tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78702072011-04-21T12:42:21.898-07:00In which the writer writes, and sometimes rants.Lunanoreply@blogger.comBlogger481100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1160598423445461742006-10-11T13:25:00.000-07:002006-10-11T13:27:03.456-07:00

I have moved my blogging activity to LiveJournal, and my new blog can be found here:Street Magic Anyone can comment, not just LJ users, so come on over! I'll be migrating all of my posts here to LiveJournal over the next few days.

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1158800997740389952006-09-20T18:07:00.000-07:002006-10-11T11:00:37.383-07:00

Or, writing the unsympathetic main character.If you decide to do this, prepare yourself for pain unlike any you've ever experienced during character creation. It's like medieval childbirth--even if you survive, there's the good chance you'll be carted off as a witch and burned at the stake and all that work will be for nothing. Writing an unsympathetic MC has been the hardest thing I've ever

Lunanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1157671693686553692006-09-07T16:25:00.000-07:002006-09-17T18:10:48.990-07:00

Or at the very least an animated member of the undead.I've been very tired this week. Very busy, very tired, very stressed out about the new book. About subbing the old book. Money and time and relationships.I haven't forgotten about this blog or that there are people reading it. Things should commence as normal this weekend. Thanks for being patient with my neurotic ways.Hey, at least I got

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1157493875072943022006-09-05T15:03:00.000-07:002006-09-06T13:32:56.030-07:00

...And get your mind out of the gutter.Today NIGHT LIFE goes to the top-tier editors that RV selected for it. You'll know more when I know more.

Lunanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1156977210474081212006-08-30T15:32:00.000-07:002006-08-30T15:33:30.483-07:00

Have added a new blog, to the delightful Kit Whitfield. British, witty, writes books about werewolves. What's not to love?She also penned this delightful article about publishing and submitting.

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1156900090884003642006-08-29T18:07:00.000-07:002006-09-20T07:26:20.066-07:00

First in a series of promised screeds about writing n' stuff, from a writer who might be published some day!I thought I'd begin at the beginning, namely the plot. Before you have anything written down, before there's more than a germ of a seed of an idea in your head about story or characters or anything else.Sometimes, I find, plot will be hidden. Many times I start with a character or a

Lunanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1156464502386575552006-08-24T17:07:00.000-07:002006-08-29T17:35:16.566-07:00

There is seriously nothing worth writing about going on with me right now, so I've decided that I'd like to write a series of how to/rambling/ranty/insert word of choice here pieces on writing, submissions and stuff.Since I don't pretend to know everything (I'm a Virgo, so I secretly think I DO know everything, I'm just too insecure to say it) I'd like to keep this really open-ended, with the

Lunanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1156289882426763322006-08-22T16:37:00.000-07:002006-08-26T07:52:02.116-07:00

X-posted.So after a long weekend of being a total lazy-butt and driving around the Tillamook State Forest, eating candy bars and pausing occasionally to jump in the Wilson River and kick-start my heart (melted ice is good swimmin'!) I return with a semi-rambling (okay, having looked the entire post over it's TOTALLY rambling) treatise on some writing type stuff.I love villains. I crazy-love them

Lunanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1156269354386782292006-08-22T10:54:00.000-07:002006-08-22T10:56:33.520-07:00

X-posted on Street Magic.1. Am I able to handle rejection?Be honest. Rejection hurts, because writing is an intensely personal endeavor. If you take rejection as a personal affront rather than a critique of some element of your writing, you may need to practice with baby steps (short story, magazines, writing group critiques) before sending your MS to agents and editors. Personal feedback from

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1155756465155101292006-08-16T12:26:00.000-07:002006-08-22T04:47:12.546-07:00

X-POSTED on Street MagicNow that the initial OMG!!!one!! shock of signing with the fabulous Rachel Vater has worn off, I wanted to put up the promised post of how, exactly, this even came about. (And holy crap, did that sentence have a lot of commas or what?)To start off, I know that in my initial "Squee!" post on Blogger I noted that it took me about 3 1/2 weeks to sign with an agent after my

Lunanoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1155665590256784642006-08-15T11:05:00.000-07:002006-08-16T04:00:18.506-07:00

If my loyal readers (all 4 of you) will look to the right of your screen, you will notice a small but significant change in my profile.I have an agent.As of 7:45 PST this morning, I'm represented by the incomparable Rachel Vater of the Lowenstein-Yost agency. Rachel has a phenomenal background in publishing, including a stint with Donald Maass, and many, many deals this year alone...and she

Lunanoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1155441064080862552006-08-12T20:04:00.001-07:002006-08-12T20:51:04.090-07:00

Words: 607 (screw that counter thingy, it doesn't even work with Blogger.)Favorite sentence: "Lia put her deck back into its box and slammed the lid shut, favoring Mari with a glare that bounced off the redhead’s forcefield of perfection like a ping-pong ball."Writer's Mood: Excited. Lia gets The Phonecall in this scene, and things crank up from there.Least favorite thing: 3rd person limited POV

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1155440309266097012006-08-12T20:04:00.000-07:002006-08-16T04:05:21.216-07:00

Jessica's post in her journal about how she came to write got me thinking about my own weirdo journey, so since it's been a slow day in book-land (500 words on BMW, wowie!) I thought I'd blog about this.It's Nancy Drew's fault. I started reading her books about age 7 or so, and became completely hooked. Nancy introduced me to her pals the Hardy Boys, who in turn led to Robert Heinlein and the

Lunanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1155358430215493722006-08-11T21:42:00.000-07:002006-08-12T16:33:02.970-07:00

Things were good. Plugging along on BMW, excited about it.Then, today, I had yet another idea spring fully formed from my brow. Now, this almost never happens to me. I agonize over plotting. I make notes, I talk to writing friends, I revise and revise before anything goes on paper. Yet, the following happened:HERO TIMESentenced to community service for accidentially allowing super-villain

Lunanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1155193857511713132006-08-10T00:08:00.000-07:002006-08-10T00:11:34.356-07:00

Please do visit the informative blog of the fabulous Rachel Vater, Lit Agent X. You'll laugh, you'll snort drinks out your nose, you'll be glad you didn't write some of those query letters she gets...

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1155156337309169582006-08-09T13:28:00.000-07:002006-08-17T18:44:43.720-07:00

If no one minds, I do have a Real!Live!Life and sometimes we all need a break from writing and querying (at least, waiting for a reply to my reply to that revision email, I know I do.) A lot of what I'm dealing with right now can be applied to writing as well, in the process of writing a book and getting an agent.Now I'd really like to know what that nice agentperson thought of my revision

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1155149339576533432006-08-09T11:47:00.000-07:002006-08-09T11:48:59.590-07:00

A whopping 3-page chapter about graverobbing. No fun stuff yet...got to get a bit more meat.Another note: after writing close first person Chandler-style narration, third person POV is weird, man. 545 / 90,000(0.6%)

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1155064165246865432006-08-08T11:57:00.000-07:002006-08-08T12:09:25.383-07:00

My second full!length! novel is poised to begin. Urban fantasy, like the last but with a much darker tone (if that's possible) and much less paranormal romance-y elements. In case anyone cares, a summary:BLACK MAGICK WOMANSisters Jenny and Amelia Threadstone have been seperated for fifteen years, ever since the day their white-witch mother took Amelia and went on the run from their black-mage

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1155063408124507182006-08-08T11:50:00.000-07:002006-08-08T17:30:11.066-07:00

AKA Yet Another Query Update.So yeah, lots of excitement today. My poor lil' heart is all aflutter. While at work doing work-like thyings, I got two phone calls.Call #1Obsessively checking email. See that I have voicemail on my Vonage home phone number. (I [heart] Vonage.) Check caller ID and see a 212 area code. Listen to voice message. Big 5 agent asking me to call to talk about book.

Lunanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1154973926067663682006-08-07T11:03:00.000-07:002006-08-07T11:05:26.066-07:00

Nothing like a rejection to start off a Monday, eh?Got kicked to the curb with a form reject by a certain agency in the Sunshine State.Nothing personal, nothing between the lines, just a standard "Too familiar" form reject.Oh well. Onward and all that. Still have 7 (or is it 8? Crap, I forgot.) agents looking over the partial/full. We'll see.

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1154927398738174532006-08-06T22:08:00.000-07:002006-08-06T22:09:58.740-07:00

Got a request for an e-full from query #13 today, which salved the sting of Big 5's rejection.Agent 13 asked, as a courtesy, to be notified of who else was considering NIGHT LIFE and when I sent her my list (of 9 agents) she replied "Wow, that's a lot of agents...I'll have to read fast!"Hellz yeah.We'll see.

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1154927127967042452006-08-06T21:59:00.000-07:002006-08-07T15:10:27.533-07:00

Got a rejection from one of my Big 5 agents this evening. However, rather than tearing out my hair and sobbing, my spirits were actually lifted a little bit.-He wrote to me on a Sunday night, traditionally one of those pesky "weekend" days when agents hibernate and don't answer email.-He included a short but comprehensive critique of the novel including some fairly glowing comments.-He read the

Lunanoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1154720868582148872006-08-04T12:46:00.000-07:002006-08-06T08:29:07.360-07:00

Okay, so I lied. I sent out one more partial along with the infamous queries 2-11 that got requested at Writer's Weekend. Forgot all about it until just now when an email popped asking for a full.We'll see, and also, Yay!

Lunanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1154713188453251762006-08-04T10:36:00.000-07:002006-08-04T10:39:48.456-07:00

Broke the mold and got a reject by e-mail just now, not a form letter. To be fair, the agent represents mostly epic fantasy and didn't type YOU SUXXORS in huge red caps, so no biggie. Onward and upward and all that jazz.Queries 12 and 13 were by snail mail and web site form, respectively. The snail query was to an agent whom I'd really love to work with (which is why I ponied up the $4.05 for

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1154639418956899072006-08-03T14:00:00.000-07:002006-08-03T14:10:19.060-07:00

Every now and then I hit little roadbumps of apathy on my life path, where pretty much all I can do is show up at work, drive back home and lay on the bed watching Law & Order: SVU before passing out. Chores pile up. My friends think I died. My over-active brain screams for a workout but the computer is a whole two steps from the bed and that pen is heavy!Having struggled with clinical

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1154555209194927102006-08-02T14:46:00.000-07:002006-08-04T06:38:31.946-07:00

'Nother request for a 50-page partial, bringing the count to 7/10.

Lunanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1154542800532105332006-08-02T11:18:00.000-07:002006-08-04T06:37:18.383-07:00

Please do visit Cat and Muse, in which Jezebel, the heroine of Hell's Belles, interviews other spec fic/paranormal romance heroines and heros, including, if she ever snags an agent, our very own Det. Luna Wilder.

Lunanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1154470427458967332006-08-01T15:05:00.000-07:002006-08-02T11:17:57.183-07:00

Got a request for 5 pages off a query-only email, so that brings total requests from unsolicited queries to 6-ish. I'll count it fully if the nice agent-person asks to see a partial or the whole book.I don't know if a huge number of people other than the authors I have linked to the right read this blog, but in case anyone out there in Interweb land was wondering, I'm not making these posts to

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1154420272735660002006-08-01T01:02:00.000-07:002006-08-01T22:39:20.576-07:00

Sent out 10 more queries this past Friday via email, because I am a) broke and b) slightly lazy.Had some much-needed assistance from Jackie, who not only named a character in her forthcoming paranormal romance after me, but kicked my query letter into shape and helped me build my submissions list. You should all go buy Hell's Belles right this second. Seriously. I'll wait.(Oh, and go to her

Lunanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1153876523943034222006-07-25T18:07:00.000-07:002006-07-28T21:33:22.516-07:00

Finished, at 82,000 words, the stick-a-forklike-implement-in-me, I'm done, draft of NIGHT LIFE.I finished the first draft in April of this year, and spent 3 months on rewrites, ultimately adding 1 sub-plot and 9,000 words.I started NIGHT LIFE in November of 2005, as my second false start in that year's NaNoWriMo. I first got the idea in the summer of 2004 and have three previous false starts,

Lunanoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1153422700762158882006-07-20T12:07:00.000-07:002006-07-21T12:15:24.700-07:00

In light of the two requests for the MS, I am powering through Revision Hell like nobody's business.In theory.In practice, I got stuck on the yuckiest scene ever last night. Literally, I started at 10:30 pm and worked on the same 5 pages until 1, trying to wrassle this crucial (but highly sucky) scene into submission.The pages in question involve Luna and her cousin Sunny, a witch, going to see

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1153352749012303152006-07-19T16:44:00.000-07:002006-07-20T22:15:18.696-07:00

Through a series of unrelated and highly coincidental events, two agents (nameless for now) requested fulls of NIGHT LIFE today.I am currently residing on Planet Squeal, but please leave a message.

Lunanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1153260516661039442006-07-18T15:05:00.000-07:002006-07-18T15:09:10.556-07:00

Queried Mary Louise Schwartz of Belfrey Literary Agency. I am planning, when all is said and done on NIGHT LIFE, to create a giant post detailing all my querying activity, but seeing 500 rejected queries posted on author blogs depresses me, so I'm holding off until a (much) later date. However, I will be posting the queries as they go out.

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1152817269822068812006-07-13T11:56:00.000-07:002006-07-14T22:38:43.666-07:00

I hacked through a huge amont of NIGHT LIFE yesterday, and made it to page 213 out of 346 (sadly, this was because I deleted a 3,000-word flashback that made absolutely no sense and was really crap.) So now I have 3,000 words to make up, but we're definitely edging into the third act and the plot is starting to make sense.Whee!

Lunanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1152646849250062842006-07-11T12:32:00.000-07:002006-07-11T12:42:27.576-07:00

DEAD OF NIGHT is now totally complete, with a final page count of 83. I love the screenplay convention of pages instead of words...makes me feel so much more accomplished.It took about two days longer than I expected to finish the zero draft because I kept seeing spots where I could sneak in character development or strengthen the plot and the thing just kept growing and growing. I like Jordan

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1152301238472035102006-07-07T12:28:00.000-07:002006-07-10T06:19:19.646-07:00

Saw Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest last night. The projector broke down and we didn't get to actually see anything until 12:40 a.m., but such is life on the fictional high seas. (And hey, I got a free pass out of it.)Holy crap, is Gore Verbinski ever a horror director. He got his start with The Ring, the creepiest movie EVER (Ever. Forserious.) and his roots in the macabe shine

Lunanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1152068063934619212006-07-04T19:52:00.000-07:002006-07-04T19:54:23.943-07:00

DEAD OF NIGHT is complete but unformatted. Updated page count/writerangst tomorrow, if I don't light myself on fire.(And is it just me, or does the title make anyone else think of the Depeche Mode song of the same name? My screenplay is so emo!)

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1151910461170474992006-07-03T00:02:00.000-07:002006-07-03T00:07:41.180-07:00

So yeah, glancing at the outline for DEAD OF NIGHT (zombie screenplay), realized I had forgotten an entire (and pivotal) scene in which the MC heroine gets involved in a Mexican standoff with a prison guard, a drug smuggler and others while all the while zombies are trying to get into the hotel room.The funny thing was, I didn't even notice it was missing until I read back through the outline to

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1151783586211850442006-07-01T12:49:00.000-07:002006-07-02T07:41:35.196-07:00

So I have a work-for-hire gig going right now that involves handing in a 90-page/90 minute screenplay to an indie film director I met years ago and who decided that I can write and apparently I must be the one to complete his zombie-movie opus.Deadline is 4th of July.Current page count is 9/90.Just to show that even when you're being paid to write something, delaying and fidding and excuses

Lunanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1151606905047939142006-06-29T11:30:00.000-07:002006-06-29T11:48:25.286-07:00

Went to University Bookstore in Seattle last night to witness a reading/signing by mega-selling urban fantasy author Kim Harrison.Or, to be more precise, I left the DJ at 6 p.m.. The signing was at 7. University Bookstore is located 9.5 miles from the DJ. One hour and thirty-three minutes later I arrive at the bookstore, sweaty and cross and having missed the reading and half the Q&A that

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1151529093088895492006-06-28T14:04:00.000-07:002006-06-28T14:12:18.836-07:00

The first of many posts in which the writer tells you stuff about herself you didn't necessarily want or need to know.This time it's my blogger name. I have a perfectly good gods-given name that I put on manuscripts and checks and stuff, but I chose not to use my real name on the blog because I found one that was way funnier courtesy of Evil Editor.From Guess the Plot of Face-Lift 73:"A young

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1151458386898928312006-06-27T18:32:00.000-07:002006-06-29T00:10:09.950-07:00

In between working and bathing my cat (yes, you read correctly. Dear Kitty (DK) has unfortunately sprouted fleas before the Frontline I ordered for his furry behind showed up. Excuse me as I wander off muttering about 1-800-Pet-Meds...)Where was I?Ah, yes. In between the DJ and the DK, I thought I'd better get that post on pitching up.BIG HUGE DISCLAIMERAlso, a Vampire is an unpublished author

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1151458122347857402006-06-27T18:26:00.000-07:002006-06-27T18:28:42.356-07:00

Overheard at my DJ (day job), in which I'm also a writer, but without the excitement and angst of novels:Co-worker: Look at this line. This is just someone groaning.Second co-worker: What does it say?Co-worker: It says "ARRRRGHHHH!"Second co-worker: It looks okay to me.Co-worker: True. There isn't enough dialogue with "ARRRRGHHH!" in it these days.He's absolutely right, too.

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1151262532919368072006-06-25T11:26:00.000-07:002006-06-29T20:03:07.903-07:00

I made it home alive, no thanks to insane Sunday-afternoon drivers on the I-5. I pitched NIGHT LIFE to no less than three industry pros.And they all asked for it. Partials, to be sure, and one agent just said "email me and we'll talk about your novel", but OMG!!!1!!!!! 3 requests for my little novel in the space of a day!I also went to a ton of panels given by for the most part lovely,

Lunanoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1151011643925140002006-06-22T14:23:00.000-07:002006-06-22T14:27:23.926-07:00

In NIGHT LIFE, werewolves who are turned after birth have "gotten the bite".Just so my post title makes sense...I'm up to page 114 in Revision Hell, firmly 3rd-circling.I have two more nights to finish the first revision pass (assuming I get a request for material at Writer's Weekend, which I probably won't.)I'm going to feel awfully silly having killed my brain over this draft if no one ("no one

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1150846022434211832006-06-20T16:11:00.000-07:002006-06-20T16:27:02.506-07:00

Since I ranted about Revision Hell at such length, I realize I appear very much like the worst kind of angsty!bitchy writer, the type that spends hours moaning about their Craft on blogs and doesn't get a damn bit of work done. I'd really hate for anyone reading to think that. Writing is hard work but that doesn't give you an excuse to slag off or whine (which in itself is a form of slagging

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1150842365224120242006-06-20T15:01:00.000-07:002006-06-20T15:26:05.300-07:00

It took me over six months to bring NIGHT LIFE to its current state: 73,000 unedited words that roughly form a story. Procrastination and woe-is-me-for-I-cannot-write moods aside, six months is a decent (not great, but decent) length of time to bang out a first novel in.I started NIGHT LIFE as a NaNoWriMo exercise, although it was actually the second novel I started that month, the first being

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870207.post-1150754731329165212006-06-19T14:42:00.000-07:002006-06-19T15:41:30.003-07:00

I've brought three novels to various stages of near-completion in my writing life, and being in the so-close-yet-so-far-away stage of revisions on NIGHT LIFE compelled me to see where, exactly, things broke down before.Novel #1:Genre: SFPlot: A Star Wars tie-in novel, because I was 13 and didn't realize you needed a contract in hand to write such things. This was before I discovered fanfiction.

Lunanoreply@blogger.com0