Some Thoughts on Revision

When I talk about revision with writing classes and writing students, it's often a great eye-opener for novices to learn that real revision has very little to do with copy edits, i.e. -- proofreading punctuation, spelling, grammar, etc. Real revision is the often very emotionally wrenching business of digging in and finding where and why a novel isn't quite working the way it needs to: Does the story start in the right place? Is the POV character the correct voice to narrate? Is the pacing working? Do the minor characters all serve a significant function? Is (to quote my agent Jen Rofe, who does some marvelous workshops on this), the 'so what factor' strong enough? That is, are the stakes high enough? Does everything that happens matter? Is the mc's emotional arc clear and strong? And a million other questions and issues that force writers to poke and prod at their work and make sure the story isn't hidden.

Case in point-- the new project I'm working on. I'm not going to reveal the specific details of the characters and plot here; I'm too superstitious to do that before it has any 'official' book status. But what I can say is that I've had this story idea for awhile now, simmering in the background while I worked on FINDING PARIS and the various edits for THE A-WORD (out now!) and dug into IT WASN'T ALWAYS LIKE THIS (which you'll see in 2016 but I will finish by the end of the year). But eventually the time was right and I settled in to write synopsis and sample chapters and basically get a proposal ready.

And while the story was working, and I really loved it, and early readers really loved it, something nagged at me that I had hidden the real story under a plot that was possibly more complicated than it needed to be. And that if I was willing to keep the basic characters and inciting incident but start over and take it in a slightly different direction, the real story would appear. And it would be stronger and tighter and the emotional essence would shine. And hopefully, we'd all get goosebumps up and down our arms as we read, which would mean that I'd nailed the journey the characters had to take and made it real and solid and true.

Which, let me say, is easier said than done. Because once you've gotten used to seeing something one way, envisioning it another way is hard work. And there is always the fear that you will tinker so much that you will end up with a pile of mush and the slithery idea will slither away, as ideas sometimes do. (The muse is a tricky thing. You can over think it into hiding. Your really can.)

But what I think right now is that I have found my story-- the same but different and a whole lot better for the scary risk of doing 'surgery' on something that would have always been good but now has the chance of being really great, of making its truth shinier than it would have been before.

I'll let you know how it goes.
But I think I'm on to something.

THE A-WORD LAUNCH and other Friday stuff

Can you believe that THE A-WORD has been out for over a week now? Well it has! Blog tour is in full swing. In fact, one of my favorite guest posts is up today at The Book Rat, a pictorial overview of Jenna Samuels' Texas world: Homecoming mums! Kolaches! A&M 12th Man! Copperhead Road line dance! And other cool Texas-y stuff. Check it out here: http://www.thebookrat.com/2014/05/guest-post-from-joy-preble-author-of.html

And THE A-WORD Launch party happened last Saturday at Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston! Here are a few pics:

Me and the lovely Houston book blogger/all around brilliant human Kate Sowa

Thanks a million zillion to Valerie and Cathy and the rest of the Blue Willow staff and to the many, many of you who came out to support me and THE A-WORD! Clearly you seemed to be having a good time from that last picture above!

This coming Tuesday, 5/27 at 6 PM,  I'll be at Barnes and Noble in The Woodlands TX with authors Varsha Bajaj and Christina Mandelski! Book shenanigans will ensue. Would love to see you! Here's the link: http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/4696729

So yeah, it's been a fun few days.
I'll count all of the above as #1 of the Friday Five.

Here's the rest of what I'm obsessed with this week:

2. Just read a galley of the very talented Kari Anne Holt's forthcoming RHYME SCHEMER, which will be out this fall from Chronicle. It's a middle grade novel in rhyme with stolen poetry (you'll see!) about a bully become bullied. Kevin's story just hits you in the gut hard. I LOVE this book. I expect HUGE THINGS from this book. Put it on your list. NOW.

3. MOVIES! X-Men! Chef! Want to see them both this weekend. I'll let you know if it happens. IT BETTER HAPPEN.

4. Attempt #2 coming tonight on homemade popovers. Received my coveted popover pan for Mother's Day and the first exploratory batch was tasty but did not rise much. I think I peeked too much. Or I have an old, crappy oven. Both of which are true. I will conquer you, popovers!

5. I got to see the cover comps for next year's FINDING PARIS. I cannot show them to you. You probably won't see the cover til the fall. But holy mother they make my heart sing!!  FINDING PARIS is my book that will be out 4/21/15 from Balzer and Bray. A girl. A boy. A missing sister. Dark secrets. And a road trip from Vegas to LA and on from there.

Til next week!
Have a lovely Memorial Day if you are in the US.
xo

Five for Friday

Can you believe that pub week is almost over? Crazy!

Here's the five:

1. THE A-WORD blog tour continues. See previous post for al the links! THANKS so much to all who are hosting/reviewing/generally spreading the word about these crazy TEXAS angels!! I'm so glad I'm starting to see some Bo Shivers love out there, too! Let me know what y'all think of BO!

2. Launch party for A-WORD this coming Saturday 5/17 at 2 PM at Blue Willow Bookshop! Cookies, fictional sibling trivia, q/a about A-WORD and COWBOY BOOT KEYCHAINS! You want to be there. Yes you do! Here's the link: http://www.bluewillowbookshop.com/event/joy-preble-2

3. Flying through Voyager, which is Outlander #3. I cannot believe that I am reading these 1000 page books back to back to back to… Well, let me say that there have been some jump the shark moments here and some places that I would honestly edit the heck out of. But still. Jamie and Claire. And Young Ian, who is stealing the show… until he gets stolen by pirates. And Jamie forgetting to tell Claire that he'd kinda, sorta married the woman who'd tried to get Claire killed as a witch. And the penicillin she's snuck back to the 1700's, along with a plastic wrapped stack of pb and j sandwiches…. I still love it.

4. Godzilla? Are we going to see it? I think I am. But it's FIOS that I'm waiting for. Because Gus and Hazel. And John Green's dialogue. And all of it. Soon.

5. Vampire Diaires season finale. DAMON!!!! OOOOOOOHHHHHH NOOOOOOO!

Happy Friday all of you! Come to Blue Willow if you're in Houston!

THE A-WORD BLOG TOUR BEGINS

The A-WORD BLOG TOUR begins tomorrow! Click below to see the entire tour. As the posts go up, the links will go live! There will be fun and reviews and giveaways!!


http://sohopress.com/the-a-word-blog-tour/

THANK YOU to all the wonderful authors and bloggers who are hosting. You will see the official blog tour banner on their site! It looks like this:

And again, the link to the blog tour list is:
http://sohopress.com/the-a-word-blog-tour/

Thanks to SOHO PRESS and my fearless publicist, Meredith Barnes, for arranging!
Enjoy!!

And more giveaways to come on my own blog, soon!

THE A-WORD IS HERE!!

It’s here! It’s here!

Tuesday, May 13^th, 2014—the birthday of THE A-WORD, the sequel to THE SWEET DEAD LIFE, both from Soho Teen/Soho Press.

Let’s let the publisher’s blurb do some of the speaking. (I got to write it, so I think I trust it to tell you what to expect!)

It's been almost a year since Jenna Samuel’s stoner brother, Casey, bit the dust and returned as her guardian angel. A year since Casey and his “angel boss,” Amber Velasco, saved Jenna’s life and helped her foil the bad guys— more or less. A year in which Jenna has solved the true mystery of the universe: how to get one Ryan Sloboda to ask her out.  

Jenna’s feeling mighty cheery about life and love. But Casey, whose doomed relationship with Lanie Phelps (who has no idea her boyfriend is, well, dead) isn’t doing much to distract him, has his own big question: Why is he still hanging around?  


Bo Shivers, a heavenly head honcho Jenna and Casey didn't even know existed, might have the answers. Bo knows something big is coming. Something that might just change everything for Jenna Samuels, who once again finds herself up to her non-winged shoulders in heavenly secrets of global proportions—just as she’s finally found the perfect Homecoming Dance dress.

First dates and first kisses. Football games. Global-sized mysteries. Earthbound angels who aren’t happy about it and the loves and losses they’ve left behind. A sibling story. And the big questions of the universe. All told by sassy, smart-mouthed Jenna Samuels, one of my favorite characters I've ever written. As Kirkus observed, "wherever Jenna goes, trouble seems to follow."*

That’s THE A-WORD.

Welcome to the world, my pretty book.

And huge thanks to my lovely publisher, Soho Press, and my ever patient editor Daniel Ehrenhaft for allowing Jenna Samuels to kick up her cowboy boots once again!

Your job, dear reader? Buy a copy today. Give another copy for a gift tomorrow.  Spread the A-WORD! Because we all still want that SWEET DEAD LIFE movie, right?

Official blog tour start Wednesday. 

And some giveaways from me are in the works as well!

Stay tuned.

*Btw, in case you don't know, I do believe this quote is the reviewer's thinly-veiled reference to one of my favorite old time movies, Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows -- a story about two irrepressible best friends (one played by Hailey Mills, who also starred in a zillion Disney movies and the original Parent Trap) in a Catholic boarding school who get into all sorts of crazy hijinks, much to the chagrin of the Reverend Mother, played by Rosalind Russell. 

Five for Friday

Happy Friday!
Can you believe it's almost May?

Here's what I'm obsessed with/getting ready for/having fun with, this week:

1. Still flying high from yesterday's PM announcement about IT WASN'T ALWAYS LIKE THIS, coming in 2016 from Soho Press. A girl. A boy. Two families that stumble upon a fountain of youth. And the crazy things that happen when you're stuck at 17 and searching for the boy you love.

Yeah. I kinda love it. I bet you do, too.
Tuck Everlasting meets Veronica Mars.
That's all I'll say for now.
(except that the blurb itself is on yesterday's blog post if you haven't seen it!)
Also that my agent, Jen Rofe, totally rocks.

2. Getting ready for this weekend's Houston SCBWI conference. I'm honored to be part of the local faculty, critiquing manuscripts. And looking forward to all the panels and sessions and just hanging out with authors, editors and agents. Yay!

3. Just ordered some fun giveaways for the A-WORD launch. Can you say cowboy boot keychains? They're seriously adorable. (Okay, I tried to type 'adorbs' but you know, I think I am officially done with the cloying cuteness of that word. There, I tossed that out there. Now you know.)

4. Finally watched most of The Trouble With the Curve w/Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams. Predictable. But sweet. A perfect rainy day/cleaning the family room/getting my head together before I leap into another project kind of movie.

5. Vampire Diaries is still holding my attention. There are far too many plot threads going on, some of which drag me from what I want to watch which is the Elana/Damon/Stefan triangle, but no matter. I'm still a fan. I do believe I could be a fan of The Originals, too, but I will need to actually watch more than the one ep I perused months ago. And it seems that perhaps this summer I need to catch up on Agents of Shield, which after its hiatus turned into a much stronger show. Sometimes, things just have to simmer a bit until the writers hit their stride. And I think this is one of them.

What are you doing/reading/watching this week?

What I'm Reading Tuesday and Getting Ready for THE A-WORD

So far, April is not exactly, as the poem says, "the cruelest month" but it certainly has been the busiest! It is now officially less than a month until THE A-WORD (Soho Press) on 5/13 and less than month until the A-WORD Launch Party at Blue Willow on 5/17 and less than a week until the SCBWI Houston conference where I am once again honored to critique manuscripts, which I have been reading and pondering and scribbling notes on. It is -- as of yesterday-- also exactly one year until FINDING PARIS hits the shelves from Balzer and Bray.

In fact, yesterday Harper Collins sent me my Author Questionnaire! This always makes me both giddy with excitement and also panicked. Because it asks questions that in essence say, "What hugely famous people do you know who will say nice things about you and this book and thus make people buy a bunch of copies?" Okay, it asks other stuff, too. But that's part of it. You'd think this wouldn't phase me by now. You would be wrong.

But still! Another book! The crazy wonderful of this is NOT LOST ON ME.

But I have not  yet posted my TLA post and so that will come tomorrow. Like I say, it's been a busy few weeks.

Also just bought tickets for the Grand Ole Opry for when we're in Nashville this fall. I am on the fence about this, but I am told I will love it. So there you go.

And now on to what books I'm obsessed with this week!

• Want a lovely, thoughtful, gorgeously illustrated picture book with an amazing story and message? Then pick up a copy of GRANDFATHER GANDHI, co-written by my talented Austin friend Bethany Hegedus and the grandson of Gandhi, Arun Gandhi. There is a post-9/11 story behind this book and it is just as moving and magical as the book itself. 
• Still plowing my way through book 2 of the Outlander series. Jamie and Claire. Scotland! Romance! War and rebellion! Weird historical facts about lice and medicine and childbirth! Scottish dialect that sticks in my head and makes me say to the dog, "you're such a wee piggie" and then try to speak Gaelic!
• Alternately also reading two prized galleys I picked up at TLA: WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart (to whom I shall always be grateful for blurbing Sweet Dead Life) and THE TRUTH ABOUT ALICE by Jen Mathieu, a talented and brilliant debut author from right here in Houston. (in fact we'll be signing together, along with Kristin Rae, on 6/28 at a co-sponsored event at BOTH Murder by the Book and Brazos Books!)

Both are must reads. LIARS has an enormous marketing campaign behind it so you've probably heard about it. Something has taken the main character's memory of a horrible accident and she is trying to piece things together. There is wealth and secrets and life-long friends and a love gone wrong and a powerful family and so much more. Mostly it's the writing. You may actually guess the secret early on. But Emily Lockhart's prose and style just thrill me. Such a cleverly crafted book.

Likewise for ALICE. Mathieu has hit it out of the park on her first book and it's receiving a very warm welcome. Multiple narrative voices. A small town. A girl named Alice about whom there are salacious and abundant rumors. And the truth that lies somewhere in between.

Actually it's a good pairing, these two books. And it's been interesting reading both while finishing the edits for FINDING PARIS, which is also about family secrets….

What are you reading this week?

Let's Start with Good Stuff

Hello 2014! Welcome, little year.

Trying to catch up today and write some on a shiny new project. I'm in that happy editing the first 50-75 pages stage, which is what I do once I've spit out most of act 1 of a draft and need to see if this is actually a book or just random monkeys typing. Looks like it's a BOOK! And I still love the idea! Because it is January 2nd. And all good things are possible.

Also need to sit and read the keynote aloud. I'm giving a keynote talk to a literacy conference for HISD teachers next week, sponsored by ABYDOS, which is the brainchild of  Dr. Joyce Carroll Armstrong of New Jersey Writing Project fame. It is one of those moments where my world comes full circle since when I was first teaching, we were trained in the New Jersey Writing Project and now someone whose scholarly articles I have pored over has asked me to open the conference with a talk! To 200 teachers! Yikes!

Also, a few days ago, there was this:
http://bumblesandfairytales.blogspot.com/2013/12/my-top-13-favorite-books-of-2013.html

Which makes me deliriously happy! Because it means THE SWEET DEAD LIFE was her favorite along with some other amazing books that I personally also adore! For those moments when I've asked myself, "Hey! Is anyone reading my words?"-- this is a nice answer.

Also yesterday there was this!
http://bumblesandfairytales.blogspot.com/2014/01/my-top-14-must-have-young-adult-books.html

Which means she's looking forward to THE A-WORD, too!

Well, so am I!!

Thank you, Bumbles and Fairy Tales for making my year both end and start well.

And in other news, I am also caught up with Blacklist. Started watching two days ago, and it's been a worthwhile TV binge! Oh James Spader. You never disappoint me even though you are now middle-aged and bald. You do conflicted snarky bad guy better than anyone else, probably because you were so good at non-conflicted snarky bad guy in the 80's. You know - James Spader in that white suit in Pretty in Pink, being horrid to poor Molly Ringwald? There is nothing better. If you haven't watched Blacklist, go forth and do so! It's not unpredictable and I'm not sure how many seasons they can carry out the over-arching secret, but for now it's a great time!

THE A WORD galleys are HERE!!

Few things are more thrilling than the physical evidence that a book you've been working on is almost a real thing! So when I opened the mailbox yesterday and found a fat white mailing envelope from my editor at Soho Press containing three gorgeous ARCs of THE A WORD (May 2014, Soho Teen), I did the dance of joy! (When your name is Joy this is pretty easy, but you know what I mean!)

The sequel to this year's THE SWEET DEAD LIFE is looking like a lovely almost book! Contest coming soon to win one and find out before everyone else what Jenna and Casey and Amber and a new guardian angel named Bo are up to. Plus Jenna gets her first boyfriend! I am so excited for you to read. 

More soon, but for now, here they are! Feel free to pet the picture! :)

Texas Independent Bookstores are my Rockstars: Talking With Murder By The Book plus a contest!

The back stacks at Murder by the Book

Today I’m starting a series about my favorite Texas indie bookstores! You’ll not only get to read about these special stores, but you’ll also get the chance to win a free pre-order copy of my upcoming THE A WORD  AND a free pre-order pb of THE SWEET DEAD LIFE with the brand new retooled cover! Thanks to my amazing publisher, Soho Press for sponsoring! And MBTB for shipping! (giveaway is at end of this post)

So you can learn about the history and people behind Texas’s independent bookstores AND one of you will win a free, autographed book. I say that’s a good deal—definitely better than Government shutdown and the looming catastrophe of default, wouldn’t you? Yup.

And why am I doing this? Because indie book stores have helped me build my career. Yes, the chains- B&N and the late, great Borders—have done that, too. But as I’ve written, the indies have taken greater chances on setting up events and ordering and keeping my books in stock and have supported me by handselling my books and getting the word out. When I have big announcements, like my recent FINDING PARIS sale to Balzer and Bray/Harper Collins, it’s those booksellers who get the news whispered to them early. Those booksellers who grin from ear to ear keeping my secrets and knowing that the support they gave has been for good reason! And I love them even more for that.

The Murder by the Book Staff

Up today is Houston’s Murder by the Book, located on the edge of Rice Village/West University and owned by McKenna Jordan. They specialize, as their name obviously hints, in mysteries and thrillers, but they also have a healthy YA collection and a grand generosity to local authors! Although I’ve been in and out of the store over the years, in the past year or so, I’ve gotten to know them better after an introduction through wonderful blogger/book lover/ Blue Willow Bookshop social media guru Maria Cari Soto. And thus a relationship with another wonderful indie and its people was born!

I sat down – laptop to laptop—with my friend John Kwiatkowski, their publicity manager since 2010 and also a kickass human, to chat about the store and its history and its influence on authors and how they are navigating and thriving under all the many swift shifts in the publishing world. Here’s what John had to say:

  

Joy: Tell us the short version of the Murder by the Book story—history of how this amazing bookstore came to be and how you came to own and run it. How did the store get its name? Has it always specialized in mysteries/thrillers?

JK: Martha Farrington was the original owner of MBTB.  She opened the store in 1980 because we wanted a bookstore where she could find the mysteries that she loved.  We've been a mystery bookstore since day one.  There are many books with the title, but our store is named after the Rex Stout title, Murder By The Book.  McKenna Jordan bought the store in 2009 after being the manager for many years. 

Joy: What’s a typical day for the booksellers at Murder by the Book? For management?

JK: One thing a typical day doesn't include is sitting around reading!  Our day is a mix of checking in and receiving new books, creating displays for upcoming events, and helping customers.  The helping customers part is the best part of the day.  We love suggesting new titles and helping them find new authors.  We also try to call customers when we know a new title by a favorite authors comes out.  Usually around 5 in the afternoon we start getting set up for that evening's author event.

Joy: What’s the process involved in getting all those wonderful authors to visit the store? Any crazy author visit stories you can share? Or just warm and fuzzy stories?

JK: There are several ways we get authors to visit.  Most of our events are set up by submitting proposals to the publisher, letting them know how we would market an event, how many people we think will show up, and how many books we think we'll sell.  Publishers will also get in touch with us to see if we're interested in hosting an author.   Sometimes we'll invite an author directly as well.  My favorite thing lately has been setting up fun pairings of authors for joint events.

A few weeks ago we had Louise Penny in the store for her new release.  Earlier in the day she found out that her book was going to debut at #1 on the New York Times list.  It was really special getting to celebrate that evening with her here in the bookstore.   I'm afraid I don't have any crazy author stories to share.  99% of the authors that come through the store are really wonderful people. 

Joy:  We read so much about the ‘death of print,’ but many indie book stores such as yours are thriving. Can you talk about this and about how you see the role of bookstores, especially but not limited to indies, in today’s publishing world?

JK: Since the eBook boom started, we've said that at some point the sales were going to even out.  People were going to find a balance between eBooks and print books.  It looks like that's really starting to happen now.   I don't think our role has changed much.  We still keep doing what we love to do, and that's helping people connect with their favorite authors and discover new ones. 

So much of reading is an experience, and our store is an extension of that.  Bookstores give you a place to discuss your favorite books and discover new ones.  A lot of our business is event driven now.  Author visits are what really bring people in, and give us a chance to show off our love of books.   Bookstores have to have a place in the publishing world.  Each bookstore has its own personality, and its own selection of books.  That variety helps give us so many diverse options for what to read.   Looking for something new to read online can be overwhelming.  Each book that we have in the store has been hand selected to sit on our shelves. 

Joy: What are you all reading now? Are you noticing any trends? Thoughts on what you’re seeing?

JK; I'm reading United We Spy by Ally Carter.  It's the final book in the Gallagher Girls series, and I can't wait to see how she wraps everything up.  McKenna just finished Never Go Back, the new Jack Reacher book by Lee Child.   Dean just finished the new Alan Bradley book that's coming out next year and loved it. 

As far as trends, one that we see and that we're excited about it is publishers taking chances on new authors and releasing titles as paperback originals.  Paperbacks are the easiest way to get someone to try a new author.

Joy:  As booksellers, what advice do you have for new authors?  How about advice for readers/customers? 

JK:  For to authors: Make friends with other writers.  The writing community is a great one to be a part of, and in my experience they're so supportive of each other. 

My advice for customers/readers is to not be afraid to read outside of your comfort zone.  I've spent some time this year reading some epic fantasy books.  I didn't necessarily love the books, but I loved the challenge of reading a new genre with its own set of rules.  You don't have to read something WAY out of your comfort zone.  Just stretch it a little. 

My advice for new authors is to make friends with your local booksellers.  If you're lucky enough to have an i

Joy:  And a brief lightning round:

a.     Coffee or tea?  Tea

b.     Wine or whiskey? Whiskey

c.      Book for the deserted island?

d.     Salty or sweet? Sweet

e.     Memorable line from a book? “The temperature hit ninety degrees the day she arrived. New York was steaming–an angry concrete animal caught unawares in an unseasonable hot spell.” - The first line of Valley of the Dolls. 

f.      When you’re not working or reading, we could find you taking in a musical or a concert.

And here’s a little about the MBTB Staff Members:

Dean James: Our former store manager, Dean now works full-time at the Texas Medical Center Library.  As Miranda James he is the New York Times Bestselling Cat in the Stacks mysteries.

McKenna Jordan (Owner): McKenna has her Bachelor's Degree in English and a Master's in Violin Performance from University of Houston. She's owned Murder By The Book since January 2009.

Brenda Jordan: Brenda's "Claim to Fame" is she is McKenna's mother.

John Kwiatkowski: In previous career incarnations, John has sold model and toy trains, and been a barista.  Prior to joining the Murder By The Book team he managed one of the local chain bookstores.

Sally Woods: Sally has been in the bookselling biz for almost 20 years.  She comes to MBTB via various Houston indie bookstores.  She did have a life prior to bookstores, but that seems long ago.

Thanks John, for speaking for McKenna Jordan and the rest of the MBTB gang!

And now for the giveaway:

Want to win a free pre-ordered copy of next year's SWEET DEAD LIFE sequel, THE A-WORD (Soho Press) AND a free pre-ordered copy of February's paperback edition of THE SWEET DEAD LIFE with its boot-tastic new cover? Both of them signed by me? Then comment here on this blog post and let me know what YOU love about indie bookstores!

CONTEST WILL RUN THROUGH THIS SATURDAY, October 12th, and I'll announce the winner of the two books on Monday, to be sent to you from Murder by the Book! (thanks again to Soho Press for sponsoring the prizes!)

Want to know more about Murder by the Book? Then visit them at their website: http://www.murderbooks.com