Will Write for Books by Talia

My daughter once told me that the only reason I wrote a novel and worked toward getting it published was so I could get free books.  She watched me covet tweets and posts of writers reading ARCs of books that haven’t even been released, and said, “that’s the reason you write, isn’t it?  To get free ARCs?”

At the time I laughed and admitted that she wasn’t entirely wrong.  I write for a thousand reasons, all of which only slightly outnumber the hundreds of reasons I can come up with not to write.  My love of reading is one of the things that tips the scales in my favor.  Just walking into a bookstore gets my adrenaline pumping.  That new book smell gets me every time.  It doesn’t matter if I have a dozen books stacked on my nightstand, I can always make room for one (or three) more.

I got my first ARC in August, just before my manuscript was sent out on submission.  I hung back after an SCBWI lecture to say hello to an editor who had passed around an ARC of a book by an author that Sarah represents.  I asked the editor if she had worked on the book.  Not only was this editor kind enough to chat with me about the book, and even ask after my own project, she let me take her ARC of DARK GODDESS, Sarwat Chadda’s follow up to DEVIL’S KISS.

It was all I could do to keep from running through the lobby of the Grand Hyatt shouting “The new phone book is here!  The new phone book is here!”  

Flash forward a few months later, and here I am in a New York hotel room, fresh off a lovely trip to visit the Egmont offices, where I had the joy of meeting the editor of my debut novel, Elizabeth Laws.  Elizabeth pulled out a canvas bag and took me over to the Egmont bookshelves and let me pick some ARCs to take home.  I tried to act all cool and I think I even managed a look of mild interest, but inside there was screaming, squealing and not a little jumping up and down. 

Five gorgeous ARCs are laid out on the bed:  THE LOST SAINT by Bree Despain; HOURGLASS by Myra McEntire; THE SWEETEST THING by Christina Mandelski; A & L DO SUMMER by Jan Bazanin; and MY LIFE, THE THEATER AND OTHER TRAGEDIES by Allen Zadoff.  This makes me very, very happy.  Of course I’m thrilled to get to read these books now, rather than later. 

But the truth is my daughter was right.  Getting my hands on these amazing books makes it all worthwhile somehow.  I’m finally a part of the world and not just looking in from the outside.

I’ve had a fabulous time in New York.  I’ve met my charming agent Sarah Davies live and in person (she’s just as lovely and brilliant as you think), dined with fellow Greenhouse author Megan Miranda (who was sweet as can be even after I drank her orange juice) and sipped Vampire-themed martinis with Elizabeth Law (who is something of a kindred spirit). 

What could possibly top that? 

Books. 

I think my daughter is on to something.  I’m in it for the books. 

Megan Miranda and Talia Vance in NYC.