Vigilante Nights

I've completely revised my contemporary YA novel, VIGILANTE NIGHTS, and am ready to toss it out to the world of agents. Yes...I'm querying agents. Again. After the crazy holiday season, this is what I've been working on for the last month. This book is a departure from the paranormal, fantasy genres I write in, but reminds me of writing my first published book, CHASING SHADOWS, which was set in a contemporary world (although with a psychic paranormal element). Sometimes, it's refreshing to my muse to write contemporary after filling my head with strange characters and fantastical worlds. It was time for a breather.

As usual, I don't write to market trends and write what I like...or what my muse tells me to write. This book is written from a boy's POV which makes it even less a "trend." But my muse demanded I write it! At least it has a romantic element so it should appeal to girls and boys. Here's a 2-line "pitch" for VIGILANTE NIGHTS:

After awakening from a coma, battered Lucas Alexander forms a vigilante club to expose the street gang that killed his twin sister. As he hunts the gang, the new girl next door helps him come to terms with his grief, but when Lucas becomes a target, he may lose everything again…especially the girl who gave his life new purpose.

Now here's a fun fact for you...I love Camaro's (and drive one) and Lucas's life revolved around a souped up 1968 Camaro SS...until his life flipped upside down.

Happy 2012!!!

May 2012 bring you everything you wish for and be the best year ever!

Happy Holidays!

Have a great Turkey Weekend!!

Writerly Things Update

Today, I finished my YA SciFi novel, tentatively titled, Flirting With Oblivion. The first draft clocks in at 80,111 words! YAY!!! After plotting this book in January, I started writing it on May 1 and have been writing it on and off since. Of course, life and editing other works got in the way of progress during the summer and fall, and I'm past my self-imposed target date of October 31, but overall the book took 5 months total to write. Now on to revisions and editing...First, I plan to revise Boomerang Nights somewhat. I received excellent editorial feedback on it and plan to utilize it to make BN a better book.


Have a great Thanksgiving week!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Halloween Recipies - Kitty Litter Cake

This cake looks so real...so disgustingly real! But it's awesome. I had to share. It makes a great Halloween party dish.

Here's a link to the recipe: http://www.fabulousfoods.com/recipes/kitty-litter-cake-for-halloween

Autumn Days are Here Again!

In autumn when the trees are brown
The little leaves come tumbling down
They do not make the slightest sound
But lie so quietly on the ground
Until the wind comes puffing by
And blows them off towards the sky.

The winds will blow their own
freshness into you,
and the storms their energy,
while cares will drop away from you
like the leaves of Autumn.

by John Muir

Times Flies When You're Having Rum...er Fun

I can't believe it's September already...almost fall. Wow! Where did summer go? Kids are back in school (not mine, but other peoples!), traffic has doubled in my morning commute (sux big time), and it's almost the 9/11 10-year anniversary.

No sitting on my laurels for me. I've been writing, editing, doing writerly things, and exploring my options for publication. More about all that later.

I just realized Twitter isn't working on my Blog, so it's time for some blog maintenance, I see! Don't fret, things will be back to normal soon. [Edited: apparently it's a communcation issue between IE9 and Twitter. Twitter techs are working on it and it should be fixed this coming week.]

Hope you all have a wonderful Labor Day weekend (US holiday)! More from me soon!

CHASING SHADOWS is on SALE!

If you haven't purchased CHASING SHADOWS yet, get your copy now and try out a new author!

Purchase options:

All Romance eBooks (various formats): $.74 (you read that right, 74 cents!)
Kindle: $1.49
Kobo: $1.49

Happy Independence Day America!

Be Prepared for THE CALL

When an agent comes calling…will you be ready?

Don’t panic! When you get an email from an agent who suggests The Call, or if an agent happens to call you out of the blue, you need to be prepared. Have your list of questions ready and handily available. Now you’re probably wondering, “what questions?” I’ve saved you the tedium of putting your own list together. Over the last few years, I’ve comprised a list culled from several writer sources. It’s a long list, but comprehensive. Some questions you may not care about, but it’s a starting point to keep you on track when your nerves are shot as you realize the next giant step in your Dream is unfolding.

If you’ve done your due diligence before querying the Agent, you should know the answers to some of the questions, i.e. how long the agent has been in business as an agent, if he/she is a member of the AAR, etc. See my Blog article on Searching for Literary Agents for a list of resources to gather your information about the agents you’re querying.

Here’s the list of questions to consider when you get The Call:

1. How long have you been in the agenting business? How many clients do you represent?


2. Are you a member of AAR? If not, do you follow the AAR guidelines?


3. What made you decide to represent my work?


4. Are you representing just this work? Or are you interested in representing my future works also?


5. Is my project ready for submission to publishers or are revisions required? If revisions are required, what are they?


6. What is your read and response times on edits?


7. What are your expectations for this book? What is your timeframe to submit to editors? Who do you have in mind to submit to? How soon? Chances of successful sale? Chances of a multi-book contract on proposal? Do you negotiate or just take deal? Do you submit to multiple editors at once? How many?


8. What relationships do you have with editors at certain houses? Who are your editor contacts? Are there some houses or editors who won’t work with you or you won’t work with? Why? Who?


9. At what point do you follow-up with editors? When do you give up?


10. How do you keep your clients informed of your activities on their behalf? Do you go over list of houses/editors PRIOR to submitting? Do you regularly send client copies of publishers’ rejection letters? Do you provide them with submission lists and rejection letters on request? Do you regularly, or upon request, send out updated activity reports?


11. What happens if you can’t sell my work? Do we revise? Move on to next work? Drop me as a client?


12. How often do you contact me? How often do you want to hear from me? How quickly do you respond to emails?


13. What is your approach to providing editorial input and career guidance for your clients or for me specifically? What are you feelings about writing in other age brackets, i.e. YA, or other genres? What is your vision for me, not just this book? What should I work on next?


14. Do you want to hear about new projects? Do you want to see proposals, or wait until work is finished? Will you edit and make suggestions? What about when a work is sold—do you offer edits and suggestions on further books in a series, or do you leave things up to me and my editor?


15. Do you consult with your clients on any and all offers? Some agencies sign subsidiary contracts on behalf of their clients to expedite processing. Do you?
    
16. Who in your agency will actually be handling my work? Will the other staff members be familiar with my work and the status of my business at your agency? Will you oversee or at least keep me apprised of the work your agency is doing on my behalf?


17. Do you have a specialist at your agency who handles movie and television rights? Foreign rights? Do you have subagents or corresponding agents in Hollywood and overseas?


18. Does your agency offer help and/or guidance with promotional efforts?


19. Do you issue an agent-author agreement? What is the duration? May I review the language of the agency clause that appears in contracts you negotiate for your clients?


20. What are your commission rates? What are your procedures and time-frames for processing and disbursing client funds? Do you keep different bank accounts separating author funds from agency revenue?


21. What are your policies about charging clients for expenses incurred by your agency? Will you list such expenses for me? Do you advance money for such expenses? Do you consult with your clients before advancing certain expenditures? Is there a ceiling on such expenses above which you feel you must consult with your clients?


22. How do you handle legal, accounting, public relations or similar professional services that fall outside the normal range of a literary agency’s function?


23. If we should part company, what is your policy about handling any unsold subsidiary rights in my work?


24. How do you treat solely created works I sell on my own? What about works I sell on my own to digital or digital-first publishers?


25. What are your expectations of me as your client?


26. Do you have a list of “Do’s and Don’ts” for your clients that will enable me to help you do your job better?

Teaser Tuesday

In honor of not blogging for a while, I'm giving you a tease of my new YA novel, BOOMERANG NIGHTS. Here's an excerpt from the first chapter:

The thumping drone of the Camaro’s new headers oozed ‘68 perfection. Or as sweet as the muscle car should’ve sounded way back in 1968. I downshifted and rolled the car to a full stop at the dark Ocean Street intersection. “Sounds badass, you think?” I grinned at my twin.

Silver cranked up her window and mashed her elbow on the door lock so fast I thought she'd just discovered that sea air killed brain cells. “Someone’s hunched over in the ditch.” She squeezed closer to the center console. “Oh. My. God. There’s a body laying down there, too.” Alarm piggybacked on her shaky voice.

I rammed the gearshift in park and reached to unbuckle my racing harness.

She swung her head in my direction, her hand gripping mine before I unlatched the buckle. “You’re not going out there! Let’s just go.”

The streetlight was toast, making it hard to scope out the situation. “Someone could be hurt.” I pushed her hand away and unhooked the seatbelt.

“Call the sheriff,” she almost wailed, jabbing her new smartphone into my side. “Lucas, don’t go. Something’s not right.”

Her unease assaulted my synapses, twitched along my nerves. My twin’s intuition was usually right on, where I acted without a second thought. I stretched across her lap to peer out the passenger window. The trench caught a scant glimmer from my headlights, enough to make out the shadowy shapes.

Shrouded in dark clothing head to foot, a small man or woman crouched over a prone body in the shallow, weedy ditch. Cat-like eyes gleamed. Not moving. Just staring toward the car. Staring at Silver.

She grabbed my hand, squeezed my fingers into bone dust. I flinched.

“Hey,” I called out. “You need help?”

“Lucas! I'm scared.”

“We can’t leave if someone's hurt.” I flexed my fingers to loosen her vise grip.

The cat eyes in the trench flicked right, then left. A low keening, like a death dirge from some creepy ancient ritual, emerged from the ditch.

Happy Memorial Day!

Last Few Days to Bid & Raise Money for Diabetes Research

Brenda Novak's Annual Online Auction for Diabetes Research is in its final days. Jump in and help raise money to fight for the 26 million people who have diabetes. The auction will end on May 31, although some items end earlier so check the end times.

You'll find all kinds of fun, exciting items to bid on for readers, writers and everyone else! Go forth and bid for a great cause! http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope you all have a great day!

Chasing Shadows - Availability Expands!

In addition to the Kindle format, CHASING SHADOWS is now available in digital format at Barnes & Noble (Nook), Sony Reader Store (Sony Reader), and Kobo Store (Kobo eReader). It's not necessary to own one of these devices to download their books. Like the Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader and Kobo eReader all offer FREE software for reading on the iPhone, iPod Touch & iPad, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone 7, Windows PC & Mac.

For those who don't know, CHASING SHADOWS was published by Cerridwen Press, the mainstream romance imprint of Ellora's Cave. In January 2011, Cerridwen Press was consolidated under its parent company and is now the "Blush" imprint of EC. The romantic scenes in CHASING SHADOWS are suggestive only and not graphic, and CHASING SHADOWS is NOT considered erotic romance (which is the main focus of Ellora's Cave). The cover art has changed to reflect the new Blush imprint logo.

HAPPY EASTER!!

Erin's Serving her Country...er...sort of

I've been off the grid since April 1...which was the start of my week of jury duty. After dodging the jury bullet thru Thursday 3/31, I got called down to court on April 1. No joke either! And I got called into the courtroom to start jury selection on a 6 week criminal trial. That day, the judge let anyone go who did NOT have a personal hardship only to return on Tuesday April 5 to start "real" jury selection. Unfortunateley, I did not have a personal hardship! And it's not something you could lie about easily...in case you were wondering. The judge actually required proof of the hardship. The hardship also had to be personal, not a hardship to your employer.

Tuesday rolled around (no trial on Mondays), lo and behold after going thru grueling questioning of about 35 jurors, selected randomly, my name is called just before quiting time at 4:00. So back I go on Wednesday, April 6, where I was first on deck for questioning. Without lying thru my teeth, I couldn't escape. They went thru about 14 more people, and I got stuck as Juror #4. We were then sworn in and released as they went thru questioning another panel of 18 prospective jurors for 3 alternates.

On Thursday, April 7, the trial began....and it still continues. So my life now consists of jury duty by day, day job by night, leaving little time for much else. More about my experiences as a juror later!

Agent Pitch Contest at YAtopia

YAtopia is hosting their first contest!

If you write for young adults (or children) and are looking for an agent, now's your chance to pitch to Ammi-Joan Paquette of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency! Ammi's normally closed to queries, so this is a great opportunity. Contest will close after 150 entries or on March 24, whichever comes first. Go forth and enter. Good luck! http://YAtopia.blogspot.com (While you're there, check out the great Blog the YAtopia authors have put together!)