About A Novel’s Journey

In a time of radical change in the publishing industry, I have embarked on the journey of writing and publishing a novel of fiction.

With no formal training in the craft of fiction writing and no experience as a book designer or publisher, I plan to write, design, print, market and distribute a work of fiction, The Ring of Fire, and to document each step of the experience. I will also be compiling resources and links to those for others  who are either considering to or already are undertaking the same challenge with their own work.

The Ring of Fire is an “epicurean adventure”, the story of hot sauce entrepreneur Max Little, whose search for new pepper varieties takes him on a madcap global culinary odyssey. From his hot sauce emporium in Laguna Beach Max travels to Santa Fe, Louisiana pepper country, Chicago, India (tracking down the source of the world’s hottest known chile, the Ghost Pepper), and finally, to Kyrgyzstan, where reports of an entirely new variety of chile along the ancient Silk Road has chile-heads everywhere scrambling in a race to claim its discovery.

My plan is to incorporate color imagery throughout the book that evokes the feeling of a certain place, time, or emotion. While this will increase production costs, I have always been drawn to graphical novels, and want to create something unique. Plus, I believe I’m creating an entirely new genre with the notion of an “epicurean adventure.” Carving out my own niche, perhaps.

I will be posting chapters regularly which can be found in the “Chapters” menu on the homepage. I welcome feedback.

The Ring of Fire Cover Mockup

A mock-up I did in Photoshop of a possible cover for my book. Click on it to enlarge.

Welcome to A Novel’s Journey

In March of 2009 I applied to the Master’s Writing Program at Antioch University in Los Angeles, one of the oldest MFA programs in the country for creative writing. I had written for, edited and published magazines and newspapers, but had never received training in writing, let alone undertaken a novel-length work of fiction. My application to the program was summarily rejected, but conveniently they had room for me in the new Publishing Arts Program, which, when I arrived, consisted of three students. Publishing was a language I could already speak, and the program at Antioch was a total joke: uninformed, outdated, and not in touch with the realities of the present-day publishing world – issues that I pointed out to anyone who would listen, which were few. I considered demanding my tuition be refunded.

The head of our three-student program happened to be the president and editor of a small, nonprofit press in Southern California, however, so I blackmailed her into approving my semester-long research project, which I decided would be the writing, designing, publishing and marketing of my own work of fiction. This we agreed would keep me from screaming about how ridiculous the Antioch program was, and I was going to get my manuscript edited by a seasoned book editor, who was also going to teach me the ins and outs of book design and marketing. I was entirely satisfied with the situation. 

My task was to submit 50 pages each month between September and the end of the year, totaling 200 pages. At the end of September, I submitted 99. I was on a roll. But I had no idea if I was writing anything that was readable, let alone publishable. I waited for a month, sending the occasional inquiring email to MY editor, and professor. In mid-October, my manuscript was returned to me, via mail. I breathlessly opened the manila envelope and removed the now professionally edited prize inside.  (Click to read more…)