If you haven’t heard the news...I have an agent! I was incredibly excited to sign on with Marlene Stringer of the Stringer Literary Agency at the end of July. Since the day I spoke with her on the phone, it’s been a bit of a whirlwind, asking questions, signing the agreement, a bit of waiting …
My grandma lived in Florida for almost three decades, where she became a very discerning shell collector. When we visited the beach with her on our vacations, it was always on the Gulf Coast, at any number of locations along the short stretch between Clearwater and Fort Myers, including the seashell haven of Sanibel Island. …
I have always been obsessed with weather. I can remember a tornado warning one day after school. I was probably in 1st or 2nd grade, and the sky was greenish-gray while my friend’s mom picked her up from our house. And I remember another tornado warning when my mom ushered my brother and me to …
Are you tired of writing & childbirth comparisons yet? I made one a few months back, though it might not have been quite the metaphor you expected. Today I have a new one! In lieu of attending the Historical Novel Society’s annual conference last month (my oldest’s softball tournament got in the way!), I gifted …
I've learned by now that agents have very particular likes and dislikes. After all, they’re just readers, and everyone has their own preferences. I recently read an agent wish list that specified she wanted no stories where a woman gave up her career for love or family. I also read a novel a few weeks …
I wanted to be a parent for as long as I can remember, and I fully recognize that I am one of the fortunate ones who was able to realize this dream. Being a parent is one of the most tiring, thankless, neverending jobs. Actually, I like to think of it more as a “practice” …
Continue reading Saturday Six #29: The Surprises of Parenting
When I was ten years old, my parents gave me the thrill of my life: they finally agreed to adopt a cat. We chose a cat at the shelter and named him Punkin (Punky for short), a name I pulled straight out of a what-to-name-your-pet book filled with photos of fluffy felines. Punky was arguably …
New Year’s Eve, 2006. Four months earlier, I had moved to a different state to attend graduate school, leaving behind my family, my church, and a particularly good friend in whom I was romantically interested. It wasn’t a huge secret that I wanted this friend to be more than a friend, but I’d never outright …
Back in March, I participated in my first pitch event on Twitter (you can read about that experience here!). While I didn’t come away with any likes from agents that first time around, I garnered enough benefits to do it again, which I did on June 3, armed with three brand-new pitches (for the same …
Continue reading Saturday Six #27: When I Could Have Given Up
For a long time, I thought giving up on books made me a quitter. But as a busy person (mom of four, full-time employee, part-time novelist), I’ve realized there’s not time for everything. And there’s especially not time for books I don’t love. Choosing not to finish a book might mean I'll miss out on …
