MIA

I was missing in action most of last week. Sorry about that. My father-in-law flew in on Monday and we spent the week running around Germany, trying to fit as much in as possible. He left Friday morning so it was a short visit.

The upside to that is that I’ve got some great pictures and fun stuff to share with you this week. I hope the lapse was worth it. We visited Rothenburg, which has quickly become one of my favorite cities here. I already have plans to make several more trips there. We visited the Pottenstein castle. We also visited a few others, but they closed before we could get there so I only got pictures of the outside.

I’ve also got a story about a German game/variety show that we watched on Saturday. The Kirwa here in Speichersdorf is this weekend, so I’ll have that to share with you next week.

On the downside, I received a lovely note from Emmanuelle Morgen, passing on my manuscript. It was disappointing, but she was very nice. She couldn’t connect with it to ask for more, but pointed out that other agents may not feel the same. On the upside of that, I can now apply for PRO status within RWA.

At this point, I’m going to shelf Out of the Shadows and let it sit for a while. Then I’ll go back with fresh eyes and do another revision pass and another pass through the critique partners. THEN I’ll start querying in earnest.

I just love the characters, the book and the series too much to take the chance on sending out to a gaggle of agents without taking this time.

So how was your week? Your weekend? What’s on the agenda for this week?

Good News

I'm going to start off the conference posts with good news. There was plenty to be had.

I believe I mentioned here that I had an agent appointment at conference. I met with the lovely Emmanuelle Morgen (formerly Alspaugh). I was excited and nervous in turn, but in the end, Ms. Morgen was very good at putting me at ease at the beginning of our meeting.

It was my first time pitching and I had no idea what to expect. I had a whole spiel memorized and turned out, I didn't need it. She asked about me. Seemed interested that I wrote erotic romance. Asked about my novel. Said it sounded interesting and like something she represented but wouldn't know for sure until she'd read some of it. Asked me to send the first three chapters.

That's right, my friends. A partial request.

I'm sure that's par for the course, but it's exciting for me anyway. So, I'm running it through one more spit and polish, one more round through my fabulous critique partners and then I'm going to send it off with REQUESTED MATERIAL big and bold.

That's my personal good news.

I've mentioned on here that 4 of my chapter mates from the Austin chapter were up for Golden Heart/Rita awards. I'm proud to say that 2 of them won!

Sherry Thomas won the RITA for Best Historical Romance with Not Quite a Husband and Laura Griffin won the RITA for Best Romantic Suspense!

Another chapter mate, Jane Sevier, won the Scriptscene contest.

Very exciting.

And my last piece of good news for the day. I'm going to be a full-time author again. At least for a little while. I turned in my resignation letter and my last day will be 2 weeks from today. I've enjoyed the craft shop and it's definitely helped keep my creative juices flowing but with everything on my plate, it was too much.

Do you have any good news to share? I'd love to hear it.

Living in my head

I haven't been very chatty this week. The truth is, I've been living in my head a lot and then there's been drama at the part time job. Revisions are hard copy at this point so I haven't been online much at all.

I've spent the last two weeks working with Bob Mayer and a group of great writers to come up with a pitch for my novel. It took almost the whole two weeks and 7 actual tries before Bob seemed to deem it appropriate.

Now that problem I have, and why I've been living in my head lately, is that in the course of these attempts, I've thought of other things to add to my story to make it stronger. This is okay, except that I won't have it ready for my agent appointment at conference.

I could still get the first 3 chapters polished and still pitch it, but then what if she asks for a partial, likes it and wants the full? I can't send out what I have to her now when I know I want to change it. So, I've been waffling back and forth on whether I should just cancel my appointment, get the book ready to my satisfaction and then query her later, or go and get the experience plus my PRO status with RWA.

Then the drama at the part-time job. Recently there was a new deployment of guys headed to Afghanistan. No surprise since we live near a military base. One of the women, C, that I work with is taking kind of hard, dealing with some depression. She's had this happen before and it was rough on her kids so she decided that it would be better for the family to go back to the States where her parents were there to help deal.

She's been talking about this for a couple of weeks and the manager of the shop tried to talk her out of it. Friday, C told the manager that she was definitely going back. Apparently, the manager yelled at her, told her she was stupid, etc.

C had planned to give sufficient notice, but this behavior angered her and when she left work Tuesday (the next work day), she left an envelope for the manager with her door key, company credit card and a note.

Yesterday when the manager found the note, she was upset. Called C who didn't answer the phone and proceeded to cuss her out on the answering machine. Since then, it's been uncomfortable in the shop as well as unstable as to how things will work out.

Now, I can see both sides of the coin. Must be my Libra ascendant. I can see how someone who is clinically depressed would feel the need to be closer to a support network so that her kids would be better taken care of. I can also understand why she would feel the need to leave her job as she did when she was treated the way she was when she told the manager.

I can see the manager's POV. She's now left with no credit card holder to purchase supplies and has to train someone on the fly how to help with the back office stuff that C did.

So, I'm staying out of the middle of it. I'm quitting the part time job soon (possibly Sept) and I'm leaving next week for 3 1/2 weeks of vacation. I need to get through tomorrow and Tuesday and then I think I can avoid most of the drama.

Now you know what's kept me away. What do you think I should do regarding my agent appointment? Anyone got any experience in this area?

Bummed

Yesterday was the day for general members of RWA to sign up for agent and editor appointments during the national conference in July. There were already two other waves of appointment-making. The first was for Golden Heart and Rita finalists. The second was for PRO members, which means they've completed a full-length novel and submitted to an agent or editor. Then the rest of us.

I had been excited because my top pick agent was going to be there taking appointments. At least before the change of venue. Now, she apparently won't be there. First disappointment. Then I go in to make my appointment. I got in early, hoping to avoid the server delay problems that I hear of every year. No problems there. There is one thing, though. Yeah, all the appointments were snagged by the previous two rounds so there was zilch for us lowly general members.

As you know, I'd been working to get my novel ready to pitch. I was nervous about it, but excited too. No pitching this year unless I skulk around the waiting area hoping to snare a spare minute. Which I may. We'll see.

The good news in all this is that I won't be rushing so much and I can make sure I'm confident that my book is the best it can be before I start querying. And query I will. I've given myself a self-imposed deadline of September 30 to send out queries. If the revisions and edits go faster, I'll definitely do it sooner. And if I don't have an agent by this time next year, I'll be a PRO member and then I can get in early myself.

What about you? Going to the national conference? Got an agent or editor appointment? Who'd you get?