Much Ado about Spires

For those who may not have heard (that would be people new here, because I haven't stopped talking about it), Spires of Stone is a retelling of Shakespeare's Much Ado about Nothing.

Some may recall a reference to Much Ado in At the Journey's End, which was deliberate, because I knew I'd be writing this one next (or at least thinking about it).

The first draft followed the play pretty closely for the most part, with of course historical changes and so forth, but subsequent versions started morphing the story and especially the characters. The result is a book that sort of mirrors the Bard's version, but ends very differently. (Although I admit the ending was a bit different even in my original version. I just didn't work Old Will's way!)

I've put up a character list on my website to help clarify which characters in my book are essentially representative of which ones in the original version. If you go there, you'll note that Phillip is listed next to two characters.

The reason is that Phillip has two jobs, plot-wise. Since I'm not giving spoilers, I'll refer to him in terms of Much Ado only, so that if you really, really want to (or are already familiar with the play) you can keep track.

Phillip essentially takes on the role of Don Pedro when it comes to how Benedick and Beatrice's story plays out. But he also—quite accidentally and innocently—creates a problem, the same problem that Don Jon creates deliberately in the play.

One of my early readers asked why Phillip's name begins with a P instead of a J (noting his Don Jon-like role). My answer: He's just as much Don Pedro as far as his story responsibilities go. But more importantly, his character is a very good one, unlike the villainous Don Jon. I certainly didn't want to give him a villainous connotation by naming him something with a J.

But this brings up another issue. Again, I don't want to spoil anything, so let's just say that there's a Spires character who ends up behaving very differently than in the play, and as a result, I've had at least one reader assume that this person is Don Jon.

Not so. Not in any way.

It just so happens that my characters took on lives of their own and simply refused to behave the way they were "supposed" to.

The result? A different very different ending in Spires than in Much Ado.

And that's all I'll say about the characters for now.

Countdown: We're a week away from the release!

Now for a quote from Phillip. I've cut out a bit in the middle. (How weird . . . I'm ellipsing myself . . .)

"Look, I'm not a poet, Claude. I can't write a love letter. . . . I read scientific books, not anything about love and fairy tales. Any letter I could write for you would sound like a proclamation from a newspaper."

School's Here/#4

The first week of school is officially over. The kids survived it. Jury's still out on whether Mom did. My oldest entered junior high. There is something completely sick and wrong about the entire concept of my baby boy trotting off to the land of teenagers and lockers. And about the fact that I'm anywhere near old enough to be the mother to such a kid. I mean, I remember being 12 so vividly (I was already ME then, for heaven's sake!). How could my own child be that old?!

Then there's my next two little (ish?) ones, who were so thrilled to get to school that all week they woke up before I did and even packed their own lunches. It won't be long before their enthusiasm dies down and I have to drag them out of their slumber-induced stupor each morning, but for now I'm enjoying that they're raring to go to school before I'm even out of bed.

On Monday my youngest begins preschool. At first she was wary of the idea, but her Dora backpack and a visit to the preschool itself changed her mind. (I think it was the big plastic McDonald's play set that really did the trick. Hmm. Will she be disappointed when there aren't any fries?)

As strange as it is to have the kidlets growing up, I'm looking forward to having some semblance of a routine again, something that was sorely lacking over the summer. I need a structure and a routine. Last summer I had a ridiculously strict schedule, so this time I tried to be more lax. The result is that over the last few months, the kids did fewer chores, read less, and spent far too much time in front of the television. Maybe next summer I can find a happy medium.

As for our Spires quote of the day, next time I swear I'll post an excerpt from someone besides Ben or Bethany, but I just had to do one more about them:

Even now she wondered if she could have handled the situation differently, but she still hadn't figure out how she could have mended it. It all happened so quickly, over the course of less than twenty-four hours—a one-two punch of elation and then despair.

LUNCH! & Quote #3

Yesterday I had the good fortune to be treated to a wonderful lunch (with an ice cream sundae bigger than the meal itself! Hmm, yeah) by none other than my blogger friend Luisa. She and I "cyber-met" something like eight months ago . . . ish . . . and I found her to be a terrific kindred spirit and wonderful person.

Chatting over lunch with her did not disappoint, and all too soon, I had to say good-bye to relieve the babysitter. Luisa is just as delightful in person as on the computer screen. (And yes, she looks strikingly like that darling childhood picture of herself on her profile!) I hope I get to see her again soon. Maybe I can find some excuse to fly to New York . . .

In the meantime, I'm having a ball with pulling quotes from Spires of Stone. I thought I'd let Ben keep going. He was one of the most fun (and talkative) characters I've ever had walking around in my brain. As I wrote the book, I'd bust out laughing at some of his shenanigans. He cracked me up. (It's no use saying I wrote his lines; he wrote them himself.) Sometimes even now I'll hear a phrase or a joke and think, "That's something Ben would appreciate/do/think/say."

Here's today's installment, from chapter 6:

"Some things are up to fate—or a certain female who shall remain nameless. If she acts up, I must defend myself. And you'll still owe me."

Spires Quote #2

Another Spires of Stone quote of the day!

Yesterday I used one from Bethany.

Now it's Ben's turn:

"I thought I had trained him well and that the effects would last. Yet what does he do the first chance he has when we return? Fall over his own shoes because of a girl."

I Met My Artist

If I had known ahead of time how great today's signing would be, I would have been too giddy to sleep last night.

Signings in general are a tough animal. I'm an introvert. I'm shy. It's tough to get out of your shell and talk to perfect strangers.

Fortunately, I'm not as uncomfortable doing them when I first started out—and that's not just because in 2002 I was doing book signings 8 1/2 months pregnant, swollen like a beached whale—but they're still not exactly on my top ten list of favorite activities.

Frankly, they're exhausting—you have to be "on" for two hours straight, smiling and being energetic (if you know me, the gal who spends hours each morning in her PJ's, that should tell you something). Sometimes I feel like a used car salesman as I pitch my book to customers who really came in to buy a baptism gift and have no use for me. Or I feel like a carnival freak show that everyone's trying to avoid looking at. (There's just something about a book signing table that makes people avert their eyes and run for cover.)

But today was different!

For starters, it wasn't just me braving the crowds. Two tables graced the walkway where the BYU bookstore stationed me. I shared mine with the delightful Suzie Roberts who wrote a cookbook about freezing dinners beforehand (something I think I need with my family's growing hectic schedule!).

Down the way a bit was the second table, with Chad Hawkins (who I tried picking temple research brains with) and Matthew Buckley (a really funny guy who has a rather smiley countenance,which I didn't expect, since I had only ever seen his oh-so-serious picture). Then Marsha Ward, who is in town for Education Week, stopped by, as well as author (and now BYU MBA student) Rob Wells. Not only that, but my Relief Society president came over between classes to say hi.

I didn't feel lonely at all! And I even sold quite a few books. How many, I'm not sure, because I was really enjoying myself, so I didn't count how many this time. Usually I have a mental tally going on. Even better was getting a good dozen comments from people walking by who stopped after seeing my covers, then said something like, "I've read those. I loved them!" I don't think that has ever happened so many times in two hours. Hearing it was gratifying and yes, fun.

At one point over the PA I heard a voice announce that Al Rounds was upstairs. I about hyperventilated. I was unaware of his name three years ago, but since then it has meant a ton to me. He is the artist behind all of the temples on my book covers. (William Whittaker is the artist behind the women on them). I have loved and adored all of my historical covers, and for a long time, I've wanted to meet him and express my admiration for his work.

I ditched my table and ran to meet him. He had just left his table to be part of a presentation, but I was informed that he'd be back soon and that my signing ended well before he'd be leaving for the day. Pumped, I returned to my table. But when 1:00 hit, I went back upstairs.

Al Rounds is one of the sweetest men I've ever met, and he seemed glad to meet me after contributing three paintings to my books. (He had imagined me older. Yeah, I get that a lot with these cheeks . . .)

Over the course of our conversation, I dropped a few big hints about which two temples I'll need next . . . not exactly placing my order, but sort of crossing my fingers, because I'd hate to reach a point where my covers don't feature Al Rounds.

If you're interested in seeing the full painting that the the detail on Spires of Stone is from, visit here. The painting is entitled, "City Creek," but in my cover you can't see the creek part, because the girls are in front of it. I have a secret hope that maybe someday I'll own a small print of each temple of his that has graced my covers.

Speaking of Spires of Stone, no, it wasn't at my signing today. It should reach stores in a week or two. (Woohoo!)

And just for fun while we wait, from now until it's on shelves, I'm going to post quotes from the book.

Here's one for today:

"I will personally never understand the fascination with the other half of our species, but if one of them makes you happy . . ." —Bethany