IWSG October: My Baby's Growing Up!

Hello everyone! It's time for another group posting of the IWSG. Hosted by the amazing Alex Cavanaugh, the IWSG is where we post our insecurities, doubts, triumphs, and offer encouragement and support to others. To join this group, go HERE. And as always, a big thank you to the co-hosts for this month!

Today is my little man's 4th birthday and while that doesn't really have anything to do with writing, it has everything to do with thoughts that have been going through my mind lately. I had one of those breakdown moments recently where I was ready to throw in the towel because I felt like I was lacking in so many areas as a mother. I felt like most of it was due to the time I've spent the past two and a half years writing and querying (which is over half the life of my little guy). And for a moment, I honestly thought to myself that I can't do both. Not anymore.

Obviously, it was in a moment of weakness, a moment of despair that I thought these thoughts, because I know that I've come so far, and I certainly can't quit now. But I guess I'm hoping for that silver lining. I guess I'm praying that this will be it, this will be my chance. I'm hoping this wonderful agent I sent the R&R to will love the changes I made and offer me representation (and thus begin my dream of working with one of the sweetest agents ever).

But I have to ask myself, what if she doesn't? Then what?

And the truth is, I don't know.

I still have agents with my old manuscript that I now need to contact and ask if they would like the revised copy. And, obviously, I need to do that sooner rather than later. But I'm tired. I'm tired of querying (not necessarily this book because I haven't sent that many queries yet, but I'm tired of querying in general.)

I suppose if I find myself still unagented after these revisions, then I guess I'll have to keep querying. I owe it to myself, and I owe it to the story. And I do know that my story is stronger, better than it was due to the suggestions of this fabulous agent who was willing to give me another chance to resubmit. I will always be grateful for that.

But for now, I'll keep hoping and praying.

The Latest in Life, Motherhood, and Writing

Some of you may be wondering what happened with that R&R I mentioned in a previous blog post a few weeks ago. Well... I finished it!

Yep, after working hard for a few weeks straight (and after insightful advice from critique partners and friends), I sent it to that wonderful agent yesterday. Can I just tell you how nervous I was to press send? I think I reread my email a dozen times, analyzing each word, going over all the changes I made in my head, trying to sound somewhat coherent when all I really wanted to do was write, "I DID IT!! I'm FINISHED! Do you LOVE it???? Say YES, please, say YES!!!"

And it's kind of funny, but I think I might have sat there, my cursor hovering over the send button for at least twenty more minutes had my finger not twitched and accidentally pressed send. Lol. Yeah.

Thankfully, the email was ready to go, but I guess some part of my body recognized the need to intervene with my crazy mind so I didn't obsess over it any longer.

So, now? I wait. This agent is usually super fast getting back to writers, so I'm guessing I'll know something in a couple weeks?

Although, I guess I'll be too busy to "wait." I'm hosting a baby shower at my house Thursday night and then my "baby" is turning FOUR (I can't believe he's four already!) in a few days and we are having a birthday party/brunch this Saturday at the house for him. Sooo, it will be a busy few days!

Those of you who are friends with me on Facebook probably already know about THE major milestone that occurred this year for me. (For those of you who want to friend me on Facebook, click HERE. I'll only friend you if I know you already—or recognize your name—from blogging or Twitter, though, because I've heard of crazy stuff happening on FB with people pretending to be someone they're not.)

Anyhoo, my "baby" started preschool this year, and after 13 and a half years of constant mothering, I have four hours a day, three days a week to myself!!!!! And it is AMAZING!!

When I came home the first day from dropping D off at preschool, I walked in the house, stopped and just listened. And guess what?? There was SILENCE! There was no running, no screaming, no whining, no crying, no "MOM!", no "I'm hungry"....

I truly understood the saying, "Silence is bliss."

As much as I love my kids, it sure is nice to get a break! :)

Hope you're having a good week! Happy Wednesday! :)

**OH! And make sure you check out Unicorn Bell this week. I'm featuring more "How I Got My Agent" stories and there are some GREAT ones!! You can read Summer Spence's story HERE. And Julie Dao's story HERE. And tune into Friday's post to see who's next... :)

Famous First Lines

Have you ever read the first few lines of a book and knew right away that you and the novel were about to have a beautiful relationship? One that would last at LEAST until the next day?

I'm a sucker for a good pick-up first line. If you can reel me in with your first line, chances are, I'll stick around and read the whole thing.

I've read some great first lines in YA novels lately, and here are a few I thought you might enjoy.




"The first time I died, I didn't see God. No light at the end of the tunnel. No haloed angels. No dead grandparents.

To be fair, I probably wasn't a solid shoo-in for heaven. But, honestly, I kind of assumed I'd make the cut."

~Fracture by Megan Miranda








"The early summer sky was the color of cat vomit.

Of course, Tally thought, you'd have to feed your cat only salmon-flavored cat food for a while, to get the pinks right."

~Uglies by Scott Westerfeld







"There's always that one guy who gets a hold on you. Not like your best friend's brother who gets you in a headlock kind of hold. Or the little kid you're babysitting who attaches himself to your leg kind of hold."

~The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg







"The name of the song is "This Lullaby." At this point, I've probably heard it, oh, about a million
times. Approximately.

All my life I've been told about how my father wrote it the day I was born. He was on the road somewhere in Texas, already split from my mom. The story goes that he got word of my birth, sat down with his guitar, and just came up with it, right there in a room at a Motel 6."

~This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen




"Welcome to the beautiful Sinclair family.

No one is a criminal.

No one is a liar.

No one is a failure."

~We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Aren't those great? Do you have a favorite? Have you read a memorable first line lately?

September IWSG—Moving On

Hello, IWSG peeps. It's that time again. Time for another group posting of the IWSG. Hosted by the amazing Alex Cavanaugh, the IWSG is where we post our insecurities, doubts, triumphs, and offer encouragement and support to others. To join this group, go HERE. And as always, a big thank you to the co-hosts for this month!

Well, y'all, I'm feeling pretty insecure at the moment. Last night, the Pitch Wars picks were released, and needless to say, I was not chosen. So, instead of feeling like this today:

I feel more like this:

No, I haven't cried or anything, but I am disappointed. I'm getting so used to rejection that I kind of expect it. 

BUT, I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Last night, as I was in the midst of finding out I didn't make it into Pitch Wars, I received an email from my dream agent. She was full of compliments for the story and suggestions of how I could make it better. So, with her suggestions in mind, I'm going to do a R&R, which I'm super nervous and excited about.

I want to thank all of you for your kind words on my Pitch Wars mentee bio (if you didn't read it, you can find it HERE). Thank you for cheering me on, for supporting me, and for helping me see that I'm not alone in this.

Writing can sometimes feel like a solitary endeavor, but it's really not. As writers, we need each other. We will fall and we will fail, but it's a community like this that will help pick you back up. So, thank you.

And lastly, I'm sorry I've been MIA lately when it comes to blogging. Summertime was crazy with all the kids home, and I finally feel like my life is getting back to normal. I hope to visit all of you who regularly visit me very soon! I've missed all of you! And I've missed reading about everything that's going on in your lives.

Happy Wednesday! (Now, it's time for me to eat my way through a vat of chocolate.)

Who the Heck Am I? An Unofficial #PitchWars Mentee Bio

Who am I?

Well, hopefully, if you're reading this, I'm your potential mentee! :) Or perhaps a fellow #PitchWars contestant.

(For those of you who are a little confused right now, I'm entering a contest called #PitchWars and will spend the next few paragraphs convincing the lovely and talented mentors why they should pick ME! For more info on this contest, please visit the amazing Brenda Drake's website HERE.)

So here goes...

WHAT I WRITE:
I write both YA and Adult romance. My #PitchWars entry is a YA Contemporary that is actually the 4th book I've written. It's a coming-of-age story about a city girl who moves to the middle of God-Only-Knows-Where the summer before her senior year of high school. She plans to hate it, but finds that sometimes love can be found in the most unlikely places. It would appeal to fans of Sarah Dessen or Stephanie Perkins.

I love YA. I love the thrill of falling in love for the first time and, of course, I love the kissing! Whether I'm writing a near future thriller or a YA contemporary, all of my books have an element of romance—that's just how I roll. I love to read the romance and I love to write the romance. 'Nuff said.

WHY YOU SHOULD PICK ME:
I am ready, willing, and able to work hard. I welcome your critiques, thoughts, changes, suggestions... I WANT IT ALL! I am in this for the long haul, and I know that it takes an incredible amount of perseverance, dedication, hard work, and patience to get to where all of you authors are today. That is my goal, and I'm willing to put in the time and effort (and blood, sweat, and tears!) to get there. Please give me the chance to prove myself! (Okay, I'll lay off the begging for now...) :)

WHAT I OFFER:
I like to think that I'm a very friendly, positive person. I love to laugh and I love to have fun, but I also know when to buckle down and get serious. I'm a hard worker. I'd love a mentor that I connect with as a person because it would be awesome to walk away from this with not only a perfectly polished manuscript (and maybe an offer of rep!), but a new friend as well.

MORE STUFF ABOUT ME:
I live in the middle-of-nowhere North Carolina with my husband and five sweet, fun, and wonderfully noisy little boys. Like many writers, I began writing as a child and wrote my first "book" in fifth grade. Time lapsed and in high school I became involved in things like cheerleading, show choir (think Glee but with dorkier outfits), soccer, boys... You catch my drift? Writing took a back burner.

Fast forward a decade. As a mom of young children, stories began to fill my mind (especially after I read the Twilight series. What can I say? Stephenie Meyer is my idol.) So, I started writing again. And now, here I am with four novels under my belt, begging you to PICK ME! Yup, I'm not ashamed to beg...or offer chocolates!

OTHER STUFF:

FAVORITE BOOKS:
Well, obviously, this list is endless, but I have read some books recently that I LOVED.

—THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson
—ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins
—DEFY by Sara Larson
—WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart
—FRACTURE by Megan Miranda
—THE SELECTION SERIES by Kiera Cass


FAVORITE TV SHOWS:

—Vampire Diaries (I can't get enough of this show. Puh-lease tell me there are more coming out!)
—White Collar (This one is a little obscure, but Matt Bomer who plays the main character Neal Caffrey is a hottie!)
—Castle (Nathan Fillion fan, anyone?)
—Drop Dead Diva (If you've never watched this one, you must! Find it on Netflix and watch ALL the seasons. Back to back. One right after the other. All day long. You won't be able to stop, trust me!)
—Modern Family (Like I said, I love to laugh!)
—Downton Abbey (In another life, I was born with a British accent and lived in a castle, so this one is fitting!)

MORE OTHER STUFF:

I love sushi, overdosing on chocolate, all things girly and sparkly, and beating my kids at Just Dance. If you looked in my closet, you'd notice that I have a major scarf fetish. I also love a little adventure, and I'm slowly knocking things off my bucket list, like this:

Ziplining through the Guatemalan jungle
(The handsome guy next to me is my
hubs. Sorry, he's taken!) :)

Just look at that form! :)

And this:

Parasailing over Gulf of Mexico—that's how small the boat
looks from where we are in the sky. And yep, the only
thing tethering us to the boat is that little cable.

And, of course, this:

Snowmobiling & snowboarding in Utah

Oh, and can't forget this:

Completing my first Triathlon (Man, I look
rough! And rightly so...) :) 

I'd like to forget this:

Eating escargot—gotta say, I'm not a huge fan!

And this isn't so much adventurous as just plain fun:

Braving the SCBWI conference and making
some great friends.

 And my greatest hit so far:

Being a mom to 5 bouncing boys!

Does that make me a *Superstar*? :)

So, if you think I'd be a good mentee, I guess there's really only one thing left to say...

Thanks so much for stopping by! :)

Cover Reveal: Piper Morgan Joins the Circus by Stephanie Faris

I'm super excited to be able to help reveal the cover of my dear friend Stephanie Faris' latest book, PIPER MORGAN JOINS THE CIRCUS. A huge congrats to Stephanie!! Isn't the cover just the cutest?

Piper Morgan Joins the Circus

Stephanie Faris

Cover illustration by Lucy Fleming.

Blurb:

When Piper Morgan has to move to a new town, she is sad to leave behind her friends, but excited for a new adventure. She is determined to have fun, be brave and find new friends.
And after learning her mom’s new job will be with the Big Top Circus, Piper can’t wait to learn all about life under the big top, see all the cool animals, and meet the Little Explorers, the other kids who travel with the show. She’s even more excited to learn that she gets to be a part of the Little Explorers and help them end each show with a routine to get the audience on their feet and dancing along!

But during Piper’s grand debut, her high kicks and pointed toes don't go quite as planned. After causing a dance disaster, she has to prove to everyone--especially queen of the Little Explorers, Lexie--that she belongs in the spotlight. 

Stephanie Faris:

Bio:

Stephanie Faris knew she wanted to be an author from a very young age. In fact, her mother often told her to stop reading so much and go outside and play with the other kids. After graduating from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science in broadcast journalism, she somehow found herself working in information technology. But she never stopped writing.


Stephanie is the Simon & Schuster author of 30 Days of No Gossip and 25 Roses, as well as the upcoming Piper Morgan series. When she isn’t crafting fiction, she writes for a variety of online websites on the topics of business, technology, and her favorite subject of all—fashion. She lives in Nashville with her husband, a sales executive. 

Links:

Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

I'm a sucker for circus themes! And the premise is fantastic—don't you think? Congrats again, Stephanie!

IWSG August: Doing Fine

Hello friends and fellow IWSGers!

As always, a big thank you to the amazing Alex Cavanaugh for bringing about this wonderful support group! And thanks to our hosts for the month!

This post will be a little different today. I'm on vacation on the beautiful Maine coast and I've put aside anything writing or querying or publishing related for the week. So, with that in mind, I guess you could say that I'm doing just fine.

Sure, I've received some query rejections, but I'm still hopeful.

And I'm super excited for Pitch Wars coming up in a couple of weeks. I'm really, really hoping that there will be a mentor who falls in love with my MS and wants to pick mine to work with. Keeping my fingers crossed!

So, that's it for me. How are you doing this month?