WONDERLAND Cover & Pre-order

I can finally reveal WONDERLAND's beautiful, intriguing cover! 

When I first saw it I thought "Orange? That's a strange color for a novel that takes place in winter." And then all of the symbolism started coming to me, and haunting me, and I realized how brilliant this cover is.

And for those of you who are really excited, WONDERLAND is now available to pre-order!

Now On Goodreads

Good news, reader friends! My next book, WONDERLAND, is now listed on Goodreads! The book is set to be published on June 16, 2020 and the cover hasn't been revealed yet (I absolutely LOVE the cover and can't wait to share it with you!). I'd sure appreciate it if you'd add WONDERLAND to your Goodreads Want To Read list. 

Wow, it seems like it's been a long time coming to get this second book out into the world, but I think things are going to start picking up now. I'll be back with updates when I have them! 

Pitch Wars Advice Blog Hop

For those of you who are about to be selected for Pitch Wars – and for those of you who are not – I see REVISIONS in your future!

Revising is something all writers do, whether it's your first book or your hundredth. "How do I make my book better?" can be a maddening question and there aren't always easy answers. However, there are common things that you can look for as you approach the next draft of your novel. I'm in the process of developing a workshop to help writers identify issues that many of us encounter, and these fall under two headings – Strengthening the Story, and Perfecting the Writing.

From Sept. 2017: ready with the red pencil

The biggest "big picture" concerns are bigger than what I'm going to address here, things like plot, character arcs, a story-worthy problem, a concept with zing, etc. You can read about those in any number of craft books. Rather, I want to address the sort of details that you can train yourself to become aware of. Many of these, if left unresolved, will earn you a plethora of "bubble comments" from critique partners, beta readers, or even editors.

STRENGTHENING THE STORY:

1) Not enough tension. Tension is necessary in all genres. Tension keeps the reader on edge and involved. To achieve tension in your writing you need to make sure that various things, on various levels, are unresolved. New questions need to be continually introduced: "What's going to happen if________?", "Why did she react like that?", "Oooh, what's that little teaser referring to?" Tension also exists when characters disagree with each other. In short, tension is a byproduct of conflict, and you want to have multiple layers of active conflict present throughout your novel. Regardless of what type of story you write, tension can increase the likelihood that your readers keep turning the page.

2) Have you left all the good stuff in your head? You know where your scene is taking place and what it looks like. Do your readers know? You see how your characters react to situations, and know the backstory that makes them act that way. Have you let the readers in on that? There's an element to this that's about description (places, people, objects, weather, etc.) – which needn't be long to be effective – but a bigger element is about world and character building. If you want readers to SEE and KNOW what you see and know, you need to show them.

3) Write "in scene" whenever possible. Sometimes a bit of summary is useful, but don't use it to avoid writing difficult or otherwise more interesting "in scene" chapters. Where summary tends to be passive, writing "in scene" is active. Where summary is telling, writing "in scene" is showing.

PERFECTING THE WRITING:

1) Consider dialogue:

- Where is it too explanatory?

          

- Are there exchanges that could be a little shorter? (i.e. conversation that doesn't contribute to the story or characters)

          

- Are there exchanges that could be a little longer? (People can be kind of roundabout in conversations; the novelist needs to find a good balance.)

          

- Are there certain words that only a certain character uses?

          

- Look for places where you can replace "she said" with more meaningful action or internalization: 

a) "I don't know," she said. Vs:

b) "I don't know." Mary scratched her nose, determined not to look Wade in the eye. He probably already knew she was lying, but she'd made a promise to her sister.

2) Consider individual words:

- Look for stronger verbs

          

- Look for more accurate/expressive words of all kinds

          

- Look for overused words, both common and "weird" (In Word, use "Find")

          

- Look for words that are repeated too close together (in the same sentence or paragraph)

3) Check punctuation. Watch for overuse/underuse of commas, semi-colons, colons, and em dashes. Use exclamation points rarely!

4) Make sure every sentence reads JUST as you want it: **

- If it's awkward – or when in doubt – FIX it!

          

- Find yourself yawning while reading your own book? Tighten in places that feel like they're dragging.

          

- Keep an eye on she/her (and he/his) in places with multiple people = make sure it's clear who the "she" and "her" are referring to.

** Note: this can be easier to assess when you have "fresh eyes." Try to take some time off between drafts – weeks, or even months!

It might take some practice, but over time you can become conscious of these kinds of nuances and really take your work to the next level.

Happy writing… and revising!

BABY TEETH Soon To Be A Major Motion Picture

I can finally reveal... BABY TEETH has been optioned for film by Village Roadshow!

EXCLUSIVE: Village Roadshow and Valparaiso Pictures have partnered on a film adaptation of Zoje Stage’s bestselling 2018 novel Baby Teeth from St. Martins Press.  Screenwriter Nina Baker will adapt.

For the full DEADLINE announcement click here.

I have many film friends who have thought that writing/publishing novels was my secret backdoor plan to resume my filmmaking career... but that isn't true. I love how writing a novel is like wearing every creative filmmaking hat - writer, director, cinematographer, production designer, actor, etc. - and it is fulfilling in a way I can't even describe. I am thrilled that the adaptation of BABY TEETH is underway, and while I'm available to any of the film team if they want to pick my brain, this project is in their hands.

I've already spoken in-depth with screenwriter Nina Baker, and I'm very excited to see her adaptation of my book come to life! Hopefully we'll have more updates on this in the near future...

Connecting With Readers

It's generally accepted in publishing that it's best for authors not to read reviews - and in the modern world that has come to specifically mean "reader reviews." In the age of the internet, everyone has an opinion. People are willing to berate a book with the same zeal as a toaster oven, indifferent to the reality that who-the-hell-knows who made the toaster oven, but the author will suffer the real-world effects of someone's hatred - whether that's in damaged feelings or damaged sales. 

Pic by Story-eyed Reviews

To make the internet even worse, we authors are often tagged in these reviews. Sometimes it's obvious from the outset that the author should proceed at her own peril, but sometimes it isn't. Thus, we authors find ourselves with a finger hovering over a link, debating whether or not to click it.

That's where I was a short time ago, looking at a Tweet I'd been tagged in, wondering if the description of BABY TEETH as "a wild ride" held more positive connotations than negative. I took the risk and clicked on the link...

Every once in a while I'm rewarded with a reader reaction so apt, so what I was hoping my words and characters and story would convey, that I'm struck almost speechless by a welling of emotions. 

Another thing you discover as a published author is how symbiotic the writer-reader relationship is. Every reader experiences a book a bit differently, based on their own set of experiences, influences, personality, etc. I've come to realize just how much each reader brings to the process, resulting in a thousand people with a thousand different interpretations of the story. Now, quite often there is a lot of overlap, but there are almost always subtle differences - and occasionally a radical possibility I, the author, hadn't even considered. But it is a very special moment when a reader is able to convey to you that they read the exact book you intended to write. Truly, it doesn't happen very often, so needless to say I was glad I clicked on this blogger's review.

There was this: 

"What makes this story so special is that it takes these distressing, confusing, sinister elements, a lot of them classic tropes, and then weaves them into her characters lives with an incredible amount of heart. I didn’t expect my heart to be so conflicted or broken open by a thriller! So much happens in this book and there are times when it’s almost impossible to tell who you’re supposed to feel the most for: the parents? The child? Everyone involved?... Her ability to shift such intense and full empathy onto every character, especially juxtaposed with the subject matter, is one of the most compelling things I’ve read in a long time."

And this:

"A third aspect of this book that I loved was the authentic and relatable way that the author wrote a character living with a chronic illness. Suzette, the mother of this family, has Crohn’s Disease and it plays a huge part in her ability to care for family, to make decisions, even to live and work and feel like she has enough energy to be a whole person. I wasn’t expecting this in a suspense novel, but I needed it so badly. As someone else living with a chronic condition, it was obvious to me that Stage was writing from firsthand experience. So many subtle moments of Suzette’s suffering made me go “me too!” and to see and acknowledge that as a valid, human part of this story was a brilliant decision on the author’s part."

These aspects - the empathy, living with chronic illness, and turning a trope on its head - were fundamental in my vision for the story, and it feels like such a victory to connect so fully with a reader on this level. And this is why, in spite of what we know about "not reading reviews," sometimes we take the risk... and click the link... And are rewarded with a little insight into someone else's thought process. It feels good to be "heard," to be understood and seen. Yet another magical element in this crazy journey of writing books. Thank you, Readers. 

Flashback on Book Expo 2018

I've been seeing a ton of posts across social media about Book Expo, and it's triggering flashbacks. You see, Book Expo 2018 was my first appearance as a professional author—six weeks ahead of the publication of BABY TEETH—and apparently it was traumatic enough (or at least dramatic enough) to trigger a hotbed of memories. Before my Book Expo day was even finished I declared it "One of the most stressful days of my life!" (Though I also voiced the hopeful possibility that in the future, "Maybe other author events will seem easy by comparison.")

I was not expecting these memories to come back in such full force, but…

I was a wreck by the time I got to New York City, having spent nine hours on a train after having not traveled much in many years. Though I've spent a fair amount of time in New York City and volunteered to walk from Penn Station to my hotel (instead of the car service my publicist first arranged for me), I was rattled and disoriented and made wrong turn after wrong turn. What should have been a ten-minute walk became thirty, and when I arrived at the hotel it seemed more like a nightclub than a place to sleep.

I was hungry and should have ordered room service, but I wasn’t used to hotels and even making a simple phone call seemed too difficult in that moment. I ate the remaining snacks I'd brought for the train and watched cable TV (which I don't have at home). I was exhausted but couldn't sleep, and my over-the-counter sleep aid didn't help. I needed a Xanax, but had forgotten to pack any. For twenty years I've slept with the background white noise of a turbo-loud fan that mutes neighbor and street noise. Without my fan at the hotel, I heard everything: the elevator, the city sounds, the rumbling beat of music from an outdoor bar beneath my window. But finally, I got to sleep.

Me and the gang... and the potato

On the morning of my Book Expo event I woke up with plenty of time to order a room service breakfast, since I hadn't had a proper meal in more than twenty-four hours. But I was too nervous to really eat. My publicist had arranged for a car to take me to Javits—and I learned to never turn down car service again (it's the best)! I walked into the building knowing I'd soon meet up with my friend Paula, but even before she spotted me my publicist waved and ran over. As I greeted Katie and hugged Paula I finally had a moment of normality, and realized I would've had a much better night had I spent it on the couch in Paula's studio apartment. I needed a familiar face. Soon after meeting my publicist for the first time I met my agent, and then various members of my marketing team who had come to cheer me on… and evaluate my public speaking skills. (No pressure.) 

My panel turned out to be scheduled for an hour later than we'd thought, which immediately made me panic: I was afraid my meager breakfast wouldn't be enough to hold off that wobbly kind of hunger (which I'm susceptible to). In the weeks prior to Book Expo I'd been working with my doctor for solutions to fatigue and brain fog, as for months I'd been afraid that my brain wouldn't work when I most needed it to—and here I was tired, hungry, nervous, and stressed to a degree I'd never felt before.

"What am I doing?"

Finally it was time to go "backstage" and meet the folks I'd be talking with. And then I was on the stage, sitting on a tall director's chair holding a microphone, a little bottle of water, and a potato with pencils for legs (an UnderSlumberBumble-Beast made by my marketing team). The panel got started and the questions seemed different in real life than what we'd talked about over email. (I've done two panels in the last four weeks and have discovered that this seems to be a recurring trait with panels; maybe it's just what happens when multiple people converge to speak on a list of topics.) The other two writers—Hank Phillippi Ryan and Peter Blauner—were infinitely more experienced than I was, and they made the whole thing look easy.

"Did I say something funny?"

My sense of it was: it went okay. Looking back, it still seems hard to believe that I managed the travel, the hotel, the craziness of Book Expo and Javits Center, and then spoke into a microphone while having a stress- and hunger-induced out of body experience.

Later I did my first book signing (yay!) and it felt like I signed a hundred books in thirty minutes. And an hour after that I had a video interview with the lovely people at Audible. I was feeling a little more like myself by then, a little more "in my body" and had gotten more comfortable around all the new people who were suddenly such an important part of my day. Then Paula and I went back to my hotel to rest for a bit before meeting my agent and editor for supper. So, my long day wasn't over yet.

Signing books (legit fun!)

I made a note to myself: Do everything differently next time!

Seriously, take the plane instead of a train: it might make for a slightly more stressful travel experience, but it will be over quicker. And if Paula's game, stay with her instead of at the fancy hotel with the king-size bed: there's nothing like a friend to recalibrate my equilibrium. And resist what may seem like "professional necessity" and don't plan a late supper after what has already been an overwhelming day: I came back from supper with a migraine, as a result of stress and exhaustion.

Hanna's UnderSlumberBumbleBeast checks
out the Flatiron Building

At the time, I did the best I could, and everyone else seemed to think my day at Book Expo went well. (Afterward, I stayed in New York to hang out with Paula for a couple days, and we had more fun with that potato than should have been possible.) Just as I'd predicted, all of my author appearances since then have been easier by comparison. That one year on it still brings up such visceral memories for me is a testament to just how stressful it was. But I endured. Just as I endured many new and difficult things during my first year as a professional novelist. Come mid-July, BABY TEETH will have been out in the world for a full year, but in many ways June 1 is the true anniversary—the one-year mark of ME out in the world. 

So one year on, have I changed, especially "ME, out in the world"?

I'd say yes—a lot! (Though I still sometimes marvel that I survived Book Expo as my first author event.) In certain areas I've made great strides: in a Q&A format, I've actually come to enjoy making author appearances (though I have yet to tackle speaking on my own, in a presentation format). And I recently needed to travel again and I adhered to everything I'd learned from last year: I took a plane, traveled with a friend, loved ordering room service at every opportunity, and didn't over-schedule my days. Yup, I've learned stuff.

My life as a published author is still a work-in-progress, to be sure, and it seems like there's an endless amount of lessons to learn. This is not a career where after publishing one book you hit rewind, and play, and then run through a repeat of everything you did before. Nope, each book is different, and I'm still encountering—and conquering!—many new experiences. My goal now is to find a better balance between "book life" and "my" life. For a couple of years now my mental and physical energy has been entirely about writing, books, publishing… It's on my mind almost continuously (almost obsessively). I anticipate that continuing for another year or more, until I feel more confident that this is a sustainable career. But at some point I'll need more separation between "book life" and "my" life to maintain a healthy mind & soul.

What is "progress" if not learning new things—good and bad—about yourself, in the world? It's exciting to be aware of progress, even (or especially?) when there's a sense of an incomplete Big Picture. This "open-ended" aspect holds the possibility of limitless growth—hopefully in the direction of getting better at both writing and publishing (and being)—and that's a great place to be after an adolescence and adulthood stymied by illness. In moments like this, I'm reminded of the miracle that has been this midlife career change. And hopefully, having survived Book Expo '18, I'm better prepared for whatever comes next.