My First year as a... erm… published author…?
By Lola Jaye
Has it almost been a year since I became a writer? No, I’d always been a writer… I just wasn’t a published one. But that all changed last summer when my novel ‘By The Time You Read This… ‘ (Harper) appeared in real life (where you go and pay for stuff) shops!
And what a year it has been.
Where do I start, as I set about writing an article that doesn’t make me sound boastful and smug?
I’ll just tell the truth.
It’s been great, tiring, fun, surprising, amazing, knackering, normal, abnormal, amazing, far OOOUT (a term borrowed from the sixties and a certain colleague from New Zealand) and brilliant.
It has been life changing.
Those of you, who have followed my Blog from the early noughties, know how long I’ve harbored the dream of becoming a published author. The hard slog, the tears, the prayers and determination that finally led to that wonderful moment when my manuscript was accepted for publication. My second Blog then chronicled the ‘dream’ as it finally happened – watching my books slide off the printing press, seeing them in the shops for the first time – everything.
I managed to calm down long enough to embark on Book Two after which I was asked to write a quick Read detailing HOW I did it all. And along came Reaching for the Stars – How to Make your Dreams Come True. Which meant that at one point in 2008, I was writing Novel 2 AND my Quick Read AND holding down a job… but hey I managed it (the joys of multitasking) but I’ll admit it was amazingly knackering and I may have forgotten to sleep once or twice!
What else happened?
I found slots of time to have a life. Went to a few ‘literary events’ and also added to the ‘friend pool’ in the form of ‘writer friends’ who I meet up with from time to time to discuss word counts, deadlines and erm… blokes. It’s strangely comforting sitting in a restaurant with a bunch of girls just as neurotic as I am about writing. Talking of manic: WRITERS ARE NUTS!!!! Well at least I am anyway. I thought the neurosis would stop once I got a publishing contract – but it still remains, albeit in disguised forms.
Will I reach deadline number 2?
Will I think of another book idea?
Will my books sell?
Will I reach deadline number 3?
Do they really like it or are they just being polite?
Will I reach deadline number 102?
Can I think of another book idea?
Do I look good in this top?
(Okay the last one has ALWAYS been around – but you get my drift…).
Nuts I tell you!
Luckily I did think of another book idea and that book in all it's raspberry pink loveliness is out in the shops like…. NOW. Here’s a little taster:
Lena has always kept her two sisters Millie and Cara in check. Beautiful but lazy Millie relies on her sister for everything. She needs to pull herself together and get a job but is constantly distracted by the string of men in her life! Cara runs a successful bar with her adoring boyfriend Ade. He can't wait to start a family but Cara isn't ready. Will she ever be? But when Lena is involved in an accident and falls into a deep sleep, her sisters forget their own issues and rush to her side. As they desperately try to wake Lena, they begin to learn things they never knew about themselves and discover their much-loved sister had a few secrets in her closet! A funny and heartwarming tale about family, love and living for the moment.
That’s all you’re getting – for now! But I will note this; the book’s main character is asleep… The character in my first book was dead, I see a pattern forming here in time for book 3. BOOK 3?? I DON’T HAVE AN IDEA FOR BOOK THREE?? Well I do, but….
But I digress.
Back to my first year as a published author…
Actually, I am unable to fit everything into this article, as there has been so many ‘pinch me’ moments over the past year. But what has touched me the most have been some of my Guestbook entries. You see, when I was writing the novel I was basically writing it for me – but as soon as it got ‘out there’ and into the hands of others, my words began meaning different things to different people. Those who had lost loved ones, people who had enjoyed reading for the first time in a long while. I have been moved to tears by some of the emails.
Then there are the people I have met - so lovely – especially the teenagers! And I am still recovering from the shock of being asked for my autograph more than once (did that really happen?). Yeah I got a bad review on Amazon, but when I look at the rest, which were great, I don’t dwell on it. Anyway, being an unpublished author gives you great training in dealing with the ‘bad’ stuff. Besides, I wrote that book for ME and to know that others have enjoyed it, cried (sorry) and just felt enough about it to write to me… well that’s just too amazing.
I was recently on the panel of a ‘How to get Published’ master class at the start of this years London Book Fair. I felt so honored to be in the position to offer words of encouragement to those embarking on a quest to become published (even though I still didn’t feel quite ‘worthy’ to be up on stage with the mighty Kate Mosse with an E!). I thought about how weird it was that only a few years ago I had toyed with the idea of going to one of those seminars… and here I was sitting on the panel! Same with the Winchester Writer’s conference. I once listened to a newly published author give the after dinner speech and this year – guess whose been asked to give it…?
So before I go and continue living the life of a glam Carrie Bradshaw-esque writer (erm, loading the washing machine) I’ll just summarize my first year as a published author…
I have never worked so much in my life.
I have never enjoyed so much in my life.
I’ve published THREE books
I passed my driving test
I hugged (and let go of) Will Smith
I saw my words printed in other languages
I actually started to believe ‘I am a writer now… ‘sort of!
While you were Dreaming (6.99) By Lola Jaye, OUT NOW!!!! (Buy it, please buy it, I’ll do anything!!!! Pretty pleeaase!)
