The Furious Spinner

Long time Furious Spinner readers have followed the progress of Mercy, Unbound, since I began it December 2003 on an Oregon beach one night.

Here's an excerpt from the Coastal Diaries, December 27, 2003: "We decided to write a bit before bed. I sat at my laptop and began a short novel. I didn’t have a title. Didn’t have a plot. I just had the image and voice of this girl in my head, and I started to write. Not the way I usually write. After a couple of hours, I stopped and read it to Mario. When I finished, we both sat in the silence. The main character was called Mercy. She wouldn’t eat because she believed she was transforming into an angel, and angels didn’t need to eat. She was so wounded by what she saw happening in the world that she could see only one solution: to sacrifice her human self. It is a question many of us have: How does one survive the woundedness of the world and one’s own woundedness?"

That was the beginning of the writing of Mercy, Unbound, although Mercy had been in my head for a while before that, just standing there, waiting for me. I loved writing her story, and I love her and every character in this book. There are no villains. There are only people trying to get by. I've explained before that once I write a story, it feels separate from me, so it's not vanity when I say how wonderful it is. I birthed it but then it's my job to get it out in the world in the best way possible.

When I finished writing Mercy, Unbound, I sent it to my agent, Michael Bourret; he loved it. He then sent it to Julia Richardson at Simon & Schuster, and she loved it. As I've told you before, I am very happy with my agent and my editor. They both seem to understand my work. Finally! I am reveling in the experience because I know how rare and precious it is after all the years I've been in this biz. What you always hope for is someone who understands your work. That sounds like an artistic cliché, but it is so true. Now my agent and editor get excited by my work. This is a much better response than the one I got from one agent: "Kim, you write too much. Get a job." I have a job! It's called writing!

Anyway, my editor at Simon and Schuster is great. I never mind when an editor has questions about the manuscript, as long as they are specific about what bothers them. Julia was very specific and very clear. I've always worked well with editors. A good editor can make such a difference, and Julia is a good editor. I count on editors to keep me from looking stupid—and to protect my work and help get it out into the world. I don't want to read a published story or a novel of mine ten years from now and say, "How did THAT get by?" Although I don't officially have a "cover consult" with Simon Pulse, Julia is keeping me apprised of what is happening with the cover, and she asked me how I pictured Mercy so she could pass that information along.

Normally I don't like people on the covers of books, as a reader or writer. But I knew with YA books that this was a given. So I braced myself. I got the galleys for Mercy, Unbound on Saturday. At the beginning of each section is a beautiful "illustration." The final one, part four, shows Mercy's face. I started crying: she looked so much like how I had imagined her. Then yesterday Julia sent me the cover. Some changes may take place, but this is it for now. (I'll show you below.)

I've just reread Mercy, Unbound again, as I've corrected the galleys. I love this book. (Did I already say that?) I really like writing YA books. I think some of the most exciting stories being told are in children's literature right now. I'm allowed to write stories with passionate characters, living passionate mixed-up lives. Not that adult fiction can't do that, but they're often more restrained than I like. I'm not a New Yorker-style writer.

In Mercy, I got to write about so many things I feel so deeply about through these characters. Not in a preachy way. I don't do that with my fiction. I let the characters tell their own stories. I don't even always agree with everything they say or do, I've told you that. But I love these characters. Young adult novels are not just for teenagers, by the way. Think Catcher in the Rye. Good YA books do what that book did. They tell the truth. If you enjoy Furious Spinner, you will love Mercy, Unbound. (It's due out May 2006.)

Here’s another thing I’ve discovered about my YA novels. I had always been told I should be able to summarize my books in one sentence. That used to annoy the hell out of me. “If I could say it in a sentence, I wouldn’t need 300 pages.” Well, with both Mercy, Unbound and The Camel Jockey, I can say what they’re about in one sentence. I’m no longer annoyed. It feels liberating. The Camel Jockey: A young Pakistani woman disguises herself as a boy in order to go to the Middle East and rescue her six year old brother, who has been kidnapped and forced to work as a camel jockey. Mercy, Unbound: A teenage girl believes she’s turning into an angel so she doesn’t need to eat, but her parents believe she has an eating disorder so they send her to a clinic in New Mexico.

The inspired book designer for Mercy, Unbound is Deb Sfetsios and the wonderful photographer is Suza Scalora. Drum roll, please! Here's the cover and the first paragraph of the book:



Call me Mercy. Or TAM for short. T.he A.ngel M.ercy. Yes, I’m an angel. Or about to be an angel. I have only recently awakened to this realization. Or figured it out. A revelation, if you will. The wings were a big clue. You can’t see them? You will. At first they felt like new teeth coming in. Do you remember that feeling? Kind of itchy, irritating. I wanted to cry all the time. I lost my appetite. Then I knew. Those little buds on my shoulder blades—along with everything else—sealed the deal. I was an angel. And angels don’t need to eat.

Welcome to the world, Mercy. 3 comments

3 Comments:

Kim. Cool cover and nice opening paragraph. Can't wait to see it in print.
F.X.

By  Anonymous, at 6:18 PM  

It looks gorgeous! Can't wait to read it. Yasmine (UK)

By  Anonymous, at 11:01 AM  

I love the pictures that are dissplayed with this book. I have beagn reading it fo a teen read night here in my high school. I love it already...it is so hard to lay it down. Job Well Done lol!

By  Anonymous, at 7:52 AM  

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All photographs and written material copyright © 2003-2008 by Kim Antieau unless otherwise indicated. May not be used without permission.