Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Feast of Goodies

I haven't blogged in a long while. My excuse--vacation with the family. But I'm coming out of hibernation because the monthly contest over at the Feast of Awesome is too good to pass up.

Click on the link below and leave a comment. The deadline is midnight tonight, so don't delay!!!!

CONTEST LINK

Thursday, May 21, 2009

First Book Review for My Invented Life

I just got my first online review of My Invented Life on After Ellen. 

And it's good!!!!

Check it out here!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

meet 8 (!) amazing MG and YA book editors

Calling all aspiring MG and YA novelists! This week and next, I am posting interviews with:

Molly O’Neill of HarperCollins
Brian Farrey of Flux
Joy Peskin of Viking
Anica Rissi of Simon Pulse
Madeline Smoot of CBAY Books
Miriam Hees of Blooming Tree Press
Reka Simonsen of Henry Holt
and
Jim Thomas of Random House

Come check out these truly awesome editors at --

http://community.livejournal.com/classof2k9/

Thursday, April 23, 2009

How to Land an Agent

Wheras almost every debut author I've met this year got their book contract through an agent, and

Wheras most writers freak when they hear the word query, and

Wheras it's mind boggling to get started,

Let it be resolved that taking a class will de-mystify the process.

(I worked on bills for two legislative sessions in Honolulu...at least that's my excuse for this)

Anyway, if you're interested, Writer's Digest is offering a Webinar on How to Land an Agent.
www.writersdigest.com/webinars

Check it out!

Up next...a profile of a young, hungry agent that presented at last weeks SCBWI Handsprings Conference in New Mexico.


    Wednesday, April 15, 2009

    Win this Bag of Awesome

    Find Out What's In The Bag And Win It Today
    Don't miss out on your chance to win this fabulous bag of goodies donated by authors at the Feast of Awesome. 1. Visit their blog by clicking on the Feast of Awesome address above. 2. Enter a comment by midnight tonight. 3. Win! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

    Thursday, March 26, 2009

    Confessions of a Read-a-thon Grinch

    Recently, my son’s school held a read-a-thon to raise money for a field trip. Every parent at the school looked forward to the big event. Every parent except me. And worse, I didn’t dare admit the truth. Shhhhh. I loathe read-a-thons.

    I really do love reading with my children—at home by the fire in my comfy couch that is. Reading in a small room with thirty-seven others is less fun. It’s noisy. It’s cramped. Wearing pajamas to school adds another angle--humiliation. And then there's the menu--the dreaded green eggs and ham in honor of Dr. Seuss.

    But this year was different. Someone gave me a bathrobe last Christmas. Hearing my son, Leif, read The Cremation of Sam McGee made me forget I was sitting on cold bricks. The eggs were colored with chlorophyll instead of food coloring. By lunch time, Leif had read over thirty books. He was so proud I almost forgot about the noise, the crowding, and my hard seat. Almost. But please don’t ask me to do it again next year.

    Thursday, March 19, 2009

    Query Letters Part III

    You're ready to find an agent, but...

    Did you complete Part I and Part II? No?

    Go to jail, do not pass Go, and do not collect 200 dollars.

    I'm serious. Don't start hunting for an agent until you've written a killer query.

    Oh. You did that already?

    Hooray!

    Start the search at www.agentquery.com Here you can search by genre, which saves time. Some agents share their likes and dislikes, plus some of the books they represent.

    publishersmarketplace.com lists agents that are actively seeking clients. The list changes often, so keep checking back. For a fee, you can subscribe to Publisher's Lunch. PL provides info on all the current deals between agents and publishing houses, including a short description of each book sold, which gives you a sense of an agent's tastes.

    Writer's Digest's blog Guide to Literary Agents is another excellent resource. guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/ The archives are chock full of interviews with agents. The blog also announces conferences where agents will attend.

    Once you narrow down your list, the Google will lead you to other interviews with your prospective agent, which will help you refine and personalize your query letter.

    Always check the credentials of your prospective agent at Preditors and Editors. anotherealm.com/prededitors/

    Good luck!