Susanna Fraser is the author of the delightful The Sergeant’s Lady, which is her first novel. Her hilarious website is here, which has gotten her attention from all over the place. She also has a much more traditional blog, and she is quite active on Facebook.
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When Tia invited me to be a guest at Debuts & Reviews, she suggested I talk about my journey to “The Call” and what I learned along the way. I’m happy to do so, even though that journey took some scenic routes I never expected when I first started writing.
I wrote my first draft of the manuscript that became The Sergeant’s Lady back in 2005, and I loved writing it. It was my second manuscript, so I had the confidence of knowing I could finish a book to spur me forward. The research fascinated me, especially building a backstory for Will to cover every step of his army career before he met Anna. And most of all I loved Will and Anna as characters, and I knew I had something special in them and their story.
 I was still new enough to writing to think that would be enough, and that selling The Sergeant’s Lady would be easy despite the unusual setting and hero. Surely I wasn’t the only one craving something different, and surely at least one editor out there would feel the same way.
I tried. I really did. I found an agent in 2006, and she submitted the manuscript extensively to print publishers. I got a lot of compliments on my writing, a lot of comments, positive and negative, on how different the story was…and nothing but refusals on the manuscript.
Once The Sergeant’s Lady finished making the rounds, I concluded that maybe I wasn’t meant to be a romance writer after all. I set the manuscript I’d written in 2006 aside. (You’ll get to see it in 2011 if you’re interested; it’s called A Marriage of Inconvenience, and it’s a Sergeant’s Lady prequel with Anna’s brother James as the hero.) My agent and I parted ways amicably, and I spent 2007-09 working on an alternative history manuscript.
That was my biggest mistake on the journey to publication, by the way. Not switching genres–I love fantasy and romance equally, and I hope to be published in both someday. But sticking with a book through three years and four major drafts was a wrongheaded. I was so convinced that the alternative history was the best idea I’d ever have in my life, and also that I had to sell that story to prove I wasn’t a failure and was meant to be a writer after all. Selling the next story wasn’t good enough, and nor was going back to my romances and trying to sell them, even though I could see that the historical market was shifting and there might be a home for stories that had been too different to sell just a few years before. I’m only a year removed from that mentality, but I can’t explain it. I had crazy ideas then. I’m better now.
It’s too late for me to get those years back, and I don’t regret everything about them. I learned a lot trying to write that book, among other things that I enjoy writing the character type the TV Tropes Wiki calls the Four-Star Badass (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FourStarBadass). That book’s alternative-universe Wellington may never see the light of day, but there will be others like him. Oh my, yes, there will be others like him, and if I do my job right, you’ll think they’re sexy.
But still. Don’t make my mistake. Know when to cut your losses. One serious, start-over-from-scratch rewrite is the most you want to do for any single story. If it’s still not right, start something else. That story will still be there if you decide to go back to it later. And it’s not the only good idea you’ll ever have. Trust me. I’m full of ideas now that I’m no longer so stubbornly sure I’ve already found The Only One.
Anyway. Fast-forward to early 2010. By then I was trying to sell my alternative history, but getting rejection letters with head-spinning speed. Discouraged and not even sure what to write next, since the plan had been to SELL the alternative history and get right to work on its sequel, I pulled out The Sergeant’s Lady and re-read it.
And I realized that it was good. It’d been long enough since I’d written it that it was almost like reading someone else’s book–and I couldn’t put it down. So I decided to give it one more chance.
I didn’t want to submit it to any editors who’d already read it, but there were a few houses my agent hadn’t submitted to back in 2006–including the ones that didn’t exist yet, like Carina. Back then I never would’ve considered an e-publisher. I’d heard too many stories of authors getting burned by fly-by-night publishers, and besides, the market only seemed viable for erotic stories.
But four years is forever in technological terms, and by 2009 I had a Kindle myself, plus a good sense of which companies were viable and which seemed dodgy. Carina, with Harlequin’s backing, struck me as the best choice of all, so I submitted to them first.
Six months later, here I am. Published in the genre I thought would never want me, with the book I’d given up on. This industry will take you on a strange journey if you’ll let it.
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Susanna will be hanging around if you have any comments or questions. I know I have a few, which I’ll post in the comments to get things started.
No post today, but tomorrow Susanna Fraser, author of THE SERGEANT’S LADY will be guest posting as part of her blog tour. If you want to check out her blog tour so far, here’s a link to her blog with her tour schedule and here’s today’s post.
I have some historicals and a fantasy for you this week.
Historicals
The Sergeant’s Lady
by Susanna Fraser
Carina Press
ebook
Highborn Anna Arrington has been “following the drum,” obeying the wishes of her cold, controlling cavalry officer husband. When he dies, all she wants is to leave life with Wellington’s army in Spain behind her and go home to her family’s castle in Scotland.
Sergeant Will Atkins ran away from home to join the army in a fit of boyish enthusiasm. He is a natural born soldier, popular with officers and men alike, uncommonly brave and chivalrous, and educated and well-read despite his common birth.
As Anna journeys home with a convoy of wounded soldiers, she forms an unlikely friendship with Will. When the convoy is ambushed and their fellow soldiers captured, they become fugitives—together. The attraction between them is strong—but even if they can escape the threat of death at the hands of the French, is love strong enough to bridge the gap between a viscount’s daughter and an innkeeper’s son?
I read this as part of my current historical fiction kick. Review coming in the next day or so.
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The Wet Nurse’s Tale
by Erica Eisdorfer
Berkley Trade
Trade Paperback
Susan Rose is not your average Victorian heroine. She’s promiscuous, lovable, plump, and scheming. Luckily for Susan, her big heart is covered by an equally big bosom, and her bosom is her fortune—for Susan becomes a professional wet nurse, like her mother before her, and she makes it her business to know all the intrigues and scandals that the upper crust would prefer to keep to themselves.
When her own child is caught up in a family scandal, Susan must use all of her street smarts to rescue her baby from the powerful mistress of the house. The scheme she weaves is bold and daring, and could spell ruin if she fails—but Susan Rose has no intention of failing.
This looked familiar to me and I thought I had already covered it, but I haven’t. The hook had me at “her bosom is her future.” It looks fabulous.
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Fantasy and Science Fiction
The Native Star
by M. K. Hobson
Spectra
MM Paperback
It’s 1876, and business is rotten for Emily Edwards, town witch of the tiny Sierra Nevada settlement of Lost Pine. With everyone buying patent magicks by mail-order, she’s faced with two equally desperate options. Starve—or use a love spell to bewitch the town’s richest lumberman into marrying her.
When the love spell goes terribly wrong, Emily is forced to accept the aid of Dreadnought Stanton—a pompous and scholarly Warlock from New York—to set things right. Together, they travel from the seedy underbelly of San Francisco’s Barbary Coast, across the United States by train and biomechanical flying machine, to the highest halls of American magical power, only to find that love spells (and love) are far more complicated and dangerous than either of them could ever have imagined.
The author hyperlinked several elements from her cover copy, which I thought was pretty cool so I left them in place. This novel looks like a lot of fun.
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Any float your boat? Discuss in the comments.
Regarding my classic reread, I decided upon Dragonlance for a couple of reasons. First and most annoying, the omnibus edition of The Deed of Paksennarion has print about the same size as my huge study Bible, and I don’t think I’ll be able to read it until I get some subscription reading glasses. (I’ve tried bifocals and they aren’t for me. I decided I do enough reading to merit a dedicated pair of glasses.) I haven’t checked to see if The Deed is available by ebook, mostly because Dragonlance is calling my name. And that was the second reason.
I read the first few chapters of Dragonlance and it is just what I need right now. It’s funny and engaging and wonder-filled. It’s also completely unlike anything published these days, unless you buy something from the Dragonlance shared world.
The story centers on a large group of adventurers, the likes of which you probably once placed D&D with in the past (if you were ever geeky enough to play). It starts with Tanis the half-elven fighter, Caramon, a human fighter, Raistlin, a human mage, Tasslehoff, a hobbit (er–kender) thief, Flint, a dwarven fighter, Sturm, a human fighter (it’s a fighter-heavy group), Goldmoon, a human cleric (although not yet) and Riverwind, a human . . . fighter. Or maybe a ranger.
And I don’t think I left anyone off.
Although the early point-of-view centers on Tanis, the main character really is the group, itself. The viewpoint floats from character to character as you advance from paragraph to paragraph. And this works better than you might expect.
It starts when this old adventuring party is meeting again after a five-year separation. They meet at an inn that is built in a tree. (In fact, the entire town is built in the trees, except the forge.) They don’t know Goldmoon and Riverwind at this time, but Sturm meets them on the road and escorts them to the inn. There, an old man has sort of set them up to all meet, to fall afoul of a crime (that he accuses them of) and to go off on a quest together. And no one knows what the old man is up to. Right now in my reading (chapter 5), they are fleeing town.
If you’re going to read along, let me know!
Posts this week will include:
- A Debut Showcase, which is already written (unless I discover more debuts)
- A review of a historical romance
- Progress on my Classic Reread, which will be multiple posts
I’d also like to do a round-up of reviews of THE SEVENFOLD SPELL, and I intend to include both the good and the bad. So far, along with some unrated reviews and some five-stars, it has received one two-star review. I’ll tell you why in a few days.
One thing about those big romance sites is they’re way out ahead of most science fiction/fantasy sites when it comes to the reading of ebooks. They are all perfectly willing to do so. Even Dear Author, and it’s kind of scary to contemplate getting a review at Dear Author. A few of you have consented to read it (thank you!). If you run a decent-sized fantasy blog and you’re willing to read an ebook, please let me know. (I’ll tell you up front that my target audience for THE SEVENFOLD SPELL was women. It is somewhat racy and has a happily ever after.)
I am now willing to read ebooks because it would be awfully hypocritical of me not to, but I am still very picky about publishers. Even so, I’m more likely to buy the books I read because I am unable to commit to reading by release dates at this time.
And finally, my feed numbers have taken a small but noticeable jump, so to all my new subscribers, welcome!
Wow, this was close! I counted 5 Dragonlance votes and 6 for Paks (including one person who voted for both). I was leaning toward Dragonlance, so now we have a tie. And looky here:
That’s right, pristine and unread omnibus copies of both novels. How the heck did that happen? Well, I wore out my original Dragonlance omnibus, plus a set secondhand individual paperbacks, which I replaced with this omnibus, and which I have yet to read. As for Paks, I originally had another copy of this omnibus, but the plastic started peeling off the paper almost since day 1. After a whole bunch of readings, the curl of plastic started driving me to distraction. When I saw this omnibus reappear in the bookstore, I grabbed a copy.
So what am I going to read? I’m going to read the first chapter of both and see which one I’m most in the mood for. Dragonlance is more fun, but I’ve always wanted to review Paks. So we’ll see!
I did some site maintenance tonight, including posting an excerpt of The Sevenfold Spell and a page for data that book bloggers might find useful.
I opened up the comments on the excerpt page, so feel free to let me know what you think. I am preparing a PDF with a longer excerpt, and I’ll post it when I have it ready.
I need to recharge. I’m having difficulty reading fantasy these days, and I have been reading historical fiction instead. When I finish with that novel, I’d like to reread an old favorite before tackling anything new. This is something I do every now and then, but I haven’t done lately because I’ve been reviewing books.
And as I recharge, I’d like to blog on the books as I read them. Therefore, I present to you, a poll. Which old favorite should I reread? I’ll toss out some candidates for you, and why I think they would help me recharge:
- The Dragonlance Chronicles. I’m talking about the original trilogy, which I have in an omnibus edition. This helps me recharge because the characters are so lovable and because it makes me laugh. I’m leaning heavily toward this one unless you convince me otherwise.
- The Deed of Paksenarrion. Paks is one of my all-time favorite characters. And I like this series because the world is gritty, but the characters are not.
- The Once and Future King. It’s been years since I’ve reread this, but I read it at least ten times during the 80s and the 90s. It has been at least fifteen years since my last reread. It’s also fodder for a Christian novel that I’ve been working on.
- Rendezvous with Rama. I gotta throw some science fiction in there, even though my present reading malaise does not extend to science fiction. I love this one because the sense of wonder in it is, well, just wonderful. And it’s been so long since I read it that it will probably feel new again. I’d have to obtain a copy of this one.
Which one should I read? Or, should I not read any of them and read something you suggest?
Shadow Bound
by Erin Kellison
Dorchester Publishing
Mass Market Paperback – 7.99
Imagine if your father was what the world fears most. Imagine if your father was Death.
Talia O’Brien doesn’t have to imagine in Erin Kellison’s Shadow Bound. Hunted by inhuman monsters all her life with no knowledge of why, regarded strangely for her unique combination of white-blone hair and jet-black eyes, and with the ability to manipulate shadows, Talia is alone in a world that doesn’t understand her–not that she understands herself. But she won’t be alone for long, because Adam Thorne is looking for her.
After reading Talia’s dissertation on near-death experiences, Adam believes Talia is the key to destroying the monstrous, soul-sucking wraith he keeps in the basement of Segue Institute–a monster who was once his brother. But when he discovers Talia’s strange talents and past, he believes she is much more–not just the key to destroying his brother, but putting an end to all wraithkind.
I’m having trouble finding criticisms for this book. I’m not a big fan of urban fantasy, but I really, really, really liked this one. First of all, it’s a breath of fresh air in a subgenre where vampires and werewolves rule. I know the fey are filtering into urban fantasy, but Shadow Bound still keeps it fresh, finding new twists and introducing characters who break the stereotypes for characters in urban fantasy books. If you’re getting tired of sassy, bad-ass urban fantasy heroines (the main reason I don’t read much urban fantasy), Shadow Bound is one to try. Talia isn’t the norm, and I love her for it.
But having unique twists, characters, and concepts isn’t enough. A novel like this need suspense, and Shadow Bound is indeed riveting. The author knows just how to push the characters into the impossible, then pull a miracle out of thin air and make it completely believable. There were several times where I thought, “Oh, they’re never going to get out of this,” and then to my complete surprise, they made it out alive. This wonderful ability to keep suspense high and tension boiling is what truly makes this book such a success.
If you’re turned off by racy scenes, let me go ahead and warn you that one of these appears very early in the book. But–and I know this may sound strange–it’s such a beautiful scene, and it really sets up the entire story; I don’t see how the author could have written things any other way. So while I warn you that it’s there, I’m also recommending that you not let this deter you. This is a book well worth reading.
Shadow Bound‘s sequel, Shadow Fall is already on shelves, released only a month after its predecessor. Both books are part of Dorchester’s Guaranteed Read program, which means that if you don’t like Shadow Bound, if you return it by 8/29/10, you’ll get a full refund from the publisher. So if it sounds interesting, you still have a little bit of time to try it risk-free. (Wow, I sound like an info-mercial!) But even with this guarantee, plan on making room for this one on your shelf, because it’s a compelling read.
Myself, I’m looking forward to reading Shadow Fall, so plan on that review coming soon.
Reviewed by Superwench83.
Katie Lovett, better known around these parts as Superwench83, is an aspiring novelist and published short fiction author. She blogs about writing, books, and the fantasy genre at her website, www.katie-lovett.com.
I have filled up my debut calendar with guest posts! I hope you will find these authors interesting in the upcoming weeks. I also am arranging for a Writer Wednesday!
Tomorrow we will have a review by Superwench, and later in the week we’ll have the usual debut showcase. I’ve also been reading a historical novel, and I hope to finish it up in the next few days. In the meantime, I will have question for you on which fantasy classic should read to recharge my fantasy energies. Oops, I guess I already asked that question. But on Wednesday, I’ll give you a list of possibilities for you to select from. I’ll host a good, old fashioned Classic Reread and maybe some of you will want to join in!
So it looks like it will be a full week!
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Posting Schedule Tuesday: Debut Showcase
Thursday: Guest
Weekend: Anything!
Writer Wednesday will occasionally be an extra feature. I will publicize it well ahead of time.
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