Hyacinth & The Secrets Beneath
April 24, 2017 8:39 AM Subscribe
Hyacinth & The Secrets Beneath
My first novel comes out next month from Random House. It's aimed at 8 to 12-year-olds, and it's about an American girl who moves to London and encounters a giant pig in a bathing suit, a centuries-old magical conspiracy, and a bunch of monsters who work for the Royal Mail. Booklist calls it "fun, freaky, outlandish, and suspenseful." The School Library Journal calls it a "fantastic, funny adventure." Kirkus calls it "a rollicking adventure with a lulu of an ending." Me? I call it "a book I spent ten years working on, and I'm prouder of it than anything else I've written, and I really want it to do well." (I probably need to work on my blurbing skills.)
PS: I've leaned on AskMe from early in the process. It helped me put together a London-themed playlist that I've listened to obsessively as I've written. It inspired me with examples of beautiful prose for children. It helped me describe the costume of some supporting characters. And most recently, it helped me think about a key marketing question. Thanks, AskMetafilter!
My first novel comes out next month from Random House. It's aimed at 8 to 12-year-olds, and it's about an American girl who moves to London and encounters a giant pig in a bathing suit, a centuries-old magical conspiracy, and a bunch of monsters who work for the Royal Mail. Booklist calls it "fun, freaky, outlandish, and suspenseful." The School Library Journal calls it a "fantastic, funny adventure." Kirkus calls it "a rollicking adventure with a lulu of an ending." Me? I call it "a book I spent ten years working on, and I'm prouder of it than anything else I've written, and I really want it to do well." (I probably need to work on my blurbing skills.)
PS: I've leaned on AskMe from early in the process. It helped me put together a London-themed playlist that I've listened to obsessively as I've written. It inspired me with examples of beautiful prose for children. It helped me describe the costume of some supporting characters. And most recently, it helped me think about a key marketing question. Thanks, AskMetafilter!
Role: author
Huzzah! This sounds right up my alley so I will definitely pick it up. What a wonderful achievement and it must be really gratifying to see it come to life after 10 years. Many congrats!
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 8:10 PM on April 24, 2017
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 8:10 PM on April 24, 2017
Congratulations!
posted by vegartanipla at 10:11 PM on April 24, 2017
posted by vegartanipla at 10:11 PM on April 24, 2017
Thanks, all!
Rangefinder, it is very gratifying! A few months before I sold it to the publishers, I had pretty much given up on it, and was starting to think I had wasted all the years I spent writing it. I'm not sure if the lesson is "Never give up" or "Don't start writing a novel in the first place." Either way, I'm really happy with how things worked out.
Pyro979, absolutely -- please feel free to share it anywhere with anyone!
posted by yankeefog at 5:39 AM on April 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
Rangefinder, it is very gratifying! A few months before I sold it to the publishers, I had pretty much given up on it, and was starting to think I had wasted all the years I spent writing it. I'm not sure if the lesson is "Never give up" or "Don't start writing a novel in the first place." Either way, I'm really happy with how things worked out.
Pyro979, absolutely -- please feel free to share it anywhere with anyone!
posted by yankeefog at 5:39 AM on April 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
Congratulations, and I'm really glad to see that it's being published in the UK in June as The City of Secret Rivers. I'll make sure to get a couple in the shop.
posted by featherboa at 7:15 AM on April 30, 2017
posted by featherboa at 7:15 AM on April 30, 2017
Hey, congratulations! It looks fantastic!
posted by mochapickle at 8:33 PM on April 30, 2017
posted by mochapickle at 8:33 PM on April 30, 2017
Featherboa-- I can't believe I forgot to mention the UK title. Thanks for catching that!
The City of Secret Rivers was actually my original title for the book. Random House wanted a different title for the US, but Walker Books kept the original title for the UK market.
Thank you, and thanks to you and mochapickle for the kind words!
posted by yankeefog at 6:54 AM on May 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
The City of Secret Rivers was actually my original title for the book. Random House wanted a different title for the US, but Walker Books kept the original title for the UK market.
Thank you, and thanks to you and mochapickle for the kind words!
posted by yankeefog at 6:54 AM on May 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
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posted by pyro979 at 4:37 PM on April 24, 2017