man bites world

Three more random things

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First of all, thank you, everyone, for the kind words on yesterday’s post. I couldn’t be more thrilled about making Publishers Weekly’s Best of 2009 list. And thank you also to everyone who posted and tweeted about it to spread the word.

I sent an email to KUOW, our local NPR station, to let them know that two Seattle locals were on the list for sf/f books, but I’m sure nothing will come of that. Later, I’ll email a couple of reviewers to let them know, too, in case they want to include that in the interviews/reviews/whatever.

Then I’m going to stop thinking about it. No, really, I am. Man Bites World needs my attention, and I’m working on a tricky bit at the moment.

Second thing: Del Rey has posted the first chapter of Child of Fire on Scribd. This is nicer version than the one on my website, since it includes the cover art and the pages look just the way they do in the physical book. All that book design-y goodness.

Finally, a question (my Google Fu is weak): There’s a certain type of belt I need to write about, but I can’t find the name of it online. I can find pictures, but not the actual name (and I’m pretty sure the answer isn’t “bomber belt.” Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Weirdly, someone asked me about NaNoWriMo

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I won’t be taking part. I’m still editing Man Bites World (finished one of the difficult parts today) and I’ll have galleys for Game of Cages soon. After that, it’s new project time, so I’ll have brainstorming and outlining to do. I may not write another word of rough draft until Christmas.

However, even if I weren’t knee-deep in edits, I’d probably skip it. I’ve never joined in and probably never will.

Excerpt from book 3

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“Just because I plan to euthanize the world doesn’t mean I want to be a dick about it.”

Yeah, I think that just about sums up this book.

Like most writers, I write notes to myself in the first draft.

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Here’s one I just found:

[The blank spaces here suggest I was planning to add something to this scene, but now I can’t remember what. Note to self: Make notes to self.]

In other news, I just added a very touchy scene right into the middle of two tense sequences. It’s a bit of exposition, but I think it’s just about what I needed. Color me pleased.

Eight Deadly Words, Twelve Excruciating Minutes

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A good day today on Man Bites World. I enjoy the revision process when it involves punching up a scene, but I hate going through the rest of the scene to make sure I changed every detail every time. Annoying, but necessary.

Also I managed to get through the day without crawling under the covers. So there’s that.

And it’s Halloween time! Which means I watch scary (and supposedly scary) DVDs. Tonight I put in disk one to watch episode one of TRUE BLOOD. Twelve minutes. That’s all I could stand. That show was a parade of assholes obvious plot choices. Oh, it’s the good ol’ boy who’s the vampire?! What a shock! I’ve never seen that before, except for NEAR DARK. And the Gooch Brothers. And… ah fuck it. It’s not worth the time.

The characters who weren’t assholes were tiresome. Is it really so hard for people to have interesting conversations? To be at odds with each other without being complete creeps?

I should have put in the Louis Jordan DRACULA again.

Trouble at the office

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And I mean my writing office, not my day job. And by “writing office” I mean Starbucks.

OCD Guy is having a bad day today. Worse than usual, at least. His finger drumming has been especially bad, and he’s just started foot stomping.

The music, too, has been especially intrusive. It’s not as awful as the times the barista’s sing along (which is an unbearable distraction) but for some reason the tunes keep stealing my attention away.

In good news, after reviewing the changes I need to make on Man Bites World, I’ve realized it’s not that much work. My wife and some will be out of town for about 10 days, and while I’ll be day jobbing for several of them, I hope to be able to finish all this before they return.

Go, little copy edit! Fly!

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Fly like the wind!

I just dropped the copy edit for Game of Cages off at the downtown Seattle post office. It ought to arrive in NY tomorrow, which is good because it’s due on Tuesday and Monday is a federal holiday.

::crosses another item off list::

Tomorrow is a family day, and Sunday I dig into the rough draft of Man Bites World.

Phew! Also: OMG!

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I could not finish Man Bites World this morning before the signing. The end was just too far away.

After the signing, the socializing, and the lunch with an online friend and her family, my family returned home to the site of the copyedit of Game of Cages. It’s due back at the Random House offices on October 13th, which is a Tuesday. And if it’s going to arrive on time by express mail or whatever, I’m going to have to send it on Saturday.

That means I have one week. Did I mention that I’m a slow reader? That I’m trying to teach myself speed reading?

My poor wife is sick of her absent husband, not least of all because shortly after I deliver the copyedit, she’s going to be flying back east to spend some time with her parents. There’s talk of home upgrades for them. Who knows? I’ll be staying here.

However! I did not want to jump into the copyedit with MBW so close to finished. So that’s what I did.

Yep, Man Bites World is now complete in rough(est) draft version. A bunch of story beats need to be spackled over, there’s one section where Ray is too passive for the story to work, and one location that–surprise, surprise–turned out to be the scene of the climactic conflict. I have to go back and change the earlier scene to match them up.

And there are a lot of small changes to make. Plus, I should iron out the text. I’m not exactly Mr. Gorgeous First Draft (although blogging helps). Still, I solved that story.

So, a full copyedit in only one week is a challenge for me, but I’m going to do my best. But not tonight. Tonight I’m going to have another beer out of the celebratory six-pack of Dead Guy Ale my wife bought us, and I’m going to spend some quality time with the Internet.

Game of Cages, Man Bites World, Child of Fire

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Today’s a triple book day–the copyedit for Game of Cages arrived late last night (so late that I didn’t find it until this morning), I’m hoping to write the last two scenes of Man Bites World today and then there’s the signing for Child of Fire later this morning.

Busy day. You know what worries me most? My wife and son haven’t been sleeping all that well. Will they have the reserves for two hours at the store and socializing after? dum dum DUMMM!

After that, I’m concerned about having the copyedit back to Del Rey in only ten days. Have I mentioned that I’m a poky reader? I do believe I have.

Btw, for folks reading this on LiveJournal, I’m still at skip=90 or something, and it’s been hard to find the time to catch up. Sorry.

To work.

Yes, I am that sort of person

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It’s the fourth day that Child of Fire has been on sale. Yes, I am still visiting Amazon.com twenty times a day. Yes, I’m still checking for new reviews. Yes, I’m still glancing at the “sales rank.”

No, you don’t need to tell me that Amazon.com’s sales rank numbers are pretty much meaningless. Really, don’t. I already know that. But it’s one of only two ways I have of judging public interest in my book (all copies at my library are checked out or on hold) so I keep looking at it.

Before the release, the sales rank was in the low six-figures. On release day and after, it hung around 3K. At this point, it’s ping-ponging between 10K and 15K. I don’t care that it isn’t a good judge of how the book is selling. It’s the only input I can look at.

Am I the sort of person who makes an excuse to wander into Borders to see if there are fewer books on the shelf? (Apparently.) Am I the sort of person to linger by the shelf because a guy is standing right next to my book with a paperback in hand? (Yes.) Did I see a complete stranger carry my book to the register? (No. Congrats on the sale, Seanan McGuire!) Am I the sort of person who buys other books to hide the fact that I’m basically skulking around the store? (Oh, hell yes. And Mastercard is damn grateful). Were there, in fact, fewer books on the shelf? (Yes!)

Anyway, it’s weird. As Betsy, my editor, mentioned in the chat I linked to earlier in the week, Del Rey acquired my book with a pre-empt–before financial deregulation sent the economy into a nosedive. There are expectations for this book, and it has come out at a time of nearly 10% unemployment.

Which… okay. Perspective: millions of out-of-work people around the world is a bigger problem than the possiblilty that my book will underperform, but I can’t help but link them.

I keep wanting input but it’s slowly fading. I’m going to have to shrug it off soon and put it behind me. Soon. Don’t I know that it’s pretty much out of my hands now? (Yeah, in fact, I do.)

In other news, I hope to finish the rough draft of book three tomorrow morning before the signing. We’ll see.