Copyedit Virgin No More

First off, I need to send a shoutout to the most loyal reader of my blog: Hi, Michelle! :D

The reason why there wasn't any new content showing up here was those titular Copyedits for Crow's Rest.

I'd been a little nervous about getting them in my email because I've heard from authors how hard they can be--and they weren't wrong. These edits were definitely a monopolizer of my time and energy over the last few weeks!

The document became so cluttered with comments, changes, and countercomments that I eventually had to accept all changes and strip the comment boxes just to see how the flow was affected.

But when it comes down to it, the copyeditor is one more person on your side, invested in making your book stand out in a crowded YA market (or whatever your genre/category is). And when I felt myself whining too much, I also reminded myself that each strikeout or addition was one step closer to having a finished, printed book (or ARC) in my hand.

I tried to keep that in mind and rise to the challenge, and I hope I succeeded (my editor approved the changes, so yay!).

So here's to moving forward on that road to a real book!

Pens for Paws Auction!

The Pens for Paws Auction, benefiting a no-kill, cage-free sanctuary called Fat Kitty City, starts July 14th! If you're a writer looking to bid on a critique with agents, authors, or an editor, you should check it out. We also have signed books and ARCs up for bid, and lots of other cool stuff! Entangled Publishing and Spencer Hill Press even have packages of goodies you won't want to miss. This year, we've even added door prizes--everyone who bids each day will be entered into a drawing for a door prize book (not one of the items up for bid--this is a separate offering) that day.

The auction items will post July 14-19, and instructions on how to bid is in the comments area of each item, or go to How It Works for more help. Hope to see you all there!

Oops, A Little Late For My Post

Today has not gone as planned! When I realized last night I didn't have a post scheduled for today, I thought "I can do it after I get home from class."

I failed to account for the construction workers picking today to saw the concrete pavers. I stuck it out in my office for long enough to tackle some emails and vital Facebooking, and then fled onto the other side of the house. Where I took advantage of the .99 book-birthday sale for Rachel Harris's My Not So Super Sweet Life and plowed through about half of it.

I did manage to get in a a full workday last Thursday (in spite of more sawing and sledgehammering), and got the bulk of my 1st pass edits done. Can't believe we're already at that milestone in Crow's Rest edits! Though I think since my release date is only 13 months away we're technically behind schedule, lol.

I ended up finishing them over the weekend, only to run into email snafus when I tried to send them back to my editor. So frustrating! But I've discovered (or is that re-discovered?) that nothing makes you feel like a Real Writer than that determination to work in spite of annoyances.

On that note, I need to focus on more bookly things so for May 5th and May 19th I'll be scheduling some Old Favorite blog posts, aka reruns. I'll still be sharing some new content on Operation Awesome over the next month, but look for a new, refreshed muse in June, when I'm not feeling so squeezed!

Of Pitches and Conferences

Last Saturday was the Spring Spirit Conference for our regional chapter of SCBWI, and WOW what a conference! This was my third year as a volunteer and although I felt like I made myself useful, it's nothing to all the work the real people in charge put in. Thanks to our RAs and planners, who performed marvelously under pressure!

We had a different location this year and I never want to go back to our old one--this one had powerful, free wi-fi and a nice layout. Plus, since we had a more flexible space it was done as tracks; you could choose novel, picture book, or nonfiction.

As a shepherd for two speakers, I got to see a little bit of everything. Started with an Early Bird session on perfecting your pitch with Rose Cooper and got to participate in the feedback a bit. It might have just given me the confidence to propose my own workshop on queries for next year. (And Rose, if you read this and wonder why I dragged out my tablet in the middle of the workshop, I was trying to find the link for a Pitch Generator I'd seen. Couldn't remember where, but it was on Carissa Taylor's blog.)

Then on to a picture book session with Gianna Marino, which was a great take on how writers can inspire illustrators by using their words in, um, inspiring ways. But she said it better.

But the highlights of the conference for me were getting to hear Andrew Harwell's (of Harper Collins) talk about openers and first lines. He gave very helpful feedback, and when I read mine he "liked it a lot". I was glad, but didn't take too much notice of it--figured he was being polite.

But when he then referenced my first lines in his next presentation, I swung into full-on squee mode. Which only got worse when I had the opportunity to pitch to agent Stephen Fraser and he requested. Felt great to get that validation that I'm doing some things right.

And as if all that conference excitement wasn't enough, on Sunday we took delivery of our new (new to us at least) trailer! It folds down

 And it opens up

Planning on some writer's retreats in this!

Pens for Paws Auction 2013

Pre-script: I mentioned I'd have a big announcement this week, and as big as this is, it's not it. That will come tomorrow, so check back! Now on to today's post:

Last year, I decided I needed to do something extra to help out the cat sanctuary where I volunteer, Fat Kitty City. I started up the Pens for Paws Auction and contacted agents, authors, and artists to see if they'd like to donate items to help out. And the response was overwhelming! So many great items to bid on, and we raised over $2,600 in much-needed funds. So I'm running the auction again this year and am now accepting donations:

 
Let's make 2013 even bigger for the Pens for Paws Auction! Items will be posted on this blog from March 12th through the 16th, with bidding open for TWO days on each item.

Donations will be accepted through March 10, but the earlier you can let me know what you'd like to donate the better, so that I can get everything scheduled ahead of time. Please keep the following in mind as you consider what you would like to donate:

• The donor is responsible for postage/mailing their item to the winner. Please take that into consideration for the value of your item.
• Minimum bids will not be set on any items. This may mean that your item goes for less than you expected, but it also allows people (including kids) who may not have as much funds available to participate

So what kinds of items are we looking for?

• Books: signed editions, ARCs, swag (bookmarks, postcards, tie-ins), etc
• Critiques or editorial services: these generate a lot of interest on their own, or you may want to donate a critique along with your book
• Artwork: prints, jewelry, crochet, knitwork, custom art or web design
• Your item does not need to be cat- or pet-oriented--it's all good!

If you'd like to donate something for the auction, please copy and paste the questions below, along with your answers, into an email to pensforpawsauction (at) yahoo (dot) com . You may also attach a photo of the item to use for the listing.

What is the item you'd like to donate? (short description for listing title)

Your name (as you wish it to appear in the listing)

Your contact info (email address is fine; if you need a tax letter, we will need a mailing address. No addresses are added to a list--they will be used strictly for correspondence regarding your item)

 Item description (for the actual listing--may include whether it's signed, a special edition, back copy of book, etc)

Ship to U.S. addresses only, or open internationally? (obviously not an issue with items that will be fulfilled electronically, but international postage can add up so some donors choose to limit the shipping domestically)

Attaching a photo? You may also include a link to the photo you'd like to use if it's already on the web.


Thank you!
 

First Post

I attended a regional conference for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators a few weeks ago and got some helpful ideas for revisions on my novel, as well as meeting some interesting people.

One of the highlights was a workshop on synopses by Brian Farrey, editor at Flux books. As an exercise, he had us do a 4-line synopsis of our book. He had a few people read theirs aloud, and he liked mine!

But this is not just meant as idle bragging; I had a woman come up to me at the end of the day and tell me how much she liked my synopsis, and I realized I had no web presence to send her to for my current writing projects. My website for my photos has been up for several years now, but it doesn't lend itself to a blog-style interactive site.

So I'm starting this blog with the idea that it can hold updates on my current writing projects, as well as furnishing some useful links and information for other writers.

Be welcome, and I hope you find something interesting in the coming posts.