This entry was posted on Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 1:01 am and is filed under Guest Posts & Interviews, Writing & Reading. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Please welcome guest blogger Marilyn Brant, who is not only a lovely friend and avid blogger, but also author of the hilarious, romantic, and moving new book According to Jane. The story of a young woman who receives advice – some good and some questionable – from the spirit of Jane Austen, According to Jane won the Golden Heart, the top award for unpublished romance novels, quickly setting Marilyn – and her book – on the path to publication.
I loved According to Jane when I read it and can easily give it my recommendation. Read on to see how you can win a signed copy of your own! But first, Marilyn has a few things to say…
Over the past few months, Caryn and I had a running email conversation that went something like this:
July
Caryn: “Hey, when According to Jane comes out, how about doing a guest blog on my site? Maybe about what it’s like to be a debut author? Something fun like that?”
Me: “Oh, sure. Sounds great! Just let me know a good time. We can chat about it some more after I get back from the RWA conference. Did you know I have to bring bookmarks and postcards and all sorts of stuff this time? Even ARCs. Oh, there are gonna be a few extra meetings this year, too.”
Caryn: “Really? Like what?”
Me: “A bookseller/librarian gathering, a Book 3 planning session with my agent, a few publisher-hosted events. I get to meet my publicists…”
Caryn: “You get to meet your publicists? In person?”
Me: (nodding) “Kinda cool, eh? My publisher takes that whole marketing and selling thing pretty seriously.”
August
Caryn: “How’s it going — busy? Still want to blog next month?”
Me: “Yeah — to both questions. It’s weird, though, you know? There’s a LOT to do before a book comes out. I’d almost go so far as to say it’s an ENDLESS stream of work… Having a release date looming at the end of September is making my life surprisingly stressful. I’m not really sleeping.”
Caryn: “That’s not good.”
Me: “No. Um, not to change the subject abruptly or anything, but do you have any idea how to make a magazine-quality PDF for an advertisement that’s going to run in a national print publication with a readership of over 10K?”
Caryn: (squinting at her computer) “What?”
Me: “That’s okay. That’s okay. Never mind…” (pause) “How about newsletters? What have you heard about the pros and cons of email marketing?”
Early September
Caryn: “So, did you want to set a date for your blog visit now?”
Me: (fighting to breathe from underneath a suffocating stack of advanced reading copies for reviewers, unmailed prizes to contest winners, thank-you cards, 45 single-spaced pages of interview questions, promo details and Book 2 revision notes) “Huh?”
Mid-September
Caryn: “You okay? Maybe it’d be better to have you guest blog later — you know, AFTER the release. When things calm down a bit for you.”
Me: “OMG, OMG. They’re putting my BOOK on the SHELVES. In STORES!! And LOOK! Amazon reviewers!!” (pointing at the screen in a state of near-delirium) “They RATED it. With STARS! I mean, I knew they did that, but did you see what that one person from Seattle said about my main character?! It was NOT nice! But then this guy from Boston wrote in, and he said…” (wandering off to click obsessively at the different pages showing the Amazon rankings and review comments for the week of September 29, 2009)
Caryn: “Marilyn? Hello? Helllooooo??! You still there??”
Early October
Me: (in a stream-of-conscious monologue to anyone who stood still long enough to listen) “…and I have to do a few book signings THIS WEEK!! And a library presentation! And did you know how popular book clubs are?! I’ve been invited to SEVEN of them already! Why do people keep asking me if I’m okay? I’m FINE…really, totally fine…hey, are those chocolate-covered espresso beans? Could I have, maybe, a handful of those NOW? Also, who knows how to find out first-week sales figures? Someone here has to know that, right? Right?!”
Caryn: (muttering to herself) “I’m not even gonna try to email her…”
Late October
Me: “Oh, whoa. When did fall start?” (glancing around with the surprise of a revived coma patient) “That’s strange.”
Caryn: “So, you seem a bit calmer now with the release behind you. What’s it like being a debut author with your book out and everything?”
Me: “Hmm.” (trying to think of an apt comparison, given my rather fuzzy recollections of the past 4 months) “Well, even though I read Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, I’m hardly an expert on the living dead…but, given that it’s Halloween week and all, this might be the best way to explain it: You know how zombies are portrayed as sort of alive in that they’re wandering around, mindlessly doing lots of unnatural things but, mostly, they’re in this trance-like state of un-restfulness and their people skills really suck?”
Caryn: (typing back worriedly) “Yeah?”
Me: “Well, I think there may be few parallels…”
Hope you all have a Happy Halloween, Everyone! To Caryn and to those wonderful friends who put up with my crazy pre-pub zombieness this summer and fall, thank you!
Love Marilyn’s writing as much as I do? Leave a comment below to enter to win a signed copy of According to Jane. One winner will be randomly selected from all commenters on the evening of Sunday, November 1st. Can’t wait for Sunday, or maybe you want to get an early start on holiday shopping? Pick up a copy today!
October 26th, 2009 at 4:26 am
LOL What an adorable post!! Congrats to Marilyn for finally “awakening”. LOL I’ve heard of this book but haven’t had a chance to read it yet.
October 26th, 2009 at 6:21 am
Thanks for the great interview! Sounds like a goodie.
October 26th, 2009 at 7:09 am
Jessica, I definitely recommend it when you get a chance!
Keri, it is!
October 26th, 2009 at 9:39 am
That was hilarious! And honestly, it makes me want to back away slowly from the idea of being New York published. O_O
Angie
October 26th, 2009 at 10:04 am
This post is so funny. Marilyn is so funny. I love it…and it so mirrors this entire year for everybody I know, all of us wandering around, months behind.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:01 am
This was so much fun to read! Great post you two! I loved According to Jane and highly recommend it.
October 26th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Caryn~thanks again for inviting me to visit!
.
Jessica~I do kinda feel like I’ve just awakened–LOL! I keep looking at the trees with the changing leaves in a shocked, when-the-heck-did-that-happen way. I could’ve sworn it was still August…
Keri~I’m so glad you enjoyed the post!
Angie~admittedly, I *do* wish I would’ve known a little better what to expect. It’s very much what I imagine being body-slammed in ice hockey must be like, only the slamming goes on for about 3 straight months and they’re “checking” you with emails and paperwork instead of hockey sticks
Conda~it’s scary, isn’t it?! I think the most frightening part is that, by the time the book is out, not only are we months behind (I can’t even tell you how many BIG news stories I missed), but the *only* thing I could be quizzed on with any hope of passing is book-related stuff. Questions like: “Did you pay the water bill?” or “Who is your child’s teacher?” were absolutely beyond me during most of September…
Robin~aw, thanks, hon!! *hug*
October 26th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Marilyn? Please tell me you’ve stopped eating those chocolate covered espresso beans like they were Tic Tacs?
October 26th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Don’t pick me for the contest. I already won Marilyn’s book on another blog.
Anyway, awesome post. It’s great to know what goes on in the mind of another writer, especially when a release date draws close.
October 26th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
Marilyn always gives such interesting interviews. I always get a different perspective. I’m eagerly awaiting the arrival of my copy of According to Jane to be delivered from Amazon UK.
Love your blog CATalogue called “Cat obsession”. Theodorable also approves! Miauow.
And congratulations on the baby news – hope the queasiness goes away soon.
October 27th, 2009 at 10:07 am
Ooh, this sounds good!
October 27th, 2009 at 10:30 am
Caryn (and Marilyn)
I just finished ATJ this weekend…what a delightful story. I SO wanted her to have her HEA. I’m not a huge Jane Austin person, but I absolutely adored this story. What a fun post
October 27th, 2009 at 10:51 am
Pamela~my friend Erica kindly gave me an entire tub of them at the beginning of the month and, literally, every time I’d walk past the kitchen counter I’d grab a few. Between that and those VIA packets, I was high on caffeine for most of October.
Marcia~I hope you’ll like the book (!!) and I’m glad I could provide a little pre-release-date insight!
Ann~thank you for stopping by to visit me here!
Jennifer~I’m glad you think so!! Thanks for taking time to read my post.
L.A.~oh, yay! I’m thrilled you enjoyed ‘Jane’–thank you!!
October 27th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
What a lovely post. I can’t wait to read the book!
October 27th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
And yet another wonderful interview!
That caffeine high is definitely coming through for you, Marilyn. And Caryn, morning sick and still on top of everything…(((hugs))) Nice job, ladies.
And having read ACCORDING TO JANE, I can safely say all Marilyn’s brain-dead-caffeinated-edginess is worth it. (Well, for the readers, anyway) Great read!
October 27th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Kristina~thank you
. I really hope you’ll enjoy the book!
Thanks, sweetie!
Lainey~HA!! Praising me for my “brain-dead-caffeinated-edginess” is all the motivation I need to want to get another tub of those espresso beans. (I need all the help I can get with this new proposal…
October 28th, 2009 at 3:03 am
That was a very very fun interview!
October 28th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Barrie, thank you!! It was so nice of you to say so
.
October 28th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Such a fun interview! I would love to win a copy of According to Jane.
October 28th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
@Ann – Thanks! And I love the name <i>Theodorable</i>. So cute!
@Jennifer – It is!
@Lainey – Yeah, I’m one of the lucky few who still has the morning sickness. At least it’s a great excuse to eat carbs, since they seem to help.
@Jessi – You’re officially entered in the drawing! I have your email address, so I took it off your comment so you wouldn’t get spammed (just in case – I know there are web crawlers out there that look for email addresses). Hope you don’t mind!
October 29th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
*snort* and LOL- thanks for the funny and horrifyingly true blog interview… This one needs a spew alert. *goes to find rag to wipe coffee off of computer screen.* Cheers!
October 30th, 2009 at 6:56 am
Jessi~Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it and stopped by!!
It is scary, isn’t it?
Nancy~I figured you could relate to this.
November 1st, 2009 at 8:37 am
This is just hilarious!
November 1st, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Thanks, Mama Zen!!
November 1st, 2009 at 8:19 pm
I’m tired just from reading that exciting and information filled email string! (It sounds like a rollercoaster of a ride that I’ll hopefully hop on one day.) You’ve written a lovely, heartfelt book that I can read over and over again–while finding new lines, thoughts and scenes to make me laugh each time!
November 1st, 2009 at 9:05 pm
[...] « « Previous Post: Author Marilyn Brant Plus a Book Giveaway! [...]
November 2nd, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Heather, thank you!! Thanks for visiting me here and for all of your lovely comments about the book
. The publishing process itself has definitely been a wacky rollercoaster ride, but the writing part is such a joy, esp. when I get to “meet” so many kind people like you!
November 2nd, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Sounds like such a fun idea for a book! And Jane Austen is always appealing…
November 2nd, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Thanks, Alyssa! I consider anyone who’s a fellow Austen fan an instant friend.
November 4th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
Ooh this would be great!
November 6th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
Thanks so much, Emily!!