Querying, A to Z Who? and Other Stuff

And what a week it was! Sorry I didn't post on my regular schedule, but here's what this week held for me.

• Querying
• Writing A to Z posts
• Spring Break
• High School Short Story Contest

First off, I sent out two query letters on Monday. Originally I planned to wait until after LDStorymakers at the end of April. The plan was to use my pitch session to try out my query letter and get some valuable feedback before jumping in.

I'm not a super patient person. April was taking WAY too long to get here! So, I picked two of my favorite agents--well, honestly they are all my favorite, especially if they say yes. One of those agents requested the full thirty minutes later! I seriously almost fell out of my chair. I don't think anyone ever requested a full of Magic Wakes. Granted, I know who my target audience is with this book and I think it shows in the query and writing.

After spring break I'll send out a few more. :)

The Blogging from A to Z Challenge starts next week and I've only scheduled my posts through the letter K. Originally my kids said they wanted to help write the posts. Well, I've waited, asked, pleaded and begged but they have officially bailed on me. Oh, well. It was worth the try. My topic? Chosen with my children---

Doctor Who

Ten, Eleven, Nine

Our spring break has been sadly very boring. We got caught up on some much needed sleep only  to stay up late watching corny movies like Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid. Yep, we love watching this kind of stuff as a family because its more fun to laugh together.

I did get a dining room table. Almost 18 years of married life and I finally have a formal dining room. Now to plan a party!

The poster for Anacondas fits how I feel every day after only an hour of reading these stories. There hasn't been that AMAZING story yet, but I've still got a lot to wade through. Here are the end of week stats.

Totals:
Pages read--207
Stories read--100
Stores about death/suicide/murder/war--40
1 story about Slender Man
1 Hunger Games Fan Fiction
Yes--10

Biggest pet peeve of the week--someone used "are" for "our" throughout their story.

I Need Your Help Query Time!

Well, we've got freezing rain again here in Northwest Arkansas. The kids are home from school, and at this rate I'm wondering what kind of summer break we're going to end up with. I'm not really complaining though. I enjoy having them around when they play nicely together. They're growing up too fast and will be gone before I know it.

Yesterday, K (kid #1) and I started putting together our A to Z Challenge posts. Yep, I like to have them scheduled in advance so I can concentrate on visiting other blogs. We'll probably work on more today. :)

My other goal for the week is to put together a query and then a pitch for FADE INTO ME. Here's my first go, all ready for your critique and comments. *sigh* I read it and think, "This really doesn't represent the smallest fraction of the story." And yet, I have to focus on one thing, the over arching  plot and not all the little things that make it complicated. I'm just afraid I'm leaving out the most interesting points. This is already at 330 words and I will need to add the "why I'm querying you" paragraph. Ug!

My problem is the backstory! I feel certain things don't make sense without it.

Help!!

Revision 2--Thanks Misha from UB!

Unknown to humans, aliens called Abhithians live among them. Their purpose: to nurture their greatest mistake—mankind.

Caedan Frey’s family has fulfilled this duty for thousands of years, but that doesn’t exempt him from his obligations as the prince of the Reparation. He must marry a human before his birthday or the throne will revert to a rival family. Their previous reigns saw the end of Atlantis, and The Plague in Europe. Caedan knows the sooner he marries, the better for everyone, and any girl will do. He's about to propose to someone when his soul mate stumbles into--and right out--of his arms.

Ryanne Killian might be his one shot at happiness while still fulfilling his responsibility to his people, but after a disastrous experience with love, she isn’t willing to give anyone else a chance. He’ll need to convince her to leave her world behind and marry him in two months time. Unfortunately, his rival sees his opportunity to get rid of Caedan, and keeping Ryanne away from him is all too easy.

FADE INTO ME is a contemporary YA Fantasy similar in style to Julie Kagawa's Iron King. My first novel, THE MAGIC WAKES was released by Wido Publishing in 2013.

Thank you for your time and consideration,


Revision 1--Thanks Robin!
Dear ___________,

Everything humans think they know about evolution is a lie. Aliens, called Abhithians, live among them sentenced to watch over and nurture their greatest mistake...

Abhithian Caedan Frey doesn't believe humans will ever evolve enough to see the magic, much less control it. But he is the prince of the Reparation and he must marry a human in order to fulfill an ancient promise. Bitter about his duty, Caedan figures any girl will do. He's about to propose to a girl when his anamchara or soul mate stumbles into--and right out--of his arms. Wonder of wonders, she's human!

Ryanne Killian doesn't believe in love or magic anymore. She just graduated from high school and acted as best man at her crush's wedding. Her life is not going as planned. Then strange colors in the sky draw her to the botanical gardens, and even though she’s vowed to never let anyone into her heart again, she steps straight into the arms of her soul mate. She can feel it, but can she trust it?

When Ryanne has a physical reaction to the magic, Caedan takes her to his world to recover. All of the Abhithians watch her with growing hope as she sees the swirling colors of magic. Ryanne doesn't feel like her growing attraction to Caedan is enough reason to marry him, and she demands to be taken home. Crossing the barrier between worlds causes her to forget everything about the magical realm.

It's time for Caedan to work harder to help Ryanne fall in love with him. Unfortunately, a rival sees this as his chance to steal the throne from Caedan's family. All he has to do is keep the two unlikely lovers separated until after Caedan's birthday.

FADE INTO ME is a contemporary YA Fantasy similar in style to Julie Kagawa's Iron King. My first novel, THE MAGIC WAKES was released by Wido Publishing in 2013.

Thanks for your time and consideration,

Original
Dear ___________,

Everything humans think they know about evolution is a lie. Aliens, called Abhithians, live among them sentenced to watch over and nurture their greatest mistake...

Abhithian Caedan Frey is destined to marry a human girl to fulfill an ancient promise. If he's lucky she'll be able to see and use the magic of the earth so his people will be free to ascend to their home world once more. Any girl will do according to the laws of reparation, but Caedan would like to find his soul mate. He's running out of time when his anamchara stumbles into--and right out--of his arms.

Ryanne Killian doesn't believe in love or magic anymore. She just graduated from high school and acted as best man at her crush's wedding. Her life is not going as planned. Then strange colors in the sky draw her to the botanical gardens, and even though she’s vowed to never let anyone into her heart again, she steps straight into the arms of her soul mate. She can feel it, but can she trust it?

When Ryanne has a physical reaction to the magic, Caedan takes her to his world to recover. All of the Abhithians watch her with growing hope as she sees the swirling colors of magic. But Ryanne's growing attraction to Caedan isn't enough reason for her to marry him. She demands to be taken home, and crossing the barrier between the worlds causes her to forget everything.

It's time for Caedan to work harder to help Ryanne fall in love with him. Unfortunately, a rival sees this as his chance to steal the throne from Caedan's family. All he has to do is keep the two unlikely lovers separated until after Caedan's birthday.

FADE INTO ME is a contemporary YA Fantasy similar in style to Julie Kagawa's Iron King. My first novel, THE MAGIC WAKES was released by Wido Publishing in 2013.

Thanks for your time and consideration,

****

The biggest point I left out because I'm not sure how to work it in with the word count--
Ryanne feels unworthy because she was date rap ed in the past. Because of that she fights forming a relationship with Caedan.

Queries are up for Critiquing

Not here of course, but over at Unicorn Bell.

There are 24 queries and many of them are for books I would read right now. I'll be pretty busy trying to make comments on all of them this week. Feel free to come over and check them out. The goal is to make them sparkle in time for the "Final Exam" next week when our fabulous judges come to look them over.

Personal Notes:

• 1 week until the kids are in school and I can get edits on The Magic Wakes finished.
• I've created an author website. You can check it out HERE. Feedback is greatly appreciated.
• I "unfriended" everyone but family on Facebook. It was really hard, but I need to step back and simplify my online life for a while. You can still interact with me on my Facebook Author Page.
• I got sunburned at the beach over the weekend.
• My garage looks like the house threw up in it. Lots of work to do in there...eventually. Hey, I live in the South, I don't need to park in there for a while yet.
• I'm thinking about getting some business cards made. What do you think?

Unicorn Bell, School's In Query Contest

I'll be over at UB all day long (mostly) for the next three weeks. There won't be anything new here until our big Query Extravaganza comes to an end at the end of the month. Please swing by and check out the great posts we have lined up.

This first week is a mini conference of sorts devoted to the query letter. What it is, why you need one, how to write one, examples of bad queries, and even some examples of queries that have garnished some full requests/deals for us.

There will be multiple posts per day, and we don't want you to miss any of it. You can also follow the Twitter Hashtag #QuerySchoolsIN to see each new posting.

Here's the schedule:

Monday, August 13th
5:00 AM The Purpose of a Query and How to Write One
9:00 AM Stalking/Researching Agents
1:00 PM Interview with Donna O'Brien
5:00 PM Bad Query Example

Tuesday, August 14th
5:00 AM Guest Blogger Matthew MacNish of QQQE
9:00 AM Researching Small Publishers
1:00 PM Interview with Sapphire Star Publishing
5:00 PM Queries that Worked

Wednesday, August 15th
5:00 AM Our Editor's Query Pet Peeves
9:00 AM Submission Guidelines are Your Friend
1:00 PM Interview with Andrew Buckley
5:00 PM Bad Query Example

Thursday, August 16th
5:00 AM Great Places to Read and Get Feedback on Queries
9:00 AM Formatting E and Paper Queries
1:00 PM Interview with Krystal Wade
5:00 PM Queries that Worked

Friday, August 17th
5:00 AM Queries that Worked
9:00 AM A Last Word on Research and Patience
1:00 PM Interview with Nancy Bell
5:00 PM Queries that Worked


Monday, August 20th
I'll post the information you need to submit your queries for critique to Unicorn Bell. All queries will go up on Tuesday and stay up for the week for comments.

Saturday, August 25th
I'll post the rules for submitting your query for your COMPLETED and polished manuscript for our agent judging.

Sunday, August 26th
The submission window for our agent judging will open at 1:30 PM US Central Standard Time. We are accepting up to 20 entries. You will receive an email confirming your spot in the Final Exam Week.

Exciting things brewing at Unicorn Bell

This is what I posted over there today. If you want to join in the fun, head over there and follow so you can get all the details as they unfold.

We've been sitting on something here at UB.

Well, yeah, that too, but I'm talking about something new for our little blog.

Something we've been dreaming of doing.

Something with YOU in mind.

The time has finally arrived to fill you in on our plan to take over the world!

*cough* *cough*

Sorry, not that plan.

What plan? We aren't plotting to take over the world so just stop already.

Now, where were we?

Oh yes. The plan to help you wonderful followers get some quality feedback on your work.

We are excited to announce the School's In Query Contest!

We are devoting most of August to queries: how to's, examples, workshops and the query process in general. The last week of August we will have three wonderful guest judges reading all polished queries for FINISHED manuscripts.

Krystal Wade from Curiosity Quills
Nancy Bell from MuseItUp Publishing
Amy Lichtenhan SapphireStar Publishing

If they like what they see, they may request pages and who knows where that may lead you?

There will be more info coming over the next few weeks, but we wanted to give you time to comb through that MS one more time. Maybe even get one more beta reader? Here's what these ladies said they are looking for right now.

Krystal--I love older mc's (18+)! I'd like to see some good dystopian, more male
mc's too, and then of course anything scifi/fantasy/paranormal with
something new and unusual.

Nancy--MuseItUp is looking for more dark fiction, horror, as we are light in
that department. However, romance, historical romance, YA/MG from a male
POV that will entice that sector. Of course, we are open to anything
that is well written and crafted. We don't publish literary fiction or
poetry.

Amy--We're especially interested in contemporary romance and paranormal
romance at this time, although we are accepting submissions in all
fiction categories.

If you are interested in playing, what questions do you have about the contest?
Please email them to unicornbellsubmissions@gmail.com and I'll post and answer all of them for our Friday post.

...And for anyone who might be interested, look what I found on Google.

Birth of a Novel February 20th

Sorry, no pics today. I'm still computerless. :( So, I'm keeping this post short and sweet:

• The part arrived. It's been tested and it works. He just has to put the computer back together and hand it to me. ????
• Even computerless, I'm filling pages and pages in a notebook. My goal was to add another 10,000 words to Faerie Wings by the end of February. I think I'm well on my way to reaching that.
• Carter is surprising me with the silly little flaws he has. This is a good thing because he's becoming more real to me.
• My February goals for Write1Sub1 have been flushed. Sort of. I did get one written and sent to my CP. The computer died right after that. Revisions have not been made and I don't have anything else ready to submit.
• I'm a basket of nerves right now. Bidding on the Cupid Blind Speed Dating starts in an hour and a half. I'm entry #41. Only the undercover agents can make comments, so if you visit, come back here to let me know what you think. What if no one bids on SENDEK? I can't help but get my hopes up.
• Thursday is the day that the first round of ABNA ends and those going forward are announced. I actually had a conversation with hubby asking what I should do if I won ABNA and got an offer from an agent. See, no matter how hard I try not to set myself up for crushing blows of failure I can't help it!
• Small publisher X has had my full MS for about 3 weeks. I sent it the day BEFORE the computer died.

I feel like something is going to happen this week. But what will it be? And will I be crushed when nothing happens?

#DaysITsucksTObeAwriter

Weekend Epiphany?

First, in the last seven days, I've made three cakes. They've kind of been last minute, and I think a bit lack-luster.

My daughter's death by chocolate cake. It was really yummy.

A neighbor's movie themed cake.

My son got the left over fondant from earlier in the week.

So, what about that weekend epiphany?

It seems my emotional well being has been more of a roller coaster lately than normal. This could be due to living on an average of four hours of sleep, or it could just be that it's time to re-evaluate my life.

There are two desires in my life that are at odds with one another. The writing dream and my family. For the last three years, I've struggled to find that balance to keep both sides happy. And failed miserably. It seems I must sacrifice one for the other, but I know it doesn't have to be that way.

I thought about the posts I've written lately about not quitting. Then I realized something. Maybe it's time to tweak the dream.

I'd already decided that one day I would be willing to go the small publisher route. But I wanted to exhaust my agent list first. This weekend I realized that in order to keep my family in tact (and happier than it is now), I needed to move this writing thing along.

My agent querying is even slower than the publishing world. I've only queried 23 agents over the course of a year. I know a lot of people do that in a month. I don't know why I'm so slow. Perhaps it's the underlying fear of actually succeeding? Or the fear that I'm just not ready--for whatever reason.

But I am ready. And this weekend I realized, I don't care how it happens. I just want my book out there so other people can enjoy it.

This week I'm attending the Muse Online Writer's Conference and pitching to one agent and three publishers. If one of them says yes, and their vision fits with mine, I'm going to say yes. I know there will still be a lot of work before the actual release date, but at least things will be moving forward again. I also have three agent queries ready to go. I might send them too, since I've already done the work. I dunno know though. My heart just isn't in it this week. (Update: I think its because when I pitch I make a much better impression than I do in my queries. With one pitch down, I have a request for a full. I guess I answer questions in a way that gets people excited about Sendek. Now if only they would see that in the MS...)

It might be the wrong decision, but for the first time in a long time, I feel at peace. At least I decided something.

What do you think? Should I stick it out, or go with a small publisher? Say anything you want, this is a free blog and you won't hurt my feelings. :) I also know several of you are with small publishers. Please share your favorite thing about going this route.

Rejections Part 1

Marquita Hockaday writes YA and blogs with her cousin over at Y(A)? Cuz We Write! She asks:
How do I stay motivated to query after so.many.rejections??

After my rant earlier this week, I added a Part 3 to this series, but for today, let’s concentrate on

Part 1—Dealing with rejection from the professional publishing world.

It's been a year since I sent out my first query, and in the spirit of keeping it real--

Rejection sucks.

Yeah, I know, shocking isn't it? It doesn't get easier, but here are some things I try to remember and things I do to stay motivated.

1. I Send queries out in small batches of five to six and wait for the results. I take what I learn from those responses and make improvements to the query and the MS. Plus a little bit of rejection is easier to get over than a ton of it at once.

This was harder in the beginning because form rejections don’t tell you much. All I could figure was the query wasn’t working. Or maybe it was the sample pages? How do you find out???

2. Get eyes on your MS, query, synopsis, etc. Criticism is hard to take because it’s a form of rejection, but it WILL move you forward and give you insight to what’s not working.

There are a lot of blogs, authors, and even agents that give free critiques. See the links below.

3. Continue to learn about the craft of writing and publishing. Read agent blogs, author blogs, and writing help sites. As you do this, you will be able to see where your writing needs help.

As part of continued learning you can…

4. Attend writing conferences. I know they’re expensive. It kills me every time I miss one, but there are free online conferences all the time (See links below). They provide great opportunities to learn, grow, and sometimes pitch to agents or publishers. The workshops allow you to get feedback you can trust.

As your writing improves, you gain confidence. You will also come to realize the query game is about YOU interviewing agents to find the one who is the best fit for you.

What if you go through your entire agent list and get nothing but rejections?

5. Learn about small to mid-sized publishers. This could be the best fit for you and your story. Rejection from agents doesn’t mean your story is crap. It could just mean they didn’t think they could sell it. Maybe it has a niche audience and could do really well with a smaller publisher.

I have a short list of mid-sized publishers that I think I would enjoy working with. Once I realized my main goal was to write the best story I could and put it into the hands of readers, I knew I could be happy going this route.

I now know that the best validation will come from having people read my book and like it. I can do that on my own, right now, if I wanted to on CreateSpace.

The bottom line to staying motivated is learning that YOU are in charge of your destiny. It's a lot of work. Sometimes people say no, but it's okay because there are lots of options. There are new agents all the time, new agencies, new publishers, and it's getting easier to self publish every day.

6. Finally, give yourself a break. Don’t forget why you write and allow yourself to play around and enjoy the journey. When I get down I play on MorphThing.com making characters, I make soundtracks on Grooveshark, I make book trailers, or book covers. Do whatever it takes to remind yourself why you fell in love with your story.

Good luck and happy writing!


Critiquing Blogs:
Unicorn Bell--currently small so you get a lot of attention from the blog owners.
Janice Hardy's Real Life Diagnostics--my first chapter goes up tomorrow I think.
Miss Snark's First Victim--large but has great agent contests.
Matthew MacNish gives critiques over at The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment.


I know there are tons more out there, but my brain isn't working this morning. Send me those you know of and I'll keep adding to this list.

Recent Posts:
Seeking an Agent is not Seeking a Job from BookEnds, LLC--a literary agency.


There are more writers groups than I could ever list. I used to go to these two a lot for query and first lines help:
Hatrack River Writers Workshop Forums
Nathan Bransford Forums

You can register RIGHT NOW and up until September 25th (that's Sunday) for the Muse Online Writer's Conference. The dates are October 3rd-9th. Hurry if you want to sign up for pitch sessions! Muse it Up Publishing is making a name for itself and they have several agents and other publishers providing great workshops and pitch sessions.

WriteOnCon just finished their free conference, but they have great stuff year round so check it out. This is geared toward YA, but all writers can learn here so don't skip it just because you write for adult audiences.

Dear Dream Agent Vlog

Well, I promised a vlog of some sort. I went a bit more serious this time, although my daughter pointed out that I'm wearing the same blouse as the last one from a year ago. I promise I do own other shirts!

We made about 24 versions of this and I gave up. My poor daughter couldn't hold the camera still. I'm sorry and hope it doesn't make you sick--I picked the one with the least motion. :)

And because I just can't resist. Here is a fun version of the above, courtesy of some more members of my family.

Personal rejections and my really big nose...

...or at least pictures make it look big.

Today is sort of a "catch up and get back on track" post. Several mini little posts that will make this rather long probably.

Ok, first things first. Camp. It was amazing as ever and the kitchen ran smoothly thanks to the wonderful women that came to help me. I have one picture of the cake--just know I think its a horrible picture, but I'll post it anyway.

Here are my church girls in their Phineas and Ferb skit. I love that they always do something fun. The fireside girl is my oldest daughter K. She worked a long time on her costume and was really excited. 

 Here is K getting bounced off the blob. She loved this and did it more than anyone else from what I hear. I managed to get down there one day toward the end of the week. She had perfected her landing for maximum push. I actually caught air going off and I'm considerably heavier than her.

Here is my hubby going off for the first time. I wish I had video taped it so I could reply the sound effects over and over. Let's just say he was surprised at being blobbed!

Ok, it was 9:30PM on Friday. A week with no AC and no time to "fix" my hair. The cake was pretty close to what I envisioned, but the heat made it look a bit melty to me. The girls loved it though. It had six different flavors in it: Snickerdoodle, French Vanilla, Orange Juice, Neopolitan, Chocolate Mint (with Andes mint filled marscapone moose filling), and plain chocolate. They ate almost all of it!

This is what my hair is supposed to look like when I fix it. I got a new haircut in time for camp to help me feel cooler. See, my nose is knobby or something. Or maybe its just the fat cheeks? I'm losing weight, but not in my face yet.

While I was at camp, a letter came in the mail for me. My hubby saw that it was from a literary agency and got all excited. Since he was coming up on Friday he wanted to bring it to me, but was afraid it might be bad news. Well, the only way to know for sure was for him to open it. It was a rejection so he didn't say anything to me about it until I found it on Saturday after getting home.

Funny thing? It actually made my day. I was giddy with this rejection because I felt like it was a marked progression from the form rejections I received during my last round of queries. Here is what it said:

Thank you for the opportunity to consider Sendek. I thought your story line was very interesting and original (yay!). I also liked your main character Talia and how determined she was. Unfortunately, I found it to be a little bit confusing. I would have liked to know why Talia thought she was going to die (see I took out the dream!), and have other aspects of your story clarified earlier on. Also, I found it difficult to jump from Talia's narration to the other characters and felt that it interrupted the story. (This is all stuff I can work on fixing!)

I hope that my loss is another agent's gain, and I wish you the best of luck in finding the right home for your work.

This was one of the times I wish I could have written back and started a dialogue. You know, something along the lines of:

"I was considering moving A B and C around this way to give the reader more time with Talia before the other characters come into play. Do you think that would make it less confusing?"

"Do you think I should rewrite all of Talia's POV into 3rd person?"

"So, if I started with her dream (show it), could I get a way with that?"

"What else did you want to know earlier?"

Knowing that when I do get an agent I can talk all these little details out makes me so excited. That's why I want to try for one before going it on my own. I've always needed and valued others thoughts to validate my own thinking. Yeah, I know I need to get over that, but it is what it is. I like being on a team.

Anyway, that was my first paper rejection and I'm saving it because of the hope it gave me. My idea is interesting and original! Whoo hoo!

Oh, and for my birthday yesterday, I got a flip camcorder thing. So, I'll be working on that vlog for Wednesday! See you then.

I Write Like...

Today is the first day of Girl's Camp. That means a whole week without internet access!!! Hope I survive.

But, I'm not leaving you high and dry. I've scheduled some posts for the week. Enjoy and I'll reply to comments as soon as I get back.

I know you've seen these before, but have you plugged in your writing?

This is what I got when I plugged in Sendek: Arthur Clarke

This one blows my mind because I don't see it. Faerie Wings: William Shakespeare

Then I started plugging in my short stories and got more Arthur Clarke (Continuation, Elina's Tale, Shadows) and these.

Online: Anne Rice

The Chosen (This one also made me excited): Isaac Asimov

It's nice to see that most of my writing falls into the Arthur Clarke category. That makes me feel like his name wasn't a fluke, you know? Now if only I could use that in my query letter.

Dear Agent,

I write like Arthur Clarke. The website says so four out of seven times. He's considered one of the "Big Three"* in science fiction so don't bother to read my book. Just pick up the phone and make that offer.

Charity

* For those who don't read science fiction, the Big Three are Robert Heinlein, Issac Asimov, and Arthur Clarke. BTW, I've read and love all these plus: Orson Scott Card (My brother-in-law served part of his mission for our church with Card's son. Wish I was brave enough to use that small connection), Linda Nagata, Larry Niven, and David Gerrold.

In fact, I need to share some of my favorite titles from these authors with you in the next blog post. They are stories that I find myself thinking about years after having read them. Now that's good writing!

Life/Writing Update

I haven't reported on my progress in a while. That's probably because I don't feel like I'm moving forward with the actual writing at the moment. Life has been too crazy. Days go by where I feel lucky to get 1-2 hours in my house. It feels like I'm running all over the place. Oh, well. School will start the end of August and then I can get back to writing.

The good news is I did start querying again. I'm sending them out slowly. Taking my time to research and really think about each agent before I send that email or letter.

I've sent 5. Yeah, I know, but read above again. I have had two partial requests, one pass, and two no news yet. I feel like that's pretty darn good! Something is definitely working better this go around. I have three more agents researched and the queries written. All I  need to do is print everything off and buy some envelopes so I can mail them.

In other news, I'm in week 2 of my marathon training. Week one was good--except the long run didn't happen. Yeah, the most important part! I had a five hour training meeting on Saturday and by the time I was done running had fallen off the To-do list. (I really hope these extra pounds start melting away!)

So, this week is:
Monday--run 3 miles check
Tuesday--run 5 miles
Wednesday--run 3 miles
Thursday--cross train
Friday--run 5 miles
Saturday--run 10 miles
Sunday--rest (LOL, obviously these people don't go to my church!)

What's going on in your lives--other than writing? Tell me, I really want to know.

Hulu and Beta Readers

Ok, this may strike you as strange at best and down right crazy at worst, but we have not had cable or satellite TV for over a year. We don't even have an antenna to pick up the local PBS station. And you know what? We don't miss it.

Now, don't get me wrong. There is a lot of TV watching going on in our house. It's just a lot cheaper or free. Everything we watch is on Netflix or Hulu, and it's saved us money. We all need more of that, right?

For those of you who watch Hulu--Have you ever noticed the role they play in Beta testing commercials? Well, at least that's what my husband and I think they are doing. Most of the the commercials make us look at each other and say, "someone got paid for THAT?" Yeah, don't judge, you know you do it too. (And with books no less!)

And then there are some that are personal favorites of my family. The ones we hope pop up. The ones we can watch over and over and never get tired of.

For instance:

Is the Pen Mightier than the Sword?

The Ramifications of Yes


See, everyone needs to test out their great ideas until they find the ones that work. As writers we need Beta readers even more than the advertising business. A commercial lasts thirty seconds. We want readers to invest hours of their lives to reading our books.

Do you have a good Beta reader or two? Are they just Betas or are they critique partners?

A good Beta can become one of your critique partners. Don't forget that! Carol AKA Huntress Beta read for me almost a year ago and became one of the people I trust to read everything I write. Amazingly, she's willing to do that! She's honest and encouraging even when pointing out what isn't working.

I feel privileged to work on the Unicorn Bell blog with her and Marcy. I also feel like a total Poser, but that's a post for a different day.

Check out these wonderful ladies and the blog. It's dedicated to critiques and helping you find Betas and Critique Partners. You know, the good stuff. The stuff that will make our writing better and agent/publisher worthy.

Now, I'm off to finish these last four queries I promised myself I would mail this week. I've also got an idea or two for a vlog to start working on. *insert grin*

Ways to get Motivated

Ok, don't forget that I have THREE prizes I'm giving away to celebrate 400+ followers. Go here to read about it and leave a comment in order to be entered in the drawing. Right now your chances are VERY good to win something in next Friday's drawing.

So, I've been struggling the last month. It's been almost a year since I tested the query waters and I need to jump back in. It wasn't all that bad the first time.

Yeah, I didn't find the right agent, but I learned a lot from the rejections I received. I found some new crit partners and worked really hard on Sendek.

So why am I scared like its the first time again?

Could it be that I'm even more invested in the story? Could it be that although I know I can handle the rejection, I really feel like my time is close?

What if it's not?

What if I never find that agent and get published traditionally?

That's still my dream, but as time marches forward the publishing industry is changing and small publishers look better and better. Even indie publishing is losing the bad rep it's had in the past.

Whatever comes, I need to get motivated and do SOMETHING! Want to see how my newest method of motivation took form?



This is my free proof copy from Createspace. When you win Nanowrimo you get one of these. I didn't do it last year, but this year I needed a boost. I needed to see my story in book form with a pretty cover and my name on it.

Part of me thought, "This might be it. The only way it will ever happen."

So I did it. Part of me thought it would be enough, you know? Then I could move on with my life.

Be normal again.

Concentrate on being a better mom, wife and friend.

It came in the mail yesterday and I carried it around with me everywhere.

• I flipped to my favorite scenes and read.
• I circled mistakes and verb tense changes that popped out at me.
• I drew squiggly lines to move phrases around.
• I marked out other words I didn't need.
• I showed it to anyone that stopped by my house.

My poor kids screamed and were so excited when they saw it. "It was published?!"

How can I let them down and give up now? They might not believe me when it really happens, but how can I not keep trying?

Yesterday I started researching agents again. I've pulled out my query letter and synopsis.

It's time to get serious again.


What do you do to pick yourself up and get motivated again? What lengths are you willing to go to?

Writing a Solid Synopsis

This is the energy he puts into everything he does and says.

Did you know today was International Buy Bey Blades Day? It is according to my four year old. He told me very earnestly that his teacher told him so and she's always right.

I laughed (because he doesn't go to pre-school and thus has no teacher) and he did that cute four year old thing where they open their eyes wide, raise their eyebrows and nod their heads. "No, really mom. I'm serious."

"I know you're serious."

"Then stop laughing."

"I'm just happy C."

"Ok, so can I get a new Bey?"

That has been his only question all week.

*****

Ok, now on to writing related topics. With my query under control (sort of), I looked at my synopsis again. Wow! It stinks.  I give it a 2 Tails Up for its insipid listing.

How am I supposed to cram 300 pages of story into 1-2 pages single spaced? And make it sound interesting?

Carefully? Um, yeah. I'm really struggling with writing a solid and interesting synopsis, but I've set a goal to work on it again this coming week. 

Yesterday I filled in the Star Wars Template (bottom of list) and now I just have to put it all together and add the connective "stuff".

So, here's my question for you: How do you keep the voice in your synopsis while obeying "the rules"?


Here are some links that will be helpful:

For the Synopsis-writing Challenged--that would be me. This post gives four different ways that you can approach writing the synopsis.

How to Write a Good Synopsis--a little more vague, but still has good points to think about.

Mastering the Dreaded Synopsis--This posts contains a lot of the basic "rules" if you will.

How to Write a Synopsis--by Marg Gilks. This one talks about how to make it exciting. "I used to hate them because the ones I wrote sucked all the life from the novel, reducing it to bare-bones sentences that did nothing to capture the depth of the novel itself." He goes on to talk about how we can infuse those bones with some excitement.

How to Write a 1 page Synopsis (Star Wars Template)--Uses Star Wars as an example. This was great because it give you a question, you see an example answer, and then you just fill in with your story. 

And my final question: How do you feel about posting your synopsis on your Blog? I've been thinking about doing it so I can get all of your wonderful help and input, but I feel like it is too much of a spoiler. And I agree with the Doctor on spoilers.

No Spoilers (whenever possible)!

Emergency Advice Needed!

If you are coming to see Margo Benson's guest post, you can find it HERE. Sorry to move on so quickly, but I need all my awesome writerly friends advice.

Yesterday I found out that this months Agent Judged Contest on QueryTracker.net is for adult SF/F, Horror, Thriller and Romance. It started today, twenty-nine minutes ago. The good news is that they are taking all entries for the next 24hours. I need to submit a one sentence pitch and then the first 100 words of my novel.

Last night I tried to boil my novel down to one sentence, but my brain is mush. Seems like it is always mush lately. Anyway, can you look at these and tell me which one pulls you in more, and any advice you might have? You're the BEST!!

1. The only way for Talia to escape death at the hands of the scaled aliens is by embracing the magic flowing through her.

2. With scaled aliens hunting her down, a female scientist learns to trust the magic flowing in her blood to save her people.

3. Scientist Talia Shannon wants to live, but the dragon-like aliens invading her planet are determined to kill her and wipe out the last of Sendek's mages.

4. Scientist Talia Shannon has lived life on her terms, separate and alone, but now that her prophetic nightmares are becoming reality she must work with others to revive a forgotten magic to save her world.

Additions thanks to comments based on standard format:

5. When Talia Shannon finds herself in the city of her nightmares, she knows an alien race will invade any day, and if she doesn't find a way to warn her people without revealing her magical nature all will be lost.

6.  Independent scientist Talia Shannon struggles to warn her people that dragon-like aliens are coming to claim Sendek for their own without revealing magical gifts, but magic is the only thing that can save them.

7. Independent scientist Talia Shannon struggles to warn her people of an alien invasion without revealing her magical gifts, but magic is the only thing that can save her world.

8. When an independent scientist dreams of a brutal alien invasion and it comes true, she realizes science alone cannot protect her way of life, and magic is the only hope.

Post Nano Series: The Short Story as a Tool

Why are short stories so hard?  Maybe they come easily to you, but I tend to be wordy.

Wait! Aren't we supposed to be talking about my novel? You know the one I worked so hard to finish. The one that I needed more words for?

Yes, and we will, I promise. First a visual, because I like them.

Your Novel. This is a marathon. There are lots of miles to settle into a good pace. Pace is all important and it can make or break the run--or your novel.

The Short Story. You've got to give it all you've got from the very first sentence as you push yourself to perform.

 I mentioned that I tend to be wordy. Sometimes I overwrite, and then I have to revise the dickens out of those sections. Overwriting is one of the things that can keep your novel in the slush piles (the stack of unsolicited novel queries from aspiring writers aka no-bodies-in-the-publishing-world-yet) of agents everywhere.

So, what is overwriting? Here's a summation of a great post by Roni at Fiction Groupie.

1. Too many adjectives and adverbs. 
2. Using a fancy word when a simple one will do.
3. Describing things as if you were a set designer (aka so much detail that the reader could build the set. This doesn't leave any room for the reader to use their imagination, and it takes time away from the action.)
4. Simile and Metaphor overload.
5. Redundancy (this is my problem. I tell and then I show, and sometimes I recap. It's like hitting your reader over the head and screaming "Pay attention to this! Don't miss it! Look, did you catch what I'm hinting at?" Yeah, readers don't take kindly to being talked down too.)
6. Too much introspection (Roni called it Navel-gazing. A little is good, but break it up with action.)
7. Trying too hard. (Passages that sound like you're trying to be a writer. Roni points us to the times Simon Cowell called a performance "Indulgent")

I'm using the short story, flash fiction in particular, to hone my writing skills and stop overwriting. Here are my top three reasons to try and write short stories.

1. Writing a complete story in 1000 words or less (flash) forces you to be clear and concise in your word choices.
2. Crafting and selling short stories to reputable venues is an excellent way to build publishing credits to add to your query letter, helping you sell that novel.
3. Writing a short story can provide a much needed mental break from the novel you are perfecting. 

Care to give it a try? Here are some options to play with:
Twitter Story--140 characters, not words!
Drabble--around 100 words
Micro-fiction--the average is less than 400 words, but some reach 750 (source)
Flash Fiction--around 1000 or less
Short Story--depends, but looks like anywhere between 7K and 9K words. Wikipedia states, "In contemporary usage, the term short story most often refers to a work of fiction no longer than 20,000 words and no shorter than 1,000."

The point is to work on economy. Choosing words that pack the most meaning and emotion into that allotted word count. 

Post Nano Series: Researching Agents or Stalker 101

Ooops, this is Wednesday's post a bit early.

Here is my first Post Nano letter to my region of awesome writers. Hope you enjoy it as well. 

You may wonder why I'm writing this before all of the editing posts? Picking which agents to query when you are all finished polishing that shiny new novel is A LOT more work than you might think. It's best to start now, so when the time comes you'll be ready.

The main idea here is to learn as much as you can about an agent before you query them. Make sure they are looking for your style of writing. Check out their blogs, their facebook page, their twitter feed to get a feel if you would like working with them. Channel the stalker. Become the stalker.

*cough* *throat clearing* What was I saying? Anyway...

Step One: Find some names. I like QueryTracker, but there are other places you can look for agents. Query Tracker has three ways to search: genre, specific agent or agency, and how they receive submissions and such. Below I typed in my genre. Since I write a science fantasy mix, I added both genres to make sure I've covered my bases.

Hit search and this is what comes up.

I now have a list of names, their agency, and I can see if they accept regular mail (envelope) or email (lightning bolt) queries. (This is page 2 of my search. The check means I've already added them to my personal list, and the frowning face means I've queried and received a pass.)

Step 2: Research one of those names. I clicked on Sara LaPolla because she has a lot of searchable material. When you click on a name you are taken to this screen where you get more information.

Now I have her email, a link to her agency web page, her blog and I can follow her on twitter. I check out all of these links, and I follow blog and twitter. This helps me get a feel for her personality.

You also see the tabs across the top. Clicking on these will give you information that Query Tracker has collected based on information submitted by users of the site. For example, reports will show you how many people on Query Tracker sent in a query, how long it took for them to get a response and what that response was.

Check out the other tabs. For now, let's go to her agency page.

Yay, more official information. While I am at an agency's page, I often browse other agents to see if there are other names that might fit with my style. If I find some, I type in their name on the query tracker search and add them to my list.

I also click on the submissions link. This tells me what they expect to see with my query and any formatting specifics if there are any.

Alright, I also check out her blog and follow on twitter.  Now, if you find a blog, search through it and find all the goodies the agent may have hidden in his/her posts. In other words, READ THE BLOG, as much of it as you can.

NOTE: Krista V over at Mother. Write. (Repeat). has interviewed several agents. Scroll down on the right hand sidebar to see who and read what they are looking for.

Another great place to browse agents is Chuck Sambuchino's Guide to Literary Agents Blog. He has tons of great info here, but I'll start you on the Agent Interview page. Often the agent will tell you exactly what they hope to see in your query letter and how to set it up. Some want you to jump right in with the query, others want the personal info first, most don't have a preference. Read these to find out if they do have a preference!

Step 3: Keep track of what you find.
Twitter--I have a list for agents. This way I can have a column for just agent tweets on my tweet deck (I'll save that for another post). HOVER. READ. REPLY. LEARN. STALK. Wait, don't stalk, at least not the creepy kind. Although if you think about it...

Excel--I created an excel spreadsheet to keep track of all the information I gather online about prospective agents. When I query an agent, I add the day I queried and then the dates I get replies. I also color code them by date so I can visually see who I have queried and who is still fair game.

Step 4: Write and send the Query. Don't worry, I have an email/post for that too.

Other helpful links on How to Find a Literary Agent:
From Nathan Bransford
Advice from Writers.net
More from About.com-- we will cover the topics mentioned here in the next few weeks.
University of Pheonix makes these suggestions.
There is also Agent Query but for some reason this one is harder for me than Query Tracker. My mind doesn't fit well here.
Casey McCormick does a lot of Agent research and posts the info on her blog, too! She always gets some good info.
Another resource to dig through is Publisher's Marketplace. You can search pages for a particular genre.

Updated Query from Query Blogfest

Everyone gave some excellent advice. Here is my updated version from the Query Blogfest.

UPDATED from comment suggestions.

Dear Dream Agent,

Astronomer Talia Shannon hides her magical abilities out of fear of becoming the national science project. She gleans energy from Sendek's binary suns to heal herself and others, communicates with trees, and is clairvoyant. Unfortunately, her prophetic nightmares point to an approaching invasion. She has spent her life searching for the scientific proof needed to warn and protect her planet while guarding her secret.When her prophetic nightmares point to an approaching invasion, she searches for the scientific proof needed to warn her planet while guarding her secret.

After thousands of years in exile, the Dragumen, a human dragon hybrid created in Sendek’s past, have returned to claim the planet as their own. Smarter and stronger than ever, they plan to wipe out the humans on Sendek and claim it for their own.

Talia's blood lines lead back to As a direct descendant of the mage who created the Dragumen, Talia is the key to their destruction giving her the power to destroy them--if only she can learn how. Talia must learn to trust the magic coursing through her veins. if she wants to survive the invasion. When science fails to protect her way of life, magic becomes the only hope.

PERSONALIZED INFO. SENDEK is a complete science fantasy novel of approximately 83,000 words. The complete manuscript is available at your request. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Charity Bradford
Personal Contact info

When it rains it pours, and this can be a good thing.

Have you ever put off a certain decision thinking you'll never have to make it anyway? I'm guilty, and after four very busy brain draining days, I am not equipped to even start on this decision. So, I'm here to ask for your help locating good information.

Let me back up a moment. Sunday I came home from church with one thing on my to-do list--take a nap. I ate some lunch and sat down to email a friend my cooking curriculum before heading to my bed. The email opens and look, I have an email from one of the small publishers I pitched to in October.

Plans are derailed! I stare at the few short sentences and feel completely blank. The words don't register, and then when they hit me I actually panic. Yes, panic!

Hi Charity, how are you? I want to find out if this has been contracted anywhere yet? We loved your story but before a contract is issued I need you to clean up as many of the 'I' highlights marked in your ms attached to this email. The "I" is repetitive and you can easily reword some of these sentences and avoid it.

What!? Wait, I'm not sure I want to go this route. All I hoped for was a rejection with some advice on how to make it better so I could hook that agent. Now what do I do? What if this is the right choice for me? Aaaahhh! In spite of all my pretty talk the last few days, Completely Unprepared!

I planned to research the pros and cons of getting an agent vs small publisher--next year. It's part of my Post Nano series, but I haven't started. I don't know enough to decide what's best for me, what I really want.

I think hooking an agent and selling to a big publisher is major validation. Is that what I want, or do I want to get my story into people's hands? The publishing world is changing and I believe both choices are becoming more widely acceptable, but what do I want?

Yesterday, I closed the email without answering. I need to take some time, do some research and soul searching. Sometime today, I will answer that email to let this wonderful person know that I do have it out on submission with a couple other places and would prefer to hear back from them. At the same time, I want to ask some questions about this particular publisher to help me get a feel for what they are offering.

Here are the questions I came up with:

• What can I expect from them in regards to marketing?
• What will I be expected to do to help market (and can they teach me how to do it)?
• What kind of editing help is available before going to print? Their website says there is an editing process, but how does it work?
• They ask for all English speaking world publishing rights. Where exactly does that cover and does that mean my book will be available internationally in English speaking locals?
• How are their other books selling?
• What kind of sales are average for their company?
• They are royalty paying (quarterly if you make more than $20), but do they offer any kind of advance?
• Can they give me an average range their clients are currently seeing with royalties?
• Can I contact some of their authors to discuss the company?
• Where are the books available? Only on their website or other venues?

What else should I ask? And, do you know of some excellent articles I can read to get a better feel for this whole agent vs small publisher question?

I also have a request for a full with another small publisher that I haven't mailed yet. This second publisher is one that a fellow blogger is associated with. She's awesome and I know I could talk to her about what it's like to work with them. I want to go ahead and send it.

Do you think I'm potentially burning bridges if I want to wait a few months to see who else might be interested?