Michelle Hauck's Blog, page 84
January 15, 2015
Getting the Submission Call with Amanda Heger
If this story doesn't give you the warm fuzzies and make you laugh, nothing will. There's no way I can introduce this except to fling handfuls of chocolate. Heads up! Incoming M&Ms everywhere! Shield your eyes!
Congrats to Amanda and I've never seen a funnier Call post. I'm guessing Without Borders is hilarious.
Submission noun\in-‘sa-nɘ-tē\: the time when writers are most likely to sustain thumb injuries due to excessive email checking
In March of 2014, I accepted an offer of representation from Jessica Watterson at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. She agreed to help me find a home for my new adult contemporary romance, and I agreed not to be too much of a weirdo if we ever met in person. (Plus some other stuff that’s all spelled out in our agency agreement.)
Five months, one new title, and a few revisions later, Without Borders was ready for submission. Jessica composed a list of drool worthy editors, I stocked up on Sour Patch Kids and booze, and we sent my manuscript out into the world.
We agreed to check in once a week. I didn’t want to be surprised in the middle of the workday with a nicely worded “you suck,” nor did I want to see the actual rejections—unless the editor was rejecting Without Borders because it was simply too good. In that case, Jessica knew she should forward freely. (Spoiler alert: this never happened.)
I think this may be the smartest thing I ever did. (Except that one time I met Jason Dohring and forced him to take a photo with me. Obviously.) When the rejections started rolling in, I was a little disappointed, but mostly I just imagined the reasons were things like “I refuse to buy manuscripts that include references to The Baby-Sitters Club” or “My mother was eaten by a toucan, so that one scene was just too much of a trigger for me.”
Who wants to work with an editor that doesn’t like The Baby-Sitters Club anyway?
I did ask Jessica to tell me about any trends in the responses, in case there was something we needed to fix. But the only consistent issue was that a handful of editors had concerns about the setting.
Not much we could—or wanted—to do about that.
Instead, Jessica researched more drool worthy editors, this time looking specifically for those who’d previously purchased books set outside the United States. I bought more Sour Patch Kids and started wearing stretchy pants. We sent the manuscript out again.
In the meantime, I entered Without Borders in an RWA contest. At the last minute, just because I’d lost my mind, I also entered the first draft of my work-in-progress. Let me say that again: FIRST DRAFT. In fact, the contest called for twenty-five pages, and I only had twenty-three. I sent it anyway.
On November 11th, I woke up to the score sheets from the contest in my inbox. Neither of my pieces placed, which was no big deal. But my crappy first draft outscored my polished, slaved over, I’m-going-to-scratch-my-eyes-out-if-I-have-to-read-this-one-more-time manuscript.
By a lot.
Submission can make you certifiable, guys. And that morning, I was well on my way to Crazy Town. I convinced myself Without Borders would never sell. If something I hadn’t bothered to proofread was “better” than my manuscript out on submission, I was 117 percent screwed. For the first day since late August, I didn’t carry my phone with me everywhere I went. Why bother? Without Borders was clearly headed to the big manuscript farm in the sky.
I had the day off from work, and I decided to write a million more words on my work-in-progress. Maybe I’d have something new to send out on submission once the rest of the rejections arrived. Because nothing says “I’m a writer” like experiencing something horribly painful and then scrambling to do it all over again.
A few hours later, I emerged from my writing cave—which is really more of a loft where I store an unhealthy amount of autographed Kristen Bell paraphernalia, but I digress. I’d added several thousand words to the new story, and if Without Borders wasn’t going anywhere, maybe this one would. Someday.
I reluctantly checked my phone.
There it was. A missed call from Jessica.
Actual transcript of voicemail:
Hey Amanda. This is Jessica. I have something really important to talk to you about, so as soon as you can call me back, please do.
Hello, Agent Vague.
(Love you, Jess. In a strictly professional, only mildly creepy sort of way.)
After the morning I’d had, I worried someone from the contest had emailed Jessica to tell her my manuscript was horrendous, and now she was calling to end our agent-neurotic writer relationship. An offer truly seemed like the less likely option. (See above, re: Crazy Town.) But I put on my big girl pants—which, by now were two sizes larger than pre-submission—and called her back.
“There’s an offer from Diversion Books,” she said. “But there’s a problem.”
“What?!”
“They want you to write three books instead of one. Is that okay?”
I have zero recollection of what happened after that. I must have agreed. I’m pretty sure I said I would write up a quick outline for book two. I think I babbled on about what a crappy day I’d had, and she probably stared at the phone wondering if I’d had too much to drink. All I know is half an hour later, I found myself wandering the aisles of Target, with my heart pounding in my ears and a new, shiny notebook in my hands.
I came home, tossed back a few more Sour Patch Kids, and deleted those score sheets permanently from my inbox. Then I carefully printed the words BOOK TWO across the cover of the notebook.
------------------------------
Amanda Heger is a writer, attorney, and bookworm. She lives in the Midwest with three unruly rescue dogs and a husband who encourages her delusions of grandeur.
Her new adult contemporary romance, Without Borders, is forthcoming from Diversion Books. The story was inspired by the summer Amanda spent in rural Nicaragua, eating gallo pinto, speaking mangled Spanish, and showing high school students how to slide condoms onto over-sized plantains.
Find her on Twitter @amanda_heger or on her poorly maintained website amandaheger.com.
Congrats to Amanda and I've never seen a funnier Call post. I'm guessing Without Borders is hilarious.
Submission noun\in-‘sa-nɘ-tē\: the time when writers are most likely to sustain thumb injuries due to excessive email checking
In March of 2014, I accepted an offer of representation from Jessica Watterson at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. She agreed to help me find a home for my new adult contemporary romance, and I agreed not to be too much of a weirdo if we ever met in person. (Plus some other stuff that’s all spelled out in our agency agreement.)
Five months, one new title, and a few revisions later, Without Borders was ready for submission. Jessica composed a list of drool worthy editors, I stocked up on Sour Patch Kids and booze, and we sent my manuscript out into the world.
We agreed to check in once a week. I didn’t want to be surprised in the middle of the workday with a nicely worded “you suck,” nor did I want to see the actual rejections—unless the editor was rejecting Without Borders because it was simply too good. In that case, Jessica knew she should forward freely. (Spoiler alert: this never happened.)
I think this may be the smartest thing I ever did. (Except that one time I met Jason Dohring and forced him to take a photo with me. Obviously.) When the rejections started rolling in, I was a little disappointed, but mostly I just imagined the reasons were things like “I refuse to buy manuscripts that include references to The Baby-Sitters Club” or “My mother was eaten by a toucan, so that one scene was just too much of a trigger for me.”
Who wants to work with an editor that doesn’t like The Baby-Sitters Club anyway?
I did ask Jessica to tell me about any trends in the responses, in case there was something we needed to fix. But the only consistent issue was that a handful of editors had concerns about the setting.
Not much we could—or wanted—to do about that.
Instead, Jessica researched more drool worthy editors, this time looking specifically for those who’d previously purchased books set outside the United States. I bought more Sour Patch Kids and started wearing stretchy pants. We sent the manuscript out again.
In the meantime, I entered Without Borders in an RWA contest. At the last minute, just because I’d lost my mind, I also entered the first draft of my work-in-progress. Let me say that again: FIRST DRAFT. In fact, the contest called for twenty-five pages, and I only had twenty-three. I sent it anyway.
On November 11th, I woke up to the score sheets from the contest in my inbox. Neither of my pieces placed, which was no big deal. But my crappy first draft outscored my polished, slaved over, I’m-going-to-scratch-my-eyes-out-if-I-have-to-read-this-one-more-time manuscript.
By a lot.
Submission can make you certifiable, guys. And that morning, I was well on my way to Crazy Town. I convinced myself Without Borders would never sell. If something I hadn’t bothered to proofread was “better” than my manuscript out on submission, I was 117 percent screwed. For the first day since late August, I didn’t carry my phone with me everywhere I went. Why bother? Without Borders was clearly headed to the big manuscript farm in the sky.
I had the day off from work, and I decided to write a million more words on my work-in-progress. Maybe I’d have something new to send out on submission once the rest of the rejections arrived. Because nothing says “I’m a writer” like experiencing something horribly painful and then scrambling to do it all over again.
A few hours later, I emerged from my writing cave—which is really more of a loft where I store an unhealthy amount of autographed Kristen Bell paraphernalia, but I digress. I’d added several thousand words to the new story, and if Without Borders wasn’t going anywhere, maybe this one would. Someday.
I reluctantly checked my phone.
There it was. A missed call from Jessica.
Actual transcript of voicemail:
Hey Amanda. This is Jessica. I have something really important to talk to you about, so as soon as you can call me back, please do.
Hello, Agent Vague.
(Love you, Jess. In a strictly professional, only mildly creepy sort of way.)
After the morning I’d had, I worried someone from the contest had emailed Jessica to tell her my manuscript was horrendous, and now she was calling to end our agent-neurotic writer relationship. An offer truly seemed like the less likely option. (See above, re: Crazy Town.) But I put on my big girl pants—which, by now were two sizes larger than pre-submission—and called her back.
“There’s an offer from Diversion Books,” she said. “But there’s a problem.”
“What?!”
“They want you to write three books instead of one. Is that okay?”
I have zero recollection of what happened after that. I must have agreed. I’m pretty sure I said I would write up a quick outline for book two. I think I babbled on about what a crappy day I’d had, and she probably stared at the phone wondering if I’d had too much to drink. All I know is half an hour later, I found myself wandering the aisles of Target, with my heart pounding in my ears and a new, shiny notebook in my hands.
I came home, tossed back a few more Sour Patch Kids, and deleted those score sheets permanently from my inbox. Then I carefully printed the words BOOK TWO across the cover of the notebook.
------------------------------
Amanda Heger is a writer, attorney, and bookworm. She lives in the Midwest with three unruly rescue dogs and a husband who encourages her delusions of grandeur.
Her new adult contemporary romance, Without Borders, is forthcoming from Diversion Books. The story was inspired by the summer Amanda spent in rural Nicaragua, eating gallo pinto, speaking mangled Spanish, and showing high school students how to slide condoms onto over-sized plantains.
Find her on Twitter @amanda_heger or on her poorly maintained website amandaheger.com.
January 14, 2015
Winter Memory
I thought since everyone else is sharing a winter/snow memory, it's only fair that I do the same. (For the free pass post go here.) Here's a quasi embarrassing story from my misspent youth.
I grew up in Tennessee, not exactly the snow capital of North America. Instead of flaky white stuff that you can throw at people or roll into rotund statues of adorable Christmas icons, my part of Tennessee mostly got stuck with ice when winter weather arrived. Instead of snow days we had ice days.
Another thing about Tennessee, they have lots of tall pine trees. Now ice and tall trees with all the branches at the top are a bad combination. Let me tell you something about icy pine trees, they're really elastic, like an Olympic gymnastic flexible. They bend right down--onto the ground, or onto roofs, or onto, say, power lines. A coating of ice over everything in sight is a beautiful scene until it's a pine tree on your electric line. Then you end up at a motel for a week until things thaw enough for the emergency workers to drive again. Cause yay, Tennessee, no salt trucks either.
But I digress from the quasi embarrassing part. My parents who wanted to give their kids everything, gave us an above ground swimming pool with a nice deck around it going right to the house. A wonderful spot in the summer, but that swimming pool used to turn to ice in the winter as water tends to do. You can see where this is heading, right? But wait, there's more...
In my misspent youth, my sister and I had a favorite hobby of, wait for it, roller skating. This was in the way back, before roller blades, we're talking roller skates. The kind that you might put purple pom-poms on the laces. Sis and I pretty much roller skated day and night, up and down the driveway, all around the garage. It's what we did. Don't ask me why. We used our imagination when we played in those times.
Well one genius day, I decided to roller skate onto the deck. And lo and behold what do I see: a solid surface on our swimming pool. A BRAND new place to skate that had never been skated before! Being the shy little thing that never did anything by herself, I turned back and went and asked my mother. Wait. Are you buying that garbage? I was ten, I didn't ask anyone.
I skated right out there onto the ice. Look at me; I'm cool on top of the swimming pool. It lasted all of three feet then kersploosh 'cause Tennessee ice ain't that thick, people. So I'm floundering in freezing water with roller skates weighing my feet down like bricks. I'm yelling and panicking. My mother comes racing out, puts her hands on her hips and says, "Stand up."
Yeah. Our pool was only about three and a half feet deep. My family doesn't let me live that one down.
I grew up in Tennessee, not exactly the snow capital of North America. Instead of flaky white stuff that you can throw at people or roll into rotund statues of adorable Christmas icons, my part of Tennessee mostly got stuck with ice when winter weather arrived. Instead of snow days we had ice days.
Another thing about Tennessee, they have lots of tall pine trees. Now ice and tall trees with all the branches at the top are a bad combination. Let me tell you something about icy pine trees, they're really elastic, like an Olympic gymnastic flexible. They bend right down--onto the ground, or onto roofs, or onto, say, power lines. A coating of ice over everything in sight is a beautiful scene until it's a pine tree on your electric line. Then you end up at a motel for a week until things thaw enough for the emergency workers to drive again. Cause yay, Tennessee, no salt trucks either.
But I digress from the quasi embarrassing part. My parents who wanted to give their kids everything, gave us an above ground swimming pool with a nice deck around it going right to the house. A wonderful spot in the summer, but that swimming pool used to turn to ice in the winter as water tends to do. You can see where this is heading, right? But wait, there's more...
In my misspent youth, my sister and I had a favorite hobby of, wait for it, roller skating. This was in the way back, before roller blades, we're talking roller skates. The kind that you might put purple pom-poms on the laces. Sis and I pretty much roller skated day and night, up and down the driveway, all around the garage. It's what we did. Don't ask me why. We used our imagination when we played in those times.
Well one genius day, I decided to roller skate onto the deck. And lo and behold what do I see: a solid surface on our swimming pool. A BRAND new place to skate that had never been skated before! Being the shy little thing that never did anything by herself, I turned back and went and asked my mother. Wait. Are you buying that garbage? I was ten, I didn't ask anyone.
I skated right out there onto the ice. Look at me; I'm cool on top of the swimming pool. It lasted all of three feet then kersploosh 'cause Tennessee ice ain't that thick, people. So I'm floundering in freezing water with roller skates weighing my feet down like bricks. I'm yelling and panicking. My mother comes racing out, puts her hands on her hips and says, "Stand up."
Yeah. Our pool was only about three and a half feet deep. My family doesn't let me live that one down.
January 13, 2015
Getting the Call with Roselle Kaes
I never get tired of these stories! Here's an agent call for a book that sounds full of amazing diversity and food! That's a dynamite combination! Congratulations to Roselle Kaes for finding her agent.
Let’s start from the beginning. Inspired by the life of my Tai Kong (Great grandfather), I began writing HUNGER. It is an MS close to my heart, a love letter to food, and a work expressing my cultural heritage- Chinese and Filipino. Having written an UF before, I’ve started writing in a different way, concentrating on lyrical prose and vivid imagery, painting with words like I painted on canvas or how I used needle and thread to embroider. When I finished, I knew I had written something special. With the help of my CPs and Betas, I revised and polished until it was ready to be queried.
I entered contests and I queried some more. One day, I got an R&R from a big agent. I looked at her notes, agreed with them, and decided to hold off querying to revise. It took me three months to rewrite the second half of the MS. After I finished revisions, I started to query again. I knew HUNGER was much stronger this time around. Every querying writer hears those damnable crickets in their inbox until finally, requests and rejections come in.
One day, I got a request. Then a request for two more chapters. Then a full! She offered hours before she had to hop on a plane for a conference. She offered in three days. I couldn’t believe it. The most memorable line in her email was that she was a vegetarian and she was running to the fridge for food! I had to wait until she got back from her conference in Italy until I could say yes. Waiting for the call was excruciating because the more I researched this agent, the more I realize she is the one. There were too many common interests. It’s like finding a piece of a puzzle that fits so perfectly.
She called my writing “sensual.” Ann loved my two WIP ideas. She totally got HUNGER and loved the foodie descriptions even though she is a vegetarian who hasn’t “eaten flesh in 20 years.” I had to say yes in the Call. And believe me, the call was magical. It’s like talking to someone you’ve known for years. I couldn’t resist. I had to say yes and I wanted to say yes the moment she offered. I could not have found a better, passionate advocate for my work.
Bio:
Roselle Kaes is passionate about food and her Chinese-Filipino heritage. Inspired by her late great grandfather, she wrote HUNGER as a tribute to him. She completed the manuscript with major revisions and the help of her critique partners. She is a graduate of Humanities and History at York University. When she is not writing, she is embroidering, illustrating, and chasing after her husband, daughter, and fluff beast of a cat on the north shore of Lake Erie.She is repped by Ann Collette of Rees Literary.Twitter: @roselle_kaes
Let’s start from the beginning. Inspired by the life of my Tai Kong (Great grandfather), I began writing HUNGER. It is an MS close to my heart, a love letter to food, and a work expressing my cultural heritage- Chinese and Filipino. Having written an UF before, I’ve started writing in a different way, concentrating on lyrical prose and vivid imagery, painting with words like I painted on canvas or how I used needle and thread to embroider. When I finished, I knew I had written something special. With the help of my CPs and Betas, I revised and polished until it was ready to be queried.
I entered contests and I queried some more. One day, I got an R&R from a big agent. I looked at her notes, agreed with them, and decided to hold off querying to revise. It took me three months to rewrite the second half of the MS. After I finished revisions, I started to query again. I knew HUNGER was much stronger this time around. Every querying writer hears those damnable crickets in their inbox until finally, requests and rejections come in.
One day, I got a request. Then a request for two more chapters. Then a full! She offered hours before she had to hop on a plane for a conference. She offered in three days. I couldn’t believe it. The most memorable line in her email was that she was a vegetarian and she was running to the fridge for food! I had to wait until she got back from her conference in Italy until I could say yes. Waiting for the call was excruciating because the more I researched this agent, the more I realize she is the one. There were too many common interests. It’s like finding a piece of a puzzle that fits so perfectly.
She called my writing “sensual.” Ann loved my two WIP ideas. She totally got HUNGER and loved the foodie descriptions even though she is a vegetarian who hasn’t “eaten flesh in 20 years.” I had to say yes in the Call. And believe me, the call was magical. It’s like talking to someone you’ve known for years. I couldn’t resist. I had to say yes and I wanted to say yes the moment she offered. I could not have found a better, passionate advocate for my work.
Bio:
Roselle Kaes is passionate about food and her Chinese-Filipino heritage. Inspired by her late great grandfather, she wrote HUNGER as a tribute to him. She completed the manuscript with major revisions and the help of her critique partners. She is a graduate of Humanities and History at York University. When she is not writing, she is embroidering, illustrating, and chasing after her husband, daughter, and fluff beast of a cat on the north shore of Lake Erie.She is repped by Ann Collette of Rees Literary.Twitter: @roselle_kaes
January 12, 2015
Snow Free Pass 2015
Hey all,
One of my favorite parts of these contests is giving someone an opportunity to make the agent round who I would not necessarily pick. It's giving a dark horse a shot at a mentor and getting in front of agents. I've always been something of a dark horse myself.
I'm making it simple this time. No rafflecopters. No following or liking me here or there. Thought if you could retweet about the free pass that would be awesome! I really encourage you to help get the word out. The more the merrier!
You do not have to be planning to enter as a 'snow' contestant. You MC may prefer sun for your entry on January 26th. None of that matters here for the free pass.
I just want you to leave a comment on this blog post with your favorite memory about snow or winter. Be inventive and creative. Have lots of voice. Entertain me! You can be as long or short as you like but no giant essays. Keep it to a paragraph or four, shorter is preferred. I will be picking my favorite comment for the win. Hint: long-time followers know I like to laugh.
I almost forgot the most important part, leave some way for me to get ahold of you. That means a twitter handle or email address in the comment.
The free pass starts now and ends on Friday January 23rd at 4:00 eastern. Good luck and be sure to hang out at #sunvssnow to meet and greet other writers!
January 10, 2015
Giveaway of Ignite
In the kingdom of Antion, peace has at long last been restored. Now that King Hector's reign of terror is over, the newly crowned King Damian, along with his most trusted guard, Alexa, must focus on rebuilding Antion and reclaiming the hope of their people. But the wounds of the past are no as easily mended as Alexa and Damian had hoped. And to further complicate matters, Alexa still harbors a secret love for Damian, a love she refuses to acknowledge for the sake of Antion, and for the sake of the king himself.
When new threats to the kingdom surface--including an assassination attempt on Damian--blame is cast on the once-friendly nation of Blevon. Alexa knows things are not what they seem, however, and once again the fate of her country hangs in the balance. Will Alexa be able to protect her king and find the true enemy before it's too late?
If you're a fan of the first book by Sara B. Larson you'd better hustle over to the Writer Diaries and enter to win an ARC of Ignite. I did a review there with my friend Tawney.
January 9, 2015
Getting the Call with Annika Sharma
What's better than inspiration? Double the inspiration! Annika Sharma shares not only her agent story, but her publishing story! Thank you Annika and I'd love to have you back to share about your release of The Rearranged Life in May.
Every year, I think my birthday is a glorious and magical portal into All The Things That Will Happen. My best friend was born 4 days before me, so we usually celebrate together and then talk about how everything is going to change this year. And sometimes when big things happen, it labels the year--like The Year I Graduated College. If I had to label the last year, though, I would name it The Year I Waited. Or, The Year Everything and Nothing Happened.
I guess I should start at the beginning. I have always been a writer, but the stars didn't align. I went into the sciences, despite my parents telling me to major in journalism (note: listen to your parents if they're smarter than you!) and dulled my daydreaming because I didn't have the confidence that I could turn it into a career. When graduate school was about to start, I had a month off and everything clicked. My New Adult story, about an Indian girl named Nithya who falls in love with an American named James and challenges the dreams of medical school and a semi-arranged marriage that she and her family have always planned, poured out. I researched agents, querying, and everything else before (finally) beginning submissions to agents in October 2013, a month before my birthday. I got a few partial requests--those didn't go anywhere. Then I got two full requests.
Let's be real for a second.
Waiting is horrible.
Rational thinking told me that agents have a lot on their plate so it made sense that it took so long to hear back. My now-reinvigorated sense of imagination told me they'd respond within three seconds of reading my query, offering representation in droves. I didn't realize how impatient I'd be! I went back and forth between feeling optimistic and wanting to throw my laptop out of the window. Finally, in March, I received a kind and incredibly helpful rejection from one of the agents who asked for the full. I was devastated--and I thought the other would say no, too. Then, in a moment of panic, I decided my story had been queried too early, didn't follow a typical arc and rewrote the entire thing. I was about to start the second edit of the revised story, when the other agent I was waiting on, Stacey Donaghy, called me in the beginning of July. It was almost 9 months after I'd begun the query process. I actually missed her first call because I was at coffee with my best friend, wondering when this would ever happen, and then I received an email: "I would like to talk to you about your story." Cue the freak out!
After rushing home, hyperventilating and attempting to sound dignified, Stacey and I ended up on the phone. She was on par with the story from the beginning. We saw the characters similarly and she respected my opinion about different aspects of the story. She even said that she loved that it was different, and that it didn't fit a formula. I knew, deep down, that I had to sign with her and that she'd do great things. We had minor edits to make, and I spent a month fixing some small issues before we finally sent the story on submission to publishing houses.
We immediately got full requests from editors. It was the coolest and most terrifying feeling ever because this time, the waiting was magnified. When you query to agents, there is a sense that you can improve based on the personalized rejections. You keep fixing things and keep sending materials out. It seems like there's an infinite number of people you can reach out to. With editors, that list is finite. It's like waiting for the Cool Kids to tell you that you can sit at their table, all while feeling like the kid eating lunch in the toilet stall. It's unnerving. There is nothing you can do this time but try to write something else and keep busy. Luckily, my family didn't harp on the fact that I'd likely put them in therapy from my whining, and Stacey was positive and believed in the story. They never ran out of hope, even in the face of rejections...which inevitably came, to my disappointment.
Finally, the day before Thanksgiving, ten days after my birthday and three months after we began, we got The Call from Curiosity Quills. After closing the process with other houses, we put our names on the dotted line. I spoke with my editor, Lisa, and she had so many ideas and so much enthusiasm. I loved that she loved my story as much as I did and as much as Stacey did. I couldn't have asked for a more hands-on publisher. The entire team is positive, helpful and prompt...exactly what a newbie and slightly neurotic human like me needs.
Every time I waited, it seemed like the year would end up being The Year of Nothing. But now, after getting an agent and a book deal in less than 6 months, and only 14 months after beginning the process, I can say it seems more like The Year It All Changed. My book, The Rearranged Life, will be out in May. To be able to say that and to have gotten through the waiting? Well, I'd say that this year was pretty darn awesome.
----------------------------------------------
Annika Sharma was born in New Delhi and brought up in the United States, where she moved with her parents as a baby. She graduated from Penn State University with degrees in Biobehavioral Health and Neuropsychology, with minors in Biology and Human Development and Family Studies. Upon graduating college, she worked at a preschool to become more comfortable working with young children in the hopes of becoming a nurse practitioner. While there, she was recruited into a Master's program at Penn State, graduating in 2013 with her M. Ed in Early Childhood Special Education. In the month before beginning graduate school, she wrote her first novel, The Rearranged Life, a story about an Indian girl who, after aiming for medical school and coming to terms with an arranged marriage, falls in love with an American. Annika daylights as a preschool teacher, while pursuing her dreams of writing full-time. She currently lives in State College, Pennsylvania. The Rearranged Life, will be hitting shelves in May 2015, published by Curiosity Quills.
LinksWebsite: www.annikasharma.comTwitter: @annikasharmaFacebook: www.facebook.com/annikasharmawritesPinch me, I have a book deal!: http://www.annikasharma.com/#!Pinch-me-I-HAVE-A-BOOK-DEAL/c1ri1/C2A4A106-955B-4DAD-8D60-6D7F1CD5C7B1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24356955-the-rearranged-life
Every year, I think my birthday is a glorious and magical portal into All The Things That Will Happen. My best friend was born 4 days before me, so we usually celebrate together and then talk about how everything is going to change this year. And sometimes when big things happen, it labels the year--like The Year I Graduated College. If I had to label the last year, though, I would name it The Year I Waited. Or, The Year Everything and Nothing Happened.
I guess I should start at the beginning. I have always been a writer, but the stars didn't align. I went into the sciences, despite my parents telling me to major in journalism (note: listen to your parents if they're smarter than you!) and dulled my daydreaming because I didn't have the confidence that I could turn it into a career. When graduate school was about to start, I had a month off and everything clicked. My New Adult story, about an Indian girl named Nithya who falls in love with an American named James and challenges the dreams of medical school and a semi-arranged marriage that she and her family have always planned, poured out. I researched agents, querying, and everything else before (finally) beginning submissions to agents in October 2013, a month before my birthday. I got a few partial requests--those didn't go anywhere. Then I got two full requests.
Let's be real for a second.
Waiting is horrible.
Rational thinking told me that agents have a lot on their plate so it made sense that it took so long to hear back. My now-reinvigorated sense of imagination told me they'd respond within three seconds of reading my query, offering representation in droves. I didn't realize how impatient I'd be! I went back and forth between feeling optimistic and wanting to throw my laptop out of the window. Finally, in March, I received a kind and incredibly helpful rejection from one of the agents who asked for the full. I was devastated--and I thought the other would say no, too. Then, in a moment of panic, I decided my story had been queried too early, didn't follow a typical arc and rewrote the entire thing. I was about to start the second edit of the revised story, when the other agent I was waiting on, Stacey Donaghy, called me in the beginning of July. It was almost 9 months after I'd begun the query process. I actually missed her first call because I was at coffee with my best friend, wondering when this would ever happen, and then I received an email: "I would like to talk to you about your story." Cue the freak out!
After rushing home, hyperventilating and attempting to sound dignified, Stacey and I ended up on the phone. She was on par with the story from the beginning. We saw the characters similarly and she respected my opinion about different aspects of the story. She even said that she loved that it was different, and that it didn't fit a formula. I knew, deep down, that I had to sign with her and that she'd do great things. We had minor edits to make, and I spent a month fixing some small issues before we finally sent the story on submission to publishing houses.
We immediately got full requests from editors. It was the coolest and most terrifying feeling ever because this time, the waiting was magnified. When you query to agents, there is a sense that you can improve based on the personalized rejections. You keep fixing things and keep sending materials out. It seems like there's an infinite number of people you can reach out to. With editors, that list is finite. It's like waiting for the Cool Kids to tell you that you can sit at their table, all while feeling like the kid eating lunch in the toilet stall. It's unnerving. There is nothing you can do this time but try to write something else and keep busy. Luckily, my family didn't harp on the fact that I'd likely put them in therapy from my whining, and Stacey was positive and believed in the story. They never ran out of hope, even in the face of rejections...which inevitably came, to my disappointment.
Finally, the day before Thanksgiving, ten days after my birthday and three months after we began, we got The Call from Curiosity Quills. After closing the process with other houses, we put our names on the dotted line. I spoke with my editor, Lisa, and she had so many ideas and so much enthusiasm. I loved that she loved my story as much as I did and as much as Stacey did. I couldn't have asked for a more hands-on publisher. The entire team is positive, helpful and prompt...exactly what a newbie and slightly neurotic human like me needs.
Every time I waited, it seemed like the year would end up being The Year of Nothing. But now, after getting an agent and a book deal in less than 6 months, and only 14 months after beginning the process, I can say it seems more like The Year It All Changed. My book, The Rearranged Life, will be out in May. To be able to say that and to have gotten through the waiting? Well, I'd say that this year was pretty darn awesome.
----------------------------------------------
Annika Sharma was born in New Delhi and brought up in the United States, where she moved with her parents as a baby. She graduated from Penn State University with degrees in Biobehavioral Health and Neuropsychology, with minors in Biology and Human Development and Family Studies. Upon graduating college, she worked at a preschool to become more comfortable working with young children in the hopes of becoming a nurse practitioner. While there, she was recruited into a Master's program at Penn State, graduating in 2013 with her M. Ed in Early Childhood Special Education. In the month before beginning graduate school, she wrote her first novel, The Rearranged Life, a story about an Indian girl who, after aiming for medical school and coming to terms with an arranged marriage, falls in love with an American. Annika daylights as a preschool teacher, while pursuing her dreams of writing full-time. She currently lives in State College, Pennsylvania. The Rearranged Life, will be hitting shelves in May 2015, published by Curiosity Quills.
LinksWebsite: www.annikasharma.comTwitter: @annikasharmaFacebook: www.facebook.com/annikasharmawritesPinch me, I have a book deal!: http://www.annikasharma.com/#!Pinch-me-I-HAVE-A-BOOK-DEAL/c1ri1/C2A4A106-955B-4DAD-8D60-6D7F1CD5C7B1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24356955-the-rearranged-life
January 8, 2015
Formatting for Sun versus Snow 2015
To help everyone prepare, here is the information you'll need to enter Sun versus Snow. The submission for Sun versus Snow will be January 26th at 4 pm Eastern time. Act fast. We will only be taking the first 200 entries. In Nightmare on Query Street, the entry window closed in just a few hours. Please do not enter early or your entry will be deleted. You can resend at the proper time if this happens accidentally.
Confirmation emails will be sent. If you don't receive one, don't resend. We don't want duplicate entries. Please check with us on twitter first to confirm your entry did or did not arrive, then you may resend.
There is only ONE, yes that's right, ONE entry per person allowed. Any attempt to cheat will result in entries being thrown out.
This contest is only for finished and polished stories.
Amy and I have decided not to accept picture books for this contests. Though we love picture books, contests just don't seem to be the best place to get them requests. We do accept all MG, YA, NA and Adult genres, excluding erotica.
To enter you must be followers of our blogs. Click the 'join this site' button on my blog. You can find Amy's blog here.
The Format:
Send submission to Sunversussnow (at) yahoo (dot) com. Only one submission per person is allowed. It doesn't matter if you write under different names or are submitting different manuscripts. You are still one person and get one entry.
Here's how it should be formatted (yes, include the bolded!) Please use Times New Roman (or equivalent), 12 pt font, and put spaces between paragraphs. No indents or tabs are needed. No worries if your gmail doesn't have Times New Roman. No worries if the email messes up your format. Yes, we will still read it! :-)
(Here's a trick to keep your paragraph spacing: copy and paste your entry into your email and then put in the line spaces. They seem to get lost when you copy and paste. It may look right but sending scrambles the spacing.)
Subject Line: SVS: TITLE, Age Category + Genre (example: SVS: PYGMY HAZARDS, MG Fantasy)
In The Email:
Title: MY FANTASTIC BOOK (yes, caps!)Genre: YA dystopian (Age category and genre. YA/MG is not a genre.)Word Count: XX,XXX (round to the nearest thousand)
My Main Character would prefer to live in:
Would your main character prefer to live in heat or cold. And why? Tell us which weather would make your MC the most comfortable or happy.
Example: As a hamster, Tom doesn't dig all this white stuff falling from the sky. It's some kind of freaky trick pulled by the crazy pygmies at the asylum they call school. He only knows it makes him curl up and snooze. Where's the fun in that? (Can be in your MC's POV, but doesn't have to be. 100 words or less.)
Query:
Query goes here! Include greeting and main paragraphs. Please leave out bio, closing, and word count + genre sentence. You may include comps if you'd like. There is no word count limit on the query but please aim for 250 - 300 words.
First 250 words:
Here are the first 250 words of my manuscript, and I will not end in the middle of a sentence. But I will not go over 257 words. Be reasonable and don't make us count. Don't forget to space between paragraphs!
That's it for now. Get those entries ready for January 26th and leave any questions in the comments or ask on twitter.
Mentors for a lightning fast mentor round will be posted soon. As will the names of our fabulous fourteen agents!
We can't wait to get started!
Look for news about Free Passes from Amy and myself on Monday!
Confirmation emails will be sent. If you don't receive one, don't resend. We don't want duplicate entries. Please check with us on twitter first to confirm your entry did or did not arrive, then you may resend.
There is only ONE, yes that's right, ONE entry per person allowed. Any attempt to cheat will result in entries being thrown out.
This contest is only for finished and polished stories.
Amy and I have decided not to accept picture books for this contests. Though we love picture books, contests just don't seem to be the best place to get them requests. We do accept all MG, YA, NA and Adult genres, excluding erotica.
To enter you must be followers of our blogs. Click the 'join this site' button on my blog. You can find Amy's blog here.
The Format:
Send submission to Sunversussnow (at) yahoo (dot) com. Only one submission per person is allowed. It doesn't matter if you write under different names or are submitting different manuscripts. You are still one person and get one entry.
Here's how it should be formatted (yes, include the bolded!) Please use Times New Roman (or equivalent), 12 pt font, and put spaces between paragraphs. No indents or tabs are needed. No worries if your gmail doesn't have Times New Roman. No worries if the email messes up your format. Yes, we will still read it! :-)
(Here's a trick to keep your paragraph spacing: copy and paste your entry into your email and then put in the line spaces. They seem to get lost when you copy and paste. It may look right but sending scrambles the spacing.)
Subject Line: SVS: TITLE, Age Category + Genre (example: SVS: PYGMY HAZARDS, MG Fantasy)
In The Email:
Title: MY FANTASTIC BOOK (yes, caps!)Genre: YA dystopian (Age category and genre. YA/MG is not a genre.)Word Count: XX,XXX (round to the nearest thousand)
My Main Character would prefer to live in:
Would your main character prefer to live in heat or cold. And why? Tell us which weather would make your MC the most comfortable or happy.
Example: As a hamster, Tom doesn't dig all this white stuff falling from the sky. It's some kind of freaky trick pulled by the crazy pygmies at the asylum they call school. He only knows it makes him curl up and snooze. Where's the fun in that? (Can be in your MC's POV, but doesn't have to be. 100 words or less.)
Query:
Query goes here! Include greeting and main paragraphs. Please leave out bio, closing, and word count + genre sentence. You may include comps if you'd like. There is no word count limit on the query but please aim for 250 - 300 words.
First 250 words:
Here are the first 250 words of my manuscript, and I will not end in the middle of a sentence. But I will not go over 257 words. Be reasonable and don't make us count. Don't forget to space between paragraphs!
That's it for now. Get those entries ready for January 26th and leave any questions in the comments or ask on twitter.
Mentors for a lightning fast mentor round will be posted soon. As will the names of our fabulous fourteen agents!
We can't wait to get started!
Look for news about Free Passes from Amy and myself on Monday!
January 7, 2015
Query Questions with Kimberly Brower
Writers have copious amounts of imagination. It's what makes their stories so fantastic. But there's a darker side to so much out of the box thinking. When a writer is in the query trenches, their worries go into overdrive. They start pulling out their hair and imagine every possible disaster.
Here to relieve some of that endless worrying is a new series of posts called Query Questions. I'll ask the questions which prey on every writer's mind, and hopefully take some of the pain out of querying. These are questions that I've seen tossed around on twitter and writing sites like Agent Query Connect. They are the type of questions that you need answers for the real expert--agents!
Welcome to the first Query Questions of 2015. I'm happy to have a few new questions to add to the mix! And starting us off is Kimberly Brower of the Rebecca Friedman Literary Agency!
Is there a better or worse time of year to query? No – it is all the same no matter the time of year.
Does one typo or misplaced comma shoot down the entire query? No, although multiple mistakes like that can be a turnoff.
Do you look at sample pages without fail or only if the query is strong? Only if the query is strong.
Do you have an assistant or intern go through your queries first or do you check all of them? No, I go through each one.
Do you keep a maybe pile of queries and go back to them for a second look? No, if the query piques my interest, I contact the author. If it doesn’t, then it doesn’t.
If the manuscript has a prologue, do you want it included with the sample pages? I have no preference.
How important are comp titles? Is it something you want to see in a query? They are helpful to include, but not necessary.
Some agencies mention querying only one agent at a time and some say query only one agent period. How often do you pass a query along to a fellow agent who might be more interested? Not too often. Each agent I work with have different tastes, so I recommend reading up on each agent and sending your query to the one who is looking for what you are writing.
Do you prefer a little personalized chit-chat in a query letter, or would you rather hear about the manuscript? I have no preference.
Most agents have said they don’t care whether the word count/genre sentence comes first or last. But is it a red flag if one component is not included? Nope.
Writers hear a lot about limiting the number of named characters in a query. Do you feel keeping named characters to a certain number makes for a clearer query? No – I want to read your first chapter so however many characters are in that, that’s fine.
Should writers sweat the title of their book (and character names) or is that something that is often changed by publishers? The title can change, but brainstorming a good title before you query is always a plus and can be attention-grabbing.
If a writer makes changes to their manuscript due to feedback should they resend the query or only if material was requested? Yes
What bio should an author with no publishing credits include? A bio about themselves. Who are they? Why are they writing?
What does ‘just not right mean for me’ mean to you? Either the book doesn’t not fit the type of books I represent or I just did not connect with the book or story.
Do you consider yourself a hands-on, editorial type of agent? Absolutely.
What are some of your favorite movies or books to give us an idea of your tastes? Romance – I’m a sucker for all things romance. From YA to college to adult contemporary – I love it all. Some non-romance books that I love are: Big Little Lies (women’s fiction), Unbroken (non-fiction), Gone Girl (thriller), The Mortal Instruments series (YA), The Historian (fiction)
------------------------------------------
Kimberly fell in love with reading when she picked up her first Babysitter’s Club book at the age of seven and hasn’t been able to get her nose out of a book since. Reading has always been her passion, even while pursuing her business degree at California State University, Northridge and law degree at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. By joining the Rebecca Friedman Literary Agency in 2014, she has been able to merge her legal background with her love of books. Although she loves all things romance, she is also searching for books that are different and will surprise her, with empathetic characters and compelling stories. Kimberly is interested in both commercial and literary fiction, with an emphasis in women’s fiction, contemporary romance, mysteries/thrillers, new adult and young adult, as well as certain areas of non-fiction, including business, diet and fitness.
Here to relieve some of that endless worrying is a new series of posts called Query Questions. I'll ask the questions which prey on every writer's mind, and hopefully take some of the pain out of querying. These are questions that I've seen tossed around on twitter and writing sites like Agent Query Connect. They are the type of questions that you need answers for the real expert--agents!
Welcome to the first Query Questions of 2015. I'm happy to have a few new questions to add to the mix! And starting us off is Kimberly Brower of the Rebecca Friedman Literary Agency!
Is there a better or worse time of year to query? No – it is all the same no matter the time of year.
Does one typo or misplaced comma shoot down the entire query? No, although multiple mistakes like that can be a turnoff.
Do you look at sample pages without fail or only if the query is strong? Only if the query is strong.
Do you have an assistant or intern go through your queries first or do you check all of them? No, I go through each one.
Do you keep a maybe pile of queries and go back to them for a second look? No, if the query piques my interest, I contact the author. If it doesn’t, then it doesn’t.
If the manuscript has a prologue, do you want it included with the sample pages? I have no preference.
How important are comp titles? Is it something you want to see in a query? They are helpful to include, but not necessary.
Some agencies mention querying only one agent at a time and some say query only one agent period. How often do you pass a query along to a fellow agent who might be more interested? Not too often. Each agent I work with have different tastes, so I recommend reading up on each agent and sending your query to the one who is looking for what you are writing.
Do you prefer a little personalized chit-chat in a query letter, or would you rather hear about the manuscript? I have no preference.
Most agents have said they don’t care whether the word count/genre sentence comes first or last. But is it a red flag if one component is not included? Nope.
Writers hear a lot about limiting the number of named characters in a query. Do you feel keeping named characters to a certain number makes for a clearer query? No – I want to read your first chapter so however many characters are in that, that’s fine.
Should writers sweat the title of their book (and character names) or is that something that is often changed by publishers? The title can change, but brainstorming a good title before you query is always a plus and can be attention-grabbing.
If a writer makes changes to their manuscript due to feedback should they resend the query or only if material was requested? Yes
What bio should an author with no publishing credits include? A bio about themselves. Who are they? Why are they writing?
What does ‘just not right mean for me’ mean to you? Either the book doesn’t not fit the type of books I represent or I just did not connect with the book or story.
Do you consider yourself a hands-on, editorial type of agent? Absolutely.
What are some of your favorite movies or books to give us an idea of your tastes? Romance – I’m a sucker for all things romance. From YA to college to adult contemporary – I love it all. Some non-romance books that I love are: Big Little Lies (women’s fiction), Unbroken (non-fiction), Gone Girl (thriller), The Mortal Instruments series (YA), The Historian (fiction)
------------------------------------------
Kimberly fell in love with reading when she picked up her first Babysitter’s Club book at the age of seven and hasn’t been able to get her nose out of a book since. Reading has always been her passion, even while pursuing her business degree at California State University, Northridge and law degree at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. By joining the Rebecca Friedman Literary Agency in 2014, she has been able to merge her legal background with her love of books. Although she loves all things romance, she is also searching for books that are different and will surprise her, with empathetic characters and compelling stories. Kimberly is interested in both commercial and literary fiction, with an emphasis in women’s fiction, contemporary romance, mysteries/thrillers, new adult and young adult, as well as certain areas of non-fiction, including business, diet and fitness.
January 6, 2015
Getting the Submission Call with Laurie Elizabeth Flynn
I think the New Year should be celebrated with hope. What better way to inspire that feeling than a series of posts about success. Let's all keep the goal of success firmly planted in our hearts and minds this year. May we all have as good news as Laurie Elizabeth Flynn shares!
I never thought my heart could pound as hard as it did when my agent, Kathleen Rushall, first called to offer representation. I was sure I’d never feel that tongue-tied and terrified yet excited again. But then, while out on submission with my YA debut FIRSTS, I found myself on the receiving end of a whole new breed of call entirely: the “we have an offer” call.And that day, I found out that my heart could pound even harder.I was working at my day job when my phone started ringing, and I couldn’t actually answer it. I had my purse strategically positioned so that I could see my phone at all times, from every angle on my desk (one of the many crazy behaviors of a writer on submission… don’t judge!) and could see Kathleen's number flashing. Right away I felt nervous sweat start to form as my mind raced a thousand miles a minute. What if it was bad news? Maybe just a kind rejection? As disappointing as that would have been, it was still less scary than letting myself think what I wanted to think: that it could be my dream coming true. I kept pushing that thought out of my head, no matter how badly it wanted to keep coming back, because I knew how upset I would be if I let my hopes go floating away like a hot air balloon for nothing. I had to stay anchored to the ground, so I let my doubt hold me down.I raced into the hallway as soon as I could get away (I’m surprised I didn’t trample anyone over in the process) and quickly called Kathleen back. Then she called me back a few seconds later and told me that we have an offer for FIRSTS. An offer from a brilliant editor I seriously couldn’t wait to start working with. Kathleen told me all the details while I tried not to jump up and down in my professional banking attire. I could tell she was just as excited as I was, and she answered all of my questions before I had even asked them. (That’s the mark of a seriously great agent!) I still had a couple hours left of my shift, and I had no idea how I was going to keep it together.After I got off the phone with Kathleen, I called my husband immediately. The first thing he said when he answered: “You have an offer, don’t you?” I guess he was okay with letting his hopes fly sky-high. Or he just had more faith in me than I did in myself.By the time I got back to my desk, I was still blinking in disbelief. I was going to be a published author. My book was going to be an actual thing. Everything I had worked so hard for was happening. The year and seven months I spent in the query trenches, the contests, the two manuscripts I shelved, the Word docs full of murdered darlings, the late nights I stayed in and wrote instead of hanging out with friends, the frustration, the laughter and tears. All of it.A couple days later, I got to have a call with my editor, Kat Brzozowski of Thomas Dunne Books. Kat couldn’t have been more welcoming and enthusiastic and I knew more than ever that FIRSTS had found its perfect home. Kat understood FIRSTS and my writing so well already. When we hung up, I was filled with a newfound sense of excitement for what FIRSTS was going to become with Kat as my editor.Being on submission is a lot of things. It’s exciting and intimidating and awesome and nerve-wracking and frustrating. You check your phone for new emails a LOT (at least, I sure did). It’s challenging and rewarding and can produce some very high highs and some even lower lows. Querying was stressful, but when I was on submission, I felt that the stakes were even higher because I was that much closer to my book becoming a book. Everything was intensified. But the great thing is that when you’re on submission, you have the best support system imaginable: an agent who believes in you and your work, and who always has your back. Even when I felt down about something, I never forgot that, because Kathleen was so unfailingly positive.So if you’re on submission and feeling weighed down, remember that your agent will fight for you and will do everything he or she can to see you succeed. Remember that you have writer friends you can lean on for support. I’m pretty sure this business never stops being a cycle of ups and downs, highs and lows. What sets writers apart is how we deal with that ebb and flow. Keep writing through everything. And don’t be afraid to let your hopes float away a little bit. Just believe that you’ll catch up.
Bio:Laurie Elizabeth Flynn writes contemporary fiction for young adults. Her debut, FIRSTS, will be published by Thomas Dunne Books/St Martin’s Press in 2016.Laurie went to school for Journalism, where the most important thing she learned was that she would rather write made-up stories than report the news. She also worked as a model, a job that took her overseas to Tokyo, Athens, and Paris, and spurred her fashion obsession.Laurie now lives in London, Ontario with her husband, who is very understanding when she would rather spend time with the people in her head. Laurie can mostly be found writing happily at her desk, with the world’s most spoiled Chihuahua on her lap.You can visit Laurie’s blog at www.laurieelizabethflynn.com or find her on Twitter at @laurellizabeth
Links:
Website: www.laurieelizabethflynn.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/laurellizabethGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9816754.Laurie_Elizabeth_Flynn
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I never thought my heart could pound as hard as it did when my agent, Kathleen Rushall, first called to offer representation. I was sure I’d never feel that tongue-tied and terrified yet excited again. But then, while out on submission with my YA debut FIRSTS, I found myself on the receiving end of a whole new breed of call entirely: the “we have an offer” call.And that day, I found out that my heart could pound even harder.I was working at my day job when my phone started ringing, and I couldn’t actually answer it. I had my purse strategically positioned so that I could see my phone at all times, from every angle on my desk (one of the many crazy behaviors of a writer on submission… don’t judge!) and could see Kathleen's number flashing. Right away I felt nervous sweat start to form as my mind raced a thousand miles a minute. What if it was bad news? Maybe just a kind rejection? As disappointing as that would have been, it was still less scary than letting myself think what I wanted to think: that it could be my dream coming true. I kept pushing that thought out of my head, no matter how badly it wanted to keep coming back, because I knew how upset I would be if I let my hopes go floating away like a hot air balloon for nothing. I had to stay anchored to the ground, so I let my doubt hold me down.I raced into the hallway as soon as I could get away (I’m surprised I didn’t trample anyone over in the process) and quickly called Kathleen back. Then she called me back a few seconds later and told me that we have an offer for FIRSTS. An offer from a brilliant editor I seriously couldn’t wait to start working with. Kathleen told me all the details while I tried not to jump up and down in my professional banking attire. I could tell she was just as excited as I was, and she answered all of my questions before I had even asked them. (That’s the mark of a seriously great agent!) I still had a couple hours left of my shift, and I had no idea how I was going to keep it together.After I got off the phone with Kathleen, I called my husband immediately. The first thing he said when he answered: “You have an offer, don’t you?” I guess he was okay with letting his hopes fly sky-high. Or he just had more faith in me than I did in myself.By the time I got back to my desk, I was still blinking in disbelief. I was going to be a published author. My book was going to be an actual thing. Everything I had worked so hard for was happening. The year and seven months I spent in the query trenches, the contests, the two manuscripts I shelved, the Word docs full of murdered darlings, the late nights I stayed in and wrote instead of hanging out with friends, the frustration, the laughter and tears. All of it.A couple days later, I got to have a call with my editor, Kat Brzozowski of Thomas Dunne Books. Kat couldn’t have been more welcoming and enthusiastic and I knew more than ever that FIRSTS had found its perfect home. Kat understood FIRSTS and my writing so well already. When we hung up, I was filled with a newfound sense of excitement for what FIRSTS was going to become with Kat as my editor.Being on submission is a lot of things. It’s exciting and intimidating and awesome and nerve-wracking and frustrating. You check your phone for new emails a LOT (at least, I sure did). It’s challenging and rewarding and can produce some very high highs and some even lower lows. Querying was stressful, but when I was on submission, I felt that the stakes were even higher because I was that much closer to my book becoming a book. Everything was intensified. But the great thing is that when you’re on submission, you have the best support system imaginable: an agent who believes in you and your work, and who always has your back. Even when I felt down about something, I never forgot that, because Kathleen was so unfailingly positive.So if you’re on submission and feeling weighed down, remember that your agent will fight for you and will do everything he or she can to see you succeed. Remember that you have writer friends you can lean on for support. I’m pretty sure this business never stops being a cycle of ups and downs, highs and lows. What sets writers apart is how we deal with that ebb and flow. Keep writing through everything. And don’t be afraid to let your hopes float away a little bit. Just believe that you’ll catch up.
Bio:Laurie Elizabeth Flynn writes contemporary fiction for young adults. Her debut, FIRSTS, will be published by Thomas Dunne Books/St Martin’s Press in 2016.Laurie went to school for Journalism, where the most important thing she learned was that she would rather write made-up stories than report the news. She also worked as a model, a job that took her overseas to Tokyo, Athens, and Paris, and spurred her fashion obsession.Laurie now lives in London, Ontario with her husband, who is very understanding when she would rather spend time with the people in her head. Laurie can mostly be found writing happily at her desk, with the world’s most spoiled Chihuahua on her lap.You can visit Laurie’s blog at www.laurieelizabethflynn.com or find her on Twitter at @laurellizabeth
Links:
Website: www.laurieelizabethflynn.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/laurellizabethGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9816754.Laurie_Elizabeth_Flynn
January 5, 2015
Happy Release for Call Sign Karma
CALL SIGN KARMA by JAMIE RAE
ABOUT CALL SIGN: KARMA
Love in the no-fly zone…
Distraught over the loss of her brother in a fighter jet accident, Tinklee Pinkerton decides to follow in his footsteps—and prove the tragedy wasn’t his fault. But when she’s chosen as the first woman to fly the Air Force’s F-35, her plan for a life that revolves around work is thrown off course by a handsome, mysterious stranger…
Thanks to Locke’s seductive British accent, sweet nature, and one too many beers, Tink is soon inspired to throw caution to the wind—and herself into his arms. She thinks maybe love can heal after all—until she discovers Locke is her superior officer. Tink has no problem risking her life in the air, but with everything on the line, is she brave enough to risk her heart on the ground?
5 Things you may not know about Call Sign Karma
1. Tink is a twenty-two year old, strong female heroine who is a student in flight school. What drew you to write in the new adult genre?
I was already following a lot of New Adult authors and reading their novels. I loved the risks they took, trying something new and writing about an age group underrepresented in publishing. My own “new adult” years were exciting and challenging, and I was eager to explore writing in the genre. An idea came to me, about a female fighter pilot who was in flight school, sort of a modern day Top Gun with a unique twist.
2. In Call Sign Karma, Tink falls in love with her superior officer. What were some challenges of writing a romance where both characters are in the military.
With both members being in the military, there were certain lines that couldn’t be crossed in order to keep the story realistic. Also the characters are supposed to be professional, disciplined men and women who are expected to follow orders and compartmentalize their emotions to focus on the mission, so at times it was difficult to keep the characters from reacting with raw emotion. Thankfully, Tink and some of her squadron members don’t always play by the rules. ;-)
3. Tink flies the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in the book. How did you research the Air Force’s newest jet?
My husband is an active duty fighter pilot so I relied on his expertise, knowledge and personal experiences. I talked to other pilots, photographers, and studied media coverage of the plane. I also had the opportunity to see the plane in real life.
4. Like the heroine, I served in the military. How did you draw from some of these experiences when you wrote the book?
I lived and experienced first-hand life in the military so a lot of the story is fairly accurate of how life can be in the military. There was one section of the story where my editor asked if would it be realistic for them to have alcohol in a squadron bar. I had to chuckle, knowing that it was one of the most realistic aspects of the story. Also, the military offers a lot of camaraderie that I hope is well-depicted in the story. Some of my closest friends, I made while serving.
5. Call Sign Karma is a stand-alone novel but intended to be part of a three book series. Who was your favorite character to write? Why?
I spent so much time with Tink, that of course, I love her. So I’m going to disqualify her from the running and say Ash. I really had fun writing his character. He has a boyish charm, quick-wit and he’s an all-around stand-up guy. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s super hot and Special Forces. I’m currently working on his story.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JAMIE RAE is a New Adult and Young Adult author. She writes with one goal in mind - to create stories with a positive message that will stay with the reader long after they've finished reading.
Jamie is an avid reader and loves discovering stories with a great hook. She will not eat, sleep, or speak until she reaches the end. The Harry Potter years weren't pretty! Convinced that her Hogwarts letter was lost in the mail, she keeps a watchful eye for owls hoping her children will have better luck.
In her other life, Jamie Rae creates smiles to last a lifetime as an orthodontist, keeps her heart overflowing with love as a mother of three and has perfected the art of nomadic living as a military spouse and Air Force veteran. Jamie has a passion for critters of all shapes and sizes and you can often find her sneaking them into her own home or volunteering for rescues.
SOCIAL MEDIAWebsite- www.jamieraewrites.comFacebook- https://www.facebook.com/JamieRaeAuthorTwitter- https://twitter.com/JamieRaeWritesInstagram- JamieRaeWritesBlog- http://jamieraewrites.wordpress.comTumblr- https://www.tumblr.com/blog/jamieraewrites
BUY LINKSAmazon- http://www.amazon.com/Call-Sign-Karma-Jamie-Rae-ebook/dp/B00OZUMI7O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419799396&sr=8-1&keywords=call+sign+karmaBN.com- http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/call-sign-karma-jamie-rae/1120657536?ean=9781616506711iTunes- https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/call-sign-karma/id934875813?mt=11
ABOUT CALL SIGN: KARMA
Love in the no-fly zone…
Distraught over the loss of her brother in a fighter jet accident, Tinklee Pinkerton decides to follow in his footsteps—and prove the tragedy wasn’t his fault. But when she’s chosen as the first woman to fly the Air Force’s F-35, her plan for a life that revolves around work is thrown off course by a handsome, mysterious stranger…
Thanks to Locke’s seductive British accent, sweet nature, and one too many beers, Tink is soon inspired to throw caution to the wind—and herself into his arms. She thinks maybe love can heal after all—until she discovers Locke is her superior officer. Tink has no problem risking her life in the air, but with everything on the line, is she brave enough to risk her heart on the ground?
5 Things you may not know about Call Sign Karma
1. Tink is a twenty-two year old, strong female heroine who is a student in flight school. What drew you to write in the new adult genre?
I was already following a lot of New Adult authors and reading their novels. I loved the risks they took, trying something new and writing about an age group underrepresented in publishing. My own “new adult” years were exciting and challenging, and I was eager to explore writing in the genre. An idea came to me, about a female fighter pilot who was in flight school, sort of a modern day Top Gun with a unique twist.
2. In Call Sign Karma, Tink falls in love with her superior officer. What were some challenges of writing a romance where both characters are in the military.
With both members being in the military, there were certain lines that couldn’t be crossed in order to keep the story realistic. Also the characters are supposed to be professional, disciplined men and women who are expected to follow orders and compartmentalize their emotions to focus on the mission, so at times it was difficult to keep the characters from reacting with raw emotion. Thankfully, Tink and some of her squadron members don’t always play by the rules. ;-)
3. Tink flies the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in the book. How did you research the Air Force’s newest jet?
My husband is an active duty fighter pilot so I relied on his expertise, knowledge and personal experiences. I talked to other pilots, photographers, and studied media coverage of the plane. I also had the opportunity to see the plane in real life.
4. Like the heroine, I served in the military. How did you draw from some of these experiences when you wrote the book?
I lived and experienced first-hand life in the military so a lot of the story is fairly accurate of how life can be in the military. There was one section of the story where my editor asked if would it be realistic for them to have alcohol in a squadron bar. I had to chuckle, knowing that it was one of the most realistic aspects of the story. Also, the military offers a lot of camaraderie that I hope is well-depicted in the story. Some of my closest friends, I made while serving.
5. Call Sign Karma is a stand-alone novel but intended to be part of a three book series. Who was your favorite character to write? Why?
I spent so much time with Tink, that of course, I love her. So I’m going to disqualify her from the running and say Ash. I really had fun writing his character. He has a boyish charm, quick-wit and he’s an all-around stand-up guy. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s super hot and Special Forces. I’m currently working on his story.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JAMIE RAE is a New Adult and Young Adult author. She writes with one goal in mind - to create stories with a positive message that will stay with the reader long after they've finished reading.Jamie is an avid reader and loves discovering stories with a great hook. She will not eat, sleep, or speak until she reaches the end. The Harry Potter years weren't pretty! Convinced that her Hogwarts letter was lost in the mail, she keeps a watchful eye for owls hoping her children will have better luck.
In her other life, Jamie Rae creates smiles to last a lifetime as an orthodontist, keeps her heart overflowing with love as a mother of three and has perfected the art of nomadic living as a military spouse and Air Force veteran. Jamie has a passion for critters of all shapes and sizes and you can often find her sneaking them into her own home or volunteering for rescues.
SOCIAL MEDIAWebsite- www.jamieraewrites.comFacebook- https://www.facebook.com/JamieRaeAuthorTwitter- https://twitter.com/JamieRaeWritesInstagram- JamieRaeWritesBlog- http://jamieraewrites.wordpress.comTumblr- https://www.tumblr.com/blog/jamieraewrites
BUY LINKSAmazon- http://www.amazon.com/Call-Sign-Karma-Jamie-Rae-ebook/dp/B00OZUMI7O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419799396&sr=8-1&keywords=call+sign+karmaBN.com- http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/call-sign-karma-jamie-rae/1120657536?ean=9781616506711iTunes- https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/call-sign-karma/id934875813?mt=11
