My Little Announcement of BIG Proportions

Kate Schafer Testerman gave me an early Christmas present. She called last week to offer represent representation, so I am now a proud client of kt literary! Squeeeee!

You can check out Kate's announcement >>here<< and find me on her client list, as well.

This is how I feel about all this:

(Thank goodness for braces in this picture, right? I have a lot of teeth. And my mom will probably tell me I should've brushed my eyebrows.)

It's funny how at moments like these you feel so humbled and grateful and absolutely unworthy. Well, at least that's how I feel. Thanks for being with me on this crazy writing journey, all my bloggy-friends -- not to mention family and other friends who read this blog. Continuing this marathon-of-awesome would not be possible without you and I'm really not just saying that.

And thank you, Kate, for giving my books a chance. I'm so excited to work with you (as I've probably repeated ad nauseam)! 

Wordless Wednesday: Love

 

This is a Twitter and Facebook repeat. But too cute not to post again.

Balancing Act

I've said it on my blog many times and I've seen it discussed on other blogs, too, but one of the most difficult parts of pursuing anything worthwhile is finding balance--juggling all the bits that make this YOUR LIFE.

Family

Friends

Studies

Work

Play

Writing

Kids' activities

Writing

Hobbies

Blogging

Laundry

Cleaning bathtubs

It's tough!

I feel like I was doing okay before.

When my daughter started competitive gymnastics this fall, I thought I'd be able to keep all the balls in the air. But I found myself slipping.

Mine is on the right

 The first balls to drop are the online ones, of course. I forget to blog sometimes. And I know I've been terrible at visiting blogs for months now. 

At the same time, I know I don't always use my time effectively. When I'm tired, I sometimes space in front of Facebook or Twitter, which are lovely distractions (and I'm keeping up with friends!) but not very substantive.

All this to say, please bear with me. I'm not giving up the blog. I'm one of those weirdos who really enjoy blogging. But if I disappear for a little while from time to time, you'll know I'm just juggling away over here. I have all these great kids who are growing up and doing amazing things, and that's the ball I have to keep in the air. And I need to find time for writing, too, and occasionally cleaning my bathtub.

I guess I'm just asking for special Christmas grace. This is a learning curve for all of us, as life deepens and stretches us.

I know I've asked it before, but I'll ask it again, because I love good advice: How do you balance everything? 

Wordless Wednesday: No Room for Jesus...

"...because Mary and Joseph bought a couch."  ~ my four-year-old

Too Afraid to Review?

I saw a conversation on Twitter the other day where authors were encouraging writers never to post a bad review of a book anywhere on the internet.

Why? Because someday that writer might want to work with the editor of said hated book, or he/she may need a blurb from that writer. We want to make friends, not burn bridges.

I felt a little defensive when I read this advice.

Do you think authors need to leave their critical-thinking caps in the closet when they're writing reviews? Should honest book reviewers never try to write novels?

I'm not talking about people who go out of their way to slam books just to be mean. I'm talking about thoughtful, critical reviews. Sometimes a thoughtful, critical review can cast a book in a negative light. We live in a culture where a bunch of three-star ratings can bring a book down.

While I'm all for preserving bridges and making friends and building relationships, I don't think editors are so egotistical that they cannot take a critical review of one of their books with grace. We all are trying to grow and learn. Editors, too!

I don't want to be afraid to give a two or three star rating on Goodreads if I think it's deserved. I would honestly hope any editor I worked with would be more interested in my book than in my opinions about other books. But maybe I'm too idealistic.

How about you? If you're a writer, do you shy away from giving honest reviews of certain books because of possible backlash? Do you avoid reviewing books at all? (If you're not a writer -- lucky you! You can review however you want!)

I'm really interested to hear what you all think, so please let me know in the comments!

Wordless Wednesday: Mr. Happy-Big-Nose*

*I don't mean to be misleading. We actually haven't had any snow this year. 

This pic is from last year, but I thought he was cute. 

And appropriate for the season.

Because there really should be snow by now. 

I mean, it's December! 

Come on, snow!

Cover Reveal: FAULT LINE

My friend/bloggy buddy/critique partner Christa Desir's debut comes out from Simon Pulse on 11/12/13. I'm so excited for her, and especially excited now that we have a cover to put with her new title, FAULT LINE. Yes, that's right, this is a COVER REVEAL POST! Woooot!

Here's what FAULT LINE is about:

Ben could date anyone he wants, but he only has eyes for the new girl — sarcastic free-spirit, Ani. Luckily for Ben, Ani wants him too. She’s everything Ben could ever imagine. Everything he could ever want.

But that all changes after the party. The one Ben misses. The one Ani goes to alone.

Now Ani isn’t the girl she used to be, and Ben can’t sort out the truth from the lies. What really happened, and who is to blame?

Ben wants to help her, but she refuses to be helped. The more she pushes Ben away, the more he wonders if there’s anything he can do to save the girl he loves.

And this is what FAULT LINE will look like:

Amazing, isn't it? I love how dramatic it is. I get goosebumps looking at it.  

I'm so excited for Christa and for all the good things that lie ahead for her!

You can find it on Goodreads here. ... And if you want to drool with me about the book in the comments, that's more than fine, of course!

Have a fab Monday. <3 br="br">

My Cheerleading Post

In college, pretending to be a cheerleader.

Any Nano participants out there?

If so, you're almost there! Keep going! Rah, rah, rah! I'm so personally and professionally proud of you!

I did Nano in November last year and LOVED it. Don't hate me for this if you've struggled (just keep reading), but I filled out my numbers every day and watched my little graph take off. It was so much fun, and by the end I had a very, very, very bad novel to show for it.

After almost a year of editing, I'm finally querying it. Success story, right?

I was ready to query back in October, and also ready to dive into a new project, so I decided to do Nano in October instead, with the wonderful Emily King as my fellow write-a-novel-in-a-month partner and cheerleader.

You guys, it was brutal. (Not because of Emily. Because of ME.)

And Emily kicked my bee-hind.

She was like at 800,000 words and I was still limping along at 200.

Okay, that's a tiny exaggeration.

It was SO HARD, though!

And for the first time in my life, I HATED WRITING.

*gasp*

I didn't want to sit down at my computer. I found other things to do. Usually I procrastinate doing lots of things in the name of writing, but now the tables were turned and I was spending time ... cleaning my bathtub!

I know, I know. Horrifying.

But, you know, I think Emily can attest to this, I kept plowing through. It was painful and hard, but I actually made it to something like 45,000 words and then I was so cross-eyed with the draft I decided to go back and start revising. I didn't want to finish the book right then because I knew certain parts of it were very wrong and I needed to get those right before I figured out the ending. (Pantser alert!)

Then November arrived and I began revising.

And, people, I was like a bird released from its cage. I started reading through my stuff and ... surprisingly ... I liked it, especially the beginning! And I fell in love with these characters again, and I made them even quirkier, and now I'm at 55,000 words and actually moving toward the climax and the ending.

I feel good. Finally!

All this to say, if you're Nano-ing it, and even if you're not Nano-ing it, but are in a tough spot with drafting or revising or whatever it is that feels like pulling teeth....

KEEP GOING.

It gets better. And someday you will have fun with it again.

Right? Of course, right! Please share in the comments about when you've had to push through a tough time. I know it's not always easy. And we've all been there. Let's share our joys and sorrows.

((GROUP HUG))

(And THANK YOU, Emily, for keeping me going!)

What Makes an Editor?

Disclaimer: I'm not referring to anyone in particular in this post. These are thoughts that have been bouncing around in my head that need an outlet. I sincerely want to learn from your opinions and anecdotes, so bring them to the comments!

What's the difference between an editor and a critique partner? I mean, really?

Critique partners give critiques.

And we, as writers, have the option to hire editors to give us feedback on our work.

And many of us are holding out for this dream of traditional publishing because an experienced editor will be working with us to make our books sparkle.

So, what is an editor?

Can our critique partners stick a sign on their blogs proclaiming themselves "editors" and start charging for critiques? Is that what an editor is? A paid critique partner? 

Or are editors those who are invested in the project because they know the success of the book will reflect on them and their publishing houses? Are these editors driven to do a more thorough job because the success of the book matters to them financially?

When a writer signs a traditional contract in a book deal, he or she is agreeing to go along with the editor's suggestions. (Of course, a writer can always say no to editing suggestions, but from what I've heard, he or she had better have a darn good reason.)

When you're reading a critique partner's suggestions, that's all they are--suggestions, meant to make you think about your book, meant to give another perspective. You can ignore everything they say if you want and it doesn't matter at all. I love all my critique partners dearly, but as much as I value their opinion, I don't  consider them "editors."

I took my agent's feedback on my book very seriously, so does that mean a book that has been critiqued by an agent has been "edited?"

Then we have to consider all the different types of editors out there ... Maybe our book has been edited by a freelancer, but did that freelancer copy edit? Did someone line edit? Is that even important any more in this publishing climate?

What's your experience? If you've self-pubbed, did you hire a freelance editor and did you take all their suggestions very seriously? How did you choose that editor? Or did you trust your critique partners enough to go for it without an editor?

And if you're traditionally published, how was your experience with your editor? Did you feel like that person helped you? I've heard editors have less and less time to devote to each individual project. Is this true, in your experience?

And if you're as yet unpublished, what are your plans? Are you holding out for a Big-House editor with years of experience under her belt, or do you think slogging your way through the process is overrated?

There are no wrong answers here, folks. Times are changing, and with so many options out there, I'm curious how others are making their publishing decisions.

On to the comments!

Photo credit: cohdra from morguefile.com

Wordless Wednesday: Origami Chains Left by Visitors at the Killing Fields

Photo credit: Michelle Pardini (my amazing sister!)

In Honor...

My four-year-old made an American flag out of K'NEX the other morning, which sent my six-year-old into a completely unexpected singing frenzy. I'd never seen her sing this song before, but I guess her teacher has them sing it every morning after they say the Pledge of Allegiance. So great, right?

I thought I'd post it in honor of all our American veterans on Veterans Day, though I know American veterans aren't the only heroes. Thank you to everyone who has fought to uphold rightness, justice and freedom in the world!