My Son has a Bearded Dragon
His name is Tom Waffle. When he’s feeling fancy, he likes to pose like this:
And he often feels fancy. It’s the bearded dragon way, apparently.
I also have a way, apparently, and it involves buying my children pets with very little forethought. For instance, now that we have a bearded dragon, I have become something of a cricket connoisseur. You need a lot of them when your dragon is growing. You start to consider becoming a cricket farmer so you don’t have to take so many trips to Petco. But then you realize that that would make you not only a bearded dragon owner but also a cricket owner, and you start to think this is getting out of hand.
Anyway, in case you’re wondering why I missed the February cutoff, let’s just blame Tom.
What I’m Working On
I sent off line edits in mid-February and then turned around and threw myself into Camperdown prep. The real reason I was tardy on the February newsletter is because MFA residency is the last week of February. All last week I was lecturing and meeting with students and spending time with the guest speaker and the faculty. The week wrapped up with Friday night drinks and dessert at my house, and then Saturday my children had four basketball games and we hosted Sabbath dinner. I am truly just now coming up for air.
Just kidding, there is no air in sight, only another wave. I’m giving a short story workshop in Spokane this Thursday, so I’m switching gears to prepping for that and reading the short story submissions.
As for The Second Greatest Thief: it heads to copy edits tomorrow! I received an email from my editor with a few small tweaks before it heads out, so I’ll be working on those tonight. Hopefully this means we’re close to getting to announce a release date. I know it will be sometime February-April of 2027, but a firm date has yet to be set. Once I know that, we’ll also be one step closer to a cover reveal. I cannot WAIT for that!
Lastly, my editor gave us the (somewhat sad) news that she can’t buy a sequel to Thief until she sees how well it performs. You know what this means: if you want a sequel, tell ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS TO BUY IT!
In good news, my editor did say she’d consider a different submission from me, so I’m planning on spending March brainstorming a pitch and proposal for her. We’ll see if a brilliant idea strikes!
What I’m Reading:
I started off February by reading Boy by Roald Dahl. That was a delightful mix of happy and sad tales and I very much enjoyed it. I also reread The Tale of Despereaux as I was teaching it during residency week. I can’t decide whether I like that or The Magician’s Elephant better, but they both have a great mosaic storytelling technique that is fun to teach.
For book group, we read Theo of Golden which is hitting all kinds of lists but was not my cup of tea. I also read From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, which was particularly fun having visited the Met last year.
On Audiobook, I’m halfway through The Doomsday Book which is so far very much my cup of tea. I had a few friends say they didn’t like any of the characters in it, but apparently I relate to cranky British academics because I think they’re all fun to hang with.
A Writing Tip:
A harbinger reader sent in this question:
One of my biggest writing hurdles is creating a good (meaning bad) antagonist. One that plays a role in the story, and isn’t just jeering from the sidelines and throwing rotten tomatoes with no real plot against the protagonist. Right now my antagonists have been annoying and bothersome, but lack something that would make them more of an actual component to the story.
When you’re crafting an antagonist, you definitely want to make sure they don’t exist simply to throw tomatoes at the main character! Here are a few quick tips for making your antagonist matter:
Don’t make them a mustache-twirling cackler: if your antagonist doesn’t have a better reason for doing what they do than just, “I love to be evil!” then they’re going to be a boring bad guy. Make sure they have plausible motivations for their actions. Remember that antagonists think they’re the good guy or, at the very least, the right guy. They’re convinced that their way is the best way. So don’t make them Disney-fied cardboard cut-outs with zero backstory and a simple desire to watch the world burn. We should be able to understand where they’re coming from (even though we don’t agree with it).
Make their goals directly conflict with your main character’s goals. If your protagonist wants to destroy a ring, then your antagonist wants to get the ring back. If your protagonist wants to win a spelling bee, then your antagonist wants them to lose. The antagonist should be putting more and more pressure on your main character, trying harder and harder to keep them from their goal, until a final showdown is inevitable.
Your antagonist should not only challenge your protagonist’s external arc (the plot) but also their internal arc (their transformation). Your protagonist will start off the story with a weakness, a need, and some misconception about himself or the world (or his place in the world). Your antagonist should be trying to prevent your character from changing, even if they’re doing it unconsciously.
When in doubt, go back to your favorite movies or books and examine the types of antagonists you find the most compelling and take notes!
That’s all for February, see you at the end of March! Stay tuned to find out if I become a cricket farmer.
