More magical moments in LA

You'd think the Henry Winkler moment was enough for one trip wouldn't you?  But no.  There was more!
First, I should mention that previous to the Henry Winkler "HW" moment, the Michigan SCBWI members were going to have lunch together.  However, we couldn't find our entire group so it ended up being just me, Jody, Ray, and Laura.  I give you my 100% personal seal of approval that these people are awesome.  Read their blogs, buy their books, wish you'd had lunch with them too.  They'll be part of the story again later.
Ok, so let's go back to autograph time during the HW moment.  Jody and I were so flustered after having met Henry that we walked right out of the room even though we had books for Norton Juster to sign as well.  Isn't that silly?  Luckily, we remembered and headed over to Norton, who only had a short line because he hadn't spoken at the conference yet.  I handed him my copy of The Dot and the Line, which I'd learned about from a mathematics graduate student at Oxford University years ago.  (that's another series of moments to explore at a later date) So I asked Norton if he was really good at math or what.  He chuckled and explained that he's not good at math but this was meant as a revenge story.  The dot represents a woman, the squiggle represents a disreputable guy Norton didn't like, and the line represents Norton.  (If you don't know what I'm talking about, you'll just have to read the book.  It's a lot of fun.)  So Norton wrote the book to get back at the squiggle guy.  The moral of the story being, sometimes revenge does pay.
So I had that little moment with Norton Juster but it was fun.
After that, it was time to head over to the SCBWI PAL (published and listed) member book sale, of which I was taking part!  I had dropped off my 300 Pajama Girl postcards that morning and had no idea how the event would be set up.  Last year, it was like a book sale table where you could buy the books and mingle with the authors if they were around.  This year, every author had their own table so it was like your very own author event.  I was thrilled!

Now, I know, I look far from thrilled in this picture.  Why is that?  A number of things.  I was tired, I was hungry and there were amazingly bright lights shining straight into my face.  None of those things made it a particularly comfortable experience but trust me, it was still thrilling.  My first author event! And, as you can see, people actually stopped by to talk to me and take a postcard, which is more than I could have hoped for.  I mostly expected to sit there by myself, feeling sheepish until the event was over but I probably talked to a good 30 people.  When you're a little ebook surrounded by ink and paper, 30 people is a big deal.  So that was definitely a great moment.

Ok, now we can move on to Saturday's first moment.  Imagine, if you will, another author signing event.  This time, David Small and Sarah Stewart are among the signers and I want my copy of The Library signed because it's a beautiful book and every book lover should own it.  David was first.  He signed the book and I told him how I was a librarian and that the very first library I ever worked at had a framed poster of the cover of this book and I thought it was so beautiful.  He seemed politely impressed and passed the book over to his wife, Sarah Stewart, to sign.  Here's where things get good.

Me:  I was just telling David that I'm a librarian and the first library I worked at had a beautiful poster of this up behind their check out desk.
Sarah: (looking up at me from beneath her big brimmed gardening hat) Oh, you're going to make me cry.  It's just such an honor to be married to him.
Me:  (frankly, I don't know if I said anything cuz I'm thinking, "Oh my God, I made Sarah Stewart cry!)
Ok, so I'm a little hazy on the details here but she asked where I was from and said her son had been testing cars in my city and we talked about said city for awhile.  Then she asked if I'd like a postcard of her garden.  Um, yes please.  I'll take whatever you're willing to give me, Sarah Stewart.  So she hands me a postcard of this beautiful, huge, maze garden she has.  Reminded me of something you'd find in Europe.  I took it and exclaimed about how she must spend all her time there...blah blah blah.  And she turns the card over, which has a few bullet points of things for writers.  1. Learn Latin.
    Me:  Ooh!  I took Latin in college.  My professor was a genius, seriously, the most intelligent person I've ever met.
Sarah:  Yes, my Latin professor was a genius too.
Me:  In fact, I took Latin with my husband, while we were dating.  When he finally proposed, he got in touch with our Latin professor and asked him how to say a traditional Roman proposal and he proposed...
Sarah & I together: In Latin!
    At this point, Sarah stood up, tears in her eyes and wrapped me in a huge hug.
    Sarah:  Your husband must be a very special man.
    Me:  Yes, he is.  (starting to cry myself)  He even got 120 floating candles to help with the proposal.

So there we stood, crying and embracing each other.  We said some sort of farewell and I turned back to the line to find Jody standing there.

Jody: (paraphrased) What the heck is going on here?
Me: (still teary) I made Sarah Stewart cry!  She made me cry!  We just had the most beautiful moment!
Jody: (paraphrased) What the hell is up with you and these incredible author moments!  You suck!
Me:  (paraphrased) I know!  I'll meet you in the hall.

So I went to the hall to compose myself.  Ran into Chris (who shall appear again later) and we chit chatted about what went down in day two of autographing until Jody came out and then we headed off for, drumroll, The 40 Winks Pajama Party.  Which is where this selection of moments will say goodbye for now.  We'll pick up again next week with the Pajama Party because I'm going out of town again.  If you get lonely in the meantime, by all means stare at my Henry Winkler picture some more.  It helps me through the day, let me tell you. 

A collection of amazing moments

I am home from the SCBWI 40th Anniversary Annual Conference.  It was very different than last year but still an incredible experience.  To try and tell the story this year, I'm going to focus on my most memorable moments from this trip.  Pictures will be forthcoming.  Try to keep your pants on...please.

So, moment #1 came pretty early in the game.  Henry Winkler, aka. the Fonz from Happy Days, was a special guest.  You may not know that he and Lin Oliver, co-founder of SCBWI, write a middle grade series together,  Hank Zipzer.  Henry gave a very emotional and exciting talk about how he and Lin write together and how we should write with passion to please ourselves first.  Let editors reign in the material if they see fit.  That evening, Henry and Lin were signing their books.  Folks, let me tell you, you don't have the opportunity to meet Henry Winkler and walk away from it.  So, my friend Jody and I planned our moment making strategies and got in line to see Henry.  Jody tells it more amusing than I do so I'm stealing her beginning.  Jody was in front of me.  She read Henry's latest book, "I've Never Met an Idiot on the River" and learned that Henry LOVES to fish and he LOVES Montana.  That was going to be her approach and she expected Henry to be delighted that she'd read the book.  Here's what happened:
Jody:  When are you going to Montana?
Henry:  Next week.

End of conversation.  Henry slid the book over for Lin to sign.  Lin, being one of the sweetest women alive asked Jody if she was from Montana...which, she is not.  Things got awkward from there and Jody left the table feeling disappointed and

irritated with the whole experience. 

Now, it was my turn.

I handed my book to Henry, who didn't really look at me and I started with the brilliant little speech I'd come up with while waiting in line.  My moment went a little something like this:

Me:  First, I wanted to tell you that when I was a little girl I was convinced I would marry Fonzie when I grew up.
Henry:  (a teeny tiny chuckle)
Me:  Also, I wanted you to know I absolutely loved your work as Barry Zuckercorn on Arrested Development.
Henry: (glancing up)  Thank you.
Lin jumped in at this point as we discussed a little about the brilliance of Arrested Development, I was so sad when it went off the air, yadda yadda yadda.  I wasn't done with my speech so I pressed on.
Me:  AND I'm a librarian....
Henry: (looking up, I've caught his attention now)
Me: And I love to recommend these books to kids, especially when people have reluctant reader boys, I like to give them these books because they're so great.
Henry:  (reaches out and clasps my hand warmly)  Thank you, Sarah.
Me:  (internally)  HENRY WINKLER IS HOLDING MY HAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Me:  (externally)  Can I take a picture with you?
Henry:  Of course.
So I throw my bags on the floor and run around that table like nobody's business.  I put my arm around Henry's shoulders and, yes, YES, he reaches up and clasps my hand again.  There is photographic evidence.  (I'll add the rest of the photo later, but this part bears close examination anyway, don't you think.)

  I could have gone home happy right then and there.  But you need more moments from me than that.  And there are several.  But we'll take some time to absorb the awesomeness of my Henry Winkler moment.  There will be more posts coming, all in good time.

Sarah Jane Freyman Interview

Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Sarah Jane Freyman of the Sarah Jane Freyman Literary Agency about publishing and her goals as an agent.  She was very insightful, inspiring and an absolute pleasure to talk with.  She's accepting queries...so read on and take heart! 

We all know ebooks are changing the publishing industry.  Sarah affirms they're definitely having an impact on publishing but they aren't to be fear or scorned.  She reminds us that there was a time when books were illustrated manuscripts made by their creator.  People had to deal with a move to print.  Going back even further, all stories were told verbally without paper.  Things change.  The one thing that doesn't change is "the need for humans to hear story."  Whatever medium those stories come to us is just fine.  We must, "save what's worth saving, embrace technology and make it beautiful".  The only thing she feels needs to be changed about ebooks is the amount of money authors make from their work.  "That will have to change."  (I agree!)
Her final thought on ebooks and publishing right now, "We're a little lost in the rapids right now but we'll find the flow."
Talking about manuscripts and what she's interested in representing, she says, "Everything interests me."  She would love to see an illustrated novel for adults or YA or a fabulous mystery, but really, she loves a good story.  (Sarah Jane Freyman Agency does not currently represent children's authors other than Young Adult.)  They more recently added Young Adult to their list after she read Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.  She admits it was "one hell of a story."  The writing wasn't great but the story was and Sarah could see the market was shifting and she wanted to be part of the great work being done in the Young Adult market.
Sarah has been an agent since the 1970s.  To keep at a job for that long, a person must really love what they do.  Sarah's love for her job shone through as we talked.  For her, the best part about being an agent is "discovering new worlds and dipping into them."  She loves discovering a wonderful story and savoring that moment of wondering what it could be and how she can help to realize it's potential.  As a result, Sarah Jane Freyman is an editorial agency.  If the underlying story and the author's writing is good enough, she'll take on a client and offer editorial help to get it up to speed for the market.
Sarah's ideal client is simply a nice person.  If you're nasty, aggressive, or too touchy, don't query here.  Be willing to consider editorial advice and be polite.
Serious writers know the market is seemingly impossible to break into but Sarah offers hope.  She believes writers need to learn to write a good query letter and to seek outside help for their work if they need it.  (critique groups, outside editors, etc.)  Don't send in your work before it's ready!  Authors get a high from that completed manuscript and often want to send it out immediately.  Sit on your hands until the madness passes!  Although, Sarah says publishing is a paradox.  You have to strike a balance between sitting on your hands and leaping before you look.  Keep learning and never give up.  Learn from mistakes and try again. 


Thank you so much, Sarah for taking the time to talk with me!

Gwen Hayes Interview

I recently picked up a book called Falling Under.  The cover is gorgeous, don't you agree? Here's some of the back cover copy:
"Theia Alderson has always led a sheltered life, not allowed the same freedoms as the rest of the teenagers in the small California town of Serendipity Falls.  But when a devastatingly handsome boy appears in the halls of her school, she feels every urge she's ever denied burning through her at the slightest glance from Haden Black.  Theia knows she's seen Haden before - not around town, but in her dreams."

That, alone, sounds pretty compelling, right?  For better or for worse, it's taken me so darn long to revise my novel that I've started reading books that have similar elements to make sure I haven't been trumped.  It scares me to read these books until, phew, I discover they're completely different than mine.  However, books like Falling Under aren't only different than mine, but written so beautifully that I find myself getting lost in the writing, then going back to figure out how she did that.  Gwen Hayes is a masterful storyteller.  Her characters are well drawn and interesting.  (The supporting cast is a riot!)  The descriptions are not too lengthy but gripping.  Each chapter ends with a mini-cliffhanger.  (I did some heavy revising on my chapter endings after I put this book down.  Thanks, Gwen!)  Books like this become instant inspiration for me and the authors become heroic, in my eyes.  (this includes the other authors I've interviewed here.)  So, I highly recommend reading Falling Under if you're looking for a dark, beautifully written paranormal romance.  The scenes will not quickly leave your mind.  If you don't believe me, here's the first sentence of the book, "Everything changed the night I saw the burning man fall from the sky."  Amazing!  And if that doesn't catch your attention, just wait until you find out who the burning man is and how she describes him.  So, without further gushing, here's my interview with the brilliantly talented, Gwen Hayes.

RW (Restless Writer): In your acknowledgements, you admit that it scared you to write this book. I know what scared me reading it, but what scared you about writing it?
GH (Gwen Hayes):  When Falling Under started haunting me, I was busy writing a romantic comedy. I wasn't quite prepared for all the dark, twisty things...I thought I was going to write funny books. It was scary because it seemed like such a stretch for me and I was afraid I was going to blow it. Also...I totally creeped myself out.

RW: What was your first inspiration/idea for this book? 

GH: The first scene with the burning man wouldn't leave me alone. I had no idea what I was embarking on...but that is the original idea.

RW: I was blown away by the pacing and the fantastic chapter endings.  As a writer, it makes me wonder how much was changed in the editing process.  Are there major difference, that surprised you, between the version you first submitted and the final? 

GH: Thank you! I do like to end my chapter and scene endings with a reason to turn the page. :) As for revisions, the first version is unrecognizable. For instance, Madame Varnie came about as a surprise during revisions. And what a surprise Varnie is, right?

RW:  Within the book, Theia makes a comment about vampires who sparkle in the sunlight.  Are you a Twilight fan?  (if yes, team Edward or Jacob?) Did it have any influence on how you told Theia’s story? 

GH: I really enjoyed Twilight. I think Stephenie Meyer does a great job connecting people to the story. And I always felt that Jacob was kind of whiny...so def. Team Edward.

  

RW:  As a mother of young children, I’m fascinated how other moms make time for their writing.  How do you do it? 

GH:  My kids were 11 and up when I began writing, so I have no idea how women with wee ones do it. My husband is the reason I can write, though. He takes care of everything and reminds me to eat when I'm writing. 

RW:  How long did it take you to complete Falling Under, find an agent, sell it and when did you start the sequel? 

GH:  The book took about 6 months to write, and I got an agent less than a month later. I know this is not typical. I know this because I had been querying agents for some time before this book. Penguin bought the book 3 months after I acquired my agent. It all went super duper fast.

RW:  Amazon reviewers, even the negative ones, agree that the world of Under is a unique and interesting place.  Was it easy to write about such a creepy, dangerous place? 

GH:  Well, yes and no. The Under scenes came pretty easily writing wise, but they sometimes left me unsettled. 

RW:  Amazon reviewers also agree that the supporting characters are awesome.  Varnie alone is so interesting I can imagine his own series of books.  How do you keep your amazing supporting cast in check while you tell Theia’s story?  Do they ever try to get more of the spotlight? 

GH:  In a lot of ways, it's just as much their story as Theia's....we're just looking at it through Theia's eyes. And I don't think Theia could function without her best friends, so they are very important to the way she sees her story. 

RW:  Do you belong to any professional organizations?  If yes, how have they impacted your career? 

GH:  I belong to RWA-Romance Writers of America. It's a strong, empowering organization. I'm very proud of the fact that I write romance.

RW:  What are a few of the last great books you’ve read and what struck you about them? 

GH:  I just finished revisions (I don't read much YA while I'm writing YA), so I'm really looking forward to TEXAS GOTHIC by Rosemary Clement-Moore which I shipped to myself last week when she gave me a copy at a conference...and now I have to wait for it to get home. :)

RW:  These days, everyone imagines their favorite books as movies.  Do you have an ideal cast in your head for Falling Under? 

GH:  ARGH...I suck at this question. No...I really don't know the young actors these days, but trust if there is ever a movie, the ideal cast will make it their own. Also, I wouldn't mind it being a Tim Burton movie. I think he would understand Under very well.

Thank you so much, Gwen, for taking the time from revisions to do this interview.  Everyone, keep an eye out for Dreaming Awake, the sequel to Falling Under, coming out in 2012.   For more info. on that, and to see the amazing cover for Dreaming Awake, visit Gwen's website.

Shelley Watters Agent Critique contest!

That Shelley Watters is at it again!  She's got another agent judged contest going on and I thought, what the heck, I'll give it a shot.  I've majorly rewritten my first page.  Well, it feels major to me anyway.  This is 356 words, rather than 250, but heck, this is my blog so I figured I'd post what a saw fit.  Here it is, see what you think. 

Title: Dream Girl
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Word Count: 74,171

Chapter 1.

    I’d imagined it forever but when the time came, I wasn’t prepared for my gothic fantasies to become real. For most of my eighteen years, things were as normal as the Cheerios I’d eaten for breakfast.  The day I met Gabriel started out no different.  My alarm had gone off. I’d gone through the same old morning routine.  Checked my phone for new texts from my best friend, Tiffany.  Listened to a voice mail from my mom and left my apartment the same way I always did: wondering WWJE do? (What would Jane Eyre do?) 

    That particular morning, I drove to work wondering how Jane Eyre would spend the summer after graduating high school. Summer stretched out before me like a lazy cat. I really hoped I could figure out what to major in at college. I didn’t have to decide until next year, but it would be nice to have it squared away and know where my life was heading. I always like a concrete goal to work toward.   

My thoughts had to wait when, ten minutes late, as usual, I hustled into the public library, my workplace for the past three years.  Ditching my purse in my locker, I strode into the workroom, an open space populated by cubicles for the librarians and long tables for the support staff.  I held my breath as I scurried past the row of supervisor offices on my right.  The last thing I wanted was one of them to notice I wasn’t manning the circulation desk already.

Escaping detection in supervisor alley, I made it to the staff copy room, where our mailboxes resided.  Hoping to duck in to retrieve my nametag, I discovered my boss, Laura Faust, talking to a guy who wore his brown tee shirt and rumpled jeans really well.  At least, he looked good from behind, which was all I could see of him.

            I tried to inconspicuously snake my arm around them to access my mailbox but Laura stopped me. 

            “Christine,” she said.  “I’d like you to meet Gabriel, our new page.”

            “Nice to meet you,” Gabriel said as he turned toward me.

Flops, failures and inspiration

     Ok, so the contest was a colossal failure!  Not completely unexpected but whatever.  I see that MeeGenius has now listed Pajama Girl at $2.99, so maybe you'll wish you got your free app from me, but that's the end of that.  On to more interesting things...the sophomore slump.
Do you have any idea how much I've been agonizing over the next book?  Trust me.  You do not. 
I've got a few attempts at Pajama Girl 2...the continuing saga but it just doesn't feel like the first one.  (and the first one felt 100% cosmically aligned) So I've put that on hold.  An ABC book idea I've been carrying around in my brain for years felt pretty flat when I finally put it on that blank Word document, so back to the drawing board on that.  But the interesting thing, is that I started writing out picture book ideas this afternoon and wrote down one I'd thought of before.  Wouldn't you know it, that particular one, which had seemed like a good idea at the time, but with no spark of inspiration, winked at me this time and gave me the voice of the main character.  Aha!  That's the sort of thing I need to see more of!  So I wrote a couple lines from this character and liked what I saw.  Then I realized I needed a conflict so I unloaded the dishwasher and BOOM!  Another character popped into my head and told me she needed the first one to help her with a big problem.  There you have it.  The full arc of inspiration.  Now I just need to write the thing.  You'll notice that I'm writing a blog post instead.  Don't you worry.  While I seemingly do other things, my brain keeps percolating my stories and making them better before I have to put in any real effort.  Nice, huh?  So now, I just need this story to turn out really really good by July 16, at which time, I'll be attending an event that will introduce me to the Associate Publisher for TigerTales books.  This could be good.  It better be good.  I have to follow up the contest debacle with something outstanding. 

It's Contest time!

This weekend, Pajama Girl became a standalone app available from Itunes or the Apple App store.  To celebrate, I'm holding a contest, right here, with this post.  I can tell you've never been so excited so lets cut to the chase here, shall we? 

The Prizes:

A 10 page crit. of a novel (done by me)
A full picture book crit.  (done by me)
A free copy of the Pajama Girl app!  (courtesy of me!)

To enter leave a comment on this blog post, listing which prize(s) you want, and your email address.  You don't have to be a follower of this blog, but if you are (or become one) you'll get an extra entry.  You will also get an extra entry for each of the following: tweeting this contest, mentioning it on Facebook, mentioning it on your own blog or website.  (so mention that in your comment too) I will randomly select the winner on June 17. 

Sound fun?  Enter away!