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Eerie Discussion Sheet

Download the pdf file of the Eerie discussion sheet here: eerie-discussion-sheet

 

 

Epic Kindle Giveaway / Battle of the First Pages

Welcome to the Battle of the First Pages and Epic Kindle Giveaway!

 

This is a fun, friendly battle of first pages between a great group of authors

Your votes determine the “winner,” and by voting, you earn entries into the drawing for the Grand Prize of a Kindle Fire 7″ or $75 in PayPal Cash (winner’s choice.)

Here’s how it works:

Check out the first pages of the following books, and note the title of your favorite THREE.
Scroll down to the Rafflecopter and get however many entries you want. BONUS: Come back each day for more entries by tweeting or posting, or just stop by for your daily free entry on the Rafflecopter.
COMMENT on this blog post with the title of the book that you think has the best 1st page. Then comment again with the title of another of your favorites. And then comment a 3rd time with your 3rd favorite. You may comment up to THREE times And make sure you claim your entries for voting in the rafflecopter.
Tell all your friends on social media!

 

 

Here are the contenders in no particular order:

 

DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND

by Heather Eagar

YA Historical Fantasy

$3.99 on Amazon: http://www.amzn.com/dp/B01AIBVPKE

 

FIRST PAGE of Devil’s Playground:

Salem, Massachusetts

1692

I shiver as my bare feet hit the wood floor. It’s too early to be awake. It’s always too early. An incessant throbbing behind my eyes tells me I ought to be back in bed.

“Elizabeth, are you ready?” Mother calls from the kitchen.

“Yes, I’ll be right there,” I lie. With a tired shuffle I make my way to the large chest at the foot of my bed and pull out the first dress I see. It doesn’t matter much when my choices are the black dress, the dark black dress, or the other black dress. Shall I wear the one with the hole, the one with two holes, or the one the mouse chewed through?

 

Emancipation

by Jo Michaels

Adult Thriller

Kindle Release Date 22 March

Paperback on Amazon ($19.99): www.amzn.com/1517463661/

*** Rated R for language ***

FIRST PAGE of Emancipation:

Wadding up the letter, Tobias used it to wipe his ass and threw the paper in the trash.

Another dumb verse of gospel bullshit from another zealot right where it should be. What part of “I’m searching for my soul mate” did people not understand when they found an online profile? They all thought spewing scripture could save his soul; like some light from Heaven would beam down and forgiveness would be bestowed.

Fuckers.

There was no clemency for murderers, thieves, and philanderers. Never would be. Tobias didn’t want it, and he doubted anyone else did. Those holier-than-thou freaks could shove their automaton gospel straight up their asses. It was as if they hoped it would be some magical cure for his compulsions.

He shook his head.

 

Eerie

by C.M. McCoy

New Adult Paranormal Romance

$4.99 on Amazon: http://www.amzn.com/dp/B0176M19RM/

 

FIRST PAGE of Eerie:

There he was again.

Hailey snapped her head around, hoping to catch more than a glimpse of the glowing creature, which once again zipped past the very edge of her vision.

It was real, she knew it was. Frozen in place, she scanned the horizon, hoping to find where it was so she’d have more than a millisecond to determine exactly what it was.

Finally it halted with its back to her, on a hill next to her favorite tree—a giant sycamore, which usually stood in her neighbor’s yard. Now it stretched high into the swirling purple skies of her dream.

The figure standing next to the sycamore looked like an angel, lean and pale, and as bright as the moon.

Curious, Hailey crept closer, not meaning to disturb him, but as she drew near, he whirled around.

 

Forget Tomorrow

by Pintip Dunn

New Adult Paranormal Romance

$5.99 on Amazon: http://www.amzn.com/dp/B00Z6375MC/

 

FIRST PAGE of Forget Tomorrow:

“The next leaf that falls will be red,” my six-year-old sister Jessa announces. An instant later, a crimson leaf flutters through the air like the tail feather of a cardinal.

Jessa grabs it and tucks it into the pocket of her school uniform, a silver mesh jumpsuit that is a smaller version of mine. Crunchy leaves blanket the square, the only burst of color in Eden City’s landscape. Behind our patch of a park, bullet trains shoot by in electromagnetic vacuum tubes, and metal and glass buildings vie for every inch of pavement. Their gleaming spirals do more than scrape the sky—they punch right through it.

“Now orange,” Jessa says. A leaf the color of overripe squash tumbles from the tree. “Brown.” Sure enough, brown as mud and just as dead.

 

Becoming: The Balance Bringer

by Debra Kristi

YA Urban Fantasy

$4.99 on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00USQOPDO/

 

FIRST PAGE of Becoming: The Balance Bringer

I stare down at the thick, red substance oozing over me, my dress, the floor. It was supposed to be punch, but it sticks to the skin of my palms like thinned blood. I can’t stop staring at them.

Blood. On my hands.

I shake my head. It’s only punch.

Everyone laughs and points and stares. My head pounds with their ridicule, swims with the negative attention, and fresh tears spill. I want to run from the winter formal like Cinderella from the ball. Run home and never look back.

But I can’t.

My feet are trapped, shoes rooted to the gym floor. If only I could be anywhere but here―

“Why wasn’t I told we were playing action charades?” Paige uses her handbag as a fan and gawks at me.

 

Must Remember

by Colleen S. Myers

NA Sci Fi Romance

$3.82 on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B016ST45VQ/

 

FIRST PAGE of Must Remember

Oy. No more weekday frat parties for me, no matter how noble the cause, especially when I have a test the next day. What was I thinking? And last minute cramming with a headache was not a good idea either. Forget it. My eyes drifted to the clock.

And now I was late. Damn it. With a sigh, I threw down my pencil and scrambled up, my head throbbing. I traded my Eeyore jammies for skinny jeans and a fitted white t-shirt.

Shoes, where were my shoes?

Gah. I ducked and rooted around in the deep, dark spaces under my bed. Hmm, the green dress I borrowed from Sarah. Mental note: I need to return that. English book, various dust bunnies of uncertain lineage…there.

Sketchers on, I grabbed my backpack, turned up my iPod, and ran out the door. No time to primp.

 

CHARMING

by Elliott James

Adult Urban Fantasy

$9.99 on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B016ST45VQ/

 

FIRST PAGE of Charming

I know John Charming is an unfortunate name.

Believe me, I’ve heard them all. No, I’ve never been turned into a frog. No, I haven’t slain many dragons lately. How could I? They’ve been hibernating close to the Earth’s core for over a thousand years. No, I don’t have any unusual shoe fetishes, glass slipper or otherwise. No, my kisses won’t bring women out of any comas, though I hope they might perk them up a little.

But make no mistake: the reason there are so many stories about “Prince” Charming is that there was never one man—the Charmings were an entire family line standing between humanity and all other for generation after generation, and in the old days it was common to give any monster killer in a story royal status.

 

PROPHECY

by Lea Kirk

Adult Science Fiction Romance

$2.99 on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B016K3CU08/

 

FIRST PAGE of Prophecy

Alexandra Bock opened her eyes. Faint grey light filtered through a woven black cloth over her face. Where the hell was she now? A chill from the hard surface seeped through the thin fabric of her hospital scrubs, and her muscles contracted, sending a violent shudder through her body. Had she really been chased by a giant, green-skinned alien through the streets of her hometown?

It happened. It had really happened.

There’d been no escaping him either. He’d been fast and unbelievably huge. Like ten-feet-tall huge—and as pissed as hell. That might have been her fault. At the time, ramming the heel of her hand into his nose had seemed like a reasonable idea. It did distract him long enough for her to bolt.

 

 

CHASING VICTORY

by Joanne Jaytanie

Romantic Suspense with Paranormal Elements

$2.99 on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B016K3CU08/

 

FIRST PAGE of Chasing Victory

A tear in the sound of the forest’s tapestry caught Victory’s attention. Victory’s ultra keen sense of hearing instantly noticed the void. Her ability to interpret the reactions of the animals stopped her in mid-stride. Ever so slowly she turned toward the silence and walked.

The silence shattered and she could hear voices; one was Jeffery. He didn’t say he’d be bringing others with him. His scream abruptly breached the cool morning air and flushed the birds from their perches. Victory dropped to her hands and knees, the tall sword ferns camouflaging her body. She froze.

“I told you I’d locate someone who could help with our problem,” Jeffery whimpered. Blood ran from the gash on his lip and right cheek.

 

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review + Giveaway: Hard Rider by Lydia Pax (18+ due to content)

About the Book

** This book is not recommended for readers under 18 due to sexual content **

Hard Rider

MC Romance by Lydia Pax

Release Date: 03/17/16

Buy it for $0.99: www.amzn.com/B01D2B9EQY/

 

Summary:

SHE WAS BORN OFF-LIMITS. BUT HE WAS BORN TO BREAK THE RULES. 

 

Ram:

Nobody screws me. I take who I want, when I want, and I always leave them wanting more.

I want more too. Hurt this deep doesn’t heal.

After meeting June, I know she’s the fix I need for the pain.

Her family’s full of cops? So what?

All I want is her. Those luscious curves, the lips that won’t quit, hips that make my heart pound like a drum.

My outlaw brothers say me and her together will tear this whole town apart.

I don’t give a damn.

June: 

I never wanted to come home. There’s nothing here but old wounds too bitter to heal.

The day I returned, I met Ram. He’s an outlaw biker built like a god, but there’s nothing divine about his desires.

When he tells me he needs an old lady to stay in his club, we start a dangerous charade.

He gets a woman and time. I get my sheriff dad off my back. Breathing room.

But every breath around Ram is lightning hot and undeniable.

I can’t be with him for real. He’s every kind of wrong there’s ever been.

Unless we’re careful, we’ll rip our lives apart.

But what’s happening between us feels too right to ignore, no matter the cost…

 

My Review

Hot, riveting, surprising.

Every now and then a story gets inside your head. Characters grab you and won’t let go, and that story you thought was going to be “just another motorcycle romance” reminds you exactly why you love books.

HARD RIDER was one of those books for me. Romeo and Juliet meets Hell’s Angels in this smart Motorcycle Romance, which straddles the genre line between mystery, suspense, and e-romance. This book has it all: deception, murder, forbidden love, a secret marriage, and an eternal conflict between rival gangs.

The book opens with a steamy scene between Ram and June, which does well to set the tone and gave me something to look forward to. Honestly, without that preface, I might’ve put this book down, and I would’ve missed a great story. The story itself begins with Ram’s POV and way too much backstory for my taste. I ended up skimming most of the first chapter, and honestly, if it weren’t for the refreshing voice in Pax’s writing I probably would have put this wonderful book down. Very quickly, though, Pax settles in to a nice story-telling rhythm, and the whole book flies by in the blink of an eye. The characters, fully developed and each with their own, distinct voice, made this gripping story come to life.

I loved every second of this story and hope to see more from this author! I’d recommend this book to MC romance and romantic suspense loves over 18 years old due to explicit sex scenes and language.

For me, HARD RIDER brilliantly incorporated a hot, erotic romance with an edge-of-your-seat suspense. I laughed, I cheered for June and Ram, I cried, I wanted to punch June’s father (and on a few occasions, Ram). This book was awesome.  4.5 stars.

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

 

About the Author:

Lydia Pax loves to write stories featuring hot alpha badasses falling in love with strong, smart women in the midst of a ton of excitement, turmoil, and intrigue. Life is strange, beautiful, and wonderful, but sometimes it can be a little too boring. Her stories spice the day up with enough heat to need a cold drink nearby as you read and always close with a HEA.

She’s giving away $300 in Amazon Gift Cards in celebration of my new alpha male biker romance–HARD RIDER. You can enter–for free!–right here through the 21st of March: http://gvwy.io/u1djbvh

She’s also giving away a free, signed hard copy of Hard Rider through Goodreads: https://goo.gl/LSaQJh

For first access to Advance Review Copies of hot new releases so you can read them before ANYONE else, sign up for the Lydia Pax Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/byf5N1

Social Media Links

Website: http://www.lydiapax.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lydiapaxbooks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LydiaPax

☆ Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29338599-hard-rider

Buy the Book

Amazon: http://www.amzn.com/B01D2B9EQY/

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Little Things Blog Hop – TONS of giveaways

Welcome to my little stop on your Little Things Blog Hop!

 

My name is C.M. McCoy and I am one of over 100 authors/bloggers/ on this hop. The best part–each stop has it’s own giveaway! And then there’s the amazing $50 group Rafflecopter (with other prizes).  My rafflecopter and the group rafflcopter are at the bottom of this post.

 

Thanks for swinging by. I’ve got a blurb about my YA/Crossover Paranormal Romance, Eerie, and a book trailer here for you with some fun trivia questions in a rafflecopter at the end of this post.

 

My giveaway is an Eerie-inspired gift pack or $10 Amazon GC, winner’s choice.

To enter to win this prize pack, scroll to the bottom of this post for the rafflecopter. Get your free entry!

 

✔ A Bear Towne University-esque skeleton key keychain

✔ An Alaska map lens cloth

✔ A “Just north of normal” Alaska decal

✔ An Eerie swag pack (signed): Bookmark, magnet, post card

✔ A Banshee tooth file (it’s a nail file…you know you want one)

✔ For those who want, I’ll throw in a few pieces of Franken-Eerie (deleted snippets)

 

 

 

~ FREEBIE ~

I just got new Eerie bookmarks, and I’ll send one to the first 20 people who email me with their address (OPEN INTERNATIONALLY. Put bookmark in the subject): contact@cmmccoy.com

Eerie

by C.M. McCoy

New Adult Paranormal Romance

$4.99 on Amazon: http://www.amzn.com/B0176M19RM/

 

 

FIRST PAGE of Eerie:

There he was again.

Hailey snapped her head around, hoping to catch more than a glimpse of the glowing creature, which once again zipped past the very edge of her vision.

It was real, she knew it was. Frozen in place, she scanned the horizon, hoping to find where it was so she’d have more than a millisecond to determine exactly what it was.

Finally it halted with its back to her, on a hill next to her favorite tree—a giant sycamore, which usually stood in her neighbor’s yard. Now it stretched high into the swirling purple skies of her dream.

The figure standing next to the sycamore looked like an angel, lean and pale, and as bright as the moon.

Curious, Hailey crept closer, not meaning to disturb him, but as she drew near, he whirled around.

 

See the trailer here:

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Thank you so much for swinging by!

Here’s your next stop of the hop Anna Durand: Spunk & Hunks

#AmazonGiveaway – Trying it out

Hi guys!

I’m trying out an Amazon giveaway for a paperback of Eerie, and it’s like a roulette wheel.  You enter and then you find out immediately if you’ve won.

So….

QUICK!

Enter to win, because as soon as someone wins, it’s over: https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/b2a93ddf73618f13

A Journey to Publication

Just like any arduous expedition, my road to publication was fraught.

I’m not ashamed to say I cried after my first rejection. And again after my 100th. And when that anonymous RWA contest judge commented it’d be easier to eighty-six my manuscript and start over than to fix all that was broken. Aaaand again…. after my first webinar, a first-page critique, wherein a big agent declared my book would never sell and if it did, it would sell for 99 cents.

Ninety-nine cents!

I was devastated. After months of pouring deep and profound brain things out of my head (Madagascar), my book was nothing but a four-bit whore.

Great.

I wanted to destroy expensive things and scream like a banshee, but I have neighbors and a semi-not-crazy reputation to uphold. So, instead, I downed a shot of whiskey and strapped on my hard shoes. Two hours of Irish dancing and a bloody blister later, and I was sorted, once again ready to raise my pen, polish my words, and beg a literary agent for the time of day.

I would not be held down by self doubt and the opinion of over 100 industry experts. Nope. I knew I had a great book. I knew I just needed to find the right cheerleader to champion that book, and I knew I wouldn’t give up.

Ten months after that first rejection, I signed a contract with an awesome publisher. I have a debut novel release on the horizon, another novel to submit, a literary agent to submit it (and any other fiction that leaks out of my head), a literary agent for my memoir, a squadron of writerly friends–critique partners, beta-readers, book bloggers, fellow journeyers–and a butt-ton of bookly PR info zinging around my gray matter.

 

So….how did I get here?

Milestones. My journey to a book contract had…milestones. But before you read those, heed this:

What follows might piss you off.

(…I broke some “rules.”)

 

Milestone #1    I wrote a memoir, and it honed my “voice.”

Until I penned that sucker, my writing was everything but serious. I’d taken a few creative writing classes in college (mostly auf Deutsch), and I’d written a few short stories for my own entertainment. I read a lot (always have), and I’d always wondered if I could write a novel, but I’d never actually tried. Plus my writing was a bit…stiff.

Maybe some will say my writing’s still stiff, but I really don’t give a shit.

Here’s how the memoir project unfolded, and for those keeping track, this is the first publication process “rule” I shattered (annotated with a *.) One day, whilst watching Fox News, I heard mention of a memoir literary agent and thought, hmmm….I should write a memoir. I then googled mentioned agent, found her email addy, whipped out a note* and hit send.

A note.

Not a query. Certainly not a book proposal, because what are those? I’d never heard of them.

One week later, I got a reply: “Call me. I’d love to discuss further.”

I called; we discussed; the next day, I signed a contract, and BOOM. I had a non-fiction agent. [I should note: going in to this memoir dealio, I had a unique story. I’ll leave it at that.] I then set to boiling 7 journals and a bin full of research down to 70k-ish words plus a 100+-page book proposal. It took a few months to write the proposal but only about 5 weeks to write the memoir. I was a machine, editing as I went and just letting the words flow. I didn’t give a rat’s ass if anyone liked it, I was writing it for me, and it was cathartic.

My agent, the awesome Sharlene Martin of Martin Literary Management, had a few editorial suggestions, but called me up to tell me this: she doesn’t give out many A’s, but she was giving me an A on my proposal. She LOVED the memoir. LOVED it and only had a couple suggestions to tone down some insensitive references I’d used. Oh, and to cut a horribly horrible preface I’d spent the last of my 5 weeks writing, rewriting, editing, and hating. It was bad. So bad I’m tempted to paste it here for posterity, and maybe if I get enough comments on this post I will. Other than that prologue from bad-writing hell, Sharlene thought my memoir was awesome, and she was excited.

After chatting with her, I had another light bulb. I should write a fiction book.

So, you see, this novel thing is really all Sharlene’s fault. She encouraged me.

 

Milestone #2     I wrote down my falling-to-sleep fantasy story I’d been telling myself for almost a year.

It was just like writing a memoir, because

I knew the world.
I knew the story.
I knew the characters.

What I didn’t know was industry standard word counts, that I should self-edit out words like “that” and “really” and “very,” and that getting a fiction agent wouldn’t be as simple as light-bulb, note, call, contract, done-within-a-week.

 

Milestone #3     Holy shit, I have a novel. Now what?

Four months in to my fiction project, I had what looked like a book, so I emailed my memoir agent, because in another two months, I’d have my novel-baby all shined up and ready for professional eyes, and I had no idea what to do with it.

I was still terribly industry-naive, and when Sharlene told me she didn’t represent fiction, it was a bit of a shock. I hadn’t realized agents specialized.

But Sharlene had a partner who did represent fiction. YA fiction, which was great, because I was 60% certain I had a YA fiction on my hands. I finished my book, sent it to a few of my friends to read, made some more edits, and sent it to Sharlene who passed it to her partner.

 

Milestone #4     Rejection #1

God bless Clelia Gore–she was so sweet about it. I’d sent her an epic, 148k-word, “YA” paranormal “romance” (the quotes, because I was wrong) in funky formatting, strange fonts, and chock-full of really’s and very’s and that’s and waaaaay too many dialogue tags. Without a query*, because, again, what the hell’s a query?

For other new writers, here’s some guidance I wish I’d looked up BEFORE submitting to Clelia:

Some guidance on manuscript word count from Literary Rejections: http://www.literaryrejections.com/word-count/


How to know your audience (readership.) ie What’s the difference between MG and YA: http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/the-key-differences-between-middle-grade-vs-young-adult


What’s the difference between YA and Adult: http://wolflit.com/the-difference-between-ya-and-adult/


What is New Adult (NA)? Some say NA is synonymous with “upper YA,” “mature YA,” and “crossover fiction.” The term New Adult was coined by St. Martin’s Press as “a fiction similar to YA that can be published and marketed as adult—a sort of an ‘older YA’ or ‘new adult.” See Wikipedia for a list of references and more info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New-adult_fiction


Genre definitions from Writer’s Digest: http://www.writersdigest.com/qp7-migration-all-articles/qp7-migration-fiction/genredefinitions


Difference between thriller/suspense/mystery from Daily Writing Tips: http://www.dailywritingtips.com/is-your-novel-mystery-thriller-or-suspense/


Definition of Romance (from Romance Writers of America): https://www.rwa.org/p/cm/ld/fid=579


How to write a query from AgentQuery.com: http://www.agentquery.com/writer_hq.aspx


How to write a synopsis: https://janefriedman.com/novel-synopsis/


Check your character names fit with your time period:


Find the right agent for your manuscript by reading what agents are currently looking for at Manuscript Wish List (MSWL): http://mswishlist.com/


Here’s standard manuscript formatting guidelines from Folio Literary Management: http://www.foliolit.com/submissions/formatting-your-manuscript/

Or, here’s manuscript formatting in a nut shell:

Cover page:

ALL CAPS
Upper right: NAME [carriage return] STREET ADDY [carriage return] CITY STATE ZIP [carriage return] PHONE [carriage return] EMAIL ADDY
Upper left: READERSHIP GENRE (ex YA THRILLER) [carriage return] WORD COUNT: 74,000
Center of page: TITLE [carriage return] BY [carriage return] NAME
No header, no page number.

Manuscript

Everything in Times New Roman, font-size = 12-point.
1-inch margins all around.
Everything double-spaced
Turn off widow/orphan control
Each chapter starts on a new page, 3-4 carriage returns from the top of the page.
Header: upper left should have Author Name / Manuscript Title
Page numbers: upper right.
First line of paragraphs indented 0.5″ (NOT using tabs, using indent)
One space between sentences (not two)

Here’s an .rtf Template I made: Novel Manuscript Formatting Template

Finally, 25 Editing Tips to Tighten your Manuscript: http://thewritelife.com/edit-your-copy/#.ygbpzl:xaj

 

Milestone #5      Finding an Awesome Critique Partner

Rejection #1 was well-deserved, but I still cried. I mean, is 148,000 words really too long? And what the hell is “pacing?”

Here are some definitions of common lingo used in rejections and how to fix the issues:

What is “Pacing”? The AP Glossary of Literary and Rhetorical Terms, including “pacing.”
Showing vs. Telling: an exercise. Click here for Creative Writing 101 Exercise or read another here:  http://www.cod.edu/people/faculty/bobtam/website/show_not_tell_exercise.htm
Stilted dialogue: http://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/stilted-dialogue
Head hopping? Cliches? Double writing? Cut that shit out: https://www.dropbox.com/s/u4vijrya0inqs8g/Writing%20Tips.pdf?dl=0

I reread Clelia’s note a few times. Like thirty. And it never morphed into an offer.

Well, I’m a bull-by-the-horns kind of person, so I figured I could wrangle another agent. After all, it wasn’t difficult to find a nonfiction agent, so how hard could it be?

“Literary Agent,” I typed into Google, and just as I’d poised my middle finger over the enter button, my email dinged. It was Clelia with a suggestion and a gift straight from Heaven in the form of an editor. Her name was Adria Goetz, and she was an intern at the agency who’d worked on YA manuscripts and was willing to help me. If I could get my beast-of-a-novel below 90k words, Clelia would take another look at it, because she liked the premise, and she liked the main character.

 

 

With Adria’s help over the space of a few months, I significantly tightened my manuscript, but I just couldn’t get my word count below 90k.

Plus, I wasn’t convinced I had a YA story. My protagonist was 18, going to college, and the subject matter was pretty edgy. So I did some research, joined QueryTracker and Publisher’s Marketplace, researched a ton of agents, and began querying.

While querying, two things happened:

First, one agent who really liked my story, but thought my writing could be tighter, suggested consulting a professional editor. I tried several and spent WAY too much on people who were glad to take my money, but in the end (and for one reason or another) couldn’t help. Only two editors get my highest recommendation:

Maxwellian Editorial Services: http://maxeditorial.com/
Jessica Schmeidler: http://www.jessicaschmeidler.com/contact-me/

Second, I stumbled across Maggie Stiefvater’s Critique Partner Love Connection

 

Here are some places to find a CP:

Maggie Stiefvater’s Blog: Maggie Stiefvater’s Critique Partner Love Connection
Miss Snark’s First Victim: Critique Dating Service
http://www.ladieswhocritique.com/
Agent Query Connect: http://agentqueryconnect.com/index.php?/forum/6-aq-connect-wanted-ads/
Tumblr- How About We CP: http://howaboutwecp.tumblr.com/
Twitter. During writing contests like #PitchWars is the best time.

At about the same time I found my CPs, I discovered Twitter and the wonderful world of Twitter pitch contests, which rescued my sanity. Or pushed me over the edge–one of those. Anyway, somewhere along this wretched path to publication, my confidence waned. I think it was after my 200th rejection. Maybe after 250.

Whatever. In any case, I needed some fellowship, wanted an alternative to querying, and, should one of the author-judges actually pick my entry…well that kind of validation might very well recharge my near-broken writerly spirit.

So I entered a few: #PitchMadness, #PitMad, #NewAgent, etc…

Lo and behold, during two separate contests, the so-fabulous-she-should-be-fictitious Michelle Hauck pulled my entries from the slush. (One was EERIE, the other 30 DAYS WITH DR. DEATH.)

I’m now forever her biggest fan, and @Michelle4laughs is a name you should tattoo on your arm and stalk–erm, follow–on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Michelle4Laughs

Here’s a pretty good Guide to Twitter Pitch Contests by agent Carly Watters: http://writersinthestormblog.com/2014/09/the-ultimate-writers-guide-to-twitter-pitch-contests/

And here’s a good schedule of online pitch contests: http://carissa-taylor.blogspot.com/2013/01/contest-madness.html

 

 

Milestone #6      But for real. I’m ready.

Critique partners really shined my novel and taught me how to tighten my prose even further. I finally had a manuscript of 118k words, which was a New Adult, Fantasy Adventure with Romance. I was 90% sure of this.

But I was still being rejected. At least by now I was used to it. I didn’t even have to open my emails anymore to log them (yes, I kept a spreadsheet.) Anything that started with Dear Author or Dear Writer or “Unfortunately” I just filed.

What I needed was real feedback from industry experts–agents or editors–something concrete from the very folks I was trying to woo. I joined SCBWI and RWA, through which I signed up to have a first-page critique and a 10-page critique from big literary agents.

The experience was a little painful, but invaluable, and I learned something super-important: my opening sucked.

 

And there was this thing called The Market. Apparently, anything that smelled even slightly paranormal was a plague rat–too difficult to sell–and so it was an auto-reject for most agents.

 

Milestone #7      Realize I might have to Self Publish…

…and that I’d have to then sell my book.

The problem was, I had no idea if my book would sell. After fixing my first pages, I wanted a complete stranger to tell me how they’d review my book had they purchased it off Amazon.

I reached out to bloggers who review fantasy and paranormal books. I knew they’d be brutally honest (they were), and their feedback was super helpful. They pointed out typos, character flaws, and a few inconsistencies. Also, a few gave a quote, an “early reader review,” for my website. Here’s a place to find a list of bloggers you can sort by genre: http://www.theindieview.com/indie-reviewers/

These were the bloggers I contacted:

Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers
Truth About Books
Writerbee’s Book Reviews
Paranormal Chica
Amanda’s My Own Little Corner
Doodles, doodles everywhere

The reviews came back (in no particular order):

5 stars x1
4.5 stars x1
4 stars x2
3.5-4 stars x1

One didn’t give a star-rating, but did remark that I’d found myself another fan who was anxiously awaiting Book 2. Another blogger called my male MC an asshat..hahahah

YESSS!!!!

NOW I was ready to sell my book!

 

Milestone #8      Shit! I know NOTHING about selling books

I needed to learn, and the best way to learn how to do something is to just frickin do it. So I scoured the internet for remote job listings in the publishing industry, and on BookJobs.com, I found a list of internships. Well, hell, I was willing to work for free, so I ctrl+f’d “remote,” and found Inklings.

I had zero experience, but that’d never stopped me. What I did have was a positive attitude, a willingness to learn whatever Inklings put in front of me, and a work-hard-play-hard mantra. So when Michelle Johnson called with a phone interview and asked if I could set up a blog tour, I didn’t hesitate.

“Blog tour? Sure!” I said with a voice full of confidence even as I furiously Googled “what the hell is a blog tour.”

I figured it out. I read everything I could find on author brands and book-selling. I participated in Facebook release parties; I set up an agency blog list, and when I didn’t find the guides I wanted to pass along to the authors I was helping, I sat down and wrote them myself. How to set up Rafflecopter. How to hold a Facebook Party. How to Make a Book Trailer. How to Make an Author Website. How to run a Virtual Scavenger Hunt.

 

Milestone #9         Making a Conference Connection

About the time I started interning, I was three weeks in to writing my next novel, a YA Thriller, and I went to my first conference, a small one in Vegas, where I met #PubLaw attorney Susan Spann. After her presentation, she offered to look over any contract any of us had that needed some legal eyes.

At that conference, I made my first pitch. And my second. And a few others. Two editors from small presses asked me to send my manuscript, and just like that I discovered there were publishers I could submit to without an agent.

When I submitted to those publishers, I also submitted to several others I’d found on Publisher’s Marketplace. After several weeks, I had six requests for my full manuscript and four offers to publish.

Also, I’d just put the finishing touches on my YA Thriller.

 

Milestone #10       Choosing the right path

Since I was interning at her literary agency, I asked agent Michelle Johnson for some help in navigating the right path for my novel-baby. She read the manuscript and let loose a barrage of emails with a clear message: THIS STORY IS AWESOME. Also, paranormal was a tough sell, but not impossible.

Now I had a choice. I could take a contract with a great small press and have my book published for sure. Or, I could sign with an agent for the book, submit it to the big publishers, and hope they’d pick it up.

For me, it was a no-brainer. Omnific was a great small press that’d given me a great offer. Their covers were beautiful. They were super-responsive, super patient, and super-in-love with my book. They were “romance without rules,” and I knew they were the right home for EERIE.

I contacted the cornucopia of publishing contract knowledge and wisdom that I’d met in Vegas, and even though she was on her way out of the country, Susan Spann made time to go over the contract with me and held my hand through the entire negotiation.

Michelle Johnson provided endless guidance and support even though she was making nothing off the deal.

I was surrounded by experts; I knew I had a great deal in front of me, so I grabbed my pen, and I John-Hancocked that sucker. When it came back counter-signed, I broke out the apocalypse whiskey, destroyed a crystal glass just to hear it shatter, climbed onto the roof, and screamed:

 

Milestone #11     I HAVE A BOOK DEAL!!

 Neighbors be damned

Author Sign Up: Epic Kindle Giveaway / Battle of the First Page

Info for Authors: Buy-In to the Epic Kindle Giveaway / Battle of the First Pages

(Currently accepting TEN authors for the March/April promo)

Be one of the first TEN authors to buy in by completing this Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_VDkIxJFDuZeIkfbPepKTTHTq3E_FzV0wIP3RIp2V0k/viewform

 

How does it work?

When you buy-in to the Epic Kindle Giveaway, two things happen:

You and your book are featured in the Rafflecopter, which runs for 21 days.
Your book’s first 125 or so words are entered into the Battle of the First Pages, a friendly contest between the 10 authors sponsoring the Epic Kindle Giveaway, designed to get your first page in front of readers. This is hosted on the Eerie blog in the same post as the Rafflecopter.

 

Your buy-in money goes toward the grand prize of one Kindle Fire 7″ or $75 PayPal cash (winner’s choice) plus two promotional gift card prizes and a donation to Totem Head’s Free Writing Contest for kids. I will set up and promote the Rafflecopter giveaway and Battle of the First Pages. To earn entries into the giveaway, readers will do things like follow you on social media, sign up for your newsletter, answer a trivia question about your book blurb, tweet or Facebook post about your book with extra entries for casting their votes in the Battle of the First Pages.

 

How much does it cost?

There are 3 buy-in options:

$20.00 Standard – 3 tabs on the Rafflecopter


$25.00 Silver – 4 tabs on the Rafflecopter plus your book featured in 1 social media blast (posted to 20+ targeted FB groups and Twitter)


$30.00 Gold – 4 tabs on the Rafflecopter plus your book featured in 2 social media blasts (posted to 20+ targeted FB groups and Twitter)

No matter which package you choose, you’ll receive:

At least 3 tabs on the Rafflecopter dedicated to you and your book
Your book’s 1st page with an Amazon buy link featured on the Epic Kindle Giveaway / Battle of the First Pages (listed on the page in order of author sign-up).
A copy-and-paste blog post you may use to promote the giveaway to your blog followers (They can get their free entries if they’ve already purchased your book and more entries for voting for your 1st page).

 

When does it start?

This Rafflecopter and Battle of the First Pages runs for 21 days, beginning 19 March 2016.

 

How does the Battle of the First Pages contest work?

Each featured book’s first 125-or-so words will be posted in the same blog post as the Rafflecopter. Next to that book’s first page will be the book cover, title, genre, author, and link to the book on Amazon.

Entrants will “vote” for the first page(s) they love by commenting on the blog post with that book’s title. Entrants may vote 3 times for extra entries in the Rafflecopter. It’s a friendly competition designed to get readers acquainted with your first page (it’s actually half a page…125 or so words). The winning author receives a free standard buy-in in the next Epic Kindle Giveaway plus bragging rights.

 

What makes this different from that other Kindle Giveaway buy-in I’ve seen out there?

First, this promo is limited to 10 authors, instead of the 50 you see in other Kindle giveaway buy-ins, which means your Rafflecopter tabs won’t get buried.

Second, your first page is front and center on the blog post with a direct link to buy the book.

Third, you get THREE tabs on the Rafflecopter instead of just one.

 

What kinds of tabs can I get on the Rafflecopter?

Each author that signs up gets:

One social media follow tab, which can be your blog, signing up for your newsletter, following on Twitter, Facebook, Pintrest, anything.
One Trivia question about their book, the answer to which entrants can find by reading your book blurb on Amazon.
One social media sharing tab, wherein entrants will tweet or facebook post about your book, and they may enter via this method once each day.

This is a current Rafflecopter with examples of tabs available to you, including super-sharing a Tweet, ReTweeting a Tweet, and answering trivia questions: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/240fc93723/?

 

How do I sign up?

Be one of the first TEN authors to buy in by completing this Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_VDkIxJFDuZeIkfbPepKTTHTq3E_FzV0wIP3RIp2V0k/viewform

Your spot in the Rafflecopter is secured once I receive your payment.

 

Questions? Email me   colleen @ adventurewrite.com.

 

 

BLOG HOP HUNT: Meet author Mary Woldering

Hi I’m Colleen (aka C.M. Mccoy) author of Eerie and I’m your host for this stop in the tour.

Find your number, but before you leave, enter my rafflecopter at the bottom of this post to win $50 or an Amazon Kindle!

 

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This is your post for the ACOA Scavenger Hunt and I am pleased to be hosting MARY WOLDERING. In this post you will find a number, not in written text, but as a numerical number. Write it down and collect them all as you visit every post along the way. Good Luck!

 

Mary R. Woldering is an author, artisan, and art historian, devoted wife to Dr. Jackie F. Woldering, mother of Ruth and Thom and grandmother of three. She lives in Euclid, Ohio.

A Note from Mary

Years ago, when I began to study mythology, it occurred to me that the gods and goddesses never seemed divine. They acted like super-talented people full of very human passions and shortcomings, appearing in different legends like threads woven into the tapestry of time and various cultures. This idea fascinated me and began a journey of recording and relating these stories.

 

LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN….with Fresh eyes – Children of Stone. This is the opening 2 pages of Voices in Crystal.

Introducing Marai bin Ahu a semi-hermit and a shepherd from ancient Sinai

If he looked out of his cave home this is what he would see Image 1 (a little drawing I made):

Here is the start of Voices in Crystal : http://www.amazon.com/Children-Stone…/…/ref=tmm_pap_title_0…

Chapter 1 Night Songs

“O beautiful one, Asher-ellit;

Immaculate one of the goddesses,

Torch of Heaven and earth,

Radiance of all the lands,

Goddess ‘Lady of Heaven’,

First-begotten of Sin,

First-born of Ningal,

Sweet sister of Shamas

O Asher-Anu, you rule the heavens;

Oh Queen of Morning and Evening Sky,”

Marai’s voice rose like the drone of a horn.

“Come bless me this starry night.

Shine for one who begs to serve you.

Come bless me this starry night.”

Each phrase the shepherd sang to his goddess was different from the one that came before it.

He never planned his songs of worship. In each part of his song, Marai worshiped a particular aspect of his beloved, yet dreaded goddess.

Do you hear me sweet one? He asked the night sky between verses. Tonight might be the last one for a long time. Marai noticed his hands were up in supplication, as if they were holding his song aloft for her.

Only the stars answered with their quiet twinkles.

Maybe there’s nothing to sing to. Maybe Sheb is right. Maybe it is time to go. He let his arms drop after a few moments, then trudged cheerlessly into the inner recesses of his cave home to collapse in sleep.

I should sing some more…try one more time. On a night like this I used to sing till dawn. I have to think. Tired. Too tired.

Marai hadn’t felt quite as bad about eating with his family and the traders who had camped for the night. His massive shoulders sagged until he formed the outline of a vulture. Stepping outside he sat down on the stone ledge that formed a natural porch before it fell away into craggy descent.

It’s you, my bride of a summer, buried by the time of the misting snow. The shepherd mused, turning to look at the makeshift pole to Ashera and the softer place in the shadows. He couldn’t see it in the dark cave, but he knew his wife lay there, the bones of her arms embracing the baby girl born still as she herself died.

Ilara. I have been here feeding your ghost and quietly watching the sky. Marai reflected.

He shunned the company of the travelers who moved through his family’s way station on the Copper Road seeking shade, water and supplies as they headed west to Kemet and parts north.

Tonight his thoughts weren’t so solidly on the goddess, even though he sang heartily enough to her. He was singing a farewell.

(It still hurts my heart to go.)

The big shepherd rose and began his song again. As he sang, he paused from time to time to see if anyone from the encampment below was annoyed by the melodious baritone he sent up beyond the heavens.

“You change our fates,

Evil turns to good;

I have sought you for so long among the gods;

I have offered all to you;

Come bless me this starry night”

*****************

 The following is an excerpt from Book 2 Going Forth by Day

http://www.amazon.com/Children-Stone-Going-Forth-Day/dp/1508731292/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1427974262&sr=8-2&keywords=mary+r.+woldering

 

A mystical date. The excerpt is from “Ariennu and the King”. A slight backstory: Having been told Marai is dead, Ariennu finds work as a foreign concubine for King Menkaure. It’s similar to being an escort or paid companion. She believes someone in the royal family is slowly poisoning the king and hopes to find out. He speaks to her of his own broken heart over the death of his daughter.

Those who are familiar with the Egyptian Book of the Dead, may recognize the prayer recited between Ari and the King.

 

The day had been particularly draining for King Menkaure.  He didn’t tell Ariennu why this evening and she knew not to ask.  Ari rubbed his shoulders with hot oil the way she did every night, but once he relaxed she bent forward to whisper quite seductively in his ear:

“Your Great Majesty… What is it His Highness, the Great One of Five, places in your wine to calm you in the evening?”

The king raised one brow, pausing at her audacity in questioning his trusted uncle, but then reflected on her words.  His hand reached up to pat her hand, affectionately. “You worry for your king,” his expression, at first paternal, grew distant.

Ari sensed something in the tone of his voice at that moment, but didn’t truly understand the nature of his thoughts.  He seemed detached.  The words ‘my death’ formed in her heart.  She wondered if the king was thinking of the curse on him and perhaps if he really would die soon.

The only “king” she had ever considered at that point was Marai.  She thought of the luxury in which she had lived these past few days, but also thought of the dreadful emptiness in her life as she lived in the service of these two different godly men.

Quiet, yet gentle and reassuring words that seemed to be part of a spell or a prayer filtered through her thoughts.  It was as if Marai recited them to her through time.  Her instincts told her to repeat them, that they would comfort the man in her care.

She whispered them in Menkaure’s ear as they played in her heart:

“If emptiness flourishes, my king cannot take his food… If my king flourishes, emptiness cannot take its food.”

The thrill of her words raced through both men’s hearts; one struggling in the depth of a deathlike dream, the other dreaming of death in a candle-lit room.

“The words…” Menkaure paused.  What seemed to be a tear caught in the corner of one of his eyes.  His lower lip dimpled slightly.  “How is it that a woman such as yourself, a sojourner, knows them?  They are taught to the sacred only,” the king blinked, then moved his lips to her ear.  “Do you know the rest?” he asked.  “Gladden my sad heart, woman of the fire.  Speak her words to me so I can hear them again.”

Ariennu felt her own heart skip as a quiet spirit drifted through her.  She suddenly felt as young as a new woman who was still learning about life and all of its joyous mysteries.  At first she thought it was Naibe’s essence, but then she knew it was a different young woman who had died.

Goddess.  A goddess… he loved a young goddess, but she was taken from him.  He did not protect her!  All at once, her heart thrilled to the sound of the king’s words.  She had never heard these words before.  She couldn’t explain to him how she knew them, or why, other than because of her own temptation to use heka, she felt compelled to repeat them.

“Take me with you, beloved, that I may eat of what you eat,” she spoke calmly but realized that such a spoken devotion asked for love beyond the tomb.  She could never give anyone but Marai that kind of devotion.

The king rose from his couch to fetch the onyx cup which was sitting near the edge of the coals in the brazier.  He poured a little more from a ewer into the cup to cool the warmed contents, then sat on his couch, crossed his legs, and faced her.

“Close your eyes, woman,” he gently commanded her.

Ariennu closed her eyes obediently.

Menkaure reached up and sweetly touched her closed eyelids as if he was blessing them, then spoke the companion piece to her words:

“That I may eat of what you eat… that I may drink of what you drink, that I may be strong …” his voice broke here and Ariennu almost opened her eyes when she heard him pause. “That whereby you are strong…” Then, he tipped the vessel to her lips.  She sipped a quarter of the draught.

“Open your eyes to me woman of wisdom, Your s…” he started, but stopped himself.

Ariennu knew he had been about to say: Your servant begs you.

 

*****************

This is an unpublished excerpt from my WIP, Opener of the Sky (Book 3 Children of Stone). It’s a soliloquy by Prince Maatkare Raemkai, a sadistic anti-hero. He has just forced his lover to partake of a blood ritual, which will allow her to embrace her darkness. For him, it lent the power to become a wolf.

“I will take you soon.” He laughed a little and blindly reached up to touch the tip of her nose. “Together we will celebrate your rebirth”. Her gentle rubbing and dabbing on his chest slowed, then her caresses stopped. He opened his eyes and saw her desperately trying to compose herself. Her shoulders heaved with emotion and her hands shook so much she could no longer touch him.

“Shh. Take your time, Nefira Deka, take your time.” He whispered “It’s just the chaos visiting itself on you; passing through you. Let it flow. Don’t fight it, no matter how wrong or wicked it seems to you. It’s the right thing for you now; the right thing for both of us. I knew your power, woman. I knew it when I saw you in my grandfather’s plaza your first night across the river.”

I did know, he thought.  And nowtoday she gives birth to her truer self in the blood of our defeated foes.  I remember my own rebirth…how the power felt when it first moved through me. Maatkare lay gripping her hand and making it trace it over his chest, then up to his mouth so he could taste the memory of the blood on her fingertips.

Little Raemkai, was my dog when I was a child. I named him for me. Our name means ‘the sun is my life force’. He saw himself for a moment: a little and happy princeling dancing and playing with a great black dog that was so big it almost dwarfed him. It was a gift from a sepat chief and likely part wilderness wolf.  He wasn’t a pure breed. My father told me I needed a smaller red and white hound who would be a good hunter but have an even temper, but I would not give him up.  Iloved that mutt.  He saw himself asleep with the dog at the foot of his bed.

Deka sighed a little, bent over him and kissed his hand.

He froze, even though her touch was thrilling him beyond endurance. The happy memory turned dark. His black dog killed one of the royal guards, then it grew wild and snappish from the taste of a man’s blood.  Bastard used to tease him and kick him for no reason. That’s why he did it. I wasn’t there to pull him off when it happened. Men muzzled him and made me shoot him. He saw the brief memory of himself crying and shaking so hard he could hardly nock his arrow. ‘Be a man, a royal son.’ They said and yet as that wonderful animal died in my arms, his mighty spirit, that of a god, came into me. I snapped and bit men who came to take his body from me.  I went wild for many days, more dog than boy.

“Raem…beloved” Deka’s fingertip’s smoothed his temples. “Your 4 eyes look far away.”

“A memory.” He answered as the last image of him dipping his own small hands into the dog’s wound and drinking it’s blood replayed. My own father knew fear of me then. And what brings me greatest joy also changed that day. They put me in quiet rooms in the temples of Wepwawet which calmed me some, but it was there I learned of my true nature; that I could become him.

 

Mary Woldering can be found by clicking on the links within this post

 

VOICES IN CRYSTAL

Amazon Kindle $2.99: http://www.amazon.com/Children-Stone-Mary-R-Woldering/dp/149092406X/

 

GOING FORTH BY DAY

Amazon Kindle $2.99: http://www.amazon.com/Children-Stone-Going-Forth-Day/dp/1508731292/

 

 

 

Find Mary on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/ChildrenofStoneNovels?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

 

Scavenger Hunt Hint:

The number for your clue will not be written in text. It will be a numeral. Tally all the numbers you find during the hunt. This final number will be an entry in the Rafflecopter on the ENTER HERE page on the official website – http://acoascavengerhunt.weebly.com/enter-here.html

If you get stuck along the way because you of a broken link, please visit the

AUTHORS LINK page http://acoascavengerhunt.weebly.com/authors-links.html

 

 

Did you find the number? If you did, then click this author’s link (Mary Woldering) https://www.facebook.com/ChildrenofStoneNovels?ref=aymt_homepage_panel&__mref=message_bubble to continue the Scavenger Hunt.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Q&A with Literary Agent Michelle Johnson

On 15 Dec 2015, my awesome agent, Michelle Johnson of Inklings Literary Agency joined us on Facebook during the Eerie book release party for a Q&A.

It was a fascinating glimpse into the life of a literary agent.

Here’s what she had to say:

 

Q1: From Michelle Fortune: How difficult is it to submit a story for review? And from Lori Hoopengardner: Where and how do you submit a story?

A: It’s not difficult at all. Just go to our website and follow the submission guidelines. Basically that means sending in a query, a short synopsis, and the first ten pages of your book (all in the body of the email). The tricky part is making sure the agent you want to submit to is open to submissions, and that they are interested in the kind of story you have. All of that information is on our website, and about 5 minutes of research time should fill you in

 

Q2: From Amber Ag, Tina Oatts, Dawn Steele, Barbi Davis, and Sonja A Foos: What is your favorite part of being an agent? Karen White: What are the ups and downs of being an Agent ??

A: Since five (or more) of you asked, I will tell you the 5 best parts of being an agent:

Sitting down with authors and getting to listen to them talk about the thing that puts the sparkle in their eyes. This book that they’ve poured their hearts into, this child of theirs that they’re so nervous about sharing, yet so excited that their hands are shaking and they’re not sure for which reason.
Finding that book that you just know the world needs to read. (You all are now asking “which book is that?” and my answer is “Every one I’ve signed thus far”) (this is followed quickly by “yes, I know there are others out there that I missed, but I’m only one person and that is why I’m so thankful that there are other agents out there, not to mention other forms of publishing so that every voice that needs to be heard, can be heard”).
After the call offering the author representation, when the author lets you know that they accept your offer.
That call letting the author know that we’ve received an offer on their book, hearing them stop breathing, and having my cell phone in my other hand just in case I have to call 9-1-1 for them.
Holding a book in my hand that I know I had a part in bringing into the world.

 

Q3: From Aneta Adamcová-Cruz: How do you take your coffee?

A: Two cream, two Splenda

Q4: From Ashley Martinez: What’s the hardest part of being an agent? Karen White: What are the ups and downs of being an Agent ??

A: There are a lot of hard parts. Let’s see if we can come up with 5:

The rejection. I get rejections from editors for all of my authors, so at any given time I have 5-10 books out on submission, I get ten times the rejection one author gets. It can be tough to stay motivated.
Delivering rejection to querying authors. When I started agenting I had no idea I would be rejecting so many authors. I only get to make that golden phone call one in every 100 or so manuscripts I read and I only read one manuscript for every 100 queries (this is a rough estimate). So all those others get rejected. It’s tough. Heartbreaking even.
Delivering rejection to my represented authors. All those rejections I mentioned in #1? Yes, well, I have to pass them on. There’s never a good time for that.
Balancing my life with my work. And by hard, I mean fairly impossible. With everything that I do on a daily basis, it is very difficult to make time for the family and almost impossible to make time for my own interests – such as writing. Somehow I did manage to complete a Creative Writing Certificate program over the last two years (I will officially graduate in June), but that was all done on caffeine-fueled sleepless nights and largely at the expense of the cleanliness level of my house.
Not being able to represent ALL THE BOOKS. Because I love books. And I love authors. And I wish I were able to find a way to help get each and every one of them published. But I just can’t. And that makes me sad.

Comment from Ray Morris: I’m often on the look out for courses to better my writing, so curious – was this something you did online, or did you manage it on a campus setting?

Response from Michelle Johnson: I did it online. The one I took was through the University of Calgary, but Stanford offers one as well (it’s a lot more costly though)

Comment from Pintip Dunn: Love your five things. Also, :-/ to all the rejections! Grr, I guess nobody likes rejection, huh?

Response from Michelle Johnson: I don’t know anybody who likes rejection

 

Q5: From Michelle Hum: How do you balance being an Agent and the “normal life”

A: I touched on this in the previous question under #4, but the short answer is, I don’t do this well. I am open to suggestions!

Suggestion from Daniele Lanzarotta: Drink more coffee.

Response from Michelle Johnson: Daniele Lanzarotta Always my solution!

 

Q6: From Lori J Pouncey: Michelle, how did you get started as an agent? From Cory Boggs: what got u started doing what u do. Stacey Guilliatt PA: What inspired you to become an agent? Lisa C. La Rochelle-Davis: So my question is what was the deciding factor to make being an agent for authors and not just because you like reading. Jessica Maxon: What made you want to be an agent for author’s? Marija Josevska BookJunkie: How did you get started as an agent?

A: While running my writers’ center here in Virginia Beach, I did a lot of work promoting authors. That turned into a lot of researching and advocating for authors. My editing clients were asking me for advice with their contracts, and I ended up doing for them almost everything an agent would do. Several of my editing clients as well as friends and family suggested that I should look into a career as a literary agent.

My background was in business and books selling, including the negotiation of hefty contracts with huge corporations. All the pieces were there. I took an internship at Corvisiero Literary Agency and learned more of the ins and outs of being an agent, became an agent under Marisa Corvisiero, then later opened my own agency.

 

 

Q7: From Claudia Garcia: Being an agent was that your dream job? From Heather Ross Cicio: Have you always wanted to be an agent?

A: I can’t say that I used to sit around daydreaming about how I would be an agent when I grew up because I really always thought I would be Batman. But the job is so well suited to me that it most definitely IS my dream job.

Comment from Pintip Dunn: I’m sure this is what your clients like to hear!

Response from Michelle Johnson: Pintip Dunn Because they all love Batman wink emoticon

Comment from Pintip Dunn: Ha ha, is this a requirement to being one of your clients, Michelle?

Response from Michelle Johnson: Pintip Dunn Pretty much, yes.

 

Q8: From Maxine McCormick: What are your favourite type of books to read? Chris Edwards: What genre of book is your favourite?

A: I love so many different types of books that this is a tough question for me and I think it changes depending on my mood. I lean heavily toward genre – and within that, character-based, adrenaline-spiked books. Basically I love books that make me FEEL. I’m sure that didn’t answer the question. Sorry.

Michelle Johnson: Okay, here’s the big one. What do I actually DO….

Q9: From Denae Hegefeld: So, what does being an agent entail? I’m always curious to put a job title with responsibilities!

A: I’m going to try to answer this, but I’m sure I’ll miss a lot, since there are so many facets to what I do daily. I tried to write it all out but that was a mess, so here’s a bullet point list of stuff I do:

finding authors who have books I love and work very hard to sell them to publishers.
sifting through hundreds of queries and manuscripts – reading and rejecting.
writing hundreds of “I haven’t gotten to it yet, but will let you know when I have” emails per week.
offering representation to an author and convincing them that I will be the best champion of their book.
helping the author shape the story in a way that I feel will give it a better chance on the market.
putting together a package to send to each editor that I hope will appeal to them personally.
taking a look at the author’s platform and addressing the things I think we can work on.
traveling to various conferences and meeting face to face with editors and nurturing relationships with them.
maintaining relationships with editors through phone calls, emails and Skype calls that have nothing to do with pitching them books.
keeping up on all of the industry news, which requires a lot of daily reading.
negotiating the offer to try to get the best terms for the author. This involves many phone calls and emails back and forth with the editor and the client.
agreeing upon the offer, then we get the contract, which must also be negotiated. This can sometimes take months, as contract departments are notoriously slow.
following up on any money
taking care of any issues that arise between the author and editor should there be something that would be better not coming straight from the author. This can be done either by coaching the author to address a situation in a more diplomatic fashion, or it can be handled directly. This hopefully keeps the relationship between the editor and the author from being tarnished when difficulties arise.
selling the subsidiary rights of the book.
talking to the author about what to write next, where to focus her efforts, which of the projects she has would be the best for her career and for the current market.
taking care of all the money, coming in and distributing it to the authors, the agents and co-agents, etc.
making public appearances to keep relevant, and as a way of finding new clients.

 

Everything else I do is directly related to running the business that would come with owning and operating any business, such as website creation and maintenance, bookkeeping, coordinating agents and interns, planning staff events, planning agency events, etc.

And basically, on top of all that the reading is done during all of my “free” time.

Comment From Aneta Adamcová-Cruz: OMG! You’re a superhumanbeing!

Response from Michelle Johnson: Just a little insight as to why my response time is SOOOOO SLOOOWWWWW

Comment From Colleen: I’m not saying you’re batman, I’m just saying I’ve never seen you and batman in a room together. (and yes, I stole this from a mug)

 

Q10: From Heather Sommer Eagar: Is it easier to attract an agent’s attention if you have already been published by a small publisher, rather than never been published?

A: Not necessarily. There are so many ways to be published nowadays. It’s nice to see if an author has a book out already that did well, but really the thing that attracts the agent’s attention is an awesome book. Of course, if the previous publication hit the top 100 on Amazon (overall) for any period of time, the NYT list, the USA Today list, or anything like that, then yes, that will attract attention for sure!

 

Q11: From Diana Ware-Page: Hi Michelle, so glad you became her agent !! Now she can write great books for us to read, with you handling all of us crazy fans !!

A: Michelle Johnson Thanks, Diana! Crazy fans are awesome. They give us the positive energy we need to carry on!

 

Q12: From Catherine Maguire: If you could could describe being an Agent with only one word, what one word would you pick?

A: This has been an evolution for me. When I first started and I thought I would be able to take on all the amazing books, I would have said “Dream-maker.” After the first few months of rejecting SO. MANY. AUTHORS. I would have said “Dream-crusher.”

But now that I’ve been at it a while? Probably “Advocate.” That’s really why I got into the business in the first place – to be a voice for authors. And that’s where I see myself now.

 

Q13: From Lisa Morgan: If you could only recommend one book for the rest of your life, which would it be? Esther Gerdzen: If you have to pick one book you love! What book would it be? Crystal Huber: What is your favorite book?

A: I feel the need to examine this question and see if there isn’t a way to find a loophole. There’s no way I could just pick one book for all people, since most people have different needs, likes, etc.

I guess my answer to this question is: What would it cost me to expand this? Honestly I can’t even narrow this down to 5 or 10.

 

Q14: From Stephanie Lawrence: What do you look for when you’re choosing a book to publish? Rachida TaiSsi: What do you look for when you choose the books you’re going to publish?

A: Firstly – I don’t publish books. I represent authors for the sale of their books to publishers. But what I look for in a book that I want to represent is something that feels fresh, has an author’s unique voice, really makes me feel – laugh, cry, be scared, be angry, be overwhelmed with emotion, fall in love with the characters, be filled with grief when something terrible happens to them, be filled with relief when they figure out a way to overcome incredible odds. I look for books that are relatable to everyone, and books that are beautifully written.

 

Q15: From Monica Baez: How did you two meet? Angela Marie Torres: How did you meet Colleen O’Felein?

A: I posted a PR internship on bookjobs (dot) com and Colleen responded. Colleen was the most amazing PR intern in the history of PR interns.

Comment From Colleen O’Felein: Awwww… thanks

Response From Michelle Johnson: Colleen O’Felein True story.

 

Q16: From Diana Ware-Page: Michelle, how did Colleen get you to take a chance on her?

A: Hang on, Diana, I think I answered that one… coming up!

 

Q17: From Jodi Armsby Gallegos: I’d love to know what things make Michelle stop reading a submission right away?

A: Let’s try for another top 5 list, shall we?

Bad writing/beginner writing. Just to clarify, not all beginner writing is bad, but there are some telltale things that let us know right away if the writing isn’t ready. This includes a lot of passive voice, a lot of telling and little showing, a lot of adverbs, etc.
Rudeness/threats/pompousness. It’s happened where I’ll open a query and it starts with something like “if you don’t represent me you’ll regret it!” or “I’m the best writer you’ve ever seen and you’re stupid if you can’t see that” or “I don’t even think agents are anything but money-stealing vultures, but you should read my stuff anyway.”

No really. I have a file.

 

Incredibly high/low word counts. If the epic fantasy has 15,000 words, it’s obviously missing more than just a little world building. On the other side of that, if it’s 12 million words (this has happened!), then it needs some serious editing. And also I’m now picturing the author attached to her computer with cobwebs because obviously she hasn’t gotten out of her chair in 30 years or so…
Something I don’t represent. I get some screenplays, some books of short stories and poetry, which are all things I don’t represent.
Opening the story with the character opening their eyes, waking up, seeing the sun streaming in the windows, then looking in the mirror to describe him/herself. Or any other heaping serving of clichés like that.

 

Q18: From Linda Post: Does an agent do a lot of traveling for work?

A: I can only answer for myself, and that answer is yes. I travel to a lot of conferences, book shows, conventions, etc. This is one of the ways that I continually expand my circle of contacts, and also I enjoy getting out there and talking to authors, teaching seminars, and hopefully sharing whatever knowledge I can with anyone that’s interested.

 

Q19: From Colleen Myers: What genre are you interested now, Michelle? Cryssy Matz PA: Do you work with authors in only one genre or do you represent multiple genres?

A: I’m interested in a lot of genres, but my favorites are probably Mystery, Horror, SciFi/Fantasy, Thriller, and Romance. And YA of all of the above.

 

Q20: From Nazita Andrade: What do U like about a colleen ?n what are ur pet peeves? (Disclaimer, I may have misunderstood this question)

A: Colleen is an incredibly hard worker, a strong, resilient, and brilliant woman. She’s dedicated to her writing, her work, and her family (not necessarily in that order). And she’s funny as hell. (Can I say hell here? Too late!)

What are my pet peeves about Colleen?? Only that she doesn’t live closer. I’d love to hang out with her more.

Q21: From Diana Ware-Page Question: Why did she choose writing instead of being an Astronaut? Brenda England: How do you think up different situations? Are they from your past and a wanting for the future?

A: I think that Colleen will have to answer these ones. wink emoticon

Response from Colleen O’Felein: Here’s the short answer to the astronaut question: I’m just not crazy enough to sit on top of a gazillion pounds of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen and say, “ok, boys, light that fuse”

Response from Bokerah Brumley: Mwahahahaha. I freakin’ love this answer, Colleen

 

Q22: From Angel Kraintz: What do you think makes a good writer?

A: Someone who is dedicated to continually improving their craft and learning as much as they can about writing, and someone who has a relatively thick skin who can take constructive criticism and apply it without taking it personally. And nowadays, someone who is as skilled a storyteller as they are a promoter.

 

Q23: From Wren Michaels: Michelle Johnson How did you get to be so awesome?

A: heart emoticon heart emoticon heart emoticon By surrounding myself with awesome people like you. heart emoticon heart emoticon heart emoticon

 

Q24: From Sheri Secord: How many authors do you represent?

A: 25 at the moment.

 

Q25: From Angela Mary Johnson: If an evil genie offered you 3 wishes, would you take them and what would you do with them?

A: Are they no-strings-attached wishes? If so, I would take them. And then I would very carefully craft the wording of each one so that I wouldn’t be living some horrific version of The Monkey’s Paw, and basically my wishes would be spent in an effort to eradicate prejudice of every kind, hunger, and that third one I would really have to think long and hard about. Is there a time limit? I can’t handle this pressure.

 

Q26: From Michelle Ferrari-Johnson: Do you have a specific book boyfriend?

A: I have a harem of book boyfriends. I represent a lot of amazing romance writers. Open any one of their books and you’ll find a member of my harem wink emoticon I have a major crush on John Charming, too (from Elliott James’s CHARMING series) – he’d be like… the alpha in my harem. that’s funnier if you’ve read the books.

 

Q27: From Dee Huff: Michelle Johnson, have you met Michelle Ferrari-Johnson? lol What are the chances of TWO of you!?! And, what led you to get into the business of books?

A: I’ve not met her personally – but I’m sure she’s super-awesome And really, a life of reading; a family of authors, illustrators, librarians; a desire to make a difference in the world through the thing that made the biggest difference in my own life – books.

 

Q28: From Terrie Meerschaert: Michelle, how did you begin working for Colleen?

A: I don’t work for Colleen. I work with her. We actually started out with her taking an internship with me doing PR, and while she was doing that, I asked to read her book. And it was incredible. And so I offered her representation.

 

Q29: From Kelsey Dobbins: How much do you love your job?

A: A lot. So much that I basically don’t do anything else.

 

Q30: From Wendy Davis: As an agent what is the most awkward situation you have found yourself in?

A: The first conference I attended as an agent, I did some critiquing of pages before I got to the conference, then was scheduled to meet up with the authors and discuss their pages with them. There was a book that I absolutely loved. It had a Watership Down feel to it, and I thought it was absolutely brilliant. I was dying to meet the author and hoping that the rest of the book would be as good as the first 30 pages. When the person came into the pitch room and sat down across from me, they couldn’t make eye contact and was very fidgety – which was fine, I wrote it off to nerves and proceeded to say that I’d love to see the rest of the book, then went on to ask questions about the manuscript. The person then told me that they actually hadn’t written the book. Their friend wrote the book. Their friend was in prison and was unable to pitch their own book. Because this was a children’s book (middle grade), I asked what the friend was in for. The look said it all. Pretty sure the child molester was writing children’s books from prison. The ensuing silence had all the awkward. All of it.

Response from Colleen O’Felein: Oh.My.God.

Response from Michelle Johnson: Colleen O’Felein Right?

 

 

Q31: From Danyelle Bayles Wadsworth: What do you enjoy most about yourself?

A: My ability to make people laugh when they need it the most.

 

Q32: From Mina Gerhart: Which of the books/authors you represent is your personal favorite?

A: Which of your children is your personal favorite?

 

Q33: From K Malore Barnes: My question is are you able to work from home the majority of the time?

A: My office is in my home, I work from there all the time, except when I’m traveling for work to conferences, book fairs, conventions, etc. And this is why when I hit the pj section at the department store, I get really excited and holler “Ohhh, work clothes!”

 

Q34: From Amy Bernal PA: My question is it hard to always be able to compromise?

A: Sometimes it is hard to find a compromise (if we’re talking contracts here, and I assume we are). But sometimes we shouldn’t compromise, and part of my job is to know when those times are, and be prepared to walk away from a deal.

 

Q35: From Nicole Anaya Avalos: Would you like to live in any book?

A: No. I like to escape into books, but I would never want to make my residence permanent. I’d miss my life and my loves.

 

Q36: From Michelle Guerrero: How do you feel about unicorns?

A: I love unicorns. I’m sorry they missed the boat.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Michelle represents my fiction, including the sub-rights for Eerie:

✔ ORDER EERIE for $4.99 (e-formats) or Paperback for $19.99:

 Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0176M19RM

Eerie

by C.M. McCoy

Release Date: 15 Dec 2015

Omnific Publishing with distribution through Simon & Schuster

Price:  $4.99

Summary: 

Being a ParaScience freshman is a nightmare come true

Asher loved her and hated her,

risked his life to protect her and planned to rip her apart.

The moment Hailey stumbled into Asher’s world,

he was corrupted by emotion.

And she had no idea the danger she aroused.

***

Hailey’s dreams have always been, well…vivid. As in monsters from her nightmares follow her into her waking life vivid. When her big sister goes missing, eighteen-year-old Hailey finds the only thing keeping her safe from a murderous 3,000-year old beast is an equally terrifying creature who’s fallen “madly” in love with her. Competing to win her affection, the Dream Creature, Asher, lures her to the one place that offers safety—a ParaScience university in Alaska he calls home. There, she must learn to live with a roommate from Hell, survive her ParaScience classes, and hope the only creature who can save her from an evil immortal doesn’t decide to kill her himself.

Watch the awesome book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPx4FELVxH4