You know how sometimes you research an agent and you see something, just a little something, that makes you think, "We could be good together!"? Well, I thought that a few months ago, when I found the bio of Becca Stumpf at Prospect Agency. It was this one line in her bio that said, "Fantasy/SciFi is not just for nerds anymore, so let's bring it to the masses!" Of course, I'm 100 percent nerd, but I'm the kind of nerd that's constantly trying to get people to come see the next Marvel movie with me, not just because they're awesome, but so I can enlighten them. Know what I mean?
So anyway, I felt that I could really get on board with the whole bringing Fantasy/SciFi to the masses with MISFITS, so I crossed my fingers and sent the query. Well, guess what guys??? I am now represented by the amazingly bright, helpful and fun Becca Stumpf!
It was a big decision and I had some other things going on, but one phone call with Becca sealed the deal. Number one, she's really knowledgeable, great to talk to and she loves MISFITS -and let me tell you- I've been waiting a loooong time for that! Number two, she laughs a lot and makes me want to sit and have coffee with her just to talk about books and other fun things. But also, I really feel good about working with her. I think we're really on the same page about my books and my career, not to mention that right when I logged on to my e-mail to tell her I wanted to work with her, she e-mailed me to check in. Like, at the very same time.
I'm not one to talk about fate or anything... but come on!
So now it's time to get to work. I'm excited and a little (a lot) overwhelmed, but I'm ready. Also, anything that can be documented will totally be documented here. To show people what it's like, of course, but also to serve as proof that this is actually, finally happening.
So my last post about queries and how hard it is? Totally true, but please don't give up. Seriously, just don't, okay? Okay.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Thursday, April 11, 2013
On Queries...
Querying is weird, okay? Let's just get that out of the way. I've been thinking about this since I wrote an e-mail to the Super Amazing Beta and Human Jennifer Pickrell in which I was whining complaining updating her on my query situation, and I finally decided I needed to get it out.
Querying is weird and hard and awesome and the most hopeful and devastating thing a writer can do. It's the time where we all at once decide that we've written something good enough for an agent to read and also when we know that we're horrible writers who deserve all of those rejections. It's just weird.
And yet, here we are, years, months and days into this torture because we want somebody to love the voices in our heads that fought to get out as much as we do. Weird.
I can remember my first partial request and my first full request. I also remember my first rejection. I like to think of myself now as a seasoned querier who lets rejection roll off her back like a duck with water... unless I get a few in a row, because then I know I've been fooling myself with the years I've put into writing. Of course, two days after I decide to quit and join a circus or something, I get a full request and I remember that there might, just maybe, be some skill left in me, and so what do I do?
I send out more queries.
I'm actually querying two books right now, which is a little weird and involves a lot of organization and e-mail folders, but I'm getting good feedback, despite still getting rejections right along with it. I've decided with these though, and especially MISFITS because there has been more interest in it than any other book I've written, that I'm not going to give up on it. I've got a Touch 'Em All mentality with this book that I'm going to send it out to every single agent that will read it (within their guidelines, obviously) and I just have to put up with all of those rejections until someone loves it.
In the past, I feel like I've given up pretty quickly because, let's face it, rejections suck. And it's very easy to get beaten up by all of them and assume that since X number of agents didn't like it, no one will. I'm not going to do that this time, so at least I'll know I've done everything I can to find the person who loves my books before I move on.
In the meantime, I'll keep writing, which is actually the most blissful thing I do on a daily basis, and also querying. Because I like weird, apparently.
Anybody else out there need to vent? Go for it.
Querying is weird and hard and awesome and the most hopeful and devastating thing a writer can do. It's the time where we all at once decide that we've written something good enough for an agent to read and also when we know that we're horrible writers who deserve all of those rejections. It's just weird.
And yet, here we are, years, months and days into this torture because we want somebody to love the voices in our heads that fought to get out as much as we do. Weird.
I can remember my first partial request and my first full request. I also remember my first rejection. I like to think of myself now as a seasoned querier who lets rejection roll off her back like a duck with water... unless I get a few in a row, because then I know I've been fooling myself with the years I've put into writing. Of course, two days after I decide to quit and join a circus or something, I get a full request and I remember that there might, just maybe, be some skill left in me, and so what do I do?
I send out more queries.
I'm actually querying two books right now, which is a little weird and involves a lot of organization and e-mail folders, but I'm getting good feedback, despite still getting rejections right along with it. I've decided with these though, and especially MISFITS because there has been more interest in it than any other book I've written, that I'm not going to give up on it. I've got a Touch 'Em All mentality with this book that I'm going to send it out to every single agent that will read it (within their guidelines, obviously) and I just have to put up with all of those rejections until someone loves it.
In the past, I feel like I've given up pretty quickly because, let's face it, rejections suck. And it's very easy to get beaten up by all of them and assume that since X number of agents didn't like it, no one will. I'm not going to do that this time, so at least I'll know I've done everything I can to find the person who loves my books before I move on.
In the meantime, I'll keep writing, which is actually the most blissful thing I do on a daily basis, and also querying. Because I like weird, apparently.
Anybody else out there need to vent? Go for it.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
I'm still alive!
Quick update! I'm writing like a crazy person. If you look to the right you'll see the New WIP progress bar and that's my new baby! I wasn't sure about it at first but now I love these characters so much. I'm calling it TSB (because I like secrets!) It's not really like anything I've ever written before. It's very character driven and so far, no one's life has been threatened (well, kind of), there is no conspiracy and no supernatural creatures have shown up either. I don't even know who I am anymore. :)
I'm also getting ready to dive into some pretty big revisions... I think. It's complicated. But that's my plan for the fall before NaNoWriMo.
I'm really excited for WriteOnCon next week as well. Last year my sister's wedding fell right in the middle of it and I was in Delaware, so I'm really going to enjoy it this year. I've also entered the first page of MISFITS into the first page contest. I figure it can't hurt, right?
So that's been my summer so far. Writing. That's really it. I think I've been to the pool twice and I haven't seen a beach in a really long time. I'm getting my glow from my laptop this year!
Okay, quick update over. I need to grocery shop since I realized that there is no food in my apartment. I should probably vacuum also.
I'm also getting ready to dive into some pretty big revisions... I think. It's complicated. But that's my plan for the fall before NaNoWriMo.
I'm really excited for WriteOnCon next week as well. Last year my sister's wedding fell right in the middle of it and I was in Delaware, so I'm really going to enjoy it this year. I've also entered the first page of MISFITS into the first page contest. I figure it can't hurt, right?
So that's been my summer so far. Writing. That's really it. I think I've been to the pool twice and I haven't seen a beach in a really long time. I'm getting my glow from my laptop this year!
Okay, quick update over. I need to grocery shop since I realized that there is no food in my apartment. I should probably vacuum also.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Better with age?
I think about writing books a lot. I guess that makes sense since I spend a good amount of time working on writing books, but recently I've been thinking about the progression of a writer. I guess it's because I'm revising one book while trying to figure out what I'm going to write next. I've also been querying, which is something that always makes a writer think about how good they are and how good they can be, I think.
So, the progression of a writer: Do we get better the more we write? Every bit of advice we're given includes writing more, right? So do we actually get better? I'd like to think so, since the first book I ever wrote was horrible. Really horrible. The second book made me think that maybe I could actually write books because it was the first time a story really fell into place for me. Writing has actually, at least in the first draft stages, gotten easier the more I do it. That first book took me a year and half to write because I didn't know how to write a book. Or at least I didn't know how I write.
Now I know my process and what works for me and what doesn't. Am I getting better? I don't know. I like KC as much as I like H. But I would surely hope that I'm getting better and not worse.
What do you think? Do writers get better with age?
So, the progression of a writer: Do we get better the more we write? Every bit of advice we're given includes writing more, right? So do we actually get better? I'd like to think so, since the first book I ever wrote was horrible. Really horrible. The second book made me think that maybe I could actually write books because it was the first time a story really fell into place for me. Writing has actually, at least in the first draft stages, gotten easier the more I do it. That first book took me a year and half to write because I didn't know how to write a book. Or at least I didn't know how I write.
Now I know my process and what works for me and what doesn't. Am I getting better? I don't know. I like KC as much as I like H. But I would surely hope that I'm getting better and not worse.
What do you think? Do writers get better with age?
Monday, April 30, 2012
Monday Meme
I stole this from the awesome, amazing, astounding and any other glowing word starting with "a" Jennifer Pickrell
A is for age: 27. But I'm not talking about it right now.
B is for breakfast today: This is going to make me sound nuts, but I'm a night owl and I sleep late, so I don't eat breakfast food that much. So mainly, I eat chicken nuggets for breakfast. I know...
C is for currently craving: I constantly crave, and fight off the craving, for Taco Bell. Also chocolate. And hummus. *shakes fist at healthy eating*
D is for dinner tonight: Sesame Chicken in the crockpot.
E is for favorite type of exercise: Zumba or really, really tough circuit training. My motto is: If you don't feel like you might be sick, you're not working hard enough.
F is for an irrational fear: Snakes and failure, although both seem perfectly rational to me.
G is for gross food: Peppers. I hate the taste and smell of them. And I have the superhuman ability to taste even the smallest amount in any food.
H is for hometown: Seaford, Delaware. It's ghetto but it was home for twenty years.
I is for something important: Books. And my family! Duh, family.
J is for current favorite jam: This isn't my style at all, but I am SO into Taylor Swift's song "Eyes Open" right now.
K is for kids: Someday.
L is for current location: Living room.
M is for the most recent way you spent money: Frozen yogurt!
N is for something you need: To relax.
O is for occupation: Mainly, I'm a student but I freelance to make extra cash.
P is for pet peeve: God, I have so many. Slow drivers, small-minded people, people who don't shut cupboard doors, anything that's crooked... seriously, I could go on but I'm working on being positive these days.
Q is for a quote: "Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." -Howard Thurman
R is for random fact about you: I have the same middle name as my mom and my grandmothers on each of my parent's sides.
S is for favorite healthy snack: I'm really into plums, although the season is over. You should have seen my face in the grocery store staring at the empty plum section. So I'm moving on to red pears. And Power Crunch bars! So good.
T is for favorite treat: When I'm not eating healthy? Late Night Snack, which is Ben & Jerry's flavor for Jimmy Fallon. It's vanilla ice cream, salty caramel and chocolate covered potato chip clusters. Sounds nuts, but it's amazing. What I'm eating healthy? Frozen yogurt.
U is for something that makes you unique: I don't have wisdom teeth or roots for them. Yaaay evolution!
V is for favorite vegetable: Onions! I can't eat them raw, but I could cook them and eat a whole bowl of onions. That sounds gross now that I've typed it out, but YUM.
W is for today’s workout: I worked out my patience on the phone with my school all day. Tomorrow will be circuit training though!
X is for X-rays you’ve had: I think just my teeth.
Y is for yesterday’s highlight: I took the most ridiculous nap yesterday. Slept like the dead.
Z is for your time zone: Eastern
Okay, that's it. Feel free to steal this and pass it on. Or just read it and tell me how weird I am. I can take it.
Brandy
A is for age: 27. But I'm not talking about it right now.
B is for breakfast today: This is going to make me sound nuts, but I'm a night owl and I sleep late, so I don't eat breakfast food that much. So mainly, I eat chicken nuggets for breakfast. I know...
C is for currently craving: I constantly crave, and fight off the craving, for Taco Bell. Also chocolate. And hummus. *shakes fist at healthy eating*
D is for dinner tonight: Sesame Chicken in the crockpot.
E is for favorite type of exercise: Zumba or really, really tough circuit training. My motto is: If you don't feel like you might be sick, you're not working hard enough.
F is for an irrational fear: Snakes and failure, although both seem perfectly rational to me.
G is for gross food: Peppers. I hate the taste and smell of them. And I have the superhuman ability to taste even the smallest amount in any food.
H is for hometown: Seaford, Delaware. It's ghetto but it was home for twenty years.
I is for something important: Books. And my family! Duh, family.
J is for current favorite jam: This isn't my style at all, but I am SO into Taylor Swift's song "Eyes Open" right now.
K is for kids: Someday.
L is for current location: Living room.
M is for the most recent way you spent money: Frozen yogurt!
N is for something you need: To relax.
O is for occupation: Mainly, I'm a student but I freelance to make extra cash.
P is for pet peeve: God, I have so many. Slow drivers, small-minded people, people who don't shut cupboard doors, anything that's crooked... seriously, I could go on but I'm working on being positive these days.
Q is for a quote: "Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." -Howard Thurman
R is for random fact about you: I have the same middle name as my mom and my grandmothers on each of my parent's sides.
S is for favorite healthy snack: I'm really into plums, although the season is over. You should have seen my face in the grocery store staring at the empty plum section. So I'm moving on to red pears. And Power Crunch bars! So good.
T is for favorite treat: When I'm not eating healthy? Late Night Snack, which is Ben & Jerry's flavor for Jimmy Fallon. It's vanilla ice cream, salty caramel and chocolate covered potato chip clusters. Sounds nuts, but it's amazing. What I'm eating healthy? Frozen yogurt.
U is for something that makes you unique: I don't have wisdom teeth or roots for them. Yaaay evolution!
V is for favorite vegetable: Onions! I can't eat them raw, but I could cook them and eat a whole bowl of onions. That sounds gross now that I've typed it out, but YUM.
W is for today’s workout: I worked out my patience on the phone with my school all day. Tomorrow will be circuit training though!
X is for X-rays you’ve had: I think just my teeth.
Y is for yesterday’s highlight: I took the most ridiculous nap yesterday. Slept like the dead.
Z is for your time zone: Eastern
Okay, that's it. Feel free to steal this and pass it on. Or just read it and tell me how weird I am. I can take it.
Brandy
Friday, April 27, 2012
Thoughts on a Friday
Okay, so you know you haven't blogged in a really long time when your blog host changes the entire layout of things and it took you five minutes to figure out how to post something new. Whew!
Anyway, the Semester That Will Probably Kill Me did not, in fact, kill me, but it was hairy there for a while. I was hoping to graduate this summer but due to mix-ups and the universe's hobby of making my life more complicated, I have to make it through the fall semester. The bright side is that the classes I have to take are fun, besides one math, but I'm in denial about that right now, and it won't be as intense as this one. Look who is focusing on the positives! *pats self on the back*
So I plan on finishing up revisions on HOOD now that I have a little more free time along with beta reading and reading new books because, you guys, I haven't read a book in over a month! I know. I flew through the last two books of the Hunger Games when the movie came out (my feelings on that series would take another blog post, maybe two) and since then I haven't touched a book. I'm remedying that this weekend.
Since I do have more free time, I'd looove some book recommendations. I have a small pile that I need to get through right now, but I'm hoping it won't take long.
So, what should I read?
Anyway, the Semester That Will Probably Kill Me did not, in fact, kill me, but it was hairy there for a while. I was hoping to graduate this summer but due to mix-ups and the universe's hobby of making my life more complicated, I have to make it through the fall semester. The bright side is that the classes I have to take are fun, besides one math, but I'm in denial about that right now, and it won't be as intense as this one. Look who is focusing on the positives! *pats self on the back*
So I plan on finishing up revisions on HOOD now that I have a little more free time along with beta reading and reading new books because, you guys, I haven't read a book in over a month! I know. I flew through the last two books of the Hunger Games when the movie came out (my feelings on that series would take another blog post, maybe two) and since then I haven't touched a book. I'm remedying that this weekend.
Since I do have more free time, I'd looove some book recommendations. I have a small pile that I need to get through right now, but I'm hoping it won't take long.
So, what should I read?
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Go hard or go home.
So as it turns out, I'm not very good at leisurely writing a book. If I'm not putting myself under constant pressure to finish something, I get all, "I'll get right on that! Tomorrow." This actually is totally unsurprising to anyone who has ever met me, because I'm a works-well-under-pressure gal. Yay, Scorpio! I've always said I'm awesome when things go to crap. It's when things are going good that I get suspicious. So anyway, the moral to this story is that if I'm going to write that sequel, I'm going to do it in a month with a hard deadline. Plus side, I'll be awesome when I'm finally published and am put on deadline. ::Hear that agents?!::
So now I have to decide what I'm going to do. Do I put my nose to the grindstone and finish the sequel or try to think of a new idea? It's silly, but I feel weird putting the amount of energy needed to write a book into a sequel of a book that hasn't been picked up by an agent or sold yet. And writing for me is cool, but am I missing out on My Next Great Idea (yes, I capitalized it. It felt right.) because I'm working on something for fun?
There's also something to be said for that buzz I get when I have a new idea. It's when I know that I'm operating on all cylinders and doing what I'm supposed to be doing with my life when I get an idea that I know I can turn into 50-80 thousand words. And I miss it. I haven't worked on anything new since NaNoWriMo and I miss the rush of it.
Maybe I will write something new. I guess it's time to hit up my ideas list to see what comes up. If nothing does, then I'll finish the sequel. A plan!
Before that though, I have finals and revisions for HOOD to finish in the next few weeks. Then I'll put myself on an intense deadline and stress myself out. Good times.
Brandy
So now I have to decide what I'm going to do. Do I put my nose to the grindstone and finish the sequel or try to think of a new idea? It's silly, but I feel weird putting the amount of energy needed to write a book into a sequel of a book that hasn't been picked up by an agent or sold yet. And writing for me is cool, but am I missing out on My Next Great Idea (yes, I capitalized it. It felt right.) because I'm working on something for fun?
There's also something to be said for that buzz I get when I have a new idea. It's when I know that I'm operating on all cylinders and doing what I'm supposed to be doing with my life when I get an idea that I know I can turn into 50-80 thousand words. And I miss it. I haven't worked on anything new since NaNoWriMo and I miss the rush of it.
Maybe I will write something new. I guess it's time to hit up my ideas list to see what comes up. If nothing does, then I'll finish the sequel. A plan!
Before that though, I have finals and revisions for HOOD to finish in the next few weeks. Then I'll put myself on an intense deadline and stress myself out. Good times.
Brandy
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