Welcome to the website of Mindy Klasky, author of fifteen novels (including Fright Court, the As You Wish Series, the Glasswrights Series, Harlequin Special Editions, the Jane Madison Series, and Season of Sacrifice.)

Look around, read some blog posts, and click on other pages for more information about Mindy, her writing career and her editorial services.  If you would like to receive Mindy’s free quarterly electronic newsletter, sign up in the lower left corner of this page.

Thanks for coming by — and don’t hesitate to join in the conversation below!

One of the best things about writing is that I get to read.  Sometimes, I get to read ARCs (Advance Readers Copies) of books by my favorite authors.  Every once in a while, I get one of those ARCs that makes me jump up and down with excitement.  And once in a blue moon, I get an ARC by a favorite author that makes me jump up and down and then stay up all night, reading the book in one giant gulp.

That, dear reader, was my fate when I received an ARC of Garth Nix’s A Confusion of Princes.  The book is out in stores today, so you can join in the fun.

Here are the first two sentences:  “I have died three times, and three times been reborn, though I am not yet twenty in the old Earth years by which it is still the fashion to measure time.  This is the story of my three deaths, and my life between.”

OK.  How can you not read on, after that?!?

Confusion reminded me of the best of the space adventures that I loved as a kid.  It’s more sophisticated than the John Christopher books I adored, but it has that same sense of wonder, that same absolutely confident world-building.  The hero, thrice-dead Khemri, has some good traits and a lot of bad ones.  His unspoken assumptions permeate every sentence that he narrates, making us completely buy the world that he’s showing us.  Khemri’s changes in the novel make perfect sense given who he is and what he learns.

This is space opera at its YA best — I strongly recommend this book for readers of space opera, for readers of YA, for readers of good strong storytelling that sticks in the mind.

Buy links: Amazon   B&N

Mindy, so pleased to find good books to share

A recent article in Romance Writers Report discussed “under the bed” manuscripts (what I would call “trunked” manuscripts – as in, stored in a trunk).  The article pointed out that many authors are publishing their trunked works, using the wonders of Amazon, B&N, and other purveyors of ebooks to reach the audience that their treasured never-sold manuscripts had not yet found.

I have five trunked novels — two traditional fantasy, two category romance, and one mystery.  I’ve fiddled with one of the fantasy novels off and on over the years — it has some wonderful things going for it, but I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s plot is irrevocably broken.  I looked at the category romances recently, and they’re not ready for prime time — they’ve got decent category bones, but they’re too full of adjectives and adverbs in virtually every sentence.  They’d take a *lot* of line editing to make decent.  As for the mystery – the best thing about it is its title.  Enough said.

That leaves the other fantasy novel.  The first fantasy novel that I ever wrote.  I have two versions of it — one that I circulated via an agent for years and a shorter-by-20% version that resulted from an editor who was interested but ultimately left her job before I could finish my revisions.

Last night, I took a peek, to see if there’s anything salvageable there.)  The long version was as broken as I’d feared it would be.  Like the category romances, it suffered from way too many adjectives and adverbs.  It also had huge pacing problems — the first chapter was an interminable council meeting, where no fewer than twelve (12!) nobles are introduced, all to let us know that hey, we have to go to war.

I almost didn’t read the trimmed version.  But I did.

And you know what?  It isn’t terrible.

It isn’t publishable – not now, not in its current state.  But if I reworked it a bit…  If I emphasized that aspect…  If I trimmed more of that one…

This wouldn’t be a quick edit — there’s both structural and line work to be done.  But the novel wasn’t terrible.

I’ve got plenty of work on my plate for the next couple of months.  But after that?  Who knows?

(And I have to say – I was astonished by how many of the sentences were still absolutely, completely, 100% familiar, 15 years after I last read them.  I really poured my heart and soul into this work once upon a time, fighting to make it the very best novel I could write.  That required a lot of revisions, word by painstaking word…)

Mindy, musing (which usually only happens when she reaches the final quarter of a work in progress…)

Several people have forwarded flyers promoting an event at the American Women Writers National Museum, saying that I’ll be appearing on an 11:30 panel.

Alas, I will NOT be at the panel – I had agreed to the event when it was scheduled on a different date, but when the organizer needed to reschedule, I could not make the new date.  I’m sorry that the information was not updated in the museum’s publicity.

For those of you who do attend, though, you’re in for a treat – Jeri Smith-Ready, Jagi Lamplighter, and Brenda Clough are sure to have great things to say, especially on a panel moderated by Colleen Cahill!

Mindy, chagrined

I’m over at Magical Words today, writing about how I disguise my inner introvert when I have to take her out in public:

http://www.magicalwords.net/mindy-klasky/incognito-introvert/

Stop by and comment (and share your own experiences as an introvert or extrovert or someone in between!)

Mindy, ducking back into writing…

After two days of poking and prodding and trying to come up with the perfect first sentence for PLEASANT VALLEY, I have it:  It’s not my fault.

Yeah.  It’s only four words.  But when Ashley said them to me, I suddenly understood exactly how to start this thing.

Pardon me.  I’m off to write…

Mindy, already out the door

This morning, I woke up about an hour late — and only because Mark had come into the bedroom to get his iPad before heading downstairs.  I was annoyed that he was so noisy getting the silly thing — didn’t he realize that it was Sunday, and I could sleep in?

Except it wasn’t Sunday.  It was Monday.

And I couldn’t sleep in.  I needed to be out of the house in less than 40 minutes.

Suffice to say, I made it out of the house (and even managed to make lunch, empty the dishwasher, and pull together the things I needed while out of the house…)  But the entire day has felt a bit distant — swathed in cotton, if you will.

Which doesn’t bode well for my afternoon, wherein I plan to start writing the first chapter of PLEASANT VALLEY.

These are the times that caffeine is made for, no?

Mindy, sipping apricot-vanilla white tea as she types (and contemplating making the very warm, very purrful kitty move…)

I’m stringing together the outline for a new book, in a new genre (contemporary YA, with no paranormal element), temporarily called PLEASANT VALLEY, USA.  As with all books, this one cries out for some basic research, so that I can define the parameters of the story.

In the past week, I’ve researched the following items (in no particular order):

• Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Timeline of the Columbine shootings
• Process for procuring production rights of plays through Samuel French
• Acclaimed college baseball programs
  
• Pink slime
• Daily calendar of my local high school
• Composition of mustard gas
• Arthur Miller’s The Crucible
• Composition of chlorine gas
• Cheesy videos of invitations to prom
• Timeline of Hitler’s rise in Germany
• Gazetteer entries for towns and cities named Irondale
• About a million other details that aren’t coming to mind as I type this.

The vast majority of these dribs and drabs won’t make it into the final book, of course.  But each new website is helping me to figure out the parameters of my story, the nature of my characters, the style of their story.

I love research.  I love how reading one page sends me haring off after another.  I love how ideas circle back on each other, how I eventually find linkages that I never anticipated.  This is why I loved being a librarian, why I looked forward to my days on the reference desk.

I’m going to have fun writing this one.  If the FBI doesn’t stop by to arrest me, first…

Mindy, wondering just how many searches it takes to generate “official” interest

I’m over at SFNovelists today, writing about my decision to write a novella, after years of writing novels.  Check out my post!

http://www.sfnovelists.com/2012/05/01/call-me-a-rebel-or-my-life-as-a-novella-ist/

Mindy, wearing many hats!

Whew!  What a whirlwind weekend!  From the pre-retreat booksigning until my return home on Sunday afternoon, I spent the three-day weekend surrounded by friends (new and old), talking endlessly about writing, reading, romance, publishing, and all aspects of the book world.  The retreat was inspiring (you’ll see the results of some of my thoughts sooner, rather than later) and (for this introvert) exhausting.

In one quick list, here are a few highlights from the retreat:

• Robyn Carr’s publishing story — thirty years of writing before she became a #1 NYT Bestseller, and consistent appearances on the list since then,
• Elaine Spencer’s industry insights — this agent from the Knight Agency represents some friends of mine, but I’d never met her in person.  She consistently presented interesting, engaged views of the current, rapidly-changing publishing world,
• Valerie Gray’s insider perspective — this Mira Executive Editor discussed the way that she works with Robyn Carr, Carr’s agent, and the Mira imprint to build a hugely successful career.  (As a former Mira writer, I found it fascinating to hear about the career landmarks for growth — being offered an anthology slot, being offered a Christmas book, shooting for the 24th, then 3rd, then 1st slot on the NYT list…)
• Laura Reeth’s marketing advice — this publicist who works with Nora Roberts shared a recipe for success (and one for margaritas).  While the specific tools were not earthshaking (writing a bio, building a website, maintaining a blog), the emphasis on traditional resources (dress for success, branding, print communications) made me reflect.  A lot.

The high points of my retreat though, were actually off-campus.  I met Stephanie Dray for a rousing conversation over coffee and dessert and I came away — as I always do from my meetings with the divine Ms. Dray — with a new love for my job, and for my various writing projects.

But the biggest eye-opener of the weekend was the booksiging at Turn The Page Bookstore in Boonsboro, Maryland.  I was fortunate enough to be invited back to this year’s event (having signed there for the first time last year.)  Turn The Page is (as the famous story goes), owned by Nora Roberts’s husband.  It is located cross the street from the BoonsBoro Inn, owned by Ms. Roberts herself.  The signing was one of the seven that take place there each year — Nora invites fourteen authors to join her each time.  The event draws hundreds of readers, who line up hours in advance.  The signing is beautifully orchestrated by store staff, who sell hundreds of books before the signing starts, but also allow authors to hand-sell books during the course of the signing.

As before, I was overwhelmed by the reader response — attendees came from as far away as Montana and Arizona.  One woman was there with her husband — he had planned the trip to celebrate a major wedding anniversary.  Several readers juggled small children, or wrestled with walkers or wheelchairs.  Many had cameras, to document a virtual pilgrimage.

I realized, as I watched the whirlwind of activities, that Nora Roberts has done more than publish 200 books.  She has done more than put forward the face of a professional businesswoman to replace the timeworn image of a caftan-and-yappy-dog-writer-of-romance-novels.  She has done more than please millions and millions of readers (including, most amusingly to me, my then-94-year-old grandfather!)

Nora Roberts practically supports the town of Boonsboro.  Her seven-times-a-year signings infuse the historic town with cash.  The pizza joint on the corner (yes, featured in the most recent Roberts series).  The bakery across the street (*my* personal destination of choice – for the lemon-frosted ginger cookies!)  The farmer’s market, the gas station, the couple of dozen small businesses that get flooded with customers like life in a tidepool…

(Of course, those businesses and all their employees work hard.  I don’t mean to belittle what they do.)

Truly, booksigning day in Boonsboro is a wonder to behold.  And it’s all because of the work ethic of one woman who has figured out they key to the hearts and minds of millions of romance readers.

So, I’m back from my Maryland safari.  I’m settling down to get some writing done.  (And some support-work too, all the behind the scenes stuff that keeps us authors busy from dawn to dusk…)

And you?  What wonders did you discover this weekend?

Just a quick reminder:  TODAY, at 11:30 a.m., I’ll be signing books at Turn the Page Bookstore, 18 N. Main St., Boonsboro, MD 21713.

This event is the kickoff to the Washington Romance Writers’ annual retreat.  You don’t need to be a member of WRW to attend the booksigning.  (For those not in the know — Turn the Page is the bookstore owned by Nora Roberts’s husband.  It’s located practically across the street from the inn that Nora owns, and it’s one of the main businesses in historic Boonsboro.  The town bakery would be worth the trip, even if there weren’t such wonderful book-related places in Boonsboro!)

Lots of other authors will be at the signing, including:  Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb, Robyn Carr, Elizabeth Boyle, Cathy Maxwell, Amanda Brice, Leigh Duncan, Alma Katzu, Lavinia Kent, Alethea Kontis, Kieran Kramer, Allison Leotta, Pamela Palmer, Hope Ramsay, Alix Rickloff, and Christine Trent.

Mindy, hoping to see you there!