Manic Monday: Writing This Query Letter Can Only Make Me Stronger

The first edit of Light and Dark is complete. I've made all the changes my critique partner suggested. I'm tweaking a secondary character and waiting for my friend (a reading/writing prof) to edit for grammar, but that will hopefully be done in a couple of months. Which means query time is closing in on me.

I hate it. Yes, I know being able to narrow down 100,000 words into 250 is a skill every writer must have, but that doesn't mean I have like the process. Writing a query is HARD. And intimidating. So much is riding on that one sheet of paper. If it's not good enough to grab an agent or editor, it doesn't matter how great our book may be. They're not going to read it.

No pressure.

Gah.

The good news is that there's a ton of great resources out there about writing queries. One of my favorite is Queryshark. This isn't for the faint of heart, but it's a great way to learn what works and what doesn't.

Nelson Literary Agency has a great section on query letters here. Thanks to @JenniferKHale for the link.

Voice is a huge part of a successful query and one of the hardest elements to master. From The Write Angle has a great post on that here.

Scott Eagan of Greyhaus Literary Agency blogged about making your pitch and hook sell your novel, something the majority of query letters fail to do.

The wonderful Jody Hedlund talks about query letters and what to do after you send them here.

Finally, Kaye Dacus has a great post about the technical aspects of writing a query letter.

After reading about 957 different blogs and articles on query letters, I've discovered the following:

Voice is key. Write the query in the same tone as your novel, preferably the main character.

Your hook has to actually HOOK the agent. Think about when you're browsing the shelves or flipping through the marketplace on your e-reader. What makes you want to read the book? What are the parts of the blurb that make you download the book? That's the hook.

Make sure you include the title, word count and genre. One or two sentences at most.

Keep it at one page.

Make it personal. Do your research and make it clear you know what the agent you're querying represents. Don't waste their time by sending something generic.

So that's what I've got so far. I'm no expert. I'm just sharing what I've learned with all of you. I just wrote my first query letter yesterday. My awesome critique partner Catie Rhodes likes it, so we'll see what happens with it. I'm sure we'll be doing some more tweaking.

And that brings me to my final point: make sure you have a critique partner or an honest writing friend who will help you with your query letter. Just as they are with your MS, critique partners are a major part of creating a strong query letter.

Where are you all at in your writing process? Have you started a query letter? Do you have any advice for new writers?

#Row80 Sunday Check In and Sharing

Happy Sunday, everyone! Remember Calvin and Hobbes? They are my all-time favorite comic, and I so wish Watterson had continued.

Anyway, I chose this pic for today's check-in because I have lots of reasons for the happy dance.

First off, Sammy's doing well. He's got a lot of meds to take and is going very slow on food, but overall I'm happy. We are very lucky we didn't lose him. He has a big, nasty scar, and he's just going to take some time to heal. He's been showing signs of his old self, barking at the door and hovering around when I'm cooking, if only for a few minutes. He's still pretty tender, so he has to be carried up and down the steps to go potty. Trust me, it's not bothering him. He's loving all the attention.

My awesome critique partner Catie Rhodes returned the last of Light and Dark chapters, which means I'm going to end up finishing the first round of edits well ahead of schedule. And Catie really likes the book, so I'm feeling pretty giddy at the moment.

I'm getting close to querying. Thinking about that makes me nauseous, but that's another blog post.

Even better, I've gotten some serious work done on The Prophet. I spent a lot of time Friday and Saturday researching locations and brainstorming my characters. I have to give an enormous shout-out to Jessica Patch for answering all the questions I had about Bible verses, passages, etc. She's saved me a ton of time.

Thanks to Kristen Lamb, I know that the antagonist is the driving force behind any book, so I've been focusing on his character. His motivations are chilling, and he's driven by some radical religious beliefs. The more I work on The Prophet, the more excited I am.

I've also been keeping up on my blog posts, and I've even been able to get ahead on a few of them, so #Row80 is back on track for me.

Favorite writing post of the week: If you normally blog about writing, how will you promote your fiction? A great discussion at Nail Your Novel.

Looking for some great new blogs to read? Check out The Red Dress Club's weekend linkup.

How's your #Row80 going this week?

Finally, it's time for a little Sunday Sharing. What were your favorite blog posts this week? You can share your own or someone else's. Did you read an awesome book or short story? I want to hear all about it!

#FridayFlash - The Woman On The Bed

A cough rocketed through Sarah's chest. Her throat burned, and her body trembled with intense cold. Having strep throat as an adult was much worse than getting it as a kid. This was the last thing Sarah needed. She'd come to her parent’s old farmhouse to escape the realities of life, and now she was confined in her room.

And not even her room, but the guest room. Her old room had been taken over by her mother a long time ago.

Another hacking cough dredged its way through her body. Sarah clutched her chest and covered her mouth, half-expecting to see part of a lung on her hand.

Exhausted, Sarah fell back against the pillows. She'd barely slept in two days. Her body felt like it was coming apart.

The alarm on her phone went off; time for more medicine. She shoved the antibiotic in her mouth along with two Tylenol and then sucked down the cold water. It was the only relief for her suffering throat.

She shifted trying to find a position that wouldn't make her cough more. She stared at the ceiling fan and willed herself to sleep. Rest would do wonders for her misery. Round and round the fan went, wobbling on its old base. Sarah's eyes drifted shut, and her mind slowed as numbness began to creep up her limbs.

The bed sagged, and she could feel the weight of another person next to her.

"Mom," she slurred. "I was just dozing off."

Her mother said nothing. Cool hands brushed over her face. Her tense arms slipped from her chest to the bed. A sound rustled through the air, like the gentle blowing of a summer wind. Sarah shivered and pulled the blanket closer to her chin.

"Remember when I was a kid and got sick? You used to tell me nursery rhymes."

Another cool shift in the air, but no sound of her mother's soothing voice.

Sarah pried her eyes open. Her vision blurred and then cleared. A woman sat on the side of the bed, but she was not Sarah's mother. This woman was smaller, gray-haired, and wrinkled. Her dress was old-fashioned and covered with an apron. Sarah could see the wall clock through the woman's shimmering, transparent torso. The woman smiled.

Fear shot through her. Sarah forgot to breathe until a rattling cough forced its way out of her chest. Body heaving, Sarah covered her face. Tears squeezed from closed eyes.

It's not real. It's not real.

She opened one eye and peered through her trembling fingers. The woman was gone.

Thriller Thursday: Does Bugsy Siegel Live On At The Flamingo Hotel?

Since Light and Dark is set in Las Vegas and mob history plays a small but significant part in the book, I decided to dedicate today's Thriller Thursday post to one of Vegas's founding fathers, Bugsy Siegel.

Born in 1906 in Brooklyn, New York, Siegel became involved with the Genovese crime family, one of the legendary "Five Families" that dominated New York City's organized crime. With ties to "Lucky" Luciano, future boss of the Genovese family, Siegel became a bootlegger and was involved in various NYC crimes, including the killing of mob boss Joe Masseria. After a series of mishaps and arrests, Siegel moved to Nevada in the hopes of legitimizing himself.

It was this move that cemented his reputation and eventually, his murder.

LasVegas grew from the work of mobsters looking to expand their territories and wallets. Siegel and his cohorts decided to bet on The Flamingo, a new hotel and casino. Virginia Hill, a famous Hollywood actress, is said to have been sent to Vegas by Meyer Lanksy and Lucky Luciano to ensure Siegel didn't cut profits or shortchange them in any way. She seduced Siegel and settled nicely into the role of his girlfriend. They became major social figures, and Virginia Hill's dyed red hair is said to be the inspiration for the new casino's name.

By 1946, Siegel had spent a ton of money on The Flamingo, and his partners were frothing at the mouth. They wanted to see some return on their investment. Siegel was forced to open The Flamingo before it was complete.

Doors opened on December 26, 1946. In just two weeks, the tables were in the red $275,000, and the operation was shut down in less than a month.

Mob bosses have little patience for screw-ups, and Siegel was already on a short list. His friend Meyer Lansky managed to beg a second chance, but it would turn out to be Siegel's last.

Virginia reported to Lansky and Luciano that Siegel was stealing money from their casino profits. Legend says Lanksy told hill to take a short vacation so that Siegel could be "dealt with." She invited Siegel to stay at her private mansion while she took a three week tripto Europe. On June 26, 1947, Siegel invited his friend Allen Smiley to visit. Siegel was reading a newspaper when the rapid-fire of gunshots burst through the quiet. Eight bullets screamed through the front window, and when the air cleared, Siegel was dead.

He was hit several times, twice in the head. One shot penetrated Siegel's right cheek and came out on the left side of his neck. The other shattered the right bridge of the nose at the eye sock. Siegel's eye popped out of its socket and was found 15 feet away.

A .30 caliber M1 carbine was used in the murder, but the culprit has never been found. The mob at its finest.

Since his death, sightings of Bugsy Siegel's ghost have run rampant. The Flamingo's Presidential Suite was a favorite haunt. Siegel had visited the suite several times before he was killed and is said to have played pool there often. His ghost has been seen near the green bidet, toilets, and linoleum in the two bathrooms of the suite-the very same ones Siegel personally picked.

He's also seen inthe evening watching guests lounge by the pool and always described the same way: handsome, intense eyes, wearing a smoking jacket and slacks.

The last remnant of the original hotel, including Siegel's personal suite, was demolished in 1993. His ghost is still seen by guest and employees.

He's been sighted in the rose garden near his memorial plaque, in the Penthouse Suite, and in the wedding chapel.

One honeymooning couple took a romantic stroll through the hotel's inner courtyard around 4:00 a.m. They couple claims a transparent image of Bugsy in a suit waved and winked at them.

The Monument to Bugsy Siegel at The Flamingo Hilton. He's often seen near it.

As for Virginia Hill, she reported fainted when she heard of Siegel's demise. She refused to return to the States, and Lanksy and Luciano eventually discovered she had millions stashed away, most likely from The Flamingo.

Does Bugsy Siegel really haunt The Flamingo's rooms and grounds? The hotel denies it, but more than one employee has left after claiming to see Siegel's ghost.

What do you think? Is Bugsy really trolling the grounds of The Flamingo after all these years?

#Row80 Midweek Check-In 8/3/11

I'm celebrating today! Light and Dark is on track to have the first round of edits complete well before my goal of September 19. There's still a lot of work to do, but things are moving along nicely.

I finally sat down and started working on The Prophet yesterday. First off, Scrivener is wonderful. I'm making my notes/character and plot outlines, and it's completely awesome. Organizing and keeping track of scenes and plot points are so much easier. If you haven't tried it, you need to download the trial version. It will totally change the way you write!

Anyway, I'm back to being excited about The Prophet and looking forward to writing it.

But the real reason for the celebration is that Sammy's coming home tomorrow! He had solid food on Tuesday and kept it down, and there's been no signs of infection. There's always an outside chance, but looks like we're out of the woods. Thank you all for the kind words:)

Now for some links you need to check out:

Juliana Haygert has created an amazing list of links for book bloggers, agents, editors, cover artists, and much more. It's a great resource whether you're self-publishing or going traditional.

Kristen Lamb's Twitter Tuesday post is my favorite of the week so far. Only she could coin the phrases "Twittah Playah" and "Tweep Scout."

For laughs and great writing, check out For the Love of Writing by The Sarcasm Goddess and Annie Boreson's Atoll Annie and the Non-Specific Rim. Both are fantastic writers with a great sense of humor.

How are your #Row80 goals coming?

Tempting Tuesday: Swimming with Great Whites

It's Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, so this week's Tempting Tuesday is all about one of my favorite animals, Great White Sharks.

I love 'em. They're beautiful, powerful, and incredibly misunderstood. Did you know that juvenile Great Whites swim with the surfers every day in Malibu and don't bother anyone?

It's true. One of my favorite show is NatGeo's Shark Men. Two expert fisherman (Chris Fischer and Captain Brett McBride from OffshoreAdventures) have teamed up with scientist Dr. Michael Domeir to tag and study Great White Sharks. But they aren't using the spear and pop-up tags. These guys are LANDING the shark on their ship, the MV Ocean.

Once the shark takes the ginormous hook with some yummy, stinky bait, the guys jump on a secondary boat and spend hours wearing the shark out until they can guide it onto the landing deck. Then they've got 20 min or less to tag it with a five year transmitter, get its measurements, and draw blood. To date, the biggest they've landed is a 20 foot female named Amy.

I'm so jealous of these guys. They not only get to go to parts of the ocean most of us will never see, but they get to be up close and personal with one of Mother Nature's most awesome creations.

And their research is paying off. By getting the sharks out of the water and tagging them with long-term tags, they're learning more than ever. They're able to track the sharks to their foraging areas, and they're getting close to figuring out where sharks give birth, something that's never been documented.

Research shows that Great Whites aren't a vicious as the movies would have us believe. Their mouth is the epicenter of their nervous system, and most bites are actually the shark sampling, trying to figure out what's in the water. Humans aren't on the Great White menu, or the surfers in Malibu would be chum.

Great Whites are one of the ocean's greatest predators, helping to keep the ocean's delicate balance. But because of over catching and getting caught in fishing nets, they're now endangered.

It's Shark Week and you know what that means: 24/7 coverage of some of the oceans' most alluring predators. But what you may not know is sharks are in danger from the world's most terrifying predators: humans.

Sharks are being fished faster than they can reproduce and their numbers are declining - and fast. Some U.S. hammerhead populations have dropped an alarming 98% in recent decades.

If we keep fishing at this rate, soon there will be no more sharks swimming in our waters and Shark Week will be our only chance to see these amazing creatures - OCEANA.org

It's not fair. This animal has gotten such a bad rap, and all they want to do is exist. Yet humans are continually encroaching on their territory, much like the tiger, and now we're losing them.

Shark Week likes to show the more startling sides of the sharks: the teeth, the creepy dorsal fin sticking out of the water, and the shark snagging a baby seal. But the Discovery Channel also works hard to show us the importance of the shark in nature.

Shark Men takes things a step further. Domeir and Fischer believe that by learning the shark's migratory patterns, they have a better chance of saving them.

I think they're right. And every time I watch the show, I want to be one of the divers getting into the water (sometimes without a cage) while the Great Whites flock the bait.

Great White Facts

Great White Shark meat is not recommended for human consumption because it has very high mercury levels.

Great White Sharks try to avoid fighting for food. When there is only enough food for one, they have a tail-slapping contest. The sharks swim past each other, each slapping the surface of the water with their tails, and often directing the spray toward the other shark. The one who gets the meal is the shark that delivers the most tail slaps.

Great White sharks live along the coasts of all continents except Antarctica.

The Great White Shark have an enormous liver that can weigh up to 24 percent of its entire weight.

The Great White Shark lives for about 25 years.

Great White Sharks rarely attack people and when they do, it is because they mistaken the person for their usual seal prey.

Scientists estimate that after a big meal, a Great White Shark can last up to three months before needing another one.

A Great White Shark can roll its eyeballs back, which protects the vital front part of the eye from being scratched.

Some scientists believe there are less than 10,000 Great White Sharks in the entire world.

Great White Sharks breed late in life. They do not start breeding until they’re at least twenty years old.

More than 70 percent of known victims of Great White Shark Attacks survive because the shark realizes it has made a mistake and doesn’t finish off the prey.

What do you guys think of the Great White? What are some other misunderstood animals?

Manic Monday: When I'm Rich and Famous

Dreams are the stuff life's made of, right? Well, when I become a rich and famous writer, I have a list waiting to spend my money.

I know, I know. Most writer's don't earn enough to quit their day job, and if they do, it's still not big bucks.

Don't burst my bubble.

In all seriousness, I do have a few plans. Right now, I only bring in pocket money by babysitting one child. I'm looking to add another, but I still won't make that much. So when (and I say when because I'm feeling optimistic this morning. It WILL happen) I'm published, any money will be great.

My hope is that by the second book, I'll at least be bringing in a small paycheck. If I'm traditionally published, I know I won't get a big advance, if I get one at all. But since optimism is winning this morning, I'm sharing my big plan with you.

With my writing money, I'm going to build a four seasons room. Supposedly they cost between 5K and 10K, so that's a ways off. But I want to either build it off our deck with an entrance from there and our bedroom, or if I hit the big time, I'll tear out the old deck and have the four seasons room replace it, and then build a new deck on the other side of the house. That would be awesome.

Of course my four seasons room will be a writing haven. Lots of light, comfy seating, room for my hutch that I currently have no room for, and all around peace and quiet. There will be a few plants, some color. My writing desk and a bookshelf...

Can you see it? I can. It's going to happen. I'm going to will it so.

We all have dreams about our writing. Some of us do want to make big money, some just want to make extra. Others don't care about the money and just want the validation, to see our name in print. Some, like me, are a mix of the two. I want to share my writing with others and for them to enjoy it, but I'd like to see some profit as well.

Dreams are good. They help keep us motivated and give us something to work toward, especially on the days we want to hang it all up. You know what I'm talking about. Those days you wonder WTF you're doing wasting your time writing, you think you'll never be read, etc. Dreams help save us from those miseries. Your dream doesn't have to be materialistic, like mine. Maybe you want to have that printed cover framed and hanging over your desk. Or perhaps you're planning on keeping a scrapbook of all your best reviews. Whatever they are, cling to those dreams.

Keeping our butts in the chair and writing is the only thing that's going to achieve those dreams. But it doesn't hurt to have a reminder of our end goal to reach for when times are tough.

What are you writing dreams?