Friday, June 01, 2007

Back to the book and more on Andrew Speaker, the TB passenger

I spoke to my editor yesterday. She really likes my book and I should be getting her editorial report this weekend. Very excited but also freaked out. I have to re-work the beginning of the book. This is note I heard from several readers. They enjoyed it but felt it takes too long to get into the meat of the story, which is set in Rome not Los Angeles. I wrote the ms in a linear way and might start the book with my protagonist in Rome and flashback to the horrific two weeks that proceeded her arrival.

I haven't worked on the book in 7 weeks. While I have enjoyed being able to get things done (gym, downloading CDs to my iPod, watching Good Morning America, spending time reading blogs and other things on the internet), I missed my book. Sometimes at the gym funny dialogue (to me anyway) that one of the characters might say pops into my head. I started to keep pen and paper next to my bed. I never felt like getting out of bed to write down good ideas and assumed I would remember them in the morning. I never did and it would drive me crazy all day.

Taking a walk or walking on the treadmill listening to music gets the creative juices flowing. Being in the shower and driving also seems to work. I read on one screenwriter's website it's because your subconcious is at work. This is why I like to write in the morning. After working all day my brain is fried and I'm not a night person.

I am looking foward (fear aside) to getting back into the swing of things. I love writing. I love the world the book is set in. Working on the book again will bring some non-caloric enjoyment back into my sad little life. I was in a foul mood all week (my co-workers even noticed) because the long weekend was so booooooring. I was glad to go on a hike with a friend Sunday morning but sitting at home Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday night made me salty. I thought "why am I spending every night at home watching Emmy DVD screeners?" or "would it be a really bad idea to bake a cake for one person?"

I watch the GMA interview at the gym with Andrew Speaker. He has changed his attitude. Before he said "I'm a smart, successful person, I'm not going to do that" meaning staying in Rome until the CDC could figure out a way to get him to Denver without him flying commercially. Now he says he's sorry, started crying and saying he never meant to put anyone at risk.

What is outrageous is when the border officer swiped Speaker's passport it said to detain him. The officer thought Speaker "looked" healthy and let him through. WTF?!! The report said not to let him in the country. If Speaker wasn't a good looking lawyer with his pretty wife next to him, would they have stopped him. What part of DO NOT ALLOW ENTRY INTO THE UNITED STATES did the officer not understand? This person should not be protecting our borders.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

T.K. in Ohio here: Big shout-out to you on book approval!! You should feel very, very proud! Hell, I feel proud & I don't even know ya! (LOL!) Keep on pushing & it'll all come together. Maybe if you dont feel like getting out of bed to write down your thoughts, you could keep a little mini-recorder at bedside; just flick it on in the dark when your thought hits as opposed to trying to get it together enough to write it down, you know? Just a suggestion.

I also watched GMA (my favorite news channel) & the interview tih Mr. Speaker. You're right - his attitude has definately changed. I also find it strange that his father-in-law is the master of studies of tuberculosis & being rather nonchalant in my opinion. Then in a silly turn on my part, as the interview went on between Mr. Speaker & Diane Sawyer (I luv her!) with those masks on, they started to remind me of a couple of ducks cause the masks looked like duck bills (LOL!)

Have a great weekend - don't let it be boring - as I said in a previous post - find some little, but joyful things to do. If I still lived out there, I would go to the free art showing of Dr. Jeff Clements pencil art drawings tomorrow from 3-6 on Slauson. Now tell me who doesn't have a life - I live in Ohio and still look to see what's going on in L.A.!!! :-D

Anonymous said...

Hey another book to look forward to! And set in Rome my all time favorite city, what more can a reader ask for? ;)

I think he was let through because of stereotypes. We all have them. But I probably shouldn't go there...

Anonymous said...

Yhat's great about your book. Looking forward to buying it in the stores. I was in CA for the long weekend. I had a blast. I went to Orange County and then went to Santa Monica. Ate there. Walked on the beach. It was fun. I would love to live so close to the beach. =although I'd probably go broke in a heartbeat. It's $$$$$$!!!!!
I worked in a hospital. There were lots of bealthy -looking people in the oncology ward. I know Cancer isn't contagious like TB, but sometimes you can't eyeball who is heslthy and who is not.

Anonymous said...

Sure, let the guy with an infectious disease in! We're too busy fighting off destititute, hard-working Mexicans down south! Border patrol, indeed.

Just a little sarcasm for your weekend! :-)

Janet said...

Listen you, you don't sound like you have a "sad little life". I LOVE peeking into your life from time to time!

But I know we all feel like that sometimes. I've been going through a period of that, too, and I have almost NOTHING to be sad about these days.

I think blogging helps -- don't you?

I'm looking forward to your book, BTW!

Janet

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

T.K. in Ohio - thanks for the tip. A mini recorder would also help with driving.

The in-law situation is bizarre. Did the CDC tell the father-in-law what was going on?


Rose - you, J.Doe, and Rose in Cali hit the nail on the head. The more interviews with this guy I see the more annoyed I get. The sense of entitlement is crazy. The wife said she thought the CDC could send a boat to get them because she was worried he would die. Didn't her husband say two minutes earlier he wasn't at risk to anyone? Which is it?

Also what is up with the father taping the conversation with the local health officials without tell them? Something is not right. Who tapes doctors apppointments? The parents keep saying Andrew is not a fault. At all.


Janet - Thanks Janet. You are right blogging does help. :)

Shelley - At Home in Rome said...

Great news on the book. Have you ever read "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron? She has a technique for writing, I think called morning pages, that has apparently been helpful for a lot of people. Kind of an esoteric book but you never know, if you find it used or can borrow it from someone might be interesting.

I like the idea of the flashbacks... as a reader I can agree that it's good to hook people off the bat, and keep things moving with a good pace.

In bocca al lupo!

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

Shelley - I do have that book but haven't read it yet. Thanks for the good wishes.

Anonymous said...

Great news about your book. l look forward to having a read... Keep us posted!