What Is "Tim and His Gay Friends Go Camping"?

 

Today on Jeopardy! I am now officially American culture.

(Photo by Nick McCavitt.)

Don't let the bastards grind you down

Be gay and ungovernable. Happy pride month.

[Art by Jefferson Costa for the Brazilian edition of Meddling Kids (O caso da mansão Deboën; Intrínseca, 2019).]

Make It

My last book was published four years ago today.

That was one amazing summer. This Body's first edition and the Meddling Kids paperback came out in the same month. The photographic evidence of that period on my phone is a stream of hotel rooms, bookstores, comic cons, and Kimrean cosplayers. I had the time of my life.

And then.

There is a pervasive habit of discussing a writer's success, or any artist's, by saying that they "made it". I always bridle at questions using that phrasing. First, because "making it" conveys that there is some sort of bar to be cleared separating hopefuls from achievers. That's false: like most things once believed to be binaries, success is a spectrum. And second, "making it" seems to imply that it can't be unmade. But it can. One underperforming book, a couple bad decisions, a sprinkle of bad luck, and a recession to top, and you're all the way back to struggling artist. Juggling jobs, rent, and scrambling for people's attention. In four years, I've gone back to my 25. Eat my ass, Estée Lauder.

We talk about art like it's a race. We encourage each other to never give up, never relent, until we reach some goal, but there is no goal. Summer 2018 was not my goal; it was just an extraordinarily good thing that happened to me, all the better because I got it by doing something that I would've done anyway. I still do it: I write what I like. 

Forget about "making it": art is the purpose, not the means. If your purpose is to get rich, just eat richer people.

5K

Here's a stat I've been watching for a while now: Meddling Kids just reached five thousand five-star ratings on Goodreads.

That's...amazing. I get sales reports too, but those numbers only say, "What you do works." These say, "What you do, 5,000 people love." 

For context: my debut novel sold less than 1,000 copies. My second, less than 500. Put together, I doubt 5,000 people ever read them, let alone liked them. Of course I'm not comparing markets or perfomances; that would be unfair to both my country and my former self. But still: *knowing* that at least 5,000 people loved one book of mine? My heart bursts. :D

Quidnuncs and Aardvarks

Y'all ask, I answer, this blog looks active despite the dearth of new published material.

 

I want to know if you’re working on any new books?

I swear I haven't stopped writing, despite what my Wikipedia page seems to imply! Sadly my upcoming novel Heaven Park has gotten stuck somewhere along the publisher's manuscript-to-book assembly line, and it's still far in the horizon. This is extra frustrating because the logjam is also preventing me from shopping around my new manuscripts, of which I have completed two since Heaven Park (one and two).  

How old were you when you started learning English? And then writing in it?

I was 7-8 when I took my first lesson, and 17 when I took my last. The real learning came later, when I started reading books and watching movies and shows in the original English (in Spain all foreign media is dubbed, a practice I strongly oppose now). I started writing in English around 2004 (23 yo), but never for publication till The Supernatural Enhancements in 2011.

 

How do you come up with the expressions in your books? I swear I'd never heard 'borborygmic' until Meddling Kids. Is it just a process of reading more? Are there secret thesaurus tricks you know?

Thesauruses are awesome, but mostly I come across new words in books and movies. The crux of the matter is that many of those words wouldn't be exotic at all to you, but I make an effort to use them all, regardless of whether they're only new to me or merely obscure. If I only used words with which I am 100% familiar, my English vocabulary would be very limited.

 

Will we see the characters from Meddling Kids again?

In book form, no.

 

Do you see yourself writing a saga? About what? What main character / villain do you imagine for it?

I have considered (even written) loose sequels set in old universes, and I wish I could give A.Z. Kimrean a new case, but I've never envisioned a saga or a multi-part novel. My brain just can't operate at that scale. I am certain that Heaven Park is the longest story I had in me, and right now it's about 570 pages.

Bear with me, I promise it's coming.

¡Mirad, un post en castellano! Esto es que quiero venderos algo

Para todos los que no paraban por este blog desde que está todo en inglés, un resumen rápido de lo ocurrido en "Edgar trabaja en Los Ángeles":

• Esta es mi cuarta novela, la segunda en inglés, segunda en ser traducida al castellano. Se titula Meddling Kids.
  
• La original salió en Estados Unidos en 2017. 
• La traducción sale en España hoy.
• Traduce Christian Rodríguez.
• Publica la editorial Insólita.
• Va de lesbianas, perretes y monstruos interdimensionales.
• Compradla o estaréis matando la lengua de Cervantes.
  

Dibiddywahwahwah

 

Found this picture in my hard drive. It was taken in New York, December 3, 2014. If you care to endure the bad image quality and my handwriting, you may recognize the passage.

These penciled bits of novels will become a thing of the past; since the pandemic began I haven't sat in a coffee shop or written anywhere but on my computer. I miss that. Miss a lot of things. New York too.

Departure

"I hope my editor likes the new manuscript; it's such a big departure from my previous work."

(Old tweet, but feels fresh anew.)

Quicksand & Apricots

I was due to write a post but I couldn't think of a subject, so I asked for help, and this is what we got.

So about A.Z., what's it like for Adrian when Zooey's knocked out, and vice versa? Static? Cognitive impairment? Does he gain full control over her hemisphere, and why doesn't his personality change? Researching for, you know, reasons.

It is said somewhere that both Adrian and Zooey have control of the whole brain the whole time: their only problem is agreeing on what to do. Two pilots, one plane. You can see Adrian without Zooey in chapter 7 and Zooey without Adrian in chapter 10: they're just less frustrated when the other's sleeping. However, both personalities alone are too radical for their own good, so it's best to compromise and help each other. Adrian needs Zooey to show empathy and not to antagonize everyone. Zooey needs Adrian to grab the steering wheel while she plays air drums.

Do you ever get bored of a story during the writing process? I can't tell if when it happens to me if it's because the story is boring, or because I've just been sitting on it for too long and it's just not fun to me anymore.

Bored as in, I'm not interested by this subject anymore, not that I can remember, no. Bored as in, I would rather be playing Terraria right now, yeah, quite often. Take breaks!

Oh, also, about how old is AZ?

I'm gonna say 31. It's how old I was when I met them.

How smoothly does the editing process usually go? Are you ever told to change things you don't want to change/write things you don't want to write?

From my experience, the editing process is sort of a negotiation. I doubt any editor expects an author to take 100% of their suggestions. On the other hand, taking 0% is arrogant and self-righteous. So sure, you can refuse some changes. But you also have to wonder whether you're doing it out of pride: if you and your editor truly see eye to eye, you must listen to their input. Since Meddling Kids, everything I've published has gone through the same editor at Doubleday, and he has improved all of it. We've argued, but I'm glad he stood up to me every time, cause he was right. Also, keep in mind that editorial suggestions seldom come in the form of, "This doesn't work--write this instead"; they're more often like, "this doesn't work--find an alternative," so there is ample room for solutions that please everyone.

The biggest and most specific change that was suggested to me was in The Supernatural Enhancements. I refused it, but I explained why and proposed a different solution, and the book turned better than the manuscript.

Hey Edgar, any advice to someone trying to break into the publishing industry?

I don't like giving writing advice because universally good tips are painfully obvious. Plus, my own beginnings were in Catalan, which is a completely different scene, so my experience doesn't help. Therefore, I only have the usual platitudes for you: write stuff, finish it, and then write more stuff. Don't skip steps 2 and 3.

Thanks all for your questions! Keep them coming!

Some thousands of words about covers

So I want to share something with you today, but first, some backstory.

Recently, during a panel at Denver Comic Con, some authors discussed whether book cover artists actually read the books they illustrate. My position was that mine did, at least since I publish in the US.

I know this isn't always the case. Never was, never will be. It's how the industry works. For my first novel, Dormir amb Winona Ryder, released by a big Catalan publisher, designers sent me five proposals that were, at best, illustrations based on two-word concepts jotted down by someone who had read it. Emphasis on "at best": one was just a flower pattern. We went with a sixth proposal, just as random.

For my next book, Vallvi, I insisted (tooth and claw) on drawing the cover myself. In the end, they accepted the illustration, but went with their own design. (Left is the actual book, right is my proposal.)

This said, I have good reasons to affirm that my cover artist at Doubleday, Michael J. Windsor, reads my books before doing his job. First, I've met him and he's told me so. Second, just check out the back of the jacket for This Body's Not Big Enough.

That little thing in front of the car is a roadrunner. The roadrunner is a very minor theme in the book. No way a synopsis, even a thorough synopsis, would mention it. This is the kind of thing that tells me whether the artist has read the book or not.

And now, here's what I wanted to share: this design for the Brazilian edition of Meddling Kids is clearly by someone who has *SO* read the book.

The illustration, I'm told, is by Jefferson Costa. And I think it's my favorite design for anything I've written, ever. It's not that the looks are perfectly dark and fun, it's not just Kerri's lavish red hair and the car that really looks like a Vega Kammback Wagon (and I even like the color). I mean... let's zoom into some details:

That little Kerri there seems to be reading something longer than a mysterious note to the BSDC. I'd say she's reading a love letter. (Also, check out the six-limbed wheezies!)

A figure lurking from the *round* attic window of Deboën Mansion. That's a very accurate rendition of my words.

And that's Pierce in Andy's hand. What can I say. Bravo, Brazil. Hope you enjoy the book as much as the artist seems to have.

The Meddler

So let's say you read Meddling Kids. Let's say you liked it.

Let's say you thought, "I wish there was a sequel."

"The Meddler." A quick short story set in the aftermath of Meddling Kids. Part of the Spooky Short Stories collection by Penguin Random House, now online. For free. Please enjoy.

WARNING: Huge spoilers for Meddling Kids ahead.

Hangover

Just a few words in the aftermath of the Meddling Tour: THANK YOU. To the stores, to my hosts, and to every fan who came by. It was amazing to meet you. I am oozing endorphines.

Photo by @masterbookmonster

To those who couldn't make it, there should be at least a few doodled paperbacks of Meddling Kids available in Subtext, Boswell and Bookpeople. To those in other cities: stay tuned.

My question is in six parts and actually an interview

While I'm packing for the big Meddling Tour starting tomorrow, make sure to check this preliminary interview with Matt Wild before I have a chat with him at the Boswell Book Company in Milwaukee on June 14. Did you know Nate almost never made it to the book? It's a fact now, cause I said it in an interview.

Catch me at Boswell or any of the other venues this week, and ask your own questions! I change my mind on a daily basis!

Photo by @gandalfandunicorns

Event Alert: Meddling Tour!

The paperback edition of Meddling Kids is officially out! Perfect excuse to tick off a few states in my bucket list! I will read, I will sign, I will struggle not to mix three different accents in the same sentence—and fail spectacularly! Get your gang together, jump into your sleuthmobile and join me!

June 13 @ Subtext Books (6 West 5th Street, St. Paul, MN)

June 14 @ Boswell Books (2559 N. Downer Ave., Milwaukee, WI)

June 15-17 @ Denver Comic Con with Tattered Cover (Colorado Convention Center, Denver, CO)

June 18 @ Book People (603 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX)

And now for some extras

I just received my copies of the Meddling Kids paperback, published by Anchor Books. They're smol. They're shiny.

And they're two pages longer.

On sale May 29. :)

This post will be mostly images

The UK edition of Meddling Kids, published by Titan Books, on sale April 3. 

The US paperback edition of Meddling Kids by Anchor Books, coming May 29. It's the same, only smaller! (DISCLAIMER: NO, IT ISN'T. It's actually a few pages fatter because of all the extra content.)

And last but not least...

This Body's Not Big Enough for Both of Us. The new novel, courtesy of Doubleday, to land on July 31 (not Fall anymore, children!)

That's it for now. Next post will be mostly text, because I have to tell you about my tour.  :D

Meddling Freebies #3: Teen Sleuth Rules

An idea for a series of badges: the rules of teen detective fiction (mild spoilers: all of them are struck out in Meddling Kids). These never went past the Photoshop stage.

By the way, if you don't own your MK copy yet, or want to own an extraordinarily dirty one, Doubleday is throwing a holiday giveaway of signed books! Signed, doodled and pencil-colored by an author with very little real work to do. Follow @doubledaybooks on Instagram for a chance to win now! The girls will be given away today, and the boys are on their way!

Meddling Freebies #2: Bookmarks

I designed these as giveaways at conventions when we were pitching swag for MK. I have shared the front pictures before: the foreground kids are mine, whereas the silhouetted adults were drawn by artist Jordi March, who was also the photographer for the story on the Pennaquick Telegraph in the book.

Each model included a different quote from the depicted character on the back.

A fifth bookmark contains the rules for Word Bluff, the official Blyton Summer Detective Club car trip game. Try it at home!

Meddling Freebies #1: Meddling Comic!

In the week before Halloween, Meddling Kids has gone into its sixth reprint. And I'm as happy as an author whose novel has gone into its sixth reprint. (Yeah, guess what: without my editor I am incapable of creating metaphors.)

To celebrate the spoopy reads season, I thought I'd share some of the promotional material I made. I posted glimpses of this comic while in the making, but never the whole thing. This was supposed to accompany the early copies of MK that are sent to distributors and booksellers, as a way to introduce the book and myself to them. Although it says I'm a cartoonist there on the side column, and it's true, I don't draw comics these days, and even when I used to publish them in El Jueves full pages were not that common. This is far from perfect, but I'm happy with parts of it. It's spoiler-free, but those who have read MK will notice some inside jokes. Enjoy!

So Many Damn Books!

I went to visit these kids in Park Slope to record an episode of their booky podcast, and they were excellent hosts. We talked teen detectives, adult criminals, what Enid Blyton and H.P. Lovecraft had in common (it's not good), and they invited me to a signature cocktail (that was really good, as you can tell by my dangerous lack of inhibition toward the end). You can listen to it on iTunes or livestream or on their own website.

Or you can try the cocktail at home.