With sincere gratitude and a million Slainte’s to Cathy Ryan of Between the Lines.
Category: Uncategorized
Magic Moments with Pat Conroy
I had a few magic encounters that can only be described as “Pat moments” at the 2015 “Pat Conroy at 70” celebration” in Beaufort, South Carolina. And there I was a complete stranger to Pat, but by the end of the three day festival, you wouldn’t have thought this. Sometimes in life you just flat connect with someone through mysterious forces, and when you do, it feels something like recognition. I felt this way the first time I locked eyes with Pat Conroy, and although I was decidedly star-struck, he wasn’t having any of it.
I was late to the screening of “The Great Santini.” Most everyone was seated in the auditorium, and the film was set to begin any minute. I rushed into the scantily populated lobby of the USCB’s Center for the Arts, flustered and apologetic to the nice woman behind the table, who took my name and handed me my event tickets for the following two days. As I turned to head for the auditorium, there was Pat, wearing a red t-shirt, a big smile, and walking straight towards me. His face was aglow with child-like delight and his blue eyes beamed with the kind of enthusiasm you’d jump to upon spotting a friend. Now, mind you, I’d rushed to the conference all the way from California, and in that moment I had yet to find my bearings. I’d hoped at some point during the conference I’d be lucky enough to exchange a few words with Pat, get it off my chest how much his writing affects me, tell him that he’d singlehandedly shown me what is possible with the written word, and illustrate his impact upon me by saying if I were a musician, he’d be my Mick Jagger. I didn’t expect to walk through the door and find him there like a one man welcoming committee. In that destabilizing moment that caught me off-guard, I was so startled to see my literary hero in the flesh that my text book Southern manners flew out the window and speech completely failed me. So I did what anybody would do: I looked Pat Conroy straight in his Irish eyes and said, “I love you.” To which he threw back his head and laughed.
“I flew all the way from California to see you, “I gushed, and without skipping a beat, Pat said, “You’re crazy,” to which I replied, “I know.”
“My daughter lives in California, let me go get her,” Pat said, then he walked away and returned with his daughter, Megan. As Megan and I stood talking about California, Pat sauntered off then reappeared with his brother, Tim. I couldn’t tell you now if Tim wondered who I was or why Pat found me worthy of introduction, but all three Conroy’s stood friendly and smiling, as if they were legitimately thrilled to see me.
“Let me ask you something,” Pat said. He spoke haltingly, searchingly, as if he were thinking something through, though he gave me a look that shot straight through me as if willing the power of his steady gaze to sear something into me. “Can you remember this street address? I want you to come over to the house for a drink or something.”
“When?” I said. It was all I could think to ask.
“Sometime during all this,” he said, waving his hand. “Whenever there’s downtime,” he said, as if it’d be obvious, as if I’d know when there’d be a lull in the conference and could just mosey on over to find him lounging around.
“Oh, wait, they’re telling me it’s time to go in,” Pat said, “Let’s go.” I trailed behind Pat into the auditorium, and when the room rose to its feet in reverence at the sight of him, I ducked discretely out of the way and made for the auditorium’s back row, dumbfounded and lit by the fire of Pat’s personal attention.
Another of my “Pat moments” occurred while standing in line, holding my copy of “The Prince of Tides” in the creeping queue that snaked along in slow motion. Nobody seemed to mind that it took forever to reach Pat; we were all so animated to be in his jurisdiction, we didn’t begrudge a soul their moment in his sun. The air was charged with Pat fever. We were a chatting, laughing, fraternizing assembly linked by a warm inner knowing that we were all members of a secret society, waiting our turn for a moment in Pat Conroy’s sphere of luminosity. Eventually, the line progressed, and I got within clear sight of Pat. There were only three people ahead of me when I spied a regal, chestnut haired woman rounding the banquet table to stand beside him. She held a drink in her hand as she leaned down to say something, and I saw Pat rear back in blindsided astonishment at her appearance. His face flushed adolescent pink, there was glee in his smile and joy in his eyes, which cast around excitedly as if looking for someone to say something to, and I knew in that moment Pat Conroy was bursting with story. I looked around to see if anyone else was paying attention then leaned forward to say, “What is it, Pat?” and he spilled forth with, “You’re not going to believe this story!”
Never before have I been a more willing audience than I was as Pat launched into his story, which was a humorous take on unrequited love.
“Twenty five letters I wrote to this woman when I was in college, and not once, not once did she ever respond,” he shared, as the object of this story shook her head and protested. It was then I pulled out my camera. I ran into her much later, at the catered party the festival had on the last night of the weekend. Her name was Terry, and she felt moved to straighten me out with the facts.
“Already he could write better than anyone else, how in the world could I ever respond?” she insisted.
My Pat moments didn’t end there, nowhere near it. During what turned out to be a three-day love fest in honor of Pat Conroy, it seemed every time I turned around, he was there exuberant and smiling. We were friends now and he wanted my story; he wanted to know what I thought about the poetry panel, and he told me the panel discussions by the authors of “Story River Books” would be right up my alley. And they were, and it all was. Every moment of each day during the “Pat Conroy at 70” celebration was a gift that keeps on giving for many reasons, but mostly because of my magic moments with Pat.
I understand the USC Press and the USCB Center for the Arts will hold its first annual literary conference this October in honor of Pat Conroy, where his spirit, no doubt, will be hovering. To this I have one thing to say:
I’m looking forward.
Interview with Claire Fullerton
My heartfelt gratitude to Cathleen Townsend!
Claire Fullerton is the author of “A Portal in Time” and “Dancing to an Irish Reel,” both from Vinspire Publishing. She is a four time, award winning writer and a multiple contributor to “Southern Writers Magazine,” “Celtic Life International” and “The Wild Geese.” Her work appears in five of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” books. Claire hails from Memphis, TN. and now lives in Malibu, California. She has recently completed her third novel. And she’s our guest here today. 🙂
When did you know you wanted to be a writer, Claire?
I simply woke up to the fact that I am a writer! I think my writing career began with the practice of keeping a daily journal at a very young age. I am convinced this practice created my “writer’s voice” and taught me the art of word economy. I was encouraged when I was published in a poetry journal, and…
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An Irish Story, “The Goat”
Hugh’s Photo Challenge: Week 13 : Love
Hugh asked for us to post a picture to demonstrate love? Every time I make a move in my house, I have this pair monitoring me. Here Ronin and Ceili patiently await my arrival at the top of the stairs. Ronin (male German shepherd, two years old this month) is at the left and Ceili ( female German shepherd, two years and four months old) is at the right. Both have Irish names, though Ronin is spelled in the Samurai way. Ceili is the Irish word for “a musical party.” If you’ve ever loved a dog, you’ll know why I used this picture for Hugh’s challenge! Check out Hugh’s challenge: http://hughsviewsandnews.com/2016/02/16/hughs-weekly-photo-challenge-week-13-love/
Smorgasbord Open House – Meet author Claire Fullerton
With sincere gratitude to the inimitable Sally Cronin, and a hearty Happy Birthday to her as well! Thank you for being such a stalwart champion of your fellow authors.
The Road to Publication
Strangely enough, I wrote my second published novel, “Dancing to an Irish Reel” years before I wrote my first published book, “A Portal in Time.” My first written novel (which I call to this day “my Irish book”) was a labor of love inspired by the year I spent living on the western coast of Ireland, and the story took up residency in my soul, begging to be shared. Its road to publication was not a predictable one, but it taught me invaluable lessons concerning unwavering belief, the power of tenacity, and the willingness to learn and grow as a writer.
I’ve heard it said writers don’t write because they want to; they write because they must. That’s how I felt about my Irish book, and although I’d never attempted a novel, I was not deterred because I had so much enthusiasm for telling this particular story. I embarked upon the writing of the book with blind faith, thinking all I had to do was tell the story of a single American female who relocates to rural Ireland, and the mere novelty of the setting in this heart-and-soul, fish-out-of-water story would pave the way to certain publication. It didn’t occur to me that my first draft would be one of many, that my book had to be painstakingly crafted, or that the endless process of fine-tuning by rewrites is where the real work would lie.
Once I’d finished the first draft of my Irish book, I sent it to three friends who know their way around literature. To say their combined comments were legion would be an understatement, yet I was encouraged because all three loved the story. I took their suggestions into consideration while I fine-tuned the book then I went over my manuscript three times more until I was satisfied it was in its best shape possible. Next I reviewed the tips in “The Writer’s Market” that pertain to writing a query letter to a literary agent. I composed an introductory letter and over a six month period, I followed submission guidelines and wrote to ten agents hoping for the next step: a request for the entire manuscript. I waited on pins and needles only to receive incremental responses succinctly saying my manuscript didn’t “fit their list.” But with each rejection, I sent out another round of query letters, and eventually found myself in a cycle of protracted waiting, which stretched out for more than a year.
While I waited, I continued to write. I revised my manuscript once again and researched other authors’ road to publication, where I realized they all had one thing in common: they’d each come to the table with a body of work to recommend them. Spurred into action, I began submitting personal essays to magazines that accepted unsolicited material, and began to rack up publications. Next, what I can only describe as an unusual chain of events brought me to the attention of my hometown’s newspaper, where I was offered my own creative weekly column, entitled, “In First Person,” which amassed a local following. At the time I was encouraged by the good things in play, but I still hadn’t found a literary agent. Then it occurred to me that two irons in the fire were better than one.
I took a reprieve from my Irish book and tried my hand at writing another book in a different genre. My aim was to enjoy the process and write the story I would like to read. The result was my paranormal mystery entitled, “A Portal in Time.” When I was satisfied with the manuscript, I researched publishers who accepted un-agented material, with an eye towards those who published similar titles. The rest, I can gratefully say, is part of my career history, for “A Portal in Time” was published by Vinspire Publishing in November of 2013.
When I mentioned my willingness to grow as a writer, it was to say that my work didn’t end with the acceptance of my novel. I went through two rounds with an editor followed by a proof reader. The process was a crash course tutorial in how to shape a book, and once “A Portal in Time” was released, I took everything I’d learned from the process and went back to my Irish book.
Eight months later, I submitted the manuscript of my Irish book to my publisher, knowing there’d be no guarantee. But fate can be kind, and at the recommendation of my publisher’s acquisitions department, I was offered a contract for “Dancing to an Irish Reel.”
It occurs to me now that my first book took an unusual course to publication, but in hindsight, many elements had to align. Summarily, it wasn’t enough to know I had a good story; I had to have enough faith in the book to wait through its many revisions. But first and foremost, I had to be willing to learn and grow as a writer.
An Author’s Long Range Plan
When an author completes their first book, there are salient questions they should ask themselves, with regard to what to do next: does my world revolve around seeking publication of this particular book, or is there a bigger picture? Do I simply want to get this book out in the world and rest on my laurels, or do I want to plot a long range career? If it is a long range career one wants, then an author has to be practical. Most of us begin as complete unknowns, so there is the imperative need for a peculiar mix of patience, perseverance and humility. The road to Rome wasn’t paved in one day, and all of that. Everything is a build.
It is a huge accomplishment to finish a novel. Huge. Once this is completed, pat yourself on the back, then honor your work by getting your manuscript in its best shape possible, whether this means finding a reputable editor, acquiring beta readers, or going over your manuscript fifteen times yourself. Next decide how you want to get your book out in the world. If you’re not interested in self-publishing, consider your book’s genre, check the market, see who is publishing your kind of book, then figure out how to approach them. Do you need an agent? Are there publishing houses that will accept your manuscript without an agent? What is the best way to go?
I say do both. Get ready to introduce yourself and your manuscript to both an agency and a publishing house by writing the best synopsis and query letter you can. Do your homework with regard to agents and agencies. The questions to ask are: who are their clients; where have they placed their authors? If you plan to go directly to a publishing house, the same questions apply.
I want to now point out the good news for first time authors: in this day and age, there are many small, independent presses that all operate like “The Little Engine that Could.” They have an ethos as a business that is applicable to a healthy mind frame for first time authors, meaning they believe in themselves and have a long range plan based on the fortitude it takes to build something of value. They need you as much as you need them.
Once a first time author places their book, the real work begins. This is where the crash course tutorial commences regarding what is expected from authors. The entire game comes into focus once you’re in the arena, much of which comes down to marketing and promotion. The idea is to work your book to the point that you find your readership. Once you’ve mastered this, you’re ready to begin again with another book, and this time you know what to do, having been put through the paces.
It is my impression that once an author aligns with a publishing house, their career will take on its own momentum, much of which is self-directed. But it helps to have a long-range vision going into it and commitment to staying the course.
Been interviewed? Post the link!
From Author and Humorist, Dan Alatorre’s blog!
Have you been interviewed? Post the link! Consider it a chance to show off without showing off – I asked, after all.
Meanwhile, if you’ve never been interviewed, read the replies and you’ll see a lot of places to go ask for an interview, and a lot of questions and answers that will help you do a good interview!
If you’ve already done an interview, you can see a few places to go and a few answers to give.
It’s a win-win-win (cos I get a helpful blog post, too.)
Post links to YOUR interviews, one link per reply, no limit on replies. If you’ve done ten interviews, feel free to post ten links!
And reblog this and share it on Facebook and Twitter and everywhere else so we get a bunch more places to go for some author-ey publicity!
Thanks!
Your humble host
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Writers, Do Not Doubt Your Voice
Thank you to Vinspire Publishing for posting this on your blog!
by Claire Fullerton
I’ve heard it said the first important step in writing is finding ones voice. I’ve also heard authors confess that when they write, they don’t read another author for fear of voice influence, however deep within the subconscious another’s voice may land. Perhaps some writers think another’s voice may outshine their own, tempt them to compare themselves with some imagined standard of excellence, throw them into self-doubt where they fear their own voice doesn’t measure up to the lofty mark of a more firmly established writer.
I believe all writers are on a forward momentum, ever-evolving path. Writing is an unending learning curve, a growth process of trial and error which often involves a weeding out process of that which does not work in the pursuit of fine tuning the craft.
All writers have the same aim: they seek more clarity, more ways of being unique, more…
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Claire Fullerton Author 