Monday, March 22, 2010

Living the dirty dream

I'll be doing a lot of this for a few days.
I’ve held down a full-time job since I was 18. Even in college I washed dogs, sold donuts, and wrote newspaper articles to keep a roof over my head and Chianti on the table.

If at any point in my adult life you had asked me what my dream job would be, I’d probably snort and give you a semi-smartass, semi-serious answer:

Well, I’d like to get paid to travel, hang out with my pets, drink wine, and write about it all.


So I’m a little stunned to realize that for a few days anyway, I get to do just that.

Pythagoras and I are currently traveling through Oregon wine country doing research for the third novel in my three-book contract with Sourcebooks, Inc.

I’ll be visiting some of my favorite wineries and vineyards including Illahe, Adelsheim, and Sineann to learn the ins and outs of what they do and how they do it.

And yeah, I might have a glass of wine. Or twelve.

Since LET IT BREATHE is already under contract, that technically means I’m being paid to do this research and write this book. Pretty mind-blowing, considering I’ve spent the last eight years researching and writing with only the faint hope that my books would eventually be read by someone besides my mom and my agent.

I’ll be back to blogging on Wednesday – and back to bills, back to reality, back to the knowledge that I have to write a helluva lot more books for this to be anything close to a livable wage.

Or maybe I’ll sell a kidney on the black market.

But for a little while anyway, I’m living the dream.

11 comments :

Mason Canyon said...

You've got to dream a little every now and then. Sounds like great research. If it's not too much trouble while you're there would you try a glass of Chardonnay for me? :)

Penelope said...

Congrats! That's awesome. :)

Enjoy the vino!

K.A. Krantz said...

Wonder how many bottles it takes to turn the purple plait into Merlot?

Claire Dawn said...

Your dream and mine are suspiciously the same.

Keep livin it up!

Flannery said...

Lucky lucky! Have a great time--and don't forget: if you don't spit the wine out during a tasting, you have a lot more fun.

Although significantly less tasting.

Linda G. said...

Enjoy the dream! And down a glass or two for me while you're at it. :)

Candyland said...

---->Envy<----
Drink some for me would ya?

Unknown said...

Hi Tawna! I'm excited to have found your blog on this day -- the one where you talk about living your dream! HUGE congrats on your book deal, on your upcoming trip, and living the life some of us (*waves from the back row*) are only dreaming about.

I look forward to reading much more from you, including your books!

Have a fun and safe trip :)

Melanie Sherman said...

WoooHoooo. What a terrific research project. And you are oh, so smart to choose this subject matter. With my luck, if I ever get paid to do research like you, I'll be smack in the middle of a book taking place in the sewers of some big city and I'll spend the week at the treatment plant. And I won't be drinking anything, for sure.

Yup, I'm impressed by you. I think you may be my new idol. :) Can't wait to buy an autographed copy of the first one.

Sierra Godfrey said...

This is why you're my secret BFF.

Don't forget that all that wine can be written off on your taxes as part of work-related expenses!

TAWNA FENSKE said...

Mason, I did you one better and bought a whole bottle of Chardonnay. And Pinot Noir. And Pinot Gris. And Viognier. And Old Vine Zin. And...

Penelope, thanks for the congrats. The trip was everything I hoped it would be :)

KAK, oddly enough, merlot was probably the only varietal I DIDN'T drink these last three days.

Claire Dawn, apparently it's a common dream, huh?!

Candyland, I'm feeling a little woozy from all the drinks I consumed in honor of other people!

Nicole, welcome to the blog! Stick around, I don't always write about wine. Usually I just drink it while writing.

Melanie, hey, I love the wacky research, too! As I mentioned in a blog post a couple weeks ago (forget what I called it, maybe something about getting your hands dirty?) I mentioned that two of my favorite book research projects involved hanging out in mortuaries and at the dump. True, there wasn't anything good to drink in either place, but both had a certain charm!

Sierra, I'm so honored to be your secret BFF. Maybe we should come up with a special BFF handshake or something?

Thanks for reading, guys! Promise to return tomorrow with an all new blog post!

Tawna