Kayaking on Lake George

I took a break from writing to join some friends kayaking on Lake George in September. It’s a beautiful lake that is sacred to the native people of the area. Though now it’s largely a community of travelers by motor boat. 

We rented canoes and kayaks at Bolton Landing then we headed off across the lake to our own little island to camp. The weather forecast was for rain, but we made it to our island no problem. The boat traffic was light on the crossing which was nice so we only had a few choppy wakes to plow through.

My kayak partner, Johana, was great. She paddled smoothly along and we cruised across the waves.

We had a nice little swim on our island and had camp all set up before the rain. Even then it was a light drizzle most of the evening and we had tarps! 

I took some black and white pics.

I love my Canon Rebel SL1!

 It was a good time with new and old friends!

 

 Yep that's an outhouse!

Here's a little photo gallery:

Reading by the Fire with The Adventurers Troll Creek

The Adventurers Troll Creek Reading by the Fire

The Truth About How I Got My Agent

One of the most frequently asked questions to an author is: How did you get your agent?

My wonderful author friend, Kat Yeh, has graciously offered to share her story.

My debut middle grade novel, THE TRUTH ABOUT TWINKIE PIE, has just come out and a lot of people have been asking me how I came to be repped by my superstar agent, Sarah Davies of Greenhouse Literary. I can't say enough good things about Sarah. I love that she owns her own business and puts everything behind it. I love that along with her lovely and elegant ways, she is a strong and fierce competitor. I love that to read her blogs and to hear her speak, you'd think she is 6'2" but she is, in reality, perfectly petite. I love that she plays the ukulele. And I loved that she made me feel that she believed in me and was behind me 100% from the moment she got my query.

So, The Truth About How To Get An Agent? I can only speak to my own experience and what worked for me.

Here are the stats:

Query letters sent: 5

Results: 4 offers of rep, 1 offer to revise together first

This is what I did.

1) RESEARCH

As soon as I became serious about being published, along with writing every day, I researched agents and editors with the stalker-ish fierceness unbecoming to ladies of a gentle sort. I looked up who repped whom. I subscribed to Publishers Marketplace and studied who sold what. I spent hours on Casey McCormick's invaluable site, Literary Rambles (http://www.literaryrambles.com/) and read every single agent interview. I talked to my friends. I asked everyone how they liked their agent - and, more importantly, WHY. I began crafting a list. A Dream List. It stayed fairly small. One thing I knew about myself was I did not want to do a mass mailing. I wanted to do a small personal mailing of submissions. I wanted to really know the agents I was subbing to. And I wanted them to know me.

2) NETWORKING

I went to a lot of conferences. I sought out specific agents and where they would be speaking. I went to their workshops. I signed up for as many critiques as I could. I am shy, by nature, and this part was pretty hard for me — at first. But I found that most people want nothing more than to be helpful during critiques and I learned so much during them.

3) REVISED LIKE CRAZY
 

During this time, I was fiercely revising the manuscript for THE TRUTH ABOUT TWINKIE PIE. I knew that this was the manuscript that I wanted to put out in the world first. This was the manuscript upon which I was going to base my query. And I knew that you only had one chance to make a first impression. I did not want to waste it on a weak submission and risk being written off by someone on my dream list.  I did not want to be the writer who rushed and submitted something that was clearly not ready to go.

4) TIMING

Then something wonderful happened. I won the Sue Alexander Award at LA12SCBWI for a YA work-in-progress and suddenly, in a small way, my name was out there a little bit. I knew it was the time to sub agents.

I took my small Dream List of four agents and wrote personal queries. I had either met with all of them — or had a personal connection through a friend who was recommending me to them. I sent out my four and took a deep breath. Then I spoke to my friend (and wonderful writer) Betsy Devaney — who was playing the role of my Submission Therapist during this time. We went over all my choices and then I mentioned there was one more person I wanted to sub to, but it was also the one person that I really did not have any connection to. Sarah Davies of Greenhouse Literary. We had met once briefly, but I didn’t know any of her clients to recommend me to her and she had never critiqued me or read anything I'd written. Without any sort of connection, I felt that, if I subbed to her, I would just end up in a pile and lay there for months…

But I really liked her.

I liked her blog and her writing and her passion.

Oh, and she had the same name as my best friend from high school.

Betsy intervened. "I know Sarah and I'm friends with one of her clients, Sarah Aronson - I'll ask Sarah to tell Sarah to put you at the top of her list —"

Now, I'm one of those people who never cut in line. I felt awkward. Favors from someone like Sarah Aronson (whom I had also never met) made me feel uncomfortable.

But then I gave in. Of course, because - c'mon.

I know that writers are always interested in the Query That Worked. So, this is the query I sent:

Dear Ms. Davies,

We met briefly during this year's NJSCBWI Summer conference. You share a first and last name with my best friend. And we share a favorite book: THE SECRET HISTORY by Donna Tartt. I have really enjoyed reading your blog and I love your comparison of writing to music. Your online presence seems to be so much about teaching and discussing the publishing world and your passion to "nurture and grow" your authors is clear. I'm seeking representation for my middle grade manuscript, TWINKIE PIE (AND OTHER THINGS OF A DELICATE NATURE), complete at 52,000 words.

Take two sisters: a brainy 12 year old and a Jr. High Dropout Turned Hairdresser.

Add a Move from the trailer parks of South Carolina to the Gold Coast of New York.

Mix in a fancy new school, a first crush, and a generous serving of trailer park food.

Then top it all off with a supposedly dead Mama and her lipstick.

It's the recipe for TWINKIE PIE (AND OTHER THINGS OF A DELICATE NATURE), the story of what happens when 12 year old GiGi Barnes and her big sister, DiDi, say goodbye to their home in the South, leaving everything behind — except their dead Mama's cookbook of trailer park recipes. After all, recipes play a big part in their lives. DiDi has even given GiGi a Recipe for Success that is sure to head her straight for an Ivy League education.

But GiGi figures it's time to try her own Recipes. Like how to make good friends as easily as she makes good grades. How to turn her boy friend, Trip, into A Boyfriend. And especially how to find a tube of Mama's favorite lipstick, Revlon's Cherries in the Snow. Discontinued now for 20 years. On her search for all these things, GiGi stumbles upon a clue that leads her to believe that her dead Mama might not be so dead after all. Filled with recipes, humor, and heartache, TWINKIE PIE (AND OTHER THINGS OF A DELICATE NATURE) is a story about growing up, reinventing yourself, and most of all, figuring out what to make — out of what you've been given.

Pasted below are the first five pages. I would be glad to send the complete manuscript at your request. It was an honor to have the first few chapters nominated for the Sue Alexander Award at the SCBWI Summer Conference in LA, last year. I have received editor requests for the full, which I would prefer to send with an agent's Guidance and Wisdom. I have also just been informed that I am the winner of this year's Sue Alexander Award for my work-in-progress, a YA, titled GIRL IN SHADOW.

Before writing children's books, I worked in advertising and sports marketing at Saatchi & Saatchi. My two previously published pictures books are YOU'RE LOVABLE TO ME (Random House Books for Young Readers, 2009) and THE MAGIC BRUSH: A Story of Love, Family, and Chinese Characters (Walker Books for Young Readers, 2011). I have decided that it's time to start working with an agent (and stop pretending that I know how to read contracts on my own).

I thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Kat Yeh

(directly below this, I pasted the first chapter of my manuscript)

And that's it. 

Two days after sending in my queries, I received an offer from one of the other four agents. As was appropriate, I let the remaining agents know that there was currently an offer of rep. I heard from Sarah right away. She was heading for the airport at the break of dawn the next morning to attend a conference and asked for the full manuscript and if she could get back to me after she returned from her event in a few days — which I gladly gave her. An hour later, Sarah emailed me to let me know that after reading my query, she was going to read my manuscript immediately. During this time, another offer came in. Sarah began emailing me every few hours to let me know how far she was in the manuscript and how excited she was. That afternoon, in the checkout line at the grocery store, I received an email from her that had me bursting into tears (and confusing my cashier!). She asked if we could speak that evening before she left for her flight in the morning. During that call, she discussed how passionate she was about my manuscript, all the reasons she felt that she and Greenhouse Literary were the right fit for me, and she offered representation. I received another offer of rep. And then the last offer came in to revise together. I slept on it. And it came down to this.

It was a small list. It was a Dream List. No matter which way I went, I knew I was in great hands. I had used my head to get me this far. The final decision I left up to the heart. I accepted the offer from Sarah. After another round of revisions, she took THE TRUTH ABOUT TWINKIE PIE to auction where it sold to Alvina Ling at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 

To everyone about to send out their queries, I wish you the best of luck. This is what worked for me, but everyone will find their own way and what works for them. And that's the truth.

THE TRUTH ABOUT TWINKIE PIE available Amazon and Barnes and Noble

The Adventurers Troll Creek -- Book Trailer

The Jason Galka Show: Mackenzie Reide

Interview with Author Richard Herr

Invasion From Fred!

I'm thrilled to share with you a very funny new book by my author-friend, Richard Herr!

Invasion from Fred is a humorous sci-fi story of a young boy and his friends who encounter an alien in the forest disguised as a fire hydrant. Hilarity ensues as they try to help the alien find its new look and stop an invasion to boot.

Richard and I met through a writing group called The Write Group in Montclair, NJ. We have shared many an adventure with critique groups and workshops along the way.

Richard, can you tell us about yourself?

I like walking on the beach in the moonlight...No, I’m sorry! Wrong frame of reference! Where have I been on my travel through life? I’ve had a number of jobs along the way: actor, musician, stage manager, AV technician, business owner. I’ve got two daughters and four grandchildren. ...and OK, I do like walking on the beach in the moonlight. 

Sounds like you have had lots of experiences to draw from. So tell us, what is Invasion from Fred about?

The main thing that it’s about is the three generations of characters. A grandmother who is a former Flower Power pacifist; a father who’s an investment banker; and a 12-year-old boy trying to figure out what he’s going to do with his life. He’s mirrored by an alien who’s visiting Earth, trying to figure out what to do as an adult. Boy, that all sounds very heavy. This is actually a funny book. 

It is a funny book! And I loved the interaction between the alien and the kids. And the relationship the boy has with his grandmother. What inspired you to write Invasion from Fred?

I wanted to write to young people in a simple, direct way, not preach to them. I wanted to use everyday language. That is, if you include ‘Who’s-On-First-style’ dialogue as everyday talk. 

Have you ever met any aliens? 

Better than that. I’ve been an alien. I’ve also been a mother, a father, several cats, and every character I’ve ever written about. As a writer, you’ve got to know how all of them think. If you’re writing a scene where two people have an argument, you’ve got to argue both sides for them. 

Now that makes for very interesting points of view! Can you describe the genre you write in?

This is a science fiction book. After all, we are getting invaded from a planet called Fred. Its main genre is humor. The sci-fi and the fantasy genres are very good for humor writing. You can have things be totally outlandish and simply explain that’s how things are on that planet.

In the sci-fi genre you have created a whole new world. How did you accomplish that?

You start out asking the question, “What if?” Everything follows from there. What if the planet these aliens in your book came from was a gas giant? I guess they’d have to be made out of gas themselves. What if there were elves, and trolls, and wizards, and humans, and unicorns? I guess there’d be some inter-species arrangements for co-existence. What if an alien came to this planet to decide what to do as an adult? I guess you’d wind up with an invasion from Fred. 

Can you tell us about your writing process? 

There are many writers who carefully outline their books, using 3 x 5 cards, and flow charts, and probably have a form of the outline that’s a PowerPoint presentation. That isn’t me. I usually come up with some overall idea, figure out how things start, then sit down at the computer and start writing. The exciting thing about working that way is that characters will suddenly take the story in a brand new, exciting direction I couldn’t have thought about. 

How long have you been writing?

I started out about a dozen years ago. I was staring at a blank computer screen and decided to fill it with words. 

What about writing do you enjoy most?

I’m enjoying doing something entirely different. Prior to writing, I was a technician. Now that’s changed. It was like washing my brain. 

You have two other adult books as well. Can you describe them?

My second book is the first book in a new series called Dog & Pony. This is Volume I, and it’s called “Aloha.” The Dog & Pony part has to do with the setting for the book. The protagonist has a company that produces corporate presentations, otherwise known as Dog & Pony shows. But the story really involves schemes to take over the worlds, two of them: our own, and the one of the Fair Folk. Harry, the narrator, is a reluctant hero who gets dragged into all sorts of adventures, protesting every step of the way.


And your third book is also a sci-fi humor story. Can you tell us about that?

Yes, Tales from the Starboard Café encourages you to belly up to a bar next to a Spacer in most any location in the galaxy, and you can expect to be plunged into a brawl, or worse. However, you might also find yourself the involuntary audience to a story. The Café holds a yearly storytelling contest, and Spacers love to tell stories. The individual tales in the contest might reveal that strange happenings are stirring the galaxy-wide civilization. These problems might involve that recently-uplifted, disruptive breed known as the Humans; or the vanished Wistrani, the highly advanced founders of the Amalgam? Whatever the stories are about, they promise to be most prankish!

Now that promises to be prankish indeed! Who are your favorite books and authors?

Terry Pratchett, Christopher Moore, Douglas Adams, Jasper Fforde, Tom Holt, Dave Barry, Carl Hiaasen, and Janet Evanovich. 

I think Invasion From Fred is a great addition to the science fiction and humor genres for young readers. Can you offer any advice for aspiring authors? And what advice helped you the most?

Follow your heart--but keep your head in the conversation. 

Wise words. Richard, thanks so much for doing the interview and telling us about your book and writing process.

Richard and his grandchildren reading an Invasion from Fred

You can visit Richard's website here

Invasion From Fred available Amazon and Barnes and Noble