Kit Wilkinson's Blog, page 5
November 5, 2012
Book Signing November 15th
I hope you will join me at Caf...
I hope you will join me at Cafe Caturra, Midlothian for a book signing-charity event on November 15th at 5:30PM. You will have a chance to meet New York Times Best Selling Author Cathy Maxwell and taste some great holiday-winter wines. Hope to see you there.
Above: Picture with Cathy Maxwell and me RWA 2011
Below:the Post Card Invite
October 21, 2012
More Willow Trace
Hi Readers,
I wish I had more time to blog. There are so many exciting things happening with me and with publishing. But, alas, busy this year is a very good busy for me–working, writing, and spending more time with family and friends. It’s all good stuff.
One exciting bit is that I’ve been offered to write two more Amish-themed books for Love Inspired Suspense. Both novels will take place in the little fictitious town of Willow Trace, the setting for Plain Secrets. They will be released in 2014.
And for those of you who like to have a hard cover, Plain Secrets is being re-released in hardcopy this January, in large print. That is very exciting news for me.
Also, I’m officially announcing my decision to be represented by Karen Solem of SpencerHill Literary, headquartered in New York. I am looking forward to working with Karen and her associates on this new offer and many more to come.
Please check back soon. There is a big signing coming up for me on November 15th. New York Times Bestseller, Cathy Maxwell and I are part of a wine tasting and book signing at Cafe Caturra, Midlothian. All book sales are going to be donated to the Powhatan Free Clinic. Please come out. It will be so much fun and a great way to kick-start your holidays 
A Bientot,
Kit
August 10, 2012
Goodreads Giveaway
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
Plain Secrets
by Kit Wilkinson
Giveaway ends August 20, 2012.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
August 7, 2012
A Goodreads Reader Review
This is A. from Texas:
I love this book. It is such a great book full of detail that the author spent a lot of time researching about the Amish. To bring a story from the Amish life and mix it with the outside life, it was put together so well.
It is hard for any parent to let their child experience things on their own, but with the Amish and their Rumspringa, I could imagine the feelings and emotions that go thru them. Hannah was a great mother to Jessica and it hurt that Jessica wouldn’t open up about the things happening while she was out. Later in the book, we find out the real reason Jessica COULDN’T tell her mom.
I am very happy that it turns out Thomas wasn’t as bad as he was. For a little while, I thought Thomas was in leagues with the bad guys but turns out, he was actually helping his niece and wanting to find out what happened with her. That isn’t what Amish naturally do so it was really good to see that he did care but couldn’t show it quite yet.
As for Elijah, I am glad his father finally respected and was proud of him for choosing to be a cop. Elijah wanted to be a cop after a childhood incident. To have God’s way make a full circle for him was truly heartwarming. Hannah was right to be in love with him.
Like the author, I, too love learning about the Amish and their ways. To have it come together definitely made this book one terrific read.
THANKS TO ALL THE READERS FOR THW WONDERFUL REVIEWS!!!! I AM SO GRATEFUL!
August 4, 2012
New Goodreads Review
A thoroughly enjoyable read. Set in Amish country, this mystery mixes the Plain ways with the outside world when an Amish teen is found dead.
Having left the People without joining the church to become a cop, Elijah is neither Plain nor Englischer. He’s brought home from Philadelphia by request of the governor to look into the murder of his former girlfriend’s stepdaughter.
Now widowed, Hannah is devastated by the loss of the girl she’s mothered for so long. With Eli back among the People, her old feelings confuse her. He’s of the world; she will never be.
This is well-written, with sensitivity to the Amish culture and an interesting mystery interwoven. I enjoyed it and will look for other books by Kit Wilkinson.
Having been in a reading group, I found the discussion questions in the back of the book useful and well thought out.
from M. K.
July 31, 2012
July 26, 2012
Tips from my editor, the fabulous Elizabeth Mazer
Synopsis! What is it good for? Tips on communicating your story
Posted on July 5, 2012
by Elizabeth Mazer
Picture this: yours truly—a lovely and charming Assistant Editor for Harlequin series—meets an author at a conference. She pitches an intriguing-sounding story to me, and I give her my business card, asking for the first three chapters and the synopsis. Then I see it—the fear. The panic. The burning question in her eyes as she visibly wonders— what does this editor mean by that?
It’s a fair question. While any synopsis will give you the information on a story’s plot and characters, the sky pretty much is the limit when it comes to exactly how they’re presented. I’ve seen synopses ranging from one paragraph to thirty pages; some so vague that I can’t even identify the hero and others so detailed that I could practically write out a grocery list for all the meals the characters have. What’s the right way to go? That’s what I’m here to explain!
For starters, let’s talk about why a synopsis is important. (And trust me, it’s really, really important.)
Please don’t hate me for saying this, but even after you’ve finished writing your book, it’s going to be awhile before that manuscript into which you’ve invested your blood, sweat, and tears gets read by an agent or editor. Why? Because the agents and editors need to make sure it’s the kind of story they’re looking for before they sit down and plow through hundreds of pages of text.
As I mentioned, I work for Harlequin series, where all of our stories are romances. So if you’ve got a great story about a woman at an ad agency who goes to meet her new, very important client and discovers that it’s her high school sweetheart who inexplicably dumped her right before prom, that could be a terrific fit for some of our lines. But if they work out their issues, uncover the truth about his actions way back when, and come to a new understanding—and then decide to be just friends? Um…no. That really wouldn’t work for us. The sweet, satisfying happily-ever-after element to a romance is an essential part of our stories. As wonderful as your manuscript might be, if it lacks that element, then the story is not for us. And the sooner I find that issue out, the sooner I can reply to you and let you know.
On the other hand, if your story ends with the hero taking the heroine dancing to make up for the prom that wasn’t, telling her how happy he is to have laid the past to rest and then dropping to one knee and pulling out a ring box…well, that sounds perfect! And the sooner I see that, the sooner I can request the complete manuscript and start giving your story in-depth consideration.
So now that we know how important a synopsis can be, how can you craft your synopsis to make the best possible impression? On this point, I’ve got to admit, the rules aren’t hard-and-fast. Some publishing houses and literary agencies have very different guidelines. (And let me just say that it’s always a good idea to check online to see if their website lists any requirements.) But there are still some good rules you can follow to make your synopsis the best it can be.
If you’re pitching to an editor/agent who requests a synopsis, here are three questions to ask:
How long should the synopsis be? Our standard answer, as noted on www.harlequin.com is two pages, single-spaced—so it would be smart to have that ready to go. But while the content of your synopsis should fit on those two pages, it’s fine to double-space for ease of reading, in which case the synopsis should run 3-5 pages.
Chapter-by-chapter or narrative? I believe most editors/agents prefer the synopsis in paragraph style, outlining the plot as a narrative, but sometimes, you’ll get asked for a chapter-by-chapter breakdown. The narrative style works better for me, but I understand the appeal of the chapter-by-chapter style—it gives a good feel for pacing.
Just synopsis, or more? Sometimes, editors/agents like a bit more info alongside the synopsis. That “more” could be a two-line summary covering the key story elements. It could be a list of already published books that tackle similar themes, with the idea that fans of those books would like yours, too. It could be your (brief) bio, giving your experience and credentials. With Harlequin, we don’t require this information, but if you’re courting an agent, you’ll want to ask them if there’s anything like this they need you to include.
After that, here are three things to remember as you pull together and polish your synopsis:
Stay focused. Keep the backstory minimal! Center your synopsis on the “current day” events the characters face—their goals, motivations, and conflicts as they overcome obstacles to be together. And please, keep the tone consistent. A light, funny story should have a light, funny synopsis.
Include the ending. I’m sure it’s tempting to leave the synopsis open-ended to try to pique our interest into requesting more to see how things conclude, but that’s really not the way to go. As I mentioned before, we really need to know all the plot—including the ending—to make sure the story fits our requirements.
Relax! It’s always going to be scary to send your proposal to an editor or agent, but please, try to remember that we’re not as frightening as we seem! We don’t require you to be letter-perfect. I promise, I have never once refused to read a synopsis that ran long, or failed to include the ending. We’re book people—we’re here because we want to read your stories. More than that, we want to love your stories! Help us see what a terrific tale you’ve got with a clear, concise synopsis, and we can work things out from there.
Copied from SOYOUTHINKYOUCANWRITE. For actual article click site name.
July 25, 2012
July 24, 2012
Congratulations
To the winners of my Goodreads drawing on July 15th; Juan, Amy and Tyler. They should receive their copies in the next day or so.
I’ll have another drawing soon, again on Goodreads. Please look for that. I’ll announce that here as well as my signing which will be held at my favorite Richmond cafe in the fall.
July 11, 2012
Blogging Tour
Plain Secrets is featured on a few other blogs this month. If you have a chance, please drop in and say hello. There are novel giveaways at some of these sites.
Coming soon:
eHarlequin Love Inspired
Susan Sleeman’s Blog
Sandra Moore’s Blog
