It's Party Time -- Author Style! (or Why I Can No Longer Party Like It's 1999)

Tip of the Day: Use the phrase "Boo yeah!" at inappropriate times today -- in meetings at work, on the phone with telemarketers, at the doctor's office when the nurse finally calls your name -- the possibilities are endless.

While I sit in the limbo land of waiting for my agent to submit my novel to editors, I have to find ways to pass the time.

What?

I should be writing my next novel?

Oh yeah!

No, seriously, I am. I swear! But when I'm not, I like to fantasize about what it will be like when my novel comes out (and what's important to note here is that I didn't say IF it comes out; I said WHEN. Not to get all The Secret-ish on you here, but I truly believe that you need to act without self-doubt in this industry. I KNEW I'd get an agent because I KNEW I loved to write and I KNEW that was what I wanted, and I didn't let anything, anyone, or any of my crappier novels stop me (which is another post entirely).

ANYWAY -- in honor of Lisa's YA debut release yesterday, here are my Book Release Party fantasies!

Picture this: Vegas, poolside at the Wynn. Food catered by Ananda Fuara, music provided by Depeche Mode, perfect weather provided by Mother Nature. All of my friends and family would fly out for the event, and the billboards on The Strip would advertise the event with an airburshed photo of me. All expenses would be covered by a Great Expectations-like benefactor who would reveal himself as Dave Gahan at the end of the night because he loved my work so much.

Ahhhh......

What? That's not likely to happen? Gah!

But my probable reality's not too shabby either. A party at Spot Coffee, a fabulous Missy Cake, jams rocked by John Viviani and the Filthy Funk, and all my friends and family will be there to eat, drink, and be merry (most likely for a wild, wild afternoon). It will happen! (Note again my certainness of this. All of you Recently Reppeds out there, practice this daily.)

How about all of you? What will your debut release party be like?

Deena, Miss Recently Repped

Seeing Your Book in the Bookstore -- Emily

Tip of the Day: The laws of science dictate that when you take a camera into a bookstore, the likelihood of a salesperson asking you if you need assistance finding a book is three times greater than without said camera in hand.

Today is the official release date of I Heart You, You Haunt Me by our very own Miss Pinch Me I’m Pubbed, Lisa Schroeder. Congratulations on your release, Lisa. And readers, if you have any doubts about buying the book, just look how lovely it is sitting on a bookstore shelf!

“Hi, I’m Lisa’s book. Won’t you please give me a nice, new home? I’m not picky: anything has to be better than those shipping boxes I’ve been living in.”

I think seeing my book on the shelf for the first time will be one of the most surreal and non-surreal experiences at the same time. Surreal in the sense I can’t believe it’s happening. But non-surreal in the sense, that even now as an aspiring writer each time I go into a bookstore, I can’t help but pick out a spot my book would look nice once I, yanno, get an agent and sell a book.

If/when I finally do see my very own copy of my book on the shelf, I think my first instinct will be to think it’s someone else’s book with the same name and same book title as myself. Mainly because I have a feeling I will be stalking bookstores weeks before my official release date in the hopes of spotting a glance of it on the shelf. And once I actually spot it, I think I might be inclined to take a second glance to make sure it is in fact the book I’ve been trying to find for weeks.

After I had confirmed it was indeed EMILY’S BOOK. I would probably start examining it’s location on the bookshelf.

Take this Picture for example:

Why yes, that would be EMILY’S BOOK nicely located between Uninvited and Vampire Academy.

Then I would start panicking thinking: why is my book placed in between a book named Uninvited and Vampire Academy? Is that supposed to be some sort of sign? Like my book isn’t good enough that the book next to me is saying I’m “Uninvited?*” And what’s the deal with me being squished between two vampire books and having witches close by. Aren’t vampires and witches supposed to be mean? My poor book is going to feel so…well…uninvited. And then they are going to want to teach all my characters to become a vampire at Vampire Academy, I’m sure, which would be a slight departure from their real selves.

After convincing myself that my mind was playing tricks on me and those other books weren’t out to get mine, I’m sure my next thoughts would be something like this:

• Why is no one picking up my book?
• If no one picks up my book, then surely my publisher is never going to buy another book by me. And then all my hard work to get even this one book published is going to go nowhere.
• And if my publisher never buys another book by me, surely it will prove all those people that rejected me during my agent and editor submission phase correct: that my books weren’t good enough.
• Maybe I should face the book face forward, so people can see it more. Surely they will buy it then, won’t they?
• Great, no one’s buying it still. It’s because they realize this Emily Marshall chick is a horrible writer. I can see in on their faces as they walk by.
• Maybe I should ask the bookstore clerk if I can autograph it, because I heard signing books can help sell more.

Then the following conversation might take place:

ME (going up to the bookstore clerk): Um, yeah, so I wrote this book, here. Do you think I could sign them and you can give me one of those spiffy stickers that says, ‘Autographed Copy.’

16-YEAR OLD MINIMUM WAGE BOOKSTORE CLERK: Yeah right, lady, like you wrote a book?

ME: No really. (opening the back cover of my book and pointing to the author picture): Look that’s me.

16-YEAR OLD MINIMUM WAGE BOOKSTORE CLERK THAT IS CLEARLY OUT TO GET ME: whatever lady that person in the photo has much nicer hair then you do.

ME (thinking that was a low blog and talking myself into the fact I’m above arguing with a 16-Year Old bookstore clerk that is clearly in allegiance with Uninvited and Vampire Academy*)

***

As I head back to the YA books section, I would continue thinking that the conversation didn’t go over as I planned, so I would devise a new plan:

• Maybe I should move my book to random places in the bookstore. Because aren’t people seeing your book in multiple places, supposed to make it feel more important and want to buy it more?

And of course it would end there: at me thinking about putting my book in multiple places in the bookstore. Because it would be wrong of me to place my book in the “Best Seller” section or on every end cap in the bookstore, wouldn’t it?

Now I have to get back writing the best book I can, so that the above can become a reality. Even if I’m sure in actuality seeing my book on the shelves for the first time would go nothing like the above, but it was fun to pretend.

***

* NOTE TO READERS: I have in fact heard wonderful things about these books, and am sure in actuality they would welcome my book with open spines J Sorry, I couldn’t resist, though.

The Night Before B-Day

Tip of the Day: The release date for I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder is tomorrow!

So we’re excited here for the release date of I Heart You, You Haunt Me. Tomorrow’s the launch date. Will that happen to me one day? Will I ever know the feeling called “my book releases tomorrow”? What would I do the night before release day? I’m sure I’ll be diligently working on my next book, absorbed in work in progress.

Ha ha ha ha ha.

Okay, seriously, I think the first thing I’d do is look up my book on my public library system. Then I’d get frustrated when I couldn’t find it. Don’t they remember me? I’ve paid them enough in late fees to buy cases of my books. Actually I just looked up “Fall” in my county library system and, to my surprise, they don’t have any books by anyone named Fall. So at least I never have to worry about anyone saying about me, “Oh, that Kate Fall. I thought you meant the popular writer Kate Fall, not her.”

Next I would stare at my book cover, because I’m assuming I would love it. Why not, right? I’m fascinated with graphic art and entranced by font designs. Most likely, I’d be thinking the cover came out so much better than the words inside it. And resisting the urge to call the publisher and ask if it would be okay if I changed the ending to chapter 4, because that ending worked fine on an early draft of the book, but really, it makes no sense now, and I was never entirely happy with that scene, come to think of it. This would be the point in my projected night where my husband would hand me a strong drink.

Next I would turn off the phone. Oh, I should have done that first. Because I can’t imagine having anything coherent to say. I’m picturing this:

Phone voice: “Hello, this is your garbage collection company, we haven’t received your payment recently and—”
Me: “What? I don’t have time for this. My book is coming out tomorrow!”
Phone voice: “So you’ll be paying us tomorrow?”
Me: “No! My book goes on sale tomorrow. Who is this?”
Phone voice: “Your garbage company. So, good luck on the book sales, and about your payment—”
Me: “Sales! Don’t even say that word. Shut up, shut up, shut up!”
Phone voice: “Okay, honey, is your Mommy home?”

Eventually I’d make a mental list of all the people who might possibly read my book who I least want to read it. The gorgeous guy from high school who shares physical characteristics with my MC’s crush: maybe his daughter will buy the book, and he’ll see my name … no, no, I use my husband’s family name, the book will fall open and he’ll see my picture, that’s it, and he’ll skim the book. Then he’ll tell everyone in my hometown that I’ve obviously been in love with him for decades and I’m probably a stalker besides.

I’m very glad I took a few minutes to outline what I might do the night before my book launch. Because now I know what I’ll really do: watch “Airplane” and “The Naked Gun” and occupy my mind by anticipating all the dialogue. What’s the craziest thing you picture yourself doing the night before your book release? What’s the craziest thing you’ve done?

Kate, Miss Apprentice Writer

Introducing Lisa - Miss Pinch Me I'm Pubbed

Tip of the Day: OW! Be careful. Pinching can be painful.

There’s been a lot of pinching going on in the past eighteen months. I still, to this day, go back and read that first e-mail from my agent (that almost made me pee my pants) where she told me how much she enjoyed my manuscript, I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME and how much she would love to work with me. It’s like that’s where it all began. That’s where I let myself believe I might have something sorta special, and really allowed myself to picture the possibilities. Me? A young adult author? REALLY?

Prior to writing I HEART YOU, I'd written three mid-grade novels and 1/2 of another YA. This one I felt something really powerful as I wrote the words. And I felt like maybe, just maybe, I'd found my way and discovered the kind of writer I'm supposed to be. But when it starts happening, when you FINALLY get agent interest after four years of trying off and on, and you FINALLY have an editor who says, "Yeah, I love this, let's make into a book," it's still pretty freaking unbelievable.

People keep asking me things like, “How are you able to sleep? Your book comes out in just a few days!” At first I started to explain how I’m old and tired, with a day job and two kids with activities and homework, so sleeping is never a problem. But then I realized it’s more than that. There are lots and lots of steps before you get HERE, to this point. When my Advanced Review Copies arrived, that’s when I really freaked out. That’s when I had trouble sleeping. I e-mailed my editor and said, OMG, people are going to READ this book. Are you sure it’s good? I mean, are you SURE? (Yes, I swear, I did this). It was so weird to see my words in the form of a real, live book.

And, the thing is, in these days before the book comes out, life goes on. I’ve been busy with the day job, holiday and family things, working on my current WIP, and Class of 2k8 stuff. It’s not like I’m thinking about THE BOOK 24/7.

But yeah, sometimes, during a quiet moment, my thoughts drift there, to the book, in bookstores SOON, where people will (hopefully) buy it, and read it.

And then, OW!

Fortunately, so far, early reader response has been positive. I got a gold star over at TeensReadToo!! (Really? OW!)

(I wonder, do you think Jane Yolen still pinches herself with each book?)

Introducing Kristina-- Miss Soon-to-Pub

Tip of the Day: Eating Booberry cereal for dinner is perfectly acceptable. And even finding it in stores in January should be a cause for celebration.

Hi, I’m Kristina (Miss Soon-to-Pub). Welcome to Author2Author! This is such a fun and cool group of people—I hope you enjoy reading the blog as much as we enjoy writing it! So now onto the part where I blah, blah, blah about myself.

I’d like to tell you this super fantastic story about how I knew I wanted to be an author since I was just a wee little one writing stories on my etch-a sketch but that’d be a big fat lie. Back then I wanted to be a rockstar. And I was sooooo close! Well, not really. But I did explore a number of career possibilities when the rockstar thing didn’t happen and when I graduated college I made a list in my journal of what jobs I wanted to do. It went something like this:

1) High school teacher (check)

2) College teacher (check)

3) Technical Writer (check)

4) Freelance writer (check)

5) Mommy (check)

6) Published Author

And I was working my way through the list really well! Then I hit published author and had no clue what kind of book I should write. And honestly, here’s a little secret, I always thought I was a pretty good nonfiction writer but a so-so fiction writer. When I took fiction writing classes in grad school I was embarrassed to show my work. Everyone else’s stories just seemed so much better. But I was writing the wrong stuff back then.

So I didn’t decide to crack down on this published author thing until 2005. I was 29, had two little babies at home, was freelancing my little heart out both online and in mags, and teaching at a university in Chicago. I came up with an idea for what later became my first book (The Pass Book) and tentatively told my husband one day in the car. He said, “You have to write this.” I said, “oh sure. Yeah—someday I’ll write a novel.” He said, “No you have to write this now.” So I started then. One night a week I left him with the kids, packed up my laptop, and parked myself at the Starbucks in town to write for three hours. I wrote The Pass Book in about 4 months and then slowly edited it. In August of 2006, I took a YA chicklit class where I met my fab critique partners and I got more serious about this whole writing thing. I started querying like crazy and I also started writing book #2, The Espressologist. I was having so many near hits with The Pass Book but in the first part of 2007 decided I would just focus on The Espressologist and started querying that. After a few weeks of querying agents I had two offers for representation.

Things happened fast after that. Three weeks after I signed with my super cool agent, my book went to auction between four publishers, and I ended up with a two-book deal from FSG. The Espressologist will be out in the Fall of 2009 and a second undecided book will be out in Fall 2010.

I’ve found that I really love writing for this genre, which I guess can be called YA chicklit or YA romantic comedy. I like to write fun, fast, hooky books that make me laugh out loud when I go back and re-read them. Since signing with FSG, I’ve written three more books—The Revenge Queen, Boy Swap, and a middle grade novel—Night at Claire’s (which I’m still editing). I love, love, love doing this. It is seriously the absolute perfect job for me. But I still don’t feel like a super “serious” writer. I don’t get up at the crack of dawn everyday and write for three hours or anything like that. I have a sweet husband and three fun kids (plus one on the way) that want to hang out with me too so I’ve always stuck to that one night a week (on occasion two nights) at the coffee shop schedule that I started in 2005.

So I’m definitely no pro at this stuff. I’m totally learning as I go. I just completed my first round of edits on The Espressologist and when I’m not writing new stuff I’m thinking about all of the fun things that lay ahead—like getting to hold my book in my hands for the first time, cringing and hiding under my bed the first time my family reads it, thinking up promotion ideas for when the book comes out, and daydreaming about booksignings and going to speak at schools about my book(s). There is so much to look forward to and I can’t wait to get started.

And of course I’ll share every last juicy detail with you all here. :-)

Kristina, Miss Soon-to-Pub

Introducing Deena, Miss Recently Repped! (or Fun But Non-Incriminating Information for Anyone Internet-Stalking Me)

Tip of the Day: Beware the combination of an empty refrigerator and full tins of Xmas cookies. Especially at dinner time. And breakfast. And, um, lunch, too.

Hello and welcome to Author2Author! Thanks for spending valuable time here with me when you’re probably already addicted to a dozen other blogs. But I promise, this one is worth adding to your daily read -- soon you won’t be able to sleep at night if you haven’t checked in with us.

Hopefully you’re here because you’re interested in our writing journeys. (But if you are here to internet stalk me, the least you could do is buy our books.) I am happy to share this with you, and hope you’ll weigh in with your own journeys, tips, questions, answers, etc., because lord knows the writer’s gig is never short, simple, or easy and we need all the support we can get!

I’ll start with the explanation of how I got my name, Miss Recently Repped: I signed with my agent one month ago! OK, that was probably obvious, so here’s some more background info on me, starting with those days of no sleep and weirdo roommates that I like to call college.

College Undergrad: Wrote a bunch of short stories. Thought I wanted to be a journalist. Thought wrong. Majored in Communications and Creative Writing while working at the public library.

2001-2002: Finished college, and wrote some more short stories while working my new full time day job as a legal editor. Read a lot of novels. Got bored out of my gourd. Went back to school.

Grad School: Got my Masters in Library Science where my favoritist class was Resources and Services for Young Adults. I reconnected with the books I had always loved and read as a kid – and still loved but just didn’t know it. I had always thought I wanted to be a college librarian, but that class alone convinced me I wanted to go back to public libraries and be a YA librarian.

June 2004: After I got my MLS diploma, I was restless again and searching for a YA librarian job (I’m still seeking this job, so any library directors out there gimme a shout!*****). I was also reading YA novels like a fiend. One day I sat down at the computer and after a fruitless job search, was like “Now what?” “Well,” I answered myself, “I could write a YA novel. How hard could it be? I could be published just like all these other authors whose books I’m reading!” [HA! Yes, HAHAHA on me. Not hard? Right.] I connected with two writer friends and we formed a critique group. I also found a YA novel writing contest online, saw it had a submission deadline of December 31, 2004, and decided I’d have my novel done by then. I did. I submitted Novel #1 in all its unbeknownst-to-me-horrible glory, but I’d met my goal! Go me!

2005: Got the You Did Not Win letter from the contest. Sent out [HORRIBLE] query letters to publishers on it. Wrote Novel #2 and submitted it to the contest in December. At that point I knew it wouldn’t win, but it was still my measurable goal and I had attained it. Got form rejections, and one request for pages on N#1. I pity the editor who read those pages. I also discovered Verla Kay’s Blue Board and learned a TON from it!

2006: Joined SCBWI and went to conferences. Wrote Novel #3 and queried my first agents on it. Got a lot of requests for pages, and this book was better, but I still had a lot to learn. In August I took an online writing class where I hooked up with Emily and Tina, and started my LJ where I met Lisa. Kate joined my in-person critique group. Finished Novel #4. Collected more agent and editor rejections, some “close but not quite rights.”

2007: Wrote Novel #5 and loved it more than any other book I’d written. Went to more SCBWI conferences. My writing got better and better. I queried more agents on N#5 that summer then started N#6. Chris, my agent, got my query via snail mail in July, requested 30 pages soon after, requested the full ms in late August, then emailed in October to tell me she loved the book and wanted to show it to her boss to see if she could sign me! In November I wrote N#7 for NaNoWriMo, and then the Monday after Thanksgiving I got The Email from Chris saying she wanted to call me the next day and that her boss said yes, she could sign me! We chatted on the phone and got along really well. She totally “gets” my novel and she sent me the contract to sign a week later.

Now I am happily agented and awaiting my first agented subs to editors in this new year! I think 2008 will be a very exciting year for all my Author2Author friends.

Hopefully you will never have to read through a post this long from me again, but alas, its length also gives you insight into my blabbermouthness (which I accept with no apologies). I do hope you were entertained and informed about me, and that you come back to read about our journeys going forward!

Deena, Miss Recently Repped

****Eeeeee!!! I just accepted a position as the Young Adult and Circulation Services Librarian at my local public library! I am THRILLED!!!

Introducing Emily -- New Year’s Resolutions…not so much

Tip of the Day: Have a wonderful and safe New Year’s Day, everyone!

Of course, my introductory post would have to fall on New Year’s Day. The day itself is making me feel like I should post New Year’s Resolutions on behalf of our blog. Something along the lines of:

• We promise to never blog about Britney Spears or even Jamie Lynn
• We promise to never post author pictures of us wearing any of these outfits
• We promise to stop eating so much chocolate and eat more vegetables to grow our writer brains

However, according to Wikipedia, New Year’s Resolutions are a “lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous.” Not saying that any of the above aren’t “advantageous,” but since Author2Author is brand new and this is the first mention of Jamie Lynn, I don’t think there’s anything that needs resoluting or changing as of yet. Plus, I can’t speak for all of us here at A2A, and unbeknownst to me, one of my fellow A2A Misses might really want to write about Britney Spears little sister, while wearing a strapless, zebra-print dress and eating left-over holiday candy. (I’m not naming names, or anything, though).

Also, I do think the point of this post was to introduce myself. So instead of resolutions, you will get a bulleted list about me. (Which is really to your benefit. Because also according to Wikipedia “many resolutions go unachieved and are often broken fairly shortly after they are set.” --- Who would have guessed it, but if it’s on Wikipedia is must be true, right?):

• My name is Emily, Miss Awaiting an Agent.
• Though given the slow-moving nature of publishing, I probably shouldn’t have picked a name with any form of “waiting” in the title. It would be nice if all I had to do was lounge around in a pool sipping Mai Tais (or in my case, it’s probably more likely to be a Shirley Temple) and having agents hunting me down, but I’m not delusional enough to think that’s a possibility. However, Agent Seeking, didn’t have as cool of an alliterative name.
• I’ve been writing fiction seriously for about two years.
• I’m a horrible writer.
• I’m a decent re-writer. But I’m still not good enough to break through this crazy publishing world.
• I’m currently in the process of writing my third book and have some queries, partials, and fulls still out on book number two, though, as of now, I’m focusing most of my energy on my current work-in-progress.
• I tend to write chick-lit books with some mystery element. Even though, I keep telling myself over and over: mystery books are hard for me to write.
• I have a sickness for putting musicians as lead guys in my book. I start out with an athletic, jock who builds muscle cars in his free time and end up with a tattooed musician who recites poetry in his spare time.
• I don’t pretend to know everything about writing or getting an agent, clearly, since I am still agentless, but I have learned a few things over the past two years about the querying and writing process that that I’m excited to share. And I hope to learn tons more from all of you.

Please let me know if you are also in the “Awaiting An Agent” stage. I’d love to hear from you!

Til Next Tuesday,

Emily, Miss Awaiting an Agent