JUST WRITE IT!

FEELING A NOVEL

Posted on December 28, 2014 by Dawn Essegian Lajeunesse

People read for different reasons. Lovers of non-fiction are absorbed by history or science or politics – or whatever topic draws their interest. Lovers of the novel vary just as much, with some drawn to science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, love – there are many genres in fiction.

Some readers, more often women – but not exclusively – like novels that give them a good cry. My first novel was described as a multi-tissue purge by one reader!

In Autumn Colors, for example, the main character suffers a tragic loss. A review by Foreword Clarion described it this way:

“This is the story of Kerry Waite, a resilient heroine who cannot let go of Tom, the first man she ever adored, even after his fateful death forced them apart thirty years ago. Unable to bond with her husband, Charles, in a twenty-year marriage, she must face her inner resistance to love again and embrace the companion in her present life, rather than lingering with a ghost in her past. A memorial service for an elderly acquaintance brings Kerry’s emotion to a climax in this introspective novel told in time-travel sequences. Speeding back to 1968, then into the 1970s and 1980s, Lajeunesse takes the reader on a journey to the depths of a passionate woman’s soul in a touching delivery. Though marketed as a romance, this book is steeped in agonizing realism. A simple funeral turns into a situational catharsis, triggering an outpouring of memories and painful self-realizations for the protagonist. This talented author knows how to evoke emotion, so much so that delving into her work hurts.”

For a reader who likes to slip into a novel and feel what the heroine is feeling – and possibly to provide an outlet for the readers own feelings, the emotion in Autumn Colors does just that.

Likewise, in In Her Mother’s Shoes, Meredith, the main character is closed off from her real feelings. This novel is part love story, part family saga. She begins to see her own emotional limitations as she learns more about her mother’s secretive past. Her softer inner self emerges as she encounters a number of painful challenges. We see a woman who feels and loves deeply, a woman capable of forgiveness and appreciation for the gifts in her life.

Both novels evoke emotion and contain lessons about the value of life and the importance of not wasting it. The satisfying, “happy” endings speak to the escapism appeal of a novel for many readers.

Posted in Book Reviews, Books | Tagged Autumn Colors, emotions, Feelings, grief, In Her Mother's Shoes, loss, love, novels, readers, romance, tragedies | Leave a comment

TRANSITIONS IS DONE!

Posted on December 23, 2014 by Dawn Essegian Lajeunesse

Well, sort of.

Last Saturday I finished the first complete draft of Transitions, my third novel and the first in a three-book series! It is a draft because, while much of it has been edited, the last part (which I wrote during NaNoWriMo) was not. In addition to basic editing, I am having it critiqued professionally. Once that is done, I expect substantial re-writing will be needed. But I’m determined to give this one every possible chance to be published through a commercial publisher – preferable a major one – and that raises the bar significantly. If that doesn’t happen and I self-publish again, at least I will be confident that it is the best it can be for my readers.

So what comes next? For those of you who are unfamiliar with the publishing process, I’ll give you a quick lesson. If an author is not a famous person, it is not a quick process. First, no major publishers will accept un-agented submissions. So step one is to secure an agent – no small feat.

Agents must wade through hundreds or thousands of submissions to find the gems they will choose to represent. The first step is researching what agents handle the kind of book I have written. Then each agent’s website must be studied to determine what they want to see on a first introduction to an author’s work. Often that is a one-page query letter only. That means I need to write a one-page letter that is powerful enough to move the agent to request more.

Then, often, the “more” is five or ten pages, sometimes fifty. If the book doesn’t grab them right from the first page, the rejection letter is in the mail (or email).

If you are really lucky, and initial pages grab the agent’s attention, the author may get a request for the full book.

By the way, the time frame between each of these submissions and the response often is 1-3 months!

So let’s say the miraculous occurs, and the author is offered representation – and the chemistry between author and agent works – then the selling of the book to a publisher begins.

Occasionally this step moves quickly – if an agent has great connections and is very persuasive, a publisher may make an offer on the book, and maybe even multiple publishers express interest and a bidding war is spawned (an author’s dream). More often, the manuscript works its way through multiple prospective publishers and – with luck and a great book – an offer will eventually be made. Lots of behind-the-scenes stuff happens, and eventually there is a contract between author and publisher.

At that point, assuming the author isn’t a famous person whose book is pretty much guaranteed to sell well and is rushed to publication and sale, you’re looking at 18-24 months from acceptance to seeing the book on bookstore shelves and on-line lists.

Therein lies a down side of choosing to publish commercially. When an author self-publishes, the book can be out there for sale in three months or less, depending on the process chosen. However, it competes against hundreds of thousands of other self-published books and against the stigma that self-published books aren’t as good as those published by the major publishing houses. And it is significantly less likely to make a big splash, no matter how well it is written.

I self-published Autumn Colors and In Her Mother’s Shoes (both available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble). Sales have been steady but modest. I’ve received lots of positive feedback. But I always wondered how the books would have done if published by the likes of a Random House or other major publisher. So, while there are lots of down sides to going this route – not the least of which is not seeing the book published for at least a couple of years – the upside is if I can succeed in getting an agent and a commercial publisher, I will feel the quality of my writing has been validated by the hardest-to-please audiences.

And meanwhile, I will begin work on Book Two of the Transitions Trilogy – after, that is, I wish my readers a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays – whatever you celebrate this season!

Posted in Agents, Publishing, Writing | Tagged agents, authors, Autumn Colors, Book Release, Books, In Her Mother's Shoes, NaNoWriMo, novels, Publishers, publishing options | Leave a comment

WHERE WRITING IDEAS COME FROM – PART THREE

Posted on December 7, 2014 by Dawn Essegian Lajeunesse

My last two blog entries were about the inspiration for my first two books, Autumn Colors, and In Her Mother’s Shoes. Today I will show an example of authors branching out from imaginary variations on their own life stories.

The story line for my current work-in-progress, tentatively titled Transitions, evolved while I was working on a different story, one I was calling Kiss Petey, an adventure/romance. For some reason I was more tuned in to the world around me than usual – the whole world, not just my personal world. And I started thinking about how the lives of “little” people like me go on seemingly untouched by triumphs and tragedies of the greater world. We live normal lives, with modest incomes, and families that range from close and supporting to distant or downright antagonistic. But our experience of our little lives occurs against the backdrop of wars and hurricanes and tornadoes and floods and mudslides – and so on – that rip apart the lives of other people. If we are compassionate, we may contribute to funds that help those people or even volunteer to help more directly. But overall our lives go on pretty ordinarily.

Until they don’t. Until one of those horrors or tragedies or acts of nature make a direct hit on us.

Some are fortunate enough to have the means – financially, mentally, emotionally – to move beyond the tragedies that hit us directly. Others are not so fortunate.

What if…

What if we were living in a country or world where there were no safety nets for those people who can’t pull out of their personal disasters and tragic lives?

What if the country or world held to a philosopy of “survival of the fittest?”

What would happen to those people who can’t rise above the challenges to their lives? How would that impact those who somehow could hold it together against seemingly insurmountable adversity?

What would our world look like a century from now if everybody had free choice about just about anything, but had to pay the price for making bad choices?

Do you see what I did? I took a simple, random thought and let it evolve to the foundation of a story. Of course, the evolved idea still has to be made into a literary work that contains all of the required attributes to be a great story and a riveting read. And the jury will be out for some time on whether my story, evolved from this idea, has what it takes.

But every novel starts somewhere. And that’s the point of this post!

Posted in Autumn Colors, Books, In Her Mother's Shoes, Transition Trilogy, Women's Fiction, Writing | Tagged authors, Autumn Colors, Books, In Her Mother's Shoes, Inspiration, novels, writers, writing | Leave a comment

Where Writing Ideas Come From – Part Two

Posted on November 30, 2014 by Dawn Essegian Lajeunesse

I keep a lengthy list of story ideas. Some have materialized and have been published. Some are in the works. And some are just ideas. I list them and reference them periodically, letting potential story lines “free associate” somewhere in my brain, in hopes that I can retrieve them when I’m ready to move on to a new project.

Last time I described the origin of Autumn Colors, my first novel. Today I’ll focus on my second book, In Her Mother’s Shoes. When I tell you about the cover content, I expect you’ll have some idea about the source of the story.

The book’s cover features letters exchanged during World War II between my mother and my father, and some between her and other friends. One was with a young man who was a German prisoner of war. No one has been able to tell me if he ever made it home. Overlaid on the spread of letters is a pair of pink, satin dancing shoes. They are also my mother’s, from her early days and happiest memories, dancing to the tunes of the nineteen thirties and forties. She was a marvelous dancer.

She had a very tough early life. And even though she had relative security and the stability my father brought to our family, her early years spilled over into how she related to her children. She was a good woman who wanted to do the right things, but the damage done to her in her childhood often derailed her best intentions. The book’s character Katherine is modeled after my mother, although with a lot of literary license.

We learn what we live, so the saying goes. And so the children of Katherine reflect many of her behaviors, including feeling deeply but rarely showing those feelings. The main character, Meredith, appears somewhat cold and stoic early on. As she learns more about her mother’s background for the first time, she begins to see the parallels in her own behaviors and in her relationships with her own children.

Lest you assume that Meredith is modeled on me, let me set the record straight. I have no children, so much of the story line is pure speculation. Meredith takes a lot of risks and puts tremendous effort into understanding enough about her mother to grow to appreciate her. And to consciously work on changing her own behaviors with her children, so the negativity and harshness isn’t passed down to yet another generation. In the end, Meredith is able to honor her mother’s memory and forge more solid and loving relationships with her children.

When new writers are told to “write what they know,” it doesn’t necessarily mean always writing autobiographically – unless you choose to write a memoir instead of a novel. Rather, you can take pieces of your own life experience and weave a story around those pieces, asking a lot of what-ifs, inserting knowledge gained through education and relationships, and tying it up with a satisfying ending. Mine tend to be happy endings, but an ending can be satisfying while still tugging at your heartstrings. Or – if a sequel is planned – by implying that while things might be just grand at the moment, a new crisis is waiting just around the corner.

Posted in Books, In Her Mother's Shoes, Women's Fiction, Writing | Tagged Books, ebooks, family, In Her Mother's Shoes, love, marriage, novels, Relationships, writing | 6 Comments

NaNoWriMo WINNER!

Posted on November 26, 2014 by Dawn Essegian Lajeunesse

Well, it’s official! After managing a final 4,618 words between yesterday and today, I took Transitions to a rough completion and exceeded the 50,000 word requirement by 1,552. See my certificate: NaNoWriMo-2014-Winner-Certificate.

The writing is rough, and the ending in particular needs a lot of work, but the framework is there. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and one of the things I will be giving thanks for is this accomplishment. Thanks to the NaNoWriMo project for motivating me, and encouraging progress along the way. And starting tomorrow I will focus on holidays and family and let Transitions sit for a while, so I can come back to it with fresh, hopefully creative eyes. With a lot of work and a little luck I will be shopping for an agent in early spring.

Woo-hoo! I am one happy (and relieved) writer!

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WHERE DO WRITING IDEAS COME FROM?

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Dawn Essegian Lajeunesse

I’m often surprised by the number of people who ask me where I get my ideas for novels. To me, they come naturally – life experiences, special people, news stories – ideas are everywhere.

For example, the idea for my first novel, Autumn Colors (Amazon, Barnes & Noble) came from my own life, although much of the book is fiction.

The year was 2002. It was significant in a number of ways. My husband, Dennis, retired from his career of over three decades. We were building our dream retirement home, a log house on water in the Adirondacks.

It also brought the thirtieth anniversary of the accidental death, in 1972, of my then fiancé – a life-altering event for me. And I was five years past my personal vow to turn my experience of his death into a story about loss and grief – and the sometimes aberrant ways we deal with them. And about why it’s so important to let the important people in our lives know that we care about and love them – because in the blink of an eye that opportunity could be lost forever.

I had started the story so many times. I could still recall, vividly and viscerally, my feelings on that October day and the days that followed. I could re-live the gut-wrenching ache and emptiness. And the anger – at him, at God, at anyone who wasn’t at that moment living with that unbearable pain. The disbelief that I’d never see him again. The thrill when a car pulled up in front of our house, because surely it was him and all this had been but a horrible nightmare.

As the year progressed, and we prepared for our move, we began sorting through boxes and drawers, deciding what to keep and what to toss. It was then that I unearthed my “Paul box,” the box that contained the bits and pieces of our time together and the things we’d shared – the album I created of my memories and emotions, photos, music of that time. And the forgotten journal.

Two months after Paul died, I started writing everything I could remember about him, about our first encounter, about our time together. I think I was afraid, even after such a short time, that those memories would be lost to me over time. And that would be like his dying all over again or – worse – like he had just been a fleeting soul on this earth to begin with.

Finding that journal, with its raw pain mixed with joyful memories, was the catalyst for finding my voice for Autumn Colors.

“This talented author knows how to evoke emotion, so much so that delving into her work hurts….Autumn Colors is an enlightening, though often aching, reflection on young love brought to a catastrophic end and a poignant description of spiritual healing. Expect more from this gifted writer.”

Rated Four Stars (out of Five)

ForeWord Clarion Review

Posted in Autumn Colors, Book Reviews, Grief and Loss, Women's Fiction, Writing | Tagged Autumn Colors, Book reviews, Books, ebooks, grief, loss, love, Novel reviews, novels, writers, writing | Leave a comment

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Dawn Essegian Lajeunesse

@NaNoWriMo As of today, 15,133 words since Nov 1 toward my 50,000! I think I can really do this!

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Great review of In Her Mother’s Shoes

Posted on November 5, 2014 by Dawn Essegian Lajeunesse

Okay, so I didn’t win the WD Self Published Book Competition. But I felt like a winner when I received this evaluation of In Her Mother’s Shoes:

22nd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards
Entry Title In Her Mother’s Shoes
Author: Dawn Lajeunesse
Judge Number: 96
Entry Category: Genre Fiction
Books are evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 meaning “needs improvement” and 5 meaning “outstanding”. This scale is strictly to provide a point of reference, it is not a cumulative score and does not reflect ranking.
Structure, Organization, and Pacing: 5
Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar: 5
Production Quality and Cover Design: 5
Plot and Story Appeal: 5
Character Appeal and Development: 5
Voice and Writing Style: 5
Judge’s Commentary:

IN HER MOTHER’S SHOES by Dawn Lajeunesse is a touching, deeply satisfying story about a critical part of a woman’s midlife journey, which includes a journey where she must also face her past.
The front cover is very appropriate and will encourage readers to look inside the book. I like the image of the silk shoes resting on top of old letters. On the back cover, the story is summed up very well. The author biography is interesting. I can just imagine the author writing amid her other activities. I know many authors, and this sounds like their lives. I would have also enjoyed seeing an author photo on the back cover, or at least inside.
The story starts out with a dilemma that will be familiar to most women — too much to do in too little time. Because the story is so easy to relate to, it’s easy to keep reading. The problems the heroine faces with her aging parent are also familiar to many readers. However, the problem does introduce the opportunity for the heroine to dig into the past to revisit distant times, which in turn gives her a chance to reassess her life and to grow. I think women of all ages, but particularly middle aged women, will appreciate this book. The story is a snapshot of real life. Women everywhere will appreciate IN HER MOTHER’S SHOES.