Don't Ever Give Up

GIRL ON THE RUN is out in the real world, y'all!

"Quick paced with lots of twists and turns, readers will love 'GIRL on the RUN.'
    ~ CM Magazine. Four star review, highly recommended.

I am more than thrilled to FINALLY share Jesse's story. I first wrote this book five years ago. The manuscript went through two agents and almost a total of two years of being on submission. I was so completely disheartened by all the rejections, I almost gave up on writing.

Then I discovered Wattpad. I posted a novella with cross over characters to boost interest in Jesse's story. That story (BUTTERFLIES DON'T LIE) quickly gathered its own audience of over two million reads, demanding to buy the book. I decided to send my novella out on my own. Soon afterward, my agent and I amicably parted ways.

Nimbus Publishing, the largest publisher on the East Coast, picked it out of the slush pile and BUTTERFLIES DON'T LIE was sold. A week later, GIRL ON THE RUN was bought by them as well.

So, lesson learned. Don't ever give up.

But I'm so grateful for the previous rejections because Jesse ended up with the right publisher. I couldn't be more pleased with Nimbus and the awesome editorial magic of Penelope Jackson and Whitney Moran.

And now you can WIN your very own copy of GIRL ON THE RUN, plus the book that started it all, BUTTERFLIES DON'T LIE!

 

Check out the blitz that's happening this week for your chance to enter!

Here's some eye candy on the Pinterest Board to further tempt you.
And you can add it on Goodreads too, you lucky doll!

Can't wait? No problem...

Buy Links: Amazon US Amazon CAN Chapters Barnes & Noble

My Year in Writing, 2013

In terms of organizing my life and setting new goals for 2014, I like to review the past year to see what happened in my writing journey month by month. You can check out last year's post for 2012 here.

So, let's get started on 2013, or as I like to call it, the year in which ALL THE THINGS happened.

January


I worked like a mad woman on BUSGIRL BLUES to meet the deadline for February. Hair reached Mad Max proportions due to lack of time for personal grooming.

The massively revised version of NIGHT SHIFT was returned to an editor who had requested R&R back in July 2012.

Then something exciting happened. An editor who had read JUST JESSE in November 2012 loved it and was planning on taking it to acquisitions. I was super secret with this nugget of fabulous news, fearing I would hex any chance I might have, and only told my family. At this point all the other editors who read JUST JESSE last year had passed.

Although one of the editors who passed on JUST JESSE requested the newly revised NIGHT SHIFT!

So it was high kicks and jazz hands all around. Near the end of the month I found time to have a shower. My family was grateful.


February

BUSGIRL BLUES was featured on Wattpad! I checked my reads and votes four times a day. Oddly enough this did not increase my reads or votes, much like the watched pot of never boiling water. I was able to muster enough self control to push away from the computer. Valentine chocolate on sale helped.

In two weeks my reads reached 10, 000. It was encouraging, but the best part were the amazing comments from readers all over the world. A sixteen year old girl from India sent me a message thanking me for sharing the story because she felt I wrote the story just for her.

Me and my cheap chocolate melted into a puddle of love and gooey joy in front of the computer.

I made Pinterest boards for all my stories *cough* time suck *cough*

March

BUSGIRL BLUES continued to do well. This was a much needed boost as I had been on submission for a combined time of two years and the constant rejection was making me doubt why I was writing at all. The encouragement from the Wattpad community was essential.

Another story took root in the ole' noggin and I started writing a YA mystery.

My family and I went on vacation for March Break. I did a quick check of my e-mail and saw one hundred messages from Wattpad readers. O-o. By the end of the week, the story had received over 200, 000 reads.

During our vacation in Miami, I saw Lionel Richie in our hotel lobby. When he walked by I reached out and shook his hand. "It's so nice to meet you!" I gushed.

I should tell you, my confidence was running high. I was wearing a wicked awesome black dress and had just finished a meal with lots of wine. Therefore, I felt perfectly within my rights to approach the above mentioned super star.

Lionel (because friends call each other by their first names) smiled at me and said, "Well, hello sweetheart. How are you?"

True story.

My agent told me JUST JESSE was given an R&R by the acquisitions team. After reading their short note, I had the feeling this certain publishing house wasn't interested and making the minute changes would be moot. However, I worked on JUST JESSE and hoped I did enough to address their concerns. My agent sent back the revised version and the waiting started again.

The editor who requested the R&R for NIGHT SHIFT passed. My agent and I discussed taking it off submission since she had been shopping it around for over a year. I hated to do this since NIGHT SHIFT was the story I'd worked on the longest and was closest to my heart. Still, we felt it was better to concentrate on the novel we thought had the best chance at selling.


April

No news from editor re-reading JUST JESSE.

BUSGIRL BLUES passed one million reads and was continuing to grow like a Chia Pet on Red Bull! People were actually asking where they could buy the book. But with all the great exposure, nothing else was happening.

Near the end of April, hope was fading. I was anxious to take JUST JESSE to smaller publishing houses. Everyone on twitter was announcing major deals only days after going on submission.

What was I doing wrong?

I continued to do all the things published authors say you should do while waiting on submission.

I concentrated on finishing my YA mystery.

I wrote upbeat blog posts.

I managed my platform.

I read everyday.

I baked cookies.

I helped my kids with their homework.

I started running again.

I went to work and talked about things other than writing.

...And then I went into the local bookstore and started to cry in the YA section.

My husband told me I had to make a decision about my writing or I'd go insane. I lamented about the long process. He said, "Make up your mind, it's either a hobby or a career." Then he asked, "Isn't there anyone local?"

There was.

In fact, I had two small publishing houses on my radar, one local and one in the States. I had nothing to lose so I sent them BUSGIRL BLUES, describing the success it was enjoying on Wattpad.


May

The month in which all the stuff happened.

Three weeks went by with no news. I watched tumbleweeds breeze through my e-mails. I asked my agent to withdraw my submissions for JUST JESSE and NIGHT SHIFT. She promised to schedule a time to talk about it further.

On the Victoria Day holiday weekend my family and I went camping. Drinking coffee while watching sea birds dive for hot dog buns cleared my mind.

I realized writing had become a miserable habit. Trying to get published had turned a quaint love affair with creating stories into a nightmare of being trapped inside a brothel full of zombies.

I didn't want that anymore. I just wanted to write.

On my birthday (yay 42!), when I returned home from the camping trip, there was an e-mail from the publisher in the States. They really liked BUSGIRL BLUES! They'd checked my website and wondered if they could take a look at JUST JESSE as well. I sent a quick e-mail to my agent, awaiting her instruction on how to proceed.

My impatience was finally wearing down my agent. It was clear by this time we had differing views of which publishing houses we wanted for JUST JESSE. We had reached a stalemate, and she felt it was time to end my contract. 

To be honest, it was for the best. And even though she never read BUSGIRL BLUES, I admit I should have told her I was planning on submitting to smaller publishers.

I will always be grateful for the work she put into helping me these last two years, especially with NIGHT SHIFT. Any success that story enjoys will be due in part to her efforts. We wished each other well and ended things amicably.

Then I received word the editor considering NIGHT SHIFT passed, but with nice compliments.

Four days later, (on my niece's fifteen birthday) I received a phone call from the local publisher. Penelope J, an editor from Nimbus Publishing, made an offer on BUSGIRL BLUES. The finer details are here. When I told her about JUST JESSE, she requested that as well. A week later she called with a two book deal!

I contacted the other small publisher. They were excited about both books, but requested an R&R for BUSGIRL BLUES before they would consider making a counter offer.

Penelope and I had already discussed the extent of the revisions that would be needed. She was enthusiastic and totally won me over with her passion for my characters.

It was an easy decision. R&R's have never really worked out for me. I accepted the offer from Nimbus.

June

The editor considering JUST JESSE passed. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to speak with her. She was lovely and took the time to explain my revisions weren't up to what they were hoping to see, and that a second revision wouldn't have made a difference in their decision.

I appreciated the time she took to champion JUST JESSE. As writers, we don't realize the huge amounts of time editors put into manuscripts that may never be published.

Speaking of being published...

I signed my contract with Nimbus and the party began.

Funny thing about positive feedback, you tend to write more. That story I was tinkering with back in March had taken flight and had reached over 85, 000 words. I began posting the first few chapters of THE ASP, a YA mystery, on Wattpad.


July

I have three awesome friends who have been reading all my stuff from the very beginning—that's six years worth of bad spelling to slog through, folks. They threw me a party and made this frickin' awesome book cake with the last line of JUST JESSE's query.

August

I posted the Epilogue for THE ASP! It had reached over 250, 000 reads by this point.

September

I started outlining a new YA sci-fi idea that had been kicking around in my head. And yes, even that one has its own Pinterest story board.

I was lucky enough to be the beta reader for two fantastic writer friends.

Jennifer Swann Downey wrote an epic middle grade adventure with magical realism and a spirited girl who loves sword fighting and books. And you'll be able to read it soon too because it's going to be published by Sourcebooks in Spring 2014.

And the other novel was a contemporary romance with lots of um...other kinds of action. That book will soon be snagged by a publisher when it falls head over heels in love with its steamy, schmexy scenes. Ann Marie Walker is the lady behind the trilogy that's soon to set the world on fire.


October

NIGHT SHIFT was featured on Wattpad. This was a hard decision to make because I've been revising and working on this story for the last six years. However, I realized the characters will wither away and die if no one reads about them. So, yes, after all those sleep deprived nights, I'm offering my blood, sweat, and tears for free.

For Halloween, my thirteen-year-old daughter dressed up like DumbleDora the Explorer and my ten year old son went as a bloody surgeon with a chain saw. It was epic.

 November

NIGHT SHIFT was getting blush-inducing, amazingballs comments! I was thrilled! I also noticed a lot more published authors were making profiles on Wattpad, posting the first few chapters of their published works for more exposure. Fantastic!

December

I got my editorial letter for BUSGIRL BLUES! I'd never been so happy to stay up late writing again. I finished my work by the end of the month, and when I read through it (for the millionth time) I knew I made the right decision in accepting the offer from Nimbus. The story wouldn't have evolved the way it had without Penelope's guidance.

I guess I should listen to my husband more often ;)

So that's 2013 in review. Phew! I'm exhausted.

And in a few days I'll finally be able to say, "I'm getting published THIS year."


What are your writing goals for 2014?

Four Hard Lessons That Changed How I Write

                                                  tumblr.com

I've been writing for five years. I've completed seven novels, and four short stories. I've had two agents. And I've been on submission longer than anyone else on the planet ;)

If you need some tips on surviving submission click here and here.

My writing has come a long way since I wrote that first sentence; "Willard's department store was very old and very grand."

Whoa—who farted, right?

It's much better now, and for that I'm eternally grateful.

And my philosophy has improved as well. When I first started querying, I was so full of confidence, imagining three book deals with movie adaptations, I only sent out two queries.

What an idiot I was.

Imagine my shock when I received a form rejection the next day.

After many, many, many—okay you get the picture, rejections (and years) I realized my attitude toward writing needed to evolve as well as my skill with storytelling.

 

#1. I can't quit.   

Writing can be thrilling, exhausting, gratifying and frustrating. But we continue, even on the hardest days and after the toughest rejections because we're writers, it's what we do.

#2. My novels may never be published.

This was a tough one to swallow. Recently I made the decision to take one of my projects off submission. It is my favorite story and one that I've worked on the longest (see above opening line).

It's going to have another life, and I'll blog more about that later, but the important thing is to ask yourself why you started writing. Is it to share your stories, or to be published? Sometimes it can't be both ways and you have to figure out what you're willing to give up.

#3. Treat writing like a job.

Schedule yourself time to write. Did you get that? TO WRITE. Not to go on twitter, Pinterest, tumblr, facebook, or wattpad. It's amazing how much you can accomplish in an hour. Writing requires discipline.

#4. Write without fear.

So many times I pause during a scene, second guessing if what I'm doing is worthy of someone else's eyes. Who cares?! Keep it going. Don't leave your characters hanging! Besides, you can edit later.


I hope this resonates and helps you in your writing journey.

Many times I've wanted to quit, but I'm still writing, and I'm still hoping for that book deal. (Notice I didn't mention the movie thing).

Are there any epiphanies you'd like to share?

The Other Face of Rejection



moviecity.com

 Being on submission is like being at the high school dance, standing all alone by the punch bowl, praying the cute guy will cross the gym floor and ask you to dance.

Getting rejections is when that same cute guy crosses the gym floor and asks the girl next to you—and then you have to hold her purse and watch as they fall in love.

Do any of these sound familiar to you?

"...just not right for me." 

"I didn't connect with the main character the way I had hoped."

"I'm not sure how we can make this stand out in our current list."

I am an unpublished writer trying to get my YA contemporary coming of age story noticed. It seems like there isn't even ONE editor on the planet who is willing to take a chance on me.

But I know I'm not alone. I read somewhere that only 2% of manuscripts get published. That means for every hundred novels an editor reads, they'll only pick two.

EGAD!!! I can't imagine having a job where I do 98% of the work for FREE.

I love my job. I'm a Nurse and it's very fulfilling, but I wouldn't do it for free.

Editors, I now realize, aren't people who start the day rubbing their palms together wondering which writer's dreams they shatter with a form rejection.

Editors are people who are SO in love with words that they're willing to slog through ninety-eight novels (think of the paper cuts!) not driven by a salary, but by the HOPE that they'll find a story to fall in love. Otherwise, what's the point?

So, while you're leaning against the refreshment table, trying to make googly eyes at the cute guy across the gym, remember he's looking to fall in love too.

I raise my glass to all the love connections that will happen this year. I hope you're one of them—and me too.

My Year In Writing, 2012

This was a great exercise. It helped define my goals for this coming year, and made me realize that even though I didn't get a book deal in 2012, my writing has come a long way.

January

I finished my latest revisions of NIGHT SHIFT. My agent and I nailed down a date to officially launch it into the world of submission.

I also started a running club at my kids elementary school—every Friday at noon hour. Nothing better than running on ice with little kids.

February

My agent and I polished the pitch, and NIGHT SHIFT was sent into the world. Candles were lit and turkey wishbones were snapped.

I started working on Winterfest, a huge benefit/party fundraiser at my kids school. I was in charge of decoration. It looked fantastic.

March

I started talking with my agent about JUST JESSE, my contemporary YA, coming of age novel. We came up with a plan for some revisions and I started researching for comp titles.

Joined Pinterest and lost track of A LOT of time.

April

I discovered how to use dashboard on my twitter account (life changing). I also discovered waiting through submission and revision notes was excruciating. Thankfully, I had good writer friends who were going through the same thing.

May

I turned 41! I love birthdays, especially my own.

A few rejections for NIGHT SHIFT rolled in. My agent and I discussed how to use their comments to strengthen the story, ie: more revising.

June

Finished revisions on JUST JESSE. Started working on a one page synopsis.

One of my beta readers went on submission with her totally fantastic MG magical realism adventure.

July

JUST JESSE goes on submission to a few select editors.

Vacationed in Cavendish, PEI with hubs and kiddos! (Land of Anne of Green Gables).

An editor requested R&R for NIGHT SHIFT.

Joined wattpad and started posting short stories.

August

Worked on MAJOR revisions for NIGHT SHIFT.

Enjoyed comments and meeting other authors on wattpad.

September

I broke my foot on labor day weekend. I was non-weightbearing for the next two weeks. I couldn't work, but holy sweet fancy molasses I WROTE like a madman!

Oldest kiddo started junior high. She got braces, but was also made assistant captain of her ringette team, so that balanced out the metal mouth thing.

I entered CURSED in a wattpad, short story contest.

Then I received an R&R for JUST JESSE. Talked with my agent about tweaking/revising.

Discovered I could post blog entrees on Pinterest. O_O. Like...wow.

October

Finished revisions for JUST JESSE. Very happy with how it had developed into a genuine story of first love and loss.

My awesome beta reader got a two book deal for her MG adventure!!!! You'll meet her and her fabulous characters in the near future. Plus, she promised to give me an interview on this blog. Stayed tuned.

Sadly, this month also brought terrible news for my family. My sister was diagnosed with breast cancer and was told she had to undergo surgery. Helping her manage became my priority.

 November

My sister had surgery and we all waited to hear what the pathology report found.

Slowly revised NIGHT SHIFT. 

CURSED failed to make it to the next round of the competition on wattpad.

December

My sister received the best Christmas present. The oncologist confirmed her surgery was successful in getting rid of all the cancer. She didn't require chemotherapy or radiation, but will be on tamoxifen for five years.

Wattpad contacted me, complimenting CURSED. They asked if I had longer stories to post, and if I would be interested in being one of their 'featured authors' in the new year. I worked on an outline, then gave them a query for my contemporary YA novella, BUSGIRL BLUES.

I finished revisions on NIGHT SHIFT, and I STILL totally love it.


So there you have it. No book deal, but I'm proud of the work I've done, and all the new stories I've written since last year.

And don't forget, BUSGIRL BLUES will be 'released' on wattpad in late February!!!

 

What are some of your goals for this year? 

I Wave The White Flag

I'm usually a pretty upbeat kind of chick. My motto is, "Hey, it could always be worse." It could also be a whole lot better, but that's not my style.

Most of my posts deal with getting through the yucky times of publishing. You know, the constant rejections, the feeling no one will ever, EVER publish your book, and how everyone else on the planet is not only getting book deals, but movie rights as well.



That's it! I'm outta here.
photo credit, ereads.com

It's enough to make a girl rethink her motto.

*Le sigh*

This week my cheery outlook has been challenged, but that's what makes you stronger, right?

Well, actually no.

I've been mucking around in a gloom of submission for sometime...one book is clocking in at over a year—that's a lot of waiting for nothing to happen.




Also, I've been laid up with a broken foot, hobbling on crutches, and spending most of my time on the couch. It's been great for my Pinterest boards, but it's also allowed me to reflect on my specific goals for writing.

Why do I want to write?

Because I love creating characters and sharing those stories makes them real for others.

Why do I want to be published?

Because more people would read my stories, plus I might get more twitter followers.

What is the best thing about being on submission?

Knowing there is a chance I might get published, therefore more people will read my stories.

What is the worst thing about being on submission?

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Rejection. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Rejection.

I want my stories to be read, not stuck in someones in box for another year.

So, I'm taking a break.

I'm turning away from my e-mail.

I'm raising the white flag.

I will be wattpad's best contributor.

I will write more. And I will share more.

No more waiting.

Enjoy the stories...

Best Ways To Survive Submission

Okay, just to clarify, this is NOT the kind of submission in Fifty Shades of Grey, but thanks for stopping by the blog anyway.

Submission is when you and your agent agree that your novel is in the best shape possible for editors to brood over its lovely pages. It's also a lot like being at a high school dance wishing the cute guy on the other side of the gym would notice you.



*Giggles*
photo credit, clarification.blogspot.com



At first, it was exciting to have people who are in charge of turning stories into real books, reading MY story.

Then the rejections came. But that was okay, I told myself, it's a subjective business, right?

Then months passed.

Then the calendar year turned.

Um...all right. Let's buckle down and send out another story.

Then more rejections came.

Then more months passed.

See the pattern?

Each path to publication is different. Mine feels like it's uphill and in the dark. And even though I realize my path may not end with a book deal, I keep moving forward—mostly because I'm a sucker for a happy ending.

Incredibly, after all this time, whenever the phone rings my first thought is that @rivetingrosie is calling with amazing news!

I still hit emotional potholes of doubt along the way. I've posted about it here, and here. But I've learned a valuable lesson while being on submission these many eons—It doesn't matter if you think you'll never be published or if you're the next J.K. Rowling...rejections still roll in.

And I've discovered it's more fun to dream while I wait.

Here are the top five things that help me survive submission.

1. Instead of waiting for a book deal to celebrate, treat yourself each time you get a rejection. It doesn't have to be expensive or elaborate, just enough to make you smile.

2. When you're reading the latest deals in Publishers Marketplace, remember all of those success stories were years in the making. Did you hear that? YEARS.

3. Keep writing. The best decision I recently made was to enter a short story contest on  @GeekChic42's website. Creating a story with a beginning, middle, and end in less than 1000 words, was an excellent exercise. Also, I discovered I love making book covers and trailers.

4. Step away from the computer. Engage in the life around you. Family and friends are the best balm after a rejection and they're a reminder your happiness shouldn't only be determined by your writing successes.

5. Cupcakes. See number 1.

And here is the bonus.  DREAM BIG!

So hold the shampoo bottle while reciting your Oscar speech for 'Best Screen Play' in the shower. Create a Pinterest board with actors who will star in the movie adaptation of your book. Smile secretly when the guy at Starbucks looks exactly like your MC's love interest. And always, ALWAYS pick up the lucky penny you see on the sidewalk.

Consider New Radicals, "You Get What You Give", substitute 'music' with 'stories' you've got the perfect writer's anthem.

What are some tips that help you through submission?

If you like this, click the Google+1 button below and help share the awesome.

Why Bother Writing If I'm Never Going To Be Published?

I asked myself this question out loud in my empty kitchen the other morning while scraping the hardened bits of scrambled egg from the frying pan.

Are we there yet?
photo credit, de.fotolia.com

Being on submission is thrilling, but it's also quite boring and depressing at times. They say the road to publication is different for everyone.

I confess I've begun to feel like I'm stuck on a banana seat bike puffing out, I think I can. I think I can. I think I can... as I watch everyone else is fly past me in a Ferrari. It seems to happen to other people much faster and always overnight.



I flipped back through my mental calendar and did the calculation. I started writing three years ago, during March break of 2009. No, way. Really? That long? The math was like a school yard bully, thumbing his nose at me.

I dropped the scraper and stared out the kitchen window. Three years. If it was meant to be, it shouldn't take this long, I reasoned. If it was meant to be, it should be effortless. The answer was like a punch to my gut.

Why am I subjecting myself to rejections from strangers whose opinions can ruin a lovely sunny day? Why? WHY did I ever start writing?

I wiped my hands dry and slumped in front of my computer. I checked my e-mail folder for NIGHT SHIFT. I went to the first draft and the date was confirmed. Yup, three years. I began reading the first chapter. I hadn't seen this version for awhile. I cringed. Ew...so bad. I used up two pages describing the Confectionery.

Then I clicked on an e-mail dated a week after I finished that first draft. It was from one of my close friends. She'd read the first chapter and wanted more. After I had sent her the whole thing, she asked, “What happens next?”

Only a writer knows how amazing it feels to have someone ask you that question.

Gradually, I added two more friends to the weekly chapter e-mail deliveries. With their encouragement the series grew. By the fourth book, the story had became theirs as well. I'll always remember one of my friends congratulating me, “You wrote four books! FOUR!”

“But they're not real books,” I had said. She shot me a look, and then uncorked the wine.

Reading those three-year-old e-mails gave me my answer. I started writing NIGHT SHIFT because I had this story in my head and I wanted to see where it would go. I kept writing because I loved how it felt for other people to know the characters and care what happened to them. And I continue to write because it is a wonderful and powerful thing to create brand new characters and share their stories.

I now realize that as long as I'm sharing it doesn't matter if the book is hardcover or a stack of looseleaf, hole punched and tied with red yarn.

Taking the scenic route.
photo credit, travelzone.com

Writing is a journey. And while pedalling up hill is tough when everyone else is already celebrating at the finish line, I'll rest on my banana seat and enjoy the view.

So...why bother writing?

Because I can.

Why do you write? What inspires you?

Next Monday I'll be blogging the SEASON FINALE of Once Upon A Time. Eek!!!

Cheers!