Earlier today, my author Vicky Alvear Shecter and I chatted about her novel Cleopatra's Moon on Twitter -- a fun conversation that covered how the book came to me (indirectly via SQUIDs!), the vetting process, my acquisitions interests right now, our ancient Roman names, and sundry other topics. You can read a transcript of the conversation after the jump.
We ran into one peril that I mention as a cautionary tale for future Twitter-chatterers: I had failed to verify that #CMchat would be a unique hashtag for us, and as a result, we were repeatedly interrupted by country music fans, several of whom expressed their annoyance that we were horning in on their chat. (And to be fair, they did have the hashtag first.) I've deleted their tweets (and RTs of relevant tweets) from the conversation below.
(I wonder, has anyone yet written a country music song about Twitter? The song titles for this chat could be "Cleopatra, Come Back to Me"; "Let's Retweet, Not Retreat"; and "You Stole My Hashtag -- and My Heart.")
Click to read the whole conversation.
Click to read the whole conversation.
@chavelaque: .@valvearshecter & I will be chatting about
CLEOPATRA'S MOON, the acquisitions process, etc. in 5 min! Follow us at #CMchat
for the moment.
November 14, 2011, 5:27 pm
@valvearshecter: I'm on...is there another #CMchat? What's
theirs?n #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:29 pm
@chavelaque: Well, theirs is a Country Music chat. Want to
change to #CLEOchat for clarity? #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:29 pm
@chavelaque: Anyone who doesn't want to be part of the
conversation may want to unfollow me for the next hour. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:30 pm
@chavelaque: @valvearshecter Well, we're here, so let's do
this now. Country music fans, you can all blame me. Or you can read CLEOPATRA'S
MOON! #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:31 pm
@valvearshecter: I suggest the latter! #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:32 pm
@dulemba: Read it - love it! :) e #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 5:32 pm
@valvearshecter: Thanks, e! #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:33 pm
@dulemba: I'm also listening to the audio in my car. Don't
need air conditioning - it gives me chills!! :) #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 5:33 pm
@chavelaque: So just to get started here: I'm Cheryl Klein,
& I edited the lovely CLEOPATRA'S MOON by Vicky Alvear Shecter
(@valvearshecter) #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:33 pm
@valvearshecter: And I'm Vicky Shecter, author of
Cleopatra's Moon. This is my first twitter chat--are there any rules or
somesuch we should discuss? #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:34 pm
@chavelaque: If you all have any questions for Vicky or me,
feel free to ask them during the chat, & we'll answer them starting ~ 1:15.
#CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:34 pm
@dulemba: That must have been a fun job! (editing
CLEOPATRA'S MOON). #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 5:35 pm
@valvearshecter: It was fun but also slightly terrifying for
me, esp. since this was my first novel.n #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:37 pm
@chavelaque: It was VERY fun for me to edit & to work w/
Vicky, who was SO enthusiastic... We first got in touch via query letter,
right, Vicky? #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:38 pm
@dulemba: Cheryl, Did CLEO coincide with your book Second
Site? I'm trying to recall which came first. Did one influence the other?
#cmchat
November 14, 2011, 5:39 pm
@valvearshecter: Yes, I had queried you for my midgrade biography
of Cleo...after it got acquired you sent a ltr saying you were interested.n
#CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:40 pm
@LauriCorkum: Was the book nearly perfect when you first
submitted it? How much rewriting/revising was required? #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:40 pm
@valvearshecter: Which gave me the chance to tell you about
the novel in progress. So I kind o came in thru a side door. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:40 pm
@chavelaque: I remember really liking the ENERGY of your bio
of Cleopatra, & I thought Cleo was awesome, obvs. But we don't do a lot of
nonfic. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:41 pm
@valvearshecter: @LauriCorkum It was finished, but nowhere
near perfect! I did a fair amount of rewriting. Okay, a lot more than a fair
amt. ;-) #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:41 pm
@chavelaque: ("We" being "Arthur A. Levine
Books.") So I was excited to hear about a novel with this untold story of
Cleopatra Selene. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:42 pm
@sally_apokedak: Vicky Alvear Shecter and Cheryl Klein are
discussing CLEOPATRA'S MOON right now at #cmchat.
November 14, 2011, 5:42 pm
@chavelaque: So I responded that I'd love to see the novel,
and then your agent @cmiller-callihan sent it to me -- six months later? A
year? #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:42 pm
@valvearshecter: I queried you w/ your Squib (or Squid?)
account. Do you still use that? Also it took about 6 months to get it to you.
#CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:43 pm
@LauriCorkum: Vicky, did Cheryl guide the direction of the
revisions? #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:45 pm
@chavelaque: Most of my unsolicited subs come through confs
these days, so I don't use SQUIDs anymore, no. Kind of sad, really! They were
fun. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:45 pm
@dulemba: I love how REAL the religion feels when reading
CLEO. You get a true sense of their belief system at the time. #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 5:45 pm
@valvearshecter: @LauriCorkum Yes, Cheryl def guided the
direction of the revisions. But always with a discussion and collaborative
intent. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:46 pm
@valvearshecter: @dulemba The ancient Egyptians wouldn't
have seen "religion" as something separate. It was REALITY, esp with
pharaoh as divine. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:47 pm
@chavelaque: I bought the ms. at auction, which was v.
exciting. Scholastic really got behind the book. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:47 pm
@dulemba: RT @chavelaque: I bought the ms. at auction, which
was v. exciting. Scholastic really got behind the book. #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 5:48 pm
@valvearshecter: What set the book apart for you, Cheryl? Or
any book, really. What grabs you and motivates you to go for a manuscript?
#CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:48 pm
@dulemba: Cheryl, was there an element of the story that
especially spoke to you? #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 5:48 pm
@cathychall: @valvearshecter and @chavelaque discussing
CLEOPATRA'S MOON at #CMCHAT now. Read and learn!
November 14, 2011, 5:49 pm
@chavelaque: CLEOPATRA'S MOON had a lot of the qualities I
look for: 1) Awesome story that I hadn't heard before (all the cooler b/c it
was TRUE) #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:50 pm
@chavelaque: 2) Great characters (again, awesome b/c true)
3) Cinematic, you-are-there writing w/ wonderful scenes so I felt emotionally
involved #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:51 pm
@chavelaque: & 4) a BIG IDEA at its heart, so it was
more than just a retelling of history or a romance -- it was a real exploration
of an idea #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:52 pm
@valvearshecter: Cheryl, do you think there is more interest
in YA historical fiction these days? #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:52 pm
@dulemba: Truly, the setting of CLEOPATRA'S MOON was EPIC! I
felt like I was THERE. #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 5:52 pm
@cathychall: I loved the mother-daughter dynamic of
CLEOPATRA'S MOON. Did it start out that way @valvearshecter ? #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:52 pm
@chavelaque: In this case, what is free will, and how much
do we control our own destinies? Big Ideas explored well always get me excited.
#CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:53 pm
@valvearshecter: @cathychall Cathy, absolutely! The
mother-daughter thing is what attracted me to the story. I mean, Cleo as
"Mom?" It blew me away. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:53 pm
@dulemba: And of course the issue of Free Will was so
prominent. Was Selene fated to follow her Mom's path, or choose her own?
#cmchat
November 14, 2011, 5:53 pm
@dulemba: So often during the story I said "You GO
girl!" I LOVE Selene's strength. #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 5:54 pm
@chavelaque: Vicky, I think there's def. interest in it, tho
there may be fatigue w/ individual periods -- harder to sell topics covered a
lot #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:55 pm
@sally_apokedak: Vicky, you had Scholastic, Arthur Levine
books, even, bidding on your book at auction? Did you talk to all bidders
before deciding? #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 5:55 pm
@chavelaque: Vicky, as you wrote the book, what was your
benchmark for deciding what to include & what to leave out? What guided you
there? #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:56 pm
@valvearshecter: @sally_apokedak Yes. I talked to the other
editor. I wanted a collaborative rela' w/ an ed.; The other one didn't think it
needed... #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:57 pm
@chavelaque: @dulemba You asked about timing of CM vs. 2ND
SIGHT -- I think I bought Vicky's book about a month before I announced my own.
#CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:57 pm
@valvearshecter: @sally_apokedak ...much editing and I KNEW
better! LOL Plus, I mean, c'mon--who can resist working with Cheryl Klein?
#CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:58 pm
@cathychall: CLEOPATRA'S MOON required a lot of vetting.
Were you involved in any of that as an editor, @chavelaque? #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:58 pm
@dulemba: I learned so much from 2ND SIGHT, I would have
loved that by my side while working on revisions if I were Vicky! #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 5:58 pm
@valvearshecter: Re: what I left out--there were several
real charac's in history that just confused things. For ex, ANOTHER son of Antony's by prior #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:59 pm
@valvearshecter: ...wife. Actually two sons. It just got too
confusing with so many of his kids (Antony
was a busy guy). #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 5:59 pm
@sally_apokedak: I also think that dealing with suicide is
timely today. I liked what Selene chose with her free will. #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 5:59 pm
@sally_apokedak: @valvearshecter ha ha good choice #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 6:00 pm
@valvearshecter: @sally_apokedak Well, you can't escape the
fact that both her parents--Cleopatra & Mark Antony committed suicide. Poor
kids! #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:01 pm
@dulemba: Truly, she must have been old beyond her years
with all the loss she experienced. #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 6:01 pm
@chavelaque: Vicky, how did you decide what to invent? For
instance, Cleopatra Selene's visit to the Jewish quarter obvs. aren't in his.
record. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:02 pm
@dulemba: I wish you could all get a guided tour through the
Carlos Museum with Vicky as Docent. The stories
she tells are amazing! #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 6:03 pm
@valvearshecter: On inventing: It struck me that this took
place a generation and a half before the beginning of Christianity. Free will
would soon.. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:03 pm
@sally_apokedak: @valvearshecter Yes, I liked the way you
dealt with it. That she could make her own choices. #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 6:03 pm
@valvearshecter: ..take hold thruout the West. It made sense
to have her grapple with it around the time of the birth of Christianity.
#CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:04 pm
@valvearshecter: @dulemba Thank you, e! The ancient world is
so funny and strange. Also holds up a mirror to our time. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:05 pm
@chavelaque: Vicky, what advice would you have for other
authors of historical fiction? #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:05 pm
@valvearshecter: I would focus on finding the emotional
point that readers TODAY could relate to rather just on facts (You, Cheryl,
helped me w/that! #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:07 pm
@dulemba: They didn't Have hashtags back then, but
sentiments weren't so different! What would have happened to Cleopatra's rep on
twitter? #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 6:07 pm
@valvearshecter: Re: the question of vetting--4
Egyptologists/professors vetted the Cleo biography, which is the platform for
the novel. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:07 pm
@sally_apokedak: @dulemba ha #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 6:08 pm
@valvearshecter: @dulemba Oh, Cleo's rep on Twitter would have
been awful--esp if the Romans controlled it! Can you say, "Flame
War?" ;-) #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:08 pm
@valvearshecter: Cheryl, are you looking for anything in
particular these days in submissions? #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:09 pm
@chavelaque: @valvearshecter @dulemba That was one of the
coolest things re: the book for me -- learning how the Romans ruled history's
telling #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:09 pm
@cathychall: @dulemba HA! Yeah, Vicky, tell us about that
Cleopatra smear campaign. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:10 pm
@chavelaque: Vicky is very, very passionate about the
subject of the biased Romans and how much they hated strong women, esp.
Cleopatra! :-) #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:10 pm
@chavelaque: Which is great. LOVE an author with both
passion & knowledge, & the ability to tame both for his/her fiction.
#CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:10 pm
@RhodeSoft: @valvearshecter Did you have to pay for vetting
or does the publisher pay? #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:10 pm
@dulemba: "History is defined by the winners" -
which is why Cleopatra Selene's story needed telling! #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 6:11 pm
@valvearshecter: @cathychall Smear campaign was amazing.
Octavian claimed Cleo drugged Antony
and sexually enslaved him. He'd lost his "manhood" etc. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:11 pm
@Scholastic: Editor @chavelaque is hosting a chat with
author @valvearshecter -- follow #CMchat to participate! #yalitchat
#cleopatrasmoon
November 14, 2011, 6:11 pm
@valvearshecter: @RhodeSoft No I did not pay for the vetting.
One classicist from Yale wanted payment but the British Egyptologists jumped in
happily #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:12 pm
@chavelaque: I'm looking for the same things I always look
for -- the 1-2-3-4 qualities listed earlier about characters, writing, &
big ideas. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:13 pm
@dulemba: The irony being, strong women still face uphill
battles in today's society. #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 6:13 pm
@chavelaque: Also, I tend to say, "A plot we can
sell" -- a story whose conflict/mystery/lack has clear stakes &
meaning for readers. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:14 pm
@valvearshecter: @chavelaque So as long as the manuscript
covers those qualities, it doesn't matter what genre? Fantasy? Paranormal,
etc.? #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:14 pm
@chavelaque: Agewise, I have a lot of YA on upcoming lists,
so I'd love some more great middle-grade. I <3 all genres, pretty much.
#CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:15 pm
@cathychall: @valvearshecter Do you think that's typical?
Not having to pay for vetting, I mean? Or are Egyptologists just really nice?
;-) #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 6:15 pm
@valvearshecter: @cathychall Depends on indi's involved. Bio
pub told me they often go to British experts cuz they don't expect $ like
Americans #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:17 pm
@valvearshecter: Cheryl, what are you reading for pleasure
right now? #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:18 pm
ReplyRetweet
@chavelaque: I just finished THE LAST LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPE
by @maureenjohnson, which I loved -- she writes such good & complex
teen-girl books. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:19 pm
@dulemba: Vicky - What are You reading? Don't you read a
gazillion books a year? #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 6:19 pm
@sally_apokedak: @valvearshecter I was also interested
because the story took place just before the time of Christ. You painted the
world so well. #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 6:20 pm
@chavelaque: I once heard "literary depth" defined
as "a sense of the complexity of reality," & I'd say that's
another thing I look for in mss. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:20 pm
@LaFabuliste: @chavelaque You told me once "People read
a book for plot, people LOVE a book for its characters." That, I think, is
most wise. #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 6:20 pm
@valvearshecter: Right now I'm reading THE PERICLES
COMMISSION by Gary Corby. Fun, fun historical fic set at dawn of democracy in
ancient Greece
#CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:20 pm
@cathychall: @valvearshecter Would CM have been a different
book with a different editor? Wondering about editors' style of well,
editing...#cmchat
November 14, 2011, 6:20 pm
@chavelaque: & @maureenjohnson always has that, for all
her books are packaged to look like chicklit (understandably, from a pub
perspective). #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:21 pm
@RhodeSoft: @valvearshecter @chavelaque Cheryl-How should we
pitch to u? Email/snail mail? Whole manuscript? #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:21 pm
@valvearshecter: @cathychall Absolutely. Cheryl really
helped shape the book with me. It was an awesome process. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:21 pm
@chavelaque: @RhodeSoft My submissions guidelines are at
http://t.co/d43xmzIN, though I'm officially closed right now. So much to read!
#CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:22 pm
@valvearshecter: @chavelaque @maureenjohnson I love her
books too. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:22 pm
ReplyRetweet
@chavelaque: @cathychall I'm very big on characters DOING
things & action plot matching emotional plot, so I tend to push my authors
toward that #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:23 pm
@dulemba: Cheryl, Can you turn off the 'editor' and just
read for fun? #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 6:23 pm
@chavelaque: @cathychall (Not to say other editors don't!)
#CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:23 pm
@chavelaque: We're signing off in five minutes, CLEOPATRA'S
MOON fans -- any last-minute questions? #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:24 pm
@valvearshecter: There are lots of wild Egyptian
facts:Pharoah Pepi 1 had slaves dipped in honey so the flies would leave him
alone & go after them! #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:24 pm
@valvearshecter: Just had to slip a weird fact in! #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:25 pm
@dulemba: Buy the book and share it with your mom/daughter
book clubs - it is perfect! #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 6:25 pm
@chavelaque: @dulemba Oh yes! Love reading for fun. But I
will put books down if they're not satisfying my editorial standards. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:25 pm
@valvearshecter: @chavelaque How often does that happen with
pubbed books? #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:26 pm
@chavelaque: Vicky, given that Romans named their daughters
after their dads, no matter what -- what would your Roman name be? :-) #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:26 pm
@cathychall: @chavelaque That match-up is what makes
CLEOPATRA'S MOON so strong. Vicky nailed that! #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:27 pm
@valvearshecter: My Roman name would end up as Ernesta or
Ernestina! Ack. What would your Roman name be?n #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:27 pm
@chavelaque: @valvearshecter Hrmm. . . . About once every
3-4 books? #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:28 pm
@chavelaque: @valvearshecter That's hilarious. I'd be Alana
the Elder -- my little sister Alana the Younger. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:28 pm
@chavelaque: @cathychall Couldn't agree more! #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:29 pm
@cathychall: @valvearshecter That is why I love you on
Facebook--among other wonderful qualities. But yeah, the weird facts are
awesome. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:29 pm
@dulemba: You don't even want to know what mine would be.
Some weird Roman/Bavarian thing with too many syllables. #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 6:29 pm
@valvearshecter: @cathychall Thanks, there's a never ending
supply of weird ancient facts! #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:30 pm
@dulemba: I adore History with a Twist at
http://t.co/Jyj1q7EC - Vicky talks about more weird facts. #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 6:30 pm
@valvearshecter: Oh yeah..I would be Ernestina the Younger.
Forgot that all sisters carried the father's name (sigh). #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:31 pm
@LauriCorkum: Great chat Vicky and Cheryl! Quite
informative; thanks for taking the time out of your day to answer our
questions. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:31 pm
@dulemba: And her Friday Funnies are always hilarious!
http://t.co/Jyj1q7EC #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 6:31 pm
ReplyRetweet
@chavelaque: It's 1:30 here, so it's time for
@valvearshecter & I to sign off. Ditto @dulemba's praise for Vicky's blog:
http://t.co/GpuRcxK3 #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:31 pm
@valvearshecter: @dulemba Thanks! #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:31 pm
@chavelaque: Thanks very much for stopping by, all! &
thanks again for your forbearance, country music fans. #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:32 pm
@dulemba: Thanks to the CMchat community for your patience!
Back to your regularly scheduled programming... #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 6:32 pm
@cathychall: Thanks, @valvearshecter and @chavelaque I can
always use a little Egypt
fun during lunch! #cmchat bye!
November 14, 2011, 6:32 pm
@sally_apokedak: Yes, thanks both of you. I don't get
twitter, but this was pretty cool. #cmchat
November 14, 2011, 6:33 pm
@valvearshecter: Thank you Cheryl Klein. And thanks all who
dropped in. And to the CMchat folks, thanks for your patience/won't happen
again! #CMchat
November 14, 2011, 6:33 pm
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