January 20, 2008

Never give up, never surrender!

Agent Update
Queries sent: 14
Rejections: 6
Partials requested: 2
Partials rejected: 1 :-(

Looks like I need to send out some more letters starting tomorrow. I haven't decided what my stop number is going to be yet. Nor if I will go directly to publishers once I've finished with my first round of agents.

The fact that I've been asked for two partials by larger agencies gives me hope. Reading excerpts from crappy novels in a magazine, which have MAJOR publishers, bothers me. I don't get it. I know my writing isn't as cheesy as some of this shit. It vexes me.

I've gone chapter to chapter with Lucky #1 I'll be writing the synopsis soon and tweaking it over the next couple of days before sending it out. At least now, with a synopsis, I'll be able to query more agents.

My internet bookmarks have been growing steadily for a while and I had way to many. So today, I decided to go through them. It took me a while...jeeze. But I did find some gems I'd forgotten about.

http://accent.gmu.edu/browse_language.php This site allows you to hear people of non-english background, reading an English passage so you can hear their accent. Cool, huh?

http://www.slushpile.net/ A writing site with lots of great information, news, book reviews, etc.

http://www.dearreader.com/ This site lets you subscribe to genre categories and receive weekly book excerpts. Publisher can also submit books for consideration.


Anyone watch American Idol this week? Wow, people really do go overboard to get on TV don't they? I won't be surprised if this is the last year. Yes, there are very talented people out there, but Idol is just attracting the crazy crowd more. Wanna know what's even worse? The Princess Leia dude....he's my (ready for this?) nephew's friend's mother's co-worker. Heh. My mom called me and couldn't stop laughing.

Moonlight was awesome this week. I loved that whole back story line with Coraline. If they work more of that shit into the show and get involved in the history, they could really make the show work. Still, I think Mick needs to stay a vampire.

The last few days I've been watching Death Note. I...obtained it, subbed for Jenn's viewing pleasure and rather enjoyed it. I can honestly say I wasn't expecting it to end the way it did, though I should have. The one thing I did notice the most in this anime was the internal thought. There was SO much of it, I mean, like, more than normal. Then, as I continued to watch, I noticed how important it was. You had to know what both main characters were thinking and feeling to understand where the plot was going. Cat and mouse, yes, but so much more. The tension came from knowing what they knew.

It could have been handled slightly different, I'm sure, but after I got used to it, the ride wasn't half bad. Now, I just have to get the second movie so I can watch them both in a row. Whee!

Next I think is Saiyuki Reload or Gunslinger Girl. Haven't decided yet. With all my shows off, I've got some time to watch anime. I'm so behind...

January 12, 2008

Writers "Groups", Agent Update, and Networking!

Okay, what’s up with these “groups”?

Fill in the blank:

­­­_______ Writers of America

Science Fiction and Fantasy

Mystery

Romance

Western

Not to mention: Pro Football and Fantasy Sports Writers of America

Then you have:

­________ Writers Association

Horror

Gardening (!!)

And International Thriller Writers

Of course there are a bunch of other “societies” and a never ending list of local chapters. Whee!

Where does one start? I know certain groups you can join without being published. Others, you need books on the shelf to even be considered. My problem? Which one to join when I actually do have books out there?

Do I start out with Sci-Fi because that’s what Tiva is? Should I join the group I think I’ll be writing the most in?

So far I’ve written: Chick Lit, Romantic Suspense, Mystery, Young Adult, Science Fiction, and Thriller. I’ll probably never get into Westerns but I may try Horror one day in the future. The dilemma then becomes which group is best for me, if any?

I don’t want to stick to one genre. That’s what makes writing so wonderful. Today, I can write a Sci-fi romantic mystery and tomorrow I might want to do an Urban Horror fantasy. What happens when I want to write a woman’s literary novel, Fairy tale Adventure or a comical kid’s action book?

I haven’t found a general Fiction writers association, it’s all sub genres!!

Bleh.

The one that seems to make the most sense is The Romance Writers. Even though there is always that love story or intimate relationship aspect to my writing, I don’t write straight romance. The main plot is never about two people hooking up; the love story is always second and sometimes third. But it is so LARGE and stocked with people, I’d just get lost in the crowd.

Ugh.

Well, until I’m closer to seeing Tiva’s book on the shelf, I’ll continue to research said organizations before choosing one, or two to join.

Do you belong to any group? How do you like it? Do they really help you?


Agent Search Update!!


Queries sent: 12
Rejections: 3
Partials requested: 1

I am keeping track of everyone I’m sending to, including response dates. Kinda makes the whole process fun. I was originally going to send out 3-5 queries a day, but that just seems silly. In a week, that would be over thirty queries. Not only would I be saturating the field, I’d probably end up query people who know each other!

So, I’m pacing myself a bit. I’ll take tomorrow off, then I’ll send out a few more on Monday. When I hit twenty I’ll break for a week or so. Even though I have a partial out there, most of the people I’m querying won’t respond for four weeks.

I have so many people on my social networking sites; I’m really surprised I don’t “know” any agents yet. Sure, I’ve posted on some of their blogs and left messages and such, but I don’t know any of them. My networking skills need some polishing I think.

I’ve found a few agents through author websites, mainly those authors I enjoy reading or have had contact with. Makes the query letters more personal, so hopefully that gets me noticed.

If you’d like to recommend an agent for Lucky’s books (it’s a thriller with a side dish of romance, but it’s not really a romantic relationship), I’d be ecstatic!!

I’m almost up to 900 friends on myspace!! I never thought I’d have that many! I’d love to hit 1000 before Tiva comes out so if we’re not friends yet, please add me!!

My other sites:

http://jennafern.vox.com/

http://jennafern.blogspot.com/

http://www.librarything.com/profile/jennafern

http://jennafern.hi5.com/


I’ll be sure to add you back!!

January 9, 2008

Agent Update and Book Review

Well, stick me with a hot poker and call me Bessie. I have an update for my agent search and I think today was the perfect day to get some good news.

Queries sent: 8
Rejections: 2
Partial requests: 1

Yes!

I was bummed about the two quick rejections. Then this morning, well let’s just say shit hit the fan, financially, and I’m just starting to get responses from my job search. So, having a partial requested, two days into the agent search…well, it makes me pretty frickin happy.

There are still five out there, could be interesting to see what happens. I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting responses so soon. It’s less stressful seeing a few trickles each day instead of waiting weeks for a deluge, right?

Whee!

What a nice and unexpected way to start out my search.


REVIEW TIME!!

I’ve finished reading my first book of 2008. I’m trying to keep track this year, and write up a review or commentary for each one. I definitely need to read more and expand my genre lists further. Reading Simon Haynes' Hal Spacejock was a great start to the year!

(Amazon link)
  • Paperback: 349 pages
  • Publisher: Fremantle Arts Centre Press (May 30, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 192073189X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1920731892

First off, I won the book. Woot! I love winning things. I think the reason I never won anything earlier in life was so I could win all these cool books and talk about them online.

Well, I got this book and you want to know how silly I am? The first thing I noticed was the front cover. Not the image, I’ve see Hal a dozen times (love it!), but it was the slight indentation on the covers (front and back) that held my amazement for a good half hour. I HATE bending my paperback binders. I’ve read many, many books slightly cracked open for fear of bending my binders. Don’t ask, I have no clue why I’m like this. I just am. So this book has a built in unbending-your-binder-thing on the cover. Cool!!!

Then, I started reading and before I knew it, a few hours later, I was almost done with the book! Yes, I’m a fast reader…but I was hooked from the start.

Hal Space jock is Han Solo meets Homer Simpson. Must be in the initials or something! This big hearted, stubborn, goofball and his eclectic ‘friends’ make for a fun trip through space. Who wouldn’t love a future where elevators take revenge on you, robots have more common sense than humans, and your ship is a smart ass? Considering I rarely read stuff like this, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and found myself laughing aloud at least once a chapter.

Haynes found a nice balance for the silliness with the honest moments between Hal and Clunk. Even when I want to smack Hal around for being so difficult, it was worth seeing the end result, instead of how I’d want things to unfold!

As much as I did laugh, it reminded me of someone else who writes comedy (cdp). I think comedy is the hardest thing to write, probably because I don’t do it well. Though the styles are different, I think sci-fi humor is harder to pull off. It's been compared to Red Dwarf, but I've never read that either therefore I haven't a clue if its even close, though, funny it is!

So here’s the link for Simon Haynes. I’ll be getting the other two Hal novels just as soon as I’ve got some money in the bank!

Thank you for the book Simon! You've got yourself another fan.

January 4, 2008

2007 recap

Twenty-five things I learned in 2007

  1. Coloring your hair for too many years in a row results in PTSD when you realize how much gray hair you really have.
  2. Trying to change the older members on your family is futile. Better idea; learn how to deal with them, even if it means ignoring them.
  3. Free movies make me spoiled.
  4. Trusting people 100% is impossible.
  5. Social networking is a wonderful way to make new friends. (Hi new friends!!)
  6. Whatever trend I tend to love is always hijacked by mainstream pop culture.
  7. Chuck can be a girls name or a boys name….who knew?
  8. Just when TV writing and TV shows start to get awesome, something always happens to fuck it up. This year: the writers strike. (Though I stand by them, it still stinks for the viewer in me.)
  9. Learning is actually fun, if you pick a topic you’re interested in.
  10. Kidney stones really do hurt like a bitch.
  11. Quitting smoking while you’re sick makes it 50 times easier.
  12. Writing 50,000 words in a month isn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be. However, finishing said novel is harder.
  13. Query letters suck.
  14. Reading books outside your genre comfort zone might just turn up a few gems.
  15. Celebrity drama isn’t all that, and certainly not as painful as homegrown drama.
  16. Writing keeps me alive.
  17. Hearing isn’t the same as listening.
  18. Talking less allows you to learn more. Sometimes more than you bargained for.
  19. Dieting is retarded, changing your eating and exercising habits is the only way to lose weight.
  20. Getting involved in political and/or religious debates requires careful treading.
  21. If you understand (and “listen” to) your body, you probably don’t have to take all those prescription drugs your doctor is trying to push on you. There’s a natural remedy for many of life’s ailments.
  22. I could have been a kick ass drummer. ROCK BAND told me so!
  23. Kids are much smarter than most adults give them credit for and should be taken seriously.
  24. Cleaning the house just leads to more cleaning.
  25. My fascination with all things pop culture will never end.

Of course, I’ve learned much more than this. But these ones stick out in my head, so I figured I would share.

Now, onto the Favorites Of 2007…mind you, some of these may have actually come out earlier, but I didn’t get my grubby hands on them until this year.

Books:

Favorite books outside my normal genre readings:

Kite Runner

Favorite Sci-fi and/or Fantasy:

Harry Potter 7

Stardust

Plague of Memory

Favorite Thriller/Suspense:

Bad Luck and Trouble

Requiem for an Assassin

The Poet

Favorite Romance:

Darkfever

Bloodfever

Favorite Young Adult/Children’s

Spiderwick Chronicles

Coraline

Return to Zandria

I know I read a bunch more books this year, but for the life of me, I can’t remember them all. I don’t even know if I read a non-fiction book this year. I’ve decided to keep an excel spreadsheet for all read books for 2008 so it’ll be easier to blog about next year. I already have one read thanks to Simon Haynes. I won a copy of his Hal Spacejock book. (Will post review later)

Movies/DVD’s:

Thriller/Suspense:

Zodiac

Bourne Ultimatum

Horror:

Halloween (Revisited)

28 Weeks Later

Comedy:

Superbad

Romance:

Knocked Up

Sci-fi/Fantasy:

Harry Potter 5

Ghost Rider

Stardust

Foreign:

Pan’s Labyrinth

Musical:
Dreamgirls

Animation:
Superman Doomsday

Highlander

Blade of the Phantom Master

Action:

Transformers

300

War:

Rescue Dawn

I haven’t been to the movies since before the summer, so I know I’m behind on my movie watching. I honestly don’t mind waiting, but that doesn’t make for a timely pop culture whore now does it?

Television:

Favorite new shows:

Journeyman

Moonlight

Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy:

Heroes

LOST

Battlestar Galactica

Favorite Comedy:

30 Rock

Favorite Cop/Crime:

L&O SVU

Criminal Minds

Favorite Reality:

Survivor

Kid Nation

Favorite Cable shows:
Tell me you love me

Human Weapon

Weeds

We all know Jenn watches too much TV, and I have about 20 more shows I could add to this list, but I won’t. I will, however, just say this: Smallville is underrated. I’ve been watching old seasons and the writers are amazing. Aside from the fact that the whole show is about trust and love and EVERYONE is always in the hospital, it’s a great show. They bring things back from earlier seasons and fit it right into a current story plot! I love that! And I do love the cheese little lines and filler shows they do. I recently saw the one where Luke Duke made his appearance as “Uncle Jack”. That episode was great. Lex called him a “good ol’ boy”, they did the whole car thing….just great. I wonder how many youngsters missed all those funny little additions to the show.

Video Games:

Heavenly Sword

Rock Band

Stuntman

Singstar

I’ve been lacking in the VG department. Usually I only play RPG’s and none came out this year that I wanted to play. We’ll see what happens this year.

Any favorites from 2007 you think I should check out? I’m always open to suggestions!!