with Jean Moynahan
We are delighted to welcome back author Jean Moynahan to Omnimystery News.
Jean was our guest last month when we discussed her new mystery novel The Black Fountain Goddess (Twilight Times Books; May 2014 ebook format; trade paperback available July 15th) and we asked if she might tell us a little more about the journey she took to get the book published. She titles her guest post for us today, "Revising a Work: Belief, Chance, and Taking Your Lumps".
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Photo provided courtesy of
Jean Moynahan
Writing is often called a solitary business. Ultimately, unless you're writing a novel-by-committee, it's just you and the computer screen (or in my case as an aspiring poet years ago, an old garage-sale 1940s Royal typewriter). But at some point, every writer wants readers, and often that first reader is a publisher, acquisitions editor, or prospective agent. That's when a writer realizes that the phrase "could paper the walls with rejection letters" is not just hyperbole. Each rejection can be devastating, disappointing, and discouraging. The question is, what do you with that rejection? Do you stand by the work? Or do you listen to the suggestions and critiques that may (if you're lucky) be part of the rejection? Or perhaps a little of both?
I have written four novels (two romances, two mysteries), but it was the most recent mystery to which I devoted the most time: two years in the writing and an equally long time in seeking a publisher. I learned a lot in the process about not only having the creative conviction to stand by my work but also being open to criticism. Below is a glimpse of the journey that The Black Fountain Goddess underwent on the way to publication this July.
I had initially planned to submit The Black Fountain Goddess to a publisher that accepted books up to 120,000 words. This was far longer than my previous mystery ( 90,000 words) but was an exciting challenge because I knew it would offer the scope to develop a complex timeline with flashbacks to the ancient Middle East as well as early 20th century Oregon. I felt it would allow me to use a lifetime of reading in ancient religions as well as develop characters and write vivid descriptions of my part of the world, beautiful western Oregon. Thus, I went to work, and after about two years, had a manuscript of nearly 116,000 words. It was promptly sent to my target publisher — and in fairly short order, rejected without a lot of specific criticism other than the fact that the "structure" of the story didn't work. Well, I felt strongly that it was a well-written story and that the structure did work, so I started trying to find another publisher. Almost immediately I chanced upon an editor for a small but established publishing house. She responded to my query with interest but noted she was only in the market for mysteries of about 90,000 words. However, if I ever had a condensed version, she would be interested.
My hear sank. A "condensed" version? The loss of 26,000 conscientiously-written words loomed before me. Did I want to do that? Could I do that? I decided that having an editor willing to give my manuscript a hearing was not a chance to be squandered, so for the next 6 weeks, I condensed. It was sort of like the reduction of a sauce in cooking, I guess, but much more painful. Finally I had the 90,000-word version and submitted it. She liked it a lot but rejected it for commercial reasons (most of her writers had established reputations and proven sales potential). Although grateful for her time, I now had two versions of a manuscript. Was one better?
Here is where honesty is crucial for a writer. Years ago, I came across some advice from a seasoned poet/teacher about the process of self-critiquing and revising works-in-progress : when you start admiring yourself, it's time to call it a day. I had admired the long version and hated to cut some of the characterization, the description, the dialogue, the background, but I had to admit that the shorter version read better and that a lot of those 26,000 words had been "dead weight." So, I made a rather gut-wrenching decision to stick with the 90,000-word version.
Then the real fun began: rejection after rejection or worse, silence in response to queries. Occasionally there would be a bright spot. One acquisitions editor in the UK wrote me a letter that was so glowing that I had to read it twice to make sure that it was a rejection. Alas, it was. I remain touched to this day, however, by her kindness in responding to a writer she probably knew she would never publish.
Finally, I decided to enter a writing contest that offered feedback from judges. The compilation of notes that I received had a few shining moments of praise but offered mainly painfully honest criticism, especially about the prologue that made up the first three chapters. I had originally started with several flashbacks before getting to the present where 90% of the story is set. It occurred to me that maybe that really was a weakness, that I had been admiring my own work a bit too much. Thus, I decided to revise the story so that the narrative starts in the present with historical flashbacks gradually folded in (to use a cooking analogy again). It took less than a month to make those changes, but I instantly realized that this did indeed improve the flow , the emotional focus, and the narrative logic. The next publisher to whom I submitted the manuscript accepted it. I am deeply grateful to Lida Quillen and Twilight Times Books for the chance to see the work finally published, but I'm also grateful to all those people along the way who critiqued, suggested, and yes, rejected. It is a better book because of all of them.
As a writer, you have to believe in yourself first and foremost because often no one else will, but you have to be your own worst critic, too. I learned that if a kindly (or not so kindly) editor gives me some tips, sometimes I have to stop admiring myself long enough to see if she has a point.
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Jean Moynahan was born in Oregon but raised in Arizona. Before finishing her university studies, she served two years in Germany with the Army Signal Corps, an experience that years later would provide the basis for her first published book, the romance novel Captain of Hearts. Jean completed a master's degree in English literature at Arizona State University and has been a teacher ever since, specifically an adjunct college instructor in writing and literature at a community college in Oregon for over twenty years. She has published a second romance, Painted Heart, and a mystery, The Illuminated Vineyard.
Jean lives with her husband in Oregon's beautiful Willamette Valley.
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The Black Fountain Goddess
Jean Moynahan
A Mystery
While studying anthropology in Arizona, graduate student Jacob Colt is shocked to discover that his great-grandfather was hanged for a ritualistic murder in rural Oregon nearly a hundred years earlier. Angered that the truth has been kept from him, Jacob returns to his hometown in Oregon and begins searching for the truth behind the crime, but almost immediately a grisly murder occurs at the small college where his father is a professor.
As Jacob learns more disturbing details about his family's leadership in an ancient goddess cult, he finds that the two murders, separated by decades, may both be rooted in the cult's worship of a sacred object. Complicating his investigation is his involvement with three young women involved in the current murder investigation, all of whom he finds attractive — and all of whom have their own secrets. Ultimately, he knows he must unravel the most complex and dangerous mystery of all: who is the Black Fountain Goddess?
