Cassie’s got it goin’ on!

Doesn’t that title just say it all? Yep! It does :) 

Cassie Mae is hosting her new agent Brittany Booker on her blog today. So go learn a little bit about Brittany and if you have a burning question for her about writing, agents, querying, etc…she will answer all your questions in the comments!

Don’t miss out the opportunity to pick an agents brain! You heard me! Run don’t walk :)

-Angie

Won’t You Be My Neighbor—Ilima Todd

Welcome everyone to "Won't you be my neighbor". It’s hot outside. Is it hot where you are? You will never guess who I ran into here in Florida. The delightful IlimaTodd!

Angie: What are you doing kickin' it in the Sunshine State?

Ilima: Beach vacation, baby! We flew from Utah to Atlanta where we met up with my husband's family (he's in the middle of 7 kids) and drove the caravan down to the gulf coast. Sand, beach, sun, pool, Olympics on TV, and playing with cousins from dawn to dusk. It's been wonderful. Are you loving Florida, especially since you're just about unpacked?

Angie: I like it so much more than I thought I would. I love rain and green.  If I could just transplant all of my family and a few mountains I may never leave :)

Before I ask my first question I have a little bit of set up for the people. A while back I won a book on Kelley Lynn's blog and when I gave her my address she said, "Do you know Ilima Todd? She's a writer that lives in American Fork Utah too."  I was totally surprised because I did know Ilima but I had no idea she was a writer. We had both been on the costume committee for American Fork Youth Theater. Ilima can sew a great costume! Seriously the girl has skills. I on the other hand am mostly good at bossing people around :) 

Ilima: Small world, huh? That's too funny that Kelley introduced our "writer selves" to each other. As I recall, you were the costume queen and I was just a lowly peon. I do like to sew though, and along with most other things, I wish I had more time to do it. 

Angie: That leads up to my first question...I have found that writers tend to be pretty creative people. What creative things do you go besides sewing and writing?

Ilima: Back in the day I used to run and do triathlons, play guitar, and tap dance—I was a regular Ginger Rogers. Four kids later, I'm lucky if I have time to get dressed before noon. Seriously though, besides writing, reading, and the occasional sewing project, my time is spent homeschooling or carting my kids around to activities like youth theater. 

Angie: I have no idea how you write and home school. Seriously! Do you have some kind of schedule? Fill me in because I need more structure in my life.

Ilima: After lunch every day, the little ones have a nap while the older ones do school individually, so sometimes I can squeeze in an hour or two of writing then. But mostly I write late at night after the kids (and husband) have gone to bed. I have a hard time focusing with interruptions, so a silent house is a treat. And I am so not a morning person.

To be honest, I am far from supermom. Can you say paper plates, frozen lasagna, and a cleaning lady?

Angie: You have a cleaning lady?!?! I'm so jealous! I'm a late night writer too and not a morning person either. I don't think you can be both :)

Okay how about a fun question? I know you are a fan of the love triangle, if you could put three famous literary characters into a love triangle who would you pick and why? (they must be from different books)

Ilima: Oh, man. That's a hard one. Can one of the characters be me? I'd love to have to choose between two swoon-worthy guys. Haha. 

Okay, I'm gonna pick Katniss from The Hunger Games, Brigan from Fire, and Cricket from Lola and the Boy Next Door. 

Even though Katniss is kind of a reluctant hero who can be unlikable at times, I just want to give her a big hug and say, "You go, girl!" And she totally deserves something happy in her life. 

Brigan is my favorite fictional male character--a tough, strong, leader yet thoughtful and compassionate too. If I have another child, I'm naming him Brigan. Or her. Either way. :) 

And Cricket because…hello? It's Cricket! And if you haven't read Lola yet, stop what you're doing and read it now. Except read Anna and the French Kiss first. Because hello? St. Clair? 

Do you like how I squeezed in one more guy in there. I swear, I think I might invent the love octagon.

Angie: Those are great choices! I've never read Fire. I guess I need to meet Brigan, but I'm a St. Clair fan all the way!

Next question...This is a fun one. You announced on your blog last week that you have got an agent!!! So exciting! I also read that you had multiple offers of representation. How did you pick who to go with? And what three questions do you think are crucial to ask a prospective agent (when we all get "the offer")?

Ilima: I have two agented CP's and had an inside view to their "getting an agent" experience. The one thing that struck me was how much their agents LOVED their manuscripts. I decided that's what I wanted—someone who was as passionate about my book as I was. And in talking with Jennifer and Katherine of Veritas Literary, it was like chatting with my girlfriends about a book we all loved. They loved my world and characters and caught my vision for the novel. And when Jennifer said she was upset with me because the boys in my book were both so delicious and she wished Nine could've had them both, I may have fist-pumped on my side of the phone.

Hmm, three crucial questions? Off the top of my head: 1) What are your plans for revisions on my book? 2) How do you think it will stand in the marketplace? 3) What are the details of the contract? 

I would also do research online to make sure the agency is legit and has a good reputation

Angie: That is so exciting to think that somewhere out there in the world is an agent that loves your book as much as you do :) And those are great questions. I don't think I would have thought of number 2. In fact I'm not sure I know what it even means *she says sheepishly*. Can you elaborate?

Ilima: I probably just worded it weird. It really means—how well will it sell to a publisher today? This was important to me because my book is sci-fi – dystopian – futuristic – post-apocalyptic, and I know  the market is flooded with these genres right now.  Luckily, my agent thought my story was very original and unique enough to stand out among the rest and doesn’t think she’ll have a problem placing it. So…that question might not be a concern for some.

Angie: No, I think that is a really good question. It is also great to see where they see your book selling.

So speaking of your book REMAKE, this is something I'm really interested to know (and I'm sure other people are too). First off I've heard it is written beautifully, but I have a question about the concept.

On your website it says "In a time when people choose their genders, Nine wants to be remade into a boy hoping it will make her brave." Are you at all worried that people will think the concept of a girl wanting to change her gender to a boy is I just know that people will judge on the idea alone. Am I even making sense?)

Ilima: I know it's an edgy concept, and as I was drafting it I worried readers might put the book down for this very reason. Since then, though, so many have told me I walk the line between too-controversial and just-controversial-enough very well. Without giving too much away, I'll just say I think I handled it well and no longer have any reservations about sharing it. I took some risks with this book, and I think they paid off…you'll just have to read it and find out! :)

Angie: I'm planning to! I think there is no better place to tackle hard topics than in stories. You can give a voice to real issues and empathy for characters we might not normally understand.

Last question. Are you ready for it? Tradition dictates that it must be a pageant question :) So...What are three words that best describe you? And why?

Ilima: World peace. Wait, wrong pageant question. Three words to describe me? Ridiculously good looking.

Okay, seriously:

1) Naked—First off, I think clothes are annoying and wish we could just all be naked all the time. But I'm naked emotionally as well. I'm a terrible actor and I wear my heart out on my sleeve. If I'm upset, you know it. If I'm happy, you know it (clap your hands :). So though at times this can be really annoying and/or embarrassing, you always know where you stand with me. 

2) Mother—I think this word encompasses so many things: patience, love, self-sacrifice, joy. It is my most honored role and one I feel so blessed to have.

3) Avocado—Not only is it my favorite food in the whole world, but it perfectly describes me. Lumpy, smooth, squishable, delicious, solid middle, goes with everything, green, likes warm weather, you can hold it in your hand...maybe it doesn't perfectly describe me, but they are delicious!

So yeah: Naked mother avocado. Sounds about right. Also, it could double as a band name.

Angie: LOL! That is the best answer ever! Can I give you an 11? What am I saying? Of course I can. This is my show!

I love it! Can't say I'm a fan of avocados or being naked but I love the symbolism of your answer. I agree it would be an excellent band name :)

I'll let you get back to your vacation, but thanks so much for taking time to hang out with me. I'm so excited for you! Please let us know when your book sells to publishers!

Ilima: Don't worry, I'm sure I'll be shouting that news from the rooftop. :) Thanks for the fun chat, Angie!

Angie: Anytime :)

If you all haven’t been to Ilima’s blog you really need to go! She is always full of great tips and beautifly written posts.

Happy Tuesday everyone! Thanks for stopping by.

-Angie

If I only had an agent....

I'd be more suave than this!

I found this on Katie Dodge's blog--Katie on Fiction, a few months ago. I just had to share. Thanks Katie.

Have a great weekend. Good luck with NaNoWriMo :)

-Angie

Agent Advice

Because I’m ready to query I’ve been trolling the web, brushing up my list of agents.

I’ve found a lot of great advice, and because I don’t want to make you search for it (I’m nice like that. You’re welcome :) I’ve assembled it here. None of it is paraphrased or made up. It all comes from agents sites or WriteOnCon forums. 


Sorry this post is long. I recommend looking through for topics that interest you :)

-Angie

On Writing Problems:

Michelle Andelman: 

Reliance on dialogue tags is a common prose issue I find. Reliance on them to reveal emotion where characterization should be doing the trick.

On Opening Scenes:

Jim McCarthy: 

Can't stand anyone who opens with waking from a dream or any discussion of the weather. Or, actually, waking up period.

Suzie Townsend: 

I heard another agent say that he had to be hooked at sentence one and every sentence after that needed to hold onto him.

Joanna Volpe: 

I love when the opening of a story catches me by surprise with an unexpected voice or moment or scene. I know that's not helpful since it isn't specific, but in those instances I *definitely* keep reading. And I always stop if it's obviously offensive.

Kate Testerman: 

I think signs of an inexperienced writer are too common openings -- looking in a mirror to describe your main character, waking up, etc. Or plots that feel like they've been done a billion times.

Kristin Nelson:

Sure, any masterful writer can grab any of these “openings” and do them justice but for us mere mortals, they tend to be groan worthy:

• Characters inexplicably getting sucked into a portal for no apparent reason
• A person gathering herbs in the forest (Honestly, it can’t happen as frequent as I seem to see it in opening chapters).
• A battle scene. (Goodness, let me get attached to some characters before you start whacking them).
• A prologue.
• A distant third person narrative to start (ie. The boy, the old man, the healer)
• Clumsy incorporating of back story in your dialogue.
• Launching your narrative via a dream sequence.
• Heroine waking up alone with a man in her room.
• Tired SF or Fantasy staples: i.e.: quest for a magical artifact, typical characters (dwarf, elf, the warrioress who doesn’t know she has magical powers), a modern woman who is really the savior on an alternate world.
• Man sitting on steed in pouring rain.
• Woman standing on high wall looking out into the distance at something
• Starting your cover letter for your sample pages with: this is a 250,000 word manuscript… (Guaranteed to send me running while screaming). 

On Clichés

Jim McCarthy: 

Not every cheerleader needs to be a b%*#!. But also, you don't have to spend a whole novel showing us how UNlike stereotypes your characters are.

Michelle Andelman: 

devil's advocate: NOT ALL CLICHES SHOULD BE AVOIDED! THEY CAN PROVIDE A RELATABLE SHORTHAND FOR HUMAN EXPERIENCE. CLICHES ARE FAMILIAR AND OH SO COMFORTING FOR A REASON! I guess this is my last word.  If you can spoon feed me a cliché and then turn it on its head and subvert all my expectations without me feeling cheated, you're gold.

On Queries:

Joanna Volpe: 

I love when a query is professional and tells me enough about the story to want to keep reading. I hate when an author talks more about themselves than the story (or sometimes ONLY about themselves...this seriously happens more than you would think)

Diana Fox: 

I love it when they get my name right. :)

Suzie Townsend: 

I really like something that's got the voice of the character. It gives me a better idea of whether I will enjoy reading the manuscript. And anyone who can give a query letter voice is awesome--it's really hard--so that is a big plus for me because it's a sign the manuscript might be really awesome

Jenny Bent: 

I'm different from a lot of agents in that I tend to like gimmicky stuff. I've taken on (and sold) several clients who wrote their query letters in the voice of their heroines, for example. I also tend to like it if you can start your query letter with a "what if" question, although those can be hard to pull off.

Kate Testerman: 

And I despise queries that start with rhetorical questions!

On Characters:

Suzie Townsend: 

If the characters really hook me, I can forgive plot holes because I can help fix those, but if I don't feel engaged at any point, I'll stop reading. Unfortunately, I just have too much to read.

Suzie Townsend: 

Characters who are active about trying to better their situation, even if they're scared, rather than allowing things to happen to them, are my favorite kinds of characters.

On social media:

Suzie Townsend: 

I'd say one of the biggest mistakes I see PEOPLE making with today's online social media craze is forgetting that your online persona is just that, a PERSONA. You don't have to reveal all your deepest darkest thoughts to everyone on the internet. I also think PEOPLE get too angry on the internet sometimes. I've seen lots of twitter fights and amazon review fights and blogger fights, and sure people read and talk about them, but sometimes it's hard to respect the people involved. Think before you react.

Michelle Andelman: 

Use the query letter to pitch your project. Be using social media (in the background) to pitch yourself.

Sara Megibow: 

First of all, I state publicly that before a writer submits a query to me, that writer should have a website live. I think an active and professional website is like a business card. When I request sample pages from a writer, if I get to page 10 and really like the writing, I stop. I go immediately to google and I cyber stalk that writer. I am impressed if I see something there that looks professional. Is it a deal breaker? no. But, I will repeat - I am impressed when I see something there.

Martha Mihalick: (Martha is an editor but I still loved what she had to say)

As soon as I know I like the manuscript, I google the author. A strong online presence is a plus, but the deciding factor is always the person's writing.

Kate Testerman: 

I don't do too much digging for the author online unless I know I already love the full manuscript. Before that, a bad or ill-used online presence can turn me off an author, but a good one doesn't mean much. Once I know I love a manuscript, though, I do want to see how they comport themselves online, and how comfortable they are doing so. (next)

Martha Mihalick: (Martha is an editor but I still loved what she had to say)

I like when writers have the (short) pitch and a (short) sample on their websites.

On Middle Grade

Joanna Volpe: 

I often get asked by writers what the biggest difference is between Middle Grade and Young Adult. There are a number of answers to this that I would agree with, but to me personally, the biggest different is the “heart.” I’m not talking about romance or highly emotional scenes (all genres can have that). I’m talking about that feeling that you can have only when you’re too young to have experienced adulthood yet. When you think, no–you know–that you can make a difference. You can change the world (and when I say world, it can be the world at-large, or the world in a more insular way…whatever “the world” is to the character).

On offering representation

Kate Testerman:

I know I want to offer representation when I (a) tell my husband about the manuscript, and (b) start thinking about editors I'd want to send it to.

Martha Mihalick: (Martha is an editor but I still loved what she had to say)

I know I definitely want to publish it when I start thinking about the selling points I'm going to put in our tip sheet even before I finished!

Jen Rofe: 

For me, it's a feeling I have that I've learned to recognize over years of doing this. When I start thinking about who will want to buy this and which of my friends must read this book, then I can't ignore it.

Diana Fox: 

It's always different with knowing when I want to offer representation, but I do look at all of a writer's stuff and get second reads. I also look at the author's online presence--website, blog posts, tweets, interviews, etc. to get a fuller picture of who they are and whether we would be a good fit.

On Self Publishing

Jen Rofe: 

Here's what I'll say: I'm surprised at the number of blogs and posts I read about self-pubbing that don't mention the tremendous amount of work done by editors, copy editors, designers, etc. it takes a village to make one book.

Joanna Volpe: 

If you self-pubbed, JUST to eventually get traditionally pubbed, you risk shooting yourself in the foot

Don’t be a ZUNE!

I had an epiphany last week when I heard Steve Jobs passed away. He was such an amazing pioneer—a trail blazer in his field.

Does anyone remember when the Microsoft Zune came out? Are they still even around? I remember thinking that the Zune was too late. They were playing catch up. There was no way they would be as successful at the ipod.

Do you ever feel like you are playing catch up to the publishing world? What Stephenie Meyer did for vampires won’t be duplicated. I’ve even heard agents recently say, “NO MORE VAMPIRE BOOKS!” Which sucks if you love vampires and it’s your passion to write about them.

So how do you know if you have written a Zune—an idea that has already been done better? I think you have to be really honest with yourself. And if you aren’t getting any intrest from agents maybe you need to shelve it and try something new.

Author Janice Hardy wrote about this on her blog (read her full post here): My first novel was doomed because it was just another fantasy novel with a prophecy and a chosen one. Even the best-written novel can't be saved by an idea that's been done to death. Fresh ideas can get you a long way. Lots of people can write well, but not everyone can come up with awesome ideas.

So the next big thing has to be fresh! A trail blazing idea! It is out there. Maybe you’ve written it already! I hope so.

-Angie

During WriteOnCon a lot of agents asked for ghost stories especially in MG. Just a thought.

Self-Publishing—Going it alone

I was kicking around the blog-o-sphere and came across A.J. Mullarky’s blog Magpie and Pen. She is so nice, so I asked her about her decision to self publish. It's such an interesting question. Why do some authors self-publish? Why do some insist on the traditional route?

Today I’m posting her insightful response. Take it away Alex :)

Going it alone

Or, why self-publishing is for me but may not be for you, and certainly isn’t for everybody.

I keep finding myself being asked why I’ve self-published the books I’ve written so far. The answer is easy really: my goal has not always been to make my living as a published author (obligation takes the fun out of everything for me) but to see my books in print. Since I was about ten years old I saw this as an unattainable dream, or one that was near impossible to fulfil. But that isn’t the case.

I understand the stigma about self-publishing. There’s no guarantee of quality, none at all, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t hidden gems out there. I work hard on my books, not only on the content – that’s a given – but also on getting them to a standard I’m proud of when they’re distributed. I think the key is seeing how an author conducts themselves. Pamela Lyn is an example of one self-published author who acts like a professional. Her blog (http://publishedinayear.blogspot.com/) is very enlightening and her website (http://www.pamelalyn.com) is the evidence. She obviously puts a lot of effort into conducting herself professionally.

I’m also a control freak. I’d be at a disadvantage with a traditional publisher in some ways. I love creating cover art, working with photographers based on my own ideas and then creating the finished product myself. It’s one of my favourite parts. Of course, you’re getting more professional quality with a traditional publisher. You’re guaranteed to get something fantastic. The Twilight cover art is beautiful, but a look at Stephenie Meyer’s website can show you she had very different ideas. I fully understand that having a dedicated team behind you must be an incredible privilege. I hope one day I will see art created by others, inspired by my writing. But I love creating the art myself. I just love it.

There are huge pitfalls to self-publishing. Formatting is the bane of my existence. Changing page sizes, margin sizes, font styles and indents and block paragraphs and copyright pages and headers and footers and numbering – it’s enough to make your head explode. It takes hours, and it isn’t fun. I can’t pretend I wouldn’t love to have someone else do this for me. Once the hard slog is over, though, you can’t help but feel proud. You do feel like you’ve worked to create a good product.

The main thing, I think, is validation. Having your book accepted by an agent and a publisher proves to the world that you deserve to be read, because professionals in the field have given you their stamp of approval. It’s as simple as that. There can be many reasons why your book isn’t accepted by them, and sometimes they sound like excuses, but that doesn’t make it true. Book publishing is an incredibly competitive market and agents and editors don’t want to take the plunge unless they’re really, truly passionate about a book. You don’t necessarily need to keep trying to find someone as passionate about your book as you are. It’s a tremendous boost if you do, but it is possible to be the driving force behind your book. You just need to have faith in your abilities.

I would love to be traditionally published. There’s no point pretending otherwise. It’s a huge honour to have your book selected from the thousands and thousands that are hopefully sent out every day. But I can’t see the harm in putting in the groundwork myself. People have praised unsigned musicians who found an audience through Youtube and the indie filmmakers who created Napoleon Dynamite (love it). From now on, I’m calling it ‘going indie’. There’s no harm in going it alone. In fact, it’s a lot of fun.

Thanks so much Alex! It’s so interesting to get a peek into others authors minds.

-Angie

Plot Device

This video was on Agent Kristen Nelson's blog last tuesday. It was so funny I couldn't stop laughing. So for all of you who didn't see it I thought I would share :)

Plot Device from Red Giant on Vimeo.

"Did you know sharks can live outside the water for five years." - I learn something new everyday.

-Angie :)

Answer my question?

I'm going to be an active participant in Deana Barnhart's Find an Agent Blog-a-Rama. So this week here is my deep, weird, probing question:

How can you really tell if an agent is truly great for your book? We can all find little snip-its about various agents online here and there, but how do you really know them? Do you pick an agent with a great client list--or will they be too busy for you? Do you pick a new hungry agent with less experience? How do you really know who to query and pick? Prayer?

Some one in the great blog-o-sphere must have a little advice. I'm all ears--or eyes.