2009 Connections Final

Well, hasn't this been a great month for finals. Remember back in January when I said I'd entered just about every YA contest available? I'm doing a little better than I expected to.

Adventures Of A Teenage Truthseer finaled in the 2009 Connections contest with really satisfying scores. I was a little worried about this contest because my short contemporary didn't do so well, but apparently my little truthseer is resonating with people. The final judge for this contest is an agent with the Irene Goodman Agency.

The Four Seasons contest is due to announce sometime today or tommorrow. Dare I hope that I can final 2 years in a row? I tossed Bound By Duty into it. The feedback should be interesting.

A YA final in the Duel On The Delta Contest

Yippee! I've never entered this contest before, so I didn't know what to expect. I was hoping for a final because the final judge is an agent at the illustrious Donald Maass Agency. The cool thing is I get to revise before it goes. That's fabulous because I've made changes to the entry and the synopsis.

I read today that YA is the #1 selling fiction right now. #2 is romance. Isn't it great to know that kids are reading? Maybe there's hope for this country.

Ouch...groan

About the only place on my body that doesn't hurt are my fingertips. It was clean up time at our camping site this weekend. By clean up I mean bagging leaves. Lots and lots of leaves. We are surrounded primarily by oak. They don't drop their leaves until spring when the new buds push out the old leaves. The problem with this is that there's a narrow window from when they drop to when new stuff (like grass) starts growing so we need to get the leaves collected early.

This was the first weekend the water was turned on. So off we went. It's really a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. We have a double lot and our site is really wooded. Once the trees leaf out, we're pretty isolated from our neighbors. We have a park model camper with a full kitchen and a big porch with windows on 3 sides that is great to hang out in during the cool mornings.

I get to indulge my love of gardening up here. With all the trees, it's primarily shade so I have lots of hostas in all different sizes and colors. A couple sunny spots let me have hot pink phlox, iris, day lilies and daisies.

Didn't get any writing done. But I read. Meg Cabot's The Princess Diaries. My 9-1/2 year old was given the book by her 4th grade teacher (who in her defense hasn't read it.) I should have read it before she started. The character is 14 and never been kissed, but there's stuff in there about condoms and being felt up above the waist and below. Stuff that I think she reads past without thinking too much about, but I'm not sure. Of course, by the time I realized she could probably stand to wait a couple years to read it, she was already past the parts that made me wince. Sigh. It's especially ironic because the school she attends is Catholic. You know, the religion that preaches abstinence?

I also listened to Tamora Pierce's 3rd in the Lioness series. I love her. She writes YA fantasy. I totally get lost in her books. And I started The Spanish Bow. Also interesting. Driving to and from up north gives me almost 8 hours of listening time. And I don't have to feel at all guilty that I should be doing something else because I can't.

Today's goal: Finish ch 6 of YA.
Yesterday's accomplishment: Not much.
What I'm grateful for: As the afternoon wears on, moving is a little less painful.
Quote: "Why do strong arms fatigue themselves with frivolous dumbbells? To dig a vineyard is worthier exercise for men." -Marcus Valerius Martialis (40 AD - 103 AD)

What do you do when a book's not working?

As much as I hate to do this (because it's been requested), I'm putting Bound By Duty on the back burner once again. I'm on chapter 5 and I can't get the writing to flow the way it should. If I'm struggling this much, there's a good reason. So, either the book starts in the wrong place or the conflict isn't happening. Whatever is the cause of the problem, I'm writing really crappy prose. And the characters are flat and uninteresting.

So, tonight, I'm going to pull out some how-to books on writing mysteries and I'm going to put my energy into finishing my YA. That was my goal this year, after all. Maybe if I leave Bound By Duty to stew some (more), I can come back with fresh eyes later. Sigh. I really hate giving up. But sometimes you have to step back to move forward.

Fab 5 Final

Last night I received the call that Adventures Of A Teenage Truthseer finaled in the Young Adult category of WisRWA's Fab 5 contest. Since this is my RWA Chapter and I will be attending the conference where the winners are announced, it's a particularly sweet final. Since I'm sure the competition was exceptionally fierce (I judged paranormal and there were lots of great entries), I'm feeling quite giddy today.

Openings--Are You Hooked?

So, we all know it's important to catch an editor or agent's eye. If we can't nail their interest in the first paragraph or first page, or a query letter with a great hook how likely are we to have a chance to bring it home with the big finish?

Are you easy or hard to hook? How often do you pick up a book by an author that's new to you (one not recommended by someone else) and read the first page or two. Do you put the book back on the shelf if that first page doesn't appeal? Do you rely on the author's track record to buy, or do you give it a chance because the plot sounds interesting?

And if the writing's lacking something (tension, prose, hook) how far do you read before you give up?

Today's goal: Finish chapter 4
Yesterday's accomplishment: Finished chapter 3
What I'm grateful for: It's 60 degrees today and I really think Spring may have arrived. It's hard to tell in Minnesota. Tomorrow we could have 8 inches of snow.
Quote: "About the most originality that any writer can hope to achieve honestly is to steal with good judgment." -Josh Billings (1818 - 1885)

Okay, I'm a sap

Why you ask? Because I just got done seeing the new Hannah Montana movie with my daughter and I cried through 1/3 of it. Sheesh.

Emily wasn't keen on going. She is probably the only girl child in the country that doesn't like Hannah Montana. So, I twisted her arm (not really, she's pretty easy) and said we're going.

I'm not sure why a city kid goes back to the country story gets me every time. Sweet Home Alabama. Totally loved it. Flicka. Yep, cried through that one too. And not because of what happens in the end, although that was really cryable (my daughter's terminology).

And of course, I love a movie with music or dancing. Get my foot to tapping. I'm hooked.

What are your favorite movies?

Today's goal: Chapter 3 (yeah, still fighting with it)
Yesterday's accomplishment: I figured out what's missing from current WIP
What I'm grateful for: Fun kid's movies (yesterday we say Dragonball: Evolution
Quote: "Strive for excellence, not perfection." -H. Jackson Brown Jr., O Magazine, December 2003

Back to Nic and Brooke

You may notice I've been messing around with my progress bars for WIPs. They come, they go. Word count is up, word count is down.

I'm back to working on Bound By Duty with a lighter heart. Since last October when I found out Susan requested it, I've really been struggling with tone. I originally started it with Desire in mind. It went through some rather drastic changes in the beginning. And I think it stands as my most difficult book to begin.

I had a great location. I had a bunch of great ideas, but almost immediately, I realized that my original notion of how I was going to get the characters together (her brother abandons her on the island with no money and no passport and sails off with his girl friend) wasn't going to be intense enough for Desire. So, I made some changes. I gave her a stint on a "Bachelor" like show. Well, Susan didn't like that idea. So, I took it out.

I have external conflict in the form of him becoming king of his country and needing to marry either a noble or a citizen of his country. She knows she can't have him for more than a few weeks and has to decide if that's enough for her. He feels that it's his fault that her brother died. Also, he can't offer her anything permanent and is reluctant to take advantage of her sexually. Unfortunately, to my mind his internal conflict makes him less alpha than Desire publishes. Not that he's a wimp, but uber alphas are all about confidence and knowing exactly what you want and how to get it. My hero is full of regrets and and knows because of external influences he can never have what he truly wants.

So, I've given up trying to target it to Desire. If I don't, I'll write a crappy Desire and it will never get published anyway. I'm going to write the book that needs to be written. I started with some tweaking to chapters one and two and it already feels stronger and richer. I'm starting to think, maybe I'm not cut out to write for Desire. Because, frankly, I just can't figure out how to write what they're looking for.

Today's goal: Finish chapter 3
Yesterday's achievement: Brainstormed Bound By Duty
What I'm grateful for: Letting go. Not an easy thing for a control freak like me
Quote: "That you may retain your self-respect, it is better to displease the people by doing what you know is right, than to temporarily please them by doing what you know is wrong." -William J. H. Boetcker

Pitches on line at eharlequin.com

I didn't make the cut on the Bites pitch. It's okay. I'm struggling with my story. It needs to rest and simmer.

So, they're doing another Desire pitch. My question is why. Did they buy anyone off the last one? What's the point of these pitches if you can submit (pitch) through a query letter. Response time might be a bit better, but it's not as if you get any sort of special treatment as someone who is selected to submit. Can you tell I'm still smarting over the form rejection I received? The pitch before last year's they bought 4 of the 5 who pitched. Of course, at that point they were shaking up the line and where probably in search of new authors to fit their new guidelines. It seems like a really cool deal, but I really think your chance of being bought out of the slush pile is just as good.

Thoughts anyone?

On another topic, I got back my scores from The Sandy. Solid results. The YA book is in early stages so I'm quite pleased.

A Final in the 2009 Winter Rose Contest

YEAH!

Adventures Of A Teenage Truthseer collected its first final yesterday.

I'm very excited since this is my first foray into the YA market. After missing finals in the Marlene and the Sandy, I'm wondering if my success here is due to the fact that this contest didn't require a synopsis. Time will tell.

In the meantime, I'm still plugging away on my Bites entry. The blurb is due tonight at midnight. Thank you, Lexi, for looking it over and telling me where it needed improvement. I believe the finalists will be chosen on the 10th. The pitch is scheduled for 4/15. I expect there will be lots of competition so I don't hold out too much hope, but even if you're not chosen for hte on-line pitch, you can still submit the Bite. And if that doesn't work, I can always expand the story into a long paranormal.

Today's goal: 1000 words and get my blurb submitted.
Yesterday's achievement: 3000 words
Quote: "I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." -Douglas Adams English humorist & science fiction novelist (1952 - 2001)
What I'm grateful for: April snow in Minnesota doesn't last long.

It's Saturday and I'm actually writing

A little inspiration. He looks like he could be a thousand year old Aveni Mage named Stefan, doesn't he?

I know. I know. You're thinking: No, she's not. She's blogging.

I just needed a little break. I'm working on a Bites for the pitch. The blurb is due Monday. But I'm not really working on that. I've got all day Monday to play with it. I'm working on the actual Bites. The pitch is scheduled for April 15th. I'm supposed to have a full done for it. I've really be dragging my feet. The story's there, but I wasn't really feeling the oh, let's get swept up into the story mood that I need if I'm going to produce a halfway decent story.

So, today, I sat down and browsed 4 Nocturnes. That helped get me into the right tone. The Bites are supposed to be dark and sensual, well that's easy. Fast paced. In the guidelines, they said they want a little more characterization than the Nocturnes. I'm not exactly sure why. You've got about 60k less room to do that.

Working with a magical element is fun. I am a fantasy reader from way back. I struggled a little with the type of magic I wanted in the story and settled on two. A his and hers if you will. Characters from two different magical races. And this story provides some of the back story for my Chicago YA Urban Fantasy. I've been a little stuck on that one because of the world building. This Bites has helped me nail it down some.

Well, I'm not getting done with my goal of 3K by hanging out here. Back to work.

What are you up to this weekend? Hanging out or working hard?

Today's goal: 3,000 words on the Bites (almost 2000 down, 1000 to go)
Yesterday's achievement: Finished my Sheila judging
Quote: "A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author." -G. K. Chesterton (1874 - 1936)
What I'm grateful for: 3 great new pairs of earrings bought yesterday at the art show. I love meeting talented artists.

No April Fools for me

I just got a call from the Mid-Michigan RWA telling me that A Case of Meddling and Bending to Blackmail were both finalists in the series contemporary category of the 2009 Happily Ever After Contest. WHOOHOO!

I SO needed some good news. The cold grey weather in Minnesota goes on and on and on. This feels like winter might be loosening her grip.