He got up and sat on the edge of the bedstead with his back to the window. “It’s better not to sleep at all,” he decided. There was a cold damp draught from the window, however; without getting up he drew the blanket over him and wrapped himself in it. He was not thinking of anything and did not want to think. But one image rose after another, incoherent scraps of thought without beginning or end passed through his mind. He sank into drowsiness. Perhaps the cold, or the dampness, or the dark, or the wind that howled under the window and tossed the trees roused a sort of persistent craving for the fantastic. He kept dwelling on images of flowers, he fancied a charming flower garden, a bright, warm, almost hot day, a holiday—Trinity day. A fine, sumptuous country cottage in the English taste overgrown with fragrant flowers, with flower beds going round the house; the porch, wreathed in climbers, was surrounded with beds of roses. A light, cool staircase, carpeted with rich rugs, was decorated with rare plants in china pots. He noticed particularly in the windows nosegays of tender, white, heavily fragrant narcissus bending over their bright, green, thick long stalks. He was reluctant to move away from them, but he went up the stairs and came into a large, high drawing-room and again everywhere—at the windows, the doors on to the balcony, and on the balcony itself—were flowers. The floors were strewn with freshly-cut fragrant hay, the windows were open, a fresh, cool, light air came into the room. The birds were chirruping under the window, and in the middle of the room, on a table covered with a white satin shroud, stood a coffin. The coffin was covered with white silk and edged with a thick white frill; wreaths of flowers surrounded it on all sides. Among the flowers lay a girl in a white muslin dress, with her arms crossed and pressed on her bosom, as though carved out of marble. But her loose fair hair was wet; there was a wreath of roses on her head. The stern and already rigid profile of her face looked as though chiselled of marble too, and the smile on her pale lips was full of an immense unchildish misery and sorrowful appeal. Svidrigaïlov knew that girl; there was no holy image, no burning candle beside the coffin; no sound of prayers: the girl had drowned herself. She was only fourteen, but her heart was broken. And she had destroyed herself, crushed by an insult that had appalled and amazed that childish soul, had smirched that angel purity with unmerited disgrace and torn from her a last scream of despair, unheeded and brutally disregarded, on a dark night in the cold and wet while the wind howled
The Blog
22 Agents Seeking Novels in 2022 
Every writer dreams of hearing the words I love your book. When looking for an agent to represent your fledgling novel, it’s key to find someone that shares your vision and passion. Here is an alphabetical list of 22 literary and genre agents on the hunt for their next bestseller. Will it be you? You’ll […]
Read More Top 20 Children’s Book Agents in 2022 If you want to write for kids, then you’re in luck! Every year, children’s books produce almost two billion dollars of revenue, and the market is only getting bigger each year. But with great size comes great competition. You’ll need an excellent agent to get your book published. Right now, agents from New York to […]
Read More 25 Best Book Publicists and Marketers The difference between a bestselling book and a book that sells a handful of copies can be summed up in one word: publicity. Listen, you definitely need a better strategy than standing on a street corner, yelling and waving your book. Thankfully, the 25 publicists on this list can provide you with a wealth of […]
Read More 30 Best Book Cover Designers I’ve seen a lot of fantastic books fail because of bad cover design. No matter how good your book is, people simply won’t buy it if the cover art doesn’t grab their eye. It’s unfair, but in a crowded marketplace you have to stand out, and the best way to do that is with a […]
Read More How to Write a Children’s Book in 12 Steps (From an Editor) As a children’s book editor, I’ve helped hundreds of authors write, edit and publish their children’s book. Anyone can sit down and dash out a children’s book, and with a little help and guidance, yours can be good enough to earn the attention of thousands of children. And nothing beats the feeling of holding your […]
Read More Authors, Score Your Year With 12 Questions As the year draws to a close, it’s time for writers to do some self-examination. You probably already have a sense whether this was a banner year for you or a real stinker, but you need to think about WHY. What made this a horrible year for writing or your most successful year ever? And […]
Read More Bringing the Pain: How to Hurt Your Characters Guest Post by Jody J. Sperling Stories are only truly great when they confront the great fears. Bernard Malamud knew this. His character of Roy Hobbs, a naturally gifted baseball player, was shot by a mysterious and seductive woman, which ruined his career in the big leagues. This was what Hobbs dreaded the most — […]
Read More 8 Tips for Writing a Novel Guest Post by Jody J. Sperling If you’re given to quitting, writing novels isn’t for you. If you’re happier writing than reading, don’t bother writing. But if you’ve bolted your heels to concrete blocks, and if you view failure as a bridge over the black abyss, and if you’d rather be reading than climbing mountains […]
Read More Who are You Writing For, Anyway? This is a parable of a writer named Austin, and how he found his audience through writing four novels. Austin lived near a major metropolis in the United States, was middle class, and he wanted more than anything to become a writer. He read all the right people, went to all the right conferences, and […]
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