HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I wish you could see me. Or maybe not. I’m kinda…frazzled.
No matter how organized I try to be, I know that how matter how much I plan, I will be typing typing typing right up till the final manuscript deadline.
Why is it that somehow my writer brains calculates the amount of time remaining to do a certain task, and makes the task last right up to that exact second?
What I am writing/editing is my 15th novel, and… Well, before we get to that:
I have just come back from three fantastic, hilarious, exhilarating, exhausting weeks on book tour, almost in a different city every day.
When I left Boston in February, the world was slushy and snowy, and the skies were gray. As I arrived back home, weary, but thrilled, our crocuses had arrived, and the soft spring wind was making ripples in our backyard swimming pool. (No ducks yet, though.) And I saw this this squirrel on our back fence, brazenly eating a tulip bulb!
I unpacked immediately, because that is civilized. And..laundry. You should know that book tour is not the same as a tourist tour. I saw the Liberty Bell through the window of an Uber. And the Washington DC monuments, well, I flew over them.
I unpacked immediately, because that is civilized. And..laundry. You should know that book tour is not the same as a tourist tour. I saw the Liberty Bell through the window of an Uber. And the Washington DC monuments, well, I flew over them.
But so many people came to hear about THE HOUSE GUEST! Here are a few photos...
This entire book club, look! Dressed up like the cover. Got to adore that. SO many darling friends here!
You know THE HOUSE GUEST went into a second printing after six days, and that is absolutely thrilling. ( If you care about having a first edition, just saying, this might be the time to snag it. Oh, and also parenthetically, if you are Kindle Unlimited, HER PERFECT LIFE is now free! I’m not sure for how long, but if you have not read that, and you are KU, now is definitely the time. )
So onward, onward, and the reason I am frazzled is that the edits of the first draft of my new novel were due yesterday at… Well, yesterday.
I was tempted to pretend I am on California time, thereby giving me three more hours until close of business. (I mean, I might live in California, right?)
But no time zone finessing was necessary, and at 6:09 PM Monday, I hit “ send” on the new book. I cut– drum roll-- 8924 words. And it was so much fun.
Part of the joy of writing for me is after I get that first draft done, then being able to tweak and polish and edit and streamline and see the book I meant to write. And, crossing fingers, I think that has happened. Here is a sample page. You can kinda see how much was deleted.
Too hard to read? Rats. I am too tired to figure out how to make this work. Any ideas?
Do you always work right up to your deadline, Reds and Readers? Or are you so organized that you send things in early?
And there were snags, oh yes, indeed. Like when my books were shipped not to Alexandria, Virginia, where the big signing was, but to Arlington, Texas. It’s still a mystery! But it all worked out fine. Eventually.
And look look look, is this not the most hilarious thing you’ve ever seen?
Book clubs and readers are dressing up like the cover of THE HOUSE GUEST! I laugh and laugh when I see these, and some of these cover faces, you might even recognize. But I am endlessly delighted by them.
And look look look, is this not the most hilarious thing you’ve ever seen?
Book clubs and readers are dressing up like the cover of THE HOUSE GUEST! I laugh and laugh when I see these, and some of these cover faces, you might even recognize. But I am endlessly delighted by them.
This entire book club, look! Dressed up like the cover. Got to adore that. SO many darling friends here!
You know THE HOUSE GUEST went into a second printing after six days, and that is absolutely thrilling. ( If you care about having a first edition, just saying, this might be the time to snag it. Oh, and also parenthetically, if you are Kindle Unlimited, HER PERFECT LIFE is now free! I’m not sure for how long, but if you have not read that, and you are KU, now is definitely the time. )
So onward, onward, and the reason I am frazzled is that the edits of the first draft of my new novel were due yesterday at… Well, yesterday.
I was tempted to pretend I am on California time, thereby giving me three more hours until close of business. (I mean, I might live in California, right?)
But no time zone finessing was necessary, and at 6:09 PM Monday, I hit “ send” on the new book. I cut– drum roll-- 8924 words. And it was so much fun.
Part of the joy of writing for me is after I get that first draft done, then being able to tweak and polish and edit and streamline and see the book I meant to write. And, crossing fingers, I think that has happened. Here is a sample page. You can kinda see how much was deleted.
But soon, if all goes as planned, there'll be the real thing. And now I sit at my desk, frazzled and frumpled with hair askew, proud of myself for making my deadline, hooray! But knowing, now, I need another idea. Oh dear. I need another idea.
Do you always work right up to your deadline, Reds and Readers? Or are you so organized that you send things in early?
Congratulations, Hank, on what sounds like a most successful book tour.
ReplyDeleteI am the world's best procrastinator and I'm not particularly organized, so very last minute and I are good friends . . . .
Well, I so understand! And sometimes it's not procrastinating, it's just--the work expands to fil l the time allotted!
DeleteCongrats on the book tour and hitting send on the next book!
ReplyDeleteI try not to be a right up until the very end person. On the other hand, without deadlines, I wouldn't get anything done. Sometimes, I do well at getting things done early. Other times, I get lots of distractions, not always of my own making, that keep me from being as early as I'd like.
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DeleteGOT to have deadlines, I so agree! And yes,there are SO many distractions!
DeleteCongrats on the book tour. Now after hitting "send" - you should be able to relax for a few days. I try to deliver my work before the deadline.
ReplyDeleteHA HA! Dru ANn, my to do list is still unimaginable. And interestingly, in publishing, sometimes "early" doesn't help, because the next person on the chain is not going to do what they do until the date they expected the thing , not the date they get it. My editor has said I can be early--but she's still going to read it when it's slotted on HER calendar. So that's kind of a good thing.
Deletethe above is from me.
ReplyDeleteYou made it - of course you did! Did you find it possible to work on the book during that fabulous tour?
ReplyDeleteI could read the text - ooh. Fabulous. Does this book have a title?
Also, naughty squirrel. Bad squirrel. And deadlines - well, I have a book due Saturday and I might turn it in today. Or tomorrow. (I'm at the infinite-tweaking stage, and returns are diminishing.)
No, really, I couldn't, Edith. I took my laptop everywhere, but there's only so much room in my brain, and iI finally let myself off the hook. It would happen when I got home, and that's all I could do. And oh, HOW many changes do we seen AFTER we hit send? Ha. Good luck with your deadline!
DeleteAh, deadline madness.
ReplyDeleteI set my own deadline a month ahead of the real one. That way, I either A. have time to go back through the manuscript and give it a deep polish or B. am not really late when I don't make that deadline. It doesn't always work though. I recently had two deadlines for two different books with two different publishers. The second one was a frantic rush to complete and took every second of that last day of Deadline Madness to complete
Congrats on both the new book and on THE HOUSE GUEST!
Annette, I don't know how Rhys and Jenn manage to juggle two books at once all the time! it's very hard!
DeleteYou are amazing! ANd yes,I make deadlines for myself, too, and try to give myself an extra month. It's so reassuring! But there's always that very last moment...
DeleteSO agree, Lucy. I cannot imagine .Well, I can, actually, and that's the problem! :-)
DeleteHank, congrats on the successful book tour! It was great to see you at the Sandwich Public Library stop. And I did send you an email regarding The Strand magazine thing you told me about when I saw you.
ReplyDeleteAs for deadlines, when I'm writing my CD reviews the deadline is kind of loose. However, my Cassette Chronicles have a more hard and fast deadline. I generally get them in a couple days early though I've had moments when I have gone right up to the last minute.
Oh, did I get that email? I am so sorry if I missed it--I will look again. ANd yes, it was so much fun to see you!
DeleteHank, I can always resend the email if that helps.
DeleteYes, great! Do! xx Thank you!
DeleteWhat a wonderful book tour! I think it's terrific that people dressed up like the House Guest. And congratulations on making your deadline. I don't know how you do so many things at once. It sounds to me like you are really due for a vacation break.
ReplyDeleteI read Her Perfect Life and really enjoyed it, and I want to get The House Guest next.
Meanwhile, I relate to what Joan Emerson said. I am a terrible procrastinator and am too well acquainted with the last minute of almost anything.
Aren;t the people so clever! I laugh every time I see those outfits. ANd it's touching, too, that they thought of it. SO incredibly sweet.
DeleteHANK: Yay for the fabulous book tour! And making your deadline deserves another hooray!!
ReplyDeleteBoo to the tulip bulb-eating squirrel...no sign of my nemesis Satan yet this year.
When I worked at Environment Canada, I had multiple deadlines each year for different projects. It was always a juggling act to get things done on time but being paid was a good motivator. That money was needed to pay my research team's salaries & other expenses.
Ha! Yes, being paid is a wonderful motivator! Indeed! ANd keep us posted on the infamous Satan....
DeleteHank, endless congratulations on your book tour and your second printing in 6 days! Woo-hoo! And pashmina TV, too. And the countless interviews introducing other authors and their new books! And sending off your new manuscript! And FCF! XXOO
ReplyDeleteWhere do you find the time for everything?
If I were ever to grow up...
I feel like a star if I just hit send on a review of someone else's book.
A lit major in college, I had to read something and then write something. Clever assignments. I was always at the wire back then. Now, I am the type who must get it done on time, early even. But it is different and I have changed, too. They say youth is wasted on the young. I appreciate that now.
Yes, we definitely have stages of our lives. I remember some all-nighters in college, that's for sure. Now? Nope.
DeleteI meet my deadlines at least twenty-four hours in advance, concerned "the system" will crash. When we lived in Georgia and every high school student we knew was applying to UGA, the evening of deadline day the UGA admissions server crashed and screams of anguish could be heard all over the state.
ReplyDeleteOh, I am totally convinced that machines can feel our panic. They know when we're worrying or nervous or down to the wire. I'm sure that some evil coder has built in a crash-when-panicked sensor!
DeleteDeadlines are essential and, these days, I enjoy setting my own for my own satisfaction. Without a deadline, the time just disappears out from under me. And when I deliver early, I love -- just love -- crossing that item off the list. #Nerd
ReplyDeleteHank: mega congratulations on your tour and second-printing success! I've enjoyed the pics and posts you've shared on social media. Please do tell us how you found the time to write, finish and send in your next book. Wow!
Aw, thank you! Yes, it is so rewarding to cross something off a list. My favorite. That's not #nerd, that's #success. xxx
Deleteoooo, I like your paradigm shift to #success. I'll take it! xo
DeleteAmanda, I’ve toyed with the idea of setting deadlines for myself for the various stages of my decluttering. It really needs to be done - ALL of it needs to be done - yesterday! I admire you for being able to set your own deadlines. The funny thing is that I do better when working under pressure. But I also procrastinate, so…
DeleteDebRo
"It ALL needs to be done" is way too hard. ONE thing needs to be done. And you can only do one thing at a time, anyway. So set a deadline for ONE THING.
DeleteDouble congratulations Hank! I'm a terrible procrastinator, and without deadlines, there's no accountability except for the way I feel.
ReplyDeleteOh, that is such a wise thought! That psychic dark energy hangs over you when you are late, right?
DeleteI know someone whose spiritual name is "True Energy". Fact is this name belongs to you. Congratulations on the maximum impact book tour. No one doubted for your wonderful House Guest would fly off the shelves. I did so enjoy seeing you in Vero Beach - forgot to mention that I could hear every single word.
ReplyDeleteFurry fluffy tailed rodent might be scared by large ducks.. We live in hope. Sorry about the tulip.
no one doubted that .. if I were editing my pages would look like jackson pollock art.
DeleteCoralee--good image! I've seen edited pages like that!
DeleteSO marvelous to see you--such a high point! And we loved the strawberries! and that brings tears to my eyes that you could hear so nicely. Aww. xooxoo And yes, crossing fingers for ducks.
DeleteHahahaha, Hank! What is this thing of which you speak? Beat a deadline?? Once in grad school, a friend was typing pages practically as I wrote them (in the days before even word processors). Professionally, reports sometimes hit targeted due dates--depending on my collaborators--some were nightmares--never met a deadline they couldn't over-run. :-( In my life now, the only deadlines are the ones I set for myself and I try to be kind.
ReplyDeleteHank, there's a rumor going around that Putin uses body doubles--are we sure that you're not doing the same? Your schedule would exhaust me into two or three pale versions of myself! I have loved seeing all the photos from your tour! Congratulations!
Body double! SO funny. (Poor thing.) I'd probably get even more frazzled, deciding I need to tell mine what to do. I know that in publishing they build in pad on the deadlines, but I take great pride in meeting the assigned ones. it makes everyone's lives easier. xxx And aw, thank you. x
DeleteHank, great post! Love that your fans dress like the characters from THE HOUSE GUEST.
ReplyDeleteRegarding deadlines, I fell into the habit of advance planning at University because if I wanted to have Sign Language Interpreters, I HAD to request translators as early as possible. At least a month in advance or more!
Diana
Oh, that's interesting! Yes, a deadline is even more critical because so many other people are involved. If one link in the chain is weak, the whole thing crashes. (Can a chain crash?) xx
DeleteCan a chain crash? I think the word is upheaval or chaos or mess up?
DeleteNow I am thinking about this...
DeleteCongrats, Hank!
ReplyDeleteWhether I work up until the deadline kinda depends on the deadline. LOL
ANd kinda depends on the work! xx
DeleteToo true.
DeleteCongratulations on surviving the book tour and finishing the next manuscript! You rock. And you deserve a day or two to sit by that rippling (but duckless) pool and stare at the squirrel while the washing machine does all the work. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteOh, that sounds lovely. I truly can barely imagine. xoxoo Thank you!
DeleteYay, Hank! A successful tour, no kidding. Love the enthusiasm of the hat and sunglasses wearing fans. That's adorable. And how wonderful to go into second printing already!
ReplyDeleteWaiting until the last minute? Well, not exactly. My husband complains that I seem to leave things to the last minute, but I really don't. It's just that I prioritize the most urgently needed done things, and do those first. I am almost hyper organized in that way, and I tidy as I go. He, on the other hand, puts his head down and plods along and gets 'er done, usually way early. But he leaves behind the most horrific messes and loads of clues about what he's been doing. Our lives are like giant science experiments here.
Oh, the AFTERMATH! I hear you! I always try to leave the smallest footprint possible after doing something, but I know there are others (:-)) who do not do that. ANd I so agree--it's all about prioritization. ANd something has to be last. I was thinking about this yesterday--do you do the easy thing first or the hard thing first?
DeleteChoking here, so, I'll just mop up the coffee, Karen. I think giant science experiment lives are excellent lives!!
DeleteHank, you need to take a month off to do NOTHING! I would suggest going to an island somewhere but that would involve needing to arrive at airports on time, and you don’t need more of that! Maybe a cruise? Of course, that would still involve deadlines and needing to be at places on time. Or just stay home and don’t answer the phone or go on line! Enjoy a full month of no deadlines whatsoever!
ReplyDeleteDebRo
NO deadlines! Hmm..that's such a thought. I wonder if that would make me worry. (Don't answer the phone..we should talk about that. I hardly ever do, isn't that funny? Landline, never.)
DeleteCongratulations. Twice. On the response to The House Guest and meeting the deadline for the second book. What a whirlwind of activity!
ReplyDeleteWhere do you look for the next idea?? Do you take long walks or read a lot of newspapers ...? That is the fascinating part to me -- where the ideas come from.
Yes, indeed, that is the biggest of the big questions. And I have to say, it's different every time. I think there's something about...being open to the idea when it's presented, in whatever form. My mind catches on something--and I sort of...test it. Will that work for a novel? How? And then , when I'm lucky, the answer is yes. It's kinda magic.
DeleteHow fun to live vicariously as you on your book tour with photos! And love the track changes page. Very good to see your edits. And I also write up to the last minute as I believe the ms can always be better!
ReplyDeleteI always love to see the track changes, too..it's such an indication of actual WORK. :- )
Delete
ReplyDeleteWow, Hank, what a whirlwind tour! Congratulations on the crowds. As for deadlines, in my magazine managing editor days, I was the deadline overseer, and we never were late to the printer's, even when I had to produce "fill" for an unexpected hole in the ad schedule. It was always a race to the finish. Today, I'm still a last-minute finisher, not by design, but (alas) by habit.
Yes, those deadlines can be a wonderful challenge--when you "win," it's incredibly gratifying. I can imagine you doing all that! ANd then--success!
DeleteHi, Hank. Glad you made it home safe and sound. Right up to the last minute is the way I always seemed to be finishing papers for school, including college. And I'm organized (I guess) with more lists and charts and spreadsheets than you can count but for ARC reviews due I keep track of the date I received the book as well as the pub date, trying for kind of FIFO without missing pub dates as well, since the object is to get the reviews out there as soon as possible, not squeal in at the release, right? Can't wait to see what clever ideas you have come up with in the new book. xx Sally
ReplyDeleteAww..thank you! Yes, FIFO can work... And crossing fingers for THE IDEA. Send vibes. xx
DeleteVibes on the way :-)
DeleteThank you! Much needed. xoxoo
DeleteBack in the dark ages I used to type (on a typewriter!) my husband's college papers, usually the night before they were due. He'd be writing, I'd be typing. Unfortunately many of them were in Spanish or had a lot of Spanish names in them. Even more unfortunately, one of those words would suddenly change its spelling in the middle of the paper. It is a wonder our marriage survived, or my husband.
ReplyDeleteThat is the funniest thing I have ever heard. Aww.. You are a good partner!
DeleteAnd your results are always spectacular! The book tour looks fabulous. Completely. And I rarely miss a deadline… but lately that’s because I try to avoid having any. But what it they say: work expands to fill time? That’s what happens to me anyway
ReplyDeleteSO totally true. It's almost funny--no matter what I do, something happens to take up exactly the amount of time that exists.
DeleteDearest Hank-love that you shared the photo of readers dressed as The House Guest, including me-it was so fun to dress up! And..thank you so much, for including my book club photo -we loved dressing up for you!!!
ReplyDeleteYes, your book club is incredible! I am overwhelmed by your kindness..and your cleverness. And I was SO surprised!
DeleteBrava, Hank. I don't know how you do it all, and if you needed a few extra hours, I'd defend your right to them. I have often set earlier deadlines for myself, for extra peace of mind, most notably when favorite niece was small and my brother might need her to spend the night with me. I was working on my master's degree, and turning in papers early meant no stress while playing my part as Aunt Mary.
ReplyDeleteAwww...thank you. And yes, planning is a good thing. ANd you had the perfect incentive.
DeleteHank, you are simply amazing. Congratulations on juggling both promo and a deadline with the glamour you bring to all the things. Deadline...hmm...what's a deadline...
ReplyDelete*Jenn chains herself to her desk*
YOU are the hardest working woman in show biz! xxxx And aw. x
DeleteAND HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DARLING JENN! xoxooxooo. heart heart heart cake cake cake sugarless cake
DeleteCongratulations on the great tour! And the reader-as-cover photos are great. I'm never early with writing and deadlines give me hives.
ReplyDeleteHives! Ha. ANd yes, I am in awe of those clever people who dressed up..SO funny and so sweet.
DeleteSo sorry I'm this late today. I may be going out of town tomorrow for a couple of days, and I've lots to do, like get the car washed and grocery shop and do laundry and shower and a few other little things. I'm waiting to hear from my son on whether tomorrow is a go. But, I had to stop in here and comment on all your wonderful activity, Hank.
ReplyDeleteYou always have the best attended and enthusiastic book signings and events. That so many people, authors and readers have dressed like the cover of The House Guest is a huge salute to their love for you and your writing. Your pashmina give-aways and keeping in touch all throughout your book tour shows how much you care about your readers. And, getting your edits in on time. And getting your laundry done. You really don't ever sleep, do you? Congratulations on a successful book tour. I hope you can take at least a little down time.
AW, you are the best, dear friend. Safest of travels, darling one! xx
DeleteI love reading about the behind the scenes. I don't think many readers (including me at times) realize all the hard work that goes into research. Thank you for the chance to win! Lottie is adorable.
ReplyDelete