What does one do while waiting a year-plus for the next big novel (Beautiful and Terrible Things) to be published? One writes a shorter work of fiction, of course! Today, I reveal the cover of that work — it’s called The Wallace House of Pain, and will be published later this month.
You may have noticed on the cover this book is called a “novelette”. I was an English literature major in college and am now something of an author, but had never heard of the novelette until I began packaging The Wallace House of Pain.
What is it? A novelette is longer than a short story but shorter than a novella. (And a novella is shorter than a full-length novel.) Many famous novellas exist. They’re the thin paperbacks that made high school students less inclined to read sigh in relief at the assignment–no Anna Karenina, these books! Famous examples include Animal Farm, The Metamorphosis, The Old Man and the Sea.
As for famous novelettes? Not so many. But, you will find bookshelves for novelettes on goodreads.
I predict novelettes will grow in popularity as short fiction continues to take over the reading community. We now have flash fiction, short fiction, and even 100-word story competitions–all in keeping with our 280-character Twitter-fueled world.
Ever the fan of concision, I find it fun to read and to write shorter pieces. But I for one will never abandon the satisfaction of sinking my teeth, and my brain, deep into an epic masterpiece.
Stay tuned to this space for more details on The Wallace House of Pain, including a “blurb” description, and release date.
