IWSG June: Query Kombat

Hi everyone!

It's time for another group posting of the IWSG—a group created to offer support to writers no matter what their stage in publishing or writing. It's a time to air our insecurities or triumphs and offer hope and support for others. A big thank you as always to our amazing ninja captain Alex Cavanaugh for creating this monthly blog hop. And thank you to the co-hosts as well:  M. Pax, Tracy Jo, Patricia Lynne, Rachna Chhabria, Feather Stone, and Randi Lee!

You may have seen a previous posting where I announced I made it into the first round of The Writer's Voice (which really meant I was one of the lucky ones who was chosen through the Rafflecopter drawing.)  I had entered my YA near future thriller I've been querying for the past few months. Well...I wasn't chosen for a team, so my journey with that contest is over.

BUT...

I recently submitted a different MS (or my query and first 250 of a brand new, shiny MS that I wrote while querying Catalyst) to Query Kombat and guess what?! I made it into the 1st Round!!!

As of right now, I am "battling" against the query and first 250 of another Kombatant and if I win (which it looks like I might) then I move on to the next round which is the AGENT ROUND!

I'm feeling pretty excited right now. I never got this far in any contest with Catalyst. But I did what everyone says to do...I wrote another manuscript. Obviously, I don't know what will happen next or if this will be THE ONE to get me an agent, but I know that all I can do is hope. And keep writing.

**For anyone interested in checking out my entry or the battle I'm currently in, you can find it HERE. My entry is Life Sucks—I'm Stuck in Podunk.

Writer's Voice Entry: Catalyst

I was lucky enough to win a spot in The Writer's Voice! *squeal* For those of you who don't know, The Writer's Voice is a contest in which I post my query and first 250 words of my manuscript in the hopes that I'm chosen for a team that will take me to the agent round. So, here goes...

Query:

In a crumbling, futuristic Las Vegas where the wealthy choose genetic modification for their children, eighteen-year-old Sienna Preston clings to the one thing she’s good at—the art of lying. 

After the mysterious death of her father, Sienna uses her liar-for-hire skills to help support her family. As a “normal” girl among the genetically modified—or GM’s—the world around her is a little too pretty, a little too smart, and a little too cruel. Especially since her love interest is the GM's finest.

But not all liar-for-hire assignments go according to plan. And when her covert exchange of a stolen computer chip is intercepted, Sienna becomes entangled with a corrupt Government official hell-bent on taking her down. Using her lying, thieving past as leverage—and her mother as collateral—Commander Radcliffe forces Sienna to make a difficult choice. Kill the father of the genetically modified poster boy she’s falling for or be sent to Solitary Confinement. For the rest of her life.

Or perhaps there is another option…Like joining forces with an extremist group and their young leader who’s too hot to be bad.

Problem is, even an underground Compound can't escape the fiery missiles of the Government's drones. 

Complete at 100,000 words, Catalyst is a YA near future thriller with strong romantic elements.

First 250:

The bio fridge hums with its latest addition—a package of dehydrated bologna.

“The shelf life for product Meat Delite will expire in one month and two days,” the automated voice chimes in.

I sigh in disgust. If I have to eat one more package of that crap, I might just vomit in my mouth. Seriously.

I eye the sparse contents inside the gelled portion of the fridge. The tube of yogurt looks decidedly better than the bottled pickles. And definitely better than Meat Crap Delite. I grab the purple yogurt tube and tear into it.

As the door closes with a click, I stare at my reflection in the tinted glass. The circles under my eyes are a dead giveaway that I haven’t had any sleep. I’m not used to pulling all-nighters, which might also explain why I feel like a ravenous beast.

I suck down the pomegranate-blueberry flavored creamy goodness and listen for sounds of movement inside our double-wide. But all I hear is the steady whir of the solar panels absorbing the heat from the rising sun. Mama and Emily must still be asleep.

Squeezing the tube to get every last drop of yogurt, I slump down in a recycled kitchen chair and mumble to Iris to show me the news.

“Good morning, Sienna. Here are the news highlights for today.” The small Com Screen begins buffering the latest headlines. If I did my job right, the news should lead off with a disgraced Honorable Tanner Caldwell being led away in handcuffs.

****

A BIG thank you to our lovely hosts Brenda Drake, Krista Van Dolzer, Elizabeth Briggs, and
Mónica Bustamante Wagner for this wonderful opportunity. And to my fellow entrants, best of luck!

IWSG November—Good enough?

The first Wednesday of every month is reserved for the Insecure Writers Support Group (also known as the IWSG). If you are interested in joining this awesome group where we post our insecurities and triumphs, as well as offer encouragement to fellow writers, you can sign up HERE. Created by the amazing Alex Cavanaugh, the IWSG is a wonderful group to be a part of.

I realized something recently (and for most of you, this will come as no shock, you've probably known it all along). I realized how subjective this whole publishing process truly is. A novel one person might not care for, another person might love.

Photo info

I recently entered my shiny new YA novel into a contest held by other writers. The goal was to be chosen from the slush pile and go on to be presented on the blogs of said writers so that agents could read and request material. I didn't make it out of the slush pile. Sure, it was a bummer at first, but then I decided to query the very first agent on my list. And guess what? He requested the full that same day. In a matter of minutes I went from complete and total letdown to doing the happy dance. Go figure.

I know nothing could come of this request. Like so many writers who have gone before me, the query trail is paved with rejection. And of course, AFTER I sent my completed manuscript to said agent, I noticed the mistakes. Commas flying here, there, and everywhere. An added "the" where there should be none. Of course.

And while I haven't received my first rejection for my YA novel YET (it's a little too early in the game), I am steeling myself. They will come. I know it as sure as I know the names of my children (which I have to admit I DO forget every now and then, well, not so much as forget as I sometimes get flustered when they are misbehaving, and I call them the wrong name until I get to the right one. Anyhoo...)

Those rejections will pour in like floodwaters. But you know what? That's okay. All it takes is one. One yes. One person who is willing to take a chance on me. So, if I'm insecure about anything this month, it's that. Am I good enough? And will someone recognize my potential.

What about you? What are your insecurities for this month?

Q is for Questionable Query Toughness

This month I'm participating in the A to Z blogging challenge and posting every day in April (except Sundays) with the corresponding letter of the day. The theme I chose for this year is 26 Days of Gratitude. I'll be posting about people, places, things, and events in my life I'm grateful for. Today is the letter...

So, I'm grateful for queries...Haha...NOT!

I wish I could say that I enjoy writing queries or that I love the query process, but that would be a lie. However, I AM grateful for what this whole query process has taught me about myself.

I'm tougher than I thought.

When I received my first rejection from an agent, admittedly, I MIGHT have
shed a few tears. But now, I've developed tougher skin. I don't take it personally. I look to other famous authors who have trudged through the query trenches and sent out dozens upon dozens of queries until there was an agent who was finally willing to take their project on.

For example, did you know that bestselling author Meg Cabot received a mail bag full of rejection letters from agents and 17 rejections from publishers before her first novel, Where Roses Grow Wild, was published? All in all, it took her three years of sending out queries to agents before she got an agent, and then one year for her agent to find a publisher willing to take on her project. Now that is dedication!

Also, J.K. Rowling, the author of the famous Harry Potter series, received 12 rejections from publishers before her agent was able to secure a deal with Bloomsbury Publishing. I bet all those publishers are kicking themselves now!

So even though I'm NOT thankful for the query process in and of itself, I'm thankful it has made me stronger. Rejections may come, but they aren't gonna stop me from reaching my goal. And THAT is something to be grateful for.