#RevPit 2021 Submission Window

For those who may be interested, #RevPit has released their 2021 Submission Window: April 10-11, 2021. I highly recommend participating if for no other reason than to just get your butt moving on writing that query letter and synopsis. You might also get some good feedback (my manuscript was not chosen, but I did get some great advice regarding my query letter).

Casting Part Three

The further into this story I get, the deeper I have to dig into the world of Alice in Wonderland to find ways to connect each character to Lewis Carroll’s story/concept. This one might be a little bit of a stretch, but I’m going with it – because the character’s physicality is based entirely on the real life singer P!nk. She’s fierce, badass, strong, and feminine. (If you ever get the chance to see P!nk perform live, do it. I’m not a huge fan of large venues or overdone concerts, meaning flashy lights and confetti falling from the ceiling – but what P!nk does with her show is BEYOND anything I’ve ever seen. It’s so well thought out and put together and demonstrates what a magnificent human she it.)

Meet Simone. (Connection: P!nk co-wrote the song “Just Like Fire” for the 2016 film adaptation Alice Through the Looking Glass. Her daughter appears in the video with her.)

Lucy – Casting

I officially have two WIPs. One is a YA fantasy I actually started in 2015, before I even began Alice. But I never got more than a few pages into it. Recently, I did sit and write out the plot arc, though, so there has been some progress.

But I also had another character/story idea that I’ve been thinking about for a bit. Tonight, I started her story. Her name is Lucy.

This is Sophie Skelton, an actress I first encountered watching Outlander, which is fitting as there will be an aspect of historical fiction to this novel. I want her to have the style of the picture on the left but the hairstyle on the right. She is the main character.

This is Mom (Donna, played by Miriam Giovanelli) and Dad (Luca, played by Raoul Bova). They are the adoptive parents of Lucy and her other adopted siblings. Though Lucy is the first to be adopted into the family, one of her brothers is actually older than her (who I have modeled after Dulé Hill).

This is Allison Janney, of course. I have loved her work ever since she was C.J. Cregg on The West Wing. I mean, she’s an incredible actress with such a range. In this story, she is Lea, Lucy’s boss at the Chicago Public Library. She’s smart and accomplished and not afraid to pursue her dreams. She’s also Lucy’s (not legally) adopted fun aunt.

Leabharlann (which I’ve stretched into Lea B. Harlann) is the Gaelic word for library.

*all photos borrowed from IMDb.

Long Distance Feedback

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I’m part of an online writing group that does writing swaps/positivity passes. Though I know this is an international group, it didn’t really sink in until I got my latest piece of feedback from our swap:

Y’all, someone in GERMANY has not only read but liked my writing. I’m just gonna sit with this for a little bit.

Agent Searches

In a Twitter Q&A with an author I follow, there was a question about how to find agents. This is the million dollar question, is it not? They are the gate keepers between finishing a book and landing a deal with a major publisher. The author provided two resources, both of which will let you search a list of agents based on the genre of your book/their interests: AgentQuery.com and Manuscript Wish List (MSWL also has an editor search). Be sure to pay attention to the agent’s preferences (sending them something outside of their genre lists will mean not being read), word count (for the same reason), and if they are open to queries. I highly recommend tracking who you send your submissions to so that 1) you don’t query more than one agent at the same agency at the same time, and 2) can track when you sent them so you know when the “if you don’t hear from me in six to eight weeks, assume I’m not interested” has expired.

Then brace yourself. Rejections can be hard, but they are inevitable.

Another Beta Reader Returns

Originally, when Ann and Amy were done reading through my WIP, I intended to take them for a nice dinner as a thank you. COVID has, of course, changed that plan. I felt bad that Amy opted to mail me my manuscript back (she lives in IL) because I figured it would be expensive – but I was also thrilled with the chance to read her thoughts.

Soon as it arrived, I tore open the package and plopped down to read through each page. She had typed some overall comments that will be supremely helpful, as well as wrote notes and marked errors. When I got to this one, I couldn’t help but smile. It is important, after all, to get the right beta readers – folks you can trust to be honest with you, even if it means being critical, but also folks who can make sure the story you are telling is an authentic one. Right down to the relish.

This means another go through the manuscript. 🙂

Positivity Passes

I’m part of an online writing community that is actually attached to an online fitness program I’m a part of. (Writer friends come into your life in the most unexpected of places, don’t they?) The admin for this group is also participating in #RevPit and offered the idea of a Positivity Pass to our group (something some of #RevPit editors do for their top submissions even if they don’t choose them as the finalist). A Positivity Pass is just someone reading over your work and letting you know what they like about it/what they think you are doing well. It can feel good as a writer to hear what we are doing right. She is also offering a chance for the writer to indicate if they would like a critique on top of that pass (yes, please).

I jumped at the chance to participate – if for no other reason than to see what some other folks are writing about. 🙂 I do miss workshop.

One of my readers (each submission went to two people, and we each got two things to read in return. We did not necessarily get work from the people who were reading our own – if that makes sense) is Rebekah, the admin for the group. She has had kind things to say about my first ten pages, as well as offered some advice, which is always welcome!

On the flip side, I am working my way through (hoping to finish in a bit) her own submission – y’all, I never knew I NEEDED an introverted nerdy (and capable) princess story. If you need it, too – just know it’s coming!

#RevPit Novel Aesthetic

One of the fun things about #RevPit are the mini games they play throughout the month. The one today is at the request of Jeni Chappelle, one of the editors – the novel aesthetic. This is simply a collage of pictures that represent your novel. It sounded like a fun exercise, and I am a visual person, so I put this together (I do not own any of these pictures – I hope those with the copyrights don’t mind… [strained smile]):

#DVPit

#DVPit is a “Twitter event created to showcase pitches from marginalized voices that have been historically underrepresented in publishing” (The DV stands for Diverse Voices). It was brought to my attention through my participation in #RevPit, mentioned in a previous post. I had no clue things like this existed, though I’ve been on Twitter (under my pen name) since 2009.

There are two DV pitch fests each year – essentially one for YA writers and one for adult writers. It’s a simple task, really – fit into 280 characters (all that Twitter allows) your pitch, the #DVPit hashtags, and the category/genre you are pitching within. [strained smile] I don’t even want to think of trying to do this back when Twitter only allowed 140 characters…

There are also rules of how many times you can pitch/post each day, but essentially no more than six times on the day designated per project. Agents and editors then spend their day scrolling through the hashtag to see what might be of interest to them. If they like your post, you can head over to their Twitter page to see what their guidelines are (if they are asking for a synopsis or first five pages, etc.). You can then follow up by sending to those you wish to.

These are the pitches I posted this morning:

Alice Hart finds herself in the wonderland that is Chicago, trying to make sense of a life newly (finally) lived. She meets Stanley, and they begin a romance/adventure that leads each to find what they’ve been searching for. But is it each other? #Alice #AllFallingThings #DVpit

Stanley Hoppenworth finds time ticking away, fears he’ll forever be living in the far-reaching shadow of his father. He meets Alice, and they begin a romance/adventure that leads each to find what they’ve been searching for. But is it each other? #Alice #AllFallingThings #DVpit

A character-drive novel populated with people loosely based on Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland characters. Based in Chicago, Alice Hart and Stanley Hoppenworth are both trying to make sense of a life newly (finally) lived. #Alice #AllFallingThings #DVpit

I, of course, realize now that I missed the part about including the genre. [facepalm]

BUT – I still got a like on the first one. So time to do some digging. 🙂