Author Stephanie Meyers did a very good job in writing the book, although I've had it from a teenager source that the angisty—her word, not mine—relationship between the two main characters was a bit much for her. I'd have to agree, but let's face it, authors need to place their characters in conflict, and it has to be believable, and it has to be constant, if it has to do with the relationship, or if it has to do with the danger quality of their actions. Bella and Edward's conflict is, they're in love, BUT—yes a big but—Edward is a vampire who is so very attracted to the scent of her blood, he has a very hard time not jumping on her and kill her right away. So, somehow he finds restraint, because he saves her multiple times, and especially at the end, like all heroes do.
Meyers went from having the voices of Bella and Edward in her head, having to get up in the middle of the night to write the conversations down, to getting a book deal from a publisher in 6 months time. And now the movie is out. She claims she never had any good luck, never won anything in her life, etc., getting an agent to look at her book—esp. Since it was a 500 page book—was a stroke of very good luck. No one even looks at a first-time author's book, and especially if they know how long the novel is. I can't tell you how many rejections I've had over the years. I really don't want to count them. I've had one agent write of a vampire novel I'd sent to her that selling vampire novels was difficult, after telling me I should reduce the size of my novel (which was at least 800 double-spaced pages). After all that work cutting the thing down to half, thinking I might have found myself an agent at last! No, the agent had gotten cold feet. My vampire novel—which had been rewritten from the 1980's, named Vampire Legacy, went back into a box—along with several other unpublished novels.
That was some time in the '90's. Then along came Rowling's Harry Potter books.
At the time who knew that a children's novel could turn the publishing world up-side-down? I, along with everyone else who had Harry Potter Syndrome, could not get enough of this woman's writing, or the wonderful characters, the backdrop, etc.
It was at this time I was trying to find something new to write. Something I could get excited about.
That's how Spell of the Black Unicorn came about. I'd found that fantasy was something I did enjoy much better than the horror, or the thrillers I'd been reading. I needed something with magic in it. Something that allowed my imagination to go all out, since I have a lot of it. Fantasy allows you to do just this. As long as you follow the program, you can do just about anything.
At the time I was reading Harry Potter, waiting for the next book to come out to read it in two weeks—I wanted to enjoy it, okay?—I went around the bookstores trying to find something like these novels, but something aimed more for adults. I couldn't find anything like what I wanted. Some were close, but after getting half-way through, or just reading bits a pieces of them. None came close to what I was trying to find. So, the old idea of why not write my own, just kicked in.
Much like Meyers, I had trouble sleeping what with all the scenes, dialogue and so forth keeping me up, and wanting very much to just stay home and write. I didn't have children, but I did have to bring home a paycheck, and so I drive a transit bus. Pays the bills, and sometimes you get a head full of “characters” who get on your bus.
It took me a while to write my novel, since I had to make up a whole world for Zofia to come from. There had to be a reason for her being here, on Earth, and also, eventually I had to explain where her people came from. That was the toughest part, but it came.
When I was in my teens, and even into my twenties, to get into vampires (movies, and books when you could find them), was viewed as odd. Yes, you probably don't believe this, if you aren't over the age of 30. I was considered “weird” to anyone who knew me. My favorite holiday has always been and will always be Halloween. I watched the horror flicks on TV late Friday and Saturday nights. My brother gave me the nickname “Igor” mainly because he thought I was weird, I suppose.
But, I've stuck to my guns. Why deny that I'm different? I revel in being different. My husband loves the fact that I'm different, that I march to my own drummer. Some people wouldn't even understand that, and claim they too, are like this. But hey, you all walk around with the tight clothes if your women, and men having their paints hanging off your asses—you all begin to look the same. You see what I mean? You aren't doing “your own thang”, you're doing whatever everyone else is doing, because you want to be accepted. I was never accepted by others, I have rarely had any close friendships throughout my life. The only true and best friend I have is Dennis, my husband, who has backed me 120% on the idea of getting my book out there.
And now it is out there. Self-publishing is still published. It's avaialable to anyone who wants a copy at www.infinitypublishing.com.
I have no problem with Meyers, who is making beaucoup bucks from her young adult novels and now has a movie deal. She deserves it. I feel envious, only because I've gone for 30 years trying to appease the gods (and goddesses) of the publishing world, to no avail. But, there is hope. If my novel can find a niche, and I think it will, in the publishing world—it's people who buy books, not the publisher who makes wrong guesses all the time what people will like to put down cold, hard cash for a book—I can go back to trying to appease the gods and goddesses. “Look,” I can say, “I've sold a thousand novels in my area. You want to see this before it goes national?” How I wish I could say that to someone.
At the moment, I'm getting set up for my very first book signing. A box of 36 of my books are due to be delivered at my door today, so that I can sell them to people I know—who have been bugging me with the same question: “When can I buy your book?” Although I have a feeling it's mainly because they know me—the author—and can get my autograph, and say they know the author, etc, but I'm hopeful that they really want to read it. And once they do, maybe they'll like it enough to start talking about it to other people.
After thirty years of having dreams of having my own book published, going to book signings, and staying home to write, rather than going out into to this mean world to make a living, I think I'm at the very threshold. To do what one has wanted all their life, and be denied it time after time, and still, I did not quit—although had wanted to, many times (my husband stopped me from throwing it all away one day)—I've come full circle on this.
I may not have a multiple book deal yet. I may never have a movie made of my novel(s) (Oh, yeah, there's a lot more books in me—even one vampire novel I worked on this summer I want to work on through the winter, after I finish last draft of Spell of Dark Castle), but I feel as though I have hit a pinnacle in my life. I've wanted to see my book in print, and now it has come to pass. I've wanted to have a book sining—I have one in the DeKalb Borders (a coup for me, as it's at the very height of Christmas season!)—and I've taken today off to get in touch with newspapers, radio stations and other people who need to be notified about it.
