Hump Day Kick Start

Song of the Day: Say You’ll Haunt Me by Stone Sour

Adam Gates, for your viewing pleasure.

Feel free to give your stories on this juicy prompt, make appreciative comments, or simply ogle. I’m in New York and will not be responding. However, I look forward to reading your posts.

Agent Shop day with Weronika Janczuk!

UPDATE:

MS. JANCZUK REQUESTED 7 PARTIALS FROM HER VISIT. E-MAILS WENT OUT TODAY!

Good luck to those who got requests and I’ll see you all at the next agent shop! As always – keep writing!

Congratulations to everyone that made it in.

I’ll make it quick as usual.

Here are the stats.

Pitches received: 72

• Pitches accepted: 30
• Pitches over limit:28

Pitches ditched: 14

• Too long: 6
• Missing info: 7
• NOT a pitch: 1 (Sorry folks, but a Bio & blog/website info inviting the agent to check you out, even in less than 200 words, doesn’t count.)

Not bad! If you’ve followed us for very long, you know I’ve had dates where the pitches I ditched outnumbered the pitches I accepted!

As always, if you didn’t make it in this round, look your pitch over. It may be something as simple as missing wordcount, or a title. You might have also come in after the first thirty viable pitches. Whatever the case, it’s important to look at:

• what might be missing
• if you’ve followed the guidelines

You might find some of the same mistakes in your query!

Okay, now that we have that out of the way, I know you’re dying to scroll down and see if your pitch made it!

Be patient!

We have to announce the winners.

The TOP PITCH slot winner is – well it’s the first one up. If it’s yours – congrats!

The winner of MISERERE is LINDA PENNELL! Please send your address to me at candi_agent_shop (@) yahoo.com and I’ll forward it on to Teresa Frohock. Congrats.

Now let’s welcome Weronika Janczuk.

It’s lovely to have you participate in Agent Shop, and I hope some of the pitches below catch your attention. If there are any you’d like to see more of, please e-mail me the pitch number, what you’d like to see from the author, and how the author should send it to you. (P.S. You can use the danci address we’ve been corresponding with.)

Enjoy!

*****************************************

TOP PITCH SLOT WINNER

#1

SIXTH SENSE

Romantic Suspense

90,000 words

Reluctant Psychic Katherine Crystal, dubbed “Crystal Ball Kate,” is thrust into the national spotlight when she accurately predicts that the five-year-old son of actor Vince Rivers will die in a plane crash. Skeptical Atlanta Police Detective Beauregard Lee Jackson Hale (Jack), who has a deep-seated distrust of psychics, is the by-the-book officer who ignores Katherine’s warnings when she calls to report her premonition. When they are sent toSydney, Australia, to help catch a serial killer, the chase leads to romance and the ultimate discovery of a mystery and a murder surrounding Kate’s birth in the spiritualist community of Cassadaga, Florida. Kate learns to accept her unique abilities and trust her sixth sense about love.

#2

DARK KNIGHT

Paranormal Romance

80,142 words

Dark Knight is about the faraway world of the Shadowlands, a world parallel to our own.  Creatures from the Shadowlands make their way into our world; sometimes simply to survive and sometimes to wreak havoc.  Vampires come from the Shadowlands into the outer world and are an extended human race that live longer, are stronger and possess abilities to control the human mind.  Ethan St. John (an agent working in the secret sector of the U.S. Government) a.k.a. protector and vampire hunter, and Gabriella Woods (a “starving artist” who possesses a unique gene that the vampires need), will evade the vampires, falling in love along their journey.  Gabriella and Ethan are on the run from a powerful vampire (LaCroix) and they visit faraway places like the Shadowlands and Egypt.  Throughout the story, Gabriella will learn how to control her mind and how to break through the strong barrier around Ethan’s heart. This is the first of many books in the Shadowlands series.  I’m currently working on the second book, Donovan’s Fumble, bringing many characters from Dark Knight back into the story.  Readers will follow many of the same characters while reading about the Shadowlands.

#3

LITTLE RED FEATHER

Contemporary fantasy/horror

95,000 words

A pair of werewolf brothers battle over a Montana Indian girl—one hungers for her love, the other for her flesh—in this retelling of the classic fairy tale.

When DENNY HOLT sells his soul and becomes a shape-shifter, half-brother ZACH gets caught in the magical backlash. Denny becomes a murderous black wolf by the full moon, but only Zach’s physical form is affected. Zach becomes a gray wolf and returns to human only when Denny is the black wolf.

One day LITTLE RED FEATHER GORDON, a teenage Blackfeet girl, finds a dying gray wolf and heals his wounds. As July’s full moon approaches Zach is determined to protect his Little Red Feather and reveal his human self to her. When Denny kills one girl and almost kills another, Zach’s plans fail. He’s forced to flee to Glacier National Park and become an alpha.

Zach returns before August’s full moon and defends Little Red Feather from Denny. They flee to Grandmother’s, a two-day journey, and spend the night at a cabin. Zach transforms and Little Red Feather insists they are married. At Grandmother’s Zach battles Denny, and with Little Red Feather’s help Zach slays his brother and breaks the curse.

#4

LIFE TAKE TWO

Women’s Fiction

85,000 Words

Marianne Larson brings a shocking end to her family life when she confronts her cheating spouse at his dominatrix apartment.  She begins her new life by returning to college, without the support of her mother and grown daughter. But secrets from the past, refuse to remain hidden and bring the three women back together to heal their broken relationship and create a new future.

#5

THE BLACK DESERT

Women’s fiction/ elements of suspense

95,000 words

Forty-eight hours into their Moroccan vacation, Julie’s best friend disappears, leaving a terse note of apology and a plea: wait for me.

Days pass. Julie’s anger fades to worry – then fear, when she realizes she is being followed. Then, a vicious attack meant for Julie kills an innocent woman. Julie bolts.

She has learned enough snooping through Fay’s luggage to guess her destination is Taghabene, a remote village. Convinced that Fay is heading into danger and propelled by her own jeopardy, Julie speeds south.

Dust. Wrong turns. Car trouble. Julie finally hitchhikes into Taghabene, but Fay has just departed for a desert camp. Snap decision time: hitchhike back to town and eventually bring help or hurry after her friend.

Julie heads into the desert – and blunders into a military patrol. Thrown into the same cell as Fay and three Moroccans, Julie’s relief at finding Fay is countered by resentment at her betrayal. As the army prepares to transfer the captives to a secret prison deep in the Sahara, Julie must set aside past hurts. Only escape matters. The captives pit their wits against the Moroccan army and the Black Desert in a fight for their lives.

#6

THE RELATIONSHIP COACH

Single Title Contemporary

85,000 words

When relationship coach Lacy Morgan meddles in Reed Hunter’s social life, he decides to use his vocation to expose her as the snake-oil selling fraud he believes her to be. Under the guile of filming a documentary, Reed watches her help her clients through their relationships, making him question his views on long-term relationships. He must choose between ending Lacy’s dreams with his negative slanted documentary, which would boast his career to Michael Moore notoriety, or reaching for the one thing he never thought would touch his life—love.

#7

SKINWALKERS

Paranormal Romance
80,000 words

Skinwalker [skin-waw-ker] (n.) – 1. A being capable of assuming the identity of an animal.  2. God of Norse Mythology 3. Shapeshifter

Werewolf hunter Jace McCannon has one loyalty: the Execution Underground, a council of supernatural hunters sanctioned to protect Rochester. Despite his half-wolf lineage, Jace devotes himself to his job, and he hates nothing more than the monsters he hunts. But when a search for a sexual sadist turns ugly, Jace finds himself with the werewolves’ packmaster, and he’s craving his sworn enemy.

The only alpha female to ever run Rochester’s pack, nothing stops Frankie Amato from protecting her clan. She’s set on massacring the rogue murdering women. Ascending into leadership following her parents’ murder, Frankie can hold her own without the help of any men—until a run-in with a handsome werewolf hunter leaves captive and begging for release.

Jace and Frankie work to end the murders, while battling their differences and growing attraction. Their fate falls on Jace’s shoulders; he needs to embrace his dual nature and shift. But when Jace’s attempts at shifting reveal an unknown bloodline, this news drums up Frankie’s own dark past, and she’d rather stand on the sidelines than at Jace’s side.

#8

DARK DEALINGS

Urban Fantasy

86,000 words

At thirteen, Micaela O’Brien was the sole survivor of a small plane explosion in the skies over Ireland.  She saw it in a vision that she never revealed to her parents, who perished in the accident.  Raised by her grandmother, Micaela fought to be like everyone else, but when your bloodlines go back to the ancient Kings and Druids of Ireland, it’s tough. She attends Ivy League schools and is a very successful investment banker.  On a visit to the Berkshires to see her grandmother, Micaela is called to use the gifts she ran from to find a missing friend.  This attracts certain unusual clients.  Clients with fangs and fur, and long histories.  Some of these vampires and shapeshifters possess a thirst for power that rivals their bloodlust. Others will become her allies and perhaps more. But Micaela insists on being rooted in the rational until she discovers one of her clients brutally murdered in his five star New York hotel suite, and is pursued by the killers to Europe.  More attacks occur around the globe until they return to Micaela’s doorstep.  If she is to survive, Micaela must accept the irrational and herself.

#9

DEMON REINCARNATE

YA Urban Fantasy
72,000 words

Finding a hunky, three-hundred-year old demon in your bed isn’t so bad. Stabbing that demon in the gut? Yeah…probably not the best way to make his acquaintance.

Lucky for Katriona McBain, the infamous supernatural hit-man, Demetrius Fall, is interested in more than sucking out her soul—he needs her to assume her role as the reincarnated Queen of the powerful, British Coven.

The only person who can stop an impending apocalypse and end a long waging, demonic war, Katriona is thrown head first into a dark, magical world she thought only existed in her nightmares. Together, she and Demetrius must search the globe for the four bewitched pieces of her royal ancestor’s necklace. Bringing the charms together and harnessing their power is the only chance Katriona has to destroy Narcissa, an evil succubus and leader of the Dark Coven. But as the clock ticks will Katriona uncover the charms in time, or lose something more precious than the war—her humanity?

DEMON REINCARNATE is the first novel of my YA urban fantasy series. Although DEMON REINCARNATE is the in a series, the story stands alone, and explores the uncertainty and change of being a teen on the cusp of adulthood.

#10

SIDEWALK FLOWER

Edgy Romantic Women’s Fiction

103,800 Words

A thirty-two year old musician assistant extraordinaire, Trista Hart knows she needs to find a way out of the nocturnally persuaded world of her best friend and boss, Jaxon James.  But no matter how dark that route has become lately, he and his band Sin Pointe are her family and she’s not prepared to leave them for Jaxon’s visiting cousin, Lucky Mason of Tennessee, if it’s just going to take her down another of life’s pot-hole littered highways.  She has valid reasons to question Lucky and his beloved south—having experienced at an early age the sometimes hypocritical underbelly of the region’s good manners and charm.

Her hourglass has been turned upside down and now with Lucky’s heartfelt proposal before her, she has to decide one for the other at the most inconvenient of times—just as Sin Pointe’s tour is taking off and on the heels of a horrendous late night attack on her and Jaxon that leaves her sure of only one thing…

It’s time for Trista to be her own savior.

#11

TROUBLE IN THE BREW

Young Adult 

88,000 words

Mrs. Ghoul was up late one night brushing her long stringy hair. She stops to place the hair brush down, as her eerie witchy nails scrap the top of the dresser. She gazes at herself into the mirror; her deceased mother’s reflection appears and disappears quickly. It was a sign of her mother to let know her know that her items are still very powerful. After that particular moment, she gets into a deep thought as she thinks about setting revenge on RayAnn to retrieve the magical items back.

Jake is a wizard, he came to live with his grandmother, in New England, after his mother was vanished into another world. He had no idea that his sweetheart to be lived across the street. Once he lays eyes on RayAnn for the first time, he knew they would have a magical connection between them.

RayAnn and Cindy have been friends for years. Together the girls go through some magical reject spells to try to defeat Mrs. Ghoul at her own game. Nevertheless, their magical adventure will intense throughout the story.

#12

THE DATING GAME

Single-Title Romance

100,000 words

Widow Jeannette Riley’s long-term boyfriend is running from commitment like an escaped convict desperate to stay free.

That’s what her brother implies when he makes her an unconventional offer of help to prove it. She tells him to mind his own business. But when she suggests to her boyfriend she spend an evening listening to his band play at an out-of-town club, he quickly discourages her. One quick phone call to her brother sets the plan in motion, a plan she hopes doesn’t backfire.

When Tyler Morgan’s fiancée chooses her dynamic career over their relationship, he thinks a distraction will help fill the void growing inside him. He believes it’s purchasing the classic car collecting dust in a co-worker’s sister’s garage. When he steps into what turns out to be Jennette’s backyard to ask if she’s willing to sell, what he gets is a case of mistaken identity and an intriguing offer he chooses not to turn down.

What neither Jennette nor Tyler expects is for a chance meeting and one simple date to grow into an all-consuming passion and love neither can deny.

#13

THE PIRATE’S DECEPTION

Regency with paranormal influence

90,000 words

Alexander Barrington flees his tyrannical uncle for the open seas and becomes a ruthless pirate who turns vampire.

Captured and sentence to hang for piracy, a fate he must avoid to keep his vampire self hidden, he gets a reprieve if he recues Lady Laurel Sinclair from French pirates and return her to her fiancé in England. He falls for the woman who sees him as a hero but he knows he is below her nobility status a pirate and must not steal her for himself.

In this Vampire Diaries meets Pirates of the Caribbean, he erases her memory of him so she can live a normal life though he doesn’t want her to go because she treats him like a human, making him feel alive again. Can he really have her without exposing what he is – a thief, the undead? The damned?

#14

GUITAR GOD

YA—Contemporary Fantasy

195,000 Words

Polly’s moment had finally arrived, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Barely a teenager, Polly had reluctantly accepted the role of human guardian of the Green. Now, about to begin college and leave her hometown and all the weirdness behind, fate calls her, except to save the Green she must defeat Isaac, the boy she loves.

Isaac was the kid nobody liked until a mysterious faerie granted him his greatest wish. Now bestowed with incredible musical prowess, Isaac is loved and admired by all. But there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Polly is the only one who can save Isaac’s soul, but her first responsibility is to the Green. Can Polly save the Green and save Isaac as well?

Guitar God is a Jewish, suburban rock and roll fantasy with a 1970s soundtrack. It’s urban fantasy in the suburbs. It’s War For The Oaks meets Portnoy’s Complaint. It’s crossover YA for teens and their parents. It’s a world where the faerie folk walk among us, but we don’t know it. It’s about the magical places where we grew up. Maybe we knew about them or maybe we walked by them every day without even noticing.

#15

THE WICKED BARGAIN

Regency

90,000 words

Haunted by a past as a sex slave, nobleman Ethan Warth returns to England as a male courtesan for rich matrons and runs a brothel for wealthy lords. Arabella Covington appears on his door, trained in the medical arts but unable to practice because she is a woman. He hires her to care for his ladies but her inquisitive nature and beauty make him desire to teach her the world of seduction.

Ethan, however, never counted on falling in love…

#16

BETRAYAL

Thriller

105,000 words

When Gerald “Jet” Jameson, an aspiring astronaut, loses control of his perfect life he agrees to murder innocents to stop an escalating nuclear war. His reward. Raising a son he didn’t want, doubting an ego he can’t risk, utilizing technology he can’t possibly understand, while hiding a secret where the only solution is a hangman’s noose.

Add in:

·      An engineered slate wiping virus

·      A world wide manhunt

·      A secret facility that uses humans as telepathic guinea pigs

·      A harvesting operation that steals organs from the dregs of society

·      An impossible space program sold as the only hope for mankind

·      and man’s first contact

This is BETRAYAL.

#17

MYSTERY ON THE COAST

Cozy Mystery with Romantic elements

70,000 words

Levi Mendenham thought taking flak for changing his parents’ Jewish bookstore into a haven for mystery readers was bad, but that’s nothing compared to being the prime suspect in the murders of both his fiance and an ex-  girlfriend. When the woman he recently asked out on a date goes missing as well, Levi, a former agent for the National Security Agency,  has to find a way to stay out of jail and find the real murderer.

#18

WITCH HUNT

Crime

85K words

The only white sheep in a flock of black ones, bank teller and human-lie-detector Lolita Vette aches for the guilty pleasure of a normal life. Instead, she works weekends exploiting her ‘gift’ as a psychic for an embarrassing and expensive family of wanna-be witches.

When she stops a bank robbery to save a mentally handicapped friend from going to jail, Lolita’s interrupted something bigger than a small town payday heist.  Kingpin Queenie Trent doesn’t appreciate the interference and puts the squeeze on Lolita: Break into the vault  or she and her screwy family will suffer the consequences.

Lolita refuses and Queenie sends trouble after her like debt collectors on a past due. She’s been assaulted, robbed, and now Tug Shelby–the man she hadn’t yet decided whether he belonged in a shallow grave or  her bed–is missing.  Leaving behind a little finger and a helluva lot of blood. Now even Lolita can’t help but pray for a little backwater magic.

#19

AMBUSHING THE HEIRESS

Historical/Regency romance

95K words

“The sacrifice of one spoiled heiress for the good of many…” at least that’s how tarnished war-hero Major Vicks Geale quiets his conscience. Newly returned to England, Vicks finds his pay and commission forfeited, he’s inherited a crumbling estate, worthless title and a mountain of debt. With a band of wounded men depending upon him, Geale chooses the feckless and rich Lady Evangeline “Mischief” Moorecroft.

Gorgeous over-indulged Lady Evangeline delights on dancing the razor’s edge between scandal and infamy. Unable to resist Geale’s bait of a notoriously naughty masquerade, Evangeline awakens to discover she’s been ambushed into marriage. As an uneasy alliance forms between them, Evangeline has second thoughts about dissolving the marriage.

Their fierce attraction is put to the test when Evangeline’s treacherous and well-connected mother, the Duchess, gives Evangeline an ultimatum: end the marriage or the Duchess will use her connections to end Geale’s life.

#20

A TASTE OF HONEY
Historical mystery romance with a paranormal element
70,000 words

Dirk McSwain, a gambler from new Orleans, has one goal, to save the family home. He buys first class passage on the Queen Mary ocean liner in order to make the big bucks in a hurry. Meeting a shy young psychic was not in his plans, but when a man he took for a lot of money is killed, Dirk must team up with Eden McGill to solve the case.

#21

HEAVEN SENT WARRIOR

Paranormal Romance

91,000 words

Henri Chevalier’s last memory, before awakening naked within a bronze statue in a museum’s moonlit garden, was Auguste Rodin’s studio in 1886 Paris where he had expected to die to escape his broken heart.

He soon discovers he must learn to use the unexpected powers Heaven has given him to succeed in his mission against otherworldly creatures, such as demons, faeries, and a delectable art museum curator named Annabelle Mackintosh.

Relationship-wary, Belle does not believe Henri’s strange words and dire warnings at first, but their relationship heats up when a demon escapes the underworld and forces Henri and Belle to learn to trust each other.

#22

SWORN TO LOVE

Historical Romance set in the Regency Period with elements of suspense
84,000 words

Before Lieutenant Colonel Amherst, a battle-weary hero, can return to the
fight and avenge the death of his men, he must first honor a promise and
watch over his best friend’s sister, Lady Juliette, an innocent beauty who
fears she may be coerced to marry a lecherous old duke, to save the family
coffers.

Unbeknownst to the ton, the duke’s vengeful sister and a scorned lover are
both desperate to make sure Juliette, and any other young lady, do not wed
him.  One wants her nephew to inherit the ducal title while the other wants
the duke to die a lonely, old man for what he did to her many years ago.

When Juliette unwittingly captures Amherst’s heart, he asks for her father’s
hand in marriage, but is one day too late, forcing Juliette into a world of
greed and murder and a guilt-ridden Amherst into a race against time to save
her and redeem himself and renew their love.

#23

SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE

Historical Romance set in the Regency Period 
85,000 words

Lady Beatrix, a strong-willed young woman, has no wish to marry for anything
less than love and becomes quite taken by Lord Whitby.  However, he is a
grief-stricken widower who has no desire to remarry for he feels responsible
for his wife’s death.  When Beatrix tries to warn him of a notorious widow’s
plot to trap him into marriage, she is the one caught alone instead with
him, and they must wed.  Enthralled by the independent beauty, Whitby never
expected Beatrix could free him from the chains that bind his heart and
cripple his spirit, nor did Beatrix expect a woman to come between them who
would do anything, even murder, to gain Whitby’s love.  United by passion,
Bea and Whitby risk their lives to save not only themselves but each other.

#24

THE ANGEL MADE ME DO IT  

Single Title Contemporary Romance

83,000 words

It’s time to unleash the angels.
This story is my sassy spin on Touched By an Angel meets L.A. Ink.  And when my angel – a 300 lb biker – is tasked with the Heavenly mission of playing cupid to a surly tattoo artist who wants nothing to do with love again, and an uptight accountant struggling to break free from her mother’s shadow, you might think this is a simple case of opposites attract.  Well, not so much.  You see, they both bring plenty of emotional baggage to the table and they simply can’t stand each other!  So, they force their poor cupid to work double time and come up with all sorts of creative ways to make sure the Divine Plan doesn’t fail.

I am a fresh, unpublished author and I’m looking forward to finding my niche.  And though I would never hold myself up to their caliber, I would say my writing sits comfortably somewhere in the pocket of romantic humor with authors such as my chapter mate Christie Craig or even Kristan Higgins, and I dream of someday being somewhere in their stratosphere.  I am also a PRO member of the RWA and the Northwest Houston chapter.

#25

COLLISION

Urban fantasy (with strong romantic elements)

85,000 words

Sienna Wolfe knows it’s going to be an interesting day when a man with golden skin and strange tattoos crashes in her backyard… and ends up tied to her bedposts. She likes her life just the way it is – simple, easy, relaxed. But when the gorgeous new alien in her life asks for her help in an inter-galactic war on a collision course with earth, she can’t say no… but she’ll soon wish she had.

Being the only human on a secret base full of ETs is complicated, especially when she’s sharing her bed with one of them. She struggles with her new, unpredictable world, which includes trying to protect earth from alien domination and dodging attempts on her life. And to make matters worse, her greatest enemy – with annoyingly good looks – offers her a double-edged proposal to end the war. All she has to do is give up her freedom and turn her back on the love of her life. Now it’s up to Sienna to pull off the impossible: save the world and – hopefully – live a little happily ever after.

#26

TROUBLE IN TINSELTOWN

Romantic Mystery

80K words

Dema Maria Morielli is running scared after witnessing her brother get gunned down on a lonely street in Venice, California. The down-on-her-luck actress is desperate to find Micah’s killer and stay alive in the process. There is only one person she can turn to and he’s the one person she is determined to keep out of her life.

Detective Raphael Villegas is harder then diamonds when it comes to law enforcement…and Dema, ever since the hot woman left his bed one morning after an insane night of sex, she has consumed his thoughts. But when his sexy obsession waltzes back into his life via a murder investigation, Rafe has no choice but protect her.

As the pair searches Tinsel town for Micah’s killer, they find a cover-up bigger than any backlot and a romance that burns hotter than a brushfire.  Now if only Rafe can keep Dema alive…and in his bed.

#27

DAUGHTER OF FIRE

Paranormal Romance

55K words

A rash of theft and the destruction of sacred artifacts have brought the wrath of the United States Geological Survey down on Dr. Jack O’Connor’s head.  The handsome volcanologist has been sent a mouthy new assistant to help him get to the heart of the vandalism. Kalama Young is like no woman he has ever known.

Kalama may look like your typical island girl but there is more to the Hawaiian beauty than meets the eye. A secret lies beneath the surface of her fiery demeanor. Kalama is the 230 year old half mortal daughter of Pele, the Goddess of Fire. In desperation, Pele has called Kalama home to Hawaii.

A force beyond anything the world can comprehend is threatening Pele. Only Kalama can stop it. Na-maka-o-kaha’I, the goddess of the sea, has been released from her watery prison at the bottom of the ocean by an earthquake. She wants revenge against her sister Pele and will stop at nothing to get it. Kalama and Jack must join forces and race against time to recover a sacred carving in order to save her mother and all of Hawaii. . For it is written, He who controls the carving, controls Pele.

#28

BRIGHT STAR

Historical/paranormal

98,000 words

Pandora Mavros is on the hunt for one of her own.  A high ranking Siren has gone rogue, murdering innocent men.  Her mission is to locate the rogue and the artifact she has stolen.  If she fails; the destruction of her people will follow.  The licentious and dashing Alexander is a complication she is definitely not looking for.  Could he be working for the rogue?

Alexander Knight is searching for his business partner who mysteriously disappeared and with him the ancient map of the elusive island of Eudora.  Alex doesn’t need the impediment of his desire for the mysterious and guarded Pandora, but something or someone is forcing them together.  Is she his salvation? Or the destruction of everything he holds dear?

#29

DIGGING DEEPER

YA

72,000 words

Ella has a secret. Problem is, she doesn’t know what it is. The car accident that killed her best friend and the two guys they picked up one stupid night after a party – is nothing but a foggy blur.

Her father’s too much of a drunk to help her figure it out, and her mother suffers from denial that anything could possibly be wrong in her perfect life.

That leaves the geeky school psychologist who still uses words like groovy and gnarly in an attempt to be ‘down with the kids’.

Welcome to Ella’s hell – join the club – they’ve got jackets.

Enter one of the dead boy’s older brother’s, and Ella’s secret turns out to be the reason he’s hunted her down.

#30

WHERE THE MAN LIED

Contemporary romance/suspense

89,000 words

What else would any red-blooded American woman with a shred of self-respect do, but sneak around for a night to see what kind of dirt she can find on her cheating, no-good, lying, SOB of an ex-boyfriend?

Okay, so it was lame. Dani Shaffer knows just how lame it is when she stumbles across the wrong place at the wrong time and witnesses the brutal murder of a young hooker.

With an ex-police father who’d shamed the family with his corruption, Dani’s faith in law enforcement is non-existent. Flip, witty, and okay, somewhat smokin’, Officer Hale Dennison, doesn’t do a whole lot to reaffirm her faith. But who else can she trust when the murderers decide she needs to permanently forget what she saw?

It’s Pitch Day at Agent Shop with Weronika Janczuk!

UPDATE: STOP SENDING PITCHES! WE’VE MET OUR NEEDS. CHECK BACK TOMORROW TO SEE IF YOUR PITCH MADE IT IN THE TOP THIRTY. AND OF COURSE, SEE IF YOU WON THE TOP SLOT OR A COPY OF TERESA’S NOVEL!

Good Morning everyone.

It’s Agent Shop PITCH Day! Yay.

We have the awesome Weronika Janczuk (@weronikajanczuk on Twitter) coming tomorrow to look at thirty lucky pitches, and we’re so happy to have one of her clients here today for the author spotlight.

Please welcome Teresa Frohock with her soon to be released novel

MISERERE: AN AUTUMN TALE

How ridiculously awesome is THAT cover?!?

Miserere: An Autumn Tale

(Night Shade Books www.nightshadebooks.com / July 1, 2011)

Exiled exorcist Lucian Negru deserted his lover in Hell in exchange for saving his sister Catarina’s soul, but Catarina doesn’t want salvation. She wants Lucian to help her fulfill her dark covenant with the Fallen Angels by using his power to open the Hell Gates. Catarina intends to lead the Fallen’s hordes out of Hell and into the parallel dimension of Woerld, Heaven’s frontline of defense between Earth and Hell.

When Lucian refuses to help his sister, she imprisons and cripples him, but Lucian learns that Rachael, the lover he betrayed and abandoned in Hell, is dying from a demonic possession. Determined to rescue Rachael from the demon he unleashed on her soul, Lucian flees his sister, but Catarina’s wrath isn’t so easy to escape. In the end, she will force him once more to choose between losing Rachael or opening the Hell Gates so the Fallen’s hordes may overrun Earth, their last obstacle before reaching Heaven’s Gates.

Read the first four chapters of Miserere FREE here:

And check out this trailer!!!

(BTW – At  the bottom of the interview with Teresa, I’m going to post some information that you NEED to read.)

Blurbs for MISERERE:

“MISERERE is about redemption, and the triumph of our best impulses over our worst. It’s also about swords, monsters, chases, ghosts, magic, court intrigues and battles to the death. It’s also (and this is the important part) really, really good.”

–Alex Bledsoe, author of DARK JENNY and THE SWORD-EDGED BLONDE

“In her debut novel, MISERERE: AN AUTUMN TALE, Teresa Frohock has succeeded at creating that all-too-rare phenomenon among first-time story-tellers: a mature prose style combined with a fully realized vision. Her ‘woerld’ will completely immerse the reader with its compelling and striking visuals, fascinating details and thrilling plot turns. The book is almost impossible to put down and it’s harder yet not to actually believe that what Ms. Frohock imagined isn’t terribly real—even if some of us haven’t found an entrée into the parallel existences she’s meticulously crafted. Studded with magic, demons, and terror run amok, dark fantasy and horror fans alike will walk away from MISERERE feeling they’ve found a writer they not only admire, but are anxious to revisit soon in her future works.”

– Lisa Mannetti, Bram Stoker Award-Winning author of THE GENTLING BOX and DEATHWATCH

When and Where can we find it?

MISERERE will release from Night Shade Books on July 1, 2011

You can follow http://www.teresafrohock.com for updates on the blog tour, which started June 24^th and will go through the end of August.

http://www.teresafrohock.com/novels/ has links to Amazon, B&N, IndieBound, and more. The book will be available at bookstores everywhere.

Awesome information Teresa!

How about a bio? We love getting to know authors.

Raised in a small town, Teresa Frohock learned to escape to other worlds through the fiction collection of her local library. She eventually moved away from Reidsville and lived in Virginia and South Carolina before returning to North Carolina, where she currently resides with her husband and daughter.

Teresa has long been accused of telling stories, which is a southern colloquialism for lying. Miserere: An Autumn Tale is her debut novel.

Teresa can be found most often at her blog and web site (www.teresafrohock.com). Every now and then, she heads over to Tumblr and sends out Dark Thoughts, links to movies and reviews that catch her eye. You can also follow Teresa on Twitter and join her author page on Facebook

Can you tell us where the idea for MISERERE came from?

The idea for MISERERE started with Lucian’s character. I’m not the kind of writer who thinks in terms of plot; I tend to begin with a character and formulate the story about him or her.

The concept for Lucian began when I dreamed of a powerful sorcerer, speaking to a young boy dressed in twenty-first century clothing. They were at the edge of a dark forest where there was a hand painted sign nailed to a tree that read: “Jesus Saves.” (If you live in the southeastern United States, you see these scattered around.) Beside the tree was a rusting bumper from a pickup truck with a sticker that read: “Nobody Saves You More Than Winn Dixie.”

The whole dream stayed with me long after I woke, so I started building a story around the man and the boy and the strange world they inhabited where time overlapped from one period to another. I loved the idea of mixing the religious with the secular, my interpretation of the sign/bumper sticker symbolism, to see what kind of world I could build. It wasn’t until I took a college course in the introduction of the Old Testament that the final piece fell into place with the Crimson Veil.

Constructing the actual story was the hardest part. During my research, I read a quote from Toni Morrison’s novel LOVE: “Love is the weather. Betrayal is the lightning that cleaves and reveals it.” When I read that line, I knew I had the crux of Lucian’s conflict for MISERERE.

Care to share your ‘call’ experience? Either from when you were offered representation or when you got the call saying MISERERE: AN AUTUMN TALE had sold?

I met Weronika through Backspace.org before she became a literary agent and I followed her blog and tweets for several months. She impressed me with her many accomplishments and her love of literature. I enjoyed her writing and the way she expressed herself to her blog readers.

So when I saw through one of her tweets that she was striking out as a literary agent, I knew I had to submit MISERERE to her. I thought there wasn’t a chance she would remember me, but she did, and she immediately requested the full manuscript. When she emailed me and told me that she wanted to discuss representation, I was thrilled.

I had a list of questions and concerns I wanted to go over with her, but as we talked, she addressed each of my questions before I had a chance to ask them. I wanted an editing agent, someone who loved not just this particular book but my writing, and someone who would be honest enough with me to tell me when I was off track.

I got all three things with Weronika. The more she talked about MISERERE, the more enthusiastic I became until I was ready to buy my own book! That is salesmanship, and that is what a good agent does. Sure enough, she managed to sell MISERERE after only being on submission for six weeks and she’s really helped me navigate through the process, especially what happens AFTER you sell a book.

That’s a very encouraging way to find your agent. I love that you weren’t scared (well maybe you were at the time) to ask the questions you knew you needed to, to find the right agent for both yourself and your work. I love even more that Weronika answered them before you had to ask. Can you tell us what else you have in the works?

Right now, I’m fleshing out a synopsis for DOLOROSA, this is the second novel in the Katharoi series, and will be more in line with fantasy readers’ expectations in terms of world-building and magic. DOLOROSA will be Rachael’s story and will also give a broader view of Woerld and how the bastions work together to hold back the Fallen.

I’m also working on a novel in a new series that begins in Spain in 1348. Right now, it’s tentatively entitled THE GARDEN and it is the story of Guillermo Ramírez, a blacksmith conscripted into the King’s army. THE GARDEN is turning out much darker than MISERERE, but I’m thoroughly enjoying the characters and the story.

Busy woman! What’s one piece of advice you would pass on to other aspiring authors?

I try to share something different each time I answer this, but one thing remains constant—remain teachable. Always be willing to learn new techniques and experiment with different styles, but at the same time, don’t become so rigid that you stifle your voice. Take time to write whatever pops into your head without paying any attention to grammar or structure. Just write.

There you will find your true voice and once you’ve found your voice, modulate it with the rules of grammar and structure. It is through that critical editing process that my works always begin to take their true form. My rough drafts are little more than stage direction, but the edits are where I refine and groom the novel into a story with depth.

Brilliant. And so very true!

It’s so wonderful to have you here. We wish you the best with your writing, and huge congratulations on your release! Thank you so much for coming to Musetracks. After looking at your blog tour, I can only imagine how super busy ( and super excited) you must be!

As promised, I have some awesome info to share.

Teresa will be giving away a copy of MISERERE to one lucky person who comments using the words AUTUMN and TALE (or TAIL).

We’ll also be awarding the Top Pitch slot to a comment that uses those words.

And if you didn’t already know, Teresa has begun her blog tour and she’s doing a super contest with winner packages including a copy of MISERERE, query, synopsis, and even page critiques from Teresa’s agent, Weronika Janczuk! Check it out here!

Okay, now on to business.

You know the drill. Leave a comment using the words AUTUMN and TALE (or TAIL) to be entered to win the copy of MISERERE or the Top Pitch Slot for tomorrow. Send me your pitch at candi_agent_shop at yahoo.com And yes, replace the word at with the @ symbol) and come back tomorrow to see if you made it in the top thirty.

Good luck to everyone.

GO!

All Superheroes Know Their Strengths

One must be drenched in words, literally soaked in them, to have the right ones form themselves into the proper pattern at the right moment.  ~Hart Crane

 

In a perfect world, we would be able to write to our hearts content. We wouldn’t have to worry about pesky little things like jobs, bills, and other responsibilities. Sigh…wouldn’t that be just grand?

Reality bites.

The world spends a lifetime teaching us how to improve our weaknesses. Be a better manager, be more organized, be more assertive, be better at time management etc. Even disguised as positive statements, the underlying idea is that you are lacking at something. From the moment we’re born to the moment we die, we spend far more time on what we can’t do rather than improving our areas of strength. That’s sad and unproductive. This is why we love/relate to underdog stories. To borrow the analogy used in the book Strengths Finder 2.0, let’s take a look at Rudy. He was a man who, against all odds, overcame his lack of natural talent and abilities to play for 30 seconds in a Notre Dame football game and made a tackle. This is a great story, but it demonstrates that “Overcoming deficits is an essential part of the fabric of our culture”. We celebrate overcoming impossible odds and make these folks instant heroes.

Countless examples of how society focuses on weaknesses instead of strengths abound in this book. I’m a parent. How many times have I seen my child’s report card and said, “Wow, good job on making that A, but let’s talk about that B in this class. How can we improve that grade?” Unfortunately, that scenario has happened a lot. (I hang my head in shame.) What if we had a tool that showed us our core talents? What if it then showed us how to apply those strengths and gave us ideas for action? Pretty wonderful, no?

My husband came home from work the other day so excited about something he and his partners discovered. He found a wonderful book called Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath and made me read the first two chapters before I could cook dinner. I couldn’t imagine what was so great about another self help book that showed me all the work I needed to do on myself. I already know that I’m a procrastinator, an introvert at heart, a day dreamer, and have no interest in balancing check books! I was so wrong.

A man named Donald Clifton Ph.D., the Father of Strengths-Based Psychology, created the Clifton StrengthsFinder. Mr. Rath has taken the original test and added a few extra ingredients. The book has some amazing information in it plus you receive a code located in the book that allows you to take the StrengthsFinder test. By the end of the weekend, my whole family had read the chapters and taken the test. I discovered some talents that I had only been vaguely aware of in my life. My top five strongest talents are: Achiever, Communication, Individualization, Analytical, and Connectedness. Who knew?

I’m now going to take this knowledge and apply it. Some of this I’ve done intuitively, but other things came as a surprise. For instance, my tests showed that I have strong analytical skills. I almost fell over. I would never have put myself in that category, yet when presented with the idea that I had to be responsible for marketing-which I stink at- I quickly came up with some sound ideas that no one else in my writing chapter had created. Now that I’m aware of this strength, I won’t be so quick to dismiss my musings.

Bottom line, discover your strengths and play to them. Place your energies in making yourself better with what’s already inside you. This sounds so deceptively easy, yet it is incredibly difficult when presented with societal norms. I guarantee that if you focus your energies on using what gifts you have rather than always trying to cultivate what doesn’t come naturally, your job, work and other responsibilities will improve! This, of course, leads to better writing time

Bon Voyage, Kemosabe

Song of the Day: Hold My Hand by Hootie and the Blowfish

And so it is upon us. I’ll be flying out to New York this weekend for the RWA conference.

The final touches are being applied. I’ve done my OCD thing making lists of what I will wear each day and night, including jewelry and shoes. My agenda for the week has been printed. My iPod is charged. The camera has been cleared for the gazillion pictures I’ll take. A new notebook for those novellas I plan to write in my down time (hahaha) is ready to be packed. And I’ve dug out all my pins to wear on my name badge.

Just a few days ago, I finally found a pair of sparkly, sexy high heels to wear with my cocktail dress for the awards ceremony. Since I’ve lost some weight, I’ll be rockin’ this outfit. Hubby seems to think I’m going to pick up men. Never mind that 95% of the attendees will be female.

Yep. Other than the carefully stuffing the suitcases for minimal wrinkle-age, I’m ready to go. So I’m thinking, what will my goal for this conference be?

Network, leadership seminar, retreats, workshops, sightsee, dinner with my Ruby-Slippered Sisters, attend parties, these are the given activities. Yet, this year will be different in other ways.

My ear will be to the ground listening, like Tonto, for the stirrings of the industry. Over the rise, there cometh a change. Self-publishing is whipping in the wind and causing quite a ruckus. Is it a manifest destiny of sorts? I don’t know, but the publishing industry and related organizations will need to assimilate and grow with the digital shift sooner or later.

I’ll also be interested in the value, means, and insight on marketing a self-published book with other conference attendees.

I can’t wait to share with you what I will learn.

Agent Shop with Weronika Janczuk at Musetracks

It’s that time again folks.

Agent Shop will be taking pitches for literary agent Weronika Janczuk this Sunday starting when you see the word GO posted on the main page of the blog. (Approx. 10:00am EST.)

Here’s the link for Weronika’s information:
http://www.weronikajanczuk.com

One of Weronika’s authors will be spotlighted on pitch day and as usual, we’ll be awarding the Top Pitch Slot to one lucky comment who uses the special words in their comment. We’ll also be giving away a copy of the author’s new release.

The visiting author is: Teresa Frohok
And her new book is: MISERERE: AN AUTUMN TALE

So the special words this time around are: Autumn and TALE or TAIL!

Be sure to check the rules for pitching at
www.musetracks.wordpress.com/agentshop

If you have something Weronika is looking for, shine it up and send it in to me when you see the word GO.

Best of luck to everyone and as always, feel free to share this information!

Writer Inspiration: Indie YA Fantasy Author Learns As She Goes by Beth Barany

Indie YA Fantasy Author Learns As She Goes

By Beth Barany

“Life is either a great adventure or nothing.”

–Helen Keller

I dove in with both feet, both as an author and as an indie publisher of my own work.

I’m happy to chat here on Musetracks to share some of what I’ve learned on my adventure and to participate as a guest blogger to promote my upcoming release of the print edition of Henrietta the Dragon Slayer, my first novel. Be sure to read to the end of this post to participate in my blog tour’s monthly giveaway and Grand Giveaway.

Pretty much every time I sit down to write I say, “I don’t know what to say.” I start at zero and I’m okay with that. From there I turn to help. Sometimes to my husband to talk it out. Sometimes I look around my environment for inspiration. Sometimes I just set the time for 20 minutes and go!

Henrietta The Dragon Slayer, available on the Kindle and Nook, is a young adult novel that I’ve been working on for the last seven years. It’s 238 pages, for ages 12 and up.

ABOUT
Henrietta, the legendary Dragon Slayer of the Kingdom of Bleuve, can’t stomach the thought of one more kill. Yet, in order to save her dying mentor, she must go on one last quest. But will misfit companions, seasickness, and an egomaniacal king derail the quest for the healing stone? And will she be able to cut past her conscience and kill the dragon?

Yep. It took me seven years to get to this point. In that time I’ve learned so much.

As I said, I’m a hands-on learner. I learn by doing.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

• how to write compelling and memorable fiction
• world building
• how to receive critiques
• how to edit fiction
• how to reedit fiction (and again and again!)
• how to query agents and editors
• how to handle rejection

And then this January I decided to self-publish and I had to learn for myself (and am still learning!) more things, like:

• cover design
• finding my audience
• what my audience wants
• how to organize a blog tour
• how to solicit book reviews
• and more!

And I didn’t do this alone.

The so cool thing about being indie published — this whole adventure — is we don’t have to do it alone; we are in this together. I have found so many great resources for indie authors, and even created one of my own, a Facebook group for Indie YA fantasy authors: http://on.fb.me/IndieYAFantasyAuthors.

 

I created this group because I wanted a place to share resources, especially marketing resources. I wanted a place to celebrate our successes and a way to be laser focused on my marketing.

It’s one thing to support all indie authors, it’s another to support authors in your same or related genre.

I love supporting and helping other YA and fantasy authors that are focused on adventure.

As I’ve progressed in sharing the news about my book, I’ve been getting to know my readers better.

Here are some of the things I’ve learned by talking to girls, including my twelve-year-old niece, and her three girlfriends over breakfast, and their moms:

• teen girls read mostly print books
• moms are always looking for good fiction for their daughters
• teens love school visits as long as the presenter is interesting and funny (Funny is important, my niece said.)
• lots of girls and boys love adventure stories; lots of young 20-something women do too!
• a good cover that captures the eye produces a fun Wow! response

As I progress in my blog book tour — it lasts through August — I look forward to learning more and to setting up my in-person school visits. (I need to learn how to do that!)

So to learn more about you, and for you to enter my giveaway, please share what you love about adventure stories. Be sure to include your email so you can enter to win a copy of Henrietta The Dragon Slayer (print or ebook), and to enter the Grand Giveaway, a replica of the necklace around Henrietta’s neck. (See book cover)

Want more of Beth and Henrietta The Dragon Slayer? Visit her website
Visit her Buy Links page to Purchase.
And be sure to follow her Summer Blog Tour.  You can find her schedule here.

 

Contest

Beth is also having a big contest as part of her Summer Blog Tour!  Enter for a chance to win a copy of Henrietta The Dragon Slayer and the necklace Henrietta is wearing on the book cover!

Giveaway Rules for the Summer Blog Tour of Henrietta The Dragon Slayer by Beth Barany

Contest will run from May through August.

You may enter as many times as you like throughout the summer for the Grand Giveaway, though you can only win one book.

Just leave Beth a comment and you’re entered.

Check out her blog stops and tour schedule Here for more chances to win!
Be sure to include your email address so you can be contacted if you win!

You can receive the print or digital edition of Henrietta The Dragon Slayer. International entrants okay.

She will pick a winner on the last day of each month using Random.org.

She’ll pick a winner for the necklace from all the entries from May through August on the last day of August. If you have won a book you are still eligible to win the necklace!

Individual bloggers may be hosting same-day giveaways. So you have extra chances to win a copy of Henrietta The Dragon Slayer! Be sure to stop by to enter for the Grand Giveaway!

 

Good Luck!

Take A Journey With Me To The Home Of My Heart

Writing, I think, is not apart from living.  Writing is a kind of double living.  The writer experiences everything twice.  Once in reality and once in that mirror which waits always before or behind.  ~Catherine Drinker Bowen, Atlantic, December 1957

The Coast of Malaysia

Muse Tracks is a wonderful blog site to obtain information on all aspects of writing and I hope I’ve contributed a slice of knowledge with my group of articles on marketing. I was all set to continue delving into the overwhelming, and often confusing, world of branding, selling, publishing….blah blah blah , but I have no heart for it this week. Rania, a reader from Greece, stated she believed she might be too romantic for this part of the business. That thought resonated with me.

If you are not careful, it has the potential to suck the creativity, the soul of your writing out the proverbial window. I have taught myself some cool techniques for marketing my book and that makes me happy. It’s empowering to take control of my career. I’ve also let it consume a lot of my time which has weighed on my mind. Do I have the energy to see this through? I can’t answer that today.

So, I’m taking a hard left and travelling down memory lane. There’s a reunion this weekend for the folks that went to the Singapore American School and one next summer for those that attended the International School of Kuala Lumpur. I’ve spoken with many sweet voices from my past and this has left me floating in a pool of memories.

I remember the first time I spotted Malaysia out my airplane window. Vibrations rumbled through the plane’s body as the wheels lowered and flaps were positioned to slow us down. The muddy brown waters of the Klang River became visible as it dissected the city into halves. Tree tops bubbled above the ground bursting in a kaleidoscope of greens. Roads gave way to rice paddies which gave way to tin mines and towering mountains. A sprawling metropolis lay directly below, architecture proclaiming a history rich in many cultures. Kuala Lumpur is a dichotomy of old British colonial grandeur and modernity.

Sprawling freeways wound along the ground like giant snakes baking in the warm sun. Turrets on a mosque covered in tile and glass glistened in the sunlight while it passed under the belly of my giant metal bird. As we descended, people came into view. A young teenage boy herded a water buffalo with only a wooden switch in his hand. Women walked between villages draped in colorful batik sarongs, woven baskets balanced on their heads. Surrounding them were rubber trees that stood in rigid rows on plantations like soldiers guarding their wonderful paradise.

I fell in love with the country before I ever set foot on its fertile soil. That afternoon, so many years ago, began a relationship that lasted for eighteen years of my life. I landed when I was a young girl of nine years and when I boarded an airplane for the last time out of Subang Airport, I was a twenty seven year old woman and my heart was breaking.

You see, I’m what is known as a “third culture kid”. I don’t belong to their culture, I’m foreign, in so many ways, to my own so where I do belong is in a nether land that doesn’t really exist- the third culture. It’s a phenomenon that’s been documented thousands of times by people who were blessed to have had an opportunity to grow up like I did. I’ve made a great home here in the U.S. and I do get to travel. My husband, who grew up in many different countries as well, bought me a ticket to go back to South East Asia for ten days for a giant reunion held in Singapore. Everyone who went all said the same thing as they waited to leave. An overwhelming sense of panic clawed through their insides at the thought of saying good-bye one more time.

Am I sad?

How can I be?

I’ve lived a life of dreams. I’ve experienced things most people only see on T.V. and my journey continues with exciting adventures. Malaysia will always call to me and it will always be the home of my heart. I thank you for letting me share a taste of it with you.

P.S. In letting myself explore memories and what was in my heart, I decided I liked my descriptions so much, I added chunks of this piece back into my novel. As my heroine lands in Malaysia, she now sees what I saw that morning landing in a strange new country.

Conference Tips, Bradley Cooper, & Daggers

Song of the day: Savior by Rise Against

Here is a quick list of do’s and don’ts and a bit about conference etiquette. Let’s just cut to the chase, shall we?

Do’s

Do bring a camera. Don’t just bring it, take it with you everywhere. You never know when you’ll want to snap a picture. Great photo ops will constantly arise. Besides, what if on your way to a workshop you happen upon Bradley Cooper in the hotel lobby? Who’ll believe you without the evidence?

Do pack light. Let’s face it, we’re women. We have clothes for every situation. Not only that, the time of day for which that situation happens makes a difference to what we wear, too. Add to that all the salon products we use to make ourselves acceptable for facing the outside world.  It’s easy to get carried away, but I strongly suggest mixing and matching outfits and shoes. You’ll not want to schlep the extra luggage.

Do pack snacks. There are many meals not provided by RWA and you’ll be on your own. Bring nutrition bars, trail mix, crackers, small boxes of cereal, packets of tea or Crystal Light, or whatever packable foods you like to munch on. Bonus! You’ll save tons of money if you don’t step out to delis and restaurants for each meal.

Do budget for shipping costs. With all those free books, you’ll likely want to ship a box or two home. Or, bring an empty carry-on suitcase. Fill your books and other souvenirs in your bag and check it in at the airport.

Do have business cards handy.  Give them out freely.  Carry an empty business card holder for the cards you collect. Write pertinent information about the people you meet on the backs of their cards. Your mind will be mush when you get home and this will help you remember who they are later.

Do wear comfy shoes. Got a new pair bought just for the conference? Break them in now. You will be doing a lot of walking. It never fails. You will have a room on the far side of the hotel and most hotels do not have those nifty moving walkways. Trust me, no matter the care you take or how trusty your footwear is, you’ll need band-aids, so bring lots of them.

Overall, BE CONFIDENT. When you are confident, people gravitate to you and respect you as a professional. I’m not saying that to scare the introverts. Even an introvert can display confidence and be seen as professional.  In a way, this is part of branding yourself.

 

Don’ts

Don’t get slobbering drunk.  This should be self-explanatory. No lamp shades on your head, professing your love loudly for everyone in the room, or dancing on the tables.

Don’t be rude, bad mouth, or complain, even among friends. What comes around, goes around. You could be overheard, or your words taken out of context. People may not always remember those who are kind and polite, but they never forget someone who is ugly.

Don’t dress inappropriately. Another no-brainer. No stripper clothes. No Cher or Lady Gaga outfits. No Daisy Dukes. You get the picture.

Don’t stalk the pros. Keep in mind they are there panning for gold, too, but they are talking with hundreds of people.  Approach them if they seem receptive. Pick up on their cues. They are just like you and I, they like their personal space and may be tired. If they seem uninterested, be gracious, offer a business card, and move on.

Don’t line cut. Yes, people do this, and if daggers could be thrown from dirty looks, it would be a crime scene writer’s conference.

Don’t crash parties. There are many parties that are open for all conference attendees. But some are not. It’s bad form. Remember those daggers?

Don’t try to sell your book. You will not walk away from the conference with a contract in hand no matter how great your novel. Pitch your book, yes, but sell yourself!

There you have it, my do’s and don’ts for conference. And complimentary pictures of Mr. Cooper.

One last thing I’d like to add. No matter what type of conference you attend, you won’t be able to do it all, so relax, and most of all HAVE FUN!

Got anything to add? Let me hear from you.

 

Two Pitch Opportunities this Month – Candi Wall

Hello All!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend. I’m posting the night before my normal schedule because tomorrow’s going to be a nutty day for me!

So here’s the deal. Agent Shop is scheduled for June 26th.

Our attending agent is Weronika Janczuk from Lynn C. Franklin Associated, Ltd. Get those pitches ready!

Here’s her blog link: http://www.weronikajanczuk.com

As always, please read what the attending agent is looking for before you decide to pitch.

-

Now for the other pitch opp.

If you haven’t heard me rave about PitchU, it’s a must for any aspiring author who’s at or near the pitch/query stage.

Diane Homes – head alchemist – is a phenom. Not only are there opportunities to pitch, there’s a forum for perfecting your pitch, the agents that visit gift (no, that wasn’t a typo) wonderful feedback, and don’t get me started on the fabulous resources you can find compiled there. I cringe when I consider how much time Diane and her minions have put into this fantastic resource.

FYI – Whenever I can manage to slice out some time, we’ll be having Diane as a guest. She’s a pro at finding the meat of any pitch (she’s done several of mine) and has a knack for helping writers find the most important and captivating portions of their stories to incorporate. She’s offered to help a few authors (guinea pigs as they’ll be known) work/rework their pitch at a future date. I’ll keep you posted, but for now, get over there and see what’s cooking!

So there you have it. Short a sweet tonight because I’m feeling a bit like Garfield and NOT liking the fact that it’s almost Monday.