“The first rule of magic is containment.”

This is a really potent phrase for me, because I think it’s true. JC is referring to the temptation of talking about ideas before they’ve been nurtured into whatever you want them to be. Her notion is that ideas need a bit of time and a bit of protection, so that they can grow – and you can figure out what you want to make of them. Too often, in her view, artists (writers, too) talk to other people about ideas too early. Those ideas then either get squashed – as being dumb or unmarketable or derivative – or modified by the input of those other people, as they try to be helpful. Either way, the idea will never become what it could have been. Often, it dies on the vine.

This is one of my issues with critique groups as well as the whole business of pitching ideas before the work is done. I hate pitching. I’d rather write the entire book first, but the business of publishing isn’t geared to that mindset. Similarly, I am leery of critique groups and their helpful input – too often, I’ve seen promising authors lose the sparkle of their voice or have their exciting ideas made “safe”.

Something that also happens in publishing is that people pass on projects, but don’t give the real reason why. They will invariably blame the work itself. Sometimes the issue is the work, but other times, it’s the market. Publishers believe that readers want to read what they are already reading, so any idea that differs radically from what is currently selling will have to be brilliantly written to find a placement. If it’s less than brilliant, the rejection will often focus on the quality of the work, not on the current state of the market.

For example, the first romance I wrote didn’t ever sell. I loved it. Despite that, it gathered a stack of rejections. No one loved it but me! It is likely true that I didn’t have the skill to tell that story as well as it could have been told – it is also true that it was a paranormal romantic suspense. In 1990, there was no market for paranormal romantic suspense. Now, there’s tons of it being published – in fact, my Tor books (the ones with the fallen angel heroes) could be labelled as paranormal romantic suspense. Part of the issue may have been the work, but the lion’s share of the problem in placing that work was that there was not perceived to be any market for it at that time. That’s changed. I can see a similar pattern in other discarded ideas of mine that never made it to a sale or to fruition. The market – or the perceived market – was the greater issue.

The TAW task this week for me is to rummage through my box of proposals that never made it past the pitching phase. I’m looking forward to digging through that box, and picking yet another idea to write up into a book. There’s some interesting stuff in there – it’s going to be hard to choose!

How are you doing with TAW this time? Writing your morning pages? Going for your artist date? Taking that weekly walk?

“What does a clean cut Pyr have to do with a punk tattoo artist? Just a passion that can’t be denied. Whisper Kiss tells of Niall’s mating with the spunky Rox that included sparks and flames and I’m not talking about the dragon fights.  Ever since I had seen a description of who Niall’s mate would be I have been waiting for this book and I was not disappointed. Reading of Rox’s childhood and how she overcame made me want to give her a hug. I had to laugh at Niall’s disbelief on just who his mate would be. Fighting every step of the way, it didn’t take too long until he couldn’t wait to touch Rox. I loved every step along the way as Niall and Rox learned about each other and their passion was more than just a destiny thing. The ending proved that Niall and Rox had a special connection that would never be broken. Whisper Kiss combines humor, snark, passion and danger that makes it hard to put down. I actually read it twice before writing this. So of course it’s Joyfully Recommend.

I’m now waiting quite impatiently for Rafferty’s book. I’ve wanted him to get his firestorm ever since I met him. If you haven’t read this series, you are in for a treat as you meet all the Pyr and their mates.”

How’s that? You can read the whole review right HERE.

Here’s the permalink to my post: The Trouble with Angels.

Stop by and say hello!

P.S. – I’m unable to comment on the FF&P blog. Not sure why, but it won’t let me log in. So I’ll have to reply to comments here:

LOL Danielle – I think angels are a bit scary too sometimes. Mine aren’t the fluffy kind.

Hi Amanda – Thanks for reading FALLEN. I was deep in PARADISE LOST and a lot of old sources when I pulled together this world.

Hi Debbie – Good to see you again! Love has to be the solution, doesn’t it, for angels in romances?

Hi Sharon – Glad to hear that you enjoyed FALLEN. I just recently read a YA by Melissa de la Cruz with fallen angels – it was called THE VAN ALEN LEGACY and was really good. Should have started at the beginning of the series, though – now I have to go back.

Well, Nightingale, you won’t be surprised that Lucifer has a cameo in each of my three fallen angel books – nor will you be surprised what he’s up to!

Deb
also writing as Claire

I’ve taken the info on the contest off the blog and off my FB pages. There seems to be some question as to whether this violates the terms of service of FB, so I’m going to wait and see what shakes out. People do run similar contests to this one, so I’m guessing there’s certain verbiage we need to include.

I’ll let you know when I know more.

Thanks for your patience!

Update – the giveaway post is back, with the teeny tiny type in place. Let the games begin!

Win a Kindle WiFi
I and four other authors are having a race, but YOU may be the winner.

The Giveaway: We’re racing to see who can add 1000 new “likes” to her Facebook Page. Not the first to reach 1000, but 1000 new likes. The author who wins will draw one name from ALL the people who like her page to pick the winner.

The Prize: A new Kindle Wi-Fi! But wait, there’s more…

Bonus Prize: A $50 Amazon Gift Card. The author who wins the race will also draw one name from everyone who subscribes to her newsletter. To subscribe to my newsletter, click the “sign up” tab on my FB Page. By signing up, you’ll be entered to win both prizes.

HOW TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCE TO WIN

Help spread the word. Invite all your Facebook friends to like my page as well. Tweet it up. If I get the most new likes by September 30, you’re name will be in the drawing. Oh, and I guess I should mention, if you really want to increase you chances, you might want to like the other four authors.

Here are the Facebook pages for each of us:

• Julie Ortolon

• Sherri Browning Erwin

• Lori Devoti

• Julianne Maclean

and Deborah Cooke.

(NOTE:The other four authors are in my favorites on my FB profile page.)

The Fine Print:

• You must be 18 or older to be eligible to win.

• You must live in the U.S. or Canada to be eligible to win.

• If I’m the winning author, I’ll choose a winner from someone who both LIKED my Facebook profile page AND joined up for my newsletter. The newsletter would be my Chestwick listserve on Yahoo Groups. You can join it HERE, provided you have a Yahoo account. Joining it means a/ getting a monthly newsletter from me.

So, I have 88 LIKEs as of September 1 – that means I need 1088 to win and choose a winner for the Kindle from my list of followers.

Let the race begin!

What’s your choice for the KAL this month? I was going to cast on the lacey cardi from VK, but my KSH isn’t here yet. Maybe I’ll get two projects done this month. Today I’m casting on another lace project I’ve been itching to start: the Lady’s Circular Cape from Victorian Lace Today, also in KidSilk Haze.

Blackcurrant. Yum.

Tell me what you’re casting on!

Today’s the day that REBEL goes on sale!

Have you ordered your copy yet? (You know I love asking you that!)

One of the things that I really like about this program is that it doesn’t provide a simple answer. Because of the many exercises, it’s very personal – you can do the program over and over again, finding something new each time. One thing that is consistent for me is that TAW is very invigorating. It’s pretty typical for me that about halfway through the 12-week program (that would be now) I find myself all fired up and filled with lots of new ideas. That’s invigorating, and I like it a lot. It’s also good timing this time through, coinciding as it does with the arrival of autumn. Autumn is always a very productive time for me – it’s the cooler weather, I think – so TAW and autumn together means that I’ll be pounding out the pages for the next couple of months.

All good, as I have several Dragonfire deadlines to meet!

Maybe I should start TAW every August 1.

How about you? Is the program giving you results this time? If you’re not doing TAW with me, do you find that there are certain times of year that are more productive for you than others?

Maybe, you’re like me and you do both.

Or try to. The fact is that I don’t buy much at the two LYS which are reasonably close to me. This week, I tried to figure out why. I’ve thought for a long time that this was about price, but now I’m pretty sure it’s not. I also thought for a while that it might be about attitude, but you know, it’s not that either.

This week, I bought six skeins of Kidsilk Haze to make that VK cardi. I didn’t even consider going to a LYS. Why not?

1. Price.
When you’re looking for a sweater quantity of a yarn from a major manufacturer, price becomes a variable. Paying the MSRP for a bunch of skeins is not as cool as getting it 40% off the MSRP with free shipping. Anyone who knits a lot wants to get more yarn for their money, so on well known products, I tend to buy online. It’s easy. It saves me money. KSH, for example, is as squishy and wonderful no matter where it comes from. The colours are exquisite. I have no doubt of what will arrive. Plus knitting yarn is a seriously easy thing to ship. It never arrives broken.

So, in these instances, I don’t have to even move from my desk to get exactly what I want. It’s not quite instant gratification, but it’s close.

But the fact is that I would never have started to shop online if it wasn’t for another variable.

2. Selection.
One of the things I want from a LYS is selection. If I’m going to make the trek to a LYS, I want to find what I want when I get there. Another reason for me to buy KSH online is that my very local LYS doesn’t carry Rowan yarns. They don’t even have KSH. The next closest one carries some, but whether they would have six balls in the colour I want in the same dye lot is uncertain. That makes me think twice about making the drive to pay full price. The two stores that I know for certain will have in stock the KSH I want are one hour and two hours drive away respectively. I like those stores a lot, but I don’t always have half a day to spare for a yarn mission. For a long time, I didn’t have a very local LYS, so making a trek or buying online became the only options.

Another angle to the selection question is that are certain yarns that I don’t like to buy online. There are yarns – like Fleece Artist yarns, for example – that I like to touch and see for myself before I choose a skein. They’re handpainted. Each skein is different. These are yarns to buy live and in person – inevitably, they are yarns that come home in groups.

Actually, I’m glad that one LYS doesn’t carry FA and one has only a little – they save me from myself!

3. Inspiration.
The bottom line is that if I’m going to a LYS, I want to find something I didn’t even know I wanted, something so fabulous that once I touch it, I can’t leave it behind, in addition to finding what I came for. The surprise could be a new book – or one I’ve never seen before – or a pattern from an indie designer whose work I’ve never seen. It could be the newest issue of a magazine, or a magazine from another country. It could be written in another language but have charts. It could be a handpainted yarn, again from a local artist, which is too beautiful to not possess for my very own. I want temptation and inspiration from a LYS – I want to know that not only will I find what I want when I get there, but that I’ll probably find something I didn’t even know I wanted, something that will excite and inspire me. (This is where the FA and the handpaints come in.)

And that’s the big variable for me. It’s why I do drive to those faraway LYS once in a while, because they both offer that experience. It doesn’t matter that one has attitude to spare – they have fabulous inventory and don’t care how long you poke around in the store (in fact, they have so much inventory that they might not even be aware how many knitters are lost in the yarn). I don’t care that sometimes something fabulous is expensive – if I really want it and it’s unique, I’ll find a way to rationalize its acquisition.

For me, it’s all about the eye candy (well, it’s finger candy too).

And a good sale room doesn’t hurt!

How about you?

Have a look!

And I couldn’t resist. I bought enough KidSilk Haze to knit the lace circular jacket – it’s shown in navy, right under the words Ethereal Girl. (I bought Trance, which is a gorgeous tealy blue green. Yum!)

This pattern is very similar to one that was in the spring issue of Rowan magazine last year (#45) called Honeysuckle by Sarah Hatton. That one, though, was really large, more like a coat. It also had seven sections instead of five, which maybe made it more full. Although it was lovely, I wasn’t sure I’d wear it. This shorter cardi version I can imagine myself wearing a lot.

Plus I’m feeling the need to knit LACE right now, in a very big way. I’ve been matching my stash with patterns, and I think this is going to be a lacey winter. Anyone want to join me in a lace KAL? We could finish up some wips and begin on September 1.

What do you think?