just the right size, color, and style. Maybe you need sticky notes too! That could even be a separate trip!
Stories By Hand with Kathy MacMillan 