Courtney Milan finaled in the Golden Heart® with one of her historicals. She headed to the Romance Writers of America® national conference with her top-notch agent already hard at work on her behalf. After the heady experience of being introduced to more publishing professionals than anyone could be expected to remember, Courtney returned home where, just two weeks after RWA® Nationals, she received a two-book contract offer from Harlequin.
In her copious spare time, Courtney writes historical romance set in early Victorian England. In her non-spare time (those would be the other twenty-three hours of the day), she tries not to take herself too seriously. You might imagine this would pose a problem, since she is a lawyer, and people expect a certain amount of sobriety from lawyers. But if you did, that would indicate you didn’t know Courtney very well.
I first met Courtney through the Yahoo! group she set up for those of us who finaled in the 2008 GH contest. Since I was a technophobe at the time, she had to search high and low to find me since I had virtually no Web presence. She caught my one and only guest interview, which was at The Seekers, where those lovely ladies invited the other inspirational finalists and me to blog about receiving our GH calls. Courtney walked me through the steps necessary to join the loop. I’ve enjoyed getting to know her and many others as a result and will be forever grateful to her for rescuing me from obscurity.
Prepared to be entertained as you read Courtney’s answers to the questions with which I bombarded her. Since she’s an attorney, I even threw in my best attempt at a law question. Just wait until you see her answer. Made me roar. As you read, there will be aaah moments, ah ha moments, yeehaw! moments and ha ha ha moments. Courtney is a great writer with a ready wit, and I guarantee you’ll enjoy her interview.
Enough preamble. Here’s Courtney . . .
Courtney Milan
•Not only did you final in the Golden Heart this year, but you’ve had some amazing contest wins. Breath of Honor took first in the prestigious Golden Pen. But before all this there was the Avon fan–lit contest. Would you start by telling us how that contest brought you back to writing after many years away and what the experience was like?
Gosh. The Avon FanLit contest—that brings back old memories. As I recall, the prompt for the first writing exercise was something like, “The Countess enters the ballroom, and the Earl of Coulter knows that she is a fraud. He demands a dance.” I entered a really boring piece. Within three seconds, I got my first comment: “Doesn’t hold my interest.” Ouch! And shortly thereafter, another: “Sounds like everything else.” Double ouch! Indignant, I started reading other entries. And you know what? My story did sound like everyone else’s.
After that, I realized that the only way I could write something different, given the specific prompt, was to set up the story so that it was impossible. What did the hero and heroine have to do in the first chapter? Dance. So what did I do? I made the hero a war veteran—with an amputated leg.
That story didn’t win the round, but I kept entering, and I kept finaling. I got to know a lot of great people, like my two amazing critique partners. And I finally won Round 5. It was kind of neat to win, because my 1,500 words got published in an e-book called These Wicked Games–along with fellow Pixie Pamela Bolton-Holifield and several others!
•So, you’ve been published? I hadn’t realized you had this e-book release—and with our 2008 GH Pixie pal Pamela Bolton-Holifield no less. Cool! But that was only the beginning. Your right brain had been reactivated, and there was no stopping you. You wrote two award-winning stories in less than two years while juggling a demanding career as an attorney. How do you find time to write? And how do you make the shift from left- to right-brain thinking so often?
I find time by not sleeping. I suspect that J.K. Rowling invented a Time-Turner for Hermione out of sheer wish-fulfilling exhaustion. If I wrote paranormals, all my characters would have a superpower that gives them forty hours in their days.
As for shifting from one brain to another—I don’t know, after doing a bit of heavily analytical thinking, I am just dying to shift brains. I get really tired (and bored) doing the same thing over and over. I don’t see how other people can only do one!
•I enjoyed reading your blog post “How Not to Sell a Book.” It’s pretty amazing how responding to a request for query letters to critique on another author’s blog led to you landing a top-notch agent. This is such a cool story, so would you please share a condensed version here?
Super-condensed version: Sherry Thomas is a goddess.
Slightly longer version: I won a query critique from Sherry. I can’t write queries for the life of me, so Sherry eventually gave up on trying to get me to write the query for myself and made me send her the pages and a synopsis, and then was nice enough to tell Kristin Nelson, agent superstar, that she should read my book.
And I got lucky. Kristin did read my book, and she liked it.
•Some writers labor for years before they land that long-awaited first contract, but you received your first offer just one year after completing your first manuscript. Actually, I need to make a correction. You didn’t get an offer. Kristin received multiple offers and had publishing houses vying against one another at AUCTION. What was that like? And what did you learn from the experience?
I learned you should have really awesome critique partners.
One of my critique partners, Tessa Dare, also sold her first trilogy at auction, and her books, starting with Goddess of the Hunt, will be out in July, August, and September of 2009. My other CP, Amy Baldwin, is writing an incredibly awesome spine-tingling thriller that I am willing to bet will go to auction, too, when she finishes it.
As I mentioned earlier, Tessa, Amy and I met through FanLit. The three of us were all at the same place, but we all made different breakthroughs and shared them with each other. I think we were able to teach each other how to write compelling books, and so a process that might have taken many, many years got shortened substantially.
•At long last you received The Call. What was your initial reaction? Laughter? Tears? Stunned silence? Who did you tell first, and how did you celebrate?
I had not one call, but many. There was a call from my agent where I found out someone wanted to buy my book—we had two offers within a week, and they both came in on the same day—the Monday before RWA Nationals. My agent called me and told me. I said, “Huh,” and I hung up. And then I turned to my fiancé and said, “Gee, I think that was Kristin and she said she had offers on my book, but it just can’t be.” And then I contacted my critique partners and said, “This might have been a dream, but I think I have offers on my book.”
Only then did I realize that I had to send my agent an apologetic e-mail because I was in such disbelief I forgot to thank her for all her hard work when we talked!
The second call was after the auction had started, and it was when Kristin told me what Harlequin had offered. I was completely stunned. And after I hung up, I started to cry.
•Proof by Seduction is set in the early Victorian era in England. Why did you choose this time period in which to set your stories? How much time do you spend doing research before beginning to write? Or do you perform much of your research on an as-needed basis?
Uh. The assumption in these questions makes me hang my head in shame. The truth is not one of the listed options. I usually make stuff up, write about it, and then beat my head against a wall when I finally bother to do the research and discover I am extremely wrong. Very embarrassing.
Also, don’t tell anyone, but I despise researching clothing and furniture. I barely understand modern fashion, and all my furniture is either from garage sales or IKEA. So, that stuff from two hundred years ago is basically incomprehensible. I pay lip service to it, but ultimately I know most people care about getting this right in a way that I do not. I cheated and made the decision to hire a professional researcher. The lovely and brilliant Franzeca Drouin is now helping me.
•I understand one of your strengths is your knowledge of British law of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Was this study part of your course work, or did you conduct your research with your writing in mind? How can a writer with a specific question about a legal matter pertaining to the period get it answered?
Er…. As to the first question, neither. I am just a dork, and I read a slew of cases from the Court of Chancery in the nineteenth century for fun.
As to how to answer a specific question, this is stuff that’s relatively hard to research. You can try and look it up in Blackstone, who wrote a mongo-huge legal treatise, but you’d have to know what to look for. If you want to know whether your heroine has recourse if the villain takes something from her, you’d have to know to look for a writ of replevin. That sort of thing. I’ve occasionally written articles that are up on my website addressing a few minor points.
The easiest way to get questions answered is to join the Beau Monde chapter of RWA and post the questions to the loop. As a general rule, you’ll get the right answer—although not necessarily from the first person who replies. <g> I answer questions on the Beau Monde from time to time. I try to be right. I’m not always.
•Many of the writers and authors I’ve interviewed were already married when they began to seriously pursue publication. You were single, although we know now there’s a dreamy fiancé in the picture. Does he realize that by marrying an author he may get late dinners or take-out because you’re in the midst of writing a great scene, may have to do his own laundry at times because you’re on deadline, and may see some of his character traits show up in your fictional heroes? Have you two figured out how you’ll juggle two demanding day jobs, your writing career and a brand new marriage?
HA HA HA HA HA HA. Okay, here’s a little secret. At the point when I started writing, I was working a job that had me in the office 100 hours a week. Somehow, I also wrote about 150,000 words in eight months. How, I cannot presently recall—it’s all a murky haze of sleeplessness. So, it’s not the “author” part that is going to lead to late dinners, take-out, and his doing the laundry (heck, he always does the laundry). It’s the fact that I am a nutcase.
As for the juggling, my only advice is that if you are like me, it’s best to marry someone who doesn’t get ruffled when you mess up and all your balls hit him in the head. Double points if he sees you’re about to drop everything and calls ahead for pizza.
•And since we’re all into romance, would you be willing to share a bit about your upcoming wedding? Have you set a date, picked out your dress, chosen a honeymoon location?
We’ve set a date, and it is (be still my panicking heart) two months away. I don’t have a dress. I don’t even have invitations. And we don’t have time for a honeymoon, either.
•Another fellow stole your heart recently, one of the furry variety. Would you tell us about the lovable little pup and how he’s doing these days? And what’s this I see on your MySpace page about training a cat? Surely you jest.
Courtney's Furry Friends
Pele is my four-month-old puppy. He’s an extremely intelligent dog—too smart for his own good. Or at least for mine. We are trying to train him to obey our commands even when there are no treats in sight. So, I have put tiny little containers throughout the house with dog cookies in them. You’d think that goodies on top of bookshelves and mantels would be outside the reach of a puppy that is twelve inches at the withers.
Not so. Puppy has discovered that if he chases the cat on top of the furniture and then barks at her, she will wiggle, hiss and knock the treat container on the floor. He can then chew open the plastic and get at all the treats—destroying both his training and my container in one fell swoop.
Since the kitty is now doing the dog’s bidding, no doubt you see the necessity for training the cat. The cat must be my minion, not the dog’s. Hold fast against the canine, oh furry, clawed friend! Hold fast.
•And now a question just for fun. If you could go back in time, stand up in court to attempt to put to rights a case you think went wrong or defend an accused person you believe got a raw deal, what case or person would that be and why?
Never ask a lawyer a question like this. You know we get paid to talk, right? Initially, I wrote this really long piece of text. It started with Cherokee Indians and Andrew Jackson and crossed over into a discussion of the importance of the Rule of Law and Eisenhower and Nixon. Then I went back and read the part of the question where it says “just for fun.”
Right-o. Trail of Tears, not so fun. Nixon, even less. Least fun of all, two page lawyerly dissertation about the Rule of Law.
Thankfully, there is such a thing as a delete key. Instead, I’ll have you know that Nix v. Hedden was just wrong. The tomato is a fruit, not a vegetable.
It’s been great having you as my guest, Courtney. And now, in closing, is there a final comment you’d like to make or a question you’d like to ask?
The fruit versus vegetable question is actually very important to me. If you read one of the early scenes of my book (link), you’ll see that my heroine enjoys a special relationship with citrus. In particular, my heroine is a vegan soothsayer. Too chicken to use poultry entrails to tell the future, she dismembers an orange.
So, if you would like me to tell your future, you should do the following.
1. Ask me a question in the comments.
2. Choose your vegetable! Or your fruit! I can’t possibly see the future unless you let me know what to disembowel—potatoes, celery, rutabagas…. In this blog post, we kill plants. None shall be spared!
Leave a Comment for Courtney
If you don’t see a comment form below, please use the link by the post title.
All those who leave a comment for Courtney between now and October 31 will be entered in a drawing for one of three cool Pixie totes featuring Tink, the most famous Pixie of all Pixie’s.
Here’s how the drawing works. Between now and the end of October, I’ll be featuring interviews with six of my fellow Golden Heart finalists. After flinging truckloads of cyber Pixie dust for one another’s sales, submissions, revisions and the like, we dubbed ourselves the Pixie Chicks.
In honor of the fact that it’s Pixie Central here at Romance Writers on the Journey the rest of the month, I found Pixie prizes. These are the best prizes I’ve ever featured on the blog, imho. They are sturdy canvas bags about sixteen inches square, exclusive of the handles.
Congratulations to the winners of the Pixie totes: AJ, Darcy Burke and Sue Mason.
Pixie Prizes!
October 12, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Courtney,
Welcome to Romance Writers on the Journey. It’s wonderful to have you here. I know your visitors are going to enjoy reading your entertaining interview as much as I did.
You really know how to pack a lot of living into your life. I marvel at all you’ve accomplished—and in such a short time. Your road to publication is a super highway, and you’ve been traveling in the fast lane, I’d say. How exhilarating.
Unlike you, I love doing the research for my historicals. I didn’t know there were research professionals such as Franzeca out there. If I didn’t enjoy the writing as much as the research, I could have another career.
Sounds like you may have a December wedding planned. My hubby and I said our “I do’s” amid multi-colored poinsettias. I wish you well in pulling everything together between now and then and hope your special day is a romance writer’s dream come true.
And now, Mademoiselle Courtney, my fruit of choice is the succulent strawberry and my question is this: Will I be able to take all I’ve learned about craft over the last two years and produce a story that won’t leave agents and editors yawning as my previous attempts have done—a story with pizazz, humor and unforgettable characters?
October 12, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Before I read your fortune, my dearest Keli, I must test to see if I have managed to get my avatar right….
October 12, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Excellent!
Keli, I have to admit I love doing *some* of the research for my historicals. Some stuff, I can do all day. It’s just the clothes and the furniture that get me. There is a reason my heroine in the first book wears outlandish garb–I really do get to make it up.
But on to the truly important stuff–strawberries and craft. Before I can read your future, I must read your past. And because this strawberry (which I am eating, thank you, the better to digest your news) is so delicious–um, I mean, full of positive portent, I can safely say two things.
I am looking into the future. I am seeing an editor in front of me. She is short and dark-haired, and she is reading your pages for a contest. She smiles. She laughs. She turns them, faster and faster, until she reaches the end and frowns because there is nothing left.
Then she breathes a big sigh of frustration–because she wishes the market would turn back towards American-set historicals so that she could buy this lovely book!
So what I see in your future is that you are asking the wrong question. The question you should be asking is: Will the market support a story such as you’ve written with pizazz, humor, and unforgettable characters?
And the answer, says this scrumptious strawberry, is YES.
October 13, 2008 at 6:12 am
Wonderfully entertaining interview, Courtney (and Keli!). I loved it! =)
Hmm…so many fruits to choose from. What shall I pick? I think I’ll go with a kiwi. I just looooove kiwi.
Here’s my question: Will any of my novels be made into movies?
Thank you, oh Wise Gypsy of the Fruit.
October 13, 2008 at 6:18 am
C.J.–
Four are the letters in kiwi; four are the hours of the day in which I wish I had kiwi to eat; four are the number of bites it takes to eat a kiwi if you have an exceptionally large mouth, and four is the number of movies that shall be made from your books.
Four may also be the centuries that elapse before said movies are made, but we fruit gypsies take the long view of things.
October 13, 2008 at 6:44 am
Hi, Courtney! Terrific interview! The divine Keli is magical as always.
Hmm, fruit. A mango, in honor of my 3 years in Hawaii and my inner island girl. The question: will I have a long and fruitful (ahem) career?
October 13, 2008 at 6:56 am
Courtney, I didn’t realize you had a December wedding.
My anniversary is Dec 17th. It’s such a beautiful time of year to get married (a little hectic and crazy but sounds like that feels normal to you). =D
October 13, 2008 at 7:21 am
Lynn.
Hm. Mangoes. This is a very difficult fruit–a very difficult fruit indeed.
First, it has a tough skin. This is a good thing as authors must also have tough skins.
Second, it is sweet and juicy. And as everyone knows, romance novels are best when sweet and juicy.
Finally, it has a hard stone in its center–and as a regular reader of Harlequin Presents, I can tell you that sweetness and juiciness surrounding someone who is hard (in more ways than one) is a combination for success.
I see an exotically fruitful career for you!
October 13, 2008 at 7:21 am
C.J.,
Yes, I have a December wedding. It’s also (ahem) on pearl harbor day. This is what you get when you try and balance everything.
October 13, 2008 at 7:32 am
LOL, thank you Madame Courtney! And many congrats on the upcoming wedding. Sheesh, should have said that the first time.
October 13, 2008 at 7:50 am
Courtney, you are an inspiration to us ex-fanlitters, as are Tessa Dare, Beverley Kendall, gosh the list goes on and on. Thank you for sharing your story.
Congratulations on the wedding-A quick trip to Vegas and a Cirque du Soleil show and there would be no need for invitations. But I do have to say, if anyone can plan a wedding in two months or less, it’s got to be you.
Fruit, does it have to be only one? Because I’m a mixed bowl, you know, cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, and grapes. But if I have to choose one, it’d be cantaloupe. Now, for the question, I just finished revisions on my first manuscript, the critique partners have it as we speak. Will I successfully find a publisher for it? (I was going to say a home, but then I thought of all the dust bunnies under my bed.)
Renee
October 13, 2008 at 7:51 am
Oh Courtney, my parents were married on Pearl Harbor Day. They’re getting ready to celebrate their 38th wedding anniversary.
Renee
October 13, 2008 at 8:10 am
Renee,
It is exciting to see so many fanlitters have such great success. Luckily for me, we have a site and a caterer. The rest . . . um, yeah. It’s coming.
As for the first manuscript…. Like so many mixed bowls of fruit, the first manuscript will see a great deal of mixed fruit. Whether you find a publisher will depend on how many fruits you visit, and how you carve your fruit. If you are only willing to consider, for instance, grapes, your mixed bowl may lack a certain variety. But I feel confident that sufficient fruits, mixed with sufficient yummy things, will yield ambrosia.
October 13, 2008 at 8:15 am
What a great interview! I have relied on Courtney as been my personal fortune teller for the past 2 years, and let me tell you – she is ALWAYS right. And even after 2 years, I still can’t figure out how she does it. We should all be grateful that she uses her powers for good; that’s all I can say.
Hmmm….my fruit of choice would be the pineapple. (If you can’t eat them, eviscerate them!) My question…how do I break through this first-draft awkwardness and start booking on my new WIP?
October 13, 2008 at 8:19 am
The pineapple is a very strange fruit. Like a potato, it has many eyes. Unlike a potato, it grows above ground.
I conclude that your solution is to give your heroine three eyes and have her live in the clouds.
October 13, 2008 at 8:43 am
Love the interview!
Naturally, I have to pick a lemon as my fruit *G*
hmm, I don’t have a burning question. Can you tell me what you see in the magic lemon?
October 13, 2008 at 8:44 am
Hi Courtney,
Wonderful interview. I didn’t know that ‘clairvoyance’ was another of your many talents!
My fruit of choice would be the apple- just picked off the tree with a sour tang. Delicious. My question would be, will my newly finished manuscript be THE ONE!?
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! We can live vicariously through your romance. And, BTW, we need pictures, afterwards, of the dress and the GROOM!
Take care & happy writing,
Sue
October 13, 2008 at 9:03 am
Courtney! I love your photo. I am so happy to see you succeed. I knew you would do it. I cannot wait to see that book in print so I can get my hot little hands on it.
Take care!
Sindee
October 13, 2008 at 9:05 am
Great interview, Courtney and Keli. Courtney, your writer’s journey has been amazing to watch unfold.
BTW, December weddings are marvelous. The three that I’ve been to have been beautiful,
both on their day and ever after.
My fruit of fortune is the black fig. The kind I ate, freshly picked, for breakfast when I was in Italy.
The question I have about my fortune is this: Will the total evisceration of my first manuscript bear fruit or should I forsake it for the book that’s building in my head?
October 13, 2008 at 9:09 am
Courtney,
My DH and I were married on December 19th. I like the fact that we married close in the midst of the holiday season because there’s such a feeling of celebration in the air each year when our anniversary rolls around.
My pastor and his wife married on December 7th. They made a big deal of the fact, holding the ceremony at 7 pm and having 7 attendants between them just to be different.
Pearl Harbor Day is a memorable one, so many of your friends and family members are likely to remember your wedding date for years to come. Don’t think you or your hubby-to-be are likely to forget your anniversary and get in hot water in years to come, either.
October 13, 2008 at 9:10 am
Kim,
For you, in the magic lemon, I see complete and utter world domination through benevolence.
Although it doesn’t take a magic lemon to see that….
October 13, 2008 at 9:15 am
Sue,
I see you have picked the fruit of temptation as yours. Some might say that this represented bad luck–after all, picking an apple off a tree got Adam and Eve chucked out of Eden.
But us writers know that the apple adorns Stephenie Meyer’s covers, and her sales numbers have been awesome.
The fruit gypsy says yes!
October 13, 2008 at 9:15 am
Sindee,
Thanks so much for your support! I hope that soon I will be able to say the same to you.
October 13, 2008 at 9:20 am
Sue,
I see you have picked the fig. Now, the fig is a very odd fruit. For instance, one might say, “I don’t give a fig” about something.
The reason, however, that one doesn’t give figs is that one wants to keep all one’s figs for one’s self.
Likewise, one might also say, “he got your goat.” I find this surprising, personally, because even though I am surrounded by a menagerie, my menagerie does not contain any goats. How did he get them?
In any event, figs and goats aside, clearly, we must resort to cliches: A manuscript in the hand is worth two in the mind.
October 13, 2008 at 9:20 am
And why did I type “Sue” when I was thinking “Santa”?
Arg! Sorry!
October 13, 2008 at 9:21 am
Keli,
I reserve the right to forget anything and everything–including my anniversary, my husband’s birthday, and *especially* my age.
October 13, 2008 at 9:38 am
Hey Courtney! Congrats on the upcoming wedding and to all your success!
So my question is going to be an obvious one: Will I ever get an agent and be a successful published author?
Fruit of choice: the coconut.
October 13, 2008 at 9:41 am
Terrific interview, Courtney and Keli! Of course, I expected no less.
I don’t think anyone but CM could have convinced me that a fortune teller and eviscerated fruit could form part of a compelling story. She wrote; I was convinced; I can’t wait to add books by Courtney Milan to my TBB list.
I’m a Georgia girl, so naturally the fruit I choose is the peach. Can you tell me, o powerful one, if I’ll ever complete the revisions on TLWH and send it out?
October 13, 2008 at 10:43 am
Hey Courtney! Great interview. Chiming in as a December bride to say it’s a great time of year to get married. And of course you’ll pull it together as you always do.
Let’s see…when I sell (thinking positive here, friends) how many books will the contract be for?
And I’ll take the banana. Can’t believe no one’s taken the banana.
October 13, 2008 at 10:56 am
Hi Courtney and Keli!
Wonderful interview. What a talent you are, Courtney. A lawyer, a writer, a fruit lover and newly engaged! Sounds like you’re staying busy. I hope you find time for a honeymoon! You deserve one.
I also had a December wedding (lots of December brides here) and we’ll be hitting our 22nd anniversary very soon. My advice: Laugh a lot and communicate and don’t worry, be happy!!
As for the fruit: Nectarine! Yummy
Hugs!
October 13, 2008 at 11:18 am
Elyssa.
Hm. This is difficult. You see, I told you to pick a fruit or a vegetable, and as everyone knows, the coconut gives milk.
Therefore, it’s a mammal.
My conclusion is that your agent and editor will also be mammals.
Hope this is not too disappointing!
October 13, 2008 at 11:18 am
Janga,
So long as your revisions are just peachy, I think you’ll be golden.
October 13, 2008 at 11:24 am
Darcy,
Unfortunately, you picked a banana. Bananas are only capable of answering yes or no questions.
No, really, I’m not making this up! It’s true! I have been telling everyone this for years. It is a fundamental tenet of the Cult of the All-Knowing banana (actual group! with actual members! some of whom are not me!) and so I must abide by the wishes of the banana.
Bananas have correctly answered the following questions:
1. Will Ralph Nader win the election in 2000?
2. Will we have sandwiches for dinner?
3. Are boys stupid?
And many, many other questions that I can no longer remember.
(In case you were wondering, the answers were no, yes, and yes.)
So I asked the banana: Will Darcy get a three-book deal?
The banana says: Yes.
Unfortunately, I forgot to ask the banana whether that would be your first or your second contract, and I am out of bananas.
P.S. Really not making up the Cult of the All-Knowing Banana. Is such a thing.
October 13, 2008 at 11:25 am
Theresa,
I’m beginning to realize that the point of a wedding is that if you can get through it while still laughing with the other person, you should probably get married.
Thanks for the advice!
October 13, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Courtney, you put me to shame and make me feel like such a slacker. My lawyer job only keeps me trapped in the office 50-60 hours a week, and I have yet to finish a draft of, well, anything.
So my question to you, oh wise-one, read from the bowels of the almighty kumquat, is will I ever complete a draft of anything anyone will have any interest in reading? Or at least before I turn mmmmm-0 in 368 days?
Congratulations again, CM, on the book deal, the wedding, and just for generally being an inspiration to us all.
October 13, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Thanks, Courtney! I’ll take a pairing of figs and goat cheese anytime!
Off to the book at hand,
Sue aka Santa
October 13, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Congratulations, CM, on your fabulous book deals and your upcoming wedding! Just reading about your schedule makes me ready to take a nap.
I think I’ll go with the avocado (I just love Guacamole). My question for the all seeing is: If I can ever finish one of my WIP’s, will it ever see a bookstore shelf? (And not by me putting it there).
Thanks Keli and Courtney for a fun blog!
Laurie
October 13, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Hey Courtney,
Another chance to say congrats! Congrats!!
Gotta keep it simple right now–4 y.o. was up puking all night, and so things continue into the daylight hours. Therefore, I am stupid. Stupid Kris = Simple sentences. Such as: You Rock! Congratulations! (does that count as a sentence?) And, Hurray!
Oh, and, Did you get your dress yet????
Kris
October 13, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Fantastic interview and congrats on the upcoming wedding! If it’s in Florida, I’ll be happy to come marry you for free cause we notaries can do that here.
I’m so tickled for all these FanLitters, it just keeps getting better and better.
My fruit is the blueberry and my question is: Will I overcome the obstacle that is my craptastic personal life and finish this darn book on time?
Congratulations again!
Sarah
October 13, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Kelly,
I disemboweled your kumquat, but there’s not much in there. A bit of pulp, really, and that’s it.
I thus conclude that you will need little time, but that you will procrastinate. But you will not procrastinate so much that you have not finished.
October 13, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Hey Courtney!
As usual, you totally crack me up. (Coconut as a mammal is destined to become a classic.) Cheers to you again on the wunderbar deal with HQN. May this be the start of fabulous things for you, hon!
Let’s see… I shall choose… the ever-delish (and heart-healthy!) red grape. What does the fruit swami have to say about the future of The Cinderella Society?
And I’m with Kris… did you find your perfect dress yet???
Kay
October 13, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Laurie,
The avocado is a singular fruit. If it is unripe, it cannot be mashed, not with a thousand blades. But if it is just ripe enough, a single fork can render it into the perfect guacamole.
When your book is ready, it will be turned into guacamole.
October 13, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Kris–
No dress. No invitations.
NO SANITY. AAAAGGGHHHHHH.
October 13, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Sarah–
I’m sure you’ve heard the joke about the Mama Blueberry, the Daddy Blueberry, and the Baby Blueberry. One day, they were all going out for a walk. Baby Blueberry, as usual, was falling behind. So Mama Blueberry turned to Baby Blueberry and squashed him, saying:
“Ketchup!”
Wait. That wasn’t about blueberries.
Ultimately, what I see is that no matter what happens with your personal life, you will finish your book. And it will be on time, too–but on time for what?
October 13, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Hi Courtney & Keli — great interview! Keli, I can’t wait to hear from the rest of the 6-in-2 weeks gang.
Courtney, your story is amazing–and I’m sure it’s just the beginning. Congrats on all your success and your upcoming wedding.
Hmmm. Favorite fruit: strawberry cheesecake.
Anne
October 13, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Kay,
Red grapes?
Over here, in the heartland of America, we don’t call ‘em red grapes. We call them by their real names–communist grapes. That’s what they are. Communist grapes. And the only good communist grape is a dead communist grape.
Well, that’s why we eat them, of course.
Unless The Cinderella Society is about communist fruit baskets, I see a major international hit in its future.
Oh yeah, international. You’ll learn about all of those VERY soon.
Now let’s see. How many communist grapes have I eaten since starting this? One, two, three . . . . I’m counting nine. You heard me. Nine.
October 13, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Keli, thanks so much for having me here! It was a ton of fun. I’m looking forward to hearing from the other five Pixies!
October 14, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Apparently I’m late to the fruit disembowelling party, but still wanted to say:
great author pic,
i’m going to graciously overlook how you are yet another person who whisks my ‘i don’t have time to write’ excuses out from under me,
and I choose a coconut to prophesy: will I ever stop being a hardcore pantser and start to get the hang of the outline thing?
October 15, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Wow, that was an incredible interview, Courtney and Keli! Courtney, I’ve always wanted one of those time-turner things that Hermione had, too! Oh, how lovely that would be! And fruit prophecies?! What does the lovely lychee have to say?
October 15, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Courtney -
Great photo – and good to see the cat training is moving right along!
I’m going to break the mold here and go broccoli. It’s my favorite veggie. My son hates it, but I love the florets (I also hate the stalks, but my dog loves the stalks. We’re a team, that dog and I.)
My question is, Will the editor want my book? Anytime soon?
Sarah, the Authorial Mom
October 21, 2008 at 10:56 am
Hey, Courtney, dear! You definitely hit the jackpot with little Pele. He will keep you entertained and amused when nothing else can. I cracked up at how well he has your poor cat trained already. Just wait until they REALLY start to work together. Nothing in your house will be safe. Put the clean laundry up high.
I am just so proud of how well you have done since our FanLit days! You and the rest of the FanLit crew have been such great cheerleaders and sources of encouragement for me. The Talking Fishbowl Head Crew has come a long way!
As to the wedding, just relax and enjoy the whole thing. Is Pele going to be the ring bearer or the flower “girl”?
Hmm. I think I need to be a stalk of rhubarb. Memories of eating rhubarb pie in England always make me smile.
My question? Will I EVER get an agent and will I ever lose that 50 pounds that keeps stalking me?
October 8, 2009 at 3:22 pm
I bought the Christmas anthology with Mary Balogh Nicole Cornick and – smaller print- Courtney Milan listed as authors. Was annoyed to find it was republication of the first two who are on my list of favourite authors. However since I lost over 3000 of my “keepers” paperbacks in a fire and have now downsized I sometimes buy books i used to have to enjoy them again. This was not the case here. Enjoyed the first 2 stories but remembered them and decided I couldn’t use up my downsized space to keep the book. Turned to the third. First, i am strange about names: Courtney Milan did not give me any great expectations. I know one Courtney who is a man. Don’t know any Courtneys who are female. Started to read your story. Great style. Loved the characterization. In fact ABSOLUTELY LOVED the story and am now going to keep an eye out for all future works. And I am putting this in my precious “keeper” space just on the strength of your story. Thanks and please keep writing – lots.
Pat
October 8, 2009 at 7:41 pm
Pat,
Thank you so much for the comments. Keli told me you had left this post here, and I really appreciate hearing that you enjoyed my novella. I have a full length book out in January of 2010, but if you want to whet your appetite until then, I have a (free) (short) (very short) story up at my website:
I haven’t even officially announced it there yet!
http://www.courtneymilan.com/gost.php