A week in the life...

...of a reluctant housewife, apparently. I've just completed my first week of not working, and it is definitely different. While it's nice to have some time to get things done that I never used to have time for, I don't think I'm cut out for the whole stay-at-home thing. However, after speaking with former coworkers, it's clear that I made the right decision.

In other news, two agents are currently reviewing my first 50 pages. This is an awesome thing! I don't want to get my hopes up too high, as they both might hate the writing... but it's encouraging that people like the concept. It may be within the realm of possibility for me to get representation. That's only half the battle, but it's arguably the hardest half. Once you sign with an agent, you have someone in your corner for the rest of it.

I'll keep everyone updated! Until next time...

Submission Stats

Very sick today, so not going to write much. Just a quick update on the stats for my querying. So far, I've queried a total of 21 agents. Here are the stats so far:

Pass=3
Request for samples=1
Still waiting=17

Going out of my mind here, people! Just have to keep on trucking, because I know I've got something here. I've made a lot of new friends in the literary community as well, mostly through twitter. It's a very supportive industry, unlike many others. I look forward to being a part of it. Until next time...

I'm sick, therefore I'm bored...

This is the first time I've started a post from the front end... Interesting. I have been out sick from work since 9am yesterday. I really hate doing nothing, and I always hope that when I am unable to work, I'll still be able to write, read, do anything else useful. But all I feel like doing is lying in bed like a big puddle of sludge.

I have done a few useful things, but not really the ones that I would rather do. Paid a couple of bills, queried some more agencies, and now I'm blogging. Overall, since I made the decision to start querying agents, I have sent letters to 16 agencies. So far, two passes, and one request for sample pages. The waiting is hard, but it will definitely be worth it in the end if I can accomplish my goals.

Here's a little tidbit of info about the books because I'm feeling generous:
Plot setting:
Book 1: Scotland (Primary) & New Orleans
Book 2: North Carolina Mountains (Primary), Las Vegas & New Orleans
Book 3: New Orleans, secondary locales TBD

That's it for now as I go back to wallowing. Until next time.

Progress

I'm sitting here watching these poor, sad women cry on the Bachelor, so this is as good a time as any to blog.

Many of you know that I made the decision a couple of weeks ago to start querying literary agents. I was nervous about the whole thing, thinking you'd have to pay them a bunch of money just to get them to try and sell your book. I did a little more research and they are just like any other type of agent, they get a percentage of the profits only if they sell your book. So that makes them motivated.

I queried four big agencies with authors on their roster that I recognized. There are thousands of agencies out there, but I decided I may as well aim high. I found one particular agent's blog when I was researching how to write a good query letter. I sent a query to the agent that was currently accepting submissions, and I got a request for the first 30 pages. It's kind of irritating because it's supposed to be double spaced--so in reality, it's only the first 15 of the manuscript. But it's still a nice chunk of the story for them to get an idea.

I follow this agent on twitter, and she posted that she gets over 200 query letters a DAY. So it's easy to fall through the cracks. This, and the feedback I've been getting from publishers, tells me that my idea, at least, is a good one. It will all come down to whether or not they like my writing.

I think I'm a good writer, but then again, it is hard to look at your own work with an objective, critical eye. And I have read published books that are far worse than mine in both premise and execution.

Most people might think that actually dreaming up the idea and the story--beginning, middle, end--is the hardest part of fiction writing. Not so for me. The story is there, along with about three others, constantly going through my head like a movie reel. The challenge for me is getting it all down on paper... er, screen, and doing it justice. Imagine trying to translate a conversation in French when you just learned the language, and the speakers are going a mile a minute. That's kind of what it's like.

Anyway, I am preparing for the worst (another rejection) and hoping for the best. If I can get an agent to back me, it opens my options up to more publishers who don't take unsolicited work. The big dogs like Bantam, Random House, Grand Central, Harper Collins, etc. So it's worth trying for.

Look forward to more excerpts this week, and a synopsis of my fabulous 30th Birthday Bash, and my first super bowl party in 9 years. Until next time!