Let's Talk Rejection

So, let's talk rejection. I just came across a tweet about Anne of Green Gables being rejected and then shelved for two years before L. M. Montgomery resubmitted and subsequently sold 50 million. This was one of my favorite books as a kid, but I have to admit that I don't know too much about how it was published, so I can only assume that this is true. I also don't know if Montgomery changed and revised the book during those two years. But what struck me was the faith she must have had in her creation to go out there again and bare her soul to the world.

Because that's what it feels like - complete nakedness in front of hostile eyes.

I have to admit that I've had a pretty good week. It would be inappropriate to go into details - and I don't like to tempt fate either - but I've received a lot of positive reinforcement and interest this week. I don't get my hopes up about anything until it's real, but it feels good to think that maybe, just maybe things are moving in the right direction.

And then I received a rejection on something I didn't expect.

There's no point in talking about the what or the who. Suffice it to say that it was a tersely worded two point criticism, one point valid because it was the writer's opinion, and one point so out of left field to me that I wanted to immediately refute it.

Of course, that would be the worst thing to do!

The thing is, it involved something in which I have a great deal of knowledge and am able to make connections within that seem completely obvious to me. I never stopped to think that maybe someone without the same background might only see these as oblique and random, rather than considered and logical.

And at the end of the day, that's my problem, not theirs. It's my job to be an effective communicator. And so, despite all the positive news I received this week, I was thrown into the depths of self-doubt.

Now, I'm no stranger to rejection. I was a working actress before I was married and believe me, writers have it easy! We get to sit at our desks and send out our query letters, our partials and fulls, and when the rejections come - and they do - we can read them when we feel ready. They are faceless and voiceless and we can skim them quickly and then delete or file them away.

But imagine standing alone on a stage after belting your little heart out and feeling the minutes tick by as you watch them argue and deliberate about you before finally saying thank you and then turning away. Find me at a conference some day and I'll tell you about how I came this close to getting the role of Eponine in the original Toronto production. Watching people actually in the process of considering you and then being argued out of it by a colleague is one of the most humiliating things that I have ever experienced.

So, fellow writers, you don't know jack about rejection.

And that's what I reminded myself. I've had a really great week and I'm allowed to feel happy about it. And maybe a little hopeful too. I can file that email, and move on.

I was at book club last night and we were discussing a book that I absolutely hated. I mean, loathed and detested. And yet all of the rest of the group at least liked it, and several loved it. Art is subjective. It has to be. My art will not always be your art and your art might leave me cold, but we all have a right to continue trying to make it.

Born Wicked

Goodreads Description of Born Wicked (The Cahill Witch Chronicles #1) by Jessica Spotswood:

Everybody thinks Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they're witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship--or an early grave. Then Cate finds her mother's diary, and uncovers a secret that could spell her family's destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra. But if what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren't safe--not even from each other.

This one's been out for over a year, but I only finally got around to reading it just recently.  But since it's just been published in softcover and the sequel is coming out in a few months, I thought it would be a good one to start off my book reviews with.

First, let me say that I love the original cover and I'm not a fan of the new "prettier" one. There's something, well, wicked about the model's pose and clothing and the style is far more gothic and in keeping with the setting of the novel.

The second cover looks like Witch Barbie goes to Salem.

Of course, nothing particularly wicked happens in Born Wicked - in fact, not  a lot happens at all. I've read a few other reviews online and one of the main complaints about the book is how passive and whiny about her own abilities the main character is.

It's a valid complaint, but I found that this book had me hooked in for the long haul (it's a trilogy I believe). The world building is strong, the romance is engaging, and I'm willing to go along for the journey.  I'm sure we will see Cate grow and change and I enjoy a trilogy that pulls me into a character's development rather than being episodic and showing little personal change. 

And the setting - kind of a throwing of the Puritan movement into the future after some vague disaster that clamped down on technology and freedom - is a fresh take on the whole fantasy/dystopian genre. 

So buy it. But try to find the original hardback in the discount section - it will look much prettier on your shelf.

I'm still looking for some star icons that will match the look of the blog, so until then, here's how the rating will go:

1 star: don't bother
2 stars: it was just ok
3 stars: it was good, I enjoyed it
4 stars: it was very good and I recommend it
5 stars: you'd be crazy not to read it!

Born Wicked comes in at 3.5 stars - it would have been 4 except for the new cover!

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog! For those of you who know me, you are probably aware that I have quite a few blogs floating out there in cyberspace. For anyone interested in my photography and other pursuits, I will be posting the links to those blogs in the menu. But for now, not much works around here yet. I will be filling up my pages, posts and links soon though.

So why a new blog? Well, this blog is dedicated to my goal of being a published YA author. Until that wonderful day, I will be posting my thoughts on all things related to writing: conferences, inspiration, book reviews, etc.

I'll be talking soon about my journey thus far, but for now, I just wanted to say - Welcome!