Bianca Orellana's Blog, page 3
April 30, 2020
Querying... again
So, I'm back to querying. I'm one of those optimistic, naive dreamers who once believed that when you got a book deal, you never had to prove your work to anyone again. No more queries (the worst, most stressful self pitch in the world), no more waiting games as you anticipate a response from a literary agency (or, more commonly, the lack of a response... sad face), and no more having to write story synopses (the bane of any writer's existence).
Those things are hard to write, y'all.Yet here I am again, no literary agents clamoring to represent me, no publishing companies eager to get a hold of my latest work. On top of that, even if I did have an agent, I would still have to basically query every time I had something new to publish. Until I'm at Stephen King level awesomeness, I'm stuck proving my writing chops for a long time, if I so desire any sort of successful career.And oh, how I do.I spent three weeks crafting what I feel is the perfect synopsis for my YA novel, We Are Eternal. Three. Weeks. And the fact that it still won't be up to par if the person/agency I pitch it to isn't right for my project kills me. This is a subjective business, and these literary professionals know exactly what they want. Even if your story is good, if they don't want it, you're not getting represented.And what's so important about getting representation as an author, anyway? My novel was published by a small company without the aid of a literary agent, and I'll be forever grateful that company gave me my first step into the writing world. Seeing my book in print, available for order online, and on the shelf at the library where I work was thrilling for me back in August of 2018. For the first time, I felt like a "writer," not just that I was writing.As proud as I am of this accomplishment, it is a mere stepping stone toward a larger goal, which has always been to get representation. When I finally finished my novel in 2017 and started shopping it around, however, I quickly realized that when you have no prior major writing credits, no connections with anyone in publishing, and a small-town address, your odds of getting noticed by a large agency 
...are certainly not in your favor.But I had a backup plan: get a small company to publish me. Boom -- writing credits. (Wow, I'm really revealing all the secrets of the trade, here. In a few years, this blog will be a goldmine for aspiring writers.) It wasn't necessarily the worst route to take. The only catch was that finding a literary agent to represent an already published work is next to impossible. (But they're out there, and I think I found one.)For the record, I have at least 20 other novel ideas, one completed first draft of a novel, one half-completed first draft of another novel, and outlines for two other novels (one YA, one adult). So why am I still pursuing this one? Why not let it be my first published effort and use that momentum to try to get an agent to represent my next novel? That's a good question with a simple answer: I believe in We Are Eternal.I believe in its potential now, today, in this current market. I believe it can get republished by a larger company now and reach a broader teen audience. I believe this is my first real, solid work, and I can just see its shiny, new, updated cover, with Harper Teen or Random House emblazoned along its spine. I can even see it as a movie in the near future (but what author doesn't believe in movie potential for their story?).Plus, I spent too damn long on that synopsis to back down now.Of course, it doesn't really matter what I believe, does it? If I do everything right in my latest query and it doesn't pan out... I mean, that's the business. Since completing my first novel way back in 2010 (that title has been shelved for a later date -- I might share snippets of it here soon because it's kind of awesome in a first-completed-novel kind of way), I've become very familiar with the ways of the publishing world. The rejections heaped upon you before making any sort of headway, the one-step-forward-two-steps-back-ness, it's all par for the course. If this query doesn't work out, I can always hope We Are Eternal will get republished later and pursue my next work.The end goal is representation, making writing a career, adding "novelist" to my resume right above "library assistant" and "customer service representative" and "retail sales associate" and "clerical worker" and never adding another profession above it.And in order to get what I want, I have to try, right?
Those things are hard to write, y'all.Yet here I am again, no literary agents clamoring to represent me, no publishing companies eager to get a hold of my latest work. On top of that, even if I did have an agent, I would still have to basically query every time I had something new to publish. Until I'm at Stephen King level awesomeness, I'm stuck proving my writing chops for a long time, if I so desire any sort of successful career.And oh, how I do.I spent three weeks crafting what I feel is the perfect synopsis for my YA novel, We Are Eternal. Three. Weeks. And the fact that it still won't be up to par if the person/agency I pitch it to isn't right for my project kills me. This is a subjective business, and these literary professionals know exactly what they want. Even if your story is good, if they don't want it, you're not getting represented.And what's so important about getting representation as an author, anyway? My novel was published by a small company without the aid of a literary agent, and I'll be forever grateful that company gave me my first step into the writing world. Seeing my book in print, available for order online, and on the shelf at the library where I work was thrilling for me back in August of 2018. For the first time, I felt like a "writer," not just that I was writing.As proud as I am of this accomplishment, it is a mere stepping stone toward a larger goal, which has always been to get representation. When I finally finished my novel in 2017 and started shopping it around, however, I quickly realized that when you have no prior major writing credits, no connections with anyone in publishing, and a small-town address, your odds of getting noticed by a large agency ...are certainly not in your favor.But I had a backup plan: get a small company to publish me. Boom -- writing credits. (Wow, I'm really revealing all the secrets of the trade, here. In a few years, this blog will be a goldmine for aspiring writers.) It wasn't necessarily the worst route to take. The only catch was that finding a literary agent to represent an already published work is next to impossible. (But they're out there, and I think I found one.)For the record, I have at least 20 other novel ideas, one completed first draft of a novel, one half-completed first draft of another novel, and outlines for two other novels (one YA, one adult). So why am I still pursuing this one? Why not let it be my first published effort and use that momentum to try to get an agent to represent my next novel? That's a good question with a simple answer: I believe in We Are Eternal.I believe in its potential now, today, in this current market. I believe it can get republished by a larger company now and reach a broader teen audience. I believe this is my first real, solid work, and I can just see its shiny, new, updated cover, with Harper Teen or Random House emblazoned along its spine. I can even see it as a movie in the near future (but what author doesn't believe in movie potential for their story?).Plus, I spent too damn long on that synopsis to back down now.Of course, it doesn't really matter what I believe, does it? If I do everything right in my latest query and it doesn't pan out... I mean, that's the business. Since completing my first novel way back in 2010 (that title has been shelved for a later date -- I might share snippets of it here soon because it's kind of awesome in a first-completed-novel kind of way), I've become very familiar with the ways of the publishing world. The rejections heaped upon you before making any sort of headway, the one-step-forward-two-steps-back-ness, it's all par for the course. If this query doesn't work out, I can always hope We Are Eternal will get republished later and pursue my next work.The end goal is representation, making writing a career, adding "novelist" to my resume right above "library assistant" and "customer service representative" and "retail sales associate" and "clerical worker" and never adding another profession above it.And in order to get what I want, I have to try, right?
April 27, 2020
Hiatus discontinued
...not that I ever announced a hiatus in the first place. Riding the success of finally getting a book published and trying to promote said book has kept me a little busy since August 2018. Unfortunately, my poor blog has suffered. And how do you maintain a blog when you're writing to no one, anyway? And what do you write about when you only have one book by a small publisher under your belt? I'm still very much an unknown in the publishing world, but am using this time to refocus my efforts into building a full-time writing career.In other words, I still have no idea what I'm doing. We're all living in uncertain times right now; COVID-19 has hit the world hard, and we're all so nervous and confused, unsure of when the sickness will die down. Many of us are out of work. As a library assistant in a public facility, my job is "essential" (I use that term loosely, since we're currently closed to the public). I'm writing this blog post -- my first in over a year -- at my desk. Thankfully, with the world on hold, I have time for this now. Also, people are reading more than ever, and are still using the library. Perfect time to try to get my book exposed to a larger audience.
2019 was a lovely year. I went to Ireland, a literal dream trip since I was in college. I saw and did things I've always dreamed of (and gathered much first-hand research for a future novel set in the country -- score!) 
Before my life got super hectic again this year, I spent much time planning my next steps for taking We Are Eternal to the next level. My YA novel has been well-received by pretty much everyone who's read it, but not many outside my circle have read it. Aiming for a larger audience for my work is the goal for 2020. I haven't had the best year so far, with the exception of a very big, sweet event in February. Let's hope the end of this year proves more positive than the beginning. At the 2-year mark from the day my first novel was published, the goal is to have the opportunity to present it to the world outside this small town I live in. I've got 3 months -- I guess I'd better gear up.
2019 was a lovely year. I went to Ireland, a literal dream trip since I was in college. I saw and did things I've always dreamed of (and gathered much first-hand research for a future novel set in the country -- score!) Before my life got super hectic again this year, I spent much time planning my next steps for taking We Are Eternal to the next level. My YA novel has been well-received by pretty much everyone who's read it, but not many outside my circle have read it. Aiming for a larger audience for my work is the goal for 2020. I haven't had the best year so far, with the exception of a very big, sweet event in February. Let's hope the end of this year proves more positive than the beginning. At the 2-year mark from the day my first novel was published, the goal is to have the opportunity to present it to the world outside this small town I live in. I've got 3 months -- I guess I'd better gear up.
August 1, 2018
My debut YA novel is available now!
My YA romance, We Are Eternal, is now available in paperback and through Amazon Kindle! Click on the cover above for the link to the website.
Summary:After eighteen-year-old Olive loses her father to a car accident, she begins a whirlwind romance with the boy who received his heart in a life-saving operation. But when his body suddenly rejects the new heart, Olive might lose everything, including the fragile connection she still has to her dad.
Summary:After eighteen-year-old Olive loses her father to a car accident, she begins a whirlwind romance with the boy who received his heart in a life-saving operation. But when his body suddenly rejects the new heart, Olive might lose everything, including the fragile connection she still has to her dad.
January 6, 2018
First Post
This is my first legitimate post, and literally its whole purpose is to mention my Pinterest. I have a board called Writerly. It can be quite useful for aspiring writers. https://www.pinterest.com/coffeeowl7/...
