2k9

Check out the latest Class of 2k9 post. It's a 'marketing gift' to the class of 2k10. (And since it's on the internet, it's a gift to us all.) Great advice in there, too! Dare I sum it up? Get involved in group marketing, be bold, but be yourself. There's no right way to do this. Just believe and always keep writing.

I had to drop out of the Class of 2k8 (after spending a whole year in it). That was a sad shocker. Then I made the difficult decision of dropping out of the Class of 2k9. I still watched the class from afar - like a student who drops out of school - I'd sometimes stand on the opposite curb and watch the buzz (or is that 'hear' the buzzer?). Do I regret dropping out? Sometimes. But my reasons were reasonable and at the time it was the right decision. I learned so much just hanging out in 2k8 for over a year, and I strongly recommend group marketing for newcomers.

Publishing is a huge, confusing world. But that big publishing world seems a wee bit cozier when I recognize former classmates' books on Winnipeg bookstore shelves. Thanks fellow Blooming Tree author, Greg Fishbone!

class of 2k9

I see the Class of 2k9 has launched their website. It's totally vibrant. Lots of color and a very appetite stimulating approach. (Book appetite, that is.) I wish them every success and will follow my could-have-been classmates (there are 22, I think) with interest (and yes, a bit of yearning). All that work that they've done, and continue to do, will no doubt create a bond that'll continue throughout their careers.

The AuthorsNow! website now includes a map so you can see that this is really an all inclusive site with new authors spread across North America. (Technology still leaves me totally in awe.) At last count, I heard that there are 96 authors listed (including picture books).

In spite of technology's amazing way to bond us authors through websites, blogs and such, it pales in comparison to the magic of books. Aren't they one of the most powerful ways to share ideas, to escape, and to create change? They're portable, don't need recharging and are quite user-friendly. The online world is only a tool to get to the inside-a-book world where imagination, and not technology, rules.

Reading, Walking and Rewriting

I finished Anita Daher's book, Spider's Song, this week. Great book - lots of vivid north Canadian geography, teenage angst, blog writing, plus a surprise twist in the plot. But I knew it'd be a good book because my 15 year old had already given it a thumb's up and she's a busy girl who will only spend her time with good books. (That's what she told me.) I enjoyed the inscription at the beginning (which I reread at the end). I like re-visiting the beginning of a book after I've finished reading.

I'm not getting nearly as much reading done as I'd like. The extreme, tedious stretch of cold weather is causing my eyelids to droop sooner than usual once I hit my warm, cozy bed. Either that or my mug of Sleepytime tea is just way too effective. Or, possibly, my four hour daily walk is getting harder on my aging body. (Am I getting older? No! Just my body, but not me. No!)

Now I must focus on revisions to my WIP (a sequel to The Kulak's Daughter) - tentative title is "East Prussian Princess". It's about a place that no longer exists - East Prussia - and happens in the 1930s when Hitler is ascending in Germany. Yes, it's sort of about my mom. It continues from where the KD ends. She went from Stalin to Hitler. At least she ended up here in Canada - where we'll hopefully never let crazy people have too much power. Politics is important stuff. We must pay attention.

The Class of 2k9 is still accepting applications for YA and MG novelists debuting in 2009. Click here for more info and/or an application.

The Class of 2k9

I'm happy to announce that The Class of 2k9 is now accepting applications for membership. Having been part of The Class of 2k8 until mid January, I'm excited to not idle out in the playground for long. The bell's ringing and any middle grade or young adult novelists debuting in 2009 are encouraged to apply. Please email theclassof2k9@hotmail.com for an application form.

Why become part of a marketing collective? Writing a book and getting it published is hard work. Getting it noticed in the big ocean of books, is just as hard. Together we'll learn, we'll grow and we'll make a bigger, more awesome splash. (Check out the class of 2k8, if you don't believe me.)

Besides, it's so much fun meeting other authors who come from all over North America and have the same goals, thrills and issues with that first debut novel.

Don't be shy. I promise, you won't regret it!