As you may be aware, I help host the PitchSlam contest run every year by the amazing L.L. McKinney. Writers submit a 35 word pitch for feedback, then their first page for feedback, then both together for consideration for the agent round. The hosts, with a slew of talented readers, work to pick the most polished […]
As you may be aware, I help host the PitchSlam contest run every year by the amazing L.L. McKinney. Writers submit a 35 word pitch for feedback, then their first page for feedback, then both together for consideration for the agent round. The hosts, with a slew of talented readers, work to pick the most polished […]
We’re so thrilled to reveal the cover of debut author Kelly Siskind’s CHASING CRAZY, which releases January 12th from Forever Yours! We absolutely can’t wait for everyone to get their hands on this new adult contemporary romance. Check out the beautiful cover below, read a sneak peek, and enter to win a $20 Amazon gift […]
As you may be aware, I help host the PitchSlam contest run every year by the amazing L.L. McKinney. Writers submit a 35 word pitch for feedback, then their first page for feedback, then both together for consideration for the agent round. The hosts, with a slew of talented readers, work to pick the most polished […]
Michelle Hauck is one of my favorite people. No, really. When I was querying, she picked me as an alternate for Sun vs. Snow and hosted a critiquing workshop, which really helped me improve my first page and query. Then she picked me in QueryKombat later that year, and the feedback I got directly lead […]
******THIS IS MY WISH LIST FOR LAST YEAR, 2015. PLEASE CHECK BACK IN JULY 2016 FOR THE CURRENT YEAR’S WISH LIST AS THERE ARE SOME CHANGES***** ABOUT ME: (The official bio) Laura Heffernan is a California-born women’s fiction writer, represented by Michelle Richter at Fuse Literary. One Saturday morning when she was four or five, Laura sat […]
This contest was brutal, because we only got four picks for each team. I easily could’ve chosen ten. A lot of it came down to personal taste. Luckily, some of my favorites also made it into the group picks, but this was by no means easy. Congratulations to the four members of Team Women’s Fiction/Romance! […]
To celebrate her amazing debut YA Contemporary novel, SONG OF SUMMER, Laura Lee Anderson is doing a blog tour. She’s graciously agreed to stop by my little blog and share her thoughts about critique partners. Personally, I had trouble finding a good fit. I swapped with a few critique partners before finding someone I really clicked with. Since […]
This post is inspired by one my critique partner, Mary Ann Marlowe, did a few months ago. The idea is to share your own writing quirks to see if maybe they resonate with someone else. After all, no matter where you are in the process, we’re all in this together. When a manuscript is almost […]
Now, I’m not gonna lie, getting an agent was the single most exciting thing that happened to me in 2014. It’s an amazing validation of all the hard work it takes to get to that point, and it lets you know that someone else believes in your work. That’s all wonderful. But what getting an […]
A month ago, I posted on The Writer Diaries about how exhausted I am and the need to rest without guilt. I also set several goals for myself for May, all geared at helping myself recharge my batteries. Let’s take a look at how I did: Visit my sister and meet my new baby niece. […]
One of the hardest things about writing a query is trying to infuse some voice into it. But it’s also really important to make sure your query fits the genre you’re telling me your story fit into. Consider the following (made up) query: Ten-year-old Harry hates living with his aunt and uncle: They make him […]