The sound of cicadas in the trees is bittersweet. Summer is still here, but fleetingly.
We would head back to the city after spending the summer at the lake. We would be hot and not quite ready for school to start. The streets would be quiet. The only sound, the cicadas.
My sister and I and some of her friends would jump fences of the quiet houses with pools and swim in the lonely afternoon heat. We would not linger, but move on to the next house, the next pool. Then later we would cross the highway to get to the shopping center. I would chicken out, though, and stop dead in the middle of the road. My sister would turn back and see me. She would run out and grab me, pull me to the side of the road. We would all laugh and she and her friends would swing their long, straight hair back and before we went looking for boys.
My hair would be short, childish. Unswingable.
Nights at the fair would be reserved for my best friend and me. We would eat fried dough and scream on the tilt-a-whirl, the zipper, the bobsled, the flying swings. The carnies would notice us too young and not young enough. The would offer free rides to her older sister and cousin. We would want those frees rides, too, but would not get them. Not yet. We would win prizes, rigid stuffed animals with decals for eyes.
There would be soccer practice. The field mid-morning, not yet hot, but the sound of the cicadas in the circling trees said it would be. The older girls on the team would talk about their summers. One girl would wear a T-shirt that said, “INXS.” I would not know what it meant until someone else asked her. I would nod. Of course. Duh. Of course that’s what it says.
There would be years in a city with no cicadas.
There would be years when the sound of the ocean covered their noise.
Now their sound is all about time passing. The cicadas and then the tree frogs and then the sound of snow falling.
Robin Slick, one of my favorite writers and people, has a new story available and you are going to want to read it. This story is red, and read, hot.
Anne Elliot (excellent human being and mother of my dog-baby’s twin) submits to What Are You Working On? YEAH!
The one and only Jordan Rosenfeld reviews “Blithe Tomato” (scroll down once you click on the link).
Go on and read Susan Henderson‘s utterly charming Don’t Knock Our Yard Till You’ve Played in It, and Call if You’ve Got a Working Time Machine
Man, lots of great stuff out there.
Dennis Mahagin is the featured poet over at Hiss Quarterly
Kat Denza reviews Disintegration by Kelly Spitzer
Baltimore Interview features Nikc Miller’s Garbage Can
And last but not least, Justin Crouse has a new story online: THE COMFORT OF HOME
I don’t know about you, but it’s been one helluva a fun week for me. I want to thank my dear friend Ellen again for taking the time to answer my questions. I believe you’ll agree that her responses have been insightful and generous and fun. I’ve loved reading them.
In case you missed any of the days, I’ve pulled them together into a list for you to click and enjoy:
Day One
Day Two
Day Three
Day Four
Day Five
Day Six
Day Seven
Each day this week, I will feature a new Q&A with Ellen Meister (author of SECRET CONFESSIONS OF THE APPLEWOOD PTA), along with a link to one of her stories.
Q & A
MC: Thank you for being so generous and gracious (as always!) and spending time answering my questions this week. I have just one more question before I let you go—What’s next for Ellen Meister?
EM: Thank you so much for having me! I’ve had a blast answering your very creative questions!
I plan to continue writing novels, and hope I can continue to sell them. I have an idea bank of plot ideas I’m excited to work on, and my goal is to write a novel a year.
To close the week, I want to acknowledge your blog readers and for hanging in there with me. The support and encouragement of our writing community never ceases to amaze me. So thank you, writer-readers! You’re an astoundingly talented bunch. May all your publishing dreams come true!
And Myf, thank you again. I don’t know what I’d do without a friend like you.
Read:
This story is near and dear to my heart not only because I was honored to accept it for publication, but also because it shows what exquisite range Ellen has:
Each day this week, I will feature a new Q&A with Ellen Meister (author of SECRET CONFESSIONS OF THE APPLEWOOD PTA), along with a link to one of her stories.
Q & A:
MC: As much as I am excited to have a copy of SECRET CONFESSIONS OF THE APPLEWOOD PTA in my hands, I’m also excited for the release of your second novel, THE SMART ONE. Is there anything you can share about it? What’s different about it from your first novel? What was your inspiration? Was the process of writing it different knowing that you had already sold it?
EM: I’ll answer your last question first. For me, there was a major emotional difference in the way I approached the two novels. I can honestly say I wrote SECRET CONFESSIONS OF THE APPLEWOOD PTA to please myself. And as much as I tried to capture that feeling when I tackled THE SMART ONE, I never forgot that there were others I needed to please. This is such a common phenomenon that there’s a name for it—second book syndrome. I’m hoping that by book three I feel a little more confident and seasoned, and can find a mellower way to blend those two approaches.
The inspiration for THE SMART ONE came from a real event that happened in my home town. A man who had just sold his home was instructed by the buyer to throw away a large industrial drum that was in the crawl space beneath the house. The drum had been there since the man moved in, and he had no idea what was inside. Once he got it to the curb, he needed to open it, because the sanitation department wouldn’t remove it unless they knew what it contained. Image his surprise when he pried off the lid and found human remains!
Forensics revealed that it was the body of a young pregnant woman, murdered some 25 years earlier, but remarkably well-preserved in the airtight drum. She was eventually identified as a factory employee of the home’s original owner, who had since retired and moved to Florida. Police went to question him, and requested a DNA sample so they could determine if he was the father of the unborn child. But before they could execute their warrant, the man committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.
As a novelist, this story grabbed hold of my imagination and wouldn’t let go. So when I decided to write a story about the relationship between three very different sisters, I knew the plot had to revolve around a similar case. Of course, I changed the facts to suit my story, but the influence is undeniable.
Thanks for asking about THE SMART ONE, Myf! It will be released next summer by William Morrow.
Read:
One of my favorite stories in one of my favorite ezines. What could be better?
Each day this week, I will feature a new Q&A with Ellen Meister (author of SECRET CONFESSIONS OF THE APPLEWOOD PTA), along with a link to one of her stories.
I’ve you’re nearby, be sure to make it over to Book Revue in Huntington, NY tonight where Ellen will be speaking about and signing her book.
Q & A:
MC: What of your past employment prepared you for your life as a novelist now? Are there things from other jobs that you use not only for your writing but also for the business of writing?
EM: I have to say that my marketing/copywriting background has been invaluable in every possible way.
In terms of writing, I’ll never forget advice I got from my boss when I was writing a brochure for a financial magazine. He said, “You have to picture your readers holding the brochure over a trash can as they scan it. If you don’t grab their attention right away, it’s over.” That resonated with me, and I still try to tap dance my heart out in every paragraph.
As far as selling the novel, my marketing background was useful in each step. Sales letters were one of my specialties, and that came in handy when I was writing query letters to agents. And once the book was sold, I worked very closely with the publisher on marketing efforts—from brainstorming on who to target and how to reach them, to the nuts and bolts of copywriting.
Also, I think my years of running my own sales promotion agency helped me appreciate the hard work and creativity of everyone I dealt with at my book and audio publishing companies, as well as my literary agency. I’m not just blowing smoke when I tell you those folks are very smart and work awfully hard. They impressed me again and again.
Read:
Oh man. I don’t know what to say other than every time I read this story it makes me laugh:
Sorry, I’m so post and run lately, but I was on a plane to Colorado for business about 36 hours after getting home from vacation and I’m not home again until Friday night. I actually miss my uncomfortable bed!
Anyway, I’ve got some more catching up to do:
Extra thanks to John Baker who included me in his Five Questions.
I’m excited/honored/touched to be included in Benjamin Buchholz‘s compelling project The Dust Girl (if you scroll to the bottom of the page you can see an excerpt of my story)
myfanwy collins 