The Road to Bella Coola
The highlight of late summer was a road trip to Bella Coola, British Columbia. A road trip for sure! The only road in includes a several-mile, one-lane gravel stretch with 18% grades down (or up!) the mountain. Meeting another vehicle can be a thrilling experience. No guard rails, and, we were told later, “only two cars have gone off this year.” But what a fabulously beautiful and wild valley. First Nations people have lived there forever, and Norwegians settled the mid-valley area in the early 1900s and their heritage is strongly evident. The town of Bella Coola itself is nestled at the end of a 70-mile fjord and was once a vital fisheries port.
The rivers were alive with spawning salmon – and grizzly bears. It’s true, grizzlies prefer to avoid human encounters but also, humans are pretty immaterial when the bears are intent on fishing. The land is theirs and even when you keep a watchful eye and a respectful distance, they can appear in unexpected places – like on the path at a lodge or grazing in a field with cows. I stood chatting with a photographer on the banks of the beautiful Atnarko River when we suddenly heard squirrels madly chattering and smelled a skunk-like aroma. Nancy, the photographer, pointed fifty feet to our right, where a mother grizzly and her two cubs were swiftly (and silently!) passing around us to reach the river. See the photo below. I will never hear squirrel chatter in quite the same way!
Tucked into my pockets and carried under the car seat and pored over in cabins and campsites were the final edits for CATALOGUE OF DEATH, the Miss Zukas book to be published in April. They were due back in my editor’s hands two days after the trip ended so I didn’t have much choice but to bring ‘em along. There were moments when I longed to give Miss Zukas a grizzly encounter or let her glimpse a wolf out her window or witness a few zillion salmon swimming upstream, but I refrained. Another time, another book!


What’s a librarian’s LIFE worth?
Back in 2001, a woman in Michigan paid three assassins a total of $7500 to murder a librarian so she could continue an affair with the librarian’s husband. $7500, I ask you. Happily, they all had plenty of time to contemplate that very question in prison.


The Elusive Agent
A question that pops up again and again during every author's talk is, "How do I find an agent?" Here are a few suggestions:
1. Be sure your book is completed, well-edited, and printed on good paper - with good ink. Nothing fancy!
2. Agent listings are available in many places: at your local library, on websites (try a Google search)and by word of mouth. Nearly all agents have websites. No matter how you find an agent's name, check his or her website and FOLLOW THEIR RULES for submissions. Some only want query letters; some the entire manuscript. If an agent asks for MONEY to look at your ms (manuscript), GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!
3. Visit your local library or bookstore and look at books that are similar to the book you've written. Check inside: does the author thank his/her agent by name? Bingo.
4. Check out Publishers Lunch on the internet. This website is chock full of publishing news. And if you're a member, you can discover what agents are looking for clients, which agent represents which author and a little inside info, as well.
5. What's the usual percentage for an agent's commission? 15%. That's right. 15% off the top.
5. How do you know if an agent's reputable? There's no real "watch dog" group. Many agents belong to the Association of Authors' Representatives, which has established ethical guidelines. An excellent website by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America provides great advice as well as encouragement and helpful links.
You've spent all that loving time on writing a book; don't stint on finding someone to represent you. And just like your writing, persistence pays.


Good Reads
Helma, under the influence of the wilderness, is rereading Leland Stowe's Crusoe of Lonesome Lake, a book she lost herself in as a child. She had to borrow it from her local library since it's OP - that's Out of Print for you non-library types - and even used copies are rare and $$$. Ruth is feeling restless and has been seen poring over her new edition of the Rand McNally Road Atlas.


Book as Widget?
A recent article on the book publishing world, in referring to various publishers, cited their, “title output and category dominance.” Hmmm, what's that again?