I wrote a story and it will be published, but the story behind that story is kind of cool, too.
It all began just before the birth of this blog, at the Pikes Peak Writer's Conference of 2012. I was green to the core; not a scrap of formal craft training in me, all I had was raw, undirected talent and the notion that I should probably do something with it. I also had an idea for a book, and eagerly chattered about it with several people as green writers are wont to do. They all smiled at my enthusiasm, and gently told me that the idea was "unmarketable," which is trade vernacular for "it sucks and you are wasting my time talking about it." But I didn't know about trade vernacular. I just knew they didn't think some of my most cherished elements of the novel would work, and I was kind of bummed.
Then I met Aaron Ritchey.
He taught a class, I forget what the title was. As he spoke I could tell there were quite a lot of significant differences between us, but somehow through it all I detected what Lucy Maud Montgomery calls a "kindred spirit." I decided to try my idea out on him, so I roped him into a conversation. He fiercely rubbed his chin as I prattled about the large cast of protagonists and the multiple points of view, and the world just a few degrees closer to reality than our own. Then he weighed in his opinion.
"Yeah," he said, "that wouldn't sell at all. You should write it anyway."
Then he told me about his favorite project. He'd just released a YA novel, said he was working on others, but his real passion was a book, no a series! about three sisters on a cattle drive through a post apocalyptic wasteland. It would be like Bonanza, but with machine guns. And the protagonist would be a girl, but like a normal girl, you know, and he didn't want to give away too many details, but this is what he was excited about.
We parted ways. I bought his book. Then I disappeared into the halls of academia for two years. You can read about that here. I finished just a little too late for PPWC 2014, so it was a full three years before I crossed paths with Ritchey again.
This time, I was not so green. I now knew a whole heap about craft. I'd even had it confirmed in review that, while my novel sounds wonky in theory, it really does work in practice. Meanwhile, Ritchey had released two more novels. A lot had happened since we'd last met, so I wasn't offended that he didn't remember me right away.
"Oh yeah!" he said, "You were the one with that surreal, literary, other world thing."
I reminded him that he told me it wouldn't sell, and that I should write it anyway.
"I did? That's terrible advice!" Then he smirked and nodded, "but it sounds like something I'd say."
I didn't get a chance to ask him about his post apocalyptic cattle drive. He was emceeing that year, so he was a busy guy. However, I did get a friend invite on Facebook a few days later. That's how I found out about his progress.
It was finally time. The book had been written, but he wanted to stack the odds in his favor. He was giving out Advanced Reader Copies in exchange for a pinky promise to give it a review when it came out, because reviews on Amazon are like precious jewels to a fiction writer. I remembered how excited he was about this project, and how his other books, all of which I had read, were actually pretty good, and how we were kindred spirits, after all. So I said sure, I'll get an ARC and leave a review.
The book, "Dandelion Iron" is the first in a series called "The Juniper Wars." It's pretty OK, by which I mean it has potential to breakout and go big. I'm saying you should probably buy it now for the hipster cred, if nothing else. It's also a really great book. I'm not sure what broad philosophical questions are going to be leveled by the end of the series, but as far as storytelling goes it's solid. Have you at least checked out the link yet?
How about now?
OK, good. Now we can continue. At the end of that ARC was an announcement that several other authors had been recruited to expand the already rich and complex universe in one-off short stories, and I immediately knew I wanted in. But there was no way. The announcement was definitely a "stay tuned" type thing, not a casting call. It was pretty clear that he'd been out begging for far more notorious names than his own to lend a little of their prestige to this venture. I dropped a private message anyway, asking if he was scouting talent or if this thing was by invite only, which was the most polite way I could think of to ask for a shot.
Now, keep in mind, Ritchey had never seen anything I had ever written. My portfolio was empty. My resume was blank. And if there is one thing I have learned from all my time at writer's conventions and creative writing classes, it's that the vast majority of aspiring writers out there aren't that great. Contrary to popular belief, crafting an elaborate, inventive lie that other people are willing to spend time and money on is actually pretty hard. There's a reason publishers used to reject 90% of the submissions they received, back in the bad old days of the publishing house. However, I also knew that I had the ghost of a chance because, if nothing else, Aaron Michael Ritchey is a nice guy. That day he proved he is nicer than is probably good for him in the long run, because he said sure. Send in a story.
I didn't expect that, truthfully, so when I got it I realized I was not equipped to write a story. I had to pester for details; what kind of story did he want, details about the history and universe that hadn't shown up or been fully explained in the novel. He finally gave me the world bible and I crawled into my hole to write.
I slaved away at that thing, ignoring my family, sometimes staying up late into the night. I finished just in time to show it to my monthly critique group, and then sent a revised draft off for submission. Then I waited.
I felt pretty good about it, but I wasn't sure it fit the feel and general voice of the universe. "Dandelion Iron" is chock full of guns, sex, drugs and outlaws, and my piece, titled "Magpies," is relatively understated. There's no drugs, barely any flirting, and one scene with a gun that felt desperate and fearful and dirty, not flashy or gloriously justified. I was afraid I was leaning in that literary direction instead of commercial, and if you have read some of the other articles in this blog, you know I don't believe in the latter over the former, if we have to choose. But I didn't hear back. So I contacted another local author. This short story accompanying a full novel thing is a really cool idea. It's like legitimized fan fiction, and I had a lot of fun doing it. She agreed to a deal, and I started work on a second short, this one for a sci-fi fantasy series that is also well worth your time. Check out "Pawn" here. I'll wait.
OK, so there I was, pecking away at this second story, which wound up being a far, far tougher piece than I initially credited, and I finally heard back from Ritchey. He said all the things a first time submitter wants to hear.
He said he had planned on only reading a few pages, but was captured.
He said it might be the best piece of non professional writing he'd ever read.
He said it fit the universe perfectly, and that it is commercial in all of the best ways. Best of all, he said he'd pay for it.
Then the rest is the ugly part where he actually wanted to replace the gun scene altogether, and I got all entitled and fought him on it. The kind of thing I hear is common between editors and authors, though I really wasn't in much of a position to protest and he graciously gave me the room to do so anyway. After much hand wringing and angst we arrived at an accord, by which I mean he was right all along and I just needed time to see it.
So it's done. I'll let you know when it is released and provide a link. It will be available for free, so if you can't bring yourself to pay for "Iron" just yet, read mine and the three other shorts that have been released so far and see if you can resist after that. Likewise, I'll let you know when my other short, "Fool's Game," becomes available.
The point is, I've reached my goal. It's not a full novel, but I am a published author. I guess I don't have anything to blog about, anymore.
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