Tuesday
Apr012008
God is in the details, along with a whole bunch of other people, including you
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
(In case you’re in need of a quick April Fool’s joke, I just helped little sister fill big sister’s shampoo bottle with dill pickle juice. It works every time).
Some epigraphs are better than othersOn the book front, I’m catching up on all the little things you don’t really think about as a debut novelist. (At least I didn’t). I mean, I sort of immersed myself in the story and the research and the editing. But what about:
Dedication—Can you believe I completely forgot about a dedication page? My editor’s wonderful assistant asked me about it last week and I sort of drew a blank. Maybe I can auction it off on eBay––“This book is dedicated to _______, thanks for bidding. I take Paypal.”
Frontis––Since the story of HOTEL is set against a backdrop of actual events, I’d been pouring over hundreds of historical photos, one of which was perfect for a frontis page. The only problem was, I couldn’t find who the photographer was. A museum in California referred me to the National Archives. I ended up searching a database of 20,000 images. The image I was searching for was #50. Yes, there is a God and he/she/it––reads.
Epigraph––I don’t know if it’ll make the final cut, but I found a lyric from a Duke Ellington song that seemed to fit perfectly. Obtaining the rights is new challenge.
About––I don’t even know what to call this, but I’ve written an “About the Book” page that addresses the non-fiction elements in HOTEL. Like Bud’s Jazz Records in downtown Seattle and the real life character of Oscar Holden, a legendary, but somewhat unknown jazz figure who appears in the book, courtesy of his family. (Thank you Grace!)
Acknowledgments––And of course a veritable who’s who of people who’ve read, critiqued, encouraged and otherwise propelled me to the finish line. I may need an expanded edition for these names alone. How do I spell your name again?
Some epigraphs are better than othersOn the book front, I’m catching up on all the little things you don’t really think about as a debut novelist. (At least I didn’t). I mean, I sort of immersed myself in the story and the research and the editing. But what about:
Dedication—Can you believe I completely forgot about a dedication page? My editor’s wonderful assistant asked me about it last week and I sort of drew a blank. Maybe I can auction it off on eBay––“This book is dedicated to _______, thanks for bidding. I take Paypal.”
Frontis––Since the story of HOTEL is set against a backdrop of actual events, I’d been pouring over hundreds of historical photos, one of which was perfect for a frontis page. The only problem was, I couldn’t find who the photographer was. A museum in California referred me to the National Archives. I ended up searching a database of 20,000 images. The image I was searching for was #50. Yes, there is a God and he/she/it––reads.
Epigraph––I don’t know if it’ll make the final cut, but I found a lyric from a Duke Ellington song that seemed to fit perfectly. Obtaining the rights is new challenge.
About––I don’t even know what to call this, but I’ve written an “About the Book” page that addresses the non-fiction elements in HOTEL. Like Bud’s Jazz Records in downtown Seattle and the real life character of Oscar Holden, a legendary, but somewhat unknown jazz figure who appears in the book, courtesy of his family. (Thank you Grace!)
Acknowledgments––And of course a veritable who’s who of people who’ve read, critiqued, encouraged and otherwise propelled me to the finish line. I may need an expanded edition for these names alone. How do I spell your name again?
Reader Comments (13)
And that gallery from the National Archives! Wow.
And photo-wise, I just saw your new head-shot, and it's fantastic!
Editors are wonderful people. (Cringing at the thought of that early draft).
Some people are so geeky that they write the acknowledgements out before writing the actual book. I don't know anyone like that personally, of course. I've just, you know, heard of it.
::evil grin::