Book Contract: How It All Happened

I write Appalachian romance. And if you read last weeks post, know that I recently signed a three book contract for the Cadence of Grace Series with WaterBrook Press. Yippee!

The first book in the series, Be Still My Soul, drops readers in the midst of the Blue Ridge Mountains at the turn of the last century at a time when honor and duty walked the same path as hope and faith. It's my prayer that this love story will touch hearts and encourage readers.

When I originally sent out queries, I knew this series was going to be a tough sell to agents. If I managed to get an agent, I knew it would be an even tougher sell to a publisher. Which is why I am throwing confetti in the air in honor of my fabulous agent, Sandra Bishop (MacGregor Literary). The woman is a rock star and not only saw potential in my story, but had enough faith in it to sign me on and pitch it to publishers.

When she informed me that WaterBrook Press was considering my proposal, I was over the moon. I've long admired their taste in fiction and am a huge fan of titles from authors like Liz Curtis Higgs, Susan Meissner and Kristen Heitzmann. The journey continued for months and months as my proposal went farther down the conveyor belt, constantly under the scrutiny of publishing pros. I was prepared that most likely, nothing would come of it. If by some miracle anything did, they just might want one...maybe two books. But all three?

As the waiting continued, I checked my email every day, chewed my fingernails down to stubs, and wore holes in my jeans for all the time I spent talking to God about it.

Then one day, I got The Call. Hearing my agent's voice on the other line with that mysterious-happy-restrained tone, my heart went into over drive. When she broke the good news that all three books had been chosen for publication, I wanted to cry. I think I might have. I immediately called my husband and of course my mom and I know I did the happy dance. I was REALLY pregnant then and let's just say...no that wasn't an earthquake you felt. :] That was one happy author!

Photo credit: Cold Mountain, 2003

2011 Favorites

It's that time of year again. The time to give a virtual high five to my favorites of 2011. Granted, not all of the following books came out in 2011, but it's the year I had the pleasure of experiencing the talents of these amazing writers, so it's the year I shall share :) To keep things simple, I won't include story summaries, just the why and what that made these reads so irresistible.

Books:

Fiction

Indivisible by Kristen Heitzmann. Anybody who knows me knows I'm a total scardy cat. I jump at YouTube previews and scream when a shadow crosses the front window (later to discover it's just the UPS man) But I digress. Indivisible was just the right blend of chilling, on the edge-of-my-seat romance. Kristen's gift at storytelling sold me at page one. I became an instant fan.

Plain Jayne by Hillary Manton Lodge. I must admit, I'm not a big reader of Amish fiction but Hillary's debut novel was impossible to put down. Her characters were so likable and real and Hillary's voice is hilarious. It's one of the few books I've ever read that made me guffaw and snort all in the same paragraph.

Fresh Start Summer by Beverly Nault. I'm a huge fan of Beverly's style of writing. Casual, funny and always inspirational. She writes the kind of characters you want to be friends with. If you like cozy fiction and a writer with a sense of humor, snatch this one up!

Katia by Bruce Judisch. A dramatic and witty recount straight from Berlin during the time of the wall. Bruce's novel drew me in from the start and didn't let go until I read The End. This is the type of book that challenges. It made me want to be a better person.


Non-Fiction

A Love That Multiplies by Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. Whether you have one child or a bus load, this peek into the Duggars lives is truly inspiring. Any couple that encourages parents to strive for greatness and Godliness when it comes to raising children are heroes in my book.

We Are Not Alone by Kristen Lamb. Easy to read, stuffed with important how-to's, and the ever helpful what-not-to-do's, this book is a gem of information on social media. And Kristen is a total riot. Not to mention, her way of using her own blunders to help others is pretty darn cool.


Movies:

I guess I should say movie, because I haven't gotten out much this year =)

But I can't think of a movie more worth mentioning than Courageous. My husband and I had a date night for our anniversary and this was the perfect movie. Encouraging, uplifting and even life changing, this is a film that all families should see. Plus, I cried within the first two minutes. This movie had me at hello.

So there's the nutshell. I'm curious. What great reads and films did you discover this year?

Bloopers and Blunders of a Wannabe Author



"I'm just a cotton headed ninny muggins."

"You're not a cotton headed ninny muggins...You're just special."


Poor Buddy the elf. I know just how he feels.

How so? Well, I've decided something--aspiring authors can sometimes be rather spastic people. Or for the sake of this blog post, "special." I mean, we've got all this penned up energy, all these stories darting around in our brains while trying to squeeze through this funnel that leads to the world of publication. So at times (due to all that creative energy and darn emotional drive) we tend to be more of a menace to society than a pulled together professional. Ever had one of those moments? The moment when any decorum (or coolness) you may have had dissipated quicker than you could say "elevator pitch."

Boy, have I ever. So just for fun, and for all you out there who've ever accidentally traded your brief case for a dunce cap, I've decided to share a few of my own writing bloopers and blunders.


1.  So when I first starting sending out query letters, I printed them on this really nice ivory paper. Nothing wrong with that. But then I decided to get crafty and use my little embosser I got at the scrapbook store and make a pretty little header on top with scrolly things and a flower. Apparently, I thought my crafty touches would secure me an instant contract. It didn't. Fortunately I showed restraint before pulling out the stickers and puffy paint--but not before drawing, then scanning, my own personal logo that I so professionally designed and printed on each query letter. Beginning to see the whole wanna be author on the loose thing? Oh, it gets worse.

2.  Many moons ago, at one of my first signings for a little book I had, an old family friend (someone whom I've known practically since birth) came to buy one. I pulled out a fresh copy of the book and my little sharpie marker, then went to personalize it.

Except I just stared blankly at the page, wracking my brain for this person's name. For the life of me, I couldn't remember.

I asked them--this person I'd known since birth--who I should make it out to. They suggested I make it out to them and their spouse.

Oh.

Now at this point, I desperately wanted to dive under the table but I'd probably smack my head and knock myself out and I really didn't want the bookstore owner to have to call 911 on my behalf. Besides, as a close family friend this person would probably have offered to ride in the back of the ambulance with me and hold my hand while I iced the lump on my head the size of a cantaloupe AND I still wouldn't have been able to remember their name. Hmmm, at least I'd have an excuse. Tempting...

I decide to forgo the diving under the table opportunity and proceeded to stare blankly at the page awaiting personalization. Finally, I asked, "How do you spell your name?" And (of course) they said, "Just like it sounds."

Uh.

At that moment, this sweet, kind, patient person spelled out their name and the light bulb went on. I may have been sweating bullets by then, but if they noticed, they showed nothing but gratitude for the book.


3:  At a writer's conference recently, I had an appointment to meet with one of my absolute favorite authors. I was really excited. Beyond excited, because I'd been planning on meeting with this person for months and had all these questions I was just dying to ask.

So. I had my time mentally recorded when I began chatting with another writer friend during a free moment. She told me about her upcoming appointments and somehow my (spastic-wannabe-author-on-the-loose) brain decided to convert her time to mine. Long story short, I suddenly realized that I had missed my meeting so I rushed (OK, I practically ran--if you're envisioning me in my ridiculous black high-heels catapulting myself through the facility, business cards flying out behind me like a cloud of dust...you're not too far off). I missed the meeting and with a broken lil' writer's heart, mopped my brow and probably went in search of the snack table to drown my sorrows. I hear they invented this thing called pen and paper--they say its handy for writing things down. Who'da thought?


4.  The VERY first time I called my agent, it went to her voicemail and I was so nervous I blurted out, "Hi Suzanne, this is Sandra."

Instant Replay: "Hi Suzanne, this is Sandra."

eh em.

My agents name would be Sandra and my name would be Joanne.

Apparently I confused her with my mother-in-law, then proceeded to steal her identity. Oh, and then I sat without speaking for probably five seconds, no doubt breathing into the phone like a stalker, debating whether or not to hang up. Then I remembered this little thing called caller ID (and how to converse in the English language) and quickly left the shortest, most pitiful message I could manage before hanging up. Yeah. Great way to kick off that professional agent/author relationship.

Well that was painful, but I feel like I got a lot off my chest ;) Feel free to share you're own bloopers and blunders. I'd love to know that there are others out there who've lost all sense and reason at least one time or another! Oh and the next time you bump into a writer aspiring toward publication, be patient...they're a little special.

Photo credit: Elf, 2003

Writer's Block (part two)

So I'm back on the subject of writer's block. (If you missed part one of this duo, check it out here.)

Do you want the good news first or the bad news?

Good news? OK, the good news is that I've gotten over my writer's block. Hooray (cue the confetti)

But now for the bad news: there was no fool proof solution. :( Sorry. I was hoping there would be one, but at the same time, its a little freeing to know that as an author, I wasn't doing anything wrong. This wasn't a problem I needed to fix. It was just a season. A phase. And it worked itself out.

After googling "How to overcome writer's block," I found plenty of sites that had the best 10 ways of moving forward. Suggestions like, get some exercise, have a snack, while useful--weren't helping. Its like telling someone you have the flu and they say "Have you taken any vitamin C lately?"

"Yes, I practically Od'd on the stuff, thank you very much, and don't even get me started on the amount of garlic I've consumed. Oh, you already noticed. My point exactly. "


I just didn't find the advice I was looking for. Granted, I could have dug a little deeper, but I was trying to write, and googling writer's block meant I had reached and all time low.

So, while I've mentioned there were no clear-cut solutions, there were a few tricks that definitely helped get the ball rolling--asking my fellow writing friends for tips and suggestions was incredibly helpful! For starters, I kept it up with the outlining and continued pounding away words even if I didn't end up keeping them.

Also, I cleaned up my writing play list. Old songs just gotta go. If I've listened to them too many times, they tend to loose their, uh, potency. Writers, you know what I mean. So I added a song or two (really great ones, as a matter of fact!) and those helped me break into a different level of emotion. Also, I tried acting out the scene (thanks, Dona). While I felt moronic sitting at my kitchen table, a pretend cup of coffee in my hand, having a conversation with invisible people, that experience pretty much aided in the elimination of lame dialogue :D

Another thing I did, was accept that me and my delete button were just going to have to get along. I knew that whatever I wrote on day one, would be deleted on day two. And whatever got put down on paper during day two...yep...day three pretty munch meant: select all, delete. Ugh. It was a little frustrating, but I knew that eventually, I would come up with a scene that would be, well...undeletable (not a word, I know.)

I've just organized my writing desk and have stumbled upon pages of scratch paper. Scribbly notes. Chicken scratch. Arrows. Happy faces. All the workings of a mad woman trying to pull her way out of writers block. But it truly helped. At one point, I just decided to settle on a tone for a particular chapter, whether it be happy, or melancholy, etc. Then I circled it and branched off from there with dialogue ideas, action ideas, what NEEDS to happen.

This NEEDS to happen thing is a really important one to me. In an overall book...certain things need to happen. Take The Chronicles of Narnia, for example. What needs to happen? The kids need to find hope and joy in their new situation (solution: the wardrobe and their discover of Narnia), they need the chance to make a difference in a situation since they have absolutely no control in their lives or the war (solution: they help to save Narnia from the White Witch), etc. etc.

So as I sat staring at this unfinished story of mine, I often write down what needs to happen. Character A needs to make peace with Character B or Character B needs to pick a fight with Character C because I need some conflict in that particular relationship. Once I know what is needed in a chapter/section and if there is a particular mood I'm aiming for, then the pieces can start falling into place. I typically do this for each chapter and after taking a few moments to mentally go through these basics, I dive into writing. I don't really do any planning beyond this. And I just sort of take the chapter...for a little ride (actually, more often it feels like the story takes me for a ride and I'm just hanging on for dear life as the action unfolds--no wonder this writing thing is so much fun) :D

My point is, that for the most part, it just took being bigger than the problem. I spent some time in prayer, knowing that it would not only clear my head, but help me focus on what was important, including hurdles that had been overcome in the past. And I trusted that nothing was impossible!

I stared writers block in the face and told it to hit the road. And when it didn't listen (grrr) I ranted and raved for a few days (hey, I'm human) before buckling down and hitting the keyboard with everything I had. Write. Delete. Write. Delete. Until finally, victory!

Its such a blessing to be free of writer's block and if (I mean, when) it comes back at me, I'll be a little better prepared, and above all, trust that its all in the Lord's timing and sometimes, feeling helpless is a good thing. Its humbling and a tangible reminder to be thankful for the good times, and to keep the faith in the bad.

Oh yeah, and I gotta admit that the exercises thing kinda helped. I bought myself a gym membership and after a few rounds on the treadmill, things at the typewriter started flowing again. Maybe there's something to that bit of advice after all ;)

Writer's Block (part one)

Tap. Tap. "Is this thing on?" oh, ok, it is.

"Ugh." I have writer's block.

To be perfectly honest, its been a while since I've been visited my this unwelcome guest. And as much as I'd like him to pack up his little suitcase and obnoxious voice, which reminds me each time I sit at my computer and pull up my current manuscript, "You have no idea what you are going to write about." And, "Haha, you've written yourself into a corner."

Grrr. I feel helpless.

So since my 1200 word quota for my mon-fri 2 hour writing session (aka, kids nap time) has pretty much dissipated into digital chicken scratch, I am down to making short notes that look like this:

Such and such character should do this. And this other character should do this. And they should get mad at each other and then it will snow and maybe a stray dog can wander into the story and we can name him Pierre, but this is Appalachia so I should name him Jimmy Hotsocks or something really cool and is it too late to add aliens? Maybe Vampires? How 'bout an Amish girl. No that's been done and I still have no idea what I am going to do in this chapter so why am I still typing and when is my brain going to get back from vacation?

Have I already said Grr? Oh I have? That's right, I'm also repeating myself. Lovely, this keeps getting better.

So now that I've used up the allotted amount of word count to rant, I've decided its time to seek a solution. There are several. 1) continue on because I am a professional and this is my job. 2) seek an alternate career choice. 3) go on a three month vacation to Reykjavik and read all the books I can while snowed in for the winter.

Option 3 would be great, but our vacation fund just ain't up to par for that one.

Option 2 is tempting, I could always become a baker, or a butcher or a candlestick maker, but then again, I have this half-written novel that's just begging to be finished.

Which brings me back to option 1. Sigh. I will be professional about this. It CAN be done.

So where do I begin? The first thing to do is step back and take a deep breath (resisting-the-urge-to-turn-on-a-Yanni-CD) and accept that it is now time to plow through my true options--and figure how on earth I can kick this thing called writer's block.

Brace yourself--this is not a writing course and my methods are probably not perfect or even correct, but I'm a little desperate, so I might as well start small and build from there.

Here's what I've got so far:

I've realized that I need to sort out my objective for the next chapter(or 2 or 3). What do I want to accomplish? What mood am I trying to evoke? What MUST happen to drive the story forward? Who do I want the reader to sympathize with, the hero? Heroine? Villain? Hmmm. Lots to think on.

This weekend, I've spent many moments in my "cocoon" which includes shutting out the world for about three minutes while I listen to music and try to play the story out in my mind. This has been incredibly helpful, yet not quite getting me over this hump. I even tried different scenes with different moods. Sometimes I'd imagine a scene with a love song, other times a tense song or even an upbeat song. Each time, the scene changed in my mind, different words were spoken, different actions and in the end--a different result. Scenes got deleted or added in.

So as I'm wading around in the swamp called writer's block, I've realized that the process is starting to feel a lot like making a soup--a little garlic, a little salt, maybe a sprinkle of pepper. As I tweaked things here and there, making subtle changes to dialogue, etc., the scenes started to become closer to what I wanted them to be. But its not there yet. My pages are still covered in chicken scratch with no quality writing, so my goal this week is to break through these next three chapters and hopefully come out on the other side with a few great scenes that are just what this story needs.

Which is why this is called Writer's Block, part one. I'll let you know what happens on the other end! (And I would love any advice or suggestions on how you deal with writer's block, so please, share away!)

If you're ready for part two...check it out here!