A Still and Quiet Madness ~A.G. Howard~

Posie & Mosey Monday

2012-02-27T04:00:00.001-08:00

On Mondays, I share word posies with my readers. Comments are disabled so you can enjoy this gift of poetry then mosey on along to your list of daily do's.*

*Hungry for more in-depth Monday posts? Visit any of the entertaining and insightful blogs on my sidebar.

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POPPIES ON LUDLOW CASTLE
~Willa Cather (1873-1947)

THROUGH halls of vanished pleasure,
And hold of vanished power,
And crypt of faith forgotten,
A came to Ludlow tower.

A-top of arch and stairway,
Of crypt and donjan cell,
Of council hall, and chamber,
Of wall, and ditch, and well,

High over grated turrets
Where clinging ivies run,
A thousand scarlet poppies
Enticed the rising sun,

Upon the topmost turret,
With death and damp below,--
Three hundred years of spoilage,--
The crimson poppies grow.

This hall it was that bred him,
These hills that knew him brave,
The gentlest English singer
That fills an English grave.

How have they heart to blossom
So cruel and gay and red,
When beauty so hath perished
And valour so hath sped?

When knights so fair are rotten,
And captains true asleep,
And singing lips are dust-stopped
Six English earth-feet deep?

When ages old remind me
How much hath gone for naught,
What wretched ghost remaineth
Of all that flesh hath wrought;

Of love and song and warring,
Of adventure and play,
Of art and comely building,
Of faith and form and fray--

I'll mind the flowers of pleasure,
Of short-lived youth and sleep,
That drunk the sunny weather
A-top of Ludlow keep.

Reprinted from April Twilights. Willa Cather. Boston: The Gorham Press, 1903.

A Peek at my Editing Timeline, and a Mega Giveaway of EPIC Proportions!!!

2012-02-22T04:00:00.000-08:00

Sorry I've been MIA in the blogasphere and twitter for awhile.

Here's why:

Ever since my publisher bumped up my launch from Spring 2013 to Fall 2012, it’s been pretty much non-stop editing with only 2 - 4 weeks between stints. Want a peek at my schedule over the past few months?

11/1/2011 - Received Content Edit letter w/ six week deadline
12/12/2011 - Turned in content edits
12/23/2011 - Received Line Edits w/ two week deadline
1/5/2012 - Turned in line edits
2/8/2012 - Received Copyedits w/ two week deadline
2/21/2012 - Turned in copyedits

For the record, during those in between stints, I was either holidaying w/friends and family, doing the mommy/wife gig, or writing out three book proposals for my editor to choose from for book 2 of my contract .

FYI, once I finally get done w/all the edits and hit the printing presses, I plan to have a post about the evolution of a MS, from the publisher's offer being accepted to the making of a real book, complete with my own personal timeline and a more in-depth description of the editing phases (I might even include visual aids...hee). So be watching for it!

Now, onto the contest part of today's post: There's an amazing giveaway including signed ARCs, books, and tons of swag up for grabs, taking place over at YA Books Central!

Our own authors over at ADR3NALIN3 donated this EPIC prize package to the giveaway...

The ADR3 pack includes:

- Jordan Dane: ON A DARK WING autographed paperback and a snack pack inspired by her main character.

- Ilsa J. Bick: DROWNING INSTINCT and ASHES autographed hardbacks

- Wendy Corsi Staub: LILY DALE: AWAKENING autographed hardback

- Jennifer Archer: THROUGH HER EYES authographed hardback

- Chris Grabenstein: CURIOSITY CAT autographed paperback and assorted bookmarks

- Dan Haring: OLDSOUL autographed ARC

- Carol M. Tanzman: DANCERGIRL autographed paperback

- Brett Battles: HERE COMES MR. TROUBLE autographed paperback

- A.G. Howard: A creepy Alice in Wonderland themed journal, ribbon bookmark, and a signed bookplate, in homage to SPLINTERED, her upcoming YA Alice in Wonderland spinoff

For a shot at winning this pack -- OR t-shirts, lanyards, temporary tattoos, SIGNED books, SIGNED bookmarks and bookplates, magnets, felt coffee sleeves, shuriken hair clips, a USB flash drive, bracelets, pens, notepads, keychains, and more -- hop over to YA Books Central and get the deets!

Good luck! Thanks for stopping by, and see you next week. :)

Posie & Mosey Monday

2012-02-20T04:00:00.000-08:00

LAMENT
~Isabella Holt

HE is gone with his blue eyes,
Whom I love most,--
Gone among the cliffs and fog
On a far coast,--

He who scatters wit and pride
From his keen tongue,
He who finds himself so deep
And is so young;--

He whose joy is in sweet words
And kindliness,--
Whom old men love, and little boys
No whit the less. . . .

Rooms are silent that were glad
Seven days ago.
I can feel across my heart
The great tides flow.

Love, the blind importunate,
Craves touch and sight;
Briefly parting, feels and fears
Eternal night.

Fear is sweeping on the wind
Like acrid foam.
I have said farewell to peace
Till he comes home.

Speed Dating ... Lit Style.

2012-02-08T04:00:00.000-08:00

Today I'm posting about how characterization is like speed dating over at ADR3NALIN3. I actually cheated a little and used a prior post from this blog (just polished it up a bit). If you're curious which post it was, hope over and have a look-see.

I also want to give a shout out to my pal David Kazzie, who did an interview here a while back about going Indie with his book Jackpot, even though he has an agent. It really paid off for him because his book took off recently -- going from dead to the Top 100 and actually getting to #34 in the Paid store overall last week.

Want to know his secret to success? Hop over to this post and find out how he did it..

Have a great rest of the week, and hope to see you next week for a few writing tips and some Splintered updates!

Posie & Mosey Mondays

2012-02-06T04:00:00.000-08:00

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A Song
~Leon Gellert (1892 - 1977)

The night has come, I feel the desert dew,
I lie in Africa's sands
And breath the night, for night like these are few
In other lands;
But where are you?

May sleep come soon. I see old shadows creep
Along the sleep stream,
The darkness 'mid the talking palms is deep.
I can but dream
Are you asleep?

Query Trackers Making Tracks, #16

2012-02-03T04:00:00.000-08:00

Today is installment number sixteen of my "First Friday of the Month" series on successful authors from QueryTracker. Some of my guests have agents, others have found success in less conventional ways. But one thing they all have in common is the utilization of the QueryTracker website to help make their tracks in the publishing world.

I met today’s guest, Darke Counteur, through QT and blogging, and she's every bit as intriguing as her lovely name. I've been watching her career with interest as she's ventured out into the Indie waters. E-readers have opened up a whole new world for authors. In fact, self-publishing writers are being coined by some as the new mid-list authors. So it's a great time to be an Indie author, and a great time to get some insights from someone on the inside!

Welcome Darke. Let's get the interview started...

AGH: What gave you the idea for your first book?

DC: To be honest, most of my stories start off as fanfics. I see something on television or at the movies and I think- "Hey, what if this happened or that happened?", then I spend a huge amount of time trying to make it NOT read like a fanfic. Sometimes I merge two or more ideas into one novel. THE WATCHTOWER and the other books that will come after, are a combination of the television shows ANGEL and SUPERNATURAL. I have a scifi series that is a combination of XMEN and STAR WARS, but that won't be out for a while.

AGH: How do you come up with titles?

DC: I'm not sure, they just come to me. I try to make them reflect the content of the book as much as possible, to give the reader a good idea of what they can expect from the story. Sometimes the working title ends up being what I use.

AGH: Did you try to query conventionally before you went Indie?

DC: Oh yes, but I soon realized that what I was writing was not what the agents were looking for. I don't write YA, or romance, or even high fantasy. So many paranormal and urban fantasy novels that I've read have young characters with older ones more for background noise or a place to get needed information. Characters in my novels are over the age of 25, and a few have children. Maybe because I'm older is the reason my characters are too. I just find them more interesting to write about. They have more life experience than younger characters, more fodder for the stories.

AGH: How long did you query and what were your stats?

DC: I used Query Tracker and found a good list of agents that rep'ed fantasy and/or urban fantasy. I queried for about four months (March to June), sending out three to four queries per day from Monday to Friday. I think I sent out around 60 or so query letters, and out of that, less than half replied. I got one partial.

The biggest drawback for me was that I don't write YA. When you see that an agent reps fantasy, that's what they want. The replies I did get back said it was good, but not right for them. We all know what that means.

AGH: How many books do you now have available to the reading public?

DC: I have two, THE WATCHTOWER and my newest book UNDER THE COVER OF WICCA, which is the second book in the series. I want to release two more books this year, one in summer and another in late fall/winter.

AGH: Are you doing anything special to promote yourself online or otherwise?

DC: I started a pretend 'website' – The Paranormal Pit-Stop located on my Wordpress blog. The idea is, that the paranormal world has the internet as well (the Ethereal-net), and every now and then the administrator is allowed to 'cross over' and be a guest in the human world. So far, I only have blog interviews with characters from my book, but I would like to add other authors, so if you're a writer of paranormal and would like me to interview you, drop me a line!

Like other writers, I'm on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and I have a blog. I also have a newsletter. I use it to send out excerpt and coupons, but that's about the extent of it. I've only sent out a few, just because I don't want to spam people. I hate that crap too.

AGH: How did you find QueryTracker, and how did it help you in your effort to get inside the publishing doors?

DC: I found Query Tracker through friends. It has to be one of the best tools I've seen for keeping track of who you've queried. It keeps you organized in a meticulous way, and that's a good habit to get into if you're going to do this on your own.

AGH: What advice on the business side of publishing would you give to up and coming writers … something you wish you’d known when you first started?

DC: I consider myself lucky and learned from other's mistakes. One thing I did learn the hard way, don't skimp when it comes to editing. Especially proofing. I would have saved myself a lot of time, energy and money had I used a proof editor on my first book. Finding typo's is normal, but too many can really hurt your reputation in the eyes of the reader. You only get one chance to make a good impression, people may argue with me on that, but if a reader sees a book full of errors--even small ones, they're remember and may not purchase any other books by that author.

AGH: Do you have any current news to announce?

DC: Only that my new novel, UNDER THE COVER OF WICCA is now online! I'm hoping to have the third book, OF COVENS AND PACKS online by summer 2012.

***Five for fun***

1) How many hats do you have in your home?

I'm Canadian. We don't have hats, we have toques. :P

2) Are you Team Dog or Team Cat?

Right now, Team Cat, but I'd love to get another dog, just to keep CatPack on their toes.

3) What video games do you play?

Right now, Sithboy (my son) and I are right into the Zombie game on Modern Warfare 2, but other than that, I'm a massive Sims 3 fan. I even download game content from the website. I can't get enough new clothing for my Sims!

4) When would you go to if you had a time machine, and why?

I would travel back to ancient Greece and watch Vesuvius erupt. That, or Krakatoa or Mount Pelee. So much destruction, but I think it would be beautiful to see. It really puts things into perspective when nature unleashes Her fury.

5) If you were tight with one of the Greek gods, which one would it be and what favor would you ask of them?

I think it would be Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory, and the inventiveness of words and language. Being a writer, I think she could help me create brilliant stories.

***

Thanks for the interview, Darke. Those book covers are gorgeous! And I gotta say, judging by your amazingly creative story premises, the ones already out and the ones you have planned, I think maybe you have met Mnemosyne. Could be you just forgot... (◕‿-)

Congratulations on forging out into self-publishing, and may it be a successful, fun, and rewarding venture for you! And readers, please be sure to cheer Darke on in the comments. I know she would love to hear from you. Have a good weekend!

Places to find Darke online:

Facebook
Facebook Author Page
Twitter
Blog
Goodreads

Posie & Mosey Monday

2012-01-30T04:00:00.000-08:00

LINES COMPOSED IN A WOOD ON A WINDY DAY
~Anne Bronte (1820-1849)

MY soul is awakened, my spirit is soaring
And carried aloft on the wings of the breeze;
For above and around me the wild wind is roaring,
Arousing to rapture the earth and the seas.

The long withered grass in the sunshine is glancing,
The bare trees are tossing their branches on high;
The dead leaves beneath them are merrily dancing,
The white clouds are scudding across the blue sky.

I wish I could see how the ocean is lashing
The foam of its billows to whirlwinds of spray;
I wish I could see how its proud waves are dashing,
And hear the wild roar of their thunder to-day!

Reprinted from Poems By Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. Charlotte, Anne, and Emily Bronte. Philadelphia: Lea and Blanchard, 1848.

Query Trackers Making Tracks, #15

2012-01-27T04:00:00.000-08:00

Today is installment number fifteen of my series on successful authors from QueryTracker. Some of my guests have agents, others have found success in less conventional ways. But one thing they all have in common is the utilization of the QueryTracker website to help make their tracks in the publishing world.

Today’s guest, Jenn Johansson, signed with her agent Kathleen Rushall of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency at the end of March last year. To read her "Call" story, visit this post on her blog. One of the things I like about Jenn is her wacked out sense of humor. It shines through her tweets and blog posts. In fact, she even receieved the coveted Mad As a Hatter blog award from my Wonderland Bloggie Awards last year. So it's intriguing to me that this lady with such a keen wit is drawn to the darker side in her writing. Let's find out what makes her tick.

Welcome Jenn, and on with the interview!

AGH: Could you give us a quick summary of the book which snagged your agent?

JJ: Sixteen-year-old Parker spends every night trapped in the dreams of the last person he made eye contact with, and it’s killing him. He misses soccer practice, falls asleep at the wheel, and his mom thinks he has a drug problem. His exhaustion from never reaching the deeper levels of sleep is getting worse every day, and he knows his time is running out. Until he meets Mia.

Mia’s dreams are the first Parker’s encountered where he can finally get real sleep. A good night of rest after so long is addictive. He has to have it. But getting it means he must follow Mia and find a way to make eye contact every day. Mia is increasingly freaked out, even turning Parker’s best friends against him. To make matters worse, Mia starts to receive threatening e-mails, and her wonderful dreams become scenes of a horror movie—and Parker is cast as the villain. He must discover who is truly tormenting her, and clear his name, before she turns him in for a crime he hasn’t committed–or worse, the true stalker makes good on his threats to end Mia's dreams forever.

AGH: Before you signed with your agent, how many books had you tried to query?

JJ: I'd gone the rounds and then some with another book before moving on to INSOMNIA and signing with Kathleen.

AGH: What were the responses to those queries (stat-wise: fulls, partials, etc.)?

JJ: Unfortunately, I don't have the stats on my first book. I know it was no where near the percentages of my second. Let's just leave it at that. But on INSOMNIA, I queried 40 agents, had 19 requests--11 fulls and 9 partials.

AGH: What genre(s) do you write?

JJ: I stick with YA, but within that arena I like to dabble. I've done some sci-fi, urban fantasy and even horror. INSOMNIA is a supernatural psychological thriller. No matter which genre I'm writing though, I tend to stick toward the darker end of the spectrum. I love a lot of dark and twisty in my stories.

AGH: What inspired your very first book idea?

JJ: I'm honestly not really sure where the idea came from. I was going through a rough time in my life and then suddenly there was this story in my head that just wouldn't let go of me until I wrote it down. It wasn't even an option really. I HAD to write it.

AGH: How do you come up with titles?

JJ: I don't worry myself much about titles. Usually by the time I have the story written and have gone through the first couple of rounds of revisions, I have a title that just clicks with me.

AGH: What books / authors have most influenced your own style and concepts?

JJ: There are really so many, but to name a couple I'm a big fan of Holly Black's White Cat series, Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game Series and anything by Stephen King.

AGH: How did you find QueryTracker, and how did it help you in your effort to get inside the publishing doors?

JJ: QueryTracker was recommended to me by a fellow writer and I loved the way it allowed me to research, track and update all in one place. It saved me so much time and made it so I could focus on what I needed to, the writing.

AGH: Have you recently learned anything about the business side of publishing that you can share with up and coming writers?

JJ: I've learned that even when you feel like you've learned an enormous amount about this business, there is still so much more to discover. For example, I knew nothing about literary scouts until one helped my book sell overseas before it sold here. I posted on my blog about literary scouts and how that side of the business works, if you're interested, you can find the post here.

AGH: Do you have any current news to announce?

JJ: Toward the end of last year, I sold my debut novel, INSOMNIA, at auction in Germany to Heyne (Random House), and to Newton Compton in Italy. It was an awesome and crazy year--also, auctions are every bit as fun as they sound. l'm currently waiting on final dates for INSOMNIA to release in Italy and Germany. I'm working on a new project while we're on submission here. So, no--nothing really current yet, but stay tuned to my blog and I'll update you as things move forward.

***Five For Fun***

1) In your opinion, what was the best thing before sliced bread?

JJ: Wow, hmm...fruit? I love fruit. I also think it was brilliant to spread smooshed fruit on top of sliced bread. Mmmmm...now I'm hungry.

2) Are you Team Dog or Team Cat?

JJ: Team Cat, at least I was until Christmas. My kitten tried to build a nest in my Christmas tree every night. I think she is part bird. No wonder she freaks out when she looks in the mirror. Perhaps she needs therapy.

3) If you could morph into any food, what kind would you become and why?

JJ: Probably brussel sprouts. I feel like I'm less likely to be eaten that way.

4) If you were tight with one of the Greek gods, which one would it be and what favor would you ask of them?

JJ: Probably Athena, I could use some wisdom in my life. And a little strategy couldn't hurt either.

5) What would be the first thing you would do if you woke up to find you were a fish?

JJ: Figure out how to stop swimming in circles. But I still haven't figured that out as a human, so my hopes aren't high.

Thank you so much for having me, Anita! It's been so fun to answer these fantastic interview questions!

And thank you, Jenn. Your "five for fun" answers cracked me up!

Also, congrats on those amazing foreign sales! If you'd like to give a shout out to Jenn in the comments, I know she'd love to hear from you. To read an excerpt from her awesome YA thriller, check out her website. And don't forget to find her on twitter: @jennjohansson.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful weekend!

Announcing the YAmazing winners of the MGnificent Prizes:

2012-01-23T21:38:00.000-08:00

At least for my blog contest ... you'll have to hop over here for the announcement of the official Apocalypsies YAmazing race gift packages. (Not sure when they'll be posting it ... just keep checking in.)

Mr.Random.org was on the ball tonight, so I decided to post his selections early...

First, I had this 6 piece set of Alice In Wonderland Gift tags/Bookmarks up for grabs~

MissBohemia.com

And the winner of the gift tag/book mark set is:

Zara Alexis

Then I had ten of these Wonderland-themed autographed bookplates so you can personalize your own copy of Splintered one day~

And the winners of the bookplates in no particular order are:

1. Maria from Fantasy's Ink
2. Angela V. Cook
3. Michele from Just a lil' lost
4. Petra from Safari Poet
5. Hannah Lorraine
6. Katherine Skye
7. Heather from Books and Quilts
8. MaryAnn from Chapter by Chapter
9. Silent Shade
10. Kristen from The Cozy Reading Corner

Congrats winners and thank you everyone for playing! By now I've emailed you for your addresses. The names highlighted in black will need to contact me with contest winner in the subject line (my email is in my profile) or leave their emails in the comment section below because I couldn't find their contact info.

Everyone else, good luck with the Apocalypsies prize packages! And be sure to stop by from time to time; I'll be having lots more giveaways for Alice and Splintered swag before the release date!

The YAmazing Race is officially over!

2012-01-23T09:20:00.000-08:00

Thanks everyone who played!! Random.org and I will do our drawing tonight and announce the winners of the gift tags/bookmarks and the ten signed book plates tomorrow. Have a fabulous Monday!

Free arcs, gift certificates, and swag ... Oh, MY!

2012-01-16T08:44:00.000-08:00

THE RACE IS OFFICIALLY OVER!!

THANK YOU FOR PLAYING!

Yay! I'm so glad you're here on the Splintered stop of the YAmazing Race with MGnificent prizes -- a crazy whirlwind blog hop featuring over 50 debut authors and prize packs featuring ARCs, gift certificates, swag, and more!

Want a sneak peek into the prize vault? Here's what I tossed (or gently dropped, rather) into the gift pile:

Lady’s bronze vintage locket/pocket watch inspired by the White Rabbit's watch

If you haven’t yet been to the Apocalypsies website, please click here to start from the beginning and read the complete rules. There are links there to take you to each leg of the race, so you'll find your way back to me all in good time.

Those of you who already followed the yellow brick road of blogs, onward with the race!

Since my book cover is still in the design phases, below is the synopsis which offers the answer to one of the questions you'll be asked in the quiz at the end of this leg of the race. Remember, you must complete ALL FIVE quizzes (one at the end of each leg) to be eligible for a prize pack:

Splintered by A.G. Howard:

For sixteen years, Alyssa Gardner has lived with the stigma of being descended from Alice Liddell -- the real life inspiration for Lewis Carroll's famed novel, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. But cruel jokes about dormice and tea parties can’t compare to the fact that Alyssa hears the whispers of bugs and flowers ... the same quirk which sent her mother to a mental institution years before.

When her mother takes a turn for the worse and the whispers grow too strong for Alyssa to bear, she seeks the origins of their family curse. A set of family heirlooms and a moth tied to an eerie website lead Alyssa and her gorgeous best friend / secret crush, Jeb, down the rabbit hole into the real Wonderland, a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on.

There, creepy and violent counterparts of the original fairytale crew reveal the purpose for Alyssa’s journey, and unless she fixes the things her great-great-great grandmother Alice put wrong, Wonderland will have her head.

WAIT! Before you go – there's a **bonus contest** for my readers to win this:

Set of 6 Alice in Wonderland gift tags/bookmarks from MissBohemia.com

If you'll simply be a follower of my blog and leave a comment below letting me know, your name goes into a drawing. To have your name entered a second time, tweet up this post on twitter (be sure to use my handle @aghowardwrites in the tweet so I'll catch it in my mentions feed) OR share it on FB (include the link in the comments below so I can go check it out). I will close comments at 12pm easter on Monday the 23rd and the winner will be announced here on Tuesday the 24th.

UPDATE: The response has been so good to my contest that I'm going to do an extra drawing to give away 10 personalized and signed bookplates that you can place on your own copy of Splintered one day:

Just an example ... I promise to use your name. Oh, and my signature isn't nearly that neat. ;)

This means I’ll be pulling 10 more names from Random.org so you all have ten more chances to win. My way of thanking you for your interest in the book!

Ready to move on? Awesome! Click here to go to the next stop on the race, and good luck!

***

Want to know more about Splintered?.

Click the picture for a sneak peak at Splintered's sexy antagonist and the skateboarding / gothic fashionista heroine:

Seven ways my antagonist is tastier than a cookie, and why my MC is way cooler than me...

Still want to see more?.

Here's a look at the book trailer:

To check Splintered out on GoodReads,

Click Here...

Thanks for stopping in, and have a great week!

Tune in for YAmazing fun and MGnificent prizes!

2012-01-15T17:42:00.000-08:00

If you take part in the upcoming Apocalypsies blog race, you'll get to meet some fabulous 2012 debut young adult and middle grade authors and hear about their upcoming books along the way...

The YAmazing Race with MGnificent Prizes begins tomorrow (January 16) at noon-ish eastern, so get your game face on to win some awesome SWAG.

See you then!!!

***

P.S. HUGE props to Gina Damico for organizing this race, and her husband who put together the fun quizzes that will win you lucky guys and gals those prizes. Gina is super generous w/her time. Don't know how she does it, considering her own book CROAK will be coming out in March (SO VERY CLOSE!) so I know she's crazy busy. Be sure to put that book on your to-read list because it looks FAB, FUNNY, and wickedly creepy to boot.

Step Into My Nightmare ... and win a prize.

2012-01-11T04:00:00.000-08:00

If you'd like to know what the first half of the title is all about, you'll have to visit my new young adult and middle grade group blog, ADR3NALIN3: Books that are worth losing sleep over. I spilled my guts out over there today, almost literally, sharing some of my weirdest fears and how I developed them. As to the prize part, we'll get to that in just a second...

I've made some changes on my sidebar to reflect efforts at building an online presence for my upcoming book, Splintered, and ADR3NALIN3 is one of those changes. That doesn't mean I won't still be posting here. I'll continue my Monday poetry spots here, keep posting any news I might have, and also have my QueryTracker series every first Friday.

But two Wednesdays a month I'll be posting at the new blog. I'll keep you apprised of where I'll be by the calendar on the sidebar.

Speaking of the calendar, as you can see, I'm taking part in a HUGE blog race next week with 58 other Apocalypsies -- fellow 2012 debut authors of YA and MG books -- and there will be prizes galore to be had! More deets are to come on Monday, but for now, here's a sneak peek at two of the prizes I'm putting up for grabs:

Alice in Wonderland gift tags/bookmarks from MissBohemia.com

Lady’s bronze vintage locket/pocket watch

So if you're interested in free goodies, stay tuned.

Be sure to visit and promote the ADR3NALIN3 blog. There are some great YA and MG authors over there, several already published and with a large fan base, so I'm hoping for good things all around.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you next week for the YAmazing Race and MGnificent Prizes! Until then, have a fabulous and safe weekend.

Posie & Mosey Monday

2012-01-09T04:00:00.000-08:00

PhotoBucket.com

Chance Meetings
~Conrad Aiken (1889-1973)

IN the mazes of loitering people, the watchful and furtive,
The shadows of tree-trunks and shadows of leaves,
In the drowse of the sunlight, among the low voices,
I suddenly face you,

Your dark eyes return for a space from her who is with you,
They shine into mine with a sunlit desire,
They say an 'I love you, what star do you live on?'
They smile and then darken,

And silent, I answer 'You too--I have known you,--I love you!--'
And the shadows of tree-trunks and shadows of leaves
Interlace with low voices and footsteps and sunlight
To divide us forever.

Query Trackers Making Tracks, #14

2012-01-05T21:24:00.000-08:00

Today is installment number fourteen of my "first Friday of the month" series on successful authors from QueryTracker. Some of my guests have agents, others have found success in less conventional ways. But one thing they all have in common is the utilization of the QueryTracker website to help make their tracks in the publishing world.

Today I'm extra excited because my guest is Claire Merle from the beautiful city of love: Paris, France.

You heard right! My interview is going international, yo! (◕‿-) Actually, I've had one other author from London way back in the beginning phases of this interview series. Just goes to show how far reaching QueryTracker is and proves that a truly amazing idea backed by inspiring and enthusiastic people has no bounds.

Claire's book has already sold to Faber and Faber and is coming out in the UK June 2012! You can pre-order it right now from UK amazon, waterstones, and WHSmith.)

AGH: Welcome Claire! Could you give us a quick summary of the book which snagged your agent?

CM: THE GLIMPSE: In a near future society is segregated according to whether people are genetically disposed to mental illness. 17-year-old Ana has been living the privileged life of a Pure due to an error in her DNA test. When the authorities find out, she faces banishment from her safe Community, a fate only thwarted by the fact that she has already been promised to Pure-boy Jasper Taurell. Jasper is from a rich and influential family and despite Ana’s condition, wants to be with her. The authorities grant Ana a tentative reprieve. If she is joined to Jasper before her 18th birthday, she may stay in the Community until her illness manifests. But if Jasper changes his mind, she will be cast out among the Crazies. As Ana’s joining ceremony and her birthday loom closer, she dares to hope she will be saved from the horror of the City and live a ‘normal’ life. But then Jasper disappears.

AGH: Before you signed with your agent, how many books had you tried to query?

CM: I’d written and queried one book prior to The Glimpse.

AGH: What were the responses to those queries (stat-wise: fulls, partials, etc.)?

CM: I queried my first book long before I found QT and I knew very little about the process. I didn’t really keep stats or anything. I probably queried around thirty agents. From those I received 2 full requests and a phone call, but didn’t land an agent.

AGH: What genre(s) do you write?

CM: Young adult. Within that genre, I’m particularly drawn to sci-fi, fantasy and stories with a paranormal twist.

AGH: What inspired your very first book idea?

CM: I wrote my first full-length screenplay when I was thirteen and though it wasn’t a book, I’d say it was my first real effort to tell a ‘big’ story: Two best friends awake a malignant spirit that gives them the power to speak mentally to each other, but also leaves them running for their lives. I guess I’ve always been drawn to danger, adventure, the paranormal and psychological.

AGH: How do you come up with titles?

CM: Usually, when I start a project the title just seems to come at the same time as the ideas. Though sometimes I rework the title once I’ve finished a first draft and know more about my story.

AGH: What books / authors have most influenced your own style and concepts?

CM: Personally, I’m not sure I can be objective enough about my own writing style to give you any sort of definitive answer to that. I think an author’s style and concepts probably come as much from who they are, what they believe, what sort of questions they’re asking, and the experiences that have shaped the way they see the world, as anything else. Though I’m imagine along the way I’ve also picked up techniques and absorbed various elements from the stories that have had the greatest impact on me.

Some of those books include,

Favourite books pre-teens: ‘The Faraway Tree’ by Enid Blyton, ‘Ballet Shoes’ by Noel Streatfeild, ‘The Hounds of the Morrigan’ by Pat O’Shea.

Favourite books as a teenager: ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ by Margaret Atwood, ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne du Maurier, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ Jane Austen.

Recent favs include: ‘The Sky is Everywhere’ by Jandy Nelson, ‘Fingersmith’ by Sarah Waters, ‘Hunger Games’ by Suzanne Collins, ‘The Gift’ by Alison Croggon. (Better known as The Naming in the US.)

AGH: How did you find QueryTracker, and how did it help you in your effort to get inside the publishing doors?

CM: I think I found Query Tracker through googling for agent information. QTs amazing forum helped me work and rework my query, get feedback on my first chapter, and introduced me to many wonderful writers – two of whom critiqued my whole manuscript before I sent it out. That sort of help is priceless.

AGH: Do you have any current news to announce?

CM: Yes, some very exciting news! Next week, Faber are launching online Open Auditions for a series of fictional video diaries that will be a prequel to The Glimpse. The videos will centre around a character from the book – 16-year-old Tamsin Strike – and anyone in the UK from 13 upwards will be eligible to audition. The videos will be shot by an award-winning British director in the Spring. So if you want to be the first to know when The Glimpse facebook page launches (sometime during the second week in Jan) with all the hows, whens, and wheres about auditioning, follow my author facebook page where I’ll be giving you the links and the most up-to-date info. I'll also be running an international giveaway for anyone who is kind enough to help spread the word.

Here's the linkage: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Claire-Merle-Author/195817850451377

**Five for fun**

AGH: In your opinion, what was the best thing before sliced bread?

CM: Hey, I live in Paris where they have baguettes and fresh, chunky loaves which I prefer to sliced bread, so I’m not convinced about the whole sliced bread thing!

AGH: Which would you rather do: carry an umbrella or sing in the rain?

CM: I’ve never been one for carrying an umbrella. Way too practical. I’d go for singing in the rain.

AGH: What’s your favorite breakfast?

CM: Coffee with whatever story I’m working on.

AGH: Are you Team Dog or Team Cat?

CM: Grew up with a cat, which I adored. But I think I’d like to try Team Dog now.

AGH: When would you go to if you had a time machine, and why?

CM: 150 years into the future. Wow! I’d love to see that!! And then I’d write a book about it.

Thanks so much for having me on your blog!

****

And thank you so much for coming, Claire! Two things, your premise sounds INCREDIBLE, and WOW on the promo-videos! If anyone out there knows a teen girl who's been looking to break into acting, this would be an excellent start! And if you're on twitter, please tweet Claire up so we can pass on the word!

Also, you can find Claire at these online haunts:

Website: http://clairemerle.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ClaireMerle
GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5130544.Claire_Merle

Thanks everyone for stopping by. Have a happy and safe weekend, and see you next week!

Posie & Mosey Monday

2012-01-02T04:00:00.000-08:00

PhotoBucket.com

MUSIC, WHEN SOFT VOICES DIE
~Percy Bysshe Shelly (1792-1822)

MUSIC, when soft voices die,
Vibrates in the memory;
Odours, when sweet violets sicken,
Live within the sense they quicken.

Rose leaves, when the rose is dead,
Are heap'd for the belovèd's bed;
And so thy thoughts, when thou art gone,
Love itself shall slumber on.

Posie & Mosey Monday

2011-12-26T04:00:00.000-08:00

On Mondays, I share word posies with my readers. Comments are disabled so you can enjoy this gift of poetry then mosey on along to your list of daily do's.*

*Hungry for more in-depth Monday posts? Visit any or all of the entertaining and insightful blogs on my sidebar.

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MY DOVES
~Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888)

OPPOSITE my chamber window,
On the sunny roof, at play,
High above the city's tumult,
Flocks of doves sit day by day.
Shining necks and snowy bosoms,
Little rosy, tripping feet,
Twinkling eyes and fluttering wings,
Cooing voices, low and sweet,--

Graceful games and friendly meetings,
Do I daily watch and see.
For these happy little neighbors
Always seem at peace to be.
On my window-ledge, to lure them,
Crumbs of bread I often strew,
And, behind the curtain hiding,
Watch them flutter to and fro.

Soon they cease to fear the giver,
Quick are they to feel my love,
And my alms are freely taken
By the shyest little dove.
In soft flight, they circle downward,
Peep in through the window-pane;
Stretch their gleaming necks to greet me,
Peck and coo, and come again.

Faithful little friends and neighbors,
For no wintry wind or rain,
Household cares or airy pastimes,
Can my loving birds restrain.
Other friends forget, or linger,
But each day I surely know
That my doves will come and leave here
Little footprints in the snow.

So, they teach me the sweet lesson,
That the humblest may give
Help and hope, and in so doing,
Learn the truth by which we live;
For the heart that freely scatters
Simple charities and loves,
Lures home content, and joy, and peace,
Like a soft-winged flock of doves.

Night Circus

2011-12-21T23:35:00.000-08:00

Before I announce this week's trailer, just a quick bit of news: Splintered has sold to Brazil, so now my characters will be speaking in German, Chinese, and Portuguese. I never dreamed they'd be multilingualists. :)

My trailer today is for Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. This one caught my attention not only for it's beautiful narrative, but for the subject matter. I'm a circus junkie. I even have a novel planned that involves a gargoyle shape-shifter finding his way to a circus circa 1930.

As an added bonus, this trailer's artwork is darkly beautiful. I hope it captivates you like it did me. (After viewing this, the book immediately found it's way to my TBR shelf on GoodReads).

Other than next week's poem, this is my last post for the year. Thank you so much for hanging out with me, cheering me on, and supporting me throughout my crazy ride in 2011. I'm so grateful to have met such an amazing group of people!

I wish you all Happy Holidays, and a productive, successful, and wondrous New Year! See you in 2012.

Posie & Mosey Monday

2011-12-19T04:00:00.000-08:00

On Mondays, I share word posies with my readers. Comments are disabled so you can enjoy this gift of poetry then mosey on along to your list of daily do's.*

*Hungry for more in-depth Monday posts? Visit any or all of the entertaining and insightful blogs on my sidebar.

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A Poet of One Mood
~Alice Alice Meynell (1847 - 1922)

A poet of one mood in all my lays,
Ranging all life to sing one only love,
Like a west wind across the world I move,
Sweeping my harp of floods mine own wild ways.
The countries change, but not the west-wind days
Which are my songs. My soft skies shine above,
And on all seas the colours of a dove,
And on all fields a flash of silver greys.
I made the whole world answer to my art
And sweet monotonous meanings. In your ears
I change not ever, bearing, for my part,
One thought that is the treasure of my years-
A small cloud full of rain upon my heart
And in mine arms, clasped, like a child in tears.

The five biggest mistakes I made as an aspiring author...

2011-12-16T00:43:00.000-08:00

Finally, I sent in the edits to my editor, and now I'm waiting to see if they pass the mustard. So, until then, I'm back in the land of the living.

Holy Schnikies, Batman. I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted and visited blogs. I'm SO out of practice... hope I remember how. *nervous*

Please be gentle with me!

Okay, looking back at my blog idea file (those of you who know me can attest that YES, I'm that much of a geek to actually have one--hee), I found two awards and one meme I haven't done yet. So this week, the awards.

Lovely A.M. Supinger over at Inner Owlet (BTW, she's every bit as cute as the name of her blog) gifted me with this:

Thank you, dahling! This gal never ceases to amaze me with her talent for story telling, and she's also artistically gifted ... which means she'll be getting a very special award in my upcoming Second Bi-Annual Wonderland Bloggy Awards in a few weeks. (◕‿-)

The rules for this award:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them. Done!
2. Pick some of your favorite blogs to share the award with!

A.M. picked two recipients, so I'm following in her hoof prints.

1. Bethany Crandell, of the notorious Rookie Riter blog. Why do I think her blog is lovely? For one, she's put up a new rocking background that fits her book (presently being subbed) to a T. Also, because I love to hang out there. Her insights are witty, irreverent, and laugh out loud funny. Not to mention, there's always a kernel of poignant truth in everything she says. Simply put, she's a gem.

2. Jenny Phresh of The Party Pony fame. She's been redecorating her place of late, and it's quiet lovely. Also, much like my other recipient, she always makes me laugh, and sometimes makes my heart sigh. So, anyone who can pull my emotional puppet strings like that, deserves a lovely award.

Next, Bailey over at Over Yonder Lit gave me the versatile blog award.

Thank you, Bailey! It's already on my sidebar which means I've passed it out another time or two, so I'll skip that bit, but here are five things about me ... with a writer's twist.

The five most naive mistakes I made when first starting out as a writer (IOW, five things aspiring writers should never do as proven by my bumbling bloopers):

1. Trying too hard to stand out. When I started querying the first book I ever wrote, I read LOTS of books and articles on how to go about it. One of them suggested you do something out of the ordinary to get noticed. So I decided to make a query brochure ... the tri-fold kind *in full color, mind* that had pictures of my characters, a short synopsis, excerpt from the book, and an author's bio (under a pseudonym, thankfully ... that's the one thing I did right). To further humiliate myself, I included a picture of me. Want to see?

*Shudders* Needless to say, I didn't get many responses. And those I got, well, they aren't worth mentioning. ;) So glad I only sent out five. Lesson learned: The only way your query should stand out is a unique story premise and polished writing. Everything else needs to be standard and professional.

2. Thinking that finishing a book = instant success. I just knew the first publisher who read my three page query letter (after I abandoned the brochures) would buy my MS. In truth, I got over 100 rejections before I ever learned how to write a query letter to begin with. And it took that many for me to realize maybe I wasn't going to get in with book one. Here's a picture of HALF of the rejections I received. Didn't have room to lay them all out, so imagine a line twice this long (Note: some of the rejections are on small slips of paper or postcards, so they're hard to see)...

Lesson learned: There are a lot more steps to getting published than writing a book. Educate yourself on those steps and ace them. It will give you an edge over the millions of other writers out there trying to get in the door.

3. Assuming agents are out to make you miserable. I once did a post on my old blog poking fun at all of the pointless form rejections I'd received, even copying some word for word--omitting names, of course. A very savvy fellow blogger (who happened to be an assistant for an agent) pointed out that it might not be the smartest move, considering I was querying at the time, and if any agents googled me, they might be offended and write me off. Lesson learned: agents are people; they have limited time, ergo, they have form letters to help them do their job. Treat them w/respect if you expect it in return.

4. Thinking that once you get an agent, you'll have him/her for life, they'll love everything you write, and you will be published within months of signing. This may prove true for some, but I was with my first agent for over two years and while we sent out the MS she signed me for, I wrote three more. My book didn't sell, and she turned down two that I wrote, and wanted me to change the last one (SPLINTERED) so drastically it would've killed my vision for the book. We were on completely different pages for my career. So we parted ways. Lesson learned: Sometimes we don't find our literary soulmates until round 2 or 3 or 4. What's important is to be willing to make changes that resonate, but stay true to your voice and vision. Have the courage to do what's best for your longtime career.

5. Once an agent turns you down, never ever query them again. Refer once more to the long line of rejections above. One of those is actually from my present agent. She doesn't even remember that I sent a query her way for the first book I wrote (some six or so years ago), or even that she read a chapter of it. She turned it down because she didn't love the writing. Thinking that meant she'd never want to see anything else I wrote, I made a point not to query her with my YA. I queried her colleague instead. Had said colleague not sent the MS my agent's way after deciding it wasn't the right fit for her, I wouldn't be where I am today. Lesson learned: An agent's tastes can change over time, just as your writing will. Never be afraid to try an agent again, especially if you have a few more books under your belt. Chances are, one of you has changed enough to make a connection. You certainly won't know unless you try.

I hope you can glean some positive insights out of my ignorance. :) You know what they say about hindsight? It's even better when it's someone else's. I wanted to post this to prove that no matter how many mistakes you make, the only mistake that can keep you from getting published is to quit trying.

I did some stupid things, but the one thing I did right is I hung in there and never stopped writing. Now I'm about to finally see my dream come true. It can be that way for everyone aspiring to be published.

Never give up, and it will be your turn to sit on the shelves one day soon.

Have a great weekend!

Posie & Mosey Monday

2011-12-12T04:00:00.000-08:00

On Mondays, I share word posies with my readers. Comments are disabled so you can enjoy this gift of poetry then mosey on along to your list of daily do's.*

*Hungry for more in-depth Monday posts? Visit any or all of the entertaining and insightful blogs on my sidebar.

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The Ghost~Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867)

Softly as brown-eyed Angels rove
I will return to thy alcove,
And glide upon the night to thee,
Treading the shadows silently.

And I will give to thee, my own,
Kisses as icy as the moon,
And the caresses of a snake
Cold gliding in the thorny brake.

And when returns the livid morn
Thou shalt find all my place forlorn
And chilly, till the falling night.

Others would rule by tenderness
Over thy life and youthfulness,
But I would conquer thee by fright!

'The Ghost' is reprinted from The Poems and Prose Poems of Charles Baudelaire. Ed. James Huneker. New York: Brentano's, 1919.

Posie & Mosey Monday + Winner of QT gift card!

2011-12-05T00:19:00.000-08:00

On Mondays, I like to share word posies with my readers. Comments are usually disabled so you can enjoy this gift of poetry then mosey on along to your list of daily do's. But today I have a WINNER to announce.

E. Arroyo, Mr. Random.org has chosen you as the recipient of Patrick's generous premium membership gift card which will last you a full year (a $25 value)! Please email me at anita(at)aghoward(dot)come and I'll send the linkage your way via your email address.

Thanks to everyone else who participated. Patrick and I really appreciated all of the comments. :) Have a great week!

Now onto today's poem...

Deviantart.com

Alone ~Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849)

From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I loved, I loved alone.
Then- in my childhood, in the dawn
Of a most stormy life- was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that round me rolled
In its autumn tint of gold,
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by,
From the thunder and the storm,
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view.

Guest Interview with Patrick McDonald AND QueryTracker Gift Card Giveaway!!!

2011-12-02T04:00:00.000-08:00

(click on the above image to visit site)

Today I'm honored to have Patrick McDonald, founder and moderator of QueryTracker.net, joining us for an interview. *waves to Patrick*

(click picture to read Patrick's QT bio)

Patrick, who works in Industrial Automation by day, started QT back in 2007, and since then it's grown to be one of the most extensive online data bases for aspiring authors, boasting statistical information for 1,253 literary agents and 131 publishers. To date, there are 681 success stories born of the some 47,530 QT members.

Yet the most important service QT provides is the community fellowship. There's such a supportive spirit to be found at the blog, the agent/publisher threads, and the groups/forums. When I first started hanging around the threads, I was touched and impressed by the cheerleading and encouragement taking place. In spite of the fact that these people were all vying for the same thing, no one was competing. They were there to lend a helping hand or offer a word of comfort when someone was down, or share in the celebration when someone got good news.

I'll never forget the people who reached out and helped me, Patrick included. And even though I don't get over there like I used to, I know that there will always be someone to take up the slack. Because writers rock like that. (◕‿-)

One of the best things about QT is it's completely free to join and get access to the agent/publisher info, threads, etc... BUT, a $25/yr premium membership opens a whole new world of features. Click here to check out that list.

Interested? At the end of this interview, I'll let you know how you can win a FREE premium membership gift card. So stay tuned...

In a prior post, I put out a request to my readers: What would you like to ask Patrick Mcdonald, the wizard who so humbly stands behind the curtain to keep things running smooth in QueryTracker Oz? The last several questions in this interview were born of that post, so thank you ladies for your contributions!

And off we go...

AGH: It’s rumored that you dabble in writing yourself. What genres are you drawn to creatively?

Patrick: It's been a long time since I've dabbled in writing, and that's a good word for it. I'd be the first to admit I'm just not very good at it. Now days, when I feel the urge to write coming on, I resist with every ounce of willpower. I've accepted the reality that my poor brain is much better suited for programming than writing. When I write, it always comes out sounding like a computer manual, and we all know how much fun those are to read.

AGH: Are you working on any current projects you can tell us about?

If you mean writing, then no. Besides being terrible at it, QT has kept me too busy to give it much thought. There are some new QT features I've been considering lately, and I hope to have time to get to them real soon. Maybe over the Christmas Holiday when I'll have some time away from my day job.

AGH: How did you being an aspiring author influence the birth/growth of QT?

It certainly helped me to identify the need for something like QT. Way back, when I was querying, I used AgentQuery (which is a great resource, by the way) but I kept thinking it would be really nice if I could mark off agents right there on the site as I went along. I looked around, couldn't find anything that did what I wanted, and since my queries weren't going anywhere, I decided to give it a shot. And, thanks to all of you out there who gave it a try and continue to use, it has been a success.

AGH: Who comes up with all of those great premium membership feature ideas?

I'm always on the look out for new ideas, so if anyone has any thoughts on new features, please let me know.

AGH: Speaking of features, QT has a recent one for premium members where if you mark which agents have your full MS it'll tell what other agents have "similar tastes." Kind of like the “customers who liked this book also bought this one” feature on Amazon. How do you come up w/that information?

It is based on the query results recorded by users. So, if two agents request the same material then they must have similar tastes.

Angela Cook: Some of the comments left on agent profiles are brutally honest and/or emotionally charged. Have you ever been asked by an agent to remove those comments? If so, did you?

I don't recall ever being asked "nicely". There have been a few cases where an agent threatened legal action if I did not remove a comment. In those cases I just removed the agent entirely. Those kinds of people don't deserve to be listed.

Jenny Phresh: Have you ever considered letting authors choose the look of their frowning/smiling status faces from a gallery? I would be prefer my frowning face, for example, to have an insouciant, devil-may-care expression that shows that I Will Rise Again! Right now it's too durned sad and beaten-down looking.

That's actually a pretty good idea. But I don't have the artistic talent needed to draw up a bunch of different icon sets. So, if anyone out there wants to contribute, just let me know.

Mindy McGinnis: How do you keep your agent contact information updated? Do they inform you of changes or do you hunt this information down?

Some agents will inform me of changes, other changes I find myself. But the majority come from users who send me a note about something they found, or post it on the agent's profile. After confirming the change, I update the agent's profile. And I really appreciate all the help I get from users. There's just no way I could keep up with all the agents on my own.

Krista V: How can QueryTracker users get the most out of QueryTracker? And what is QueryTracker's best little-known feature?

There's a lot going on at QT, and it can be a little overwhelming at first. So, I think the best place to start is with the tutorial videos (which can be found at QueryTracker.net/videos.php).

As for best little-known feature, it's hard to think of just one. But, one of the things that I think is really simple, yet highly useful, is the agency cross-reference. When you view an agent's profile page, there is also a list of all the other agents at that agency along with your query status to any of them (if you happened to have already queried them). It helps to know, so you don't query the same agency twice. If you're a premium member you'll find the cross-reference on the right side of the page, where the advertisements would be.

**Five for fun**

1) What’s your favorite breakfast?

Lunch. I like to sleep in.

2) Are you Team Dog or Team Cat?

It depends on how they are cooked.

3) If I were at your house right now, what would I find in your refrigerator?

Absolutely nothing. Just ask my teenage son.

4) If you could morph into any food, what kind would you become and why?

Turkey. It's the holidays and I always wanted to be the guest of honor.

5) What would be the first thing you would do if you woke up to find you were a fish?

Drown. I can't swim.

***

Eek on the drowning! Hee. And I get what you're saying about your teenage son. I have one of those, too. Hungry little critters.

Thank you, Patrick, for the interview, and for everything you do for us!

Now for the GIVEAWAY: Patrick has offered to donate a premium membership gift card to give away to one of my readers. All you have to do is leave a comment* on this post, from today through Sunday at midnight (central time). I will close the comments then, and will draw the lucky winner's name TBA on Monday.

Thanks for dropping by. Have a fabulous weekend and see you next week!

*Please note: this pertains to legitimate comments ... I reserve the right to use the delete function if there are any naughties out there ... 'nuff said. ;)

Posie & Mosey Monday

2011-11-28T04:00:00.000-08:00

On Mondays, I like to share word posies with my readers. Comments are disabled so you can enjoy this gift of poetry then mosey on along to your list of daily do's.*

*Hungry for more in-depth Monday posts? Visit any or all of the entertaining and insightful blogs on my sidebar.

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The Kind Ghosts
~Wilfred Owen (1893-1918)

She sleeps on soft, last breaths; but no ghost looms
Out of the stillness of her palace wall,
Her wall of boys on boys and dooms on dooms.

She dreams of golden gardens and sweet glooms,
Not marvelling why her roses never fall
Nor what red mouths were torn to make their blooms.

The shades keep down which well might roam her hall.
Quiet their blood lies in her crimson rooms
And she is not afraid of their footfall.

They move not from her tapestries, their pall,
Nor pace her terraces, their hecatombs,
Lest aught she be disturbed, or grieved at all.

Posie & Mosey Monday

2011-11-21T04:00:00.000-08:00

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Thanksgiving
~ Edgar Albert Guest (1881-1959)

Gettin' together to smile an' rejoice,
An' eatin' an' laughin' with folks of your choice;
An' kissin' the girls an' declarin' that they
Are growin' more beautiful day after day;
Chattin' an' braggin' a bit with the men,
Buildin' the old family circle again;
Livin' the wholesome an' old-fashioned cheer,
Just for awhile at the end of the year.
Greetings fly fast as we crowd through the door
And under the old roof we gather once more
Just as we did when the youngsters were small;
Mother's a little bit grayer, that's all.
Father's a little bit older, but still
Ready to romp an' to laugh with a will.
Here we are back at the table again
Tellin' our stories as women an' men.

Bowed are our heads for a moment in prayer;
Oh, but we're grateful an' glad to be there.
Home from the east land an' home from the west,
Home with the folks that are dearest an' best.
Out of the sham of the cities afar
We've come for a time to be just what we are.
Here we can talk of ourselves an' be frank,
Forgettin' position an' station an' rank.

Give me the end of the year an' its fun
When most of the plannin' an' toilin' is done;
Bring all the wanderers home to the nest,
Let me sit down with the ones I love best,
Hear the old voices still ringin' with song,
See the old faces unblemished by wrong,
See the old table with all of its chairs
An' I'll put soul in my Thanksgivin' prayers.

Skary Childrin (and Taiwan)...

2011-11-17T04:00:00.000-08:00

Before I get to today's trailer, I have a quick publishing update. I got the news from Agent Goddess last week that Splintered has sold to Taiwan, which means I'll one day be translated in both German and Chinese. YAY!

So "谢谢" and "Danke" to these lovely territories for believing in my story! ♥˘⌣˘♥

Now, onto the Skary misspelling of my title...

Skary Childrin and the Carousel of Sorrow is my trailer highlight for today.

Not only does the story itself sound dark and unique, but so are the illustrations drawn by the author. Here's a sneak peak of her talent:

This one is for young readers, ages 8 and up, but it's so visually appealing, it's now on my TBR pile just so I can indulge in the artwork.

As you can see on my calendar, I won't be blogging anymore this month (other than poetry Mondays). I'm on blog-cation over the holiday to work on edits. But Pat McDonald, the founder and moderator of Query Tracker, is coming by the first Friday in December for an interview, so I hope to see you all then.

Oh, and one last thing, have a SPECTACULAR and safe Thanksgiving holiday. (◕‿◕)

Pardon our French...

2011-11-16T04:00:00.000-08:00

One of my good friends, Mindy McGinnis from the Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire blog, has recently escaped the burning pit of submission hell (those of you who have been there, or are there still, know the truth behind that phrase) with a fantastic 2-book contract with Harper Collins, due out in Fall 2013.

Here's Mindy's PublishersMarketplace Announcement:

Mindy McGinnis's NOT A DROP TO DRINK, the story of a teenage girl surviving in a rural America where an ounce of fresh water is worth more than gold and death wanders the countryside as thirst, cholera, and the guns of strangers; when her mother dies in an accident, the girl must decide between defending her pond alone or banding together with a crippled neighbor, a pregnant woman, a filthy orphan, and a teenage boy who awakens feelings she doesn't understand, to Sarah Shumway at Katherine Tegen Books, in a good deal, at auction, in a two-book deal, by Adriann Ranta at Wolf Literary Services (World).

CONGRATS, girl!!

Mindy's not only a talented author, she's also a blogging WIZARD. She's come up with a whole slew of blog series ideas, and finds the funniest and most creative acronyms to represent them. One of my favorites, and most irreverent (but somehow even more fitting for that reason) is the S.H.I.T. (Submission Hell – It’s True) Interview, where she invites authors to talk about their submission journey once they've finally sold.

To celebrate Mindy's success, I thought it would be fun to have her interview herself using her own questions with my blog as host. So off we go!

Welcome, Mindy One and Mindy Two. You have the floor.

M1: How much did you know about the submission process before you were out on subs yourself?

M2: I knew quite a bit, due to the excellent crowd over at AgentQuery Connect, quite a few of whom are agented and / or published. I knew what to expect as far as the waiting process, although honestly it wasn’t all that bad in terms of length of time for feedback.

M1: Did anything about the process surprise you?

M2: A little. I had some passes from editors who loved the book but couldn’t get enough enthusiasm from others to actually make an offer. It was odd to think, “Wow, someone important loved this, but that wasn’t enough.” It takes more than one to get that cart rolling.

M1: Did you research the editors you knew had your ms? Do you recommend doing that?

M2: I did. I don’t know that I recommend doing it though, because it’s not like it helped me out in any way. Mostly it just made me antsy. Once I had some offers, THEN I did research. I needed to know what the best fit was going to be.

M1: What was the average amount of time it took to hear back from editors?

M2: Some were SHAZAAM fast, and those were all negative. So, I learned that waiting was a good thing.

M1: What do you think is the best way for an author out on submission to deal with the anxiety?

M2: Stay busy, in all things. I wrote, I cleaned, I read, I blogged. I didn’t let myself think about it.

M1: If you had any rejections, how did you deal with that emotionally? How did this kind of rejection compare to query rejections?

M2: Oh, I had rejections. It definitely hurt more than a query rejection, because it was like, “Not only do I reject your premise, but I reject your WRITING!! BWAA HA HA!!” *throws lightning bolt* OK, not really. My rejections were actually all very complimentary and explanatory about reasons for passing, which I did appreciate.

M1: If you got feedback on a rejection, how did you process it? How do you compare processing an editor’s feedback as compared to a beta reader’s?

M2: It was hard to process because some of it was directly contradictory to feedback I’d received the day before. My agent and I sat down in a phone conversation and culled through all our feedback at one point and we decided that a lot of what we were seeing was personal preference. However, there were one or two consistent points that weren’t working for editors, and we took that seriously.

M1: When you got your YES! how did that feel? How did you find out – email, telephone, smoke signal?

M2: I got my YES over email, as it came in late on a weekday evening. How did it feel? I literally slammed my laptop shut and took the Lord’s name in vain. Then I apologized to both the Lord and the laptop and opened it back up again. The email was still there. I was kind of freaked out. And I literally couldn’t sleep. I was up til 3 AM two nights in a row.

M1: Did you have to wait a period of time before sharing your big news, because of details being ironed out? Was that difficult?

M2: I had my first offer on a Wednesday, then a few more offers came in on Thursday. Adriann and I talked details and decided what the best fit was on Thursday evening, and my Publisher’s Marketplace announcement went up on Sunday. So no, I didn’t have to wait long. I told my family members, and they took my direction to keep it quiet very, very seriously. They whispered whenever they talked to me about it ☺

***

Thank you, Mindy(s)! Hee.

If any of you would like to see the query letter that started the ball rolling and won Mindy's agent, hop over here. Also, if you're looking for some inspiration, visit this post where Mindy gives a rundown of her ten year journey to success. It's a very inspiring story, and shows why tenacity and a tough hide are so important if you're serious about being an author.

Thanks for coming by! And please drop in tomorrow for my Trailer Thursday series. I have some pretty exciting news about Splintered to share. Until then, have a great Wednesday everyone!

Posie & Mosey Monday

2011-11-14T04:00:00.000-08:00

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DREAM LAND
~Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)

HERE sunless rivers weep
Their waves into the deep,
She sleeps a charmed sleep:
Awake her not.
Led by a single star,
She came from very far
To seek where shadows are
Her pleasant lot.

She left the rosy morn,
She left the fields of corn,
For twilight cold and lorn
And water springs.
Through sleep, as through a veil,
She sees the sky look pale,
And hears the nightingale
That sadly sings.

Rest, rest, a perfect rest
Shed over brow and breast;
Her face is toward the west,
The purple land.
She cannot see the grain
Ripening on hill and plain;
She cannot feel the rain
Upon her hand.

Rest, rest, for evermore
Upon a mossy shore;
Rest, rest at the heart's core
Till time shall cease:
Sleep that no pain shall wake;
Night that no morn shall break
Till joy shall overtake
Her perfect peace.

"Dream Land" is reprinted from Poems. Christina Rossetti. London: Macmillan, 1891.

Posie & Mosey Monday

2011-11-07T04:00:00.000-08:00

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The Little Grey Road
~Patience Worth 1883–1937

A little grey road that lies mid the shadows,
And trails from the Then to Now;
Where the briar-rose swings and th eve-lark sings,
And the dew clings 'bout the meadow way;
Where the sun lingers lothful, and the moon
Tarries too, so late to leave and soon to come.
Ah, the little grey roadway so far, far away,
Where I left my youth, treading with gladness,
And smiling, with bright hours to follow;
With no remembrance packed, like the scent
Of pale leaf that dropped at the withering touch
Of tears and sobs and sorrows.

All carefree I went, all happy a treading
On the little grey roadway so far.
Oh, that my feet might stray back
Through the fields and vales, and find
The same roadway a-roaming the shadows,
With memory's ghosts haunting the turns.
When the New Day doth come, and I leave
Thee and thee---shall I find it still waiting---
The little grey roadway wrapped in its shadows,
And my youth a-laughing me there?

It takes a village...

2011-11-02T22:15:00.000-07:00

To write a book.

I realize this now more than ever, especially since .... I got my edits!! And I have pictures to prove it!!

The page on top is the cover letter. Yep, even editors use these, just like us when we're sending off our MS to agents. The bar above the ABRAMS logo is actually a lovely salmon color, but my color printer is short on ink so I printed it off on my black and white.

My full nine page edit letter and my writing cheerleaders standing by.
Left to right: Hoops, Piddles, Yoyo, and Guido

I used to think, hmmm. I'll write my story, polish it until it shimmers like a sea shell's pearly innards, then send it off and TA-DA! My book will sit upon the shelves of every book store available to mankind. HA

Now I know the truth. It takes so many people, so many reads, and so many revisions, to get that book ready to sell to the public. So, since I'm about to be up to my ears in editing (observe my scant blog post calendar to the right) this will be my Thanksgiving post--a few weeks early.

I'm so thankful to have a crit group (including my email entourage--you know who you are) who I can brainstorm with, an agent who has believed in me from the moment she read my first chapter, and an editor who GETS me, loves my book despite its weaknesses, and knows how to make it strong enough to face the world.

I can't be too specific about the edits without giving stuff away that should remain top secret (hee), but I think it's safe to post this paragraph from my editor's cover letter that sums up what I'll be working on over the next few weeks (my due date for the edits is December 12):

This letter covers a lot of ground, but two of the main areas are Alyssa’s emotional journey—adding some nuance and discovering moments of growth—and questions about the world politics of Wonderland. I try to think of editing as a conversation, so please don’t consider any of this to be strict orders—I ask these questions because I’ve noticed something as a reader and wanted to bring it to your attention. We can talk back and forth about what direction to take the story, which in the end is your own.

My favorite line is the last one. This lets me know that I'm still the author and I get a say in my book's evolution. This line also makes me even more excited to work with Maggie, because I know she respects my opinion. It just so happens that I'm in love with almost every suggestion which follows that paragraph (because Maggie is a brilliant and intuitive reader/editor). So I guess the fact that we're sympatico makes us a match made in literary heaven.

♥˘⌣˘♥ *cues the singing angels* ♥˘⌣˘♥

Of course, this is only the first round of edits, and I still have the line edits and copy edits looming. But it feels so good to know that each step will make my book that much shinier.

Here are two great posts which have helped me embrace my edits without fear, if any of you are curious / going through this phase of publishing:

How to respond to Manuscript Edits

What is the Editing Process Really Like?

As to how this affects my online playtime, I might be hit and miss on Twitter for awhile. Also, I won't be having a Query Tracker guest post this month. As fate would have it, the gal I scheduled is waiting for some REALLY big news to announce, so we're putting off her post until the holidays are over.

If I fail to visit your blogs for a few weeks, please know I haven't forgotten you. I'm just up to my eyeballs in rewrites. Have a great weekend, and see you all soon!

Posie & Mosey Monday and Contest Winners

2011-10-31T04:00:00.000-07:00

On Mondays, I like to share word posies with my readers. Comments are usually disabled so you can enjoy this gift of poetry then mosey on along to your list of daily do's. BUT, today is different because I have some WINNERS to announce.

Thank you everyone who played my Friday Fright-Fest Contest last week.

With the help of Mr. Random.org, here are our five winners and the books randomly chosen for them:

Bethany Crandell--Bad Girls Don't Die
Sarah Pearson--Incantation
Bess Van--The Trembling Hills
Keriann Martin--Killing Britney
Cherie--Fade

Lucky ladies, if you will please email me your addresses, I will send the books your way. Those of you who didn't win this time, I promise to have another contest soon.

Have a happy and safe Halloween, everyone, and enjoy the following creepy poem. Hope to see you on Thursday for another book trailer that has caught my eye.

Deviantart.com

Fragment Of A Ghost Story
~Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

A shovel of his ashes took
From the hearth's obscurest nook,
Muttering mysteries as she went.
Helen and Henry knew that Granny
Was as much afraid of Ghosts as any,
And so they followed hard-
But Helen clung to her brother's arm,
And her own spasm made her shake.

FREE SPOOKY BOOKS

2011-10-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

As promised, today is the Friday Fright-Fest Contest

If you tuned in for my last two Trailer Thursdays, I highlighted two of the books I'm giving away:

And here are the final three, for a grand total of FIVE FRIGHTFUL books up for grabs:

Before I tell you how to win, I have to thank some lovely ladies for giving me awards over the past several weeks:

Lady Gwen, Laura B, and Tina Moss gave me awards I've already received (located at the bottom of my blog) so I'm going to forgo the recipient protocol, but I did want to acknowledge their generosity. If you haven't visited their blogs, please hop over and get to know them. They're all upcoming and talented writers, each with her own unique voice.

Sparkly Miss Cherie gave me the "I ❤ Blogging" and because she knows I'm insanely busy, she charitably pardoned me from the step of passing it off to others. She just wanted to share it with me, so THANK YOU, lovely. ♥˘⌣˘♥

And lastly, Caitlin Vincent and A.M.Supinger handed over this little treasure:

Which I'm using as part of my contest today. Thank you my pretties!

Okay, the rules for the award state I'm supposed to match/link my own posts with the seven descriptive words given, and then pass it on to seven others.

The free books are going to substitue for the "passing on" portion. (I know, technically I should give away seven books ... I work in words, not numbers! Hee)

And as for the seven links, I'm going to highlight one word in each post I link you to. You won't have to read the whole post to find it, but you WILL have to click over to find it. Think of it as a literary egg hunt.

Once you find the seven highlighted words, you'll need to arrange them into a quote from a famous horror movie and email me your answer (anita(at)aghoward(dot)com). **PLEASE don't leave your answer in the comments because I'll have to delete it.**

Here are three hints to help you figure out the movie and quote:

This quote is perfect for my blog, or so says the Mad Hatter.
A boy's best friend is his mother ... just ask the skeleton in the rocker.
Running a motel can be bloody business.

And here are the seven descriptions and links to match:

Most Beautiful: Angels Among Us, because it's about my daughter who's the most beautiful person in my world. (Okay, my son's beautiful, too, but he'd totally freak if he heard me say that...heh)

Most Helpful: Fishing for readers with a three pronged hook... By putting a twist on the writer's rule of three, I suggested applying it to the first three lines in our novels to lure the reader in, and cited examples from published and non-published works. I also invited my readers to give it a shot with their first three sentences in the comments.

Most Popular: Book Deal! Overwhelmed, Ever-grateful, Blessed, and... Humbled. You guys are the BEST. I ended up getting 90 comments on that post, all because everyone was so genuinely happy for me. I'd also call this one most touching, because I was so moved by the camaraderie.

Most Controversial: Haha. Without question, the notoriously evil panty meme: Personally, I like panties. Still blushing over that one. Heaven help me if my parents ever stop by and read it. Eeps!

Most Surprisingly Successful: Finding my Zen. Another example of how wonderfully supportive my writer pals are. I never expected to have that many responses of people feeling the same way.

Most Underrated: Attack of the Bloodsucking Pygmy Goats... Not underrated so much for me, but for poor Clive. I told him that silent film would make him a star. We can still make it happen ... let's get that video to go viral, yo! (◕‿-)

Most Prideworthy: Playing With Windows Movie Maker... I had so much fun making my first book video ever, and was so pleased with how it turned out. And it was fun sharing my enthusiasm with you.

Okay, there you have it. Have fun finding those seven words and the quote, everyone! I'll close the contest Sunday night at midnight central, just at the stroke of Halloween. Mr. Random.org will draw five names from the entries and I'll announce the winners on Halloween Day.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a SPOOKTACULAR (and safe) weekend!

One day away from free Halloween reads...

2011-10-27T04:00:00.000-07:00

Last week I explained the Fright Fest announcement on my calendar over to the right. I've reserved this Friday, October 28th, for a Creeptacular contest.

Last week's book trailer and today's, as well, are highlighting some of the books up for grabs. Tomorrow, I'll reveal all five books, and how you can win one.

Until then, here's a look at Fade, book 2 in the Wake Series by Lisa Mcmann.

The editorial review on Amazon has this to say: (Readers) who like the supernatural-tinged drama of shows like Ghost Whisperer and Medium may be tempted by this series.—Christi Esterle, Parker Library, CO

Here's a trailer to further tempt you...

Thanks for stopping by, and tune in tomorrow for your chance to win one of five creeptastic books!

Shadow Waxing

2011-10-25T04:15:00.000-07:00

What is Shadow Waxing, you ask? It's the title of a strange and creepy short story I wrote some five years ago (one of the first things I ever had published in a now defunct e-zine). If you'd like to read it, hop over to TeenShiver today.

And don't forget to drop by here Thursday for a glimpse at a haunting book trailer, then again on Friday for a chance to win that very book along with some other Halloween-worthy reads in my:

Friday Fright-Fest Contest!

Have a great week till then!

Posie & Mosey Monday

2011-10-24T04:00:00.001-07:00

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Ghosts of a Lunatic Asylum
~Stephen Vincent Benet (1898 - 1943)

Here, where men's eyes were empty and as bright
As the blank windows set in glaring brick,
When the wind strengthens from the sea -- and night
Drops like a fog and makes the breath come thick;

By the deserted paths, the vacant halls,
One may see figures, twisted shades and lean,
Like the mad shapes that crawl an Indian screen,
Or paunchy smears you find on prison walls.

Turn the knob gently! There's the Thumbless Man,
Still weaving glass and silk into a dream,
Although the wall shows through him -- and the Khan
Journeys Cathay beside a paper stream.

A Rabbit Woman chitters by the door --
-- Chilly the grave-smell comes from the turned sod --
Come -- lift the curtain -- and be cold before
The silence of the eight men who were God!

Introduction to the Friday Fright-Fest Contest

2011-10-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

If you'll have a look, something has changed on my calendar over to the right. I've reserved October 28th for some Creeptacular fun. Since this is the month of all things terror, I decided to give away some frighteningly delicious reads.

Both this week and next week's book trailers will highlight one of the five books that are up for grabs. Then on the 28th, I'll reveal all five books, and how you can win one. So stay tuned!

First up is Bad Girls Don't Die. Now, if this morbidly lovely book cover isn't enough to make you want to read it ...

Have a look at the video, done in true horror movie style.

If you're chomping at the bit to get your peepers on these pages, tune in Friday the 28th for my Fright-Fest Contest.

Until then, happy weekend!

Posie & Mosey Monday

2011-10-17T04:00:00.000-07:00

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Killing the Trust
~ Tina Gray

I will laugh with your ghosts-
these sheeted reminders of your wicked past;
I will take their coats and hats as any good hostess,
and rub their bald heads in tandem recklessness-
flirting with the host in a feverish glee.

I will set a table for afternoon tea
and invite your wraiths of sordid history.
We'll have crumpets and scones and bilberry pies,
watercress wedges and finger delights.
I will don my best apron of matronly prim,
and entertain late into evening’s dim light.

I will pepper each spook with kindness and praise
and thank them for an evening of pleasurable grace.
Then I'll send them away with refined blasé…
and you’ll cringe at the sight, in unspeakable fright-
as I befriend your haunted past.

I will dance with these bones that reside in your room,
that sneak to your closets and bang heavy doors…
I will capture the hands of this calcified goon
and we’ll waltz upon professing floors.
We will swoon with the grace of rattling bones
and jiggle the locks to your unopened drawers,
while his fingers make play as skeleton keys-
exposing forgotten troves…

Then I'll bathe in the rush of this mellowed perfume
that flows as sweet syrup from old letters exhumed…
I will bask in the dewiness of True Jasmine’s breath,
lathering with the musk of a Sunflower’s Crest
and rinse with a shower of Rose Petal Mist-
until I reek of the soup of mingling fumes.

I will paint with the palette of lips left behind-
these that sealed tender notes with a hollowed out kiss;
my artwork will burst with red rums and plums…
coffee spiced sands and pink bubblegums…
it will resonate with apricots and raspberry wines,
(and I’ll trump my own shade, if I so incline)…

Adrift on the sea of intimate words,
I'll float with ease upon contented waves
until the writings bore holes in my vessel’s kind face-
clipped by the berg of your icy charades
and I’ll sink, just as your promises to heartsick girls.

On my knees I will dredge the depths of façade
and surface on the banks of a fallen saint.
I’ll be castaway here on this shore, in disgust…
drying fresh tears by a blazing bonfire
that brims with the ash of your past artifacts.

And the flares will reflect in my now-opened eyes
as unquenchable flames of awakened mistrust.

Children of a Peculiar Nature...

2011-10-13T04:00:00.000-07:00

Today I'm highlighting the trailer for the book I'm reading: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. I'm a sucker for dark fairy tales, and with the music in the background and the "story telling" approach to the narrative, all it took was one viewing of this video, and this book moved to the top of my to read list. Goes to show what a good trailer can do. :)

If you know of a trailer that's dark, melancholy, creepy, or atmospheric, or if you have one you would like me to consider posting sometime, please leave a link in the comment section. (I prefer videos that don't exceed 3 minutes.)

Thanks for dropping by and happy weekend!

Posie & Mosey Monday

2011-10-10T04:00:00.000-07:00

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Dreamland
~Lewis Carroll 1832-1898

When midnight mists are creeping,
And all the land is sleeping,
Around me tread the mighty dead,
And slowly pass away.
Lo, warriors, saints, and sages,
From out the vanished ages,
With solemn pace and reverend face
Appear and pass away.
The blaze of noonday splendour,
The twilight soft and tender,
May charm the eye: yet they shall die,
Shall die and pass away.
But here, in Dreamland's centre,
No spoiler's hand may enter,
These visions fair, this radiance rare,
Shall never pass away.
I see the shadows falling,
The forms of old recalling;
Around me tread the mighty dead,
And slowly pass away.

Query Trackers Making Tracks, #13

2011-10-07T04:06:00.000-07:00

Today is an abundance of interviews day. I'm hanging with the savvy Melodie Wright over at Forever Rewrighting where she asked some of the ~~hardest~~ most insightful questions I've ever had the pleasure of answering. Heh. In all seriousness, this girl is one of the best interviewers I've had the pleasure of working with.

And of course, here in the land of madness it's installment number thirteen of my "first Friday of the month" series on successful authors from QueryTracker. Some of my guests have agents, others have found success in less conventional ways. But one thing they all have in common is the utilization of the QueryTracker website to help make their tracks in the publishing world.

I just realized how appropriate it is to have the 13th QT interview in October. But there's nothing scary or unlucky about today’s guest, Gennifer Albin. Her success story is one that would give anyone inspiration (not to mention cause much drooling in awe and wonder). Genn had a whirlwind submission after she signed with agent Mollie Glick of Foundry Literary + Media. Within a matter of weeks there was an auction for her book which ended in a major deal. Her story on QT, here, was enough to leave me breathless just living vicariously.

By the end of today's interview, no doubt we'll all need inhalers. (◕‿-)

And onward we go...

AGH: Welcome, Genn. Could you give us a quick summary of the book which snagged your agent?

GENN: Incapable. Awkward. Artless.

That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: she wants to fail.

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. But if controlling what people eat, where they live and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they’re coming for her—tonight.

Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her Dad’s stupid jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back.

AGH: Before you signed with your agent, how many books had you tried to query?

GENN: This was the first book I ever queried. I'd come to close querying a book I never finished back in my naive days. I'm so glad I didn't.

AGH: What were the responses to those queries (stat-wise: fulls, partials, etc.)?

GENN: I had about a 70% request rate, about 40% of those were requests for partials and the rest were requests for the full.

AGH: How long did it take to find a publisher after you signed with your agent ?

GENN: We had out first preempt offer in a little over a week and then we went to auction about 3 weeks after I signed with my agent. It was unusually fast.

AGH: What inspired your very first book idea?

GENN: I've been obsessed with a painting by Remedios Varo that shows women embroidering the world since I first saw it in college. One day I wrote a one page prologue that came to me out of nowhere. It was the story of a girl in the painting, and I went from there.

Embroidering Life's Mantle

AGH: How do you come up with titles?

GENN: I have to have a title before a book will really flow for me, so I obsessed over this. Originally I thought Tangled would be great, but when I googled it up came a new Disney movie! I was so disappointed, although I actually loved the movie. From there I pulled ou the thesaurus and started looking up weaving and sewing terms. When I saw CREWEL, I knew it was perfect

AGH: What books / authors have most influenced your own style and concepts?

GENN: That's hard to say. I have considerable time put in towards PhD in literature, so I think I'm heavily influenced by a lot of the themes from the early novels of the 18th century. My next book is much more academically influenced. But then I think I've learned a lot from rereading my favorite books and really studying the voice and style of people like Rowling and Collins, but then I think conceptually I was influenced by people like Margaret Atwood and Orson Scott Card. I certainly have a mixed education in literature.

AGH: How did you find QueryTracker, and how did it help you in your effort to get inside the publishing doors?

GENN: The lovely Scott Tracey posted about QT and since I was so impressed by his success, I ran over and joined. First of all, everyone should get the premium membership because it allows you to see all these special charts and reports, which is awesome when you want to obsess during the querying process. I loved that people posted stats in the comments, and I still try to stop by and offer support when I can. I also used the QT boards to vet my queries before I sent them out. Overall, it's such a supportive, welcoming community that I feel comfortable there. Not too big, but constantly moving - QT was a perfect fit for me.

AGH: Have you recently learned anything about the business side of publishing that you can share with up and coming writers?

GENN: No one else's success will look like yours! I think we all look to stories for insight into what to expect. Like so-and-so was asked to share her favorite covers with her designer, or such-and-such got a huge ARC campaign - it doesn't mean anything in regard to what you will get! Trust me. It's a bad and good thing. Share in others stories to support them, but keep your eyes on your own paper. Focus on your book and your campaign and don't get stuck in comparison hell.

AGH: Do you have any current news to announce?

GENN: CREWEL is coming out October 16, 2012!

**Five for fun**

1) In your opinion, what was the best thing before sliced bread?

GENN: Stew. Everyone knows it was around the day man crawled from the primordial ooze.

2) Which would you rather do: carry an umbrella or sing in the rain?

GENN: Why can't you do both? I loved to splash in the rain, but I use an umbrella since I wear glasses. I also have my cake and eat it too.

3)      Are you Team Dog or Team Cat?

GENN: Cat. I guess I appreciate having to work for my cat's love. The Tuesday cat runs the house.

4)      If I were at your house right now, what would I find in your refrigerator?

GENN: Cheese. So much cheese. Dubliner. Wisconsin cheddar. Goat cheese. Feta. Pepper-encrusted pecorino. And Gouda. Always gouda.

5)   Drinking tea … pinky up, or heavy on the Long Island?

GENN: I have to say I have a weakness for Long Island iced tea, but I also love Earl Gray. But if I had to choose, heavy on the Long Island.

~~~

Thank you for sharing your amazing experience, Genn! CREWEL sounds incredible, and I love how you thought of the story and title. I'm so excited that you have a pub date now, and wish you every success! Although it's obvious you're already there. (◕‿◕)

Don’t forget to visit Genn’s blog and follow her on twitter to stay abreast of news and announcements. Also, please leave her any questions, comments, or kudos below. I know she'll be thrilled to see them.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and I'll see you next week.

Trailer Thursday

2011-10-06T05:45:00.000-07:00

First, an announcement: I heard from my editor at Amulet yesterday, and Splintered's release date has been moved up by six months. YAY! This means, instead of coming out in Spring 2013, it will be published Fall of 2012. Which also means I'm about to receive my edits and will be VERY busy VERY soon.

Busy = good. Hee.

Okay, for my first official post for the blog hop, I'd like to share my newest book trailer. The Architect of Song (a gothic/literary romance set in Victorian England with a unique love triangle—sort of “Jane Eyre” meets “A Certain Slant of Light”, but with a deaf heroine).

This is the MS about to go out on sub under the masterful guidance of my agent. (Just for the record, I'm every bit as nervous as I was when Splintered made the rounds. Maybe even more, because this is the book of my heart. Eeps.)

If you know of a trailer that's dark, melancholy, creepy, or atmospheric, or if you have one you would like me to consider posting, please leave a link in the comment section. (I prefer videos that don't exceed 3 minutes.)

Thanks for visiting today, and don't forget: I have a special QT guest for tomorrow's interview. She's a bit of a legend, having gone from the slush piles to a major deal in a matter of weeks. So be sure and stop by to hear her amazing story!

Times are a changin'...

2011-10-05T04:01:00.000-07:00

First, I want to apologize to everyone for my absence on your blogs last week. Blogger kept erasing my comments the instant I pressed 'comment.' If anyone else is having this problem, try what worked for me: clear both your COOKIES and CACHE, then shut down the browser before going to www.blogger.com . Don't login, press CTRL-F5 and then try logging in. Since I've done this, it's fixed the problem on all but a few blogs. So those of you I still haven't visited, I'm trying to get there. Darned if I'm going to let some minor programming glitch keep me from hanging w/my blog pals. Gar.

Also, thank you everyone who participated in my Happy Holiday Contest. I'm so sorry some of you had to email me your questions due to this blogger weirdness. BUT, I did have several entries who provided some great questions for my interview with Patrick. In the interest of complete fairness, I assigned each name a number in the order of their entries, and let Mister Random.org decide the winner of the Premium QT Membership. He chose:

Ms. Jenny Phresh

Yay! It couldn't have happened to a nicer pony. :)

On a final note, I have an announcement.

Things have taken a big turn for me. In the words of one of my dearest friends (Bethany, aka shakira goat--hee) my life is different than it was six months ago. Blogging, interviews, edits, book videos, twitter, web designing, and working with a young adult who has Asperger ... the list goes on and on.

My writing is suffering.

Now that I’m getting paid to do this, I can’t mess around. I used to be able to whip out a book in six months and lately I’m lucky to get in a couple of thousand words in a week. Back then I only blogged once a month or so. That tells me that the blogging has to give.

I want to keep this blog alive. I love my followers, and I love interacting with everyone. But the creative side of my mind, the one that writes posts, needs to be concentrating on the WIP. I'm under contract to write a second book, after all.

So here's my plan.

I'll keep up with the poetry posts on Mondays and the first Friday QT interviews. I'm giving up my Wednesday posts. Instead, on Thursdays, I'll post book trailers (because that requires very little thinking/preparation on my part) and leave comments open so we can discuss them. Thank you, Sarah over at Sarah's Books & Life, for hosting the Trailer Thursday blog hop. Since I'm such a visual person, this will be a fun way to keep my blog interactive and alive while I'm working on my writing.

If you'd like to join the hop, click on the button below to see Sarah's blog linky where you can sign up to take part. Or just hop over to see if any of your friends have joined in.

In keeping w/my blog's motif, I'll mainly post book trailers that strike me as dark, melancholy, creepy, or atmospheric. That is, unless I happen to have a pal w/a book coming out that needs some prop love. ♥˘⌣˘♥

And yes! That's an open invitation. If any of you have a trailer you would like me to consider posting, leave a link in the comment section. (I prefer videos that don't exceed 3 minutes.)

Please drop by tomorrow for my first official Trailer Thursday. I'm going to be posting my newest Windows Live Movie Maker creation (a book trailer for the adult lit romance that Agent Goddess is about to send out).

I will still write new posts once or twice a month, divided between here and the TeenShiver blog. Over on my sidebar, I have a calendar set up that will lay out my blog schedule for each month so you'll know where to find me.

As you can see, this Friday is a Query Trackers interview, so remember to drop by and see who the guest is.

Things are changing in the land of madness ... and I hope you'll all be willing to roll with the punches with me. I never want to lost sight of my friends and fellow writers. You are my backbone.

I'll see you all in the blogasphere, from time to time. ;)

Posie & Mosey Monday

2011-10-02T22:57:00.000-07:00

On Mondays, I like to share word posies with my readers. Comments are disabled so you can enjoy this gift of poetry then mosey on along to your list of daily do's.*

Please drop back by on Wednesday, my interactive blogging day of the week. Until then, have a lovely and productive Monday and Tuesday.

*Hungry for more in-depth Monday posts? Visit any or all of the entertaining and insightful blogs on my sidebar, or hop over to TeenShiver and see what's new with the Texas gals. ;)

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The Shape of Death
~May Swenson (1919 - 1989)

What does love look like? We know
the shape of death. Death is a cloud
immense and awesome. At first a lid
is lifted from the eye of light:
there is a clap of sound, a white blossom

belches from the jaw of fright,
a pillared cloud churns from white to gray
like a monstrous brain that bursts and burns,
then turns sickly black, spilling away,
filling the whole sky with ashes of dread;

thickly it wraps, between the clean sea
and the moon, the earth's green head.
Trapped in its cocoon, its choking breath
we know the shape of death:
Death is a cloud.

What does love look like?
Is it a particle, a star -
invisible entirely, beyond the microscope and Palomar?
A dimension unimagined, past the length of hope?
Is it a climate far and fair that we shall never dare

discover? What is its color, and its alchemy?
Is it a jewel in the earth-can it be dug?
Or dredged from the sea? Can it be bought?
Can it be sown and harvested?
Is it a shy beast to be caught?

Death is a cloud,
immense, a clap of sound.
Love is little and not loud.
It nests within each cell, and it
cannot be split.

It is a ray, a seed, a note, a word,
a secret motion of our air and blood.
It is not alien, it is near-
our very skin-
a sheath to keep us pure of fear.

Happy Holiday Contest!

2011-09-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

Hee. Okay, a little premature. But it will be here before we know it.

I want to give my readers a special Christmas gift this year, but it's going to take a little input from you. On the first Friday of December (Dec 2nd), in lieu of my usual Query Trackers Making Tracks interview, I'll be welcoming Mr. Patrick McDonald (QT's always kind and helpful creator/moderator) to sit inside the interview box.

What I need from you, is a list of questions to ask him. There are the obvious ones: how Query Tracker came about; how long it took to develop; how many people were involved in the beginning phases; etc... But I want to make this interview fun.

Here is Patrick's bio taken from the Query Tracker website:

The idea for QueryTracker came to me in 2007 as I sat with a fellow writer discussing the difficulties involved with the query process, especially the problem with keeping accurate records of who we queried and who we hadn't.

As a day-time computer programmer, once the idea was formed, actually executing it was only a matter of time. Thus, a few months later, QueryTracker was born. It was the first site of its kind, and continues to lead the way in the query management arena.

Although I don't write much any more, when I did, I focused on contemporary fiction, with an occasional sci-fi or fantasy thrown in now and then.
Currently, I am collaborating with a friend on a YA fantasy (though, to tell the truth, he's doing most of the work.)

These days, much of my time is spent adding to and improving QueryTracker, with my dreams of publication lived vicariously through QT members.

After reading that, what questions come to your mind?

Here's where the contest comes in: Anyone who leaves a question below in the comments (OR you can email a question: anita at aghoward dot com) that ends up being used in the interview will go into a drawing. I'll be giving away one full year's Premium QT Membership, and will announce the winner next Wednesday (Oct 5th).

Want to know what a Premium Membership entails? Hop over here for a gander.

The comment section of this post will be closed midnight central time this coming Saturday (Oct 1st), and I'll stop taking entries then. So put on your thinking caps, or your Santa hats -- whichever gets those creative juices flowing -- and post those questions!

Best part of all, no matter who gets their name drawn, we each get to enjoy learning more about a brilliant advoacate for writers. So we're all winners. (No Charlie Sheen pun intended). That's the Christmas gift part.

Now, I'm off to sample some eggnog. It's always in season. (◕‿-)

Posie & Mosey Monday

2011-09-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

Clark Dunbar, Moon over Ocean

The Moon and Sea
~George Darley (1795-1846)

Whilst the moon decks herself in Neptune's glass
And ponders over her image in the sea,
Her cloudy locks smoothing from off her face
That she may all as bright as beauty be;
It is my wont to sit upon the shore
And mark with what an even grace she glides
Her two concurrent paths of azure o'er,
One in the heavens, the other in the tides:
Now with a transient veil her face she hides
And ocean blackens with a human frown;
Now her fine screen of vapour she divides
And looks with all her light of beauty down;
Her splendid smile over-silvering the main
Spreads her the glass she looks into again.

I'm LEGIT!

2011-09-22T20:13:00.000-07:00

First, I want to apologize to those of you who haven't received a blog visit this week. I'm hammering out the last of my revisions on my literary ghost romance so my AWESOME agent can send it out on sub. I will try to hit everyone's blogs before next week.

As for my title up there, remember when I promised that the SECOND my deal was listed on PublishersMarketplace I was going to paste it over here?

Well that day has come! Oh, and I guess now I can finally share that we also sold to Germany. I've been keeping that one under my hat for a while. ;)

For those of you who've never seen PM announcements, here's what they look like (albeit scrunched up to fit in my skinny column):

September 22, 2011


	Children's: Young Adult	AG Howard's SPLINTERED, an urbanized gothic retelling of ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND, in which a sixteen-year-old descendant of Alice Liddell (real life inspiration for the Lewis Carroll novel), realizes the story was true when she is pulled into the darker side of Wonderland to fix the things her great-great-great grandmother Alice put wrong, to Maggie Lehrman at Abrams Amulet, in a good deal, in a two-book deal, at auction, by Jenny Bent at The Bent Agency (World English). German rights to Bertelsman Juvenile and Heyne, by Friederike Biesel at the Thomas Schlueck Agency.

Me's a very happy writer today (and the fact that it's my mom's birthday, too, only makes it sweeter). I've dreamt of this moment for years, and can't wait to be celebrating each of your PM announcements in the near future!

Thanks for indulging my impromptu silliness, and have a wonderful weekend. Hope to see you on Monday for some poetry. :)

Fusion and Illusion...

2011-09-21T04:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, the Illusion is, I'm not actually here today. It's a trick of smoke and mirrors. :) I actually posted at TeenShiver yesterday, so that's my post for the week. If you are on submission w/publishers, or plan to be in the future, hop over and find out the six steps a MS goes through and has to pass before the actual OFFER is offered.

Onto the Fusion part of my title. A very sweet angelic pal (with a halo of lovely ringlets to prove it) has an awesome series going on at her adorable blog, The Inner Owlet. It's called Fusion. A.M.'s description of the project: "Tell me what you want your story to be about. Together we'll create a short story combining your idea and my words."

I tried to challenge A.M. with a different concept for our story. I thought I was being tricky, because I didn't give her an idea. I just gave her three pictures, and four nouns.

Lullaby

Ravens

Abandoned mineshaft

Crushed roses

What she gave birth to is both lovely and morbid. Which makes it the perfect candidate for hanging out at my blog. ;)

A.M., take it away, my dear!

~~~

Raven Lullaby

~by A.M. Springer

            Rocks cracked and crumbled as they screeched at one another. Deadened plants already withered by winters cruel touch disintegrated and dusted the clean snow with ashes.

            Anita, eldest sister of the remaining sirens, looked around at her squabbling siblings. Each had black feathers tucked in their hair, and their noses all looked rather beakish. Disgust curled her lips. “Silence,” she hissed. The forest quieted. Nine pairs of eyes turned to her, and Anita waited until she’d looked each creature in the eye before continuing. “We cannot afford to stand here and debate. We only have until moonrise to find a human, sisters. Let me make this choice simple: west or west. Choose.”

            Defiance clouded each girls gaze, but Anita ignored that and turned west, towards the closest human town. They would follow. She let her arms spread, her body change. The magic cast upon her by a blighted human of centuries past seized her, and feathers sprouted from her once-pristine skin. A beak grew where her delicate nose had been. Claws crippled her hands.

            As a raven, a black beast of dark omen, she swept toward the crowded city. Night fell like a curtain across the forest she’d called home for most of her life. Animals scurried away from her shadow, sensing her sinister nature. Squawks and croaks caught the wind, and Anita glanced over her shoulder in time to see her sisters swoop through the air in looping whirls. The silly creatures didn’t have the sense to be afraid. They didn’t realize how weak they were becoming.

            A mewling howl wrenched Anita’s attention away from her siblings. A baby… it was a baby. Someone had ventured into the park near their home! A black baby carriage with old-fashioned wheels was parked near the lake.

            Using her compact body, Anita careened toward her victim’s child. No parent would leave such a helpless creature alone! How easy this trip had turned out to be! A loud caw ripped free of her beak, and victory arched her wings as she dramatically descended upon the ancient carriage.

            Anita spread her talons and glared around, daring the baby’s parents to scream and shoo her away. Come save your precious offspring, mortals! Come and let me sing to you…

            But no one emerged from the snow-laden bushes. No shrieks or howls of outrage reached her. Only a soft gurgle. Anita cawed again, and then screeched up at her sisters to fly around the area. Surely the wayward parents were near.

            The sirens needed to feed. Only the soul of a mortal, sucked out and consumed with the siren’s song, would sustain them, and they only had one evening a year in which to find their food. They had unwisely fed from a witch’s husband many years ago, and she, wretched woman, had cursed them.

            Cruel creatures, your voices are as rotten as the hearts of scavengers and thus you will become. Ancient Gods formed you and claim your deaths as their own, yet I will bind your appetites to one short evening. Feed beyond that and condemn your bodies to resemble your ashen souls.

            Blasted curse. Growling as no normal raven could, Anita glanced down into the baby’s carriage.

            Surprise loosened her grip on the iron frame, and she almost plummeted to the icy ground. A porcelain doll with a cracked face leered at her. One glass eye was missing, and the other was encircled with soot or dirt. The toy’s tiny face reflected the age of the carriage, yet a newborn infant lay nestled into the contraption. A grimy blanket swaddled the baby, its color mirroring crushed rose petals. Anita squawked. Poor kid. The parents obviously had no taste…not that it would matter soon.

            Humming in anticipation, Anita glanced to the sky. Her sisters flew overheard and croaked disappointing news; no other humans were near. Their voices split the air and then softened back into oblivion as the moon’s face peeked over the horizon, proving their time was short. Defeat and anguish plucked at her heart. She, eldest of the sirens, had failed. She’d doomed her sisters to a slow death.

            A caw of sadness clogged her throat and a ragged half-sob broke the frozen silence of the forest. Her sisters all murmured their love, their forgiveness, but death clung to their raven tongues. They’d not live out the year without sustenance.

            Laughter swirled on the wind.

            Anita felt nine pairs of eyes turn toward her, and she, in turn, looked to the baby. No longer cushioned between the hideous doll and the plush blanket, now it stared up at her with a smile.

            Had it…heard them? Could human children hear a siren’s voice? Did such small creatures have souls?

            Anita let one long breath warm her chest before crooning to the infant. Hope fluttered beneath the ebony wings protruding from her body, bushing them out like a scared cat’s tail. The child dribbled drool down its chin, then giggled. Miniature hands reached up and tried to clutch at Anita’s clawed toes.

            Pushing into the air proved challenging, but, once aloft, Anita let her feathers retract. Ice formed diamonds on her skin and her breath clouded around her face. Her human eyes detected a blue tinge to the baby’s face.

            Croaking timidly, Anita sang tunelessly for the abandoned child. Her cursed throat stumbled over the notes of a lullaby, but the baby didn’t seem to notice. Happy gurgling washed over the snowy forest and filled Anita’s soul with the nourishment she’d been so long denied.

            Her sisters dropped to the ground and huddled close. Each girl joined in the erratic humming, all trying to please the infant. Anita watched lines of hunger fade from around their eyes. She watched the beakish noses slim, returning every face to its former glory. Each girl outshone the next in an endless circle of beauty.

            Faint moonlight glittered on their skin.

            Spinning in alarm, Anita watched the luminous globe inch toward its zenith. If caught outside at the peak of its trip across the sky, the sirens would crack and whither to dust, much like the rocks and plants they’d encountered upon leaving their cave. No one would mourn their passing from legend to myth.

            Anita shoved her sisters roughly back into the sky and turned to grab the baby. Its laughter wobbled, then stopped. Small sniffles protruded from the blanket-wrapped bundle, but Anita didn’t think to comfort her newest obligation. She ran back toward home, wheezing as ice formed in her lungs. How the infant was still alive in this cruel cold, she had no idea.

            It was lucky that the horrible parents of this mortal had left it so near Anita’s home. The caves she haunted most of the year were the reason the forest was deserted – toxic gas had been excavated while miners had searched for coal. The noxious poisons had long-since evaporated, yet still humans avoided the area. It made feeding difficult every year. But, somehow, this baby was a meager distance from their home.

            A black hole in a snowy hill up ahead resonated with the wretched voices of her siblings. They were singing for her! Anita clutched her bundle and stretched her legs, but as the cave came closer, a tingling sensation tickled the back of her head.

            Her body lurched into the darkness of the cave. Cool air whipped around, but the icy death of winter stayed beyond the cave’s entrance. Anita gently set the infant down and watched the creepy doll slide to the floor. She reached down to pick it up but gasped before her fingers touched the horrid thing. Cracks lined her hands. The porcelain face mocked her with its disfigured beauty in comparison.

            Anita reached her trembling fingers to her face and dug her nails into the crevices deepening there. Her sisters screeched and screamed, but Anita just looked at the baby. Its smooth face had lost the blue tinge of cold and its eyes watched her with too much sadness.

            As her skin crumbled, Anita crooned for the infant one last time…

~~~

I shiver in delight each time I read that last line!

If any of you are interested in A.M. writing a Fusion for you, please hop over here for her email addy.

Thank you for coming by today, and have a fabulous rest of the week and weekend!

Posie & Mosey Mondays

2011-09-19T04:04:00.000-07:00

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Cats
~Francis Scarfe (1911-1986)

Those who love cats which do not even purr
Or which are thin and tired and very old,
Bend down to them in the street and stroke their fur
And rub their ears, and smooth their breast, and hold
Them carefully, and gaze into their eyes of gold.

For how can they pass what does not ask for love
But draws it out of those who have too much,
Frustrated souls who cannot use it all, who have
Somewhere too tight and sad within them, such
A tenderness it flows through all they touch.

They are the ones who love without reward,
Those on whom eyes are closed, from whom heads turn,
Who know only too well they can afford
To squander love, since in the breast it burns
With the cold anguish every lover learns.

So they pass on, victims of silent things,
And what they love remains indifferent
And stretches in the sun and yawns, or licks the rings
That sheathe its claws, or sleeps and is content,
Not knowing who she was, or what she meant.

Putting on my cowgirl boots and stepping out...

2011-09-16T04:20:00.000-07:00

I'm guessing some of you popped over here in hopes to see me riding a mechanical bull. Sorry! Not today, although I might be willing to try that closer to my book's release date as a promotional event.

Hmm. On second thought, I'd like to keep my spine intact. ;)

I don't normally post on Fridays, except for Query Tracker Fridays, but I have a few exciting announcements to share before my weekend haitus.

First, I've been invited to take part in a joint blog where Texas YA paranormal authors hang out, write posts, and cross promote. The blog is called TeenShiver, and "will feature & nurture Texas YA books that make you shiver." (Thanks to Jordan Dane--one of our featured authors--for that excellent catch phrase!). I'll be posting over there about twice a month, and during those weeks, it will be quiet here in the land of madness and whimsy. I'll give you a heads up when my posting days will be as soon as I know myself.

If you'd like to meet the TeenShiver authors, hop over to this link and say "howdy!" And anytime you're curious what's new over there, you can just click on the TeenShiver button on my sidebar (color coordinated to fit my blog's motif), and much like Aladdin, you'll be magically transported by magic carpet. Okay, you'll be transported via routers, servers, cell phone towers, satellites, etc... but it's the next best thing! And you don't have to worry about frayed edges. :)

My second announcement: I now have an official GoodReads author page. And Splintered even has a page of it's own where people can mark it as to read right now! And then wait patiently for ... oh, a year and a half-ish. :)

Click Me

This was so fun to set up, because it made me feel ... authorly. I know, it's not a real adjective, but what say we make it one for today? If any of you are on GoodReads, please friend me and I'll friend back! I'd love to see what you're reading.

And lastly, this Sunday (September 18th) I'll be hanging out at my good friend Mindy's blog: Writer Writer Pants on Fire, sharing my submission experience. So please drop in if you'd like to read a few behind the scenes details about my journey to finally snagging that elusive publisher.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a wonderful, restful, and safe weekend! And I'll see you again next week. :)

The me I used to be...pre-writing.

2011-09-14T04:00:00.000-07:00

The other day, a friend of mine gave a run-down of her recent trip to some thrift shops around her town. It sounded like so much fun. I used to love to "junket for junk". Thrift stores, flea markets, garage and yard sales ... antique shops. Wow. I didn't realize how much I missed it. I'll have to do some antique shopping again soon.

It got me thinking about how many of my pastimes fell by the wayside once I started writing.

1. Baking/decorating cakes and cookies for profit. What started off as fancy birthday cakes for my kids' parties ended up becoming a side business: "Anita's Creative Confections". My customers were mostly PTA moms and referrals by teachers, but it made a nice little allowance now and again. Here's a picture of a cake I made for a class of 2nd graders going onto 3rd grade:

Hmm. Not sure what I was thinking by putting the storm clouds there. Maybe it symbolized what the 3rd grade teachers were feeling. Heh. I did improve with practice. I even entered a "bird house" cake in the tri-state fair and won first place and best of show ribbons. The prize? A twenty dollar bill and a king-sized bottle of vanilla. Oh, and a certificate and write up in the newspaper, both of which I still have somewhere in the attic, along with the ribbons. But the vanilla and the twenty ... well, they've seemingly disappeared along with my desire to ever bake for profit again. :)

2. Sewing. I used to make dresses and outfits for my daughter. This victorian dress won a second place ribbon in the tri-state fair:

And yep, that sweet little model is my daughter. She's eighteen now, and not the least interested in letting me play fashion designer. I still have the dress and the sewing machine. But one is gathering dust in my daughter's closet, and the other taking up space in my office that could/should be used for the colossal new bookshelf I need to store my massive collection of "how to write" books.

3. Watching TV. I vaguely remember that big, black box in the living room. It's more of a trophy now. A tribute to a time long gone when I actually cared about Rachel and Ross' love life. Or figuring out Kramer's first name. (Of course, bring back X-files with the original Fox and Mulder, and I'll reconsider). Unless hubby is home or the kid's are inside, the black box stays off. And the only background noises I hear are my WIP's playlist and the lovely hum of my faithful computer's heart. Hummmmm. Love that sound. It's so inspiring.

4. SLEEPING. I used to get in bed at a proper 10:30 or 11. Now, when I'm on a writing stint, I'm lucky to be in bed before 12:30.

The hobbies which haven't fallen away are the ones I can still do while my characters traipse about in my mind, playing out scenerios or arguments that will later make their way on the page.

1. Rollerblading. I don't go as often as I once did, but when I'm stuck in my story, all I have to do is skate for about thirty minutes and the blood starts pumping ... magically my mind is cleared. Nine times out of ten, the problem is solved and I pick up my story threads right were I left off.

2. Gardening is my latest indulgence. Probably because when I'm sifting my fingers through the rich soil, or saturating my senses with vivid petals, moist earth, and fresh breezes, my muse is rejuvenated.

Do you have hobbies you gave up once the writing bug bit? Personally, I don't miss the ones I left behind. I still dabble in them from time to time if the mood strikes, but it's a rare thing.

For me, as a hobby, writing transcends all others. Instant gratification on a level no other pastime supplies. And as a lifestyle, it fulfills every part of my psyche. The intellectual side, the emotional, the creative, the curious, the human as a whole.

Hmm. Maybe I'll wait on getting out those gardening tools today. An idea for a new scene just popped into my head. :)

Posie & Mosey Mondays

2011-09-12T04:00:00.000-07:00

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THE AMERICAN FLAG
~Joseph Rodman Drake (1795-1820)

I

WHEN Freedom, from her mountain height,
Unfurled her standard to the air,
She tore the azure robe of night,
And set the stars of glory there;
She mingled with its gorgeous dyes
The milky baldric of the skies,
And striped its pure, celestial white
With streakings of the morning light;
Then, from his mansion in the sun,
She called her eagle bearer down,
And gave into his mighty hand,
The symbol of her chosen land.

II

Majestic monarch of the cloud!
Who rear'st aloft thy regal form,
To hear the tempest-trumpings loud,
And see the lightning-lances driven
When strive the warriors of the storm,
And rolls the thunder-drum of heaven--
Child of the sun! to thee 't is given
To guard the banner of the free,
To hover in the sulphur smoke,
To ward away the battle-stroke,
And bid its blendings shine afar,
Like rainbows on the cloud of war,
The harbingers of victory!

III

Flag of the brave! thy folds shall fly,
The sign of hope and triumph high,
When speaks the signal-trumpet tone,
And the long line comes gleaming on:
Ere yet the life-blood, warm and wet,
Has dimmed the glistening bayonet,
Each soldier eye shall brightly turn
Where the sky-born glories burn,
And, as his springing steps advance,
Catch war and vengeance from the glance;
And when the cannon-mouthings loud
Heave in wild wreaths the battle-shroud,
And gory sabres rise and fall,
Like shoots of flame on midnight's pall;
Then shall thy meteor-glances glow,
And cowering foes shall shrink beneath
Each gallant arm that strikes below
That lovely messenger of death.

IV

Flag of the seas! on ocean wave
Thy stars shall glitter o'er the brave;
When death, careering on the gale,
Sweeps darkly round the bellied sail,
And frighted waves rush wildly back
Before the broadside's reeling rack,
Each dying wanderer of the sea
Shall look at once to heaven and thee,
And smile to see thy splendors fly
In triumph o'er his closing eye.

V

Flag of the free heart's hope and home,
By angel hands to valor given;
Thy stars have lit the welkin dome,
And all thy hues were born in heaven.
Forever float that standard sheet!
Where breathes the foe but falls before us,
With Freedom's soil beneath our feet,
And Freedom's banner streaming o'er us?

"The American Flag" is reprinted from The Little Book of American Poets: 1787-1900. Ed. Jessie B. Rittenhouse. Cambridge: Riverside Press, 1915.

Seven ways my antagonist is way tastier than a cookie…

2011-09-07T04:00:00.000-07:00

One of the most important things to instill in your antagonist is layers. You want to keep him/her from being cliché, aka: a cookie cutter bad guy who’s like all of the other desserts at the buffet. Here are seven ingredients that I'm hoping will set my naughty hotty in Splintered, the mystical Morpheus, apart from the other cookies:

1. He has wings.

Granted, there are lots of faerie stories where the bad boy has wings. But the way Morpheus “got” his wings is a bit different. Not to mention he uses them for more than flying. At any given point in the story they might become: a shield, a cape, a weapon, shade from the sun, and lastly and most fun, a means of seduction. Hee

2. He thinks he’s a rock star. Could be because he bears a stunning resemblance to a smokin’ cult phenom: Brandon Lee’s The Crow.

Whatever the case, he has no self-esteem issues. In fact, he’s downright arrogant and narcissistic at times. But it only makes him more loveable; just ask him. ;)

3. He has unique quirks. For one, he collects moths by the thousands. Not only living ones, but moth corpses to embellish his hats. Which leads to his fashion obsessions. Morpheus, despite his obvious masculinity, is a bit effeminate in his retro-renaissance fashion choices. He’ll take a crushed velvet suit with lacy cuffs over a pair of jeans and t-shirt any day. Here’s an example of something he might wear on a casual afternoon strolling around Wonderland:

Amadeus, eat your heart out.

4. He dabbles in dreams.

This characteristic actually inspired his name … well, there’s one other contributing factor, but you’ll have to read the book to discover it. Heh. The Morpheus in Greek mythology is the god of dreams and has the ability to take any human form and appear in someone’s sleep. His true semblance is that of a winged daemon. All the more reason for my bad boy to have wings.

5. He has a hidden soft spot for the heroine. It makes an appearance from time to time, but he tries to cover it up with self-adulation and snarky remarks aimed at the heroine's best friend/secret crush, leading back to point #2:

6. He’s the master of weaseling deals through word manipulation. Like most fae-related creatures, Morpheus has a penchant for word wizardry: he takes everything said as literal, and twists it this way and that, making it mean what HE wants it to mean.

7. He has fears. The most important thing in the world to Morpheus is his freedom. Nothing terrifies him more than being bound and powerless. This is something he has in common with the heroine, Alyssa, which makes their relationship all the more complex, especially when her freedom threatens his own.

~~~

I've found in books I read that the layered villains/antagonists -- the ones with a variation of ingredients -- are the most affecting. Maybe because when they’re humanized and given relatable motivations and fears, I’m taken to that place of personal introspection … where I question if I were in a similar situation, would I take on the same characteristics and make the same choices? Often, I even start rooting for those antagonists in spite of my disdain for their actions, hoping that they’ll somehow redeem themselves in the end.

Have you given your antagonist any redeemable characteristics? Any personal quirks to intrigue or inspire the reader’s sympathies? The best books not only have fully developed heroes/heroines, but antagonists too. Because who wants a dessert buffet loaded with nothing but stale sugar cookies?

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great rest of the week!

*All photos supplied by Photobucket.com.

Posie & Mosey Monday

2011-09-05T04:01:00.000-07:00

*Hungry for more in-depth Monday posts? Visit any or all of the entertaining and insightful blogs on my sidebar. ;)

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A Plain Life
~William Henry Davies (1871-1940)

No idle gold -- since this fine sun, my friend,
Is no mean miser, but doth freely spend.

No prescious stones -- since these green mornings show,
Without a charge, their pearls where'er I go.

No lifeless books -- since birds with their sweet tongues
Will read aloud to me their happier songs.

No painted scenes -- since clouds can change their skies
A hundred times a day to please my eyes.

No headstrong wine -- since, when I drink, the spring
Into my eager ears will softly sing.

No surplus clothes -- since every simple beast
Can teach me to be happy with the least.

Query Trackers Making Tracks, #12

2011-09-02T04:34:00.000-07:00

Today is installment number twelve of my "first Friday of the month" series on successful authors from QueryTracker. Some of my guests have agents, others have found success in less conventional ways. But one thing they all have in common is the utilization of the QueryTracker website to help make their tracks in the publishing world.

Today’s guest, Miss Bethany Crandell, wears many hats. She's known as: #shakiragoat, @rookieriter, or Rookstar on twitter, and BethanyMC on QT, or just good ol' Bethany over at her Rookie Riter blog. But underneath all those hats is the secret to her witty cynicism and hysterical charm: she has a brain hamster who keeps her creative wheels turning. And he's quite good at his job, considering Bethany has recently signed with agent Rachael Dugas of Talcott Notch Literary Services. Click here for her success story on QT.

This interview is extra-special to my heart because over the course of the past few months, Bethany and I have become very dear friends. It's almost like I'm having her over to the house for the first time, so I'm all nervous and aflutter trying to get the dusting done and the cobwebs swiped away (ergo the huge award post last week). Now that the big day has finally arrived, I'll push up the special chair for her,

Offer her a margarita, and once she's all comfy-cozy, we'll settle in for the interview.

AGH: Welcome Bethany! Could you give us a quick summary of the book which snagged your agent?

BC: SUMMER ON THE SHORT BUS: After a botched party attempt at the country club, seventeen-year-old Cricket has been sentenced to work as a counselor at a summer camp in Western Michigan. As if being left for dead in mosquito country with limited cell coverage isn’t bad enough, she learns that Camp I Can isn’t just an ordinary summer camp. It’s a camp for disabled teens. What she learns about herself, and her differently-abled campers, after three weeks of handicapped hell is inspiring, funny and life-changing.

Side note: I’m the mother of a special needs kiddo, so I’m personally connected to this topic. This isn’t a book with a message. It’s just a story about people being real—P.C. be gone!

AGH: Before you signed with your agent, how many books had you tried to query?

BC: One. STALKING PEGGY FLEMMING was my first attempt at a novel. I had no idea what I was doing. It's actually a pretty good story, but it needs some special lovin’ that I am not prepared to give right now.

AGH: What were the responses to those queries (stat-wise: fulls, partials, etc.)?

BC: Actually, not bad for a first effort. As I recall, I had a handful of partials and six or seven requests for the full. (I think I sent out about 90 queries). Most of the feedback was the same, though. Great concept, strong voice, but they didn’t know how to market it. The protag is 17 but the story is set in the late 1980s. A contemporary YA is usually current—was it YA? Was it women’s fiction? Oh the drama. J

SUMMER ON THE SHORT BUS was around 90 queries, too. I think there were a total of 12 requests for the full over ~6 months of query time.

AGH: What genre(s) do you write?

BC: Based on my answer to question #3 I’m probably not in any position to answer that. *hee* I write YA, and that’s what I considered the first novel to be, too.

AGH: What inspired your very first book idea?

BC: Growing up the youngest daughter to a Christian Reformed minister, I was well aware that the world’s expectations of who I should be didn’t mirror who I was. Thankfully my parents didn’t subscribe to that notion. I was given a ton of freedom to be myself—no matter how contradictory to my dad’s profession that seemed to the outside world. That’s ultimately what led to my first novel—the idea of what it would be like to have your parents wish you were someone else. STALKING PEGGY FLEMMING was about a girl whose mother was so obsessed with a former Olympian that she raised her to be just like her—instead of letting her be who she was.

AGH: How do you come up with titles?

BC: Usually while under my hair dryer. It’s true. I have a whole lot of hair, and my Revlon Ion Pro Stylist (I’m hoping to get paid for product placement someday) provides the perfect combination of solitude and white noise. I do my best thinking under there.

AGH: What books / authors have most influenced your own style and concepts?

BC: The first book I remember falling in love with was LORD OF THE FLIES. We read it freshman year of high school. I remember feeling anxious and uncomfortable while I read that—how chaotic it became when the boys started turning on each other, and then when they dropped the rock on Piggy…Poor Piggy! But as shocking as it was, it was also incredibly liberating. Up until then my reading fixes were through safer books: Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume, etc., but that book allowed me entrance into a world that felt a little dangerous, but because it was on paper, I knew it was safe.

AGH: How did you find QueryTracker, and how did it help you in your effort to get inside the publishing doors?

BC: I was having a private Google party one day and stumbled upon it. I used QT with my first book, but was too insecure about what I was doing to dare comment and actually “engage” in conversations with other writer’s about my book. (I didn’t even dare call myself a writer at that point.) As the rejections came in, and my skin grew nice and thick, I started revising, going to conferences, working with a writing coach, and then I got some courage to put myself out there. QT was the perfect format for that. When I was ready to query THE SHORT BUS I dove in head first; engaging with other writers, following comments, searching for new agents, looking up stats.

Bottom line: QT was a great place for me to get comfortable being a writer.

AGH: Have you recently learned anything about the business side of publishing that you can share with up and coming writers?

BC: I’ve learned that agents aren’t evil, manuscript-hating trolls who feast on the dreams of hopeful authors for dinner. They’re actually cool people who want your book to be as successful as you do. (Who knew?!)

AGH: Do you have any current news to announce?

BC: We are officially on submission. So far it’s going very well.

**Five for fun**

AGH: In your opinion, what was the best thing before sliced bread?

BC: This is a toss-up. Either the DVR or guacamole.

AGH: Which would you rather do: carry an umbrella or sing in the rain?

BC: I have LARGE hair. (My fro was frisked by airport security—no lie) Venturing out without an umbrella is completely out of the question. I’d be targeted as a terrorist for sure.

AGH: What’s your favorite breakfast?

BC: Mmm…maple & brown sugar oats topped with blue & blackberries with a banana on the side.

AGH: Are you Team Dog or Team Cat?

BC: I have no use for a cat. I have a nine-year-old daughter. If I’m in the mood to be ignored, glared at, or judged for things I’ve yet to do—I will just barge into her bedroom. GO TEAM DOG, WOOF!

AGH: Drinking tea … pinky up, or heavy on the Long Island?

BC: Neither. Pinkies will be wrapped around the beer bottle right beside the other fingers.

~~~

Thank you for the interview, Bethany! LOL about the airport security frisking your hair. That would actually make a hilarious scene in a book. ;D

Don’t forget to visit Bethany’s blog and follow her on twitter to stay abreast of news and announcements. Also, please leave her any questions, comments, or kudos below. I know she'll be thrilled to see them!

Bethany, I'm so excited your book is on sub, and hope the submission trail is short and lucrative for you! I wish you every success. Everyone else, have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you next week.

Wearing panties just isn't scary...

2011-08-31T04:00:00.000-07:00

Back in July, the #goatposse (if you're unfamiliar with this twitter hastag, click here for a glimpse of the madness that is GOAT) started hazing new members (and even some veterans) with a diabolical and outrageously fun meme started by our own dastardly delightful Michelle Simkins.

The infamous outbreak came to be known as The Evil Panty Meme, and struck laughter and dread into the hearts of all who were tagged. Here's my own rendition, from when I fell into the meme's clutches.

Recently, there have been rumors that the panty meme died a quiet death in the cybersphere. But today I found proof that it's still a living contagion:

And to that I say: Justin, take it away!

1.What do you call your panties/underwear/undergarments? Do you have any commonly used nicknames for them?

Wifey calls them “pain in the ass”.

2. Have you ever had that supposedly common dream of being in a crowded place in only your underwear?

Before you read this just remember: you asked! I once had a dream that I “preemptively” killed a tribe of cannibals while in nothing save my underwear. This happened immediately following my reading the book, THE WOODS ARE DARK by the late (and great) Richard Laymon. It was a cool dream…and may end up in a book sometime.

3. What is the worst thing you can think of to make panties out of?

Metal filings glued to burlap. What’d you expect?

4. If you were a pair of panties what color would you be? And why?

Black. Enough said.

5. Have you ever thrown your panties/underwear at a rock star or other celebrity? If so, which one(s)? If not, which one(s) WOULD you throw your panties/underwear at, given the opportunity?

No, but I once had a pair dangled in my face in a mosh-pit.

6. You’re out of clean panties. What do you do?

Go commando. (Ditto)

7. Are you old enough to remember Underoos? If so, did you have any? Which ones?

Yes, I remember them, but I never had any (thank you, mom).

8. If you could have any message printed on your panties, what would it be?

Probably the title of one of my books: INHUMAN possibly J heh heh

9. How many bloggers does it take to put panties on a goat?

Only one—the goat posse is made up of fully-grown goats and they can put on their own panties…IF they want them on.

Tag Four People and tell them why you are being so cruel to them.

No more evil panty meme, all gone, bye-bye.

~~~~~~~~~~

Justin didn't tag anyone, but since this is MY blog, I get to tag someone in his place. We have two new #goatposse trainees who have yet to do the meme:

Shelly Brown
Amy Rolland (since you don't have a blog, you're welcome to guest post on one of the residing #goatposse’s blogs)

And let's not forget that Kalen is still MIA per this rite of passage.

So, you goats are up!

Long live #goatposse, and may the panties prevail. :)

To the rest of my readers, I have a **very special guest** coming THIS Friday for my Query Trackers Making Tracks series. Tune in to find out what makes the wheels spin in her head. Here's a hint, it's got a furry face, and it's not a goat.

Until then, have a lovely middle of the week!

Posie & Mosey Monday

2011-08-29T04:00:00.000-07:00

*Hungry for more in-depth Monday posts? Visit any or all of the entertaining and insightful blogs on my sidebar. ;)

Photobucket.com

Fairy Song
~Louisa May Alcott (1832 – 1888)

The moonlight fades from flower and rose
And the stars dim one by one;
The tale is told, the song is sung,
And the Fairy feast is done.
The night-wind rocks the sleeping flowers,
And sings to them, soft and low.
The early birds erelong will wake:
'T is time for the Elves to go.

O'er the sleeping earth we silently pass,
Unseen by mortal eye,
And send sweet dreams, as we lightly float
Through the quiet moonlit sky;--
For the stars' soft eyes alone may see,
And the flowers alone may know,
The feasts we hold, the tales we tell;
So't is time for the Elves to go.

From bird, and blossom, and bee,
We learn the lessons they teach;
And seek, by kindly deeds, to win
A loving friend in each.
And though unseen on earth we dwell,
Sweet voices whisper low,
And gentle hearts most joyously greet
The Elves where'er they go.

When next we meet in the Fairy dell,
May the silver moon's soft light
Shine then on faces gay as now,
And Elfin hearts as light.
Now spread each wing, for the eastern sky
With sunlight soon shall glow.
The morning star shall light us home:
Farewell! for the Elves must go.

First kisses, fiery operas, and blog awards, oh my!

2011-08-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

I’ve been looking through my “blog post ideas” document (yes, I’m geeky enough that I actually have one—eek) and realized that I was given several awards over the last few months which I’ve never acknowledged or handed out.

SO, today I’m playing catch-up. As I’ve been prone to do, I’m changing the award rules mainly because if I followed all of them, this post would take the ENTIRE month to read. As it is, we're already bordering on tomorrow.

To save time, I’m listing the original rules to each award along with how I plan on circumventing most of them (heehee).

On with the awards!

Thank you sparkly Cherie from Ready. Write. Go. for the Cute Blogger and Awesomesauce awards!

In turn, I bequeath the puppy to:

Anne Michaud

Stephanie Alexander

J. Lea Lopez
Jessica LeSaicherre
Lori M. Lee

Puppy Club rules are:

1st RULE: You do not talk about Puppy Club.

2nd RULE: You DO NOT talk about Puppy Club.

Hee.

Instead, you talk about 5 books/films/TV shows you’ve read or watched in the last 12 months. In answer to this, let me direct you to the list of seven books that made me who I am today. I figure they’re even more consequential than the ones I’ve read recently, considering how they shaped me when my mind was young and pliant.

My Awesomesauce nominees:

Mindy McGinnis for consistently coming up with new series ideas for her blog along with clever acronyms to represent them. She ROX at this! Just go see!

Bethany Crandall because she's not only witty and charming, but she's also a spectacular writer and #goatposse activist. OH, and she has a hamster living in her brain. If that's not awesomesauce, I don't know what is.

Jenny Phresh because her diabolically wicked and sharp wit never cease to amaze, astound, and impress me. She's also a respected member of #goatposse and can write prose as eloquent as any Charlotte Bronte poem when she sets her mind to it, both of which are no small feat for a pony.

Michelle Simkins, a faerie queen with a green thumb, a crafter, a writer, and an exceptionally creative blogger who excels at networking. Oh, and she's #goatposse, too. How she juggles all of these talents and still has time to twitter-play with us is beyond me. Such a busy lady deserves a side of Awesomesauce on her full plate.

Rules:

1. Thank and link to the person who gave me this fabulous piece of work. Check!

2. Pay it forward to no more than one person per month. Elaborate why said person is deserving of said award. Yep. I cheated on that. But it's justified! Since I've had this award going on three months now, I opted to nominate three winners. And I added one extra for next month, because I doubt I'll be giving the award out again after this.

3. Answer the following questions:

- What is your favorite song currently playing on your iPod, CD player, etc.?
Letters VS. Numbers - My Turn to Evil. Because it's EPIC and the words are disturbing.

- If we peek into your Internet history, what would we find?
Lots of research on opera and also tigers eye gemstones. They both play roles in my current YA WIP, a Phantom of the Opera spinoff. One opera in particular: The Fiery Angel, is very symbolic throughout the story.

-And lastly, what is your all-time favorite movie that you watch over and over again?
Some Kind of Wonderful. BEST FIRST KISS EVER! Here, let me show you...

I related to the story because I crushed on my best friend in high school and he never knew. Unrequited love is so deliciously painful! But this movie always made me smile because the ending is what I would've wanted for us (back before I met super-hubbie and found TRUE love, that is). ;)

Next, A.M. Springer of Inner Owlet (aka Owlgoat), Liesl of Writers Ropes and Hopes, and Brenda from Write Turn Ahead handed me this lovely little award:

Liebster is German for either “friend” “favorite” or “lobster”. I’m not sure which. So either my blog’s appreciated by these generous ladies for its charm, or it has really big red claws that are tasty when steamed and they’re craving some seafood. Whatever the case, THANK YOU ladies, for the gift!

The rules of the award are simple:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog or twitter.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.
5. And most of all - have bloggity-blog fun!

The goal of this award is to spotlight up and coming bloggers who currently have less than 200 followers. Since I don’t technically qualify, I won’t be posting the award at the bottom of my blog with the others. But I WILL take this opportunity to pass it on to some excellent bloggers who deserve 200 followers and more. And since three people gave it to me, guess what? I get to pick FIFTEEN to pass it on to. Squee! If you have never visited these blogs, please take the time to drop by soon. They're so worth the visit.

5. Dawn Sparrow
6. Amanda Ashby

7. Jane Gray

8. David Kazzie

9. Lisa Ann

10. Kathryn Elliott

11. Sarah Skilton

12. Marian Vere

13. Anna Banks

14. Suzanne Payne
15. Katianne Williams

Last but not least, Anne Michaud at Musings & Little Obsessions gave me the versatile blogger award. Thanks Anne! This lady is a fabulous short short story writer, so hop over to her blog and check out her prose.

And the nominees are:

Caitlin Vincent
Jemi Fraser

Tonya Kuper

Rachel Brooks

Jane Sadek

The rules are:

1. Thank and link to the person(s) who nominated you.
2. Share seven random facts about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to five blogging buddies.
4. Contact those buddies to congratulate them.

To whit I direct you to an earlier post where I met the requirements (same rules as The Stylish Blogger Award) with the seven reasons my MC is way cooler than me. And for a little teaser, that post inspired another I'm planning in a couple of weeks called: seven ways my antagonist is way tastier than a cookie. Heh.

Well, that's it for the awards folks. Whew. Congrats to the winners, and to the rest of my lovely readers, thanks for bearing with me! Have a wonderful last half of the week and a restful and productive weekend. :)

Posie & Mosey Monday

2011-08-22T04:00:00.000-07:00

On Mondays, I like to share word posies with my readers. Comments are disabled so you can enjoy this gift of poetry then mosey on along to your list of daily do's.*

Today, I have a treat. A new acquaintance from twitter, @dlcorb, has offered to let me display his gorgeous artwork and one of his poems here. If you enjoy them, please hop over to his blog by clicking on his twitter handle above and let him know.

Also, be sure to visit again Wednesday, my interactive blogging day of the week. Until then, have a lovely and productive Monday and Tuesday.

*Hungry for more in-depth Monday posts? Visit any or all of the entertaining and insightful blogs on my sidebar. ;)

Untitled

~David Corbet

Grey horses gallop across the sky

Splattering the plebian village below

With foam and spittle

I dip my hand in wine

Covered in blood, I retreat from truth

Pseudologos masked in words of love

The last train left me standing

Cold and wet, riding alone one

Dark horse, truth forgotten

Run the wild streets screaming

“All is lost! All is lost!”

The night descends on all

I turn away, my love, back away

Forget the joy, the love

Dream of fools and jolly giants

Query Trackers Making Tracks, #11

2011-08-19T04:00:00.000-07:00

Today is installment number eleven of my Friday series on successful authors from QueryTracker. Some of my guests have agents, others have found success in less conventional ways. But one thing they all have in common is the utilization of the QueryTracker website to help make their tracks in the publishing world.

Today’s guest, Stephanie of The Cracked Slipper Blog, signed with her agent Rebecca Friedman of Hill Nadell Literary Agency on the VERY first book she ever wrote. From my experience, that's a rather rare occurence, so kudos to you Stephanie! What an amazing feat. You can find the details in her QueryTracker success interview.

I've had fun getting to know Stephanie over the past six months or so. She was with me in the query trenches and we commiserated a few times over rejections. I was thrilled when I heard she'd found success and remember asking her right then to come on my series one day. Finally that day has arrived and we get to hear how she came up with her wonderfully unique book idea. J

~~~

AGH: Welcome Stephanie! Could you give us a quick summary of the book which snagged your agent?

STEPH: Set in a pseudo-renaissance, corset-and-petticoats enchanted kingdom, The Cracked Slipper is the other side of happily-ever-after: A love triangle between a scholarly Cinderella, an alcoholic prince, and his Mister Darcy-ish best friend. It's a book club friendly fairytale retelling.

AGH: Before you signed with your agent, how many books had you tried to query?

STEPH: The Cracked Slipper is the first book I've queried.

AGH: What were the responses to those queries (stat-wise: fulls, partials, etc.)?

STEPH: I had a lot of full and partial requests, but I'm not sure of the exact numbers! I think I sent out about fifty queries.

AGH: What genre(s) do you write?

STEPH: I write fantasy that leans in the direction of women's fiction. I'd like to try my hand at historical fiction, but I'm sure anything I write will have a speculative element.

AGH: What inspired your very first book idea?

STEPH: The Cracked Slipper is my first novel. I thought of the initial concept while driving ballet carpool and listening to the Cinderella story with my daughters (then six and four). The girls were of course enthralled by the happy ending, but I had this thought: "Whatever! She probably died in childbirth."

I have an MA in Sociology with a focus in Women's Studies, and that first idea inspired me to rewrite fairytale marriage within the constrains of women's lives in pre-industrial, patriarchal societies. Despite the dragons, unicorns and witches, The Cracked Slipper reads more like historical women's fiction than genre fantasy.

AGH: How do you come up with titles?

STEPH: My titles tend to be metaphors based on significant physical objects in my books. Obviously, there is indeed a broken glass shoe in The Cracked Slipper! My second novel (the sequel to The Cracked Slipper) is called The Red Choker. I'm working on a kaleidoscope theme for book three!

AGH: What books / authors have most influenced your own style and concepts?

STEPH: Three writers that have most influenced my style are Stephen King, Jane Austen and Frank McCourt.

I read my first Stephen King book, IT, when I was about ten years old. IT gave me nightmares for months, but also changed my life as a reader! Memorable characters, snappy dialogue, vivid setting, wholly unique fantastical elements: that book has it all. I tore through all of King's novels over the next twenty or so years, and I count IT, The Stand and The Dark Tower Series as my favorites.

I first read Pride and Prejudice in tenth grade English, and fell in love with Jane Austen's wit, biting social commentary and strong female characters. I also admire Ms. Austen's ability to craft a subtle love story. Longing and conflict create romantic tension. Of course, I'm not opposed to a steamy scenes, but Austen created some of our most beloved romantic relationships...and her characters rarely come into physical contact with one another.

Lastly, I've never fallen for an author's voice quite so hard as I fell for Frank McCourt's in Angela's Ashes. The light, lyrical quality of the prose and the subtle aging of the first person narration blew me away. McCourt found ways to bring humor into the most tragic of situations. I was literally laughing on one page and crying on the next.

AGH: How did you find QueryTracker, and how did it aid in your effort to get inside the publishing doors?

STEPH: I found Query Tracker through Google! I'd recommend the site to all querying writers. It helps you stay organized, but even more important the commentary from other querying writers gives you insight into agent interests, responses methods, and response times. New agents are always popping up on the site, and it's a great way to ensure an agent's reputability. Also, a great way to meet other writers!

AGH: Have you recently learned anything about the business side of publishing that you can share with up and coming writers?

STEPH: The best advice I can give to other writers is make sure your MS is very clean before you query. First, make sure you're really ready. Compare your work to published material. Does your prose sounds natural? Have you followed basic rules of POV, grammar, plot? Have you upped the stakes for your characters? Have you revised and revised and then revised some more?

Once you think you're ready, stop! Let lots of people read it. Give it to all your bookish friends. I probably had forty people read The Cracked Slipper, and most of them gave me valuable feedback. In addition, book doctors and editors can be expensive, but worth it if you can swing it. You're paying someone to examine every nook and cranny of your manuscript and give you honest feedback. I struggled with critique groups and beta exchanges, because I simply didn't have time to provide the kind of extensive feedback these reciprocal relationships require.

Once you do start querying, pay attention to feedback, or lack thereof. If you send twenty queries and get no bites, revise your query. If you get five partial requests and none turn into fulls, re-examine your partial. Most of all, settle in for the long haul and try to grow about ten extra layers of thick skin. Querying is not for the faint of heart!

AGH: Do you have any current news to announce?

STEPH: My fun news: The Cracked Slipper is currently on submission. So I'm back to waiting on pins and needles!

**Five for fun**

AGH: Team Dog or Team Cat?

STEPH: I used to be heavily Team Dog but I'm drifting toward Cat these days. We have a very sweet dog, but in general dogs are just too high maintenance for this point in my life. I have three little kids. Poor doggie is pretty low on the totem pole. I appreciate our kitty's independence.

AGH: If you could morph into any food, what kind would you become and why?

STEPH: If I could morph into any food it would be a dark chocolate covered almond. Chocolate and a super food. What could be better?

AGH: When would you go to if you had a time machine, and why?

STEPH: If I could travel to any time it would be the court of Elizabeth I in the early 1560's. I'm a sucker for all things Tudor, and QE1 is my most admired historical figure. Just amazing how she held her own against the most powerful men in the world for decades. Most literary (and film) portrayals give us a fierce, regal matriarch. I'd love to meet her as a young woman. Watch her find her feet.

AGH: If you were tight with one of the Greek gods, which one would it be and what favor would you ask of them?

STEPH: If I could be tight with one of the Greek gods it would have to be Apollo. I'd love to steer the sun across the sky. I'd ask him for some godly advice on the global climate crisis. Maybe he could help us out with renewal energy sources. Solar, anyone?

AGH: Drinking tea … pinky up, or heavy on the Long Island?

STEPH: My tea is definitely heavy on the Long Island, but I still drink it with my pinky up. :)

~~~

Thank you for the interview, Stephanie! I love the idea of a kaleidoscope theme. J And Angela's Ashes had the same affect on me. I also loved To Kill a Mockingbird for the amazing voice.

Don’t forget to visit Stephanie’s The Cracked Slipper website / blog and follow her on twitter to stay abreast of news and announcements. Also, please leave her any questions, comments, or kudos below. I know she'll be thrilled to see them!

Stephanie, I hope you hear some good news very soon, and that the submission trail is a short one for you! I'll be looking forward to reading this book series one day. Everyone else, have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you next week!

Query Trackers Making Tracks ... Resurrection

2011-08-18T04:00:00.000-07:00

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First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for all of your wonderful comments and congrats via twitter and blogger over the past couple of days regarding my book deal news! You've made this such an amazing and memorable experience for me, and I can't wait to do the same for you one day soon!

Now, I know it's not my regular day to post, but I wanted to give a quick heads up that I'm raising my "successsful query trackers" series from its grave. My new goal is to have one the first Friday of each month, but because I had promised to start up again in August, we're squeezing one in tomorrow.

Be sure to stop by and see who my author guest will be. Here's a hint: her heroine once lost a shoe at a very important dance. ;)

Hope to see you tomorrow, and again, thank you so much for the gracious writerly/readerly support. You all ROCK. Have a wonderful Thursday!

Book Deal! Overwhelmed, Ever-grateful, Blessed, and...

2011-08-16T04:00:00.000-07:00

I feel like Charlotte's been spinning lovely webs around my Splintered manuscript to make it more attractive to those who can give it a home, and I'm as grateful as that little pig who grew up big yet never became bacon on someone's breakfast plate.

After seven years of querying and writing books, I finally got my YES! Last week, Agent Goddess and I were in the midst of a best bids auction, in which the interested publishers threw their "highest we can go" offers into the hat. I ended up having a few phone calls so I could get a feel for personalities and editing ideas. Now the decision has been made and I finally get to share it. :)

Splintered has a FANTASTIC place to call home: Abram's Amulet imprint. SQUEEEE!! I'm following in some very big footsteps: Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Shine, just to name a couple. The publisher offered a two-book deal, so I get to hang my hat there for awhile, and I couldn't be more thrilled!

For the record, it took revising my MS one final time before I tasted success. It made all the difference, because that's when things started rolling.

I'm grateful to my wonderful agent Jenny and my new editor Maggie (who is a DELIGHT!), for loving my story and believing in it. And I'm blessed to have had each and every one of you rooting for me along the way. Lastly, I'm overwhelmed and humbled by this feeling of complete and utter happiness.

What I want more than anything now, is for all of you to experience this, too. So DON'T give up. No matter what.

I'm ashamed to say I almost did a few times. Several of you know this because you were my lifelines. (HUGE THANKS and cyber hugs for that, I would never have buoyed without you).

But then the sun slipped out from the clouds and illuminated that sparkling silver web ... you know, the one that said "she might not look like much yet, but give her a chance. She could grow up to be some pig ... er, writer ... one day."

So THANK YOU for that chance, Amulet. I'll do my very best to earn it.

Splintered is due out in hardback, Spring of 2013. The PublishersMarketplace announcement will be posted next month. I'll display it here once it's up. (I've always dreamt of getting to do that.) *happy sigh* I'm planning a series of detailed posts about being on the submission trail along with stats and will start them up when the book comes out, to help promote its debut.

There are a few more things I'd like to share pertaining to some foreign interest, but I'm keeping them on the DL just a bit longer. Gotta give you some kind of reason to keep visiting me here. ;)

By the way, you guys are the best support group on the WORLD WIDE NET. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Special thanks to my beta readers and crit gals, #goatposse, fellow bloggers, tweeps, and a hearty shout out to the QTers out there. That's where I got my start, too. I'm sorry I haven't been in the threads for a while, but things got crazy for a bit. Still, my heart smiles each time I think of you, and I have the highest expectations for you all! I know I'll be seeing spectacular news from you VERY soon. <3

Oh, and one last thing...

Posie & Mosey Monday

2011-08-15T04:00:00.000-07:00

Wait! Don't mosey along yet... I know I promised some news this week, and it's on its way tomorrow. Getting all of the I's dotted and the T's crossed at the moment.

In honor of the waiting that IS writing, our word posie this week was written by Patience Worth, a classical American poet with a gift for beautiful imagery. In keeping with my Posie & Mosey Monday rules, the comments are closed, but please make sure to stop by tomorrow when I finally spill the beanie weanies about the good stuff that's been going on.

Until then, I hope everyone has a spectacular Monday!

*Hungry for more in-depth Monday posts? Visit any or all of the entertaining and insightful blogs on my sidebar. ;)

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When Thou Art Gone
~Patience Worth (1883-1937)

When thou art gone, the little sunlit shadows
Still may dance, and the flowers nod,
And the trees whisper confidently one to the other.
When thou art gone, the day may be
No longer bright, but with slow tread pass on;
And the sun shall lag, and the moon be late in coming;
And the stars shall be lone-beamed,
And faintly gleaming, and the valleys shall draw
Their scarfs of mist about their breasts.
When thou art gone, the lilac nodding yon,
Shall make a sign of understanding.
When thou art gone,
No path shall seem to call invitingly.
When thou art gone,
The songs shall lack a tenderer chord.
But I shall not unhappy be!
For I shall follow thee,
Leaving all the mourning.

A Still and Quiet Madness ~A.G. Howard~

Posie & Mosey Monday

A Peek at my Editing Timeline, and a Mega Giveaway of EPIC Proportions!!!

Posie & Mosey Monday

Speed Dating ... Lit Style.

Posie & Mosey Mondays

Query Trackers Making Tracks, #16

Posie & Mosey Monday

Query Trackers Making Tracks, #15

Announcing the YAmazing winners of the MGnificent Prizes:

The YAmazing Race is officially over!

Free arcs, gift certificates, and swag ... Oh, MY!

Tune in for YAmazing fun and MGnificent prizes!

Step Into My Nightmare ... and win a prize.

Posie & Mosey Monday

Query Trackers Making Tracks, #14

Posie & Mosey Monday

Posie & Mosey Monday

Night Circus

Posie & Mosey Monday

The five biggest mistakes I made as an aspiring author...

Posie & Mosey Monday

Posie & Mosey Monday + Winner of QT gift card!

Guest Interview with Patrick McDonald *AND* QueryTracker Gift Card Giveaway!!!

Posie & Mosey Monday

Posie & Mosey Monday

Skary Childrin (and Taiwan)...

Pardon our French...

Posie & Mosey Monday

Posie & Mosey Monday

It takes a village...

Posie & Mosey Monday and Contest Winners

**FREE SPOOKY BOOKS**

One day away from free Halloween reads...

Shadow Waxing

Posie & Mosey Monday

Introduction to the *Friday Fright-Fest Contest*

Posie & Mosey Monday

Children of a Peculiar Nature...

Posie & Mosey Monday

Query Trackers Making Tracks, #13

Trailer Thursday

Times are a changin'...

Posie & Mosey Monday

Happy Holiday Contest!

Posie & Mosey Monday

I'm LEGIT!

Fusion and Illusion...

Posie & Mosey Mondays

Putting on my cowgirl boots and stepping out...

The me I used to be...pre-writing.

Posie & Mosey Mondays

Seven ways my antagonist is way tastier than a cookie…

Posie & Mosey Monday

Query Trackers Making Tracks, #12

Wearing panties just isn't scary...

Posie & Mosey Monday

First kisses, fiery operas, and blog awards, oh my!

Posie & Mosey Monday

Query Trackers Making Tracks, #11

Query Trackers Making Tracks ... Resurrection

Book Deal! Overwhelmed, Ever-grateful, Blessed, and...

Posie & Mosey Monday

Guest Interview with Patrick McDonald AND QueryTracker Gift Card Giveaway!!!

FREE SPOOKY BOOKS

Introduction to the Friday Fright-Fest Contest