How I Started—I Knew Zip
This is an
embarrassing story about how you don’t know what you don’t know—until you know
it.
I’ve been a rabid
reader my entire life. So when I decided to write a novel, I figured I had a
good bead on what to do. I wrote my first complete book in 2002.
In early 2003, I
found a little article in the Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale) about a writers’
conference happening in Deerfield Beach. I’d never been to one and was
extremely reluctant to attend.
I showed the
article to my two best friends, and they insisted I go. Really pushed me into
it.
This is where the
embarrassing part kicks in. I’d written that 85,000 word manuscript by hand.
Yup. Printed it very neatly on college-ruled notebook paper. Now, in my
defense, I had no access to a computer, and by 2002, typewriters were few and
far between. There were other contributing factors, but I won’t go into them.
So, I showed up at
my very first SleuthFest with the hand-written manuscript in a briefcase, sure
that an agent would hear how wonderful it was and would demand to take it with
them on the spot. (My face is turning bright red even now, admitting how stupid
I was.)
Thank God I went.
There were unbelievable luminaries in attendance. The Keynote was Sue Grafton.
Dr. Henry Lee gave an amazing lunchtime talk about the O.J. Simpson case.
Barbara Parker was there. Stuart Kaminsky. Daniel Keyes. The PJ Parrish team.
And so many more. To say I was intimidated is a huge understatement.
I went to the
panels and presentations where these best-selling legends talked about
writing—plotting, pacing, dialogue, the forensics, etc. It was overwhelming.
By the second day,
I began to understand how horribly naïve I’d been. I skulked out of there at
the end, praying that no one would ask what I had in the briefcase. It was
utterly humiliating.
But. Fast forward
sixteen years. I’ve never missed a SleuthFest. I not only became a member of
its sponsor, the Florida Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, I became part
of the organizing committee, running the raffle for nine years, served as a
chapter board member, and actually Co-Chaired SleuthFest for four years, from
2015-2018.
I met some of my
dearest friends at SleuthFest and through FMWA. My critique members all met
each other the same way. We’ve been together for fifteen years now.
My writing has gone
leaps and bounds beyond where I started, to where best-selling authors are
reading and blurbing my books. My critique experience gained me the expertise
to now edit other people’s novels—from simple line editing to book doctoring.
And they approached me!
It’s been quite a
journey, and I have so many more books to write. I keep a list of titles and
ideas, and I’m excited about all of them.
That original
manuscript? It’s the proverbial one that authors talk about—the one that sits
in a drawer, never to see the light of day. But I still have it.
Author: Victoria Landis
Book Title: Jordan
Website/Blog Link: www.VictoriaLandis.com
Amazon Link to Book: https://amzn.to/2HWMs5R
About the Author:
Victoria Landis is a professional writer, editor, and artist. A 16-yr member, and former board member, of Mystery Writers of America, she Co-Chaired the SleuthFest Writers Conference from 2015-2018.
She's taught at SleuthFest, the Authors Academy at Murder on the Beach, and the Alvin Sherman Library at Nova Southeastern University.
Her newest novel, JORDAN, is a thriller with a magical realism/paranormal element and a cautionary tale of human nature and how it hasn’t changed in thousands of years.
About the Book:
When Petra Simmons and her brother, Andy, help a seemingly homeless young woman, their intended good deed immediately changes their lives forever. Within days, it's clear that the woman, Jordan Crissman, is so much more than meets the eye. Jordan possesses an amazing ability - perhaps the most miraculous ability of all. Petra and Andy realize that, in the current world of viral social media, they must proceed with extreme caution. But how can they best employ the miracle without causing havoc? They plot a careful strategy. Despite their plans, word gets out too fast, and the world comes running - invading and overwhelming South Florida and bringing danger.
Television talking heads pontificate. Pundits opine. Some claim Jordan's a messiah. Others insist she's the devil. Massive crowds gather, demanding to see Jordan. Everyone wants her.
But there's nowhere left to hide. Damaging and horrible rumors swirl. Protest groups march and riot. Mass hysteria reigns.
And people are dying.
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