Thursday, October 22, 2009

I'm back

Okay.

It's been two months since my last post. Not at all what I was hoping for, but life sometimes takes interesting turns.

When I left off, I was writing fiction daily and making good progress on my novel. Then I had a thought (that touch of ADD reared its ugly head). If I am going to write a book, I might as well tell the story that had the biggest impact on my life over the last decade. That story, worthy of putting down in memoir form, involves a previous incarnation of myself.

I once had a farm in Africa.

Wait. Wrong story.

I once had a cheese factory in Colorado.

There we go.

Ten years ago, my wife and I created a cheese factory out of thin air. With no experience and even fewer expectations, we began making cheese and marketing it under the Bingham Hill brand. Our first batch was a hit, earning us a gold medal at the American Cheese Society annual competition in Napa Valley.

We then watched in amazement as our cheeses became an overnight sensation. Well-known food and wine publications featured them on their covers . Catalogue giants sparred over who would get to feature them in their holiday catalogues. Elegant restaurants and fancy cheese shops included them on their menus. We grew by leaps and bounds.

But then, due to a comedy of errors and tragic misfortune, it all vanished as quickly as it had appeared. The lawsuits have only recently been put to rest.

Losing Bingham Hill Cheese Company was a near-fatal blow. But with a bit of distance, I came to realize that our journey makes quite a story. There is entertainment value in our successes and failures, and I bet others would enjoy hearing our tale.

So I wrote a query letter outlining my story and submitted it to a dozen literary agencies. Almost half of them requested a full proposal, which surprised me to no end. I quickly pounded out a proposal, including a 30-page writing sample, and submitted it to a couple of the agencies. But then I immediately regretted doing so.

After reflecting, I realized I had rushed the writing sample and had done my book concept an injustice. Getting it right would require slowing down.

So now I've spent the last several weeks trying to figure out the correct tone for the story.

The good news is, I'm getting close. And when it's just right, I will submit my proposal to the remaining agencies and see where things go.

If the memoir takes off, the novel will have to wait. But if it fails to get off the ground, I'll return to fiction. In which case, I may be the first person to ever proclaim the following:

"I always have my novel to fall back on."

I hope to resume regular posting here. However, I may have to re-title my blog. Can I get a little help?

-Tom