Writing contemporary fiction - pros and pitfalls

The first handful of novels I wrote were contemporary young adult fiction.

Actually, the first novel I wrote was science fiction but the first novel I completed was contemporary and not originally intended to be young adult but eventually rewritten and marketed for that category.

There are definitely advantages to setting a story in the present day and using commonplace references.  For one thing, there is a shorthand between author and audience. For instance, if I have a character refer to a celebrity named "Lindsay," you know I mean Lindsay Lohan. If I talk about Facebook or YouTube, you get what I'm saying. I don't need to waste time explaining things that we all understand.

With contemporary fiction, it's easy to throw in cultural references as mile markers or for in-jokes.

But what happens in fifteen years? Will readers know who Psy was? Or what the Harlem Shuffle was? Will TV shows like "Dexter" and "Breaking Bad" be remembered in all their intricate glory? If I say a character was like Walter White, will they think he was simply cruel and manipulative or will they get the multi-dimensionality of him?

No?  Well, what about in ten years? Five?  Three? One?

My first published novels were, naturally, written years prior to their actual publication. As we got closer to the books' pub dates, my editor and I made sure references that could be badly dated were cut or made generic so the books would be as fresh as possible. But there is no getting around the fact that the world changes really, really fast. And things that were big or popular or seemingly impossible to forget were forgotten or left behind.

Things I thought would become big didn't. Things I didn't think could become big did.  After all, I am not a seer.

LOL (will that be old soon too?)

As a result, my books became dated. Certain things my characters did became hard to understand a few years later. Readers today don't consider the time having passed between writing and reading and they wonder, in reviews and to themselves, "Why didn't Vee use the internet for finding work?" (Because when it was written, that wasn't how it was done.) "Why didn't Meg have a cell phone of her own?" (Because when it was written, they were far too expensive for a poor girl.) Things like that throw the reader off and make them question the author's expertise.

Believe me, if I could have seen the future of cameraphones and people taking "selfies," I would have used them but back then, it would have been seen as impossible. Then I really would have been writing science fiction.

"Jennifer Aniston is My Best Friend" coming soon

The next novel to be released, "Jennifer Aniston is My Best Friend," which was originally published by Penguin/Razorbill as "Love, Meg." It's now getting its original title back and an added bonus which I'll discuss closer to the release date.

This novel will be .99 cents. At that point, the price of "Fat Girls in L.A. (Book 1: All About Vee" will be bumped up to 2.99. So get "All About Vee" now while it's still .99 cents!

Free! Gotta love free stuff!

To celebrate the release of my new novel, CHASING THE FALLS, I am giving away the Kindle version of my short story, "I Brake For Whales."  FREE!!


Starting tonight, Friday April 6 at midnight PST, all through the weekend until Sunday April 8 at midnight PST, you can download my horror short for free at Amazon at its Kindle store! FREE!!


Here's the link but remember, it will be free at midnight and no sooner! Enjoy~

CHASING THE FALLS on The Ultimate YA Reading Group's Tumblr!

Check it out - love that you can see the texture of the book's cover!

Stay tuned for more...

Coming in April: my new book featured on "Ultimate YA Reading Group"

Hey everyone!  The release sequence of my novels has gotten a little rearranged due to work commitments and illness but the second e-book (my third published novel) is being released April 2 on Kindle and Nook, for starters.  Print editions will come later.

I'll post more in a couple of days but for now, here are a couple of teasers...

--The title is "Chasing the Falls."

--It's a contemporary young adult novel, set in Los Angeles.

Now, a bit of more cool news...

--I'm the April author for Ultimate YA Reading Group!  They'll be posting interviews 'n stuff with me throughout the month, including info about the new book.  So stay tuned to their tumblr and Facebook page!

I'll reveal the fab cover very soon, along with a blurb of the book, and more links - more, more, more!

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

This short film just won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.  Not only is it beautifully-made but it is a lovely ode to books.  Get out your hankies!  I loved it.

Many congrats to the writer/illustrator William Joyce and co-director Brandon Oldenburg.

SHIFT in ABNA!

I'm kind of a little thrilled to say my novel SHIFT, a paranormal story about a girl who can shapeshift (but nothing to do with werewolves!), has advanced to the second round of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest.  There were 5,000 entries in the YA category and 1,000 advanced.  This means that our pitches were successful enough to get past a couple of Amazon editors who were judging.

Next step: excerpt reading by the panel.  Only 250 will move on from there to the Quarterfinal Round.  What, me nervous?  Nah!

Congrats to the other 999 writers too!

All About Vee - Book Giveaway (7 days to enter)

Book Giveaway: Win a Signed Copy of “All About Vee” by C. Leigh Purtill - Head over to Woman Tribune and enter. All you need is a name and an e-mail or facebook account. Ends next Sunday.

 

Galleycat - 5 Questions on Self-publishing with Leigh

The original 5 questions from ebooknewser was linked on Galleycat. Very cool.

5 Questions at eBOOKNEWSER

5 Questions on self-publishing with C. Leigh Purtill on eBOOKNEWSER with Dianna Dilworth.