Ten Ways to be Adored When Landing a Lord!

I'm pausing the Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake excitement to make an announcement!

I am so thrilled to reveal the title of my next book, Ten Ways to be Adored When Landing a Lord, will be released this fall!

Ten Ways is the story of Lord Nicholas St. John, twin (younger by four minutes) brother of the hero of Nine Rules, Gabriel St. John, Marquess of Ralston.  I'm not going to share much about the plot of the book just yet...but in the spirit of A WEEK FROM THE RELEASE OF NINE RULES (omg omg yay!), I give you:

Nine Things That Do Not Appear in Ten Ways to be Adored When Landing a Lord 
(Or, what happens when an author becomes too meta for her own good.) 

1. Justin Bieber
2. Sexting
3. The Zombie Apocalypse
4. The phrase "Haters gonna hate."
5. Virgin Widows
6. The word "whose."
7. Were-Turtles (although there is an *actual* turtle!)
8. Internet dating
9. Conan O'Brien (Jay Leno will appear in his place)

And, as an added fun bonus, I just discovered that if you Google 10 Ways to be Adored When Landing a Lord, you get a picture of the Bluth Banana Stand.  Frankly, I can't imagine anything better.  Unfortunately, there are no banana stands (or Bluths) in 10 Ways.... Sorry to disappoint.

The end. Or, finishing your book.

There are few things in life better than the pleasure of finishing a first draft. In fact, today I can't really think of something better.  This is, of course, because I finished the first draft of my third book--the sequel to Nine Rules to Break When Romancing A Rake--last night.

Just to put it into perspective, here are nine things that finishing your first draft is better than:

1. Finding a $20 bill in your coat when you weren't expecting it.
2. A kick in the pants.
3. A great new haircut.
4. Friday afternoons.
5. Clamcakes and chowder at the beach (and I'm a New Englander.  So that's no joke.).
6. Christmas morning.
7. An Ocean's 11, 12 and 13 marathon...in the theater.
8. Chocolate.

and, by a nose:

9. The tasting menu at Craft. (Tom Colicchio not included.  Obviously, I would have to reclassify if he were.)

For me this is particularly true because, honestly? I still get incredibly doubtful about whether or not my books will actually get finished when I'm writing.  Seriously.  I'll be 300 pages in and think...is this even a thing? But then I come out on the other side...and OMG.  It's a thing. And I actually like it. And I get giddy. And I do a little dance and have a glass of wine and watch West Wing for three hours.

So...yeah...that's nice.

And, of course, I know I am not even close to being done with this book.  Because now comes the part where I hand it over to my ridiculously-brilliant-editor-who-happens-to-see-things-in-my-manuscripts-that-I-would-never-have-seen-had-i-had-an-ice-age-to-find-them and I will say, "These are all the words I know. And this is the order in which I know to use them." And she will say, "Push yourself. I will help."

And I will. And she will. And revisions will happen (another blog post for another day).

And the book you read in the fall will be infinitely better than the book I have today.

And that, too, will feel great.

But it still won't feel as good as finishing the first draft.

xox

Readers' Questions: Answered! (GIVEAWAY BELOW!)

I've been saying that I would do a Readers Q&A post for ages...and finally...here it is! I've received a ton of questions by email, twitter and facebook, and am psyched to have a chance to respond!

So, in no particular order, let's get to it!

Q. Will there be a sequel to The Season?
A. Ok, this is probably the question I get asked the most...online and in the real world...and I'm afraid I don't have a great answer, except to say that, as of now, there are no plans for sequels to The Season.

Q. When will Freddie, Lord Stanhope get his book?
A. When I wrote The Season I had no idea that Freddie would be such a popular character--although I shouldn't be surprised, because we girls definitely like our bad boys. Of course, there's nothing terribly wicked about Freddie--he's more bark than bite when you really get to know him. That said, Freddie has many many oats to sow before he'll be ready to settle down--but when he does meet his match, I can assure you that fireworks will ensue! I'd like to write Freddie's story one day--but he needs to cook for a few years before he's ready to fall in love.

Q. How long does it take you to write a book? What's your process like?
A. This question makes writing a book seem way more organized that it is for me. I love the idea of having a process, but mainly I spend a lot of time being insane before I actually get myself into a zone. My books take between 4 and 6 months to write, and then require another 2 or 3 months for editing and revisions. I'm very lucky to work with two of the most incredible editors in the world--they're brilliant, insightful women who make me look like a far far better writer than I actually am. :)

As for Process, so far, all three of my books have come to me with the very first scene: The Season began with Alex's dress-fitting for her coming out; Nine Rules... began with a meeting that happened 10 years before the actual book is set (which is now the prologue); and I met my current WIP's heroine while she was receiving the news of her father's death--and responding to it in a rather bizarre way.

After I meet them, though...my characters can't do anything else without me knowing precisely where they're going and what they're doing. I'm a heavy outliner...my outlines are very stream of conscious--they tell the story from beginning to end, but range in format, voice, tense, tone and can even be snippets of dialogue that pop into my head and ultimately become a part of the finished book.

Once I have an outline, I write longhand...everything related to a book goes into a single notebook and then I edit it into my computer...so I tell myself that I'm really handing in a second draft when I send my editors my first draft.

Because of my deadlines, I write as much as I can, whenever I can. There's no rhyme or reason to it. It's just all the time. This makes my process harried and harrowing--but boy is it awesome when you write that last word!

Q. What's your favorite part of writing? Your least favorite?
A. Revisions are my favorite part, because that's the time when you're really working to make it a terrific book. Editors are incredible. My editors are two of my favorite people in the world because they look at my messy, unpleasant manuscript and they see the gold in it. And then they help me mine it. I like the "team" feel to revisions. They're hard, but you're not alone.

My least favorite part is the second to last chapter. Always. In my books, it's usually a chapter where lots of stuff is happening, plots are at their climax, characters are having their moments of clarity, loose ends are tying themselves up into (I hope) neat little bows. And I'm SO CLOSE to the end. But not there yet. I HATE not being there yet.

Q. When did you know you wanted to be a writer? When did you first know you ARE a writer?
A. When I was in high school, some teacher in some class asked us to make an "About Us" card--it's a half a piece of construction paper with a picture of 16-year-old me and a bunch of random facts...favorite book, favorite movie, weakness, etc. One of those things was "dream job." I wrote Romance Novelist. So, I don't know when, exactly, I knew I wanted to be a writer, but it was pretty early on.

As for the second half of that question, well...I guess it shows a bit of my weakness that I don't usually show...but I still don't think of myself as a writer. It's such a scary, amazing, unbelievable thing...it's almost like i'll jinx myself if I actually say the words out loud.

Q. What music inspires you when you write?
A. I listen almost exclusively to classical music (on my Pandora station) when I write. Boccherini, Strauss, Mozart, Beethoven, Rossini, and dozens of others. But almost all of my books have a pop song that serves as their modern inspiration. Nine Rules... was inspiried by Jason Mraz's I'm Yours, my current WIP's theme song is Brett Dennen's Darlin Do Not Fear.

I think that's a good list for now...if y'all would like, I'm happy to do this feature more frequently...maybe once a month? If you're interested, post your questions for November in comments or tweet them @sarahmaclean! I'll answer them...and give one lucky questioner a signed copy of The Season!

9 Phrases That Don't Belong In a Regency-set Romance

So, if you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen that I recently started a new Twitter account called The When of Words, where I'm tweeting any word that I check the etymology of while I'm writing. These range from the surprising (unorthodox, adj. - 1657) to the mundane (pencil, n. - late 16th C.) to the just, plain, can't-be-used, (glitch, n. - 1962). You can follow the crazy bouncing ball of my current work in project if you follow @whenofwords on Twitter.

That said, it got me thinking about things that I'd really like to write, but that I just don't think would fly (read: things that would give my editor hives) in a Regency-set Historical. For example, my hero is an antiquarian, but it might not be ok for his friend to reply to his reference to the heroines marbles with, "Is that what they're calling them these days?" Funny? To my latent 13-year-old boy, yes. Historically accurate? Well, I'm guessing I'd get kicked out of the Beau Monde chapter of RWA. And, frankly, I kinda like the Beau Monde.

And then, I started getting punchy.

So, without further ado...I give you, 9 Phrases That Don't Belong in a Regency-set Historical:

9. "OMG, I totes love you."
8. "That's what she said."
7. "My dancemaster is insisting I learn the Robot."
6. "I saw what she wrote on your Facebook wall, my lord. I know that you've poked her."
5. "I'm happy for you, and Imma let you finish, but the Duke of Wellington was one of the best military leaders of all time."
4. Anything involving "bases."
3. "You have impugned the honor of my lady. Paint ball at dawn."
2. "I don't like to kiss and tell, but have you seen the girl's ankles?"
1. "I should like to take you riding...if you know what I mean."

ok. i think it's best if i back away from the manuscript. Right now.

But not without asking you what I've missed, first!

Websites I can't write without...

I'm working on a new project right now...a second book in the NINE RULES series...and today is probably the first day that I've felt like I'm really doing good work on this book.

Let me explain: starting a book is like meeting a new friend. You're excited. You think you just might enjoy the company of this interesting new person. They seem funny and cool. They seem like the type of person you'd like to invite into your house for a rousing game of Rock Band. But you don't *really* know them and, frankly, you're not entirely sure that they won't ultimately go crazy sauce on you when you mention that you don't really like Pat Benatar.

And yet you take the risk and you invite them over.

For the last few weeks, I've been hanging out with my new book. We've played videogames, eaten pizza, watched a few episodes of House...it has agreed that, yes, empirically, Hugh Laurie does have the most beautiful eyes in the whole world. And then, this morning, we realized that OMG we both went through a (somewhat unbearable for those around us) Right Said Fred phase and yes...we both secretly loved Mamma Mia. It's very exciting.

But for me, this new friend comes with all sorts of other stuff. Historical stuff. All sorts of research that I have to nail down before I can really be comfortable with this new friendship and say, have a sleepover. And so, I give you the websites I can't write without.

1. Online Etymology Dictionary - I've talked about this one before, but it bears repeating. It's an awesome free resource for etymological questions: when was a phrase first recorded; what did a word mean in 1823 that, perhaps, means the opposite now (see snob); did a word even exist in 1823 (don't get me started on neckline)?

2. This Awesome Calendar Site - It doesn't have a name. I don't know who made it. But if you want to know what day a holiday fell on...or if you, like me, are simply neurotic and have to know what day the newspaper that arrived in Yorkshire from London might have been published...it's Awesome. With a capital A.

3. The Ancestry.com British Maps Database - Towns in my books are real. Distances matter. If you're going to set a book at a country house 200 miles from London, you'd better know how your characters got there--and how long it took to do it.

4. The Regency Realm - This one isn't free...but it's an incredible annotated bibliography of over 900 historical resources that might come in handy for a Regency author. If you're a member of the Regency chapter of RWA (Beaumonde), it's free with membership. If not, you can purchase it on disk for a fee.

5. The Times of London Archive - Another one that's not free (at least not from the comfort of your own home)...but is worth every single penny. The Times has a searchable digital archive from 1785 to today. Pay for a day pass ($4.95) and spend some time reading the paper from 1820. If that doesn't get the ideas flowing, check your pulse (If you're in NYC, you can do this for free at the 42nd St. branch of the New York Public Library--another reason to hug your nearest librarian).

6. Pandora - This one isn't about writing or research, really. But I've got my Strauss radio station (for waltzing inspiration) and my Ani DiFranco station (for strong, fun heroines) and my Jack Johnson station (for steady, handsome heroes who are just asking to be shaken up)...and sometimes you just need some great music to get the juices flowing. If you're on Pandora, come on over and be my friend.

Ok. I'm getting antsy. I'm going back to hanging out with my new friend. Later, gators.

tea. the foundation of civilization.

i'm struggling.  procrastinating.  maybe i'm just out of practice.  but when you write about the regency, tea is where it's at.  this photo all of a sudden gave me hope.  hope that i can do this again.  that the first time was not a fluke.  that i can sell this book.  and it can be a success.  odd, isn't it, how a photograph can do that?  how a cup of tea, served with precision and ceremony, can overcome all that self-doubt that consumes authors?

give me a few hours, internet.  and i will give you a love story for the ages.  or, i will at least try. 

In which our heroine gets embarrassed...

Callie flopped back on the bed, pulling the coverlet over her head, willing the universe to strike her dead or, at the very least, infirm.

Poor Callie. Hot boys will do that to you.

Thank you, Internet!

4000 words today...I'll take it. 

And, as promised...meet Callie.

One would have to be severely touched to think of Lady Calpurnia Hartwell as anything close to Cleopatra. For one thing, Callie had never laid a man low with her beauty—something Cleopatra was extraordinarily skilled at doing. No, Cleopatra did not share Callie’s ordinary brown hair and ordinary brown eyes. Nor could the Queen of Egypt be described as plump. Nor could Callie imagine Cleopatra ever being left on the edge of a ballroom for the entirety of a ball. And, she was certain, there was absolutely no evidence that the Queen of Egypt wore a lace cap.

Unfortunately, the same things could not be said about Callie.

My sacrifice to the Internet gods.

in which the author is distracted by patent leather

I woke up this morning completely committed to the goal of writing 5000 words today. I know, I know...it sounds like a lot, but it's not an impossible feat for me if 1) I'm totally focused on the writing and 2) don't immediately move to the couch and watch a movie.

Unfortunately, this morning I blew it. I took the dog for a walk, came home with an iced coffee and a bagel and watched Kinky Boots. I'm a complete and utter sucker for any movie revolving around British working class characters (see Full Monty, Waking Ned Divine and Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day), so I knew I'd love it, and I did.  It was sweet and charming and funny and utterly predictable in a wonderful, heartfelt way.  Eric, of course, moaned and groaned at the start, but ended up liking it too. Bottom line? If it comes on the cable, watch it.

Now, I'm 4 hours late in starting, but I'm hoping to make up for lost time. Leave me alone, Internet...and maybe, if you're good, I'll post a little teaser of the project I'm working on later today.

the one that got away

so, as i've mentioned, i'm working on a new project, a romance that revolves around catching the uncatchable.  in this particular case, i was inspired by the concept of the one that got away. 

we've all got one of these--the boy in our college chem lab with the great smile who seemed the perfect catch, but whom we could never quite muster the courage to speak to; the girl in high school we dreamed of but who never quite noticed us; the boyfriend who dumped us because he just couldn't commit; the girl who we dumped because we were just plain dumb.  The ones that got away. The ones that might have been. 

Now, that's not to say that we didn't turn out just fine--in many cases, we crawled into the tall grass, licked our wounds and then, several days and far too many pints of coconut sorbet later, we rose again to meet the world--and the next one.  Who maybe, just maybe, turned out to be The One...not just the one that got away.

But the project I'm working on explores the age old question: "What if the one that got away was The One?"  And, more than that, "What if we got another chance?"  

My heroine, Callie, is in this very dilemma.  She's been in love with that proverbial guy from chem lab for her entire life (if they had chem labs in regency england--or if women went to college in regency england--this metaphor would be perfect, but just go with it).  And now, it's her 10 year college reunion, and she's got her chance.  He's still single.  She's still single.  But how does she get him to notice her now that she's a decade older and a decade shyer--and he's a decade darker?  Here's her chance to finally catch the one that got away...but how?  Especially when he's so very handsome and she's so very...well...plain. 

And that's the premise of the love story I'm working on. 

I should say that I actually caught the one that got away, so this is a premise that's rather near and dear to my heart.  But Callie's story is far more exciting than my own.  At least, it's shaping up to be.  

Now it's your turn...do you have a one that got away story?  willing to share? 

My Extravagant Purchase

So...I'm working on a new project. I'm about 40 pages and a full, detailed outline in...and I'm struggling. I don't even really want to talk about it because I'm at this horrible superstitious point where I feel like I could seriously curse myself and then all this work (and an idea I really love) could be up the creek without the proverbial paddle.

This weekend, the artist blamed her tools. Clearly, the reason why my new project is struggling is because my computer was sub par. Right? Well, that's what I thought. So I trotted off to the Apple Store in SoHo and was the only person on the planet who bought an Apple product other than the iPhone. I met a lovely young man genius who sold me a fancy pants MacBook. Which is uber fast and uber shiny and oh-so-heavenly. Of course, Eric has been booting and loading and organizing since I bought it, so I haven't actually got my hands on it with the exception of the 15 minutes I was awake this morning before him and I checked email and weather...but wow! so fast!

I'm feeling really really good about this--THIS is the computer that's going to get the creative juices flowing. THIS computer is so great--it almost makes me believe it could write my book for me. But I guess Steve Jobs hasn't cornered that market.

Yet.

When Harry Met Sally...or...When Authors Meet Characters

I've started a new book and am in that wonderful place that I always seem to be in at the beginning of a project, when I can't stop thinking about my characters.

What would they eat for lunch, what movie would they want to see this weekend, what would be their favorite place in new york city, how would they write this email, do they like doing dishes or laundry better, that kind of completely insane mental excercise. :)

It's the beginning of the relationship, long before I can't imagine what they'd say in their scenes, before I wonder if they've revealed enough of themselves, before I get to the 200 page mark and think, do i even like these people? Instead, I'm just truly, madly, deeply for them, and I simply can't imagine there ever being another book, another hero, another heroine.

For the When Harry Met Sally fans out there (and I imagine there are a few)...suffice to say I'd take them to the airport anytime.

Does anyone else have this phenomenon at the beginning of a project?