Full MS critique auction--today only!

I completely forgot about blogging today. I have a shiny new idea, you see, and, well, it kind of swept me away.

BUT here I am because there's a terrific opportunity to bid on a FULL MS critique by none other than the fabulous Suzie Townsend of Nancy Coffey Lit as part of Crits for Water. The proceeds go to provide safe, clean water to people who just don't have it.

Clean water. It's one of those things we really take for granted. So many people aren't nearly as lucky.

So go! Bid! and good luck winning that critique!

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Happy, thank you

The other day I had this wonderful, overwhelming sense that all was right with the world. It isn't, of course (I've actually got some rather frustrating things happening in my life right now), so it was particularly delightful to feel so very content with my life.

It made me think of the movie HappyThankYouMorePlease. I love the concept: acknowledge when you are happy, say thanks, and respectfully ask for more of the same. (Exactly who or what you thank depends on your belief system).

I think it's important to pause and be grateful for the good things in life when you've got them. When things go well, it's far too easy to take them for granted. And when they go wrong, it can be hard not to dwell on them. But in my experience, when I stop to acknowledge the good things--to be grateful for them--I tend to get more of the same.

So here are the things for which I am incredibly grateful, in no particular order:

• Spring is here and the sun is out.
• The plants I put in last fall survived the very dry winter. Some are already blooming.
• Trees are flowering everywhere, and the air is perfumed with their scent. It reminds me of springtime in Berlin, which I sorely miss.
• I am currently working on an article for a science magazine for kids (can't tell you which one, just yet)--it's a fantastic opportunity and lots of fun.
• An editor asked me to revise and resubmit one of my non-fiction PB manuscripts and gave me an estimated time frame to hear back from him on the revision.
• I have an amazing group of critique partners and beta readers who have helped me make my work shine; without them the previous item would not have happened. 
• My mom came to visit and helped me paint the library (a realtor would probably call it the formal dining room, but we keep books there instead of a table).
• Koda has figured out he's not alpha (he tried for a while, but he's finally realized he's on the bottom rung). Now that he knows his place, he's the sweetest dog we could have hoped for.
• And of course, my wonderful family, who put up with more than their fair share of craziness with me.

These are growing in my yard--love 'em! (source)

What are you grateful for?

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Top Agent

My son's birthday is next week, and he's been asking for a Top Agent. Funny, I want the same thing. Except his looks like this:

source

And mine will look a bit more... lively. Interactive. Requiring less imagination to become animate. (But just as willing to scale walls.)

I'm participating in Sara Megibow's How to Hook an Agent with Your Query Letter webinar on Thursday (followed by personalized feedback from an agent on my Top Agent list--can't go wrong with that!).

Fingers crossed that my son and I both get our wish!

How's your writing/querying going?

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Pay it forward

I've been thinking about writing this for quite a while now, and since Shelli at Market My Words is holding a contest for just this thing, I think it's time.

There are many people who have supported my writing: my husband, my kids, my friends and family, but there is one in particular to whom I am indebted.

When I finally decided to take my writing seriously, I joined SCBWI. I sent an email introducing myself to the regional leader and soon received a reply that put me in touch with the other SCBWIers in my city. They're all terrific, but one, in particular, has taken me under her wing and made me believe I can really do this writing thing.

That someone is Jen K. Blom, author of the soon-to-be-released Possum Summer. Jen took me in, sent encouraging words when I needed them, and gave me kind, but brutally honest feedback on my first novel. She sent gentle nudges, asking how the rewriting was going, and when it was (almost completely) rewritten, she read it again. She has helped me tweak my query letter and has been there with supportive words every time I've gotten frustrated. Without Jen's unfailing support, I would not be getting ready to query right now.

I am incredibly grateful to Jen, and I know I can never repay her. But I can pay it forward and provide the same support to others just starting their journey. I only hope I can be as helpful to others as Jen has been to me.

Who has helped you on your journey?

(If you're looking for the answer to last week's Fact or Fiction Friday: it was fact. We were unbelievably lucky to get home.)

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Query questions

I am still working on revisions for my MG fantasy, and I've hit a bit of a stumbling block.

The agent I will be querying liked the first 500 words and said she wanted to continue reading, at which point she asked me to query with the first 10 pages. But she also had some comments within those first 500 words about things that would need to be changed.

My question: when I query, do I submit the original 10 pages, so that she is (quite literally) reading on? Or do I submit revised pages, to show that I am a good little author who can work with comments and revise accordingly? I'm leaning toward the latter, but I really don't know.

I need advice, writer friends. What would you do?

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Things to know about agents

Since I'm in the process of writing query letters (two, actually, one for my nonfiction PB, another for the MG fantasy), agents are very much on my mind this week.

And what should I discover on Twitter but a marvelous blog post by Nicola Morgan about the misconceptions people have about agents. If you want to get an agent, check it out. Then go and read Rachelle Gardner's post and the series of posts by Wendy Lawton about agentfail.  They are all well worth the read.


Do you have an agent or are you looking for one? What are your expectations?

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Getting an agent

I'm still fairly new to blogging and am in the process of exploring other blogs, including older posts. So I was thrilled to find reasons why you should never submit unagented to publishing companies. Moonrat's Editorial Ass blog outlines the many reasons authors should try first to get an agent, then to submit their MS to publishers (via said agent), rather than the other way around.

Of course, finding a good, reputable agent is important, and Anne R. Allen's blog Beware Bogus Literary Agents has some terrific resources for checking out potential agents. (Thanks for reposting it, Anne. I did tiptoe over from Nathan Bransford's blog, and I loved your guest blog on his site!).

Time to start checking out Agent Query to find agents who accept picture book manuscripts!