Exciting News and the Subsequent Screaming

Hi guys! 

I break this hiatus to bring you exciting news—I signed with an agent! 

The Story: 

I believe I mentioned early this year that I pitched my Alice in Wonderland spinoff, The Queens Three, on Twitter during #FaithPitch. I got two requests from agents, so sent out my query letters to them. About that same time, another agent turned down Blood and Dust, but invited me to query her with a different project, since she liked my writing. So I sent her a query also. 

Within a week of #FaithPitch, both agents responded. One passed on the project, but let me know that she had passed it along to another agent she thought might like it—which was awesome of her. The second asked for a full. 

Fast forward a while, and I get an email from Kenzi Nevins, of Cyle Young Literary Elite (C.Y.L.E) asking to see the full. She had been passed my query from the original agent and was really intrigued. So I sent it to her and waited. 

Last week I got another email from her. Apparently her emails to me had been bouncing (horror of all horrors) but she was trying again because SHE WANTED TO REPRESENT ME AND MY BOOK. 

Cue the screaming. 

My mom wouldn’t answer the phone, and Jarod was excited but not exactly sure what I was talking about, but luckily I have some excellent writing friends to scream with (you gals are the best). 

After a good bit of screaming and some heart palpitations, we set up a time for a phone call, and had a lovely chat. I was terrified for the first 45 seconds, and then things calmed down and I felt really good by the end of the conversation. Kenzi is super easy to talk to, which is great. 

After the phone call I spoke with one of Kenzi’s other clients about what it’s like working with her, then emailed the two other agents to let them know I had an offer, which I’m told is standard query etiquette. 

The next day I heard back from both of them. Both had some very nice and helpful things to say about the book. One passed due to lack of time, and the other made her own offer of representation. 

Cue more screaming and heart palpitations. 

So I scoured the internet looking at agency websites, and recent books, and all that good stuff. I talked to some of my writing friends, my family, and prayed on it. 

After a few days of stewing on it, I emailed Kenzi to let her know I accepted her offer. 

*Happy Scream* 

She sent over the contract, I asked a few questions, and then ladies and gentlemen

 I SIGNED IT. 

I am THRILLED to be working with Kenzi, and so excited to start taking steps to bringing this (and hopefully many more) books to life. 

The Queens Three Snippets

Hi guys!

 

I finished my second draft of The Queens Three a couple days ago.

I'm super happy with how the story is turning out. The extra POVs really seem to enhance the story, and I boosted the word count by ten thousand.

It's not done yet. I've got a few little details to weave in that I figured out as I was writing, so I need to go to the beginning and make sure everything fits together smoothly.

And I'm told I need a kiss scene.

*sigh*

I'll see what I can do.

 

Today I thought it would be fun to share some snippets with you. I know I've shared some scenes from Molly in the past, so I'm hoping these aren't duplicates. The scenes from Avian and Bunny are completely new.

 

(On a side note, Molly is the main character, a human disaster who runs a small town diner. Avian is a the conniving usurper queen of the fae realm, and the story's main villain, and Bunny is the displaced heir to the throne.)

 

Pinterest

Molly

The little bell on the door announces an incoming customer. I turn to look and nearly drop the stack of dishes. What the heck is he wearing? The man who walks in is a stranger. Blakely Nebraska only boasts a population of two hundred and I know them all. None of them dress like that.

He wears a ratty grayish jacket covered in more buttons and zippers than it merits, and perched on his shaggy brown hair is an honest to goodness top hat that could have belonged to Abe Lincoln.

**

 

“Here you go. Can I get you anything else?”

Not right now.” He pulls the first burger to him, the other hand holding his book open.

I glance at it again. It looks like it’s about to disintegrate all over the table. Doesn’t he know they print new ones? “I’m actually related to him,” I say. “The author. Carroll isn’t his real name though.”

“Dodgson,” he says around a mouthful of food. “Charles Dodgson.”

“Yeah.” I nod. “My mom figured out our family tree a couple years ago and we’re related. Well, sort of. She traced the line back to one of his brothers. So I’m like his great great niece or something.”

The guy’s eyes flit to mine over the pages and he smirks. “Something like dat.”

**

 

I round the corner and nearly collide with a tree. Well, a person dressed as a tree, walking down the sidewalk. I stagger back and stare. The makeup work is crazy. Like some of the face paint videos I’ve seen online. The woman’s skin actually looks like brown tree bark. Bits of twigs and leaves cling to her green hair and dress. “Sorry,” I stammer. “Nice costume.”

The woman just stares with unblinking eyes.

My throat constricts and I look down. “Sorry,” I mumble again, feeling totally awkward, and hurry past.

What is someone doing in full costume first thing in the morning on a Wednesday in September? People are getting weirder and weirder. Even out in the Nebraska sticks.

**

The man before me smiles. “They only hear and see what I want them to. They’re not going to think you’re crazy. There’s no need to worry your head off. Messy business that, worrying one’s head off. Don’t try it at home, that’s for sure.”

“Just stop.” I shake my head. “I’m going to call the police for public intoxication. This is insane.”

“I am insane,” he says gravely. “It comes with the territory I suppose, but I’ll admit, I’m quite fond of it. But I dare say you thinking you can sick your authorities on me is even more insane. What are they going to do? Catch me?” He vanishes before my eyes.

 

Pinterest

 

Bunny

“C’mon, Bunny. Aren’t you even a little glad to see me?” Malechi pushes his hands into his pockets, but his casual stance and ridiculous new appearance can’t hide the sorrow in his deep eyes.

I did not think I would ever see him again. A knot swells in my throat but I wrestle my voice past it. “Everything is a disaster."

**

“Did you miss the part where Avian is trying to steal all your magic and kill you?” Malechi jumps to his feet, slamming his obnoxiously tall hat to the dirty floor. “Believe me when I say dying isn’t at all pleasant, and you don’t want to do it.”

**

 

If Malechi waits a moment longer to transfigure me back, I will execute him myself, and this time I’ll get the job done.

 

Pinterest

 

Avian

“She can’t have gone far!” I rake a hand through my hair, caressing the sleek black feathers of a raven with the other. “Bunny is weak. Her power is taxed. She has to be close.”

The looking bowl is dim, the smooth water inside showing faint glimpses of trees and pixie glens. Where could she have run? All of Bunny’s friends are dead.

An image of gallows flashes in my mind’s eye, but I push it down, keeping my attention fixed solely on the looking bowl. He deserved it. They all did.

**

 

“There must be someone in this realm who understands the workings of humans.” I straighten from the table and pace the space in front of my throne.

“The magician, Malechi—”

“Yes, he knew,” I shoot a glare at the buffoon. “Considering I had him executed I didn’t think he would be of much help.”

___________

Pinterest

Malec. The real star of the story.

 

 

There you have it! This story has been full of surprises and first for me, but it is rapidly becoming one of my favorites.

If anyone is wanting to read it, its now available for beta readers.

It is approximately 65k, and I would rate it PG. No language or sexual content, but there is magic and some talk about drug abuse.

You can leave a comment or shoot me an email if you like.
For some extra fun, here is the Pinterest inspiration board and the Spotify playlist for the project.

 

What is your favorite fairytale retelling or spinoff?

 

 

The State of the Realms

Hello everyone! 

Still no baby, just in case you’re one of the people who keeps asking me. I promise, I will announce when she is born. I will not be waiting weeks to mention it. 

In a random burst of inspiration (nesting hormones?) I’ve been madly revising The Mad Hatter. 

I’m actually pretty much certain it’s the nesting hormones driving this effort. Which is a double edged sword. On the one hand, its spurred me to add multiple new chapters and beef up the word count, working my way to the halfway point in about five days. 

On the flip side of that though, there have been multiple times where I was just about to dive into a new scene when suddenly I was struck by an inescapable need to wash all of the baby clothes and fold and put them all away. Now. 

It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster. 

Things are progressing nicely though. In the most exciting news, it received a new title. The Mad Hatter is now The Queens Three. 

Which brings me to the next notable change: Bunny and the Queen of Ravens now each have their own points of view in the story. 

It’s been super fun and super difficult to dive into each of their personalities and give them distinct voices and reveal more of what makes them tick. It’s not perfect, but I’ve gotten some good feedback and can’t wait to flesh them out even more. 

It’s really fun getting to spend more time in the fae realm (which needs a real name) through them. 

Molly’s boyfriend, Matt, got a new name. He’s currently Brett. There were too many M names running around the place. I’m not sure Brett is the winner though, so it might change again before I’m through. 

The word count is creeping up. Not quite where I want it, but it’s definitely improving. 

One thing that’s been a relief (and worrisome) is I haven’t found any major plot holes or useless threads. A few clarifications and tweaks yes. But gigantic glaring issues? No. It’s rather strange. 

But then again, it comes with the territory. 

One Baby To Rule Them All

Hey guys! 

Do you ever get into one of those ruts where you want to accomplish SO MUCH that you actually don’t accomplish much at all?

That’s kind of my life right now. I just have this weird feeling of urgency. Like I need to get everything done right this instant. But in the last week or so my body has also decided it’s actually pregnant. I’m kind of at baby girl’s mercy, and I just have zero energy. 

Basically, all I want to accomplish is edit Mad Hatter perfectly in one fell swoop, slap out the entire draft of Viking, read like eighteen books, clean the house, make all the decor,  listen to my music, get some sleep, and eat all the snacks. 

What I’ve actually done is not read a single book in months (except a smidge of beta reading, which was very fun), not touched the Viking document at all, ate a few snacks and then puked them back up, listened to Barney sing the same stinking song over and over, and have a Hobbit and Lord of the Rings marathon, thereby ruining any chance of sleep. 

Can we talk for a second about the awesomeness of Viggo Mortensen? The man is a phenomenal actor, that’s all there is to it. 

One thing I did manage to accomplish though is reaching the halfway point—maybe a smidge over—of my Mad Hatter edits, in three days. Which is kind of terrifying me, because it feels way too easy, and I’m liking how it’s turning out, so I’m absolutely convinced that I missed something horrifically obvious. Probably due to lack of sleep. 

Really kinda sorta ready for baby girl to arrive. Not that it will help much in the sleep department. But I should be able to move a bit better.

Sorry for the ramble. One does not simply blog while pregnant and sleep deprived. 

Hello New Year

Happy 2020!

I wanted to have a prolific post for the new year. Or even a lighthearted one full story of Roaring 20s references. 

But the sad fact of the matter is I’ve hardly slept since before Christmas, I feel like a half dead dog who’s been run over by a semi truck and run through a meat grinder (twice) and I just don’t have that poetic and witty post in me. 

I just read through last year’s first post and it could almost exactly be used for this year as well. 

We’ve got 15” of snow, we’ve had the usual Christmas gatherings. 

But some things are totally new. We’re in a new house and I’m loving it. Our new baby will be joining us in just a few weeks. Life is good. 

Yes, there’s been stress, but there had also been growth. It’s been a wild ride of a year. I’m excited to see what this new year brings. 

I’ve got a few goals, but I don’t know that I’d call them resolutions. I haven’t been writing this past month, and I want to get back to it. Blood and Dust is out on query again, and I’m hoping to revise Mad Hatter and Bad Boy in the meantime. If I’m really ambitious maybe I’ll even draft the Viking story, but we’ll see. 

I want to get some more things set up and decorated with the house, and I want to enjoy this new season of motherhood. 

I want to learn (again, because it never seems to stick) to be happy and content. To give the reins to God and not be so determined to fight my own battles. Or create them. 

So here’s to 2020. Let’s do it. 

Another Month Bites the Dust

So....it’s November already. I’m kind of in shock. 

Have things gone according to plan? Absolutely not. Has everything under the sun happened in the space of three hours? No, but it feels like it. 

What went on:

October brought two trips to the pumpkin patch, which was super fun. My sisters took a bunch of pictures of me that I’m assured were super cute, but they haven’t actually sent any of them. So just know, I looked stunning. 

Harvest was completed! It was a little rough. Things weren’t great due to some of the weather mishaps that struck early this year, but they could have certainly been worse, and we’re all glad to have the corn in the bin instead of buried in a snow bank. 

It did snow. Only a skiff of it, that melted in a day, but Henry was thrilled with it. 

My mother in law came for a week and we worked on painting the ranch house we plan to move into. There’s still a ton to do, but I’m so thankful for all of her help, and I’m hopeful we will be moving in the near future. 

I was supposed to finish my line edits of Blood and Dust in October, but alas, I did not. I’m close though. Should be finished this week and I can put together the new and improved synopsis and proposal. 

Karen was here for Halloween, so she got to enjoy trick or treating with Henry. We only made it to about ten houses before the grumpy little pirate got cold, but that was more than enough candy for me and him to share. 

My oven, can opener, hot water heater, and bathroom fan all quit at the same time. I was thinking I should write a survival manual or something, but my secrets aren’t that great. Call the electrician. Buy a manual can opener. And make sure you have all the extra kitchen appliances. Electric griddle, toaster oven, crock pot, instant pot—get it all. Can’t go wrong with microwaveable food either. Well you can, but you know. Survivalists can’t be picky. 

My sisters came over for a Halloween sleepover. We watched Shutter Island and The Woman In Black. Both excellent, edge of your seat movies, with terrible, throw up your hands and scream into the void endings. 

I don’t even know. It feels like everything came crashing down in October and now everything is hanging in limbo November, waiting to see what happens next. 

I’m not doing NaNoWriMo. I had planned to work on Mad Hatter for it, but like I said—things didn’t go according to plan. 

I’m ready for Thanksgiving. I don’t even know why, I just know I’m ready for it. Comfort food. 

I also want to sleep for a week, but no one can seem to accommodate that. 

Oh well. Such is life, I guess. 

My dad and sister both have birthdays coming up this month, and I’m trying to find birthday presents, but apparently what I want to get doesn’t exist, oh and by the way, Christmas shopping is coming up too and I’ve got no time and money so if someone could just put me out of my misery, please and thanks. 

Current Mood: 

A Guide to Major Book Revisions

Hi guys! 

I am thrilled to announce that I finished the major revisions on Blood and Dust. 

I’m now working through and doing a line edit, checking for areas where I pasted something together and got a stray word in there, and for minor inconsistencies with the new storyline. My goal is to have it polished enough for #faithpitch, #pitmad, and querying in general. 

I’m actually pretty thrilled with myself, as I’ve never done major revisions—or book surgery, as the gals at Go Teen Writers like to call it. Editing, yes. I’ve gone through a novel and tightened up prose and fixed major plot holes. But never have I taken the bare bones of a story and taken it in a totally new direction. Quite frankly, the idea was absolutely terrifying up until last week when I finished it. 

I learned a couple things along the way that made it easier for me, and might be of value to you guys with your own writing. 

I’m no master, obviously. I’ve only accomplished this with one novel, and the jury is still out on beta readers how successful I was. But finishing that first round is the first step. So if you’re terrified to take the first step, like I was, these tips might be just the boost you need. 

1. Get feedback. It’s hard to know what to revise in a full length novel—especially a messy one—if you don’t have some outside eyes on it. Over the course of Blood and Dust’s life, it has been through several rounds of beta readers, I hired two editors to go through my first couple chapters, as well as hiring Kara Swanson to do some coaching sessions where we tore my plot apart. Due to my pregnancy causing exhaustion and lack of funds, I wasn’t able to continue those sessions as long as I would have liked, but the time spent with Kara was invaluable. She was such a help to this story, and in general a sweet soul all the way around. If you are in need of some one on one help with your writing, I would highly suggest her coaching services. I also entered the first two chapters of Blood and Dust in a contest, not because I thought it would win, but because I knew all entries got extensive feedback from multiple judges. I also had some feedback from an agent I had queried. 
2. Assemble and prioritize the feedback. Now that you’ve got all the feedback, start going through it. I wrote my list out on paper, but you could do it on the computer too. Any issues that came up from more than one person I paid special attention to and set as a priority to resolve. Things that came up occasionally but were valid points got jotted down to try and resolve as well, and some critiques that just didn’t fit got discarded. Having the revisions prioritized gave me a clear vision of what needed to be done, on a full story scale or simply clarifying one scene. 
3. Brainstorm and outline. I’m not a major plotter for first drafts, but Kara helped me realize that it’s kind of necessary for major revisions. We’ve got these major problems that need logical and exciting solutions. It takes some forethought. Kara and I brainstormed a whole bunch of ideas. I bounced them off of what I knew about my characters, as well as some of my beta readers that had read the full story and knew it well, then decided which ones I’d like to pursue. One thing I did that was super helpful was write a basic chapter by chapter outline of what happened in the current story. Then write a chapter by chapter outline of what I wanted to happen, noting old scenes that should be kept or discarded. Seeing what I had to work with helped me come up with good alternatives that stayed in character. It also helped me see unnecessary subplots and scenes, since one major issue agents had with the story was the length (123k). 
4. Save the darlings. Before starting out slashing the story, I created a duplicate version of Blood and Dust and named it Revisions. I’ve got the full original in case there is a scene that got cut that I decide I want back. I also created a scrap file for scenes I was cutting out of their current place, but knew for sure I could use in a different place. That way they were all right there and I wouldn’t have to dig through the original story to find them. 
5. Kill the darlings. Start writing. Or chopping. Whatever it takes. I kept my list of critiques handy, as well as my two outlines, and tried to weave in the new themes and plot lines string from the beginning. There were a lot of scenes and plot lines that I was fond of, but  that just honestly didn’t benefit the story. So I cried, said a few words, and hit delete. And told myself I still had the original version safe and sound. 
6. Don’t worry. I set out to trim the story down and in the first few chapters it gained 25k words. That frightened me and I was hesitant to write the new material that needed to be included. But trust me. I’d you’re really honest about each scene, you’ll be able to chop it down to proper size as the story progresses. Currently Blood and Dust is sitting at just over 90K—over a 30k drop. Whatever issue you might be worried about, don’t. You’ve got yourself covered. You saved the original. No change is permanent. You can go over it again. Just keep writing. 
7. Make notes. A couple times later in the story I realized there were some things I forgot to foreshadow earlier, so I made myself a note to go back and do so. Or to check the description of a character who is present in the beginning, but then doesn’t return until the end, to make sure I’m consistent. I won’t remember. You probably won’t either. Make the note. 
8. Talk to people. I sent chunks of the revised story out every so often so the people I knew liked the original story could give me feedback on if this was staying true to the heart but improving the issues. You don’t have to send out chapters yet, but keep open dialogue with writer friends you trust to give solid advice as you encounter issues with plot and character. 
9. Ta-da! That’s it! That’s what I did. Like I said, it’s not done, I’m still going through minor tweaks, but the major word chopping revisions are done, and I’m so happy. 

What about you? Have you undergone major book revisions? Any great tips that helped you through? (Coffee. Coffee helped me through.) 

Hello October

Hello everyone! 

I can’t believe it’s already October. I thought I was so ready for fall, but it’s 48° outside. Two days ago it was 90°. I can’t handle changes that drastic. Especially when I have nothing to wear! 

I’m not a sweatpants kind of person. I think I own one pair. But I’m also in a weird stage where maternity jeans don’t fit well enough to stay up, and my regular jeans are too tight to wear. 

I think I’m going to start a petition to make all maternity jeans have belt loops. I’ll wear a belt low on my waist if it means I don’t have to hike my jeans up every thirty seconds. Also, they need pockets. 

Anyway, enough of wardrobe lamentations. On to the actual blog post. 

We found out we are having a girl! Beyond excited about that. Everything has been checking out good and healthy, and we’re neck deep in the struggle of choosing a name. Apparently I’m a modern gal who married an old soul. Our name tastes are so different. He’s also got to deal with my writer side, and endure all the weird literary names I come up with. 

Canning. Lots of canning. Tomatoes, apples, you name it. My house has been a sticky, delicious smelling dungeon all month. They’re talking we might have record snows this year. Gotta stock up on salsa and jelly if we’re going to survive. 

We chopped silage and Henry and I got to be the cook crew. Casseroles and cookies and Gatorade, oh my! 

It’s one of my favorite and most stressful times of the year. 

Henry has been loving having a friend over every day to play. I love it too, except for the weekends when Henry asks where Lige is every ten minutes. 

My sisters, Henry, and I went Junk Jaunting, which is like state wide garage sales. Henry made out like a bandit, with new tractors and a spring horse, and I found a few treasures for the house we’ll be moving into sometime this winter. (The bear did not come home with us.)

We watched lots of Husker football. We laughed, we cried. It was intense. 

October started off raining. And it hasn’t stopped yet. I so want to get outside and hang Halloween decorations, because as fun as Christmas is, I firmly believe the other holidays should be enjoyed first—looking at you, Hobby Lobby. 

We did start on decorating inside the house. I’ll save the really insane decor for closer to the week of Halloween. My mother in law will be staying with us during that time, so she’ll get to appreciate the full extent of my weirdness. 

Weather permitting, there should be more harvesting and cooking this month. Cooking for the harvesters is a little more low key than for choppers, since they eat in the tractor to harvest. Sandwiches and chips are a staple, though I try to mix it up with runzas and sliders. 

I’ll be hitting the third trimester, which is exciting and horrifying. It seems like this pregnancy has gone so fast. I don’t have anything ready. 

I got a bunch of awesome books last month and I’m hoping to read some of them. 

Last month I revised Blood and Dust like crazy, and I’m currently forty pages away from the end. That number will fluctuate as I cut and add scenes, but I’m getting close. I plan to have it done this month, and rewrite the synopsis, etc, to start querying and pitching in November. 

Speaking of November, October may or may not be a prep month for nanowrimo. Though I’ll for sure be a nano rebel if I do participate and work on editing Bad Boy or Mad Hatter instead of writing a whole new draft. I’m not super inspired on any of my new ideas currently, so I need to get those old ones done before they go too long and stagnate in the swamp of unfinished stories. 

How is your fall going? Do you love fall? Hate it? Love it but need a slower transition into the cold weather? I’d love to hear.