A funny thing happened on the way to the couch last week.

I got an email from Barnes & Noble, saying "hey, we're super excited about doing your book launch on the 28th, but apparently the book's on back-order from the publisher, so...we might not actually have any for the party."

At this time last year, I would have been on the ceiling, the phone, and then the bottle. This time, though, I just looked at the email and thought, "Huh. Wonder how that's going to play out."

And that, friends, is the difference between the first book and the second one.

I know everyone likes to use the whole "your book is your baby" metaphor, but I'd like to propose a new one here: your book is your bae (boyfriend or girlfriend, in traditional parlance) – and if you think about what you were like during your first-ever dating relationship, you might start to see my logic.

You know what I mean. When you're new, nothing is not a huge deal. There's the euphoria and giddiness and over-the-moon feeling, sure – but there's also insecurity, jealousy, awkwardness, possessiveness, overreaction, disappointment, and usually at least one emotional atom-bomb somewhere along the way. It's very, very rare to marry the first person you ever date, and rarer still to become a bestselling success on the first book you ever write... but try telling that to your endocrine system.

So here I sit on the eve of my second book release (or maybe not – I'm not exactly sure whether it's the 24th or the 31st, which is another on that whole long list of things that I'm so, so happy not to have to be ruinously anxious about anymore). And to be honest, I'm feeling r

ather zen about the whole thing. I'm sure it won't last – it's not like you're James Bond on your second time out of the gate either – and that soon I'll be right back to fumbling sweatily at my career's bra-clasps in the back of the family Subaru. But at this exact moment, it is just divinely delightful to have a reprieve from those huge, heartbreaking highs and lows of the first time around, and to get a sweet little taste of emotional equilibrium.

Because at the end of the day, what you learn from your first book makes you a better author for your second. Your second does likewise for your third. I'm not sure you ever get less invested or less passionate about your literary relationships – I certainly hope not! – but every step you make towards maturity and self-sufficiency brings you that much closer to writing happily ever after.

- Tex Thompson, DFWWW member since 2012

Book Signing With DFWWW Member Extraordinaire, Author Arianne "Tex" Thompson!

Tex will be at the Barnes & Noble at the Shops at North East Mall in Hurst, Texas on Saturday March 28, 2015 at 3:00 PM signing copies of her newest novel, Medicine for the Dead.

This is the second book in the Children of the Drought series.

We hope to see you there!

For more information, click here.

Barnes & Noble
Shops at North East Mall
861 NE Mall Blvd, Hurst, TX 76053, 817-284-1244

The news is true. Beloved member "Tex" Thompson’s book, One Night in Sixes, has rolled off the Solaris press. We’ve seen it in person, flipped through its pages, admired the cover, and it’s a beautiful thing to behold.

Now it’s your turn to get your hands on Book One of The Children of the Drought Series, and you can do it in style by coming to the official launch. Grab your very own signed copy by stopping off at Barnes & Noble at the Shops at Northeast Mall on Saturday, August 2 at 3:00 PM. There will be snacks, prize giveaways (including a $100 B&N gift card), and an author Q&A.

As icing, prior to main event, Barnes & Noble will host Marvel Day. Bring your costumed kiddos for story time and a parade at 1:00, followed by activities and trivia from 1:30 until Tex takes the stage.

DFWWW will be out in force, and we’re looking forward to seeing ya’ll there.

 

WRiTE CLUB is back with a vengeance, and it’s not too late to fight.

As some of you may remember, last year one of our very own was crowned.  Now, DFWWW member Tex Thompson swings onto the other side of the ropes to judge, along with a distinguished panel that includes: Jonathan Maberry, Katie Grimm Margaret Bail, Sarah Negovetich, Brittany Booker, Candace Havens, Lydia Kang, and Tiana Smith.  (For those who just can't be bothered to click on the links, that's a list of some industry elite.  Agents, authors, editors, and the like.  Fancy stuff.)

Wondering about the rules of WRiTE CLUB?

1. You MUST talk about WRiTE CLUB – Spread the word


2. You DON’T talk about WRiTE CLUB – Once the bell sounds for round one, keep it quiet.


3. If someone taps out, WRiTING is over.


4. Only two people to a WRiTE.


5. Two WRiTE’s per week.


6. No shirts, no shoes…well, actually, your WRiTE attire is up to you.


7. WRiTES will go on until Aug 18th.


8. Anyone can WRiTE, but you have to have your submission in by May 31st.

With guidelines like these, how can one resist? To get the finer details, visit DL Hammon's site.

We can’t wait to see you in the ring!

 

A horde of DFWWW science fiction and fantasy authors attended the World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon) held in San Antonio from Thursday, August 29, through Monday, September 2.

Just a few of the exciting happenings:

Member Gabe Guerrero debuted his orc cosplay character, Tarbuz, which was the hit of the con. His picture may appear in Locus Magazine, the leading trade publication for SF&F. He was also photographed by local television stations, and won a Hall Costume award.

During the Hugo's, the biggest SF&F award, member Alley Hauldren sat in the press section representing her many blogs and other endeavors.

And that's not all.  Member Tex Thompson shined as a panelist as she rubbed elbows with her editor and fellow writers from Solaris.

 

Many of the top tier SF&F publishers were present, as well as several major editors, literary agents, and best-selling authors. There were participants from around the world (Japan, Finland, and United Kingdom seemed to be the most numerous). The variety of panels and topics were infinitesimal. The parties went until the wee hours of the morning (the candy and snacks at the Japanese party were life altering).

Needless to say, a good time was had by all.

I finally had to admit I had a roach problem after they stopped respecting the time-share agreement.

You know what I mean: You turn on the kitchen light, the tiny saloon piano stops for a sec, and then they go right back to doing jelly shots and playing poker in the toaster crumbs.

So I did the usual stuff.  Cleaned up real good, got careful with the trash, sprayed behind the appliances.  Then one night when I had some friends over for dinner, one of the little bastards fell out of a cabinet and right into the soup.

Yeah.

I got educated, got equipped, and then I got revenge.

It took two of us to pull the fridge out from the wall, revealing the hideous Blattodean¹ ur²-source underneath.  I spent about an hour mopping up six years' worth of furry ectoplasm, MIA cat toys, and the lone moldering Cheeto.  Then I sprinkled borax over the floor and caulked up the crevices, which was the best part (because I was all, "hey, this is like frosting a cake!" and they were all, "for the love of God, Montresor³!")  The last roach I saw was fleeing to Italy, carrying his father on his back.

By this point, you're probably thinking, "Dang, Tex - I came here to check out the writer's workshop, not to hear about your horrific affinity for literary allusions and squalor."  So here's what I got.

You work hard on your manuscript.  When you print it and re-read it and red-pen it, you can squash any number of scurrying typos and six-legged plot-holes.

But if you've done all that and you're still racking up rejections or watching your sales figures flatline, then you might need to take a deeper look at things.  This is where critique partners come in useful.  Capable as you are, sometimes you do need a battle buddy to help you pull the fridge out and see where your problems are coming from.

It's not easy.  In fact, it is embarrassing as hell.  But there is a real security in knowing that when a dinner guest doesn't finish her first course, it's because she didn't happen to care for fish-stick bisque, and not because of what she found floating in it.

-Tex Thompson, DFWWW member since 2012

Footnotes (just in case and just for fun)

1 Cockroaches are categorized in the insect order Blattodea.  Derived from the Greek word for cockroaches, “blatta”.

2 –ur has Germanic origins and can be used in a combing form to mean “earliest, original”.

3 Montresor was the narratator in Edgar Allen Poe’s work, The Cask of Amontillado.  In the work, Montresor tells about his deadly revenge on a friend who offended him…and it ain't pretty.

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/garibaldi/2950742137/

We don’t like to brag.

But, Jennie Goloboy from Red Sofa Literary Agency, who currently represents DFWWW member Tex Thompson, has been kind enough to do it for us.  It seems imprudent not to share what an industry agent thinks of our group.  And anyway, is it really bragging if you’re bragging about someone else’s bragging?

We say no.

Read what she has to say about us on her latest blog post,  Day #19 - Writing Groups.