On the eve of publication, let me tell you a little about the gestation period of this novel, which has been about six or seven years. Back when Bow was just a gleam, or an irritating grain of sand, in my eye, I thought, what a bizarre people those Romans were to get a kick out killing thousands of animals, slaves and each other in the arena. They wore their neuroses on their sleeves, unlike some other civilizations I could mention.
I toyed with the idea of writing a book about gladiators, you know ... the real story. Is there a single gladiatorial moment in Book I? Of course there isn't, but there may be, around Book III or IV. Thumbing through a dozen or so books about daily Roman life, I came across a fellow I like to call the Unknown Triumvir - Marcus Licinius Crassus. You may remember Laurence Olivier taking a semi-homoerotic turn at playing him in Stanley Kubrick's 1960 classic Spartacus. By the way, in a perfect world I'd be writing scores for films, so right there you know that the world is far from perfect. But if you're like me are almost more interested in the music of a movie than the plot, take a listen to the love theme from Spartacus. My Crassus is quite a different fellow.
Okay, so sometime in 2008 I sent out queries about what was already a 750 page manuscript for the original Bow. (As I look back at the way I'm abbreviating the title, it makes me think of someone strangling a dog mid-bark.) I blush to tell you that I had six different offers from agents representing authors of historical fiction. I'm blushing because I'm lying. I did not hear a peep back from any of over fifty inquiries. Was I disheartened? You bet your ass. Did I give up? For awhile.
Three complete rewrites later, including changing an entire version from first person to third person, then back to first person told by a different character, I was ready to try again. Would I allow the brick-and-mortar houses to pummel my ego again? I would not. And that's why Bow (woof) will be arriving via the ether at the virtual bookstore of your choice thanks to Smashwords. Just because there're far too many words in this post and not enough pictures, here is an alternative cover for Book I.
I had to nix it because Smashwords is not fond of nudity, which is a bit prudish, if you ask me. In any case, I decided to go with hollow eyes instead of hollow cheeks.
I toyed with the idea of writing a book about gladiators, you know ... the real story. Is there a single gladiatorial moment in Book I? Of course there isn't, but there may be, around Book III or IV. Thumbing through a dozen or so books about daily Roman life, I came across a fellow I like to call the Unknown Triumvir - Marcus Licinius Crassus. You may remember Laurence Olivier taking a semi-homoerotic turn at playing him in Stanley Kubrick's 1960 classic Spartacus. By the way, in a perfect world I'd be writing scores for films, so right there you know that the world is far from perfect. But if you're like me are almost more interested in the music of a movie than the plot, take a listen to the love theme from Spartacus. My Crassus is quite a different fellow.
Okay, so sometime in 2008 I sent out queries about what was already a 750 page manuscript for the original Bow. (As I look back at the way I'm abbreviating the title, it makes me think of someone strangling a dog mid-bark.) I blush to tell you that I had six different offers from agents representing authors of historical fiction. I'm blushing because I'm lying. I did not hear a peep back from any of over fifty inquiries. Was I disheartened? You bet your ass. Did I give up? For awhile.
Three complete rewrites later, including changing an entire version from first person to third person, then back to first person told by a different character, I was ready to try again. Would I allow the brick-and-mortar houses to pummel my ego again? I would not. And that's why Bow (woof) will be arriving via the ether at the virtual bookstore of your choice thanks to Smashwords. Just because there're far too many words in this post and not enough pictures, here is an alternative cover for Book I.
I had to nix it because Smashwords is not fond of nudity, which is a bit prudish, if you ask me. In any case, I decided to go with hollow eyes instead of hollow cheeks.
Hi Andrew,
ReplyDeleteI have not read your book, though it sounds like an interesting premise. I was intrigued by the title on Amazon and decided to check out your blog.
I would just like to give you my feedback about the cover of your book (as lots of people may be judging it on the way it looks). Your initial cover (naked man) is better than the current cover (man's face). In any case, I would suggest to go with a more intriguing image for a cover.
Best of luck,
Max P.
PS. I am a writer too.
Hi Max,
ReplyDeleteJust saw your comment this morning (11/14). Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I like the other cover, too, but Smashwords nixed it. No nudity - it's a silly rule, but I didn't want to get into a hassle with them on my first book.
Good luck with your writing career!
- Andy