“Oh, you’re a writer. Are you writing a book? What’s it about?”
I get asked these questions a lot. They are often followed by “Can I read it?” and “Am I in your book?”. People are curious about my experience as a writer. While I do appreciate their interest, let me just say:
I hate these questions. So much.
I suppose that’s because a) I’m an introvert and b) I invest a lot of myself in my writing, so sharing it with others often feels like I’m revealing a deep part of me. In the past, I’ve hedged with answers like “Well, I’m still trying to figure that out”, “It’s really too long and complicated to explain right now”, or “I’ve got a few ideas floating around”. While I was at a writer’s conference earlier this month, I had to explain my story to editors and agents. It was hard, but it made me realize that I need to get comfortable talking about my writing with other people. So I decided to start here, with my blog and faithful readers.
I’ve got a few projects in my mind, but the one I’m focusing on is a fantasy novel, hopefully one of a series of 5. Each one of the books is based on a fairy tale. The first one is Cinderella. The main character is Lady Lucinda Westerfield, or Lucy. She is 19 years old and about to inherit her deceased mother’s estate and wealth. Her father, who has been managing the money, desperately wants to keep control of it and Lucy is shocked to find how far he will go. If she can stay free from his control until her 20th birthday, she will be free to live her life as she chooses. But in a world where everyone has a magical gift, Lucy fears that if anyone knew what gift she possesses, people will seek to control her. She has to learn who to trust with herself, and even her heart.
That’s the basic premise. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go hide in a corner and pretend I didn’t just share that with the internet.
Kate G. Jameson 