Networking is Key!

Right Now: Jake is swimming at Joe's and Olivia is trying to teach Spotty Dotty dog tricks. HGTV is on in the background.

It's not just what you know...but who you know. And I know no one in the publishing/literary agent industry.... So I've decided to change that!

Today I joined the society of children's book writers and illustrators (scbwi). This is a national group of published authors and illustrators and those who want to get published--like me! I plan on attending the local meetings starting next month. In the meantime, I plan on perusing their online communities.

I'll let you know how it goes!

A Very Cool Blog

RIGHT NOW: My kids are swimming at Joe's and I'm listening to Topaz by the B52s.


So today I was doing some research on agents and came across this blog and almost fell out of my chair. http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/.

This blog has great tips and advice for the writer (like me) in search of an agent. My favorite feature is the column called "How I Got My Agent." In fact, I even queried one of the agents mentioned in this column and plan on querying another later on. I'll let you know how it goes!

Divisionals Yesterday

Yesterday was a very long day of divisionals for swim team. We got to the pool at 7am and stayed until 5 pm. Wheww... a long and hot day.

Olivia and Jake swam great, and now we've got one more week of training for Red White and Blue for Olivia. After that, swimming will be over and we can enjoy the rest of the summer. And I can continue writing and querying agents.

How Did This All Start?

I've always been the kind of person that's done so much for others that I totally forget myself-- always. Well, a funny thing happened on the way to forty...I decided to do something that I wanted to do. Something for me. And what was that? Writing...

When I mentioned my plans to my neighbor down the street she was totally shocked. She had no idea that I even remotely wanted to write. It wasn't that she didn't know me well enough, or that she wasn't a good friend, it was that I had forgotten my dream. How could anyone even know about my dream if it wasn't even a dream anymore?

I still remember my sweet husband buying me a handheld recorder for my birthday way back when. He knew I wanted to write and he gave me the recorder to help me get started. Now, fifteen years later, I have no idea where that recorder is. But I know where my dream is... and it's alive and well!

So, around Octoberish of 2008, I sat in front of the computer and thought and thought about all the stuff that I wanted to write about. My first idea was to write about my family, and maybe one day I will, but when my fingers hit the keyboard something totally different came out of me. Weird I know. And now, some 10 months and ninety-seven thousand words later, I'm done with Final Life, the first book in my Descendant Trilogy.

I love my characters. I love the story. I just need to find that one agent who agrees with me! Where are you? I know I'll find the right person. So for now I'm continuing to query agents and I've started my second book. Wish me luck!

Welcome to My Blog!

I've been wanting to do this for a long time and finally it's done--my literary blog! Most of you know that I've been spending lots of time writing my book and now finding an agent, but several of you have no idea why I've chosen this path. Well, this blog will detail my journey, beginning with why decision to start writing and continuing through the process of finding an agent.

So please stay tuned, okay? Thanks!