Retracing My Booksteps – Finding the Books of My Youth, and Re-reading Them as an Adult

Retracing My Booksteps: Finding the Books of My Youth, and Re-reading Them as an Adult

By Rachel Jameson

 Once upon a time, Young Adult novels were my ultimate world. Thankfully, once upon a time has not come to an end; merely it has been encompassed by many other genres, including historical fiction and romance, with YA at the center.            

Growing up, the library was a priceless resource for me. I finished every book in the children’s library early on, and moved into the young adult section a bit before I actually was a young adult. I devoured everything there, and moved on to the adult section. I don’t re-read many books, but it was the YAs that I always came back to.

As I grew up, I had the means to finally own my own books. I started buying new ones mostly, but I’m a very nostalgic person, and I wanted to own my favorite books from my childhood. Sadly, I could only remember small things – a dragon here, a color there, but nothing solid. There was one I wanted to find most of all, but other than the cover having a coral hue to it, and that there were two people and a dog on the cover, I couldn’t remember. I tried looking through different book buying sites, hoping I’d stumble across a cover I recognized.

             It wasn’t until a few summers ago, visiting my hometown, that I got lucky. I stopped in the library, and took a chance that they hadn’t completely changed everything. I spent a full day there, going through the shelves where I remembered the books had been. I found quite a few of the books this way, but I got really lucky with the library’s computer catalog. Using key words like dragon, or travel, etc., it showed me a list of books with descriptions, and covers!

So there I was, in the Children’s library, getting weird looks from the librarians as I sat for hours hunched over the little computer table, in the little child’s chair. They had little pencils and little scraps of paper. I’d write the name of the book, and the call number and then run to the corresponding sections and silently crow when I found the right book.

By the end of the day, I had quite a stack. While I hadn’t found every book, I had traced almost all of my childhood and young-adulthood “booksteps”.

I spent a couple of days searching the net, finding all the books on my stack of little papers. The hardest thing was finding the same covers I had loved years ago – almost all of the books had been re-printed with brand new covers that didn’t have any meaning to me. My finds now have their own special section in my bookshelves.

So the next step of course, was to re-read them. I had a bit of trepidation at first, because that memory you hold of a favorite thing is so strong – what if the reality doesn’t hold up? It’s a terrifying thought.

In fact, I found a great comfort in re-reading the books; I was able to sink right back into them, to that lifetime ago. Some books were perhaps not as intense as I remembered, or perhaps not as defining to me, but then I’m older, and I’ve have experienced things I hadn’t experienced the first time I read the stories. This doesn’t diminish the greatness of the story. It just lends another layer to the experience of the books. Some books, the intensity was over the course of a series, rather than in one book. By reading the subsequent books, I was able to find that deep feeling I’d had years before.

 There is something about YAs, that while so simple, they can be profound. I think with the Romance genre, which is what I write, there is the risk of the audience already knowing who’s going to end up with whom, and the limitation of not being able to go too far outside of the set genre boundaries. With the Young Adult genre, for the most part, the romance is a secondary aspect compared to the adventure, the magic, the mystery, etc. Because of this, a YA writer is able to build a relationship you might not suspect from the outset.

 Take love scenes, just for example. They tend to be far from explicit, teasing the edges of reality, showing you only what needs to be seen to feel the intense love, to feel the passion. It’s very different from what an adult often craves, and yet as an adult, reading and re-reading these scenes, I come away from them almost stunned at the power within them. YA authors often cannot tell all that you could in other mediums, and yet it’s all the stronger for it.  Relationships, whether primary or secondary, develop with small hints here and there until, like the characters, the deepness of the love hits you square on.

These great books have helped me develop into the person and the writer that I am today. I can only hope to strive for that incredible layering and depth, with such subtle wording and actions. I find that when I go to edit my stories, the best trick I can possibly use is to compare my story to a Young Adult novel, and make sure I’m keeping it simple while still layering it just right.

 I hope the tale of my bookstep journey has propelled you to do the same. If you’re actually a young adult, not just in your mind, I hope that this will perhaps give you the forethought to write down your favorite books. Maybe you can even start making your own collection of honored favorites.

As for myself, I will continue to find new YAs by my favorite authors and by new, soon-to-be-favorite authors. Everytime I go to a bookstore, I come home with at least one Romance, one Historical Fiction, and at least two YAs. It’s a sickness, but one I’m happy to live with.

Looking back at my booksteps, and looking across the room to my special shelf, I thought I’d pass on a few of my favorite finds from the journey, in no particular order of preference.

Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine.
Wise Child; and Juniper, by Monica Furlong.
Princess Nevermore, by Dian Curtis Regan.
Gypsy Rizka, by Lloyd Alexander.
The Ancient One, by T.A. Barron.
Matilda Bone; and The Midwife’s Apprentice, by Karen Cushman.
The Moorchild, by Eloise McGraw.
Song of the Magdalene; and Zel; and Spinners, by Donna Jo Napoli.
The On Fortune’s Wheel series by Cynthia Voigt; and the Dicey’s Song series, by Cynthia Voigt.
Sabriel; and Abhorsen; and Lirael, by Garth Nix.
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, by Patricia C. Wrede.
And the one I had most longed to find? The one that all I could remember was the coral colored cover? The Ramsay Scallop, by Frances Temple. Oh, and the dog? Yeah it was on the back cover.

Cheeky Reads Job Description: Treasure Hunter

Job Description: Treasure Hunter

      Yep, I’m the female version of Indiana Jones. I just wish I was half as kick-ass sexy as Laura Croft! So what’s the elusive treasure I’m hunting: it comes in many forms, but essentially it’s HAPPINESS.

      In my main job, I’m a consumer marketing manager for a large magazine publisher. I freaking love my job and it never bores me. It’s something new everyday, but my goal is the same: find that magic idea that sells tons more magazine subscriptions. I test campaigns, re-test to make sure the results really were awesome (or not) and then I mine the idea for offshoot ideas.

      Most people think of marketing positions and envision wonderful creativity and party-like events. No so much for my position. Everything I do has to be directly tied to the bottom line and I have to come up with ideas under tight budgets. No room for getting too exciting there! But, my favorite thing is when some little tiny thing I tried literally takes off and becomes a treasure chest of new orders. Happiness ensues, but I have to move on with more research and hope my treasure chest doesn’t run out of jewels too soon.

      Now, like I said I love my job and my co-workers. It makes me immensely happy and I’m glad to say for this part of my job, I’d say treasure found.

      My alter ego is a Romance Book Blogger and here I am at my treasure hunting best. I’m literally reading tons of books for those solid gold treats that speak to me, a diamond in the rough author, or even the holy grail of first time author perfection. I’m constantly mining for gold in the book shelves. Looking for the books that make me happy with their awesomeness is my favorite part of being a Treasure Hunter.

      Now, the day to day life of being a Book Blogger is not all shiny new free books. There are a lot of fool’s gold books out there you are expected to read and review as well. You have to keep track of treasures coming in and cataloging and communicating your finds. Not to mention, you have to provide reports on a timely and consistent basis to your investors (blog readers) and they don’t really care what else is going on in your life. The pressure is there to read fast, review fast and be a website god all in one.

      But again, just one treasure in a pile of 50 books makes the hunt worthwhile.

      A small but growing part of my job is finding those nuggets of insight to add to my newest endeavor, writing my first book. Those pieces of inspiration are like finding a secret passageway to a never-before discovered land. It’s remembering to write those treasures down that seems to be the hardest part!

      Lastly, I’m a wife and mom to two fur-kids and I’m always the Treasure Hunter for them as well. Now, for the boys my treasure hunting can be quite literal. They want me to find their balls immediately when I come home. Usually they are under the couch and it’s a quick hunt. You would think I’d found Noah’s Ark for how they act when I proudly show them my find.

      I’m also constantly looking for treasure to share with the hubby. He needs quality time with me, and that means searching for the prefect things to do and share with him. It means remembering what makes him happy and making sure I have time for him everyday. Those little treasures are the most elusive and take my very best Dan Brown deductions to find. The best treasure of all? His Laugh.

www.cheekyreads.com
www.twitter.com/cheekyreads

Critique Partner Needed, Take 2

Trying again: Because of the new way I’m working, the speed and output I want to aim for and some other personal reasons, I’m looking for a second Critique Partner. So, when I said this on twitter last night, a bunch of people very kindly offered to “read” for me. Because that’s such a broad statement, I figured I needed to put some more thought into what I’m looking for and what I offer so people can see if they really want to come anywhere near me and my scribblings 🙂

WHY I NEED A CRITIQUE PARTNER

1. That Darn Dyslexia has me. Things I can’t “see”:
   1. Misspelling words spell check doesn’t catch
   2. Putting words in the wrong order (sometimes more than just switching 2 words)
   3. Skipping words
   4. Putting words (or corresponding words) more than once
2. Is what’s in my head on the page?
3. Occasionally the phrasing I’m using is clear in my head, but not so much to someone reading it.
4. And of course, overall thoughts, things that stop you, if a joke falls flat (that NEVER happens *cof*) and typical beta stuff.

HOW I WORK:

I’m looking to write 4 200-page books a year (we’ll see if I can do it!). I’m a pantser and so I’m not able to write the first 3 chapters and send it off to be crit’ed. I need to write the whole thing, go over it and then send it off preferably a fast turn around time. I’m willing to do that for you as well. I’m not talking weeks (unless your word count is REALLy high 🙂 )I’m hoping to find someone who would be willing to do large chunks in fairly quick turnaround times. Which, if we coordinate as long as it isn’t during a fast draft period or crunch time for either of us. Of course we’d set up some type of ‘warning’ system. It wouldn’t be, Oh, I’m sending you my entire manuscript tomorrow.

Do you have to write this much? No. But, I am looking at someone who can crit this much. If you need me critting that much too, we’ll do it! 🙂

WHAT I’M GOOD AT:

Continuity, spotting movement errors, plot holes and pushing you on your story, leaving your voice alone, pretty good with grammar. I’m honest and tough, but tactful. I also try to weave in comments about what you’re doing well and what I really liked. I think CPs should try to do that not just for encouragement or to keep the crit balanced, but sometimes we need others to point out our strengths so we can focus on those as well.

WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR:

My current CP writes and mostly reads adult romance. I’m looking for someone who writes YA preferably OR who reads YA a lot. Like, It’s-my-main-reading-for-pleasure-category a lot. I really am looking for a Critique Partner. So, not just a casual reader. Someone who we can bounce ideas and throw stuff around if we need to. I am completely willing to have a CP who doesn’t write. I know there are often people who enjoy the critting/editing aspect but don’t actually write for themselves.

WHAT I’M NOT LOOKING FOR:

I’m not looking for someone who needs help with stuff in a teaching or mentor capacity. I already have a few people I volunteer to do this for. I need this relationship to be a more even level of give and take. Please, if you’re considering this, your writing should already be “good” – I’m looking for someone playing at a competitive level 🙂 (Yeah, get used to the sports analogies. I write about a soccer team.)

WHAT I DON’T DO:

I don’t read erotica. Sorry. And if it’s hot or really violent I’m useless because I skim right over those to the next scene. We joke that it takes me about an hour to read a JR Ward book when I was trying her out.

WHAT I WRITE:

I write a series that at the moment I’m calling The Secrets. They’re standalone books about a group of friends in high school. Nothing paranormal going on (I know! Nothing!) Each book deals with a tough issue with humor (hopefully) while forcing the characters into making the tough decisions.

I also write YA fantasy… the traditional stuff. I’m not focusing on this right now. The first book is complete, but put away for a year while I work on The Secrets and 2 other ideas I’ve floated. I plan on reworking this over time and hitting the next book in the series as well. This is a much bigger endeavor. It has a big cast, its own mythology, it’s own world, gods who won’t stay out of the way, a war, hidden enemies…a lot to juggle J So, that’s there, but wwwwwaaaaayyy over there right now.

I will say, I don’t think that I’d be looking for a person here and a person there to dive in deep with like this since the time commitment to each other would be fairly intense.

ABOUT ME:

I’m newly agented and aggressively writing. I love to write. I actually enjoy editing (most of the time too) I love to read and go on genre binges. I lead a goals and accountability group to (so I’m big on balance). I try to be one of those people who doesn’t drop the ball – or warns you if something unforeseeable is going to stall me – if I say I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it.

So, if I haven’t scared you off and you think you’re a good match, drop me a line at briaquinlan@aol.com and let’s chat. There’s stuff that isn’t here and stuff I’m sure you’d want to say and ask as well. We can always try it out and see if it we’re a good fit.

Thanks!

Great Agent Hunt – After Yes

What am I going to do with all this time once I can stop looking for an agent?

How many times have you or one of  your friends said that? A kazillion? Yeah. Probably. Trust me, I know the feeling.

Think of all the writing I’ll get done! I’ll finally do some really great deep cleaning and catch up on housework! I’ll join a gym! I’ll SAVE THE WORLD! Yeah, that’s what I’ll do! I’ll Save! The! World!

So, you may have noticed, the world (in general) is still in peril.

One thing I noticed thru the entire process is the understanding of the Before Agent and Post Agent friends. I’d always fallen firmly in the BA w/slight sympathy…but, yeah, there’s a divide.

BA looks like this: What do you mean your stressed making this decision? You’re picking from amazing agents who want to represent your work! It’s great! There’s no stress here!

PA looks like this: Don’t worry. They will get back to you. Yeah, it’s a big decision.  Just start the process as the emails come in. But, as long as you did your research, talked to people, spoke  with each agent and feel confident in the ones you narrowed it down to, it will be hard to make a *wrong* choice. There’s *BEST* choice though, so make sure you do all the steps. It will be fine.

Then the decision happens:

BA: Now you’re a represented author. It’s all cake from here.

PA: Now you’re a represented author. It’s your gig to lose my friend. Nose to the grindstone. This is not the relationship to slack on. Do not forget, this is a business relationship so you have to focus. Yeah, you can be friends with people at work, but don’t forget this is your career.

Then the revisions happen:

BA: This is great, someone to tell you exactly what you need to do! You’re so in!

PA: Ok, so you’ve got general feedback, now you have to make it your own. How the heck are you going to do this? Yup, it’s time to read that manuscript start to end *again* Now get to work. PANIC PANIC PANIC…ok, stop panicking. The worst thing that happens on this first time out of the gate is failure to give her what she wants. FAILURE? I DON’T DO FAILURE? WHAT THE HECK IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN? Well, you’ll work this the way you work everything. Do it, check it, re-do it, have someone you trust look at it, re-do it and hand it in.

So, if you’re making these decisions and are really struggling with your friends not getting it, don’t worry. You aren’t alone. We didn’t get it when we were BA no matter how supportive we tried to be. It’s a path, and you can only see the path from where you are on it.

And, that’s as far on the PA path that I am. I can say, I’ve had a really stressful couple weeks (life-wise) since signing and it’s definitely effecting my work in a negative way. I”m pulling out all the stops trying to work around that stress because, like our PA said above, this is work. This is the career I want. And that means learning new ways to do old things…It means that in every job. It means that no matter what life is throwing at me (and it really feels like it’s throwing a lot now) you push forward. But mostly it means that I need to learn to keep my writing attitude up-beat and focused. And that is something that as a PA I have to do, because it’s no longer a Oh, I can do this someday. It’s a I should do this now.

You can also check out GETTING TO YES Part 1 and GETTING TO YES Part 2 segments.

Great Agent Hunt – Getting to Yes (part 2)

So, if you’re just joining us, last week I announced my signing with my agent, posted how I researched, organized and sorted agents during the search process, and discussed what I learned from the first half of the query process. At the end of the last post, I promised to discuss more of what I learned since I am (apparently) becoming blogwinded.

Fast forward to the first offer. I got the first off on a Friday (all of my friends have gotten Friday calls to. We’re really curious why this is.)

I was out and about and missed her email. When I emailed her back she asked if she could call…in ten minutes. Honestly, I loved this as it cut down the panic time! The downside was that my computer was in the shop and had the list of “What to ask potential agents” on it. So I felt like I was flying blind. Agent 1 was amazingly nice about this and actually suggested questions I may have forgotten to ask because I didn’t have my list. She was friendly, professional, excited and kind. I loved her and would highly recommend her to anyone. I did wonder about some of the suggestions we discussed and she was kind enough to send me written notes. I spent a lot of time looking at these and thinking over how I could attack them. A few I knew I couldn’t do. I knew I could go back and discuss them with her, she’d been very open with me and that wasn’t a fear.

After a stressed out call with poor Gwen Hayes (because I’m a worrier, and worrying always comes first) I realized that (unlike last time) no matter what, I would have an agent at the end of this process. it was an amazing feeling.

 

So, when we got off the phone, I looked at my list of who had partials and fulls out. I had sent out queries to my top 20 agent’s on my Top Match list and had more requests than I expected. Looking at the list, I sent an email to each agent I knew I’d be super interested in (which since that was my top 20 was all of them. Yeah, not much for cutting the list down that way) saying that I’d been offered a contract and wanted to know if they would like the opportunity to read the full and potentially discuss my manuscript.

Everyone said yes.

Some passed for various reasons: Not as intrigued as they expected, Already had someone with a similar voice, Didn’t know what to do with it.

Some waited until the last minute to email me back because they were busy. I understand, but one thing I definitely did was include a deadline (making it very clear) and stick to it. This is a business and you don’t want to mess with the people you’re already working with.

Two asked to read it and then got back to me a week after the deadline asking to offer. I let them know it was no longer on the table. One apologized. One was annoyed.

But several wanted to offer for it. And so the phone calls began. . . Oh, and one really great get together. 

I can say that speaking with Agent 1 was easy, straightforward, fun and informative. But, it was that for most of the people I spoke with. I felt very much like we were on the same page. That the things she mentioned were either a “doh!” moment or a “yeah, I can see how that would be better. Now I just have to figure out how the heck to do it.”  There was a lot to the phone call that made my decision clear.

But it was still a difficult decision because I could see that there was no *wrong* decision. Everyone I talked to was great. It was amazingly encouraging to discuss my work and publishing with such an intelligent, driven yet nice group of women. It reinforced to me that I was being blessed by the whole process!

After making my decision and hoping she hadn’t realized she’d read and loved someone else’s book (I mentioned I worry, right?) I spoke with Agent 1 again, solidified revision thoughts, discussed the contract and we were a go! Then the second worst part happened (beyond the worrying) — letting people I really respected know I was passing on their generous offers. It was hard. It felt personal after talking with them and it so wasn’t. I think every author who has to send those emails gets a small taste of what agents who meet and do some preliminary work with writers, and then in the long run pass, feel. Yuck.

Next step: Send quick notes to the 7 people who still had the query only letting them know that I had accepted an offer. Make sure you put something that lets them know you’re pulling your submission in the subject line so you don’t waste their time. Also, 2 of those agents thanked me for stating the date they would have received my query so they could find it quickly — they said that was a time-saver.

Two of those agents responded with the fact that they were disappointed because they were just about to request. Seriously, I could not believe this process.

So, what did I learn beyond the process?

I learned that my blog was a big help. Everything I’m about to say was mentioned by at least 2 agents:

• My free read and it’s ability to showcase my voice and writing in a different setting….also the mention of not being a one trick pony
• My fantasy – some of the agents were aware that I was actively writing fantasy as well and also had a fair idea what it was about
• Excerpt Monday – I was asked the reasons I started this and got to have a great discussion about the pre-business of being pre-published
• Bio – It’s a little less formal than the one on my query letter and gives more of a feel of what a nerdy dork I am – they should be prepared, right?

 

So there it is. The process as seen by a crazed YA writer. Right after this happened (like the next day) I got in the car to move across the country. It didn’t go as smoothly as I’d hoped and diving into the revision notes was a slower process than normal for me. But, I’m there — in my revisions — now and excited about the whole darn thing.

I love hearing your stories! To everyone who has commented or emailed, keep them coming – the support has been amazing.

 

OTHER AGENT SEARCH POSTS:

• Getting To Yes, Part 1
• After the Yes
• Advice for Your Agent Search

Starting & Organizing Your Agent Search

When I started the querying process with my first book, I was part of a group blog called The Purple Hearts. While there I did the following post on how I found, researched and sorted agents. I thought I’d already transplanted that post, but here it is. Of course I’ve done a little updating 🙂

 I’m very visual – I need a logical way to look at information or it might as well be street graffiti. At first everyone laughed at me, but now they’ve started asking for the Bria Agent Search Spreadsheets for themselves (maybe I should start charging!)

I won’t lie. It is time consuming in the front-end. But later, when the querying begins, it will keep you on track and organized. Another plus à it will stop your focus from drifting to time wasting (and embarrassing) querying of agents who don’t rep what you write.

So, breaking this down in very easy steps, here we go:

Step 1 – Decide what you write.

My main passion and focus is YA Fantasy, but I also have ideas for a RomCom and a historical (which may be YA, Women’s Lit, or Romance – depending on who you ask) so my focus groups are: Fantasy, YA, Romance, and ChickLit. You’ll have your own, but we’ll stick with mine for these examples.

Step 2 – Create an Excel Spreadsheet

This is very easy if you’ve never done it before. Open it up and then save it as “Agent Search.”

Across the top create a column for each of the following: Agent Name, Agency, Solicit?, Email, YA, Fantasy, Rom, ChLit, RWA, P&E, Exp, TOTAL, Authors, Notes

Step 3 – Link to: http://www.agentquery.com/search_advanced.aspx

In place of my genres, put all your writing genres

Step 4 – List Creation: This is the longest part. Cut and paste each page into your spreadsheet and then line up the information with columns. Put an “1” under each genre the agent reps. You may want to consider weighting one genre heavier than others – for example, my future agent MUST rep YA, so that column gets a “2” instead of a “1.”

Step 5 – The remaining columns are weighted columns

So you may have notice that you still have RWA, P&E, Exp, and TOTAL, left.

RWA (Romance Writers of America) is a very reputable group. Whether you write romance or not, you should consider joining. The group is highly focused on Craft and many agents have said they can often tell a person is an RWA member from their clean manuscript and professional queries.

If the agency/agent is RWA certified, add another “1”

P&E (Predators and Editors) as another amazing resource. They list everyone in the industry they’re aware of. If they give an agency/agent a “highly recommends” add a “2” – a “recommends” add a “1” —— they’ll also let you know if they “highly don’t recommend (“-2”), “don’t recommend” (“-1”), or if they are listed on “Writer Beware” (“-3”)

Exp stands for “Experience.” The longer you are in the publishing circle as an unpublished person, the more opportunities you’ll get to interact at conferences and workshops with agents. You’ll also meet some wonderful people who are already represented or have met agents (note: make sure these people are 100% reliable in your book and not just out to bash or praise to feel “in the know”).

Personally, I looked at blogs, talk to other writers, read articles, followed people on twitter. One of my top 10 agents (for book 1) was bumped off my list completely because of her attitude toward her clients and potential clients on her blog. You want to know this ahead of time. Use the same rating system as P&E.

TOTAL – create a sum total column for each row and then sort by the TOTAL column.

The last two columns are just as important. You should always be familiar with the authors an agent already reps. It lets you know what they like and where they succeed. Also, it allows you to ‘sell’ yourself better

The Notes column should be for things like industry updates, reminders about appearances (online and in person) you’d like to attend, site updates (agents sometimes stop taking queries for a short time), contests they’re judging, etc.

Then, on QueryTracker.net sort the agents into folders. I did them as Top 20, 1.5, 2.5, etc Sent, Rejected, Requested.

All this information comes together on one page to let you judge and weigh the agents to see if they’re a potential fit and if you’re a good fit for them. Don’t forget, this is a business decision…not just for them, but for you as well!

Starting this organized with this much info up front is a great step in running your writing career as just that – a CAREER.

Contact me for a blank template set up of the Agent Hunt Spreadsheet

OTHER AGENT SEARCH POSTS:

• Getting To Yes, Part 1
• Getting To Yes, Part 2
• After the Yes
• Advice for Your Agent Search

Dinner With Michael Hague

There are times in your professional life when you stop and say, “Huh, this is a bit surreal.” A good example: Getting on  a roller coaster at the Mall of America with Michael Hague…but not the one that does loops because he didn’t want to throw up on us.

 

So, how does a girl end up in such a situation? Easy…kind of. Ok, I’m just amazingly lucky.

 

My CP is a member of the Midwest Fiction Writers who had invited Michael out to speak this past weekend. After his all day workshop, he offered to do some consulting gigs the next day. My CP was lucky enough to grab his last slot in the evening. I went along for the ride for two reasons: 1. so we could discuss whatever he told her on the way home and, 2. because I’m really allergic to her cats and any time out of the house cuts down on the migraine.

 

At the end of their meeting, my CP waves me over as Michael walks away and tells me he wants to see the Mall of America…um, okay. It had been on my list too because it’s part of the Minneapolis deal, but still it seemed weird. We get there and wow, these Minneapolis people love their malls, huh? In the middle of the mall is this amusement park with games, rides of kids, a flume and three roller coasters. I was shocked. Michael was excited. CP was just giving the tour 🙂

 

The next thing you know, Michael has us at a ticket gate. We clarify which one does what because, even before dinner, no one wants anyone else getting sick on them….this would be a completely different blog then. We even have the picture they take — all three of us in one shot — kismet I tell you.

 

But I’m sure, if you’re reading this post, this isn’t what you want to hear. You want to hear about the nugget of genius that Michael Hague passed on to each of us over cheap mugs of black coffee in some hip little joint.

 

Sorry, no can do.

 

We went to a lovely Greek restaurant where (I think) they almost had to throw us out…you know how writers are once they start talking.

 

Personally, I managed to horrify him with my choice of favorite movies and (maybe) convince him to go watch two he hasn’t seen. We got to hear about some of his VFC (otherwise known as Very Famous Clients) and what consulting on scripts is like. The differences between working with open-minded and not-so-open-minded writers. What his early workshops were like…the travel, the groups, the being told he could walk back to the hotel in Boston (some how, as the Bostonian at the table, I think I somehow got blamed for this, but gosh darn it, Boston proper is only 3 miles across).

 

One of my favorite parts of the evening was when he brought up Jenny Crusie and asked if we had met her. We got to tell him about being mentored by her at the LCMC and how much we learned. When he found out we weren’t in touch with her any more, he turned around in the car to look at me and tell me, “Call her tomorrow. Tell her I told you to. Let her know how you’re doing and tell her thank you again.” I had to point out we’re not all Michael Hague. My “Famous People On Speed Dial” list is relatively short. So instead, the command became: email her. (I did. We’ll see if she even remembers me 🙂 )

 

But honestly, hanging out with Michael is just an experience in story. For so many reasons. When he isn’t talking ABOUT story, he’s telling a story. Everything comes back to the story. People, places, movies, books, work, craft, travel, dinner…it all comes back to the story…to the Identity and digging into the Essence. It boils down and you have to watch for it, because everything he tells you wraps back to something else and if you blink, you’ll miss it.

In Defense of Agents, by An Unpublished Writer

I’ll be upfront. I hate non-responding policies. I want to know an agent doesn’t want me so I can emotionally move on. Non-responding is the equivalent of the high school “go away to camp and come back with a new girlfriend” guy. But, I feel like there is just some absurdity coming from writers about the responding agents that I really don’t understand. Here is what I’ve learned ….not from being a writer, but from being an HR person.

 

A little background: When I first started in HR I started at the bottom of an international service industries corporate HR ladder: Staffing. (Dear staffing people, I know for a lot of people this is a career. It wasn’t here. Please don’t be offended.) Not only did I not stay there, but I had the highest success rate. How did they measure that? The managers I hired stayed longer, had more successful units, trained up more success managers from within. They also stole less and had fewer complaints brought against them. Basically, I’m decent at reading people’s abilities and integrity.

 

And it all starts with the world’s equivalent of a query letter –> a resume.

 

I feel bad for agents sometimes. It’s a double edged sword. You take “too long” with the query and you’re not working hard enough (don’t twitter like the rest of the world, or you’re slacking). “Too fast” with the query meant you either didn’t even see it OR you didn’t bother to read it. Oh, and the same people that hate non-responders, hate form letters. I say, “Bring on the form letters and thanks for letting me know!”

 

So, what, you might ask, does this have to do with resumes? A lot.

 

Just from the resume, I can tell several things. What they value. What’s important in a job. How much they know about the industry and that company specifically. You start to have a sixth sense about what might be lies or exaggerations. Stability. Not just job stability, but personal stability. The excuses that are softly folded into resumes can be amazing. And, just like publishing, the industry I was in was a big-small-world. I could pick up the phone, call a colleague and find out if my hunch was correct before you could find yourself an alibi. And don’t forget: Personality. Oh, don’t believe me about that one? Think of the most pompous person you know. Think of their vocabulary and how they use it. I know one guy who uses his like a weapon to slash everyone down before they even have a chance. Trust me, you can see that in a resume. Do you want that guy to be your boss?

 

And then there’s just a point that you can’t know: I know what my team needs. I know what I like working with. I know where the promotions (holes) are going to be. I know where somethings going to be hot because of a company move. I know a ton that you can’t know, not because you’re uneducated or unaware ….but because you aren’t in my position and my position is to keep those things to myself and do what’s best for my employees and company.

 

Finally, I can often tell if I’m going to like you. And let’s be honest, that’s important. Because no one…and I’m betting this is true for agents no matter how much they like a book…wants to work with someone long term they can’t stand to be around or don’t respect.

 

And I can do this all under 3 mins. I know what I’m looking for. I know what I’m not looking for. And, honestly, it’s 1 page. How long does that take someone who doesn’t know? 6 mins? 8?

 

So, yeah, when I get a fast rejection I get that “arg. why don’t you love my book?” feeling. But angry? No. Oh yeah, except for the one agent who responded in 47 SECONDS and misquoted my query letter. Him, I wonder about.

 

Trust agents. They want to find great books. You may have a great book but a lousy query letter. Thank goodness for the agent who told me I had a “trite looking synopsis” — it changed the entire game for me. Hopefully soon as I start the process with a new book, someone will see my query and ask for pages…and then more pages…and then more books…and then and the and then we’ll have the beginning of a beautiful partnership.

Pen Names, Screen Names, Networking & Building Your Brand

I was talking with a friend last week about branding. It could be the business background in me, but I love branding. One of the things I liked about the Twilight series is you can pick a Twilight book out from 100yards – yeah, sweet. It has A Look.

 

I’m sure if you’re here enough, you know that I’m one of the co-founders of Excerpt Monday. Mel and I have been talking over the last few months about where we want EM to go. There’s a lot to think about:

• Who are our participants?
• Who is our audience?
• What do they need?
• What do they NOT KNOW they need?
• Can we give it to them?
• How can we fix issues and be easy service wise (this one is huge and is what brought about all the questions in the first place)
• How can we make our site memorable and easily recognizable.

That last one? That’s the easiest part of branding to identify. The look.

 

But what about branding for authors? Yeah, we’re to a point in technology where authors are expected to know more, do more, be more than just a writer. I have thoughts about this, but that’s a different blog. Part of this — to me — is branding and building your network.

 

I’m a HORRIBLE networker. I hate it. I hate it even when I’m not networking and honestly enjoy the person. There’s a lot of successful authors out there who have been burnt. I can tell you that we unpubbed writers have a lot of stories we can tell you about being burnt by those burnt-pubbed authors. I’ll admit that two of my favorite authors treated me horribly when I met them. I was embarrassed just for introducing myself in a networking forum and they looked bad to the people around us. (Before you start wondering, one actually went on the attack after “Hi, I’m Bria and I just want to tell you how much I love your books.” — I know, how dare I, right?)

 

And so, I don’t buy either of their books any more. I live 2 blocks from a library. I don’t HAVE to buy any books. I vote with my wallet, just like every other aspect of life. Now, to me, part of those authors’ brand is “rude to the reader” or “impatient with her audience” — Does anyone truly want that to be part of their brand?

 

Yeah, me neither.

 

Rounding the corner on this post… This is the what my friend and I were originally talking about: Pen Names.

 

She doesn’t have one. That’s fine. Except, she doesn’t have a “real name” up either.

 

She’s past her first book, has a blog, is in writer’s forums and goes by a screen name. I’m flabbergasted by this. How many people has she met that when her book comes out would have said “Oh, she was in such and such with me. I should pick that up?” How is she going to make the jump on her blog and site from a screen name to a pen name. Contest wins are posted in her real name, who will make the connection when she picks a pen name…does she even want them to make the connection?

 

And so, we’ve gone back and forth. Her saying that until she’s published it “doesn’t matter THAT much” and me saying “this is the stuff you need to think about now.”

 

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Branding? Names? Burnt-Authors and Burnt by Burnt-Authors? To me, it’s all part of the publishing world. To her, not so much… How about to you?

To Contest Or Not To Contest

I live in that mushy writer’s world In Between.

 

I’m no longer such a newbie that I feel my writing is unshowable, but I know I still have some work to do to make that (hopefully) final jump to publication.

 

There seem to be two ways to start making the next jump: A really great mentor (briaquinlan AT aol if you’re interested in filling that role 😉 ) OR contest feedback.

 

So, contest feedback it is.

 

Yes, I’ve heard the downside. I’ve heard how people with chips on their shoulders rip into your work, finding flaws that aren’t there, being rules Nazi for rules they don’t understand…sending you a 3page single spaced rewrite of your entire plot b/c you “got it wrong” and then giving you all zeros (I know 2 people THAT happened to…come on) – But the truth is, there are several benefits to contests.

 

1. Outside opinions
   • I’ve had several people who know me say they can hear my voice as they read the ms. So, that’s…um… not so great. If my ms is standing on the power of KNOWING me, I need to know that. This one, I don’t think it is. I think that the Rom Com voices are just closer to my own than my Fantasy voice. But let’s check that out, shall we?
2. Judges
   • Let’s be honest, I’m not entering a contest for a final judge I don’t want to get in front of. There’s a contest a friend has been pushing me to enter, but the final YA judge is someone that I feel wouldn’t be a good match for me as The Agent. Obviously I’m not throwing down the cash for that.
3. Props
   • What can we add to query letters if we don’t have publishing credits yet? How about a very reputable contest win? Yeah. That would be swell.

 

So, then comes the budget. Unemployed writer looking to get stuff in front of editors… Cost? Priceless… or not. Budget has to play a large part in what you can do.

Another reason I’m skipping two contests is because the final judges are agents who have both asked to see whatever I have next. Why pay the money hoping to get in front of agents who have already said to send it to them… I mentioned the budget, right?

 

And so, I’ve narrowed it down to 12. A little more research and I’ll be ready to go. Hopefully something good will come from taking this leap.

 

I’d love to hear your contest experiences. Let me know the good, the bad, the ugly and the “why the heck did I bother”s.

Big Books?

I write Big Books and I write Little Books. In between: Not so much.

 

The issue isn’t with the in between since my genre is YA. The shorter books (50-60K) are actually sitting where they should be for the shelf. But, something interesting happened today that got me thinking. Janet Reid tweeted that she’s been getting a lot of 175Kish books lately (ok, my Big Book doesn’t quite scratch there, so phew!) and she was wondering why.

 

This to me is a simple answer. I read fast. When I’m unemployed I can sometimes whip thru 2 or 3 mass market sized books (@90K) in a day. Yeah, I should be writing, but sometimes you need a break. And those books are great. Sometimes the author slows me down and gives me stuff to really sink into, but typically, at that size, it feels like a small book to me.

 

I want those big books. I want to LIVE in a book for a few days. I want to not be able to finish it because my eyes are burning  to close and when I do fall asleep I want to dream about it. I want the juicy pulpy world that’s so rich you need more than the “normal” size to get it. I want a cast of more than 4. I want to have to pay attention.  Great example is Poison Study by Maria V Snyder – rich world, amazing story, “normal” word count.

 

Which brings me to the next point. Why do we expect every story to be told in about the same word count? Thank God (as usual) for Stephen King. Big Books, Medium Books, Small Books, Short Stories, Novellas… If the man who points the way doesn’t stick to 90k, I think we can pretty much say that not every story is a 90k word count story.

 

And so I wonder, why does every book try to fit in there. No, no need to comment. I do understand cost efficiency. But let’s look at Twilight (I know, I promised we wouldn’t talk more about Twilight, but we’re talking industry here) — One of the reasons people love that book is because they LIVED in it. I think we can all agree that the extra paper and ink paid off. Let’s see who will be the next agent and publisher to take a chance on a Big Book and win big.

Publishing Blogs Weekly Round-Up

First off, just a reminder: Luv YA Book Club is in just over a week (April 20th) and this months book is Rita Nominated Hell Week by Rosemary Clement-Moore.

 

Ok, have we all recovered from Agentfail? Hopefully yes and everyone is moving on….soooooo…..

 

HarperCollins is publishing at least one book fully written by Michael Crichton posthumously. It’s about pirates. Need I say more?

 

Because we’re still trying to figure out if we even have a platform, let alone what it might be, here’s another blog post on that. But, it’s by Jessica Faust. So, Need I say more about that?

 

Saundra Mitchell on Crowe’s Nest did a great post on Self-Promotion. It’s never to early to start thinking about this stuff!

 

Writing on the Wall did a great post this week about recognizing beauty out of context. Basically, if a writer who has been declared brilliant writes something not typically published under a different name, would we notice? It reminded me a lot of the blog I did last year at Purple Hearts about the Jane Austen experiment (covered by The Guardian) where an author sent a bunch of query letters for Pride and Prejudice. He got turned down, shot down, and basically talked down to. Only one person who responded recognized the plot.

 

Two years ago, I read my first romance novel. I was a snob before that, but some really wonderful writers convinced me that (just like every genre) I needed to ignore those poorly written books and embrace the gems. Apparently, most of America is doing that – even in this economic crisis. Check out what the NYT has to say about that.

agentwin

OK, it’s time to talk positive. It’s time to stop scaring those new writers who haven’t queried yet. It’s time for AGENTWIN.

 

You heard me right, agentwin (shout out credit to Crystal Jordan).

 

I would like to discuss some agentwins I’ve had. Just some postive experiences that have shaped the way I look at this thing called a “writing career” — if I can get it that far.

 

• The agent who read my partial and wrote back saying she was passing because the synopsis made the story look predictable. She hinted that the issue was the synopsis since she didn’t find the partial predictable. Thanks to that agent, I rewrote my synopsis (oh the pain!) and started getting more requests
• The agent who, when told I had a deal on the table, sent me a thanks, but go with that agent BUT still took the time to type out an entire page of suggestions and praises. WOW!
• The agent who remembered me a year and a half later who I never queried b/c she doesn’t list my genre and I thought she was humoring me (learned: agents don’t humor when they encourage you)
• The agent who took the time to explain HOW to query my stuff as crossover without sounding like a pompous you-know-what
• The agent who said “I don’t rep that, but if you have time, I’d like to introduce you to so-and-so. She might be looking for something like that”
• The agents who blog about things that are helpful and timely
• The agents who twitter the same

I’m sure I could go on, but jump in – I’d love to hear more agentwins!

Post Conference I Didn’t “Go” To Summary

I had a wonderful last couple of days. Writing friends from as far away as Washington state came into Boston for the RWA Writer’s Conference this weekend. While I couldn’t afford to attend the conference, I did get to hang out in the bar and with them outside their pitches. It was great! Just getting the vibe off encouraged writers has really rejuvinated me!

 

I did volunteer to be a runner since I wouldn’t be missing anything and so I got to meet several people.

 

I picked Meg Ruley up at the airport. She was as lovely as ever and getting to pick her brain about the whole “well, agents are telling me it’s YA-Crossover, but that sounds really assumptious to say” thing was great. (FYI, she told me to use the crossover word if trusted people said it was.)

 

I got to re-meet (the also lovely) Leah Hultenschmidt from Dorchester. She has an amazing memory. Anyone that can meet that many people and say, “I remember you don’t write anything we sell”, well, that’s pretty good for me – I mean, to remember me even though I DON’T write anything they’ll see….wow! Plus, my friend asked her about the SHOMI line. I don’t want to mangle the answer, but she said she’d try to blog about it soon…so watch that blog.

 

And, beyond my own friends and writers I don’t get to see very often, I got to meet Jessica Faust (as she was in the lobby getting ready to head out). Downside, they still aren’t doing YA or Crossover. Upside, I got to say thank you to her for the amazing blog she does. I’m a big believer in Thank You’s.

 

My friends who attened the conference had positve pitch results and great things to say about the workshops (feel free to send me those notes, girls 🙂 ) – but, hopefully, things will change enough for me to get to actually attend next year. But either way it was great to

March Luv YA Book Club – CANCELED

Due to unforeseen circumstances (no where within 3 hours of Boston having the book and mine not coming in) tonight’s book club has been canceled.

 

Can ANYONE explain that 1.5 months out and this book is no where to be found?

 

As an aspiring writer — this scares me to death.