Hi,
It's been a very exciting week over here at the Hernandez/Glatt
household. David's YA novel "Bastards of Young" sold to
Harper Collins in a two book deal on Friday after a two day auction!
His parents took us out to dinner at Bono's on 2nd Street after
we had a couple pomegranate mojitos in the late afternoon to celebrate
at the bar.
The sale of David's novel reminds me so much of what I try to communicate
to my Sunday students about follow through and persistence. "A
Girl Becomes a Comma Like That" took me eight years to finish,
mostly because I kept giving up and putting it away. So much of
writing a novel is just sitting down at your desk and doing your
best—stopping for years at a time only slows or halts the
progress (obviously). With my new novel "The Nakeds" (yes,
plural) I'm moving forward, even on those days I dislike the book
or the sound of my own words, I'm doing my best to follow through.
Tomorrow my Sunday class starts up again and I've got so many talented
writers in there—incredible, really. Looking forward to seeing
their faces again.
David says I should tell you what I'm reading and listening to....So
I'm reading and loving Jane Smiley's "Thirteen Ways of Looking
at the Novel." Anyone who wants to write one, has written one,
or loves them, should check it out. I'm teaching a Creative Nonfiction
Workshop this semester and we read Cheryl Strayed's essay in class
"The Love of My Life" and I almost wept, but kept it together.
She's so brilliant. Her first novel "Torch" is now on
the shelves too. I'm listening to Trailer Bride and Iron & Wine
and Langhorne Slim.
More soon,
