Chantele Sedgwick's Blog, page 5
May 3, 2013
Things I'm Loving This Week
1. We have new carpet!!! Woo hoo!! Our old carpet was seriously old and hard and gross. So happy it's soft and squishy and new now! :D
2. I've been having a lazy week with no writing. Most of it is because I couldn't use the computer for a few days, but most of it is because I've just been lazy. ;) Actually, my lazy no writing weeks involve a lot of plotting! So ... next week I'd better be productive.
3. If you haven't checked out some of the entries for The Writers Voice, they are awesome! And good luck to everyone who has entered. Crossing my fingers for all of you!
4. Speaking of The Writers Voice, one of the hosts, my friend Krista Van Dolzer announced her book sale this week! SO happy for her! Head over to her blog and congratulate her! :D
5. If you haven't seen the list of
Have a great weekend everyone! Mine will be filled with dance competitions and soccer games!
2. I've been having a lazy week with no writing. Most of it is because I couldn't use the computer for a few days, but most of it is because I've just been lazy. ;) Actually, my lazy no writing weeks involve a lot of plotting! So ... next week I'd better be productive.
3. If you haven't checked out some of the entries for The Writers Voice, they are awesome! And good luck to everyone who has entered. Crossing my fingers for all of you!
4. Speaking of The Writers Voice, one of the hosts, my friend Krista Van Dolzer announced her book sale this week! SO happy for her! Head over to her blog and congratulate her! :D
5. If you haven't seen the list of
Have a great weekend everyone! Mine will be filled with dance competitions and soccer games!
April 26, 2013
Things I'm loving this week!
It's that time again! Things I've been loving this week! :)
1. I'm loving my agent this week. She's amazing and so supportive and knows her stuff. I'm so grateful to have her on my side. I still can't believe she's my agent.
2. My hubby is coming home today from a business trip! He's been gone since Monday morning, so we are SO excited for him to come home. The kids have been getting a "party" ready for him and making little welcome home signs. They're so funny.
3. My three year old has been sick this week and has been so cuddly. My older two aren't cuddlers anymore, so I have to get all the cuddles I can from my two youngest kids. I love it. I'm sad that she's been sick, but I've been loving having her close to me all week.
4. It's amazing how many people you can meet through blogging. I've met all of my crit partners/betas through blogging. Well, besides one. Katie Dodge and I have known each other for years. ;) But really. Get yourself out there and meet people. It will be the best thing you've ever done.
5. My kids only have four weeks left of school. Crazy. And exciting. We have a lot of fun adventures planned this summer!
Have a wonderful weekend!!:D
1. I'm loving my agent this week. She's amazing and so supportive and knows her stuff. I'm so grateful to have her on my side. I still can't believe she's my agent.
2. My hubby is coming home today from a business trip! He's been gone since Monday morning, so we are SO excited for him to come home. The kids have been getting a "party" ready for him and making little welcome home signs. They're so funny.
3. My three year old has been sick this week and has been so cuddly. My older two aren't cuddlers anymore, so I have to get all the cuddles I can from my two youngest kids. I love it. I'm sad that she's been sick, but I've been loving having her close to me all week.
4. It's amazing how many people you can meet through blogging. I've met all of my crit partners/betas through blogging. Well, besides one. Katie Dodge and I have known each other for years. ;) But really. Get yourself out there and meet people. It will be the best thing you've ever done.
5. My kids only have four weeks left of school. Crazy. And exciting. We have a lot of fun adventures planned this summer!
Have a wonderful weekend!!:D
April 19, 2013
Things I'm loving this week.
Hey guys! Just popping in for my weekly blog post. I was actually excited to blog this morning, which is good. :) Here are five things I'm loving this week.
1. I've been loving on my kids and hubby. With all the scary stuff happening in the world, I've been spending a ton of time with my family. They are the most important things in my life and I can't imagine anything happening to them. Hug your loved ones and always keep them close.
2. I've been reading a lot lately. Which makes me happy. One book I just finished that I LOVED, is The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen.
I loved it so much that I bought the second one the day I finished this one... Yes, I'm a sucker for a good book. And an awesome cover. ;)
3. I'm loving the daffodils that are blooming everywhere. Yellow is such a happy color. I do have to stop my girls from going into neighbors yards and picking them, but other than that, I love them!
4. I'm loving my new WIP. I've had the idea brewing for a while, but barely started writing it last night. It's another YA contemporary, so we'll see where it goes. It's full of emotion, betrayal, sorrow, music and of course romance. I'm excited to write it.
5. We've had some crazy weather here. It will be super cold with snow/rain and then a few hours later, the sun will be shining. Gotta love Utah weather I guess. I am loving the rain though. I don't know why, but rainstorms make me happy. And I LOVE thunder! Hopefully we get some thunderstorms soon.
What have you been loving this week? Have a great weekend!!
1. I've been loving on my kids and hubby. With all the scary stuff happening in the world, I've been spending a ton of time with my family. They are the most important things in my life and I can't imagine anything happening to them. Hug your loved ones and always keep them close.
2. I've been reading a lot lately. Which makes me happy. One book I just finished that I LOVED, is The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen.
I loved it so much that I bought the second one the day I finished this one... Yes, I'm a sucker for a good book. And an awesome cover. ;)
3. I'm loving the daffodils that are blooming everywhere. Yellow is such a happy color. I do have to stop my girls from going into neighbors yards and picking them, but other than that, I love them!
4. I'm loving my new WIP. I've had the idea brewing for a while, but barely started writing it last night. It's another YA contemporary, so we'll see where it goes. It's full of emotion, betrayal, sorrow, music and of course romance. I'm excited to write it.
5. We've had some crazy weather here. It will be super cold with snow/rain and then a few hours later, the sun will be shining. Gotta love Utah weather I guess. I am loving the rain though. I don't know why, but rainstorms make me happy. And I LOVE thunder! Hopefully we get some thunderstorms soon.
What have you been loving this week? Have a great weekend!!
April 17, 2013
Truth.
I used to be such a good blogger. I posted every day, never ran out of post ideas and commented on as many blogs as I could.
Now that I have four kids, it has all gone downhill. The truth is, I'm busy. My kids and husband are my priorities and my writing is way up there too. Between soccer games, dance class, scouts, sick kids, a clingy baby, and trying to squeeze in a little writing, it's become really clear that I need to cut things out. And blogging is one of the things I've stopped doing as often.
I've missed you guys. A lot. I feel awful that I haven't been able to keep up with commenting on and visiting blogs. I'm sure everyone else is super busy too, but I can't stay sane enough to do everything I want to do.
Anyway, I'm sorry I've been out of the loop. I've made it a goal to keep up on blogging, so I'm going to post once a week for now. On Fridays.
My Friday posts will be called: Things I'm loving this week. :) Whether it be the weather, writing, what I'm reading, whatever. It will at least be something. :)
I'll still do random spotlights on book deals and/or friends signing with agents, and other awesome announcements, but for now, Friday's will be my only scheduled posts. Thanks for sticking around even though I'm sporadic at best. And if you want to keep up with me, I'm on Twitter and Facebook more than bloggy land. :)
Now that I have four kids, it has all gone downhill. The truth is, I'm busy. My kids and husband are my priorities and my writing is way up there too. Between soccer games, dance class, scouts, sick kids, a clingy baby, and trying to squeeze in a little writing, it's become really clear that I need to cut things out. And blogging is one of the things I've stopped doing as often.
I've missed you guys. A lot. I feel awful that I haven't been able to keep up with commenting on and visiting blogs. I'm sure everyone else is super busy too, but I can't stay sane enough to do everything I want to do.
Anyway, I'm sorry I've been out of the loop. I've made it a goal to keep up on blogging, so I'm going to post once a week for now. On Fridays.
My Friday posts will be called: Things I'm loving this week. :) Whether it be the weather, writing, what I'm reading, whatever. It will at least be something. :)
I'll still do random spotlights on book deals and/or friends signing with agents, and other awesome announcements, but for now, Friday's will be my only scheduled posts. Thanks for sticking around even though I'm sporadic at best. And if you want to keep up with me, I'm on Twitter and Facebook more than bloggy land. :)
April 16, 2013
It's a B-word kind of day!!
My awesome friend Jessie Humphries just announced her AMAZING news today!
From Publishers Weekly:
"In an unorthodox deal, debut author Jessie Humphries sold world English rights to two books, including her novel Killing Ruby Rose, to Tim Ditlow at Amazon Publishing and Courtney Miller at Kindle Serials. Sarah Davies at Greenhouse Literary Agency represented Humphries, a lawyer, and the unique structure of the deal calls for the book to publish initially as episodes in Amazon’s Kindle Serials program. The episodes will begin appearing in the summer, with the print edition to follow in the early fall. The book was pitched as “Dexter meets Heist Society” and follows a girl who, unwillingly, becomes a serial killer targeting infamous villains."
Fantastic news, right? I'm SO so so so excited for her. I beta read her book a while ago and It. Is. Awesome. I can't wait to read the finished product. Head over to her blog B-Word and congratulate her if you haven't already. Woo hoo!!!
CONGRATULATIONS, JESSIE!!
From Publishers Weekly:
"In an unorthodox deal, debut author Jessie Humphries sold world English rights to two books, including her novel Killing Ruby Rose, to Tim Ditlow at Amazon Publishing and Courtney Miller at Kindle Serials. Sarah Davies at Greenhouse Literary Agency represented Humphries, a lawyer, and the unique structure of the deal calls for the book to publish initially as episodes in Amazon’s Kindle Serials program. The episodes will begin appearing in the summer, with the print edition to follow in the early fall. The book was pitched as “Dexter meets Heist Society” and follows a girl who, unwillingly, becomes a serial killer targeting infamous villains."
Fantastic news, right? I'm SO so so so excited for her. I beta read her book a while ago and It. Is. Awesome. I can't wait to read the finished product. Head over to her blog B-Word and congratulate her if you haven't already. Woo hoo!!!
CONGRATULATIONS, JESSIE!!
March 25, 2013
How do you handle rejection?
I'm wondering how many of you have experienced this situation before.
You finish your book. You revise, you polish until it's sparkly and clean. Your critique group and beta readers love it, so you know it's good. You write a killer query letter and perfect your synopsis.You've researched the perfect agents and get brave enough to send a few queries out just to see what happens...
A few days later, you get an e-mail. It's a reply to one of your query letters. Your stomach drops as you read which agent it's from. This could be it. The agent who will love your book as much as you do. Your heart feels like it's going to beat out of your chest and you shake as you click on the e-mail to open it.
Dear author,
You sigh as the words hit you. It's a form rejection. And even though it's only one, it still hurts.
Anyone who's queried has been in this situation. Querying is not for the weak. Every rejection makes you feel like you're the worst writer in the world at first. It does to me at least. But as you get a few requests, you'll realize everything is so subjective. Different agents like different things. They're people with different tastes. It's just like when you read a book and absolutely love it, but someone else hates it. It's just like querying. Not every agent will love your book. Most will reject you. BUT, all you need is that one person who loves your voice. One person that will give you a chance, and you'll realize all that rejection was worth it because you found the right person to represent you and your work.
You'll never get away from rejection. Even after you get an agent, editors will reject you. Readers will reject you. But you'll also have people who will love your books.That's what keeps me going. Even if I touch one reader, all this rejection and disappointment will be worth it.
You finish your book. You revise, you polish until it's sparkly and clean. Your critique group and beta readers love it, so you know it's good. You write a killer query letter and perfect your synopsis.You've researched the perfect agents and get brave enough to send a few queries out just to see what happens...
A few days later, you get an e-mail. It's a reply to one of your query letters. Your stomach drops as you read which agent it's from. This could be it. The agent who will love your book as much as you do. Your heart feels like it's going to beat out of your chest and you shake as you click on the e-mail to open it.
Dear author,
You sigh as the words hit you. It's a form rejection. And even though it's only one, it still hurts.
Anyone who's queried has been in this situation. Querying is not for the weak. Every rejection makes you feel like you're the worst writer in the world at first. It does to me at least. But as you get a few requests, you'll realize everything is so subjective. Different agents like different things. They're people with different tastes. It's just like when you read a book and absolutely love it, but someone else hates it. It's just like querying. Not every agent will love your book. Most will reject you. BUT, all you need is that one person who loves your voice. One person that will give you a chance, and you'll realize all that rejection was worth it because you found the right person to represent you and your work.
You'll never get away from rejection. Even after you get an agent, editors will reject you. Readers will reject you. But you'll also have people who will love your books.That's what keeps me going. Even if I touch one reader, all this rejection and disappointment will be worth it.
March 19, 2013
Letting go.
A lot of people write several manuscripts before they get an agent or a book deal. I've only heard of a few instances where someone has gotten a book deal with their very first book.
It doesn't happen often.
I wonder if everyone starts out like I did. You write a book, think it's super awesome, query it and get nothing but rejections, and wonder why no one will give you a chance. Do you give up? Move on to something else? When do you know it's time to move on?
I say when your heart isn't in it anymore. When you can admit to yourself that it's okay to put your book away for a while. Or when all you've gotten is rejections and no requests, or have gotten requests, but they all turned into rejections in the end.
Moving on to another book does NOT mean you suck. Timing is everything in this industry. And honestly, putting a few books on the shelf can help you grow. It means you recognize that this business is hard, but you're willing to work at it. You're willing to put your baby away and start from scratch to write something new because you believe you can succeed. You'll notice your improvement with each book. It may be subtle at first, but when you have a few books under your belt and go back and read some of your very first projects, you'll be amazed at how much better you've gotten.
I'm embarrassed at how naive I was when I first started trying to get published. Which is stupid, since no one really knows how hard publishing can be until they try. I could have given up so many times, but I'll be the first to admit I'm stubborn. And you kind of have to be a little stubborn to keep going. I still make mistakes. I'm not perfect. But I've come so far and every single book I've written has helped me get to the point I'm at now. Even the books that sucked.
The point of this post is, if you're not sure whether a book is working for you, or are so sick of rejection and wonder if it's not the right time to query your book, it's okay to put it away for a while. Or in several of my cases, forever. Work on something new. Keep yourself busy. You'll be glad you did and you never know whether your new idea will be something greater than you ever imagined.
FYI **I'm doing a giveaway on my Facebook page for a signed copy of Not Your Average Fairy Tale. Check it out if you'd like! :) ** Just click here: Chantele Sedgwick
It doesn't happen often.
I wonder if everyone starts out like I did. You write a book, think it's super awesome, query it and get nothing but rejections, and wonder why no one will give you a chance. Do you give up? Move on to something else? When do you know it's time to move on?
I say when your heart isn't in it anymore. When you can admit to yourself that it's okay to put your book away for a while. Or when all you've gotten is rejections and no requests, or have gotten requests, but they all turned into rejections in the end.
Moving on to another book does NOT mean you suck. Timing is everything in this industry. And honestly, putting a few books on the shelf can help you grow. It means you recognize that this business is hard, but you're willing to work at it. You're willing to put your baby away and start from scratch to write something new because you believe you can succeed. You'll notice your improvement with each book. It may be subtle at first, but when you have a few books under your belt and go back and read some of your very first projects, you'll be amazed at how much better you've gotten.
I'm embarrassed at how naive I was when I first started trying to get published. Which is stupid, since no one really knows how hard publishing can be until they try. I could have given up so many times, but I'll be the first to admit I'm stubborn. And you kind of have to be a little stubborn to keep going. I still make mistakes. I'm not perfect. But I've come so far and every single book I've written has helped me get to the point I'm at now. Even the books that sucked.
The point of this post is, if you're not sure whether a book is working for you, or are so sick of rejection and wonder if it's not the right time to query your book, it's okay to put it away for a while. Or in several of my cases, forever. Work on something new. Keep yourself busy. You'll be glad you did and you never know whether your new idea will be something greater than you ever imagined.
FYI **I'm doing a giveaway on my Facebook page for a signed copy of Not Your Average Fairy Tale. Check it out if you'd like! :) ** Just click here: Chantele Sedgwick
March 15, 2013
My News!! :D
When I left my agent last year, I was honestly devastated. I knew it was right, but I still had a hard time knowing I might not get another agent again. Even after I sold my fairytale book and got a contract, I still wanted an agent. I wasn't going to give up on that dream.
So, I wrote another book.
And got rejected over and over again. It wasn't right. It wasn't the right timing, the right book. I knew it, but it still hurt. Querying isn't for the weak. That's for sure.
I stopped querying after that and went to work on getting Fairytale released, finished my sequel, and worked on random things for a few months while I was pregnant with my little guy. After I had him, I had no idea where my writing was going, what to work on. It was kind of a mess. I almost stopped writing. I was so sick of rejection.
Then in December, I had an idea. Actually, I had the idea a few months before, but all I had was a little note about it jotted in my notebook. A letter from a brother to his sister.
That one little letter sparked a whole entire story. I sat down at the computer and wrote. And wrote. And wrote some more. Edited. Sent it to crit partners and betas, and revised. It took me two months to completely finish. Crazy fast for me. And the thing about this book? I loved it. More than any book I've written so far. So, after polishing it up, I wrote a query letter and in February I jumped back into the querying waters. I started getting rejections, but I also got a bunch of requests. Which surprised me. I waited and waited and three days ago, after a few events I can't really mention yet happened, I got an offer of representation.
From my dream agent.
There are details I can't share yet, but I've queried dream agent before and she told me with each book how much she loved my voice, but the story wasn't right. Well, this time it was. :)
I let the other agents know, but honestly, it was a no-brainer who to go with.
I really can't believe I'm writing this, but I'm now represented by Nicole Resciniti of The Seymour Agency!!!
I'm seriously still in shock. There may have been tears. It's a dream come true and I'm SO happy and excited to be working with Nicole! And knowing she loves my book makes me all kinds of happy. I am a firm believer that dreams can come true. If they can for me, they can for you.
Never give up, guys. Seriously. Never. Ever. Give up. :)
So, I wrote another book.
And got rejected over and over again. It wasn't right. It wasn't the right timing, the right book. I knew it, but it still hurt. Querying isn't for the weak. That's for sure.
I stopped querying after that and went to work on getting Fairytale released, finished my sequel, and worked on random things for a few months while I was pregnant with my little guy. After I had him, I had no idea where my writing was going, what to work on. It was kind of a mess. I almost stopped writing. I was so sick of rejection.
Then in December, I had an idea. Actually, I had the idea a few months before, but all I had was a little note about it jotted in my notebook. A letter from a brother to his sister.
That one little letter sparked a whole entire story. I sat down at the computer and wrote. And wrote. And wrote some more. Edited. Sent it to crit partners and betas, and revised. It took me two months to completely finish. Crazy fast for me. And the thing about this book? I loved it. More than any book I've written so far. So, after polishing it up, I wrote a query letter and in February I jumped back into the querying waters. I started getting rejections, but I also got a bunch of requests. Which surprised me. I waited and waited and three days ago, after a few events I can't really mention yet happened, I got an offer of representation.
From my dream agent.
There are details I can't share yet, but I've queried dream agent before and she told me with each book how much she loved my voice, but the story wasn't right. Well, this time it was. :)
I let the other agents know, but honestly, it was a no-brainer who to go with.
I really can't believe I'm writing this, but I'm now represented by Nicole Resciniti of The Seymour Agency!!!
I'm seriously still in shock. There may have been tears. It's a dream come true and I'm SO happy and excited to be working with Nicole! And knowing she loves my book makes me all kinds of happy. I am a firm believer that dreams can come true. If they can for me, they can for you.
Never give up, guys. Seriously. Never. Ever. Give up. :)
March 5, 2013
When Authors Help Each Other
I don't know if anyone has seen Peggy Eddleman's post from yesterday, but I would encourage anyone who hasn't to go read. It's a wonderful thing she's doing to help two fellow writers out.
I've been watching Chad's book climb the Amazon charts all day. Writer friends are amazing and are seriously so supportive of each other. Head over to Peggy's to see what it's all about. :)
I've been watching Chad's book climb the Amazon charts all day. Writer friends are amazing and are seriously so supportive of each other. Head over to Peggy's to see what it's all about. :)
February 22, 2013
Some randomness
I haven't done a Friday random post FOREVER! And I'm wanting to get back into blogging and visiting your fabulous blogs now that my baby is getting a little older. :) So, lets kick things off with a Random Friday post.
1. It's mini egg season. And you know what that means... I'll probably be up 20 pounds before Easter. So. Worth. It.
2. I'm really excited for Spring. Like I want it now. Too bad there's a snow storm coming tonight, right?
3. Does anyone own a Kindle Fire? A Kindle paperlight? I'm debating between those two. I have a plain Kindle and want to upgrade since my 8 year old steals mine all the time. :)
4. Babies grow too fast. Mine is almost 6 months already. Makes me sad. But happy since he's SO much fun!
5. I'm beta reading a manuscript right now and it's AWESOME. For reals. Katie Dodge has some mad writing skills.
Have a happy weekend everyone!!
1. It's mini egg season. And you know what that means... I'll probably be up 20 pounds before Easter. So. Worth. It.
2. I'm really excited for Spring. Like I want it now. Too bad there's a snow storm coming tonight, right?
3. Does anyone own a Kindle Fire? A Kindle paperlight? I'm debating between those two. I have a plain Kindle and want to upgrade since my 8 year old steals mine all the time. :)
4. Babies grow too fast. Mine is almost 6 months already. Makes me sad. But happy since he's SO much fun!
5. I'm beta reading a manuscript right now and it's AWESOME. For reals. Katie Dodge has some mad writing skills.
Have a happy weekend everyone!!
