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Dear all,
Spring has arrived in Dorset at last! We had a cold winter by west country standards, but the sheep seem unfazed and the lambs arrived on time, along with seven Easter chicks. My husband Alec is looking forward to a bumper honey crop from his bees, and I am looking forward to getting out into the garden again after several months in front of a computer screen. So many of you ask me to write faster. I wish I could!
As many of you know, there was some confusion over the name of the new book. Well, I am happy to report that it will indeed be called The Devil's Feather. Congrats to the sleuths among you who tracked this name down long before it was general knowledge. It has now been read by my editors across the world, and the feedback is everything an author could ask for. My favourite quote came from my Australian editor: "Gripping. There is palpable terror in the lurking menace of the killer…"
Those of you who write know how difficult it is to show your manuscripts to someone else. You want approval but you steel yourself for criticism. It's no different for professional authors. I've yet to meet one who hasn't thought about throwing every manuscript on the fire! It's hard to judge what you've written until someone else has read it, but it's frightening handing it over. Rather like giving in an exam paper. It's only when the results come through that you can begin to relax.
But I'm not in full "relaxed mode" just yet. I'm writing a short story for a Medecins sans Frontiers anthology, due for publication next year, which will include contributions from other authors and will, we hope, raise a bundle of cash for MSF, one of the best and most international charities in the world. I have also agreed to write a 20,000 word novella for the New Readers' Initiative, to be published in March, 2006.
This is a marvellous project, sponsored by World Book Day, where well-known authors write sophisticated novels in language that can be easily understood by adults with limited reading skills. The novels should appeal to everyone, whatever their ability, because the challenge to the author is to write a gripping, ripping yarn in words of few syllables. The hope is that every author's fans will buy the books – (if only to see how well they've met the challenge) – so there'll be no embarrassment buying the novella, or reading it in public. It's about encouraging everyone to read, so please ask your booksellers about the other contributing authors – all your favourites - and buy their novellas.
I know if Daphne du Maurier was still alive, she'd be part of the New Reader Initiative. Virago are re-publishing all her work in a new imprint, and I was delighted to write the introduction to The Rendezvous and Other Stories. Regular readers of my web site will know that du Maurier is one of my favourite authors, and those of you who know her work, but haven't read this anthology, will be intrigued by it. It includes her early stories – written before she was 21 – and shows how her extraordinary talent developed.
I am off to Germany in June (see Diary for full details) and Finland in August to publicise Disordered Minds. Then in October, the publicity for The Devil's Feather starts in the UK and Canada, with more tour dates in different countries to follow. I hope that all of you who receive this newsletter will be able to find a suitable and local speaking or book-signing venue in order to come and introduce yourself.
As for The Devil's Feather itself, much of my initial inspiration came from my trip to Sierra Leone, although the book is not set there. I was struck by the concept that in a place where life is cheap, murders can go unnoticed, especially those that take place on the fringes of war. I've written the book as a first-person narrative, and fans of Anne Cattrell should relate immediately to my new journalist character, Connie Burns. I think – I hope - you'll find her every bit as intriguing, and courageous, as Anne!
That's all for now. If you enjoy The Devil's Feather as much as I enjoyed writing it, then we'll all be happy! My English editor, Maria Rejt, kept her light on all night after reading it… "just in case"! It's a "woman in peril" story. We'll be sending out an excerpt to all the newsletter subscribers in a few weeks, so do keep an eye on your inboxes.
All my best, Minette
Survey winners announced
 Thank you again to everyone who took part in our recent survey. We received some excellent comments about the site (and some very kind words, which were much appreciated). We are gearing up for the launch of the new book and ahead of that, we will be implementing some of your suggestions, as well as introducing several exciting new features on the site.
Congratulations go out to our photo recipients: Bob (US); Evelyne (Belgium); Jukka (Finland); Julia (Germany); Lauren (Australia); Martin (UK); Pearl (Canada); Pete (UK); Robert (UK); and Veronica (UK).
Special congrats to Heidi, in the US, who won a signed copy of The Tinder Box!
Minette
answers your questions
Q:
I am currently studying a journalism course and am already working on several local news stories and covering dreary parish council meetings and running around Sheffield trying to find anything of interest I can write. While I was going through your website, I came across your CV, which lists jobs you have held. I noticed you went from being a secretary to a sub-editor and was wondering how you made this leap. Did being a journalist help you become a writer?
-- Michael, in the UK
A:
Dear Michael: In fact, I went from secretary to barmaid to sub-editor with no journalistic experience at all! Sub-editors are correctors, amenders and abridgers rather than writers – similar to copy editors in a publishing house – but it was a brilliant learning curve. I saw where the writers were going wrong and was able to adjust my own writing to avoid the same mistakes. Journalism – any job in writing - is a great platform from which to launch into novels, Michael. Not everyone succeeds, but the more practice you have in putting sentences together the better. I sympathise with you over the parish council meetings! However, if you can make them sing, you'll become a great writer!
Q: I recently saw a documentary about the making of The Shape of Snakes, and I noticed you talked a lot about not knowing who the killer was until the very end. It made me wonder how it works in books like The Sculptress and The Dark Room, where the end is left more or less open. Do you know who killed who in those novels or are you left wondering same as the reader?
-- Asa, in Sweden
A: Dear Asa: I'm like a real policeman, I never know who the killer is when I start! I distrust everyone – never mind how "nice" they are – and I only start whittling down the suspects when I'm half-way through. I've never read a real trial report yet where a convicted person explains why they killed, so I see no reason to write a book that says anything different. You're my favourite kind of reader! Isn't it great that your imagination works as powerfully on my novels as mine does? I know what I think…. but what do you think? You'll love my next book. It ends on a real cliff-hanger. I await your verdict!
Minette answers more readers' questions in the Q& A section > >
That's it for this edition of the newsletter. In a few weeks, we should have an excerpt of the new book to share with you. Plus, we're putting together an exciting competition for signed copies of The Devil's Feather proofs - something you won't want to miss, so keep checking the site and your inboxes!
--The Editor
MinetteWalters.co.uk |
