I'm ALIVE

Haha.

So, Scar-Crossed has been Frankensteined at the request of the agent in question. After two weeks of rewriting to improve and two months of completely badgering my betas to hurry up and read the damned thing, the agent gave me a gentle nudge and I was like forget this, I'm sending it without your input. So, now the MS is in the hands of God and the agent. Who in my world, are pretty much the same thing at the moment. But, the agent's assistant said she really liked my writing, so I hope that's a good sign.

I spend my days neurotically checking email, glancing at my cell phone, obsessing over a continuous selection of audiobooks, and trying not to freak out about my writers block. I'm pretty sure the block is just from frayed nerves and fried editing cells, but no writer likes to feel blank. I'm slowly applying some concepts and slogging through a page here and there.

In book reviews:

Three books into Maxium Ride, and the first in Daniel X. I'm okay with James Patterson writing YA, he's got some out there concepts. But come on man. Wackadoo? What 15 year old in his right mind would refer to his alien foe as a wackadoo? On happier terms I actually like Max, which is new for pretty much every female protag I've been reading lately. She doesn't make me want to shake her silly.

I have to say Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games series literally ate my life for five days. Couldn't stop thinking about it. Couldn't stop talking over it. Made my husband read it. Lost sleep over it. And was finally satisfied when Katniss ended up with Peeta instead of Gale and neither of them died. To be honest, I wasn't sure what was going to happen in the end. Collins writes in such a way that you don't know who's going to die next, who's going to come up tortured into craziness, or who is going to betray who. I loved Peeta, hated Gale, wanted to punch Katniss; but somehow that dynamic made me want to keep reading. I'm SO glad there's going to be a movie and that she's writing the screen-play. It's not going to be butchered by Hollywood. Now, we just need the casting director not to flop like they did in Twilight and I'll be all set.

I read Carrie Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth in one day and was like WTF? Where's the rest? So, I had to get The Dead-Tossed Waves, just to see what happens to everyone else. I had been operating under the assumption that Gabry was Mary's love child with either Travis or Harry (which I guess Ryan wanted us to think) and was totally thrown when we learned that she was a foundling and Mary is an old woman. But I'm happy she finally went looking for everyone and ended up back with Harry. By the end of the book I decided I love this series and even though the characters frustrate me, they're realistic. Can't wait for the last installment!

Since everyone knows how much I loved Shiver, it's no surprise I picked up Lament and Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater. Both are awesome because they hit close to home with me. (Since Hill Dwellers is also based in Faerie). As guessed, I wasn't a huge fan of Dee, but I loved Luke, James, and Nuala. (Who's name reminds me of Nuada and I have to wonder about any relation to Hell Boy II: The Golden Army.) I'm hoping she writes another book in this series? Cause I think there should be a bit more closure between Dee and Luke. And Dee and the fae in general? And I still want to be Maggie's best friend.

Since I was on a faerie kick...I also picked up Leslie Livingston's Wonderous Strange and Darklight. Again, not a fan of the female protag, Kelley, but I'm curious about Livingston's world building in this series. I want to know more about the politics and what happens to Sonny now that his powers are unleashed. Holy Greenman vs. Hunter.

What else...Started Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series. I'm still trying to decide if I like it or not...but I've gone through two books already, so I guess I must. I guess it's like Twilight in that sense. I can't figure out why I like it, but somehow I do.

I've also eaten through five Orson Scott Card books. Which makes me think he must be one of my favorites.

So, I've decided on some favorite authors. Orson Scott Card, Scott Westerfeld, Maggie Stiefvater, Carrie Ryan, Suzanne Collins, Philip Pullman, and Neil Gaiman.

I'm working through The Fallen series by Thomas Sniegoski. I'm enjoying it a lot, so he's probably on the list too.

There are a couple more since the last post, but I lost count. I have to go check my list.

Because I Can and I Am and That's Just How It Is.

When I ask the question: Who's awesome?

The answer "me" comes to mind.

That's cause I feel super full of wonderfuls (yes, that is a cereal and no, you can't have any) because I totally rocked the house yesterday. In this past week, I've written 50 pages for The Changeling Hunt. Thirty of those pages were written yesterday and I'm just about 100% on where I want to go with the rest of it. Now I just need to get it on paper. This thrills me to giggles because there's a strong possibility that I'll finish The Changeling Hunt before vacation and I can start working on The-Yet-Unnamed-Steampunk-Novel that I started three months ago.

In other news, rejections for queries are coming in at a slow crawl, but that's okay cause the agent who IS going to represent me already has the full manuscript and is reading it right this minute. I'm expecting her call this evening. Don't you just love my affirmative attitude?

This week I completed Kristin Cashore's Graceling. Four and a half hearts out of five. And I picked up another of Sherilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter novels, Dark Side of the Moon. I enjoyed it and have no complaints about repetitive language this time. probably because it was much smaller than Acheron. Although, I was a pinch confused. Kenyon claims everything can be ready out of order, but I'm apparently a few Ah-Ha bulbs short of your average reader...or something...

I'm currently reading Danielle Trussoni's Angelology. Can we say excited? I love angel fiction, especially when it actually bothers to incorporate religion and doesn't just shove some random Nephilim in for love interest. Can we say "gag on current YA?" Okay, I admit I toss angels into nearly everything I write, but at least my stuff makes sense.

As exoected, I'm also finally finishing Rhonda Byrne's The Secret (which I'm integrating into my life). Please read the following:

Ready? Ahem.

I'm so happy and grateful now that I have a literary agent who loves everything I write. I'm very happy and grateful now that my book has gone to auction, sold for a healthy chunk of cash, and I've been signed for the next two books in the series. I'm super happy and grateful now that I'm published. I'm uber happy and grateful now that I'm a New York Times Bestseller and can afford to write full time. I absolutely adore and am grateful for my readers, my agent, my editor, my publisher, the world at large, and of course the very beneficent and colossally attentive universe.

I think that about sums it up.

I figure it's not all that much to ask since I already have nearly everything else I want. Being a successful writer is pretty much all I want out of life these days.

Oh yes, and I want the interlibrary loans to allow me to check out the audiobooks I want.

Thank You.

BEA on the Brain

I'm totally bummed that I can't be at BEA (Book Expo America) this week.

One the bright side:

I now have two agents with full manuscripts in their possession. They are both supposed to get back to me in about two months. *Cue Jeopardy theme* Plus, I sent out a bunch of additional queries, so hopefully someone will actually respond this round.

I purchased new Vibram five finger toe shoes. (KSOs en noir if you must know) They are interesting feeling and apt to doom your calves to a week of slow agonizing pain if you're stupid enough to try soling a mile run on the first trial run. Despite that setback, I'm willing to let the blisters and muscle pain fade and try making soling a part of my existence.

I discovered the wonders of Whole Foods supermarket, peach scones, and the beverage, Honeydrop.

I'm attempting to slog through my writer's block. I've officially tied together three chapters to The Changeling Hunt (sequel to Scar-Crossed) and plotted a possible ending. I'm just wondering how I'm going to fit everything into one book and not make my readers hate me for what I plan to do to one of the main characters. *Cue maniacal laugh*

I'm reading Soulless by Gail Carriger. It's terribly wonderful and I want to be best friends with Gail. I feel like she'd be a friend like Sarah (with who you aren't acquainted, but she's a lady of a particularly interesting shade of wonky brilliance). I friended Gail on Twitter and she actually friended me back. I'm taking it as a sign cause she happens to be repped by one of the agents that has my manuscript.

Speaking of Twitter, I got ten new followers this weekend! (That's exciting because I'm trying to get as many followers as I can before the book comes out. It makes PR so much easier when people actually read and follow your work. Not like a certain blog...that no one reads. *Cue fake smile*

I'm listening to The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks. I'm not willing to comment on it at the moment. Let's just say that I'm getting winded by the repetitiveness of the epic fantasies I've been selecting for myself of late. *Cue loud, obnoxious snore*

Finally, the hubs and I changed the radiator in Kitty this weekend. There was literally a massive hole in the radiator and bits of it were strewn all about the engine well. Can't be good. So I'm proud of the hubs for being all mechanical and I'm proud of me cause...well, no reason in particular, but there's no reason not to have a bit of self esteem, now is there?

The Secret

Okay, so you might be wondering why I've titled this long-over-due blog post "The Secret." Well, I've got two reasons.

Reason number one: I've been keeping a secret. Well, I haven't been keeping it, really. If you follow any one of my other sites, then you'd know that I've been pretty verbal about this particular secret. However, I have to feel guilty that I haven't been giving my blog nearly enough love and spaghetti lately. So, I'm telling it the big secret.

Pssst. There is an agent with a full manuscript of Scar-Crossed.

This is the part where, if my blog were human, it would get all pissy and whine that I didn't even tell it that I was sending out queries, let alone sent out a partial, let alone sent out a full, let alone waited two weeks to talk about it.

All I can do it shrug and insist that I didn't want to jinx myself. But, as it has become quite apparent over the years, I have no patience. I need to stew about my good fortune somewhere.

So, lets talk about the significance of this achievement. An agent having a full manuscript is just what the doctor ordered for this budding novelist. Why? Well, not only is this novelist admittedly impatient, but she's also unfairly harsh on herself. That's why I take critiques so well. Score one for me, no one else can tell me I suck in quite as nasty a manner as I can.

So, while everyone was glomping and sqeeing over Scar-Crossed, I was insistent that they were just saying they liked it because they were my friends and family or just very nice people who didn't want to hurt my feelings.

What mattered to me was what people in the industry thought about my book. Having an agent read part of my manuscript and like it enough to ask to read the whole thing makes me feel a little better about my writing. I mean, I could still be a sucktastic novelist, but at least I've got enough there for someone important to admit to liking what they've seen so far. I keep telling myself that as I wallow in the fact that no other agents have taken the bait (yet). So, maybe this was a match meant to be?

Okay, so back to the second reason for calling this "The Secret." In celebration of an "edge of your seat, bite your finger-nails to the quick" moment, I'm invoking some good juju/karma with some positivity. This important step comes compliments of the well-known book The Secret, written by Rhonda Byrne! Admittedly I haven't read the whole thing, but I do own it and it has been imbued with positive energy and an encouraging note. It might have even been anointed and baptized, you never know with the person who gave it to me...

Any-who, I get the thrust of The Secret. Think happy thoughts! Only happy thoughts! Think of what you want. Envision what you want. If you build it, they will come! - just don't feed them hot dogs.

Needless to say, I've had a ton of trippy imaginary book signings, awards speeches, and New York Times Bestseller status happy dances in the past few months.

Since this particular agent asked for the full manuscript I've been honing my positive energy toward her accepting me under contract. I know it sounds sort of creepy, but I've revisited the agent's website and committed her picture to memory. Every few minutes I envision her sitting up way past her bedtime, completely entranced by my book. Then I imagine her grinning over the phone when she calls to tell me she's all about representing Scar-Crossed. I've even gone so far as to imagine the office dog barking on the other end or maybe mentioning how utterly in love with my manuscript she is on her blog. (Hey, a girl can dream big-headed thoughts)

I know that sounds super awkward, but I need every little bit I can get and hey, if it's true that our brains only use a small portion of what they're capable of using then, who knows, maybe I will change the molecular state of things. Ew, totally had a sci-fi moment there.

Anyway, wish me luck, shoot positive ions in my general direction, and send your psychic influence to the agent in question. HORRAY for Scar-Crossed!

Chomping at the bit.

I realize I've done an absolutely appalling job of actually keeping up with my blog. Eh, what can I say? I have nothing to say? No, that's not quite it. I have plenty to say, just not the time to say it. I'd much rather be spending my time writing and trying to get published then writing a blog. That's pretty much it. But, I have enough to tell you about now that I warrant it necessary to write a new blog post.

First, I'd like to say that Scar-Crossed is just about ready to make her debut to the publishing realm. I've had about ten beta-readers read her and give her a glowing review. Most edits are complete, the query and the summary are in the final review stages, and the prospective agent list is officially three pages long. All I have to do now, is have patience enough to wait for my last few readers to send me edits.

On another note, all three of the next Hill Dweller novels have been hashed out and begun. Oh, wait, you don't even know about the Hill Dweller Series yet! Okay, the Hill Dweller series will be all the books that center around the fairy realm created in Scar-Crossed. So, of course, Scar-Crossed will be the first Hill Dweller novel. The Changeling Hunt, the sequel to Scar-Crossed, will be the second novel. The Changeling Hunt is completely plotted out, about thirty pages in, and will answer all the questions about what happens to Lacey and Connor after the Seelie Court finds out that Connor took the last available Walker.

I also have two books that are re-tellings that also fit into this series...but I can't tell you about them. Top secret and all that. Sorry, I guess I'm paranoid that someone will steal my ideas. But trust me, they're exciting. I'm practically bursting with the need to share them. I will tell you that they are titled Tamrin and Fauning Over You.

In other news, I've been reading and listening up a storm. I've nearly finished my list of YA paranormal romance novels and I'm starting on my Steam-Punk list. This week I read Scar Night, a novel by Alan Campbell, and I finished listening to Leviathan, a YA novel by Scott Westerfeld. Both were excellent, but I have to say that as far as sequels go, I'm totally more interested in what happens next for the characters in Leviathan. It may just be that Westerfeld has this obnoxious knack for writing cliff-hangers. How does he get away with it?! Cause he's awesome, that's why! Can you tell I've read him before? I think the man is a genius. And if I weren't a writer, I'd be totally unprofessional and dorky and probably stalk him. Kidding. But seriously, the things he comes up with! Uglies and Pretties? Darwinists and Clankers? Leviathan was like Blue Sub. 6 meets World War I. I found myself calling everything Bum-Rag for at least two days after finishing it.

I thought Scar Night was good too, but for different reasons. Campbell is really good at spreading the jelly over the toast. Where Westerfeld tends to follow only one or two characters, Campbell has you reading the POV of at least five. All of his characters are thick with motive and are being used as pawns by someone else. I like the conspiracy of the book. Probably because it reminds me so much of That Which Lies in Darkness. The only issue I really had with it was that the book often followed the antagonist more than the protagonist. I found myself wanting to read more about Dill and Rachel, not Mr. Nettle and Devon. However, the interesting aspect of this novel (and I'm reminded once again of TWLID) is that you don't really know who the bad guy is. The antagonists seem to have clear motives and you find yourself sympathizing with them. I guess I'm just more interested in angels and possible romantic interests? Blame it on the YA novels I've been reading lately.

Anyway, that's all for now. I have to be off soon to have myself photographed for a photo journal! I feel popular.

Double Timing It.

Sorry I've sucked at posting lately. It's worth the baited breath, promise! Wait for it, wait for it, ready? If you're staring at the image and thinking I'm going to tell you I'm preggers, get over it! I finished another book! (Which is my mental equivalent to birthing a child. Trust me it's a slow painful process and yes, you can get fat from it).

Introducing Scar-Crossed, my new young adult paranormal romance! Officially stand alone quality. Officially not a tome. Officially dark and romantic. Officially another book with a drool worthy love interest. Officially going to be heck and half to sell to an agent cause the market for paranormal romance isn't exactly starving for fairy angst, but it's a bit more marketable than TWLID. So, I'm excited.

The first two betas currently have it and then it's off to at least six more. This time I'm being more careful with who I send it to, so hopefully I'll get faster and better feedback than with TWLID.

On another exciting note: I went to Arisia this past weekend and it rocked. I watched a number of panels on folklore and fairy tales, oh, and gender and female protags. I wanted to get on some of those panels and make connections to my book! (That's a good thing) It means that I'm really starting to come into myself as a novelist. I was a little surprised that many of the novelists on these panels didn't talk about their own writing when they obviously could have. I mean, come on, promote yourself people!

I got to go to a book-launch party for Danielle Ackley-McPhail's new novel The Halfling's Court. It sounds like a very exciting novel and I'll be purchasing it when I go to Lunacon this year. You should get it too, just 'cause Danielle is awesome. I also met a photographer/UF novelist and a historical reenactment guy...who gave me an intensive lesson on the use of the highland hand-and-a-half sword. (Exciting because now I can write believable sword-play scenes in the Blood Heritage Series). To cap off my vacation, I got caught in a snowstorm on the way home! BUT, I mapped out the plot to the sequel to Scar-Crossed and I wrote the first chapter this past Monday.

I'll be writing more, but I have to finish all the library books that I took out. I think I've read eight since since my last post? Maybe more? I'm trying to study my genre, so it's all about the YA paranormal/urban fantasy novels these days. I'm not even going to bother critiquing them because I've gone through so many. Just pray no one takes my idea before I can pitch the novel.

the wait

Yeah, so remember when I made that post about "the waiting game?" I'm in it again. After producing sparklies and throwing a few mini-tantrums, the partial has been sent. Now, it's just a matter of keeping my act together until I hear back from the agent. I have four ideas:

First, I can continue to make edits to the manuscript. I'm still waiting for most of the beta readers to get their act together and actually read the novel. So, I can certainly make corrections as they come and that way, perhaps the full manuscript will be ready when the request comes.

I don't want you to think that the novel isn't done. It's sooo done. In fact, it's so done that the sequel is done. That's how done it is. I just don't like the sequel, so I'm rewriting it. However, as I write, I continue to improve. So, logically, my writing can always get better and therefore, the manuscript can get better (even if it's done).

Second, I can try to fully hash out and complete my re-writes for the sequel. This has much appeal, but I'm brain-farting with what I want this conflict arc to be. It's tough when you have a major story arc that stretches over multiple books, yet each one has to have its own conflict arc. Sometimes, I wish this was simple epic fantasy. Things would be easier.

Third, I can work on another book entirely. This is also a very yummy concept. It is possible that the current novel will not get the love it deserves because it's part of a series. While I tried my best to make the novel have it's own conflict arc -- abstract as it may be -- there are still many unanswered questions and a cliff-hanger ending. I could work on one of my other book ideas and bang out a stand-alone. Then I can try and work on publishing that novel.

Fourth, I could just kick it and let what ever will happen happen. This includes catching up on my reading, listening to audio books, and having all sorts of fun. This doesn't tend to last for very long because I end up with a new story idea. I'll inevitably end up getting a new idea, writing half a book, and never finishing it...like the dozen or so I've already got. But, this is a good idea if I don't want to blow out my candle -- so to speak.

So many possibilities, so little time. What would you do if you were me?

P.S. I really like Stars. They are an awesome band and you should listen to them!

oh geez...

I have another partial request. I probably should have posted this marvelous piece of news when I got it nearly a week ago, but I've been busy with trying to make sparklies happen.

Yes, sparklies. If you're not Harry Potter, then you might realize how difficult it is to make sparklies occur. I am not Harry Potter. Nor am I in any way Hogwart's worthy. Therefore, this week has been like pulling a diamond out of a slug.

It wasn't that bad actually. I think my novel would be offended if I called it a slug. Heck, I'm offended by calling my novel a slug. Anyway, I have been working hard. In the last week I revised my story so many times that I'm actually confused, I have written a fairly strong synopsis, I've labored over an author bio, made up a title page, and polished a cover letter.

I've also plotted the downfall of numerous people who have either failed at beta reading in my time of need or have made me feel like a worm while I'm obviously a centipede. I've decided that I hate people who make you feel two inches tall more than I hate people who just can't keep a promise.

Now, the time has come. Tomorrow I will mail out my partial request and it will travel across the United States. When it hits Portland, I expect it to stop and make a visit. And hopefully the agent that I am interested in will love my partial and want more. Then I'll start the whole process again.

I've learned a lot this week, so even if this doesn't fly, it wasn't in vain. Please wish me luck!

In other exciting news: I'm getting a new laptop. This one will have both a webcam and a 12 cell battery. So, you can expect me to be working from Panera much more often and perhaps making a video.

Practice Makes Perfect

If it isn't obvious by this point in time that I've hit my "oh, my God I suck as an author" point, well I have. I recently read a blog post by Nathan Bransford an agent who is also a published author. In this post, he talked about how horrible it is to be in the waiting stage of getting published. You're constantly waiting with baited breath for a response. Then, when you finally get one, it's most likely a rejection.

I try to keep in mind that statistically only one out of twenty say yes. The story is: I already had one yes that turned out to be an eventual no and now I'm beating myself up. I keep thinking "if only my first few pages had been more XYZ." So, now I'm progressively going back to the drawing board and rehashing my book (AGAIN).

It's not too bad. I have about six new beta readers and one of them has already given me some very excellent feedback. I'm excited about these new readers because they are all in the age bracket I'm writing for. Plus, at least half of them are die-hard urban fantasy/paranormal fiction readers and two are grammar/literature people.

In addition to my new betas, I'm changing some minor plot details. I'm tightening up a few loose ends and I'm giving the book a couple of new scenes and two new chapters. In the interest of space, I'm cutting out a couple of scenes and chapters as well. The book has a new beginning and a new ending.

I'm changing the title from That Which Lies in Darkness to Lies in Darkness. It's more marketable that way.

In addition to all of that, I'm also going to rewrite my query. I figure there is no harm in trying a different approach to the market. I'm flirting with pitching as young adult, but I can't really see teens understanding some of the concepts and I don't want angry parents thinking I'm converting their children into some cult. We'll see.

My special project for Black Friday is to write a kick-ass summary for the book and maybe, if I'm not dead by the end of my summary, I'll work on a proposal. I'm a little apprehensive about both of these projects. I've never been very good at streamlining detail. I'm known for my ability to retell an hour long movie over the span of an entire day. As for the proposal-well, I haven't written one since Grossman's publishing class and I'm not sure I came out with a glaring understanding of the subtlety of book proposals. But, at least I'm willing to try.

I'm also completely convinced that I need a laptop, a web page, and a vlog account on YouTube.

I'm doing this all while I still have queries floating around and yes, I still consider my book complete. I'm under the general assumption that no good writer ever really lets any one of their pieces get published without that voice in the back of their head saying "I could have made that better" (even after they just spent a year of editing to make it better). If an agent or publisher doesn't like that philosophy I'm not sure if I want to work for them. A writer is always improving and I want someone who understands my desire to grow as a writer and story teller. Plus, I can't see anyone who is in the business getting ticked off at my desire to become more marketable.

Meanwhile, I'm still on strike from both reading and listening to books. I think it's helping. But, I'm suffering from spending far too much time networking with other authors. Now, I want to read their work. Oh well, guess my TBR stack is going to get a lot larger this winter.

Comics, breaks, and music

I've decided that I need to take a break from listening to my audio books. I think they are infecting my ability to concentrate on my own writing. While I've come up with a number of promising story ideas, it will not help if I can't dedicate myself to actually writing any of them. I think a small part of this inability has something to do with being a little jaded with my efforts to find an agent. So, while trying to raise my spirits and focus positive energy in the direction of queried agents, I'm going to listen to lots of happy, upbeat music instead of wallowing in the success of other Best Selling authors.

I also have to announce that I'm addicted to Goblins. I don't really know why. I just found it when I was doing some research for one of my book ideas, started reading it and couldn't really stop. I'm not a gamer, but I'm dorky enough and have enough gamer friends that I can appreciate the humor of this strip. I recommend it.

Side Note: I just decided that the girl that sits next to me at work reminds me of a skinnier, less pimply version of Marigold from Questionable Content. Except the girl at work is obsessed with RoosterTeeth and not Yaoi.

Anyway. I'm focusing on The Blood Heritage Cycle for the next few weeks. I spent a couple of hours yesterday doing some proofing and major editing of the first book, Blood Foundling. I have most of it written, but I want to tighten it up and make it completely stand-alone. To do that, I have to have a major conflict resolution for Gwyn and I can't quite decide what that will be. I'm thinking of including some sort of major victory for the Mystereen Legion.

I also spent time clarifying the plot of the second book, Crossed Blood. I have quite a bit of this book written and I think it's going to end up being my favorite book out of the Mother Blood Series. It has a darker, more psychological turn to it and Gwyn is old enough that I can approach some more mature content. The major conflict resolution centers around the final end to the war and a final end to her relationship issues (maybe...).

After some deliberation, I think I'm going to expand the Mother Blood Series to four books instead of three and I'll probably do the same for the Child's Blood Series as well (one for each of Gwyn's children). I'm excited to be working on Blood Heritage again, it's been my little pet project since high school and I think, after already writing so much for Will of the Fallen, I'll be able to approach this with more experience under my belt.

P.S.-I want the shirt in the picture and the Concept/Art belongs entirely to Tarol Hunt. Yay Tarol!