Month: May 2008

Tell Me Tuesday

How’s everyone doing? Any news to report?

I can’t believe I’ve finally made it past page 100 in my WIP. Yay, yay, sis-boom-bah. I still have a fair bit of new writing to wade through before I get to revise scenes I fast-drafted during my never-to-be-repeated NaNoWriMo experiment. I’m sure I’ll appreciate NaNoWriMo once I revise those scenes, but right now the whole idea of knowing where the story is going just aggravates me. Someone please remind me why I did this? Oh, yeah, to prove I couldn’t.

I also signed up for my RWA National editor/agent appointments yesterday. The PAN/PRO appointment schedule doesn’t open up until next Monday, May 5th. However, as a Golden Heart ’07 finalist, I was allowed one week’s head-start. For anyone interested, after the GH and RITA ’08 finalists finished chewing through the appointment schedule this past week, I’m happy to report that as of this morning when I logged onto the RWA website, there was only one agent not showing any available appointments left. A couple of other agents look like they won’t have appointments left in a matter of days (including the agent I booked—sorry!), but still others remain wide open. So I nabbed my agent appointment, and then I grabbity-quick headed to book an editor slot (oops, no, actually, it was the other way around—I booked the editor appointment first). An editor at a major single title publishing house requested one of my full manuscripts in the fall and looked at it rather quickly, then gave an encouraging rejection letter asking to see more of my work. So I felt it wise to get some face-to-face time with her.

I also have one other piece of good news to report, but I received it right before I wrote this post, and now I want to hoard it, rub its belly, and kiss its nose. Return Wednesday, though, and I’ll share.

Miss Potter

potter.jpg“Stories don’t always end where their authors intended. But there is joy in following them, wherever they take us.” Beatrix Potter in MISS POTTER.

Isn’t that the truth?

(There’s also aggravation in following them, but I’m trying to remain upbeat.)

I had the very great pleasure of watching MISS POTTER over the weekend. Has anyone seen this movie? Were you lucky enough to catch it in a theater? What did you think of it? I totally adored it. I’m not a raving Beatrix Potter fan (as a preschooler, Dr. Seuss was more my speed), but I am a raving fan of this movie. It’s a true writer’s movie. I think that’s why I loved it so much. Starring Renee Zellweger as Beatrix Potter and Ewan McGregor as her publisher and suitor, not only does MISS POTTER have excellent characterization and breathtakingly beautiful cinematography, but the way it portrays the writer’s imagination—down to the details of her stories coming to life before her eyes—well, to me it was bang on.

I watched this movie alone, which, in my opinion, is how it deserves to be watched. Especially if you live in a testosterone-driven household and are usually subjected to hockey games and super hero films. Well, I wasn’t totally alone. Allie McBeagle was sleeping on my lap (being a “yump,” as she puts it)(translation = “lump.”) My dog, um, figures predominantly in my imagination. I won’t go into exactly how (although I may have already…), because then I’ll have made public several reasons to have me carted off to the loony bin, which my children are already threatening to accomplish when I’m eighty. However, let’s just say I totally identified with Miss Potter’s feelings of affection for her creations, and the romance and tragedy of the story also swept me completely away.

Rent. Or Buy. This Movie.

Watch it with your favorite beagle—uh, bunny.

No Regrets. I promise.

(Fine Print: Promises made on this blog are not legally binding. If you buy or rent this movie and don’t love it as much as I did, no, I won’t reimburse you, and, honestly, you should think about developing better taste).

On-Line Auction for Diabetes Research

Okay, one of these days I really have to get into my style sheet and change my blog posts and titles to default to left align, because I’m constantly having to shorten the titles so they don’t s p a   c   e out with the default justification. You see, the title of this post is really supposed to be, BRENDA NOVAK’S 2008 ON-LINE AUCTION FOR DIABETES RESEARCH, but because it’s too long, it str e  tc  hes out with a  ll the  se spa  ces. Isn’t that annoying?

Now that we have that out of the way, yes, Brenda Novak’s annual on-line auction for diabetes research has begun! Talk about a lot of coolio thing-a-ma-jigs to bid on! How about a Weekend in Paradise in Susan Wiggs’ guest house? Here’s the blippy:

NYTimes Bestselling author Susan Wiggs invites you for a relaxing weekend (or any two nights) in her private garden guest cottage on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Enjoy spectacular views, walks on the beach, woodland hikes, a nearby day spa, shops and restaurants, all just a ferry ride from downtown Seattle. Susan loves to bake, so expect treats in the morning. This beautiful cottage sleeps six.

Here’s another item that catches my eye: Editor for a Day at Kensington Publishing. Blippy on the horizon…

Hang out with Editor Kate Duffy at Kensington Publishing for an entire day and see what goes on in a New York publishing house. Attend art meetings, discuss how she acquires what she acquires, walk through the process of having a book published, and meet all the folks that make Kensington the fabulous publishing house that it is. Talk about an opportunity to see how it all works first-hand. Don’t miss this amazing opportunity! (Airfare and hotel accommodations are not included.)

Having had “interactions” with Ms. Duffy, I can attest that while she tries to pretend she’s intimidating, she’s actually charming, generous, and funny. If I lived closer to New York, I’d be all over this baby.

Several editors and agents are offering evaluations of proposals (three chapters and a synopsis), and Ms. Duffy is offering an evaluation of a complete manuscript. Honestly, there are too many items to go into. But have fun browsing. And visit the Auction website often. Because some items are only listed for a day or two, while others will remain listed for the entire month.

Ready…Set…Bid!

Another Bond Girl Sells!

My fellow 2007 Golden Heart “Licensed to Sell” finalist sister, Marilyn Brant, just sold her first two books to Kensington! Marilyn won the Golden Heart for Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements in Dallas last summer with her manuscript, ACCORDING TO JANE. Way to go, Marilyn! To check out Marilyn’s first sale story (and who wouldn’t want to?), please visit her blog.

Why do I keep mentioning when another Bond Girl sells? To rub salt into the wounds of non-finalists? Uh, no. To give unpublished writers hope. And to show that finaling and/or winning the Golden Heart can help propel a writer on her way to that first sale. Sure, there are of those of us (not looking at anyone in particular…) who haven’t sold our GH finalist manuscripts. Finaling and/or winning the Golden Heart does not mean you will without-a-doubt, 100% sell that manuscript. But your finalist status definitely gets you a foot in the door in terms of marketing or re-marketing that manuscript. And who wouldn’t want some of that?