** peeks out from under a rock and waves**

Hello.

So, it must be summer because I'm back on twitter and dusting off the ol' blog (and stalking PitchWars MG mentors! Eek!). 

Okay, so I'm not a complete hermit. Just... mostly. But I've also been a tad busy. We spent 15 months jumping through all the hoops to adopt our son from China. He came home in April, and after a few months learning how to manage the complete chaos of mothering three boys, I finally felt ready to dive back into my writing.

And oh, how I missed it. 

So, I made up for lost time by completely rewriting one of my old stories in just three weeks. I'd taken a break from this story for a few years and it was so wonderful to breathe new life into it--just in time for PitchWars.

Oh, and here's a picture of my boys. Because cuteness. 

To any PW mentors out there who might be reading:

I want you to know that if you choose me, I will work SO hard for you!!! I am a stay-at-home mama with an incredibly supportive husband and we will carve out whatever time necessary for my edits and more edits (and possibly even more edits?? O_O )  

I'm not afraid to hear tough feedback. 

I'm not afraid of rewrites. 

I will do what I have to to make my manuscript be the Awesomest.

Also, I will be eating a lot of this:

And now... let's hear it for the PitchWars mentors! Thank you so much for all of time, work, and effort you give to us writers who are still in the query trenches. We are forever grateful!

Some info about me:

After teaching kindergarten for five years, I am now home with my three crazy, wonderful boys (you saw the Cuteness above, right?). I'm married to a high school vice principal (an English major!) who was the first fan of my stories and continues to be my fiercest critic. 

I adore him to pieces. 

When I'm not writing or wrangling three small children, I'm dreaming of going back to China, which will forever have a piece of my heart.

My Favorites:

• Doctor Who
• Harry Potter. Duh. (Wait... people still say "duh", don't they? Er... don't they? **runs away awkwardly**)
• The West Wing
• Parks & Recreation
• Books: Ender's Game, The Witch's Boy, Keeper of the Lost Cities, Shadow and Bone, The False Prince, Howl's Moving Castle, and The Septimus Heap Magyk series. 

Confessions: 

* While I am a lover of fantasy, I have not read Lord of the Rings. I've only seen the movies. Guys, I tried--I tried-- to read the books, but couldn't make it past The Hobbit.

* I've never read or watched Game of Thrones (*cue all the gasps!*)

* I don't drink coffee. I know. I'm pretty sure I'm the only writer who doesn't. 

And for anyone still reading (bless your heart!), here's some info on my story, DREW HORRIBLE:

• Title: DREW HORRIBLE
• Genre: upper MG fantasy
• Word count: 69k
• Set in an ancient Spartan-inspired militaristic society. With sock-stealing gnomes. And finicky magic that likes to be wooed. And dragons who like peanut butter. 
• Above all, it's a story about identity. It’s about finding your own way and learning that being different--in a society of militaristic conformity--might be just the thing needed to save the day. 
• Pitch:
  Ever the unimpressive smudge on the family tree, Drew Horrible is expected to follow in his father’s mean and nasty footsteps, and one day take his place to lead the evil Outlander army. After a series of fantastically fumbled events, Drew's on the verge of getting booted from military training altogether—to be forever disowned by his father. But  when a suspicious deadly illness spreads through the Outlander realm, Drew learns a secret leading to the only cure. Drew must summon the courage to ally with the treacherous enemy, the dragon who possibly killed his mother, in order to save his people and prove himself as the rightful heir—if he can embrace his own kind of Horrible.

I am incredibly thankful for this opportunity. I've been a fan of The Writer's Voice for years, and I'm excited to finally have a chance to participate. 


Query:

Dear Awesome Agent,

Ten-year-old Drew Horrible has always been a failure in his father’s eyes. As the son of the High Chancellor of Evil (who sometimes turns people into mice and feeds them to his cats—and that’s when he’s in a good mood), Drew is expected to follow in his father’s mean and nasty footsteps and one day take his place as ruler of the Outlander Realm. Unfortunately, Drew was never that good at being bad. Hoping to redeem himself, Drew sets off for the Outlander Academy alongside his perfectly evil twin sister. But even there, he struggles to pass his cutthroat classes—and if he drops too far in the school scoreboards, it could mean a lifetime of squalor and public shaming.

And, quite possibly, dragon poop-shoveling.

But when a deadly sickness spreads through the Outlander Realm, Drew learns a secret that could lead to a cure, but cost him future as heir—even evil Outlanders don’t tolerate treason. Looking to escape a future as Dragon Poo Drew, the villain-in-training finally has the chance to prove himself the rightful heir to the throne—if he can embrace his own kind of Horrible.

DREW HORRIBLE is an MG fantasy with series potential, complete at 64,000 words. Fans of THE WITCH’S BOY, THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL, and HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON might also enjoy DREW HORRIBLE. 

First 250 words:

Drew Horrible pulled his robe tighter around him. He clutched a small crumpled paper in his left hand as a chill snaked down his spine. The light from the cave ceilings above had dimmed to a soft glow, taking its warmth with it. But it was more than the frosty night air that set his teeth chattering.

“Fangs of Apollo,” Drew sighed, surveying his war-torn appearance. The hem of his new robes were torn to muddy shreds. His father would not approve, and now he’d have to sneak into the castle through the kitchens to avoid a vicious scolding, and he was already late as it was.

He gripped his paper tighter, taking cover behind a precariously leaning orange tree. Its fruit looked more purple-ish than orange.

Great.

Something else for his father to gripe about.

From Drew’s spot in the garden behind the scentless fruit trees, the castle’s eastern wall stood clearly visible. Light poured from the row of windows, where the banquet was surely almost underway.

Ugh. The banquet.

Drew brushed his hair from his eyes. Ever since he’d received his note that afternoon, a dull ache had clamped on to his head with relentless tenacity. Un-crumpling the note, he read his father’s words for the hundredth time:

Andrew,

All eyes will be on you tonight, so look sharp, and take care not to slouch like a Commoner, as you are so often in the habit of doing. Also, I have a surprise announcement concerning you, so you’d do well to pay attention.

Hey everyone, and happy May! Glad to have you stop by. 

I'm extra excited to have Jaida Temperly of New Leaf Literary join us today! I've had the pleasure to correspond with Ms. Temperly a few times, and she's always been extremely polite and encouraging (did I mention I'm excited to have her here?). And now, settle in and join me for a behind-the-scenes look at what really goes on as agents are sifting through their query inbox, reading submissions, and, of course... signing a new client!

Queries

MR: What is your query-reading process? Do you read them as they come in or do you designate certain times of the day? Do you sort them out, or just plow through all at once?

It depends on my schedule. But I usually try to review queries on Friday and then read through requested query manuscripts on the weekends or during after-work hours.

Manuscripts 

MR: If you request a manuscript, do you always request a partial first, or do you sometimes ask for a full right away (and why?).

This differs from agent to agent but I usually request the full manuscript right away. Part of this is because if I do end up falling in love with the ms., I want to be able to keep reading (and not have to email the writer / wait for their response). But the other part is because I like being able to see the full arc of the story. (For example, I’ve seen many manuscripts that weaken after p. 50 but then pull it together a few chapters later. But I can’t see this improvement if I only have a partial.)

MR: Do you read manuscripts in the order they’re received or in order of what looks most appealing?

This depends on the turnaround timeline. For example, if I’m backed up on reading requested materials, I’ll read in order so I can get a response to the author on time. But if I have a few weeks to play with, and if something really caught my eye, I’ll read out of order. You can’t deny the power of a stellar query!

MR: After reading a MS do you know right away that you want to represent that author or is there a certain process you go through to reach that decision?

 I’ll usually set up a phone call with the author to get a sense of who they are as a person, because to me, their writing is just as important as their personality. I also like having phone calls so we can make sure that we’re both on the same page for revisions, career trajectory, communication style, etc.  

New Clients:

MR: What happens after you sign a new client? What's the next step for that author?

It depends on the status of the manuscript. Sometimes the ms. only needs light editing; sometimes it needs a full round of revision. (This is all discussed via the phone call.) But ultimately the goal is to polish the ms. to its full potential and then submit it to editors.

We’ll also begin “big picture” discussions on career goals, working style, communication style, etc.

For fun:

MR: Your ultimate vacation: 

 The Scottish Highlands. If I could live there in a cottage, with a garden, and endless supply of coffee, I’d be one happy lady! (For now, I just watch endless hours of Monarch of the Glen.)

MR: If you could be dropped into any story (book, movie, or tv), where would you want to go, and why?

It’s a tie between Hugh Lofting’s The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle and Ellen Raskin’s The Westing Game.

For Lofting, it was my childhood dream to become a naturalist. (I once asked for a microscope, metal detector, and telescope for Christmas.) And I love the whimsical adventures the Dr. Dolittle goes on – it’s so easy to get lost in the story!

For Raskin, I am obsessed with codes, mystery, and logic puzzles. (Escape the Room is my latest obsession.)

MR: Who's your role-model (literary or otherwise)?

My Grandma Sharie. She’s an incredibly smart, strong, and driven woman. She also taught me persistence, which is a necessity living and working in NYC!

What are you looking for right now?

MR:  What would you love to see land in your inbox right now?

I would love to see more Adult and Middle Grade, specifically:

Middle Grade: Just about anything – it’s definitely my favorite age group! But I do tend to gravitate towards stories that are darker, quirky, and whimsical. Some of my favorite titles are:

-          The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

-          The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire LeGrand

-          Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers

-          A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

-          A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle

-          Coraline by Neil Gaiman

-          Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Adult: I would love to see more adult queries, specifically those with a mystery, high fantasy, or religious undertone! Some of favorite titles are:

-          The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkein

-          Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

-          And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

-          The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling

-          Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

-          The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown

-          A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

-          The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Prior to joining New Leaf, Jaida moved from Wisconsin to NYC to intern at Writers House. Before that, she had a brief stint in medical school and milked cows on her family's dairy farm. Jaida is currently Literary Assistant to Joanna Volpe but in her down time, you can find her practicing yoga, downing coffee, or searching for the city's secret bars and cemeteries.

You can follow Jaida on Twitter. Submission details to query Ms. Temperly are here.Thanks so much for stopping by. Jaida seems absolutely wonderful to work with, so good luck to all who are querying her!

Photo taken from The New York Times, The Writer's Retreat

Erm... hello. It's been awhile since my last post. Sorry. The short version is I've been chin-deep in revisions (a month ago, I would have said knee-deep, but I've sunk to a more precarious depth). After sending my DREW ms out on submission for a few months, the rejections started trickling in. Five agents requested. Five agents rejected. This caused me to take a harder look at my story, and low and behold (thanks to the awesomeness of my CPs) I found a lot of holes.

So I asked all agents who hadn't read DREW yet to please hold off while I went to work on it.

That was February.

Here I am, three months (and three drafts) later, I'm still working. It's been a wonderfully painful three months. I've learned so much in these past months than I have in my five years of writing.

One of the greatest things I've learned is the awesome power of great critique partners. If you don't have CP's, you must get some. You don't know what you're missing. Finding CP's you trust can feel overwhelming, but meeting awesome writers is fairly easy and super awesome. I met almost all my CPs through following the hashtag of writing contests (especially #PitchWars which is coming up in a few months!). After awhile, you find other writers to cheer on (and commiserate with) and then it's as easy as saying "Hey, would you be interested in swapping stories?"

And that's it. Then it's just a matter of learning which person's feedback you resonate with. DREW wouldn't be where it is without the help of other writers.

Another thing I've learned (and continue to learn) is there's a major difference between writing a story, and writing a really good story.

Anyone can write a story.

But writing a good story is what reveals the pro from the amateur. Studying the craft of writing is both exhilarating and exhausting. The more I learned, the more "problems" I found in my story. At first, it was overwhelming. But then, after clearing all the "clutter" like "telly" narration (He was furious) and filter words like "just"... (omg. I can't tell you how many times I used the word just).

I felt like my manuscript was dressed for winter weather in the summertime. After peeling off all the unnecessary layers (and layers!) I was finally able to see the all the "good stuff" of my story underneath.

And so, as I finish out my last few weeks of revisions (hopefully!) before sending it out to agents, I am so thankful for the process of revisions. For the gems that emerge from the refiners fire. 

I'm thankful for writer friends who rally around to cheer me on. 

I'm thankful for K.M. Weiland and her endless resources on story structure and character arc. 

But most of all, I'm thankful for the all the chocolate brownie thunder that's gotten me through it all. Here's to you, chocolate brownie thunder. May your chocolaty richness always contain the perfect ratio of brownie chunks. 

How about you? What's your revision process like? Do you have CP's along the way? How many rounds of revisions do you usually run through until the final draft?

Hey there! Thanks for stopping by. I'm super stoked to have literary agent, Laura Zats, of Red Sofa Literary, join us today! If you're not following her #500queries on twitter, then you're missing out. Trust me. You need to be following her. Do it now. And now, settle in and join me for a behind-the-scenes look at what really goes on as agents are sifting through their query inbox, reading submissions, and, of course... signing a new client!

Enjoy!

Queries

MR: What is your query-reading process? Do you read them as they come in or do you designate certain times of the day? Do you sort them out, or just plow through all at once?

LZ: I try to have a few chunks of time devoted to answering queries in my week. Usually, it happens at night, or during lunch.I read almost all of my partials and fulls in bed before I go to sleep. I try to stay under 200 unanswered queries, but that doesn't always work out, as I get almost ten thousand  a year. 

MR: Roughly how many of your current clients came to you via query?

LZ: Almost all of them! I've had a few love matches come out of twitter contests and pitch competitions, but at least 85% came from the slush pile.

Manuscripts

MR: If you request a manuscript, do you always request a partial first or do you sometimes ask for a full right away (and why?). 

LZ: Unless it's EXACTLY what I'm looking for (or I know the author really well), I'll always ask for a partial first. If I like the partial, I'll ask for the full. If it's my dream book of the moment, I'll just ask for it all to speed the process along.

MR: Do you read manuscripts in the order they’re received or in order of what looks most appealing? Do you always read the whole thing or do you stop when you lose interest?

LZ: I almost always read in chronological order in categories. Fulls are kept separate from partials, since they take a lot longer. Some weeks I'm all about the fulls, and some weeks all I read are partials. If something is my dream book, I'll read it sooner than usual, but this is rare. I stop reading when I know I'm going to say no, and have some criticism or a concrete reason why I will say no. If I think I might do an R+R though, I continue all the way through.

MR: After reading a MS do you know right away that you want to represent that author or is there a certain process you go through to reach that decision?

LZ: I always know right away, but just because I love something doesn't mean I should rep it--I do market research to make sure it's sellable, go through and see who I would send it to. I even give it to a beta reader to double-check that I'm not crazy!

New Clients:

MR: What happens after you sign a new client? What's the next step for that author?

LZ: The next step varies, but often it includes revisions of the MS, and then working on a proposal (which we do together).

MR: Most authors only dream about landing an agent. How different is life for an author on "the other side" of signing with an agent? Is there anything a new clients are typically surprised by (both pleasantly and unexpectedly?) 

LZ: Ooh, that's hard, since I'm not an author! I think the biggest thing is that you get to breathe a little easier since someone else is worrying about the next step for your book. You get to focus on writing and being awesome on Twitter. I think, though, that my authors are pleasantly surprised by how willing I am to brainstorm with them, and give them feedback and work through plot holes. Sometimes, I'll even help them come up with concepts for an entire book!

For fun:

MR: Your ultimate vacation: 

LZ: Napping on the beach in the shade, or bumming around (read: eating my way through) somewhere I haven't been before. The top two places on my list right now are Morocco and Turkey!

MR: If you could be dropped into any story (book, movie, or tv), where would you want to go, and why?

LZ: Well that's a tough question. Somewhere relaxing and full of books. Maybe the Shire (pre-Sauron), or Belle's library (without the imprisonment). As much as I'd like to think of myself as super exciting, I'd really just love to sit somewhere and read about a thousand adventures!

MR: Who's your role-model (literary or otherwise)?

LZ: I think the better questions is who ISN'T my literary role-model. The ladies at The Sofa, of course. And all the awesome editors and agents and writers I meet who are making awesome books happen and really saying something.

What are you looking for right now?

MR: What kind of story would you love to see in your slush pile right now?

LZ: I'm always looking for YA, MG, NA, spec-fic, romance, and erotica, but I'm especially on the lookout for romance right now with feminist themes, and women in male-dominated spheres. I'm also dying for a YA about a pool shark, an anti-coming out story, a book with a brewery as the main setting, and fantasy in non-Western based spaces. I also am still on the lookout for a great witch book, and diversity in all forms.

From her agency’s website: 

Laura Zats’s Representative Categories:

• Young Adult — Fiction, especially contemporary. I love funny and gritty, especially when the two go together. Interested in geekery, retellings, innovative storytelling, and authentic voices. Please no paranormal romance, contemporary romance, dystopia, Chosen One plotlines, or didacticism.
• Middle Grade — Fiction, especially contemporary. Prefers smart, literary writing disguised as adventures. Looking for books that are heavy with STEM and will appeal to girls and boys.
• Contemporary Women’s Fiction — Looking for funny, lighter fare. Think Sophie Kinsella.
• Science Fiction/Fantasy — Must pass either the Mako Mori or Bechdel tests. Love non-traditional settings, fast-paced storytelling, anthropological elements, and smart humor. Please no high fantasy.
• Romance/Erotica — Especially contemporary. Must be feminist, have verbal consent throughout, and feature an independent, smart heroine. Please no vampires, werewolves, angels, demons, or mermaids.
• New Adult — I want the same things as I want in YA, but will also consider contemporary romance.

Wish list for every genre and category: feminism, diversity (in all forms), unconventional storytelling techniques, and voice-driven narratives.

If you are looking to query Ms. Zats, you may do so via e-mail at:  laura (at) redsofaliterary (dot) com using the criteria listed on her agency’s website here.

And don’t forget to follow Ms. Zats on twitter: @LZats

Thanks for stopping by, friends. See you soon!

Favorite Screen Characters Blog Hop

Instructions: For this quick, fun blog hop, you just name your 10 favorite characters from movies or TV, then tag 10 friends to do the same!

Thank you, Lisa Hope , for tagging me in this fun blog hop!

This was so fun for me! I had trouble choosing only ten, but here we go, in no particular order:

1. Anne Shirley, played by Megan Fallows, Anne of Green Gables

2. Lucille Bluth, played by Jessica Walter, Arrested Development

3. Professor Snape, played by Alan Rickman, Harry Potter

4. C.J. Creig, played by Allison Janney, The West Wing

5. The Doctor, played by Matt Smith, Doctor Who

6. Benjamin Linus, played by Michael Emerson, LOST

7. MacGyver, played by Richard Dean Anderson, MacGyver

8. Michael Scott, played by Steve Carrell, The Office

9. Richard Castle, played by Nathan Fillon, Castle

10.  Liz Lemon, played by Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Now, I’m tagging the friends and writers below. Would love to know their favorites and yours!

Samantha Joyce, www.scribblesbysamantha.wordpress.com

Kendra Young, accidentalwriter.net

Hilary Harwell, haharwell.wordpress.com

Sarah Clift, http://www.sarahjclift.com

Janelle Weiner, https://rockpaperfeathers.wordpress.com

Jenna DeVillier, https://jennadevillier.wordpress.com

Shari Schwarz, http://sharischwarz.weebly.com

Vania Stoyanova, http://vlcphotoportfolio.com

Emily G. Moore, http://www.emilygmoorewriter.blogspot.com/