The Unknown is Something to Smile At

Yesterday, I got a request for a full manuscript after an agent read the partial. Eight weeks ago, I got a request for a different full manuscript from Harlequin Mills and Boon after they read the partial. Since then, I have smiled at a lot of strangers, taken time to admire the clouds on the mountain, and have had, in general, a positive outlook on life. How easy it is to make a writer happy, yet it is not easy at all. It requires months and months, and sometimes years and years of hard work and diligence, and let's not forget the long weeks of waiting. Although I've had two positive experiences, I am still waiting for the agent's and Harlequin's decision--decisions that will ultimately change my life. Did I say life? Yes, writing is my life. I love my family and my job as a dental office manager, but I am constantly thinking about my writing and creating new and hopefully exciting stories--perhaps ones that will catch the attention of a big publisher like Harlequin and a New York agent.

For now, I am content to smile at strangers and admire the puffy clouds over the mountains, but I am ever aware of the wait. Will today be the day a decision is made? If not, I'll wait and see what happens tomorrow.

Desert Dreams 2010 Conference

Wow! I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted. A lot has happened. One of the most exciting things is that I pitched to an agent and she asked to see my new book as well as a brief synopsis of the others. WooHoo. Then I get back after having a wonderful time at the conference and Harlequin Mills and Boon has requested a full on the partial I sent them at the beginning of the year. Can't get much better than that! This is a picture of me and by dear, sweet friend and critique partner, Kathryne Kennedy,
author of the The Relics of Merlin series, and her new series The Elven Lords.

Here's my new May release. The Dragon's Secret. I just learned that it's up for a Library Journal review. Before I rush off to do final edits and polish my submission to hook an agent, I highly recommend the Desert Dreams Conference, always held in Scottsdale, AZ in the spring of every other year. It was full of helpful information, so many editor and agents I couldn't keep count, and the Chaparral Suites Hotel is my favorite. Lastly, the ladies that put his on, are absolutely the friendliest and most helpful people you'll ever have the good fortune of meeting.

Stage Fright and the Dreaded Pitch

It's been some time since I've posted. A lot has been going on. I'm trying to get an agent and I'm trying to polish a medieval to pitch to an editor at the Desert Dreams Conference comping up in April. I have had an agent most of my writing life who did all my "pitching" for me, so needless to say, I'm nervous about it. I always sound like a dork trying to summarize a novel into a few creative sentences. when I go to a job interview, I'm confident, precise and know exactly what I can deliver. Not so when faced with the one person who could take my writing career to the next level. So, with that said, and while I wait to hear from an agent, an e-publisher, and Harlequin in England, I'll just take a deep breath and get back to editing.