At first, writing seems the perfect job for a control freak. * You are alone! At your desk. Making your very own world. * These characters you’ve dreamed up jump when you say jump. Okay, perhaps they squirm away from your outline a bit. Or they do that thing—musing about the time in high school when they almost … Read more
“I’m looking for possible blurbs to be published on the back or inside cover of my 90-year-old mother’s novel,” Michelle Hoover wrote on Facebook. “Her health is precarious, she’s isolated in a care facility in Iowa, and I want to do something that raises her spirits and makes true one of her dreams, or as … Read more
Unmitigated panic. Unrelenting fear. Ulcer-inducing worry. A year ago my book was launching and I should have been on cloud nine. I was realizing a life-long dream at a time when many my age popped Lipitor. I was edging close to a sedative habit. Looking back to my novel debut last January, terror defined my … Read more
What to expect when you’re expecting your book? What’s going to happen first, and second, and third? Pre-launch of my debut novel, the breadth of information I had to learn overwhelmed me—were there an eight-day week into which I could tap. During the 2-24 months between signing a book contract and receiving those freshly pressed … Read more
The first time I read in public, (a Grub Street open mike event at the now-defunct Johnny D’s in Somerville, Massachusetts) I flopped. I failed. I sucked. Years later (no more experienced) with my debut book launch looming, I was terrified. My mouth became dust each time I practiced, but a glass of water in hand, … Read more