Hilary Wagner's Blog, page 15

The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment: NIGHTSHADE CITY

Today, I'm a guest on Matthew Rush's fab blog, The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment. Try to say that really fast a hundred times!

We are talking about my query letter for Nightshade City that landed me at the Nancy Gallt Agency and with my uber awesome agent, Marietta Zacker!

My query letter is far from perfect, but it did the trick! Please show your support for Matt (err...and rats) and check it out! Every Friday he has a new query letter ready for review, one that nabbed an agen...

Hey! What's Your Favorite Line of All Time?

So, when I think about all the books I've read, certain lines, phrases come into mind--words that have always stuck with me. Some have touched my heart, others have made me laugh out loud and some were just so darn bizarre I couldn't get the words out of my head!

One of my most favorite lines of all time is from The Meaning of Night, by Michael Cox. I loved this book so much, but what really captured me was the first line of the book. It's so matter-of-fact and by the by, it surprised me to s...

And the Winning Rat Name Is...

This was a very tight race! The winner nabbed it by one vote! Every time I thought a name had it locked in, a few more people would cast their vote and change things up! While Finnegan, Snug and Cotter got some serious love, there was overwhelming favor going to Milo, Rooney and Topher.

So, without further ado, our little friend, whose name will be published in Book II of the Nightshade Chronicles, will be called TOPHER! Thanks so much to the lovely Valerie Kemp, who suggested the name. My li...

And the Winning Rat Name is...errr...still don't know! YOU DECIDE!

Okay, so first I have to tell you my news! Nightshade City will officially be in hardcover in one week! We've run out of ARC's, so my publisher decided the rest of the Advanced Reading Copies will be in the form of the actual finished bound book, which is so exciting! All that hard work and editing is done! I'll have the real deal hardcover in my hands before Father's Day and since the book is dedicated to my husband, you can only guess what he's getting!

Now, onto the rat naming contest, so ...

Name that Rat Contest for Book II of the Nightshade Chronicles!

Okay, so I'm writing part two of Nightshade City's sequel which is due to my publisher on October 1st, the same day Nightshade City releases! Gah! So, in honor of that, I want to do something fun and get your help naming one of my characters, who will appear in the sequel!

Who is this nameless rat?
He's a sweetheart through and through, but let's just say he's not the sharpest knife in the block. He's the kind of rat who knows not to give out a secret, but can be easily swindled into giving it...

BEA goers! Be sure to grab the ARC for Nightshade City, Booth 2752, Holiday House!

Sadly, regular life has gotten in the way of me going to the Book Expo America 2010, but that doesn't mean I won't be there in spirit! If you happen to be lucky enough to go, please be sure to stop by the Holiday House booth, #2752 and ask for an ARC of NIGHTSHADE CITY! There will be a big poster of the Nightshade City cover at the booth, so if you see that, you're probably in the rat right place! This is the last of the ARCs, as the hardcover prints this week and I'd love one and all to nab ...

Stranger than Fiction...HOPE!

Like most writers, when I was searching for an agent, I devoured every agency's website, I googled until my fingers yelled at me and endlessly scoured the writing boards and forums for info on agents until my head throbbed and my eyes wanted to go on strike. Why? Because that's what we have to do in order to land an agent.
I still have subscriptions from the forums, which alert me via email when someone posts on certain agency's threads---the ones that I was waiting for feedback from. Just...

Who Won the Signed Copy of Ivy's Ever After?? Drum roll, please!

Giles is our winner!Giles, my main man, you won the signed copy of Ivy's Ever After from the lovely Dawn Lairamore! Please send me your contact info via the email link on my profile and I'll send it off to Dawn! Giles was chosen using Randomizer. I highly recommend it for contests! Congrats Giles and happy reading one and all!
xoxo -- Hilary

Meet Debut Author, Dawn Lairamore and win a signed copy of Ivy's Ever After! w00t!

IVY'S EVER AFTER hits the streets THIS Saturday, May 15th! So, in honor of her looming debut, we are going to talk to Dawn about Ivy, her take on writing for the wee ones and her road to finding an agent! She also has a nice surprise for you! She'll be giving away a signed copy of...

Blogging Pet Peeves and Sound Advice! Eh, What's YOURS?

So, recently I was asked to write an article for the Prairie Wind, which is the online newsletter of the SCBWI IL Chapter. My article was all about blogging and what I've learned along the way, entitled: Ma'am, Put Down the Laptop and Step Away from the Blog! Okay, well...I thought it catchy! Anyway, it was great to share with others what I've learned about blogging as well as share the knowledge of such great writer/bloggers as Cynthia Leitich Smith, Elana Johnson, Shelli Johannes-Wells and ...