Okay, before I get to my IWSG post, I’ll go ahead and announce the winners from last week’s contest because I know ya’ll would be scrolling down anyways:) *Pause for virtual drumroll*

Robin Weeks— winner of query or 2 page synopsis critique by author Jaime Rush!

AND

Tuere Morton–winner of Jaime Rush’s new book, Darkness Becomes Her

Robin, please email me your pages as an attachment to info@jamieayres.com and I’ll forward it to the other Jaime:) Tuere, please email me your address to claim your prize. Muchos gracias to all who participated. Don’t forget to buy Jaime’s book . . .only $4.99 for the Kindle edition (I’m enjoying mine!)

Now it’s the first Wednesday of the month so you know what time it is– Alex J. Cavanaugh’s . . .

This month I’m feeling that Catch 22 scenario because I just received my 4th request for my manuscript, 18 Things. It was a partial request that quickly turned into a full request so I’m psyched about that. I also feel like since I’m finally generating some interest I should go ahead and plot out/write the sequel. Since I finished writing 18 Things in February I’ve focused on writing another novel because I figured I’d be crushed (metaphorically speaking, of course) if nobody wanted 18 Things. This way if all the editors said (the following response I cut & pasted from an actual response, but from an agent):  “I like so much about this, and I especially like your writing. But here is my main concern: what about this book makes it marketable? What makes it a bestseller? YA is so incredibly tight right now, editors keep bemoaning that anything they take on must be ‘break-out big’ and while I think this book is great, I’m not sure how to pitch it to make it compete with the bestselling books already on the shelves. Do you  have anything else to show me?”

So yeah, anyways, if I got that same reaction from an editor I could answer, “Yep! Here it is!”

But now I’m feeling 18 Things may just see the light of day (really hoping to share gOOd nEWs soon) so it’s time to write the sequel. I sat down after church on Sunday and pretty much just vomited up 15 pgs for the first chapter. Once I got the feeling for how I wanted this story to continue, I knew I had to force myself to plot, which I hate almost as much as revisions. You see, I’m a pantser (I feel like there should be a separate support group for that . . . anyone know of one?). Maybe you’re a pantser too but want to travel down that recovery road with me. Well, welcome to step 1 my friend . . . the

PLOTTING TABLE

Come on, click it. I tripe dog dare ya:):):)

Alrighty then . . .back to torture plotting for me. If you have any helpful plot tools, please share with us!

~Until next Wednesday, HaPPy*WRitiNG/rEAding!!

It’s the first Wednesday of the month and do you know what time it is . . . Alex J Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group!

Writing is my passion and when I don’t get my fix I feel depressed. I’ve had that feeling a lot lately, especially in May with only 16 more school wakeups for the school year (thank God–the end is near!). Among working full-time as a teacher, I’m also a mom to two girls (and sometimes my 33-yr-old hubby;) . . . add in guitar practice for Kaylee on Monday and Sunday nights, bible study group on Tuesday nights, horse riding lessons for Ashley on Wednesday afternoons, blogging (writing and commenting), trying to workout (which I fail miserably  at most of the time), house work and family commitments on the weekends, and trying to read (can’t wait for City of Lost Souls out on May 8th!), time is of the essence.

Usually my summer is when I write a full novel, then spend the rest of the school year slowly editing it, over and over and over again. But next year I am switching grade levels so much of my summer will be spent learning new curriculum and making Smartboard lessons to go along with said curriculum. I’ll also be studying for my media specialist degree since our librarian is retiring after the 2012-2013 school year and I’m hoping to replace her (unless I get that BIG book deal before then, HA!).

So now that I’ve vented, anyone have any pointers for me? How do you squeeze in writing time with a full-time job, family and hobbies?

*Ok, I wrote this last night & saved as a draft before heading to Bible study, then guess what the teaching was on? The Race, the Place & the Pace of life, lol. Funny how that happens. I came to the conclusion that I somehow need to spend more time in God’s infinite presence so I can have more peace about all the things in my life. So I’ll end with this thought of the day: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” –1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

*drumroll please*

KACIA MURPHY–Congrats, you’re the lucky winner of the Easter Basket Full of YA Books Giveaway.

I’ll email you with the dets!

Thanks to all who follow my blog and for the 25 people who played along–you are all roCK stARs in my book:) Feel free to grab the Liebster Blog award below if you participated in my giveaway (aren’t award badges waaaayyyyyyyy fun?!). Thanks to Kirsten from Write a Book with Me for passing it to me.

Alex Cavanaugh’s  IWSG post is pretty short for me this month since I’m at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort as I type this. My dad and his family are visiting from Michigan and we definitely had a magical day! So anyways, plenty of insecurities this past month as I wait for feedback on my book from dream agent and hoping it’ll be finally be ready to send out to those 3 editors that requested it at the conference I attended at the end of February. Hopefully polished work is better than late work? Any thoughts on this?

It’s the first Wednesday of March (don’t forget to spring ahead this Sunday) so it’s time for Alex J. Cavanaugh’s IWSG. BTW, his new book, CassaFire is now available–can I get a woot, woot!?! It’s on my TBR list for Spring Break next week:)

So I have plenty of insecurities about my novel going out to 3 editors this week, which is a first, well the fact that it’s actually requested is a first. HA! But I don’t want to talk about it and jinx anything, so instead I’ll share some more conference notes from where the 3 requests came from.

THE ART, CRAFT, AND BUSINESS OF WRITING FICTION By: Linnea Sinclair (AWESOME workshop teacher- if you ever get a chance to take one of her online classes, you should! And her novels aren’t too shabby either!!)

• Never forget that writing is an art and a craft but also a business.
• The art of writing comes from the muse that drives you. It’s what demands you write the story when you could be watching TV.
• Far too many writers rest on their art alone. This is why they’re writers and not authors. *Can I get an Amen!?!*
• The craft of writing is the process that fine-tunes what your muse gives you (Grammar, Sentence Structure, Pacing, Vocabulary, POV, Conflict). It helps you present your writing so that it’s not only interesting to your readers, but saleable to an agent or editor (who you MUST REACH FIRST before you’ll ever reach readers). *shrugs, maybe not with the E revolution*
• The business of writing is the most forgotten part of writing. It’s what all writers must keep in mind as they balance their art and their craft.  The editor or agent who reads your work is very aware of the business of writing. They have to justify their purchase/expenditure. If you understand the business of writing as well as you understand the art & the craft, you can increase your chances of publication. Business consideration includes genre, current market sales, proposed market trends, author’s experience in self promotion, author’s willingness and ability to self promote, the uniqueness of the author’s voice, and the cleanliness of the manuscript.

Questions every writer who wants to be an author must answer:

1. Why should someone read my book?

2. What’s my book’s tag line?

3. Am I willing to make the commitment of time to become a published author?

So how about you friends . . . what are your answers to these interesting questions? Inquiring minds want to know:):):) Only need 15 more followers to reach the 300 milestone & host another contest . . . just saying;) 

This book by Rita award winning author, Linnea Sinclair, is being made into a movie!

It’s my second month participating in the Insecure Writer’s Support Group & it couldn’t come at a more crucial time. If you are interested in joining, feel free to visit Alex J. Cavanaugh’s website: http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/

The first week of January I sent out my query to 15 targeted agents. So far I’ve received 4 generic rejections & 2 requests for the fulls. I’m not holding my breath. I’ve sent out 15 queries to targeted agents twice before for different novels. Both times I got 3 requests for the full & both times 1 never got back to me & the others ultimately rejected me, all for different reasons. I honestly expected better response this time though. Perhaps the comment from Leah Hultenschmidt during the discussion for “Pitch-Slam Weekend January 13-15 on YALITCHAT.ORG holds the answer:

“The idea of completing a set amount of tasks is all over the genre right now (Little Blue Envelopes, Instructions for a Broken Heart, 13 Reasons Why to some degree), so you’ll need something extra special to make this really stand out. Maybe give more detail at what’s unexpected so that can be as much of the hook as the instructions.”

Yeah, I see her point. But then I go, “Ahem, how many, like, vampire novels did we have before we stopped rejecting those?” So I’m asking for your help. I hosted an agent query contest with the fab Nicole Resciniti last month, but kept myself out of it. Now I’m asking for your honest opinion. Oh, before I post my query . . . a HUGE thank you to everyone following my blog:) The query contest was to celebrate 100 followers, & now I’m already at 200! Please check back next week for the dets on a contest I’ll host on Feb. 15th to celebrate again (hint: get those first pages ready). Ok, *deep breath*, here it goes:

Seventeen-year-old Olga Gay Worontzoff thinks her biggest problems are an awful name (after her grandmothers, of course) and not going to the prom with Conner, her best friend, drummer in a popular band and secret crush since kindergarten. But when Conner is struck by lightning during their sailing trip on Lake Michigan, Olga’s life loses meaning. She feels responsible for his death, and all the girls at Grand Haven High who also loved Conner have no difficulty in blaming her, too.

The sarcastic and nerdy girl who never missed a day of school is suddenly lost, replaced by someone with no will to get out of bed. As she battles depression, her counselor suggests she write a list titled “18 Things.” She must complete eighteen quests the year of her eighteenth birthday as part of her therapy. Olga enlists the help of her friends, who are eager to offer suggestions. Now all she has to do is fire-walk, try out for the cheerleading squad, break a world record and hardest of all, sail again. What she doesn’t count on is acting as a catalyst for healing in the lives of her friends and finding herself in the process. Then Nate, a good friend who brings a hearty dose of fun to the list, complicates things by asking her out on a date. It’s time to put into practice the lessons her life list has taught her. Life truly does go on. She must risk her own heart, but if she fails, she risks losing her true soul-mate forever.

At 58,000 words, my contemporary YA, 18 THINGS, is a coming-of-age story about acceptance, friendship, love and what we can and should do in matters of life and death. In its own unique way, it could be described as a young adult version of The Bucket List with some unexpected twists.

After working with adolescents as a youth group volunteer and teaching at a public school for the past ten years, I feel connected to today’s young adults. I’m a member of SCBWI, YA-RWA, RWA-PRO and Southwest Florida Romance Writers. I read on the agency’s website that you are seeking realistic YA and I’m hoping my novel will be a good match for your list. As requested on your submission guidelines, I’ve pasted below the first five pages. Thank you for your time and consideration.

I’ve just joined Alex J. Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group and will be posting a blog the first Wednesday of every month about my struggles and triumphs concerning the writing world.

Since I first took up writing in the summer of 2009 I’ve struggled through many insecurities. To say I cringe when I think about the first draft manuscript I sent out to actual agents is a HUGE understatement. I’d like to think I’ve learned a thing or two in the past  2 1/2 years, now on my third novel. In fact, I’m kinda proud of myself today (if I do say so myself) b/c one of my New Year’s resolutions is to build my online presence. Not only is it just plain fun to connect with others, it can also be a deal breaker. I was just chatting with an agent who said that if there are two authors and a publishing house is only going to pick one because they are similar, they often look at their online platform to decide. So I devised a plan. Instead of blogging only once or twice a month like I have been of late, I’m committing to blogging every Wednesday. The first Wednesday will be for IWSG, the second Wednesday of the month I’ll blog about Stuff Kids Say since I’m a YA Writer and also a mother/teacher, the third Wednesday I’ll blog about Faith and how it’s connecting to my writing, and the fourth Wednesday I’ll review the books I read that month. Sound good? Got any better ideas for me? Please share:):)

I’d also like to give a shout out to having 90 blog followers (seriously, how’d that happen? Pity from Mom’s friends, no doubt). I just noticed how close I was to 100 today & I’m thinking a contest involving an agent would be a cool way to celebrate when I reach that milestone. So if you’re not a follower already, what are you waiting for? Come on, you know you want to:):):)