Wednesday 26 May 2010

WIP Wednesday - The Shifting Theatre

So, Grim Glass Vein is done for now and the querying process has begun. I'm taking it slow, querying a handful of awesome agents, waiting to see how the query sits and have so far refreshed my mailbox twenty million times. Expected lifespan of mouse about thirty-seven more clicks.

In the meantime, I'm reading through my previous novel, Theatre of Curious Acts, which, after a lengthy visit with a publisher (14 months) and almost making it, has been sitting back on my desk for a couple of weeks. I'm sad that my book won't be appearing with said publisher (one of the best small presses around, in my opinion - and no, I'm not sucking up, okay, maybe just a little) but the fact that it was because of secret things going on at the company and not my book (which they liked, or said they liked - eek) made me feel tons better about the rejection. I'm now attempting to turn Theatre into a YA which is fun because it's a complicated book. I imagine much will change. I imagine much should change.

Here's my blurb-thingy, which I'm using to help keep me focused:

Nineteen-year-old Daniel Cole thought he wanted the world to end until the day he met and fell in love with Death; now three of the four horsewomen want him to end.

Ghosts fill the walls of the Theatre of Curious Acts, shrapnel from an apocalyptic war played out over a century. When players in a Paper Dragon show lure young soldiers returned from the Great War into a surreal otherworld, the boys, already broken by man's war, find they are now the world’s only hope in the greatest battle of all.


Maybe it would be easier to begin work on my planned WIP... But then, who said this was supposed to be easy.

13 comments:

Anthony Rapino said...

The blurb has a nice hook. I absolutely hate complete rewrites, but it does sound like a cool challenge in this case.

Cate Gardner said...

Anthony, I'm learning to love rewrites - sort of. :D

Fox Lee said...

See, that's why I use a laptop. No mice have to die.

Aaron Polson said...

I have some spare mice I'd be glad to send...but I'm not sure they'd appreciated being clicked.

(they tend to bite)

What a wonderfully strange blurb, Cate!

Cate Gardner said...

My laptop cursor thingy frustrates me and I always end up plugging a mouse into it.

Aaron, strange indeed, though I'm hoping I'll be able to iron out a little of the strangeness in the rewrite.

Josh Reynolds said...

I shall add to the blurb love, I think. Quite striking...love that bit about ghosts and shrapnel. That is awesome.

Steven Pirie said...

Good luck with the queries...

Kara McElhinny said...

Good luck with the queries Cate. If you'd like to include a note that if they know what's good for them they'll sign you, and forge my name I won't mind. :D

Nice blub too lady!

Jamie Eyberg said...

Best of luck. I am sure you will be next in line with a book deal. I am almost positive.

Danielle Birch said...

Good luck with the queries.

Alan W. Davidson said...

I loved the line "...he wanted the world to end until the day he met and fell in love with Death; now three of the four horsewomen want him to end". Very nice. I shall heap more good luck upon you in the query department.

Cate Gardner said...

Thanks, Josh.

Thanks, Steven.

Kara, already added. Ha! :D

Jamie, only because I'll have shoved everyone else aside with my bayonet.

Thanks, Danielle.

Thanks, Alan.

Katey said...

Yeah it's never easy, is it?

That's a shame about secret goings-on derailing things-- and I mean that in a perfectly selfish way as I've been wanting to read this one since you wrote it. Alas for me! Still, there are more places out there, YA or not!