Ready for RWA

Just completed my registration to see an editor and an agent at the RWA national conference in July.  Can't wait to get some actual face-time with these people! Hoping to get to ten or twelve workshops, learn a lot about the craft and industry, meet a ton of people, and have a little fun with my critique partners.

Thumbs Up

The results are in! Four out of five judges in the RWA Golden Heart contest liked Surprise Son! One of them gave the manuscript a perfect 9! Woo-hoo! Unfortunately, there was that one judge out in left field, the lone dissenter who kept the manuscript from finaling. That's sad, and annoying. But the good news is that if the judges mirror real life, and real readers, four out of five thumbs up is fabulous. That tells me that if I end up self-pubbing, I've got a good shot at connecting with readers. And that, of course, is the goal. I'm encouraged!

Back to reality

Ahhh. Laundry going, bills paid, surfaces cleared, bags unpacked . . . and another spring break is history. Had a great time, celebrated a milestone birthday with our daughter, saw a good friend. Now it's back to reality. Hoping to spend a couple of hours curled up with one of my stories and get some productive writing done. Even though I can look outside and see that spring has sprung, it's cool and cloudy and rainy. Since I can't be out working in the yard, it's a good day to stay inside and work on my latest manuscript. Got tea, got computer. Catch you later.

Good news

Great news today! Just got a request for a partial on one of my novels from a renowned agency! Very exciting!

Two down, dozens to go!

Just put the finishing touches on my second novel in the Mainstream with Strong Romantic Elements genre. Well, actually, my second novel was completed last year. This is the re-write of my first novel. Numbers three, four and five, plus a women's fiction, a non-fiction about my daughter's college search, a short story, and other miscellaneous pieces are all in the works. It's enough to keep me busy for a very long time!

Now my dilemma is figuring out to whom I should send the completed manuscript. The same agents I sent my other novel to? Or should I find a whole new list of agents? I've read and heard numerous times how many authors get a hundred rejections before they finally find the right agent. Honestly, I don't see how an author could come up with a hundred viable agents to query. I'm surprised by how many agents out there either aren't open to submissions or still aren't taking email queries. I can't figure out why agents would rather get stacks of paper in snail mail rather than electronic submissions. Do they think authors are less serious about their work if they don't go to the trouble and expense of copying/printing, going to the post office and paying for postage? I'd just rather be working on my next manuscript than running errands!

There's a Light

Oh, yeah! March! The light at the end of the cold, dark tunnel of winter. The sun is shining, and it's supposed to hit 70 today. Woo-hoo! Spring break only a couple of weeks away. Tennis season starting up. Daylight Savings Time around the corner. Flowers poking through the ground. These are good things.
Now, where I live, snow in March -- even in April -- isn't out of the question. I know this. I'm not pulling out my flip-flops yet, but it sure is nice to get a little taste of spring!

Sooooo close!

Just sent the edited version of the last four chapters of my latest novel to my critique partners. Yay!!!!
I know that doesn't mean it's done. For good. But, hopefully, it means it's just about ready for a beta read, and for querying. Unfortunately, that means I have to write an amazing query that will give a taste of the story while exciting an agent to want to read more. Sigh. Ugh. Not my favorite part of the whole writing/publishing process.
But, here's to the next step, and having another almost-finished product!