Indy-News3

The Independent Gay Writer^©
all about books & writing

Published Irregularly
(about twice a month)

at the whim of the editor

Volume One, # 3,
March 19, 2003

This is an independently published newsletter, edited by Ronald L. Donaghe. The views expressed herein are solely those of the writer of each review, article, or column. Writers' work is accepted solely at the discretion of the editor. All material is copyrighted by the submitting writer or Ronald L. Donaghe and cannot be reprinted without the express permission of The Independent Gay Writer© or the submitting writer. To submit material contact the editor.

Interviews | Book Reviews | Book News | Web sites | Publishers

This edition of the newsletter is all contributor written and features an array of talent and perspective. It is truly representative of glbt writers braving the market place and sharing their insight and advice.

Contributors this issue:

Patricia Nell Warren
William Maltese (pen name)
Brent Hartinger
Pamela Hayes
Andrew Barriger
Cynthia Leitich

Patricia Nell Warren's work is legendary, beginning with The Front Runner in 1974 and continuing to the present with The Wild Man. She is a tireless advocate of glbt issues and a mentor to many writers.

Brent Hartinger's first novel to be published is Geography Club, which will be followed quickly by three more. In this issue he writes about getting published and the power of the word "No." Cynthia Leitich interviews Brent on the inspriation for Geography Club.

P amela says, "I am an African- American transsexual, and a number of well- meaning people wanted to know why I made a real chick the central character in my book. Some wanted to know why I, a black author, put the
spotlight on a white character." Find out why in this issue (page 2).

Andrew Barriger continues his humorous column, The Fairy Factoid, in this issue which, this time, has absolutely nothing to do with writing or books. But that's all right, because I've already said that the content of this newsletter is at the whim of the editor. But next issue, we'll hold Andy's feet to the fire.

William Maltese majored in Business/Advertising, served to Sergeant rank in the U.S. Army. Under various pseudonyms, he's published over one hundred books in genres that include erotica, sci-fi, science-fantasy, adventure-espionage, romance, and mystery. His work has been translated into six foreign languages. He presently resides in the Pacific Northwest. In his article in this issue, Mr. Maltese conducts a very interesting experiment.

See below:

From her series, The Secrets of Writing and Publishing

PATRICIA NELL WARREN
tells others ...
How To Look For A Gay Fiction Publisher ©

Letter to a reader
Where should your friend send a fiction manuscript? That's not easily answered these days.

Gay fiction is having some hard times. I presume your friend has written a gay novel. There is such a huge emphasis on nonfiction right now -- self-help, coming out, politics, etc. -- that fiction suffers by comparison. Most of the gay and lesbian organizations that maintain lists of recommended reading (like PFLAG, GLSEN, etc.) ignore inspiring fiction books in their subject area. Many gay film producers aren't interested in optioning fiction books. Many gay publications don't regularly review books, or they ignore books altogether in favor of focusing on entertainment. Gay and lesbian publishers are diminishing in number, and Alyson, the biggest, can publish only so many books. Among big mainstream houses, the waning popularity of midlist means a waning of gay fiction, because gay books are essentially "midlist" (meaning they don't sell in the Harry Potter class). The midlist crunch has meant that some well-known gay fiction writers, like Felice Picano, no longer have a mainstream publisher. Picano is now with Alyson.
Continued (page 3)

SHOULD I DO FREE RE-WRITES?
(THOUGHTS ON AN AGE-OLD WRITING QUESTION)
By Brent Hartinger
www.brenthartinger.com
Brenthartinger@earthlink.net

I still remember my first experience working with a New York editor. He loved my book and was eager to get it ready for publication. His line-edit was thorough, and his editorial letter was thoughtful and perceptive. After a month or so, I turned in the revised project, and the editor was delighted with the results.

There was just one problem. He wasn't going publish my book. In the weeks that we had been working on the project together, his house had received a book on a similar theme by an established writer. He said he liked my book better, but they were going to buy hers instead. Unfortunately for me, I hadn't been working under contract.

I was crushed. After all, I'd done exactly what all the "how-to" books tell the aspiring writer to do: if an editor writes a personal reply to a project, or offers specific feedback, take the suggestions very seriously, and send the revised project back to that editor with a note reminding him or her about your previous contact. In my case, it was a little more formal; I was working from an actual editorial letter, and the understanding was that we were getting the book ready to submit for acquisition.
page 4

An Interview of Brent Hartinger about Inspiration and the Writing of Geography Club

© 2003
by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Children's Literature Resources Reproduced with permission.

What was your initial inspiration for creating this book?

In many ways, the book is my own story, since it includes many of the things I experienced in high school. In some sense, I think I wrote the book to rewrite my own adolescence, but give it a better resolution (and a happier ending!).

The actual inspiration came in the early 1990s, when I worked with a support organization for lesbian and gay teens. I soon realized that while lesbian and gay teenagers are incredibly diverse and come from every imaginable background, many of them--maybe even most--do share certain feelings in common: a sense of isolation, a fear of discovery, and an often desperate longing to find a place where they are accepted for who they are (and where they can safely do all the normal adolescent things, like have a crush on someone, talk about people they think are cute, and maybe find a girlfriend or boyfriend). The kids I worked with all shared a similar story, and it was one that I didn't think had ever been told particularly well. So I decided to tell it!

What was the timeline between spark and publication, and what were the major events along the way?

My first attempt at a gay teen novel, which I wrote in the early 1990s, was rejected by every publisher in the known universe (even after winning a series of awards, including the 1996 Judy Blume/SCBWI Grant for a Best Young Adult Novel).

Everyone--and I mean everyone--was convinced that a book about gay teenagers would never sell, especially to school libraries, which admittedly made up a bigger slice of children's books sales back then. I actually had one editor, who was very enthusiastic about the book itself, tell me, "We don't have any slots in our list right now for books with low sales projections." (I certainly didn't project the sales for my book to be low!)

In 2000, my then-agent and I pitched a bunch of new book ideas to an editor who was looking for an ensemble series. On a lark, I decided to make one of my story ideas gay-themed, and to my surprise, that's the storyline she wanted to see more of. So I wrote up an outline and a couple of sample chapters. She hated what I'd written, which is pretty much what I'd expected, so I forgot all about the project.

A year later, I reluctantly showed my new agent (Jennifer DeChiara) the sample chapters, and she absolutely loved them.

next column...

The Great Publishing Test:
Traditional or Print-On-Demand?
(c) 2003 by William Maltese

I've just had two glbt books simultaneously released. SS MANN HUNT a Publish on Demand novel and THAI DIED: A STUD DRAQUAL MYSTERY by conventional publisher Green Candy Press. Affording, an interesting opportunity for ongoing comparisons as the books proceeded side-by-side, and continue to do so, through the publishing pipeline. (Continued page 2)

We decided to pitch the project as a stand-alone book, and she took it out to new editors. A lot of them liked it, but even in 2001, I think more than a few were scared by the subject matter.

Fortunately, Steve Fraser, an editor at HarperCollins, loved it enough to actually buy it. In fact, he bought it just based on the outline and those two sample chapters, which I know is pretty unusual given that I was unpublished at the time. I was so certain he was going to change his mind (or be fired) that I pounded out the entire manuscript in the next three weeks--even before he and my agent were done negotiating the contract. The editing process was pretty painless (one draft), and I know my editor was thrilled with the result, because he has since bought three more of my young adult novels (for 2004, 2005, and 2006!), and we're planning a middle grade series as well.

Since editing, HarperCollins has been unbelievably supportive. People from different departments still surreptitiously contact me to tell me how much they like my book and offering little ways to help (it's like having a whole forest of little helper elves!). There have also been a few guardian angels from the greater world of children's publishing, and they've been invaluable in helping to get the word out. I think a lot people have been waiting for a book like mine for a long, long time.

One interesting note: Now that the book is getting such good reviews and a fair amount of attention, I have had several editors say to my agent, "If I'd seen this in the manuscript stage, I would have bought it in a minute!" They may actually believe this, but I don't think it's true. The subject matter made this project a very hard sell.

(Continued on Page 3...)

If you would like to submit material contact Ronald L. Donaghe

by Andrew Barriger

Sometimes it’s the darndest things that set us to thinkin’ here at the Fairy Factoid. Today is a perfect example – your fearless reporter was driving home along I-75 in Troy this afternoon (that’s in the Detroit area of Michigan), when he observed a broken down car on the right side of the road. In and of itself, that’s not particularly fascinating, but then, on the other side of the road, was a broom. A finger-snap and one bright, shiny light bulb later, the hyperbole was obvious – a broken down car and a broken down witch’s broomstick. That pretty much did it – we had this week’s topic!

So, we phoned up Colin and gave his team their assignment: determine the history of the floating broomstick! Colin was, of course, still in England, since Colin never does anything fast, so he was in a perfect position to learn more about broomsticks. A floating broomstick must surely be a gay invention – but what purpose was it designed to serve?

The team, as always, elucidated their list of criteria:

It floats! We have found, in our extensive research, that things that float of their own free will are often gay.
It’s ridden by a hag, and it’s well known who hags have tagging along with them.
It’s an implement used for… cleaning!

So away went Colin, Daniel, and the rest, mission afoot, as it were. With stalwartdetermination, Colin made inquiry of the local pub manager, whom he had befriended days (and nights) before, to learn who might be able to answer his questions about the origins of floating broomsticks. The proprietor thought it an odd question, but sent them to another establishment, this time on the West End, on the condition that it not be named under any circumstances. Colin led the charge and the team went to the nearest Underground station, bound for Piccadilly Circus.

Three beers and a “fruity drink” later (Daniel doesn’t like beer), the clues flowed as readily as the alcohol. In ancient times, it was explained, poor witches who couldn’t afford horses carried a broomstick or other pole to aid in vaulting over streams. As part of their initiation rite, they were blindfolded, smeared with an ointment that made them feel as though they were flying, placed on their broomstick, and told they were “flying over land and sea.”

The team was dubious, but they had learned several important clues. The witches were of Saxon origin, and Saxony was part of modern day France. They had peculiar initiation rites and involved ointments and blindfolding. The team referred back to their list. Yeah yeah yeah, it floats. But, it’s ridden by a hag and used for cleaning – surely, that must tie in somehow with the new clues. Intrepid and valiant (and slightly sloshed), they boarded a Eurostar train, destination: Paris. Gay Paree, Colin assured, would hold the key. (It’s a sure sign Colin is lit when he starts rhyming.)

Four hours and one time zone later, the team pulled into the Paris Nord station. After rousing Colin, they made their way to EuroDisney, which they knew to be a secret front for the company “Le Fabricant National de Broomstick de France.” Continuing their quest to wine and dine their way across Europe on the Fairy Factoid expense account, as only a crack team of gay reporters could, (€600 foi gras dinner and three bottles of the house specialty wine), they had their answer, recounted by the old, rather scary woman who had served them: The ancient Saxons, progenitors of modern day Parisians, had prevailed upon their gay members to make all of the broomsticks float. None but witches could reach them. It is for that reason, to this day, the “most romantic city in the world” also carries with it the stigma of least tidy.

Luckily for them, we didn’t see a broken down soap hauler…

The Fairy Factoid is extensively researched and painstakingly presented by Andrew Barriger, author of Finding Faith and the occasional news story. Neither the author nor the editor are responsible for any factual errors that may be contained herein, especially as related to the made up stuff.

The Fairy Factoid will continue. Next time it just might have something to do with literary inspiration. But then, you never know.

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