Wednesday, August 29, 2012

No Rest for the Wicked

Labor Day is coming up and I couldn’t be more excited. I’ve been bombarded and bamboozled into working 70+ hour weekly shifts for the last month and I am plum exhausted. Not to mention WriteOnCon was the week before last and the Savvy Symposium was last week…I’ve been on my toes pitching and writing like a wild woman. It’s time for a nice large glass of relaxation. What does that even mean?

Here’s a funny, yesterday I worked a twelve hour shift and on our break (me and my honey work at the same place) he asked me what I was going to do when I got off. My reply was, “Probably go home and mow the grass, take a shower, do some laundry, and write on my books.”

He was like, “But, don’t you want to rest?”

My reply, “There is no rest for the wicked.” And that’s the truth. I can’t stop writing, reading, cleaning, working, etc. Even if I am plum exhausted the angel on my right shoulder is shouting quotes about persistence and dedication, blah, blah. I literally sleep, eat, work, read and write, and do it all over again. I hope one of these days it pays off.

On other news, I sent my query out to Suzie Townsend. She hasn’t sent me the critique back so I’m waiting patiently….which really feels like I’ve been waiting a million years.

I’m hopping back to work. You all have a savvy day and just remember when life gives you lemons, make lemonade or in my case add a bottle of liquor  and make Mike’s Hard Lemonade.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Signed, Sealed, Delivered...

Well actually, edited, attached, hit send! I just finished my edits on my historical romance novel to send to Char Chaffin at Soul Mate Publishing. I pitched my books to agents and editors last week on the Savvy Author website. Not all of the results are back in, but my three line pitch for Sea of Passion was requested!  I am trying to not get my hopes too far up…but too late!

After having been rejected early this summer, I went to work on using the constructive criticism to help make my writing better. This is the first test to see how I did.

 I also took a logline, pitch, and query class on-line too. It was a great class. A query letter is basically the cover letter to send out to agents and editors. I found lots of templates on line to follow, but I didn’t know which one to really go with. So, the class was extremely helpful. I had no problem writing the query, but it was lacking. It was too bare bones. I wrote it like a business letter or a history essay question. I wrote clear concise answers on what my book was about. But, I forgot a key element. This isn’t a history essay…no one likes to read history essays!  I needed to answer the questions about my book, but add in my writing style and make it sound exciting so that someone wants to read my book. So, after my class with the help from a published and successful author, I think I got that part down now.  At least it landed me a request from an editor.

 I have learned that writing a book is actually the easy part! I know I can do that, I have twice already. My next move is to finish edits on both my books and to send them out to a bunch of agents.

Keep your fingers crossed for me! I will let you know good or bad the fate for SEA OF PASSION!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

I'm a Winner!

Last week was WriteOnCon and it was AWESOME! It just so happens that I won a Query critique from literary agent Suzie Townsend!!! Yes, I am psyched beyond belief. Hopefully she will contact me before the end of next week and I can email her my query so she can make it stunning!

Another great thing I got from WriteOnCon is a new critique partner. Her name is Leiann and she’s a twenty two-year-old writer from Greensboro, NC. She writes mostly fantasy, sci-fi, and suspense. She’s going to be my beta reader J Yay me!

Also, Becca and I have been really busy pitching our books on Savvy Author this week and Becca has good news but I will let her share that….I’m really excited for her.

I’ve been working some mad hours and haven’t had a lot of time to work on my manuscript for GRIM, but, I have been writing out a chapter layout/synopsis of the entire book to ensure the pacing is there and everything in it is tangible. I’m almost finished with it, it’s taking me a lot longer than I originally thought it would. But, it’s not my fault I’m a perfectionist.

Okay, back to work I go. You all have a great day!

 

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Savvy Author Spotlight!!!

I thought it was pretty cool when I logged onto Savvy Author today I was in the Member Spotlight. Pretty Awesome!!!

See me.....in the bottom Left hand corner? Yeah!

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Pitch Your Novel!!!


Savvy Authors website is having a Summer Symposium, and this week only they are having fifteen different chances to pitch an agent.

Savvy Authors Summer Symposium 2012
Monday, August 20, 2012 - Sunday, August 26, 2012
Event
Author/Editor/Agent
Scheduled Day/Time



Workshop - Writing Adult While Writing YA - Navigating Two Worlds
Leanna Renee Hieber
MONDAY - SUNDAY
Workshop - Contest Slut: It’s Not a Dirty Word
Robin Covington
MONDAY - SUNDAY
Workshop - A Writer's Guide to Psychology
Sandy James
MONDAY - SUNDAY
Workshop - Steam Punk Creation
Mary Wine
MONDAY - SUNDAY
Workshop - HELP! MY STORY’S CRASHED! Getting Your Manuscript Rebooted When Your Muse Has a Breakdown
Beth Daniels (aka Beth Henderson, J.B. Dane)
MONDAY - SUNDAY
Workshop - 25 Words from Query to Sales Success
Deborah Riley-Magnus
MONDAY - SUNDAY
Workshop - Harry Potter for Writers: Mystery Plotting, Myths, and Snape
Susan (S.P.) Sipal
MONDAY - SUNDAY
CHAT - How To Take Your Writing Seriously Without Taking It Seriously
Dakota Cassidy
MONDAY 8/20 - 8:00pm EST
BLOG PITCH - Andrea Hurst Literary Agency
Gordon Warnock, Agent
MONDAY 8/20 - ALL DAY
CHAT - Why Category Romance?
Susan Meier
TUESDAY 8/21 - 8:00pm EST
BLOG PITCH - The Seymour Agency
Mary Sue Seymour, Agent
TUESDAY 8/21 - ALL DAY
BLOG PITCH - Soul Mate Publishing
Cindy Brannam, Editor
TUESDAY 8/21 - ALL DAY
BLOG PITCH - Soul Mate Publishing
Char Chaffin, Editor
TUESDAY 8/21 - ALL DAY
CHAT - From the Very First Line: Seducing the Reader into Turning the Page
Darynda Jones
WEDNESDAY 8/22 - 8:00PM EST
BLOG PITCH - Harvey Klinger, Inc.
Andrea Somberg, Agent
WEDNESDAY 8/22 - ALL DAY
BLOG PITCH - Ellora's Cave
April Chapman, Editor
WEDNESDAY 8/22 - ALL DAY
CHAT - Submissions that SELL
Margaret Riley
THURSDAY 8/23 - 7:00pm EST
CHAT PITCH - Changeling Press
Margaret Riley, Editor
THURSDAY, 8/23 8:00-9:00pm (double pitch session)
CHAT PITCH - Razor's Edge Press
Bonnie Riegel, Editor
BLOG PITCH - Kensington
Alicia Condon, Editor
THURSDAY 8/23 - ALL DAY
CHAT - What is a "Brand"?
Kris Tualla
FRIDAY 8/24 - 9:00PM EST
BLOG PITCH - Etopia Press
Jenn Fitzpatrick, Editor
FRIDAY 8/24 - ALL DAY
CHAT - Borrowing the Flying Car - Weaving Alternate Worlds for Teens
Suzanne Lazear
SATURDAY 8/25 - 1:00pm EST
WORKSHOP CHAT - 25 Words from Query to Sales Success
Deborah Riley-Magnus
SATURDAY 8/25 - 2:00pm EST
WORKSHOP CHAT - Steam Punk Creation
Mary Wine
SATURDAY 8/25 - 8:00pm EST
BLOG PITCH - Carina Press
Alison Dasho, Editor
SATURDAY 8/25 - ALL DAY
BLOG PITCH - Carina Press
Mallory Braus, Editor
SATURDAY 8/25 - ALL DAY
BLOG PITCH - Carina Press
Jeff Seymour, Editor
SATURDAY 8/25 - ALL DAY
BLOG PITCH - Carina Press
Rhonda Helms, Editor
SATURDAY 8/25 - ALL DAY
BLOG PITCH - Carina Press
Deb Nemeth, Editor
SATURDAY 8/25 - ALL DAY
BLOG PITCH - Musa Press
Susan Sipal/Ellen Brock, Editors
SATURDAY 8/25 - ALL DAY
CHAT - Adventures in Writing What You Don’t Know (Guys, aliens, and other creatures)
Stacey Kade
SUNDAY 8/26 - 9:00pm EST
BLOG PITCH - Entangled Publishing
Libby Murphy, Editor
SUNDAY 8/26 - ALL DAY



All times are in EST
Blog Pitches listed as "ALL DAY" begin at 9:00am EST and end at 11:59pm EST


Friday, August 17, 2012

Silver Lining Part II


WriteOnCon was an invaluable experience this year. I think that I have been so focused on line edits that I haven’t been able to see the bigger point which is plot issues. And after spending so much time reading editor remarks and agent responses I have come to an agreement that I have edited my books too much. It’s time to free them. Send them out into the world to get rejected or accepted (if fate has it my way).

I signed up for Savvy authors and I will be pitching both novels: KEY OF EDEN and GRIM. I am really excited and I have already received so much great feedback on both. I can’t lose.

Also, I will be attending the Central Ohio’s Writer’s Conference with Becca at the end of September. I’m really excited. Two days of awesomeness.

And, I’ve come to a realization about a few things….I didn’t know what voice was before. But, now I do. And when I read my query for GRIM it has the “it” factor I was looking for. It’s sassy and it’s perfect. A few more edits on it and I will be sending it out.

Currently, I’m reading through Key of Eden. I’m doing a few grammar edits and checking on plot points but other than that I am hoping that I get finished reading it by Sunday or so…depending on the next couple of days. And then I want to do a quick read through of my reapers book which as you’ve noticed I have decided to retitle to GRIM.

I’m a writer. Many days I hate myself for it. It shows my weaknesses. But, it also shows my drive and strengths. I agree with Becca. The silver lining is around the corner, I can feel it.

Looking for the Silver Lining...


I am sad to say that lately I have become a pessimist. I used to always believe in finding the good in everything and thinking that things would get better. My mom always said that bad things happen in three’s. So, after my third unlucky event, I thought I was in the clear. But, I kept collecting the bad!  What happed to my three good in between?

I tried having a good cry. I tried that 20+ times. That didn’t help. I did the only next logical thing I could think of. I started to read my daily horoscope. A lot of my characteristics of being a Virgo are true, but my horoscope has left me feeling more confused. I looked into going to a psychic…but they are expensive! 

After talking on the phone to my oldest brother Troy, he told me that I made him want to hang up the phone and shoot himself because I was so depressing. It hit me, I have to take a hard look at my life and re-evaluate and find the good.

After 6 interviews for teaching jobs, of which I didn’t get. I will be a building sub at Troy High next year. That isn’t the silver lining I was looking for!  Then I thought about my writing. Subbing will give me the time and opportunity to write. Next week I am pitching my books to 13 different editors and agents. Then the end of September I am going to Ohio for a writing conference with Stacey Hays. Subbing will allow me to finish my edits and to move on to the next book I want to start.

I am ready for my three good things. I play the lotto twice a week. You can’t win if you don’t play!  C’mon Karma, I am ready for you!!

Monday, August 6, 2012

Pitching, Writing, Life...etc.

Hello All-
            Just wanted to give everyone a quick rundown about what’s been going on in Stacey Land. I’ve been editing several books at one time, one of them is AGE OF EDEN and the other is THE FIRST 22 (subject to change.) Why am I not working on VENGEANCE? Because, Becca and I have decided to meet in Columbus, Ohio on September 28th, to attend the Central Ohio Fiction Writer’s conference and I want to pitch a book that I know is ready.

            Who will I be pitching to? Editor Whitney Ross from Forge Publishing, Editor Heather Osborn from Samhain Publishing, Agent Kristin Nelson from Nelson Literary Agency, Carlie Webber from Jane Rotrosen Agency and Emily Keyes from L. Perkins Agency. Am I excited? Hell yes! Am I nervous? Hell yes! This will be my first pitch session with a real agent…needless to say, I’m scared to death. I might even cry.

            Besides that, I’ve been reading lots of other literature lately. Some of which I’ve had the pleasure of meeting the authors and/or becoming close acquaintances with. I was lucky enough to have the chance to read the HEX HALL, three book series by Rachel Hawkins which I met at the Bowling Green Writer’s convention…it was a fantastic YA series that kept me on my toes the entire time. And the more I think about it, maybe I should have a love triangle in one of my books…it seems like the only plot that keeps me at hello. I also read a book called PRETTY AMY by Lisa Burstein. It was a different genre then I’m use to, but it was still good. Lisa and I are twitter buddies, seems like Twitter has been my stepping stone into the literary world.

            Other than that, I’ve been crazy busy at my regular fulltime job and hope that this conference will finally give me a big break. Cross my fingers. Moving forward, besides my strenuous writing efforts, I’ve been hard core dieting and exercising which sounds like a miracle in this heat. I’m hoping that after this Olympic shindig dies down I will no longer be tempted to watch the U.S. rise and win it all, but, be focused on my books and ready to get my name out there. I hope everyone has an awesome week and for more details about the writer’s conference we will be attending, please follow the link below: www.cofw.org/conference.html 

            Hakuna Matata and have a fantastic week!


Wednesday, August 1, 2012

2012 WriteOnCon!!!! The Final Countdown!

First up is WRITEONCON! If you haven’t registered now, do it! Right now! Do it!

Here is a list of live forum events happening on August 13th-15th for free!

Live Forum Events Schedule (subject to change):
Monday, August 13:

    • Call for queries for literary agent Peter Knapp’s Tuesday event
    • Call for submissions for author Gennifer Albin’s Building Better Sentences workshop (Wednesday event)
    • Call for submissions PB Queries for Emma Walton Hamilton’s Tuesday event
    • Ninja Agent queries can be posted

Tuesday, August 14:

    • Tuesday, August 14, 8:30 AM (EDT): Live Picture Book Query Critique event with bestselling author Emma Walton Hamilton (previously submitted)
    • Tuesday, August 14, 10 AM (EDT): Live Query Pitch event with literary agent Peter Knapp (previously submitted)
    • Tuesday, August 14, 11 AM (EDT): Call for questions on Social Media/Blogging with literary agent Pamela van Hylckma Vlieg
    • Tuesday, August 14, 12:15 PM (EDT): Live Picture Book Stanza Critiqes by authors Corey Schwartz and Tiffany Streliz-Haber
    • Tuesday, August 14, 4 PM (EDT): Call for questions + Twitter-style pitches for Entangled editors Stacy Abrams, Heather Howland, and Alycia Tornetta

Wednesday, August 15:

  • Wednesday, August 15, 11:15 AM (EDT): Live Q&A with literary agent Pamela van Hylckma Vlieg on Social Media/Blogging
  • Wednesday, August 15, 1 PM (EDT): Live critiques on Building Better Sentences with author Gennifer Albin (previously submitted)
  • Wednesday, August 15, 4 PM (EDT): Live Q&A + Twitter-style pitches for Entangled editors Stacy Abrams, Heather Howland, and Alycia Tornetta (previously submitted)

And then there is the live events that are happening:

LIVE EVENTS Schedule:

Tuesday, August 14:

  • 2:00 PM: Author Denise Jaden and literary agent Michelle Humphrey discuss the author/agent relationship
  • 4:00 PM: Live chat with editor Liesa Abrams and literary agent Jen Rofe
  • 9:00 PM: Live Panel of Professionals — literary agents Mollie Glick, Cheryl Pientka, and Emily Keyes, and editor Sarah Barley

Wednesday, August 15

  • 2:00 PM: Author Megan Miranda and literary agent Sarah Davies
  • 9:00 PM: Live Panel of Professionals — literary agents Katie Grimm and Sarah LaPolla, and editors Sara Sargent and Alison Weiss