Writing and Giving in the New Year

This year I'm focusing on WRITING and GIVING.

To see it on Amazon, click here.

The rights to my first novel, For the May Queen, reverted to me. So with the help of the amazing Jan McCutcheon of Coyote Creek Press, a delicious new edition just came out. The gorgeous cover features a photo taken by Dave, a stargazer lily (from the garden of our Port Townsend, Washington housesit).

And in the spirit of my focus on giving, 10% of the profits of the sale of this book will go to Hogar del Niño, an orphanage here in Baja. 

In re-reading and revising the novel for its new release, I felt a tender spot in my heart for its focus on coming-of-age, sexuality and friendship. I can see how these topics continue to be obsessions of mine. Yet now I see how we "come of age" continually, throughout our lives. For life is transformation.

LIFE IS TRANSFORMATION. That is the heart of my new book, Arriving Again and Again: An Odyssey of Love, Sex, Spirit and Travel. This book will be birthed into the world in this new year. As will other opportunities to give. I'll keep you posted.

Happy New Year and Feliz Año Nuevo to you all. May you fill the blank pages of 2015 with the stories you want to tell...the love you want to spread...the YOU you want to create.

 

Come by if you can!

This Wednesday, November 12, I'll be reading from my novel with Dan White, author the The Cactus Eaters.

12-1 pm, Umunhum Room of the Student Union at San Jose State University.

For the May Queen video

The road through rejection to, one hopes, publication

Literary Rejections on display by "Writer, Rejected" is one of the most astute, funny blogs out there. I was jazzed with W,R invited me to talk about the publication of my book after a series of rejections and bad turns. It's posted on the site today.

It has arrived! And so have my cojones ... I mean ovarios.

I'm holding my new book!!!

Amazing how I can type at the same time, huh?

It is now very real to me that For the May Queen is out in the world. And wow, it looks great! Vanilla Heart Publishing puts out a quality product. The fonts are like buttah, and the book feels great in my hand.

Annie and I were on campus late last night and when we walked in the door, this:

was on the table. Annie had snuck home during the day and bought me a congratulatory bouquet. I felt celebrated and very, very lucky.

Speaking of my sweetie, today I was at the grocery store filling up our water bottles.

A guy approached me and said: "Is it that water that keeps you so beautiful?"

I laughed and said, "Oh, must be."

Him: "I saw you from over there and wondered who that beautiful blonde was."

Me: "Well that's very nice of you. I'll take the compliment."

Him: "Does your husband drink this water too?" (That's right up there as one of the worst pick-up lines of all time.)

Me: "I don't have a husband." Dramatic pause. "I have a wife." (That's the first time I've used that word to a stranger to describe Annie. I usually say "partner" ... or that I'm a "lesbian." I realized there was a certain power to saying "wife." Perhaps it gave him less of a fetish image to feed from than "I'm a lesbian" might.)

Him: "Huh?"

Me: *smile*

Him: "You're kidding me, right?"

Me: "No. Really. We've been together 14 years and we just got legally married."

Him: "When?"

Me: "July."

Him: "Wow. Okay. Well, you just can't tell anymore who's gay."

Me: "So true."

Him: "Well. Ah. Hm. You can't even tell with guys anymore."

Me: "I know!"

Him: "Okay, well, good luck on your marrage."

Me: "Thanks!"

And it's lift-off!

My novel, For the May Queen, is now officially launched!

This book was my baby for so long it feels weird (and wonderful) to have it out in the world for other people to experience. If you read it, I'd love to hear what you think. If you have a Bay Area book group who wants to read it, I'm happy to visit as a guest.

To read about it, look at the blurbs on the left, or click here and here and here for more.

You can go to your local bookstore to buy it. If it's not on the shelves, any bookstore can order it.

You can also purchase it through Vanilla Heart Publishing and on Amazon.

Keep an eye on my blog for annoucements of Bay Area parties and readings, as well as a Book Party in L.A.!

Wow.

(Written by Bev Hamel in Goodreads)

"Move over Holden Caulfield --- there is finally a female character who is not afraid to tell us what it really is like the moment you leave the safety net of your home and your parents’ inquiring eyes. For the May Queen by Kate Evans is a powerful new debut novel that is destined to secure a place in bibliophile mania, equal to that of Catcher in the Rye.

"I did something I rarely do and that is fell in love with Norma Jean Rogers, the central character after reading the opening lines. By the end of the first chapter, I was hooked, so hooked, I didn’t put the book down until I was finished.

"Norma is a young woman who is off to college and on her own for the first time in her life. She is fearless in her pursuit of discovery of self. Her sense of bravado makes her human and believable as she teeters along that fine line between girlhood and womanhood, and between throwing away the last inhibitions when one suddenly decides that ‘I am an adult.’

"Within a few hours after her parents leave her with bag and baggage at the dorm, Norma is on the floor with three strangers in her underwear. From there it goes on a wild and fun ride through the growing pains of womanhood, life and friendship. The first chapter is full of getting to know Norma and her menagerie of friends who are all memorable in their own right. But it doesn’t stop there and we are continually introduced to new characters who breeze in and out of Norma’s and her other friends’ lives.

"The novel reads like a fine memoir, is often poignant, often funny, and never dull. Yes, there are sex scenes, drinking, wild parties, and an occasional high, but they are done so tastefully, and so honestly, that even as a parent of teenage girls, I have no qualms about them reading the story because I want them to read what young people face in the real world, and perhaps see that growing up is also about making decisions, right or wrong, good or bad, but they are your decisions and choices to make.

"Although the novel is set in the early 1980s, ever decade is a tumultuous era, and even more so, this first decade of this new millennium. I venture to say that throughout history, leaving home has never been more honestly and thought provokingly written about. Taking the steps to achieve adulthood is like riding a roller coaster. Kate Evans is a writer extraordinaire with an equally amazing storytelling voice. For the May Queen is a must read and a book that you won’t be able to put down."

Rich life

This has been an amazing week. First, a student told me that he was inspired by our discussions about loss--and his sister's dancing--to make this video, which he dedicated to me.



Then, a woman who'd read the first chapter of my novel contacted me through facebook to do an interview. She wrote this wonderful piece--and incorporated a book giveaway.

One of my goals this year has been to try to be more compassionate, more in the moment, more consciously aware that every person I come in contact with has a whole, rich life and life story.

I'm teaching 4 classes which means I see about 100 students each week--plus colleagues, PR events for my book, social events, and so on. I come into contact with a lot of people. It's easy to be distracted. It's easy to be thinking about the next thing when I'm doing something. But being with the people I'm with when we're together a challenge that, when I meet it, is incredibly rewarding.

"Um, did you really do THAT?"

I'm going to be on blogtalk radio this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. west-coast time.

Click here to listen in. And there's a number on the site where you can call in to chat.

If you like, you can read the first chapter of my novel beforehand by clicking here. That way you can ask an embarrassing question like "Did this really happen to you?"

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I'm in the Hillary & Sarah club (okay, I don't really mean that)...BUT: Did you know I'm a Woman In Charge? Check it out.

I want to convert Palin

Palin church promotes converting gays.

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I'm now very honored to be part of Woman-Stirred. Come over and say hi.

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It's been exciting and a little nerve-wracking to publicly offer up the first chapter of For the May Queen. I guess I better get used to it because the book's at the printer. My publisher has bumped up the publication date to September 20!

Pre-ordering For the May Queen is now available. Whee!

One of the great things about having your novel come out in paperback first is that it costs less. For the May Queen will be listed at only $14.95. But if you pre-order now, it's only $12.95. You save 2 bucks, which is about half a gallon of gas or almost a full cup of Starbucks. Score!

Also, if you order through VHP, you support a small press. VHP reminds you that For the May Queen makes a great birthday and holiday present for all the readers on your list!

To order: Click here or here

or on the book image to the left to order.

Thanks!

(PS: Keep an eye on this blog for free excerpts of the novel, and also for dates, times and locations of book parties, readings, book signings and other shenanigans.)

Should the drinking age be lowered?

(painting by Claudia Eve Kleefeld)

The debate about whether or not the drinking age should be lowered to 18 is in the news right now. I'm very interested in this issue for a few reasons. One is that my novel is about a young woman's first year away from home living in the dorms, and her life is fraught with binge drinking.

The other reason is that I'm teaching a writing class in the fall in which we are going to examine this issue from various angles. We'll be reading Smashed, a memoir by Koren Zailckas; we'll be looking at alcohol ads to interrogate how alcohol is sold; and we'll talk about the various cultures of alcohol (from movies and happy hours, to dorm and frat/sorority life). Students will be writing several papers, including an "alcohol narrative," in which they examine how they first became aware of alcohol, the ways in which it has been featured (or not) in their lives, their relationship with it now, etc.

I'm glad this issue is in the news right now because it will make the class topic even more relevant.

What do you think? Should the drinking age be lowered to 18?

I guess it's really happening ...

since my publisher has my book on the front page of their website.

Re-reading the novel as I go through the galleys is fun. It's strange, I can remember exactly where I was physically and emotionally as I wrote certain passages. I'm so curious what it'll be like for people who know nothing about the book to read it ... an experience I'll never have.

I'm also doing a lot of things to try to get the word out, including a lot of internet time. Damn you, Collin Kelley, for getting me started on Facebook. I'm already having the DTs when I'm away from it for more than an hour.

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I just discovered I was quoted on mirabile dictu: feminism, poetry, images politics--a very cool blog.

When you're quoted, does that mean you're now part of the canon or something?

Movies & books

Saw two movies this weekend: Mamma Mia and Vicky, Christina, Barcelona, the new Woody Allen flick. My favorite Woody Allen movies are Annie Hall and Hannah & Her Sisters...and now I can add to that list Vicky, Christina, Barcelona. At first I wasn't sure what to make of that odd narrative voice that summarizes and comments on the action, but I ended up liking it. It was dry, humorous, different.And oh my gawd, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz! I usually don't care too much about beautiful, but JHC, they both bring out the bi in my sexual. And how lucky was Scarlett Johansson to get to ... well, no plot spoilers.

Speaking of Miss Scarlett, I thought she actually did a good job in this movie. Usually she's so wooden, acting only with her pouty lips. Woody Allen is finally bringing out the something special in her that apparently he sees (beyond the bod).

Mamma Mia was manic but fun. I actually liked it better than the local stage version we saw a few years back. My favorite parts were the all the women running together singing "Dancing Queen" (that's such a great, nostalgic song for me)--and the incredible, amazing, can-do-anything Meryl Streep with her red shawl in the wind singing "The Winner Takes It All."

(Is it just me, or is the Abba "Money Money Money" song a rip-off of "Money Makes the World Go Around from Cabaret?)

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More news on the For the May Queen front:

And yet another new blurb! Look left. This one's from Jayne Pupek, the author of a wonderful new novel Tomato Girl (more on that in a September post). Just got the next version of the galleys from my publisher. I'm thrilled with the fonts they chose.

A page turner

Another new blurb! Look left, below the image of the novel cover.

Or you can just read the novel and never talk about it.

My publisher, VHP, asked me to write some book group questions for my novel. I was nervous at first, but after re-reading the novel, they just came pouring out. Here they are:

1. This is a “fish out of water” story in that Norma steps from a familiar world into a new one. In what ways do Norma’s home life and college life contrast?

2. Upon moving into the dorms, Norma is immersed in a culture of “partying.” Is this a culture that’s familiar to you? Are all college dorms essentially similar? Do you see this culture as a “normal” coming-of-age experience or as a dangerous problem?

3. Given that Norma realizes Jack is probably seeing other women—and that he doesn’t spend a lot of time with her—why is she so attached to him? Why does she become attached to Chuck? In what ways are Jack and Chuck similar and different?

4. This novel, in part, is about the challenges and allure of freedom. What is your definition of freedom? In what ways is Norma free and not free? What are the benefits and drawbacks of freedom?

5. In what ways do Norma and her mother connect? In what ways do they conflict? Does Norma’s relationship with her mother seem familiar or unfamiliar to you?

6. Several novels are mentioned in this one, such as Fear of Flying and Go Ask Alice. What role do novels and reading play in this novel?

7. Norma often reflects upon society’s portrayal of, judgments about and expectations of women in terms of sex, sexuality, appearance, behavior, and relationships. What are some examples in the novel? What is Norma grappling with in terms of gender roles?

8. There are many distinctive characters in For the May Queen. Who’s your favorite character in the novel, and why?

9. At the novel’s opening, Norma and Billy sing “Stairway to Heaven,” which includes the lyric, “It’s just a spring clean for the May Queen.” Look up the complete lyrics for this Led Zepplin song. Why do you think the novel is titled For the May Queen?

10. Weddings and marriage are a recurring motif in this novel, such as Suzy’s wedding plans, the marriage of Diana to Prince Charles, and the soap opera wedding of Luke and Laura. What role does this theme play in the book? What is Norma grappling with when she thinks about marriage?

11. Did you figure out before Norma did the secrets of Stacy and Chuck—or were the revelations a surprise to you? When you look back on the novel, what clues might foreshadow these revelations?

12. Did you like the last chapter of the novel? Why or why not?

New blurb, New York

It's fun to see what readers are making of For the May Queen.

One blurb came in yesterday that refers to a book I must have read 10 times in high school:

“In the tumultuous way of Go Ask Alice, so Kate Evans captures the nightmarish chaos of a young woman’s attempt to find her way amid too much freedom, too much sex and too many drugs. Laced with the kind of astute detail that drops readers into that fateful freshman year of college, this story examines the hard choices that can make or break a spirit.” — Martha Engber, Growing Great Characters From the Ground Up

I like the idea that the book is about "choices that can make or break a spirit." It's cool how when others read your work they articulate things about it that you might not be able to yourself.

Go Ask Alice is basically a book of fiction posing as a memoir. I've always enjoyed reading fiction that reads like a memoir, so I'm pleased that Martha highlighted the memoir quality of my novel. Go Ask Alice is considered a classic coming-of-age novel, in the vein of Catcher in the Rye and, more recently, Prep.

The latter novel, especially, is considered a "cross-over novel"; I've seen it shelved in both the Young Adult and Adult Fiction sections of libraries and book stores. When For the May Queen was being circulated by my agent, several editors objected to the sense that the novel was, in a way, both an Adult and a Young Adult novel. Tell that to the author, editor and publisher of Prep--which in its cross-over status became a best-seller and a New York Times Notable Book.

Yes, Prep is well-written. But I think one reason it got so much attention in New York because it's an East Coast novel. Mine takes place in California--at a state university no less, not a prestigious prep school. I have a friend whose first novel was published by a major New York publisher. His second novel, a historical set in California, was rejected by them. He told me he'll work on getting it published by a "West Coast press" while writing something that the New York publishers will take. I found that disconcerting, but he was very Zen about it. He said if you want to play in New York, you have to go by their rules. That's still stuck in my craw a bit, even though I know he's right.

But where's the bong?

My rockin' publisher, VHP, has not only created a cover for my novel but a bunch of fun stuff that has the cover on it that can be ordered here.Given that the novel's characters do a lot of drinking, a beer stein is appropriate.
Dogs love to be dressed in For the May Queen shirts.
Underwear with the novel's logo is quite appropriate, too, since there's a lot of sex in the book.

The only apropos item missing is a For the May Queen bong.

Oh, and the novel can be purchased as well in the near future. I'll let you know as soon as I find out when pre-orders are happening.

Here's what the illustrious Collin Kelley says about the novel:

"The 80s were all about drugs, alcohol and casual sex, and Kate Evans deftly conveys the uncertainty of the era as her feisty Norma Rogers leaves a sheltered home life and dives headfirst into a series of hedonistic adventures at college, including falling in love with Chuck, who just doesn't seem to be that in to her. The clever dialogue, unexpected twists and a meticulous sense of time and place evoke the immediacy of memoir. Funny, poignant and ultimately a testament to lasting friendship, For The May Queen is a trip back to the not-so-distant-past without the hangover."

Collin Kelley, author of Slow To Burn and After the Poison

Blasts from the past

My publisher is working on a cover for the novel and has been sharing designs and asking my input. And they now have a page up on me here that will soon show the cover as well as the video they're making to promote the book. They have been very cool and wonderfully communicative.

In the spirit of the 1980s, the era in which my forthcoming novel takes place, my friend Nancy sent me this picture taken of us (she's on the left) at the Mountain Aire concert in summer 1980. Nancy brought these wacky sunglasses for us to wear because we were excited about a new "new wave" group that we'd never heard before ... which turned out to be Huey Lewis and the News ... that opened for the Doobie Brothers.

We did the 1980s proud with that big hair. We spent so many hours on our hair that could have been spent finding a cure for cancer or writing a bestseller. But those perfect feathers were worth it.

This must be nostalgia week because Annie and I have been watching DVDs of Freaks & Geeks (which is set in the early 1980s) and thoroughly enjoying them. The characters are great. The writing is so good it makes you laugh and cry, as well as empathize with each character. We wish more episodes had been made.

Also, I have reconnected via the internet with a high school friend, someone I haven't talked to in almost 30 years. I was a total straight girl in high school (graduating class of 1980) and really liked him a lot. But in retrospect, my gaydar sent off a few signals--and yes, I was right. He's been with his partner for more than 15 years, and they have a daughter. We're going to talk on the phone soon. Can't wait!

When you listen to this

do you see where I got the title for my novel, For the May Queen?



My publisher just informed me that the review galleys for For the May Queen are ready. I can't believe this is actually happening, finally, after more than 4 years of: an agent who sent it out and got several "almosts" from a few big publishers; a small press that accepted it and folded; a bunch of "really-nice-we-love-your-writing" rejections from other presses; an agent who left the field and completely changed careers. I could go on and on, but I won't because the novel is coming out!