When Bria Quinlan, one of my fellow 2011 Golden Heart® finalists, tweeted her need for “Excerpt Monday” participants, I decided to jump into the fray. What follows is the first few exchanges in my as-yet only completed single title MS, “Blind Date Bride.” I chose it instead of my GH-finaling MS because “Beauty and the […]
An e-mail arrived in my inbox today with the subject line: “Your Submission: …” Since I was at work at the time, I had an argument with myself. “You can’t open that! You’re supposed to be working,” the me with the Midwestern work ethic said. (It’s the same me that never calls in sick because […]
Now that I’ve had time to synthesize my score sheets from the last contest I entered, I’m pleased to say I’m on the right track. No, I did not final. The max score was a 161; mine was 130-something. That being said, I wasn’t displeased with the results. That was my gut reaction when I […]
Five queries. Two same-day rejections. I appreciate the prompt replies. I am a little discouraged, but not giving up. I believe in “Blind Date Bride.” And, as “they” say … Rome wasn’t built in a day. I’m going to find an agent who loves “Blind Date Bride” and wants to represent it (and me). I […]
After reading agent Nathan Bransford’s blog post on the importance of having one-sentence, one-paragraph and two-paragraph pitches ready for your novel (you never know when you’ll run into your Dream Agent in an elevator, after all), I decided to take a stab at crafting some of my own. One sentence: As the reluctant winners of […]
Over at the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood, my writing blog home away from home, I read a fantastic post the other day. It was all about what editors want from a category romance. After reading it, I wonder if Brad and Erin’s story is as ready as I thought. I break nearly all of the guidelines: […]
Sadly, not much writing has happened since Wednesday (and that writing didn’t count toward my Word Count Countdown, because it wasn’t actually writing on any of my WIPs). I’m at a certain point: Finished MS but no query or synopsis — and since our NARWA meeting next Saturday is on the dreaded synopsis, I’m kind […]
The hits just keep on coming! That’s right. About 30 minutes ago, I put the finishing touches on the expanded draft of Bree & Mike’s story. It’s 56,000 words (on the shorter side of category romance, but still within the bounds) and will probably grow as I edit. Of course, with Bree and Mike somewhat […]
In an effort to get over the disappointment of not finaling in the Golden Heart, I’ve been a busy, busy writer. 😀 No giving up for me, no sir. I spent the weekend working on a synopsis for “Blind Date Bride” and reworking the ending on my losing GH entry. (I’m getting rid of their […]
How long am I allowed to wallow in disappointment before it morphs into full-blown depression? Right now, I can’t seem to concentrate on anything more taxing than a box of Chicken McNuggets chased with a carton of Ben & Jerry’s. I’ll give myself the rest of the night to sob into some comfort food, but […]
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