A Leap in the Dark

An American in the UK on writing and living each day until bedtime.

May
21

By

Writemotivation check-in & Liebster Award

Category: life & other random things, writing Tags: , , , , 8 Comments

I think this might be the first #writemotivation month I actually complete all my goals (though I’m too lazy to verify that), and given what they are, this excites me. OoooOOooh.

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Don’t ask. I just got a big fat query rejection in my inbox, and this made me laugh. Anyhow, here is my progress:

1. Second draft of WIP complete. I’m following my schedule to get this first revision done on time, and am feeling good about how this story is tightening up and some of the new subplot threads coming out of the woodwork!
2. Finish final revisions on SOMEBODY…  Done!

My final revisions on SOMEBODY meant that another query round happened at the start of the month. I shot out 20 queries. So far, I’ve had 3 form rejections and 1 partial request which turned into a helpful (kind of) rejection. This is only pushing me ever onward, but it still makes me sad. Querying is just hard, but you’ve got to keep going. After this lot, if nothing positive comes of it, I may shelve it for awhile. I’ve got my first 50 pages out to an editor who’s giving me her feedback shortly and I’m excited (and scared) to see what she has to say.

Good luck on all you other #writemotivation peeps out there! How YOU doin’?

- – -

Now I need to thank author Heather Jacobs for nominating me for the Liebster Award! Thanks for the thought, Heather! 9209113

Here are the guidelines:

(1)    Post the award on my blog.

(2)    Thank the blogger who gave me the award and link back to their site.

(3)    Post 11 random facts about myself.

(4)    Answer 11 questions from the presenter of the award has asked.

(5)    Nominate 11 new bloggers with fewer than 200 followers that I want to pass the award on to.

(6)    Ask my nominees 11 questions of my own.


11 Random Facts

(1) I used to be a massive Dave Matthews fan and saw him live about 10x in the span of 4 years. At one show, I brought a painting I did of/for him (how cheesy is that! But it was good, if I do say so myself ;) ) and held it up briefly. When the show ended, Dave walked to the front of the stage and pointed at me. Minutes later someone came and beckoned my friend and I backstage where we got to meet the band. Freakin’ happiest moment of my life, to that point! (Of course, it didn’t hurt really that my bass teacher’s brother played in the opening band…)

(2) I stood for 12 hours for the premiere of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in Leicester Square in London to take photos. I’m not an autograph seeker. It was more interesting to see all the actors and how they interacted with people. And scream my head off.

(3) My favourite animals are sheep, puffins, and crabs.

(4) My sister and I played spies as kids. We had a tree fort, code names and everything. I wore a cape. These are some of my favourite memories.

(5) I’ve been playing volleyball in a local league for 3 years now and I still stink at it. But it’s fun.

(6) I love Trivial Pursuit. I feel like I learn more from it than I did in school.

(7) Gary Oldman is my favourite actor.

(8) My top 2 favourite films couldn’t be more different. I’m calling the LOTR trilogy one; two is Withnail & I.

(9) I’m greatly affected by lack of sunshine; when the sun is out, everything seems possible. This makes life in the UK difficult, to say the least.

(10) I can quote just about every Sex and the City episode, as well as entire films (nearly), some of which include Monty Python & the Holy Grail, the above two mentioned, Romancing the Stone, Anne of Green Gables, Goonies, Clue, and endless Little House on the Prairie episodes to name a few.

(11) My sisters and I largely talk to one another in such quotes :D

My Answers:

(1)    Who is your biggest inspiration?

Difficult to name just one, but for this I’ll go with my mom, for her strength and encouragement.

(2)    What is/was your relationship with your mother?

Oh! Well, now that you ask, very good, thank you!

(3)    Do you have pets?

No, but we had loads growing up and I consider my parents’ cats “mine” when I go home ;) Hope to get a cat of our own soon.

(4)    What is your guilty pleasure?

Which one? :) I have many. I’ll go with the Golden Girls.

(5)    Do you outline or are you a seat-of-your-pants writer?

Started out a pantser; now I greatly value outlines. I start with a synopsis and expand on it, sort of like the snowflake method, but I leave plenty of space for inspiration to strike off in other directions.

(6)    Do you write aspects of your personality into your characters?

As Diana Gabaldon has said (and I paraphrase), an author IS every character s/he creates. As the creator, you insert bits of yourself into these people, so whether you like it or not, something slips through. But I think drawing on everyone you meet is just as inevitable. The point is to find ways to give each character a unique voice. While character A may be similar to me in her initial shyness, she’s unlike me in 15 other ways, ways I wish I was. And character B may have my temperament. And so on.

(7)    Last time you lost your temper, what caused it?

Speak of the devil! Ooh, it’s like you’re psychic. I don’t really throw fits, but I do get annoyed big time by poor customer service (having worked in it myself), and people who look you in the eye as you’re on the crosswalk then drive right through.

(8)    What would your dream vacation be?

New Zealand, an island resort in the Caribbean, Bora Bora, Azores…

(9)    Do you think you’re weird? Why or Why not?

Everyone is weird.

(10) What do you think you purpose is?

To do unto others as I’d have done to me. And to write. And eat cheese.

(11) If you were going to a deserted island and could only take three things, what would they be?

Loaded Kindle, my 50″ plush crab, and, oh, my husband :)

Ok. So next is to list my Victims…err…picks for the Award:I’m going to cheat here. I’m sorry. As much as I enjoy answering these and reading others’ answers, lots of my friends and online buddies are already receiving this and I don’t want to bombard anyone, so I’ll just be lazy and sit back and enjoy their answers to Heathers’ questions ;)

Your 11 questions to answer:

(1)    What would you say is your muse?

This is dependent upon what I’m working on, I think. Variable!

(2)    You’ve been whisked away to the Big Brother house, what type of housemate would you be?

The kind who gets herself kicked off as soon as possible because she’s done the housemate thing more than enough times, thank you :)

(3)     What’s the last book you read and felt lonely after because it was done?

The last book in the OUTLANDER series, AN ECHO IN THE BONE, by Diana Gabaldon.

(4)     What did you want to be when you grew up? Why?

How much time have you got? Broadway actress, writer, doctor (briefly), video game designer (as early as 5)… I could go on.

(5)     The Doctor has decided to make you his next companion. Where in time or space would you want to go first and why?

Is it the 10th Doctor? Otherwise, I’m previously engaged ;) I’d go anywhere with him.

(6)     Have you ever written anyone you’ve known into any of your stories? If yes please explain.

I plead the fifth.

(7)     We are all different. What sets you apart?

My laugh. It’s raucous. Rau-cous. Adj. Boisterous and disorderly. My old bandmates referred to me as the Queen Chortler.

(8)     If you could go anywhere right now without the worry of money where would you go?

Nashville, to visit a much-missed friend and meet her new little baby.

(9)     If you could meet one person alive or dead who would it be and why?

Hehe *cracks knuckles*. Let me tell you a story. Actually, no. Let me allude to a story. I’ve always been someone who wanted to (and tried to, and succeeded in many cases) meet her heroes. If I may, I’d like to suggest this isn’t always wise ;) But we’re talking brief, I suppose – like have a coffee with. That should be safe, so, JK Rowling.

(10)   If you could change one thing in your life right now what would it be and why?

I’d change my status from agent-less to one with an agent. As for the why, I should think that’s pretty clear ;)

(11)   Name your favorite thing in the world right now?

Fro-yo.

Thanks for reading, kids! Hope you have a great week!

May
14

By

Personal preferences of the publishing industry. Tricky.

Category: writing Tags: , , , , , , , 8 Comments

Recently I’ve been made more aware than ever of just how subjective this industry is. I know that’s obvious, and you either deal with it or you find something else to throw your energy into. But what’s tricky is how many industry professionals will swear up and down that their opinion is The Only Way. What’s a confused, determined writer to do?

Just because.

Just because.

Most industry pros on their blogs or agency websites recognise this difficulty, and have sympathy for writers who have to come up against it in both the writing and querying process. I believe the majority of professionals share their preferences so if we choose to query them, we know what they like, and what they don’t. Then it’s down to us to decide if we want to seek their representation.

This, however, isn’t always the case.

I attended a seminar given by an agent recently who was adamant that queries should tell the ending, and leave nothing in suspense. While she did eventually admit this was her preference, she suggested we query ALL agents this way. I asked around and other writer friends all said the same as I – that they’d never heard this bit of advice, and isn’t that what a synopsis is for?

The difficulty is that this agent does not mention this preference on her agency’s website, so while we’re told to invest serious man-hours researching agents to make sure we know their history and background and word-choices-that-make-them-go-mental and favourite type of chocolate, if they leave out vital bits of info such as how they expect to see a query end, then we’ve wasted our time, and theirs. But mostly ours. And when that form rejection email comes, we’re left to ponder tearfully what went wrong for the 80th time.

(Okay, maybe not always tearfully. But often. Or that’s just me ;) )

The Dreaded First 250 Words – for you contest-lovers:

Another example is beginnings – both story and query. In a rather popular (not to be named here ;) ) contest, one of the slushpile readers bemoaned first 250 words that include backstory, saying if it doesn’t drop them right in the action, it’s a pass. They requested that first-250 start with conflict, not backstory, because they couldn’t trust there would be conflict later on (but most agents request more than 250 words in a query, or partial, so I find this method somewhat unreliable).

This is a contest, so a bit different to the actual querying process, and those who run it can choose entrants as they see fit. However, I find this opinion really limiting. When I think over many great novels, 90% of them off the top of my head start off with backstory, not conflict. I’m talking anything from 1 – 4 sentences that give a bit of insight into a character’s perspective. I’m not saying 5 paragraphs of nothing but backstory as everyone knows that’s a death knell. But 250 words is very little, and I have to say, after reading through hundreds of contest entries that require the first 250 words over the past several years, it gets old quickly to be dropped into some mysterious battle or chase scene with no reason to be invested in the characters or situation until 5 pages on.

That’s my opinion, obviously. But in taking a look at a few favourite (and successful) novels, right away I see a pattern:

BRIDGET JONES’S DIARY, Helen Fielding: MC opens by discussing an upcoming turkey curry buffet, and how she promised last August to attend.

THE HOBBIT, J.R.R. Tolkien: As any Tolkien fan knows (and can likely recite), this opens with an explanation of Hobbits.

NEVER LET ME GO, Kazuo Ishiguro: The first paragraph is 3/4 of the page of the MC describing herself and her role as carer.

HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE, J.K. Rowling: The first 3 paragraphs describe the Dursleys (not even the MC).

DEATHSTALKER, Simon R. Green: The entire first page discusses the “Rim”, the edge of the Empire.

I think there’s a happy medium. Give me even the smallest insight into character or some sense of what kind of world I’m in, before showing the car driving off, or the curtain rising, or the front door exploding. Not always, but often I think this approach works well. I find it curious that people want to apply a hard and fast rule here.

There are a LOT of rules that are smart to stick with, such as simple dialogue tags, or reining in that naughty passive voice. But some of these things shared as law are very misleading, and insecurity-causing (and there’s plenty of that coming from writers via Twitter! Myself included ;) )

Likewise, industry professionals are completely in their right to have preferences – but most use their agency websites to indicate this. If an agent says they want a 1-page synopsis, a query that reads like a back-cover blurb, and the first 10 pages, that says everything I need to know. But if I get rejected because I didn’t reveal my ending in the right part of the email, because the agent hasn’t revealed this secret, then it’s a real shame.

To wrap this up, I think the best thing to do is write the best story you can, research your agents (I use Query Tracker to keep track of my research), read any interviews you can find with them (they often reveal preferences in Writer’s Digest agent alerts), and tailor your query/email individually, send it off knowing you’ve done all you can. When you get rejections (or get ignored!), honestly remind yourself that there are a million reasons they turned you down, and many of those reasons may be things they never shared on their agency website. Write a Post-It that says, “Research, Query, Let Go” and stick it to your forehead. Whatever you can do to remain aware that you can’t change your story to fit every single agent. You just have to persevere – while tweaking as you see fit, based on CP/agent feedback –  and believe that for the right agent, all the pieces will click.

(While also keeping in mind to honestly process ALL criticism long enough to decide whether or not it will benefit you :) )

On to my #WriteMotivation Goals for May, Week 2!

1. Second draft of WIP complete. Doing good! Made a schedule for every day until the end of the month in order to get this 1st revision done for my 2nd draft!
2. Finish final revisions on SOMEBODY…  Done!

Have a great rest of your month, friends, and keep your chin up! Can’t please all the people all of the time :) But don’t let that stop you from pleasing the ones who will just get it.

Cheerio!

May
6

By

#WriteMotivation May Update 1

Category: travels, writing Tags: , , , , , 12 Comments

Hello!

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I hope wherever you are, you’ve had weather as beautiful as we’ve (FINALLY) had here in the SW of England. For the past week it’s been nothing but blue skies and 55+ degree temps. If you’re in the south of the USA or California or something, I know that doesn’t sound impressive. But believe me… we’ve had the wettest, most miserable winter/spring, breaking all kinds of records with its rubbish-ness. I’ve been in the UK for 6 years now and this year’s weather has been complete pants. So I am LOVING the recent breakthrough!

We’re back to a #Writemotivation month, so here’s my first update for May. If you’re unfamiliar, then by golly, take a moment of time to acquaint yourself with the awesome group of writers, corralled by our fearless leader K.T. Hanna. It’s a group of encouraging, supportive, and frenzied (but in a good way) writers posting their writing (and other) goals for the month and helping to cheer one another on.

How better to start a writemotivation month than to visit Greenway, the Devon summer home of Agatha Christie? That’s the lovely house in the photo above that the Scotsman and I visited over this past May bank holiday weekend (for you Americans, that’s a national holiday… don’t know why they call it a bank holiday because certainly more than banks are shut, but then, my bank in town is hardly open on a normal week, but that’s another kettle). Luckily, the house is owned by the National Trust and because we’re thirty-somethings going on eighty, we are card-carrying members and got to roam the gardens and house for free. (Love roaming NT properties). They even had gowns and shoes of Christie’s in her closet, which was kinda neat to see.

Anyhow, on to my goals for the month:

1. Second draft of WIP complete.
2. Finish final revisions on SOMEBODY…

Very lofty ;) A year ago this month, I bit off way more than I could chew by setting insane goals for the month in which I got married. So this time around, I’m going easy on myself. I’m already done with #2. I’ve queried several agents over the weekend and have so far heard back from one which was very impressive – on a SUNDAY. So three cheers for Awesome Hard-working Agent Who Requested A Partial :)

On to my first revision of my WIP. Good luck this month, everyone! :)

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Apr
22

By

Writers’ & Artists and Psychologies Magazine writing weekend at Bloomsbury Publishing; and Meeting Authors CL Raven

Category: writing Tags: , , , 5 Comments

How’s that for a nice, succinct title?

Part of what I learned on this 2-day writing conference was about just that: being succinct. Below is a bullet-point list of highlights from my notes.

Bedford Square, Bloomsbury. SUN!

Bedford Square, Bloomsbury. SUN!

Writers’ & Artists’ and Psychologies Magazine presented guest speakers from the industry (writers, editors, and agents) at Bloomsbury Publishing in London. Check out Psychologies if you haven’t. It’s my favourite airplane read; thought-provoking articles about how we interact, connect, and create. (And no, none of these people are endorsing me!).

 

My brain is full.

It reminded me of screenwriting on my film degree, as we covered basics like the three-act structure and inciting incidents, but even that workshops had fresh perspective that made me hurry back to my hotel room with ideas on how to implement them in both my completed MS (that word “completed” is such a misnomer) and my WIP. I’m grateful I had the opportunity to go.

IMG_1873So, what did I learn? Here’s a quick rundown of my highlights:

  •  I probably still have bits where I’m taking a character by the hand through their day. If a character picks up a toothbrush, let it be for a reason (and not to tell us they brushed their teeth before bed).
  • Check out THE DINNER by Herman Koch for setting a scene and giving a sense of who characters are without taking them by their hands.
  • He whispered is a sensible use of dialogue tag. Most others aren’t. NO SMIRKING.
  • Make the reader do more work. Even if you think you’re not spoon-feeding them, you probably still are. Check again.
  • What actually happens in your story? What are the main character’s problems to solve? If you can’t condense this into a very short blurb, there’s a problem.
  • For characters, don’t always rely on stereotype. Buy into some, but subvert others so that a character is 3D.
  • “Be sure not to discuss your hero’s state of mind. Make it clear from his actions.” – Chekhov (This struck a real chord with me. It’s so basic a rule, but put this way, it made me see that in first person, I might be lazily blabbing all of my MC’s thoughts rather than showing any of them.)
  • A reminder that I really need to sit down and write out interviews with my characters. I always think, “Nah, I don’t need to do this.” But I think it’s a well-known method of improving voice and inner consistency that is well-known for a reason.
  • The more specific you are, the more readers can empathise, the more universal the appeal (rather than being more vague, trying to appeal to all).
  • BE DILIGENT about TURNING OFF EMAILS WHILE WRITING! (big one for me).
  • There should be a hint of Something Big on page 1.
  • Flashbacks: go into them quicker. You don’t need to say, “she picked up the glass and remembered the glass of champagne on her wedding day . . . blah blah blah.” Just go into it.
  • In the 3-act structure, there should be two “buts”. Just before the biggest climax, there should be a “but of warning.” In Cinderella, before the climax moment — dancing with the Prince at the ball — the “but of warning” is the time limit her Fairy Godmother gives her on her magical night. She doesn’t listen to it, so after her high point with the Prince, she’s on the biggest fall along her timeline – when midnight strikes and she has to leave him, and is back to her dreary life, unhappier than ever. BUT, the “but of hope” on the way down is losing her shoe. That plants a seed of hope.

There you have it. It was great to be around others who want to make writing their career, and really showed me how every writer approaches their work from a different perspective, with varying tactics that work best for them. Thank you to Writers’ & Artists’, Psychologies, and Bloomsbury :)

- – - – - -

Meeting authors CL RAVEN

The weekend before last was literary-themed as well (am I lucky this month or what?). The Scotsman and I travelled to Cardiff — first time for us, which is shameful given how close it is — to meet my Twitter friends Cat and Lynx Raven, aka authors CL Raven at their book reading/signing.

They were witty, wonderful, and lovely, and we heard them read from two of their books (both of which I snagged before leaving). They took turns reading the first chapter of SOUL ASYLUM, and explained the process of procuring the cover photo and design work — which is a topic that always fascinates me — then read snippets of each of the 10 short stories in their fairy tale anthology, DISENCHANTED.

They were inspiring in their presentation and really good fun to listen to. I’m grateful to know two such dedicated, inspiring, and hard-working writers! Check out their work if you’re intrigued by ghost stories (or ghost hunting, which they do quite a lot of), major twists to the fairy tales you thought you knew, and romance that’s just . . . er, twisted. :) They prove two heads are way better than one.

IMG_3442Thanks, ladies!

Apr
16

By

“So, any luck in the job department?” or how failure is making me see what matters most.

Category: expat life, life & other random things, work, writing Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , 13 Comments

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Under the Golden Gate, March 2013

This month isn’t turning out quite how I hoped. When does it ever?

I planned on a 3-week online course on women’s fiction, but unfortunately this was cancelled the day it was meant to begin (the day after I booked it), so I had to re-think my use of this month’s writing time.

This weekend I’m attending the Psychologies Writing Weekend put on by Writers & Artists at Bloomsbury in London. I’m really excited as it’s my first foray into writers’ conferences (though I do wish I had a buddy going with me!). I’m looking forward to meeting other writers and getting a chance to do some workshops. I’m also attending a live webinar with literary agent Kate McKean entitled “How to Submit Your Book To Agents.” It’s on May 2nd if you want to join me! 

The rest of this month is devoted to finishing the first draft of my WIP, fantasy/historical romance A BREATH OF SILVER. I’ve been working on this for over a year but because my women’s fiction (currently being referred to as SOMEBODY THAT I USED TO KNOW) has been going through about a bazillion revisions and query rounds, I’ve not yet finished BREATH. That’s my goal, and I’ve still got time for April! (whilst hoping to finally have the most polished version of my women’s fiction ready to query again in May).

All that to say, most of my time has been devoted to writing. I can’t lie. I graduated in June 2010, and I’ve been endlessly applying for jobs, interviewing, and trying to network since then. A few contracts here, an internship there, but it is has been, without a doubt, the biggest anticlimax of my life.

Why? Well, when you return to university as a mature student — in a foreign country, to boot — you’ve by that time built pretty high expectations and demands of yourself. You’ve missed chances and been unable to focus on one thing in the past, so when this amazing opportunity comes around to make something of yourself, you want perfection. I’ve said it before on here. I worked my butt off to do the best I could on that degree, and some might’ve suggested I put too much pressure on myself, for things that, in the grand scheme of things, haven’t mattered so much. But I did it to prove to myself I could, and whether you scoff at a Film BA or not, getting that 1st is the thing I’m most proud of.

I didn’t expect to meet my future husband before my course even began, let alone that he would be someone who already had his act together (certainly not been my previous experience!). My plan of moving to London and living in a cardboard box until I got a proper job in film died an early death, for a variety of reasons, mostly practical.

If only my path were this clear.

If only my path were this clear.

I’ve had interviews at some fantastic companies and organisations, and been told countless times, “You were this close!” and “It was between you and one other person.” The number of times the door has been shut, slammed, or locked right in my face is just unbelievable, especially for someone who never interviewed for a job she wasn’t offered in the past. All this time I thought a degree would be the key, along with the work I put into it and work experience, etc.

Nope. God has had other plans. I can’t say I understand them, but life throws you surprises and you have to accept them, no matter how unbelievable. And when I say I’ve been applying everywhere, I mean everywhere. Jobs I’m totally overqualified for that I’ve dumbed down my CV for, jobs that I’m underqualified for that I’ve aimed for anyhow, jobs I’m perfect for either in an industry I care about or not, and still, every door has been closed.

Do I know why? Nope. My name? My nationality? My age? The economy? All these things? Or just that God has another plan?

I read a devotional email today that said in all our struggles and fears, it’s vital we yield to God. When I’m weak, He is strong. I’ve prayed many times, Your will be done. Whatever it is You want me to do, and to want, I want it. Show me how.

But I’ll pray it again today, and every day. I want to do what God wants me to do, just so I’m finally at that place in my life where I’m confident in my path. I felt confident at uni, but that had a countdown that expired on the day I graduated. It was a shadow of the real thing.

Writing has been the one thing that’s been consistent in my life since I was young. I’ve always had stories flowing out of my head onto the screen, and the more I learn about writing and publishing, the more I write and read and talk with others about it, the more I feel confident that if nothing else in all this struggle, God’s given me this passion, bigger than any other one. I can’t ignore that, and if people look at me and say, “Why doesn’t she have a job yet? What’s wrong with her? Is she just irresponsible and lazy? She must not really want it,“ I have to remind myself that their opinions and judgements aren’t relevant. I have to stop worrying about that.

My closest friends know how hard and frustrating this time has been, but they also encourage me to use the time not spent applying for jobs on writing. To those friends, thank you for believing in me, and not making me worry you think I’m lazy, or ridiculous, or irresponsible.

Words cannot express how exasperating, how humiliating, and how confidence-destroying these last few years have been. But if they’ve taught me anything — once I look past the self-doubt — it’s that the thing we have passion for, the thing we don’t feel we’re wasting time doing, whether it pays into a pension or not, it nurtures the spirit to do it. So I will keep writing, learning, querying, networking and reading because it’s the one arena in which I feel I truly belong.

This is a mighty long post, and if you’ve gotten this far, thanks for hanging in. It felt like time for reflection again on what’s been going on. I leave you with some snippets from JK Rowling’s Harvard Speech, which is one of the best things I’ve ever read:

Ultimately, we all have to decide for ourselves what constitutes failure, but the world is quite eager to give you a set of criteria if you let it.So I think it fair to say that by any conventional measure, a mere seven years after my graduation day, I had failed on an epic scale. An exceptionally short-lived marriage had imploded, and I was jobless, a lone parent, and as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless. The fears that my parents had had for me, and that I had had for myself, had both come to pass, and by every usual standard, I was the biggest failure I knew.

So why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had been realised, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.

Lacock Abbey, filming location for Harry Potter, June 2006

Why yes, I am wearing an I Love Sirius Black t-shirt.

Apr
3

By

Cover Reveal! CONFLICT OF INTEREST by Allyson Lindt

Category: books, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , 6 Comments

Drum roll, please . . . . . . .

Not long after we met up as critique partners, Allyson Lindt got fantastic and much deserved news and success, and I’m proud to share in her cover reveal for her debut novel, CONFLICT OF INTEREST! SPICY!!

Now, let’s hear a bit about the tantalising story behind this saucy cover! :D

“Kenzie propositions a sexy stranger in a coffee shop to prove to herself she’s capable of taking a risk. She doesn’t expect him to be sitting across from her the following Monday as her newest client. Even worse, she can’t stop thinking about what might have happened between them on a personal level if it weren’t for their professional relationship. He knows how to push her buttons, and she doesn’t want him to stop.

Scott has built his software company from the ground up to escape things like stuffy old men telling him how to behave, so he loathes his board of directors ordering him to make the public forget he doesn’t have a verbal filter. When his new publicity manager is the almost-fling he never expected to see again, he seizes the opportunity to have fun and still pretend he’s complying with the board’s edict.

Giving in to desire could mean both their jobs, but each “one last time” always leads to another. Now they have to decide what they’re willing to sacrifice to indulge this conflict of interest.”

Next, a bit about the fabulous author:

Allyson Lindt has been telling stories since before she could put the words on paper. She was lucky enough to marry her muse and soul mate. Their cats are their children, and when they’re not spending way too much time gaming, they’re building new worlds together. Her short stories have appeared in several anthologies, and she made her authorial debut with a racy, erotic short story on a popular porn site for women. She loves a sexy happily-ever-after and helping deserving couples find their futures together.

And lastly, an excerpt from the forthcoming CONFLICT OF INTEREST:

“Why are you always so direct?” She had asked him the question once before, but she wanted more of an answer.

His gaze raked over her face as if he was trying to peer into her thoughts. “Chicks dig honesty, right?”

“No,” she corrected him. “Chicks only think they dig honesty until it includes something they don’t want to hear.”

“It worked on you.”

Arrogant ass. The thought didn’t have any malice in it. “You got lucky.”

He snorted. “Damn straight. And I wouldn’t mind getting lucky again.”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, but couldn’t lose her smile. “Seriously, it has to be counterproductive most the time.”

“I’ll answer your question if you tell me something. Where do you usually meet guys?”

She stared back, confused about the gentle curve in the conversation. “Why?”

He pushed his barely touched plate aside. “Let’s see … probably not business meetings, that would be inappropriate. And I can’t see you spending much time in bars. We can add coffee shops to the list.”

“You were the only one.”

His grin spread. “I knew it.”

She slapped his hand playfully. “Yes, fine. You were a first. Happy?”

“Immensely.” He meant it. “Where did you meet your last boyfriend? The bookstore or something?”

Heat flooded her cheeks, and she ducked her head. It had been a lucky guess, that was all.

He laughed. “I was kidding. I’m right, seriously?”

“Yes, I met my last boyfriend at the bookstore.”

“The relationship section?”

She twisted her mouth in irritation and just glared at him. “Fiction and literature.”

“Bronte?” he asked.

“Vonnegut.”

He raised an eyebrow. “So what was the first thing he said to you?”

Why were they having this conversation? Not that she minded, but she was still trying to figure out his random tangents. “I don’t remember.”

“You’re lying.” There was no accusation in the words, it was a simple statement.

She looked at him, eyes wide. How had he known that? “It was something about how Vonnegut had nothing on William Gibson when it came to the cynical but not completely fatalistic future of the planet. And I told him that wasn’t a fair comparison because Kurt Vonnegut was absolutely a fatalistic literary genius and William Gibson was some sciency guy.”

His jaw dropped. “You called the father of cyber punk a sciency guy? I mean, I guess technically you’re right, but you said that?”

Finally she had caught him off-guard. “And his reaction was a lot like yours. Don’t get me wrong, William Gibson is fantastic, but it’s still like comparing Apples and Windows.”

She wasn’t sure why she’d tossed the reference in to mangle the cliché. It wasn’t like she cared if he knew she had any sort of geek cred.

“Nice.” His shock faded back into amusement. “And you went out with him after that.”

“For a while.” She didn’t want to get into the details. She was over the guy, but there was no reason to divulge she’d dumped him because he was boring in bed.

“So, last guy you didn’t go out with—the most recent one you’ve turned down. What was the first thing he said to you?”

“Like I remember. Maybe, do those legs go all the way up?” The background noise had faded as the lunchtime crowd thinned, and she was grateful she didn’t have anywhere else to be.

“But you let the guy who asked you about your honeyed walls give you a lift home.”

And she realized what he was doing—trying to point out to her why it was wrong to try and change him for the sake of appearance. He seemed fond of the object lesson rather than the direct answer. “Yes. Because you were sincere, and the guy in the bookstore was sincere—both of you inflammatory—but still sincere, and those assholes with the lines were just saying what they thought I wanted to hear.”

“I’ve made my point?” He didn’t look smug.

“Yes.” She took another drink. “But I’m still going to teach you to behave in public. You’re not learning to pick up women. You’re learning to keep your investors happy.”

He leaned in, voice low. “I already know the legs go all the way because how awkward would that be if they didn’t?” An underlying current ran through his words. “But if I told you that you had a beautiful body, would you forget this mission of yours?”

“You mean my job?” The way he’d twisted the otherwise horrid line added to her enjoyment, and the underlying compliment warmed her more than the wine had. “No. But don’t let that stop you from trying.”

“You’ve really read William Gibson.” He switched gears without pause.

“I prefer Philip K. Dick, but Neuromancer has a special place on my bookshelf. I was in a really weird frame of mind the first time I read it, it kind of screwed with my head, and I haven’t been able to forget it since.”

The rough canvas of a High Top traced up the back of her calf, sending a pleasant chill through her. His expression softened, eyes pulling up at the corners. “I know the feeling.”

*   *   *   *   *

I thoroughly enjoyed reading another novel of Allyson’s and I’m totally excited for the release of CONFLICT OF INTEREST. Hop over to her site, check her out on Twitter, and follow her blog! She has a wicked sense of humour, and she’s having giveaways throughout April for the A-Z Blogging Challenge, so you can’t lose. Check her out, and keep your eye out for CONFLICT OF INTEREST, out soon!!

As always, thanks for reading! :)

Apr
1

By

A Lesson in Twitter Organisation.

Category: Uncategorized, writing Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 3 Comments

April is going to be Cheyenne Learns, Revises, and Writes a TON Month.

Happy Easter, by the way! I hope you had a lovely weekend celebrating, eating chocolate, and not being at work. I’m spending it in Scotland. So far, I’ve eaten Hello Kitty’s body, and am preparing to move in on her head.

IMG_3517

Over the weekend, I discovered something distressing: the agent that I’ve been rubbing my hands in glee over querying (as my already-queried list for MS#1 reads like a 28-name-long Who’s-Who of Literary Agents) announced a few days ago that she’s closed to queries.

WHAT?!

I’d just read a tweet of hers during #PitMad on Friday that she wasn’t involved, but that she was still open to new queries. Someone RTed a tweet where she’d said this, and lately I can’t seem to keep on top of my feed in Twitter, so I was glad to catch this RT. This made me really happy, since I didn’t have a lot of time for PitMad as I flew to Glasgow on Friday.

Edinburgh Castle, Easter weekend

Edinburgh Castle, Easter weekend

Unfortunately, when I went to my QueryTracker list to get ready to query her yesterday, I made the discovery. It turns out that the person on Twitter who re-tweeted the agent’s tweet re-tweeted it from JANUARY. It might’ve been a Twitter glitch, who knows. When I realised this and zoomed to the agent’s website, it turns out she JUST closed to queries, like, 1 day ago.

Yeah. Bad timing.

I’ve since reorganised my Twitter lists and TweetDeck so that I see all my to-be-queried agents in a list, and hopefully can keep up on top of time-sensitive news.

Not one to give up though, I’m taking this as a chance to spend April more productively. Maybe I need the enforced time to learn rather than just throw myself at the screen over and over. I think this will make me feel more prepared, if nothing else, for when the agent re-opens her doors, and for any others left on my to-be-queried list.

I’m hoping to attend a weekend writer’s conference in mid-April, as well as do an online course for women’s fiction. I’m so thirsty for any guidance I can get for this story, which has been edited and revised so many times now, it’s completely unrelated to the original concept. Does it need to be put in the figurative drawer until women’s fiction is on an upswing? Do I need someone with experience to tell me that maybe it’s just not fitting into the genre guidelines, and is lost somewhere in-between? Do I need to change character ages, and therefore genre? I don’t know. All I know is I’ve queried some pretty well-known agents and I’ve had a few close calls but no R&R, and some generic, “great writing but in the end, I had to pass” type rejections.

It’s propelling me to work harder on my fantasy/historical fiction, A BREATH OF SILVER, but it’s also something I struggle to let go of. I’ve worked really hard on MS#1, and I still believe in it. I’m just not sure what to do next.

Dolly the Sheep, stuffed. At the National Museum of Scotland. Random!

Dolly the Sheep, stuffed. At the National Museum of Scotland. Random!

March Write Motivation Update

During last week’s check-in, I took the liberty of revising my goals (they are my goals, after all ;) ) Still, I hate to change oars midstream…

  1. 10k written on WIP. Failed. Got about half that done. That’s why April will be CRRRAAAZZZZY. 
  2. 1st chapter of NG rewritten. DONE! Rewritten and awaiting feedback from some CPs.
  3. If #2, then query NG x3. Nope. Not ready yet. As eager as I am, feeling like I’ve been querying it so long, SOMETHING has to happen after all the positive changes I’ve made over the years, I don’t want to push it. And I think the conference & course this month will help clarify whether I SHOULD query more now, or not.
  4. Finish at least 1 more beta’s MS. Working on it. About 25% of the way done, at least. I’m slow! (Sorry, Rebecca and Andrew, the two still waiting on me!!)

Thanks for reading! And let this be a lesson to you: if you have an agent or agents you’re psyched about querying, keep better tabs on them than I did!

Mar
25

By

California = snowboarding + sun

Category: expat life, life & other random things, travels, writing Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

 ** Sorry to those who received a jumbled-up run-on email version of this post moments ago. It should be much easier to read this time around!**

I made it back! Sans broken bones!!

I'm no snow fan, but I had to admit, the views were stunning.

I’m no snow fan, but I had to admit, the views were stunning.

My husband and I (who I should take to calling the Scotsman as a fellow writer I admire calls hers “the Frenchman”, and it’s much simpler than saying, “My husband” all the time. And I’m not fond of “The Hubs,” at least, not with a straight face…).

Okay, start over.

The Scotsman and I returned from a very unexpected holiday to Northern California.  I lived in Sacramento (or “Sac”, as it’s disgustingly referred to by locals, but I myself have been known to call it that ;) ) for about 4 years just prior to moving to the UK, so it’s been a little over 6 years since I was last there. In fact, I celebrated my 6th anniversary of living in the UK while we were over there.

SIX YEARS. Wow. So much has happened in that time, so much I never expected to experience. But that’s another post. Our holiday was awesome. When I moved away from California, I was so ready to go, ready to start my new life in Britain, and ready to leave a lot of toxic stuff behind.

A week at Tahoe was enough to make me really sore... but love snowboarding.

A week at Tahoe was enough to make me really sore… but love snowboarding.

I did, but I also left some really good friends behind, friends I now only see on Skype, or if they do the unthinkable and make it over to visit. I left some of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen: Stinson Beach, Muir Woods, Mt. Tamalpais, Lake Tahoe, San Francisco. I left a few of the most mouth-watering restaurants behind: Wasabi sushi bar, and Sizzling Fresh (yes, I do love a good Mongolian BBQ and that’s the best IMHO). I left behind glorious weather and that big orange thing in the sky.

The wonderful news is I got to experience all these things again, and this time, with the Scotsman. I’m so grateful to my awesome friends for taking time out of their non-holiday days to spend catching up, eating, chilling, and generally being their generous and fun selves that I miss so much. It was all a huge breath of fresh air, and we soaked up every second of it.

Visited my favourite wine's vineyard. Yay! We both had colds. BOO.

Visited my favourite wine’s vineyard. Yay! We both had colds. BOO.

On a writerly note, my first MS is set in another part of the Bay area but is based on a lot of the places and experiences I had in Sac and the north Bay, so it was with a bit of trepidation that I revisited these places. I’m happy to report we had an awesome time, despite us both catching colds after Tahoe, and I lived 100% in the present while appreciating what was good about my past experiences there. I’m so grateful we had the chance to take this trip.

I could get used to this view (from Coppola's vineyard).

I could get used to this view (from Coppola’s vineyard).

Apart from the memory lane-trips and seeing friends, we spent a week in South Lake Tahoe, mostly at Heavenly (one day at Northstar). The Scotsman is an experienced snowboarder and we had two friends from the UK over there on their own holiday, so the 3 of them went off on the slopes in the morning while I had 3 mornings of lessons.

In retrospect, I’d like to have had maybe 5 days of lessons, but Tahoe is ridiculously expensive. I had ONE good instructor, and he was from Scunthorpe, England.

The first day I had a stoner dude, the sort of which I am told there are a lot in Tahoe. He was all, “Use your MIIIIND, be a wise learner, watch others!” to which I wanted to reply, “Why the heck am I paying YOU, then?” The third day, I had a 19-year-old LA girl who said, “Snowboarding is all about the cute outfits!” and when I asked for help on starting to turn on my board, she said, “I don’t know how else to explain it to you,” I again wanted to ask, why the *&*£$£ am I paying you?

IMG_3188

I finally walked across the Golden Gate for the first time, & wore flip-flops. Mistake.

My husband and friends gave me lots of tips, though, along with the GOOD instructor, and while I think I mastered falling leaf and braking, and got in lots of J- and C-turns, I didn’t start to connect them to S-turns, and managed to exit the ski lifts about 4 times without wiping out (and taking others with me). Getting off ski lifts is the most frightening part for me. But it turned out fantastic all the same. For 5 days and having never skied before, I’m actually really happy with that :D There’ll be a next time :)

So now we’ve been back nearly a week and jet lag still has me in its clutches, but I managed to get back on track and start working on my WIP again yesterday, as well as some more (very slow) job hunting.

On to my #WriteMotivation update:

1. Revise NG chapter. Not yet, but I made some notes today and I do think there needs to be even less backstory than there is here. None would be nice, since I know backstory in the first chapter is meant to be a big no-no…. it’s a bit confusing though when most books I’ve read lately are CHOCK FULL of it in the first chapter. But I will persevere.

2. Query NG x10. Not going to happen unless #1 happens and I’m 100% happy with the result!

3. Revise 1st draft of A BREATH OF SILVER. HAHAHA, uh, what now? That would mean having a finished 1st draft.

4. Finish reading all outstanding CPs/betas’ stories. I’ve finished two this month, so I’ve actually done okay with this one. 3 more to go!!

So, as you can see, sadly it’s day 23 out of 31 and I’ve not accomplished much, but for being out of the country for 17 days and fighting jet lag and a cold that clings for the last 4 days, it’s not surprising, really. Every #Writemotivation month I’ve been involved in so far, I’ve failed to reach all my goals, but I’ve also done a lot more than I would have, had I not been involved. That I know is a fact. So thank you, as always, to KT and the crew for giving us all this extra push to get our words down :)

If I have a completed 1st draft of A BREATH OF SILVER done by the end of April, I’ll be pleased. If I rewrite NG chapter 1, and maybe another 10k on BREATH by the end of this March #Writemotivation Month, and finish one more beta’s MS, then I’ll settle for that!

Revised Goals, then:

  1. 10k written on WIP.
  2. 1st chapter of NG rewritten.
  3. If #2, then query NG x3.
  4. Finish at least 1 more beta’s MS.

Hope you’re all doing well and getting those ideas down! I know this weather is appalling but happy almost spring anyhow :)

Mar
4

By

March #WriteMotivation: UK to California installment

Category: writing Tags: , , , , , 4 Comments

A wall, a tree, and a fence in Dartmoor. Amazing!

A wall, a tree, and a fence in Dartmoor. Amazing!

When we decided to take a rather last-minute, unplanned (given that I like to plan trips MONTHS in advance) trip to California to snowboard in Tahoe and visit all my old favourite spots around the Bay area, I’d already signed up for March #WriteMotivation. How could I not? :) It’s the first one of 2013 and I’m always up for exchanging encouragement with other writers. There’s never a time when it’s *not* a good idea. I was chomping at the bit.

(If you know me personally, I know you’re likely still hearing “snowboard” in your head and wondering how on earth that’s going to work, given that I’ve never skied or snowboarded in my life. I’ll have you know I had a whole TWO HOUR lesson at the Snowdome in Tamworth the other day, so I’m all set for lessons on the bunny hill ;)

So, as it now stands, I will be rather busy for part of the month but I’m not throwing in the towel so we’ll see how much I manage to get done around and during the trip.

Here are my writing goals for the month:

1. Revise NG chapter 1.
2. Query NG x10.
3. Revise 1st draft of A BREATH OF SILVER.
4. Finish reading all outstanding CPs/betas’ stories.

And I’d like to add, cheering on my fellow writers more on Twitter than I have been recently. In February I had another last-minute trip, from the UK back to NY State, so I’ve been absent a lot from catching people online. But I did FINALLY finish reading 2 more CP’s stories before March began so that’s good news. I think I have another 5 to go. Sorry, folks! I’m not usually this slow!

Having received some solid advice, I may not actually be querying NGDDRS much more just yet, given that it seems the genre (women’s fiction) isn’t super hot at the moment (to say the least), but I think I may put a few more out there, so that might be more like 3 ;) Of course, I’m still reeling from the rejection I got last month, but I am not giving up on this story. I did change some chapter endings around and tighten further, but it’s definitely reached the point where I don’t have an itching feeling there’s something major to change. At least, not at the moment. And that’s a first (given I’ve been revising and rewriting this story for about 7 years now).

Revising the WIP is hilarious since I didn’t get to finish the first draft in Feb like I hoped (thanks to that trip to the States). But one can accomplish great things when one puts one’s mind to it (and stops wasting one’s time surfing the web for half the evening), so you never know!

Good luck to all you other #Writemotivation peeps taking part this time around! It’ll be nice to see more of you and your progress reports this month! :D

Feb
5

By

Determination’s gotta win, right?

Category: writing Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , 15 Comments

Yesterday, I got the email I was starting to believe I wouldn’t get this time: another rejection.

It’s the first time an agent’s sought me out (from the PitchWars contest), and I’ve been following her on Twitter and keeping up on her for literally years. Surprisingly, I hadn’t yet queried her so when she asked for pages, and then for the full ms of my women’s fiction, I was on the floor in hysterics. SO. Excited. It felt right. It felt like after all this time, the door I so badly wanted to open was beginning to let in some light.

Yesterday, that email came. As my husband and other lovely encouragers and CPs have pointed out, it’s a very positive rejection (if such a thing exists). She said she loved the story and details, it was well-written, and the way the music themes were woven into it is something she looks for in her authors. That’s the most I’ve received from any agent in the way of positive feedback. But I couldn’t see that. In fact, right now, all I can really see if that she didn’t connect with my characters enough, or the pacing didn’t grab her and keep her on the edge of her seat (well, it’s not a thriller, but I get what she’s saying she prefers, I guess) the way she’d like.

Lots of agents do R&Rs. At worst I thought she’d do that, and I’d tighten it and tidy it according to her suggestions and the world would be an amazing place. I began writing this story in 2006. I’ve learned SO much through it. It’s a part of me, in so many ways, and I’ve put hours beyond counting into making this what I want it to be, but also what I hope others would enjoy. So when she didn’t ask for an R&R, I pretty much felt like the world turned dark and crumbled around me.

Basically how I've been feeling for the past 12 hours.

Basically how I’ve been feeling for the past 12 hours.

Needless to say, updating QueryTracker last night was the most un-fun thing I’ve ever done.

It’s my dream to be published, to write books with my life and focus wholly on that. Part of that dream is also to have an amazing agent who gets what I’m trying to say, who loves my voice, and who helps me better myself. So while an offer to publish from a small publisher came through PitMad, I decided to turn it down. That in itself is a huge encouragement that my story has some zing to it that SOMEBODY likes. But it’s not part of my dream, skipping the agent part, so as honoured as I am, it’s not right for me.

I’m determined to reach my dream. Several times in my life, I’ve had my heart set on something, and as preposterous as it might’ve sounded to those around me, I reached for it, and got it. It might not have had a happy ending, but it melded into my personality over the years to stay determined and I could reach what I was really trying for. There’s no bigger dream than finding others who enjoy and believe in my writing, and making it the THING THAT I DO. It’s not just a hobby to me.

But there’s more to it than that, and I’m ashamed to admit it but we’re all friends, right? Since graduating at the top of my class as a mature student in 2010, I felt like nothing could stop me when I put my mind to it.

Some of you know that a LOT has stopped me since then. I’ve applied endlessly for jobs I can totally do, and most of the time not even received a response to my application. For 2.5 years. Almost as long as I’ve been querying this manuscript. So you might ask, how masochistic can one girl be? Querying AND applying for jobs simultaneously?

inconceivable

And yet, that’s what I’ve been doing. My long-time favourite author, Simon R. Green, has a story that’s stuck with me. If you don’t know who he is, check him out. I’ve been reading (and re-reading) his books since I was 12. He’s the New York Times Bestselling author of the DEATHSTALKER series, an amazing space opera, and my personal favourite, BLUE MOON RISING, and the HAWK & FISHER series.

He had years and years of rejection letters before all his success, and then, after 3.5 years of being out of work, just TWO days after he finally got hired at a book store in Bath, he sold SEVEN NOVELS. In one year.

Granted, those were very different times for the publishing industry, but the idea stays the same. The man was struggling big time, but he was determined. I guess in my silly old head, I’ve been dreaming that some similar story would happen to me. That all this time trying to find where I fit in to the world – despite the 1st class degree and hard-work-pays-off uni experience that mocks me endlessly now – would not be for nothing; that it would have to have a happy ending.

I still believe it will. It doesn’t change the fact that I cried for about 2 hours last night after I got the agent’s rejection, but I’m really thankful to the CPs and friends who’ve read some/all of my ms and told me not to give up. Besides, I’ve still got another year to catch up to Simon. (right?)

I know that my attitude right now is having a little freak-out and I’m not feeling on top of the world like I did when the agent and I were exchanging emails, and she was saying how excited she was to finish reading. I feel worse than I can remember feeling. But I need to suck it up, so hopefully by the end of the day I’ll start to get back on top of things, and know she just wasn’t the agent for me after all (despite what every cell in my body was telling me two days ago). So… this:

riker

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