Blog flu

Let's not talk about the swine flu, okay? Let's have fun and talk about some blogs that you really should be reading if you're a writer.

Those of you who actually read this, and aren't writers, I know you value my opinion on pop culture SO much! (lol) So, I'll post my own pop blog later this week after I catch up on some TV.

What's going on in the blogsphere this week?

Scott Egan is doing a pitch contest review on his blog. He asked for submissions last week and is critiquing them this week! Mines not there...yet. http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/

This is a really informative blog I found recently. http://yodiwan.wordpress.com/

I've been watching this blog for a couple of months and they have a shit load of contest announcements. You NEED to be on this one: http://writingcontests.wordpress.com/

Do you need help with your query letters? Check out the public slush pile! http://openquery.blogspot.com/

Publisher Weekly (though I am mad at one of those people over there...) has a huge list of feeds for their blogs and articles. Highly suggested: http://www.publishersweekly.com/learnRss

Got a great query, but still need an agent (ME TOO!) check out these blogs: http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/ and http://querytracker.blogspot.com/

Seriously, I have 173 blogs I'm following on blogger alone. Take a look at my page if you want to see them all. http://jennafern.blogspot.com/ You won't be sorry you stopped by!

Happy reading!

Back to submitting, oh the joy!

My birthday weekend was very nice. Had a little party on Friday, writer's meeting on Saturday, and visited my parents on Sunday. Busy, but that's okay...

Got another rejection this morning. However, it came with feedback. She didn't mention my writing, just the main character. Said Lucky is hard to relate to. Not sure many people can relate to this type of character without reading past chapter three, but since it was a partial, I'll never have that chance with this editor. Ah well. She was very nice and gave me something to think about.

I've decided NOT to wait for the other people to respond and submit to more editors and publishers this week. I'm not sending to any other agents either. Going right for the guts.

The list I have is mid to small publishers. They get first dibs.

If one of them is smart, they'll buy my books. Why? Because I'm willing to do all the hard work it takes to make it in this industry. I've done my homework and know what comes next. Besides, I've written a great story here. It works. It doesn't follow "traditional" romance format and I know I just need to find that one editor who gets it. With some of the new romance books I've seen in the last few months by debut authors, I seriously don't see a problem in someone picking up Lucky. *Positive thoughts, positive thoughts*

Aren't you people tired of paranormal? I sure am and I barely even read the genre.

Sure, fiction is supposed to take you away from reality and into another world but do all those worlds HAVE to involve vampires or demons or psychics or werecreatures or shapeshifters? I TRIED to find some type of supernatural being, creature, whatever, to write about that hasn't been over done and I couldn't find one. So I won't write it. Makes sense right?

Granted, I do want to write in more than one genre in general, but why saturate the market with more books about vampires when there is a crap load of them out already. I know, your answer will be "that's what sells right now."

Bah!

When I was first introduced to a certain paranormal author, I read her entire back list just so I would be ready for the new release. Granted, I read that new release and haven't picked up another one of her books and probably never will, but at least I read the older stuff too...

I'm assuming other readers do that too with series But if they did, would we need 50 new paranormal vampire/were/shapeshifter books each month? (yes, exaggerating) Doubt it. Just read something older!

Great books and authors are found that way.

Anyway, I'll be making a list of publisher to submit to this week and work on printing copies and getting envelopes ready. Some actually take e-submissions, so I'll probably start with them before the end of the work week. The others have to wait for the weekend.

Fun fun fun.

But I wouldn't have it any other way.

Guest Blogging

Hey Everyone,

I'm guest blogging today at my writer's group, talking about social networking. Check it out: http://www.libertystatesfictionwriters.com/blog-read-around-the-world/


Leave a comment too, if you want!

Week in pop culture, Jenn style!

So, yeah...what a week huh?

I'd like to start with Susan Boyle. I'm sure by now you've seen her audition, but have you seen this: http://tinyurl.com/c4zsxf She's wonderful! I really loved how during her audition Simon's face went from eye roll to wonder to utter fascination.

I'm not one to judge people based on looks. I used to be VERY heavy and know what it feels like to be overlooked or laughed at because of looks. It's kinda sad when someone like Brittney Spears can make a shit load of money with so little talent, and this woman had to wait until she was almost 50 for someone to recognize her gift. But, better late than never eh? I hope this will teach a lesson to some people out there who think that beauty is only on the outside.

Ashton Kutcher won the twitter challenge against CNN. Stinky, but at least they are donating money and stuff to charity. That makes it ok for me that he won. LOL I'm such a CNN junkie I couldn't help myself...

Johnny Depp on Spongebob tonight. 'Nuff said.

Stupid, Stupid, Stupid Brandon! WTF were you thinking? I have a feeling that Taj totally blindsided him. He's a good sport though, didn't make a fuss like Coach would have. Grrr. Now I have to put up with him and Tyson for another week? Gag.

24 ripped my brain out, stepped on it, and then put it back in backwards. I'll never be the same again. Yeah, didn't see it coming. Thought it was possible during the first few episodes, but man, they got me this time. I hope my original thought of Bad-Tony was wrong, though now with this twist, I probably am. Figures.

LOST still = love. Hurley and Miles are killer together. And btw, I'm in the shadow of the statue. LOL

New Harry Potter trailer looks FANTASTIC! I'm so going opening weekend!

I didn't get a chance to watch CSI last night, but the first 10 mins had me cracking up. Can't wait to see the rest. No Mentalist, Smallville, Criminal Minds, or Supernatural this week. *sniffle*

Heroes is back on track! I love how everything is tying into the second season once again. If you remember correctly, Future Peter was trying to stop Sylar from taking over for Nathan and destroying the world. It's still happening, but now it's coming even quicker because of the shape shifting ability and the fact he got to Clair a few years earlier. Nice. Great fixes. Kudos to Fuller!

Celebrity book deals irk the shit outta me. Though, I have to admit I would read Mama Spelling's book before Tori's. Saw her on Larry King and she seems like a super lady!

The Pirate Bay guys are in jail. Oops, that sucks.

State of Play has a great cast. That makes me worry. The cast for Edison Force was great too...have you seen that movie? Yeah, didn't think so.

I haven't read anything in a while, just blogs and news stuff. Fun, but that's okay, there's not much out there I need to read right now. I'm waiting for the next Reacher and Davenport books...

In writing news: I didn't make it to the semi finals for the Amazon contest. Ah well. Disappointed, but I didn't even think I'd make it to the quarter finals, so I'm okay with it. First major contest I entered, good sign I guess.

I've decided to start submitting again. There are a couple of publishers I want to try and a few more agents. I'll try the agents first, wait until June-ish for the publishers and see what happens. If that doesn't work, I may try the smaller publishers out there. Lucky needs a home and she will find one!

Ah, the weather is beautiful! I'm almost done here. Hope you all have a great weekend.

*waves*

Rejections, contests, and tax day...

Yes everyone, it's that time of the year again. Taxes must be mailed by tomorrow. There, I did my public service and reminded you. Me, I got my money already...hehe

I received another rejection last week. It really bummed me out. I've seen a few books from the company and I honestly thought mine was just as good, if not better. Am I just fooling myself? I don't know...I've been trying to get someone to buy Lucky for over a year now. I know I'm doing everything right. I got picked out of 10,000 people for this Amazon contest. I just don't know. Ah well. Keep pushing forward, right? I know. I will. :-)

The next round of the Amazon contest is tomorrow. I'll be a little disappointed if I don't make it, but I've read some of the submissions and they are good. We'll see. I'm just glad the reviewers aren't picking the next round...industry professionals are. Though that kinda makes me nervous at the same time.

If I do make it into the next round, I will focus on Tiva for the next month or so. I need to finish editing it, make sure the query is good, and then I may start hard core submissions. That should take at least a month. Maybe by then I'll know better what I should do next, because I really don't know anymore.

I send reminder emails to three people two agents and one editor. Heard nothing. I have responses from February from my last reminder letters, both said they would get back to me in a month, it's been over a month and a half...should I wait? Should I send another letter? Grrr.

The waiting game sucks. The what to do next game sucks worse.

Too bad there isn't a machine like in Futurama that tells you what you should do for a living. Maybe if I knew that I sucked and couldn't make it as a writer I'd stop and do something else. Still, I don't believe that I suck, maybe I'm just holding out for the big guns when I should take my manuscripts to the smaller guys...

*Sigh* No worries, I'm still in it for now. We'll see what the rest of the year brings me.

24 was OMFG last night. I know some haven't watched yet, so I will refrain from further comment...well except for: JACK NEEDS HIS BAG BACK!!!

On the flip side, work is great, family is great, friends are awesome. Life is good.

Yes, I am reading your blog!

I'm very much the lurker on many, many blog/web sites. If I'm following you, I'm reading you. Honest. I have a gazillion blogs on my lists. If I commented on every one I've read, I'd never have time to sleep, or eat, or write my own blog.

But...I am reading.

Over the last few months, I've subscribed to at least 100 more blogs. People from writer's groups, new friends I made on Facebook/Myspace/LJ/Blogger. It's almost to the point of information overload, but I can't help myself. I need to know. I need to learn. I need you!

What I love most about blogging and social networking is that I can find people with similar interests. I'll admit, right now, the majority of my "friends" are writers or people I know. There are others out there who share specific interests with me, like TV, movies, Sci-Fi, Anime, etc...so no matter what I'm doing, I always have someone to share the fun with!

In other news...I've sent out a couple query reminders yesterday. I really hope to get some good news before my birthday. Making the top 100 in the Amazon contest would be awesome. That might be a big selling point to agents/editors. If not, I'll keep plugging away as usual.

I did send out a few new queries in January and March. No word yet on those, but it's still early. Won't bother anyone for at least three months! Gotta follow the rules kids, otherwise you get kicked out of the playground!

Being the eternal pessimist, I try not to get my hopes up too much because the crash after disappointment doesn't work well for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a cranky pessimist or self-hater, I guess I'm a realist. Maybe.

I told a friend of mine I would be very surprised (and uber happy) to make it into the next round of the Amazon contest, but I wouldn't be too upset if I didn't. He asked why. I said: "There are a ton of writers out there who are better than I am. If I make it, I make it, if not, oh well." Pessimist or realist? I don't know. What I do know is that there are a shit load of writers out there worse than me. But, I was like them once too. Passive voice. Telling not showing. You know, all those writerly things that drive an editor nuts.

Good thing about writing, you don't actually have to have a natural talent for it, it helps, but you can learn. Learning the craft doesn't mean you'll be a NY Times Bestseller or Pulitzer winner, but you'll definitely be a better writer.

I know I am.

Reading all the blogs that I do helps me. What do you do to improve your writing?