Three, Two, One, Pitch Contest: Special Announcement!

It's Monday! Which, for most of us, means the weekend has come and gone and we are slogging our way back to work or school. Hopefully, you're relaxed and ready to start your week, but if that's not even close, maybe we can help (or just get you excited and antsy, which is probably not much help at all).

Today we announce the agent who will be judging the Three, Two, One, Pitch Contest in TWO WEEKS! (If you have no idea what the Three, Two, One, Pitch Contest is, read this post) Believe me, guys, this agent is a good one. She comes from a fabulous agency that is currently not opened to unsolicited queries, so this may be your chance to snag her!

Meet Tricia Lawrence of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency, the gracious guest judge of our Three, Two, One, Pitch Contest:

Tricia is the "Pacific Northwest branch" of EMLA—born and raised in Oregon, and now lives in Seattle. After 17 years of working as a developmental and production-based editor (from kids book to college textbooks, but mostly college textbooks), she joined the EMLA team in March 2011 as a social media strategist hoping to learn from Erin and Joan about agenting.

As associate agent, Tricia represents picture books/chapter books that look at the world in a unique and unusual way, with characters that are alive both on and off the page, and middle grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction that offers strong worldbuilding, wounded narrators, and stories that grab a reader and won't let go.

Tricia loves hiking, camping out in the woods, and collecting rocks. She loves BBC America and anything British. She has way too many books and not enough bookshelves. You can find Tricia's writing about blogging, Tweeting, Facebooking, and other social media topics (for authors and the publishing industry at large) here.

So, if you want the chance to pitch to Tricia in three sentences, click this link, read the post, and follow the directions. We look forward to reading your entries!

Author Update: Kristi Helvig

I love it when authors I've been in contact with have big, happy news to share.

Back in 2010, I interviewed writer Kristi Helvig. She's a Sisters in Scribe sister and an absolute sweetheart. Well, I'm pleased to announce that Kristi has landed an agent -- in her words, an awesome agent perfect for her.

Dying to know more? Read Kristi's post on how she got her agent. I'm sure you'll find it encouraging and uplifting. I know I did.

Happy New Year, everyone! Let's make 2012 the year we all reach our goals!

Frankfurt Book Fair

All the years I've lived in Frankfurt, and I haven't yet been to the Frankfurt Book Fair. But that changes this year. I'm determined to go. And I've even got the okay from my boss that, if I look for books suitable for the creche I work at, she'll pay for my ticket!

It takes place October 12th through the 16th, and I'll be going on the 16th, which is a Sunday. (I would have loved to go on the 15th, but I have to do a mandatory First Aid Course that day. On the upside, if anyone needs their lives saved on the 16th, I should have the lesson fresh in my mind!)

I'm really excited, and I'm hoping there will be names or faces I recognize there. So if you are going to be there, or you know of writers (or agents?) or other publishing industry names that will attend, leave me a comment. I'd love to connect ... or at least to say, "Dude, guess who I saw!" I'll be sure to bring my camera.

For more information on the biggest book fair in the world, check out the website here.

Guest Post by Kate Walton: Staying on the Path

Today we have an inspiring post from the fabulous Kate Walton, whom I interviewed back in May. She also made a brilliant parody song for aspiring writers that I still sing to this day. Listen to her words of wisdom, fellow aspiring writers.


First, thank you to Dorothy for asking me to contribute this guest post.  It is an honor.


Quitting.  Throwing in the towel.  Jumping ship.  Leaving it all behind.  Giving up.


Ever want to do it?  If you said no, then you seriously are a super human and far stronger than I.  I’m sure you’ve read or heard, “Publishing isn’t for the faint of heart.”  I know I have, and I truly believed my skin was tough enough, that my manuscripts were good enough, and that I had the iron will to plow through and attain my goal…land a literary agent.  


Then the rejections came. 


They came on queries.  They came on partials.  They came on fulls.  They came as form letters all the way up to the ultra-painful, “After reading your novel, I’m afraid I’m going to pass because…”  And they kept coming until I literally quit, threw in the towel, jumped ship, left it all behind and gave up.  Oh yes I did. 


I just couldn’t take it another second.  And you know what “it” I’m referring to…the agent researching, contest entering, query-revising, query-submitting, query-checking, tear wiping, fist balling, forum reading, blog reading, manuscript reading, and on and on and on.  A writer’s life on the agent hunt ain’t easy, and I was bone crushing tired of it all.  Ache and want filled me up and I overflowed all over my office when I typed on my blog: At the risk of sounding overly dramatic...I think I'm going to take some time off to lick my wounds and do some writer'ish soul searching.


I quit.


That was June 3, 2010.


Time jump with me to June 10, 2010 – a mere seven days later (yet a long 922 days since I completed my first novel. Yes, that translates to 2.4 years).  


On June 10^th I wrote a public letter to The Universe…a letter of gratitude.  In those seven days I received two full requests, and one of those requests ended up turning into an offer of representation from Sarah LaPolla at Curtis Brown Ltd.  I am proud to say I am represented by her (proud and chill-inducing-excited).


You know my ultimate point; you’ve heard it before:  If you want it bad enough then do not give up.  It really is that simple.


Stay on the path no matter how many trolls or witches try to lead you astray.  Shut the inner demons up by doing even more…more writing, more conference going, more class taking, more researching, more revising, more reading, more everything.  If writing flows through your veins and feeds your soul, then it IS your destiny.  Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. 

Interview with Sandy James

Welcome back, fellow aspiring writers. Today I have the honor of chatting with award-winning romance author Sandy James.

Sandy is a psychology and US history teacher in Indianapolis. She's married with two grown children and owns a small racing stable of Standardbred Harness horses.

Nice to have you here, Sandy. You've written quite a lot of books. Tell us about how it all started.

I consider myself as having two “starts.” The first was my start at writing; the second my start in publishing.


I wrote my first book the year my son was a senior in high school. Empty nest was on the horizon, and I was very involved in the lives and activities of both of my children. That left me a little terrified that all I would do once they were gone was stare like a zombie at the television or read myself into a coma.


Since romance has always been my first choice of genre to read, I often wondered if I could write one. But I never really had the motivation to try. Then I read a book that aggravated me so much, I figured I might be able to do a better job, so I gave it a try. One book, and I was addicted. The characters started to talk to me so often, I had no choice but to write their stories.


I only wanted to write for fun until I had a couple of friends at my school who asked to read the first book. Then they wanted to read the next. Their encouragement led me to look into whether I had the potential to be published. My first step was to talk to my father-in-law, M.R. James. He’s a multi-published author, and I begged him to look at my first book. He took a red pen to it and taught me so much about the craft. I’ll be forever grateful for his help and his honesty.


I decided to educate myself more, so I attended a local writers’ meeting and realized I’d found a “home” at Indiana RWA. Not only were the women of the group the most supportive people, but I also was lucky enough to meet my mentor, Judie Aitken. She took me under her wing and encouraged me to not only keep learning but to test the water by entering some writing contests. I finaled in the second one I entered. I enjoyed that so much, I became a “contest diva,” and I’ve met the nicest people through contesting. I’ve made several friendships I know will last a lifetime.

My success led me to decide to actively pursue publication. I queried agents while also looking for a home for my stories. Sad to say, I landed a newer agent who ended up being the wrong one for me. She didn’t make many submissions and was very hard to contact. The good thing was that I had a year of not only growing in my craft, but I learned many valuable lessons about the business. When I finally decided to part ways with her, I submitted to BookStrand on a friend’s advice. She was published by Siren, which normally puts out erotica, but their new imprint BookStrand was accepting mainstream romance. I sent Turning Thirty-Twelve, a book I loved but was afraid no one else would enjoy because it was about a middle-aged heroine. Amazingly, they bought it.


What I like about BookStrand is that they demand quality. Many epublishers churn out books so quickly they’re often riddled with flaws and are poorly edited. Not so with BookStrand. The editor helped me improve the book, easily evidenced by the fact that Turning Thirty-Twelve won the Aspen Gold Readers’ Choice Award for the Best Contemporary Romance, beating two Harlequin books. It also finaled in the Colorado RWA Award of Excellence Contest and is a current finalist in the Wisconsin RWA Write Touch Readers’ Choice Contest.

I understand the success of that book lead to a contract with BookStrand for your Damaged Heroes series. Can you tell us a bit about that?

After I sold Turning Thirty-Twelve, I started querying agents again. I also decided to see if BookStrand would be interested in my horse-racing story, Murphy’s Law. It had been successful in contests, but I wasn’t sure it was what BookStrand was looking for. It’s my longest book at 116K words, more epic than the normal mainstream titles they published. I was thrilled when they offered me a contact!

About two weeks later, I received two offers for agent representation. Both agents are good, but I chose Maureen Walters of Curtis Brown, Ltd., because of her success in romance. Unfortunately, I couldn’t let her work on my Damaged Heroes series because by signing Murphy’s Law to BookStrand, my contract gave them first right of refusal on any books using the same characters. They bought all three sequels sight unseen. Maureen might have been able to find them a bigger house, but I never regret selling those books to BookStrand. The people there have been phenomenal to work with, and I have learned so much about the publishing industry from editing, releasing, and marketing those books. I also have a small fan base and tons of excellent reviews. My work with BookStrand has given me a foundation upon which I can grow my career.

How did your books get marketed? Did BookStrand provide a service to get your name out there?

BookStrand maintains a quality website that attracts lots of readers, but they’ve also been generous enough to feature all my titles in a Romantic Times ad. They even had the cover of Turning Thirty-Twelve on the home page of the Romantic Times website.


An author can only count on so much marketing from her publisher. I have been actively marketing my own stories. I established a website, a MUST for any author seeking publication. I also joined GoodReads and have connected with many readers on that site. I have a FaceBook fan page that I’m happy to say now has over 800 fans. I have an Amazon.com author’s page and post my books, reviews, and blog entries there.


I believe the Internet offers so many opportunities for writers to get their names out there, but writers can’t expect opportunities to fall into their laps. I’ve devoted countless hours to promo, from posting on Yahoo loops to interacting with fans in chats, to holding book giveaways and contests. Depending on what you want to spend, there are a number of review sites you can use for advertisement. I suggest you target high profile sites, and I’m not entirely convinced those ads really deliver for what they cost. But I’ve been willing to try any route that seems to have potential.

And you've won a whole bunch of awards with your books. Did this winning streak help you in landing your agent?

I’ve been so lucky with contests. I’m proud to say I’ve finaled eight books/manuscripts in twenty-eight writing contests. Not only has Turning Thirty-Twelve done well, but Murphy’s Law and Free Falling were both EPIC finalists. Such an honor to have two of my books considered among the best ebooks published for the year! All the Right Reasons was a Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence finalist and is a Colorado RWA Award of Excellence Finalist. And Faith of the Heart is a Wisconsin RWA Write Touch Readers’ Choice Award Finalist. How wonderful to be able to say every one of my published books has been a finalist in a national contest!


To find my agent, I journeyed through Query Hell, just like most writers have to travel. The key to landing a good agent is not only having a wonderful book but giving the agent an author she can market. While my contest finals might have caught Maureen’s eye, I think it was my willingness to work hard, to listen to constructive criticism, and the fact that I’m prolific that brought about her offer to represent my work. No agent wants to represent a “one hit wonder” or someone with an ego so large she refuses to listen to suggestions for improvement.


I strongly suggest authors research agents and never settle. There are so many good firms out there, but there are bad ones as well. Having a bad agent is worse than being unagented. I’m truly blessed to be working with an agent of Maureen’s caliber, and her faith in me gives me the confidence to keep trying in a business that can be so discouraging.

Besides your agent, do you have a critique partner or beta readers?

My mentor was the first person to critique my stories. I also worked with her in a critique group (my beloved “Critters”) who helped me improve. Since I write so quickly, and because the group’s dynamics kept shifting which made it hard to meet often, I decided to find a critique partner who worked as fast as I do.


My critique partner and I actually met through my first agent since we were both represented by her. Leanna Weissmann’s like my other half, and I give her SOOO much credit for helping me make my stories popular. She has insight and isn’t afraid to tell me when something doesn’t work. I also love reading her YA stories because they’re a change of pace from romance. We exchange a couple of chapters a week online.


My mother is also a beta reader who does a fantastic job helping me proofread. She’s one of my biggest fans, which means the world to me.

What point are you at now?

Maureen is trying to sell my Amazon urban fantasy series. Three of the four books are complete, and the fourth is one of my WIPs. All three completed stories have been contest winners or finalists. I also recently finished her suggested edits on a time travel that was actually my first book. I took a long look at it several months ago, deleted the file, and rewrote it from scratch using all I’ve learned since I started writing. Hopefully, we’ll have it on submission soon as well.


In the meantime, the best thing for me to do is to not angst over submissions but to keep writing. I’m currently working on a women’s fiction about a class reunion that is reminiscent of Turning Thirty-Twelve. I also started another romantic suspense. Just a few weeks ago, I completed a historical based in the Old West. My critique partner is ripping it to shreds right now before I send it to Maureen. I’m definitely not limiting myself to one sub-genre. I write what talks to me and stories I would enjoy reading, no matter what path they lead me down.

Looking at your track record, one wouldn't think you had any difficulty when it comes to writing. Is there anything you find hard about being a writer?

Every writer has some kind of difficulty when it comes to writing. Despite my high words counts, the hardest part of the writing process for me is producing new words. Sometimes it feels like agony, but I make it happen. On the other hand, I absolutely love editing and layering the stories. A bit funny that new words come with so much difficulty considering I’ll be in the first in my writing group to reach the million word mark. Our chapter started a “Million Word Quest” a few years ago based on the premise that a writer should never give up on her writing career until she’s written at least a million words. Monthly, we report in with our progress. As of last month, I was only 14K words from finishing the Quest. I find that positively amazing!

Wow, that is outstanding! Any tips you've learned about writing you can share?

Never, never stop trying to grow as a writer. Always learn about your craft, and always strive to improve!

Let's get to know you on a deeper level. What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

Music. I can’t write in the quiet. Television is okay, but I tend to get pulled away from the writing, so I depend on my iTunes®. I have a very long mix of songs – almost 400 – that I play in random order and listen to when I write. Barry Manilow. Billy Joel. Michel Bublé. Broadway tunes. Glee. Quite an eclectic mix. I usually have my schnauzer, Dr. Carter, snuggled up to me as well.

How adorable! Your very own four-legged writing partner. So here's where you thank the supportive people in your life. Who would you like to give a shout out to?

My husband Jeff is a gem. He allows me the time to write and doesn’t complain when I ignore other things to spend time with my laptop. My kids, Laura and Kevin, gave me the courage to even try to write. My mother and father make me feel as if I can be Nora Roberts if I put my mind to it. My sister is my shoulder to cry on and tells everyone about my books. Judie and the ladies from the Critters helped me get my start in writing. And of course my agent and my critique partner. I’d be lost without them!

And finally, where can people find you online?

My website is http://www.sandy-james.com


You can find my ebooks at http://www.bookstrand.com or on http://www.fictionwise.com


My print books are available on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble websites.


If you’re a GoodReads fan, please friend me! I love to connect with writers and fans! My FaceBook Fan Page is http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sandy-James/280548586384

Sandy, thank you so much for talking with us today. It was a pleasure getting to know you, and I wish you much success with your books.

Thanks so much for having me as a guest!

I Wrote a Book and You'll Like it

I'm not the only writer who comes up with crazy ideas in the shower—and certainly not the only person who sings in the shower. Combine the two and you get a whole new world of bizarre.

And that brings us to today's post. Today's shower had me changing the words of Katy Perry's I Kissed a Girl to fit a writer's struggle to get published. And yes, I am that insane.

I WROTE A BOOK

I’ve got a manuscript on hand,
for your consideration
I got so brave,
pen in hand
Used imagination
It’s not what you’re used to,
You’ll really dig my book
You’re curious, aren’t you?
Just take a little look

I wrote a book and you’ll like it,
Here’s the first 20 chapters
It’s saleable, so just try it,
I hope it’s what you’re after
Don’t take too long,
Read it tonight
Make an offer
And I’ll say, ‘All right!’
I wrote a book and you’ll like it
Please like it

I read your agency is yet
Closed to submissions
But you are my last hope to get
Representation
It's just what writers do
We often misbehave
Plot leaves you confused?
Let me explain

I wrote a book and you’ll like it
Here’s the first 20 chapters
It’s saleable, so just try it,
I hope it’s what you’re after
Don’t take too long,
Read it tonight
Make an offer
And I’ll say, ‘All right!’
I wrote a book and you’ll like it
Please like it

My plot twists are so magical,
My MC’s super lovable
Hard to resist,
Publishable
Too good to deny it.
The next big deal,
Profitable

I wrote a book and you’ll like it
Here’s the first 20 chapters
It’s saleable, so just try it,
I hope it’s what you’re after
Don’t take too long,
Read it tonight
Make an offer
And I’ll say, ‘All right!’
I wrote a book and you’ll like it
Please like it

;-)

Interview with Ashelynn Sanford

I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone for stopping in and reading my blog. I'm glad others find it interesting to hear about other aspiring writers. I like the fact that it seems more like a community when we can be here for each other and cheer each other on!

Today we're talking with Ashelynn Sanford.

Welcome, Ashelynn. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m a young aspiring author who lives in Northern Wyoming. I teach a group of five nine-year-old girls dance every Wednesday, and I spend two days of the week learning the routines that I teach from my boss. I go by the name Ashelynn D. Sanford, or Ashy.


You lead a very artistic life. What is the name and genre of your manuscript?

"The Year the World Ended" is the novel I’m focusing on now, and it’s a action/adventure. A genre I don’t normally write in.

And what is this action/adventure story about?

The Boudoirs are a French couple who know one secret, and if that secret lands in the enemy’s hands, North America’s empire is going to expand from just one continent.


Elijah Anson and West Anderson have been assigned the mission of getting the information from Pierre Boudoir. Eli’s only issue with the assignment is his burning desire for Chance Boudoir, Pierre’s wife.


When Pierre becomes sick with a plague, Eli reacts irrationally and takes Chance Boudoir with him to Florida, where the last space shuttle to the moon is launching. West is tracking them down, determined to get the information from Chance who pretends she doesn’t know the secret…


It’s a race against time, enemies, and trust. How can Chance trust the one person who captured and saved her?

The description's got my blood pumping already. How did the idea of the story come to you?


I believe it came when I was sitting my history class, watching a movie about World War II and the great depression. Over the past couple of months, I’ve been rethinking the plot, trying to further it along, and those ideas came to me when I’m in the shower…like always…

Is your manuscript complete or still a work in progress?

A work in progress.

Do you have a word count goal, and how far along are you at this point?

I don’t at the moment, but I’d like if it was over 75K. I’m still in the beginning stages, but hope to be much, much further, at least 1/3rd of the 75K goal by the end of March, early April.

What will be your next step when you're done?

Querying for an agent. I think everybody should try to get an agent before going to self-publishing; a lot of bestselling authors received a ton of rejection letters before somebody decided to take them on. Self-publishing isn’t something I’m looking into, and I hope I don’t have to.

I agree with you on trying for an agent. Good advice. So do you have a critique group or beta readers, or do you self-edit?

When I get to the editing phase, I’ll send it my close friends—Mireyah being one of them. I think being in a critique group helps writers and even friends whose advice you trust.

Yes, a fresh set of eyes helps a lot. What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

Finding time to write. You’d think for a nineteen-year-old not going to college would have a lot of time to write, right? My mother seems to think that I’m her housemaid, so I’m usually away from the computer nine hours in the day, and then when I am able to get on the computer, I either get distracted by the shiny things (Oo, internet…) or my mom has decided the fridge needs to be cleaned.

I'm sure most of us are often distracted by the internet. Can't be helped. Any tips you’ve learned about writing you’d like to share?

Manage your time very well; if you have a few hours to kill, open up your MS and start writing. Whenever you can write, write. It will help you in the long run, even if it’s just baby steps. A lot of people say you need to write every day, but I don’t. As long as you’re thinking about it, I think that’s good enough. Some days you don’t have time to write at all without sacrificing something, and writing shouldn’t be your top priority. Family, job, relationships, etc. should be your top priority.

That's a healthy perspective. So who are your inspirations?

Kate Chopin because she wrote scenes that weren’t safe to write about in her time, and she was a woman and not a lot of women wrote “unsafe” scenes in the 1800s. I have a lot more other inspirations, but I’m just going to leave it at Kate Chopin because I could go on.

She sounds awesome! Let’s get to know you on a deeper level. Can you name three things about yourself people may not know (or maybe they do know but they are special traits/hobbies/quirks)?

1. I love perfume and body spray. I can six bottles on my desk right now, and that’s not including all the bottles I have in my bathroom! Since I have decision-making issues, I have somebody else pick what perfume I’m going to wear that day. My Stepsis really likes this job.
2. I can’t read one book at a time. I usually read two-three books at the same time, but right now I’m reading seven (yes SEVEN) published books and TWO manuscripts from two very talented young writers.
3. I don’t want to write a bestseller; sure, it’d be cool, but it’s not something I’m aiming for when I become published. I’d rather have my book become banned than a bestseller. Not because banned books make a lot of money or anything, I’m not doing this for the money, but because I could say, “Yeah, my novel so-and-so is banned. Pretty cool, eh?”

Aha, I see. Well, that's one way to stand apart from the crowd. Okay, here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Who would you like to give a shout out to?

My best girls: Dawn, Amy, Mireyah, and H. C. They’re always there for me, and even though there are a lot more people who support and are always there for me, these four are *always* there and not afraid to kick my butt into gear if I’m stalling with writing!

And finally, where can people find you online?

My blog: http://ashelynnsanford.wordpress.com
My twitter: @AshelynnS

Thank you so much for chatting with us, Ashelynn. Good luck with your book, and be sure to let us know when you've reached the next step of your writing journey!

Interview with Anne Riley

Hello, everyone! As you can see, We Do Write has a brand new look, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

Today we're chatting with 26-year-old Anne Riley from Birmingham, Alabama. Anne is a high school Spanish teacher and, to use her own words, a wrangler of teenagers and unofficial adolescent counselor—comes with the job! She's married and has a cat that, according to her,  might as well be a child.

Welcome, Anne! So tell us, what is the name and genre of your manuscript?

The Clearing is a YA paranormal novel.

Let's hear your pitch.

When Natalie Watson's parents die in what appears to be a bizarre double-suicide, she is shipped from her home in Georgia to a boarding school in Maine. Her aunt is the headmistress and provides Natalie with a certain degree of comfort, but the other students are a different story. In the midst of fending off bullies and overly-charming jocks, Natalie meets Liam - in a super embarrassing way - and decides to solve the mystery of whether or not he murdered his sister the year before, like the rumors say. One night, she sees him sneaking off into the woods - and that's when she gets pulled deep into a world she never knew existed. A world that spans hundreds of years and dozens of dimensions. A world that might hold the key to solving her parents' mysterious deaths....

Ooh, intriguing! I feel like following Natalie into those woods and finding out what happens. How did the idea of the story come to you?

I've had this story in my head for years. I always thought the old "write what you know" thing was kind of boring, so instead I write what I want to read. I've always been intrigued by boarding schools and the possibilities they hold.

And you've got an agent! That's great. For those of us who don't have one yet, can you tell us if there's a way to know if an agent is the right fit?

Finding an agent is hard work! Somehow, it happened pretty quickly for me, but that was definitely a fluke. It takes a lot of research and a pretty large Excel spreadsheet to keep you from going insane. The best website out there for finding an agent is www.agentquery.com. This is the site I used. It lets you narrow down agents by the genres they represent, and it also gives you links to their websites. From there, you can see what they have sold and who they represent, and find someone who would be a good fit for you.

You've done a lot of revision for your book. Do you feel you've done all you can do to it at this point?

At this point, yes. But if a publisher buys it? Oh, I'm sure there will be more revision then. And once it's bound and on the shelves, I'll probably read through it and find things I could improve. A writer's work is never done!

Besides your agent, and suggestions for revisions by editors at publishing houses, do you have a critique partner or beta readers?

Strangely, no. I mean, not officially. Several versions of the manuscript ago, I let a couple of friends read through it and tell me their thoughts - but that was only a one time thing. The only other people who have read it are my husband, my parents, and my agent (who is the ULTIMATE critique partner!). I tend to work solo for the most part, only asking for help if I'm really stuck.

What’s the hardest part of writing that you've struggled through?

Keeping up with the changes I've made throughout the various rounds of editing. It's hard for me to remember what I said about this character ten chapters ago, and whether or not I ever resolved that one thing I said in Chapter 2... things like that. Outlines are pretty much priceless for me because my memory is useless.

My memory is useless too, so I understand how an outline can be priceless, lol. Any tips you’ve learned about writing you’d like to share?

Just practice. Start a blog, write short stories, whatever you can do. You don't get better unless you write constantly.

I totally agree. So, do you have an ideal book cover?

Fairy rings are a central part of my story (those circles of mushrooms that crop up randomly) so I think I would like to see one of those on the cover.

That sounds perfect! Tell us, who are your inspirations?

Like the rest of the world, I'm obsessed with J.K. Rowling. I also love Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games), Kate Morton (The Forgotten Garden) and Kathryn Stockett (The Help). Also, David Gray's music totally gets me in the mood. *ahem* The writing mood, I should specify.

Hehe, I'm sure we all knew what you meant. Let’s get to know you on a deeper level. Can you name three things about yourself people may not know (or maybe they do know but they are special traits/hobbies/quirks)?

1.  I love to make lists. Like this one. It's part of my organization-obsessed personality.
2.  I lived in Spain as an exchange student for six months when I was in college.
3. I often carry my passport in my purse, just in case I need to quickly leave the country. (One time, I used it for exactly that purpose. See? I'm not crazy.)

Don't worry, I think crazy is a good trait anyway. *wink* Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Who would you like to give a shout out to?

My husband, for putting up with my crazy writer self on a daily basis. My parents, for raising me in a household filled with books (and love, or whatever... j/k). My friends who have read all of, or a portion of, the manuscript and didn't tell me to burn it. And my agent, Alanna Ramirez, for being totally awesome.

And finally, where can people find you online?

Blog: www.annecapitellriley.blogspot.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/AnneRiley
And coming soon, a real website! www.annerileybooks.com. It's not there yet - but it won't be long!

Ooh, I'll keep an eye out for your new website! Thank you so much, Anne, for letting me interview you. I know you're in the midst of another round of submissions to publishers, so I wish you all the luck in the world. We're all crossing our fingers for you!

Progression

My next step is to make a questionnaire for my victims ... er, I mean, interviewees.

This could be rather fun, though I can't believe I'm trying to fit it into my busy schedule. That's me, though. Glutton for punishment when it comes to anything creative.

Okay, so a questionnaire goes on my to-do list. But not to-do today or tomorrow, because tomorrow I'm sending out query letters to literary agents.

See, I'm an aspiring writer too!

In The Beginning ...

Hello!

Here's the deal. I'm looking for aspiring writers who wouldn't mind being interviewed about what they're working on and how far along in the getting-published process they are. If you think this is something you'd be interested in, drop me an email at dorothyanndreyer [at] gmail [dot] com.

I look forward to hearing from you!