Three weeks to go!
October 6th, 2013
I’m getting nervous. And excited. Two really good things happened this week.
Firstly, my author copies of Ice Breaker arrived – and they look beeeauuuutiful! Such a gorgeous cover (I may have said this before 🙂 )! It’s always so exciting when a new book arrives. I spent an afternoon driving around Hobart handing out copies to kids who are going to do reviews at the launch, or build icebergs, or various other jobs, and watching them get excited too. Haven’t heard back from any of them yet – I hope they like it. *chews nails*
The second good thing that happened was to do with Claw. I haven’t been feeling at all good about this second book – didn’t feel as if I’d got the sunkers (the submariners) right, didn’t feel as if their world was convincing, and a dozen other things. So I finished the second draft on Friday morning and emailed it to Peter Matheson, who is always my First Reader. I sent it with lots of apologies, and finished off with ‘Hoping the holes are not so enormous that they can’t be fixed in what is going to be a very busy three weeks, with the Ice Breaker launch on Oct 27th. Do I sound frazzled? YES I AM!’
He emailed me back a short time later. ‘Up to p.71 and loving it. What’s the problem?’
And an hour later. ‘It’s good, structurally fine, good world, sunkers are great, exciting constantly, goodonya!’
We then had a long phone conversation, where I just about wept with relief because he REALLY liked it and it wasn’t awful after all. A few small things to work on, then I’ll send it off to my agent, Margaret Connolly, who will read it and send it to the publishers. They of course will see problems that Peter missed, and I’ll have to do another edit. But that always happens. The main thing is, it’s not awful!
So, a mighty fine week, by any measurement.
31 thoughts on “Three weeks to go!”
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About Lian
Lian Tanner has been dynamited while scuba diving and arrested while busking. She once spent a week in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, hunting for a Japanese soldier left over from the Second World War. Nowadays she lives by the beach in southern Tasmania.
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Lian,
I knew that Claw would be awesome and you have someone who proved it to you !
I bet it will be as adventurous and exciting as Icebreaker !
Hope that everyone enjoys the launch and the icebergs and penguins that have caused a lot of fuss…
I am pretty sure that the children you have given the books to will be giving you a 5 out of 5 !
From Lilli
Thanks Lilli. I hope you are proved right!
Why would you think your book would be awful? I would read any book you write no matter what anyone else says! I am so nervoucited! I can’t wait to read Icebreaker!
I think all authors doubt themselves, Io. And with some books it seems to be worse than others. This has been a dreadfully hard book to write, so I guess the doubt was even greater than usual. Which also makes the relief greater when it turns out to be not so bad! 🙂
OMIGOD!!!! I just finished reading Ice Breaker and it is AWESOME!!! I loved Missus Slink… Love it! Can’t wait for book 2! 🙂
SOOOOOO glad you liked it, Io. I love Missus Slink too – and Mister Smoke. In fact, I usually love all my characters, even the nasty ones. 😉
Har har har! 🙂 Even First Officer Crab?
In a weird sort of way, yes. Or maybe I love to hate him!
A definite 10 out of 5 from me!!! 🙂
Who are all of these people???
Im confused…
I’m not surprised, Lilli. But when you read Ice Breaker, all will be revealed. 🙂
On wiki, there is an explanation on Missus Slink and Mister Smoke.
GAAAAAH, I’m getting so excited! There are so many books I am waiting to come out, but Ice Breaker is at the top of my list! I can’t wait to get a copy! (And I want to know how Io got a copy??? You are so lucky!)
Publication day is next Tuesday, Isabel. I hope you can wait that long! 🙂
It was in the council library! 🙂
I was looking for a book to read since I just finished reading The Taming of the Tights and was checking out my favourite authors, so I searched up ”Lian Tanner” and TADA! Up comes Ice Breaker and it was in Indooroopily Library! The Library I was in.
So that’s my story.
I still don’t understand how the library got hold of a copy before publication day. My theory is that Io read a completely different book with the same title. So really she just THINKS she read Ice Breaker. Won’t she be surprised when she discovers the truth! 😉
I’m sure it’s the same.
So is it going to be called Claw or Sunker????
I’ve got no idea, Io. We thought it was going to be Sunker, but the marketing department said that was no good, because it is such a strange word and no one would know what it meant. So now we’re just waiting for inspiration to hit us.
So what marketing department?
…Sorry…I’m calm now…calm…
But it will still be published on the same date…right?
Sorry, that wasn’t very clear, was it! Titles and covers have to be approved by the publisher’s (Allen & Unwin’s) marketing department. They are the ones with the expertise in what attracts people’s attention, what is selling well at the moment, etc. So an editor might really like something, but the marketing department can say no if they think it won’t sell.
And yes, I’m quite sure we will have a title by this time next year 🙂 and the book will come out on the same date.
Phew! Will it come out on October again? Like every year?
I reckon. The publishers like to bring them out at the same time every year, so that people (like yourself) know when to expect it.
I just put a hold on it in the library! I can’t wait to read it!
I know you will LOVE it! 🙂
By the way ‘it’ is Ice Breaker
I guessed it, Kate. 🙂
Hey I just have one question…
Where’s the ROMANCE!?!?!?!? Nothing I appropriate, just crushes or something until they get older. Yes I’m talking about toadspit and Goldie!!!
Sorry, i had to ask! I still love your books
I already answered this on your other comment! Here’s what I said: several other people have asked me the same thing, AJ. I like a good romance as much as the next person, but remember these aren’t really YA books, they’re primarily aimed at the middle grade reader, which includes kids as young as eight. So, firstly, the publishers would probably object if I put romance in them (or I’d have to make Goldie and Toadspit older, which I don’t want to do). Secondly, there is SO MUCH romance around aimed at very young kids that I don’t want to add to it. And thirdly, I’m interested in exploring friendship and how it develops and changes, and how important it can be in people’s lives. Romances come and go, but friends tend to last. There’s such a powerful friendship between Goldie and Toadspit, and if they ever did get together (beyond the books) their love would be much stronger because of it. 🙂
Yeah that wuz pretty weird. Big fan, tanner!
Well I’m flattered, AJ! And truly glad you like the books despite the lack of romance. Hope you can catch up with Ice Breaker. (There’s no romance in that, either.)