It’s not surprising that wild Lily Odilon has disappeared, especially since “The Accident,” or what’s more commonly referred to in her small Idaho town as, “That One Time Lily Odilon and Some Other Juvenile Delinquents Broke into Lily’s step-Dad’s Dental Practice and Lily OD’d on Laughing Gas and Almost Died.” In this fast- and evenly paced YA debut, prime suspect Albert Morales, the new kid at high school and Lily’s boyfriend, races to find Lily at the last place she remembers feeling happy before her dangerous stepfather, who also happens to be golf buddies with the lead detective, reaches her. Three taut story lines — just before the disappearance, just after the disappearance and along Albert’s search — converge to reveal the truth behind Lily’s accident, her stepfather’s involvement, the evolution of Albert and Lily’s relationship and why Albert really needs to find this enigmatic and often selfish girl. Reminiscent of John Green’s Paper Towns (2008), this noir thriller hooks readers with realistic dialogue, fully fleshed characters and plenty of twists. Terrific to the last, good page. (Thriller. YA)

Hooray for Sara! Kirkus has a tendency to be snarky in their reviews, so a rave like this is a notable event!

Nonetheless, no matter when school starts, there’s something about this time of year that feels like an opportunity for fresh starts and for making changes. Whether that’s Intern Jenny’s schedule, or a plan to reorganize your closets, or a fresh new manuscript that’s waiting to be written, September is a great opportunity to do something DIFFERENT.

So — what are your plans? What difference will you be making? Is it getting back to a more intensive writing schedule now that the kids are back out of the house? Is it a new draft of an old project, or a new project altogether? Or is it a bustling conference schedule?

Let me know in the comments! One random commenter will win a galley of Ellen Booraem’s forthcoming middle grade release Small Persons With Wings, coming from Dial Books in January 2011.

Mellie has been trying, unsuccessfully, to live down the day she told her kindergarten class she had a fairy living in her bedroom. Years later she is still called Fairy Fat. But when her parents inherit an inn and their family moves to a new town, Mellie believes she’ll leave all that fairy nonsense behind. Little does she know that the inn is overrun with . . . you guessed it. Oh brother.

“I adored this hilarious, charming, and clever book.” – Sarah Beth Durst

Until then, however, I thought I’d pop in with a round-up of my vacation reading, since you were so great in helping me decide what to bring. I’ll admit right now, however — I didn’t get to Leviathan. On the flight home, I succumbed to the lure of a glossy magazine in the airport newsstand, and read that during the “no electronics” phase of the flight.

So what DID I read? Of bound-paper books, only Will Grayson, Will Grayson. On my Kindle, though, I also read InterWorld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. I also read three client manuscripts — new books by Kater Cheek, Carrie Harris, and Kiki Hamilton.

I’d have liked to have read EVEN more, but most of that reading took place on the first half of the week, which was overcast and/or rainy. Once we got to spend more time at the beach, between the boogie-boarding, sandcastle-building, and wave-jumping, there wasn’t much time to sit and read with a five-year-old.

I’m of course not going to pick favorites, though it was neat to be a part of the kidlit community while we all tore through Mockingjay together. And Will Grayson had me in happy tears on a crowded airplane. And I think InterWorld was maybe the most surprising to me — if only because I think if it had come out AFTER The Graveyard Book, it would have been more justly lauded as a great YA novel. In some ways, it reminds me of kt literary client Matthew Cody’s upcoming novel The Dead Gentleman, which I can’t wait to share with you. And if you know me, you’ll know what high praise that is, indeed!

As for the client manuscripts I read — well, let’s just say I can’t wait to share those with you either! They included a couple of sequels and an exciting new direction — more soon, I hope!

As for the above totally-not-posed picture, it’s of one of my sisters’ friends’ daughters reading Maureen Johnson’s 13 Little Blue Envelopes across the circle of beach chairs from me last Saturday.

Dear Daphne Unfeasible:

Rachel Goode has found her soulmate; it’s just too bad he has two souls.

After her father’s death, sixteen-year-old Rachel is sent with her brother to live at the boarding school where their uncle is Headmaster. It’s a place where dark figures watch her around campus and personal items appear and disappear in unexplained ways. She immediately falls for her brother’s roommate, a mysterious boy with a secret connection to Rachel’s family and a world where she has been chosen for a purpose larger than her tragic circumstances reveal.

Talan confesses not only to a growing love for Rachel, but that he is possessed by a keeper, a spirit with a mission to guard her for a supernatural purpose. When keeping her safe requires that Talan deny his feelings for her, Rachel must decide if she should convince Talan to renounce his life’s purpose, or come to terms with her own.

I am seeking representation for my first novel, a 93,000 word YA paranormal romance titled Secret Keeper. You’ve indicated in several interviews that you are actively seeking paranormal romances involving a “mermaid/selkie/angel/or some other not overused magical creature.” I would be happy to send sample pages at your request.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Lynn

I’ll see YOU in the comments.

Online Dating vs. Getting an Agent

Nearly two years ago, when I was hard at work querying to find an agent, I kept getting these sensations of deja vu, even though I’d never attempted to find representation before. Then, while nervously refreshing my inbox over and over and over again, it hit me. I had done this before. Because this process was basically identical to online dating.

Your search begins. You keep asking yourself, am I ready for this? But you know you are. It’s been awhile since your last relationship/revision. Your best friend/critique partner approves. So you pull up the web site and feel this wonderful sense of comfort. There are so many options! There are so many people who are looking for someone too! This is going to be quick and easy, and by the time your monthly hangout with your friend rolls around again, you’ll be able to tell them you’re in love/represented.

But the confident feeling that this is going to be a short and successful mission doesn’t last too long. You start narrowing your search. You’re not dating someone who lives across the country from you, after all!* You’re not going to send in your beloved manuscript to someone who doesn’t even rep your genre! And all of a sudden, that wide expanse of possibilities is narrowed. And it’s scary.

Slowly you get used to this limited group of possible suitors/agents. It’s not so small after all! Except now that you have it narrowed down to those you could possibly want, you have to remember something actually kind of shocking: not everyone you want will actually want you back! Oh, great. You’re narrowing it down again, because some people don’t like short guys, or character-driven stories, or curvy girls, or contemporary realistic young adult novels.

It’s scary now, how small these possibilities seem to be, at least in comparison to how open the world felt when you began. But the good news is now you’re dealing with a list of people who could actually be what you’re looking for. And so you start looking more closely at everyone in preparation to send your first icebreaker/query. A lot of them are really cool! But then – suddenly! – there’s The One. Just reading their profile on OK Cupid/Query Tracker is enough to make you fall in love/well… fall in love. You know there are lots of fish in the sea/you should be querying widely. But, oh gosh, your heart is set. Your future with this person is all you can see, and it’s going to be a good one.

Your messages go out. And now you wait. You refresh your inbox obsessively. You wonder if no word back means “no” or just “I haven’t had time yet” or perhaps “I have more important people to deal with.” You try to act normal in the rest of your life, but your brain is mostly just calculating ways to get back to your computer and see if anyone’s responded.

A few rejections come in. You do your best to roll with the punches, but it’s scary. What if everyone responds the same way, or, worse, never responds at all? Luckily, one day your inbox brings good news instead! It’s an adorably-worded response/request for a partial (possibly adorably-worded as well). Good heavens, this returned interest feels more validating and encouraging than you would have suspected! You respond as quickly as possible but without suggesting that you, perhaps, are a crazy person who has done nothing but refresh your inbox (even if that is extremely accurate).

The emails go back and forth! A first date/full manuscript is requested! And the big moment arrives. It’s time to reveal yourself/your whole book. You hope desperately the other person will love you/it, though it’s always important to keep in mind that you should gauge whether or not you have mutual feelings or are just so pleased by the attention you get carried away.

Hopefully it works out! Maybe it’s with that first person whose profile you spotted as The One so early on. Quite possibly, it’s a person completely different from what you would have imagined someone filling this important role in your life would be like. But whether or not you’re falling in love or getting an agent, it should be the right fit for both of you. And then luckily you’ll never repeat this tortuous process again.

*This bit is irrelevant to the lady who usually runs things around here, obviously.

Things I Know For Sure About Being a Writer

On Sunday, Amy Spaulding and I met up for Umami Burgers. (As Amy says, “Epic poems should be written in its honor.”) During out first meeting we swooned over burgers, talked about writing, what we write and why we write it. We discussed writing contemporary fiction in a paranormal crazed market.

Then guest blogging came up. Neither of us were sure what to guest blog about. Since I have yet to publish a novel, it’s hard to write about the business end of things. But during our fabulous meet-up, I realized I do have thoughts to share about being a writer:

• If you write, you are a writer. There’s no “I want to be a writer” or “One day I’ll be a real writer.” If you write, you are a writer.

• Not everyone likes to read. That means your family might never glance at your manuscripts. But when it comes to people you can choose, like your spouse, find one who wants to read your work. Otherwise, you’ll resent it.

• When you hear other authors lament about waiting six years to publish a book and you’re on your 16th, don’t get discouraged. Your journey is your journey.

• Some people will think you’re crazy. They’ll call your writing a hobby and snark at your publishing dreams. If you can, keep your distance from those people.

• Believing is everything. If you don’t believe your work is worth publishing, no one will publish it.

• Surround yourself with other writers. The best thing you can do is join a critique group. You’ll learn more from other writers, their work and how they feel about your work than you can imagine.

• Apply for grants and scholarships. Attend workshops and conferences. Take classes. Use every tool and do everything you can to become a better writer.

• Think big.

• Envision your goals. Create a vision board or write out what you want to achieve. When you specifically ask for what you want and back it up with hard work, you’ll get it.

• Get your butt in the chair. Envisioning does you no good unless you do the work.

• Sometimes life interrupts. When life changers occur, your writing can get derailed. That’s okay. Take the time to heal then get back on track.

• Try not to let rejection get you down. Sure, rejection sucks. But it’s a business. Don’t take it personally. Just continue searching for the right match. The right agent/editor will “get” your stories.

• Delight in the little joys. When your critique group loves your work, celebrate! When you get a response from an agent that says, “This manuscript isn’t right for me, but I’d love to see more,” get excited about the “I’d love to see more!” (Then send it!)

• When you feel defeated and tired and want to stop, go for a walk, take a break, do whatever you have to do and shake it off. Because you know you’re not really going to quit. You can’t. After all, you’re a writer, aren’t you?

What do you know for sure about writing?

Creating a Not-Quite-An-Author-Brand

Hiya! If you haven’t met me yet (internetly speaking), let me tell you a little about myself: I’m obsessed with monsters. I find Richard Simmons incredibly hilarious. The last party I threw was a combination Bacon Party and David Hasselhoff Roast celebration. And I have my own ninja attack squad, inasmuch as ninjas can be directed to attack anything.

In short, I’m fairly weird. But I’m quite at ease with my weirdness, or at least I was until I realized I’d have to display it publicly.
See, I nearly had a cardiovascular event when I signed with Kate and she sent me an email saying, “Do you have a photo and a website link I can put up on the ktliterary site?” I mean, don’t even get me started on the photo thing. But that worry was quickly eclipsed by the website thing. I didn’t have an author site. I didn’t even have a blog. I needed one, and preferably one that didn’t suck rocks.

So I started planning. I’ve read all those writer books (you know the ones I mean), and everything and everybody said I needed a BRAND. And my BRAND had to be ENTERTAINING and UNIQUE. Talk about stressful. Even now, the thought of author branding is enough to drive me to RANDOM CAPITALIZATION. Because let’s be honest here. When I say the words “author brand,” do you immediately think of monsterrific Richard Simmons ninja bacon jokes?

I thought not.

But that’s what I’m interested in, and I didn’t want to pretend to be something I’m not. So then I started asking myself questions. Like, if monsterrific Richard Simmons ninja bacon jokes were going to be the staple of my highly wonky author brand, what would happen when I didn’t feel like joking? What would happen if I ran out of MRSNBJ?

How do you think that should be pronounced? I’m thinking something like “Mrs. Nibbage.” But I digress.

I didn’t know how to answer those questions, so I did what I usually do—I winged it. I started blogging about supernaturally tinged silliness like Mrs. Nibbage, sparkly merpires that smell like fish sticks, and how I would look if you stuck my head on a monster body. My web presence is mostly dedicated to monsterish funny things. But here’s the thing: I am not a brand. Yes, I love funny things and monsters, but that’s not all that I love. And there are days when I just don’t feel funny or days when I want to talk about something completely different because the thought of more Nibbage makes me want to stab myself in the temporal lobe with a spork. Sure, I could force it. But what purpose would that serve?

What I’ve discovered is that the whole concept of author branding is a good place to start when building a web presence. Because yes, it’s good that people associate me with monster related camp. My books contain a lot of that, and it’s a good bet that if you like my blog you’ll also like my books. But forcing myself into the campy monster box to the exclusion of everything else doesn’t do anyone any favors. A one note book gets boring after a while. So does a one note author. And you can’t build a dialogue with your readers if you’re too busy trying to push your all-important AUTHOR BRAND. Dum dum DUM.

So by all means, embrace your Mrs. Nibbage. (Just don’t let Mr. Nibbage see, because he’s the jealous type.) Knowing your strengths isn’t a bad thing. But don’t let your brand swallow you. Ultimately, you’re more than that, and people will respond to you more if you’re real and not just a brand-spewing automaton.

Although it might be funny to have a brand spewing automaton! It could answer the phone when telemarketers call and tell them monster knock knock jokes and sing little jingles about BAD TASTE IN BOYS! That would be so kewl!

Yeah, I’m digressing again. And overdosing on exclamation points. Real people do wacky things like that. I’ll take it over the author brand anytime.

Congratulations, you’ve finished your novel!

Now for the hard parts: final revision, synopsis, and a query letter. Even if you’re going to submit directly to the publisher instead of looking for an agent (which I doubt, because you’re reading this blog) you need to do these things. Here are some of the techniques I use.

First, CTRL-A your entire document. Then go up to where it lets you choose the font, and change it to Comic Sans. No, I’m not kidding. See, you’ve spend a lot of time with this novel, probably using some sensible readable font like Times New Roman or Courier. Good for you. But now you need to look at it with a fresh, objective eye. Changing the font is like altering the lighting. You need to be your manuscript’s brutally honest friend and full-length mirror.

You’re going to read it again, only this time, you’re going to read it out loud. This will help you catch if, for example, you used the word “flighty” twice in the novel, and both times were in the same paragraph. It will also let you catch unintentional alliteration, or if one of your characters sounds like a spaceman in an Ed Wood film. (Unless that’s what you’re going for.)

Okay, you read it. It sounds good. Now change it to Courier New, double spaced, and print it out. You’re going to read it again. This time, you’re looking for typos, missed periods, commas, etc. Use red or blue ink and mark the document, then go through the digital version and add your changes. If you made a lot of revisions during the reading-out-loud stage, you’re going to have some polishing to do. I always assume that it will never be perfect, but I can make it a little bit better with every error I correct. Did that? Good. Save a copy of that with a date or a draft number.

Now for the synopsis. A lot of authors find this difficult. How can they sum up their whole novel in just a page or two? Einstein said “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” So you’re going to get to know your novel until you can tweet it. Really.

Take chapter one of the manuscript you printed out. Read it as a chapter, or just skim it (I’m sure you have it memorized by now.) Now write down what happens in that chapter.

Eg. “Alicia meets the mysterious boy. The police find the missing girl’s body by the lake.”

You should be able to do this in two paragraphs or less. If it’s taking you four or five paragraphs to explain the general plot of the first chapter, you might have too long of a chapter, or you might be confusing character-building with plot. We don’t need the fact that Alicia is a vegetarian, or that she drives an Isuzu, or that her best friend is hospitalized for Anorexia. We just need to know what happens in the main plot of the story, and perhaps one or two of the subplots.

Good. Got it? Now do it for the rest of the chapters, one at a time. (This is where I invariably find out that I have two chapter fifteens, or that chapter twenty two is missing). You might learn some interesting things about your novel at this point. For example, if you have a chapter that’s seventy pages long, and nothing happens, maybe that chapter needs to be cut. Or if you have another chapter where several very important things happen, maybe it needs to be separated into more than one. But for the sake of this exercise, we’ll assume that your earlier revisions are sound, and your manuscript really is ready to go.

When you’re done, you’ll have a few hundred words of disjointed sentences. Now you’re going to rewrite these stories into a several-page synopsis. Write them in third person, present tense. Like this:

“Alicia has decided that her sophomore year at high school is going to be different. The first week at school, she gets her wish when she meets Blake, a mysterious boy with a dark past, who seems to have some connection with a missing girl whose body turned up at the lake.”

It might come out to ten or twenty pages, which is longer than many agents want, but don’t worry. You’ll fix that later. Once you’re done with the rough draft of your synopsis, you’re going to go through and see if you can cut it by half. The easiest way to do this is by cutting sub-plots and secondary characters. Your synopsis needs to concern itself with the main plot, and at most one or two subplots. (If you’ve found that your sub-plots have taken over the main plot, you might need to go back a draft and revise.) Only mention the names of the main characters. Too many names will confuse the reader.

Once you’ve gotten it down to 5-8 pages, save this as a separate draft. You might need it later; some agents and publishers want longer synopses. Now take the draft and winnow it down to half its length. You might have to cut some really fun scenes that build character but don’t contribute to the main plot. You might have to cut one of the subplots. Be brutal. When you’re done, re-read it and tweak it so that it sounds like the back flap of a paperback (except with an ending.)

At this point, you should be so familiar with the story that you can tweet the gist of the novel. “High school detective finds out the cute boy she’s dating is murdering her classmates in dark rituals for his demon lord.”* You’re not going to use this anywhere, but being able to tweet the gist of your novel is like being able to snatch the pebble from the master’s hand—you’re ready.

There are plenty of blog entries here to help you with a query, but here’s a hint: it’s a business letter.

Dear Mr. Thompson:

My name is Ellen Cruz, and I am a restaurateur.(1) Our friend Heidi Goh mentioned that you were looking for kitchen equipment for your bistro. (2) I recently closed one of my restaurants, and have two deep fryers for sale. The fryers are GE, 8 liter capacity, and are in new condition. (3) Would you be interested in purchasing these? I can send you photos if you like.

Thank you for your time. (4)

Sincerely,
Ellen Cruz
Full name and address
Phone number also good.
Working email.(5)

1. Here you would say your name. The agent will assume you’re a writer. If you have pertinent writing credits, you can list them here, but keep it short. Having no writing credits will not hurt you as much as you think it will. Every novelist has a first novel.

2. Here you can mention how you know the agent. Eg. if you met the agent at a convention, or are friends with a client, read her blog, etc. Agents are people, and people don’t like form letters. Ellen also shows that she knows what Mr. Thompson is looking for (restaurant equipment for his bistro).

3. Ellen Cruz mentions what she has to offer. Here you’d give a very brief synopsis of your story, paying special attention to what’s different about yours from all the others in the market. To be fair, Ellen should have mentioned price, but you’ve already read the agent’s website or listing and know the percentage that he/she takes, so we’ll pretend that Ellen knows what Mr. Thompson is offering too.

4. Offer sample chapters/synopsis, or mention that they’re included, if that’s what the agent likes in a query. Also, it never hurts to be polite.

5. Accurate contact information is crucial.

Notice what’s not there? Ellen doesn’t mention her two adorable dachshunds and that she likes to knit. She doesn’t mention that these are the best deep fryers ever, and that her mother loves them. She doesn’t mention that she has sold cars on autotrader (Non-pertinent writing credit). She’s not offering deep fryers to a man who has a carpet-cleaning business (because she’s done some homework.)

The agent wants to know if your manuscript is one she would like to represent. If you can quickly and clearly help her make a “yes, send more” or “no” decision, your query letter has done its job. Most of the time the answer will be “no,” and that’s hard, but don’t worry, there’s always your next novel.

You are writing another novel, aren’t you?

* This is not my novel. I just made this up. Sounds pretty fun to me though, so if you want to steal it, please do.

Dear Ms. Unfeasible,

Jae is cursed: like all serfs, she must obey any order, answer any question, and speak only truth. She’s learned that the easiest — and safest — way to get along is to keep from being noticed by anyone with so much as a hint of power, but even that is out of her control. When she catches the eye of Lord Elan Raedan, a nobleman in disgrace for embarrassing his family, he drags her along on a seemingly-mad quest. Elan is convinced that the legendary Well is going dry, that without it their world will turn to dust and be reclaimed by the desert wasteland around it — and that saving the Well is the only thing that will redeem him.

Jae isn’t even sure that the Well exists when Elan drags her into the desert to search for it. But then strange things start to happen. A freak sandstorm drives them away from the rest of the searchers. They find an underground oasis that shouldn’t exist at all. And Jae starts to feel something, some strange power, coursing through her blood and crying out for help. Maybe Elan isn’t crazy; maybe the Well is real, and just maybe, she and Elan really can save it before the world goes dry forever — but only if she can learn to control her powers. Only if she can learn to trust Elan.

Only if she dares to do what nobody else can, and break the serfs’ curse forever.

The Serf’s Curse is an 80,000-word YA fantasy novel. I think it will appeal to fans of Kristin Cashore’s Graceling, as they both center around strong — if very different — female protagonists who come into their own over the course of the story, and they both feature major romantic subplots. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Becky

What do you think? What would you advise her to change, or fix? Or is it perfect the way it is? You get to play Daphne for the day (go ahead, try on the shoes!), but I’ll check back later this afternoon (or over the weekend, depending on how things go) and add my comments to yours.

Have fun, and be nice!

But which ones to pick? There are SO MANY great choices!

Well, I’m turning to the powers of the internet to help me decide. I’m posting a list of my top six, in three categories, and ask you to help me decide on the final two. It’s like Design Star, but with fewer trips to the emergency room and mental breakdowns. Ready for our contenders?

In the category of Embarrassing Omissions (Classic/Award-winning): Howl’s Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones or Going Bovine by Libba Bray.

Int he category of Recent and Soon-To-Be Big Releases: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan or Matched by Ally Condie.

And our final category, Read ‘Em Before Book Two comes out: Rampant by Diana Peterfreund or Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld.

So, what will it be? Remember, I’m only bringing TWO! To the polls, but feel free to add your reasons behind your choice(s) in the comments! And vote quickly, please — I have to finish packing tonight!