Welcome to My Blog
- Deborah
- Feb 1, 2019
- 5 min read
Welcome to my blog! I’m new at this. Although I used to write a column at Suite101.com in the mid 2000s, it’s been a long time since I’ve shared my experiences. So honestly? I am still trying to figure it out. I don’t know exactly what this blog is about. But I can promise you that it will always come from my deepest thoughts. And hopefully it will be something that will interest you. Maybe even help you if you are an author or a reader. Right now, I can tell you as I launch my latest release—a romantic suspense novel called FRESCO NIGHTS—my direction as an author is on my mind.
I don’t know why it is that I am always wrong about the publishing industry. I’ve been writing and publishing for over 20 years; I still can’t seem to get it right. Well… that’s not exactly true. I have had two stories published by Chicken Soup for the Soul, and I have to admit when I was notified that they wanted to buy my stories I didn’t expect it. But neither was I surprised.
So why wasn’t I surprised? I guess because deep down inside I knew these two stories were about something that other people might want to read. I’ve had other Chicken Soup stories rejected. On reflection, I get it. Some people think Chicken Soup stories are fluff and easy to write. I used to think so, too. Until I had four of mine (or was it six?) rejected. They aren’t easy to write. For one thing they either have to hit you in the heart or in the funny bone. And when I say you, I mean you, the reader, and not just us the writers who naturally think everything we write is heartfelt or amusing.
And so when I began the first book in my Fresco Nights series I tried to keep this in mind. The story must do something for the reader. I can’t tell you what that is. Only you know whether or not my story is going to affect you. But I do realize that I can’t possibly be alone, even though as a storyteller sometimes I feel like I am. I can’t write bestseller stuff. I don’t want to. Because I can’t stick to genres without—at some point— going off the rails. I don’t break genre rules on purpose. I may just do it because I go where my characters and my story take me. I don’t fit in. And I’ve been told so. Not only by readers but by publishers and agents, both those who have published or represented my work and those who passed on it. And it’s not that no one loves my work, some people do. It’s just that it doesn’t appeal to the masses. And when you don’t appeal to the masses, it’s hard to get people behind you.
So what does any of this have to do with my writing? I’ve come to a stage in my career where I am much more reflective than I used to be. I’ve been writing long enough to see how my style has changed from my first novel in 2004 (THE RAVEN’S POOL an archaeological thriller) to the newly released FRESCO NIGHTS. I used to write serious thrillers. Then when my dog was treated for cancer at age five and survived another ten years, I wrote my first Chicken Soup story.
Little Tang, the cancer survivor, got his own “Christmas Miracle” in Chicken Soup for the Soul’s “Christmas in Canada” book. I felt his sister Ming, the healthy one, deserved a legacy too. So began my journey with a Christmas series written under the pen name of Daphne Lynn Stewart. This is a series of romances, something I had never attempted before. Each story has a pet that plays a part in achieving happily-ever-after in a couple’s Christmastime romance. I love this feel-good series, and thankfully, my readers do too, and for this I am truly grateful.
So why am I rambling on about Chicken Soup for the Soul stories and my Christmas romances, and a thriller series that I began over a decade ago? Well, it occurs to me that FRESCO NIGHTS is a cross between my thrillers and my Christmas romances, both in style and story—and here I am again playing the rebel. Why is that not a good thing?
Is it me? Or has the book world become rather extreme? You either write for a literary audience who prefers prose over story or you write for a commercial audience who prefers story and simplicity. And the simplicity extends to genre. There has to be clear rules in genres. I don’t write clear genres. I like to mix them up. For lack of a better word I like to say multifaceted. I like stories that are multifaceted.
When I started FRESCO NIGHTS I believed I was writing Romantic Suspense. To me it is all about the romance, danger and adventure of going somewhere exotic that creates the excitement of place and situation. When I read the current romantic suspense novels I see that that is not what I do. These books follow a clear trope, a winning recipe. They are not meant for people who want something in the middle. There was a time when literary and commercial fiction met in the middle. Some examples of those kinds of romantic suspense authors are Mary Stewart and Daphne du Maurier. These days there is no middle.
So, does that mean we can’t read at that level anymore? Has reading in bytes on the Internet affected our ability to appreciate more multifaceted storylines?
Maybe. As I was shopping this manuscript around I realized once again that I was doing something wrong. My book was recommended by a popular author, Barbara Kyle (The Traitor’s Daughter), who evaluated my manuscript and who enjoyed it enough to recommend it to her editor at Kensington Publishing. Editors don’t seem to have time to respond to anything that doesn’t jump right out at them and say “Publish me! I’ll sell.” They forget about you. You have to remind them. And then when they decide to pass, they don’t bother to tell you.
Why do I expect more from publishing professionals? But this is the way they do it now. They say so on their websites. “If we do not respond after two or three months you may assume that we have passed on your manuscript”. As an author you have no choice but to accept it. Does it save everyone from potential conflict if we don’t confront each other? But still, an author wants to know. Why don’t you think this book will sell?
Is our writing too complicated? Is it boring? Authors want to know.
Anyways, I’ve said my piece. I have high hopes for this book. I love this book and the sequels that follow. I’ve already written three more. I do hope, like the Christmas romances, it will find its readers. So my wish for anyone reading this blog, please take a chance on something different. It’s okay not to like it— but maybe you will? And for authors? My suggestion is something most industry professionals will disagree on. But here it is. Extremes are not the only way to go. It would be nice if there were more writers in the middle, people who are willing to take chances.
Deborah L. Cannon’s books:
Daphne Lynn Stewart’s books:
Deborah Cannon’s books:
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