THROWN in all its hard-copy glory

I’m sipping a flute of Prosecco as I write this. Not an unusual event for me, but tonight it’s for a reason. Here’s the deal. Yesterday I got an email from someone I didn’t know with the subject: Query: THROWN. I figured it was my first full-on rejection from an agent.

Happily, I was stupendously wrong.

It was a request for a “full,” or a complete manuscript! I read it over and over to make sure my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me (after all, my Lasik has seen better days). When I was sure it was true, I read it several times over just because I was so excited. A FULL! This means the agent read the approximately 55 pages I’d sent last week (just last week—these people were on the ball) and liked it enough to ask for the rest. Mind you, agents typically don’t get paid for reading manuscripts. Their days are filled with taking care of their current clients, so they read submissions from new writers after hours and on weekends. In other words, for an agent to request a full means she thinks enough of your writing to commit to reading it in her free time.

This particular agent doesn’t accept email submissions, so I had to go old school. I printed out the whole thing—all 360-something pages, one sided (sorry, trees!). It’s 1.75″ thick! (Of COURSE I measured.) I went to UPS, plopped my baby in a manuscript box and sent it on its way. I got to write “REQUESTED” on the label in red marker, the magic word that gets your manuscript one of the best tables in the restaurant, as it were.

This was the first time I’d ever printed out my manuscript one-sided. Is it bad that I enjoyed printing it out because I could read snippets as it came out of the printer, and also because it made my work tangible, a thing to give to someone else? This is, by the by, the traditional way to present a manuscript to an agent. As I walked across the parking lot to the UPS store, all I could think of was the last scene in “Wonder Boys” where the wind scatters the book manuscript. Although it was windy, my pages all made it into the box unscathed.

What’s next? I wait. The email said I’d hear back in six to eight weeks, so by Halloween, I should know if it’s thumbs up or down. I am again reminded of the glacial pace of publishing, but who cares? SHE ASKED FOR A FULL!!

P.S. For those of you wondering if Galley’s picture made it into the Nutmeg Portuguese Water Dog calendar…it did! (See previous post for details.)

The picture of Galley that's up for a PWD calendar. Photo by Tom Auclair.

Um. Okay. Not really.

But I haven’t blogged in so long, I wanted to give an excuse that made it sound like I was doing something extraordinary. The truth is, I was revising THROWN to prepare it for its summer vacation to Agentland. During the better part of July I shunned social engagements (a challenge for me, as I love seeing my friends, especially if it involves dinner and/or wine) as I finished making Joanne Kennedy’s suggested edits and other changes based on what I learned at the Romance Writers of America conference.

As a result, my book is done and ready to go. My yard is a mess—I believe there might be parrots and monkeys living in my flower gardens-cum-rain forests. My dog got shortchanged on his walks. My horse was certain she’d been sold. And my husband…well, it’s good he had scripts to memorize and a heathy love of satellite TV. My thanks to all of them.

I printed out the whole manuscript and sent it to my mother-in-law. Yes she wanted to read it. Yes I told her there was some smut. Yes she still wanted to read it. She is a voracious reader, which apparently trumps any Puritanical tendencies (she is, after all, a native New Englander and a French-Canadian Roman Catholic to boot), since she would never let a little smut get in her way. Plus, I think she likes the thought of her daughter-in-law being an author. (You thought I was going to write “she likes the thought of her daughter-in-law writing smut.” Weren’t you? WEREN’T YOU?)

I have to say, it’s FUN to see the story on paper, actual paper. It feels like it’s SOMETHING. The lady at the UPS store asked how much it was worth, and of course at first I said—sounding like a credit card commercial— “priceless.” But then I told the truth–it’s worth the paper it’s printed on, nothing more, since I have it backed up twenty ways from Tuesday on various devices.

Tomorrow, the ides of August, I will send the beginning of THROWN—along with a query letter and synopsis—to the various agents and publishers I met at the RWA conference who requested it. An exciting and terrifying day! Even Jody, my fantastic hair cutter/stylist/arranger, was nervous for me. I am shoring up my emotions for defeat, for a flurry of polite rejections…but I could, I COULD get published. Only one way to find out.

On another front, back in May I entered THROWN in the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers contest, and the finalists are supposed to hear that they’re finalists in “mid-August.” Seems to me it’s mid-August now. Since I haven’t heard a peep, I’m assuming I didn’t make the cut. So now I’m pinning my hopes on my dog, Galley, whose picture has finaled in a contest to be in a Portuguese Water Dog calendar (and yes, he’s completely naked in the photo).

On still another front, I judged a contest. Well, one entry, since as you know, I was busy writing my own novel. I’ve entered a handful of contests and now know a little about what it’s like to get feedback. As a judge, I had to fill out a score sheet with numerical rankings, 1 – 5, on all kinds of categories. Things like characterization and dialogue. I could also comment on the score sheet or on the manuscript itself. I did both. I tried to be specific and give the writer as much feedback as I could, since I appreciated it when I got lots of feedback from the contests I entered. It was fun, although I felt a pressure to do a good job. It also made me think more about my own writing. Interestingly, I read the synopsis for the entry I was judging first, and I didn’t like it at all. But then I read the entry itself, and although the writer has a much different “voice” than mine, I really liked the writing. I hope she (I assume) finaled.

Well, there you have it. The update. Now I continue to play with the second draft of LOVE IN THE TIME OF COLIC, novel #2. It never ends, this writing business, and thank God for that! (And thank YOU for reading.)

The “opening” night of the Romance Writers of America national conference is the “Readers for Life” Literacy Autographing, where hundreds of authors sign their books for you, and all the proceeds from book sales go to programs that promote literacy. This year it was Tuesday, June 28 and the event raised something like $50,000. It’s held in a big ballroom, jammed to the rafters with authors, conference attendees and romance novel fans.

Diana Gabaldon was my first victim. She was near the door, and I’ve read three of her “Outlander” series books, so I pounced.

Diana Gabaldon poses tirelessly. I look shiny because I have a lot of sunscreen on.

I try to have something to say to these authors besides, “I like your books.” In this case I really did, because I had been to the Alexander McQueen (late fashion designer) exhibit at the Met earlier in the day, and two of his lines involved Scotland. Ms. Gabaldon’s books are about a couple in 18th-century Scotland, so I thought she’d be interested. She at least pretended that she was, but who knows? She was on a panel the following day at the kick-off session and proved to be quite witty and not a little bit bawdy. It was fantastic.

These autograph sessions are crazy, like what I imagine the opening of a Walmart in a Southern town is like. Thousands of rabid women waiting behind a barrier for the doors to open, then WHOOSH! in they go. This time the conference was in New York though, where even the employees of the Marriott Marquis are trained in crowd control, probably by SWAT teams. In other words, nobody got trampled. Which was nice.

I also went to see Jayne Ann Krentz. I became a fan of hers during last year’s conference, where she was a keynote speaker and I also went to two of her workshops (one given in tandem with Susan Elizabeth Phillips). I had heard of her even before I started reading romance novels, and last summer listened to several of her older books on tape since I knew she’d be at the conference. I was pleasantly surprised and have branched out to reading her historical novels which she writes as Amanda Quick. She’s not only a top-notch writer, she’s a compelling speaker and funny workshop-giver as well.

Jayne Ann Krentz, whose writing is as vivid as her hair color. I am still shiny from sunscreen.

I also got to see friends at the signing, which made me feel more like part of the author community. I fantasized about sitting at one of those cramped little tables myself, a pile of my books off to the side, signing, signing, signing. Joanne Kennedy was there, along with Allie Pleiter (aka Alyse Pleiter), who is a sorority sister of mine. Couldn’t find Ashley March because they put her out of alphabetical order, which was a nasty and mean trick.

Last but hardly least, my patron saint, Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I think I only gushed a little, but I DID gush, believe you me. But get this—she REMEMBERED ME. From last year. Oh sure, I’ve posted on her Facebook page here and there, and I sent her one or two emails (seriously, just one or two—I am NOT a stalker. No really, I’m not), but I was severely flattered when I walked up to her table and she immediately asked how the writing was going. I gave her a tiny, adorable box from Teuscher with two champagne truffles inside, which she seemed to appreciate, saying it was better than getting a big box of chocolates because then you had to share. And she graciously posed for a picture and signed a hardcover of her latest novel, CALL ME IRRESISTIBLE. (“To Colette— All the best with your career.”) Love her. LOVE HER.

You didn’t miss Day 1 or Day 2–there was no blog for those because a certain blogger who shall remain nameless was having far too much fun at the Romance Writers of America national convention in New York City. You see, this certain blogger’s new and newer romance-writing friends enjoy libations and conversation, so, well, you get the picture.

Here are the high points.

I met romance legend and very bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz, who is quite the lovely and funny woman. This was at the autographing for literacy event on Tuesday night.

I’ll include more deets later, but I’ve made a new friend who I had formerly only met on Twitter, took 1.5 of Susan Elizabeth Phillips‘ workshops (who is still hilarious and a joy, if you are keeping score at home), and another of my favorites, Lisa Kleypas, HUGGED me. She, too, is lovely. Oh, and I casually chatted with legend Stella Cameron about her papillons.

The biggest news so far is I pitched to agent Scott Eagan this morning and he asked for my first three chapters and a synopsis (!!!!). That was cool.

More to come. Apologies for this short post, but I wanted to tell you SOMETHING.

Thanks for reading!

So I just read this blog by a (I assume) recognized expert on blogging, and as it turns out, as a pre-published writer, I’m apparently blogging about THE MOST BORING TOPIC IN THE KNOWN UNIVERSE: My journey to becoming a published author. That’s what this person said, that if you’re a writer, DON’T write about submitting manuscripts, pitching agents, etc., because NOBODY WANTS TO HEAR ABOUT IT and IT’S BEEN DONE TO DEATH.

What I’m SUPPOSED to write about is my passion(s). This blog expert then addressed the natural next comment, “But writing IS my passion!” She said, what ABOUT writing are you passionate about? And then she gave some examples, none of which applied to me.

Well, hapless blog reader, I’ve got news for you: I’m going to keep writing about my pre-pubbed journey and you can skip over the dull bits if you like. But I’ll work on injecting other stuff too, my other passions that find their way into my stories.

To catch you up on my journey, I did NOT final in the Alaska Romance Writers “Break-up” Contest. Instead I got some helpful comments from one of the judges who thought my hero (Grady) goes a little over the top when he and Amanda break up. I’m going to pay attention, but also consider that no one else—including my most fearless/thorough readers, Joanne and James—thought this. It might be a case of reading a scene that takes place 3/4 of the way through and not knowing the character very well. Still, I was shocked and stunned. I didn’t FINAL? Was there some kind of MISTAKE? Did you even READ my brilliance? That’s what happens when, in the first two contests you’ve ever entered in your life, you final in one (I ended up third in the Cleveland Rocks Contest) and win the other. Oh and I got my winnings from the Yellow Rose Romance Writers’ Winter Rose Contest, including fifty smackers (which technically means I’ve gotten PAID for my fiction!), a certificate, a little gold rose pin and a silver rose charm on a chain. Will I wear these at the RWA National Conference? You bet your bootie I will.

I also finally picked out a profile picture for the website, after procrastinating for weeks. You’d think someone as vain as me would have done this quickly, but I think some Catholic guilt reared up and made me not want to look at the pictures. Now Eric Weber is working his magic, retouching and fixing color and whatever else he does to make me look fabulicious.

On a related note, the stupendously talented Jean Ditslear whipped up some business cards for me to take to New York tomorrow. They incorporate my website design and one of the profile pictures, and they look great. If you’re an author and need a website and/or business cards, you would do well to check out Redwall Communications. I was debating about putting my picture on a business card—to me it reeks of “Realtor!!!” But the whole point of handing out your business card at a conference is for people to remember you and contact you again, so what better way to jog a memory than a photo? Also, last year at the RWA conference in Orlando, I wrote descriptions of people on the backs of their business cards so I’d remember who they were. I’ve eliminated that task for those who end up with my business card in their suitcase.

As I sit here on my front porch on a dazzling Colorado morning, I cannot WAIT to go to New York tomorrow. I even asked Jody, my hair guy at Luxe, if he had any tips for me to style my hair in Manhattan humidity. Happily, he did, so maybe I won’t look like a drowned rat for the entirety of my stay. Velcro rollers are the key. Who knew? I got my locks cut and colored yesterday, then scampered off to Target to buy some.

Here’s WHY I can’t wait. Well, some of the reasons, I can’t list them all. • I get to stay with Lori Schulweis (“Schully” for you “Live with Regis and Kelly” fans); • I get to see a whole slew of friends from college, including Marci, Melissa, and Gail Fortune and Allie “Alyse” Pleiter (agent and author, respectively) • I’ll actually PERSONALLY KNOW a bunch of authors signing their books at the “Readers for Life” Literacy Autographing, where all proceeds go to literacy charities • Susan Elizabeth Phillips! • Other famous/bestselling authors I really like, including Jayne Ann Krentz, Jennifer Crusie (who didn’t go to last year’s conference because she can’t fly), and Meg Cabot (a hoot) • I will attend the Grand Central Publishing cocktail reception • I get to meet a fellow finalist in the Yellow Rose contest, who is a most hilarious tweeter, Megan Coakley • I can play tour guide to hapless Denver writers who will have to hear things like, “And this is where I met Cotton Guy, a terrible blind date” (that would be the Oak Room at the Plaza Hotel) • I will pitch agent Scott Eagan from Greyhaus and Harlequin editor Glenda Howard (NERVOUS! But I’ve been rehearsing) • I’LL BE IN NEW YORK!!

I’ll sign off now. Might go to the airport today instead of tomorrow morning. I’m THAT excited. (Although sad to leave Tom. Thanks for watering the flowers, sweetie.) And thanks to you, blog reader, for your support!

Two Saturdays ago I went to the Indian Peaks Golf Club for a one-day writers’ conference given by the Colorado Romance Writers and did my first pitch to Kristin Sevick, editor at Tor/Macmillan. (See previous post for all the gory details.) Kristin, bless her heart, asked for a query letter, synopsis and the first three chapters of THROWN.

YAAAAAYYYYY!!

I knew Kristin would be busy at the Book Expo, a humungous book convention in New York, all last week, so I didn’t bother sending it to her then. (Plus I wanted to read the first three chapters a coupla dozen times and refine them.) I sent it yesterday, the whole shootin’ match. I have to admit, my heart was thudding as I clicked SEND. I wanted to open a bottle of champagne or something, but there was none nearby (besides, I always want to open a bottle of champagne).

Do I believe, deep down, in my heart of hearts, that Ms. Sevick will be asking for a “full” (the rest of my manuscript)? No. Before you kind-hearted people out there tsk tsk me for not having enough confidence in my writing, it’s not about that. It’s about the fact that were I to list the top 20 publishers most likely to publish my book, Macmillan wouldn’t be in the neighborhood; they may not even make the top 50. Then again, maybe she’ll love my words, maybe she’ll adore Grady and Amanda as much as I do.

As I’m learning, this whole business of finding an agent and getting published is a lot like dating. The agent has to love your story, because he or she will have to read it at least four times, which is the equivalent of liking someone so much, you can overlook the inevitable morning breath. There has to be chemistry. There has to be that je ne sais quoi. And, as with dating, you can’t predict when lightning will strike.

That said, you can bet I’ve looked up the agents and editors of my favorite authors, the ones whose writing is similar to mine. Keeping with the dating analogy, this is like learning which actors my favorite supermodels are dating, so I can flirt with those actors and try to get them interested in me. Some are too big and don’t accept unsolicited queries, but my best bet, Susan Elizabeth Phillips‘ agent, DOES. (Can you say “prepared to actively stalk him at the RWA conference?”)

But back to Ms. Sevick. As I said before, she was a delight. If I still lived in New York, I would want to be her friend. Now that she has my query et al, I wait for her response. If she likes what she sees in the first three chapters, she may ask for a full. Which would be totally cool and awesome, as my friend James would say.

In the meantime, I’ve been revising away, incorporating Joanne Kennedy’s suggestions. I may enter the Heart of the Rockies contest, sponsored by the Colorado Romance Writers, just to support our local RWA chapter. I managed to resist entering TWO contests with May 31st deadlines. So if you were concerned I was becoming a contest junkie, you can rest easy.

That’s the update on my writing extravaganza. Thank you, as always, for reading.

I did my first-ever photo shoot yesterday, courtesy of Denver-area photographer Eric Weber. Eric does tons of headshots for actors—including Tom’s—so I figured he’d do a fine job for my author photo.

Why a professional author photo, you ask, when I’m still a writer and not quite an author? One word: marketing. I’ve made my first pitch and will make several more when I attend the Romance Writers of America national conference next month. If an agent is interested in a writer’s book, the agent will Google the writer, see what they’re doing online, see how many followers they have on Twitter, take a gander at the website. And what’s on their website? A picture. And it had better not be that picture of you from last year’s conference where you cut out Darcy who was standing next to you and you’re grinning a bit maniacally. (Not that I did that. At all. Not even close. Okay maybe that’s my profile pic on my Facebook author page.)

A proper picture tells a prospective agent you’re ready to be an asset in the real world of book marketing, that you’re polished and professional and already hard at work building your “platform.” You’ve been telling potential readers about your book and building buzz. You’re serious about becoming a published author.

Whew, I’m feeling all growed up about now.

As for the shoot itself, I had a makeup artist do her thing first, as I have no idea how to do makeup for photos. It always amazes me how much makeup you can have swabbed, smoothed and brushed on your face, yet look like you don’t have much on at all. I’m also incredibly impressed when someone else can put mascara on me and not stab me in the eye or blind me. (By the way, once again a professional makeup artist used Maybelline mascara—the stuff in the hot pink tube—which pleases me. I like that I can buy industrial-grade mascara at Target.)

The actual picture-taking part was fun, though stressful. You would think that for someone as vain about her looks as me, a photo shoot would be like Christmas morning, but I didn’t feel like I was very good at it. I had to smile not just to smile, but to convey something else, a “buy my book” message. I had to keep my “brand” in mind, that I want to appear friendly and approachable so readers will want to keep in touch with me and keep reading my books. I’m selling myself as a storyteller, but also as a friend, because when I look at authors’ website pictures, I like the ones who look like I’d want to chat with them. But I’m a romance author, so a bit of glamour or sexiness is just fine too. One little picture has a lot of work to do. And Eric did a terrific job of putting me at ease and getting the expressions he wanted.

My job now is to look through the dozens of pictures and choose the best one. Then Eric will make it all pretty, adjusting the colors, etc. (possibly erasing my ever-increasing laugh lines!), and poof! Jean Ditslear of Redwall Communications (she designed my site) will put it up on my website and my fancy new business cards. I debated putting my picture on my business cards, as it smacked of me being a Realtor or an actor. But business cards fly around the RWA national conference like fireflies in June, and a picture will help people remember who I am. It feels rather vain, but at the end of the day (a catchphrase I hate), it’s practical.

Stay tuned for the big reveal. And thanks for your support!

Yesterday I attended the Colorado Romance Writers mini-conference in nearby Arvada, at a golf club. As part of my day immersed in all things romance-novel writing, I pitched THROWN to a real live editor for the first time!

How this works is, you sign up ahead of time for a pitch appointment, and then you get 10 minutes (which is generous—at some conferences you only get five) to sit at a table with an editor, tell her about your book and hope to pique her interest. My appointment was at 10:10, so at 10:00 I went to the ladies room to primp and run hot water over my (freezing) hands so the editor wouldn’t think she had inadvertently grabbed a dead carp during the greeting handshake. It very much felt like a blind date, especially when I stuffed 42 breath strips into my mouth, nearly burning a hole in my tongue.

The editor was Kristin Sevick from Tor/Macmillan, a house known more for its science fiction than romance, but they certainly publish romance. Kristin was a dream first pitch, friendly and engaging, and I thanked her for making my first time so pleasant (wow, does that sound like I write romance novels, or what?). Even better, she likes horses, so we talked about Brooke and the difficulties of riding in or near New York City.

Happily, she asked for a query, synopsis, and my first three chapters!! Now, I know it’s a staggering long shot that my first pitch to an editor would result in my book getting published. But still, it was nice to be asked. Especially when I looked at the Macmillan website and all the romances seem to have ghosts, werewolves, vampires, demons, time travelers and/or people with special powers. Not sure Amanda, Grady, the horses et al are up to traveling in those circles, but who knows? And hey, if Kristin says, “I love your book, but I can only buy it if you add an alien or make the horses psychic,” I may oblige.

Kristin also taught me the term “math face,” which is the face a person who is actively afraid of math (me–and her) makes when forced to DO math. I thank her for that almost as much as for letting me send her my chapters.

Does anyone else find it interesting that my first pitch for my book was mere yards away from a bar? NOT that I went there for anything stronger than a Coke (cutting down on my Diet Coke consumption, and soda in general, but every now and then…) until after the mini-conference was over.

Speaking of the mini-conference, it was a day of education and inspiration from Harlequin author Kara Lennox, who has written more than 80(!) romance novels. She writes screenplays too, and a lot of her writing techniques are based on screenwriting techniques, which meshed beautifully with how I write, since I do the same thing. I got lots of tips on writing, as well as query letters, finding agents and the business of writing. Plus she was funny, which always helps.

AND I found out about the Cleveland Rocks Romance Contest because they posted the results on their website. I came in third, which ain’t bad for the first contest I’ve ever entered. It was a little disheartening to see how judges asked some of the other entrants for “fulls” (full manuscripts), but that just gives me something to strive for. Congrats to Katherine Lowry Logan and Virginia McCullough, who took first and second respectively in the Contemporary Single Title category.

Today, all I want to do is write, but I must go see Brooke (who was neglected yesterday) and do something about the rain forest that is taking over my backyard. I’ll get SOME writing in, but right about now, boy I wish I had servants. Any takers?

Thanks for reading and for your support!

Yes I do. Because where the stars at night are big and bright is home to the Winter Rose Contest, and the writer of this blog found out today that she won the Contemporary Single Title category!

Happy dance! Back handspring! Happy dance! Squee! Woot! (Insert celebratory expression of choice here.)

Margo Lipschultz, an editor at Harlequin, was the final judge, and wrote some very nice comments. You can be sure I’ll post them on this site in the near future. I extend a huge thanks to her and all the preliminary judges at the Yellow Rose Romance Writers, the RWA chapter that sponsored the contest. A special thanks to Michelle Miles, the contest coordinator.

Thanks to my early readers who helped me craft the story, especially Belinda, Tom, James, Elizabeth and Hal. And of course, thanks to you for your support!

And now, please join me in singing a few bars of “Deep in the Heart of Texas.” Thank you.

Ah, the waiting game. Trying not to watch the clock, because a watched pot of contest entries never boils. Or something like that.

But enough with the mixing of metaphors. I have good news and mediocre news. I’ll give you the mediocre news first. I haven’t won the Winter Rose contest, but I haven’t come in second or third, either. There’s a problem with one of the judges, which I found surprising because they’ve had six weeks to read the three entries they had to judge. But then I thought, maybe the judge is like me, a procrastinator, and waited until the last minute, then came down with the flu or her dog ate her email account or the like. Bottom line, the contest poobahs have pushed back the announcement of the winners for one week to give the new judge a chance to evaluate the entries. So you see, it’s not exactly bad news, not exactly good news, it’s mediocre.

As for the Cleveland Rocks contest, they apparently have managed to keep all their judges on schedule, and they will announce the winners soon. They don’t say exactly when, but it could be as early as today, or over the next few days. They announced the winners yesterday at their writers’ conference, and had I been more on my game, I would have had one of my friends in Ohio sneak in and spy for me.

That’s the contest wrap-up. In case you’re keeping score at home, I have since entered two more contests: The Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ Colorado Gold Contest for unpublished authors, and the Alaska Romance Writers’ Break-Up Contest. I may enter one of the Denver-area’s romance writers chapters’ contest, but I’m not sure. Part of me wants to support them, but part of me wants to concentrate solely on revising THROWN.

Which brings me to my good news. I had lunch with the lovely RITA-nominee/brilliant author Joanne Kennedy last Sunday to discuss her suggestions for making THROWN the Best Romance Novel EVER. She handed over six pages of notes and we spent almost the whole entire time talking about my novel. Imagine how distraught I must have been, having to spend hours talking about ME and MY story. As I expected, her comments were dead on, and I’ve been revising ever since, in drips and drabs. This is another one of those times when I wish I was independently wealthy and could spend all my waking hours writing. But I’ll get it done before the Romance Writers of America conference in late June, so that’s the important thing.

And there you have it. The update. When I hear about the contests, I’ll be sure to let you know. As always, thank you for your support!