Charlene Challenger's Blog, page 2
September 17, 2014
Toronto Word on the Street this Sunday, September 21
Very excited to say I'll be hanging out at the Tightrope Books booth this Sunday for the annual Toronto Word on the Street festival. Swing by, say hello, and buy some books!
August 12, 2014
I'll be reading at the August 20th ChiSeries
Very honoured to be reading from The Voices In Between at the August ChiSeries. Hope you can come out to listen! Check the link for details:
Tightrope Books Summer Launch - August 17th at the ROUND venue
I’m very excited to announce I’ll be reading from Crystal Hurdle’s new YA book Teacher’s Pets at Tightrope Books� upcoming summer launch. Follow the link for all the details!
July 14, 2014
The Voices In Between launches July 30 at the ROUND venue, Toronto
Happy to announce the launch party for The Voices In Between will take place at 7pm on Wednesday, July 30th at the ROUND venue. Hope you can come on out!
The ROUND venue is located at 152a Augusta Street, in Toronto's Kensington Market. Check out their website here:
The ROUND venue is located at 152a Augusta Street, in Toronto's Kensington Market. Check out their website here:
July 7, 2014
Ugly Babies
Every writer has one. It’s that untouched file on your hard drive, that spiral-bound notebook in a shoebox in the back of your closet: the ugly baby. The first manuscript that writer ever wrote. Sure, there were others, but those were just practice for the BIG ONE, the one considered to be the first big feat. That one gets the title.
I have an ugly baby that I won’t let anyone read. When I’m in a generous mood I can concede that there’s some good stuff about it, but I know it’s mostly garbage. I sent it out a couple of times and the rejections came swiftly. Now it just sits in a folder on my laptop, gathering proverbial electronic dust.
When I was offered my first publishing contract for The Voices In Between (from Tightrope Books: ) the manuscript wasn’t finished. I completed the first draft roughly seven months later and started working with my very talented editor Jessie Hale () on the substantive edit shortly thereafter. I remember the day the fully edited manuscript was sent back to the publisher for the copy edit—I was elated. And the moment I received the galley proof I was so excited. I thought, “This is it. Here we go.�
Here’s what nobody told me about publishing my first novel: that the minute I set eyes on that galley proof, I’d think, “Oh no. This is terrible.�
That I’d think, “What have I done? What was I thinking? This is terrible!� That my heart would sink. That I’d think, “People are going to read this. They’re going to read it and they’re going to say it’s the worst book ever written by anyone anywhere ever. They’re going to say I’m the worst writer on the planet. This isn’t a novel! THIS IS AN UGLY BABY!�
Nobody told me that, since so much of myself went into Voices, I’d all of a sudden fly into a panic at the idea of it being rejected, because I’d think rejecting it would mean, in essence, rejecting me too. Nobody told me I’d forget all the hard work that went into it and I wouldn’t be able to recognize it as a huge achievement.
So help me, for a moment, I was actually ashamed of it.
The truth is that yes, someone out there might read it and reject it as a book they don’t like. Someone out there might choose to review it, and they might say some things that are hard for a first-time writer to hear (like “give up�). That’s going to suck.
But someone out there might read it and love it. Someone out there might understand everything it took for me to be able to channel that story. Someone out there might recognize everything I went through, every ounce of courage and strength and self-esteem I have left, to share that story with the world. That’s going to be awesome.
In August I’ll be reading at the ROUND venue, 152A Augusta Street (in Kensington Market) as part of the ChiSeries reading series. It will be the first time I read an excerpt from The Voices In Between in public. Of course, I’m terrified. And as I read, I will continue to be terrified. But I won’t be ashamed. I’ll be proud. My first novel is everything that’s good about me, down on paper for maximum portability. Everyone who reads it will be reading a tiny little bit of my soul. It’s an honour I wish for every other writer out there.
I have an ugly baby that I won’t let anyone read. When I’m in a generous mood I can concede that there’s some good stuff about it, but I know it’s mostly garbage. I sent it out a couple of times and the rejections came swiftly. Now it just sits in a folder on my laptop, gathering proverbial electronic dust.
When I was offered my first publishing contract for The Voices In Between (from Tightrope Books: ) the manuscript wasn’t finished. I completed the first draft roughly seven months later and started working with my very talented editor Jessie Hale () on the substantive edit shortly thereafter. I remember the day the fully edited manuscript was sent back to the publisher for the copy edit—I was elated. And the moment I received the galley proof I was so excited. I thought, “This is it. Here we go.�
Here’s what nobody told me about publishing my first novel: that the minute I set eyes on that galley proof, I’d think, “Oh no. This is terrible.�
That I’d think, “What have I done? What was I thinking? This is terrible!� That my heart would sink. That I’d think, “People are going to read this. They’re going to read it and they’re going to say it’s the worst book ever written by anyone anywhere ever. They’re going to say I’m the worst writer on the planet. This isn’t a novel! THIS IS AN UGLY BABY!�
Nobody told me that, since so much of myself went into Voices, I’d all of a sudden fly into a panic at the idea of it being rejected, because I’d think rejecting it would mean, in essence, rejecting me too. Nobody told me I’d forget all the hard work that went into it and I wouldn’t be able to recognize it as a huge achievement.
So help me, for a moment, I was actually ashamed of it.
The truth is that yes, someone out there might read it and reject it as a book they don’t like. Someone out there might choose to review it, and they might say some things that are hard for a first-time writer to hear (like “give up�). That’s going to suck.
But someone out there might read it and love it. Someone out there might understand everything it took for me to be able to channel that story. Someone out there might recognize everything I went through, every ounce of courage and strength and self-esteem I have left, to share that story with the world. That’s going to be awesome.
In August I’ll be reading at the ROUND venue, 152A Augusta Street (in Kensington Market) as part of the ChiSeries reading series. It will be the first time I read an excerpt from The Voices In Between in public. Of course, I’m terrified. And as I read, I will continue to be terrified. But I won’t be ashamed. I’ll be proud. My first novel is everything that’s good about me, down on paper for maximum portability. Everyone who reads it will be reading a tiny little bit of my soul. It’s an honour I wish for every other writer out there.
May 23, 2014
The Writer Blog Hop
The Writer Blog Hop is a tag for writers who blog. A writer came up with the four questions below and answered them on his/her blog, then tagged three blogger friends to answer the same questions on their blogs and so on. The writer who tagged me is Nicole Winters, the fabulous author of the YA racing drama TT: Full Throttle. You can check her out at:
1) What am I working on/writing?
On a number of projects, actually, but the big project is the sequel to my YA fantasy novel The Voices in Between (out from Tightrope Books this June: ).
2) How does my work/writing differ from others of its genre?
My YA novel features Pipers, the sworn immortal protectors of children. Think sirens with legs.
3) Why do I write what I do?
Because I want other people to understand how I feel.
4) How does my writing process work?
Whenever I have what I think is a good idea, I write it down (I’ll never remember if I don’t write it down immediately) and think about what it means to me, how it makes me feel, and how it might make other people feel if they were to read it. Then I sit down at my computer and think about writing. I stare at the computer for a while. I keep several tabs open and switch back and forth between Facebook and Twitter. All this might look like I’m not writing, and I’m not in the literal sense, but my mind is constantly racing with dialogue and situations all throughout my day, and I consider that an equally important part of the process. It takes me about a year and a half to complete a novel, and another eight or so months revising it with the help of a great editor (like Jessie Hale over at Marginalia Editorial and Creative Services: ).
I take frequent breaks and eat a lot of chocolate and drink a lot of coffee, and search out the everyday fantastic wherever I go. So far, it’s working. :)
1) What am I working on/writing?
On a number of projects, actually, but the big project is the sequel to my YA fantasy novel The Voices in Between (out from Tightrope Books this June: ).
2) How does my work/writing differ from others of its genre?
My YA novel features Pipers, the sworn immortal protectors of children. Think sirens with legs.
3) Why do I write what I do?
Because I want other people to understand how I feel.
4) How does my writing process work?
Whenever I have what I think is a good idea, I write it down (I’ll never remember if I don’t write it down immediately) and think about what it means to me, how it makes me feel, and how it might make other people feel if they were to read it. Then I sit down at my computer and think about writing. I stare at the computer for a while. I keep several tabs open and switch back and forth between Facebook and Twitter. All this might look like I’m not writing, and I’m not in the literal sense, but my mind is constantly racing with dialogue and situations all throughout my day, and I consider that an equally important part of the process. It takes me about a year and a half to complete a novel, and another eight or so months revising it with the help of a great editor (like Jessie Hale over at Marginalia Editorial and Creative Services: ).
I take frequent breaks and eat a lot of chocolate and drink a lot of coffee, and search out the everyday fantastic wherever I go. So far, it’s working. :)
