More Kissing in the Rain

Clearly, we like kissing scenes. :)

My post popular post on this blog is called Kissing in the Rain, from Valentine's Day, 2012. It gets about 50 hits a week, presumably from Google searches. The excerpt is from my YA novel THE SWEET SPOT, which is under revision with my agent.

Soooo, I thought you might like the following excerpt, from "Stella's Hero," a short story in TIMELESS: AN ANTHOLOGY OF YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE (from Pugalicious Press) written by me and my writing partner, Ansha Kotyk. It's also a kissing-in-the-rain scene. Enjoy!

 ***

She would never see Jie again. She would never see his smile or touch his beautiful face. Knowing these things made her steps even heavier. For a brief moment, she thought about walking to the waterfront. It would be easy in this weather to just keep walking. Into the harbor. No one would miss her. All the pain would be gone. Her dress, heavy and wet, would help her sink into oblivion. She began to cry tears of frustration, anger and remorse. Someone grabbed her arm from behind.

Fear gripped her heart. She wrenched free and ran as fast as she could in her sopping skirts.

“Stella!” Jie's voice. Desperate and hoarse.

She stopped but couldn't turn around. A million emotions coursed through her. Relief. Joy. Anger.

His warm hand rested on her shoulder as he turned her to face him.“Stella.” He was out of breath, but he looked determined. “I couldn’t live without...”

She searched his eyes. He leaned toward her and kissed her softly on the lips. An explosion of emotion seared her brain as she pressed her body against his.

He pulled away. “You understand what this would mean?” His eyes met hers, asking her.

“Sometimes you have to give up comfortable living for your dreams,” she said, putting her arms around his neck and pulling him close. She kissed him again, his arms closing around her waist. Nothing in this world was going to take him away from her again. She wouldn’t let anyone tell her this wasn’t right.

And when the kiss ended and the rain fell between them, Jie held her hand tightly. “My whole neighborhood will know about this in an hour’s time. There is no going back. Are you sure this is what you want, Stella Thompson?”

She nodded. “Always. This is what I’ve always wanted. I just didn’t know it until now.” 

***

You can read the whole piece and six other short stories in TIMELESS: AN ANTHOLOGY OF YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE.  Available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

X is for eXciting

Yes, I know it's a total cop-out.

But there are so many things to be excited about! And I couldn't come up with a good X word.

Kate Messner mentioned me on her blog, I participated in an amazing agent/author panel on Saturday at NESCBWI, and I met my agent last weekend for the first time.

Also have I mentioned that I'm the co chair of the NESCBWI Regional Conference in 2013???? Joyce Shor Johnson asked me to serve with her, and I'm honored to accept. (Okay, who wants to volunteer? We need you!)

I'm back at my computer today, outlining a nonfiction project, trying to generate word count for my novel, and unpack at the same time. But blissfully aware of the eXciting things in my life.

This is me with my agent (Vickie Motter), and Chris Brodien-Jones & her agent Stephen Fraser, and Kate Messner & her agent Jennifer Laughren

V is for Vacation

I've actually made it to V in the A-Z Challenge.

V could also be for Vickie--as in Vickie Motter, my beautiful agent (see her picture over there?). We just met face-to-face this weekend!

But I had already decided V should be for vacation, which is a very important thing. It's important to take a break from the daily grind, take a step back, look at life from a different perspective. I got back from vacation last week, and immediately went into conference mode, so it doesn't really feel like I got any rest. And it doesn't help that I'm writing this post as a 4 a.m. insomniac.

(Not to say that I didn't come away from NESCBWI inspired and awestruck--post to come later on that!)

But sometimes vacation can be just stepping away from the keyboard to reflect. Or using some writing time to read, or research, or take a walk.

This isn't where I was last week, but it's one of my favorite places to vacation.

M is for Meeting My Agent

Can I just squee a little? I mean, really?

I'm meeting my agent, Vickie Motter, in less than one week. We're having lunch on Friday, April 21. 

Remind me not to get the spaghetti...

Honestly, I can't wait.

Balancing Busy w/ Busy

How do you do everything you have to do?

Some days I feel like there are so many balls in the air, there's just no way they are all going to stay up. But they have to. No choice!

I did a school visit this morning. I worked on a revision for a work-for-hire project. Picked up a sick kid at school. Grocery shopped, made dinner, talked to a friend on the phone. I've got a deadline next week, and one two weeks after that. Oh, and then there's the NESCBWI conference (did I tell you guys that I'm on a panel with my Vickie Motter, Kate Messner, Jenn Laughran, Stephen Fraser and Christine Brodien-Jones? Well, yeah, I'm not freaking out about that at all.) And that's not counting the novel revision I'm dying to get back to. You know, the novel. The dream.

I'm not complaining. I love that I've got stuff going on--I've always wanted to be a writer. And, I'm writing. But tomorrow's a work day. A real work day, as in "the day job." If only there were 25 hours in the day. No, then I'd just sleep longer. Maybe another day in the week? A third hand? I know, a clone!

Maybe I need an intern?

Well, how do you guys get everything done?

Work For Hire Q&A

A couple of days ago, a reader asked if I’d post about work-for-hire. 

First, a definition:

Generally speaking, a work assigned to an author by a publisher—based on contracted guidelines—is called work-for-hire. Sometimes the author will be credited—sometimes not. The author may not hold the rights to the work, and may not receive royalties. Sometimes the details differ based on the contract or the publisher. Here’s a definition from Wikipedia--http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work_for_hire

Basically, the bottom line with work-for-hire is that you don’t have any rights to the work after it’s completed. You can’t use it as a writing sample. You can’t sell it to anyone else. It can be fiction or nonfiction. Typically, you’re paid an agreed-upon sum to complete an assigned project.

Disclaimer: I’m not an expert on this stuff. Just one author with my own personal experience.

***

1.      What do you think a writer should consider before agreeing to write a children's book as a work-for-hire?

Think about how much ownership you want for everything you write. Your work-for-hire piece might have your name on it, but you might not have written 100% of the contents. In my experience, WFH is a team approach, with editors and graphic designers having as much input as the author. It’s a fantastic experience, but it’s not all yours the same way another piece would be. The final product may not be the same piece you turned into the editor and you may or may not have a chance to see the final work before it goes to press.

2.      How do you put a work for hire proposal together?

For the most part, you’re not going to put together a proposal for work-for-hire. You’ll probably apply for an assignment much like you apply for a job, with a cover letter, resume, and writing samples. Depending on the publisher, you may write individual samples specifically for them. For me, when I initially applied to Capstone, I sent writing samples that I had already written. Like any other writing query or submission, make sure you look at the submission guidelines and send what the individual publisher requests.

3.      How do you get paid for a work-for-hire project?

Again, this varies by publisher. But, for the most part, you’ll be contracted for a lump sum. Usually, you’ll get half upon delivery of an outline or first draft; and the other half when the editor accepts the final document.

4.      Do you need an agent for Work-for-Hire?

As most of you know, I have an agent (the lovely Vickie Motter of Andrea Hurst Literary). She is not involved in my work-for-hire contracts; she works exclusively with me on my middle grade and young adult fiction. However, I do consult with her on occasion when it comes down to deadlines and new projects and how they might or might not impact my fiction.

5.      What does having work-for-hire work on one's resume say about one's writing career?

Work-for-hire books are professionally published works. You are paid to write them. Therefore, you are a professional, paid writer. That’s huge! I feel very strongly that my work-for-hire experiences have opened doors for me professionally. I can do school visits and feel much more legit that I did before—though that’s my experience and personal opinion talking. Just because I feel like it makes me more legit, doesn’t mean it will be that for you. And I’m certainly not implying that it makes anyone who hasn’t done work-for-hire less legit. If you’re writing, you’re a writer!

***

My work-for-hire has been an incredible addition to my writing career—three years ago I was struggling with advancing my career, not sure what type of writer I was going to be. As of January 2012, I have eight books published, with three more in various stages of progress. All but one are with Capstone Press, so my experience has been limited to that publisher.

My fiction is still a work-in-progress, but I’m certain that my nonfiction work-for-hire has made me a better writer, and given me some street cred. And sometimes, feeling legit can make the world of difference to a fragile ego.

Thanks to all the readers who asked questions. Any other questions—feel free to ask in the comments.

2012 NESCBWI Conference

If you're going to be in the New England area in April, you should definitely consider registering for the New England SCBWI Conference from April 20-22.

I attended my first regional conference in April 2007. I was an extreme newbie. Nervous. I was sure I was a poser, and that everyone else knew more than me. Keep in mind, at the time I had been a director of a department at a major American university, had supervised professional level staff, had coordinated a regional conference (for a different organization). In short, I was a grown up. I knew stuff.

But the writing thing was new.

The people of NESCBWI are awesome. No one ever made me feel "less than." I immediately felt part of something. Something cool.

Flash forward five years. I've been a volunteer since 2008. Getting involved as a volunteer is a great way to feel a part of something, network, and make friends. This year, I'm organizing the Special Interest Groups and the Submissions Strategy Consultations.

And for the first time, this year, I'm faculty. I have the extreme honor to be on an Author/Agent panel with my agent Vickie Motter, as well as Kate Messner and her agent Jennifer Laughran, and Christine Brodien-Jones and her agent Stephen Fraser. If I squee a little, you'll know why. ::pinch me::

It's going to be an awesome conference. Registration opens on Monday, January 23. Hope to see you there!

Looking For Rejection?

Last week, my agent tweeted that her blog had been found 64 times by people using the search word "rejection."

Now her blog is an incredible find. It's full of useful information for writers and readers. But, what I want to know is who on Earth is SEARCHING FOR REJECTION? My flip response to her tweet was, "Anyone looking for rejection will probably find it."

And it got me thinking. How many of us look for rejection? How many of us embrace rejection when we get it? How many of us walk away from our dream after one, two, three, twenty rejections? Rejection is a part of life. But so is acceptance, perseverance, and determination.

I once wrote a guest post on Literary Rambles about throwing in the towel, or rather not doing that. It's sort of the same thing, right? If I had given up a year ago, embraced the rejections I'd received, I wouldn't have queried Vickie--who signed me on March 1, 2011. If I give up now, I won't ever publish my fiction.

If you look for rejection, find it, and embrace it--you'll never realize your dream. I watched a special on the Smithsonian Channel on Saturday morning about L. Frank Baum. He went through many incarnations of his dream before hitting gold with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He faced rejection many times--but he pushed past it. And over 100 years later, his books still stand up.

Understand that sometimes you need to use your rejections to tweak your writing, but also tweak that dream. Maybe you're writing in the wrong genre, give something different a try. Maybe you're steadfastly pursuing traditional publishing when self-publishing should be your format (L. Frank Baum, by the way, self-published his first book at a time when it wasn't as easy as it is today.) Maybe you're holding out for a "dream" agent who's list is full when you should be querying newer agents hungry for promising talent.

Don't go looking for rejection, but if you find it--use it. Use it to improve your craft and make yourself stronger.

So, are you searching for rejection?

Happy New Year and 2011 in review

This is my 399th post, according to blogger. That feels like a big number. It demonstrates how long I've been at this. ::Fist Bump:: Do I look weird when I do that?

Anyway.

2011 was a great year for me. I signed with a fabulous agent (Vickie Motter of Andrea Hurst Literary Management). I finished two work-for-hire projects with Capstone Press (about ancient Egypt, they'll be out this month, stay tuned). I wrote 20K words in a new (read: NEW) MG fiction project. And my YA novel went out on submission for the first time.

2011 was also a good learning year for me. I learned that signing with an agent and being on submission doesn't necessarily mean a book deal. It IS one more step up the ladder toward publication, but you still have to work hard and bust your butt. At least now I've got a partner in the industry invested in my work. For anyone keeping track, the novel is heading back to the drawing board. I'm working on figuring out a way to make the plot stronger and working on the umpteeth revision. Shannon Messenger's recent blog post gave me great inspiration as I contemplate revisions. Again.

Total side note: For anyone interested in querying Vickie. DO IT! She's amazing--her comments are spot on, and she has undying enthusiasm. Make sure you follow her guidelines, though, and query what she's looking for.

I'm looking forward to 2012. I'm most excited about finishing my middle grade, getting back in the saddle with the YA. AND, the 2012 NESCBWI conference in April. Guess what? I'm meeting my agent this year--We are appearing on a panel together with superstars Kate Messner and her agent Jennifer Laughran; and Christine Brodien Jones and her agent Stephen Fraser. I'm also the Special Interest Group coordinator (and local readers, I'm still looking for a handful of moderators for SIGs--basically roundtable discussions) AND I'm the Submission Strategy Consultations Coordinator being facilitated by Harold Underdown and Lionel Bender, link here to read more.

Cheers to 2012!

Live Pitching

I posted about pitching a few weeks ago (P is for Pitching). Little did I know that I would be posting about it again so soon!

Even if you haven't attended a writer's conference, you probably know that agents and editors (not to mention fabulous and talented authors) often serve as conference faculty. They always often offer critiques by appointment. Critique will probably cost you a few bucks, but it's worth it to get written comments by a professional. But make sure you have your elevator pitch ready also.

As someone who found her agent through an email query, why was I thinking about pitching? Well, you do realize that anytime you're asked about your book, you have to give your pitch, don't you?

Any time you have a chance to give your pitch, you should do it. Regardless of how nervous you are.

So anyway, on Friday night, there was a celebration. In a tight location. Lots of people. And cake. (Is that an agent over there? Yeah, it is. OMG it's Chris Richman from Upstart Crow. Go talk to him. No, you go talk to him. Maybe we should all go.)

If you're not an assertive person, find a friend who is. There is no reason not to talk to an agent. Say hello. Ask him how he's enjoying the conference. And then maybe your confident friend will ask if you can all give him your elevator pitch. Sound terrifying?

Yeah, it was. But in a really good way. Chris didn't mind at all (after all, he's at the conference to scope out potential new clients.) I was thinking--I've got nothing to lose here. I have an agent. So why were my knees knocking together? But there were a few people in our group of six who hadn't heard my pitch. So I was pitching to potential readers, too.

Over all I think I did pretty well. But I know I can do better. Time to start practicing in front of the mirror. Oh, and by the way, Chris Richman was thoughtful and enthusiastic to all of us--if you write what he's looking for (check out his sub requirements!), I bet he's an awesome agent to work with.

Formatting your MS for e-readers

Yes, it's important to write a good story. Yes, it's important to stand out of piles and piles of slush that agents and editors read every day. But you want to stand out for your writing, not your abysmal formatting.

When I first started writing, I spent hours pouring over websites like Harold Underdown (awesome if you're just getting started) and Verla Kay's message board (affectionately nicknamed "the blueboard") just to make sure I was typing in the right font and double spacing. The very first thing I did as a wannabe writer was take Mr. Underdown's book THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO PUBLISHING CHILDREN'S BOOK out of the library.

But no one ever told me that you need to format your MS in a special manner for e-readers. No it doesn't look any different on your computer screen. But unless you set up your document in a certain way, it looks all wonky on the Kindle. Or Nook. And you know all the agents are reading on the Kindle now, right?

Anyway, my fabulous agent (I'm not too biased, am I?) put together this great post walking through the process to set up your MS so it will read well on an e-reader.

Vickie's tips on formatting your MS for e-readers

I did this after she signed me--and am horrified how many people probably read my MS all weird with funky spaces and stuff.

But I would strongly encourage everyone go do it NOW!

UPDATE: OK don't panic! Apparently, it's not terribly wonky! (thanks, Laura!) So don't worry if you've already sent out MSs without this format.

***

Very soon, a group of us are starting a new twitter game. Stay tuned for details from Heather Kelly of Edited to Within an Inch of m Life. Everyone is welcome to join in!

R is for Revision

I've been working on agent revisions for my novel the last few weeks. It's been wonderful, exciting, terrifying, scary, and unbelievable--all at the same time. My novel is 20 times better than it was two months ago. I'm forever grateful to Vickie Motter for her enthusiasm and her suggestions for some necessary additions.

One thing I found really helpful during this round was creating a scene inventory. Organized person, I am not--have I mentioned that before? Sitting down and tracking each chapter, the characters in each chapter, what happens, and the date on which it happens, has been something I've avoided like the plague.

But guess what? Making a scene inventory helped. It helped me add some things into my timeline that needed to be added. It helped me stretch out some drama that needed to be stretched out. It helped me see where I needed to go with several difficult scenes.

I went bare bones--just used an excel spread sheet. But I bet you could get fancy if you needed to. :)

P is for Pitching

My agent, Vickie Motter, posted something about pitching agents a few weeks ago -- read it here.

To me, doing a live pitch, sounds terrifying. And I made a flip comment on her post. But here's the thing, as Vickie describes it, several comments later:

Though you've bypassed the pitching, you might want to prepare yourself for what comes after. Every time someone asks "What is your book about," THAT'S a pitch. So writers, whether or not you plan to pitch in person to agents or editors, make sure you have a one line pitch ready. Just in case.

Oh. Right.

This happens to me all the time. And I almost always say, well, it's about a girl who plays golf...blah blah blah boring. Holy Cow, I've got to come up with a pitch that I can rattle off--this is the beginning of my marketing! I need to be able to tell people what my book is about. I need a pitch!

I have a log line that I used in my query. But it's a little cumbersome to roll off the tongue. But I need to practice for NESCBWI, because sure as sugar someone will ask me what my book is about...and I'm the best one to tell them.

New Responsibilities

A month ago I went from being an EXPERT Non-Agented Author, to REALLY NEWBIE Agented Author. I'm the same person. My expertise is the same. My experience as a writer is still evolving. The difference between one month ago and today is I'm Agented.

Does the writing community look at me differently?

I've been asking myself that question. To me, it means I've pulled myself up to the next level. But there are responsibilities that go with that, I think.

I've updated the look of my blog. Got rid of a bunch of extraneous stuff to make it look cleaner. I hope it looks more professional. I'm trying to post as many days of the week as I can. I'm struggling to look cool on twitter just in case anyone is looking. Not that I didn't do that before, it's just that now people might be looking.

As a newly agented author, what are my responsibilities to the writing world? I'd like to pay it forward like others before me have. I'd like to WOW you all with my wisdom. But...is it valuable? Do I even have anything WOW-worthy?

What do you look for in a writing blog?




Comic used with permission from Debbie Ridpath Ohi at Inkygirl.com

Blog Party Winners Announced

Thanks to everyone who joined my agent party last week! I'm going to print out all the recipes and try to work through them--check them out here.  I drew the winners late Monday night using random.org--kind of cool that all the winners are new followers! Without further ado, they are:

Winner of the Query Critique from Vickie Motter--Girl Friday
Winner of the first page critique by Laura Pauling--Tana Adams
Winner of the first page critique by me--Sophia the Writer
Winner of WHO REALLY DISCOVERED AMERICA--Caryn

I will contact the winners with instructions! Thanks to all who participated! This was the best blog party ever! We'll have another one when the books sells... :)

Party on the Blog!!

I'm going to milk this new agent high for as long as I can.

For a party, we need balloons:

And cake.

And now we need some food...

It's potluck, so please bring something.  My book is called THE SWEET SPOT, so let's make is something sweet.  It doesn't have to be dessert.

And lastly, we need some cool prizes...

1. A query critique by my awesome agent Vickie Motter

2. A critique on a first page (about 500 words) by me.

3. A critique on a first page (500 words) by my critique partner  Laura Pauling (she's an awesome critter!)

 4. A signed copy of WHO REALLY DISCOVERED AMERICA (one of my nonfiction books).

The rules:

1. Leave a recipe in the comments--something you like to eat (required), but it doesn't have to be hard. Stop and grab ice cream from the grocery if you don't bake or cook. ;)

2. Be a follower (required).

Extra points:

Tweet, blog, recommend a follower 

IMPORTANT: please note these extras in a SEPARATE comment w/ a link to your blog/tweet.  I'll use random number generator, so all entries need to be in a separate comment box.

And check back to see the other recipes!  We're celebrating!

This party will run until Monday, March 14. Thanks for celebrating with me!

My Agent Story

I promised the more coherent details of finding my agent.  For those who missed the announcement on Tuesday, I am excited and honored and delighted to announce that I have officially signed with the fabulous Vickie Motter of Andrea Hurst Literary Management. (Yes, the adjectives are ALL very important to that sentence). 

I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am. 

The last few days have been a whirlwind. Here’s how it happened:

I first read about Vickie Motter on Krista V’s website Mother. Write. Repeat. (Thanks, Krista, for your wonderful agent interviews!) Thinking that my YA contemporary might be a good fit, I sent my query to Vickie in early January. Over the next couple of weeks, she requested a partial, then more pages (along with my author bio and synopsis). While I was on vacation in Florida, she requested the full! The worst part of vacation was that I couldn’t send it to her until I got home!

Vickie made THE CALL on 2/24. I had convinced myself it would be a revision request. When she said, “I’m offering you representation” I think I stopped breathing. Because her next words were, “have you been holding your breath this whole time?”

We won’t talk about all the questions I forgot to ask during our conversation—but she was kind enough to respond to everything I needed to know via email the next day!

I officially signed with Vickie on March 1. My only regret is that she’s on the other coast. Not because I don’t think she can do a great job from there—I’m confident in her ability. It’s just that I dearly long to say “I’m not available today, I’m having lunch with my agent.” Maybe someday.  

I’m thrilled to start the next phase of my writing career. I will be working on revisions with Vickie in preparation of subbing my novel to publishers this spring. I’m terrified. I mean, um, completely confident.

Oh, and I need to say that I would definitely NOT be where I am without the support and friendship of my three crit partners. Ansha Kotyk, Laura Pauling, and Jen Carson—have been cheerleaders, task-masters, copy-editors and good FRIENDS. I can’t believe how lucky (I mean, how smart!) I was when I sat next to Ansha at the 2008  NESCBWI conference. Love you guys!

And thanks to Vickie Motter for loving my story and taking a chance on me. I’m so excited to be working with you! 

I'm not really a superstitious person, but my co-worker took me to lunch the day I accepted Vickie's offer.  I grabbed a bag of chips and my drink. When I got to the table, I looked at my chips. The universe just told me I made the right choice.

I know you all want to know the stats, so here they are:

I started querying officially in June 2010. I sent a couple of “too early” queries earlier in 2010, but that’s another post. According to QueryTracker.net, I sent 67 queries. Of those, I had eight full requests and four partial requests. 

So my advice to all my writer friends is KEEP QUERYING. (After, of course, you write a great story, have it critiqued, and revise, revise, revise.) It just takes one agent to love your story—but it might take a bit of work to find that one person. 

I’ll blog more about my query and my book soon, so stay tuned. 

Check back on Monday for a party!! Get your recipes ready! Psst...There might be an agent query critique up for grabs, as well as other cool prizes!