E=MC2

Why I Turned Down an Agenting Offer

2011-09-29T07:40:00.016-04:00

So you're querying your little heart out on your novel and finally it comes.

The Call.

It's what you've been waiting for. You want to jump up and down, scream and shout, and for all intents and purposes wed the person who offers you representation, right?

Except when you don't.

When I was first starting to query for my novel GEMMA UP-OVER, I had made three lists of agents: Most Desired, Somewhat Desired, and Desired.

And if you want to know something about me, something deep-down, soul-wrenching true, here it is:

I'm impatient. I want things to happen, like, NOW.

When I had my query out I was checking my e-mail obsessively every 20 seconds. I would even check my phone notification to make sure everything was working. Test e-mails and everything. Yes, I was that crazy. But don't judge me, you know you do it too!

Anyway, when I got the first offer of representation it was a Sunday afternoon, probably two weeks after I had sent this agent my query package.

Now, the thing about picking an agent is you have to find one who is the right fit for you. In this day of internet searches, following agents on Twitter, or stalking their blogs, you think you get to know them. You like what they've got to say, you think you could be BFFs and the like.

But the query process is as much for the agent to see if they like your work as it is for you to see if you think you'd like to work with that agent.

I decided not to accept the first offer and I'm going to break it down in a minute. I just want to clear something up first. I like the agent who offered representation. I think she is doing great things and is going to go very far with her agency. I respect and admire her. She is hard working. She slaves over her clients' manuscripts and does everything a wonderful agent should to get their work published.

When I first had my writing dream, way back in my mother's womb, though, I knew there was one thing I wanted above anything else. I wanted to be published in NYC. Your goals may be different, so take this advice or leave it. It's up to you.

I'm certainly not saying small presses or self-pubbing is not the way to go. For what you want, either of those may be perfectly logical steps. However, my dream is NYC and I'm going to push hard to make that dream a reality. (Not to mention, my father works for a printing company and I have always wanted to be able to walk onto the printing floor with him and see my book coming off a press. I think we'd both break down and weep. There will be photos if this ever happens, I promise.)

So I turned down the offer from the first agent and here are the reasons why:

1. While this agent is openly acquiring YA manuscripts, she did not have many (or any) yet on her list. Being a debut author, I thought I might be more comfortable with someone more firmly entrenched in the YA world.

2. This agent already had a large number of clients and a bit of a back-log in her reading schedule. While the back-log would have given me time to edit and revise some more, I'm an impatient person (see above). I really just want things to happen NOW.

3. The agent offered after reading three sample chapters and a synopsis. I'm new to the querying/offering process and so I asked my awesomely awesome critique partner about this. I just wasn't sure I felt comfortable offering my book if we hadn't talked about what direction it might take. However, this was not the tipping point for me. The tipping point was number four.

4. Like I said, one of my goals is to be published in NYC. One of the first things I found out after speaking to this agent is that she has not sold to NYC. That's not to say she won't sell to NYC, because I fully belief she's got the heart and determination. She just hasn't done it yet. This is where I got greedy. I really just wanted to see what would happen if I held out a little bit.

It was scary. Terrifying, really. What if that offer in March was the only one I was ever going to get? What if my book wasn't good enough for NYC. What if...what if...what if...

I could go on for hours/days/weeks/months about all the doubts and fears I had, but in the end, I just didn't want to settle. If the agenting relationship is like a marriage, you don't want to marry your runner-up, do you? That's not to say the agent who offered isn't a good agent and might not be the perfect agent-spouse for you, but for me, I just needed to test the currents a bit and see if I could swim.

Scary? Yes.

Worth it? Totally. Without a doubt. No question about it.

Lessons from the Trenches: My Query Process by the Numbers

2011-09-22T05:50:00.000-04:00

Since I'm now agented, I thought I'd share what the query process was like for me. I'm a planner. I like to know when things are supposed to happen, how long it will take, etc. Ask Mandy. I tell her to give me deadlines all the time. I need structure to make things happen.

So, we'll go month by month.

August 2010: I finished my first draft and sent to the most amazing critique partner I could ever ask for.

September 2010-February 24, 2011: Looked at notes and revised draft one. I'll call this completed version Draft 1.5.

February 24, 2011: Began querying. I made a ranked list of agents I'd like to try. Sent six queries in February.

March 2011: Sent 50 queries. These were from three different categories that I made up, Categories A, B, C, A being my most desired agents, B being cool agents but ones I wasn't 100% sold on, and C being agents who I hoped would probably say yes.

Some responded within minutes--7 minutes, to be exact. It took some longer, following the allotted amount of time on their website. Some, I never heard from. There's been a great kerfuffle about agents not responding to queries on the internet and I may address that at a later point.

I got one offer. Two requests for fulls, including a request from Mandy. One request for partial. I turned down the agent offer--I will have another post on this later, I promise. One full came back a rejection but with ideas for improving. Mandy said she'd be willing to look at a revised version. I thought working on a revision meant a fast turn around--I was wrong. I will have a post on this, too. Revisions received a rejection as well.

April 2011: Sent 16 queries. No offers, no requests.

May 2011: Sent 2 queries. No response. I was giving up hope at this point. I was doubting my intelligence at turning down the agent offer. I was caught in a downward spiral of bad thinking.

June 2011: Sent 2 queries. No response. I went to a novel revision retreat hosted by my local chapter of SCBWI. It was incredible. It was amazing. There are no other words. I learned everything I know about revision from this workshop with Cheryl Klein. I vowed to rewrite over the summer.

July 2011: Sent 2 queries. No response. Rewrite continues.

August 2011: Rewrite continues and finishes. I sent updated full manuscripts to both agents who requested a full in March, as well as to a few others who seemed possibly interested in the spring but had not taken the bait. I sent this revised version to all agents at 3:00am Friday morning, August 18. Tuesday, August 22, on The Day The Toilet Almost Exploded I got The Call from Mandy Hubbard

August 25, 2011: A year to the day after I finished my first draft, I signed with my agent!

So, that's it. My query process by the numbers. Have you guys had better luck?

Good Habit #1: Rewards

2011-09-15T07:20:00.000-04:00

You'll hear me talk a lot about how writing is my third job. I'm a mom to two boys (4 and nearly 2) and a middle school Language Arts teacher. Writing gets done when I can squeak it in and not a second sooner.

And, seriously, sometimes there are days/weeks/months when I don't get anything done. SOL time, holidays, family illnesses that crop up during the school year. Until and unless writing becomes a full-time job for me there are two jobs more important to me right now.

Don't get me wrong, I love writing. But there are really only 24 hours in a day, no matter how I look at the clock.

I get up every weekday morning and write from 5:30-6:00. Writing on the weekend is done during nap time or once the kids go to bed. My word count goals for first drafts are this: weekdays-1k words, weekends-2kw words/day. All in all, I'm looking for about 9k words a week.

However this doesn't always happen. In fact, this rarely happens. I cannot always meet my word count. Because, let's face it, at the end of the day, after teaching 90 13-year olds, after cooking dinner, taking walks, feeding chickens, and playing with boys, writing is not the top thing on my list. Sitting on my butt on the couch is.

This is one reason we don't have television. I would never get things done!

This is a good reason for my motivational technique, though. I buy television shows on DVD to watch. My favorite are, of course YA shows, such as my current favorite: The Vampire Diaries.

So here's how I trick myself:

Me: You have to write 1k words today.
Me: Okay, but what's my motivation.
Me: If you write 1k words today you can watch an episode of The Vampire Diaries.
Me: Ian Somerhalder as a vampire?
Me: Yes, indeedy.
Me: Where the computer? Let's knock these words out.

On a good day, I can get my 1k words out in my 30-minute morning writing. On an average day, I get about 500 words in the morning and then I have to force myself to write 500 words in the evening. On a bad writing day, I don't meet my word count goal. On a horrible day, I don't write.

But on those bad and horrible days I don't get to drool over Ian Somerhalder. I get sad. It hurts. And you're right if you think that works for added motivation the next day.

Here are my reward rules:
1. Find a reward that means something
2. Set a reasonable goal. You don't want to set yourself up for failure but you don't want to make it too easy on yourself, either.
3. Limit the reward. I only allow myself 1 episode (or one hour) of dvds per 1000 words. So, on the weekend, I may get to watch a movie, or two episodes of TVD.
4. If I don't meet the word count, I don't get the reward. Period.
5. If I want to watch more, I have to write more.
6. Adjust as necessary.
7. Also, and this one is just personal: I will not start my reward if I'm not done writing by 9:20. My bed time is 10:00--I give myself an hour to read and lights out at 11:00, so if the show doesn't start by 9:20, I won't be in bed by 10!
8. Extra words don't carry over to the next day. If I write 3,000 words on a Tuesday, that's great, but it doesn't mean I don't have to write for the next two days.

Some days are just bad, be honest. Some days are so horrible that no amount of reward, not even a shirtless Ian Somerhalder episode of TVD is going to help. Some days, I just CANNOT write and I NEED Ian Somerhalder.

It's okay to cheat. Sometimes.

But if you make cheating a daily habit, you've lost your reward system. So be careful how much you "need" to cheat.

Hey, if you want to be a writer, you've got to sacrifice for it, right?

So, how do you reward yourself?

Bad Habit #1: Procrastination

2011-09-08T19:18:00.000-04:00

So, this weekend I am moderating a few panels at the Write-Brained Network's first writing conference. While I am honored to be doing it, I'm scared stiff. This is, like, my first to-do as a "real" writer.

Obviously I'm nervous as heck and I am doing everything in my power to procrastinate.

As this is my third job (mom first, teacher second, writer third) I find it very easy to procrastinate. For example:

Scenario #1
Me: Hey, hubby. I've got a conference to prepare for.
Hubby: Awesome. The boys need food. They also need diapers and wipes.
Me: Oh, a shopping trip. Also, the house needs to be cleaned. I have blog post to write. I have slush to read for my interning position. And my WIP is really screaming my name.

Scenario #2
Me: Hey, hubby. I've got a conference to prepare for.
Hubby: It's sunny outside.
Me: Oh, we could go for a walk. And I could do some weeding. What about working on the chicken coop or scrubbing out the rain barrels. I've always wanted to learn how to build a fence...

Scenario #3
Me: Hey, hubby. I've got a conference to prepare for.
Hubby: Do you have anything you need to get ready for school?
Me: Oh, I have three books to read. Ninety book reports to grade. Ninety essays to grade. Some reading tests to score. Also, I think I might design an entire year's curriculum around dystopian adolescent literature.

Scenario #4
Me: Hey, hubby. I've got a conference to prepare for.
Hubby: I'm going to get on the internet.
Me: Oh, I wonder if CNN changed its top news stories yet. What about Facebook--have any of my friends updated. Oh and Twitter--there's a #YALitchat conversation happening tonight. I have three more stations I need to create on Pandora and one is for my WIP so it is muy important!

See? It's SOOOOOOOO easy to procrastinate, and I don't even have television!

What are your procrastination techniques?

The Call

2011-09-02T10:02:00.000-04:00

So, when last we left off, our fearless author (that's me! Hi! *waves madly*) had just narrowly missed death escaping an earthquake while holing herself up in the bathroom (see how that makes me look good, instead of stupid, which is how I looked in the last post?). Now, the story continues...

I knew I was going to get a call from Mandy at 3:30, provided I didn't die in an aftershock. I even e-mailed her to let her know there was an earthquake and to not be worried if I didn't answer the phone. She wrote back promptly telling me to be safe hiding under my desk with the kids!

I jotted down a few questions, all meant to make me look highly intelligent and researched--questions about her communication style, her plans for my book, where she thought she would submit. How long did she think it would be until we submitted? I even wrote down a note to ask her for some client names so I could contact them and interview them. I was SO ready for the call.

A side note here: I love it when people love my writing. Up until now, though, "people" included my mom and grandma. And while I know they love my writing...I'm not sure they really count. In my query letter I didn't even mention the rave reviews my novel had gotten from Family Reviews...

But when she called, and I heard her talking (excitedly!) about my plot, my characters, my descriptions...it was HEAVEN! Not only that, but she kept talking about my book. I thought it couldn't get much better than this.

When the conversation about my book lasted for twenty minutes I started getting nervous. Wasn't the call supposed to go something like this:

AGENT: I love your book. Be my client.
AUTHOR: Done!

*everyone is happy*

Then I started thinking in my head "Oh, this isn't going to be the call. This is the cruelest rejection of all. She's going to let me down gently. But in a call. Like you're almost good enough, but stop sending me your stuff because I'm never going to be your agent."

I was almost hyperventilating. I had tears in my eyes. I was waiting and waiting for the rejection.

So when she finally offered representation I was all like "Oh, that's nice."

Yeah. I'm serious.

I was channeling my inner-Rain Man and Mandy was going to think I was the least interested author in all the land.

Then, instead of just yelling "Yes! Take me now!" I tried to play it cool and said something about needing to contact the other agents who had partial or full manuscripts.

But when I hung up with her, I was smiling. I knew I was on my way!

Prologue to The Call: The Day the Toilet Almost Exploded

2011-08-26T06:07:00.000-04:00

Alright, alright. I know it's been a long time since I posted, but I didn't think you'd want a daily report of rejection letters, right? I mean, that's just depressing.

Instead, I saved up all my wonderfulness for this post which I knew would come sooner or later!

If you don't know already, as of today, I'm repped by the incredible Mandy Hubbard of D4EO Literary Agency! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

A lot of people like to hear about "The Call" so I thought I'd share mine with you. Hope that's okay!

Tuesday, August 23 started like any other day. Actually, it didn't. See, I'm a teacher and the day in question was the first day students came back to school. For those of you who aren't teachers, you don't understand.

The first day of school is scary.

Why? Because all summer I've been able to go to the bathroom when. I. want. (Yes, there's a point to this, I promise, and it's not that I took the call in the toilet because, well, that would be weird. And yes, I'm talking to you, all those people who talk on their phones while I'm trying to pee in Wal-Mart!) And now, because of schedules and holding hands on the first day of school there is literally No. Time. To. Go.

So, I get a little nervous and stressed out. What if I need to go? What if I don't have time? I really don't want to embarrass myself during the first day of school......and it's just a downward spiral of badness and negative thinking.

And, here we are. First day of school. Nervous about potty breaks. I've had two cups of coffee (bad idea, I know) and it's now lunch time. I need to go. I have to go. I do not have time because kids forget lunch boxes in lockers, they forget locker combinations, they forget they're in school. It's insanity.

Finally I saw it. A five minute break to check e-mail and run to the loo. E-mail first, because, who am I kidding? If I were in a burning building, I'd totally geek out and check my e-mail before running to a fire escape.

But, see. Here's a good reason I did! There was an e-mail in my box from Mandy Hubbard! It had only been four days since I sent her my revised full draft, so I'm thinking two things:

1. She's writing to tell me she'll put it on her reading schedule and when she thinks she'll get to it.

or

2. She's rejecting me already. Somehow, someone else had sent her an Australian story with a kilt-wearing aborigine that she loved even more.

I didn't even want to read it. I wasted seriously potty-venturing time to agonize over the decision. Finally I convinced myself to open it. She said she'd stayed up late and read my manuscript last night. Then she wanted to know if she could call me.

Uh...yeah!

See, she even tweeted about it!

But even after seeing that post, I tried to calm myself down while I was walking to the bathroom. She's just calling to say "Thanks, but no thanks." And then, I started getting depressed. Another "close but not quite there" rejection. IMHO, those are the WORST!

When I flushed the toilet, I noticed it started making this horrible groaning/screaming sound. "Get thee behind me, Moaning Myrtle!" I shouted. But the sound didn't stop. Then I knew what happened.

I broke the toilet.

I walked as nonchalantly as possible out of the bathroom, only to see a hoard of people outside in the hallway. "OMG, they know. They know I broke the toilet and killed Moaning Myrtle. I'm going to get killed by a gaggle of sixth graders!"

But, no. These silly little innocent, shell-shocked sixth graders on their first day of school told me there had been an earthquake! Bless their sweet little hearts. "Never fear," I told them. "Earthquakes are for Cali, not here!" I finally convinced them there is a self-destructing toilet in the Teacher's Lounge. That's why they're not allowed in there. If someone's going to drown, better it be a teacher than them!

Silly, silly little sixth-graders...

I headed back to my room to figure out what in the world I was going to ask Mandy when she called so I could look as professional as possible. Also, I was trying not to cry at the thought of rejection. It's a true story. Oh, and here's another part of the story that's true. There WAS an earthquake! Oops.......

To Be Continued

Lessons from the Trenches: Agent Roundtable

2011-03-26T13:42:00.000-04:00

Three D.C.-based agents attended the roundtable and only one dealt with fiction on any major scale.

Howard Yoon NF agent
Ellen Pepus NF agent
Deborah Grosvenor F/NF agent

The agent roundtable was rather disappointing after the rest of the day. I was hoping for some big insights, a way to hobnob, etc. But what I heard was very general stuff. Follow submission guidelines, query first, make sure you submit to the appropriate agent, we're all very busy, kind of stuff.

In other words, I'd heard it all before. This was the only panel I didn't take any notes on.

The only interesting part was a bit of a heated discussion about e-books and how authors need to defer to their agents when dealing with e-book rights. Yes, they're upset about the 25% royalty and they're trying to get it up to 50%, but otherwise, they're stuck where they are and authors should just deal with it.

Really. That's kind of how it came across.

I wish I had a list of questions that were asked versus the ones I wanted asked because I really don't feel like I got much from the roundtable.

So, if you could ask an agent something? What would you ask?

Lessons from the Trenches: Dancing with your manuscripts

2011-03-26T13:31:00.000-04:00

Did you know potential agents and editors are usually multi-tasking when they're reading your ms? They're walking the dog, or playing with the kids, or maybe laying in bed after a day of hard work.

Well, that's pretty crappy for us writers who need to make the first one hundred works sparkle as much as Edward in order for them to want to keep reading. No longer can writers take a leisurely stroll through a setting to get to our main character. We must be slapped in the face with the main character, action, and a problem right from the beginning.

Thats the idea behind this panel.

Authors glutton for punishment could submit the first one hundred words of a ms to some very good writers at Moseley House in Charlottesville. The panelists included

Jennifer Elvgren
Andy Straka
Fran Cannon Slayton

So, here's the process
1. Moderator reads first 100 words of a ms.
2. Panelists hold up red or green cards depending on if they would stop reading or are interested in hearing more.
3. Panelists explain their decisions.
4. Lather, Rinse, Repeat as many times as you can in 1.25 hours

So, what did I learn?

Your first one hundred words need to:

1. include some sort of decision that must be made by MC
2. give a sense of place/setting right off the bat
3. start the conflict
4. be punchy. There will be time for detailed world-building later.
5. show us something in a new way. Get over yourself. Get rid of cliches.
6. be full of lively verbs. Get rid of all "was" "saw", etc. Grab us with lively verbs!
7. be new. Don't repeat words. You've got another 80k words you can repeat.
8. be adverb-free. If you use adverbs, your verbs aren't strong enough.
9. show action. Stories are about action. So get right into it.

Of course, I submitted GEMMA UP-OVER for critique. I got three greens, one red. The three greens loved the initial action and voice. Voice was highly complimented. The reason one of them gave a red card was just a personal taste reason. I use a flippant mention of Hitler in the first 100 words and she's into reading WWII books. Didn't like the joke, that was it.

Yay!

SO, does your ms do the nine tips above? Or, do you need to re-write?

Lessons from the Trenches: What the hell...I mean heck...is the difference anyway?

2011-03-26T13:05:00.000-04:00

Or, the intricacies of writing for a YA audience.

First, let me apologize. I promised a blog each day this week, but how about three blogs in one day. Extenuating circumstances kept me from getting the posts up, so all three will be up at some point today (Saturday). Again, I apologize. Please forgive me.

Now, on to the post. If you remember, I went to the Virginia Festival of the Book in Charlottesville and had a grand ole time. Tuesday I posted about the first panel I attended, which dealt with publicizing your book.

My second panel was on Young Adult Literature. This was a great panel where five young adult authors read from their works and then spoke on the differences between writing for a young adult audience and an adult audience.

The panelists:

John Connolly (The Book of Lost Things)
Jacqueline Kelly (The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate)
Valerie O. Patterson (The Other Side of Blue)
Tammar Stein (High Dive and Kindred)
Steve Watkins (What Comes After)

The only author I was familiar with before this panel was Jacqueline Kelly and I hadn't read Evolution yet, so I was really eager to hear about some up-and-coming YA authors (since that's what I hope to be in the next year—haha!).

Of course, the most exciting one, in my opinion, was John Connolly. It could be my love of the Irish, or my love of very dry humor that shocks the pants off most Americans, but John had me laughing within the first two minutes and I didn't finish until he was done talking. I mean, who can't laugh when his book misses a famous English book chat because of bestiality between Little Red Hiding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf!

Talk turned quickly, though, to writing for young adults versus writing for adults.

The main points of contention were between the following:

Language:

Do you need to curb your writing when writing for young adults? Can you cuss? Can you use inappropriate slang? Is there a consensus? What do you do?

The token Irishman rang in on the side of using language, of course—he's Irish, what do you expect?--but the basic agreement ended up being that you should use language if:
it fits the character
it's not gratuitous
if there's a point to it

Teens use language. As a teacher, in fact, I've picked up a few new words each year I've been in the trenches. However, when writing, if you're going to use it and actually want to see your books on the shelves and in the hands of little ones all over, you need to be wise in your decisions. One or two placed well can make more impact than fifty just thrown willy-nilly through your ms.

Untouchable Ideas:

Sex? Drugs? Rock-n-roll? Evolution? Rebellion? Violence?

Teens lives are full of so many variables. As writers it's our job to capture their lives while also giving them something to think about (if even subconsciously).

Again, the consensus is in favor of discussing these topics. How are you going to reach teens if you're not talking about things that they're faced with, that they're dealing with, every day.

But again, as writers, we need to approach the topics in such a way that we are giving our readers something new to think about rather than just giving them gratuitous fight/sex scenes.

So, what I learned from the trenches during this panel is:

Make any choices you want to make—but be sure there's a reason to it. Shock value is not enough. There needs to be logic and thought behind it. But, this is what drafting is all about, right?

Coming up next...Dancing with your Manuscript.

Lessons from the Trenches: What the heck is a platform, anyway? Or, how to promote your book!

2011-03-22T15:04:00.000-04:00

The first panel I attended at the Virginia Festival of the Book was on promoting your book.

The panelists were:

Jessica Francis Kane
Micah Nathan
Lori Tharps
Gene Taft

The moderator was Bella Stander.

What an awesome panel this was. I have to say my favorite was Micah Nathan. He breaks all the rules (even getting his publicists contact list and contacting people himself. But, he did it in such a way that people loved him for it and did whatever he asked them to do.

I'm going to break this up into sections to make it easier to understand.

1. What is a platform?
A platform is a built-in audience that you already have. Having a platform promises for higher sales because people who know you online are going to want to buy your reading...hypothetically. This leads to...

2. Your Writing Persona
While those of us who write love being writers, you must understand that it is a job, not necessarily your life, although we all like to think it is. You need to build a persona online that is strictly about your writing life. Use Facebook or Twitter, Blogspot or Myspace, or a combination of social media outlets. However, and here's the important part you need to do more than just say you have a book coming out or where your next reading is going to be. You need to hook your readers and make them want to come back to learn something.
However, this is where some writers fail. You want to keep your writer life and your personal life seperate. Readers don't need to know about your husband or your kids. They don't need to know what time you get up and what you eat for lunch. Unless it's related to your writing or your platform. Other than that, keep your private life private!

3. Writing to promote.
If your book is about hiking, write essays for hiking/outdoor magazines that deal with hiking, then just mention your book. If your book is about I don't know, little snowballs that run around, you might write something about snow for a science magazine or personification for a writing magazine. Get it?

4. Sponsors!

Micah Nathan is the king of promotion. I'm just throwing that out there. The guy can get sponsors anywhere. And, what a great way to get promotion for your book! You can get sponsors to donate food to events, alcohol for events--and can you think of a better way to get people to buy your drinks than if they're drunk?--, or donate locations for your event. Micah Connor had an Elvis dance-off with four cases of wine donated from a sponsor. I imagine that was a great way to kick off the publication of a book!

Here's the key, though. When you go to get sponsors for events, tell them how much the event will benefit them. They'll get their name out there. It needs to be always about them. And, here's the even better thing--your sponsors don't need to be thematically related to your book at all. Go to local businesses--they love donating goods and getting publicity!

5. Timing.

As everyone who is anyone knows, timing is everything. If you can link your upcoming book to an event--do it! Micah Nathan released his book Losing Graceland and wanted to do an Elivis-related tie-in. However, nothing was going on in the news Elvis-wise. But, when it was time for Elvis' birthday, what a great tie-in!

If you're writing about snow, don't try to tie-in during the summer, tie-in in the fall when the snow's about to come! Watch the news, find ways to tie your book into what you talk about in your blog--again, not to promote your book.

If you've written a book, you're an expert on that topic. Speak about the topic, then just mention your book. Don't go on shows/radio just to promote. Having something more to say.

6. Alerts.
Setting up Google Alerts is another way to go. Set up alerts for topics you write about. If something comes up in the news or is mentioned on the Internets, get involved in the conversation. This also helps with the whole timing thing!

So, how do you promote your books?

A Week in the Trenches: Or, Let's Talk Writing Conferences!

2011-03-21T16:34:00.000-04:00

What a response from the trenches last week! I’m glad my little article helped you and I hope this week’s splurge of lessons will help even more!

Saturday I attended The Virginia Festival of the Book in Charlottesville. If you have not been and have the chance to go, you need to be there.

Granted, this was my first writer’s conference, and it’s not even billed as such, but they had a day of such wonderful panel opportunities that I had to pick and choose from their offerings!

Before getting into the nitty-gritty of how the day goes, let me just mention a bit about dress code for these somewhat professional events.

It was a gloriously warm Saturday. Spring was in the air, the birds were chirping, and I wanted nothing more than to put on my hiking gear and hit the trail. However, even though I would have had time to take a jaunty stroll in downtown Charlottesville and window shop, I did realize the importance of what I was doing.
No, I wasn’t going to meet agents. No, I wasn’t pitching my book. However, this place was crawling with agents, authors, editors, and other big-wigs that, while I may not have impressed, I certainly didn’t want to offend. Being a full-time writer is my dream. So, if I’m going to a conference, I definitely want to dress professionally. I’m not saying you have to wear heals or a tie, but definitely looking the part of a professional person will help people take you seriously.

My dress? Teal tank top with a fitted jean jacket over it, khaki pants, brown socks, brown shoes. Not too shabby, but not ballroom material either.

So today I’m going to give you an overview of my day, and then the rest of the week, each day, I’ll give you the lessons I learned in the four panels I attended.

But first, a little history:

The VA Festival of the book is in its 17th year and is the largest writer/reader festival in the state and, most likely, the mid-Atlantic region. It’s a weeklong festival whose programs are, on the whole, free to anyone. (There are a few events you have to pay to go to, but who wouldn’t dish out a little dough to drink wine with Kathy Reichs?)

I got autographed books from Kathryn Erskine, winner of the National Book Award for Mockingbird.
Kathryn actually had blocked off some time to talk to me, which was really wonderful. We’ve been e-mailing since August and I was eager to meet her.

Jenny Gardiner was also there and while she was oozing some pretty icky sick germs, it was nice to get to see her. I e-mail Jenny about four times a year to get her writing updates—she’s always got something being published!—to put in a newsletter I submit to.

Giving away a free book to a teacher is always a way to get mentioned! But, that’s not all she does. I got to chat with L.M. Preston as well. She’s the mastermind behind YA Lit Chat.

The festival is not only for readers, although readers have a lot of reasons for going. There’s a day-long book fair. Authors and publishers set up tables and you can go around and speak to literally hundreds of people with loads of advice about book publishing, self-publishing, agents, editors, etc. Throughout the day, and week, there are author readings, signings, breakfasts, lunches, and panels to attend.

Writers, though, are bound to enjoy the day just as much, if not more, than readers, though. The Festival puts on a “Publishing” day on Saturday, as well, hosting panels for authors on a broad range of topics. There was a lot on the craft of crime writing, but I found some more general panels to be the best. I headed to four of the panels which is what I’ll be talking about the rest of the week.

I strongly suggest going to the VA Festival of the book next year, or to something similar where you live. There’s nothing like mingling and getting together, face-to-face, with other authors!

So, what can you look forward to this week?

Tuesday: What the heck is a platform, anyway? Or, how to promote your book!
Wednesday: What the hell…I mean, heck…is the difference, anyway?
Thursday: Dancing with Your Manuscript.
Friday: An Agent’s Roundtable—What are agents doing in light of the e-book revolution?

So, I’ve gushed over how much this day was worth the hour and a half drive at 7:00 in the morning. But what do you think? Are writing conferences worth the long days, long drives, and money you have to put out?

Lessons From the Trenches #1: Manuscript Revisions

2011-03-15T15:22:00.000-04:00

Rainy Tuesdays may be good for lots of things, but for me, it was to create a new weekly blog idea. Every Tuesday I'm going to write "Lessons From the Trenches," the idea being to share the info I'm getting through the submissions process to help other authors along the way.

Without further ado, Lesson #1:

@MandyHubbard and @jennybent kicked off the morning with a rousing debate on manuscript revisions. The idea from the agenting world is that a quick turn around=bad revisions.

As a newbie author, I found the debate very interesting. With my query currently making the rounds in NYC, I'm beginning to get manuscript requests (okay, just one request, but still). Here's the problem from the trenches.

I want an agent. I want to be published. So when I got a nice, personalized rejection letter full with critique and suggestions, I dove into revisions. I wanted to show said agent that I could take direction and revise/edit/turn a manuscript around quickly. Look how good I am, agent? See how fast and well I did those revisions?

But, according to those in the know, I edited too quickly. Agents, if they take the time to comment and give advice, want the author to take the time and make those changes matter.

If you turn around revisions in a week, you've not done your job.

Let me repeat.

If you turn around revisions in a week, you've not done your job.

In other words, make their advice count, no matter how long it takes to edit. Stew over their suggestions. Make your changes reverberate throughout the novel as a whole, not just at the affected scenes. They're out in the field, seeing what sells, knowing how to make stories better. They tend to know what they're talking about.

I am assured that if an agent took the time to comment and give suggestions, they will not forget you if you take the time and make the best changes possible for your story.

Even if it takes two weeks, a month, longer, if an agent liked a piece enough to critique, they won't ignore you or not remember you when you resubmit.

Lesson #1 learned.

Roller Coaster of a Ride!

2011-03-12T15:02:00.000-05:00

What a roller coaster this querying business is!

Whence last I left you, fearless reader, I had been offered representation. After getting an agent, the polite thing (and sometimes the exciting thing) to do is to send an e-mail to the other agents you've queried, allowing them a chance to make a counter offer, of sorts, or to at least get a chance to read the manuscript.

I sent the e-mail out at about 8:30am the day after I received the offer.

At about 8:32 I had a request for a full from an agent at D4EO. The agent said she'd get back to me in a week. A week!

So, all week I was biting nails, pulling out hair (I'm serious) and hardly getting any sleep. I was checking my e-mail, my voice mail, making sure my phone was on, making sure it was working. I'd test call myself--I'm serious--just to Be. Sure. Every. Line. Of. Communication. Was. Open.

Then I got it.

The e-mail from D4EO.

I pulled over--because I can't drive and read e-mails, right?--at a wayside overlooking a river. I got out of the car, my heart pounding, and walked through all the squishy mud to find a beautiful rock to sit on.

And I read it. And read it again. She didn't want the book.

But, seriously, guys, it was the Most. Amazing. Rejection. Ever.

I. Mean. Ever.

I laughed, I cried, I literally almost hurled. It was that fantastic.

At the end, there was even hope.

So, the question I then had to decide upon was whether or not to accept the offer from Agent 1. I like the agent. We get along well. I even edit for her other manuscripts. But, long story short, I am continuing to query. At this point I am not going to accept the offer from Agent 1 (there will probably be a post about this later, but I'll wait on that). I may be burning bridges (I just typed burning bridgets, and I really hope I don't do that--eek!) but I ~~think~~ ~~hope~~ know I'm making the right decision for me and Gemma.

My baby is still out in the world, and I am sure, if two agents loved it, so will a third.

Until, then, I'll keep working on my next WIP, Code Name: BBCH and plotting some more blog entries.

Joy 1, Agents 2

2011-03-06T20:59:00.002-05:00

Ok, I know I've been neglecting you. I apologize.

I've been neglecting everything in my life lately to polish up GEMMA UP-OVER. I've sent it out to ten agents. Two have rejected with just a form letter. An hour after my second rejection, though, AN OFFER OF REPRESENTATION!

Do you understand how this feels?

This. Feels. Amazing.

I'm, like, on my way.

I'm going to go celebrate.

When Dreams Become Reality, or the Making of Your Book into Television or Movie

2011-02-23T19:34:00.004-05:00

Alright, so by now, everyone should know my obsession with vampires. Hubby says "neutered" vampires, but whatever. I like the romantic vampires. Yes, I realize this is absurd. Yes, I realize vampires (if they existed) were meant to prey, hunt, stalk, rip, kill, etc., etc.

But I don't like horror, so deal with it.

Now that we're done with that, on with the blog post.

My favorite show right now has to be The Vampire Diaries. Remember, I don't have television, so I have to wait until the CW puts up it's new episodes. But, I did buy myself a little xmas gift, the first season on DVD, and have been obsessing over it ever since.

When I was in high school, yes, I read The Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith. But that was a long time ago.

So when I found out the show was coming out, I reread the books. I remember why they didn't make much of an impression and I will not delve into the wealth of material that sounds mysteriously like Twilight. That could fill it's own post.

But, over at Nathan Bransford's Blog he's talking about good film adaptations. I would like to argue that one of the best television adaptations is TVD.

Here's why:

1. In the books, Elena is a b*%$^. A MAJOR one. She plots to get what she wants and she doesn't care who gets in the way. In the show, Elena is totally sympathetic and you have a reason to like her. She cares about what everyone thinks.

2. I generally enjoy reading a book and getting an idea of what a character looks like in my head, but in TVD series, all I got was that Elena was BLOND. God forbid we forget that fact. In the show, I see concrete (and yes, hot) characters. I enjoy the beauty of this show whereas in other television shows the beauty of the people just gets obnoxious. Yes, it probably has something to do with the fact that they're vampires.

3. THEY GET THE FANGS RIGHT! Even in one of my favorite vampire movies, The Lost Boys, the fangs are wrong. The vampires don't look...right. Or, how I think vampires should look. Everyone knows, or SHOULD know, that fangs elongate from the canine teeth. How do so many people get it wrong? The Twilight vamps don't even GET fangs. Talk about neutered vampires....

4. The love triangle. Need I say more? Good vamp. Bad vamp. Human girl. So powerful on-screen where I thought the books were kind of just...eh.

5. Which brings me to the most important part. The plot. Now, LJ Smith herself doesn't like where the show is headed. She doesn't like that they've changed her characters, invented new ones, changed love stories, etc. I, on the other hand, LOVE the show. I love the plot, the twists, the turns. I love Jeremy. I love Bonnie. I love Caroline. I love everything about the show. Where the books turn kind of weird with Stefan in purgatory and all of that, the show keeps it realistic. Yes, I realize I used realistic when talking about vampires, but anyone who's seen Buffy understands. Vampires can be very realistic if you allow yourself into their world.

Now, I can't say that I wouldn't be mad if my book got published and then people started bashing it about and changing into a television show that only resembled the skeleton of the baby I worked so hard on. But, I would like to think that if I ever did get that opportunity, and that was my cast and that was my plot...I would be happy.

But who knows.

What do you think? About TVD or what book has been turned into a great movie/tv show?

Comfort Food or, What to Read When You're Sick, Depressed, Lonely, or just...in a mood

2011-02-03T19:58:00.003-05:00

I don't know about you, but I've been obsessed, like eyes glued to the television screen at two a.m., with the goings-on in Egypt. I'm scared that if I turn the channel (or in my case, since I don't have television, log off the internet) that I'm going to miss the crucial moment when everything's decided.

Seriously. I'm spellbound.

I run from my computer to the car to turn on NPR and listen. When I get to work, I automatically boot up my computer to listen.

I cannot get enough.

And, oddly, this obsession of mine is like slipping into my comfy pair of sweats. When I worked in television news, I got my fix 24-7. I was like a heroin addict with a mainline IV.

The thing I like about the news is that it's always constant. Something, somewhere, is happening. And it's usually bad. Which, for some reason, is the stuff I get obsessed with.

Puppy dogs in costumes? Not for me.

Kids at a carnival? Who cares.

For me, I need the blood, the guts. And maybe, in some sad, depressing way, I need to see that someone's life is worse than I think mine is. Not that my life is bad. Far from it.

But we all have our days. Or weeks. Or months, where things just don't seem to be going well.

And we turn to our comfort foods, our comfy sweats, holey socks, blankies, and the comfort objects that just make us feel better.

For me, it's news and books.

So, when there's not anything catastrophic going on in the world, when it's a snow day and I'm at home, when I'm really sick (as I am now) and feeling sorry for myself, what do I read?

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.
Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey
The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer
The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith
In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O'Brien

All deal with fantasy.
All deal with the supernatural.
All have romance.

These are the books that are on my shelf held together with tape.
They're the ones I've bought ten times because I loan them out but cannot bear to be apart from them.
Page after page is falling out.
I write notes in the margins.

For a person obsessed with news, don't you think that an escape is needed? I do. I mean, no matter what's going on in the world. No matter what's going on in my life. These books are always there. They're my constant even when everything around me is in upheaval.

So, you tell me...what are your constant books. The ones you can't live without. The ones you'd have difficulty leaving behind if you could only take ONE to a desert island.

When Life Gives You Lemons, Or Losing Writing Focus

2011-01-29T13:35:00.002-05:00

I had this whole post planned out. It was going to be about quilting. I even took photos of the quilt that I'm in the process of making.

I was going to discuss how quilting is a lot like writing. You're excited at first, then it seems to be taking a long time, it gets difficult, then you just can't wait to be rid of it. Maybe you put your draft away for awhile or you "pretend" like you're writing, but you're really surfing the net and watching the latest episode of "The Vampire Diaries" on the CW.

It was going to be great.

But, alas, it's not even the end of January and I've already lost my writing focus. I was so excited to finish my outline. I had blogged three whole weeks in a row without missing one of my weekly posts.

But, then, life got in the way.

It snowed. I went on a cleaning spree. The kiddos got sick. I got really tired. I got the first season of "The Vampire Diaries" on dvd. And, well, you can see where this is going.

But, I'm going to get back on the writing wagon. Today I will start writing draft one of my WIP, The Christmas Quilt. Even if it's just a sentence. Hell, even if it's just the title in a word document.

I'm getting back on my writing wagon. I will write every day. I will blog every week. I WILL do this.

So, how are your resolutions going?

Book Review: The Face of a Memory by Charlie Palumbo

2011-01-20T20:04:00.003-05:00

Disclosure: I have known author Charlie Palumbo my entire life. However, this is the first work of hers I have ever read in any context.

The Face of a Memory: Emerging from the Military through Poetic Voice is a sixty-page memoir of a sailor’s life at sea. Palumbo served in the United States Navy. But before you think you’ve read it before: you haven’t. Palumbo served during 9/11 and the aftermath, however, she was not involved in combat. She gives us the nitty-gritty of being in the military without the heroics of war.

Palumbo’s story is that of the everyday military servicemen and women who serve everyday out of the lime light. We see the price of brotherhood and the effect that such close quarters has on friends, lovers, and family. What is unique about this memoir, however, what sets it apart, is that Palumbo uses poetic voice to show the interaction between her and her shipmates.

Told in vignettes, The Face of a Memory introduces us to many sides of Palumbo and various crew members such as The Survivor, The Quiet Brother, The Angry Captive, Queen Abercrombie, The Gypsy Woman, and Dancing Bear, among others aboard the ship.

Through her sketches, we are pulled into life on the ship. Readers from the armed forces will recognize battle buddies, shipmates, airmen, and fellow Devil Dogs in these pages. The people Palumbo describes, and her interactions with them, could in fact be any one of several of my good friends.

The art in the memoir, however, is how Palumbo weaves her life into those of her friends and enemies on deck. She grows, not only in the course of the book, but in the final words she leaves us with.

The Face of a Memory is not your average memoir. Palumbo does not hold on to the negative and exploit it. Instead, we see Palumbo as she was, Palumbo as she is now, and how she used her writing, her art, her very soul, to put a face to her memories and make them something she could address and grow from.

While I would have liked to have seen more concrete scenes where Palumbo sometimes hints rather than explicitly lays out what happened, I am hoping that The Face of a Memory might be followed up with something like The Body of a Memory, giving us insight into the actual situations this poetry comes from. My fingers are crossed.

And, if the words themselves aren’t enough to make you want to buy the book, there’s more. Palumbo is an activist for veteran causes. She is donating 80% of her profits to Give an Hour, a non-profit that gives free mental health services to veterans. Palumbo helped herself by putting the words on paper, and is helping others by giving them the chance she indeed may wish she had gotten earlier.

Learn more about Palumbo and purchase her book at Veteran Artist.

Hey, Hot Stuff! What's Happenin'? Or, the ins and outs of starting a new story

2011-01-13T19:34:00.002-05:00

What a week it has been. Is it sad that the New Year's Resolution thing is already starting to drag me down? This week, in particular, has been a struggle. But they say (I think they do anyway, and no I don't know who they is) that it takes three weeks to build a habit and only three days to break it. I'm in the third week, if you look at it that way, so maybe that's why this week was so hard.

It could also be that I'm battling my second round of strep throat in as many weeks and feel a cold coming on.

Whatever the reason, this week has had it's highs and lows.

On Tuesday, January 4, I finished my second draft (which included some serious re-writing) of GEMMA UP-OVER. For the rest of the week I took notes and started working out the plot to a new story. It was love at first sight. She's (should I use he's? Or does that make me insensitive to the plight of same-sexed people. I don't want to be one of those people...)sexy, exciting, perky, energetic, friendly, loving, and very, very much wants all of my attention. I love it. It's really like falling in love.

So, if last week I was falling in love, this week I'm facing the "Do I really want a long-term relationship with her? Is she really that good?" I'm facing these questions because I'm trying to write this WIP differently than the last one.

This time I'm not going to be a pantser. Yep, you heard that right. I'm making character cards, scene cards, I'm outlining, etc. The question is, how much is too much.

With Gemma, I was a panster, then went back and plotted after draft one. That was a lot of editing and rewriting and I was really, kind of over her at that point. Apparently my affections wax and wane with the moon, or in the case of Gemma, my affections waxed and waned with the years (it took two years to get where I am now with it).

So, you can see why I want to try to do things differently. Maybe if I outline, if I think about all the problems I had with Gemma and work on them ahead of time with the Quilt, then maybe things will be better. Maybe this will turn into a relationship with a solid foundation that can survive the ages with no love lost, unlike Gemma who got picked up on the weekends like a hooker in Las Vegas.

I have no ideas where that came from.

So, while I hope to have things ready to start writing next week, you tell me. Are you a pantser or a plotter? Or, are you somewhere in-between? Not up for the one-night stand but not ready to commit, either?

New Years Resolutions or, The Year of die Kaiserin

2011-01-06T19:31:00.002-05:00

It's that time of year again. The dreaded time when every wanna-be writer promises themselves "This will be the year. This year I'll get published." I say it every year, after spending the last week of December moaning and groaning about how I didn't meet my writing goals for the year.

It reminds me of Sissi in one of my favorite movies, Der Krieger und die Kaiserin, known in the US as The Princess and the Warrior. Sissi leaves her home at the mental institution (she's a nurse, not a patient) to deliver a letter when she gets hit by a bus. One of her lines is "I was going to mail you the letter but..." and then it goes into everything that happens after she gets hit by the bus. Seriously, you guys. It is one of my All. Time. Favorites. Coincidentally, Franka Potente, who plays Sissi, plays Lola in Run, Lola, Run, another favorite.

The point is that at the beginning of the year we have all these grand plans that, as the year goes on, at least for me, gets put on the back burner. Work gets in the way. Kids become a priority. Suddenly there are only a few down minutes in the day and, dang it, when they come, I want to sleep.

But, this year is going to be different. This year is going to be the year that it all changes.

I've got about a million resolutions, but my writing ones are this:
1. Get Gemma submission ready and mail out.
2. Write EVERY day. At least something. Even if it's "I can't think of anything to write." It takes three weeks to make a habit, only three days to break one. Pretty raw deal, don't you think?
3. Finish a first draft of one of my half drafts.
4. Blog every Thursday this year. That's 52 blogs, of which, this is the 1st. Just 51 left, ya'll. Isn't the year going by fast?

Unlike Sissi, this is not going to be the year of, "I was going to write, but..." I want to make this a profession. The real deal. And, to do that, I've got to, well, you know...do that writing thing!

What are your resolutions--writing or otherwise? Adding Der Krieger und die Kaiserin to your Netflix cue should be one of them!

Giving is the New Getting

2010-12-16T12:08:00.002-05:00

My family does Christmas and birthdays a bit different than the average family.

This year for my oldest son's third birthday, he asked that, in lieu of presents, people donate money to Pennies for Peace and raised $150 to help Dr. Greg with educating children in Pakistan. On his second birthday he donated to Eleveate, which helps educate girls in Senegal.

For Christmas this year, I asked that my present be a donation to Heifer International which gives chickens, bees, goats, rabbits, and of course cows to people in third world countries to help them start feeding their own families and give them a way to make money with their animals. It's a wonderful project that I feel very strongly about.

I've found lately that with two kids, I'm having to get rid of some of my "stuff" just because of the clutter. The other reason is that, believing very strongly in my new church, I'm really trying to focus on simplicity in all aspects of my life. There is nothing that I need in order to survive right now.

I have rediscovered the wonder of libraries, as well as Paperback Swap. I made all the ornaments (peace cranes) for our Christmas tree so we've gone very simply in that direction, as well. It just makes everything to...well, simple. And, if not stress-free, at least less stress.

I love it. And, I'm helping people at the same time. Sure, it's a guilty pleasure. It makes me feel good to help other people, but I think that's ok.

I mean, without donations, I wouldn't have gotten three classroom sets of books from Donors Choose, and for that I am very grateful.

Even the stars are getting into it. Ed Norton created Crowd Rise which raises my respect for him so much. I love their tagline, too. "If you don't give, no one will like you." Hahahaha :)

So I urge you this year to think about giving back. Think about other people in this world who are not as blessed as we are here in America, and even the ones in America who are not as blessed as those of us who can spend snow days writing blogs and surfing the internet.

Think about others.

Peace and warm holiday wishes.

Book Recommendations and Gift Ideas or, A Bookworm Speaks Her Mind

2010-12-08T22:13:00.005-05:00

Alright, so I read. A lot.

Between October and now I've read 5,000 words or so. Granted, much of that was re-reading Harry Potter before the release of The Deathly Hallows, Part One.

I love books that surprise me. Books where I know the ending or where I want to think I know the ending but get surprised are the best. I've read five (almost six) books like that this year and will take this festive holiday season to recommend them to you.

For Adults:
1. The Mountain Between Us: This book is adult crack. It's like Gary Paulsen's Hatchet for armchair travelers. Author Charles Martin spins a tale like no other in this survival romance. Imagine a manly Nicholas Sparks, put him in a cold place to write, and you've got Charles Martin. You will not be disappointed, and five bucks goes to anyone who actually guesses the ending.

2. Three Cups of Tea and Stones Into Schools: Greg Mortenson is my hero. If you want a positive outlook, a tear jerker of a book about the Middle East and the GOOD people who live there, pick up these two books. They will give you a face for what is going on, what the war is doing, and a better way to solve the problem than with guns. I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Mortenson in April and he is definitely on my list of top ten people.

3. The Kite Runner: I'll admit I'm about seven years behind the curve on this one. Sometimes I jump on book bandwagons and other times I put them off. This is one of those books that I put off and finally picked up after reading Harry Potters 1-7 in seven weeks. I felt it was time for a "real" book. I am about fifty pages from the end and I've actually set it aside because I know there is no way it will end the way I want it to end and I really don't want it to surprise me. In this book, a surprise would mean a sad ending, and I don't want that for the main character. Khaled Hosseini gives the Afghan people a voice, a life, and I have cried on nearly every page at the devastation these people go through every day of their lives. His next book is near the top of my To Be Read pile.

For Young Adults
1.-3. The Hunger Games Trilogy: In this YA trilogy, Suzanne Collins has weaved a world of such possibility that I was lost in it until the gripping ending of the third book. In post-apocalyptic America, what is the price of freedom? This is the ultimate quest the heroine of the book is on and boy is it a bumpy ride. Full of torture, murder, love, snow, and crazy ideas of what we'll look like in the future, this trilogy which includes The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay does not fail to deliver. In fact, I believe (until the surprise ending which made me, literally, throw the book across the room--not because it was bad, but I didn't want it to end that way) that the trilogy consistently got better.

So, here's hoping you get a book in your stocking that you can curl up with on the cold winter nights to come.

Peace and pages to read, my friends.

See you next week!

Wikileaks and Politics

2010-12-01T21:21:00.012-05:00

This entry was supposed to introduce me and explain how absolutely fabulous I am in every way. How I balance my motherhood, career, and my creativity and look smashing doing it all at the same time.

However, in light of recent news, I'm working on the fly, here. What better way to get to know me than to learn what gets me riled up, right?

And, if I'm honest, I might as well make my first public blog a bang, right?

Julian Assange is a tattle-tale of the worst sort. Who else thinks they have a right to share confidential e-mails in hopes of seeming like the biggest gossip on the playground?

This man is absolutely ridiculous. Not only does what he leaked make us look even more shallow than I think we are as a nation, it endangers the lives of people who speak to us every day to give us information.

I enjoy my right to free speech, but I am also aware that it comes at a price. Don't even get me started with the whole airport security issue. You'll hear about that in two weeks when I sum up my trip to the Big Easy. I am fine with the government keeping their information private. I really don't see anything that the public needed to know in the Wikileaks release.

Not to mention, that Assange is now in hiding. Innocent until proven guilty, sure. But if you're hiding, Mr. Assange, I'm guessing I know that you're just playing innocent until you're caught. Innocent people don't hide, Mr. Assange. Just a head's up.

The other topic that has me standing atop my soapbox today is the Big Bully of the Playground, the GOP. These whiny, stinky punks are getting on my last word. What has our country come to that we have people in office who want to sit down, cross their arms over their chests and refuse to do something until they get their way?

I've got a three year who does that, but the Senate? Come on, fellas! Grow the flip up and get something done. I am sick of all the bickering like children. They are gambling with their lives and doing a sad job at it.

They're like kids having a pissing contest. They don't care about the average everyday person whom they're supposed to be representing. They care about party lines and opposing the person on the other side.

Until our elected officials grow up, I think we're in for a rocky, obnoxious ride that belongs more in a school playground than on Capitol Hill.

If I haven't exactly scared you off yet, here's what E=MC2 is shaping up to be:
1. A weekly post every Thursday--more if I can manage it.
2. Updates on the publishing industry and the state of books in general. Also, you'll get news on my writing, including motivational problems/issues
3. Mom updates, such as: house budget, rural fun (beer making, cheese making, rain barrel making) and raising kids.
4. Social issues updates: what you need to know about world issues and what you can do to help.
5. Green issues, sustainability, living simply.
6. My For-Granted Meals and the idea behind them.
7. The State of Education and what it's like on the front lines of teaching.
8. Book reviews.

So, stick around, I'll see ya next week!