tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56116331513788989092024-03-21T15:33:58.121-07:00Amy Sevan | Urban FantasyAmy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611633151378898909.post-61286852906264028782019-11-03T09:00:00.000-08:002019-11-03T09:00:06.358-08:00Done<br />
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<i>“Your next book is coming out in six weeks, right?”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>“Yep.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>“Aren’t you so glad to have it done?”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>“Um…I’m still editing.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>“I thought you were done?”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>*Sigh*<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Coming up on the release day for my second book, people who
love me have been having different versions of this conversation with me. And
it all boils down to this…people who haven’t taken a seed of an idea all the
way to a hold-in-your-hands novel don’t understand the process. Hell, I don’t
even understand the process entirely yet. Writing and publishing are moving
targets. But ‘done’ is a word that starts an involuntary tic in my right eye.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the interest of maybe helping readers who love books
understand a bit better, here’s a sneak peak into the editing process for this upcoming
release, Book Two in the Rise series, Curse of Ashes. Understanding, of course,
this was different than any other book I’ve written (four currently) and will
likely be different from any other book I ever write. Here's a little replay of the race to get to the prize, the finish line, publication.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Rough draft <o:p></o:p></u></div>
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This is the fun part, for me at least. Lots of writers find
this part to be the most difficult, the dreaded blank page. For me, it’s the
beginning where anything can happen. My first draft of Curse of Ashes was
started in November of 2013. I wrote it as part of NaNoWriMo (National Novel
Writing Month, for the uninitiated) project. The goal is to write 50,000 words
in the month of November. I did that. For reference, the final manuscript of
Curse ended just over 102,000. NaNo was challenging and fun. But the book
stayed at 50k for a while. I poked around with it but didn’t return to the book
seriously until NaNo in 2016, where I wrote another 50k in the story and
actually had a completed draft. A rough draft. Like, the morning
after mixing too much tequila and whiskey rough. <i>Rough.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Development Editing<o:p></o:p></u></div>
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Editing is so many things. And this is where I think people
start to struggle with the idea of done. Could someone have read the complete
manuscript in December of 2016? Yep. It wouldn’t have been good, though, by any
stretch. It was the skeleton of a completed story.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When trying to wield something as weighty and oddly-shaped as a
novel, things morph. Like when the flight attendant tells you to be careful
when you open the overhead bin, because things could shift mid-flight. That
happens from the beginning of writing a novel to the end, too. Especially in
the Fantasy genre. We have a whole ‘nother issue. Magic, supernatural beings,
and rituals that have to have rules that are consistent and make some kind of sense. </div>
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Also, this is a series, which makes things that much harder. I’m not just thinking
about this book, but how these characters and their choices might affect something two books from
now, and also making sure it doesn’t contradict something that happened in the
first book. It’s… a lot. And then there’s <i>this</i> book, making it a
complete and enjoyable story. All kinds of stuff goes awry. A plot thread might
not make it all the way through, or it might be frayed and ugly at the end. A
character might unexplainedly disappear for chapters at a time (I’m talking to
you, Valentina.) <o:p></o:p></div>
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That’s developmental editing. Some chapters get scrapped
entirely from the rough draft as unnecessary or just…bad. It’s rearrange and sharpen. It’s refine and sculpt. It’s also completely subjective as to when it’s <i>done</i>.
Because we’re human and imperfect and things can always be better.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Curse of Ashes has been in developmental editing ever since
that first draft finished in late 2016. I sent the completed story to my agent
in March of 2019, she sent me back her notes and away I went again. Another
round of developmental edits. I’ve also drafted the third book in the series
during that stretch of time, which influenced some of the events of the second book
which required me to go back and make even more tweaks.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Final Edits / Copyediting<o:p></o:p></u></div>
Now it’s done. It’s been through the rough stage, the development stage a few times. The story is done. You send it off to a copy editor to read. Then they give it back to you. Suddenly, the story is no longer done again. I sent off the manuscript for Curse to be copyedited on October 1st. Two sets of eyes additional sets of eyes looked at it, neither of whom had read the first book. Those two took very different approaches and I had to decide what needed to change. I had to revisit decisions I'd made about the first book, what grammatical and stylistic choices were made and be consistent with them. I got their copy edit notes back on October 10th knowing the final manuscript needed to be turned in November 1st (which, ah, actually, was not true. October 22nd ended up being the real date.)<br />
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Copyediting is the nitty-gritty, nit-picky stuff that marks
a professional novel. Oxford commas consistently. Or not. Do you always capitalize
‘archangel?’ Copasetic or copacetic (either is correct.) Affect vs effect
(depends on context.) Mr. Miagi is, in fact, Mr. Miyagi. 'Seem as how' is not a
thing. But 'seeing as how' is. Stuff like that. Missed words that someone else
who isn’t the author can magically find that authors just can’t see in their
own works. Sentences the author thinks are fantastic but don’t make sense to
anyone else. Maybe some last-minute development stuff or odd catches. ‘He was
wearing a hoodie two pages ago…now he’s in a t-shirt.’ Stuff like that. The final,
<i>final</i> polish.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now it’s done. Again. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Off to be formatted.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Formatting or, the Last Chance<o:p></o:p></u></div>
The copyedited manuscript goes off to be formatted. It’s done. I actually sent in the final copy edited manuscript on October 30th. I got it back formatted for publication the same day.<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
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Then the formatted manuscript comes back as a file that
looks pretty and recognizable as a <i>book</i>. And you <i>really</i> have to
make sure it’s done.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One final read through, all the added stuff, front and back matter (Acknowledgements, dedications, About the Author, etc.) Making sure all of that is also done. That’s due back to the agency by November 6th.<br />
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<u>Publication: AKA <i>Done</i></u><o:p></o:p></div>
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There are a lot of <i>dones</i> to get through before you
get to DONE. I’m still pretty new at this author thing, but there are few
things sweeter than seeing your creative work as a completed thing for other
people to enjoy. I’m so looking forward to sharing Curse with everyone.<o:p></o:p></div>
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November 22<sup>nd</sup> it’s truly done.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Preorder Curse of Ashes at your favorite retailer:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq3-htMo7P39444kXrqA-1W1UBuL4AoNxFdSJdeh4F9Hjst6OagDgxJ0BpbXjGfd4hi7rwgR-fy8V83SHeVAkv8XoVAQlUa_vO4LF510RZ6Wit67N0x_h-ZEOWGWxchEJbUEBT3c6CW4k/s1600/button-amazon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="35" data-original-width="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq3-htMo7P39444kXrqA-1W1UBuL4AoNxFdSJdeh4F9Hjst6OagDgxJ0BpbXjGfd4hi7rwgR-fy8V83SHeVAkv8XoVAQlUa_vO4LF510RZ6Wit67N0x_h-ZEOWGWxchEJbUEBT3c6CW4k/s1600/button-amazon.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Curse-Ashes-Rise-Book-2-ebook/dp/B07XVPZ93D" target="_blank">Amazon</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/curse-of-ashes-amy-sevan/1133531660" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="35" data-original-width="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrJ8qyJCQb7LrHzb7yhB6GLZnN7QHf6_LFb_vUM-xRm7bBkBd7g1-e-65RuNA5p5YQC-oSy32ZjMe40qgW3cyyinHMq4wy14quD2md3zoxF9vvcGkXjcm9HudzkLUk4GbDOwReNWeNjE/s1600/button-barnesnoble.jpg" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/curse-of-ashes-amy-sevan/1133531660" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_uwoHBECfha7pn20eCvNA0kTff0zXaGQJK07OGddQoOd25OWewrlUIMR7Dv-3mAfJEbvdgy5jbXHSeqkQA-QC1aXJUw98MRy-xofi0ZzJdf1E52Ha8B9hXS5ZCWQZZGoVyCaySFk_ecQ/s1600/button-google.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="35" data-original-width="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_uwoHBECfha7pn20eCvNA0kTff0zXaGQJK07OGddQoOd25OWewrlUIMR7Dv-3mAfJEbvdgy5jbXHSeqkQA-QC1aXJUw98MRy-xofi0ZzJdf1E52Ha8B9hXS5ZCWQZZGoVyCaySFk_ecQ/s1600/button-google.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Amy_Sevan_Curse_of_Ashes?id=EWqvDwAAQBAJ" target="_blank">Google Play</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZDKN3TZxxLYljTO1EPYdL20XI8njjxKW8pXJ1nsx3b_HO0eapLeMkcVaCSHibkpoFOU49oXbqS48rbv-lp2hDv7oHVBdE2GlBiZSgIUkmK4IeawAqRmA-1c0-1L4c6y9yNv0kwGOsrs/s1600/button-kobo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="35" data-original-width="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZDKN3TZxxLYljTO1EPYdL20XI8njjxKW8pXJ1nsx3b_HO0eapLeMkcVaCSHibkpoFOU49oXbqS48rbv-lp2hDv7oHVBdE2GlBiZSgIUkmK4IeawAqRmA-1c0-1L4c6y9yNv0kwGOsrs/s1600/button-kobo.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/curse-of-ashes" target="_blank">Kobo</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Amy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611633151378898909.post-80605843815542187022019-01-25T09:03:00.000-08:002019-01-27T09:27:04.615-08:00Pledge of Ashes is in the world<a href="https://books2read.com/u/31OxPM" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIMqj1OeJ5OD5iWjhHAHpmkgZTxK6nI_bKDsjwxSqGJBxifOfhIMZfaeGagngJvSYrSnJTNfklWSXa-HDns1pZrwGrNyTtTF2W7IgPmlhzAmEdhyZX5DbhKczx9WVcjTwqAd1keLjhNQ/s320/PLEDGE_Final.jpg" width="200" /></a>It's hard to articulate the feeling of being an author. After all, I've been a writer for so long. Years ago, at a writing conference, I was instructed on the difference between the two. A writer writes; but an author has published. At the time, it seemed almost, I don't know, petty? But now I have a different lens.<br />
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To have <i>written </i>a book is one thing. Writing has its challenges. Many of them, in fact. Understanding how to tell a story that grips, grammar, reader engagement, pacing, plot, and voice. The craft of the thing. Telling a good story is no small feat. It's a learning journey fraught with bumps, hills, and nasty road conditions along the way.<br />
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But publishing? It has teeth. Sharp ones designed for rending you in two. The things you learn about how to <i>write </i>a book have almost nothing at all to do with how to <i>publish </i>a book. And it doesn't matter if you go indie, have an agent, go traditional, or whatever. Each path has its own steep learning curve, if you're determined to do it well. And I am. To the best of my ability.<br />
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Pledge is published today. Honestly? I'm kind of terrified. I'm back to the beginning, in some ways, where I haltingly let my first (very kind) beta readers see what I've been up to. Waiting with bated breath to see what they thought. Depending on the minute, I was sure it was bestseller quality, then I would cringe at the first page. It's like that, but on a much, much broader scale. Everyone can now see Pledge. Anyone with $3.99 to spend on an ebook, that is.<br />
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Even though this story is fiction, it's been a part of me for what feels like forever.<br />
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So Pledge is out. I'm riding a pendulum that vacillates between unmitigated joy and nauseous anxiety.<br />
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I hope you love it.<br />
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<a href="https://books2read.com/u/31OxPM">Check out Pledge of Ashes at your favorite retailer.</a><br />
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<br />Amy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611633151378898909.post-78689871858998180192018-08-19T13:23:00.001-07:002018-08-20T09:28:29.503-07:00Mana by C.C. Dowling<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7UdLG4Hm5XFAcS9g9Z1YF_RrNURkI6TyYr0N8cpOzGebYuIoePBd6JwidIEwWNX0TJY5lZ_JjCZA0wf-aNQUnUibJh1Pjo-75C0OJZsINfWqwS_BDWGZqlRW27LzgJW7vXnaYtJcLxk/s1600/CONDUITTWO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="560" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7UdLG4Hm5XFAcS9g9Z1YF_RrNURkI6TyYr0N8cpOzGebYuIoePBd6JwidIEwWNX0TJY5lZ_JjCZA0wf-aNQUnUibJh1Pjo-75C0OJZsINfWqwS_BDWGZqlRW27LzgJW7vXnaYtJcLxk/s320/CONDUITTWO.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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I just got to spend nearly a week with this lovely lady at RWA, the short-hand for the Romance Writer's Association annual crazy conference. It was amazing. So is C.C.<br />
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Mana is the second book in the Infinity Series, and if you haven't read the first book yet, Conduit is only $0.99!<br />
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Here's a summary of Mana:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEoVOJkUe-RY4eKQw0vcdsT0-mw46N2TU-eDRnrydTqv_oCbAWpKVXH5-DzwKjw4qfXQt2Djb4Z4yKl40EDgu6ruAGtjhBesFMKfEj9zRoZsYJjVnJeIW0IjsS9kHhk5IUEfvW_kE-n28/s1600/Manaebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1005" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEoVOJkUe-RY4eKQw0vcdsT0-mw46N2TU-eDRnrydTqv_oCbAWpKVXH5-DzwKjw4qfXQt2Djb4Z4yKl40EDgu6ruAGtjhBesFMKfEj9zRoZsYJjVnJeIW0IjsS9kHhk5IUEfvW_kE-n28/s320/Manaebook.jpg" width="201" /></a><em>Sometimes our past… isn’t the only thing that haunts us</em></div>
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There isn’t anything eighteen-year-old Conduit Liv Hartley loves more than death-defying stunts: dimensional porthole jumps off tall buildings, stealing other Conduit’s assignments, and ignoring a demon’s summons. Granted, she used to love something more, some<em>one</em> more. But that was before she took his soul to the Otherworld. Now, all she has to look forward to are the empty classes he’ll never fill, and a stalker angel intent on pestering her as she works.</div>
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When that same angel takes a teaching job at her school, she knows she won’t be able to stay away from him, just like she can’t stay away from the ghosts of her past and the people she’s hurt. Okay, so mainly, she’d like to stay away from Asher and Kane. It’s an impossible wish since Asher keeps reminding her she has a job to do.</div>
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They’re right. She has several jobs. Being a better daughter to her sick mother and a better friend to the ones she’s got are at the top of her list. Now, she has to deal with a new Conduit in town and a gift from her caseworker that feels more like a curse.</div>
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What could possibly go wrong with that?</div>
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<strong>Mana ~ Part One</strong> is the second book in the Infinity Series, and the first in a three-part serial. Yes, there will be cliffhangers. No, you don’t need to worry. The next serial will be out soon! <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D8CKRGW&source=gmail&ust=1534616783966000&usg=AFQjCNEX6vmrqLOZ9S67irbJIndOnEsFFQ" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D8CKRGW" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D<wbr></wbr>8CKRGW</a> )</div>
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<b>Mana ~ Part Two </b>is already on pre-order! You can claim your copy here: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G9QL1WL&source=gmail&ust=1534616783966000&usg=AFQjCNGZkV23JwECcrothh0-G4tZV2Odfg" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G9QL1WL" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G<wbr></wbr>9QL1WL</a></div>
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More about C.C. Dowling</div>
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<span class="m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-x-el m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-x-el-span m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-px_-font-style-italic m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-px_-ff-_Old_Standard_TT___serif m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-px_-fs-16 m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-_mdpx_-fs-16 m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-_lgpx_-fs-16 m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-x-d-ux">C.C. Dowling is an author who writes everything from gritty urban fantasy, to paranormal sci-fi</span>.<span class="m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-x-el m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-x-el-span m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-px_-font-style-italic m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-px_-ff-_Old_Standard_TT___serif m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-px_-fs-16 m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-_mdpx_-fs-16 m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-_lgpx_-fs-16 m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-x-d-ux"></span></div>
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C.C. shares her love of writing with her love of singing, music, and science. She spent the first half of her college life performing, and the second half in a lab.</div>
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C.C. currently lives in America's finest city, with her husband (the financial shaman), her two children (who love to play in the yard with the faeries), and her very real pet dragon (who guards</div>
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the perimeter of her house at night). </div>
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When she’s not working or writing (which is still technically working), C.C. can be</div>
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found playing a round of disc golf, or desperately trying to figure out which pair of sandals are the most appropriate for the harsh Southern California winters.</div>
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<span class="m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-x-el m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-x-el-span m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-px_-font-style-italic m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-px_-ff-_Old_Standard_TT___serif m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-px_-fs-16 m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-_mdpx_-fs-16 m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-_lgpx_-fs-16 m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-x-d-ux"></span></div>
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You can find C.C. at her website (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://ccdowlingauthor.com&source=gmail&ust=1534616783966000&usg=AFQjCNFrgq1iB_laIog_jKMqc02MeBesvA" href="https://ccdowlingauthor.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://ccdowlingauthor.com</a>), on Twitter @CCDowling, Instagram @ccdowlingauthor, and on her official author Facebook group, <a class="m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-x-el m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-x-el-a m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-px_-font-style-normal m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-px_-overflow-wrap-break-word m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-px_-fs-16 m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-px_-fw-400 m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-px_-c-rgb218__34__94 m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-px_-text-decoration-underline m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-px_-d-inline m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-px_-cursor-pointer m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-px_-ff-_Gudea___Georgia__serif m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-px__hover-c-rgb204__31__88 m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-_mdpx_-fs-16 m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-_lgpx_-fs-16 m_-6944944175716366320gmail-m_-7282885890355375292gmail-m_-995344240550432804gmail-x-d-ux" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.facebook.com/groups/DowlingMisfits/&source=gmail&ust=1534616783966000&usg=AFQjCNH-DlnJz_01S-UgKD7JtsOB53a-pg" href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/DowlingMisfits/" rel="" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Misfits & Mayhem</a>. She'd love for all the misfits to join the mayhem.</div>
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Amy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611633151378898909.post-46228378160793936852018-03-21T14:52:00.001-07:002018-03-21T14:52:10.461-07:00Indie Pubbing is awesome and terrifying<br />
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One of the things that has always appealed to me about
independently publishing is control. Basically, how I get to maintain it. Yes,
I know, I have some…issues. Anyway. When I first set out on my writing
adventure seriously (circa 2011?) I was writing because it was damn fun and it
made my heart happy. Consequently, my husband was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">also</i> happy, because, turns out, when my heart is happy, he is also
usually happy. I had been loitering around serious writing people just enough
to know that traditional publishing, in my mind, was a pipe dream. It was too
difficult to get in. It was like a titanium chastity belt on a super-heroically
powered woman. You were not getting in, not unless she allowed you in. I didn’t
have an MFA, I had no connections to speak of, etc. Getting an agent also sounded
a bit preposterous. Something that happens to ‘others’ but not to ‘self.’<o:p></o:p></div>
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Well, I went to some conferences, worked on craft, went to
some workshops, worked on craft, did some webinars, went to some <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">more</i> conferences, and worked on craft.
That brings us to 2015. In 2015, I got. An. Agent. It still feels a bit weird
to say, in the most awesome of ways. But I did.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There’s a temptation at each juncture of the journey for the
road-weary writer to feel as if the destination has been reached. Getting an
agent is certainly one. Getting positive, glowing feedback from an editor is
another one. But if the goal is traditional publishing, crossing over the
finish line of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that</i> race, I’ve
learned, you have many more miles to go before you publish.<o:p></o:p></div>
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(Sidebar: I’d like to step back a moment, just hit pause on
the old-style boombox and clarify something: if this sounds like an indictment
of trad pubbing, it’s not. I’m not upset about traditional publishers, or the
agents who initially turned me down, or the CP’s who didn’t get my stuff, or
the editor who told me ‘sweet story, just cut 30k words’ and when I did, turned
me down anyway. Seriously. Not. Mad. I’ve taken this thing of writing as a
journey in the truest of interpretations. Every piece of what I’ve done, what I’ve
walked through has, unequivocally, made me a better writer. It was an upgrade
to my skin from unblemished to leathery to shiv-proof; it all made me better.
/End Sidebar)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Do I want my book on a shelf in Barnes and Noble? Hell yeah,
I do. Does indie pubbing make that possibility go away for me? Meh. Not really.
If it does happen, it won’t be by default. It’ll be because I busted my butt to
make it happen.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But I get to keep control. Control is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mine</i>. And we all know…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsD68upz2erJvm4h9jvg3XMw_oHvvhIebnYFUjZI5SuSMggoU5OJXglsA5OFGMKCTGBZmCPPb3famnp_uFmLxshhRLHmtpENaByNurrPQ-QmVIwQBS36nGozH-M0LStePrLuf6NJnd1OQ/s1600/with-great-power-comes-great-responsibility.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="187" data-original-width="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsD68upz2erJvm4h9jvg3XMw_oHvvhIebnYFUjZI5SuSMggoU5OJXglsA5OFGMKCTGBZmCPPb3famnp_uFmLxshhRLHmtpENaByNurrPQ-QmVIwQBS36nGozH-M0LStePrLuf6NJnd1OQ/s1600/with-great-power-comes-great-responsibility.jpg" /></a></div>
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So, I’m going to be writing about what’s going on with me,
as I prep to get this book baby out into the world. Lots of preparation to do!
Lots of decisions to make. Writers have to love what they do, because in this
time and space, it is not easy. Chuck said it best.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />Amy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611633151378898909.post-25542023240445024732018-01-08T05:53:00.000-08:002018-01-08T14:13:32.266-08:00Special Something<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>FLASH FICTION CHALLENGE: The Danger of Undeserved Power</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Check out more entries at <a href="http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2018/01/05/flash-fiction-challenge-the-danger-of-undeserved-power/#comments">TerribleMinds.com</a></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">At Morris High, they
were it. The ones to be. Christina wasn't sure how it happened, and she didn't
precisely care. Other kids watched them to know what to wear, how to talk,
where to be. She and her crew. They were the what, how, where. Why? Because.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">After a while, Christina
believed it was the way it should be.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">When new girl, Tae, got
introduced in third period Bio on a Wednesday in February, it was a point of
interest, not concern.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Christina, being
magnanimous, and appreciating the ambitious vintage Converse/ skirt combo Tae
chose for her first day, welcomed the new comer after class. She was popular,
but she wasn't a heathen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Hi, welcome to
Morris. Mr. Novac is a dick, but he'll go easy on you, since you're the new
kid."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tae looked at her.
"I don't need anyone to go easy on me."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">They stared, and Tae
pushed past, her Converse squeaking on the polished tile.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Christina gaped. Did Tae
understand the gravity of what she'd done? Did she <i>know </i>she
committed social suicide in less than a half a day? Becoming aware she stared
after Tae in the middle of a bustling hallway, Christina looked around. Kids
plowed along, giving her sideways glances.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">She couldn't interpret
those glances, not like normal. Like the school band, Christina felt out of
tune enough to notice and for the whole melody to grate the ears. What were the
glances trying to tell her? Were those looks giving her deference? Pity?
Admiration? The faces flowed by, and they had no meaning. Worse, some of the
kids didn't look at her at all. Christina put a hand to her stomach. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Hey, 'tina."
Emma's voice chimed right behind her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Christina whipped
around.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Em's face scrunched in.
"What's wrong?"<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"The new girl's a
bitch, and we hate her."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Without so much as a
question, Em nodded.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">**<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Weeks passed, and the
warfare escalated. Christina even felt a bit sorry for Tae. But then she
remembered those glances in the hallway, how the kids had made her feel pitied,
or worse, something to ignore. It was Tae's fault. Who comes into a high school
mid senior year, and is bitchy day one? Who <i>does </i>that? Well, Tae,
that's who. And this is what it gets you. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Except... Tae wasn't
participating. Infuriating beyond belief, Tae seemed immune to their daggered
glances, their cutting comments about her body, little pranks Em found so
amusing. It might be time to take it up a notch. The girls had been talking
about it last night. Some of the ideas they’d come up with were really
horrible. Horrible in a perfect kind of way.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Em and Abby’s shoulders
brushed Christina's as they walked three-wide down the hallway. Each held a
textbook to their chests, displaying the French manicures they decided were the
look of the week. Girls passed by on either side, their nails hot pink with
lime green tips, causing Em and Abby to smirk. That was <i>so </i>last
week.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Christina searched the
hallways for Tae. Distressingly, Christina noted it was getting easier to find
her. Why? She had an increasingly large number of people around her at all
times. Tae laughed a lot, and was loud. It was obnoxious.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ah. There she was. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Wait.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">WHAT was happening?
Michael Polowski had his arms around Tae's shoulders. Christina seethed.
Michael was asking her to prom any day. He was <i>hers</i>. She stopped. Naturally, her girls stopped with her, causing a bottleneck in
the middle of the hall. Em glanced between the two enemies. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Abby, never one to let a
silence stand, called out, "What're you doing with that hoe bag,
Mike?"<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Christina couldn't've
said it better. Tae's nails were black. Damn it! That was <i>next </i>week's
color, now Christina was going to have to revise the schedule. She would not
have kids thinking she was following Tae's Conversed footsteps.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Enraged, Christina
walked up to the group. Her girls followed perfectly on either side of
her. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">With Mike's arm still
around her shoulders, Tae smiled. "That, like, a prey response? Make
yourself bigger to scare away the predator?"<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">What the eff was the hoe
bag talking about? And, wait, was <i>Tae </i>the predator in that
analogy?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Christina stalked up to
her, anger clouding all her thoughts. She'd never been in a fight before. The
angry part of her was cheerleading, do it, do it, do it... wipe that smirk
right off--<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Christina came wide with
a punch. Tae swatted it away, but Christina was already coming in, no thought to
what she doing, only to hurt.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Then she was down on the
ground, staring up at Tae, who had her Converse planting Christina to the
ground. There was enough force on her chest to prevent her getting up, not
enough to prevent her breathing. Stunned, she lay there.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tae leaned down, her
black nailed-hands draping over her bent knee, and her brown eyes inches from
Christina's face. "Let's be clear." <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Everything had stopped.
The hallway had taken on a hush. Everyone was watching this. Tears sprang to
Christina's eyes. Where was Em? Abby?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Christina had hit her
head on the way to the floor, she was sure of it. Her body was numb all over.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">What was happening? Tae's
eyes were changing, the pupils going oblong, the iris' slanting.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Christina tried to draw
a deeper breath, to clear the illusion. The Converse prevented it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tae whispered, "All
your power is borrowed, baby. I’m taking some back."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Abruptly, the weight
pulled back from her chest, and Christina took a deep gulp of air. She struggled
to her feet. Em and Abby stood there, stunned. Christina wiped the tears away
and walked off. Around her, she had more attention than she'd ever gotten. More
heads turned her way, more whispers. But there were other things, too. Snickers.
Laughter.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Christina swallowed.
Something had been taken from her. She didn’t have the name for what it was.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Amy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611633151378898909.post-72610152915070065392018-01-03T06:31:00.000-08:002018-01-03T06:31:08.461-08:00Oh God, how did this happen? I might be a morning person...I've never been a morning person. My mom knew when I was a little kid, just don't speak to me. That's been changing over the past couple of years. The first inkling I had that I could possibly convert to the dark side (the happy, bright-eyed bunch of weirdos who truly <i>enjoy </i>getting up before the sun) was doing my first #Whole30 program. I won't even lie; it was strange. Without carb hangovers, needing daily antihistamines, and gluten-fog, I was waking up <i>before </i>my alarm. Not in a oh-my-God-why-can't-I-sleep kind of way, but in a hey-I'm-ready-to-start-my-day-let's-do-this way. I promise you, that had <i>never in the history of me </i>happened.<br />
<br />
And, oddly, it was cool.<br />
<br />
I've been working with business coach since May of 2017, and while I primarily decided to hire a coach for our dog training business, I also tacked on the curve ball of telling the coach, "Hey, I'm also going to publish three books next year, can you help me be accountable?" He was game.<br />
<br />
Somewhere around September of 2017, my coach, <a href="http://davethecoach4u.com/" target="_blank">Dave Garcia</a>, and I had a conversation wherein I was lamenting my psychological issue surrounding setting aside time to write. Writing was extra. Writing did not food put on my table. So I felt guilty doing it, when I could be doing some <i>productive</i>. (So original, amiright?)<br />
<br />
He asked how writing time made me feel. That was easy. It made me feel refreshed, accomplished...happy. He asked if writing, instead of viewing it as something superfluous, might be something more necessary. He had my attention. I'd never thought of it that way.<br />
<br />
Then he asked me if maybe setting aside writing time, instead of viewing it as a burden might be considered a boon to other areas of my life. If, ultimately, giving myself the gift of writing time would make me a happier person, a more attentive wife, a more focused business owner.<br />
<br />
Yes, to all the things. My husband would comment about how much happier I was when I'd had time to write. It was a very noticeable difference.<br />
<br />
All of a sudden, an internal switch flipped and I decided that I had to make writing a priority. But <i>when</i>?<br />
<br />
Along with coaching, I'd been doing a good amount of self-development reading. <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-miracle-morning-hal-elrod/1114044393?ean=9780979019715" target="_blank">The Miracle Morning</a>, <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/power-of-full-engagement-jim-loehr/1102252284?ean=9780743226752#/" target="_blank">The Power of Full Engagement</a>, <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/extreme-ownership-jocko-willink/1121081209?ean=9781250067050#/" target="_blank">Extreme Ownership</a>, among others. I think around the time I was having the 'can I really give myself permission to write' conversation, I was reading The Power of Full Engagement. In short, I had been telling myself to write at night. Close up the business shop at a reasonable hour, and give myself the evening. This just wasn't working, and I was getting frustrated with myself with my 'will power' problem. I had the time. I just wasn't using it.<br />
<br />
Full Engagement is about recognizing that humans have natural ebbs and flows of energy and just because you set aside family time after a twelve hour work day, doesn't mean your family time is going to be <i>good </i>time. That's what was happening with setting aside writing time at night. I was already sapped. My energy was gone for the day, my mind was swirling with business. So what other options did I have? Getting up earlier....pfft. No way. That's straight up crae-crae. Immediate dismissal of the idea.<br />
<br />
But then I considered it. Really considered it. I wanted to write. I needed more time to work on launching a second career as an author. And what I was doing wasn't working. Like, <i>at all</i>. So, what the hell, I'd try it. I'd get up early the next morning and try to write in the morning. If it didn't work, it was easy enough to reset the alarm.<br />
<br />
Except, when my alarm went off at the disturbingly early time of 7:15 am the next morning (no judgement, I own a dog training business, we work later hours... and that's the story I'm sticking to) Anyway, the alarm went off and I was happy, excited. It felt almost illicit, this hour and a half block of time I'd carved out <i>just to write</i>. Hubby definitely wasn't up. Even the dogs were like...what the eff are you doing, I'm going back to bed. Also... my mind wasn't yet embroiled in all the business stuff, at any rate, the office wasn't even open. I left my phone on my bedside table, didn't even touch it to check notifications. It was just me and my story.<br />
<br />
The morning time was productive. Beyond. That, and by giving myself a creative outlet, it didn't deplete my energy. It renewed it. I was managing my energy. The irony? After a day of work, I was way more likely to have more left over at the end of the day to continue writing. And if I didn't, well then, it was ok because I'd gotten a bunch accomplished in the morning. Gone was the guilt at not doing what needed to be done. In short, it was freaking awesome and probably ranks as one of the best decisions I made last year. My alarm is now set for 6:30 Monday through Friday, and I've honestly considered going to 6:00 am. This morning time is fast becoming something sacred to me.<br />
<br />
It's January now. Start of a new year. I've been doing this morning routine consistently for a couple months. I completed a draft of the third book in my series at 105k words doing this morning routine. I've worked on some indie author stuff. I've written blog posts and started a short story. It's been the most productive few months of my writing life. And I did it all before 9:00 am.<br />
<br />
Pretty soon I may have to admit the truth: I've converted.Amy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611633151378898909.post-296706741959484202017-11-09T09:00:00.000-08:002017-11-09T09:00:09.917-08:00A Letter of Encouragement for #NaNoWriMo2017<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last year, 2016, I completed my second NaNoWriMo. But I
almost didn’t. I almost couldn’t.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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November is usually a magical month, fall is in full swing,
with the colors in Michigan spectacular. We’re getting ready for a day of
thanks, shared with friends and family. And Nano. What’s not to love about November?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Well, election day, as it turns out. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="132" src="https://giphy.com/embed/3oriO7alLfC4UpqdW0" width="240"></iframe><br />
<br />
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November 2016 ranks as one of the worst months of my life.
My entire world view was threatened, as it was for millions of Americans. After
the election, my desire for writing was gone. I balanced on the edge of
depression. I didn’t want to leave the house. Tears would fill my eyes at
random moments. I tried to understand what had gone so terribly wrong, how our
country could be so hateful and misguided.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I still don’t understand it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The days following the election were horrible and I did no
writing. It was the last thing on my mind. I’d been going at a decent pace the
first week of the month to finish Nano. Now, two weeks in, I felt hopelessly
behind. I would never catch up. Best to call a time of death.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then I got a message from my friend, my writing buddy,
Nikki. We’d discussed being accountability buddies for Nano in October, but she
was on the fence. Now, she was doing it. It breathed some life into my Nano and
I decided to fully reanimate that corpse, Walking Dead-style and dammit, I was
going to finish. And I did. November 28<sup>th</sup>, a few days to spare,
despite having not written for 10 days in November, I pushed past the 50k line.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today, a few days into Nano 2017 and a bit behind where I wanted to be, I know a couple things for
sure.<br />
<br />
One, without my friend Nikki I wouldn’t have finished Nano 2016, and this is how I feel about that:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="132" src="https://giphy.com/embed/dGJ81LuuTSO0U" width="240"></iframe><br />
<br />
Cherish those writing buddies.<br />
<br />
Two, the
finish line was all the sweeter for the adversity.<br />
<br />
#Resist</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
Amy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611633151378898909.post-74439993884562688202017-11-05T13:21:00.001-08:002017-11-05T13:21:18.370-08:00The Lovely C.C. Dowling, Everyone<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRupfZNQQIEjJYG70k1pfathaT1DHBb_aSYygUxlZToWZE0MDdqSLFRSes_7rUB88nlhE_80cVsyo9zHjbnp7pjGZ_VOUCsl-uFPwlNt06MuQQEzgOuVjjBjCZHHeZ3AC5S8CILERdt9k/s1600/ConduitCover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="411" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRupfZNQQIEjJYG70k1pfathaT1DHBb_aSYygUxlZToWZE0MDdqSLFRSes_7rUB88nlhE_80cVsyo9zHjbnp7pjGZ_VOUCsl-uFPwlNt06MuQQEzgOuVjjBjCZHHeZ3AC5S8CILERdt9k/s320/ConduitCover.JPG" width="206" /></a>A few years ago, I signed up for a Writer's Digest on line workshop. Part of that workshop was mingling and meeting other participants. Fatefully, I met one of my very best critique buddies, C.C. Dowling. She and I have shared highs and lows of this publication journey, and for her, this is a loooong time coming. I'm so excited for her, I can't even--<br />
<br />
C.C.'s debut came out a few days ago, and I think everyone should know and buy it, of course.<br />
<br />
<u>Conduit</u><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When college senior Jane Lamb dies suddenly, she
discovers that the afterlife is less pearly gates and fluffy clouds and more
standing in line at the DMV. But before she can spend eternity lamenting over
her short, unremarkable life, she’s offered a do-over—as a Conduit, a
reincarnated messenger contracted to reap souls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Determined to do things right the second time, Jane
takes the job and reincarnates as eighteen-year-old college freshman Liv
Hartley. Only, the excitement for her new life doesn’t last. There are
consequences to bearing the coveted infinity symbol tattoo marking her as a Conduit,
and Liv quickly finds that getting a second chance doesn’t mean getting a
better one. Possessive demons, stolen assignments, and a love life that’s
decidedly complicated are all a far cry from the mundane existence Jane led.
But with more questions piling up than bodies, there’s only one thing Liv knows
for sure: life doesn’t get any easier after death.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Filled with sparkling wit, conflicted romance, and
more spirit than a haunted mansion, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Conduit</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> is a fun-filled paranormal
that explores the idea of regret, love, and what we would give to live twice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjag2QjSEyU_K_NpjiKUmzXv-TfQT5uoRYWCv8n-Z1Z-U0LCBtPd09irSB5WtVwDtJaFbKgFJpCRVNhzDxKe74YAh8S60sM9SBkQoa_Q0ZSf3eJV0d0sG_fL42Di3llNiMlVP5TWYNdFMg/s1600/CariHeadshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="642" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjag2QjSEyU_K_NpjiKUmzXv-TfQT5uoRYWCv8n-Z1Z-U0LCBtPd09irSB5WtVwDtJaFbKgFJpCRVNhzDxKe74YAh8S60sM9SBkQoa_Q0ZSf3eJV0d0sG_fL42Di3llNiMlVP5TWYNdFMg/s200/CariHeadshot.jpg" width="133" /></a><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Author Bio:<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">C.C. Dowling is an author who writes everything from
gritty urban fantasy, to paranormal sci-fi, to steamy contemporary erotic
romance (under a pen name of course!).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">C.C. shares her love of writing
with her love of singing, music, and science. She spent the first half of her
college life performing, and the second half in a lab.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">C.C. currently lives in America's finest city, with
her husband (the financial shaman), her two children (who love to play in the
yard with the faeries), and her very real pet dragon (who guards the perimeter
of her house at night).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">When she’s not working or
writing (which is still technically working), C.C. can be found playing a round
of disc golf, or desperately trying to figure out which pair of sandals are the
most appropriate for the harsh Southern California winters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">You can find C.C. on
Twitter @CCDowling, at her website [</span><a href="http://www.ccdowingauthor.com/" style="text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">www.ccdowingauthor.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">], and
on her official author Facebook group, </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/DowlingMisfits/" style="text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Misfits
& Mayhem</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> [</span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/DowlingMisfits/" style="text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">www.facebook.com/groups/DowlingMisfits/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">].
She'd love for all the misfits to join the mayhem. Also, get the latest release
news by signing up for her newsletter [http://www.subscribepage.com/CCDowlingNewsletter].</span></div>
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<br />Amy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611633151378898909.post-78470955662558390642017-10-24T07:14:00.001-07:002017-10-24T07:14:16.041-07:00Expectation Violation: Just Don’t Do It (Pelee Island Book House #2)<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So last time, I talked about this grandiose idea of the SO
MANY WORDS I was going to write on my writer’s retreat. I mean, what <i>else</i> are you going to do on a writer’s
retreat but write, right? My hyper Type A-ness was definitely at work in the
weeks leading up to the retreat. I was going to finish revisions on a novel,
write a good part of another. Totally! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="135" src="https://giphy.com/embed/3o6Zt1S65IMxMUimyY" width="240"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/colbertlateshow-stephen-colbert-3o6Zt1S65IMxMUimyY">via GIPHY</a><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Um, yeah. No.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A writing retreat is many things. Equal parts awesome and
frustrating for me, for many. Why frustration? Simply… frustration comes from
unmet expectations. About midway through the retreat I came to a realization
like a car speeding off a cliff. There was no possible <i>freaking</i> way I could do all that writing. Even in a week where,
presumably, I had nothing else to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So, if I can give aspiring authors a piece of advice for
attending writing retreats that probably seems at first blush counter-intuitive,
it would be this: have no expectations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Actually, that’s not <i>entirely</i>
correct.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here’s the type of expectations I’ve learned to avoid:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">I’ll finish ___ ,000 words while I’m there</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">I’ll finally get that revision completely done</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">I’ll bang out a whole short story (or three!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">I’ll spend all my free time typing</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Instead, consider these types of expectations:</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">I’m going to meet some interesting people</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">I’m going to learn something new about craft</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">I’m going to try something different</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">I’m going to go with an open mind</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">I’m going to give myself the freedom to think
about my story in a way that’s different in a new environment.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">See, when you set expectations like the second set, there’s
progress being made that isn’t set by a stringent set of “I will do exactly X.”
Most times, when goal setting, specifics are important. I believe writer
retreats are an exception. They’re nebulous and, ultimately, you’re not really
sure what you’re going to get. I’ve been to a few retreats and even those which
were held at the same place with a similar structure had a vastly different
feel from year to year. So trying to plan out specifics before you get there is
kind of like drawing a map in the sand on a windy day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Self-doubt among writers is a real struggle. Something that
spans the gap of age bracket, genre, career, and status. If you’ve gifted
yourself with a retreat, don’t ruin it by violating your own expectations, and
spending your time mentally whipping yourself for ‘wasting’ your time. Ultimately
all that does is fuel the self-doubt fire. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Instead, try this. Enjoy it. Write when the moment strikes
you. Give yourself the freedom to let your ideas percolate, take a walk, enjoy
the scenery. When you figure that out, the retreat doesn’t have to be any parts
frustration. It can be entirely awesome.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Amy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611633151378898909.post-23529640236571201232017-10-22T18:34:00.000-07:002017-10-22T18:48:46.923-07:00What exactly do you do on a writer’s retreat, anyway? (Pelee Island Book House #1)<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGTBC1MEO6ViMC3Z7RhYWDQxzimJf_oT1-1e8OGhlmmegvnpqra296DEvNBmibIP9qmw-JXUS4sYnD65LxjSBmweHNN_ZCiWwiT99pLDvtiBZFLEix7QD2QC_uRzdkHtNNCqoWDFqkLak/s1600/IMG_3969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGTBC1MEO6ViMC3Z7RhYWDQxzimJf_oT1-1e8OGhlmmegvnpqra296DEvNBmibIP9qmw-JXUS4sYnD65LxjSBmweHNN_ZCiWwiT99pLDvtiBZFLEix7QD2QC_uRzdkHtNNCqoWDFqkLak/s320/IMG_3969.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I had the incredible opportunity to go to a writer’s retreat
at the </span><a href="http://www.peleeislandbookhouse.com/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pelee Island book house</a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">.
It’s a beach house on a pretty remote island in Lake Erie in Canada-land. I learned a
ton, wrote a bunch, and have some writerly wisdom to pass on. Or basically, you
can learn from the things I did…while not precisely wrong, certainly things I
could’ve done better.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A writer’s retreat is an awesome step away from the day to
day grind. The Pelee Island one was my third retreat over the last few years. A
week spent talking with a small group of other writers, in various places with
their career and their craft. This particular retreat was uber special because
of the included workshop. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The time was awesome, but probably the best was
getting an opportunity to spend nearly two whole days listening, learning and
asking questions of Chuck Wendig. If you don’t know Chuck, just stop right here
and <a href="http://terribleminds.com/ramble/blog/">go to his blog</a>. Read a
post about writing advice and come back so you can have a full appreciation
about the incredible opportunity this retreat represented, on all levels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I went with vaguely large aspirations about what it was that
I was going to accomplish on this retreat. I mean, it was a whole <i>week</i>. And if I had nothing ostensibly to
do other than write? I mean, that’s got to be, what, at least 20k words, right?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nope. In fact, as I write this, it’s Thursday. The retreat
goes from Monday to Sunday. It’s Thursday and writing this blog post is the
most typing I’ve done so far.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Don’t get me wrong, I did spend a good amount of time
rereading the first book of my series, which honestly wasn’t even on the radar
for the week at all. Nope, it was supposed to be the <i>second</i> book getting revised and maybe the third book getting
written. 20k words is so…many…words. It’s nearly a novella. And I have written
nothing so far, except this blog post. More about that in a later post.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What, you may be asking, am I doing, if I’m not
writing? Well. Talking, eating, sleeping, learning, reading, pondering,
watching birds, looking for snakes (strictly to avoid snakes). It’s a pretty
primitive island, so driving around in a purple Challenger is pretty, um,
ostentatious? I’m pretty sure they thought I was someone famous. Anyway. These
are the things I’ve been doing. In fairness, when Chuck was here, it was a no
contest kind of thing. And he got here Monday late afternoon and left Wednesday
afternoon. So there were a couple days that were spent in a lets-learn-craft-and-become-better-writers mode! Important things, that may make the writing
time at home all that much more fruitful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I learned so much. So much that a single blog post would
feel reductive. So, let it suffice to say, there will be more words coming out
of the Pelee Island book retreat, if only in blog post format.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Amy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611633151378898909.post-75427533077121626052017-10-19T11:00:00.000-07:002017-10-19T11:00:16.265-07:00Asleep from Day ~ Cover Reveal!<div align="center" class="DefaultTemplate" style="text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One of the best parts of being part of the #Pitchwars community has been, by <i>far, </i>watching a group of newbie writers morph themselves into experienced authors. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We're in this journey together and today, for one of us, a huge step has been taken. I give you the cover reveal for <i>Asleep from Day, </i>by Pitchwars class of 2014 alum, Margarita Montimore. This one is on pre-order, for sure.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A Note from the
Author<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hi there! I’m super-excited to share the cover reveal
of my debut novel, <i>Asleep from Day</i>.
Before we get to the main event, I wanted to share a little about what inspired
this book:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Back in the ‘90s, I came across this human interest
news story that stuck with me ever since. A guy met a woman on a bus in Boston,
they chatted for a few minutes, and the woman left before he could get her
number. The guy was so taken with her and eager to find her, he plastered
fliers all over the city with details of their brief chat (which, at one point,
mentioned Kevin Bacon—insert Six Degrees joke here). Remember, this was in the
1990’s, back before Missed Connections and social media. He didn’t have online
tools to help him find the woman. The fliers got so much attention, news
outlets picked up the story and the guy ended up on TV talking about his search
for this woman. I don’t remember if he ever tracked her down, but I was
fascinated by the lengths this man went to for a woman he met for only a few
minutes. It was romantic, sure, but also a little crazy and strange. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Many years later, the seeds of that story took root
and grew into something different as I found my premise: What if a girl met a
guy and spent a seemingly perfect day with him, then got hit by a car the next
day and completely forgot him? What if, as she started to remember, she
wondered if those memories were real? What if she had strange dreams and
surreal experiences that made her worry she might be making him up and question
her sense of reality? Add a 1990’s Boston setting and <i>Asleep from Day </i>was born.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It had to be the ‘90s, because technology makes it
easier to find people and back then, it was easier to lose track of someone. It
had to be Boston because I lived there during my college years and wanted this
book to be my love poem to that city. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In terms of genre, here’s the thing: I like stories
that aren’t one thing. I get more excited when a book or movie or show has
layers of different genres. And I got more excited about this story when adding
layers to it; I wanted it to be realistic yet surreal, romantic but twisted,
with darkness and uncertainty to balance out the sweetness. It’s not
psychological suspense or romance or mystery, but it has elements of all of
those. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For the cover of <i>Asleep
from Day</i>, I was hoping for something dreamy and a little strange, but still
beautiful. I love the final design Terry Montimore came up with. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmEM835nfCvSCQkzjjnL2lTmR_BmDIB4DdfA4TxttpdEyXxXk2LcNsom1_GJCcAx5z32kfwQpG0fJDdT-D7oSfCrX0smTVAUTaKqN2Gr4ap_4AMbCz51nv7XuRp4BnR65BSDcl792fOs/s1600/MM+author+photo+looking+down.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="593" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmEM835nfCvSCQkzjjnL2lTmR_BmDIB4DdfA4TxttpdEyXxXk2LcNsom1_GJCcAx5z32kfwQpG0fJDdT-D7oSfCrX0smTVAUTaKqN2Gr4ap_4AMbCz51nv7XuRp4BnR65BSDcl792fOs/s200/MM+author+photo+looking+down.jpg" width="200" /></a><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">About the
Author<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Margarita Montimore
received a BFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College. She worked for over a
decade in publishing and social media before deciding to focus on the writing
dream full-time. She has blogged for Marvel, Google, Quirk Books, and
XOJane.com. When not writing, she freelances as a book coach and editor. She
grew up in Brooklyn but currently lives in a different part of the Northeast
with her husband and dog.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Author links</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">: </span><a href="https://www.subscribepage.com/montimore"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Newsletter Signup</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">,</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><a href="https://montimore.com/"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Website</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/damiella"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, </span><a href="https://facebook.com/margaritamontimore"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17205673.Margarita_Montimore"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, </span><a href="https://instagram.com/damiella"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Instagram</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Amy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611633151378898909.post-88957331136998291182017-10-09T05:27:00.000-07:002017-10-09T05:27:10.428-07:00Writer, interrupted<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It is a truth universally acknowledged (at least at any
large gathering of writers) that no one respects our writing time. A call from
the spouse. “Hey, while you’re at home ‘writing’, <i>[can’t you just feel the air quotes in that statement]</i> could you
maybe start the laundry? I would but I’m at work <i>[you know, a real job?]</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A call from your mother. “Hey, honey, how are you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You: “Is your house burning down, ‘cause you know I’m
writing now, right?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“The house is fine, but <i>[I’ll
just cut to the chase and not write what she says, but the subtext]</i> I’m
getting old, and someday you’ll be wracked with guilt over not spending enough
time with me instead of this pretend thing you do called writing. I mean really,
is it as important as spending time with your mother?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I heard all these types of things at the writers retreat on Pelee
Island I just attended. I joined in with my own tales of interruption, if I’m
to be honest. There are all types of things competing for a writer’s time, not
just people. In fact, as I write this, this stupid notification keeps
popping up in the corner of my desktop and it’s making me crazy. <i>[hold the phone while I figure out how to
turn the damn thing off]</i> Ok. Done. I'm back. Where was I---</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">Shit, the cat just jumped in my lap. Aw, how sweet—wait, no
I can’t see the computer screen, we’ve had this conversation you can’t. Be. On the.
DESK.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Sigh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Everyone who’s given writing a solid go knows it’s so, so
hard. I just had my brain mashed by Chuck Wendig last week at the writers <i>[cat, get the hell off the desk]</i>
retreat. We talked the wispy weirdness of theme and did log lines for our
characters, and everyone knows log lines are hella hard and themes are elusive.
It’s like trying to herd the cat that’s on my desk again, but so, so much
harder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Getting the words down on paper is the first step of a toddling baby who has those metaphorical miles to go before they write a novel. There is a long, sometimes
seemingly infinite, series of steps to make your writing good. It takes
concentration. It takes dedication. We all know this. But I think we need to add
another ingredient. It takes a writer to value their own work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If <i>you</i> value your
work, guess what? You have the conviction in what you’re doing to not pick up
the phone when something benign happens. A notification, the tenth call today
from grandma. The cat. Whatever. You place your writing high up on the scale of
priorities because of the value it provides to you. Sometimes we downplay that
value, but if you love to write, you know what I mean. We live in a crazy,
fucked up world right now. If writing is a thing of joy for you, something that
helps you deal with a headspace unmanageable, a family crisis, a health issue,
and it’s a source of energy that fuels the rest of your existence in this place…
isn’t that something to not just value but cherish and protect?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Afterword:<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>This is the cat who
really didn’t want this post written, but wanted to swish her tail at the
screen about every other sentence. I just want it noted I have photographic
evidence that while yes, technically, she’s still on my desk, she’s been relegated
to the edge of the desk and is </i><i>expressing her cat-like dissatisfaction by crunching up important papers </i><i>and will no longer make eye contact. The post is
written and I won.</i></span></div>
Amy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611633151378898909.post-75186485383328608082017-09-26T05:07:00.001-07:002017-09-26T05:07:41.281-07:00No Rest for the Wicked... or the Weary<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You know how sometimes themes start to recur in your
everyday life, like happenstance? I think Oprah said something like (and I’m paraphrasing
here) ‘the universe will send you a tap on the shoulder, then a punch in the
face, then a brick wall’. Something like that. Well, I’ve been getting a
message, and it’s almost at brick-wall levels. I finally decided to listen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The message: you’re being inefficient with your energy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Sounds pretty benign, right? You may be raising an eyebrow
wondering why this is a revelation of any kind. Read on. Trust me, this is big.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">For a while now, I’ve been working on the assumption I really need to manage
my time better. I’m not getting as much done as I want. Granted, I’ve got
pretty high expectations of myself. I’ve read a bunch of stuff over the years
about it. Managing your priorities, quadrants, to do lists, etc. This is
becoming increasingly important as I attempt to not only keep my business
running stronger than ever as I work less so that I can focus on writing a
book, building an audience for that book, and polish the first two books in the
series prior to publication. Oh, and pull together a nonfiction book proposal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I have the to do lists. I have the drive. I book time into
my day to write at the end of the day. But yet… It just wasn’t happening.
Instead, I’d watch an hour too much TV, unable to drag my ass upstairs and <i>do it</i>. I had no umph left after the
demands of the day had been met. All I had was enough time to decompress and
read some before drifting into a fitful sleep, disappointed in myself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So when I picked up semi-randomly the Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High
Performance and Personal Renewal, it was an ah-ha of the variety
Oprah would be proud of.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You know what happens when I write? I get charged up. Stupid
happy. Every other piece of my life lights up. So… if the activity of writing <i>energizes</i> me, why, in God’s name, would
I wait until I was energy depleted to do it? Because it felt like an
indulgence. Writing does not put food on my table, not yet. But if writing is an act of renewal for me, doesn't it mean the possibility of giving energy to other areas of my life? So, screw the guilt, I decided to give myself permission to test a theory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">For the past week I’ve reversed the formula. I’ve been
writing first thing in the morning. I’m eager (or as eager as I am to do
anything at 7:00 am) to get the day rolling. And when my writing time is done?
I feel ready to take on the world. More, I’m eager to get <i>back</i> to writing. So at the end of the day? I’m doing more writing
at that time, too. My work has been more focused, and I’m bringing that
creative energy to my business. It’s a win/win/win.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Humans need recuperation. Heck, we’re supposed to devote a
full third of our time here on earth to sleeping, the definition of rest. I’m
learning to build small recuperations into my day, allowing my energy to
naturally recharge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">[spoiler alert] The authors of <i>Power</i> do advise against drowning yourself in sugary donuts and
caffeine, too. Managing energy affects all facets of our lives, and it’s
literally the difference between happiness and despair sometimes. But reframing
my thinking about how I will manage my energy has had dramatic effects on
multiple areas of my life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What habits should you build into your day to help manage
your energy? A ten minute walk? Hanging out with your dog for a few minutes? Half
hour of pleasure reading? Ten deep breaths? Meditation? Yoga? Doodling? The options are as
endless as they are important. And giving yourself an energy recharge doesn’t
have to take all the time in the world. You’d be amazed what five minutes can
do, given what you decide to do inside those five minutes, like say, breathe
deeply with your eyes closed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Think how much we could do as a country if everyone wasn't walking around stressed out all the time, thinking 'I have so much to do and not enough time...'</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The ultimate irony here in this country is while we’re so programmed
to work harder, faster, smarter… the most productive thing we can do sometimes
is take a break, or at least do those things which give us energy. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Amy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611633151378898909.post-57269053595800869172017-09-22T05:42:00.000-07:002017-09-22T05:42:57.851-07:00The Road So Far...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gUxTnlpxD33OhcPiJk4xolatWGED7ZNWl-6Dk4TnAVXZESgTeRp3HiPbjElAGzIbEDwoYSXJUrrK7up12iAZYXB1SYzUslwNeZRPKYclmVw_MN-ON_CUk2gHUYqLju63HXxTVAwAlpk/s1600/The-Road-So-Far-natalie_singer-33184455-1280-720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gUxTnlpxD33OhcPiJk4xolatWGED7ZNWl-6Dk4TnAVXZESgTeRp3HiPbjElAGzIbEDwoYSXJUrrK7up12iAZYXB1SYzUslwNeZRPKYclmVw_MN-ON_CUk2gHUYqLju63HXxTVAwAlpk/s320/The-Road-So-Far-natalie_singer-33184455-1280-720.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Yes, of course that’s a Supernatural reference. Wow, a digression
on the first line. That’s some kind of impressive.<br />
<br />
Anywho….Back in March I wrote a piece about trying to figure
out direction for my series. Shelve it, indie pub it, start a new project from
scratch to try traditional again? It’s taken a while, some distance, some
learning, some soul searching, but I do have a verdict. Deep breath.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>I’m committing myself to
releasing the first three books in my series in October 2018.
</b><br />
<br />
Even typing that makes me sweat a little. Writing down your
goals makes them real, makes me accountable. I recommend it to everyone. 'Cause really, if it's not written down, it's just a dream. And publishing has been a dream of mine for a long time. It's time to make it a reality. I've put in the work.<br />
<br />
So, yes, it's daunting. But there's this other part of me, the one that
smiles a ‘come hither’ grin to any challenge that's pretty excited about it. The
earliest drafts of book one of this series quite literally take me back to
junior high. The seeds of this story have lived with me for a very, very long
time. This story is the one I cut my adult writing teeth on. The story has seen
drafts that, if the story were a human being, would make People of Walmart look
like debutantes. But man, am I proud that it is not <i>that</i> anymore. All the hours, the nano projects, the gut-wrenching edits,
the crushing rejections, the joys of someone loving it…. All of it. I’m going
to be sharing this story with the world in t-minus one year.<br />
<br />
I’m really excited
to share it with you.<o:p></o:p>
Amy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611633151378898909.post-53076714521450937122017-03-05T12:21:00.000-08:002017-09-16T19:27:14.050-07:00What are you willing to give up?<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve been asking myself that question a lot lately as it
pertains to my writing. I sit in a place where I have years invested in a
novel, the first of a series and a good draft of the second book. But my agent
has had ‘the talk’ with me. The market, as it stands, isn’t ripe for my book or
for me, as a debut author. My genre, urban fantasy, is ‘mature’ and,
apparently, the big houses aren’t really interested in investing in new talent.
They’d rather bet on the sure thing, the established author with eight books
out in a series that’s doing well. That’s solid business advice. I’m a business
person, and I’d take that bet over a start up any day of the week.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But I’ve invested, too. Invested <i>years </i>in this book. Not just writing and revising, but investing
myself in the idea of being a ‘published author by a major house’. Coming from
a girl with no contacts and a barely-there manuscript in 2011 to gigantic leaps
in the direction of publication. Landed a great agent. Made revision upon revision, some for
the agent, some for editors. Had promising emails from editors at the major
houses indicating they’re taking the book to their team. Only to be shot down
time after time. Except <i>this</i> time,
the shot appears to be fatal. It’s done. The only chance is a hail-Mary
resurrection when (if?) the market turns more in my favor. That could take
years more.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The fatal shot rang out in late January. It echoed through
my universe and it burned, stung and nearly bled me dry of words. I didn’t want
to write. It was the last thing I wanted to do. And <i>that</i> hurt. Writing is a solace to me. It’s one thing that gives me
more joy, causes my soul to stir in ways nearly nothing else does. So not only
had I lost the investment of the idea of a traditional publishing career, I’d
lost the joy of writing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Talk about your gut-wrenching one-two punches.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some time has passed and now I find myself thinking a whole
lot about what it really is I want from this writing gig. This foray into
traditional publishing peaked open a door, and I saw what lays behind it. Most
newly minted writers believe the other side of that door holds rainbows,
unicorns and the proverbial keys to kingdom. But read enough stories of traditionally
published authors and you will see that is in no way, shape, form, color,
context or any other variable even remotely accurate. The truth is, writing is
hard. It is always hard. The challenges just flex and contort with each new
project. Got a publishing deal? Fantastic! Your sales weren’t great? Oh, well,
try and get another contract…ever. Did great on that first novel? Awesome. Now
you get to write the dreaded ‘second book’. Gee, hope <i>that</i> one does well, too. Or, well, you’re out on your butt. Your books
did pretty ok? Well, time to pitch the next idea. Your editor doesn’t like it.
Come up with a different one. Nah, not that one either.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And on. And on.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Don’t get me wrong. I 100% get it. As I said, I’m a business
person. I built a pretty successful dog training business from me and a truck
to a seven-figure operation. I didn’t do that by making unsound business
decisions. So I do. I get it. First and foremost, publishing is a business.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I’ve been wondering…Is traditional publishing worth the
sacrifice? Because, let’s face it, it’s not all rainbows and unicorns on the other
side of that door…there is something profound I’m giving up by trying to please
the big publishing house gods. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What could I possibly be giving up, by pursuing the <b>dream</b>, you ask?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, right now, it feels a lot like I’m giving up my love
of writing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Until the call came in—the one where my book was pronounced
dead on the table—I had a pretty good momentum going. I was excited and I was writing,
had just finished up my Nano project, completing a draft of the second book,
something I’d struggled with for three years (because I was focused on editing,
revising, and editing and revising the first book, trying to get it big-house
approved.) But after that call, it was amazing how my desire to do something I
loved virtually evaporated.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You see, in my mind, writing and publishing became two
halves of a whole. The joy of crafting a story became intrinsically linked to
specific people telling me that story was a good one. No… a good <i>enough</i> one. Good enough to pass through that
very fickle door.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You could argue ‘that’s my problem’, not being able to
separate one from the other, writing and publishing, and you’d be right. But in
my mind, writing and publishing were two sides of a coin. It had always been my
goal to be a traditionally published author. Hadn’t it?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wait.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Hadn’t</i> it?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The thing is, it wasn’t. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I was first overcome with the idea and the characters,
I wasn’t thinking about publishing deals. When I feverish with plot twists,
when I was making myself chuckle at a witty one-liner, or when I typed ‘the end’
and felt overcome with accomplishment, I wasn’t thinking about who was going to
make an offer on my book. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And that’s when it hits me: I didn’t write to get published.
Not at first. I wrote because I loved it. Felt driven to do it. And somewhere
that got perverted into something else.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In fact, in the beginning, I had assumed I would
self-publish. I’d read enough to know traditional publishing was a long shot.
Tons of talent, few spaces available. But I was encouraged and pushed by a few
key individuals who were in the business and thought my stuff was good enough
to make it. Encouragement like that is heady stuff. And I thought, <i>you know what? I’m going to try this thing.</i>
And then I did. And then I went to conferences, learned more. And then I got an
agent. (Hey, you know what? This might <i>actually</i>
happen.) Then we edited. (Hey, this book <i>is</i>
better with her ideas.) Then we submitted. (Oh my God, editors are liking this!
Sending it to the team!)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It seemed like it would happen for a while there. It really
did. And somewhere in there I lost my compass, set to true north, the joy of
writing a compelling story. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What was the goal? It was never money. I mean, read anything out
there, and you’ll know a six-figure advance for a debut genre author who isn’t
a celebrity is a like a winning lotto ticket. That rare. Hell, the odds may be
better for Powerball, I don’t know.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When pursuing traditional publication, the goal for me, and
many aspiring authors out there, is validation. It may not be unicorns and
rainbows on the other side of that door, but it’s something just as magical. <i>You are good.</i> You really <i>can</i> write. It’s not just your sister and
her friends who were riveted by your book. Real people were! People who matter!
Editors, agents, <b>book</b> people!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s hard to underestimate the power of that validation.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’d gotten a taste of it several times, probably like
tasting heroine, instantly addictive. When my agent loved my book. When three
different major house editors loved it. When an intern compared my book to a
best-selling favorite author of mine. Ohhh…the smell and texture and taste of
that… it’s intoxicating.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Intoxicating, yes. Root word: Toxic.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Like heroine.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m not saying traditionally publishing is toxic. I’m saying
the pursuit of it, to the exclusion of everything else was. For me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here’s the kicker: the high isn’t even real.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Through all of this, here is what I’ve learned: validation
from the outside for your work is a lost cause.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Why? Because someone is going to hate your book. And if all
that matters is that validation, you’re ultimately screwed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There’s a reason why they tell published authors not to look
at their reviews. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I mean, these are people who made it past the unicorn-gated
doorway, their book is OUT IN THE </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WORLD. They have been paid <b>money. </b>And still…some weirdo is going
to post a one star review and murder their book baby. Stab it repeatedly, blood
and carnage dripping off every page. Probably more than once.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That can’t be healthy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you’re focused on the validation of other people, even
really highly educated ones, like agents and editors and MFAs, you’re going to
crash at some point. It’s just physics. They can’t hold you up if you aren’t
willing to lift yourself of your own power.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These are things I’m exploring right now.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Is continuing to pursue traditional publishing worth the
risk of losing my love of the craft?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Would I be happy to share my stories only with loved ones
and friends?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Would being an indie author, taking on the job of cover art
and copy editing, and all that, but deciding what and when I publish be a better
option?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What’s more important to me? A publishing career or a hobby
that brings me joy?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And hey, along the way things will change. They will ebb and
flow. The tide will come in and it will slip away again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve found my answer.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It took a while to get there. But I found it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And it didn’t come from outside of me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Amy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611633151378898909.post-8965794202066064712016-01-22T06:35:00.000-08:002016-01-22T08:11:14.199-08:00Future Graveyard - Flash Fiction Challenge<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman", "serif";">Prompt complements of <a href="http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2016/01/15/flash-fiction-challenge-choose-your-title-and-write/">Chuck Wendig's Terrible Minds blog</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Future
Graveyard</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After the world ended, demons strutted around like they
owned the place. Which, I suppose, was true enough, but it made me madder than
when Prof Stein announced he wasn’t grading on a curve.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I stood at the foot of the brushed bronze building, my
oversized sweater jacket pulled tight around me. People bustled every which way,
hurrying to work or home or some other pointless social function. It didn’t
really matter where they were headed, because if I failed now, humanity was
even further screwed. I stared up at the sky, a puffy gray. A year ago, I
would’ve used a mild winter day like this to cuddle up and study Psych 101.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I gained a curious glance or two from the busy
trench-coated people, leading lives in unknowing service to the demons. I
ignored them; I was busy searching for demons. Easy to spot, too, when eye contact
was made. For me, I could see it plain as day, for just a second, their faces
slipped like an old TV flipped to a station with horrible reception.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>God had given us struggle, but the demons had given us
ease. Insidious and impossible to deny, humans had taken their offering like a starving
kitten offered warm milk.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I rubbed my hands furiously together, trying to work up
some warmth and yeah, maybe some courage, and walked through the revolving
doors of the World Hunger Alliance.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The woman seated at the reception desk was a well-coifed,
classically pretty brunette. Her inspection of me was almost not at all
noticeable, though she had to be wondering what a college-age kid with a messy
ponytail was doing with an appointment to see the executive director. She
blinked and smiled. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You must be Anala Whitcomb?” Her smile stayed in place.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I nodded.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Ms. Larvale will see you shortly. Could I offer you some
coffee? Hot chocolate? Water?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I was cold and had a personal shortcoming when it came to
anything chocolate, but I also had made a promise to never take anything a
demon offered. This woman wasn’t a demon, but it was too close by extension for
my taste.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Of course, if all went well today, I was about to break
that promise anyway. Not for chocolate, no, I needed information. And I’d take
it gladly from any source, even a demon.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I shook my head and took a seat in the lobby. The tile
floor was polished and new. The chairs were comfortable and next to me sat a
benign assortment of magazines, including the quarterly publication for the
World Hunger Alliance. The cover featured Ms. Larvale, the executive director,
hugging a smiling chubby African child in each arm. The title story read ‘The
End is in Sight.’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Har, har. Those demons could really play it tongue in
cheek.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Not quite true, as the end had happened a year or more
ago. No human I’d met really knew and the demons certainly weren’t forthcoming
with the deets. There were precious few humans who could see the demons, but
even they didn’t have any idea. I mean, it wasn’t as if Michael and Lucifer had
had a cage match in the streets of New York, good and evil duking it out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One day I just started to see them. Talk about freaking
the hell out. That was me. I spent time tucked away and on some really nice
drugs. But I wasn’t the only one, and we all saw the same things. The weird
faces, yes, but other things, too. I’m not crazy, though I did entertain the
thought.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It all changed when I saw one and started to walk the
other way. He caught up to me and laid a firm hand on my shoulder and spun me
around. “What did you see?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Trembling in my boots, I said nothing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Come on, little human, I know you sense me. I’m just
curious what you <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">indagatrix</i> actually <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">see</i>.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lips quivering, staring into his wrong face, I mumbled,
“Your face…it shifts and moves.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>He lifted a corner of lip and nodded. “That’s
interesting. So… you’ve never seen anything else?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With his hand so firm on my shoulder, I was rooted to the
ground, unable to run. Power emanated from his touch, and my skin turned hot in
an instant. Whimpering, I swallowed and shook my head.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Well, if you’re to be afraid, you should have a good
reason.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Before me, his face slipped entirely, replaced with
reptilian skin, leathery, and greasy hairy reaching his waist. But it was his
eyes that undid me. The sclera turned red, the pupils turning almond shaped and
bright yellow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>He blinked and was human again, now smiling. “Was it good
for you?” He chuckled.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I found my voice then,
because I assumed death was to follow shortly. “What are you?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>His now perfectly normal face smiled. “We are demons,
little human, and this is our world now.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So that’s how I found out the truth, about the most
anti-climatic apocalypse imaginable. We didn’t fight it as a species. Hell, we
didn’t even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">know</i> it happened. Demons took
over, gave us humans everything we wanted. An end to starvation. World peace.
Poverty a thing of the past. Oprah threw a big party.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We never talk about what we gave up to get those things.
Sometimes I wonder if they even remember. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I remember. I do.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I was still staring at the picture of Larvale on the
magazine. Blinking, I tossed it aside. Near as I could tell, she was as close
to head demon as existed. I’d fought for weeks to get this appointment. In the
end, inspiration had struck.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Look, I really need to speak with her.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The assistant had sniffed over the phone. “I’m sorry, but
Ms. Larvale only sees preapproved appointments and you can’t tell me what your
affiliation is, or what your business is.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With my resolve fraying all around me, I gave up a key
piece of information. “Ok, please give her a message for me. And if after that,
she doesn’t want to speak, I’ll honor that, I will. Ok? Will you, will you give
her a message at least?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A deep sigh carried just fine over the fiber optic line.
“I will give her a message, young lady. Go ahead with it when you’re ready.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I paused, not sure if this was a grave mistake or a
necessary evil to get to the evil. “Indagatrix.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I’m sorry, can you repeat that?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“It’s just one word.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Can you spell it?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Gritting my teeth, I did. I only knew how to spell it
after some research, after the demon had let the word slip. It was Latin, that
much I figured out. What it had to do with me, I had no idea.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The assistant paused then, and I could read her
hesitation over the line. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Like I said, give her the message and if she doesn’t
want to talk to me, then I’ll honor that.” I had no idea what I’d do next, but
it wouldn’t involve a phone call.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“All right. I’ll see she gets the message.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I received a call to set up my appointment within the
hour.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now here I was, the appointment I’d so desperately
wanted, and scared worse than when my big bro Kyle made me watch the Exorcist
in third grade.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A woman pushed through double glass doors, looking like a
school marm. Plaid wool skirt, glasses perched on the tip of a long pointy
nose. “Anala Whitcomb, I presume?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Thank God she was human. Otherwise I might’ve bolted.
Seriously, I’m not brave.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Nodding quickly I stood and wrapped the bulky sweater
jacket tighter.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The woman held the door open for me, gesturing to the
elevator. We were both tucked inside when she hit ’60.’ All the way to the top.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The pressure from the elevator pushed against me but I
didn’t want to touch the railing, why exactly, I couldn’t say. The door opened
to a well-appointed modern office, all slick lines done in shiny black and
gray. Then I saw her.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She turned to look at me, her face slipping, slipping. It
didn’t stop, didn’t slow down. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Oh shit, oh holy mother, oh <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">shit</i>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Her voice called out, pleasant and honey smooth. “Gertie,
lead her on in.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Was that a hint of amusement?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’m not brave, no, but I also have a streak of
impetuousness that’s never served me well. Like, say, now.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Ms. Larvale, so nice to meet you,” I said, trying hard
to mask the stink of fear coating my armpits.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I walked right in to her office, the demon lady, and took
a seat in a big leather chair across from Larvale. Gertie closed the door
behind us.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Her face was still a mess of staticky channel and I
couldn’t decide where her eyes should be. “Could you, um, fix your face?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A soft chuckle. But she did. Her features snapped into
place with lightning speed. “Does this suit you better, Anala?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I shivered. Her saying my name felt very much like she
was cursing me, but something told me she shouldn’t know her words affected me.
Probably she’d use it to screw with my head further.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Larvale leaned back in her chair and steepled her fingers
over her lap. “It’s ridiculously rash for you to come here, you know? You have
no way of knowing this, but my kind loved to kill you Indagatrix not so long
ago. Since we’ve won, we don’t really bother. It’s more fun to watch you go
mad.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ok, then. Down to brass tacks.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I’m not crazy.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Larvale nodded. “Maybe not yet, but when you see the
graveyard, stretching out before you, as far as your human eyes can see, then
we’ll see.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Graveyard?” I swallowed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Of your kind. There are so many of you now, we will
never again go hungry. We will stay, help you breed, help you further indenture
yourselves. And you Indagatrix will be the only witnesses.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Against the tide of her words, hope swelled inside my
chest. This was why I was here, I suddenly understood. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This</i>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The words came out a whisper, but with a fine edge of
steel hardening them anyway. “So it’s not over.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Larvale laughed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“There’s hope.” I stood and walked out, my spine pulled
erect with fierce purpose.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Larvale’s skittering chuckle followed me out.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I didn’t care.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The war wasn’t over. They hadn’t won.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There was hope.</span></div>
Amy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611633151378898909.post-38127222037756590722015-09-19T11:48:00.001-07:002015-09-19T11:48:13.904-07:00Ma'am, please step away from the manuscript...<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Writers love to write. Shocker, right? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m not talking about how I ‘love’ to get a coffee in the
morning, or how I ‘love’ to go out to dinner on occasion. I’m talking about huge
amounts of endorphin being released when I’m holed up, left to my own weird
creative devices for hours on end. I’m talking about having no sense four hours
have passed without once glancing at the clock, feverishly typing and/or
staring blankly, and that I should <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">probably</i>
stretch my legs for a bit. It’s magical, and—as my husband can happily attest—I’m giddy and in an uber good mood.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9l_iq-qMMF0dmG5WWlFseIwnSonXXzuczYZ9pIYLJ2f4xFXjC9Up0n8oiltL3H04d-73UxXboi9YKXFNoCZCYhSBpmZcUMiSQ__ybTD6-sAy4Zq1YyDiv8uG2gBc2AuvFeBrWYTNi6K8/s1600/dean+airguitar.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9l_iq-qMMF0dmG5WWlFseIwnSonXXzuczYZ9pIYLJ2f4xFXjC9Up0n8oiltL3H04d-73UxXboi9YKXFNoCZCYhSBpmZcUMiSQ__ybTD6-sAy4Zq1YyDiv8uG2gBc2AuvFeBrWYTNi6K8/s320/dean+airguitar.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There comes a time when the magic is just as imaginary as
the world I’ve created and I wonder if I’ll ever get that feeling again.
Usually this head-meet-keyboard moment happens in the thick of a tough draft or
revision, when my mind is gnawing on a story problem like a wild beast on a
bloody carcass. No finesse. Just a gory, ripped apart story that gives no
indication it was once a graceful gazelle of words. I’m harried to get to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">answer</i>, so I can back to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">magic</i>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s one of the moments when I remind myself to step away.
Or I don’t remember to remind myself at all, I just do it, because my other
options involve destruction of personal property. My <i>own </i>property… don’t worry.
Other times, the need to step away is immediately after completion of a
revision or draft. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At first, it stepping away feels like cheating the process.
It feels like quitting and giving up and rolling over to show my tummy to a
predator and other things that are pretty much anathema to me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The initial tearing away of me from the manuscript has run
the gamut of emotion between ‘thank-God-I-can’t-look-at-that-crap-another-second’
to ‘my-poor-baby-she-needs-me-she-<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">needs-</i>me.’
I have had times where I wanted to look at it again, but knew it was like
Pandora playing peek-a-boo. Bad, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bad</i>
idea. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Writers need time away. Plain and simple. The time away
could be any number of things. Could be just time away from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that</i> book, but starting another. Could
be researching agents to query for that book. Could be not looking at a
keyboard at all. *shrugs* It’s what you need, in that moment. I’ve done all
three of those things, at various points. They are all productive and okay uses
of time. Even the doing nothing. I’ll say it again for my inner Type-A…even
doing nothing is okay.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This concept of time away has been taught in many seminars
and conferences I’ve attended. A question I’ve heard asked, then, the follow
up, is, ‘how long away?’ Great question, complicated answer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s fair to say I’ve been writing some version of Pledge of
Ashes since I was about thirteen. It’s my first story, in some ways, the one
that never left me, the one I feel compelled to tell. My abilities with craft
at thirteen (despite doing a paid correspondence course with a Writer’s Digest
mentor) were, um, limited.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAz0kEO6VgTeyTgWVSkpf5mt9NyfizIrZe3aAi8g9Pg4dA40tOsbZCJAdcwF0bCjvSLpU9cESB5gtmk1YB606LdBhcZ2c8zm1Klg-KuAwPsS6pr65Go9Jg8VWgh9-IXJl0e2PFF-sNtz8/s1600/tony.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAz0kEO6VgTeyTgWVSkpf5mt9NyfizIrZe3aAi8g9Pg4dA40tOsbZCJAdcwF0bCjvSLpU9cESB5gtmk1YB606LdBhcZ2c8zm1Klg-KuAwPsS6pr65Go9Jg8VWgh9-IXJl0e2PFF-sNtz8/s320/tony.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I went through my teens, then my twenties, I would return
to the book at various times. Pull it out, read it. Laugh. Cry. Then,
sometimes, take another stab at it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Until sometime in 2011 when I read it again and decided…now. I would
take this thing seriously and get to it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I honestly have no idea how many times I’ve stepped away
since then. I can’t tell you the real number of days or weeks or months that
worked. Only that, yes, sometimes it was days. Sometimes weeks or even months.
I have noted, the more skilled I have become with craft, the less time it seems
to take to feel ready to take on the project again. Skill, and the depth to
which the revision took me. The harder the revision, the longer I needed to
recoup.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve come to think of stepping away from our manuscripts as
very akin to the sleep cycle. Sometimes we want badly to sleep, but we keep our
eyes peeled open, because, for some reason, we really need to stay awake. Sometimes
we don’t want to sleep, we’re too jazzed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes we feel lazy because we want a nap.</div>
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<br /></div>
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But the best sleep comes when we recognize we need the rest,
and then we take it. No guilt, no internal recriminations. We give ourselves
permission to lie down, put our head on a pillow, and not think or work or
plot. That, too, can be magical.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sometimes, that’s when we have the best dreams.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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So, go ahead, take a step away. Rest. Before you fall over.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2XNiiXYAZjyGkq5Zzu7_7HlFAYUkBwh5-qFAJhkRacew8DTnNflSuRodHBKS8CDFv_Wou2HMy_wlRvQYDLuq-c3Sz9fF3jyPnnSuPJdbUwg2Jf3vOAnGlmHEwbZkjN5CkpVEthmsDSbU/s1600/tired+kitten.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2XNiiXYAZjyGkq5Zzu7_7HlFAYUkBwh5-qFAJhkRacew8DTnNflSuRodHBKS8CDFv_Wou2HMy_wlRvQYDLuq-c3Sz9fF3jyPnnSuPJdbUwg2Jf3vOAnGlmHEwbZkjN5CkpVEthmsDSbU/s1600/tired+kitten.gif" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Amy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611633151378898909.post-1422902781344982112015-08-27T04:30:00.000-07:002015-08-27T04:30:01.679-07:00Head Meet Keyboard...Ruminations on Revision<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Recently my husband said one of either the funniest or most
devastatingly sad things I have ever heard him utter. When he asked, ‘how’s the
book going’, I answered, as I have answered for probably the hundredth time, “I’m
revising.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My husband, whom I love dearly, looks genuinely confused and
says, “I thought you did that already.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ha. Hahah. Hahahahahah—devolving into sobs.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My face must’ve looked incredibly odd, because my emotions
immediately went into a brutal tug of war. One side, ready to laugh
uproariously, like that was the funniest thing I’ve <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ever</i> heard, the other side ready to crawl into the life-size hole
my dogs have dug to access the underside of our deck, and crawl inside never to
be seen again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yes, again, I’m revising. Again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And I am under no illusions whatsoever I am done. My
manuscript is just getting ready to be submitted to publishers, I’m still
approximately the sun and earth distance away from holding a copy of my book in
my own, greedy, keyboard-palsied hands.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m half-way okay with that.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Halfway, because, let’s be honest, holding a word mountain of
your own creation in paper form is a moment of supreme pride. You’ve created
something that has never existed before, used your complex frontal cortex to
weave imagery and characters and plot. The act of creation…there’s nothing like
it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But the other half of me knows and accepts I am new to this.
If I ever want to present more word mountains to the world and expect the world
to ask me for more word mountains, this particular word mountain needs to be
totally, and without reserve, kick ass. Which means making it as good as it can
get, heeding the advice of the community of people who are trying to help me
get there-- my freelance editor, my betas, my CPs, my agent, and hopefully, one day, my
editor.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It takes a village to make a mountain. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://media.giphy.com/media/9itRgxTfktYqc/giphy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/9itRgxTfktYqc/giphy.gif" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Or something.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyway. Probably the most important thing I’ve learned about
revision is this: it’s not all uphill. Every change you make won’t
*necessarily* make it better. Probably worse than any rejection I’ve received
is the feeling of putting in tons and tons of work into a revision, reading it, and feeling
abject horror at what you’ve done to your baby.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It happens. Been there.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://media.giphy.com/media/SHt8sEFjnu6v6/giphy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/SHt8sEFjnu6v6/giphy.gif" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is a gift in all this. Not like a Christmas morning gift, complete with instant gratification. No, it's more like the super special vacation around the world that you will take one day, that you spend years readying yourself for, that you hold gently in your best daydreams. It's a gift like that.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Each revision makes us better. Better, because we did something genuinely awesome, marginally better, or because we learned something to <i>never </i>do again. Either way, revision makes you a better, more polished, more experienced, more efficient writer. Possibly even more than actually writing the word mountain in the first place. After all, not all mountains are the same. There's landfills, and there's the majesty of the Rockies.</div>
Amy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611633151378898909.post-9070221254680045222015-08-24T11:41:00.000-07:002015-08-27T06:54:54.721-07:00Swimming with the big fishies... Dear Pitchwars 2015 Mentees<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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First, let me say to everyone who had the stones to enter Pitchwars in the first place…</div>
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<a href="http://media.tumblr.com/1ab4f959f48c6ccc912fb91595ca9d13/tumblr_inline_n2n0faLX2z1s0u9u5.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media.tumblr.com/1ab4f959f48c6ccc912fb91595ca9d13/tumblr_inline_n2n0faLX2z1s0u9u5.gif" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
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And now let me say…</div>
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I get it. The waiting, the worry, and for those of you picked, the shock and awe.</div>
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Last year, when I was picked by the incredibly amazing Kara
Leigh Miller, I was all like…</div>
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<a href="http://media.giphy.com/media/zjumgQVDaY33q/giphy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media.giphy.com/media/zjumgQVDaY33q/giphy.gif" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://img.ccrd.clearchannel.com/media/mlib/2135/2015/06/default/supernatural_0_1434449003.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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Seriously. I didn’t think I stood a chance. There were <i>talented</i> <u></u>people trying to get into Pitchwars. One my CP’s entered and she rocks. People who
have been at this for a while, really clever, crafty people. Then there was me. I entered, crossed my fingers and tried to forget about it. I was over the moon when Kara asked to see more, but still, no hope raising here.</div>
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I didn’t stay up with baited breath for the midnight reveal.
I woke up in the morning with groggy eyes and probably a little bit of drool,
and reached over to my phone (pathetic, I know) but not because I was anxiously
awaiting the Pitchwars reveal of who was picked. Nope. *grins manically to hide shame* I
had so little faith with my MS amid the stiff competition of Pitchwars, I didn’t
even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">realize</i> the reveals had
happened.</div>
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*clears throat*</div>
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So, when I saw my Twitter feed had blown up, I was confused.
I stumbled out of bed with scrunched up forehead, wondering why ‘congratulations’
was all over my phone. Maybe I was an alternate? The idea had my adrenaline pumping. </div>
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But no.</div>
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Not an alternate.</div>
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Mentee. Whaaaaat— <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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So, if you are reeling from all the digital hooting
and hollering, hear me when I say, “I totally feel you.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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But get over it. This is a tremendous opportunity, and while
having a mentor is a big part of the opportunity, you are the bigger part. Revel
in the confidence being picked should give you. Take it to heart, believe you
will soon have the best MS <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ever</i>, and GET TO
WORK.</div>
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A large group of us 2014 alums have stayed in contact and
you would not believe me if I told you our stats. Many, many of us have landed agents (including me!) and I barely have enough fingers to cover all the book deals (not me yet.) </div>
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I don’t know the official stats, but I do know that most of us who got agented didn’t <i>directly </i>come from Pitchwars. Mine didn't. But the draft of my MS that got me my agent definitely came from Pitchwars. (Thank you once again, Kara!)</div>
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So my advice? Envision Pitchwars as this
professional grade diving board into the deep end of the pool where the big kids play. </div>
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That’s where you are. Right now.<br />
<br />
Take a breath. Dive in. </div>
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Your mentor can help you swim.</div>
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My wish for all of you selected this year is to have a great experience. You may or may not get requests. You may or may not have a perfect relationship with your mentor. You may or may not have the time you want to work on your MS. All true.</div>
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Also true...<br />
<a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/c6/a1/0b/c6a10b0dc964cf99921cfda3104fe266.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/c6/a1/0b/c6a10b0dc964cf99921cfda3104fe266.gif" width="320" /> </a><br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
But you have someone to help you now. Someone to share the burden and prevent you from drowning.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Swim, baby!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Check out the blog entries below with my awesome Pitchwars 2014 peeps for more inspiration and brass tacks advice on how to make Pitchwars the incredible experience it should be!</div>
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<a href="http://motherhoodmyfulltimejob.blogspot.com/2015/08/dear-2015-pitch-wars-mentees.html">Amanda Rawson Hill: On Doubt and Hope</a>
<br />
<a href="http://jhawks-nest.blogspot.com/2015/08/dear-pitch-wars-2015.html">Jennifer Hawkins: Last year at this time, I was you…</a><br />
<a href="http://www.kkazulwolf.com/post/127468283215/dear-2015-pitchwars-mentees">K. Kazul Wolf: Congrats on getting further into the insanity…</a><br />
<a href="http://tracielmartin.com/2015/08/25/what-no-one-tells-the-pitchwarriors-dear-pitchwars-2015-mentees/">Tracie Martin: What No One Tells the PitchWarrior</a><br />
<a href="http://andthenshewaslikeblahblahblah.blogspot.com/2015/08/dear-future-mentees-sing-it-like-meghan.html">RuthAnne Frost: 2014 Pitch Wars Mentee here, looking to offer…</a><br />
<a href="http://rosalyneves.blogspot.com/2015/08/dear-pitchwars-2015.html">Rosalyn Collings Eves: Most of you are probably sick with dread…</a><br />
<a href="https://4chicks.wordpress.com/2015/08/26/one-step-at-a-time/">Peggy J. Sheridan: Welcome to the club…</a><br />
<a href="http://janetwaldenwest.weebly.com/blog/dear-pitchwars-2015-mentees-the-long-game">Janet Walden-West: The Long Game</a><br />
<a href="http://destinycole.com/2015/08/26/dear-pitchwars-2015-mentees/">Destiny Cole: Yup, I’m talking to you…</a><br />
<a href="http://insanity.today/2015/08/26/confessions-of-a-pitchwars-alternate/">Kelly DeVos: Confessions of a PitchWars Alternate</a><br />
<a href="http://www.maryannmarlowe.com/?p=893">Mary Ann Marlowe: First things first…</a><br />
<a href="http://scribblebabble.blogspot.com/2015/08/dear-pitch-wars-2015-mentees.html">Mara Rae: I’m going to keep it short and sweet…</a><br />
<a href="http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2015/08/the-one-for-2015-pitch-wars-mentees.html#axzz3jyPlvryD">Jen Vincent: Last year, on a complete whim…</a><br />
<a href="http://www.kipwilsonwrites.com/dear-2015-pitchwars-mentees/">Kip Wilson: Congratulations, lucky mentees…</a><br />
<a href="https://aelysvera.wordpress.com/2015/08/27/dear-2015-pitch-wars-mentees/">A. Alys Vera: PitchWars is great, don’t get me wrong…</a>
Amy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611633151378898909.post-44570604477691226712015-08-17T09:56:00.000-07:002015-08-24T11:31:15.100-07:00Insecurity is Part of the Process<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is something a little off about writers. I mean, we do
this thing, where we put words on paper and then share them with people. There
is always a piece of us in the words. So that sharing, that giving of our words
to others, it’s a little bit like baring your soul to strangers and hoping for
the best. It’s probably why developing a ‘thick skin’ is something established
writers are always telling the newbies. Best to learn early, before your heart
gets trampled beyond repair and you burn your manuscript in a sad closure
ritual.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You might be tempted to think that writers are naturally a
thick-skinned bunch. Why else would they be drawn so moth/flame-like to this perpetual rejection cycle? I think it’s actually the opposite of
that. We can be a truly insecure bunch. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have the honor of having met quite a few writers now
(virtually and otherwise…Table of Trust shout-out!), and I’m including the
unpublished ones in that heap, too. Those perhaps more than any other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For myself, I’m realizing I have an
uncomfortable relationship with this whole insecurity thing. And I think most
other writers, aspiring, agented, and published, feel pretty much the same.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is this really long, really harsh reality of trying to
becoming a traditionally published author now. Last year was different, and
next year is likely to be different, too. Forget getting published, the reality
is finishing the damn book is hard enough. Like, really hard. Probably why so
many people want to do it, looking misty-eyed into the distance. “I want to
write a book!” Sure. Like so many people want to complete a marathon, just to
put the 26.2 sticker on their SUV, like a badge of glory. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Writing a book seems so <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hard</i>.
Newsflash: it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i> hard. It’s an
indeterminate number of hours, days, months, for many, even years of putting
words on a page. Not just any words. Words that mean something, coalesce into a
sentence, a paragraph, a chapter, a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">story</i>
which means something. Characters we care about, plots that make sense. Not
boring your reader to tears. Revising until you want to puke because you’ve
read that chapter Eighty. Million. Times. But it still doesn’t seem perfect.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But then, you figure out that this thing might be good,
someone else might enjoy reading this. Heck, maybe the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">masses</i> should read this thing. Then you start the next phase.
Making sense of what’s going on in publishing these days. Which tomorrow, could
be different from two weeks ago. Seriously, it’s that intense right now. It
doesn’t take you long to figure out you’ll need an agent. An agent, not a
publisher. Because most of the big houses and even mid sized publishers don’t
take unagented work. And not just any agent. Someone who reps your genre,
someone who’s good, but not closed to queries or only accepts submission by
referral. And you probably need to nail down several dozen of those
individuals, easy, because, well, you have to convince <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">them</i> they want you instead of the hundreds of other writers who are
doing the exact same thing. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you cringed just now, well, let’s just say, I get it.
There are days where the enormity of the task is overwhelming. Now imagine
going through the agenting process, complete with an indeterminate number of
revisions… again, this time in search of an amenable publisher, negotiating a
contract, all that.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You can imagine the opportunities for self-doubt in the
process I just detailed would be beyond intense. At every turn, most writers I
know are stopping, at least for a moment, and saying, ‘my book isn’t <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that</i> good.’ I know I did. Do.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But, there was some vaguely masochistic pleasure I felt when
I learned this was normal. In fact, if there aren’t pushy tendrils of doubt
wrapping around your ankles and knocking you down, something might actually be
wrong. Too cocky, too arrogant isn’t a good look on someone who needs to knock
politely on the immense mansion of traditional publishing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am a newly agented author. I’ve been with my incredibly
supportive agent, Sarah Younger, of Nancy Yost Literary for a handful of months
now. Yet I still had one of those moments of breathtaking insecurity recently.
Sarah had requested some revisions to the manuscript (which is totally normal,
BTW), before sending the book off to the editors she has in mind. It took me
some time to do the revisions, and I had this feeling, this acid-coated pill
stuck in my throat, sure, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">positive</i>,
that Sarah would see the revisions and call the whole thing off, all ‘what was
I thinking’ style.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It took her about a month to get back with me. Thirty six
days, if I was counting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I still have an agent.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, if you’re word crafting and trying to finish the book,
if you’re revising until you want to scream, if you’re querying your hundredth
agent, if you’re waiting for your editor’s final nod of approval…embrace the
insecurity. I’m thinking it’s just part of the process. It’s that thing that keeps
us wanting to be better.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Amy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611633151378898909.post-43672672251358625102015-07-22T17:24:00.001-07:002015-07-22T17:24:55.471-07:00A Hop, Skip, and an Agent<div class="MsoNormal">
Sometime in 2013, I had a conversation with the freelance
editor I’d met serendipitously a couple years prior. Teresa and I had worked
together over months and months, rewriting and editing my novel. Teresa, of
Writing-Excellence.com, had been instrumental to my development as a serious
writer. And now she was telling me something I wasn’t ready to hear.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You really should try to get traditionally published.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m no stranger to marketing, having built more than one
business up to a respectable level. So, when I finished my book, I’d just kind
of assumed I would self-publish my books. I’d keep more control, and I wouldn’t
have to figure out the web-like intricacies of traditional publishing. Easy,
peasy. Besides, the odds of even getting an agent? Low. I’d read about the
hundreds of letters each agent gets each week, and the ridiculously low rate of
response, let alone acceptance. Self-publishing seemed like the ticket.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But Teresa was persistent. She plied me compliments she
insisted were warranted and a sweet melodic voice that had taught me many, many
things which turned out to be true. Could this be true, too? Could traditional
publishing actually be something I could do?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then she went for the kill. “You’ll never know unless you
try.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Truer words. And I’m not someone to balk from a challenge.
Over the next few weeks and months I began to read more, learn the market,
learn the skills. Try to tackle query writing. Decide who would even be a good
fit for me, as an author. It was exhausting and overwhelming. And I hadn’t even
really started to ‘try’ yet.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After my research, I decided I would give myself a year. 2014.
One year to try to get an agent. I went to several conferences, San Diego, New
York, Madison and some local conferences, too. I learned something more each
time. I pitched agents and editors. It was terrifying at first, pressing send
on those queries, those face to face pitches. I bumbled and stumbled, even
though I’d practiced. It was hard.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the end of 2014 I didn’t have an agent. But surprisingly
for a Type A, one thing I did have for my experimentation of the 2014 calendar
year was hope. I won a place with a fabulous mentor, Kara Leigh Miller, through
the #Pitchwars contest. I had queries out, even an editor at a big house who
had requested my full manuscript at a conference. 2014 hadn’t been <i>at all</i> a wash. Even more interesting,
all I learned helped me conclude self-publishing is just as difficult as
traditional, in a different way. Now I was invested in the idea of traditional
publishing. Even though my year was up, I wasn’t prepared to stop.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I attended the San Diego State University Writer’s
Conference in January of 2015 and it was there I pitched to Sarah Younger of the
Nancy Yost Literary Agency. Sarah requested my full manuscript, and after some
additional revisions I sent it to her.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In mid-March, I received an email that I had dared not hope
hard to receive. Sarah wanted to talk. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Talk? Like, <i>talk</i>,
talk? Turns out, well…yes. Sarah, this real-live literary agent in New York
wanted to represent me. Not just any agent, either. One with a great track
record and some very happy clients. I talked to them, so I can say that for
sure. This is still a long way off from traditional publication, but there is
no denying this is a huge step forward. Nay, a <i>leap</i>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now I’m hard at work (still) on more revisions for Sarah and
I couldn’t be happier that she chose me. I’ve gotten support and the feedback I
needed to take my book to the next level, and hopefully get it published.
Traditionally.<o:p></o:p></div>
Amy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611633151378898909.post-14403525364507657132015-01-15T09:15:00.000-08:002015-02-12T09:16:16.181-08:00Ten Quiet Minutes<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Ten minutes to focus on nothing, that’s the goal. I won’t
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My other senses heighten, and immediately the click-clack of
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I peak one eye open and Cyclops-style eye contact is all it
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Ah. Quiet time can begin.</div>
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Hey, you know this would make a great blog post. MAYBE I
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year. Yeah, I could even—</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bad. Girl. </i></div>
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It’s quiet time. Deep breath. I repeat a couple of different
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Piglet sighs, raises his head off the cat, and rests it
instead on my shoulder. It’s amazing, when you think about it. You’d think
dogs, cats, piglets, they have ample quiet time. But it’s not really quiet. A
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No more sounds invade the quiet and I think I’m finally
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<br /></div>
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The timer bleeps, indicating my ten minutes is up.</div>
Amy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611633151378898909.post-3422558710521282852015-01-02T09:05:00.000-08:002015-02-12T09:14:06.806-08:00New Year’s Resolution: Forget world peace, I’ll take peace with my body<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Everyone is
talking about the New Year, and I’d be totally lying if I said I wasn’t one of
those enchanted believers in New Year’s resolution magic. There’s something
about the idea of new beginnings, starting clean, anew, refreshed. Magic.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">This year is
different for me.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Last year’s
resolution was to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> set a weight
loss goal. Like pretty much everyone, everywhere in the first world, it’s been
a struggle for me. Up, down, and regardless of placement on the spectrum, never
really feeling happy with where I was at, even when I could look back at
pictures and nod appreciatively. Believe me, I get the tragedy in that.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">So last year’s
main goal was, I guess, an anti-goal. The goal was to not set a weight loss
goal, but focus on being healthy. To get right with the body I was given led me
in May to do a 30 day challenge. I’ve done all the diets, tried not to eat
this, only eat that, etc, etc. None of it ever works. Admittedly, that’s a
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for you.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">But here’s the
thing. It <i>worked</i>. In ways that were total curveball material. Pet allergies? No
need for that daily antihistamine. Not a morning person? Psshh. Sure you are,
when you eat correctly. Can’t survive without pasta? Don’t even want it
anymore. And the biggest shocker was that, to a large degree, I’ve kept up
those eating habits, hitting a weight I haven’t seen since my college years.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">So, moving into
2015, when I was looking at goal setting, there was a bit of twiddling my
thumbs. For the first time in my adult life, I feel healthy. Which gives me
space to make my resolutions 100% writing related. The focus and hone on those
things is kinda scary. Like, there’s no where to hide, no ‘well, I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">did</i> accomplish those other things.’</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">So, here it is.
The 2015 resolutions. I’m going to: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">finish a draft
of book two. </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">write 12 short
stories. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">read at least 40
books. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">query at least 50
agents (unless I get picked up by #5, then I’ll query 5 agents.) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">write at least
18 blog posts. </span></div>
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contests.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">All that. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Oh, and if you’re
interested in the 30 day challenge that was a game-changer for me, go here:
Whole30.com</span></i></div>
Amy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611633151378898909.post-14025125635075004552014-10-09T11:00:00.000-07:002014-10-09T11:00:02.167-07:00Goosebumpy Musical Musings<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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For me, writing without music so loud it surrounds me is
like a cat minus fur. Yes, it’s possible, but vaguely disturbing in some
way. In fact, my music is loud enough that well across the house my husband can
easily identify the songs. His comment? “I don’t know how you concentrate.” Answer:
Shrug. Or, the ever popular, “How many times can you possibly listen to that
song in a row?” Answer: still counting, I’ve not hit the limit.</div>
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My mom once told me she was nearly certain if writing was in
my future it would be as a song writer. I heart music that much (and I played
piano as a kid.) But that really doesn’t fill the creative niche for me. It’s
always been stories with supernatural elements. Always. Even when I was a kid,
I’d read and listen to music simultaneously. ‘Born to be wild’ by Steppenwolf is
forever entangled in my memory with L.J. Smith’s Vampire Diaries series. Can’t
think of one without the other.</div>
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<br /></div>
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But there is a class of music that works pure magic on me
from a creative standpoint. Songs that give me goosebumps. I know I’m not alone
in this, though my husband shakes his head and labels the response ‘weird.’ I’ve
tried to identify and label the pieces that make a song goosebump worthy, but it’s
got to be a bit of magic. A dash of compelling lyrics, a pinch of haunting
melody, a moment coalescing into transcendence… all to equal something
beautiful and moving my body understands at a cellular level. Something like
that, but different and individual each time.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So, in honor of goosebump-inducing October, I thought I’d share my top list of songs that
take my breath away and unfailingly give me goosebumps. In no particular order… </div>
<br />
<ul>
<li>“Blinding” ~ Florence + the machine (I could
pick another half dozen of hers to add, too, but there’s something about this
one. The woman is a genius.)</li>
<li>“Take Me to Church” ~ Hozier</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>“Can’t See New York” ~ Tori Amos</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>“Stay with Me” ~ Sam Smith</li>
<li>"Nightcall” ~ London Grammar</li>
<li>"My Kind of Love” ~ Emeli Sande </li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>“Whiskey Lullaby” ~ Allison Krauss and Brad
Paisley</li>
</ul>
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And,
lest you think me a total sap…</div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>“Turn the Page” ~ Metallica</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>“I am the Highway” ~ Audioslave</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>“Bad Company” ~ Five Finger Death Punch</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>“Female Robbery” ~ The Neighborhood (again, I
could add several more by them but this is my fav)</li>
</ul>
<br />
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I’m always looking to add to my musical addiction, so what
songs would you add to this list?</div>
Amy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611633151378898909.post-84546460260736201222014-10-06T14:48:00.000-07:002014-10-07T12:33:59.672-07:00#Pitchwars: Before, Before, After & After<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
People love before and afters. I do. You do.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Come on, you <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">know</i>
you do. So here’s my story about before and afters.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once upon a time (ok, it was 2011) I wrote 90k words of knee-jerk
reaction after rereading a story I’d written as a teenager. Then a freelance
editor pried the monstrosity out of my grasping, anxious, authorial hands, and
wrote all kinds of rainbowed-editorial comments all over it. Such as, but not
limited to: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You shifted POV. Get rid of
slightly, began, tousled, small smile, soft smile, sarcastically. This is a big
deal. Why are we hearing it after the fact instead of seeing it happen? Hard to
believe. Unsure of meaning. Too much backstory.</i> Ahem. You get the point. I
threw the whole 90k into the shredder and started over. True story, except I
didn’t shred it, I just never looked at it again.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fast forward three years and a whole new manuscript, Before 2.0…</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When pitching agents and editors with my Before 2.0, I got a bite. *Premature
happy dance.* An editor loved the piece, but wanted some revisions. The most
challenging ask was a cut down in word count of about 25-30k words. (I’ll pause
here while you suck in your breath like you just got kicked in the gut…believe
me, I understand.) But I was determined, over the moon about the opportunity, and
got back to work. A few months later I had an ‘after.’ A damn good 77K after.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I entered #Pitchwars in August with the 'after,'
like a good, compliant, little author. Got picked. *Premature
happy dance.* Guess what? More revisions. Guess what she wanted? An <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">increase</i> in word count.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Upon hearing this, my shoulders slumped for about ten seconds.
Then I got back to work. In fact, I was actually kinda excited. The preliminary
feedback I’d gotten about my ‘after’ was some of things that had been great
about Before 2.0 were missing in the ‘after.’ Now I had a chance to add them
back in, After 2.0, stripped of all the things that had perhaps been superfluous
in Before 2.0 but missing in After 1.0. Keeping up?</div>
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<br /></div>
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At the moment, I’m waiting to hear back from my mentor about
the changes I made. For those that are keeping track, I added back in about 11K
words, a good chunk brand new. And it’s the best version yet. After 2.0, coming
in strong at 87K.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Through all the word play, I’ve learned tons about the
revision process, listened to and read so many different authors’ accounts of
all the versions of their work they dredged through before the final product
arrived prettily on a shelf somewhere. I’d always thought, ‘I can do that.’ Now
I’m living it, and I have no guarantees. No guarantees someone in publishing
with the magical publishing wand will finally, ultimately, once and for all say
‘yes, it IS done.’ It’s hard. Each revision you dig deep into that creative surplus,
hoping there’s more gas in the tank, more edge in the cut, more depth in the
character, just…more. More and better.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I’m waiting to hear back from my mentor, agents, at least
one editor. It’s all in flux and a big, fat question mark at the moment. But
you know what? I’m grateful for it. Without the push from all those external
forces, I would still be floundering, thinking Before 1.0 was the best I could
do. I’m also certain if traditional publication does come with this novel, this
‘after’ is not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the</i> after. Heck, After
2.0 maybe end up to be only Before 4.0 in the larger scheme of things. And I’m
ok with that.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Amy Sevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217589528748485026noreply@blogger.com0