From: anonymous

r u ok? u haven't updated since march 2nd. your books have stayed with me long after i've read them. i feel as though i carry the people along with me every day and i've passed them on to many of my friends. thank you for lore and aud. i've had more to ask and say but the lack of updates has brought me out of my tendency to lurk. be well.

Thank you. Yes, I'm okay. The reason I haven't updated recently is that I've been pretty distracted. First of all, it was by writing-as-business stuff: negotiating a contract with a new publisher, trying to decide who did what for how much and when, etc. Some writers I know can just ignore this aspect of their work. "I'm just an artist," they say. "Leave that nasty commerce to someone else." But I believe the way a publisher publishes my book has a huge impact on the reader. What kind of attitude lies behind the corporate effort? Do they think it's an amusing piece of entertainment? Huge money maker? Piece of lesbian tripe? Cutting edge literary tour de force? Worthy and earnest exploration of what it is to be human? Total rollercoaster thrill ride? Those decisions will influence the cover illustration and design, the blurb, the advance quotes, the interior design, the kind of journals it's sent to for review, the type of book shop where it will be for sale, and so on. It will determine who will read it and possibly even how they feel about what they've read. Picking a publisher is a massively important undertaking, and I get utterly involved. Anyway, I've reached an agreement with a publisher for two new novels, both about Aud. So that part's sorted.

Then I was distracted by learning ASL (American Sign Language). I still am learning, but at least it's not a new-new thing anymore, so there's room in my head for other things. Like writing. Which is the third reason for my distraction: I've been working hard on the next Aud book. At first it went really well, smooth and fine and having me thinking, Whoa, this puppy will be done by autumn! And then, of course (oh, yep, it always happens), I started to see the flaws in the character arc and the plot. So I've spent the last three weeks banging my head on the same chapter, rewriting earlier chapters, and thinking, Where the hell did I go wrong? And then I realised I hadn't gone wrong but was about to (time and causality get a bit screwed up when I write--it's a bit like having TiVo, I think the future's already happened and can't understand why it won't play me next Sunday's The Wire this Friday). Anyway, I've fixed that and am steaming ahead.

So, how is was it for you, de-lurkdom? Good, I hope. That's what this space is for. And for those who want talk more, there's also a discussion list and a brand new weekly chat, on Wednesdays 9:00 pm EST (follow the Yahoo discussion list links for details. If you can't figure it out, send email to the discussion list and someone will help you out).

From: Adam Diamond (secbanana@aol.com)

As usual, reading your responses here on the site is a breath of fresh air--it's just nice to be reminded that sane, literate, clever, well-spoken and read people do still exist.

First, I must say that I was completely floored by Stay. I read a lot, and quickly, always with a book in hand, and Stay was like, well, a cool breeze that makes you look up at the trees when you always stare at the pavement. Words fail me a little, but I had forgotten temporarily what the best writing feels like when ingested.

My question is have you ever thought of writing a regularly-published column? This is not a formal business offer, but I edit and write for a independent, progressive print and online magazine called XRay in Cincinnati, Ohio(on the web at www.goxray.com).

In addition to locally-based features and columns, we run Ralph Nader's work regularly, and have just begun running a monthly column by Bruce Campbell. I feel your perspective and the quality of your writing needs to be in print as much as possible, and if a two-year-old, barely-breaking-even free monthly with a limited geographical reach can land national names (granted, we can't pay them), there's got to be a quality forum out there that would run your writings in a heartbeat. Or is there already? I could always talk to my boss...

Writing non-fiction brings me slam up against a personal paradox: I love to do it, but it makes me feel self-indulgent. My essays and opinion pieces always end up being about me and my experiences to some extent, the way I write they have to, in order for my point to have any validity, and I just can't get over the feeling that that's...tacky. In fiction, at least I get to disguise stuff, and to lie.

As a novelist, I spend a great deal of time in my head, sifting through things, weighing this, how I feel about that, or what I think about such-and-such, and there are times when I honestly can't stand talking or thinking about myself or how I see things any longer. I just want to lie on the grass and watch the trees; I want to play string with my cat; give Kelley a shoulder rub; listen to a friend talk about her recent trip to Italy. Of course, having said all that, the idea of a regular column is very tempting. It would be great to have a forum for talking about things like self-defence and national security, and how in many senses they're the same; or how badly some people treat their pets even while telling themselves that they're doing what's best; or how thoughtless neighbours can be. Huh, just thinking about possible subjects makes the veins in my neck stick out in anticipation of a good rant.

Writing non-fiction also, well, it dilutes something in my fiction. It's like easing the internal pressure in a pressure cooker; the veggies take longer, or don't really cook at all. I could be deluding myself about that--I can get very inventive, theory-wise, when it comes to ways of avoiding work . Even so, every now and again I can't wait for the right fictional setting for an opinion, I just have to throw stuff down on the screen, which is usually when I update this space.

From: Alan O'Connor (wtraveller@yahoo.com)

More of a comment re: smyers post, than a question, but here goes. I started the whole _Blue Place_ craze in our group when I gave it to a friend as a gift without having read it; the book just seemed right up her street: competent, chilled, evolving protagonist in a "detective" novel. She read it in a day, then I read it, smyers read it, and within about a month we all had our own copies. If you ever make it to Carrboro or the Raleigh area, look us up. Drinks on us.

RE: the casting couch. The Angelina Jolie thing is new, and must be discussed; I thought we were all in agreement on Peta Wilson. As you said in your reply, it's all in the way she moves.

p.s. The BMW plant is in South Carolina, not North Carolina.

Ah, well thanks for that correction. Unfortunately, it's too late to fix the error in the new Vintage edition of Stay (which goes on sale on June 10th--so if you've been waiting for the paperback, it's just about here). Speaking of Angelina Jolie, anyone here looking forward to the new Lara Croft film?

From: Lindsey Main (beanmain@yahoo.com)

I come to this site every so often to see what other people are saying-- questions, comments, what's going on in their heads...Sometimes your responses get me to grin real wide. Anyway, I've noticed that it has been a while since any new "Ask Nicola" questions have been posted. I hope this finds you in good health and spirits and sun and that you have been simply pumping out a kick-ass rockin' novel and haven't had any time to respond to questions (screamed and flung a book across the room because it was so bad, so I'd like to think you've been writing like a madwoman). Either that, or nobody has had anything to say.

I just wanted to add something to the resource page. A lot of stuff there is for victims (as it should be)...But I was thinking that there should be more resources for perpetrators (to unlearn bad behavior...perhaps, result in less victims). The program is called EMERGE, that's:
http://www.emergedv.com
This program serves the Boston area and is for abusers only (men and more recently, women). But there must be other programs like it out there that Emerge can refer people to.

My stepfather went to Emerge on a court order. He didn't think he had a problem, so he dropped out. Obviously, the program couldn't and didn't work for him. But I was thinking, what if there is someone who knows that they are doing something terrible and wants to stop, but just doesn't know where to go for help? So, I thought maybe you'd include Emerge on your resource page.

Okay. I've added it to the list of resources. Thank you. As for being too busy writing to respond to questions, well, sort of. I've certainly been very involved with my book--see answer above.