Lindsay N. Currie

RIP Daydream Believer

2012-02-29T10:24:00.002-08:00

Davy Jones was my first crush.

I watched reruns of the Monkees all the time as a kid. Remember the Brady Bunch episode with Marsha - the president of his fan club? Yeah, me too. The shows were crazy, genuine and slapstick all at the same time. Tons of rewound Monkees VHS tapes, two concerts and twenty years later, I'm so sad to hear he passed away.

Rest in peace, Davy Jones.

Perfection is Overrated

2012-02-27T04:29:00.000-08:00

Writing that first draft is fun, right? Exhilarating and special. But, there's also a part of it that's exhausting. The part that makes you rewrite the same sentence 15 times or cut and paste the same paragraph into a gazillion different parts of the MS before you decide exactly where it fits. Or what about the part of you that is ashamed/embarrassed and doesn't pass on the MS to beta testers to get thoughts on concept, plot or characters. We've all been there, right? Demanding perfection from ourselves when in some cases, perfection just isn't ready to flow yet.

You know what I've come to realize lately? For me, perfection in the first draft is absurd. It can't be perfect. I'm usually writing as the ideas are coming to me, so I've had no time to reflect on exactly how to best get them out on paper. Sometimes they surprise me and come out nicely, but many times they come out clunky, jumbled or just plain wrong. And that's okay! It's okay to write something that isn't perfect because this is the nature of writing. I honestly believe if it came out perfect the first time, if we took away the satisfaction of finally nailing a particular line of dialogue or a bit of description, we'd get bored and all move on to learning how to play trombone. Or scuba dive. Or start a dog-walking biz. Revising is part of the art and therefore I have given myself permission to write crap when that's all that will flow. I know I will fix it later (or let's face it, I know Trisha will know what the hell I was trying to say and she will fix it - that could be the case too:) and ultimately the revision will be seamless.

So, what about you guys? Do you struggle with this?

The Eye of the Storm

2012-02-20T05:50:00.000-08:00

Quick update today just to let you all know that I'm alive, kicking and will be putting up a real blog post later this week. The truth is, I've been sucked up into a tornado. A real-live writing tornado and right now, Trisha and I are in the eye of it. It's the point where the writing comes fast, furious and it's pretty much impossible to stop. I look forward to sharing more about the book with you guys sometime down the road. Let's just say that it's a "read with the lights on" type book all the way.

In the meantime, HAVE A GREAT WEEK and I'll be back before Friday with something thoughtful -- or not, depending on how many brain cells I fry trying to keep up with Trisha's brilliance:)

Valentines Day Does Not Have to be Hell on Earth

2012-02-13T18:55:00.000-08:00

For me, Valentines Day brings to mind all sorts of sadistic things. The cards we were forced to bring our classmates (even the ones that ate our crayons and dumped out our glue in elementary school), the annoying snuggles and knowing looks between the "couples" in Junior High School and then the worst . . . the dances in High School. I'd watch the popular girls who knew how to wear their makeup and had their bangs aqua-netted up to the ceiling with admiration - jealousy. For a day that was supposed to encourage people to show love and affection, it usually made me feel even more insecure than normal.

Nowadays, I'm married for over 12 years, have 3 kids and don't see Valentines Day as much more than an excuse to go to dinner with my fantastic hubby and give the kids a sweet, little surprise. But, you know what? I still remember those feelings of inadequacy it used to bring out. Still remember being the quiet girl, the reading nerd, the tennis player who didn't go to parties and spent Friday nights with her parents. Yeah, I'm still that girl I guess. Only now, I have some age and a little wisdom to go along with it:)

I think about this in relationship to writing a lot. It's easy to feel like the wallflower in this industry, to hold yourself up to standards that make you feel lame and incompetent. Ever beta tested for someone who made you want to poke your eyes out because their writing was so good? Or watched Publishers Marketplace and felt like you were witnessing the cool kids jet off on summer vacation in Paris while you are riding a smelly, yellow bus to Bible camp? Maybe you're looking for an agent and everyone around you seems to be riding the wave of offers while your manuscript is still looking for a home. Whatever it is, I'm certain we've all felt it. But it doesn't need to define us.

The success of other writers, especially ones we know, is something to champion, to be happy about - not something that should turn us into an insecure mess. The reality is, every successful author had to go through the same rites of passage that we all do. The querying trenches, the hell of submissions, the nerve-racking reviews . . . it's all part of the same, big picture and no one is immune from the powerful feelings of self-doubt that creep in when you you are most susceptible.

Let's share the writer love this Valentines Day. Send a nice email to a writer you know. Tweet something encouraging to your beta testers. Give a shout-out to your favorite blogger on your blog. However you choose to celebrate this Valentines day -- do it with grace, and support someone else. They'll love you for it. Happy Valentines Day, everyone:)

Get Reading!

2012-02-08T04:46:00.000-08:00

Ginger Clark

"The one overarching trend I have noticed from pitches at #wdc12 is that people haven't read much in the field they have written in."

Whoa, right? The above tweet is from my awesome agent, Ginger Clark (@Ginger_Clark on Twitter if you aren't already following her. And if you aren't, shame on you. She's filled with publishing knowledge.) This comment called to mind dozens of writers, lined up to pitch Ginger, but unknowingly being completely unprepared. And let's face it, no matter how hard you worked on your book, if you haven't read anything in your field -- you're unprepared. It's like getting ready to plunge out of an airplane and assuming the parachute you lovingly handmade at home is gonna work without doing any research, or comparing it to everyone else's. Risky, right? Yes, I do look at reading in my field as research to some degree. I not only enjoy keeping up with what's new, hot and exciting coming out, but it gives me a more well-rounded view of YA and what it takes to make it through all of those fiery hoops we talked about Monday.

I honestly believe that writing is only part of the equation folks. Yes, yes. CP testers, editing, all of these things are also pieces to the same puzzle. There's are many factors to each and every book we attempt. READING is also a critical one. Are your ideas original? Is your voice right? Is your point of view fresh and interesting? These things are so important, but so hard to answer without arming yourself with literary knowledge. So, in the spirit of today's theme, here are the last three books I've read in my field:

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

In Too Deep by Amanda Grace (aka Mandy Hubbard)

Rotters by Daniel Kraus

Currently reading: With or Without You by Brian Farrey

What are you currently reading in your field?

What if that Awesome Book in Your Head is . . . RISKY?

2012-02-05T18:44:00.000-08:00

You wake up in a frenzy. You're sweaty and excited as you stumble to your laptop in the dark, hoping to scribble down a few words that about the dream you just had. The dream that's going to be your awesome, new WIP. But, holy #@!*. Oh, sweet fancy moses! Stop. Everything. There was a vampire in it. Your new, sparkly idea just went down the toilet.

Okay, this this is obviously very over-dramatized, but I'm sure we've experienced some form of this. It's hard to come up with new ideas and sometimes, the ones we think of seem . . . well, risky. The book in your head may be fantastic. It may be the best flippin' book ever, but it's still unsettling if you know that when it's finished, your WIP will fall squarely into an area of the market that's saturated. We've all heard about the death of vampire books, paranormals, dystopians -- so what does that leave us to write?

I can only speak for myself and I'm obviously no expert, but I think there's a difference between being aware of market trends and being consumed by them. Are angels out and are gypsy werewolves in? Or wait, was it memory loss you heard was the next big no-no? It's impossible to stay on top of these things, and while it's important to remain cognizant of them, really our primary job is to write a kick-ass book. Vampires, zombies, whatever speaks to you is really what should be coming out of your pen. If it's amazing enough to have captured your imagination, it may very well capture someone else's as well.

Got a risky book in your head that just won't go away? Here are my thoughts:

1. Be absolutely certain that the idea is unique and not just a variation on a overused formula. So, in other words, a dystopian about a girl fighting against an oppressive government in an MMA ring, rather than an arena, would not qualify as unique. THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX. You don't want to spend months swimming upstream, writing a book that the world is telling you is dangerous just to find a big, bad, hungry bear waiting at the top. If your book isn't as unique as you think it is, you'll get eaten.

2. If you are agented, talk to your agent! After all, you signed with him/her because you not only like them, but trust them as well. And let's face it, no matter how hard we as writers try, their industry knowledge exceeds ours. So, rely on them to guide you. If they say a book sounds great, but is going to be a tough sell -- realize that they simply don't want you to be shortchanged in the long run and give their words careful consideration.

3. If you aren't agented, remember that once you write the book, you need to get your baby past multiple fiery hoops in publishing before it sees shelves, and the first one is nabbing an agent. I'm not going to lie, this isn't an easy thing for anyone to accomplish. Your book needs to be written really, really well and stand out from the crowds for an agent to take you on. So, if you're convinced you can make your risky WIP unique, just be 110% that your query is strong enough to showcase this.

Sorry for the long post today guys, but I'm interested in your thoughts. Have you ever scrapped a WIP because you just saw too many people jumping on the bandwagon? Or have you told your brain to shut up on an idea that sounds like a tough sell?

Playing Hooky

2012-02-02T18:18:00.000-08:00

Hey guys!

I'm unplugging for the weekend, and just want to wish you all a fantastic Friday:) I'll be back on Monday with a post on the importance of reading in the genre you write in. And yes, I'll also be catching up on my blog commenting. I apologize that I've fallen a bit behind this week.

In the meantime - I don't usually recommend books on my blog, but one of the books I recently read really swept me off my feet. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin was riveting. Loved the plot, loved Mara and LOVED Noah. In fact, I was guessing from page one to the very end. So, if you haven't read it, I highly recommend.

Here are the two books I have a date with this weekend. Have you guys read either of them?

PERSPECTIVE

2012-01-30T04:28:00.000-08:00

Recently, my nine year old son embarked on a writing journey. He began writing a collection of short stories which he passed around to his friends and classmates.

In the stories I read, there was something particularly interesting on display. My son has an amazing vocabulary and a fantastic imagination, but the one thing that stuck out to me were his characterizations. He had several characters in the stories, two of which were the "Crazy Old Man" and the "Smart Young Man". Now, throughout the stories, these characters continued to develop and "unfold" if you will, but overall, they stayed pretty true to their titles. The old man, was indeed crazy and the young man was terrifically smart. Why am I going on about this? Because of PERSPECTIVE. A nine-year old boy has such a different world view, operates under a completely different set of beliefs about how the world works than a teen or an adult does. I'm pretty certain that when I was nine, I believed my parents were both crazy and old and that young people were inherently smart.

I relate this a lot to writing for teens. Teens are such a special group, they really are. They're old enough to have absorbed some world experience, but still young enough to be unable to apply it appropriately. Emotions guide a lot of our behaviors in the teen years . . . well, that and the rules and regulations that adults mandate. So, that begs the question: how does one who is no longer a teen, write from that point-of-view? I think this is something so easy to discuss, yet so difficult to really put into action.

Quite frankly, I don't have any great answer for the question I'm posing. I only know how I attack this, the myriad of things I've learned on this topic from not only making mistakes, but from writing with Trisha. Writing young adult for me, means backing out all of my 35 years of life experience and remembering that as a teen, I rarely thought much beyond the moment . . . if at all. I heard my parents, but didn't always listen. I loved so hard, though I didn't really comprehend what it meant. And above all, I always, always felt a little bit alone. I can't say that in my life I've gained actual wisdom, but I do think I've gained knowledge. Knowledge that I need to keep out of my manuscripts. Knowledge that I can not allow to taint my characters reactions, dialogue or relationships. They simply haven't experienced it yet. They. Make. Mistakes. Lots of them.

So, the next time you make a decision about having one of your teen characters swear, or smoke pot, or shut-out their parents, or sleep with their boyfriend - be sure you're doing it for the right reasons. Are you doing it because your character would actually behave that way, or are you doing it because your life experience is bleeding onto your work?

How do you balance your own life experience with that of your characters?

Lice, Lice, Baby. . .

2012-01-26T04:46:00.000-08:00

It's the thing every parent dreads. The nasty little secret that strikes tons of elementary school aged kids all over the country. Yup, it's worse than the Kardashians. It's lice, lice baby.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Why Lindsay? Why did you just put Vanilla Ice in my head AND why in the world are you blogging about head lice? Well, actually the Vanilla Ice was just for fun (STOP! COLLABORATE AND LISTEN), but I do have master plan with the lice analogy. You see, last year we had a lice scare. The kids classes all sent home a notice saying lice was circulating in the school and I panicked -- after all, I was a lice virgin. So, I immediately pulled my own hair into a ponytail began checking the kids hair. Now, here is where things get ugly.

There are specialty boutiques in Chicago that specialize in "treatment" of head lice. For the children confirmed to have it, they remove it and send them on their merry way. For those who are worried they might, these places offer a "screening" where they wet the child's hair down and comb through it section by section. Even better, they offer these services while the kids watch a movie and you sit reading a magazine and sucking down a skim latte. Awesome right? So why the sarcastic tone from me? Because I convinced myself it was necessary to take all three of my kids there and get myself screened last year. I also walked out over four hundred dollars poorer.

The lesson I learned, was that the bells and whistles, while appealing as hell, aren't always necessary. The same applies to writing, really. You don't need the fanciest laptop, the most awesome and drool-worthy e-reader or connections out the wazoo to write an amazing book and land a spectacular agent. You don't need to belong to every, single solitary writing group or internet circle available. While there are a lot of perks involved in attending conferences or writing retreats, they're costly and when it comes down to it, they are not the factor that will make or break you as a writer. Let's face it, although are recommended in terms of platform, you don't even need a blog (gasp!).

You just need to write. No bells. No whistles. Just your mind and an awesome idea. How's that for a fantastic Thursday notion?

Let's Get Ready to RUMBLE!

2012-01-25T04:30:00.000-08:00

No, I did not channel Michael Buffer this morning because I'm starting a literary fight club (I hate pain. . . and blood. . . and fighting. Naturally these things take me out of contention). I want to get you guys wound up, pumped, and excited to hone all of your insanely brilliant editing skills and focus them on one thing: fellow writer and blogger Prerna Pickett's query letter. She's standing with one foot poised to step on the query-go-round and she needs our help. So, pick out something you'd change or something you love and let her know in the comments section. OR, if you're feeling particularly fiery this morning, copy the whole thing into the comments and show us how you'd tweak it!

Shelly’s biggest problem is fighting with her mom about her future, until she starts to spontaneously combust. Now all she wants is to be normal again- no fire, no secrets, no fear.

Getting the answers to what’s causing her to be a super freak isn’t very likely, and it’s totally screwing with Shelly’s life. Then she meets Kale, the guy who seems to have all the answers. When he tries to recruit Shelly into the Circle of Elements, a secret organization that protects the earth from otherworldly monsters, Shelly’s not so sure the price is worth it. Shelly’s a pretty hot commodity, and Kale’s not the only one with his eye on her.

Shelly recieves phone calls from a mysterious woman warning her against the COE, and claiming to have answers. Shelly thinks she’s found the easy way out, but when warnings start turning into threats against the COE and Kale, Shelly knows she can’t just sit by if the Circle falls to pieces. Then there are those growing feelings between her and Kale. Shelly only joined the Circle to protect him, not fall for him. One thing is clear: either Shelly can finally start trusting Kale with her secrets, or she can watch helplessly as everything she’s found is ripped away from her.

FIRE AND ICE is a Young Adult Paranormal Romance told from alternating POVs. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Beware the TPS Report

2012-01-23T04:15:00.000-08:00

Here's a simple wish for the week: ENJOY WRITING.

Don't allow it to become a drudgery. After all, we started writing for a reason and I'm guessing that for most of us, that reason was not money. More likely, it was because we love it and receive personal satisfaction from it. Occasionally, I'll see tweets along the lines of: Ugh, why can't this book just write itself? or I'd rather kick innocent puppies than write today. (yes, totally fictionalized. I do not know any writers who kick puppies.) While I'm certain that frustration comes with every project we start, it saddens me to think that for some, it's the defining quality. Getting to our publishing destination is a huge accomplishment, but if we aren't enjoying the journey, the price is pretty steep.

In short, I've resolved never to let writing become my TPS report. Even if I had to take a day, a week, a MONTH away from it, I will not let my craft be reduced to nothing more than a task.

I will keep the magic.

Have a great week guys. If all goes according to plan, I'll be back on Wednesday with a query for you all to critique:)

Left Hand on the Yellow Dot. . .

2012-01-19T04:27:00.000-08:00

One thing I've never been is flexible. I mean, physically flexible. I sucked at Twister as a kid (not to mention how horrific and awkward that game is) and have failed miserably at any type of yoga I've ever tried. However, mental flexibility is something altogether different.

When I first started writing, I tried to organize my story lines into neat, little boxes that had a clearly defined point A and point B. I'd force myself to create an outline (failed almost as badly as at Twister) and as I was writing, even if something didn't feel right, I continued hammering at it until I convinced myself it did. THIS WAS BAD. This was very bad because most of the time, my gut instincts were right. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with writers having a vision for their manuscripts, in fact that's half the battle. The problem I ran into, was being too rigid. Defining the shape and flow of my story and setting it in stone. That caused unnatural plot twits and characterizations that no amount of editing could fix.

Nowadays, I realize that mental flexibility is key. Being able to let go of plot points, character quirks, scenes or entire chapters is sometimes necessary for the overall health of the book. It may feel scary to deviate from what was originally planned, but I truly believe that foraying into the unknown is far better than being stuck in a load of literary poo.

Now if I could just touch my toes without screaming.

Have a great week guys:)

BRING IT

2012-01-17T11:08:00.000-08:00

This is all I have to say to this week. BRING. IT. George Costanza style, baby. Let's all find the courage to put ourselves out there this week. Write with passion, edit voraciously, and keep the faith.

Hope you all have a fantastic day and I'll be back later this week to post on something useful. Maybe. :)

What the @!&* Was That??

2012-01-13T04:43:00.000-08:00

About a week ago, I took my kids to see a movie they'd been pining over at the theater. It was We Bought a Zoo with Matt Damon. Based on the commercials, it looked like a lighthearted story about a family that somehow ended up as owners of a zoo and their adventures with the animals. So. Not. The. Case. I made the mistake of not reading the reviews prior to going to the movie - otherwise I would have known in advance that the movie is actually about death. Lots and lots of death. Oh, and lots of swearing! Yes, how could I forget that? It was rated PG but there was plenty of colorful language for everyone *cue sarcastic tone* In fact, the animals had virtually nothing to do with the movie at all. While I walked away from the theater understanding that the message was about healing, and how one can overcome something that threatens to completely break you, I couldn't help but feel cheated. Misled. I'd spent two hours of time with my kids in that theater, expecting it to get funny. Whoops.

I think about this a lot in relationship to reading. Often, we buy books because we either know the writers work already and are staring at a beautiful, glossy sequel we've been dying to read. Or, because we know the writer themselves from the blogging world. But, in many cases, I buy books based on the jacket flap -- the blurb. If the blurb is amazing and piques my interest, I'm likely to fork over the cash and take that puppy home with me.

What the movie We Bought a Zoo highlights for me, is how critical marketing/promotion of our books (of any product really) is in relationship to the way a viewer, reader, etc. processes the finished product. Had I known the movie was going to be as dark as it was, granted I might not have taken my kids to it, but I wouldn't feel bitter about it either. And, if I'd gone to see it with my husband, perhaps I would have a different review of it now. Same with books. If an author has an amazing blurb that promises me something MIND BLOWING. . . I want my mind to be blown. If their marketing is clever and fantastical, great! But, I want to see some cohesiveness between it and the book.

How about you guys? Have you ever picked up a book and started reading, only to realize that the blurb seemed to be written about a different book? Did you continue reading?

Critique #2

2012-01-11T04:33:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! Thanks guys for how many of you chimed in on what you're reading or is on your TBR list right now - AWESOME books!

Today I bring you another 1st 250 word segment from the WIP of the super-sweet Tonya Kuper. She categorizes her novel as a YA romantic comedy and it is titled Haute Mess. She's hoping to nab her dream agent and as we all know, you have to grab their attention from the start and NEVER LET GO! Thanks in advance for your comments, observations and suggestions. If you're interested in putting either a query or your first 250 words up on my blog in February, email me at: lindsayncurrie@gmail.com.

So, for Tonya's sake guys, BRING IT!

I was rummaging in my bag for a gloss fix when I ran right into my arch nemesis and fell on my butt. I looked up and found Vanessa glaring down at me with her shiny, pink lips pressed into a smirk. My loose papers gently zigzagged down to the floor like feathers beaten from a pillow and my face was instantly ablaze.
            “Ex-cuse me!” Vanessa snipped, as if I did something wrong – like live. She and her entourage stepped around me as I crawled across the cold tile to collect my latest sketches for the fall fashion season.
            I watched her catwalk away from me in four inch heels, tight, skinny jeans, and a real Prada bag slung over her shoulder, not like the imitation I had a couple summers ago. Then I noticed the red soles of her shoes. Christian Louboutin heels? For real?
            “Seriously, someday I will haul off and punch her in her perfect little nose,” I rattled.
            It wouldn't be worth the trouble,” Kate replied as she helped collect my drawings. She didn't like to argue with anyone, besides me. Needless to say, she wasn't on the debate team.
            “Christian Louboutin heels. Ugh!” I muttered to myself as I stood. The shoes made me despise her even more, if that was possible.
            “Ow!” Before I knew what happened I was on my back – again – only this time I was eye to eye with Rob, his nose only an inch from mine.

What are you Reading?

2012-01-09T04:41:00.000-08:00

My kids head back to school today after 16 days at home. Yipes. I feel strangely conflicted about this to be honest. While I've not been very productive in terms of writing these last couple of weeks, I've enjoyed them and am a little bummed that the house will be so quiet at 9 a.m. again. I know, I know. I sound like I've been taking crazy pills:)

Today I'd like to do a quick reading check with everyone. One of my goals in 2012 is to read far more than I did last year and so far, I'm accomplishing it. Here's what I've been reading - can't wait to see what's in your TBR pile!

Just read: VARIANT by Robison Wells. Creepy, creepy, creepy. The premise of this book is what caught my attention - especially the fact that it has a realistic slant to it. It's also written from a male point of view, which is something I enjoy as well. It's tense and very fresh.

Am Reading: CRACKED by K.M. Walton. I'm about halfway through this book and while I don't usually gravitate toward alternating POV's, it works fantastically for this story! The book revolves around two boys (yes, again male point of view book) - one bully and his victim. Walton is masterful in her ability to elicit empathy from me, for both boys. Will definitely be finishing this one!

What's up next on my Kindle: Oooh, this is a toughie. I can tell you this though, I'm switching gears back to female POV and it will either be Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi or Cinder by Marissa Meyer. Both of these ladies are sweet as pie and I have no doubt that their books are going to suck me in. So, it's a win, win!

What are you reading???

Sweet Fancy Moses!

2012-01-06T05:24:00.000-08:00

Thank you everyone who commented on the fabulous Kelley Lynn's query earlier this week! It was WONDERFUL to see not only my regular commenters pop in and make some suggestions, but to also meet so many new people as well! When it comes down to it, the writing community is really just all kinds of kick-ass. And, as a thank you, I offer up the Elaine Benes dance for all of you to enjoy prior to jumping into our second critique of 2012.

SWEET FANCY MOSES!

Okay, enough of my Seinfeld mania. On to the business of the day, which is our second critique of 2012. This is Kelley's first 250 words of her WIP. Feel free to point out your favorite parts, both voice-wise and setting-wise, etc. and to give any constructive feedback that you can. Also, thank you all again. If you are interested in being part of my bi-monthly critique segment, please feel free to email me at lindsayncurrie@gmail.com - I am looking forward to showcasing two different writers a month:) For all of my newer readers - SWEET FANCY MOSES! Just kidding. I meant to say, I'll be around to all of your blogs in the next couple of days to say "hi" and I can't wait to see what you're all up to!

So, here we go!!

The chains around her wrists jingled, echoing off the stone walls, a cheery sound out of place. If she closed her eyes and moved her arms again it would be as if she were listening to a wind chime, twittering in the breeze. But the cold metal was not a wind chime. It was a tether, a leash, holding her captive in the belly of her city.

She could have called it her room, for it was where she slept, where she ate. The situation would seem more bleak once the drugs wore off, sending her into a depression of why she even bothered to live.

She had no choice, that’s why. They needed her and refused to let her die. They kept her down there in an almost comatose state until it was time for her to work her magic.

Literally.

The cell swayed and whirled, like a small boat in the ocean. A state she was so used to it felt more real than normal. She never smiled, that had been stolen long ago. But if she did it would be in this dreamlike existence.

Scraping of the heavy wooden door down the hall caused her head to float up, searching for the person among the sea of swirling colors. The large blur was who she expected and though she knew she should feel something, she was unable to summon emotion.

“It is time again, girl. Your people need you.”

Critique #1

2012-01-04T06:17:00.000-08:00

Here we go guys, our first critique of 2012! The query comes from Kelley Lynn and I'd like to first thank her for participating and trusting all of us to steer her in the right direction:) I'll paste the query below and then give my initial reaction and a suggestion or two in the comments section, then you guys can take it away. I do have Kelley's first 250 words also, which we can potentially post for critique on Friday of this week, but rather than overwhelm everyone with both of them for now, let's start with the query.

The more suggestions the better for Kelley, so spread the word so we can help her be in tip-top shape for querying.

Dear Agent,

Eighteen-year-old Rydan Gale is the only one of his people with the ability to wield magic. He lives like a prince, cherished for his talent to bend the fabric of the universe to his will. In the war against the Liasam, he is their ultimate weapon.

The Liasam have their own source of magic, but the girl’s mastery of her power is rudimentary at best. With a brilliant display of fire-rain Rydan’s side wins the war, giving them sole control over the dwindling supply of resources due to the natural disasters ripping apart the earth.

As a symbol of the end of war, the Liasam sorceress is sentenced to death. If there’s only one life taken after the slaughter on the battlefield, Rydan can live with that. Until he discovers the girl has the same symbol as he, tattooed on the back of her neck. Rydan betrays his people and saves the girl from execution, knowing if she dies the answers to his past will as well.

Rydan discovers the tattoo is the mark of an extinguished tribe and the natural disasters plaguing the world are due to the tribe’s demise. If Rydan doesn’t accept responsibility for his ancestry, and convince the sorceress to do so as well, the world will crumble, until nothing remains.

FRACTION OF STONE is YA Fantasy told in alternating POV, complete at 65,000 words. Readers who relished in the lyrical writing of Laini Taylor’s DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE and immersed themselves in the contrasting world views of June and Day in Marie Lu’s LEGEND will find themselves drawn to this tale. A complete manuscript is available upon request.

Thank you for your time and consideration and I look forward to hearing from you.

Why the Goby and the Shrimp would be Twitter Ninjas

2012-01-03T05:22:00.000-08:00

I'm on Twitter! I'm on Facebook! I'm on Blogger! I'm on Tumblr! I'm in your face 24/7 and you can't escape me!

Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. Self-promotion. The waves of writers, all vying for attention, followers, comments, "likes". Don't get me wrong, I have been working towards being more "connected" for a year now, so I'm no exception to this trend. However, lately I've been watching how writers interact, how different platforms work for different authors and dissecting what it really means to be an advocate for your own work VS be a shameless self-promoter. I know, it's a scary line and one we're all deathly afraid of crossing. But, it's there and I'm hopefully beginning to grasp what it means to use these different platforms properly AND without making everyone around you stabby.

Since I've only had a Facebook author page for a few weeks, I'm not going to delve into that just yet. I'm not an expert in any of these areas, but that one is really quite new to me so my observations are just a little less complete. So, for now, I'll focus on Twitter.

Twitter. Ahhh, how I used to hate you. But now, I realize Twitter's power. The danger in it, however, is not recognizing how quickly you can clog up other people's feeds with your own propaganda. As with most things in life, it really works best if you look at it as a give-and-take relationship. . . symbiotic in a way. You know those little shrimp deep down in the ocean that dig the burrow and then rely on the goby fish to help them protect it in return for shelter? Well, they're amazing. The shrimp has horrible eyesight, but great digging skills so it digs the hole. The goby lays its eggs there, safe and sound and in return, guards the hole and warns the shrimp of any intruders. Sweet, huh? Twitter is kind of like that. You gain followers (real ones, not bots of course) by adding value. RT'ing valuable blog posts or articles, tweeting your own bits of wisdom and the occasional quirky thing never hurts either. After all, it's okay to allow the real you, the interesting bits to peek through.

However, should any of us use Twitter as nothing more than a stream of 140 character commercials on the wonders of you and your projects, my guess is that we will lose followers and even worse, lose value. Trust me, I don't have a ton of followers, nor have I been on Twitter as long as most people have, but losing value on Twitter is like losing street-cred and it's hard to get back.

Does that mean we should never promote ourselves on Twitter? Absolutely not. I do. I post my own blog posts as well as things that pertain to my co-authored writing and hope that my writing buddies will take the time to read them. However, my goal is to avoid being a shameless self-promoter. A jerkface. It gives me joy to RT my friends and writing buddies when they announce something and to celebrate book birthdays on Twitter and I hope, in return, someday they'll be kind enough to do that for me. After all, we're like shrimp and goby's here guys. The publishing world is only so big and we need to help each other out . . . promote each other, right?

So, what do you say? You dig and I'll guard or vice-versa?

I Saw Midnight. . . and I Liked It!

2012-01-01T07:58:00.000-08:00

It's 2012 and I've got a fantastic feeling about this year. Maybe it's because 2011 was so good. Maybe it's because I'm working on a cool new co-authored project with Trisha. Or, maybe it's because I woke up content this morning as a result of the massive food and chocolate I ingested last night. Whatever the reason, I feel good.

As promised, I'm back on a normal blogging schedule starting this week. I'll be blogging M/W/F, with a few exceptions, and am planning to open up the critique segment. Depending on how many requests I get, I will post a query, first 250 words or short blurb every Wednesday and both myself and my lovely commenters will point out our favorite parts as well as make helpful suggestions. As of now, feel free to email me your submissions at lindsayncurrie@gmail.com and I'll start lining up our weekly critiques.

See you all Wednesday - I'll either post our first critique to begin working on, or a post on the dynamics of self-promotion. In other words - I'll be exploring that fine line between being your own best advocate and being a shameless self-promotion jerkface. Um, only I won't use those words - I promise:)

Happy Holidays

2011-12-19T04:47:00.000-08:00

In lieu of a writing-oriented post today, I wanted to take a moment to say thank you. Thank you to everyone who supports not just my blog, but me. Your comments make me smile and I'm so glad to have "met" each and every one of you. The holidays are about giving and I feel extremely grateful to know such a thoughtful, giving group of writers. 2012 is going to be FANTASTIC (epic might be even a better description though. . . ) and I absolutely can't wait.

I'm going to take a hiatus from blogging until after the new year, but when I return, I'll be putting out a call for submissions for the weekly/semi-weekly critique. Remember, 1st 250 words, a query letter, a blurb - you name it and we'll critique it. The response to this idea was overwhelmingly positive and I'm really looking forward to it. In the meantime, if there's something you'd like to submit, feel free to email me anytime at lindsayncurrie@gmail.com.

Happy Holidays everyone - AND HAVE A FANTASTIC NEW YEAR!

Do it with Grace

2011-12-13T05:01:00.000-08:00

When I was a teenager, my mother taught me a lesson that has carried into my adulthood, and one that I hope I am instilling in my children daily. I was on the tennis court, sun beating down on me and my arch nemesis across the net. I was losing. I wasn't just losing, I was on the verge of losing the entire match and my attitude had taken a turn for the worse. I wanted to throw my racket. No, I wanted to throw it at her face and laugh maniacally as I danced around her unconscious body. No, really. It was that bad.

16 year old me with the varsity tennis team - far left

I looked up into the stands and saw my mother, looking at me rather unhappily. Despite the fact that I hadn't said one word, she'd seen the attitude change, could feel that I was becoming her worst nightmare on the court. Someone who was going to not just lose, because that was never something to be ashamed of in our house, but someone who was going to lose ungracefully. We had a chat that night, long after I'd grudgingly shaken hands and walked away from my loss and I realized her point. It didn't bother her that I was losing, it bothered her that she could tell. I came to realize over the course of my teen years that whatever I was doing, whether or not I was winning or losing, she wanted me to do it with grace. And this, my friends applies so much to our journeys in the publishing world that I had to share it with you today.

There's always a ton brewing in this industry, so it's no wonder we see dozens of different announcements daily.

I got an agent!
I left my agent:(
I got a book deal!
My book didn't get bought:(
I'm self-publishing!

With all the changes in the industry, there's a million different things happening at any given time and the one unchanging factor for how I feel about each and every one of them is GRACE. If an author I know sold their book, I would love to be their advocate and shout it off the rooftops for them. I'd love nothing more than to celebrate someone, even a total stranger, landing an awesome agent or deciding to put their work out there on their own. However, if you're like me, you've seen a lot of ill-tempered blog posts and snarky behavior out there lately and it's outright depressing. If you've just landed a book deal and don't appear to have a humble bone in your body (Being a writer is so easy! Anybody can do it! In fact, I barely spent an hour writing this silly, old thing!), I'm less inclined to buy your book or help you market and am more inclined to draw imaginary mustaches on your picture. If you've just left your agent and are planning to take your career into your own hands and self-publish, fine! I'll support you with blog comments and twitter RT's, so long as you aren't bashing your ex-agent and every editor that ever lived.

It's hard, I know. There are still times when I feel like that angry, jealous sixteen year old girl standing on the tennis court, but I'm not. The reality is, I never said "good match" to my opponent that day and I should have. She deserved it. On the flip side, there have been plenty of times when I enjoyed victory far too much, but I can't take it back. I can move forward and do it as elegantly as possible. Whatever our publishing journeys are, where ever we end up and no matter how long it takes us to get there ... let's do it with grace.

I'm quite certain none of us will ever regret that move.

A Vlog Thank-You and Holiday Wishes

2011-12-12T08:04:00.000-08:00

Excuse my kitchen in the background folks. . . it's the room with the best light so my options are limited:)

What's Your Reality?

2011-12-07T04:31:00.000-08:00

You know that image you had in your mind as a child of how your life would end up? Maybe you thought you were going to be a Doctor, a physicist. . .a veterinarian. However, whatever you believed you were going to be, my guess is that in your mind, it was pretty darn perfect. You'd have a sprawling house in the countryside, 2.5 brilliant children and a pet so sickeningly cute it should be in commercials.

Now cue reality. For many of us, it does include a family in some form. Maybe you are married, engaged, dating or like me, have been settled for some time and have children. However, I'm not the Professor of literature I once wanted to be (seriously, who didn't want to be JUST LIKE John Keating in Dead Poets Society??), nor does my dog make bring in big bucks from Science Diet commercials. In reality, I have three awesome children - all of whom are sometimes messy, sometimes stubborn and frequently try to kill each other. I have a laundry room overflowing with dirty clothes, a pile of holiday cards I haven't even started addressing and less cooking ability than a blind, one-legged monkey. In fact, forget the gourmet home-cooked meals I always dreamed I'd make daily. . . my husband is the great chef in the house and I've simply learned to not only accept it, but to be grateful. I'm grateful because it's my reality. It's my reality and I'm really freaking fortunate to have it.

Let's apply this idealist vs. realist conversation to publishing. We all hear the stories of whirlwind agent searches and book deals. Writers who only send out a handful of queries and get a bazillion offers. Books that zero rounds of revision, or novels that only go on sub for two days before launching a full-scale auction. However, is that everyone's reality? Hardly. In fact, I'd hazard a guess that these stories are rare and while they're amazing for said author, they shouldn't be the holy grail for any of us. I wrote for two years before I found my niche and I wouldn't trade that time or those rejections for anything because if I hadn't done it, I wouldn't have figured out where I belong. I wouldn't have started writing with Trisha, or written a book I love as much as SILO. I also wouldn't have ended up with an amazing agent. My point is this: while I think it's healthy for us to daydream about these stories, feel inspired by other writers' good fortune or imagine an idealized version of what our own publishing journey might be. . . don't forget to appreciate your reality. Be grateful. Be proud of your accomplishments, however small or large they are. They're your reality.

So, writers. . . what is your reality?

Whoopee! We're on Facebook!

2011-12-04T07:07:00.000-08:00

I know, I don't usually post on Sundays, but today is unusual. Trisha and I have finally gotten around to creating a Facebook page dedicated to our co-authored projects and I'd love for you guys to stop by. Maybe if you're feeling benevolent (it is the holidays:), you'll "like" us and get us that much closer to being as connected as we'd like to be. The content is still being tinkered with, so be aware that there will be more and more information regarding our first co-authored novel, SILO as well as our brand-new project that has been turned into the hands of our agent, the fantastical Ginger Clark. We will be sharing quotes, snippets and more as the weeks go by, so come on over!

Trisha and Lindsay on FACEBOOK

On a side note, Monday is my catch-up day for blogs so I'll be around to catch up on all of yours then!

Happy Sunday everyone!!

Manuscripts and Muppets

2011-12-01T04:28:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest adrenaline rushes ever is starting a new project. I love that sensation of seeing a fresh concept beginning to take shape and the complete lack of boundaries that accompanies something so new. Recently, Trisha and I shipped off a project to our agent and, because neither one of us can sit still for more than a few minutes at a time, promptly started something new. Like a lot of what we write, it's creepy, dark and grounded very much in reality. In other words, it's bad news. . . but could happen tomorrow.

I'm curious as to whether or not you guys experience the same high as I do when starting a new project? Do you dive right in and just let the words litter your word document or do you start feverishly plotting? Either way, I suspect many of us feel the same jitters, the same excitement and suffer the same lack of sleep while our minds race away.

Because I can not fully describe exactly how I excited I am by this new manuscript, I am leaving it up to the Muppets today. Yes, you heard me. The MUPPETS. After seeing the movie, and having this particular song stuck in my head for almost a week now, it's time for me to gift you guys with: Life's a Happy Song

Things I Know. . .

2011-11-28T04:31:00.000-08:00

I hope you guys all had a FANTASTIC Thanksgiving weekend! I enjoyed four days with my hubby, my kids, my family and a pile of books! While I intended to start either Andrew Smith's The Marbury Lens or Daughter of Smoke and Bone this weekend, I ended up reading about half of my son's book, Peter Nimble, by Jonathan Auxier. According to my son, it was "the best book ever" and this far in, I can definitely see what the appeal is. Auxier writes beautifully and isn't afraid to write grittier things for the younger audience. I mean, Peter Nimble is a blind, orphan thief. That's absolutely fantastic and I was drawn in from page one.

In addition to eating and drinking far too much this weekend, I also thought a lot. Yes I thought about the many things I'm thankful for, but I also thought about the things I've had the opportunity to learn or discover this past year. At the risk of boring you, here are some of them, should any of them help you in your upcoming year:

* Writing can be hard. When it is, it's time for me to stop and take a break.
* The mango sorbet from Hagen Daaz is a gift from the gods.
* A good laptop is the best writing tool in the world. I love my Macbook Air like a child. A very organized, quiet and well-behaved child.
* I don't care what anyone says. National Lampoons Christmas Vacation never gets old and Cousin Eddy is the essence of the holidays.
* Twitter really is more than a social network. It's a brilliant platform that used correctly, can connect writers seamlessly.
* Demi Moore needs to walk in a normal person's shoes for a while. If you don't have zillions of dollars to spend on constantly maintaining your appearance, it's much easier to grow old gracefully.
* I officially don't mind watching iCarly with the kids. It's a funny show and I'll be damned if I'm going to feel guilty for admitting it!
* No matter how I feel about the Twilight books, the writing, the characters, etc. . . I am absolutely thrilled that Stephanie Meyers was able to do what she did.
* Seasonal coffee creamers are a nightmare. They get me hooked over a two month timeframe and then ruthlessly jerk them away from me.

#IWILL

2011-11-21T04:57:00.000-08:00

Every year, right after the holidays it appears as though the world goes a little bit crazy. New years resolutions - they simultaneously make me crazy and inspired. Most of the time, I hear the same old things. Lose weight. Learn to cook. Spend more time with family. But this year, I thought we could add a little twist to it - a writing twist.

Let's come up with a writing resolution, one that would satisfy you in the new year. The catch? Make it reasonable. This is where I think most people go astray when they come up with new years resolutions to begin with. Don't start out saying you want a book deal in 2012 if you haven't written the book - start smaller, more reasonable and then you'll hopefully have something you have a great chance of accomplishing! I'm going to launch a new hashtag on twitter today, #IWILL that will be our connecting force to share our visions for the new year and I'd LOVE to see you guys participate. Leave me a comment here with your resolution and then head to twitter and share it with the world. I'll RT all of them I see and hopefully, you guys will do the same.

I'll make my way to all of your blogs today too - looking forward to seeing what you've all been up to!

Myths of Co-Authoring Cont...

2011-11-11T05:29:00.000-08:00

Forgive me for my absence everyone, but I had a tremendously sick child this week and have not been able to surface before today. However, I come back bearing a peace offering! A new blog post...on a topic that proved extremely popular on my co-author, Trisha Leaver's, site. A couple of weeks ago, Trisha did a blog post called The Myths of Co-Authoring and had multiple comments asking for further clarification on our writing partnership and the dynamics of it. So, we've decided to split up the questions and in true co-authoring fashion, take turns answering them on our individual sites.

One of the most interesting questions Trisha got, in my opinion, revolved around the actual method for our writing. Kathryn asked:

I'm going to echo the comments here and ask for some more insight into how you ladies write together. Dumb questions alert: do you go back and forth with chapters, then swap?

So, first let me say that there are a ton of writing partnerships and I'm quite certain they all work differently. I have heard on multiple occasions that many co-authors take turns writing the books - as in, one will write the entire first draft while the other edits and tweaks. Then on the next book, the roles switch. This is not how Trisha and I write. Trisha and I, for the most part, switch on and off by chapter. Yes, you heard me correct. One of us will write a chapter, toss it to the other one for a thorough "tweaking" and then writer #2 will then write the next chapter and the process is repeated. On some occasions, we'll write more than one chapter or even pick up a chapter in the middle, if one of us becomes stuck. So, it's a constant process of passing the manuscript back and forth, writing and tweaking, both of our hands in the pot from beginning to finish.

One thing I want to clarify though, is that I truly believe this process works for us because we have a similar mentality, similar writing styles and work ethics. We're both drawn to writing edgier, darker story lines and rarely disagree on plot points or characterizations and also importantly, we're capable of checking our ego's at the door when needed. Similarly, if we were not able to match writing styles or voice, this method simply would not work and the project wouldn't blend seamlessly.

So, I hope this all makes sense and answered your questions Kathryn! Got a question for us on co-authoring? Chances are good we've got an answer! Leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts:)

What are you Reading?

2011-11-04T04:35:00.000-07:00

First of all, thank you for all of the sweet birthday wishes this week! Today I turned 35 and guess what all of you twenty-somethings?? It's really not all that bad. The 30's have actually been lovely so far - and hopefully my next year is even better than the last one was. HEAR THAT 2012??? I've got high expectations for you!

Second of all, it's been a while since I did a poll of what we're all reading and I really, really love those. From my end, I am currently downloading and will be jumping back and forth between:

Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor

And The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss (I know, I read the first one AGES ago and have said for months I was starting this. Busy, busy, busy)

Uh, can I just take a moment and say how much I ADORE Rothfuss' cover art? I love his MC Kvothe and this cover suits him just perfectly.

So, what are you all reading and why did you choose it? Are you enjoying?

Birthday Musings...

2011-11-02T07:56:00.000-07:00

As inspired by my agent, I've decided to do a post on the oh-so-observant things I've learned in my 35 years alive. Yes, that's right...Friday is my birthday and it's the big 3-5! My family has so kindly gifted me with new technology (I'm a tech geek. New gadgets are my weakness), my BIL is taking me to play tennis and I get to go out for a lovely dinner this weekend. Add in some writing time and I'm looking at a fantastic next few days.

So, without further adieu, here is my top 10 things I've learned in 35 years...

10. If I write something and think it's crap, it's usually crap.

9. The high school math they said we would use every day of our adult life? I never use it. Liars.

8. Jeans/Sweater/Converse = my entire wardrobe. Not saying good or bad, but this is a reality.

7. Nothing you can do to beets makes them edible. Along with rompers and the Kardashians, we should just pretend they don't exist.

6. When I am on my death bed, I will want the two hours back that I spent watching Rango. I hated that movie.

5. Manchego cheese and a good glass of red wine is a gift from the gods.

4. Signing a good agent is like finding that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow: it's so difficult, but well worth the search!

3. Drivers in Chicago are bat-shit crazy. Apparently their drivers-ed here consists of proving that you've got a middle finger.

2. Coffee and chocolate are the two best flavor combinations on the planet.

1. I'm the luckiest girl in the world.

There you have it. Have any words of wisdom for me guys? You know I'd love to hear them:)

In my Inbox...

2011-11-01T04:29:00.000-07:00

A thought provoking question came up last week, courtesy of my overflowing and painfully neglected inbox. What do you do when you receive conflicting opinions from beta testers? Awesome question and one that I personally don't think is easily answered.

If you're a writer, odds are you've sent out one of your babies (ahem, I mean a manuscript) out to be tested by critique partners at one time or another. You could be like my writing partner and have a really fantastic method, all streamlined and sleek or you could be more fly by the seat of your pants. Either way, there is bound to come a time, if it already hasn't, when you're material will come back all marked up. . .but none of the comments or suggestions match up. Boo.

First off, it's obvious that if you sent a manuscript out to five testers and three or four out of the five say the exact same thing or something very similar, then you need to evaluate that suggestion. But if they all come back with differing opinions and radically different views? Not so easy. My initial inclination is always to ask for an impartial opinion from another tester, one whose judgement you trust. Perhaps you've got a trusty set of a few testers that know all of your work and would be good sounding boards for your conflicting advice.

Beyond that, there's always something to be said for your own gut instincts too. Part of being a writer is creative control, so don't be afraid to trust your gut when it comes to plot or character changes. After all, this is your baby, right? And remember - ALWAYS save every draft of your MS that includes substantial edits. You never know when you might want that sentence/paragraph/descriptor/character you killed off back!

So, how about you guys? Have you ever received completely contradictory advice from testers and how did you handle it?

Zombie Lindsay

2011-10-30T06:34:00.000-07:00

Okay guys, here it is. The reason I've been offline for so long. The party was a huge success and I had an absolute blast last night. Here's a couple of pics of the party setup and one of Zombie Lindsay, Zombie Hubby and family (click on the picture to make it bigger...and to see my insanely frightening zombie eyes LOL). Back to business as usual tomorrow with a normal post and I'll be making the rounds to all of your blogs then as well to comment and play catch-up!

Random Updates from Halloweenland

2011-10-26T21:27:00.000-07:00

Short post today, as my goal is to assure everyone that I have not actually croaked or simply abandoned my blog. No really, I swear I haven't. I'm just down to crunch time before my giant kids costume party on Saturday and it's so busy. I've literally got 45 children and their parents attending this year, not including the handful that always show up after not RSVP'ing like good boys and girls. Add those numbers to apple bobbing, crafts, music and prizes and you've got a super-fun night...but one that involves a lot of prep!

A couple of questions that have come up recently, while I've been MIA (again, I know how lame I am. Next week will be better)

"You never gave us a picture of your Halloween costume" Ahh! Gladly I will provide this. This year, I am a zombie prom queen and my oh-so-patient hubby is my zombie prom king:

Hehe, yeah it's gonna be fun.

One more question that has come up that I regretfully admit not responding to yet: "How did your son do at the big tennis event you were tweeting about?" He did GREAT. Last week, my 9 year old son played tennis at Chicago's United Center before the Champions event. He played for an hour and had an opportunity to meet Andre Agassi (who signed his racket) and watch Jim Courier, John McEnroe, Agassi and Todd Martin all play. It was a fantastic night and thank you so much for asking!

So, next week I will get rid of this shroud of lameness and be back to usual. Which, might not be much better, but the posts will be more valuable LOL!

Have a GREAT weekend guys and I'll see you on Monday with a new post!!!

BRIDESMAIDS guide to surviving publishing

2011-10-19T04:41:00.000-07:00

Last night, I not only made it past the ten o'clock thresh hold, I shattered it. I was up until *gasp* midnight! Bet you're wondering what kept me up past my bedtime huh? Here's a hint: It was a movie about a woman whose life is well, sucky and her sudden responsibilities as her best friend's maid of honor.

Bridesmaids. It was pretty freaking funny - in that awkward oh thank god that isn't happening to me way. Even funnier than some of the scenes was the fact that I could relate a lot of the movie's themes to writing. Bridesmaids really honed in on many of our fears - fears that can be applied in a lot of different situations. So, here we go with today's post: The Bridesmaids Guide to Surviving Publishing (there will be movie spoilers in here, so if you haven't seen it and really don't want to know what happens...stop reading now:)

1. Bridesmaids lesson number one: do not allow intimidation to take over. Right out of the gate, you discover that Annie's best friend Lillian is getting married, and while Annie is the Maid of Honor, there is another woman involved in the festivities. Helen. Helen is a well-dressed, beautiful and filthy rich wife of Lillian's husband's boss. In other words, she's intimidation personified. Annie, on the other hand, struggles with money, lost her bakery and drives a beat-up car. The intimidation she feels in regards to Helen is painful to watch and ultimately drives her to some really destructive behavior.

This really makes me think of writing. How often have we read something and felt completely intimidated by it, or by that writer? We compare ourselves constantly and eventually, we begin losing self-confidence as a result of it. We become hesitant to let others look at our work, to query it when it's ready or to really try as hard as we should. Don't let your writing career be determined by your fear of the "Helen's" out there.

2. Bridesmaids lesson number two: it will get easier...eventually. One of my favorite scenes of the entire movie was actually really disgusting. All of the bridesmaids, including the bride-to-be, end up with a horrible case of food poisoning that really kicks in during a bridal fitting. They're in a pristine, very upscale dress shop when they all suddenly um...start to have some serious gastrointestinal problems. Unfortunately, the bride ends up pooping on the street in a wedding gown. This would obviously burst anyone's pre-wedding happy bubble. But, it does not mean that the entire thing has gone up in smoke. It doesn't mean there still can't be a happy ending... it's just a bumpier road to get there for these ladies.

Again, the theme of having so many hurdles and roadblocks to get to the "happy ending" really resonated with me. As gross as this scene was, it really made me think of the ups and downs of publishing. Rejections, bad beta reviews, silence from agents or editors...all of these things bring us down and let's face it...it can be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel sometimes. It's there though...even if you're pooping in the street in a wedding gown, it's there:) A difficult journey towards finding your book on the shelves will only make it that much more amazing when it happens.

3. Last but not least, Bridesmaids lesson number 3: follow your instincts. I can't tell you how many times I cursed at the television last night when because Annie continually blew off the man she knew was a good guy and focused on the jerk. Rhodes, the sweet police-officer with the adorable accent was obviously a less destructive person to have in her life. . . but she kept going back to the quintessential jerkface. What was worse, was that she knew he was bad for her. Ugh.

If your gut instinct tells you that an idea is overdone, or that a beta tester isn't quite understanding your characters or that a particular agent would be a great fit for your MS...follow it. Don't scrap good ideas because they aren't trendy or likewise, only write for the trends. Write what you love, what you're good at and rely on your instincts rather than putting a lid on them.

Well, that's all for today. If you made it to the end, give yourself a big pat on the back cause this one was really long winded!

What my Nine-Year-Old Taught Me...

2011-10-17T04:34:00.001-07:00

This weekend, I was reading over some revisions when my son crept up on me. My nine-year-old is a very heavy reader and will literally devour everything he can get his hands on. He sat down and proceeded to ask me who my favorite author was. I couldn't answer. I have so many favorites, so many authors who have etched out a place in my heart with their work that I had to tell him I couldn't pick. When I asked him who his was, expecting to hear Gary Paulsen (his hero), he said "You, Mom. As soon as I'm old enough, I'm going to read everything you write."

Funny thing is that although this was a compliment that left me speechless and fighting tears, I still had the craziest internal debate over it. In the midst of such a beautiful moment, I actually had to fight the natural instinct to say I'm not an author. That I'm a writer, but that my goal is to someday be a published author. But as he patted me on the shoulder and grinned, I realized it didn't matter to him. That distinction may be important to me, but it meant absolutely nothing to him.

So, how does the inner workings of my fourth-grader's mind have anything to do with writing? Well, personally I found his perspective to be extremely gratifying. Despite the fact that my whole family is so supportive of my writing, I still feel the compulsion to justify the amount of time I spend doing it. I worry about writing when I see other, more tangible things that need to be done. Oh look, there's a pile of dishes in the sink and the dishwasher still hasn't been unloaded from last night. Maybe I should do that instead of this...

What my son reminded me of, is that writing is not something I'm doing temporarily. For me, it isn't a hobby. . . it's a job. It isn't something I'm going to wake up tomorrow and give up or decide that I'm not going to pursue publication anymore. Even though my books aren't on the shelves yet, he sees me as an author. And that, my friends is priceless.

Do You Believe in Magic?

2011-10-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

Every night, my kids have reading time. Usually somewhere around eight o'clock they all crawl into bed and start the process of being sucked into someone else's world for forty minutes or so. Rick Riordan, Jeff Kinney, Gary Paulsen...these amazing authors are part of our nightly routine now and I'm so grateful. In fact, most nights I have to pry the kindle out of my nine year old son's hands because he's so focused and more often than not, everyone gets to bed late. Funny, I think I always envisioned having to chase my kids away from video games and television at bedtime; never once did I envision reading to be the culprit of a late bedtime:)

I know I talk a lot on this blog about inspiration and what inspires me to continue writing, revising, editing...trying. But this is my reality. I write because I love the magic that books can create. They can transform forty minutes of time that would normally be frantic and frustrating into serene, family time. Books can even transform kids who were trying to strangle each other ten minutes previously into rational human beings again. Sometimes the kids read to me, sometimes I read to them and sometimes we all just read silently. But, we read. And this magic is why I write. I want to create that.

So, tell me... do you believe in magic?

Fall Revising

2011-10-09T05:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of the best Fall days I can remember. I took my kids to a pumpkin patch, where I geeked out and picked out 150 lbs of pumpkins. There was a haunted corn maze, pony rides and a corncob cannon (you gotta love my Midwest roots LOL). Between the fun we had there, the changing fall leaves and the two iced lattes I indulged in, it was an unbelievable day. Add in the revising on a sweet WIP I did last night and you've got a near-perfect day for this cowgirl.

Apologies that I've not been online as much this week as usual. It's been a really busy one. Things are going well, and I'm looking forward to getting back on my normal M/W/F posting schedule next week. First though, I wanted to let you know about a new blog series that Trisha and I are going to be hosting. Recently, she did a blog post on the realities of co-authoring and it was really insightful. She had numerous comments and many, many questions regarding the mechanics of how we write together. So, we've decided to expand that into a series and weekly, we'll each answer one of the questions that was posed on that blog post. Trisha and I will take turns posting the answers, and for the ones that I answer over here, I'll keep them under the label "co-authoring" so you guys can find them easily. If you have a question for us, please feel free to leave it in my comments here also, and we'll add it to the list.

Last but not least, how have you all been? Have I missed anything exciting in the blogging/twitter world? I'll be making the rounds to blogs today and tomorrow - so see you soon:)

Hot Chocolate, Bones and Monthly Goals

2011-10-03T04:46:00.000-07:00

It's finally October, my favorite month of the year. I spent Saturday putting up our Halloween decorations (which is a lengthy proposition because I'm a class 1 freak about Halloween) and visiting the Spirit store to look at costumes. Did you know there is a six and a half foot Frankenstein out this year that moves and moans? He's FANTASTIC. Anyway, I digress. With bones strewed all over my yard, cobwebs on my fence and my mug continually filled with hot-chocolate, the ambiance for Halloween (and for writing) is set.

This month, I would like to finish some revisions on a WIP I'm very excited about. That's my main goal. I'd like to be toasting its completion on Halloween with my eyeball-beaker cup, while simultaneously downing some of the kids trick-or-treat candy.

So, burning questions of the day: What are your goals for October? AND Should I be a zombie pirate or a zombie prom queen for our big party this year?

Random Thoughts on a Wednesday

2011-09-28T08:12:00.000-07:00

I was thinking last night after making my first attempt to catch up on everyone's blogs (If I haven't gotten to yours, I'm coming...I swear!) about the process of writing and putting one's work out into the world. It's amazing the things I've learned since starting this journey - things that I might not have wholeheartedly agreed with at the outset. *Let me preface this by saying that this post is catered to writers pursuing traditional publishing (as this is my only experience) - so if you skipped the agent process and are seeking publication another way, this post will probably make your eyes glaze over:)

1. Publishing is subjective. Agents all have different tastes as do editors. What one agent dislikes or feels is not quite right for them, might ignite several offers of rep from others. When I started this journey, I would have made the "whatever" face at this. I figured if you write an awesome book, they'll recognize its awesomeness and sign it immediately. Not entirely true. A book can be awesome, but not right for someone at the same time.
     For those of my buddies who are querying right now, or preparing to, let this one sink in for a minute. Remember that a rejection from an agent is simply one agent's response to that MS. It's based on their own personal taste, history, experiences and editing contacts. Does that mean that a different agent, with different taste, background and reading will also reject it? No. That's the beauty of it.

2. An agent asking for revisions prior to offering representation does not mean you are guaranteed an offer from them, nor should you blindly agree to do them so they'll sign you.   Now, Trisha and I did not get any revision requests when we were querying SILO, but I know many authors who do. Something to consider - yes, a revision request means an agent sees promise in your MS and is interested to see 1) how you revise and if you're capable of making their suggested edits and 2) how you two might work as a team. However, and this is a biggie - be certain that the proposed revisions are something you agree with and are not revisions that may be tailored to one person. Ask yourself these questions: do the revisions make the MS stronger? Do I share the same vision as this agent for the MS? If I make the revisions and the agent does not like it, will I still have a better MS I can continue querying with? If your answer to any of these things is no, I would consider it carefully. Do not jump into making revisions for one agent without fully weighing your options - as exciting as it seems at that moment.

3. Finally, if your MS strikes out with every agent you can think of and has been rejected around the globe, think hard about your next move. We all know there are a ton of publishing options out there now - small presses, self-pub, etc. but it's critical to look at publishing as a marathon and not a sprint. If your book does not get picked up by an agent, despite the 100+ queries you sent out on it and the numerous rewrites and pots of coffee you imbibed, it might not be ready for publication. It could be something wrong with your plot, your characters, your writing, yes...but it could also simply be a case of the wrong MS at the wrong time. Timing isn't everything, but it's important.

Am I saying no one should ever consider self-publishing or similar routes? No, but just like any other step in publishing, think about your long-term publishing goals and decide if self-pubbing fits in with them before making any commitments. For an agent's opinion (and a very balanced one if you ask me) view on self-publishing vs. traditional publishing, head to the WriteOnCon archives and read this chat with Sarah Megibow of Nelson Lit. It really provides some fantastic insight.

Sorry for the long post, I know that this one really hovered on the border of rambling. Let me know where you are in your journey and where you hope to see yourself in 3 years:)

Ladies and Gents...We have a Winner!

2011-09-27T04:39:00.000-07:00

Thank you all SO MUCH for entering, retweeting and blogging about the 300 followers contest that Trisha and I hosted! We did indeed hit 300 and even surpassed it. Next up? 500 followers. Let's hope we get there sooner rather than later:)

Congratulations to ...

BESS WEATHERBY!! Yippee! Bess, shoot me an email at lindsayncurrie@gmail.com and let me know your mailing address so Trisha and I can ship off your goodies:) We can make your critique arrangements then as well. Thanks and congrats!!

Back tomorrow for a proper post. Have a great day guys!

It's Raining Teeth

2011-09-26T04:59:00.000-07:00

Recently, I've been having these nightmares where my teeth randomly just start falling out. Usually, I'm touching one or something and I realize it's loose. . . that then starts an avalanche of teeth. It's mortifying, really and when I wake up I'm usually both grateful that it wasn't real and kind of angry that I had the dream - AGAIN. So, why all the "it's raining teeth" dreams? I can't be sure, but there are a lot of people in the world that speculate about dreams and their meanings. According to these "dream interpreters", a dream like this symbolizes feeling out of control or unable to handle one's circumstances. Hmmm.

I'm not saying I put any stock into interpretations of dreams, but I do find it interesting. For one, I have three children with radically different tastes, interests and hobbies. That equates to a ton of me being not just mom, but chauffeur, referee and chef. I also have a variety of obligations at their school, so tack on project manager and event planner. Then we factor in the house I don't always get cleaned and the dinners that rarely turn out eloquent. I would say to add housekeeper to your list, but no one would pay me for what I do:) And then there's the world of publishing. You probably all know this and many of you are living it, but there comes a point with all of your work when you must place the control in someone else's hands. Hopefully you sign with a brilliant agent, let them take the wheel and know that although you are officially in the wings, you're in good hands. But, you still must relinquish some control.

It's no wonder I dream of raining teeth.

So, what's left? What in the name of this massive tornado called my life can I say is under control? My writing. My writing is something I can 100% control and gives me the peace and the serenity to avoid having a meltdown in traffic when we're 15 minutes late to tennis or realize I never defrosted the pork chops for dinner. No matter what madness is swirling, I can always flip open the old Mac and type until my fingers feel numb. Even better, I can start instant messenging Trisha about ideas until she wants to strangle me. This, is what gives me all the control I need elsewhere.

So, tell me. Do you guys dream of your teeth falling out? Does life ever spin wildly around you and if so, how do you handle it?

* Stay tuned for the winner of the 300 followers contest to be announced! Trisha and I will pull the winner later today and notify them tomorrow.

Contest!

2011-09-22T07:55:00.000-07:00

Would you believe that both myself and my writing partner, Trisha Leaver are both incredibly close to hitting 300 followers? Yeah, I know - I was shocked too! Shocked and grateful. So, I'm going to keep this short and sweet today. Trisha and I would like to ring in 300 followers with style. We're both still a handful away, but were hoping you guys would help AND are proposing a little contest for fun! Here's how it will work:

Makes our contest look great, right?

1. Be a follower on both our blogs:) On this post, leave me a comment and let me know you want to be part of the contest.

2. Last but not least, here's the part where you help us! Use any social platform to help us achieve our goal of 300 followers. If you tweet about our blogs, great! Tweet and add it to your blog sidebar or feature our blogs in one of your posts - even better! Any way you choose to help us will get you into the contest:) Lindsay's twitter ID: @lindsayncurrie Trisha's twitter ID: @tleaver Just don't forget to comment on our blogs so we know you're in!

Now, on to the good stuff. The prize. Come Monday, Trisha and I will go through both of our blogs and generate a random winner! (the oh-so-advanced random generator will likely be one of our children pulling a name out of a hat BTW. Yeah, we're technological like that).

The winner will receive a 3 chapter manuscript critique and a query critique...not from one of us, but from BOTH. Two sets of eyes. Two sets of comments. Also, if you'd like to get more than just our feedback, we're willing to put your query up on the blog for our daily readers to comment/give feedback on. In addition to the critique, you will receive some writing essentials swag from both of us:

Trisha survives on a combination of chocolate and caffeine and will ensure that you have a basket of those delivered to fuel all of your writing/revising needs! And, isn't that mug adorable? You need this basket of goodies:)

Lindsay relies on hordes of journals, highlighters and index cards when she's writing or editing, so she'll stock your writing area with them! And, since Fall is here tomorrow, a mango-peach candle and pumpkin shaped stress relief ball are perfect writing companions:)

So, you on board? We'd love to pass 300 and would love celebrating it with you guys even more.

Yank Me In!

2011-09-19T04:30:00.000-07:00

A couple of posts ago, I talked about my struggles with putting down books that aren't really keeping my attention. You guys had some fantastic thoughts on that and many of you said something similar: "I have so little time, the book I am reading better be good or I will move on." Makes sense. There's so much talent out there and gazillions of good books, so why read a boring/nonsensical/frustrating/poorly written one? This brings me to today's topic. What really yanks you into the book, grips you and refuses to let go?

For me, it's a combination of things. Of course, I love a good plot, great voice and an intriguing first chapter. However, I usually have some idea of the plot when I buy the book. So, what about that first chapter, besides having a strong hook, really draws me in? The writing. I'm a sucker for beautiful writing. Interesting word choices, unique sentence patterns and a balance between dialogue and internal thoughts...these things really stick out to me and make me read because I can't stop, rather than reading out of guilt.

Here's an example. I recently bought and am about halfway through The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab. Now, I knew when I bought the book that I'd love the plot, but a good plot does not mean in every situation that the book will hold my interest. However, Victoria's writing is absolutely sublime. Here's a snippet from the first chapter - one that captivated me from the very start:

"Long, long ago, the Near Witch lived in a small house on the farthest edge of the village, and she used to sing the hills to sleep." Wren pulls the covers up. "She was very old and very young, depending on which way she turned her head, for no one knows the age of witches. The moor streams were her blood and the moor grass was her skin, and her smile was kind and sharp at once, like the moon in the black, black night..."

Okay, I can't tell you how smitten I am with this. And this is only one example of many that are this beautifully written. So, in this book's case, even if it didn't have as strong of a plot as it does, I would still be reading...simply because it's written so very well.

What about you guys? What chemistry does a book need to have to not only hold your attention, but to yank you in and refuse to let go? Leave me an example:)

Fear

2011-09-15T19:48:00.001-07:00

Since Halloween is rapidly approaching (okay, for me it is because I'm a nerd and I think about it all year long), I thought it would be fitting to do a post on fears. Not just any run-of-the-mill fears like spiders, cramped spaces or turbulence (ahem, some of us really hate turbulence), but writing fears.

I'm sure none of us like to admit how frightened we really are when we either send our manuscripts out into the hands of beta testers, or click send on that query letter we've been staring at for weeks, but we all feel it at one point or another. The paralyzing fear that makes us pause, re-read those revisions one last time or take a few days off just to settle down. But what if your fears run deeper? Maybe you always wanted to write a thriller, but you're afraid you'll fail and write something ridiculously not thrilling. So... you never start one. Or maybe your fear of what others will say about your book is keeping you from writing what you really want to write.

It seems to me, that some fears are actually healthy for us. They keep us in check to some degree and prevent us from making careless errors or sending out our work before it's really ready. In that sense, our fear can be useful and managed for our benefit. However, there's a fine line between recognizing our limitations and being afraid to even try to find them. After all, how in the world would you know you can't write a Space-Opera (I've no clue what this is - if someone does, please enlighten me) if you're too afraid to consider the possibility?

Confession: I wasted months of valuable writing time after attempting to write picture books/chapter books because I was afraid to attempt a full-length novel.

So, tell me. Are there any fears holding you back right now?

Why I Keep Turning Pages...

2011-09-14T04:07:00.000-07:00

I spend gobs of time reading. Literally, if gobs was a legitimate measurement, you'd be shocked. I beta test for friends, yes, but I also do a lot of reading for fun, particularly at night. I love the ambiance of a darkened room with my tiny Kindle book-light churning out light like the Little Engine That Could. It's wonderful to start a new book, especially one that captivates you for one reason or another. Occasionally, I pick up one that just blows me away - makes me think about it long after I've read it, obsess over the characters and pray for a sequel.

However, despite the ambiance and my desire to love every book I pick up, there's always some that just don't resonate with me. I might be two chapters in, I might be halfway through, but there's usually a moment of recognition where I know it isn't going to be a book I love, remember or even enjoy. This is where things get hairy. I have trouble putting the book down. Sometimes it's like a hyped-up movie and I need to understand why everyone else loved it and I'm . . . not. Then it becomes a challenge - "You will read this book Lindsay, even if your ears bleed and your eyes dry up and fall out because you DON'T WANT TO MISS OUT!" Also, if a particular book has done well in its genre, I honestly feel it's worth reading regardless of my own personal taste.

Seriously though, being a writer puts many of us in a unique conundrum when it comes to this...we know how hard it is to write a book, let alone get it repped and published, so putting one down is not a joking matter. However, reading is subjective. One reader's flop-of-the-year is often another reader's pot of gold. That's the beauty of it and that, is why I often keep reading despite my own personal feelings or reactions to the book.

What about you guys? At what point (if ever) do you put down a book and entirely stop reading if it isn't working for you? Do you keep turning pages?

What are you Reading?

2011-09-12T04:37:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I checked in to see what everyone is/has been reading and historically, these posts are always very interesting so - here we go!

What I just read: Possess by Gretchen McNeil. Such a unique concept and Gretchen nailed her teen voice so perfectly. I actually vacillated between being creeped out and laughing, so kudos to Gretchen for eliciting a spectrum of emotion!

What I'm reading now: The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab. There couldn't be a more perfect autumn book for me. Everything from the tale of the Near witch at the beginning to the setting is dark, ominous. The writing is beautiful and hooked me from page one. Can not wait to finish this one.

What's up next: I plan to take another short deviation away from YA literature for my next read and pick up the sequel to Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. I loved that book and have heard that The Wise Man's Fear is equally as good, if not better.

So, on this lovely September morning tell me - what are you guys reading?

So, You're a Writer Huh?

2011-09-09T04:42:00.000-07:00

"Oh, you're a writer. Wow, I wish I had time for a hobby like that." Uh, actually I'm trying to make this a career, but thanks.

"Young Adult books are kids books, right? So, you can probably write those like ten times faster than people who write adult books huh?" Young Adult books are not easy to write, nor are they "lesser" than any other type of novel.

"Congrats on getting an agent! When's the book come out?" *headdesk* Thanks, but I signed with an agent, not a publisher.

Ah, the perceptions of what being a "writer" is all about. I'm sure many of you have heard these and worse, but I really started thinking about some of these statements lately and how perception vs. reality can affect us as writers.

I love writing. But, being a writer sometimes evokes some very romanticized, and therefore not very realistic ideas from people. Cue image of someone writing at a gorgeous oak desk in a private room overlooking the ocean... no, overlooking a vast expanse of trees. Now cue reality: me sitting in a glider (recycled from my daughters nursery), on the landing of our 3rd floor with my laptop actually perched on my lap.

This example is pretty shallow but nevertheless, it's an example of a disjoint between an idealized notion and reality that can equate to stress. Whether or not we want to admit it, many of us are stretched too thin and it has the ability to affect your writing. Instead of the romanticized notion, the reality is that you've slept only five hours because you didn't start writing/revising/editing until 9pm when your kids went down. You woke up late only to realize that your husband/wife is looking for a clean work shirt in a pile of your kids dirty school uniforms. The refrigerator is bare and the reports you needed for your school's parent organization were due yesterday.

My point is this: many of us have friends, family, co-workers and colleagues who do not understand what we are attempting to accomplish, nor can we really expect them to. Without obsessing over stats, reading dozens of blogs, surviving the query trenches and listening to writer-buddies vent ... we probably wouldn't have a good grip on this industry either. In short, they don't and can't equate to the fact that writing is hard and you are stressed. This is why we need to de-stress ourselves. Find a way to carve out a routine for your writing, make your writing space as relaxing/inviting as possible and now and again...don't be afraid to put yourselves first. Books don't write themselves and you can't achieve your own personal goals if you are a tangled mess of nerves.

If any of you have any tips for de-stressing, especially ones specific to writers, please share. It's hard to balance home/work/writing and I'm sure we would all benefit from hearing each other's suggestions.

I Heart Davy Jones

2011-09-07T19:12:00.000-07:00

How shall I sum up the past few days? Well, a lovely blogger, Rachel Bean, gave me not one, but TWO awards on her blog!

That was really, really kind. So for that, I plan to bore you all with 7 facts about myself (no joke, I'm quite boring).

But first, a nod of the head to the "comment of the week" from Tony Van Helsing- who made me laugh so hard that I nearly spewed coffee from my nose. What made me laugh so hard, you ask? This statement: "That's not superstition, it's Obsessive Compulsive Disorder." Hats off to you Tony - that was quality commenting.

Okay, last but not least, my boring facts:

1. If I wasn't a writer, I'd want to be an FBI agent. I was even in flight school once upon a time, hoping to be the next Jack Bauer. (I heart Jack Bauer...please come back Jack)

2. I eat a lot of olives. Olives and cheese are my vices. Well, that and chocolate. And bad horror films. And... well, I could go on forever.

3. I'm a Halloween freak. Freak, I tell you. I host a huge costume party for my children and their friends every year and yes, I dress up. I dare you to guess at my past two costumes...

4. My playlist from this summer included: Knee Deep by Zac Brown and Jimmy Buffet, Honeybee by Blake Shelton and Dirt Road Anthem by Jason Aldean. It was a great summer and I'm sad to see it go.

5. I have a freakish knowledge of 50's/60's music. Yeah, we're talking Buddy Holly and Jan and Dean. My parents lived in a time warp and therefore raised me in one as well. Until I was quite old, I believed I would definitely grow up to marry Davy Jones from the Monkees. This was a cruel and unusual childhood.

6. I love the movie Clue. I've seen it a bazillion times and it just never gets old. Kudos to anyone who comments with a quote from the movie.

7. I always wanted to be a redhead. I loved Anne of Greene Gables and was so jealous of her hair that I tried to convince my mother to dye mine. It didn't work.

So, who am I going to make squirm with these awards?

1. Trisha Leaver. Haha - you're it!
2. Becky Wallace. You're it too - fess up!
3. JB Lynn. Come out, come out, wherever you are!

Thanks for reading guys:) I'll post my last two Halloween costumes, along with my costume for this year on Friday's post.

Timing is Everything...

2011-09-04T16:23:00.000-07:00

I've always been a bit superstitious, probably enough that I annoy my friends and family sometimes. In high school, I played on the tennis team for four years straight. All four years, I bounced the ball exactly three times prior to each serve...no more, no less. If I didn't do it that way, I felt like I was dooming my serve from the start. I know, sounds silly because I obviously still double-faulted numerous times, but it was my thing - the way I played.

You're probably all scratching your heads and wondering a) if this relates in any way to writing b) if I'm crazy and this post is proof or c) how fast you can unfollow my blog before my oddities rub off on you. The truth is, I'm posting because I want you guys to know I'm not ignoring you.

Many of you have asked questions either in email or in the comments section about what is happening with SILO and as much as I'd like to give you all an update . . . I'm too superstitious and so is Trisha. We agreed while we were querying to keep that under wraps until we'd signed with an agent and could give some valuable insight to the process. Was it hard? Sometimes. But being able to post about the query process after we'd completed it and had a happy ending just seemed like a better fit for everyone. . . including us.

So, my promise to you is that when the time comes and Trisha and I are ready, you guys will be the first to know what is happening with SILO. When it's the right time. I hope this clears things up and that if any of you were walking around wearing a "Lindsay Currie is a jerkface" t-shirt, you are stripping it off now. Cause I swear, timing is everything and superstitions are something I just don't want to mess with:)

In THE MOOD

2011-09-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

Picture this. Storm clouds roll through Chicago and obscure the familiar skyline. The wind becomes colder and whips around my neighborhood like a crazed Labrador. I should be locking up my kids clubhouse, closing windows and hunkering down. Instead, I'm revving up my laptop because I've got an insane and irresistible urge to. . . write.

Yup, storms and inclement weather totally put me in THE MOOD.

Call me crazy, but there's a lot of things that make me want to fire up the laptop and write, revise or edit. Besides storms, I find a lot of inspiration in scenery. Weeping willows for example - they are amazing for inspiration. They're massive and their long, willowy branches make a swishing sound with even the slightest breeze. When you crawl beneath the branches of a weeping willow, it's as if you've entered a shady, magical little space. A quiet, solitary space. In a city the size of Chicago, if a tree can make you feel isolated, it's pretty damn magical! If I wrote fantasy I can virtually guarantee you it would involve some sort of weeping willow city or land of tree people (yeah, you can thank me now for not writing fantasy:)

What about you guys? Is there any particular scenery or landscape/location that puts you in THE MOOD to write? Maybe the changing leaves in autumn or billions of snowflakes gently drifting to the ground in the winter? Please share!

And Dreamland Is. . .

2011-08-30T18:54:00.000-07:00

Wow. Your guesses on what Dreamland is are AMAZING. All of you tapped into some of my most exciting thoughts and I was incredibly impressed. So, as promised, I reveal today what image I have locked up in my brain motivating me. However, first I have to set the scene:

I'm sitting on the el in Chicago watching the buildings whiz by at a nauseating rate. I'm surrounded by strangers either tapping away on their cell phones, listening to music or . . . reading. This is something I see all the time and occasionally, I'll even see someone nearly miss their stop because they were reading or otherwise occupied. In Dreamland, the strangers are reading my book. I can see the cover glistening in the subway lighting and it's FREAKING FANTASTIC.

So, there you have it. Would I love to finally meet Trisha in person and sign a publishing contract with her? Absolutely. Or hold an ARC of SILO for the first time? Hell yeah. Would I love to see it on the shelves with the authors that I respect so highly? Yup. Awards, recognitions, good reviews . . . they are all things we aspire to as writers. But for me, nothing would beat seeing people actually reading it. Maybe someday I'll be lucky enough to see someone miss their el stop for it:)

Thanks to everyone who either guessed at Dreamland or who took the time to share what their own version of Dreamland is. The way I see it, having something to motivate us through the rough times as well as encourage us to go that extra mile (even when things are good) is worth remembering. Back on Friday with a post on inspiration and the unusual things that give me the urge to fire up the laptop!

Donkey Kicks and Dreamland

2011-08-29T05:19:00.000-07:00

So, publishing is a funny thing. One day you hear about a multi-book deal that happened so fast it makes your head spin and the next, you read the blog post of an author who's been searching for an agent for ten years. No matter what phase you are in on this journey towards publication, it's fascinating to watch how everyone deals with the ebb and flow.

Personally, in every stage of this process, I've had moments where I vacillated between feeling euphoric:

. . . and feeling like I'd been donkey-kicked in the gut:

This roller coaster of a journey is why I have Dreamland.

Dreamland is kind of my muse. Most of us use "muse" as a way to describe their inspiration as they write and that's what Dreamland is . . . only it's an image I keep tucked away in the confines of my mind. An image that propels me forward through the frustrating moments and makes me keep writing, keep editing, keep trying. Even when things are going great, it's nice to have Dreamland because it keeps me on task no matter what threatens to distract me.

So, what is my image of Dreamland, you ask? Seeing an ARC of a soon-to-be published book with my name on it? Awesome reviews on Amazon? Go ahead and speculate:) I'd love to hear what image you think I have locked up in my mind, motivating me around every corner. I'll be back on Wednesday to give you the answer:)

Video Killed the Blogging Star

2011-08-26T04:40:00.000-07:00

No, I did not just call myself a star. That would be ridiculous. I mean, what kind of star only seems to have t-shirts and ratty shorts in their wardrobe? Anywho, here's attempt #2 at a respectable vlog. Let's hope I don't look like a bad 80's lip sync again!

Tick-Tock

2011-08-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

Admission: Nothing churns my stomach more than all of the back-to-school signs in Target. The smell of new backpacks, school uniforms and unsharpened pencils reminds me that summer is coming to an end and that soon, my kiddos will be with their teachers all day once again.

Don't get me wrong, I love my kids school, but I do go through the usual pangs of sadness each year when our sweltering summer draws closed. However, there is a silver lining. Fall is coming. I love Fall and I LOVE Halloween. Those of you who know me well know that if I didn't have to assimilate into normal society, I would have Halloween decorations up all year long. I'm already planning my costume and my kids costume party. So, there's one silver lining.

I will also admit that I'm looking forward to getting back into the writing swing again. Trisha and I have a project in the works right now and another one ready for some TLC - both of which I'm incredibly psyched to work on. With the kids back in school, my muse will be fed more regularly and hopefully, I'll get several one a.m. nights where the ideas are flowing so fast I can't imagine sleeping.

How about you guys? If you have kids, what is the first thing you're going to do when they head back to school? Maybe they've already started and you're knee-deep in a project. Maybe you don't have kids, but you're a closet Halloween freak like me or simply love the change in temperature or the color of the falling leaves? Time to spill!

Writers' Building Campaign

2011-08-23T05:20:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to have signed up this morning for my first Writers' Platform Building Campaign through fellow blogger Rachel Harrie's site. Yippee! I know several bloggers who participated last year and found it to be a wonderful way to connect with others in their genre. For those of you who are interested, here is the link: http://rachaelharrie.blogspot.com/ Sign up soon though!

My Writerly File

2011-08-22T05:23:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you've all experienced it - I did for two weeks while I was away. You try to put away your writing self only to discover that it isn't really possible. I tried to minimize how often I checked Twitter, stayed off of my blog for the most part and I didn't write a lick while I was gone, but I couldn't squash it all. I still hassled my writing partner daily, of course, but there was something else as well.

I filed the entire time.

The smell of the beach after one one of the massive thunderstorms swept across the island . . . filed away in my mind for the future. The putrid smell of a decomposing fish floating below the T-dock (I know, disgusting) . . . filed away in my mind for the future. The beauty of the sunset breaking the surface of the ocean into what looked like little flecks of liquid sunlight . . . filed away into that same writerly file. I even paused once to grab a stick and poke at a gelatinous mass of something sitting in the sand - don't ask me why we'd need to describe that, but hey . . . with the way Trisha and I write, you never know!

Even when we're not in full-on writing mode, I'm sure we all do things that are unique to writers. Maybe you're not a writer, maybe you're an artist and you're storing feelings, sights, smells for a painting or sculpture. Or maybe you're like me, and you hope that cataloguing your surroundings periodically will help you describe something more vividly in a future WIP. It's a good way to keep our minds buzzing, even when we're taking a little down-time with family.

What about you guys? Do you use those five senses you learned about in kindergarten to your advantage all the time and if so, have they paid off in future WIP's?

Hold the Wine...

2011-08-18T19:03:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. I said I wouldn't be blogging until I returned from vacation, but I couldn't help but check in. I'm sitting in bed watching the moonlight hit the ocean and feeling grateful.
Grateful for such a kick-butt family, grateful for a supportive and talented writing partner, grateful for a phenomenal agent and grateful for an amazing writing community. I'm also slightly burned, way too full from dinner still and waterlogged. . . but happy as a clam.

Come Monday *cue Jimmy Buffet*, I'll be visiting everyone's blogs to play catch up from my two weeks away. In addition, I'll do my best to have a respectable post about writing up for you guys first thing next week. But, in the meantime here's a little glimpse into what I've been doing since I last bid you adieu. These are my pairings for my little jaunt through Florida. No, not wine pairings...location and book pairings! I love reading on vacation and here's what covers I've been cracking:

Last week:

Hogwarts Baby!

Disney world and Universal paired with Wildefire, by Karsten Knight. We met princesses, X-Men and toured Hogwarts. . . and that was just one day! I give this pairing excellent marks.

Currently:

Captiva Island FL paired with Possession by Elana J. Sun, shells, a beautiful beach and amazing fishing.
So far, I rate this pairing very high.

Next Week:

Back to Chicago paired with The Near Witch, by Victoria Schwab. I'm looking forward to this pairing big time.

I hope you're all enjoying the last bit of summer and I can't wait to catch up on everything going on soon. Thoughts, comments or ideas for my first post-vacay blog post?

Adieu

2011-08-07T18:35:00.000-07:00

I've got three excited kids, bags filled with sunscreen and a Kindle loaded with books. Yup, I'm ready. See you guys in two weeks - I'll miss all of your fantastic posts.

Promise that when I return, I'll visit all of your blogs to catch up and, to make up for my absence I'll post some pics of Harry Potter World and the Captiva sunset.

Enjoy a month of lemonades, sprinklers and hopefully, fun.

In Which I am Rewarded

2011-08-04T05:49:00.000-07:00

So, I've been so absentee from this blog it's ridiculous. I wouldn't blame you guys if you wondered what the @#!* was going on with me or if I was curled up in the fetal position somewhere in my house, waiting for a neighbor to notice I'd not surfaced for four days. But, in reality, I'm just enjoying the summer with my kids. As much as I'd love to hang onto my normal M/W/F blogging schedule during the summer months, I rarely can and there's always such amazing things on the horizon that I forsake poor little bloggy.

I must admit, that I'm getting quite excited for our up and coming family trip to FL (please stay away tropical storms...please). We will be staying in Disneyland and visiting Universal (Eek! I'm heading back to the Harry Potter Wizarding World again - have I mentioned how much I LOVE it there?) for a week and then moving on to the gorgeous Captiva Island for another week. So, what does this mean for bloggy? It means, in the words of my sorely-missed Jack Bauer, that I will be going dark for a while. I will be taking an internet break and hopefully, when I return, I will be rejuvenated and my mind will be filled with new blog post ideas:)

Before I go, however, I received some awards! Whoopee! Who knew that being an absentee, lazy blogger over the summer could get you awards from the adorable Jeigh at WriterBrained (thank you Jeigh!)

Don't you love that puppy? Anyway, I know that at some point I answered the Irresistibly Sweet Blog questions, so I'm going to answer the questions for the puppy award today. I am to list 5 books/movies/TV shows I've enjoyed recently. Fun!

1. BOOK: The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss. Okay, I know I've talked about this book a bit recently, but I have to mention it here. It was really the first adult fantasy book I've ever read and I considered it an achievement. I mean, I'm used to 300 pg. YA novels, not 700 pg. adult stuff. Besides that...I LOVED IT. Kvothe, the main character, is kick-butt and I can't wait to read the second book.

2. TV Show: FRINGE. We all know I have an obsession with this show and I'm anxiously awaiting its return in the fall. Sadly, I've heard rumors that this is its last season on Fox ... they wouldn't do that to me, right?

3. TV Show: Oddities. This is one of the strangest shows I've ever seen and I really enjoy it. It chronicles the day-to-day business of a small boutique in NY that sells - you guessed it, oddities! Everything from old creepy dolls to shrunken heads to art made from belly button lint...it's gross but interesting every single time.

4. BOOK: Wildefire, Karsten Knight. Okay, I'm kind of cheating on this one because I'm not done with the book, I'm currently reading it. I'm enjoying it though and am looking forward to finishing it. I would get more detailed, but I honestly don't want to ruin anything for anyone.

5. MOVIE: Get Him to the Greek. I know, this movie came out forever ago and I saw it then, but it's been on reruns lately and good god it makes me laugh. I really can't turn it off if I flip past it at night and some of the scenes make me laugh so hard I shake the entire bed.

So, drum roll please! I have no idea who already has these awards, so I'm going to hope that the following people do not and that they play along and list their faves as well:

1. Trisha Leaver - you didn't think you'd possibly escape this, did you?
2. Tonya Kuper - come on writing newbie...cough up the info!
3. Miranda Hardy - thanks for being such a supportive commenter all the time!
4. Jen Daiker - sweet as pie:)
5. Margaret Finnegan - love your blog!
6. Tony Van Helsing - if he does this, his movies/books will no doubt be entertaining
7. Jess - adorable girl, adorable blog.
8. Becky Wallace - she's cute guys...and sweet. Visit her blog.
9. Tracey Neithercott - funny and smart blog...all wrapped into one.

And so, I finally bid adieu to this epically long blog post. I leave you with the following words of wisdom, from Aldous Snow:

What you did was very spiteful, but it was also very brave and very honest and I respect you for doing that. But the content of what you said has made me hate you. So there's a layer of respect, admittedly, for your truthfulness, but it's peppered with hate. Hateful respect.

Walk in Your MC's Shoes

2011-07-30T11:42:00.000-07:00

I know I've done a blog post on perspective before, but it's so important in our writing that I wanted to write about it from a slightly different angle today. Specifically, how do we as writers get into the right mindset to write from our main character's perspective? Depending on your MC this might be more difficult than it sounds, but that's part of the fun right? Let's face it, I'm a 34 year old mother of 3 children - I bear few resemblances to any character I will ever write in the YA arena. And, the farther a character gets from my own personal experiences, the more I need to be able to draw on my imagination to fully flesh them out.

For example, SILO has a 17 year old male MC who has survived a solar storm, the deaths of friends and family and is living below ground in a defunct missile silo. Ahh, yeah. Definitely not an experience I've ever had. However, I have felt fear, frustration and an overall sense of unease in my life before. So, the foundation for being able to write SILO with Trisha was to harness those feelings, intensify them and then apply them to our characters. I did my best to imagine the sounds and smells in their silo, the chill in the air, the suffocating darkness and the extreme paranoia that would come with Jake Holloway's life below ground. I tried to put myself in his shoes at every chance I got.

Besides drawing on my own imagination and limited experiences, I also did a ton of visual research. I read about missile silos, looked at pictures of them and and watched videos of walk-throughs. I'm a visual person by nature, so seeing these images helped me to harness the energy I needed to write from Jake's eyes. When the opportunity to handle hunting weapons arose, I jumped at the chance. Since the characters in SILO get the majority of their weapons/supplies from farmhouses, the chance to feel the weight of a hunting knife, smell gun oil or hear a shotgun blast firsthand was invaluable. Though it may have pulled me out of my normal comfort zone, it helped me to connect a little more with Jake, Evan and Keith.

So, enough of my rambling. Tell me a little about how you manage to write from your MC's perspective. Do you take research trips? Do you use Wikipedia and Google 24/7? Who is your MC and what is your secret to connecting with them?

What I Learned

2011-07-28T06:33:00.000-07:00

Its come to my attention that several of my writing friends are preparing to enter the query trenches in the next few weeks. I'm excited for them, but nervous and anxious at the same time. There are some feelings you don't forget - riding a bike for the first time without falling, first kisses and alas, the hours you spend staring at an empty inbox during the querying phase. It really is a roller coaster ride - amazing at times and flat out terrifying at others.

So, for my buddies who I am rooting for at every chance I get, here are some *hopefully* useful bits of advice. I'm no expert in this area, but I did learn some things along the way and I hope they help a little. May the force be with you! (no, I'm not a Star Wars fan, but this really felt right in the moment)

1. Focus on honing your query letter. I'm a big believer in the "less is better" concept when querying, so get your pitch down to the most succinct description you can give and make it shine. It isn't a synopsis, so you don't need to include every detail and plot twist. I would look up articles and agent interviews that discuss query letters to avoid common pitfalls (opening with a question, etc.) and be certain you've covered your bases before you send out even one letter. Remember - your query is your first introduction to the agent and your sole chance to catch their interest... take your time and do it justice! They may have only a moment to spend on each letter and hundreds in their inbox - you want yours to be the best version it can be.

2. RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH!!! I know we've all heard "query widely" and while I fundamentally agree with this, I think a lot of writers take it too far. Query widely does not mean query every single agent in the business, regardless of the genres the represent and/or their personal interests. It means you still need to do your research, come up with a solid number of agents that would be a good fit for your work and then be certain to query them only when your query and your MS are both completely ready. Agent interviews are so helpful and most agents are spotlighted in multiple different places. Their genres of interest are listed not only in places like QueryTracker, but also on their own agency website. For interviews, start with Literary Rambles - it's phenomenal.

3. Take. Your. Time. Don't send your MS or your query out until they are 100% ready. It's difficult to be patient in this industry, especially when it seems as though writers are landing agents and/or book deals every other day, but trust me, it does your work an injustice to send it out prior to it being ready. Give your work its best chance to succeed and have it beta tested thoroughly, make revisions appropriately and read your writing aloud - even if it takes longer than you wanted.

4. Keep your cool. This is a funny one, but it's really important. In the event that you get multiple offers on your work (yippee!!), talk to each and every agent that is offering representation by phone. Evaluate their vision for your book, their revision suggestions and their personality. Remember that you are embarking on the start of what will hopefully be a very long and productive relationship. You want to get along with your agent, feel comfortable with them and trust them wholly.

Good luck guys - I'm sitting on the sidelines with my pom-pons ready and I can't wait to lift a glass to your success!!!!!!

What's Your Take?

2011-07-26T06:10:00.000-07:00

So, there's been a lot of buzz lately about the growing number of YA deals - particularly the growing number of major YA deals cropping up on Publishers Marketplace. I have to admit that surfing PM in the mornings while I drink my coffee is one of my favorite rituals, as is reading through the blurbs for the awesome books that just sold. And yes, I've noticed this trend. I've noticed that the number of MG deals seems low, while YA novels are tipping the scales drastically in their favor each month. In addition, I find the YA sections of my local bookstores appear to be expanding and recently, have even overheard conversations about some of the hotter titles being wait listed for rental from the library.

I have absolutely no idea what the real reason is for the YA boom, but I'm thrilled. Don't get me wrong, I have kids in the house that are reading tons of MG right now and it holds an enormous value to me, so I've no interest in seeing its numbers dwindle. However, with the recent attacks by the WSJ editor on YA literature specifically (I've intentionally avoided discussing it on here... no way I could do a rebuttal justice), I'm pleased to see that sales in YA are just as strong, perhaps stronger than before.

Anyone care to speculate on the continuing boom in YA or have some stats you'd like to share with us?

On Optimism...

2011-07-22T05:54:00.000-07:00

More often than not, I find myself learning lessons from my children. It's funny, kids aren't trying to teach, but as they experience new things in life they remind me that there was once a time when I saw fun around every corner. Where I might see an excessive heat wave (literally, we've almost melted this week), they see an opportunity to spend every day at the pool. I see a huge storm looming in the distance and they see a chance to light candles and pretend we're camping while the lights flicker.

Just this week, we were out of town staying at my in laws house when one of these moments came up. While walking through their front yard, I noticed that a ton of the leaves were falling off of one of the trees. They were brittle, and riddles with holes to the extent that they actually looked like lace rather than leaves. I picked a few up and surveyed the tree, while my 4 year old daughter watched.

Me: "Oh no. Grandma has Japanese beetles in her tree. They're eating the leaves off."

Thing 3: "It's okay Mommy...the leaves are really, really pretty."

Me: "But there won't be any to fall down in the Autumn. None to change color."

Thing 3: "They look prettier this way!" *tucks a lacy leaf behind her hear and trots off*

Now, don't get me wrong, Japanese beetles do really suck, so the moral of these little encounter is not that we should appreciate our freeloading beetle inhabitants. Rather, it's that there's optimism to be found everywhere if we can manage to try.

Whatever course our publishing journey is taking us on is undoubtedly sometimes amazing, sometimes hard and often frustrating. But we can't forget the most important thing: we're doing it. When you get a rejection on a query or a MS, remember that you WROTE A BOOK! While it seems like everyone and their brother is writing a book sometimes, I believe that's because we are so immersed in the publishing world. In reality, if you were to survey the next 100 people you came across, I doubt many of them would say they'd attempted such a thing. It's an accomplishment, right from the start.

So, what about you guys? Where can you find optimism in your journey? It's there... we just have to brush the Japanese beetles off to find it sometimes:)

Cover Love

2011-07-18T20:15:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: I have absolutely no artistic vision when it comes to book covers. I know when I love one, but would never in a gazillion years be able to come up with an idea for one. This is probably why, when I see a cover I like, I'm in awe. This post is dedicated to the rockstar covers I've seen recently that I drool over.

Chilling Covers:

I love, love, love the VARIANT cover. The book is due out in the Fall and was written by Robison Wells. I can't tell you how creepy I find this cover to be and how much it adds to my desire to read the book.

I just discovered this book cover today and have to admit, I am really drawn to it. It's for a book entitled KILL THE DEAD by Richard Kadrey. I'm not sure whether it's the earthy tones, the shadowy nature or the birds, but something sends chills up my spine... in a good way.

Beautiful Covers:

1. WITHER by Lauren DeStefano. This is a very easy pick for me. I loved this cover and besides the fact that I love dystopians, it nudged me to buy the book. The colors, the texture of her dress and the darkly romantic feel of the entire cover really drew me in.

2. SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater. I know, we all know what this cover looks like, but I couldn't ignore it. I really loved this cover because it was so unusual and so pretty. My preferences usually tend towards the darker covers, but this one really caught my eye.

Just Freaking Cool Covers:

I had to create a category for those covers that just wow me with their awesome factor. Here's a couple that really made me pause...

1. POSSESSION by Elana Johnson. Wow, this is a cool cover. I love everything about it, even down to the way her name is written at the bottom.

2. MATCHED by Ally Condie. I have to admit, part of my draw to this cover is the color. I LOVE the color of the title and the bubble. The image is amazing, stark and perfect.

Okay, I could rattle on for pages about the book covers I love and trust me, there are tons more, but I'd like to hear from you guys. What are some of your favorite covers and did they play a large role in whether or not you shelled out your hard earned cash for the book?

Courage

2011-07-12T18:53:00.000-07:00

I've received a lot of comments from people lately on my blog saying things like "thanks for posting about all of this and including us in the journey". Number one, you're welcome. Number two, it really should me me thanking you. Thanking you for reading, for commenting and for even caring what the heck is going on in my neck of the writing woods. Last night I started thinking about this and realized that this is a huge part of what blogging does for me. It provides a connection with people who are all working towards the same goal, experiencing similar ups and downs and feeling the adrenaline rush with me.

So today, I would like to take a minute to talk about agent revisions. Prior to becoming agented, I really had no idea what to expect. Revision notes didn't sound particularly intimidating because initially, it was hard to see past the whole confetti and cupcake eating "I have an agent" thing. Then the notes came and the reality of it hit: now there are expectations. Our agent loves the book and is telling us what to do to make it amazing prior to submission. Landing an agent does not ensure publication; it gives you a better chance, a golden opportunity that you still need to work your booty off to capitalize on.

Fortunately for me, I write with someone very talented who makes me want to write better, work harder and be a better version of the writer I am.

So, what have I learned from the process of working on revisions? The same thing I learned as we wrote the book, queried it and then, talked to agents. Courage. You have to put yourself out there, even if you're knees are quaking so uncontrollably that you are spilling your eleventieth coffee of the day.

What about you guys? In your writing journey, what have you done that has required more courage than you believed you could muster?

Home Sweet Home

2011-07-10T11:09:00.000-07:00

I'm baaaack! Family and I pulled in to good old Chicago last night and are recovering nicely today from our week long vacation in the Northwoods. Eight days away from the city did wonders for me; I came away with a slight burn, but a much better rested spirit:) And, Trisha and I turned in our revisions! Woot! I have to admit, making a final read of the MS on vacation may have been tricky time-wise, but it sure was nice to have a change of scenery from my normal revision cave. Not to mention the fact that I have a writing partner that worked her @&! off trying to keep my work on vacation to a minimum. She rocks guys.

Revision Cave in Wisconsin

Anyway, I can't wait to hear what's been going on in my blogisphere absence. I will be visiting all of your blogs today and tomorrow, but feel free to leave me a comment and let me know what cool things I've missed. New book deals, new WIP's, revisions, or sparkly new ideas??

Notes from the Cave

2011-06-30T05:56:00.000-07:00

We're almost done. Final revisions are in full swing and Trisha and I are our last and very thorough read through of SILO. I thought today, I'd drag you into the cave with me so you can see where I've been and why I've been neglecting your blogs (sorry, it won't be like this for much longer.) Note the extremely high tech method of paper, highlighter and post-it notes:) And of course, there's the coffee. Hasn't anyone invented some sort of caffeine drip for writers yet?? Let's get on that, smart people of the world.

Tomorrow, I pull out on vacation with my family at 4 a.m. and will have the manuscript in tow for the 7 hour drive to the North woods. I can't wait for the serenity of the lake, the joy of being with my children and hubby for 8 straight days and the ability to think on our final edits in such a tranquil place. I'll be back on July 11th guys in full force. The manuscript will be turned in, my head will be clear and I'll have my A game back, I promise. I can't wait to catch up on all of your blogs, find out what you've been doing while I've been hunched over my laptop inhaling chocolate and stewing over last minute tweaks.

Thanks guys for all of your support. Your emails, your tweets...it all puts a huge smile on my face. I'll be back soon!

Five a.m.

2011-06-28T04:05:00.000-07:00

I got up this morning at five o'clock, unable to sleep because some bird was chirping its heart out just outside of my bedroom window. I put the pillow over my head and stayed in bed until I couldn't stand it anymore, then went digging for my sons water guns in an attempt to silence the little bugger. By the time I got out on my deck, super soaker in hand, it was gone. Drat.

On the upside, I've put the morning to good use. The house is quiet, the coffee is good and the revisions are nearing completion. I've learned a lot of about revising this past week, real revising and I've got to admit that it's a journey I'm glad I'm making with a partner. I love our tag-team method of editing and am grateful that a process that could have been terrifying, has been so relaxed.

In addition, I discovered yesterday that there is a feeling that does in fact rival the thrill of receiving an offer from a brilliant agent: the thrill of hearing your brilliant agent say you've nailed something.

Thanks for your patience with my lack of commenting and lack of blogging these couple of weeks guys. And even more, thank you so much for the supportive tweets:) Revisions are nearing an end and I'll be back on a normal schedule shortly.

Fair Warning...

2011-06-22T05:56:00.000-07:00

The revision cave is my home for the next two weeks guys. Don't worry, it's not a bad place to be. I've got an amazing agent guiding me, a fantastic writing partner revising along with me and plenty of coffee to fuel my sleepless self during the daytime (when I've got to pass as mommy:).

Not only is my cave pretty cozy, but I can see the end result in the near future and it's well worth the work. However, apologies in advance guys for the lack of blog posts coming your way from me in the next couple of weeks and the potential roller coaster of emotions I might toss in your direction.

While we're on the topic of working on manuscripts, what project are you guys working on right now? Are you revising? Querying? On submission?

Deer Update

2011-06-18T05:06:00.000-07:00

"The family of deer who called an East Lakeview courtyard home for at least the past week are now being removed from the area by Animal Control due to area residents who have fed the deer milk from a bottle and organic apples purchased from a Whole Foods market nearby." - HuffPost Chicago

Yes, it's true. People in the city are unable to look at wildlife and heed the advice from animal control. Do not feed the deer. Simple, right? But no. Fortunately, I think it's better for everyone, including the mama deer and her babies that they were relocated. Local animal control officials will not say where they were relocated to, lest people flock to the area in the hopes of seeing her again. Let's hope it's a huge tract of timber with a winding stream running through it and right now, her babies are enjoying the tranquility instead of the flashing of cell phone cameras in their faces. Incidentally, we did see the fawns just before they were relocated - sleeping peacefully in a flower garden about 4 feet from the public sidewalk. They looked like those little, fake deer statues people put out. It was surreal.

Want to see where I live? This video is taken just around the corner from my house and shows the East Lakeview deer roaming the streets.

Own It

2011-06-15T18:38:00.000-07:00

Some of you have probably seen me tweeting lately about the mama deer and her two fawns that have set up residence in my neighborhood. I know, deer are not exotic creatures and many of you probably have them everywhere, but I live in Chicago. In the middle of Chicago, in fact. My neighborhood, East Lakeview, is as urban as it gets and seeing a fully grown deer and her two fawns chowing down on hostas in an apartment complex courtyard is just plain...weird.

My initial reaction to seeing the deer was to be shocked...then horrified...then inspired. I was shocked to see them in such a congested area, surrounded by pedestrians and the constant bumper-to-bumper traffic. I was horrified that they might run onto Belmont or Halsted and get squished by a city bus. But ultimately, those things gave way to a stronger emotion - inspiration. The deer are eating, sleeping, basically doing all of the things deer in the woods do, except they are in an environment that's no doubt like another planet to them. They've planted themselves here, for whatever reason and they are owning it.

This reminds me so much of us as writers that I couldn't help but post about it. We may not all have the most updated laptops or cozy writing nooks. We might not have zillions of twitter followers, mega book deals or fan sites. But we have our ideas and the motivation to scribble them out and hopefully, create something miraculous. We have the will to survive as writers and just like my oddly misplaced deer buddies, we're gonna own what we do have and succeed.

*if you'd like to read the Chicago Sun-Times article about the deer that my children and I now see daily, here it is: http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/5925664-423/deer-starts-family-in-trendy-boystown.html

What Do You Want?

2011-06-14T04:26:00.000-07:00

Another writer/blogger brought a really interesting question to the forefront of my mind last week. Lydia Sharp, who blogs at The Sharp Angle (clever blog title - I love it) briefly mentioned on Twitter that she looks for different things from the blogs of published authors vs. the blogs of writers still on their journey towards publication. First of all, thanks for getting the rusty wheel in my brain cranking Lydia and secondly, this is something I'd like to explore for a moment.

I visit the blogs of my writer friends, that is, my non-published writer friends for camaraderie. For the most part, I enjoy knowing I'm not alone on this roller coaster of a ride. I'm completely fine with hearing some negativity, a little whining (in moderation) and I live for the excited, whirlwind posts that tell me they successfully pitched their book at a conference or even better ... they announce an agent. In other words, I like other writers to pull me into their world and immerse me in what is happening on their quests.

However, once someone becomes published, I have to agree with Lydia that I look for a slightly different blog. I like to see more details about the author's work, a more solid "about me" page and information on upcoming works. My mind shifts from comrade to reader, and in some cases. . .complete fangirl and I need their blog to deliver. I view author blogs more through the eyes of a consumer and less through the eyes of a writer, if that makes any sense.

What about you guys? What do you look for in writer/author blogs and do you have any examples of blogs that fit your tastes perfectly? If you are published, did you scrap your old blog and start fresh or simply modify it?

Blog Balance

2011-06-12T11:36:00.000-07:00

Blogging is a tricky thing. From the moment you create your site, you're bombarded by tweets, posts on other blogs and advice from virtually everyone about what you should and shouldn't write about. Specifically, what you shouldn't blog about. Most of them bear the exact same message: don't be negative. Don't talk about your struggles. Don't talk about your rejections. And if you've got any brains in your head, don't talk about anything but puppies and rainbows lest you send the wrong signal - that you are a difficult writer or that your work is sub-par.

Fundamentally, I agree that if you are angry (like puppy-kicking or baby-punching angry), taking some time to reflect is a good idea. Besides the issue of professionalism, splashing our blogs with rage is probably not the most productive way to solve the problem at hand. Sure, it might feel good momentarily, but we've all seen the aftermath of letting the wheels fall off in public and it's downright ugly. Rather, speak with your agent, your crit-buddies and/or chomp down on your pillow and scream at the universe.

But, what about the honest posts? The ones that aren't written in anger or frustration, but are put out there as a way to share a writers experiences with the rest of us? These are the ones I desperately hope continue to crop up. The writers who aren't afraid to help educate the rest of us with their journey are the ones whose blogs I return to over and over again. To them, I say "thank you" - because many of my favorite posts are the honest ones: the confused posts, the unabashedly excited posts and the overwhelmed posts. They all add up to a sincere writer and genuinely interesting reading.

So, what about you guys? Are there topics you've steered clear of blogging about out of fear that you might be crossing the invisible blogging line? Do you avoid any negativity or try to temper it with hope? I'd love to hear how you strike a blog balance.

Where Are You Now?

2011-06-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

First of all, thanks to everyone who commented and tweeted some facts about themselves to me earlier this week. I knew you were all awesome before, but now you're even more so!

Secondly, I've noticed quite a few posts in the blogosphere this week about revising, submitting, getting agents, etc. There seems to be some serious activity in the writing world. Tons in fact. People are getting agents, book deals and actively revising their babies in a mad dash before the thick of summer hits. This prompts me to ask: where are you in this journey? Are you still in the honeymoon phase with a new WIP where you forsake your entire family and ignore your pets to write? Are you querying? Even better, maybe you've landed an agent and you're revising your heart out in the hopes of getting that oh-so-elusive book deal? Or. . . maybe that book deal has arrived and your dreams have come true.

Share with me where you are in your journey so I can cross all of my fingers and toes for safe travel. I can't wait to hear:)

Oh So Random

2011-06-08T04:52:00.000-07:00

Personally, I LOVE it when I read another writers blog and it shares little snippets of information about them. Personal facts, funny stories, etc. It lends more reality to the many virtual relationships I form and makes me feel less like I insane chunks of my time talking to icons or avatars and more like I'm talking to my friends.  Let's face it, you guys are my friends and I honestly believe that if we weren't spread out all over the country (all over the globe even!), we'd have a blast together.

So today, let's share. I'm going to post some facts about me that you would never be able to know from my online presence. I mean, I try to be honest on this blog and on Twitter, but we all use our blogs as our public faces and many times, our family and non-writing life doesn't leak in much. So, here's a big dose of Lindsay randomness for you - I hope it helps you get to know me better and I really hope you'll comment and tell me something about you that I can't find on your blog:)

1. I have a candle addiction. I have candles all over my house and burn them whether it's freezing out, or sweltering. I. Can't. Help. It.
2. I have a Bullmastiff named Sam. He weighs about 150 lbs and is a lap-dog. That is, if my lap is there, he won't sit anywhere else. It's uncomfortable.
3. One of my sons is an avid bug collector. I once ran down the street, swinging my purse at a tiger swallowtail so I could catch it for him to look at. The funny thing is that I was dressed to attend a wedding at the time. Weird looks ensued.
4. I'm terrified of tornadoes. I grew up further South in Illinois and we virtually lived under a tornado warning. A siren went off here once in Chicago and I started crying. It was mortifying.
5.  I can't watch Anchorman without laughing so hard I almost choke. Whoever made that movie, nailed my ridiculously simple sense of humor.
6. I once was in flight school while training to interview with the FBI. It was scary.
7. I live in the middle of Chicago (not the burbs) but I have a large, organic garden on my rooftop that I love dearly.  Did you know that aged llama poop is really good fertilizer?

Okay, enough about me, time for you guys to share! I can't wait to hear what you're willing to fess up to...uh, I mean chat about:)

- Stay classy San Diego.

SILO

2011-06-06T12:02:00.000-07:00

Revisions are like waves. I liken them to dragging your beach chair all around looking for the perfect mix of sand and water on a scorching hot day. Too close to the water and you end up drenched and holding a watery margarita, but too far away and you crisp like bacon in the sun. The perfect blend - hard to achieve, but well worth it when you find it.

It's no secret that Trisha and I have been struggling to find the right name for our book. It's heading out on sub soon and up until this morning, that title still eluded us. Originally, it was FATUM. Then, ATLAS-F. Finally, we've found one that our agent likes also. SILO. Given that our book takes place predominantly underground, in defunct missile silos, it's a very relevant name and one that scores pretty high on the "creep factor" if you ask me. FYI, our brainstorming sessions are actually quite amusing. We literally bombard each other with ideas until one sticks and causes us both to pause.

Of course, we both know this name isn't permanent either. If the book does get picked up, any number of factors could lead us to a different name. But for now, it's our perfect patch of sand and I'm going to enjoy it.

* The image above is of one of the many tunnels that wind through a Titan missile silo some 60+ feet underground. These things are seriously disturbing on the inside and years of neglect only add to the sinister feel.

Unplugged

2011-06-04T18:46:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning knowing it was time to "unplug". That is, take time away from the computer and away from writing to spend with the kids and hubby. So, once everyone got up, I turned off my laptop and checked in only twice to check the radar (we had a crazy cool thunderstorm here today).

On tap today was playing in the sprinkler, cleaning the backyard up, watering the flowers, having a water balloon fight and blowing bubbles off of our rooftop deck. It was a lovely day and my spirit thanked me for it tonight when the kids went to bed and I felt peaceful, serene. Writing is a wonderful thing and provides me with a creative outlet I've never found anywhere else, but sometimes you need to break away and appreciate your family and friends. Summer is coming and facts are facts - eventually, my kiddos (9, 7 and 4) are going to be spending the summers running around with friends and maybe even attending camp somewhere. With that in mind, I'll be enjoying every moment of this summer with them. Besides being my pride and joy, they are the balance I need to a writing life that can sometimes be stressful.

So, while my bathroom is strewn with defective water balloons, my newly cleaned deck is now covered with bubble residue and we probably ran up a water bill that would make Trump cry, it was a wonderful day. I'm fresh, reinvigorated and ready to head out on submission with the calm I needed. I think I'll even impress my writing partner and my hubby with my tranquility:)

Do you guys find you need to "unplug" sometimes and when you do, what do you enjoy? How do you find your inner calm?

Listen to Your Heart

2011-06-03T04:58:00.000-07:00

Now that all of you are cursing me for putting Roxette in your heads, happy Friday! I had a dream last night, one that woke me up at two a.m. and left me bitter. In my dream, a book I'd written had been on submission for two weeks and had received ten rejections that all said the same thing: "you're so close, but this is not for me". Maddening. Now, it's no wonder I'm dreaming about going on submission since that's where Trisha and I are headed shortly, but it was the next part of the dream that really gave me a glimpse into myself. Another nameless, faceless author was lighting Twitter on fire because she'd gone on submission at nine in the morning and had four offers by the time it was noon. Whaaaat?

I was livid. We all know this scenario isn't realistic. It's typical for weeks, sometimes even months to go by on submission without hearing a peep and yet this author had a bidding war on their novel in three hours. However, if I dissect this just a little bit, I'm able to see a theme and one I'm sure we all experience but never want to talk about. Jealousy. Jealousy over other writers who appear to get the agent faster, get a publishing deal easier, and on and on and on. We don't like to admit it and we feel guilty for feeling it, but it's there.

So, rather than try to change human nature, better to tackle the real issue. Why did Smarty-Authorpants get the agent faster, or the book deal easier? I think our biggest fears as writers is that Smarty-Authorpants is a better writer than us. That could be true. Maybe Smarty-Authorpants is phenomenal and sincerely deserves what he/she is getting. However, before you get all stabby on me and start questioning whether or not you're ever going to read my blog again, maybe it's an issue of timing. Perhaps Smarty-Authorpants wrote the right thing at the right time. I'm sure there are bajillions of authors out there who've written amazing books. . . at the wrong time. Books that never saw the light of day.

So, this leads me to my final question. How do you decide what you're going to write? Do you listen to your heart and write whatever comes out of it, knowing full well that it might not be the "right time" or do you restrain yourself and write only what feels/sounds marketable? Maybe you do both. I'm curious.

Moving Day!

2011-06-02T16:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, that title was completely misleading. I'm not moving, but I am moving around the components of my blog. In the non-virtual world, I'm the kind of person who rearranges the furniture in their living room periodically, switches the comforters on the beds frequently and just needs change now and again. Especially when I'm feeling anxious. It's either a) give little pieces of my life a face lift or b) make everyone around me crazy. It might already be too late for my hubby and Trisha (sorry guys).

Just a warning, I like this blog template for now, but it might change again. The post-it notes kind of remind me of my own haphazard writing process and the jumbled nature of the notes I'm always scribbling down. Hope all of you can put up with my temporary insanity. Just look at it this way - it will keep me from making you all crazy during the waiting period too!

* For all of you awesome folks who shared their goals in the comment section of my last post - AWESOME. I am cheering for all of you and will be stopping by your blogs in the next day to say hey!

June Goals - You Know You Need Them!

2011-06-01T11:30:00.000-07:00

Now that Trisha and I have turned in our revisions and are waiting to find out if we've got some additional work to do on Atlas-F (eek! New name. . . at least for now:), my mind has turned to summer goals. Of course my main objective is to see Atlas-F get safely and happily out on submission and hopefully a lovely book deal come rolling in, but my sensible side tells me that I need to focus on other things also. Uhhh, its been a long time since I focused on other things. It's hard.

So, I've turned my attention to my social networking goals. I know, blah blah blah. But we all know the truth. No matter how amazing your book is and how awesome your cover design is, enough people will not see it based on publisher's marketing money alone. You need to market it. You need to market yourself. This does not come naturally to many of us and it's for this exact reason that I avoided Twitter for so long. However, there are a lot of rewards to getting "out there". For one, new writer friends! For another, you discover amazing, fantastic books that you might not have originally known about. You buy them, read them and then tweet about them. Not only do you benefit, but so does the author!

So, I proclaim June to be the kickoff of my month long challenge to myself. In between revisions and the sparkly new WIP that Trisha and I are working on (it whispers my name when I'm trying to sleep - that's how cool it is) I will blog more religiously. Stop laughing, I mean it. I will work to tweet valuable and insightful things and keep my chronic retweeting to a minimum. I will try to achieve 300 blog followers and 500 twitter followers in the next 30 days. Will I do it? Only time will tell, but I'm ready to get out there and try.

What about you guys? What are your goals and how are you going to accomplish them? Let's help each other guys - we are, after all, one of the most supportive communities I've ever been a part of.

What I'm Reading

2011-05-31T04:47:00.000-07:00

First of all, I hope all of you had a lovely Memorial Day yesterday. Hopefully there were pools (it was 94 here!), BBQ, family and friends involved. Secondly, it occurred to me last night that I haven't done a check-in on what we're all reading in a while. I love those posts because the comment section is usually ablaze with cool reading ideas and since we're heading into summer - I need more reading! So, here we goooooooo -
I just finished Delirium by Lauren Oliver. I would highly recommend this book. Lauren Oliver captured my heart with Before I Fall and this one did not let me down. If you've read it, let me know what you thought of it.

I am halfway through with But I Love Him by Amanda Grace (Mandy Hubbard) and am enjoying it. I know a lot of people shy away from books that could be categorized as an "issue book" but I like this one, particularly the unique chronological way in which she tells the story.

Now, on to what I'm preparing to read. Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss. Remember my post on Fantasy and how I never really gave it a shot prior to watching Game of Thrones on HBO? Well, here's proof that my mind has been opened. Name of the Wind is not only a fantasy, but it's also a deviation from my normal YA repertoire. I'm looking forward to it and have heard phenomenal reviews so far. Have you read it?

Have a wonderful week everyone! I'll try to be more steady now with posting and hopefully I'm able to comment on all blogs now, and not just select ones. Blogger revolted against me last week and it was awful.

After the Call

2011-05-27T06:13:00.000-07:00

I admit it. . . I blatantly stole this post title from Caroline Tung Richmond's After the Call series of posts. I couldn't help myself - I've always loved that series of hers and figured that now, three weeks out from signing with the terrifical (yes, I did just watch Ramona and Beezus last night with the kids and fully intend to use "terrifical" as often as possible) Ginger Clark, now is a great time to post a little reflection on it.

I always wondered what it would be like after signing with an agent. Revisions, submission, the agent-author relationship in general was all a bit mysterious to me. I can honestly say now, having just finished up our second round of revisions on our novel, having an agent - especially one with an eye as good as Ginger's, is wonderful. She understands what we're trying to accomplish, sees brilliant ways to tweak the book and gives us something concrete feedback on every change we make. In short, seeing an agent as excited about our novel as we are is really, really cool.

Both Trisha and I are looking forward to the submission process and as soon as I know for sure, I'll be certain to post an update about the new title!

* On a side note, I'm taking my adorable little girl to get her ears pierced today. Wish me luck - she's excited and I'm nervous:)

What's in a Name?

2011-05-25T08:07:00.000-07:00

A good title is a beautiful thing. I've been known to cross the room at a bookstore just to open a book with a beautiful looking cover or an amazing name. The Hunger Games. Awesome. Immediately made me wonder what the heck the Hunger Games were and trust me, they sounded sinister immediately. Delirium. Another awesome title. So appropriate for the book and so catchy. Anna and the French Kiss - loved it. Book and title both rock.

So, given how important a title can be in garnering attention for a novel, it's no wonder that the process can seem daunting. Recently, my co-author, Trisha, and I were tasked with the challenge of considering a new title for FATUM. Whereas I felt like putting my face into a paper bag and breathing with my head between my knees, as usual Trisha was my strong counterpart. Calmly, she reminded me that a title may change several times if a book is fortunate enough to make it to publication and with that, we began the hunt. Like everything else has been in this process, sometimes it seems that even from thousands of miles apart, she and I are sharing brainwaves because last night, with no fuss or frustration
. . . I think we came up with our new title. And as usual, we both agree.

What about you guys? How do you decide on novel titles and do you change them several times?

A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words

2011-05-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I'll be driving and a song will come on the radio that inspires me. When Trisha and I were writing Fatum, it was usually angry music to be honest ... our characters aren't exactly in the best of circumstances and I often wrote better when I felt a little #$@&*! off at the world.

Occasionally though, a picture does the same thing for me. I love pictures of "lost" or deserted cities, abandoned buildings and other creepy stuff. Not to sound morbid, but there's something powerful about the decay and the fact that some of these places are still standing - despite the fact that they've been left to rot.

Just today, I came across another picture that did it for me, so even though I don't usually blog on Saturdays, I thought I'd share it. It's of an old, abandoned roller coaster being engulfed in fog (above). Really, really cool. Though I'm not working on anything involving ghostly roller coasters, my muse needs to maintain its sinister edge for our newest WIP and so this picture is awesome.

What about you guys? Do you ever use something tangible like a picture or a play list to feed your muse?

Really Cool

2011-05-18T07:40:00.000-07:00

So, short of daydreaming about the possibility of seeing Fatum sitting on the shelves (or more accurately, shelves that are supposed to be stocked with Fatum sitting empty because it was so hot!), there's a few things going on right now in my personal life that I'm really proud of. I know, I don't talk about writing related stuff very often, but sometimes it all seems to tie together and today I wanted to share one of the things that made me smile this week.

Last night, hubs and I took the kids to meet some friends for dinner. It was a fun night and when we got home, the kids were tired and getting ready for bed. It was at that moment that I realized I hadn't seen my seven year old son in about fifteen minutes. Now, for a kid who considers himself a ninja, a superhero, an international spy and an expert marksman with a nerf gun. . . any time without my eyes on him is disconcerting. So, I searched the house until I found him. WRITING A BOOK. Yes. He was in his room, writing away on his lined paper and had three full pages of a story about a kid who turned into a zombie. He was writing a kid thriller and apparently, a trendy one at that! I was stunned and so, so proud.

What about you guys? Is there anything in your non-writing related life that has inspired you or simply put a smile on your face this week? Please share, because it's pouring down rain here in Chicago and we need to brighten up this day somehow!!

Admission. . .

2011-05-15T18:14:00.000-07:00

Have you ever avoided a particular food because of the way it looks? Or because it has a texture that looks unappealing? Example: I watch my family suck down trays of raw oysters on vacation and know they must be tasty, but can't bring myself to eat them because they look like shells filled with snot. I know, mature.

Now, let's travel into the literary realm and ask the same question. Have you ever been a genre snob? That is, are there any types of novels that you've avoided just because you think you might dislike them? I'm ashamed to admit that I have, and I had absolutely no idea what I was missing.

Up until recently, I'd cracked the covers of merely a handful of fantasy novels. Not because I imagined them to be inferior in any way, but because I didn't have the patience to learn the language, the world and the culture the characters live in. In other words, I was limiting myself out of laziness. Then, HBO dropped the bomb known as The Game of Thrones on me. Wow. Way to go George RR Martin. Now I find myself looking up fantasy titles on my Kindle, both YA and adult. Will I like all fantasy or will it replace my beloved dystopian or even the contemporary YA I love? Nope, but I've broadened my horizons and that's key, especially for writers.

What about you guys? Have you ever avoided a particular genre or type of book and then later discovered you'd made a mistake? Say! I like fantasy! I do! I like it, Sam-I-Am!

Revision Road

2011-05-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

Please forgive me for the short post, but Blogger lost the one I had saved for today (damn technology) and now, I lack the patience to recreate it!

So, I want to dedicate this post to all of us who are currently in or have recently visited the land of revisions. That mysterious world where you tweak, cut, sharpen and finesse your manuscript until it's bright and shiny. Personally, I like revising. The process strikes me as a puzzle. If you're adding scenes or even trickier, adding or removing characters, it can be quite challenging to get everything to come together seamlessly.

So here's the question - what's your revision secret? Do you have a process you follow when revising or a method for making certain that you've accomplished your revision goals before you stop? Maybe you have a super-secret beta tester who is fantastic critiquing revisions? Share what kinds of revision you've worked on and any tips you have for making it a smooth, non-hair yanking out process!

* Comic used with permission from Debbie Ridpath Ohi at Inkygirl.com

How Becoming Agented is Totally Like Walternate

2011-05-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

"Walternate" is the nickname given by Walter Bishop to the alternate universe version of himself. - From the Fox television series Fringe.

Writers have good imaginations. We spend a lot of time daydreaming, envisioning what could happen at any given juncture of our writing career. But many of us have a block - we refuse to imagine too many good things, lest they never come true. Though we see success stories - writer friends becoming agented, book deals happening in our critique circles. . . it's difficult to envision them happening to us. In fact, even when you dare to imagine that version of yourself who is succeeding, it's surreal.

But what happens when those things happen for you? When the unimaginable comes knocking at your door? I'll tell you what. You freak. You completely lose your !#$* and your writing partner has to give you a virtual slap through the telephone to bring you to your senses. As promised, this is the story of how I became the alternate universe version of myself - my own personal Walternate.

Chapter 1 - Querying. I've posted a ton about how Trisha and I wrote Fatum, so I won't bore you with that again. Just know that it was fun. Really fun. When we started querying, it began with careful research on agents. We had not only crafted a query letter and asked for feedback from several fellow writers, but we also read all agent interviews and blogs that we could get our hands on. Targeting the agents we thought would be a good match for Fatum was key to us. Not simply firing out queries every which way until we randomly lucked out.

Chapter 2 - Getting requests. As with all manuscripts, Fatum saw its fair share of rejections on the query letter. No matter how amazing your query is and no matter how awesome you believe your MS to be, this is still a very subjective business. Rejections are part of the game and we didn't linger on any of them longer than necessary. To balance out the "no's", we took heart in the fact that we were also getting several requests. This meant the query was doing its job.

Chapter 3 - An offer. . . whaaaat? I woke up one morning to an offer from an agent who had been reading Fatum in the middle of the night. She emailed Trisha and I, saying that she'd just finished Fatum and loved it. Whoa. Not only had she been unable to put it down, but she emailed us as soon as she finished it. . . and it was an offer!!! My heart stopped momentarily when I saw those words and I immediately began trying to get in touch with Trisha. Did I mention that I was bugging her at like seven a.m.? I know, I know. . . but it was an offer!

Once we'd sobered up (just kidding), Trisha and I set up a time to speak with Agent #1 and also began emailing the other agents who had our material to notify them of the new offer. We also notified a few hand-picked agents who had our query letter, but hadn't yet responded. This is when things got really freaky. We started getting more interest. . . much more. Ultimately, we ended up with five offers and two more agents that chimed in long after the decision had been made, lamenting the fact that they missed out. Missed out? Did an agent just seriously say they missed out on our MS? Talk about an alternate universe.

So how did we ultimately end up with super amazing agent Ginger Clark? We evaluated all of our offers, researched every agent, spoke to all of them by phone and then decided that she was without a doubt, the very best agent possible for Fatum.

A word of wisdom I learned in this process - if you find yourself in this position, don't get swept away and go with the first agent who offers. Trust me, I know it's hard not to. Do your research and take your time. Agents are not going to get annoyed, force you to hurry or back out because you ask them for time to consider. Not only is it critical for you and the success of your manuscript, but it's a professional courtesy to all agents involved. Set a time frame (for us, it was ten days) in which you speak to all offering agents and make a decision. Factoring in issues like the agents vision for your manuscript, potential revisions, sales history, responsiveness, etc. is key. Ginger was extremely patient. She not only spoke with us by phone, but she did it twice and answered all of our questions - even the ones that probably made her wonder what planet we'd stepped off of.

In the end, we spoke with several really lovely agents, heard some fantastic things about Fatum and discovered so many possibilities that I never knew existed. I mean, when you imagine getting an offer, you rarely imagine multiple offers and you certainly never imagine agents discussing film rights with you.

Then again, many of us never allow ourselves to glimpse through the curtain and into that other universe - the one where our dreams are a reality. Now if only I could be a shapeshifter too. . .

The Aftermath

2011-05-09T06:05:00.000-07:00

The last two weeks have been insane around here. Insane in a good way of course, but I've been multitasking like a madwoman. Whereas I'd normally be pretty focused on the task at hand, my mind has wandered to Fatum and the adventure that Trisha and I are embarking on. My poor family has had a wife and mother who can barely remember her name and frequently interjects words like "email" when I should be using words like "lunchbox" or "laundry". Example: "Honey I need to pack your sandwich up. . .bring me your email real quick." Son: *puzzled* "Huh?" Yeah, I'm sure we can all identify with that, but it sure didn't earn me any brownie points around here:)

Up until Mothers Day, when we spend the day gardening (I love that) as a family, this is what my life looked like:

Now, however, things are slowing. I am able to catch up on my blog finally and am looking forward to digging into revisions on Fatum and preparing for it to go on submission (eek!). It's a new journey and I'm so grateful to have all of you with me on it. Thank you sincerely for your comments and congrats on my last blog post - they made me smile!

Later this week I'll post a more detailed "How I Got My Agent" post and I swear (pinky swear) that I'm going to be making my normal commenting rounds as well. In the meantime, have a lovely week everyone!

I'm Agented!

2011-05-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

Yup. . . it's true. While I wish I could write one of those long "How I got my Agent" posts today, the truth is that I'm running on adrenaline and am in a blurt-out-your-good-news mood so here it is: the amazing Ginger Clark from Curtis Brown is now my agent. GINGER CLARK!

Fatum is a YA Speculative fiction manuscript that I co-authored with the brilliant Trisha Leaver. It is a gritty, male POV novel that centers around three high school boys and their attempts to not only survive in the wake of a massive solar storm, but to also maintain their own sanity and moral compass in the midst of a humankind that has turned on each other.

Now, it's the next sentence that sends chills up my spine. Ginger loved Fatum. While I will post a longer recollection of the events leading up to her making an offer, I do want to take a moment to say that our phone calls with her were fantastic. She is professional, confident and sweet - not to mention the fact that she appears to have quite a firm grasp on Seinfeld trivia! Could there be a better package for an agent?

Check back on Monday guys. When I've collected my nerves again, I'll relay the story of how we ended up with four offers on Fatum (four!) and the process of deciding that Ginger was absolutely the best fit for us. The other agents who offered representation were lovely beyond words and I'm grateful for the opportunity to speak with them. However, as with everything, in the end you must trust your gut instincts and that's what we did.

For specifics on Fatum, please feel free to visit my joint blog with Trisha at Hidden Truths.

p.s. Thanks Trisha for being made of sheer awesome.
p.s.s. Thanks Ginger for putting a smile on my face that I don't anticipate leaving for a LOOOONG time.
p.s.s.s. Thanks to my wonderful family. My patient hubby and kids who put up with a rollercoaster of a mama during this process.

What are you Reading?

2011-05-05T04:26:00.000-07:00

I love periodically checking in to see what you guys are all reading or have just read. . . you help me form my TBR pile! So, short and sweet:

I just read WITHER by Lauren DeStefano. I'll be the first to admit that the cover was the first thing that prompted me to add it to my list. . . it's beautiful. However, the novel doesn't just have a pretty face; it boasts beautiful writing and a captivating world as well.

Up next on my TBR list is Divergent by Veronica Roth. I just started this yesterday and would love to hear if any of you are also currently reading it or have already finished it (no spoilers though!!).

So, what are you guys reading? Any books you've just finished that I absolutely need to add to my list?

Pace Yourself

2011-05-02T04:11:00.000-07:00

There's something absolutely brilliant about a novel where the events unfold naturally and with perfect timing. The books where the tension builds throughout, the stakes are raised proportionately and the climax ultimately hits you in the side of the head like a brick - at just the right time. Stories like that seem to fly by and the reading is effortless and consuming. However, switch places from being the reader to being the writer and creating a novel like this is a tad more. . . difficult.

Pacing. Other than voice, it's one of the few words that can strike ice cold fear into the veins of any writer. Why? Because it's so difficult to get right.

Like any good movie or tv show, the books that keep my attention grab me from the beginning and hold me tightly in their clenches. The ability to do that, has everything to do with the author's ability to create a proper rhythm for their book and when they do. . . holy cow it's amazing. All books have a different rhythm, for sure, but the important thing for any one book is that the rhythm not be the same from beginning to end. After all, a novel which maintains the exact same level of tension throughout risks putting me to sleep. Or worse, it risks sending me back into the bookstore to find something that will hold my attention better.

So, the hard question. How do you guys create the proper pacing for your projects when you are writing? Do you have fantastic beta testers and critique partners that point out the lulls for you or are you able to recognize lagging pacing on your own?

Z is for Zipperump-a-zoo

2011-04-30T06:54:00.000-07:00

I have a real fondness for Mercer Mayer. His Little Critter books always make me smile and they've been a staple in my children's library for - well, forever. Recently, I've been reading one of the first Mayer books I was ever exposed to as a child to the preschool classes in my kids school. It was The Search for the Zipperump-a-zoo and I still adore it.

It's amazing that even though the book was first published in 1976, it is just as sparkly and fun as the day it hit the shelves. Quirky Professor Wormbog and the amazing images in the book not only silence my kids while I'm reading, but they still capture my imagination as an adult. In other words, it's timeless.

So for my last blog post of the A to Z Challenge (cough, cough - yes, I did miss three posts), I just want to pay a little tribute to the Zipperump-a-zoo and to authors like Mercer Mayer, Shel Silverstein, Judy Blume. . . the authors who not only create books that we scramble to the school library as kids to check out, but books that stand the test of time and still hold a place in our hearts as adults.

I'm sure you all have several authors racing around in your minds right now - any particular ones that you see speaking to all different ages of people for generations?

Where is Lindsay?

2011-04-29T07:26:00.000-07:00

I apologize everyone for the lack of blogging in the past couple of days. Life has me snowed under and I'm not able to surface for long at a time. I've neglected my normal commenting rounds as well - I'm so sorry! However, I will say that despite the dreary weather in Chicago, this has been a fantastic week and I look forward to the moment when I can free myself up a bit and post a proper update.

Does the fact that I stopped at V make me an A to Z Challenge loser? What's been going on with you all while I've been absent?

V is for Victor Hugo

2011-04-26T04:51:00.000-07:00

I loved to read as a child, in fact I've done several blog posts on how certain children's books shaped me, made me want to be a writer someday. The first book that I read until the pages were tattered and a replacement was necessary was Where the Red Fern Grows. Wilson Rawls managed to portray a world so amazing that I couldn't stop reading it. He showed fourth-grade me a life in the Ozark mountains where a boy and his hunting dogs form a beautiful bond and for the first time - things didn't end happily. There were tears guys, lots and lots of tears. It was so beautiful though, so touching that I read it over and over again, just to feel that love between Billy and his dogs. Being that fourth-grade me loved animals and believed she was going to be a veterinarian when she grew up, that book really touched me.

Then in high school, I read The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo. Fourth grade me probably wouldn't have found this book nearly as gut-wrenching as sixteen-year old me did. I was smitten with the love Quasimodo felt for Esmerelda and believed that I might die of sadness when his bones were found embracing hers at the end. I read this book repeatedly and wondered at how Victor Hugo could make me feel like my insides had been scraped out with a pumpkin scoop at the end. I was a romantic at 16. . . saw poetry in the world and spent my days watching Dead Poets Society until the VHS tape busted. No wonder Victor Hugo spoke to me.

My point is, that there have been influential books throughout my life and I'm so grateful to have found them when I did. I still occasionally flip through one of them now (I just read Where the Red Fern Grows to my 9 year old son. . . he had to read the last few pages for me) and can bring back that rush, that overwhelming feeling I had when I first read it.

Have there been any books that you've read that seemed like a perfect "fit" for that stage of your life? Perhaps one that makes you wonder if the author has some strange little window into your heart?

U is for Unabridged

2011-04-25T07:20:00.000-07:00

As I'm watching so many Borders across Chicago close their doors, I'm even more appreciative of the small bookstores that are still succeeding in my neighborhood. There's one in particular that I've enjoyed for over ten years now - Unabridged Bookstore on Broadway.

I love the smell of the store, the quiet - disrupted only the occasional page flip and the racks of gorgeous hardbacks. Glossy, matte, smooth, raised. . . they send chills up my spine. But here's the kicker. Here is what makes Unabridged my favorite. The owners and salespeople actually READ the books! Many of their new books (and yes this includes their awesome YA section) have a handwritten postcard above them with a mini-review of the book. I love the personal touch and quirky feel of these cards. I recently bought my 9 year old a book there that was described (on the notecard) as "Percy Jackson meets Indiana Jones". Whoa - now that's a good way to hook me.

What about you guys? Where is your favorite bookstore and why is it your favorite? Include a link if you can so we can all see the awesomeness:)

T is for Turbulence

2011-04-23T06:24:00.000-07:00

It's no big secret that I hate flying. I hate turbulence like I hate dental work. Actually, I hate it more than dental work. I guess there isn't much I can liken it to that conveys the degree of terror I feel when a plane I'm in hits turbulence and begins thumping around in the air like an unstable cylinder of death. I spend every flight white-knuckled, praying to any god that will listen that we don't plummet to the earth. Meanwhile, everyone around me is generally reading, chatting, sleeping or listening to music. It's a lonely existence.

Ironically, many years ago and before children or working towards publication came into the picture, I was preparing to interview with the FBI. I really wanted to be a special agent and was willing to pay whatever dues necessary to get there. Jogging several miles a day? Fine. Visiting the Chicago-based offices and learning everything I could? Awesome. Enrolling in flight school and learning to fly a Cessna? Uh. . . okay. You see, without a law degree, a medical background, foreign language or unique specialty that will make you of use to the FBI, it's much more difficult to get your foot in the door. This is where flight school came up. They are always on the lookout for folks who can fly planes. So, I did it. I was horrified, in tears and throwing up into a paper bag as I attempted to fly, but I tried.

My point here is not that I'm a rock star because I can fly a plane (because I absolutely can't, but that's another blog post) but that we all sacrifice and do things we might not normally choose to do for our craft. Sometimes it's something drastic, like rewriting an entire manuscript when we thought the first version was just fine. Sometimes it's more subtle but still frustrating, like reading every letter of a harsh rejection or criticism from a beta tester in order to make our work better in the long run. The bottom line is that forcing ourselves to do uncomfortable things sometimes will move us closer to our goals. It may not be pleasant and we might not always succeed. . . but we've got to try.

To those of you who are celebrating this weekend, have a lovely Easter.

S is for Shake it Off

2011-04-22T05:24:00.000-07:00

I have so many friends either querying or heading out on submission to editors that I had to do a post today dedicated to rejection. Not that everyone is going to get rejected, but it's a part of the industry we all become familiar with whether we like it or not. So, here goes:)

When you guys were kids, did your parents smile reassuringly and tell you to "shake it off" when you fell down? Mine did. They seemed to think (and in many cases they were right), that I was looking for validation of my injuries from them, therefore if they reacted like nothing was wrong, I would get up and go about my business. Ironically, though I was really angered by this as a child, I've adopted their attitude as an adult. Not just when my kids have scraped their knee or bumped an elbow, but when bad news comes my way or darkens the doorstep of any of my writer buddies.

I tell myself and everyone around me to shake it off when we get rejected because I believe 100% that it isn't permanent. Like my scrape from the monkey bar incident, the rejection will fade and another opportunity will surface. Focusing on each rejection and obsessing over them steals our confidence and in a business that is so subjective, we can't let that happen. Besides, not every quest is going to end that way - one of them is going to end with the sound of a champagne cork popping.

So, what about you guys? Do you try to shake it off or do you take a little bit of time to mourn each time an agent or an editor shoots bad news your way?

R is for Research

2011-04-20T20:12:00.000-07:00

Short and sweet today. I'm losing blogging steam rapidly and need to do a quick and dirty post today or I'll cheat and skip it altogether.

I was wondering - what is the most interesting research you've all ever done for your WIP's? I found myself digging through my husband's hunting equipment for research while we were writing FATUM (which got me some really strange looks) and am much more comfortable with guns/knives than I ever thought possible. I know know what it sounds like when you load a gun, what gun oil smells like and how heavy ammunition is.

This got me thinking that it would be really fun to find out what interesting knowledge all of you have picked up during the course of your writing as well. Spill it guys - I'm sure it's interesting!