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. 

Spring Is In My Hair

It isn’t in the air yet. 

The frost still has a bite. 

And the wind is never gentle. 

No way to fly a kite. 

No, it isn’t in the air yet

No matter how I wish

But spring is in my hair

I can feel it. 

It’s pulling on the strands, 

Wishing them away

To build and play and run

On every single day

To scatter life and growing

And splatter colors so 

But It has to go on hold 

Because springs only in my hair

And the air is still just cold

Oh what a sadness

What dismal gray cast skies

I want to see the greening

But the sparkles only in my eyes 

My nose can smell the sawdust

My hands can feel the fluff

But my brain looks out the window

And tells me just give up

Because the season is fickle

It likes to tempt and tease

When spring finally casts out winter

It will not be with ease

It might just cause a tempest 

It might force winds to blow

But soon enough the signs will come 

and then I’ll really know

But for now I’ll go on dreaming

With the tendrils in my hair

And wait for blessed spring time 

to finally reach the air 

A Little Miss

Hi guys!

Sorry about the impromptu hiatus last week. But I’ve got a good reason. 

I would like to introduce Loraina Fable, born right on her due date. 

We had planned to try a VBAC this time around, but things didn’t turn out that way and we ended up doing another C-section. This time was considerably better than with Henry though, as I was able to be awake during the procedure and interact with her right after she was born. Recovery has been much better also. 

We’re all home and happy now, and big brother is absolutely thrilled (though he’s a little put off that mommy can’t rough house or drive him to the store because a doctor cut a hole in her tummy).

Little miss Lorie is a doll, and we’re so blessed to have her. 

Needless to say, I haven’t done much besides change diapers, feed kids, and try to sleep. I’ve got several new books screaming at me, and I can’t wait to dive into them (feeding a baby gives a perfect opportunity to read) but I’ve been fighting migraines caused by the spinal anesthesia and focusing on a page is a no-go. I’m hoping those wear off soon though and I can soak in some good reading and maybe get some more work done on The Queens Three. 

For anyone wondering, Jarod chose Loraina based on Lori from the Lonesome Dove movie, and I picked Fable because it loosely means story. 

Obviously I would love a daughter named story. It was as close as I could get to a literary name without picking an actual book character. (Although Lonesome Dove was a book first, and I hear the protagonist in Adrienne Young’s next book is named Fable. So that’s a win.) 

The plan now is to get back to blogging weekly like I’m supposed to. I shall try. 

What have you been up to? Would you name a child after a book character? 

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.