There’s a lot of good stuff going on in May, with Nestpitch ending and QueryKombat starting. Here are just a few things for me to be grateful for that happened during the last week. We bought a BBQ! Yippee! That means we can now enjoy eating food cooked outside. It also means I can eat […]
With QueryKombat right around the corner (and PitchWars coming up soon after that), here’s a glimpse into things I do (and do not) want to see on your first page. Do: Show us your character’s awesome voice. I want it to sound like they’re talking to me directly (without them actually breaking the fourth wall […]
Last week I went on a MUCH-needed vacation, so this one is pretty easy. Vacation = bonus awesome things. Meeting my baby niece. She’s kind of a lump, at only six weeks old, but she is a cute lump. Spending four days with my sister and her husband. Even better, giving my husband time to […]
Another week gone by already? Alright, here we go. Seven days, seven awesome things: On Sunday, I awed everyone on my trivia team by being able to correctly state the capital of Berundi. I’m calling this a double win – the only reason I knew the answer is that it happened to be a random […]
I am taking a break, guys. Feel free to review one of my favorite blog posts, posted over on The Writer Diaries: http://www.thewriterdiaries.com/2015/03/dear-diary-youve-been-invited.html
It occurs to me that some people may think Being Awesome is about bragging. That’s really not it at all. I’m not saying “Gee, my life is so fantastic, look at me and be jealous.” Life is hard. For every awesome thing that happens in a week, at least three non-awesome things happen. But that […]
Once upon a time, I was Defender of the Prologue! I was thinking about getting a cape and a badge and everything. I didn’t understand the war on prologues at all. I’d open a book, and go, “LOOK! THIS BOOK GETS A PROLOGUE! WHY CAN’T I HAVE ONE??* Yet, everywhere I looked, agents would say […]
Good morning! I decided to push this week’s post back a little, so all the #PitchSlam posts would still be the first thing to pop up when agents visit my blog to make requests. But, I think these weekly affirmations are important, even though I’m essentially the only person who reads them. So, here we […]
Lights, camera – ACTION! The critics will soon be busy making their selections from the Red-Carpet Premier entries! Remember again that contests are subjective. What tickles one person’s fancy, may do nothing for another. There were tons of excellent entries. Even with five people making selections, that’s nothing compared to the number of literary agents out there. No […]
Title: GOODBYE, GOOD-GOODY GIRL Genre: YA Contemporary Word Count: 68,000 Fav. Movie Genre: Mirella loves “Golden Age” musical movies because they bring the whimsy of the stage a little closer to home. Plus, she wants to star in all of them. Pitch: After landing the lead in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Mirella embraces her character on stage […]
Title: THE WATCHMAN OF ROTHENBURG Genre: Adult historical thriller Word Count: 97,000 MC’s favorite movie genre: Silent films, because after working in the shoe shop most of the day and patrolling the walls at night, he just wants to sleep. Pitch: Autumn, 1631: Tilly’s army advances through Bavaria toward Rothenburg’s centuries-old walls, threatening annihilation. Lowly night watchman […]
Title: THE HEARTBEAT HYPOTHESIS Genre: NA Contemporary Romance Word Count: 64,000 words Movie Genre: Does Disney count as a movie genre? Depends on who you ask – and if you ask Audra, it absolutely does. (Or at least, it should.) Sure, maybe those fairy-tales are riddled with horror, lies, and deceit, but how can you not love all those catchy songs? Pitch: To complete her […]