Fifth Tuesday Links

On Marketing and Social Networking:
GLA: What Selling Lemonade Can Teach Us About Writing
Babbles from Scott Eagan: Make Your Own Opportunities - Editors, Agents, and Readers Won't Just Come To You
Rachelle Gardner: 7 Keys to Planning Your Career Path
Miss Snark's First Victim: A Tweet By Any Other Name

Regarding Subjectivity & Agent Interviews:
MuseInks: Publishing's Perplexing Pickle Problem
Babbles from Scott Eagan: Along With the Manuscript, We Look At Potential
The Write Life: 13 Ways to Convince a Literary Agent to Represent You
Books & Such: Let Your Agent Be the Bad Guy
Rachelle Gardner: Why Didn't I Say "Yes" to Your Submission?
Literary Rambles (Agent) Spotlights: Lana Popovic of Zachary Shuster Hamsworth (YA, MG, thrillers, fantasy)
Michelle Witte of Mansion Street Literary Management (MG, YA)
It's in the Details: Questions with Tamar Rydzinski
Questions with Jennifer Laughran
Questions with Danielle Smith
Questions with Jordy Albert
Questions with Juliet Mushens
Chasing the Crazies First Five Frenzy: Molly Jaffa of Folio Literary Management
Melissa Jeglinski of The Knight Agency

GLA New Agent Alerts:
Sarah Nego of Corvisiero Literary: "I am only accepting middle grade and young adult fiction manuscripts. I'm open to any genre within those age groups, but I prefer speculative fiction ..."
Beth Campbell of BookEnds, LLC: She is seeking "... romance ... YA, fantasy, science fiction ..."
Fiona Kenshole of Transatlantic Agency: "I am looking for kidlit categories from picture books to YA ... I like stories that make me laugh, or real children in magical circumstances and I love animal stories; in YA, above all else I look for a captivating and distinctive voice ... I am not looking for ... faith-based stories, or vampires, paranormal or sword-and-sorcery fantasy."
Jessica Negron of Talcott Notch Literary: "I'm interested in all kinds of YA and Adult fiction, but lean toward science fiction and fantasy (and all the little sub-genres), romance (the steamier, the better) and thrillers."
Roz Foster of Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency: She is interested in "... literary sci-fi, and literary YA. She loves novels that make her feel like the author is tuned into a rising revolution - cultural, political, literary, or whatnot - that's about to burst upon the scene. She looks for resonant, lively voice; rich, irresistible language; complex characters with compelling character arcs; and a mastery of dramatic structure ... Please note that (she) is not interested in ... romance, and children's middle-grade/picture books."

On Writing Itself:
Babbles from Scott Eagan: Your Story Dictates the Style
Keep Your Characters Dressed!
Find Your Central Story Arc and Stick to It
Kidlit.com: Introducing Fantasy Elements
The Bookshelf Muse: The Psychology of Disappointment & Our Characters
Writer Unboxed: Levels of Conflict
Questions and Archetypes: Stealing from another house (World-Building)
Picking the Brain of the Collective
Patricia C. Wrede: Being Mean

Contests & Online Conventions:
Miss Snark's First Victim: August Secret Agent
WriteOnCon: Write On Con
It's in the Details: Agent Greeting Contest
Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire: Are Contests Worth It?

Of course, this list of links is by no means exhaustive of all the great posts I've read this past month. Too many links can make your eyes glaze over. So we'll just do these this time. Isn't the internet wonderful sometimes?

Contests, Agents, and Links

Good morning, everyone! I thought the blog was well overdue for some helpful links, so here we go.

New agents to check out via GLA New Agent Alerts:
Kathleen Zakhar of Harold Ober Associates
She's looking for: "Kathleen loves all things YA and is also actively looking for adult science fiction, fantasy in all its varieties, historical fiction, and horror novels. She enjoys quirky middle grade tales with captivating adventures and original voices, and will also accept picture books. Kathleen has a special place in her heart for sweeping love stories, magical realism, inventive world-building, repurposed folklore, dark comedy, and genre-bending novels."

Christa Heschke of McIntosh & Otis
She's looking for: "picture books, middle grade, young adult and new adult projects and is currently building her list. She is a fan of new adult and young adult novels with a romantic angle, and strong, quirky protagonists. In young and new adult, Christa is especially interested in contemporary fiction, horror and thrillers/mysteries. She’d also like to see any steampunk and fantasy (urban and high), that pushes the boundaries of what’s currently on the shelves, perhaps a new take on these genres that has yet to be seen. As for middle grade, Christa enjoys humorous contemporary, adventure and magical realism for boys and girls. For picture books, she’s drawn to cute, character driven stories..."

If agent Jill Corcoran is on your query list, you need to send in your query before the first of May. She will stop accepting unsolicited queries at that point. To quote: "Starting May 1, 2013 I will only accept queries from authors I meet at conferences, A PATH TO PUBLISHING participants and referrals."

Contests:
Query Kombat, beginning May 13th in which participants submit their query letter and first 250 words of their manuscript for a duel-style tournament. Literary agents will be involved. A great opportunity to see if your query and opening are up to par and maybe get an agent's interest. For details go to SC Write, It's in the Details, or Writer's Outworld.

And if that's not enough excitement, you can also submit your pitch and first 250 words of your manuscript for some mentoring and a chance to catch the attention of the participating agents for the May Pitch +250 Contest over at Adventures in YA & Children's Publishing. They are taking submissions on April 28th until they reach 100 submissions. The window is narrow, so be sure to look through the contest details.

Other Great Links:
From Writer Unboxed:
What NOT to Do When Beginning Your Novel: Advice from Literary Agents

From Pub Rants:
New Adult - Perhaps the latest word for ChickLit
And do you agree?

 

Stop What You're Doing and Watch This.

This was all-too familiar for me. It probably will be to you as well. And if you're new on the writing/publishing journey, all dewy-eyed and excited, this will be some of the best advice you'll ever get.

Rilla Alexander: Without the Doing, Dreaming Is Useless


Thoughts?

Blogging Break 2012

It's that lovely time of year again when my blog goes quiet for awhile so I can focus on getting more things done. I met my goal of getting my story out to beta readers this year and now need to finish up a full manuscript critique for someone else as well as complete the final edits on my story so it will be all ready to venture into stage 2: querying. But those adventures I'll tackle next year.

How about you? Did you meet your writing goals this year? What goals are you making for next year?

And since I don't want to leave you completely empty-handed, here are some good links for you to check out and read:

Taryn Albright: 4 Common Manuscript Weaknesses
dalesittonrogers: Polish Your Manuscript to a Sheen
The Bookshelf Muse: K.M.Weiland: 10 Lessons From a Completed Novel
Kobo Writing Life: Six tips for engaging readers within two seconds: The Hook in fiction and memoir
Mystery Writing is Murder: Cutting the Fat from Your WIP by Gina Conroy
Guide to Literary Agents Blog: New Literary Agent: Jennifer Udden of the Donald Maass Literary Agency
New Literary Agent: Laura Biagi of the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency
New Literary Agent: Gemma Cooper of The Bent Agency
Word Count for Novels and Children's Books: The Definitive Post

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all.
 

Saturday Link Special #15

Have some time to read? Great! There were a lot of good blogposts out there this past week so let's get right to it.

Here's A Genre I Didn't Think Of! by Agent Kristin Nelson
The Good Seed III by Agent Donald Maass
When Bad Books Happen to Good Writers by Agent Sarah LaPolla
You Have a Request Or You Get “THE CALL” – Now What? by Agent Scott Egan
Passive Vs. Active Voice - A Little Grammar For Tuesday by Agent Scott Egan
How To Influence Editors in a Way That 90% of Other Writers Don’t by Jane Friedman
The Faux Editor - Will You Walk Into My Parlour? Said the Spider to the Fly by Ciara Ballintyne
Five signs you’re about to land an agent: observations from a freelance editor by The Intern
7 Things That Will Doom Your Novel (& How To Avoid Them) by James Scott Bell
The Ultimate Guide to Pitch Writing by Jami Gold
An Author’s Guide to Fan Fiction by Jami Gold
An Online Presence by Beth Revis
How to Respond to Negative Reviews by Beth Revis
Nonlinear Storytelling by Patricia C. Wrede
The Slow Blog Manifesto…and 8 Reasons Why Slow Blogging Will Help Your Career, Your Love Life, and Protect You From Angry Elephants by Anne R. Allen
Describing Your Characters by Inkfish7
Speculative Fiction by Jenny Kaczorowski
Reading Others to Hone Your Writing by Imran Siddiq
Gorebags! The New SpecFic Party Favor! by E.F. Jace

And for more inspiring stories of awesome people who recently signed on with agents:
The Obnoxiously Long Story of How I Got an Offer by Stephanie Diaz
See also: Getting the Call: Stephanie Diaz from It’s In the Details blog
R.C. and the Terrible/Wonderful, No-Good/Very-Rad Day by R.C. Lewis
See also: On Contests, and Being a Sneaky Agent from Jennifer Represents…

Linkage Catch-Up

Normally I try to do something like this on an occasional Saturday, but let's face it, it's the growing season and all my spare time is spent outside in battle trying to reclaim my yard from the weeds the landlord let go rampant everywhere. So let's play a little catch-up on some of the really good blog links that have recently come out. And hey, if you've run across a really good one I didn't spot, mention it in the comments.

Let's start with some new agent alerts from GLA:
Jennifer Azantian, now at Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency: "Jennifer is only interested in: young adult science fiction and fantasy (including all of their subgenres)."

Okay then, here's a fresh new agent for all of you writing speculative fiction from the YA POV.

Sarah Joy Freese, now at Wordserve Literary: "Christian romance, Christian historical romance, Christian suspense, and paranormal romance...I am looking for full-length fiction, 65,000-100,000 words in either the general or Christian market."

So if you are writing paranormal romance with a Christian bent, you might want to check her out.

Sara Sciuto, now at Full Circle Literary: "Sara is actively building her list with a focus on middle grade and young adult, in particular, dystopian, science fiction, fantasy, and unique paranormal. She also enjoys contemporary stories with a strong, authentic voice (but no chick-lit, please). She has a particular soft spot for anything in the Deep South (sweet contemporary to dark paranormal), gritty contemporary, utilitarian dystopias or dystopian thrillers, anything with international locales or period settings (think flappers or “Mad Men”), and anything with artistic themes. Sara is also looking for standout picture books, especially those with a quirky or humorous narrative. She’s also considering select nonfiction in the areas of craft, design, how-to, lifestyle, and pop culture. Currently, she is NOT considering any adult fiction (all genres)."

Again, here's one for the YA/MG writing crowd.

Andrew Wetzel, now at Martin Literary Management: "Speaking of my tastes, the areas I’d most like to carve out for myself with Martin Literary Management would be ‘Literary with a capital L’ fiction (think Eugenides, Houellebecq, Murakami, Cormac McCarthy, Martin Amis) as well as the dark corner of the literary list that is slightly less pretentious and slightly more commercial (think Palahniuk, Bret Easton Ellis, Dennis Johnson). That’s a very ‘male’ list and it is definitely where my personal tastes lie. I love a great story but style is just as important to me sometimes. I’m also very interested in reading Young Adult novels, specifically those with a macabre sensibility or a fascinating dystopian or fantasy setting."

Promising for many speculative fiction writers whether writing to adults or YA.

And now onto some good blogpost links:
Write to Express, Not To Impress by Bernadette Pajer
Confusion is Not the Same as Mystery by Mary Kole
The Real Beginning by Mary Kole
Fridays With Agent Kristin: Episode 7 - What is a Plot Catalyst?
The Criteron for Evaluating an Agent by Kristin Nelson
7 Bad Habits of Successful Writers by Rachelle Gardner
Quality Books Take Time by Rachelle Gardner
Contracts by Anne Elliot (The contract between writer and reader)
Something Old, Something New by Sophie Masson
Going Deeper: A Process Rather Than a Technique by Robin LaFevers
How NOT to write a series, OR, Don't put all your eggs in one basket by Jennifer Laughran
ProTips for Published Authors Pt.1: Website Tips by Jennifer Laughran
ProTips for Published Authors Pt. 2: The Bookstore Event by Jennifer Laughran
April Offers--FAQs by Vickie Motter
May Conferences: Prep Work by Vickie Motter
May Conferences: Etiquette by Vickie Motter
Checking References by Sarah LaPolla
Start Your Story: a post from TBA Intern Y on The Bent Agency blog
It's in the details, writers! by Alan Rinzler
Writers Wednesday: An Authors Greatest Tools by E.M. LaBonte
The Five Stages of Query Revisions by Riley Redgate
What Are You Looking for in an Agent? by Jami Gold
Cliffhangers: Not Just for the End of a Book by Jami Gold
Thinking about first person by Patricia C.Wrede
What Kind of Skeleton by Patricia C. Wrede (Plot structure)

I think if I do more your eyes will glaze over. What's listed should fill any spare blog reading time.

Saturday Link Special #14, Plus!

Happy Irish/St. Patrick’s/Lucky Day!! Wishing you all the best of luck with your writing, submissions, and sales. Here’s another roundup of links which will hopefully be lucky for you too.

GLA has new agent alerts:
Paula Munier now at Talcott Notch Literary is seeking “mystery/thriller, SF/fantasy, romance, YA, memoir, humor, pop culture, health & wellness, cooking, self-help, pop psych, New Age, inspirational, technology, science, and writing.”

Paul Lucas now at Janklow & Nesbit Associates is seeking “a wide variety of commercial and literary fiction, as well as specific nonfiction. In fiction, he enjoys both character and plot driven novels but it’s important to him for the storytelling to be clear and accessible. In genre fiction, he is looking for thrillers, spy, science fiction and fantasy genre writing, as well as literary novels. He appreciates a literary bent, subverting genre and darker, conflicted characters. Finally, he loves historical fiction and war novels. For nonfiction, he is interested in representing popular science books, new ways of exploring the major sports and narrative histories. (He does not represent romance, westerns, women’s fiction, memoir, self-help, children’s or picture books.)”

Kat Salazar now at Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents is seeking “young adult, middle grade, and children’s picture books. For adult audiences, she is interested in literary fiction and urban fantasy.”

Agent Mary Kole has some great examples and points when it's time to Omit Needless Words.

If you haven't discovered Agent Kristin Nelson's Friday Vlog Series, here are the links to play catch-up:
Episode #1: How To Become a Literary Agent
Episode #2: The Difference Between Young Adult and Middle Grade
Episode #3: Why Page Length for YA or MG Is The Wrong Question
Episode #4: Talking Middle Grade
Episode #5: Are there Off-Limit Topics for YA & MG Novels?
Episode #6: Pitch Versus Synopsis

The Intern hits the social media nail on the head with her post: a follow's not a book sale (though it's very nice): thoughts on social media. Well put and a good reason to chill out a bit.

And...since I was tagged by Riley Redgate over at In The Jungle, here are my answers to the Lucky 7 Memery:

Here is a fast writer's Meme. Rules:

1. Go to page 77 of your current ms.

2. Go to line 7.

3. Copy down the next 7 lines/sentences, and post them as they're written. No cheating.

4. Tag 7 other victims, er, authors. 

Um, yes, this is still rough, but here you go:

An irritating white dot flashed up from a secondary projection to his right. He absently pulled toward it while marking another map on the first.

            He tapped the white light and the vocal translation spilled into the room. “I’ve found Terra Helsett. Location: Ordest, Helan Valley…” The rest of the message blurred into a garbled mess.

            Cej's face drained of color. Impossible.

And I'm tagging:

1. Michelle4Laughs

2. Angie Sandro

3. Terri Bruce

4. E.F. Jace

5. E.M. LaBonte

6. Stephanie Diaz

7. Peter Burton

Saturday Link Special #13

Yes, I did have time this week to scour the blog world and compile some linkage for all of you. Yay! Thanks for reading.

Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award Contest is open for submissions.

Over at Write Away, voting is open on Dawn G. Sparrow's flash fiction contest. Take some time to read the entries and cast your vote.

GLA has an Agent Advice post from Nicole Resciniti of The Symour Agency. Why should you care? She's looking for: "...romance, mainstream suspense, thrillers, mysteries, young adult, inspirational, science fiction/fantasy, and action/adventure." (Hint: research opportunity.)

Literary Rambles: Agent Spotlight: Logan Garrison may be of some interest to those of you who write children's, MG, or YA. She's not specific as to what genres within those age groups but sounds pretty open. Pop over and read through the material and maybe add her to your query list.

Agent Vickie Motter discusses query letters in What Not to Include and What to Include.

Writer's Digest has an informative post on What Writer's Need to Know About Formatting (FAQs) if this is the stage you're at and need some guidelines.

Over at Verbose Veracity, guest blogger Ian Isaro shares his thoughts on Maintaining Your Voice Against Writing What You Think People Want to Read. Guest blogger E.M. LaBonte writes about Writer's Block.

For anyone who believes they are ready but need a nudge to actually put their work out there, read Dean C. Rich's post: Putting the Check-Mark Next to the Goal.

Questions and Archetypes makes a good case for Killing Off the Parents.

Kidlit.com brings up a good point with The Problem With Immortality (or end of the world scenarios.) And oh boy, did I need this one: The Promise of the Novel. It solved some of my current "need to cut out huge chunks due to word count" issues.

Patricia C. Wrede continues to hit things on the nail: Getting from the Beginning to the Middle, More On Prologues.

Angie Sandro writes about How to Find and Keep a Critique Partner.

Writer Cherie hits a similar note with: An Editing We Go...

Likewise, Bookends blogs regarding Giving a Project Multiple Reads. A post that makes you stop to think about what you make beta readers go through if you use them for the same project several times and how important it is to have your work at a polished point before starting to use beta readers.

Strange Horizons maintains a list of Stories We've Seen Too Often. Not only short story writers, but novel writers might find their original twists and plot devices aren't so original after all. Check it out to see if your baby is actually a common denominator.

Jane Friedman at Writer Unboxed has an excellent post on the 5 Attitudes Toward Publishing You Should Avoid. And Carleen Brice brings up the topic (of) Quirky Character Names.

Agent Courtney shares Five tips for revising your novel.

And that's it for this week. So many good blogs to wade through. I know I only skim the surface.

Saturday Link Special #12

Here is this week's gleaned linkage:

No new agent spotlights this week. So we'll be sticking with posts that deal with writing and publishing in general.

A good place to start is with Authoress's post On the Fine Art of Titling. She has some very good tips.

E.M. LaBonte then shares with us the importance and impact of The First Sentence.

Patricia C. Wrede has some excellent posts: The Problem With Prologues; Not Flashing Back; and Misunderstanding Grammar. (The last one I heartily agree with.)

Agent Courtney also covers story beginnings and description with Eyes the color of the ocean.

Riley Redgate makes a strong case for Taking the Path of Most Resistance when writing.

R.C. Lewis has a couple of excellent posts: Telling Teenagers that Revising Rocks; and she lays out the Levels of Response in the Publishing Game. The first post is a good reminder for all of us, even if we aren't teenagers and the second a must-read for anyone new to the query and submission process.

And last, but not least, author Veronica Roth shares A Peek Behind the Publishing Curtain. A fantastic post that spells out the process and why it takes so long.

Saturday Link Special #11, Plus!

I hope your new year is off with a bang, in a good way. Whether you make resolutions and goals or not, most people have a pretty good idea of what they intend to aim for in the near future.

1. What are your writing goals for this week, month, or year? You can share in the comments or just sit back and really think about the question. What would you like to accomplish?

To be fair, I’ll share mine. I have another round of revision to do on a manuscript but I also intend to get to work on the second draft of an old NaNoWriMo project and if time allows, tear apart and rewrite the half-written draft of an old story using new ideas and inspiration I’ve had for it. That should keep me good and busy on the writing front. I’ll probably have some beta reading to do as well, but I’m going to cut back a lot on beta reading this year due to new personal obligations and responsibilities.

2. Have you done anything zany, fun, or crazy yet this year? Do you have plans to push yourself in any way, to improve a skill or gird up the courage to do or say something you’ve always wanted to?

Truthfully, I hope to finally dive into the query trenches. I’ve only queried once to publish a magazine article and got lucky on the first shot. I consider that more due to the subject matter and the angle I took on it than my query writing prowess. Query letters are not my forte. So I consider this next step to be both crazy and brave on my part.

3. Because curious minds want to know. What movies are you looking forward to seeing in 2012?

I’m eager for The Hunger Games, The Hobbit, The Dark Knight Rises, and will possibly try to go see Snow White and the Huntsman too.

And now for a little fun. We can’t start off a new year without some of that.

Lastly, the linkage! I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted some. I can’t promise to keep on doing it regularly, but I’ll try to do it as often as I’m able.

GLA New Agent alerts!
Claire Dunnington of the Vicky Bijur Literary Agency. She's looking for: "YA fiction, and in particular looking for strong realistic YA fiction and literary middle-grade fiction. (For reference, some authors she enjoyed when she was growing up were Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Louis Sachar, Jerry Spinelli, Noel Streatfeild, Zilpha Keatley Snyder, and Virginia Euwer Wolff). She is happy to consider dystopian and futuristic YA, but is much less interested in vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and the like."

Hannah Bowman of Liza Dawson Associates. She's looking for: "Hannah specializes in commercial fiction, especially science fiction and fantasy, women’s fiction, cozy mysteries, romance and young adult..."

Rachael Dugas of Talcott Notch Literary. She is looking for: "...young adult, middle grade, and adult fiction in the contemporary, paranormal, women’s, and romance genres..."

Jami Gold has a fun Pitch Your Shorts session beginning Jan. 10th. To get ready she has blogposts on Pitch Prep: How to Write a Pitch and Pitch Prep: What Makes a Great First Page?

Need a pick-me-up for the new year? Try reading the Intern's blogpost: dinner with literary agents. Sometimes it's nice to see things on the other side of the looking glass.

Writer Unboxed had a couple of good posts this week: First up is Jael McHenry's Finding the Lines, then for some perspective and a few good writing prompts try out Donald Maass's Warm vs. Cool.

Patricia C. Wrede has an excellent blogpost on Weaving (plot) Threads. Those of you with complex plots, multiple POVs, or several subplots be sure to read this one.

I've run out of time to post more but keep up the good work, those of you who blog!

Odds and Ends with Links

As a follow-up to this blogpost I’m happy to report that despite the sleeve fiasco the dress came out better than I hoped. Ripping out the part that didn’t work and putting something new in made it stronger, better, and beautiful. I’m almost afraid to let my daughter wear it for Halloween.

I did the same in my manuscript the other week. I ripped out an entire scene that I originally thought moved the action along but also revealed more about some of the characters. It wasn’t until I took it out that I realized I didn’t need it. It also made room for a couple of new scenes that did a better job of moving the plot along.

I haven’t had the time (or energy) to post the old Saturday Link Specials but there have been some great links lately that I’d like to pass on. Especially for those of you who don’t do Twitter.

First up:

GLA has the low-down on new agent Barbara Scott of Wordserve here. She’s looking for (in fiction): Adult Fiction: Full-length fiction, 65,000 to 100,000 words. General market or Christian market. Genres: Women’s, Romance, Suspense/Thriller, Mystery, Romantic Suspense, Historical, Family Saga, Amish, Political Thrillers, Mainstream, Supernatural/Speculative, including End Times. Short contemporary and historical fiction, 40,000 to 65,000 words. Christian market. Genres: Romance, Historical, Romantic Suspense. Will accept queries for Barbour, Steeple Hill Love Inspired, Summerside Love Finds You, and Avon Inspire. Kids: Middle grade and YA books

Literary Rambles has the info on agent Roseanne Wells from the Marianne Strong Literary Agency here. Ms. Wells is looking for: strong literary fiction, YA, sci-fi (most subgenres included), fantasy, and mysteries (more Sherlock Holmes than cozy mysteries.)

In other writing-related articles and such:

Writer Saundra Mitchell has an open letter to debut authors reassuring them that Eventually You’ll Care Less (and that’s a good thing!)

The D4EO Literary Agency announced on Twitter that they have an offical website now with query submission info included. You can find that here.YA authors will want to target Mandy Hubbard and Kristin Miller.

Author Patricia C. Wrede tackles what The Problems with Sequels are.

Shrinking Violet Promotions has a great article on utilizing Goodreads if you are a published author. Good to know for those of us aspiring to be published too. I love Goodreads anyway since it's an easy source to find new reading material and keep track of what I've read and what I want to read.

Agent Kristin Nelson blogs about Sacrificing Plot and Character Motivation For Fun.

Jami Gold's had an interesting time of it, going head-to-head with the numbers/popularity=sales debate. You can find the latest update (plus links to the other posts and the agent's blogpost that started it) here.

These are only a snippet of the great posts going on. Saturday Link Specials should make a comeback soon.

Does Reading Give You an Alternate Personality?

I so have to share this:

So how about it? Do you get aggressive about your reading time? ;)

Saturday Link Special #10

I did start collecting great links for you all last week but ran out of time to put them together. So...I'm compiling two weeks worth of links and again apologize for not having time to read through all of the blogs I normally do. I'm sure I've missed some great stuff. For what it's worth, and if you have some time for perusal, here we go.

Agent alerts for those who are querying:
GLA has an agent interview with Deirdre Knight of The Knight Agency. She's looking for: "romance, nonfiction, literary fiction, young adult and middle grade lists with debut or established authors."

Bookends has a new agent, Lauren Roth and she's looking for: Literary fiction, romance (all subgenres), women's fiction, chick-lit, YA, MG, mystery, SF & fantasy, historical fiction, and steampunk.

Literary Rambles has a spotlight on Mandy Hubbard of D4E0 Literary. She's looking for: MG and YA in all genres.
And L.R. has a spotlight on Lucienne Diver of The Knight Agency. She's looking for: "Science Fiction, Mystery, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Women's Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, Thrillers/Suspense, Erotica."

On the topicsof writing:
Writer's Digest shares 4 Ways to Make Every Word Count and 8 Ways to Write Better Characters.
Adventures in Children's Publishing has a post on Building a Better Novel Premise.
Write it Sideways: How Cliched is Your Writing? Take the Test
In the Jungle confronts trends as she discusses Fashionable Writing.
On a similar note (and if you still care after reading the link right before this), there's a post by Karen McCoy: YA Books in Libraries--What's Popular? Some interesting facts and figures in this one.
Agent Kristin points out the most Groan Worthy openings to novels. Nathan Bransford also blogs about Five Openings to Avoid and why. And if you need some more examples pop on over to Kidlit.com where she dissects the openings of volunteer submissions in a series of workshops.
Jessica from Bookends brings up the subject of Word Count in an Epub World.
Patricia Wrede blogs about the difference between Surprise and Suspense in a novel and the problems that go with Rewriting the Past.

When it comes to critiquing: (Which is a topic close to me right now--Go Posting Marathon!!)
Sarah LaPolla posts about The Beta & Omega (all things beta reader.) And she also posts What I Talk About When I Talk About Revisions, her process when requesting manuscripts for possible representation.
Courtney Miller-Callihan reveals not only what kind of editing/non-editing agent she is but also the different kinds of editors that see an accepted novel through the publishing process: On Criticsm and Critiques. But Mostly Editing.

If you suffer from writing discouragment and need a picker-upper:
T.K. Richardson writes about Why We (Don't) Quit Writing.
Jane Friedman blogs about 5 Things More Important Than Talent.

And if you are bored, have time on your hands, or want to procrastinate yet feel like you're doing something writing related, you'll find more linkage here.

Have a great weekend!

Saturday Link Special #9

I  never call summer lazy and mine's kicked off with a bang. I've tumbled out of back problems and a neck brace into the arms of some Herculean yardwork, keeping up with my kids' school activities and homework (yes, even they don't have lazy summers) and putting my writing on the back burner in order to get some good-old-schooling through a madhouse of critiquing sessions with several other writers. It's exhilerating and exhausting at the same time and I learn so much I wouldn't trade the experience for many typical summer traditions. So to take 2-3 hours to read through my ever growing list of great blogs for this week's linkage was something of a sacrifice but I'm happy to say I've got the goods and here they are:

Regarding publishing:
Thinking about using a pen name or wondering what you can do with it right now? Check out this over at A Steampunk Reverie and this over at Jami Gold's blog for some great advice.
Agent Courtney shares some great tips On Professionalism and Communication with agents.
Wahoo! Kristin Nelson shares a hint that Speculative Fiction is in demand! More of an emphasis on science-fiction and horror here.
Alan Rinzler has an encouraging post about how the industry is changing and authors are calling more of the shots. Some good things to think about in this post.

Topics on Writing:
Pop over to Ready.Write. Go. for a post On Dialogue and Characterization (Or Specifically, Slang and Dialect Use).
Rachelle Gardner has a few choice words to say about Exclamation Point usage.
Patricia C. Wrede discusses characters as indivduals.
Eli Ashpence tackles Cliches and Rug-Pulling and shares her take on How to Become a Writer (8 General Steps for Beginners).
Tackling the topic of the beginning of your novel: Stephanie DeVita writes about Diving Right In, Jennifer Laughran points out a huge beginning no-no in YA novels in her post On Bordeom (which as a beta reader I whole-heartedly say amen! to), and Mary Kole has some great points and tips about The All-Important Beginning...
Then over at It's All Fun and Games Until Someone Gets an Agent there's a great post on endings.

For people on the agent prowl:
GLA has a new agent alert for Meredith Barnes of Lowenstein Associates. She's looking for: "a wide range of engaging fiction for all ages, including literary fiction, women’s fiction, thrillers and crime. She is open to science fiction and fantasy that has something new to offer the genres. Ender's Game is her favorite book, so we’ll leave it at that. She does not represent early readers or children’s picture books. For nonfiction, she is extremely interested in health, fitness, and spirituality nonfiction with a strong author platform and online presence. For both nonfiction and fiction, Meredith considers more than just the print possibilities. Projects that lend themselves to apps, enhanced ebooks, and other fresh ways to tell stories are especially appealing."

And they have an agent advice interview with Taylor Martindale of Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. She's looking for: "She is most interested in acquiring young adult fiction—specifically gritty contemporary and unique paranormal/urban fantasy. She also accepts children's picture books, commercial fiction, women's fiction, and multicultural fiction. She does not want business, political, or science books; cookbooks, or self-help."

Have a great weekend! And to my comrades-in-arms from the Speculative Fiction Group on AQC, thanks for a stellar opening weekend of the 3rd Annual Posting Marathon. It's going to be a great summer.

Saturday Link Special #8

Here are this week's gleanings and there are some gems in this batch:

Let's start with literary agents, for those of you on the prowl.
Michael Bourret from Dystel & Goderich updates what he is looking for, and he wants stories off the beaten track or that are hard to categorize. Sound like your current novel? Take a look and see if you might be a  match.
GLA has another new agent spotlight, this one for Jessie Cammack who has joined JABberwocky Literary. Jessie is looking for: epic fantasy, YA science fiction, literary fiction. Check out the interview for more details.
Jennifer Laughran weighs on dream agents, lists, and query letters. This is a must read post if you are querying or starting to query. She has another fantastic post that gives writers a reality check. The benefits of writers teaming up together online. And on the flip side: you aren't unloved or a bad writer if you aren't on every social networking site known to man. Loved this one.

On the topics of writing and craft:
Greenwoman wrote a great post about properly researching plants for novels. All I can say is, well put.
Eli Ashpence writes about using good description when writing.
Slate contributor Noreen Malone points out the problems with overusing the em dash. And at Ready. Write. Go. Cherie talks about the difference between the em dash and the en dash.
Kidlit.com tackles Physical Cliches. (Prepare for some more revisions after reading this one!)
Agent Rachelle Gardner resurfaces some archived posts on Write Your Truth, Backstory, and Having Fun Writing vs. Getting Writing Done.
Guest writer, Sarah Allen posts in Pimp My Novel about 5 Tools to Carry in a Conspiring Universe. Good tips to make writing on the go or at any time easier.

With regards to publishing:
Author Beth Revis has an enlightening post for both teens and adults alike regarding teen writers seeking to publish.
Author Patricia C. Wrede shares her own dose of reality when it comes to Cash Flow and writing output in the publishing world.
Darke Conteur distinguishes the difference between fanfic and seeking to cash in on someone else's story.

Happy reading!

Saturday Thoughts

I'm on vacation this weekend so no fun linkage this week.

If I could have one wish for this next week, it's that we all take the time to relax from the fuss and stress of keeping up online appearances and remember the importance of being a writer first and foremost. Write something you want to read this week, something you'll love. Indulge yourself. Don't worry about the other eyes that might see it. Turn off the internal editor. Take some time for just you and your writing. Don't blog about it, don't tweet about it, do something personal. Get in tune with that something special—that exciting piece of imagination only found within you.

Have a great weekend everyone. We're transitioning from spring to summer, take some time to enjoy it.

Saturday Link Special #7

First off, I'd like to say how humbled and grateful I feel for the huge notice the blog got this week. Thanks to those who commented, read, or spread the word about the blog. I didn't feel like I was speaking into dead internet space. You all can't see the numbers but let's just say my heart stopped for a second when I looked at my stats. Thank you.

I'd also like to give a somewhat belated thank you to Cherie from Ready.Write. Go. and S.B. Poscente from Three Hours Too Soon for giving me The Irrisistibly Sweet Blog Award.

I'm going to be on the lookout for other bloggers to hand this one off to. Actually, I'm always on the prowl for good blogs. I may not always comment on your posts, but I'm reading. The highest compliment or blog award I can give is one of my weekly blog spotlights. I'm looking for blogs that not only post regularly but have helpful and good information for writers and readers. If you know of such a blog please send me an e-mail. I'm open to suggestions.

Now to the linkage for this week:

Let's start off with The Epic Post on Trends (YA & MG) by author/agent Mandy Hubbard. A very good post and another cry to writers to get on the MG bandwagon. Then for some tough love from author M.J. Rose over at the Huffington Post she writes about Things No One is Brave Enough to Tell Self-Published Authors.

On the topics of writing I have for your delectation:

Finding Oomph in your writing over at In the Jungle. Envisioning a Story from A Storyteller's Musings. Pushing your characters and Character Curve-Balls from Crossing the Helix. A great pause and check post on The Mid Point Shift over at It's All Fun and Games Until Someone Gets an Agent. Two great posts on show vs. tell  here and here from Kidlit.com.

Dealing with getting an agent and publishing, agent Jennifer Laughran posts about word count guidelines for children's, MG, and YA. And she posts about choosing an agent based on comparisons to the author's they represent.

Looking for something fun to do in a writerly way? Check out this great blog round robin over at Greenwoman or consider participating in a flash fiction contest over at Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire.

Keep the great blog posts coming everyone and thank you for being part of the online conversation about writing. Have a great weekend.