Heather Chavez--No Bad Deed

DEBORAH CROMBIE: There is nothing that gives us more pleasure here at JRW than introducing debut authors and we have a treat in store today! Just the premise of Heather Chavez's first novel, NO BAD DEED, gives me goosebumps, and I dare anyone to put it down after the first page.  And isn't the cover fabulous? Here's Heather to tell you how publication has changed her writing life, and that gave me goosebumps, too!

HEATHER CHAVEZ: I was so honored and excited to be invited to be here by the Jungle Red Writers. I love being able to “meet” new people, especially since I wrote my first book in such a bubble.
 
They say that writing is a solitary pursuit, but when I was drafting NO BAD DEED, I took that to the extreme. It was just me and my computer. I had a single friend who read the first draft (a thankless job since my first drafts are pretty rough) and an editor who looked at the first fifty or so pages.
 
But then I threw out most of that first draft and started again. Truly, it wasn’t a revision but a total rewrite. Two of the three POVs were ditched. I switched from third-person to first-person. The plot was overhauled. The first line remained but other than that, it was a whole new book—a book no one saw until I started querying several months later. After writing three and a half practice books, I wasn’t even sure this one was any good. When agents started responding, I was actually surprised. 

Imposter syndrome is real, right?
 
That was my experience writing the first book that sold. Book two, in contrast, has been a completely different experience. Since I have a two-book deal with William Morrow, I know people are going to read this one. No more writing alone in my office, indulging my “hobby.” With this one, there are expectations attached.
 
Fortunately, in addition to a very collaborative relationship with my agent and editor, there’s something else I have now that I didn’t have then: I’ve found my writing people. I’m part of an online Facebook group of other authors debuting this year. How cool (and unusual) is it to be able to connect with writers going through the exact same thing as I am?
 
While I’ve shared the occasional snippet of writing, it’s more about sharing the journey. In December, about fifteen of us met in real life in New York. Another group will be gathering soon in Los Angeles. Members also have attended each others’ author events, or introduced themselves at conferences.
 
But I’ve never personally met most of the members I now consider friends. These friends live in other parts of the United States, and all over the world. I regularly communicate with members in places as far from my California hometown as Chicago and New York, and even Canada and Germany. I’m actually as excited for their releases as I am for my own. Maybe even more so, because I don’t have to deal with the nerves part of it, too.
 
I’ve also become part of readers’ groups online and have grown more active on social media. As someone who has never attended a writers’ conference and who wrote my first book in such a bubble, it’s such an incredible feeling to know support (and celebration) is now only a click away. It’s made this process so much more enjoyable, and the challenges easier to overcome.
 
So what do you all think? Do you have good friends you’ve never met? In creative pursuits, do you go it alone, or do you rely on the feedback and support of others?

Driving home one night, veterinarian Cassie Larkin sees a man and woman fighting on the side of the road. When she steps in, the attacker warns her: “Let her die, and I’ll let you live.” Trained to heal, Cassie isn’t about to let the woman die. But while she’s helping the unconscious victim, the attacker steals her car. Now he has her name. Her address. And he knows about her children. The next night, Cassie’s husband disappears. Are these events connected? As she searches for answers, Cassie discovers that nothing is as random as it seems, and that she is willing to go to the most terrifying extremes to save her family. 

A graduate of UC Berkeley’s English literature program, Heather Chavez has worked as a newspaper reporter and editor. She lives in Santa Rosa, California, with her husband and children. No Bad Deed is her first book. 

DEBS: Heather's story has reminded me what a great community we have, writers AND readers. Stop by and welcome Heather, and wish her happy pub day!!