ksm - summer camp

Did you go to summer camp as a kid? I'm talking a week away from home with the first delicious tastes of freedom, fun activities, swimming, crafts, and lots of kids! I loved my camp! Went from ages 10-20. Good old Central Florida Bible Camp in Eustis, Florida. Scrapbook worthy!

Now I get to go to camp again. Camp Nano! Advantages to this camp are no bugs, no sunburn, sleeping in my own bed, and working at my own pace. And we still have friends to support each other! It's going to be tough, but having goals and deadlines makes me work! We'll see how I feel after a week and see if I'm a couple thousand words behind schedule or not, ha ha...Really looking forward to it!

And speaking of Camp Nano - for the month of August, I will be cutting back on posting and commenting. I have some scheduled posts and will give a couple of updates. It all depends on how much I get done. Gotta focus!

Coming up in August:

Don't forget IWSG is WEDNESDAY, 8/1!

Make sure to read about everyone's childhood scaries in Christine's Childhood Monster blogfest to promote her great adventure story, FEARLESS August 7-9th (and I have the honor of interviewing her on Friday! Aug 10)

• Jeremy Bates is hosting the Dog Days of Summer blogfest to share stories of Summer - August 10-12

• Remember to put up a fabulous, renovated fairytale for the Fab 4 Fairytale Madness Blogfest, Aug 13-17

Polish up your Blurbs for Stephen Tremp's Blurb Fest! Aug 15th

And don't be late for Unicorn Bell's Query contest with helpful tips and awesome agent judges looking for that next big bestseller! 8/13, 8/20, 8/27

Someone you should meet!

I met lovely Vikki during a recent blogfest. She is positive and smart and witty! She also did a smash up crit job on my MS! I was so excited, I wanted to share my new friend with you! Here is our interview to tell you more about her...

Thank you for having me, Tara, it's fun to answer these questions!

You are quite welcome! So glad you came! And forgive my compound questions, I tend to go tangent. Here goes:

You've lived all over the world! Where is your favorite place to live? to write?

I have been lucky enough to live in various wonderful places! I have lived (albeit for only a few months at a time) in Vancouver, Sydney and New York. They are all beautiful in their own way. Vancouver is a handsome sports dude, who wants the high life of the city and the mountains not far away so he can board at weekends. Sydney's a cool surfer chick who doesn't have to try, because hello, Opera House? New York is well... New York! Gossip Queen crossed with a wise guy!

Then there is London, my home town. She may be grumpy and noisy and the tube too crowded at times, but she's multi-cultural, beautiful, busy and full of life. There's never a dull moment and always something amazing to do and see. It's a wonderful city and I am very excited that the Olympics are here and hopefully people will see how great it is!

My fave place to write is probably my spare room because I finally have a spare room and a desk of my own to write on! It's a luxury! Though I am typing this on the sofa. Old habits die hard.

Those personified descriptions floored me! Australia is on my list of places to go someday...And having a comfy writing space is essential!

I understand you like supernatural and superhero television shows, sounds adventurous! What are your faves?

I love all television shows where spooky things happen or people have powers! All of them! At the moment I particularly love Supernatural and Vampire Diaries, and also Alphas. It's a really fun show and I can't wait until season 2.

I had to look up Alphas. I will have to try it, looks like a good show!

What draws you to write YA? What genres to you read? What are you reading now?

I would say there are two reasons I write YA. The first is simply that those are the stories which speak to me, or rather, the characters who ask me to tell their stories, if that doesn't sound too vague an answer. They are the ideas I have. I wouldn't necessarily say I would never write another genre, if I got an idea I certainly would. I have a contemporary story idea I may someday write which would be aimed at an adult audience.

I the second reason, or perhaps part of the first reason, is that I think young adult characters speak to me because that's the time when you feel everything passionately. Everything is in the extreme. You explore who you are, what you believe, you find out hard truths about the world and make decisions about how you are going to act within it. It's an interesting age to write about.

I read everything, I am really into anything Sci Fi, and I read Dystopian and paranormal and contemporary. I just read 'Heart Shaped Bruise' by Tanya Byrne, which is a contemporary novel and it blew me away. A fantastic example of a strong voice.

Young adults are definitely extreme. As a high school teacher, I have witnessed a lot of drama!

I see natural writing skills and insights in your advice posts, which was why I had to follow you! Tell us where you get your blog post ideas.

That's very nice of you to say. I partly wanted to blog because I have been learning a lot about writing over the last few years. I took a class and joined a writing group and started to really read about the craft of writing more widely than I ever had. So I thought I had information rattling about in my head I wanted to share, and also write down somewhere before I forgot it all.There is a danger information will fall down the back of the sofa in my head if it's not recorded.

I also realised there was a lot more for me to learn, and the blogosphere (is that a word?) seemed a good place to do it! 

Before I started the blog I wrote a list, like the sad person I am, of all the topics I wanted to talk about, writing wise. I had 50 of them. I figured with that list I would at least keep a blog going for a year, so I started it! And I have used about 2 topics so far because I keep thinking of things I want to say and joining in fun challenges so I think I'll keep going for a while.

I have to write things down all the time. My brain must be full because I can't seem to remember much anymore. And you are not sad! I love lists! I have a folder full of post ideas. We all have lots to share!

Now where are you in your writing? Care to share an excerpt from or blurb about something you're working on?

I am finishing up a close line edit of a novel I hope to query soon, if I'm brave enough I may need encouragement! It's called NETWORKED at the moment and it's a YA Thriller set in the near future. It's about a girl, Devon, whose brother Kent went missing, presumed dead, a year ago. As the novel opens she's given a clue that somebody may know what happened to him, and becomes determined to find out the truth. I posted some opening hookers (http://viklit.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/hookers-hangers-bloghop-hookers.html) and closing hangers (http://viklit.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/hookers-hangers-bloghop-hangers.html) in my blog lately in the awesome Hookers and Hangers bloghop if anyone's interested. Here is the extended 'hanger' from the opening chapter (as it stands at the moment so do let me know what you think!):

The first mention of Kent in a year. My chest ached, as if a whole planet's extra gravity pulled on it. Confusion settled like a mass of writhing snakes at the bottom of my stomach. I couldn’t look away from the words. Why would anyone mention him now? Was this Kent’s writing? I'd never seen him write anything, only type.

I barely focussed on Havana's voice “Are you watching? What‘s your brother got to do with this?”

“I don't know,” I said.

But I sure as hell was going to find out.

I'm ready to sink my eyes into that!

Finally, what is your precious fish's name and what type of fish is it?

Aw, I keep Neon Tetra. They did used to have names, but over time I have ended up naming them after their behaviour, so I have 'filter fish' who stays near the filter and 'spot fish' who has a spot on her tail, for example, among others. They are hard to tell apart otherwise, but I can just about manage it! I do love keeping them, I find watching them very calming, and I like when they come up to the top demanding food when I walk in the room!

Thank you so much for interviewing me, it's been lots of fun! I love chatting about writing and making new friends so if anybody wants to visit, pop on over and say hi! Also I had the pleasure of reading Tara's draft and it's awesome, I'm quite sure it'll be a hit ;)

Fish are fun - just keep swimming! And you're the sweet one! Thanks again for letting us get to know you better, Vikki. 

I hope everyone will stop by Vikki's blog and say "Hi" and give her a boost to 100 followers!

Have a great weekend!

Psssst!

A few of my buddies are at the query stage with me...

(Not Cassie - she just got one! Woot!)

Anyway, the wonderful agent Janet Reid is conducting an experiment to be more helpful in rejecting queries. Meaning, she wants to send more than a form letter for a few lucky querants! Here are the details in her words. Shh, it's sort of hush! And if you don't follow her, you should!

Plus she does these fun flash contests once in a while that are great for breaking a block. Like this one coming up tomorrow! Mark knows what I'm talkin' 'bout - just gaining honorable mention in one of these contests is worth a shout!

And speaking of honorable mention, here are some query rejection posts I'd like to mention!

• A funny list of rejections from Bo's Cafe Life.

• Advice on why you might be getting rejected by Gabriela Lessa

• And J. A. Bennett has some positive words to motivate us to not give up!

stuck in the middle?

The middle is relative. The middle has advantages and disadvantages. Middle age, middle range, middle of the pack, soft in the middle, middle of the road, etc.

If you look at the process of putting a book out there...
writing, editing, editing, editing, querying, querying, querying, publishing, publishing, marketing, marketing...
Querying seems to be in the middle before the climax of publishing and the ending of marketing.

If you just look at finishing the book...
1st draft, edit, synopsis, betas/cps, edit, betas/cps, edit, edit, query, betas/cps, edit, query...
The middle is the endless editing, because when are we done? when I see it in print!

Anyone else feel stuck in the middle?

Here's my lament to the middle for Sensational Haiku Wednesday...

Not the ecstasy
of a brand new beginning
or ending's triumph

Not the fresh feeling
of exciting encounters
or sad conclusions

The middle is smooth,
steady sailing. Stay too long,
it's monotony

Time for me to get out of the rut! I'm still querying, but I'm also ready to start a new story. One week to Camp Nano!

ksm - where to begin

I had a weird dream the other night about Tom Cruise. He's not my fave, but I had just seen the latest Mission Impossible and his breakup has been at the checkout stands recently, so...Anyway, the dream gave me a great idea for a short story! So I wrote it up and shipped it off to Lemon Twist Press who is looking for submissions to a short story anthology. The stories take off in any genre stemming from an item purchased at a second hand shop. It sounds great and they are accepting through August! Give it a look!


WRiTE Club just sounds awesome, doesn't it? The first smack down is July 30. Make sure you read all the rules and good luck to the contenders! I love the badge for it too! Thanks to DL Hammons for being the referee!


Two new announcements:

Christine Rains's FEARLESS comes out next month and she is hosting a release blogfest for it. Childhood Monsters Blogfest! Aug 7-9. Cute and Scary!

and

Unicorn Bell - a wonderful writing help site - is hosting an improve your Query contest with editors judging! See site for details...

And with August right around the corner, don't let August 1st sneak up on you - it's a Wednesday and the Insecure Writers Support Group will be meeting!

Lots to see and do! What's news with you?

Vacations are good for reading!

Mermaid on vacation =)

While I was relaxing in the car, on the beach, in the hotel room, and by the pool...I finished two books that I've been reading in bits and pieces for several months! So exciting because my reading/writing time is very limited and writing usually takes priority over leisure reading, unless the book is spectacular (like Hunger Games trilogy last year) or I'm doing a critique. Priorities!

Here is the first of my two reviews...

THE PERICLES COMMISSION by Gary Corby.

One Word: Enlightening!

This fast paced mystery is set in ancient Greece. Mr. Corby weaves the  fascinating customs and practices from the age of the beginnings of democracy into a thrilling tale of deception and murder! Though some of the names are hard to pronounce, the characters are intelligent, conniving, and well written, leaving you guessing who done it as we follow Nico through one exciting predicament after another. And along the way he receives help from an unlikely source - a woman! The dashes of humor sprinkled throughout also add to the fun of this adventure through historic Athens, including the irony of Nico's annoyingly intelligent little brother, Socrates!

Here is the awesome first line:

A dead man fell from the sky, landing at my feet with a thud.

Totally recommend this unique mystery! And the next book, THE IONIA SANCTION is out now too!


I also finished
THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern

One Word: Enchanting!

Another trip back in time, but not quite so far. This fanciful tale takes place at the turn of the 20th century, when men wore hats and women wore gowns and magic was real. The language is romantic, the scenes eloquent, the story a delightful labyrinth. I love books that surprise me and the way Ms. Morgenstern unfolds this tangled tale is like opening a carefully wrapped Christmas present. The descriptions of characters and settings are delectable, with extravagant costumes, sensory stirring scenes, and impeccable metaphors. Caught up in an intricate game, the two contenders enrapture everyone around them with their talents, including the reader. Emotional highs and lows and breathtaking visions. Can't say enough about how warm and fuzzy I felt reading it!

Here is an excerpt to tempt you:

"Secrets have power," Widget begins. "And the power diminishes when they are shared, so they are best kept and kept well..."

I hope you add this to your TBR list. I know I will be looking for more imaginative tales by Ms. Morgenstern!

Now to start the next three books on the TBR list! What are you reading?

Leave 'em hanging!

Part 2 of the Hookers and Hangers blogfest. Ta Daa!

I had a lot more hangers than hookers. Guess I should work on that. I didn't even use my first line! Needs improvement.

Anyway, here is the better half. Enjoy these hangers and I will enjoy yours!

• In the chair sat a pile of sparkly dust.
• With the ominous implications of the task set before him, it should be pouring.
• "Amen," Cooper said, though he felt like having a double.
• "You should've gone when you had the chance."
• The tunnel was more of a backup plan.
• They began their journey into the dank depths.
• "Help me!" he mouthed to Geri and Cooper as he backed out with his supplies.
• Such easy prey.
• Everyone pays for their choices, one way or another.
• "Figure it out, face match that woman, and get me Blake!"
• He stood scratching his head as Cooper taxied the plane from the hangar to the mowed runway strip and took off.

That's enough. What a fun blogfest!

But must include something for Sensational Haiku Wednesday! on boredom...

No time to be bored
Too much to do! Rush, rush, rush!
Be bored when I'm dead.

Even vacation

cannot relax, must create,

build, enjoy, sightsee!

You know who has no

problem being bored? My kids!

Free demonstrations

They build the castles, I sculpt.

Off the Hook!

(insert groan here)

But did I get your attention?
Well, that's what today is all about! Time for the Hookers and Hangers blogfest sponsored by Falling 4 Fiction!
Today is Hooker day so I will start with my top Hooks:

• Huddled in the farthest booth, Cooper's mysterious caller was easy to spot.
• Geri steadied her aim and emptied a charge.
• With sagging shoulders, Cooper dragged himself over to a shaded bench in a poor attempt to mask his holy #*$% reaction.
• "So Dawson is going to play Cooper's Fairy Godmother and get him into the ball."
• Jared pulled Miki closer.
• Geri strutted into headquarters wearing a silky, amethyst, haltered evening gown that flowed to the floor with a high side slit and sparkly purple pumps.
• A whisper in Geri's earpiece sent a shiver down her back.
• "So how long have you been a spy?"

Next I have to thank everyone who offered advice and support for my query letter over the weekend! I feel confident I will improve it and find a great agent. And if I don't, I might dive into the self-pub pool. That discussion will be held at a later date...I'll keep you informed!

Coming up in August:
Camp Nano!
The Fairy Tale Madness Fest, August 13-17
Deana's Gearing Up To Get An Agent month long event!
Kyra Lennon's blog tour August 6-19 to promote her fun new YA book, GAME ON!

Lastly, I just got back from a lovey vacation in Hilton Head! It was my first time and it was gorgeous! I will be sharing pictures here and there...

Hope you had a nice weekend and did some writing! I didn't write so much as read - finished 2 books! It takes me a while. Reviews coming soon!

Writing a book - my defective 8 ball

So many of you have gotten requests from your query letters and even representation! I'm very happy for you, but I wonder what I am doing wrong. It's like my magic Eight Ball only has negative responses! "not at this time" "ask again later" "sources point to no" "quit now"

And so I take this opportunity to use the Magic Eight Ball MeMe bestowed by the awesome YA writer, Jaycee DeLorenzo!

Post a paragraph or excerpt from a current WIP, or maybe a query you just can't nail, and ask your blog readers to be your Magic 8 Balls.  Hopefully, they'll be willing to give you some advice  - something more fulfilling than a "yes" or "no."

In short, here are the rules:

1. Post the button and link to http://blog.jayceedelorenzo.com.
2.  Share an excerpt from your current WIP, perhaps something you're struggling with, are stuck on, or just can't "get right."
3.  Ask a question about your excerpt.  It can be something easy such as "What do you think?" or something more in-depth, such as "Can you suggest a better way to word such-and-such," or "How can I make the emotions in this scene more realistic?"
4.  Tag 8 people. 

I am asking for help with my query. I have carefully researched agents and gotten lots of helpful advice from several of you and reworked it, but I guess something is still missing. Or maybe there just isn't a big enough market for my book. Well, here you go...

Since pop travel teleportation overtook flying, people are excited about going places again, unaware that some unlucky travelers have turned to dust.

Jameson Cooper is the exception. He avoids pop travel, blaming it for the loss of his wife and successful career. If not for his brother, he’d be wallowing in a gutter downtown.

Searching for a glitch in pop travel at the Atlanta Travelport for a paranoid client, Cooper discovers a video of a disintegrating traveler. As people around him drop dead in "accidents" and he is attacked by a thug, Cooper wants to pass off the video. But when his brother shows symptoms similar to the victims and Cooper is warned to quit the case or his brother will be zapped, he sucks it up, determined to put a stop to it all.

With webcams everywhere and the Q-net filtered by the government, Cooper must bypass conventional avenues to confront the Creator of pop travel, young genius Hasan Rakhi, and convince him to admit the truth to the world. No problem. All Cooper has to do is face his pop anxiety to crash a party at Hasan’s plantation compound and use his old lawyer powers of persuasion. What he doesn’t account for is being helplessly distracted by Southern Comfort in a purple dress, Geri Harper (an Agent sent to retrieve the drive and protect Hasan). Since Cooper can’t shake her, Geri tags along and they sneak in to persuade Hasan who surprises them by asking for help to escape his luxurious corporate prison. Cooper and his new accomplices concoct a plan as they lead a chase across the world to reveal and end pop travel’s deadly flaw before they disappear.

POP TRAVEL, a thriller, is complete at 81,000 words. 

Thanks for reading my query! And here are some lovely writers I'm sending this meme to!

Candilynn Fite
Jemi Fraser
J. A. Bennett
M Pax
M. S. Hatch
Emily R. King
Hope Roberson
Sheena-kay Graham

Will they do it? "Wait and see."

Mr. R

This is an entry for Chuck Wendig's flash fiction challenge this week...a modern day fairytale.

Mr. R

"I'm telling you, Gloria, Mr. R is a wonderful father, no matter what everyone says."

Leaving the dungeon rooms of the most despised resident at Castle Arms, the two maids rode the service elevator with their cart to the tenth floor.

"I don't know, Sheila. He doesn't seem like the home schooling type."

"It's better than being spoiled in the penthouse by that glam mother of his. She'd ship him off to boarding school."

Choosing adjoining rooms, they parked and began their cleaning routine.  

"True."  

"Course it is. He'd be a snobby little prince! Mr. R has a kind heart if you look past his unfortunate facial disfigurement."    

"He's a troll! Got something up his rear, too, if you asked me. I deliver things to him all the time and he never so much as says thank you."  

"You'd be grumpy too if everyone shuddered or steered clear of you when you walked down the street. And he used to be handsome."
 
"Never!"
 
"I know the truth. My dear uncle, God rest his soul, worked for Mr. R when he was younger. Had a nice textile business."
 
"Must have been a long time ago."
 
"Ten years. Mr. R was generous, smart, and kind. Could've had any girl he wanted. But he chose her." Sheila nodded upstairs as the girls picked up supplies from the cart.
 
"Everyone loves the Princess."
 
"Bah! They love her money! But she loved him. Until her father, the Kingpin found out."
 
"Oh, no!"
 
"Yes. Kingpin arranged for an accident. That's how come Mr. R looks like he does, poor soul."
 
"But didn't he steal her baby?"
 
As they pushed the cart to the next set of rooms, Sheila leaned in and whispered.
 
"It's his." Gloria stopped short.
 
"Never!"
 
"Truth. So Kingpin snagged the heir to the Tire Palace and setup a shotgun wedding because the Princess was carrying Mr. R's babe!"
 
Plastering on smiles for a passing family, the girls clammed up. When the hall was  clear, Gloria put her hands on her hips.
 
"I knew it!"
 
"When her husband found out the kid wasn't his, he made her choose. Dump the kid to be rich with him or keep it and lose everything."
 
Gloria covered her mouth and her eyes popped open.
 
"No!"
 
"The selfish wench called Mr. Rumplestiltskin the same hour and gave him the little cherub."

Can someone please turn DOWN the heat?

Trying to keep it cool in this stormy heat!

Sensational Haiku Wednesday on heat

To keep a cool head
Take a deep breath and put in
perspective, worth it?


To keep heat in love
Be thoughtful, patient, and kind
Repaid with kisses


To stay cool in heat
Stroll beach where breezes whisper
and waves tickle toes


Hope you were able to get away this summer or are looking forward to a vacation soon! And friends across the globe who are not feeling the heat, what's your weather like? It would be refreshing to hear!

It's still Monday...

Baseball is officially over! And my little guy's team won a tournament! Woo hoo!
But the best part of my weekend was a wonderful new CP read my MS through in 2 days! Made my whole summer! I will be interviewing her after Camp Nano...surprise!

Speaking of Camp Nano August, I'm starting to pack! Here is what I will be bringing (I'm a total plotter):
>> a pen
>> trusty notebook
>> outline & maps - i love maps, they help me visualize!
>> character & background info
>> calendar - to keep track of my progress, not gutsy enough to use a gadget on the blog, especially for my first time!
Any other suggestions?

Other than that, not much to mention, except... Alex - still waiting to hear about the fest! But I've been away from the internet, so maybe he did today. I'll check...

Chuck Wendig, outspoken author & giver of writing advice, has a good flash fiction challenge this week that coordinates with the FAIRYTALE MADNESS blogfest (August 13-17). For Wendig's flash, twist a fairy tale into a different time period. Light bulb!

 

And lastly, been looking through my MS at the Hookers and Hangers for the blog hop coming up July 16 & 18.

I am rich!

Rich with friends! Thank you all so much for the kind words and support this week! I got several great CP offers! I'm very excited! Here, have some chocolate before it melts!

Now don't forget, Monday from 6 AM to 3 PM is the Christmas in July contest. To preview the wonderful agents who are the final judges, go peek at Michelle's or Ruth's. Polish those queries and tweak those opening pages. And for the top 30, these sweet ladies will be giving advice on how to improve even more before the final judging! Never hurts to enter a contest!


Have a great weekend! Stay cool!

Human Nature

Happy Independence Day!

And for Sensational Haiku Wednesday - natural.
Getting deep in my old age...

Is it selfishness
to follow human instinct?
Nature's selection

Natural instincts
introvert, extrovert, twixt
make us who we are


Not an accident

Nothing more perfect
than proving God's existence
Science of nature

I ain't too proud to beg

Famous desperate words...

For this month's IWSG I am WSCPB (Writer seeking Crit Partner/Beta)
Is it just me or are most of my bloggy friends YA? Yes, some of you are sci fi, romance, fantasy...but YA seems to be a really BIG group! I feel like me and my thriller aren't a desired match for betas/cps. I have also noticed that many of you already have your comfortable match ups. I have had a couple of great experiences, but they were more like one night stands - not sure if I'm supposed to call the next day (ha ha). I know for my book to succeed I need more eyes on it and I am willing to trade services. How do I go about getting and keeping a CP/Beta?!

Falling for Fiction is awesome for beta/cp mixers - but again, mostly YA (and I tried, but was rejected...boo hoo)

Rach Writes also did a cp match up - no matches for me...

And perfect timing, Miss Snark offered her services to help match up cps on Monday and will display the info on Wednesday! I put my name in for some of that action. We'll see if I get any takers.

And if any of y'all are looking, here is my current sitch:

• ready to query my thriller POP TRAVEL, would like final crit of ms and query
• starting a new fantasy MG with the August Camp Nano so that wouldn't be ready for crits until the fall
• I read/write sci fi, fantasy, thriller, not so much romance, no horror
• I work well with deadlines and am willing to trade MS, chapters, query letters at any pace and at any depth of crit level

How did you like my ad in the crit partner personals? ha ha! But seriously, if you are in a similar situation, looking for a solid crit partner, you can leave your email in the comments, or email me direct ->

taratylertalks /at\ gee male /dot\ c o m 

Thanks!

Kick Start July!

The humid air sizzles and smokes with scents of hot dogs and apple pie. As the sweat drips down your back, replenish your fluids with some juicy watermelon or sweetly sour lemonade. And when the sun disappears, children running around with sparklers halt as the first shot is fired high into the sky, a time-lapsed blossom of light explodes, followed by others, emphasized by thunderous booms! Happy July!

First - Congratulations to those who stuck it out and wrote their fingers off for the Nanos of June. And good luck to us about to tackle the challenge in August. Any pointers??? Budget your time and go in with a plan are my two cents.

Now for the bloggy news:
Going on right now! Found this through Mina Burrows. A bunch of bloggers got together to give away some wonderful prizes - check out their sites! Hurry, ends July 5th!

Calling all writers in need of a hug - the Insecure Writers Support Group (IWSG) is extending its session this month. Most of us in America will be celebrating the 4th of July as our Independence Day (awesome movie too!) So Alex is spreading IWSG over two days, 7/3 and 7/4 to give us time to party and commiserate at our leisure. All are welcome!

Is your novel complete? Working on your query? Looking for a fabulous agent to represent you? (Aren't we all?) Well this blogfest is for you! Christmas in July! July 9th from 6 am to 3 pm. Thanks, Robin for telling us about it!

And I must mention again the Hookers & Hangers bloghop on July 16 & 18 at Falling for Fiction. Hook 'em with the first sentence, leave 'em hanging with the last!

Coming in August:
Alex - talk about a hanger, when will you reveal your mystery blogfest? We are all on the edges of our desk chairs!

And oh, yes! A stupendous group of bloggers has come together for a week long FAIRYTALE MADNESS blogfest, August 13-17 - choose your sub genre and write a winning story!