Celebration Time ... with Janet and Ice Cream!

Celebration time, come on! *dances*

Why am I celebrating you may ask?  There are so many reasons!

One of our very own members of the Hacky Sack Club, Melissa Sarno, just SIGNED WITH AN AGENT!!, so head on over to her blog and read about it!

(Note: New members to the Hacky Sack Club are always welcome and we DO seem to have some good mojo going. Just saying.)

Also, my fabulous CP, Krista Van Dolzer [of Mother. Write. (Repeat.)] announced the BOOK DEAL she just signed!!

AND ... I'm a little late celebrating this news, but it's still as exciting as ever ... another one of my fabulicious CPs, Kristin Rae, has a TWO-BOOK DEAL of her very own!!

These ladies are amazing and are some of my dearest online writing buddies, so another dear writing buddy, Janet Awesome Johnson, and I couldn't go without hosting a HUGE celebration in true Hacky Sack (read: embarrassing) style.

And since all good celebrations need ice-cream, we are having an Ice-Cream Eating Celebration Contest!

Here's how it works:

Janet and I are going to battle it out to see who can eat the most ice-cream in 20 seconds. Too easy, you say? Our 9-year olds are going to be the ones stuffing the ice-cream in. Still too easy? Another child will hold our hands behind our backs to keep us from cheating.

And you'll get to see the whole thing on video!! How cool is that?!

BUT, it gets better. There will be PRIZES!!

All you have to do is guess who is going to win. Me? (if you're smart) Or Janet? (no. freakin'. way.)

Everyone who guesses right (on either blog) will be entered into a drawing for your choice of

a)       10-page critiques from BOTH Janet and me,

OR

b)      Surprise Package D (gosh I love me a surprise package). Could be a book. Or two. Or a gift card. Or, who knows? Maybe even A BRAND NEW HACKY SACK! *the crowd goes wild*

Just post your guess in a comment before the deadline on Sunday, May 12, midnight EDT, and come back next Monday, May 13^th, for the ice-cream eating event! Winners will be posted shortly thereafter.

So go on, take a guess!

I hope THIS photographic evidence helps you decide. Because I am an ice-cream eating MACHINE and Janet doesn't stand a chance.

Christa's Great News

I want to give huge congrats to my uber-talented critique partner, Christa Desir, on the sale of her second book to SimonPulse!! The title is BLEED LIKE ME, and I've read an early draft of it. It's a heart-wrenching, agonizing (in a good way) read.

The details are here. So, don't stick around on my blog. Sprint over to Christa's and tell her congratulations!

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

Celebration Critiques

I'm celebrating some stuff.

First, I'm getting absurdly close to 300 bloggy friends. (Yay!)

Second, it's my birthday tomorrow. (Yay!)

Third, I'm heading to the SCBWI Western Washington regional conference this weekend. (Yay!)

In honor of all these YAYs, I want to have a little giveaway.

This is going to be easy, I promise.

There are THREE prizes, all for writers:

• One (1) full manuscript critique
• Two (2) first 10 page critiques

All you have to do to enter:

1. Make sure you're a blog follower (Can you see your tiny avatar under Friendly Followers in the sidebar?)
2. Leave a comment.
3. If you tweet, facebook or spread the word on your blog, I'll give you extra entries. Just let me know in the comments that you shared.

I'll leave this little giveaway open for a week (April 19-April 25) and announce the random winners on April 26. I have a very special interview planned for that day, so you'll want to make sure to check back anyway.

And just for fun, try taking a stab at guessing how old I'm turning in the comments. Don't worry, you won't offend me. Age is practically a virtue and I'm very good-natured. But I will give you some hints (this has nothing to do with winning or not winning the critiques ... just for fun):

• My oldest child will be eleven this summer
• I was born in the Year of the Snake
• The hit song in the US the day I was born was by someone named Thelma Houston

Go have fun in the comments & thanks for stopping by to celebrate with me! 

Photo credit: earl53 from morguefile.com