#STILLQUERYING!

Querying can be both exciting and excruciating, mostly the latter. Rejection is always hard. For me, laughter is the best way to get through it. On that note, here are a few fun memes to lighten the process!

AND FINALLY:

(or QUERYING!!!)

Good luck! And don't give up! Good things happen when you want them bad enough. 

JUST KEEP QUERYING!

 MY WRITING GROUP!

A question I've been asked: "What's the one thing that's helped you most in your writing?"

I could easily rattle off ten things in two seconds that have helped me become a better writer. But if I had to narrow it to one, I'd say it's my writing group.

I LOVE my writing group! They are the coolest peeps in the world. 

There's a grammar queen, a descriptive expert, a speed demon who picks up on all my plot holes, and my wave-length twin who is also my second pair of eyes. That's just one of the many ways they each help me. I could easily rattle off ten more (in two seconds - ha).

Writing Retreat - Park City, Utah - 2021

I believe the best way to improve your writing is to join a writing group. To find one, attend a local writer's conference, find an online group, or simply ask around.

Good luck!

And have an AMAZING summer!

My winters ...

My summers!

#AMQUERYING

Summer is here … YAAAAAASS!

and that means it’s time to start querying … NOOOO!!

I can think of only two things worse than querying: the stomach flu and pregnancy (which is one in the same for us lucky few). 

Here’s the thing(s): 

1. Describing an 86,000-word novel in 200 words is freaking impossible. 

2. Rejection letters SUCK. As in, ruin-your-whole-day suck.

3. Crap, I think I forgot to change the default greeting before I pressed send. Again.

4. And is it me, or do all agents have the most difficult-to-spell last names?

5. “Please include a synopsis.” NEXT…

6. “And make sure to say why we would be a good fit.” Umm, because I’m looking for an agent? 

7. “Please include the first 5 pages, the first 10 pages, the first 50 pages, the entire MS, the first chapter, the first 5 chapters, till chapter end, not till chapter end…” Need I say more?

8. Do I get docked if I don’t have a blog? a website? twitter? HELP!!

9. [copy], [paste], and … yep, formatting error.

If you have others, please feel free to vent in the comments below. ⇊ It feels really good. 😃

I had the best intentions of having my new YA novel, SMARTS, out by 2019, and though I was finished writing it, the rewrites and additions took a ton of time. But it’s finally done! Here’s the pitch:

Loner high school senior, Alice, 

is kidnapped by motorcycle riding bad-boy, Luke, 

and his dangerous rebel tribe of Smarts, 

a worldwide organization of geniuses.

 

Uncovering their evil scheme, 

Alice’s Smart skills awaken. 

Unfortunately, 

so does her heart…

To be honest, I don't ever feel like one of my books is "finished." I just come to a point when I think to myself, If I have to do one more edit I'm going to throw my computer across the room. That's when I know I'm done.

Everyone stay healthy and safe!

IT'S FINALLY HERE!!

Reflection in paperback arrived yesterday! AHHHHHHH!!! I was so excited I almost cried, which is saying something because I’m not a crier, I’m more of a smiler. So I did that instead . . . pretty much all day.

The release date is March 20^th, and pre-sales are now live on AMAZON.COM. (chest bump!)

Check it out!

I really want to go celebrate at a yummy restaurant, but with all the weeknight family chaos it probably won’t happen. So I guess I’ll settle for Taco Bell, which isn’t really settling because it’s always a celebration if I don’t have to cook. Plus, I LOVE Taco Bell.

Here are a couple pictures of the happy moment:

                                                                                      

Me with Barry from print                                                              Me holding REFLECTION

Taco Bell - Old School Style

Wanna Get High With Me?

No, I don’t do drugs. I’ve never even tried marijuana, ever. I’m talking about this new fitness workout called HIGH FITNESS, and it’s KILLER! It’s sort of like old school aerobics but with plyo moves like burpees, jump tucks, and squat jumps, as well as some hip-hop moves, all to way fun pop songs. Trust me, it’s a blast!

A friend took my daughter and me to a HIGH class that Emily (the founder of HIGH FITNESS) taught. Oh my word--she kicked my butt! I had to leave class three different times . . . to get a drink . . . because my throat was dry. No seriously, because I thought I was going to DIE and so I had to take a ton of breaks! But don’t tell anyone that.

Here’s an after pic:

friend, me, Emily aka crazy-Nazi-instructor-lady, daughter 

The beginning of this month I had the chance to go to NYC and see a few Broadway shows. My younger brother had an airline companion ticket and took me for my birthday. #coolestlittlebrotheraward

 

Then, on the airplane I got bumped to first class (love it when that happens), but I gave the upgrade to my tall, 6’3 brother. I know, #coolestbigsisteraward.

Here are my reviews of the shows we saw:

ANASTASIA: A

(Loved it! The stage set was unbelievable!)

WILLIE WONKA: A-

(The minus is because they didn’t include the “fizzy lifting drink” scene, the lick-able wall-paper, or the final culminating scene when Charlie gives back the everlasting gobstopper and Mr. Wonka whispers, “So shines a good deed in a weary world.” On the other hand, they did away with the “Cheer Up Charlie” song which should be worth something. Overall, completely entertaining!)

DEAR EVAN HANSEN: I can’t even…

I don’t even know what to give this show. Ben Platt gave the most amazing, raw, real performance I’ve ever seen in my life. Too real. There is no way someone can give a performance like that every day for a year and it not affect them. I wanted to reach out to him and tell him to stop doing the show. He’s going to be a psychological mess, if he isn’t already.

After the show, I seriously had to remind myself that there are normal people out there and not everyone is all screwed up. Cuz life is awesome, even when it’s not, because if it’s not today, it will be tomorrow, or at some point, if you choose to make it awesome.

Anyway, here’s to all the normal people out there. Stay awesome!

Book Update: Gearing up for the launch of Reflection in paperback -- YAYY!!!! -- set for

MARCH 20, 2018!

REFLECTION Series Paperback Launch!

My daughter started a blog (bakeryzero.blogspot.com – she’s a health foodie expert!) and has motivated me to post on my own blog. Crazy—and completely awesome—how daughters grow up and become the example.

First, by way of follow-up to my previous blogpost, a pic. of me and my bestie with The Tenors. Their concert was INCREDIBLE! You should go to one. Love these guys! I tried to sing a duet with Fraser—he laughed at me. Great times!

I take the summers off of writing and do a lot of reading. This summer I read mostly YA and romance, but took a break from those genres to read The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. It came highly recommended by several friends. 

Some parts were a little heavy for me (I’m a total lightweight when it comes to books and movies), but what an engaging, well-written book. I liked it so much I made my husband read it (which I can’t normally do since he’d last two pages--maybe--in my usual YA romance reads). Anyway, he liked it too!

And finally, I’m excited to announce that REFLECTION will be coming out in paperback through Copper Lane Publishing, with a release date of MARCH 20, 2018. The sequel, REACTION, will follow a few months later. Yeah baby!!

⇉ MARCH 20, 2018 ⇇

Lastly, lastly, stay tuned for my launch of THE SMARTS series, a YA action/romance thriller coming soon.

Teaser:

Loner high school student Alice is kidnapped by bad-boy Luke and his dangerous rebel tribe of Smarts, a worldwide organization of geniuses. Uncovering their evil scheme, Alice's Smart skills awaken. Unfortunately, so does her heart…