Monday, January 31, 2011

Authoress in Wonderland

It's only two and a half months until Fairer than Morning hits stores! The closer I get to publication, the more I feel like I just fell down a rabbit hole.

Everything looks different. I grow, I shrink. Pieces of paper turn into characters and rain down on my head.

The first people I meet in Wonderland are my potential endorsers. When a couple of them send me enthusiastic comments, I float around for days like the Cheshire Cat's smile.

In Wonderland, where words won't behave themselves, I face the reality that not everyone will like my novel. Initially, that makes me feel as if the Queen of Hearts has called for my head to be lopped off. "But why?" I want to ask. "What have I done? Or failed to do?"

But in this strange place where persons are made of paper, it's not about me. It's about the taste of the Reader Queen. And she is sovereign of her own realm, and has every right and every authority to like some authors and behead all the others. That's how the cards are dealt in Wonderland.

In Wonderland, the end of the story is the end of the dream and the beginning of real life.

So for now, I dance the Lobster Quadrille with wild joy when I find out my novel has been selected as a Buyer's Choice for a major national chain. But in the end, I'm still dancing with lobsters.

Maybe if one of them pinches me, I'll wake up.

21 comments:

Keli Gwyn said...

What a clever post, Rosslyn. How cool that the great reviews have already begun pouring in. I'm eager to read your book. Not much longer. =)

Marsha Young said...

Rosslyn,
Loved the Wonderland theme. Congratulations on your coming success.

Looking forward to reading your book. Marsha

Warren Baldwin said...

Cool, cool, cool. Cheryl and I are both ready to get a copy of your book to read. Exciting for you, I know.

Lisa Jordan said...

Such an incredible time for you! Embrace it and keep on dancing, friend!! I have an Alice in Wonderland figurine from my childhood, sitting on my dresser. Love this post. :D

Elisabeth said...

What a fun post! I'm so happy for you. I think I experienced a very, very little bit of that excitement when I had a short story published, but I can't imagine what it's like to have a novel coming out.

Cindy R. Wilson said...

Your post made me smile, Rosslyn. I imagine it feels a lot like a story every once in awhile :)
Can't believe your book will be here so soon. Congratulations!

Caroline Starr Rose said...

One of my 2k11 colleagues said something once that I think is really profound: our books are not for everyone. This is really freeing to remember.

Your book will be embraced by a number of people, the exact ones it was written for.

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Rosslyn -

Congrats on the Buyer's Choice by a major chain! I'm looking forward to reading your book.

Blessings,
Susan :)

Ryan and Melanie said...

what an excellent post! Congratulations on your upcoming book! So exciting.

Wendy Paine Miller said...

Wouldn't that be fun if we could go around saying, "Off with their heads" to anyone who gives us a bad review! Love this post! And it won't surprise you that I made all sorts of parallels to Alice In Wonderland in my first novel.

Can't wait to promote the heck out of your book!
~ Wendy

Rosslyn Elliott said...

I'm glad you liked this post! It was downright weird when I first drafted it--there's such a thing as taking friends too far into my own strange thought process--but I tamed it out of consideration for everybody's heads, and so I wouldn't make Lewis Carroll spin in his grave. :-) But I had fun. The creative writing monster will rear its head in other ways if I don't work on my novel! So now I'm off to the salt mines and the opening of novel #3. Have a wonderful week and stay warm, everybody.

Katie Ganshert said...

I smiled the entire time I read this...and now I really want to watch Alice in Wonderland!

So happy for your Rosslyn! That's amazing and great affirmation!

Erin MacPherson said...

Hi Rosslyn-- I'm SO excited for you!! And I know the feeling... mine releases in 4 weeks and I'm literally counting down the days!! And yes, when those first endorsements came in, I was grinning for days!! Anyway, I can't WAIT to read Fairer than Morning...and HUGE congrats again!

T. Anne said...

Aww. Enjoy Wonderland. It's real and you'll never wake up to a different reality. I still LUV your cover. Can't wait to read what's inside.

Terri Tiffany said...

Oh I am so excited that your book was chosen!! I loved this analogy as well:))

Lydia K said...

That was a fun post to read, beginning to end.

I would not be looking forward to the naysayers either. That part really scares me!

Carol J. Garvin said...

Your excitement is contagious! And I love the Wonderland references. (I saw the movie in 3D last fall.) Looking forward to reading your book soon. :)

Margo Berendsen said...

Oh, I haven't visited in a while - my first time seeing your book cover! I love it! the girl reminds me a little of natalie portman (maybe in her more innocent days).


I will certainly buy your book! So excited for you! I can imagine what a roller coaster it is and will continue to be...

Rosslyn Elliott said...

Margo, you're not the first to notice that! I agree, she does look like Natalie Portman. Which is a good thing, as she's fairly close to my heroine in my mind's eye. :-)

DL Hammons said...

It's fun watching you float through this dream! Clever post!! :)

Saloma Furlong said...

I look at this the same way I do about life... not everyone is going to like my book... that's okay, cause I don't like every book, either. I also don't worry if not everyone likes me, cause I don't like everyone else, either.

I, for one, cannot wait to read your book.

Blessings,
Saloma