Confessions Of A Nutty Novelist  

Posted by Heidi in


Consider this:

There is a link to my “official author website” at the top of my blog.

It would seem that some have clicked on it.

As a result, more than one of you have read that “I have been writing regency romance novels since I was ten”.

As a further result, more than one of you have wondered where my other novels can be found and under what name are they written (since none but Miss D comes up under my name).

As a further, further result, the Middle Child’s friend (a former mutual crush and possible future mutual crush who seems emotionally invested in impressing her) has confided this gem: “Your mom sure has written lots of great books!” (He did confess, at great risk of sounding insincere, that it was his mother who looked me up on the internet and filled his head with these false notions—aiiiiieeeeee!!)

As a further, further, further result, I have been embarrassed and humiliated and found that crawling into a hole and sleeping until spring seems a more and more pleasing prospect
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The truth is this: I wrote my first regency romance novel (or so I thought the seven page mish-mash of contemporary time period and exotic Paris location to be) in the steaming-hot back of the family station wagon during a trip to Idaho when I was ten (or maybe 11). However, I have certainly never published any of them until now. Yes, my garage is full of lame attempts but it was never my intention to mislead people into thinking they were actual published books! I fervently wish I could alter the bio on my site but I can’t change or add a blessed thing since we (somehow) lost the shortcut icon on my desktop.

Meanwhile, I guess I will simply have to be the child prodigy novelist.

Now that I’ve confessed, it doesn’t sound so bad. I could even get used to the idea. I could whip up some novels (they don't have to be great) and insist I wrote them at age 10, 12, 15. Hey, Christopher Paolini has nothing on me! Nosiree-bob! He might have written Eragon at age 14 (or 15) and stood gleefully by as it was made into a blockbuster movie, true, but I could easily claim a novel I wrote at age 12 was made into a movie long, long ago, so far back in the mists of time nobody could hope to remember it anyway. And then I could claim that Stephenie Meyer has nothing on me either, because haven’t I been both published and turned into immortal film long before she was even born? The possibilities are endless. In fact, it quite boggles the mind.

Fame and fortune, here I come!!!

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 22, 2008 at Saturday, November 22, 2008 and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the comments feed .

18 wise, witty and wonderful comments

Heidi, this comes from Amazon, not from your website. Among about five reviews.....

About the Author
Heidi Ashworth has been writing Regency romances since the age of ten, the result of growing up in a house filled with Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer fans. She lives in the San Francisco East Bay with her husband, three children and Sugar, a Bichon Frise. When she gets the chance, she loves to sit in her garden, planting, dreaming or reading a really good book. Miss Delacourt Speaks Her Mind is Heidi's first novel for Avalon.

Awsome.

marmel.......marmel-aid I love it.

November 22, 2008 at 2:19 PM

OBG--they swiped it off of my website. Go to www.heidiasworth.com and click on the link to my "bio".

November 22, 2008 at 2:28 PM

I think your novel, and others in its style, counter ones like the TWILIGHT books which have no real dialogue and verbal banter. I have it sitting on the night stand for tomorrow!!! Worked all week and have other stuff today. GO COUGARS!

November 22, 2008 at 2:41 PM

Kazzy, I don't expect you to read it this month at all but I love that it is sitting there and you are looking forward to it. Woo hoo!

November 22, 2008 at 2:55 PM

If it makes you feel better I did not think it meant you had published them. And I think lots of people out there are as smart as I am :-).

BTW, did you have to do a lot of research to learn all those regency- era terms (which I had to look up in the dictionary)? I was impressed with your accuracy.

November 22, 2008 at 3:43 PM

I think a lot of people would be surprised at how many books a typical writer writes before getting one published. I hate calling my first published book my "first," because it wasn't the first I wrote--not even close. Heck, I started scribbling books around second or third grade!

November 22, 2008 at 4:05 PM

Becky, I know how I meant it and it meant what I thougt it meant--but even some smart people got confused about it. You are so nice and complimentary about the Regency terms but I have read upwards of 400 regency romance novels (most of which are still in my garage :S). You just pick it up after awhile. And woe to the RR writer who gets it wrong because she WILL get letters. Annette--that's right--there is no "over night" success. Even Twilight was out for a couple of years before it caught on.

November 22, 2008 at 4:17 PM

Well, I for one, am excited to pick up your book. I love the Regency novels. And I will forgive you for your bio being all misleading...however, I really never would have even made the leap that you'd actually been PUBLISHING novels since the age of ten. :)

November 22, 2008 at 4:52 PM

All I know is that I'm excited to read it!!! A book by a ten-year-old! WOW. :)

November 22, 2008 at 7:05 PM

Heather, you are such a card!

November 22, 2008 at 9:30 PM

Heidi, I popped on over to your blog today for the first time. I have seen you on several other blogs you read, and your blog is delightful!

I will most definitely have to check out your book. I will be back!

November 23, 2008 at 11:02 AM

Kristina, how delightful that you stopped by! Thanks!

November 23, 2008 at 2:22 PM

First regency romance at 10 :)
I am with Becky, Annette and Lara... and looking fwd to reading Miss Delacourt.

November 23, 2008 at 3:38 PM

You know, when you were 10, I'm sure you certainly thought your writings were publishable. You were just being honest with yourself!

November 23, 2008 at 4:20 PM

You ladies are the best! (Yes, I did think it was pretty publishable. bbwwwaaaahhhaaahhaa!)

November 23, 2008 at 5:47 PM

Ok, I am so intrigued. I've never even heard of Regency novels before. Is it a whole genre?

November 24, 2008 at 11:37 AM

JustRandi, yes, regency romance is it's own genre but it is currently a dead one. You can find regency set historical fiction but most of those are the fat "bodice-ripper" kind--though the covers are being changed over from that look for the most part. A true Regency romance novel is usually what they call "sweet" and focuses on the emotions of a relationship, not the physical aspects. You can still find many of the best ones (those written by Georgette Heyer, who created the "genre" in libraries and sometimes they are reissued, as well).

November 24, 2008 at 12:32 PM

Bwahahahaha.

That's all.

November 29, 2008 at 6:55 AM

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