This whole query process is a lot harder than writing the actual novel. Take something big and make it smaller. It’s a top-heavy pyramid with 136,183 words on top. Now reduce it to a synopsis. My detailed synopsis of Necali’s Domain is 10 pages single-spaced, or 5,657 words (what can I say; it’s a complex plot with seven point of view characters?). That’s 4.2% of the manuscript (I may be a letters, not numbers, person, but I still like to play with them.) But that’s too long; we need it short and sweet. So then there’s the pitch:
The Empire of Kianama is falling down around Empress Necali Ber’an. After five assassination attempts in three short months, Necali flees her palace to seek help from distant kin. During her journey she meets powerful Curates and learns her gothic-era Domain is only one of a multitude of worlds managed by Overworld Curates. Prime Counsel Calvo, Necali’s advisor and the man behind the assassins, is actually a Rogue Curate running from Overworld law who wants to rule Kianama himself.
Necali struggles with her newly-discovered insignificance and the Curates scorn her, until it is discovered that she possesses the rare ability to manipulate the environment around her in the same way as the Curates. The Empress and Curates join forces; together they must eject Calvo from Kianama before he isolates it from the other Domains.
That’s about 135 words. Which ends up being 2% of the synopsis, or just 0.1% of the total manuscript. Next time I’m going to work up from the pitch. But Necali’s Domain grew organically through several drafts, and character kills, and full-on plot revisions. 456 pages. Double-spaced. Do you have any idea how freakin’ long that takes to print on my home printer?
But it’s done and I’m ‘currently seeking representation’ for it. I have been released from the prison that was Necali’s Domain and am free to move on to something new. The sequel is outlined in full, but I’m going to go back to short stories for a while and kick around a few other novel ideas before returning to the Overworld Curates and their Retia Domains.
Woke up to more snow this morning, about an inch on the ground. Dug my boots out of the closet and took Dinah on a walk around the block, she loves the snow. And she’s completely recovered from her chocolate escapade. I had some M&M’s yesterday and when she smelled them on my breath she got her drooly jawls all in my face and tried to sit on my lap. She obviously has no idea that the chocolate is what caused her tummy ache. It’s a housecleaning kind of Saturday, but first I have to recover from my cheese coma. Did homemade mac & cheese for lunch with bacon & jarlsburg, rich and creamy deliciousness.
Today was Tina’s last day at the store. She’s heading back to Oregon with her family and they’re going to miss our wicked winter wonderland.
(For all you Silent Outsiders, I woke up this morning to snow on my car, gasp!) I’m going to miss Tina’s constant cheery smile and all the hard work she puts in behind the used book counter. I’m going to miss her continual bustling around the store, always with a purpose, a task. Bye Tina! Have a safe trip home & keep in touch.
(It kinda looks like all my books at home.) We still have a lot of shelving and fixture measurements to work out, but I’m looking forward to the change. It was a busy, busy day but I’m finally feeling caught up at my desk after almost a week of sickness.
There were brown streaks all over the carpeting. Nope, not poop, it was chocolate. It’s a good thing Nick bought that carpet shampooer last month. Pulled that out and shampooed the upstairs. I called the vet and let him know she’d had about eight ounces of chocolate including the wrappers. (Less than half a bag of those assorted Hershey mini chocolate bars. She had to go behind the couch and dig them out of a knitting bag, it’s not like they were left out on the couch or end table. She was on a mission for chocolate.) A dog her size (150 lbs) can ingest about two pounds of chocolate before poisoning sets in. So I guess that’s good news. He warned me that she’s going to have diarrhea. Boy was he right.
Since Dinah was outside, roaming the yard and expelling chocolate from her bowels, I packed in my meager container garden. The flowers were starting to die and my peppers never fully matured this year. Again. Last summer it was all rain and no sun, this summer it was all smoke from forest fires and no sun. I’m not going to plant any peppers next summer and the weather will be beautiful. The garden is clear, and Dinah is sleeping off her chocolate hangover, the carpets are shampooed, and now I can finally get to work writing.
The good news is it’s not strep & it’s not the flu. Some funky virus decided to take up residence in my sinuses and the doc prescribed a whole bunch of meds.
It’s decidedly overkill, but we don’t want it showing up again later. I’ve got antibiotics, nasal spray, an oral steroid, and Claritin-D. Yep, had to sign for that one at the pharmacy counter saying that I wouldn’t use it to cook up meth.
I am almost returned to my human form. Ventured forth from under the blankets this morning to take Dinah on a much-needed walk. It was a little cold outside, but the fresh air was rejuvenating. In the hopes that this evil bug is leaving me, I did all the laundry, including the sheets and blankets that have been my home for the last few days. I love putting on fresh clothes warm from the dryer, so cuddly.
Fall is falling; the trees that were green when I left last week have gone to orange, the hills are beautiful, though monochromatic. I miss the multitude of reds and goldens of Chicagoland autumn, and I hope I will not be too late to see the fall color when I visit next month. The weather has brought evil colds and germs and flu.
Elisa and I arrived in Portland Wednesday morning and had a day to ourselves before the fun started. After a short nap, her sister (Hillary) and sister’s friend (Ian) came to the hotel and took us out for a night on the town, as in, a night spent browsing Powell’s and eating pizza at Rocco’s.
The nightcapper Thursday was a party of books. Elisa and I both stuffed our messenger bags to bursting with cookbooks, picture books, and other excellent titles. I’m especially looking forward to reading Boneshaker by Cherie Priest, check her out in her steampunk costume!
Saturday morning was spent configuring books in suitcases. (It was successful, we each had two bags, weighing between 42 & 47 pounds each. Boxing and shipping Battle Books has paid off at last with a semi-reliable judgment of weights.) Elisa and I checked out of our room and went to the airport.
I planned on starting them if there was time, but there were just too many mistakes to correct.
Then started prepping for training, printing out a copy of the training checklist and setting up a user account for the computers and a customer code for shopping. That didn’t take me long, so I cleaned out the red basket of problem-child books that have been damaged and discounted those that needed discounting.