I HAVE AN AGENT

Standard

And she is the fabulous Jes Trudel of TRF in Canada. And we clicked in 2 seconds. In a sign that this was meant to be, her mom lives around the corner from out favorite winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. And the winery’s name is Marynissen, which is as close to Nissenson as you’ll ever get in a winery name.

I Have Not Been Abducted by Aliens

Standard

Every now and then, I feel the urge to blog. Usually that urge comes on when someone asks, “Do you have a blog?” And I think very hard and remember that I do. And then I realize they’re asking me, because they might actually want to read it.

Speaking of reading, we were walking in Kensington (Maryland—no palaces there, but lots of fab Victorians), and we happened upon the Noyes Library Story Walk. They set up signs featuring illustrations from children’s books along a stone path. The theme changes from time to time, and there are QR codes on each sign if you want to learn more. This is brilliant. Every library should do this, even if that means adding a stone path.

SOMETIMES A CIGAR IS JUST A CIGAR

Standard

And sometimes you should just enjoy something because it’s enjoyable. I’ve watched a few K dramas* and have researched a couple.* A blogger insisted one of them was a Resurrection metaphor and quoted a dozen New Testament passages to “prove” it. Then I read an interview with the screenwriter. His inspiration was Pokémon Go.

*Does 11 qualify as a few?

*Does 11 qualify as a couple?

Notes from the Query Trenches

Standard

As even my time is valuable, I research potential agents like I’m in query grad school. It’s impossible to find a perfect agent, but I rarely find one who dwells on the planet, “Are You Kidding?” So I offer you today’s rare find, who shall reman unnamed.*

She wants info on your social media platforms, AND how you personally will market and promote your book, AND she’s only sold 5 in seven years, AND four of them were self-help books for improving dental hygiene.**

*If you guessed “Voldemort,” I can’t blame you, but…no.

**Ok, not actually dental hygiene, but close enough.

YOU TOO CAN WRITE A SYNOPSIS

Standard

So here’s my new idea for my synopsis. “CHLOE wants something. Many characters with their names in all caps help her, get in the way, or both. In the end she gets what she needs,” Cue Rolling Stones music. That’s it. That’s the whole synopsis.

All reactions:

1Amy R EM

OWN VOICES

Standard

I don’t write Own Voices fiction, because unless “Fallen Away Actor/Director” qualifies as one, it would be a poor choice.

However, my novels have diverse casts. Luckily for me, I have the perfect critique partner. She’s Bi and her spouse is Trans, making her my own personal sensitivity reader.

It’s amazing how much a writer can miss without that kind of help, whether it’s the simple use of pronouns or more complex emotional issues and life experience.

An Elf is Living in my Computer

Standard

So I’m working on a paragraph in my current WIP. The scene is set on the Carnegie Mellon U campus (I’m an alum). I get the following text.

Carol, What are we grateful for? You! Thank you for being part of the CMU alumni community. Click to view a special Thanksgiving message from CMU Advancement:

I’m not making this up. I must remember not to set scenes in a cemetery or a prison.