My book is now up on Kindle. 

Ever since my wonderful SF/F critique group broke up a couple of years ago, I've been missing genre-specific feedback. Through clicking on a flash-fiction story noted on the Broad Universe listserv, I discovered that the author lives in the Santa Cruz mountains and I e-mailed her. Yesterday we met at Starbuck's and had a wonderful talk. Turns out we were both looking for genre-specific critique partners.

In 2009 I did two things for myself. I joined a local writing group and I joined the Monterey Bay RWA. Both have been life-changing events.

My writing group kept me on track. For the first time in decades, without the obstacles of difficult children, treks to hospitals and juvenile courts, husbands who needed to be ex-husbands, and Corporate America, I kept a writing schedule. For the first time in my life I completed a novel.

RWA members taught me how to write a novel. They encouraged, suggested, red-penned, critiqued and didn't hold their punches. At the same time, they were always in my corner, urging me to keep going, keep developing my craft, and keep sweating the small stuff. Maureen O. Betita and Cat Grant dragged me to RT the beginning of April where the miracle occurred--I pitched well enough to get requests for manuscripts.

This morning I sent off the novel. I am proud of the work I did and I'm grateful for the groups I joined. Thank you.

I did it! After searching lists of e-publishers, checking websites (lurid covers with naked bodies--no), reading sample contracts, etc.-- on May 12, 13, and 18 I submitted the Dark Lady's Stone to three likely ones. I tried to send it to a fourth but my submission bounced. (Scratch them!)

To my amazement, one editor got back to me in an hour with a question. I mean . . . when I've submitted other things to NY publishers, agents, and even e-zines it can take up to a year for a response. Fortunately the editor took the trouble to ask, she liked my answer, and didn't reject my mss out of hand. I should hear back in a couple of months.

I don't know why I've been shy about posting this but I guess it's kinda scary to send my baby out into the world. It's not that I'm afraid of rejection, it's more like I'm afraid of success--and the concomitant loss of privacy. I just Googled my name and was horrified at all the places it showed up on the web. I even found an artist and a poet with the same name! I'm thinking of taking a pen name.

I just submitted "The Whitewood Kitarra" (alternatively titled "Tournament of Verse" or "Reputation" to Aoife's Kiss.

This story is a prequel to my WIP (The Dark Lady's Stone) and tells how my hero overcame his murky past and came to the Karaskan court.

I finally sent something out. Broad Universe is having a mailing party where members get a "ding" for each submission. The idea is to get women writers to submit those stories they've got stashed on their hard drives.

I knew I had to get off the dime and send something out. When one member posted that the anthology she's editing is looking for submissions, I polished up "Heritage," an Agatha Christie type short story, to which I added a ghost, and sent it to the Drollerie Press anthology on Ghosts. Their deadline isn't until March 31 so I may not hear right away, but what the heck...

This year I really wanted to finish my WIP. It's darned good, if I do say so myself, and I wanted to keep the momentum. I'd decided not to do NaNoWriMo.


A few days ago I hit a block revising a key scene. And started thinking about that rough sketch I'd embedded in my 60-page Ancient World synopsis--Queen Vira. Five years ago my critique group virtually threw me out over that synopsis, but they did like Queen Vira. So I searched out the synopsis on my hard drive, found Vira, and copied her into a new file. Boy, did it need work! Two days ago, just for kicks, I set up a Scrivener project and hunted up my Ancient World map--still in AppleWorks, would you believe. I spent a couple of hours with EazyDraw, moving mountains and lakes, changing the course of rivers. It's such fun to play god(dess)!

Well, since I'd put in all that, I spent 6 hours yesterday revising the synopsis. Yeah, it'll fly! It's even a romance. So I signed up for NaNoWriMo. I checked in with the Santa Cruz Forum, downloaded the score sheet from truckpoetry.com, and can't wait to start!

Blogger/writer Cara Ellison has some interesting thoughts on agent query letters, and on the writing process.

Just a taste, to whet your appetite:

1. Write a serious query letter. Do not try to be funny. Do not try to charm them. Be bland. Just describe what happens in the book.

2. Do not ever say that your book is super great, the next bestseller, etc. It’s just ridiculous sounding. Do not boast at all.

3. Do not compare yourself to other authors. You will lose.

4. Follow the agent’s conventions for submission. If she only wants paper queries, don’t send equeries.

And now, some of her writing advice:

2. Don’t drop us into action without giving us some time to get invested in the character. You’ll just confuse the reader. That said, get to the action right away. This is where skill comes in – you have to do two things at once – set up the character, and get the character into trouble quickly.

3. Make sure you have an actual story to tell. I realize this is basic but a list of events does not make a novel. You really have to have a central thrust.

4. Derivative works, basically copying a writer you admire, is normal for a first novel – but first novels are not meant to be published. Wait until every single thought you write down is completely your own before you start thinking about publishing (or as I say, empublishment.)

5. No more vampires, please! I’m sick of vampire stories!

6. Read widely. It will make you a better writer.

Also, be sure and read the comments on the post... especially the third one.

Hooray! I just finished two brand new chapters for Stone. These are "relationship" chapters, and it was like pulling teeth. I'm going over them for glitches, but I think they're almost ready for my critique group.

Just got a positive rejection for the short story, "Heritage," I sent to CrossGenres.com last month. Although it "doesn't fit our needs"..."We really did enjoy your submission, and it made our short list..." They would welcome submissions from me in the future.

I knew it was a good story, just one it's hard to find a place for. Not discouraged at all.

Just read over a couple of my journal entries from last summer and want to share.

7/3/08 Finished Forest Fire chapter Monday. Today getting into Danestor chapter. I'd already done it from a different POV; now have to rewrite. While napping I got: Edroc didn't want Loriano to bring anything to the cave.... Edroc wanted Loriano to bring something out: The chip of stone he so carelessly picked up. At the end of the Song chapter, he's starting to realize its significance. In Forest Fire, he openly acknowledges it. In the Danestor chapter and journey home, Reynal gets it, too. Just realizing this: I got the shivers. This is what writing is all about--you put in a little incidental thing as background, illustration. Gradually it grows, it reappears, you discover more and more about it, until it becomes A Great Big Thing - The Key!

7/29/08 ...I'm reluctant to end the story, dammit! I've been enjoying the journey and the company.