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Writer on the Verge of Deadlines

May 29, 2017 by in category Writer on the Verge by Kate Carlisle tagged as , ,

From A Slice of Orange Archives

 

Deadline Hell. I’m there.

It’s my first trip and I’m not liking it much. In fact, I’m going a little crazy.

I wish I could blog about something happy and carefree but I’m harried and nervous and can’t sleep, can’t think of anything but the book and how much more I need to write and how little time I have to do it. I’ve lost all peripheral vision. I can only focus on one little page, nothing else.

I’ve lost track of what’s happening on all my favorite TV shows.

I can’t read anything new. I’ve taken to re-reading old favorite books because I already know what happens and don’t have to focus too much on the story.

And I’m living on TV dinners. That can’t be healthy.

I spend most of my time in sweatpants, a big old work shirt and comfortable shoes. It’s not a good look for me.

So why am I always smiling? 🙂

Writer on the Verge of Deadlines

 

 

 

 

Kate Carlisle is always smiling because her first book, Homicide in Hardcover, from NAL, is now available everywhere!

Since this column was originally  posted in February 2009, Kate as gone on to publish over 20 books. You can get a complete list of her novels at Kate Carlisle Bibliography. Four of her newest titles are available below.

 



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Advice to Myself as a Newbie Author

August 22, 2009 by in category Advice to Myself as a Newbie Author by Shauna Roberts tagged as ,

by Shauna Roberts
http://www.ShaunaRoberts.com
http://ShaunaRoberts.blogspot.com

Today’s Guest: Kate Carlisle

After writing for twenty years, Kate Carlisle became an overnight sensation when her debut mystery, Homicide in Hardcover (Signet), hit the New York Times Bestseller List. Romantic Times gave the book 4½ stars and said: “This first in a new series is going to launch Carlisle to bestselling position and have readers looking forward to the next installment of delightfully eccentric characters, droll dialogue and a meticulously planned crime.” A Golden Heart and Daphne du Maurier Award winner, Kate lives and writes in Venice Beach, California.

If you could travel back in time to before you were first published, what advice would you give yourself?

Wouldn’t it be great to go back in time and give myself advice? The problem is, I’m not sure my newbie self would listen. Maybe that’s why it took me twenty years to publish my first book! Or maybe not. I really did appreciate any advice I could get, but publication just wasn’t meant to be—until recently. So that’s why my number one bit of advice would be . . .

1. Have patience, but don’t be passive. Continue to learn your craft. Don’t give up. Perseverance is the key. Just because you’re not published yet doesn’t mean you’re a bad writer. It just means the stars and planets haven’t aligned in your favor yet.

Keep writing, keep sending your work out, keep networking. Make friends with your fellow writers. Polish your work, send it out, start something new. Study the market. Read as much as you can. Don’t be negative. You’re doing exactly what you’ve always wanted to do. Remember all this and you’ll be ready for that moment when it all comes together.

2. Learn to write to a deadline. Before I was published, I felt as though I had all the time in the world to write a book, so I rarely put time limits or deadlines on my work. Now that I’m published, I am frantic with each deadline and petrified that if I don’t spend every spare minute writing, I’ll blow it. I don’t take enough time off to see family and friends. I always feel guilty if I’m not writing. For a while there, I was sure I’d end up with an ulcer, so now I’m teaching myself to budget my time better. My calendar is my best friend. I write everything down now, including estimated page counts on my writing days. It sounds a bit obsessive, but it keeps me honest and happy.

3. Write every day. This is another good habit I wish I’d developed early on. During the last year, I’ve found that if I take a few days or a week off from writing, I’m flummoxed once I get back to the story. I’ve forgotten how to write! I can’t remember the story! What was my hero’s name? I can’t remember! It’s pitiful. I now try to write something, even a paragraph—but hopefully much more—every day.

4. Clean your room before you begin a new book. Now, this may sound like ridiculous advice to give a writer, but I know that if my room is a mess, if my desk is piled with junk, papers, books, three thousand Post-It notes, and other stuff buried in piles that threaten to bury me if they tumble over, I’m not in a happy place. I tend to let things pile up around me. Not just paper, but laundry, bills, everything. Call it feng shui or just plain good housekeeping, but clean up your room! Get rid of all that stagnant Qi!

You need harmony, not chaos, if you want to be creative. Well, I need that, anyway. How can I think with all that crap piled up all around me? And the dust that collects around those piles is downright harmful to my physical health! So clean things up and be happy.

5. Surprise, it doesn’t get easier. If you think “The Call” will change your life, well, you’re right. It’s the greatest moment ever. But if you think that from this moment on, everything will be hunky dory and you’ll never have to work that hard again, you are soooo delusional! It just gets harder. Harder to come up with ideas, harder to meet deadlines, harder to keep publishers happy, harder to keep up the level of work you need to do to be a working writer. You need to know this early on, then ask yourself the question, is there a better way to make a living?

6. Recognize opportunity and grab it with both hands. Someone once told me that when you pass up an opportunity, you gain ten pounds. Think about it. For me, it was true. I passed up any number of opportunities because I was scared, or shy, or worried that someone wouldn’t like my work or wouldn’t like me. I wouldn’t follow up with editors on contest wins because maybe they would think I was pushy or self-aggrandizing. Instead, I would sit in the back of the room and pretend to be invisible. Ridiculous!

And the thing about opportunity is, that takes many different forms. It might be a request from the chapter to drive an editor to the airport. Or a call for volunteers at a conference. Sometimes, just being friendly to a visitor becomes an opportunity for something greater. You never know when an opportunity will arise, and if you don’t take it, you’ll gain weight. Just sayin’.

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To learn more about Kate Carlisle, please visit her Web page at http://katecarlisle.com. You can find Homicide in Hardcover at your local bookstore or can order it online at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, or Borders.

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Writer on the Verge

May 18, 2009 by in category Archives tagged as , ,

By Kate

Blog anxiety. I have it. Do you?

I spend hours worrying about snappy blog topics that will be informative yet fun, breezy yet philosophical.

It’s a dilemma, I tell you. I suffer and fret and never know what I’ll actually end up with.

It’s worse than trying to decide what to order at Starbucks.

Yes, I worry about that, too.
So I ask you, is there anything worse than having to write a blog?
Well, yes, actually there is. How about having to write TWO blogs?

That’s my problem today. I’m scheduled to blog over at the Silhouette Desire Authors blog at the same time I’m scheduled here at A Slice of Orange. So not only did I have to come up with TWO brilliant (ha!) blogs, but now I’m racing back and forth between the two, trying to keep up with comments and greetings. I tell you, it’s crazy!

If you’ve got a solution to blog anxiety, I would appreciate hearing about it.

And if you have the chance, come on over to the the Silhouette Desire Authors blog and say hello. I get anxiety when nobody shows up to comment. But that’s a whole different topic for another blogging day.

Cheers!
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Writer on the Verge — Of Malice!

April 18, 2009 by in category Writer on the Verge by Kate Carlisle tagged as , ,

At the end of this month I’ll be attending my first Malice Domestic mystery conference in Arlington, Virginia. I’ve heard about the Malice conference for years and I’m very excited to be going with my first book out and available. There’s a speed-dating-type event where authors switch from table to table to meet readers, and I’ll also be sitting on a panel called “I Hear Voices.” I’ll see my agent and also meet my editor for the first time so there will be a bit of business going on. And Saturday is the Agatha Awards ceremony so there should be some dressing up. I’ll be sure to report back on everything that happened!

What are you on the verge of doing? Have you ever been to a mystery conference? Yes? How about sharing some mystery conference tips? 🙂

Meanwhile, I want to jump on Maureen Child’s bandwagon and shout out the news about the very fun new Silhouette Desire blog on eharlequin.com. I’m the newest author in the group and so far, we’re having a blast! Come by and comment if you have a minute. We’re giving away prizes every day this month!

Kate Carlisle is the author of Homicide in Hardcover, the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association’s No. 1 paperback bestseller for February 2009.

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Writer on the Verge

January 18, 2009 by in category Archives tagged as , ,

GOT BOOKS?

Yes!!

My books arrived this week!

I opened the big box and pulled out one book and held it in my hand for the first time. It was a pretty special moment for me.

I would’ve liked to have savored the moment but suddenly every book in the box jumped out and attacked me. I wasn’t hurt, just momentarily stunned.

I really think they were just as thrilled to see me as I was to see them. I mean, look at that picture. Is this a love-fest or what?

Cheers!

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