QueryTrackers Making Tracks, #7

Today is installment number seven 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.

I'd like to welcome Veronica Canfield who recently signed with agent Louise Fury of L. Perkins Agency . You can find her QueryTracker success interview here.

Welcome Veronica, to the interview box.

Veronica: First of all thank you for having me as a guest. I feel like a cool, professional author promoting my book rather than a harried mom trying to herd my son into the bath and push the cat off my keyboard. By the way, any typos, mistakes or ridiculous statements, I blame on the cat…or my son.

AGH: LOL. I totally understand, and promise to overlook anything that marks you as remotely human. So, what genre(s) do you write?

Veronica: I am generally drawn to paranormal/supernatural/magical realism for young adults. Give me a good vampire girl meets werewolf boy story any day. I work with teens as a behavior specialist, so I have enough real teen-aged drama in my life already.

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

Veronica: I’d love to. Here’s the query.

Armed with a snarky attitude and a bag full of dollar store mirrors, seventeen-year-old Jenna Gray catches and relocates lost and troublesome ghosts. Ghost rescue does have its problems, such as getting stuck with a spirit named Edwin—a gender confused, eighteenth-century, English drama queen, with a penchant for cross-dressing. That’s what happens when you bring home ghost strays…you get haunted by a diva.

Sure, being able to see ghosts is pretty cool, but hanging with dead people can put a serious dent in Jenna’s social life. Things start looking up when Colin Rees, an über hot transfer student, takes an interest in Jenna. She may be on her way to finding love.

When high school girls are found murdered and Jenna’s ghost friends begin disappearing, Jenna learns a group of Goth students dabbling in the occult has unwittingly unleashed a demon from hell. Now Jenna's abilities are drawing the demon to her and somehow Colin seems to be connected to it all. With the help of her BFF Eva, and her self-proclaimed BGF (best ghost forever) Edwin, Jenna’s determined to reveal the demon’s identity, find a way to defeat it and prevent herself from becoming the next victim—all before her 11:00 pm curfew.

AGH: Awesome query! This book sounds so fun. How long did you query it, and what were your stats?

Veronica: I queried for about 4 1/2 months—September ‘10 to January ‘11. Louise, my agent, was the 12^th query I sent out and that was in my third week of querying. She was very enthusiastic, but due to time constraints she didn’t read my manuscript until the end of December and she offered representation in January. So really, it was my 12^th query that got me my agent.

93 queries sent

19 requests for partials or fulls

Lots of rejections and no replies, but it only takes that one agent who loves your work.

AGH: So true about getting just one yes. What inspired your book idea?

Veronica: Last summer I decided to trunk my first manuscript until I was ready to do some serious rewriting. It’s a deeper, darker young adult novel that took a few years to write so for a change I wanted to try something fluffy and fun. I was lounging around at home, half watching Discovery channel or TLC, can’t remember which, when a show came on called “The Haunting”. It’s sort of a reenactment of hauntings with interviews of the haunting victims. I wondered why ghosts never seem to be fun and playful. I took it to the next level. Wouldn’t it be cool to have a snarky ghost in the house that drives you bananas, but is also like your best friend? Hmm, you’d have to be able to see ghosts all the time though. And wouldn’t it be fun to have little tips explaining the ghost terms, like it was a handbook for a wannabe ghost hunters? That was the start of the novel.

AGH: How did you come up with the title?

Veronica: I wanted something light and funny so the reader would know what to expect from the novel. I knew I wanted the word “handbook” or “guide” in it because of the ghost tips. Ghosts are a major part of the novel, so that was easy to include. “Boys” seemed to be necessary for the romance part. And “Other Weird Things” pretty much covered all the other paranormal elements in the book. So I ended up with A Girl’s Guide to Ghosts, Boys and Other Weird Things. I apologize to boys everywhere for putting them in the category of “weird things”, but to girls, boys are pretty much an enigma and vice versa.

One of my author friends on the Backspace forum suggested A Girl’s Guide to Ghosts, Boys and Other Things That Go Bump in the Night. I got a laugh out of that because the idea of boys going bump in the night was…interesting.

AGH: Haha. Okay, I was thinking that your friend's suggestion would’ve been a great title before your … clarification. How many other books had you tried to query before you signed with your agent?

Veronica: I queried one other book, which I am still very fond of, but it needs work.

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

Veronica: It’s hard to say, I read such a wide variety of authors. But when it comes to writing, I’m defiantly more influenced by the young adult authors such as Karen Cushman, Meg Cabot, Lois Duncan, Lois Lowry and Roald Dahl. But I did get some inspiration for the fun, snarky voice of a Girl’s Guide from authors like Katie MacAlister, Helen Fielding and Charlaine Harris.

However, I think everything you read eventually influences how you write.

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

Veronica: I think I read about QT on one of the “Top Sites for Writers”, but I can’t remember exactly. I can say with confidence I don’t think I could have done it without QT. It is such a fabulous resource. When I was sending out snail mail queries, I had such a hard time keeping track of who I contacted, when, which query I sent, their response, etc. Becoming a premium member of QT resolved all those problems. The database is a life saver for tracking everything and the forum members are very supportive.

AGH: Have you recently learned anything about the business side of publishing that you can share with up and coming writers, something you wish you'd known in the beginning?

Veronica: Really work on that query and send it out first to the people lower on your wish list. Chances are, you’re going to have to tweak the query and you don’t want to “waste” a contact on a less than perfect query. Also, make sure you polish, polish, polish! I’m lucky that my agent liked my story enough to look past the rough spots. When I went back to make the changes she suggested, I realized my MS was NOT ready to be queried. I found typos, some poorly constructed sentences, a few continuity problems and a lot of unnecessary words. It really needed to be polished again, and that was after having already gone through it no less than six times. I also wish I had known about the technology resources that have made the process easier: Querytracker for tracking queries and the supportive forum, Natural Reader for having your MS read back to you—helps with typos, Dropbox for keeping all the changes to your MS and having access to it whenever you need it and Autocrit to tighten your MS.

AGH: Wonderful tips, thank you! I didn’t know about Natural Reader or Dropbox. Linked up now. So, are you involved in any new projects you can tell us about?

Veronica: Book two of A Girl’s Guide. Finding out I was already working on the second book with the intention of a series is what sealed the deal for my agent. It’s what she already had in mind when she read my MS.

**Five for fun**

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

Veronica: The bread itself. I LOVE carbs—tortillas, bread, bagels, pita bread. Yum. Who needs sliced bread anyway? A big ol’ hunk of steamy, sour dough bread, all crusty on the outside and soft on the inside has the same amount of calories as a slice of Wonder bread anyway, right?

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

Veronica: Sing in the rain. I have curly hair with a mind of its own. Once the humid weather hits it, any semblance of style is gone. I may as well sing in the rain, since an umbrella won’t help in the vanity department.

AGH: Are you Team Dog or Team Cat?

Veronica: I am a true animal lover so I am Team Dog and Team Cat, Team Hamster, Team Llama, Team Gecko, Team Everything Animal, except Team Bug.

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

Veronica: Honey—it’s smooth, sweet, golden and practically lasts forever. It’s been found in Egyptian tombs and was still tasty after thousands of years (I want to know who lost the bet that persuaded that person to try two-thousand year old honey). How could you go wrong with something made of flower nectar and is barfed up by bees?

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

Veronica: I think I would go back to the early eighties so I could buy lots of Microsoft and Apple stock. Then my family would be set and I could write full time. It’s sort of a selfish wish, but I’d give money to charity to offset my capitalistic desires.

~~~

Thank you for the interview, Veronica! And you taught me something. I never knew people sampled the honey found in Egyptian tombs. *supresses gag reflex* Heh.

Visit Veronica's website to stay abreast of news and announcements. It's a great site! There's even a question and answer section where you can interact with Edwin, the cross-dressing English drama queen ... ahem.. king. ;)

Congrats, Veronica, on all of your successes so far, and I wish you much luck and happiness as you climb to the shelves.

Everyone else, have a wonderful, safe, and relaxing weekend!

Although I'm not here to answer comments today (having some outpatient surgery), if you have questions for Veronica -- or would like to show her your support -- please feel free to leave comments below for her to enjoy. I'll stop in later this weekend to answer any left for me.

More blog bling-bling and a heads up...

Check it out! I posted my book trailer on the sidebar! There, just there on the right! I love figuring out all of these blogger gadgets. Though it's a little humiliating how long it takes me. Heh.

I'm itching to make another trailer, and even considering a contest where the prize would be me making a trailer for one of your books. YAY! I'll give details on that sometime in the near future...

Okay, onto the REAL post. On Friday this week, I'll be having my vindictive and hateful gallbladder removed. At long last, good shall vanquish evil, and the heroic doctor will prevail!

Even though I'll be offline, I'm auto posting the QueryTrackers Making Tracks interview for Friday. Our guest will be the fabulous Veronica Canfield (vcanfield on QT) who has recently signed with agent Louise Fury of L. Perkins Agency .

Stop by to hear about A GIRL'S GUIDE TO GHOSTS, BOYS AND OTHER WEIRD THINGS (fabulous title, right?) -- Veronica's fun and quirky YA ghost story with some interesting characters including a gender confused, English, eighteenth-century spirit who has a penchant for cross-dressing.

Now onto today's awards.

Thank you Jenny Phresh of Party Pony fame for giving me these one of a kind hilarious blog awards:

Not only do they make my stomach growl, but I can't stop giggling every time I look at them! LOL


Also thank you to the gracious Cherie for bestowing me this next fiery honor. In turn, I'd like to hand it off to a few bloggers. Some are new to me, and others I've been waiting for the perfect award to share.

1. Beth Silverman Landeau

2. Write2Live

3. Katie Lovett

4. D U Okonkwo

5. Elizabeth Seckman

6. SycamoreMeadows
7. Kristine Asselin
8.  Darke Conteur
9. Ashley Nixon

Thank you, worthy recipients, for fanning the flames of inspiration through your posts! The only requirement for this award is to pay it forward.

Also, I'd like to thank Kerri Maniscalco for her blog of many hats: Write. Eat. Repeat. -- a place of peace, inspiration, and witticisms. Kerri not only writes novels, but is a Folk Arts Columnist and always has beautiful and inspirational quotes on her twitter feed that warm my heart throughout the day. So to show my gratitude, I'm bestowing her this:

Lastly, I'd like to step outside of the publishing corner of the world for a moment and welcome a brand new blogspot blogger who Marewolf mentioned in a post the other day. Shannon is a licensed esthetician and makeup artist who has recently started up a blog about being glamorous and fabulous on a budget. SWEET. That is such a super and unique idea, so here's a special award, just for her. I'm hoping it will match her pretty decor. ;-)

Shannon Shaw Mullis

Thanks, Shannon, for keeping our world beautiful.

Congrats to all of today's winners, and remember to drop by on Friday for Veronica's guest interview.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!

Award winners: On the off chance you're techno-challenged like me, you can post your award on your blog, just right click on the picture here and "save picture as." If you're on blogger, from your dashboard go into 'design' and 'add a gadget' and download the picture.

The First Bi-Annual Wonderland Bloggy Awards

Last week there was a BLOG AWARDS BOOM and I was so thrilled to receive three (one of which was triple bequeathed to me--squee!).

But even more fun than receiving them, was anticipating who I'd be giving them out to in return. I had blogger buddies all lined up, and then KABAM, several of my nominees started getting the same awards that I planned to give out -- from one another no less. Hmm. I'm sensing a conspiracy here. ;)

Well, since I had a QueryTracker interview with a very special guest, and didn't want to horn in on her weekend highlight spot, it gave me some time to make my own awards and sets of rules.

So, in honor of my Alice In Wonderland spinoff which is out on sub, I decided to bequeath some Wonderland themed awards. :)

First, I need to take care of the awards I received, then we'll move on to the Wonderland nominees.

Thank you, Deirdra, for this lovely award with no stipulations other than that I enjoy it.

Make sure you hop over to Deirdra's blog, A Storybook World. She's incredibly talented, does all of her own artwork, and also has interviews with literary agents and authors, scheduling them in advance on her side bar so you can watch for when your favorites will be guests.

The next two awards I received share the same rules (or at least close enough for passable), so I'm combining the requirements which I'll spell out after the presentations. I'd like to thank all of the gracious ladies who nominated me!

Bequeathed to me by: Bluestocking Mum,

and bequeathed from me to:

1. Ashley Graham

2. Anna Zagar

3. Jennifer Archer

4 & 5 go to the combined blogging efforts of:

Jessica LeSaicherre and Kaya Koban

Bequeathed to me by: Robin Weeks, Lori M. Lee, and Jenny Phresh 

and bequeathed from me to:

1. Rachel Harris

2. Kayeleen Hamblin

3. Mandie Baxter

4. Kaylie Austin

5. Pam Asberry

Here are the rules for both awards:

1. Thank and link to the person who nominated you.

2. Share seven random facts about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to five buddies whose blogs epitomize said theme.
4. Contact those buddies to congratulate them.

Okay, now here are my seven random things...

1. When I was three, I fell down two flights of stairs at church and amazingly survived without even a scratch. My older brother was there and screamed for my mom who had just turned her back for a second. I have no memory of the event, but I firmly believe that I didn't fall ... I was shoved. It was an intentional bid for attention from BIG BRO because I was the cutest of the lot.

2. I have freaky feet. My second toe is longer than my big toe. My brother always teased me about them and I'm still self-conscious today. So forget fitting into those stylish flip flops with the slanted soles; in the summer, it's crock shoes all the way for this girl.

3. I had pet guinea pigs growing up. My brother mastered a squealing technique that could set them into a high-pitched-fever-fest, and they wouldn't shut up until I fed them some lettuce. Have any of you ever heard a guinea pig squeal? It will set your teeth on edge. Are we seeing a pattern here? Yes, my brother was the bane of my childhood. I still love him, though I'm open to creative outlets for my pent up frustration. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and actively considered.

4. At the age of seven, after watching a Twilight Zone marathon with the family -- the highlight of which was an episode about a murderous talking doll, a pre-cursor to Chuckie fame -- I went in my room to get ready for bed. I used to collect dolls and one of my favorites, a Spanish beauty in a lace and satin dress, sat on my dressor.  As I put on my pajamas, I couldn't stop staring at her, noticing for the first time how creepy she was. Maybe it was a result of staring too long without blinking, but the edge of her mouth appeared to wriggle, forming a sneer. I screamed at the top of my lungs, tossed her in the closet, and decided that I would never like dolls again. We got rid of the collection shortly thereafter, and to this day, dolls still creep me out.

5. I had an imaginary friend named Zalicah when I was three. In spite of the intricate story I wove of her demise involving a runaway cat and a car without breaks, she was rumored to have been seen honeymooning with Bart Simpson somewhere in the Poconos just last month.

6. My family lived in Ohio during my Kindergarten through second grade years. The snow storms were legendary. We once had drifts so high they formed a ramp that reached over and above our six foot fence. Our Irish Setter scaled it and slid down the other side to play with the neighbor's Chihuahua (who just so happened to be his best pal).

7. The first time I ever went snow skiing, I plowed down a woman on the bunny slope. As I watched her laying there, crying and screaming that I'd broken her back, I made a vow never to ski again. So shaken by the incident, I rode down on a snow mobile with one of the workers. When I saw the same woman be-bopping around at the bottom of the slope about twenty minutes later, flirting with the ski patrol dudes, I decided, "Oh YES. I will ski again. And I will be BETTER THAN YOU." And I did, and I was. Knowing what I do about publishing now, I can see that was just a taste of the tenacity and courage I would need to make it in this biz.

WHEW! This is one long post ... and we're not done yet.

It's time for the Wonderland Bloggy Awards presentation.

I've met so many incredible bloggers over the last few months, so I'm going to be very generous with the awards (this is a bi-annual event, after all), in hopes you might meet one another and see the unique sparkle in each blog that makes it shine.

And the nominees are:

1. Cherie

2. Lori M. Lee

3. Carissa ELG

4. Deirdra Eden Coppel

5. Rebecca Dupree

These talented bloggers not only rock at writing, but they're artists, too. Better I give them this award than attempt to tell them how impressed I am by that. Otherwise, I might start babbling like a crazed groupie.

 1. EEV

2. Katey Taylor

3. Sophia Richardson

4. Dawne Webber 

5. Huntress

Simply put, these ladies are confident, savvy, and have attitude -- all of which comes across in every post. (BTW, Katey could also have been a recipient of the Artistic award, but I could choose only one. I chose wisely, I think.)

 1. Robin Weeks

2. Sophie Li

3. Marewolf

4. Marybk

5. Keriann Greaney Martin

These blogs are sometimes thought provoking and informative ... sometimes whimsical and witty. But whatever the case, I leave each post looking at the world or my writing craft with a fresh and new perspective.

1. Jessica Nelson

2. Angela

3. Bluestocking Mum

4. Katelyn Torrey

5. Lisa Ann

What can I say but that these blogs always inspire me! They spark my writer's soul with their poise and optimism, and nurture my spirit with wisdom and encouragement.

 

1. Nina Badzin

2. Jen Daiker

3. Leigh T. Moore

4. Mindy McGinnis

5. Krista V. 

These blogs provide a service -- be it agent interviews, writer interviews, or informative posts -- that offer insights and advice to up and coming writers. They are instrumental in helping others navigate the choppy and murky waters of both publishing and public image.

   

1. Bethany

2. Kalen

3. Jenny Phresh

4. Jenn Johansson

5. David Kazzie

I always leave these blogs smiling, sometimes even doubled-over laughing. Their farcical, droll, and eccentric ramblings are one of a kind, comparable only to the Hatter himself.

And there you have them: the First Bi-Annual Wonderland Bloggy Awards nominees. Congrats to all of you!

As for rules, there aren't any. Just take your award with you and display it on your blog as a tribute to your talent. You work hard on your posts to give us informative and entertaining reads. This is my way of showing my appreciation. If you find or know of another blog (or five) that's worthy of your award, feel free to share it with them, although it's not a requirement.

Here's hoping I didn't forget anyone. But if I did, I'll be passing out another award on Wednesday which I received over the weekend, not to mention, we'll be having another Wonderland Awards presentation in six months. :)

Until then, happy blogging, and congrats to all of the recipients!


P.S. To post your award on your blog, just right click on the picture here and "save picture as." If you're on blogger, from your dashboard go into 'design' and 'add a gadget' and download the picture. I'm not sure how to imbed it on other blog formats. But with a little experimentation and ingenuity, you'll figure it out, because you're all a bunch of smarties. :)

QueryTrackers Making Tracks, #6

Today is the sixth installment of my Friday series on successful authors from QueryTracker. Some of the authors I'm spotlighting 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 is somewhat of a legend among my fellow QTers. Anna Zagar of Scarlett Prose (aka purpleprose on QT), sent out queries, received four offers of representation, decided on the fabulous Lucy Carson for her agent, revised her MS, and snagged Feiwel & Friends as a publisher (her debut YA Fantasy, OF POSEIDON, will be released in Spring of 2012), all in the whirlwind span of less than two months. Add a cruise and some family health scares into the mix, and you have one crazy climb to the shelves! Let's take a moment of silence to let that sink in.

WOW!

Okay, enough with the hero worship. Let's welcome the lovely Miss Anna Zaga to the interview box.

Hello, Anna!

Anna: First of all, thankyousoverymuch for having me on your blog today! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your efforts to help new writers—both published and working toward publication. You’re an asset to the writing community.

AGH: Thank you, Anna. And I could say the same for you. You've been one of my biggest cheerleaders behind the scenes while I'm out on submission, and I know you've helped others besides me along the way. I'm honored to have you here! I know everyone's excited to get to know you, so let's get started. What genre(s) do you write?

Anna: I write YA Sci-fi/Fantasy and Adult Sci-fi/Fantasy. Every story I write will always have a romance in it though. Because I’m girlie like that.

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

Anna: Sure: A merman prince exchanges his fin for high school, hairy legs, and flip flops in order to help a human girl change into the fish he knows she is. She has a particular gift which can ensure the survival of his kind as long as she mates with his older brother, the Triton king. Keeping his loyalty to his kingdom gets tricky when he starts to fall for her; the sooner she turns into a fish, the sooner he can turn her over to his brother and put some distance between them. But will she give up everything she cares about—her mother, scholarships, cheesecake—to save a world she’s never known? And—what’s taking her so long to sprout a fin, anyway?

AGH: Sounds so fun! And a little fishy. Hmm. How long did you query it, and what were your stats?

Anna: I started querying the first of January, and received an offer of rep on January 27th. Lucy told me to notify other agents of my offer, so I did, and received two more offers (there was also an unofficial offer, like an offer to offer if I’d make some changes, so I don’t count that one). Here are my stats:
60 queries total:

11 requests for fulls (3 of which came from partial requests)
3 partials (included in full requests above)
8 who never received the darn thing
33 rejections
8 closed/no response

AGH: Incredible stats! What inspired your book idea?

Anna: I’ve always been fascinated with the ocean (did you know that only approx. 5% of the world’s oceans have been explored/seen by human eyes?). One day I was reading an article about how they’d found a washed-up carcass of a Colossal Squid in 2005—something scientists considered a myth, fishermen’s lore. I got to thinking, What ELSE could be out there? So, I set out to scientifically prove that mermaids could actually exist, and the story unfolded from there.

AGH: How did you come up with the title?

Anna: The title is OF POSEIDON, and I’ve just been informed that Feiwel and Friends plans on keeping it. It’s simply derived from the inherited gift my heroine, Emma, possesses. It’s the Gift of Poseidon. Can’t really say much more than that…

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

Anna: OF POSEIDON was my second attempt at writing and querying. The first one, an Adult Sci-fi, was put on hold to focus on my new YA venture. Weird, but I just received a full request from an agent on a query I sent OVER A YEAR AGO for that project. Got caught in her spam filter. The lesson is clear: If you hear no response, re-send the dang thing! (Unless of course, the agency policy is No Response Means No). Lucy has agreed to represent my adult project as well, so hopefully I’ll have good news to share on that soon…

AGH: Sounds promising! Please keep us posted on that. So, what books / authors would you say have most influenced your own style and concepts?

Anna: In general, I grew up reading romance novels, so all my books will have a love story (in her defense, I don’t think my mom realized just exactly how raw romance novels can be. She still thinks flipping someone the bird means “Up your butt, mister!”). More specifically, Janet Evanovich, for her humor. Not to sound cliché, but after reading TWILIGHT, I decided I just might be able to write a book too, so Stephenie Meyer for her story-telling skills. Also, LM Montgomery because how could I not follow in Anne Shirley’s footsteps? And I’d be silly not to mention Margaret Mitchell, because all of my heroines will in some way pay tribute to Scarlett O’Hara in that they will be strong and independent, and possible fit-throwers.

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

Anna: I don’t remember HOW I found it, but the good news is that I DID find it, and it helped me for a couple of reasons:

  A.) It’s a collection of agents, their contact info, and if they are/are not accepting queries, so it’s soooo convenient for writers. (And Patrick pretty much keeps that thing up to the minute.)

  B.) The support I received from other QT’ers. It seems like we all worked together to get someone “discovered”. Sharing info, sharing horror stories, sharing tears and beers.

AGH:  That's what I like most, too. The camaraderie. On that note, have you recently learned anything about the business side of publishing that you can share with up and coming writers, something you wish you’d known in the beginning?

Anna: Yep. Sometimes this business is very, very fast, and you need to be able to keep up. For instance: I began querying January 1. Received an offer of rep January 27th. Lucy negotiated a two book deal February 16th. Received my first editorial letter from Feiwel and Friends about two weeks later. 

And then everything STOPPED. During the down times, keep writing. Remember that you mostly experience down times, and that when you’re not writing, someone else always is.

I learned that the pub contract is not instantaneous. That once you receive an offer from a house, it may be weeks before your agent actually sees the contract. This affects when you get your first advance, so keep that in mind. And be patient. Remember that almost everyone in this business is over-worked and under-appreciated and we all rely on each other.

AGH: Great advice. Now for the big question: Are you involved in any new projects you can tell us about?

Anna: Working on Book Two, OF TRITON, and am brainstorming against my will about a different YA Sci/fi. 

**Five for fun**

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

Anna: Sing in the rain. My hair is never perfect enough to worry about getting wet, and umbrellas in a Florida thunderstorm are kind of laughable. And I know you’ve all seen the Weather Channel show footage of people playing outside during a hurricane. I may or may not be related to them…

AGH: What’s your favorite breakfast?

Anna: A Strawberry Waffle that this local restaurant makes. I loves it.

AGH: Are you Team Dog or Team Cat?

Anna: Team Cat, but my hubby is allergic. He got me a tea-cup Chihuahua as a substitute for a writer’s cat, but turns out, tea-cup Chihuahuas are closely related to the devil…

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

Anna: I would go back to the 1700s, for sure. That’s when chunky pale women were a hot commodity, so I’m sure I would have married very, very well…

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

Anna: Never pinky up! Not HEAVY on the Long Island, but I’d like to at least be giggling by the time I’m done with it…

~~~

Thank you for the interview, Anna! And I agree about Chihuahuas. My mom used to have one who's eyes turned up red in EVERY picture we took. Pictures don't lie. *shudder*

Congrats on all of your successes so far!  I'll be cheering you on as you climb to best-sellerdom and of course wish you luck and happiness on all of your upcoming projects. :)

If you have questions for Anna--or would like to show her your support -- please leave a comment below. Also, don't forget to find her on Twitter: @AnnaZagar and follow her blog for her witty observations on life along with helpful writing and publishing tips. ;)

Have a wonderful, safe, and relaxing weekend everyone!

QueryTrackers Making Tracks, #5

Even though it's Monday, today is the fifth installment of my Friday series on successful authors from QueryTracker. We will be having two interviews this week, so please stop by again on Friday for #6.

Some of the authors I'm spotlighting 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.

 

My guest today has chosen a less conventional venue, sans an agent, and it's working out great for her. When I first met KT Grant (katiebabs) on QueryTracker, I knew her story would be an inspiration to other writers who've had trouble finding an agent because they write out-of-the-box books. Also, I hoped she might be an encouragement to authors who are e-pubbed but still don't feel like they've “arrived.” KT has proven through her success that there are many different ways to flourish in this business, even more so now with digital publishing.

Want proof? Check out her impressive bio:

BIO: KT Grant is a self-proclaimed eccentric redhead who not only loves to read a wide variety of romances, but also loves writing it. Under her alter-ego (Katiebabs), she is a well known book reviewer and blogger who doesn't shy away from voicing her opinion. A proud native of New Jersey, KT is multi-published and known for writing "out of the box" romances. KT has been quoted in such publications as the Romance Writers of America's Romance Writers Report and Night Owl Reviews. She has also been mentioned in the Guardian.UK, Publisher's Weekly's Beyond the Book and at Bookseller.com. KT is a top ten best-selling author at Amazon, as well as being a multiple All Romance Ebooks best seller and a Night Owl Reviews Top Author Pick.

What wonderful accolades, KT! Without further adieu, let's pick your brain.  ;)

AGH: Which came first, blogging and reviewing other people’s books, or writing your own?

KT: I started reviewing four years ago for various on-line review sites and from that I decided to start my own blog where I could post my own reviews. Reviewing and blogging helped me jump start my own writing to great results. 

AGH: When was your first book accepted by an e-publisher, and what is its title/genre?

KT: The first book I published was in June of last year called Lovestruck with Noble Publishing Romance. Lovestruck is a May/December Contemporary Lesbian Romance set in New York City.

AGH: How long did you query before getting picked up by e-publishers?

 KT: Lovestruck took me six months to write. I queried to a few epublishers, and was rejected. I then went back to edit and revise with the insight from a few author friends who were wonderful to read Lovestruck. After that final round, I submitted again and Noble Publishing Romance extended me an offer.

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

 KT: I have a total of six releases, with another four so far to be published this year.

AGH: With close to 600 reviews on Amazon under the name Katiebabs, most of them books, you’ve built up quite a readership through your blog and Amazon book reviews. Do you think this has contributed to your success in the e-book field by providing a platform of readers already hungry for your work?

 KT: My reputation as a reviewer and having my own blog definitely helped. I already built up an audience I hoped would be interested in reading my published work. Blogging is a great way for word of mouth, and I had that.

AGH: What books / authors have most influenced you (either in your writing or in your publishing decisions)?

 KT: Stephen King has been the biggest influence in my life. The Stand was the book that made me want to write. There are so many other authors who have influenced me such as Meljean Brook, Carolyn Crane, Laurell K. Hamilton, Julie James, and Stephenie Meyer just to name a few.

AGH: How did you find QueryTracker, and how can it help others in their efforts to get inside the publishing doors?

 KT: I started visiting various blogs and websites that talked about the publishing industry and advice on how to get published. From a few of them I found out about QueryTracker. QueryTracker is a great site that helps you pick agents and allows other writers to post comments about their experience with querying and the agents they’ve communicated with. It’s the perfect site I’d recommend to anyone trying to find an agent for their work or to keep track of the amount of queries they sent out, along with submissions and rejections.

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?

 KT:  Being patient. Publishing moves very slowly. Epublishers are starting to get backed up and it may take months before an author’s release comes out. Don’t obsess about sales. When you see that first royalty statement, don’t be shocked or upset by how low your sales are in a month or quarter. It may take some time before you see some revenue for your book. The first five months Lovestruck was out, I was disappointed and then suddenly my sales shot up and have remained steady ever since.  Also, once you publish, your publisher may want more from you and expect you to write something for them as soon as you can. That’s a reward within itself.

AGH: Do you have any current news to announce?

KT: My publisher, Decadent Publishing will put three of my books into print. My two titles, For the Love of Mollie  and The Claiming of Suzy will be a combined print book. Xavier’s Loving Arms, which has yet to be released, will also be in print.

I also have three other books coming out this year. This Thursday, my third book with Ravenous Romance will be out. It’s a Lesbian Romantic Thriller called Sleeping with the Frenemy.

This is the blurb:

Deborah Murnay has a life most women would die for. She has a loving wife of four years who gives her anything she wants. But, Deborah hides a dark secret. Her wife Genevieve not only enjoys kinky, dangerous sex, but is insanely jealous and possessive. When a violent argument between the two leaves Deborah bruised and battered, she has no other choice but to run away.

Through some intricate planning on Deborah’s part, she’s able to trick Genevieve into thinking she’s dead. Deborah becomes Sharon Wade and ends up hundreds of miles away in the small town of Woodberry Creek where she can start over again, even though she lives in fear that Genevieve will find her and kill her.

When grade school teacher Bridgette Woodberry notices her new neighbor, she quickly figures out Woodberry Creek’s new resident is hiding something. Deborah knows she can’t have a future with Bridgette, but finds herself attracted to the kindhearted redhead whose kisses and warm embrace makes her feel protected.

As Deborah turns to Bridgette to help heal her scars, Genevieve is waiting for the right moment to take back her wife and make her pay for deceiving her.

I have a Contemporary MM (Gay) Romance with Phaze Books called Burning for You and a short MM (Gay) romance called A Bid for Love with Decadent Publishing. This is the first GLBT story for their new 1Night Stand series.

 **Five for fun**

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

KT: Carry an umbrella. I’ve been caught in the rain too many times before. It’s not fun.

AGH: What’s your favorite breakfast?

KT: I like a simple breakfast of yogurt, blueberries, jam on toast, and a must is a pot of coffee. And yes, I will end up drinking the entire pot. 

AGH: What video games do you play?

KT: I’m still trying to figure out a way to beat the Atari game, Pit Fall. If anyone knows how to, please tell me! I’m also addicted to Mario Cart. I love being Yoshi and running over the Mario brothers.

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

 KT: Scream and freak out. Then find a smaller fish to harass.

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

KT: Long Island all the way!

 ~~~

Thank you, KT. Your answer to the fish question was hilarious! If that's any indication of the voice in your books, it's no wonder you're such a success. Congratulations on your climb to best-sellerdom. And I wish you luck and happiness on the rest of your writing journey.

If you have questions for KT--or would like to congratulate her -- please leave a comment below. Also, dont' forget to find her on Twitter: @katiebabs (the lady has over 2,000 followers ... I'm in awe), friend her on Facebook, and follow her blog: Babbling About Books, and More!  for book reviews and witty banter.


And please make a point to join me again this Friday, because our next QueryTracker guest is the famed Anna Zagar of Scarlett Prose (aka purpleprose on QT), who got four offers of representation, decided on an agent, revised her MS, and snagged a publisher, all in the whirlwind span of less than two months. Too impatient to wait for the interview? Here's her personal summary of the experience. 

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Tag, anyone?

I know, I know. Today is Friday, and I'm supposed to have the super secret QueryTracker guest here to do my fifth QueryTracker Making Tracks interview.

Well, her schedule's been hectic this week, and after she heard about my own crazy week, she graciously offered to do her interview this coming Monday so neither of us would have to rush to get it posted today. So it'll be just a few days longer before I can unveil her identity. On the plus side, that means we get two QueryTracker success stories next week. ;)

Since I needed something quick for today, I decided a game of blog-tag might be fun.

Remember those summers when you used to run around barefoot outside until the sun went down, playing tag with your best buds in the dark? The scent of grass, dirt, and OFF stung your nose, and fireflies flickered on the lawn. The only other light was the star-studded sky hanging low and warm like a velvet blanket pricked through with millions of pinholes...

Well, I can't recreate the exact atmosphere, but we can play our own online version of tag, and we'll all be winners because we'll get to know each other better in the process. :)
 
So, here goes.

TAG -- Seven things you might not know about me:

1. I was a latch-key kid; I once chased my older brother around the house with a coke bottle to put an end to his incessant badgering. And that was the day of glass bottles, not the shatterproof stuff. Mom and Dad still have no idea what they missed in all those hours after school before they made it home…

2. In my childhood, we had a swimming pool beneath an oak tree in our backyard (one of those 6-foot above ground steel numbers) and I was convinced sharks congregated inside because of the shadows of the limbs.

3. My very first car was rewired wrong by my dad and each time I turned on the right blinker, the dome light flashed, too. My high school pals always knew it was me coming down the road at night because my interior would blink like a discotheque.

4. My husband broke his neck at Mustang Island several years ago while boogie boarding. He had surgery and is fine now — without any paralysis. Still, it was SCARY at the time.

5. I once entered a cake (decorated to resemble a snow-dusted birdhouse) in our State Fair and won best of show and first place.

6. I've always had a bone-deep desire to travel to Venice one day and ride in a gondola. This inspired me to write a historical fantasy about a society of vampires who travel by gondola on the subterranean lake surrounding their underground city.

7. I actually turned down an agent a few months before I got my first one. I'm saving the details for a future post, so consider that a teaser. Heehee

~~~

Okay, now YOU'RE IT!

Anyone who wants to play along, leave a comment letting me know and I'll hop over to your blog to read your seven things. Make sure you invite your readers to play, too.

Those of you who don't want to participate on your blog, I'd still love to hear from you! Say hi or leave one or two interesting tidbits about yourself here.

Also, remember to join me Monday to meet our QueryTracker guest and hear about her unconventional climb to publishdom sans an agent. Until then, anyone who's spending time with friends or family for the Easter Holiday, I wish you fine dining and lovely memories.

Happy weekend to all!

Collective Consciousness and the Color Green

My favorite poem of all time is Christina Georgina Rossetti's "Goblin Market." In fact, it's played a very big role in my writing career.

For one, it taught me to use sensory description to pull a reader into my MC's head. Upon reading the poem the first time, I was THERE, trying to fight the allure of the cursed and luscious fruits, forging a relationship w/my sister, grieving as she withered away before my eyes and I struggled to save her. Christina's words flowed like magic waves on the page, catching me in their tide until I was eternally enchanted.

Also, this deep appreciation for Goblin Market helped bring Agent Goddess and me together. We talked about the poem once just before I decided to sign with her. She loved it as much as me, even directed me to several images via the internet -- Pre-Raphaelite paintings by Christina's brother, Dante Gabriel Rossetti -- which complimented the masterpiece.

Knowing how much Jenny loved Christina's lush and evocative attention to detail was a big selling point for me. Since I'm a very descriptive writer, I knew Jenny would get that side of my writing.

So I guess it stands to reason, since this poem holds such a special place in my heart, that I hope to one day pen a YA based on some of the elements, in tribute to Christina's vivid imaginings; similar to how I wrote one in tribute of Lewis Carroll's masterpiece.

Currently I'm working on a different YA WIP, but in the back of my mind I've been toying with the Goblin Market spinoff. I've come up with some interesting ideas, and was starting to get very excited about the concept until the other day, low and behold, I see a book review on someone's tweet about this self-published debut:

 (click on cover for a blurb; it sounds FAB)

Curses! Foiled by collective consciousness! But I refuse to let jealousy rear its ugly head. Nope, there will be no green here today, except on the lovely book cover above.

As a writer, I have to embrace reality. This isn't the first time this has happened, and it won't be the last.

When I was querying Splintered  I had an agent reject it on the grounds that there were several reinventions of Alice in Wonderland recently bought so she feared the market would be inundated with them. She scared me so much I researched PublishersMarketplace and found them:

Alice in Zombieland (about a girl named Alice who’s in a car accident; wakes up, her family’s dead, and she’s in a post apocalyptic world where zombies run rampant)

Alice À Paris (about an American girl abroad in Paris; non-fanstasy)

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (a fantasy YA similar only to Alice in Wonderland in that the girl has an adventure in a fairyland).

They are all scheduled to come out early next year. Am I worried? At first I was, until I took a really good look at the synopsis for each.  

None of them have any ties to the Lewis Carroll world. Mine is an adaptation/continuation of the original story. I pay tribute to the Victorian/Carrollian elements--tinging his characters a darker shade and twisting whimsical situations to pure creepiness. So that sets my book apart. Just like other elements set theirs apart.

All this to say, I'm still going to write my Goblin Market spinoff one day. My premise is different from the other author's, and I believe there's room for each of our books. The world we live in is made up of many different readers who want many different things. Subjectivity, which has so often seemed a thorn in my side, is at long last my hero.

How about you? Have you ever had a book idea and realized someone else was writing something similar? Did you let it stop you, or did you keep writing your story because your heart believed in it too much to quit?