On Telling People

It's not a special anniversary or anything, but I've been thinking about being a writer, or, more specifically, about being an official, real, proper writer - in other peoples' eyes. It's no secret that I've had many strange, irksome and hilarious reactions to telling friends, families and outright strangers that I write. Or that I'm having a book published. Or anything in that vein. I've devoted whole blog posts to it.

So, on this dismally grey and dreary afternoon, I thought I'd share the highlights. Enjoy!

3. The Lady on the Bus

HER: So what do you do?

ME: Erm, I'm a writer.

HER: Oh how lovely! Do you work for a newspaper?

ME: No, I write novels.

HER: For a living? Oh you poor dear. Haven't you been able to find a real job?

2. The Guy Checking Passports at the Airport

HIM: So what do you do, miss?
ME: I'm a writer. 

HIM [perking up no end]: Really? A writer! What kind of stuff do you write? 

ME: Books. Novels, I mean. Fiction.
HIM: Wow! Any, like, crime?
ME: Erm, no. I write teen fiction. Young adult.
HIM [totally crestfallen]: Damn. I'd have asked for your autograph if you wrote crime.

and finally, a real gem-

1. My mother

ME: I have an agent! Also a book deal!

HER: Wow! Hooray! You know this is because I lit a candle to St. Jude, right?

ME [totally at sea because this is so not the kind of thing my far-too-practical mother normally does]: What?

HER: You know? The patron saint of hopeless cases?

Thanks, Mum. Thanks.

Anybody have their own 'when I told people' stories to share?

...and the Winner is

It's the 20th of April, which means MY GIVEAWAY ENDS TODAY! Eight weeks ago I revealed the cover of THE LOST GIRL and promised a signed ARC of the book to one commenter. To everyone who commented, Tweeted, blogged and generally shared my cover-love: thank you so much! I wish I could give you all an ARC, but I fear my editor would kill me. (Don't panic, Sara! I'm not actually proposing a massive ARC exodus.)

Before I announce the winner, though, I think I need to ramble on about my day, and also tell you about my new project, and while I'm at it, I really think it's important I tell you all about what the weather was like in this corner of the world...

...no? Not even a little bit interested?

I stuck all the entries in one of those random number generator thingies that Google is so very good at finding, and the winner is

Britta !!!

Congratulations, Britta! And thanks again, everyone. Your support and enthusiasm mean the world to me.

Have a great weekend!

Curse of the Sequel

 
I don't think I'm the only one out there who thinks second books (or, indeed, movies!) disappoint. Sometimes they even plain old suck. Obviously I don't mean an author's second book overall (these are often better!), just the second in a series. Trilogies seem to be the worst offenders. Book 2 often ends up being filler. Or it's a good book, but it has to work twice as hard, because Book 1 has the advantage of being exciting and new, while Book 3 has the advantage of being the epic end to it all.

So, really, sometimes you have to feel sorry for Book 2, the tragic middle child of the whole family.

And to make Book 2 feel better, I've been trying to think of examples where the second book (or movie) was just as good or better than the first. (That's right, tragic middle child! You're just as special!) And I don't count sequels that were simply tacked on because the first one was so successful. They have to be part of the original story.

...I have nothing. Nothing. Seriously. My brain has frozen over today.

Can you think of any great or better second books/installments?

PS. Don't forget I'm giving away a signed ARC of THE LOST GIRL in ten days! So if you haven't commented on my cover reveal already, go do it soon!