Must stay positive!

    When I was a kid (probably middle school age), I bought this postcard at my local Hallmark store. It was so pretty and magical, I just fell in love with it.  I still have it, framed, and keep it on my writing desk.  I've studied it over the years and tried to figure out what exactly made me love it so much.  Not only is it very charming visually, but the sentiment makes a lot of sense to me.
    I generally am a pessimistic person.  I try not to be but I've been that way all my adult life.  This querying process doesn't help my "glass-half-empty-ness" so I'm trying to find little gems of optimism where I can.  This postcard is one of them.  
    If I want my dreams (of becoming a published author or any of my dreams) to come true I have to nourish them and put work in on them and not just expect them to happen.  Sure, I've written two novels now.  That was relatively easy.  It's THIS part, the getting noticed and getting represented part, that seems to be the challenge.  I can't just abandon all that I've done because I keep getting rejections.  Some day I may just get a YES!  It just takes one, after all!  

Editing SHADOW GIRL

Working on more editing for SHADOW GIRL.  Just got through with Chapter 6.  I've edited SG a couple times already but have always find more mistakes each time I read through.  I want to get through at least page 50 (which will probably be around Chapter 10 if I remember correctly) this weekend.  Several of the agents I want to query want the first 50 pages sent in with the initial query.  
Also need to get that synopsis done.  Why is that so hard for me?  I just need to sit down and WRITE IT!!  It's like an annoying monkey on my back right now.  I could easily just DO IT and get it off my back but...I'm procrastinating.  Will send more queries this coming weekend too :)  Definitely need to!

    Thinking about starting a cookbook project.  I love to cook and, frankly, am pretty darn good at it :)  I love to make up my own dishes and alter existing ones.  As a vegan I'd love to do something to "spread the word" about all the fabulous, tasty, healthy (and easy) foods one can eat while causing no/minimal harm to animals, the environment, and themselves.  
     A cookbook isn't exactly a "paranormal romance" but hey...might be fun to do.  This would definitley be a long-long-long term project as I'd have to do a ton of experimenting and food testing.  Still, might be something cool to explore.

34 queries out...14 rejects so far

Just an update for my two blog readers (ha ha ha!)  Sent out three more queries today.  That is a total of 34 sent so far.  I've heard back from 14 agents (with 14 rejections) but onward I go.  I'm thinking it may be time to rewrite the query letter.  I'll suffer through a few more rejections and then revisit it.  "Life" seems to be sucking up most of my energy right now and I'm in a bit of a writer's funk.  Need someone to cattle prod me!  More soon!

Still querying...

Just reporting in on my progress since last time my last post (where I ranted about my germophobic issues and book-buying obsession.)  I sent out six more queries today which, for some reason, always makes me feel very hopeful.  I realize that 99% of these (if not 100%) will meet with rejection but I just have to remember that IT ONLYTAKES ONE YES to make my dreams come true.  Yes, I know that the query process is a trial.  Getting an agent to read my book is just the beginning. However, I'd like to at least have a chance at that.  Wish me luck as I continue to send more...

I HEART books!! (Just wish I wasn't afraid to touch them!)

     You're probably saying, "Well, duh!"  I know...here I am...former middle school Language Arts teacher, current school librarian, and wannabe writer.  Of course I love books!  I just sometimes get overwhelmed a bit by my (dare I say "unhealthy?") obsession with books.   
     In case you didn't know I happen to be a bit of a germophobe.  This characteristic of mine results in an insane amount of handwashing and an inability to check out a library book.  Yes, I realize I'm a librarian.  I don't check out library books, however, unless they have JUST come into my schools' libraries from a new book order and I am the first one to check them out.  (I will allow myself to check out audio books, which is strange but I guess that is because I don't touch the cd case that often, just to change disks.  A book, however, requires constant touching.  Then with those icky germs on them?  Gack!  This girl just can't hack it!)
     So, since I love books so much I buy a butt-load of them.  I'm doing my part to make sure Barnes and Noble and Borders stay in business (although Borders isn't doing too hot right now, are they?)  With every pay check I get I either place a book order or take a trip to a book store.  My personal home library (which I've cataloged using Delicious Library software) is now close to 2200 books (and counting.)  I'm quite the book hoarder and it's a point of pride for me when someone walks into my house, sees my library and says, "Wow, this is the coolest room!"  
     The problem I just realized today is that when searching for a specific book online, say at BN.COM or Amazon, I find that title and then end up following the "you may also like" links to the others, throwing several of them into my shopping cart as well.  I don't know when to stop! I accrue books faster then I can read them and this is creating a bit of a literary bottleneck in my brain.  For instance, I always have at least one or two ficiton books going...usual something paranormal, often something teen-y.  I also have one, sometimes two audio books going.  Lately, I've been trying to have a non-fiction book going at the same time.  I've never been a non-fic fan and always found it hard to focus on non-fic when I was a student.  I do realize the great knowledge building potential of non-fic though, so I'm trying to expand my mind.  
      One of my areas of personal interest is veganism/animal rights.  Reading about these topics makes me feel good (although the animal rights stuff can be depressing when you look at some of the horrible situations animals are put in...hence the reason I'm now a vegan.  But I digress.) I was on a blog today that I visit often (www.thekindlife.com) and they were discussing starting a book club.  I thought, "What fun!  I'll start right away!"  The book they suggested is called (pardon the crude title) MEAT IS FOR PUSSIES. This drove me to BN.COM to look for the book, which is in led me to find three others that looked fabulous, all on the same topic.  EATING ANIMALS, YOGA AND VEGETARIANISM, and THE WORLD PEACE DIET.  I held myself back and did NOT order them yet as, frankly, I should wait for my next paycheck because I need to get some necessities first (gas, groceries, books from the Scholastic Book Fair I'm hosting at my junior high next week ;P) but I'm sure these four books will be added to the Darr library any time now.  
     Why am I telling you this?  I don't know.  Sometimes it helps me clarify my thoughts by ranting in writing.  I'm curious if other book lovers are as big of suckers as I am or do I just lack self-control?  I've typically been weak my whole adult life in that if I want something I buy it.  In recent years, books have been my main drug of choice.  IF ONLY I COULD CHECK OUT A LIBRARY BOOK!!  What's cheaper, do you think?  My book buying habits or intensive psychotherapy?

Another project idea..."True" ghost stories

     I just had an idea for another project I could start.  A book about "true" ghost stories, possibly ones around the area where I live.  A friend of mine (thank you Linda!) was telling me about this book she is reading called CLEVELAND GHOSTS.  (She reads a lot of books like this, which, in my opinion, is uber-cool of her :P).  Inside this book was a bookmark from Schiffer Publishing advertising that they were looking for authors to write books about local ghost stories.  I looked up the website, saw their information, and now a seed has been planted in my silly brain!
     I'm a big believer in the paranormal and have had plenty of personal experiences with "things that go bump in the night."  My hubby and I watch all three GHOST HUNTERS shows religiously (GHOST HUNTERS, GHOST HUNTERS INTERNATIONAL, and GHOST HUNTERS ACADEMY).  We've been wanting to get into the "ghost hunting" thing for quite some time and are mainly waiting until we buy the needed equipment (like digital voice recorders, EMF meters, high quality video cam with night vision, etc.)  Unfortunately, this stuff isn't always cheap and every time we think of purchasing we have other uses for our money...like paying the mortage! 
   We like to visit cemeteries when we go on vacation.  Old buildings fascinate us with their rich history and air of mystery.  Believe it or not, we have a resident ghost that we call "Petey" who likes to move stuff around and give us the occasional "tingles."  Heck, SHADOW GIRL is a novel I wrote that is all about ghosts. 
   So considering all these factors, why am I NOT writing a book about local ghost stories?  Sure seems like it would be a fun project.  We'd get to travel around and investigate/research different areas, perhaps encountering some of these awesome supernatural specters ourselves!  
    I'm going to put some serious thought into this project.  I realize I'm probably getting in over my head but...who knows?  It might be a good thing.  Although my current "TO DO" list for my writing life is getting a bit cumbersome.
     *Continue polishing/editing SHADOW GIRL
     *Continue work on SG synopsis (the current bane of my existence!)
     *Queries for SG
     *Edits/cuts for OUT OF THE BROOM CLOSET
     *Queries for OOTBC
     *Continue writing UNDER THE SPELL (OOTBC #2)
     *Start writing SG #2
     *Keep blogging and updating www.erinlukensdarr.com
and now...since I'm a glutton for punishment...
     *possibly consider/begin work on local ghost story book
and consequently...
     *pitch local ghost story book to publishers/agents

     Gee, that's definitely a full time (plus!) job!  Too bad I have to have my day job.  Don't get me wrong, being a librarian is actually pretty cool.  It just doesn't leave much time for writing.  Speaking of day jobs, I better get back to mine!  Just wanted to blog while these thoughts were fresh in my head.  (Again, thanks Linda, for the idea! You rock!)
   

Rolling right along...Queries for SHADOW GIRL

Whew!  Just spent about three hours querying for SHADOW GIRL.  Sent out 11 more today to various agents.  So far I've only sent 17, although considering I've done that within the past 8 days I'd say that's pretty good (for me, anyway!)  I've heard back with rejections from 3 of those 17 but oh well!  That's the writing biz!  Keep writing and keep sending, that's what I've got to do!  
My mind is mushy now and my butt hurts from sitting on this couch so long.  (Poor couch cushions may not recover!) I'm off to clear my head with some yoga and then some pleasure reading.  (Currently reading YA dystopian novel EMPTY by Suzanne Weyn.  Very good!  Scary premise about the world running out of oil and how that effects everything.  Makes me want to start hoarding supplies like a 1950's middle-aged man who builds a bomb shelter in his basement.)

THE MADNESS HAS BEGUN! Sending queries for SHADOW GIRL

I've finally gotten off my butt and started sending query letters out to agents about SHADOW GIRL!  Yay, me! I just sent off my first six today.  I'm making it a personal (and very reasonable) goal to send at least three a week.  This should be no sweat at all once I have all the stuff done I need to have...The synopsis is still eluding me but I'm going to get crackin' on that this week.  When I wrote the synopsis for OUT OF THE BROOM CLOSET it about sucked the life out of me so I'm not looking forward to the one for SG.  Ah well, such is a writer's life, I guess.  If I really want to make it in this field I have to BE PRODUCTIVE and "keep my head down and power through" (as "Michael Bluth"from ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT...one of the funniest shows in history...likes to say.)  
    I also need to get editing again.  I've edited SG already but need to go back and catch what I missed last time.  I have an acquaintance who proofreads professionally and could do SG for a few hundred bucks.  I might just hire her if I can't seem get this done.  Wish me luck!  I want to get this agent thing taken care of so I can focus on my next project, which is either continuing UNDER THE SPELL (the sequel to OUT OF THE BROOM CLOSET) or SG#2.

SHADOW GIRL...an altered query letter

What do you think?  I think I like this one better than the first???

Dear ______________,

What’s a girl to do when she finds out her new best friend is a ghost and the guy she’s falling for is really her teacher?

 SHADOW GIRL is a modern day paranormal romance for teens set in Massachusetts. It is the first book in a proposed series and is complete at a 64,000 words.

Cora Reilly is not your normal seventeen year old.  Despite her kind demeanor, keen intelligence and striking appearance, she’s a social leper.  People avoid her at all costs, seeming to dread being in her presence.  She unwillingly gives off a vibe that frightens, her unusual violet eyes chilling people to the core.  Besides her parents and a handful of others, Cora is alone in this world.

Alone, that is, until she meets Shyla Martin, a new student at Bayberry High School.  The girls become fast friends and it isn’t long until Shyla reveals her secret: She’s dead and Cora is her “shadow keeper,” a magical human who can communicate with (and assist) the dead.  Cora’s first case is a tough one involving a suicide victim and his possessed father.

As Cora peels back the layers of reality, she discovers more supernatural sidekicks, one of whom is the handsome Xavier Farhat, another “shadow keeper” sent to be her mentor.  Even more, she discovers her inner power, self-worth, and the magic that friendship can bring to one’s soul.

I have been a teen librarian for nine years, giving me a wide exposure to young adult literature.  I work with teens everyday and know what they enjoy.  SHADOW GIRL fits nicely into the current trend of paranormal romance fiction for teens.  I was a published book reviewer for KLIATT magazine for two years.  I am also a member of the Romance Writers of America.

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you regarding possible representation for SHADOW GIRL.

SHADOW GIRL query letter (draft)

Okay, so a recent post promised that I'd get my SHADOW GIRL query done by 1/30/11 or else I'd be a lowlife loser who didn't deserve to have her dreams come true!  (A bit harsh and dramatic perhaps but I had to guilt myself into action.)  Well, I'm proud to say that I freaking met my deadline!  In fact, I actually wrote the query letter that very same day.  I had a couple of my "fans" read it (thank you Cookie, George, and Bruce!) and got their input.  A few alterations later and this is what I came up with.   (Still haven't sent any of these queries to any agents/publishers but...at least I'm a step closer!)

Dear ________________________,

I am writing to you because your agency represents _______________ and I feel my book is in the same vein as her work.  SHADOW GIRL is a modern day paranormal romance for teens set in Massachusetts. It is the first book in a proposed series and is complete at a 64,000 words.  (FIRST PARAGRAPH VARIES DEPENDING ON WHERE I AM SENDING IT...IF THE AGENT REPS AN AUTHOR THAT MY BOOK IS SIMILAR TO I DO THE ABOVE.  IF NOT, I ALTER THE LETTER.)

Cora Reilly is not your normal seventeen year old.  Despite her kind demeanor, keen intelligence and striking appearance, she’s a social leper.  People avoid her at all costs, seeming to dread being in her presence.  She unwillingly gives off a vibe that frightens, her unusual violet eyes chilling people to the core.  Besides her parents and a handful of others, Cora is alone in this world.

Alone, that is, until she meets Shyla Martin, a new student at Bayberry High School.  The girls become fast friends and it isn’t long until Shyla reveals her secret: She’s dead and Cora is her “shadow keeper,” a magical human who can communicate with (and assist) the dead.  Cora’s first case is a tough one involving a suicide victim and his demonically possessed father.

As Cora peels back the layers of reality, she discovers more supernatural sidekicks, one of whom is the handsome Xavier Farhat, another “shadow keeper” sent to be her mentor.  Even more, she discovers her inner power, self-worth, and the magic that friendship can bring to one’s soul.

I have been a librarian for nine years, giving me a wide exposure to literature.  I was a published book reviewer for KLIATT magazine for two years.  I am also a member of the Romance Writers of America.

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Query Letter for OUT OF THE BROOM CLOSET

Here is my query letter for OUT OF THE BROOM CLOSET.  Personally, I like it.  I wrote quite a few before I came up with this one.  It can be customized a bit depending on who I'm sending it too.   There is so much conflicting info out ther about how to write a query that it boggles my mind.   At one point I just had to say ENOUGH and just write one that "felt" right.  

Dear ______________________,

I am writing to you because your agency represents _____________________ and I feel my book is in the same vein as her work.  A modern day paranormal romance set in Salem, Massachusetts, OUT OF THE BROOM CLOSET is the first book in a proposed new series and is complete at a fast-paced 140,000 words.

   

Feisty, sarcastic Darcy McCrane is just trying to start over in life.  She’s left her boring hometown, her dead-end job, and her lackluster boyfriend.  Starting over in Salem, she gets a job managing the Enchanted Forest, an occult bookshop in the heart of town.  Her friend and coworker, Lily, decides to invite some friends over to Darcy’s place on Halloween night for a séance.  Darcy reluctantly agrees and learns the hard way that a Ouija board, too much wine, and two mysterious strangers can stir up a whole cauldron of trouble.

A pair of hunky vampires, a ghost boy, and a few “otherwordlies” later, Darcy discovers that she herself is a witch, and a powerful one at that.  The vampires reveal to her that she has been prophesied to be the leader of the chaotic world of magical beings and that they’ve been assigned to be her guardians.  They also do nothing to hide the fact that they’re both drawn to her romantically and she finds it hard to resist their vampiric charms.  Darcy comedically struggles with her newfound knowledge and magical powers while fighting off foes who would stop her and the two irresistible men who would steal her heart.

I have been a librarian for nine years, giving me a wide exposure to literature.  I was a published book reviewer for KLIATT magazine for two years.  I am also a member of the Romance Writers of America.

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Time to start the dreaded querying...yuck!

    Okay, so I've written two novels...Now what?  Querying, that's what.  What a pain (a necessary one, of course, but a pain nonetheless.)  When I started writing Out of the Broom Closet back a few years ago I really had no clue how all this stuff works.  (I still feel a bit clueless, to tell you the truth.)  I wrote my book, had my "fan club" give me feedback, made some edits, then sent about 20 queries out to different agents to try to get representation.
    See, for those you not in the field, it turns out that generally you are supposed to get an agent to rep you before you even approach a publisher.  I can't just go up to HarperCollins, for example, and say, "Hey dude!  You want my book or not?"  You have to have an agent do that for you.  However, much to my frustration you can't just "hire" an agent.  It's not like they are all waiting out there for writers to come along and pluck them from a lineup.  It's quite the opposite!  Think of it as a job interview.  The agent has to be interested in your query letter (your "resume") enough to give your book a chance (the "interview") and then they decide whether to rep you ("hire you") or not.  
   When I did my first batch of OOTBC queries I got all "no thank you" responses (or NO response which sucks even more) except for one.  I had one agent who was interested in reading the first 50 pages of OOTBC.  When I got this email I was THROUGH THE ROOF with excitement.  I bundled up the first part of my baby and sent her off...waiting patiently for a few weeks until...I got a rejection letter.
   This bummed the hell out of me but I realized (after much researching on the internet, talking to other writer-type folk, and doing some soul searching) that I need to BUCK UP and that rejections would be much more plentiful than the elusive "YES, I WANT TO REPRESENT/PUBLISH YOU"  response. 
    Since this all went down a couple years ago I have half heartedly sent out another dozen queries for OOTBC, all to be met with negatives.  My thought is that my manuscript is too long...approximately 140,000 words (which is AT LEAST 20,000 too long for a first time author in the paranormal romance category.)  See, publishers don't want to take a chance on printing a large book if the author is new and untested.  More pages means higher pub costs, less copies fitting on the shelf at Borders, etc.  Realizing that OOTBC was probably too long I dropped it like a hot potato (for now...) and decided to focus on a YA project, SHADOW GIRL, keeping the wordcount in mind the whole time.
    Now SHADOW GIRL is done (and only 65,000 words...a proper length) and the first round of edits are finished.  I need to start querying for it but, man, I'm just a huge slackass procrastinator when it comes down to it. Every week I say, "This is the week I'm going to write my query letter and start sending it out." Alas, I've yet to write it.  Instead I spend my time reading OTHER writers' books or doing possibly pointless things like creating blogs no one will read.
    I'm putting it down on paper (well, internet-y blog faux paper) that I WILL get my query letter done in the next week OR ELSE I'M A HUGE SHAMEFUL LOSER WHO DOESN'T DESERVE TO HAVE HER DREAMS COME TRUE OR EXPERIENCE FULFILLING HAPPINESS!  (Think that will work?  Too dramatic?)
    While I'm at it, I need to get my stinkin' synopsis done too.  That's usually a several page summary of the book.  Harder, IMHO, than writing the freakin' book.  One problem at a time though.  Get the damn query written and then I won't have to live with the self-imposed shame waiting for me.  Today is 1/23/11...I've got until 1/30/11.  Better get crackin'!  
     In the mean time, I'll post my query for OOTBC so you can see what I'm talking about.  I LIKE my OOTBC query (this was not my first draft at all.  I changed it a lot.)  Apparently the agents don't like it though...Still think it's the 140,000 words scaring them away.

SHADOW GIRL synopsis

SHADOW GIRL is my second novel.  I decided to write for young adults since I read so many YA novels for work (and, honestly, for fun.  I must still be a teen at heart because I love YA books.) It is in the paranormal romance genre.  I plan for this to be a series.  

 Cora Reilly is not your normal seventeen year old.  Despite her kind demeanor, keen intelligence, and striking appearance she’s a social leper.  People avoid her at all costs, seeming to dread being in her presence.  Besides her parents and a handful of others, Cora is alone in this world.  

    Alone, that is, until she meets Shyla Martin, a new student at Bayberry High.  Shyla and Cora become fast friends and it isn’t long until Shyla reveals her secret: She’s dead and Cora is her “shadow keeper,” a magical human who can communicate with (and sometimes manipulate) the dead.  

    Watch out, because Shyla is back from the spirit world to assist Cora in her transition from timid high school outcast to kick-ass revenant wrangler.  Once Cora peels back the layers of reality, who knows what she’ll uncover, including the love of her life!

OUT OF THE BROOM CLOSET synopsis

OUT OF THE BROOM CLOSET is my first novel.  It is an adult paranormal romance (and first in a series!)  Here's a brief synopsis.

Feisty, sarcastic Darcy McCrane is just trying to start over in life.  She’s left her boring hometown, her dead-end job, and a her lackluster boyfriend.  Starting over in Salem, she gets a job managing the Enchanted Forest, an occult bookshop in the heart of town.  Her friend and coworker, Lily, decides to invite some friends over to Darcy’s place on Halloween night for a séance.  Darcy reluctantly agrees and learns the hard way that a Ouija board, too much wine, and two mysterious strangers can stir up a whole cauldron of trouble.

A pair of gorgeous vampires, a ghost boy, and a few “otherwordlies” later, Darcy discovers that she herself is a witch, and a powerful one at that.  The vampires reveal to her that she has been prophesied to be the leader of the chaotic world of magical beings and that they’ve been assigned to be her guardians.  They also do nothing to hide the fact that they’re both drawn to her romantically and she finds it hard to resist their vampiric charms.  Darcy comedically struggles with her newfound knowledge and magical powers while fighting off foes who would stop her and the two irresistible men who would steal her heart.

Welcome to my blog!

     During the spring of 2010 I designed and launched my "writer's website", erinlukensdarr.com, in the hopes of a) making a presence for my writing on the web, b) appearing more professional, c) motivating myself to work harder and, mostly, d) to procrastinate on the querying and editing, both much less fun than writing and much less fun than creating a website.  Since that time, however, I've done little updating on my site, other than keeping the progress monitor of SHADOW GIRL up to date as I wrote it.  (I finished it in August 2010 and unfortunatley haven't done much to the site (or my books) since.)
     I recently started a book review type blog for my day job (school librarian) and realized how easy and fun it is to do by using blogger.com.  My "writer's blog" using iWeb was a bit more cumbersome and I wasn't keeping it updated, therefore disappointing not only myself but my 2.3 fans out there who were looking at it.  SO, a moment of clarity struck me and I decided to jump on old blogger.com and start up my "writer's blog" using that, hoping that I would work more often on it but with less angst.  
     I plan to use this blog to not only post excerpts and updates about my books and what I anticipate to be an excruciating quest for publication but also to kind of police myself and make sure I'm writing.  See, I tend to be a slackass.  While a small part of me can pat myself on the back and say, "Hey, chick!  You've written two freaking novels!" a larger part of me (who sent out a whole dozen queries for her first book...with no positive results) gives up pretty damn easily.  I am an immediate-gratification-girl and when I see the long road ahead I often sigh, turn my back on it, and curl up on the couch with a couple of cats and a movie.  Unfortunately, soon the guilt and self-loathing sets in and often puts me into a rather morose state.  My poor husband suffers from my self-sabotaging but in my deepest, darkest bouts of crankiness I often think, "Hey!  I'm 'suffering', I MUST be a writer!"
     So, thanks for stopping by and for reading this far.  If you are one of my 2.3 fans, YOU FREAKING ROCK!!!!  If you are like, "Eh, maybe I'll give this chick a chance and read on," then you can easily join the FREAKING ROCK club too.
     Check out my main site, erinlukensdarr.com and visit here often.  My goal is to update at least once a week with sometimes not-completely-self-absorbed drivel.  Wish me luck!  (BTW, hobo gloves rock!  They keep your hands warm when you're writing :P)