Publication Party. Session Two. Author Clarissa Draper. Hear Clarissa's journey to publication...

Welcome to the second session of our Publication Party. The response to our first session with author Christine Bell was overwhelming. Wasn't it great to hear her successful journey.


A round of applause to the effervescent ABSOLUTELY *KATE  who won a first ten pages critique by Christine and to...*drum roll*... GRANDPA who won a an e-book by Christine. As much as we all coveted these great prizes I think you'll agree they have gone to two wonderful bloggers. Congrats to you both! The desire for a critique partner (CP) was also overwhelming, so there are a lot of us out there wanting a critical eye to go over our writing. Those of you who requested a critique partner - I will get back to you individually about that and I'm sure we'll be 100% successful on that front too! So, back to you lucky winners, send an email directly to Christine to claim your wonderful prizes!


Today will be just as exciting. Every journey to publication is different and it will be wonderful to hear from mystery author Clarissa Draper. I have a lengthy blog association with Clarissa and she shares so much information for other writers and authors on her blog it is staggering. If you don't follow Clarissa, rectify that today!


Now, I would like you to grab one of those cranberry mocktails I've provided today, and thanks to Absolutely Kate who came with a stash of pink fizz. Someone asked for chocolate chip biscuits (cookies) so I cooked up a storm (whoops!) for you. To celebrate the rain finally stopping in Brisbane I thought we'd virtually mosey over to South Bank Beach and relax in the sun and sip our delicious mocktails while Clarissa speaks. No nodding off now... 


To get started, a few notes on the exotic Clarissa:
 
Clarissa Draper is a Canadian writer currently living in Mexico. Although trained in book layout and design, she prefers to spend her time planning and writing her code-based mysteries. Her short stories have been published in anthologies. She started writing full time in 2006, and is currently writing her third mystery in the Evans/Blackwell series.

Visit her at http://www.clarissadraper.com/




Thank you Denise for having me as your guest.


I would love to say my writing journey has been long and exciting, but frankly, I'm just starting out. Growing up, I never had the inkling to be a writer. A doctor or architect maybe, but never a writer. Well, that was until my sister came home with the six-hour Pride & Prejudice movie under her arm when I was twenty.

Shortly after watching that movie, the voices started talking. And I couldn't get them to shut up. Soon a story developed and the characters took on lives of their own. I was determined to write a story as beautiful as the one that Jane Austen developed - a period love story.

So I guess in the end, I can thank Colin Firth for my urge to write. (Or maybe it's just an excuse to watch him jump in the pond over and over and over and over...*sigh*) *and waits while Denise puts up image on the large screen*

Anyway, I finished the manuscript and joined a critique site (thenextbigwriter.com). I started submitting my story - chapter by chapter - and the response? The story sucked. Change this. Change that. Give up writing, my dog could write better than you. (No, they didn't say the last one.)

At first, my ego suffered. I wanted to throw in the towel. I loved writing but I was horrible at it. I wasn't an artist after all!

Thankfully, I have one of those personalities that sees a difficult challenge and immediately must conquer it. So, I studied plot, character, dialogue and grammar (and I'm still studying it). I read every book on writing I could get my hands on. It became my craft.

The first thing I decided to do was drop the historical piece and start my new passion - mysteries! I took up writing full-time in 2007. I wrote my first mystery in three months (1000 words a day). I submitted the chapters again to my critique partners and this time, I really listened to what they had to say. Slowly the story went from unreadable to manageable.

Also, I would challenge myself and my writing. To practice dialogue, I wrote stories in only dialogue (one story turned into a novel - my favorite novel to date). I wrote stories in only narrative. I even took up the challenge of writing short stories and entering them into contests. (I won two of those contests - now those stories are in anthologies.)

At the beginning of 2010, I decided my first mystery was ready to submit. I studied how to write a synopsis and query letter, but never got around to actually writing anything. Instead, I entered the first three chapters of the novel into a contest (at Karen's blog - http://karenjonesgowen.blogspot.com/) for a free critique.

No, I didn't get that critique.


But wait for it...even better...


Instead I got a request for the whole manuscript from Wido Publishing (a small publisher based in Utah). A few weeks later, I got a contract for publication.


Sounds easy! I would love to say my road to publication was super simple but I did put in years and years of study. I didn't give up. I firmly believe that if you work hard and never give up, you will be successful as a writer.


My advice:


1) Challenge yourself and your writing. Never feel you've learned enough. Study your craft!


2) Enter contests. Can't hurt, can it?


3) Find critique partners and really listen to what they have to say. If you can get a critique, take it. Then go with your heart.


4) Love writing. Really love writing.


That was tremendous, wasn't it? Thanks so much Clarissa! Your journey is very inspiring. So many helpful links and such good advice.

TODAY everyone who comments and leaves their email address will be in the draw to win EITHER:

a paper novel - A choice: EITHER: A paperback novel from one of my long-time favourite authors, Across the River and into the trees by Earnest Hemingway, OR a hardcover, Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs - her latest Tempe Brennan Novel, woo hoo! Love this author and this great character. If you watch the TV show Bones, you'll know Tempe very well. (Give me the books anyday though!)

• a first chapter critique by Clarissa. Clarissa does these critiques on her blog on a regular basis then posts them so we can all learn. If you would like a first chapter critique it would be great if you give your permission for it to be publised on this blog at a later date.

So before you leave, please do the following:

• leave a comment with your email address if you want to be in the draw for this week's prizes or the GRAND PRIZE and giveaway books and writing paraphanelia at the end of the series (you must comment on each post to win, starting last post. If today is your first day, go back to last week's party and leave a comment. I'm keeping track...)
• tell us what you'd like to win today - book (which book?) or critique
• tell us if we can publish Clarissa's critique of your work here at a later date
• ask Clarissa a question
• if you're published, share your story in the comments
• tell us if you'd like to find a Crit Partner. Last week there were 5 requests. Contact like-minded souls and we may be able to help each other in this way too...

Thanks for coming everyone! Winners for this week will be posted next Tuesday 25 January (NY time) with next week's post. Don't forget you have until Monday 24 January at 8 pm NY time to enter for this week's prizes.

Don't forget, next Wednesday 26 January we have author and blogger extraordinare Alex J Cavanaugh coming to our party to speak to us. Don't miss what he has to say!

PS Our guest authors have sung the praises of small publishing houses. I've just discovered Astraea Press, a brand-spanking new publisher who is currently calling for submissions. I'm headed their way! Check out the interview with the amazing Joanna St James here.

 

Denise :)