Friday, December 11, 2009

Friday Fun Facts

"It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air." ~W.T. Ellis

Fun Fact #1: We have our Christmas tree up! Of course, it still needs to be decorated (I hope this evening), but it's found a very nice place in our living room amid the other holiday decorations.

Fun Fact #2: I was pleasantly surprised by my royalty report from Samhain. Now, December is one of the biggest paying months, since there are print royalties from the summer along with both electronic and print royalties from a bunch of other distributors, but still...it was nice to see that I can afford more than dinner and a movie this month :) Note: it definitely pays to keep publishing books. The more you have in circulation, the higher the royalties are. It seems that would go without saying, but it's worth mentioning.

Fun Fact #3: WOW-Women on Writing is featuring Literary Agents this month - how to get 'em, what they're looking for, and how they work. Check it out!

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Writers' Wednesday: An Ebay Auction for You

"Any proverbs about weather are doubly true during a storm." ~Ed Northstrum

Well, I'm sitting at home enjoying the first snow day of the season...yes, there are some perks that come along with this teaching job! Although I do have a stack of research papers to grade (not to mention contest entries for my local RWA that are close to being overdue...yikes!). However, I'll take the day off to lounge around in my pjs and grade when and where I want to, anytime!

***

Spotted this interesting Ebay Auction the other day. Irene Goodman, a very well-known, very successful, and very selective literary agent, is offering 25 manuscript critiques. She's auctioning them off on Ebay with proceeds to benefit two different charitable organizations, in part because her own son suffers from a degenerative disease that will eventually take away his sight and hearing.

The auctions (and there are 25 separate ones, one for each critique) run through tomorrow, December 10th, if you're interested in bidding. Last time I checked, each was up around $300.00, which seems a little pricey, but keep in mind that if you have the money, this is a great way to get your first 50 pages + synopsis in front of a very savvy agent who will give you honest feedback about what you need to do to improve it/make it marketable. It's not a chance to pitch your work (well, of course in one respect it is) as much as a chance to have someone in the industry honestly assess it and give you direction for revisions.

Anyway, just thought I'd share. If you decide to bid, let me know! And now I'm off to make some hot cocoa and curl into my chair while the snow comes down outside...

Monday, December 07, 2009

Monday Mentionables: The First Reviews of Summer's Song!

The first reviews of Summer's Song are in, and well, let's just say that I'm reminded yet again of how subjective readers can be.

It got 4.5/5 stars from Single Titles review site (apparently a new sub-site of the well-known CataNetwork review site). In part, the reviewer said, "Summer's Song is an engrossing story about hidden pasts, lost memories, and finding love despite everything else. Summer is a complex character who you will grow to care about; her vulnerability is beautifully described throughout the story. Damian, the protector, is compelling as you read his internal struggle with his attraction to Summer..."

You can read the whole review here.

Then, it got killed - and I mean slaughtered - by Mrs. Giggles, who is notorious for her snark but up to this point didn't really destroy my books. Until now. She hated the bookSummer's Song and gave it a 56/100, claiming it was entirely too melodramatic from start to finish. Ouch. The tagline she has posted on her website is the tiniest preview: "Wow, lots of angst and drama here. Everyone has at least two issues to deal with in this story. I don't know why nobody has attempted to put down the hysterical heroine, however. "

If you want to read the whole thing, 5 miserable paragraphs about how awful my heroine is, then go ahead. You can read it here.

And in the meantime, I will be off toughening up my skin...