Greetings Picklesversians,
BEWARE THE IDES OF MARCH! 🔪😱
Yes, today is March 15th, the infamous date when Julius Caesar was assassinated by his colleagues and his most trusted friend. If you’re thinking of going into the office today, perhaps consider working from home instead… just to be on the safe side.
In this month’s email, expect news, expect a behind-the-scenes exclusive, and expect a game of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon with a classical twist that culminates in a sci-fi book review.
Alright, first things first…
For anyone wishing to brush up on the origins and meaning of the phrase Beware the Ides of March, here’s a video that gives a nice overview.
The date is synonymous with political backstabbing in the most literal sense. Perhaps that’s why a 2011 political drama starring George Clooney and Ryan Gosling was entitled The Ides of March. In the same year, Ryan Gosling also appeared with Kevin Bacon in a comedy romance called Crazy, Stupid, Love, which happened to be the first of Gosling’s on-screen collaborations with his eventual La La Land co-star Emma Stone. (I promise this is leading somewhere…)
I’m a big fan of coincidences, so imagine my delight when I learned that Ryan Gosling not only has a connection to my beloved Ides, but has also been cast as the main character in the movie adaptation of a book I read earlier this year, which left such a big impression on me that it comfortably won the title of Second Best Book I’ve Ever Read. That book was Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.
I’m not going to spoil it for you, and it’s difficult to talk much about that book without spoilers. I can tell you that it’s about a man who wakes up in a strange room with amnesia and gradually realises he’s on a space ship. And I can tell you he wraps a sheet around himself like a toga and declares himself to be the Emperor Comatose. (References to ancient Rome get everywhere, honestly!). The book also features one of the best friendships I’ve ever encountered in storytelling. I won’t say more about it, except to mention that on April Fool’s Day in 2022, Andy Weir announced that the friend in the movie version would be played by Emma Stone. 😊 He then had to clarify that it really was just a joke because the internet got over-excited.
If you fancy an uplifting science fiction book, I recommend picking up a copy of Project Hail Mary. If you don’t like scientific problem solving, or if you’re dead inside, it might not be for you.
Next up, a behind-the-scenes update about the next book in the ArkTech series.
Coming soon…
For those of you who read Beware the Ides of April, there’s some good news. Work on the next instalment of the ArkTech series is well under way. The second book will be called Artificial Selection and is coming out as an e-book, audiobook, and print-on-demand. An audiobook version of Beware the Ides of April is also due to be released in the summer.
I’m roughly half-way through the second draft of Artificial Selection. The second draft is one of my favourite parts. First draft is all about telling myself the story: the exact words are less important than getting the shape of the story down. It’s an important stage, but the thing born from that process doesn’t read much like a published work, which can feel unsatisfying. Second draft is when I get to dive into the detail and make sure it reads well. I hesitate to call it The Fun Bit, because all the writing bits are fun in their own way. But if I secretly had a favourite, it would probably be second draft. (Just don’t tell first draft I said that.)
Once I’ve finished the second draft, I’ll do a few editing passes where I check for specific things like making sure the characters sound like themselves, and that the setting details and descriptions are clear enough while also being brief. I’m not a huge fan of descriptions as a reader, so I try to keep them short. (Imagine how deeply I regretted my life choices when reading A Song of Ice and Fire.)
When that’s all done, I’ll send the manuscript to my editor for his input.
I had an interesting conversation recently with a friend of mine about editors. He’d read an early draft of an author’s work in a museum exhibition and concluded that the writer wasn’t very talented because of the amount of editing notes. I guess my take on it is that all authors need an editor.
Don’t get me wrong: self-editing is vital. It’s helpful to be able to hit a certain standard on your own. But an editor has a fresh perspective coupled with extensive experience that helps an author improve their work. Tennis players are on court alone, but there’s a whole team of coaches and trainers and psychologists and physiotherapists helping them to do their best. Publishing, too, benefits from teamwork.
Artificial Selection is the next adventure for Charlotte and Ben. There’s trouble at the ArkTech library where a vandal keeps damaging books. (This plot concept is a homage to something dear to me, which will be explained in the book’s Author’s Note). Ben asks Charlotte to find out why the librarian hasn’t reported the damage to ArkTech Security. Charlotte’s investigation takes an unexpected turn when she discovers that even seemingly trivial events can be matters of life and death. Artificial Selection is coming soon.
I hope all’s well in your own personal universes.
Until next time…
Marianne
PS. In accordance with recent tradition, below is an AI’s impression of Ryan Gosling as the Emperor Comatose.
