What's Up Wednesday!

I saw this meme over at the super fantastic Jen Pickrell's blog, and since I literally couldn't think of a single interesting thing to blog about this week, I'm doing it!  Also, it's just a really cute way to keep up with that everyone is up to.

What I'm reading

The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines.  I take book recommendations very seriously, okay?  And when I saw multiple tweets from people who just couldn't quit this series, I knew I had to check it out.  I'm just starting the first one but I'm pretty pumped about it.

What I'm Writing

Woe is me.  I'm actually editing right now, so I haven't gotten a chance to write anything new.  But I want to, and more importantly, I think my soul needs it.  Once I get through these edits, I plan on writing something even though I don't know what yet.  Remember last week I talked about summer reading?  Well, there's also nothing I love more than summer writing.  And it is time, my friends.

What Else I've Been Up To

Besides reading over everything I've written, editing and beta reading, nothing much.  Work has been busy, as usual.  My normal TV shows are all off the air for the summer, although True Blood starts soon and I'm hoping things are better than they were last season.

I think I've mentioned that I'm a huge movie lover, but only when I actually go to the movie theater.  It's hard for me to sit on my couch and watch a movie, but I'm still not talking about how many times I went to see The Avengers last year.  It's possible I'm the one who made it the biggest movie ever, I'm just saying.  But this summer is packed full of good movies.  I saw Iron Man 3, which was amazing but not as amazing as Star Trek Into Darkness.  In the next few days I'm going to see Now You See Me, which gives me major I-Wish-I'd-Thought-of-That feelings.  And then the new Superman comes out!

So, yeah.  You'll know where to find me this summer.

What Inspires Me Right Now

Well, my best friend since I was eleven is having her second baby this coming Tuesday.  And it's a boy!  Her first child is a sassy, amazing little girl and I'm so, so excited to meet this little (not that little, he's almost 7 pounds already and he's still hanging out in there! He'll be showing up via C-section) guy!  I'm inspired by my best friend for being so calm in the face of having two kids, because I'm overwhelmed by my two cats.  But I'm also inspired to write really good books that these two, along with my niece, (who is 17 and the best kid ever) can read, love and be proud of.

I heart books

So, by nature, I'm kind of a private person.  I've never been one to tell everyone my life story... well, ever, but much less right when I meet them.  I'm also a Scorpio, and that might just explain everything.  Either way, word has gotten around at my job that I signed with a literary agent and this has led to questions like, "You write books?  What kind of books?  Oh, like Twilight? When will your book be out?  Can I read it?"  To which I answer, "Yes. Young Adult.  Not so much.  No clue, and maybe someday."

Of course, this has also led to me recommending YA books that everyone should read, talking more about books in general and basically opening up the Library of Brandy to get them started.  Last week, my boss (who, I just found out, LOVES to read) said that she didn't understand why it had taken so long to see this side of me and that she wished she'd seen it sooner.  She also called me weird (in a good way) because my voice did that squeaky, geeking out thing that happens when I talk about books I really love.

I think most of the reason I don't tell people I write books is exactly because of all of those questions that I know will follow.  But I've also realized that by me not telling people, they're never really getting to know me.  For instance, if I had to list my favorite things to do, the top 3 would be: Write, Read and Talk About Books.  Now that I'm thinking about it, I have no idea what I've been talking to people about.

I guess there's no better time like the present to open up a little, since hopefully someday soon lots of people will not only know I write book but will also have the chance to read them.  Maybe by the time that happens, I can get over the whole awkward, squeaky voice thing, because it's kind of embarrassing.

In other news: I'm diving into my TBR pile.  While other people love to head outside when the weather heats up, I get a nostalgic feelings for summer reading.  There's nothing like my couch, a good book and air conditioning!

Books, self-doubt and other things I'm dealing with this week.

I really wish I was the kind of writer who so fully believes in themselves that they hand over their books for people to read and say, "I wrote this, you'll love it."  Instead, I fall into the category of writer who tells people I'll let them read it and then I put it off for as long as possible.  And then when I do finally give in, I make sure I don't have to see them for a while, so I don't have be face-to-face with someone who may hate my book.  It's an on-going joke with everyone I know that when my books are (fingers crossed!) published, I'll be hiding under my bed.

I mean, I love my books, and obviously I thought they were pretty okay enough to query agents and now I actually have one, but oddly, this has done nothing to squelch the self-doubt that I usually deal with.  For instance, I've been reading through older WIPS because my agent wants to see them and multiple times this week, I've been positive that she'll read them and be all, "Now that I've thought about this, I've changed my mind."

I was smiling while reading an e-mail the other day and my mom saw me and asked why I looked like a crazy person smiling at my phone.  My answer?  My agent had just e-mailed me back, and obviously still wanted to work with me because of the e-mailing.

I'm not joking, guys.  This is my life. 

I'm not saying it hasn't been very life-affirming to have someone love my books as much as I do and to believe that I have enough talent to want to work with me long-term, but when does the self-doubt stop?  Or does it?  Are all writers just really fragile?

I bet it doesn't.  I bet we are.  Good grief.

So anyway, this is the glamorous life of someone who just signed with an amazing agent!  Which, by the way, I'm still super, super excited about.  Don't let all of the self-doubt whining fool you, I'm pumped.  I'm just also nervous.  Hopefully it's normal.  If not, well... I don't know.

In other news, I'm reading REBOOT by Amy Tintera and GOOD LORD, is that book good.  I'm hoping to finish it today because I have to work all weekend.  It definitely gives me jealous I-wish-I'd-thought-of-that feelings, but it's so good that I'm not sure I could have done it better.  It's a must-read, so go ahead and add it to your TBR pile!

Okay, that's it.  Feel free to leave comments about your self-doubt to make me feel normal. Don't be shy!

An Agent Story

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.

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.

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.

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?