The Emily Contest is Open!

Calling all writers! The Emily contest is open!

The Emily is sponsored by the West Houston Chapter of the RWA. According to their website, the contest started back in 1990 to promote publication of previously unpublished writers of romance.

The contest evolved and is open to published and unpublished writers. (You do not need to be a member to enter.) Unpublished authors may enter in any category not contracted in (book-length) by September 30, 2011. Published authors may enter in any category not published (book-length) in the past three years. For a full list of categories, please visit the website. NOTE: there IS a YA category!

The Emily is a highly respected contest. In fact, many Emily winners and finalists have gone on to be published. The contest is capped at 300 entries, and multiple entries are allowed. The contest asks for your first 7000 words. And, there is no synopsis requirement! (Hooray!) The deadline is September 30th, but because of the cap you don't want to wait!

For more info, and to enter, go to the website link above. Good luck!

Back in the Saddle

Hey everyone! I'm officially back in the saddle again! And glad to be back! For those of you who don't know, I lost my mother-in-law to cancer. We were very close, and it was a very difficult time in my life that one day I will most definitely write about. Although I miss her dearly, I know she's up in heaven shaking her first at me and telling me to GET ON WITH IT! So that's what I'm doing.

Then, of course, I had the regular craziness associated with kids and summer. Now that my lovely darlings are back at school, I'm back at my desk and moving forward with finding my dream agent.

My plan is to be more active here on my blog, and to focus on my goals because I know that this is my time. I can feel it!

Until next time!

Not a Regular Blogger

Hey guys! I have a confession to make...I'm not a regular blogger. Which, you probably knew already. Why? Because my first order of business is to find an agent. So...that's what I've been doing...in addition to working on a new WIP.

That being said, I'll come on here from time to time, but mostly I'm completely focused on finding my dream agent. And when I do, because I will, then you better believe I'll be blogging!!

Until then!

Top Agent Blogs

The GLA Blog, authored by super awesome Chuck Sambuchino, listed the top 5 Agent Blogs for 2010. I subscribe to all of them, and I absolutely agree that they rock. Click here to read his blog, and see below for his list.

1. Chip MacGregor
2. Dystel & Goderich Literary Management
3. KidLit
4. Nathan Bransford
5. Rachelle Gardner

Not only do I get good tips and advice from these blogs, but they also keep me in the know. If you want to be a writer, you gotta do more than just sit at the computer and type. You need to know the industry, know the trends, see what's up with your peers.

Today I went to the book fair at my kids' school. It was so cool to see some of those books and say, "Hey, I know the agent for that book, I read their blog." It makes me feel one step closer to finding my own agent.

Below are some other agent blogs that I absolutely love. Check em out!

1. Scott Eagan
2. Jessica Faust
3. Jill Corcoran
4. Kristin Nelson
5. Kate Shafer Testerman

What agent blogs do you read?

Dear-Editor.com Giveaway!

To celebrate the one month anniversary of Dear-Editor.com, former Harcourt Children's Books editor, Deborah Halverson, is giving away one substantive edit of a YA/MG fiction manuscript. For more details, you can click here.


According to Alice Pope's blog, Deborah has recently edited the work of four writers who've recently landed lucrative 2-book deals with major publishers. The deadline for this giveaway is April 14th.


I don't know about you, but I'm on it!!

Writing Contests

Hello Writer Friends! There are some cool contests out there you should know about. Here they are:

Writer's Digest is having another "Dear Lucky Agent" Contest. They want your logline and the first 150-200 words of your YA/MG unpublished book-length work. The judge is Regina Brooks, founder of Serendipity Literary Agent. For more details, click here. The deadline for this contest is Wednesday, April 14th.

The awesome Hilary Wagner is having a contest via her blog. All you have to do is go to her blog, subscribe, and enter a comment. Her agent, Marietta Zacker of the Nancy Gallt Literary Agency, will pick three winners. For more details, click here. Please note that the deadline for this contest is TODAY, April 8th.

If I hear of anything else, I'll be sure to let you know! Good luck!

What I'm Reading Now- The Other Lands

I've finally finished all the Percy Jackson books, and LOVED them! They were fast and fun, and made me feel like a kid again! Thank you Rick Riordan!

Now, I'm reading The Other Lands by David Anthony Durham. It's the second book of the Acacia Trilogy. This book is the exact opposite of the Percy Jackson books. Instead of fast and fun, this book, like the first one, is intricate and moving. I'm completely caught up in the characters, the setting, and the plot development. It's like a slow moving catastrophe that takes your breath away and leaves you on the edge of your seat. (And I say that with the utmost admiration for the story.)

What will happen to the heirs of Acacia? I have no idea, but I'm DYING to find out. I think I know what's going to happen, and I think I know how Aliver will return, but I don't want to get my hopes up, especially since David might throw me for a loop like he did in Acacia.

As a writer, I'm also learning a lot from David's books. First and foremost, how to show and not tell. The other thing I'm learning is character development. To me, these are the two most important parts of a book. And to say I'm inspired by David is an understatement.

That being said, I'm signing off to return to my WIP. See you next time!