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Last year, I had the enjoyable experience of co-authoring a book, THE EDGER, with my sister Sharon Goldman, an award-winning landscape artist from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, where our story is set. Sharon has lofty goals. She imagines us appearing on “Oprah,” and touring the country together signing our book. Being an artist, she’s visualized that outcome. I tried to explain the realities of the publishing world, but she is dreaming big. I am proud because I think I have done some of my best work and the process of creating this book with my sister long-distance turned out to be easier than I thought.
In THE EDGER, an 85-000-word women’s fiction, landscape artist Alexandra Newborn’s shocking reunion with her college art professor, Nick Anselmo, now a homeless lawn man, sows the seeds for murder, mystery and romance.
Sharon was inspired by the story to create the artwork above. Following is an excerpt from our manuscript, the Prologue of THE EDGER.
THE EDGER
PROLOGUE
Everyone thinks I murdered my husband. Believe me, I wanted to. That’s why I’m stuck in this stark, colorless jail cell wearing an unfashionable orange jumpsuit, which my personal shopper at Bloomingdale’s would find highly offensive. She knows I’m more of an Eileen Fisher woman.
Why I was singled out, when there are enough suspects for a game of Cutthroat, is a mystery. The Jacksonville Beach Police Department is also looking at my former college art professor—hot and homeless Nick Anselmo, who has since skipped town; and my husband Mark’s mistress—cool, blonde home wrecker Bitsy Diamond. By rights, that woman should be cooling her Jimmy Choos in a jail cell, but the police are not looking very hard in other directions because they’re convinced I’m the guilty party.
Maybe it was the red stains the cops found splattered all over my studio and soaking my nightgown when they came to inform me that Mark’s body had washed up in front of Bitsy’s beach house.
My toxicology results seem to be MIA at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Where is CSI Miami when you need them? Jacksonville Beach is no Miami, which is why I’m still sitting in the slammer waiting for my lawyer, Mr. Redmond “Red” Cross, to provide some relief from this domestic disaster, and wondering where it all went wrong.
I’m wondering whether I will be allowed out to attend my husband’s funeral tomorrow, and if so, how I will explain to my three girls why their mother is arriving in shackles with a police escort. Wondering whether I’ll ever again enjoy the sweet sanctuary of painting outdoors in natural light, measuring the growth of my daughters as they link arms beneath the moss-draped canopy of the bald cypress in our backyard. A cypress that my husband Mark planted, but never nurtured.
The low-maintenance cypress only required pruning to remove any dead or damaged branches and frequent deep watering when it was first planted. But that tree turned out to be very resilient, as it was tolerant of both the wind and Mark’s neglect.
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As far as writing craft, I think I’m best at dialogue, pacing and description. I enjoy incorporating humor into my writing and I’m a pantser. Since a mystery is at the heart of our story, a book I’ve found useful is “Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel,” by Hallie Ephron.
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Added: Here’s another example of my sister’s artwork. This one of her own backyard.
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by Marilyn Baron
Love the tone in your excerpt, Marilyn. It sounds like a great book. Have you sold it yet?
And that painting! Wow. Your sister is an uber talented artist. Love the bright colors. It’s like sunshine on canvas.
Thanks for sharing The Edger with us, Marilyn. It sounds like a fun read. Good luck with it. I hope your sister’s dream come true. Oh, and yes, the painting is gorgeous!
Carol and Linsey,
No we haven’t sold it yet. It’s out with two editors and an agent, but we are polishing it as a result of some recent contest feedback and feedback from the March critique workshop and then we’ll send it out to more people.
This is a picture of my sister’s backyard, but she created this quickly and doesn’t like it as much as an actual commissioned picture she just created of that same scene. I’ll try to import that picture in a later reply if I can. But I love the colors and the style of this one better. She wants to do a more formal rendition of this one.
Marilyn
What a wonderful project! There’s nothing like a sister. I’m sure you’ll find a home for this story!
Thanks, Michelle. It is pretty neat to work with your sister.
Marilyn
Marilyn,
You and your sister are very talented. I look forward to hearing that your book has been picked up. I really like the tone of it. Sounds like it will have some twists and turns in it as well as humor.
Marilyn,
This is my type of book – I’d buy it in a heartbeat! Good luck to you and your sister.
Love the Prologue. It has to sell!
And your sister is a very talented artist! My goodness at the talent in your family!
Thank you for the compliments on my artwork. I really enjoyed working with my sister Marilyn who really pulled it all together. If you want to see more of my paintings go to:
http://www.sgoldmanart.com
Thanks Susan and Maxine. Yes, the book does have a lot of twists and turns and combines mystery, romance and humor. It was fun to write.
Wonderful, Marilyn. I’d love to read more. Do you have a larger excerpt up somewhere?
Great prologue, Marilyn! If I’m not mistaken, this was read during the cold reads at M&M last year. I remember liking it then.
Great job
Elaine
Thanks for the link, Sharon. I hope you and Marilyn don’t mind if I add it to the post as well. Art like that should get publicity!
Great read, Marilyn. I wanted to read more and then there was none! You have me hooked. Your sister’s painting is gorgeous. You are two very talented women. Now, where can I read more of this?
Keep writing and I’ll keep reading.
Anju
I LOVED the excerpt Marilyn! Really loved it. Like someone else said, I want to read more.
Your sister-in-law is also a talented artist. What beautiful paintings and boy would I love my backyard to look like that!
You said you’re stregths are dialogue, pacing and description. What parts of the book did you write and how did the two of you decide on who writes what?
Great post!
Have a gorgeous Tuesday,
Tamara
I said sister-in-law…sorry.
Your sister is a very talented artist. Are you too?
T
Tamara,
I can’t draw a straight line. I love art and recognize good art and work with designers in my work, have a good eye for it, but I cannot draw, paint, etc., which is why I am so in awe of my sister’s talent. (And of yours, too. You are also a great artist)
Our book is about two artists so her background was very important.
J, I don’t have any more excerpts up at this point since I don’t have a Web site, but I’m glad I could post this on our blog.
We weren’t formal about who wrote what. I would start the book and when I needed a specific chapter or section about painting, art, etc. she would send me something and I would edit it and make sure we maintained one voice and put it into the story. Or for example in the hurricane scene she would write that since she lives through hurricanes all the time and I would edit and fold it in to the book. Or if we needed a scene enhanced that made reference to paintings, etc. she would supply that information for me. Then we’ve been back and forth editing and reediting, each of us looking at the manuscript (a million times) for inconsistencies, bouncing plot ideas back and forth, etc.
By the way, her husband was the model for The Edger in the painting and he really does look like that.
Carol, thanks for posting Sharon’s other painting. That is a commissioned work she did for someone of her backyard but I still like the first one better because I love the colors.
Marilyn
Ladies, not only a lovely piece of writing but also lovely artwork. Keeping working hard on this project–I can just see it as a novel complete with your on artwork for the cover!
Thanks Sally. It really is nice to have a piece of artwork to visualize as a cover even though it doesn’t work that way. You were in my critique session last month and we’ve already made changes in the Prologue and the rest of the book based on that feedback, so it’s an ongoing process.
Hi, Marilyn,
Had a devil of a time getting here! Lovely writing, lovely story! Must be pretty nice to have a book and a cover idea to sell! Good luck!
Elaine,
You have a good memory. Yes, the prologue was read at the cold reads at M&M and one of the agents on the panel suggested that my opening was buried a few paragraphs down so I took her advice and changed the opening, which improved it.
Anju,
Thanks. Hopefully you’ll be able to read the rest if it gets accepted for publication.
Ana,
Thank you. I know it’s not traditional to design the cover but it helps to visualize the concept and believe it could be real.
Marilyn
Marilyn,
Sorry to comment late…couldn’t get onto Petit Fours yesterday. Love the excerpt, love the paintings. I know you’ll find a home for the book, so hang in there and keep the faith.
Sandy
Love it!!!!. Great job to both of you. I, too, want to read more. You guys did an awesome job of drawing us in and creating some mystery that makes us want to keep coming back.
LOVE the art work.
Tami
Hi Barbara –
What a wonderful story – both The Edger and that your collaboration went so well. It must have to turn out this heartwarming tale with a nice mystery twist.
I was guest blogging yesterday so I’m late to the party, but wanted to say hello and congrats on the book. Now… off to Savannah on a motorcycle ride. See you all next week.
Sandy,
Thanks for your comments on the excerpt and the painting. I’m looking forward to sending this out.
Cathy, naming characters is one of my favorite things. The names just come to me and until they do, I can’t start the book.
Tami, thank you. Glad you want to read more.
Dianna,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting on The Edger.
Marilyn
Fantastic reviews. Looks like you have a winner.
What are you doing about publishers. Do you have the Writer’s Market for 2010.