NaNoWriMo: Where Only the Strong Survive

Hey yall! October has been a crazy month! The month started off with Austin Teen Book Festival which was AWESOME. I got a gazillion books signed for me and my library. I just got back from a trip back home to Connecticut with brief stops off in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. New York was in the travel plans too, but so much to do and lots of family to see! So we decided to put off that leg off our trip until next time! So I've had a nice little writing hiatus and I am ready to get my ass in gear.
November, November, November. November is National Novel Writing Month or otherwise known as NaNoWriMo. Now, once again, because I have all of like four writer friends let me break this down for yall. NaNo is pretty easy in theory.
1. Sign up.
2. Write 50,000 words in one month.
3. Binge eat or something. Whatever coping mechanism suits your fancy will do.
4. Sleep for the entire month of December.
The idea is to WRITE, it doesn't have to be like Crime and Punishment or anything good at all, it just has to be something.... besides the same word over and over. :o) And hey if it's good, then AWESOME. So if you haven't guessed by now I am braving the writing elements and I have officially signed up for NaNoWriMo. Signing up was pretty exciting, until that OH SHIT moment hit me like a ton of bricks. Not only is November National Novel Writing Month, but it's also my birthday (WOO!), Ian's birthday, our nieces birthday, and Thanksgiving. This equates to a BUSY MONTH. Oh and by the way I work two jobs. I've got four stories that I've kind of got brewing in my head and I have a couple hodge podge of pages that could maybe sort of be the start of something. I have a good idea of which idea I'm going with for NaNoWriMo so keep me in your brain or heart or whatever because November's going to freaking suck in the best way ever.
And lastly, YES, I'm still querying. Kind of. I've sent out 9 query letters and have received 8 rejections/no response means no. There's one last letter floating around in query world and I'm not trying to be down on myself or my work but I'm not really expecting a positive response. Since my most recent post concerning queries, I sorta kinda had a breakdown. I'm not trying to be dramatic, I promise, but when someone rejects something so personally tied to you it feels like they're rejecting you as a person. Everyone keeps telling me not to take it personally, but I say NO TAKE IT PERSONALLY. Because, what it comes down to is that one of the major ingredients to good writing is making it personal and letting a huge horrible chunk of you shine through in your work. So yeah it's personal and it hurts but maybe it will be worth it. Who knows? We'll see.
Moral of the story: November is going to awesome suck and take it personal because it is personal.

J
PS- did you know Halloween is my favorite holiday and I have NO costume? I am so slacking, what are your Halloween plans? And because I love pictures check out these bad boys from East Coast trip!

My only ATBF picture, but that's okay because it's with Ashly!

The Dreary Query; in which I stand in front of the world naked

Note: apologies for the formatting on this blog, HTML had a mind of its own on this one.
Uhhhh ok. So I started querying. So here's the deal 99.9% of my friends are not writers and 80% of them do not share my reading tastes. So here it is for you simple minded people. A query letter is a letter sent to a literary agent in which you request their representation. Should the agent  offer you representation they, in turn, attempt to sell your novel.

Okay so that doesn't sound so bad, right? Hey mister my books super good, will you be my agent?

Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. It's horrible. Here's the true story: You write this thing and it's pages
and pages and pages of words that have been festering in your belly. You have horrible moments where the computer screen looks like a freaking brick wall and if you have beautiful aha! moments where the world feels right and perfect. All of these painfully beautifully moments comprise the writing process, or at least they do for me. Anyway you go through this intensive labor of writing and you finish and you want the world to read your book.

So, what do you have to do? You have to find an agent... and that's only the beginning. This agent wants you to explain your characters, plots, and the sheer essence of your book in just a paragraph. Then they want to hear a little bit about you, but only a little, and really only what's relevant to you as a writer... what qualifies you to write this book, that's what they want to know. Then they want you to tell them a little bit about why you chose them? That doesn't sound bad right? Wrong, sit down and google someone. Anyone. Then write that person an email telling them why they're qualified to do what they do and what attracts you to them.
It's really fucking hard you guys. Querying is not for the faint hearted or the weak minded. AHHHHH. so that's where I am right now. Oh and by the way... some agents have ridiculous wait times, like months. And even after that some of them never respond, because for some agent no response = no. But there are those few who respond in days.
Here's another kicker, some of those agents who respond just send you a form letter that starts out "Dear Author: blah, blah, blah." Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for the finality of that form rejection letter, but man it sucks to be a nameless face. By the way when I sent out my first letter, I threw up. Not like blowing chunks throw up, think more over excited senior citizen cat throw up.

Yeah.

Querying is like when you're a little kid and an older sibling/cousin/random stranger grabs your hand and hits you in the face with your own hand while saying "Stop hitting yourself" OVER AND OVER again. That basically sums it up.

So anyways, because you're all joysucking vampires, you're really just hear to know my stats thus far. I started querying last week and this is what I've got:

Queries Sent: 6

Rejections: 3

Queries still in outerspace: 3

Now because I'm a master statician, I'm going to break down my rejections for you (while keeping the agents anonymous).

Note: After I had sent out three letters, I had an epiphany and COMPLETELY rewrote/reorganized my first chapter, and I got really positive feed back from some select test readers so I decided to go balls out and send it my last three agents.

Rejection #1: I received a form response from a BIG BIG BIG agency whose clients are pretty commercial and not so literary and/or edgy. Now because they represent such commercial friendly clients, they are easily accessible and receive major query traffic. Plus they promise a response within two weeks, which I have to admit was the deciding factor when I sent in my query. So I wasn't disappointed or discouraged by they rejection because they weren't my top pick or close to my top pick but you always want someone to want your book, so that's a little rough. But I did send them my old chapter versus the new rewritten version!

Rejection #2: This rejection was a little harder to swallow, because I basically idolize this agents clients. However, this agent comes out of a small boutique agency so if their client list is full, it's full. Regardless, I took my chances. And by the way I received my rejection from this agent on a Saturday morning (which is unusual) AND this agent's policy is no response = no. So albeit a rejection I was encouraged by a personalized reply, especially since I was expecting no reply if she wasn't interested. This agent kept it short and sweet.... but I almost cried because it was positive.... a positive negative if you will! The email simply read: "Hi Julie, It's good but I'm just not looking right now. Good Luck!" You guys I cried, and I'm not a crier AT ALL. I've got some thick skin, but after a week of one rejection and an otherwise empty inbox, those thirteen words rocked me to my core. Not only did I get a personalized response from a no response = no agent, but to me this agent's opinion is as big as Mount Everest.

I haven't sent off to my dream agent I'm holding off for a bit, sort of testing the waters.
Rejection #3: I literally just found out about this rejection like five minutes ago. It was to my first agent (so old first chapter) and their policy is no response = no. But here's the caveat, they keep a blog saying how many queries are in their queu, and they have looked over all of their queries so if you haven't heard yet you're not going to.... which I'm okay with this rejection.

But here's some awesome news! I won a contest! the prize was a query letter critique and a first chapter critique from published author Lisa Desrochers! So I've kind of slowed the query train down a bit until I hear back from her.

So there you go you guys, that's where I'm at.

And by the way my working title is....

Homesick for Goodbye!

And my most amazing critique partner Ashly made me this LOVELY tote using an image created by Kristin, my Yoda reader. oh! and Kristin had a spiral copy of my manuscript made, which basically made me pee my pants. Literally. It was awkward.
That's all for now, leave a comment. I need your affirmations to continue on. I'm serious... ya know how in Peter Pan, Tink dies if people don't believe in her. Well I will die unless you write a comment. Comment = Julie Life Juice. FACT.
-j

in·spi·ra·tion

So this thing that manifested out of my brain, this book I wrote.
For me this book started a long time ago, before I even knew it was a book.
I'm not going to do a whole lot of talking about the book just yet, mainly because it's not really a book. It's still just this Word doc saved on my computer. Anyways I did want to share some of the things that inspired me to get all of this out of my head and on to paper.

So PostSecret is amazing. Every postcard has its own story just begging to be unraveled. The site is updated every Sunday with new secrets. If you've never heard of it check it. PostSecret is  undoubtedly one of the most amazing communities I've ever come across.

This song, THIS SONG you guys. Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero. I listened to this song on repeat for hours at a time.

And lastly, Devil Town by Bright Eyes (I think it's originally by someone else, but this is the version I prefer.) When I heard this song, I said to myself I HAVE TO WRITE THIS BOOK. For me this song, completely created my setting. In fact I practically built my setting around this song. Pretty damn cool.

 

 So that's all I've got for now. If you haven't read my last post you should, because all this business will make a hell of alot more sense.

-j

Let's Cut the Crap: In Which I Make a Confession.

You know I'm not blogging.
I know I'm not blogging.
So the question is what am I doing? *hushed whispers roll through the crowd*
You guys. YALL.
I'm writing.
ALOT.
And basically I had to grow a pair in order to come out and say that just now.
That's the short version of this post and here, my friends, is the long version:

Most of you know that I graduated in December with a Bachelors in Political Science, which was awesome and I loved it. My program was awesome, my profs were awesome. It was awesome. Awesome was awesome.
But it was so so so intense, I spent three years learning about countries, diplomat etiquette, obscure political parties, court cases that address consensual adults who engage in sodomy, and dumdum bullets (among other things :)).
All of those things are really freaking cool, so cool that they could make your head explode.
And mine almost did.
Until I started reading YA (young adult) books again. I began to devour YA in all shapes and sizes.  I had dabbled in YA and middlegrade before, but this was a whole new chapter in my obsession.
Originally, in the infancy of my Bachelors, I had planned to major in English. I even took a couple of creative writing classes (where I met my husband, win!) under the guise that I was interested in editing or even technical writing. I told my friends and professors I wanted to be well-rounded should I decide to go into publishing, so I took creative writing.
I said that to people because letting people think you're not fully vested in something you love is alot less scary than showing people how much you actually care. I thought if I convinced myself that I didn't care about the product I was producing it wouldn't hurt when people teared it to shreds. blah blah blah.
So creative writing classes, guess what?  It was freaking awesome.
You know what else? It's really fucking scary to admit to people that you want to be a writer.
I mean, shit, that's a loaded statement. People ask things like: what do you write? can I read it? Those unassuming and innocent questions, over time, morph into things like: You're not published yet? Aren't writers published? How do writers get paid? Is that a real profession? I love to talk about my writing, I do, I promise. But making that initial admission to people that you write. That's some scary shit.
OK I've gotten a little off track.
Anyways I took an AMAZING government class that made me feel like an empowered, aware citizen so I changed my major and stood on my political soap box until I graduated. (I still pull my soap box out of the closet for special occasions.)
So here I am, a college graduate, twiddling my thumbs.
This is what I know:
1. I don't want to go to law school. I don't hate myself enough to do that.

2. Getting a poli sci masters sounds interesting, but I don't want to be a prof, I don't want to research, and I absolutely do not want to work for a politician, let alone be one.

3. I love YA books (All books really, I read some adult books. Promise). Still. It hasn't changed, not a bit, not even wavered ever so slightly. YA books are something I've always come back to. When I was dirt poor after high school and couldn't even afford community college I picked up every Holly Black or Ellen Hopkins book I could get my hands on at used book stores or libraries.

4. I love libraries. They combine my love of books and a little bit of my love for government (THESE BOOKS ARE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC VIA THE GOVERNMENT, how cool is that you guys??? And, also FREEDOM OF SPEECH ANYBODY?) Deciding to get my MLS is the easiest decision I've ever made and I will do it someday. But not today. Because right now I am on a damn roll. Words are vomiting out of my brain and I want to make sure I can write them down.

As a dear friend recently told me, grad school will be there in January (when I had originally planned to start) and it will be there next year and the year after and so on, but this writing mojo I've got going. This thing may not always be there. So I'm going to pursue this for now.

Anyways, all that to say: I wrote a book you guys.
I said: I WROTE A BOOK YOU GUYS.

Not only did I write a book, but I wrote it in three weeks. And you wanna know what? I really like it. And some other people do too and that's cool.
So maybe I'll never get an agent and I'll never sell my book. Maybe it's really not all that good, but that's okay. I wrote a book and some people like it and I never in a million years thought I would ever be able to say that.
I never thought I would be able to admit how much I love to write. And that's really freaking cool, you wanna know why? (Life lesson moment you guys.) BECAUSE I'M GROWING AS A PERSON. I don't care if I do this and fail, because the point is that I'm doing this.
So don't be afraid. It's silly and you're wasting your time.
Do what you're scared to admit you love, because WHO GIVES A SHIT IF YOU SUCK?? YOU'RE DOING WHAT YOU LOVE. And that, my dear friends is really freaking cool.
If I don't need an agent or an editor to write than you don't need a gallery show to paint or whatever it is you do.
Life isn't about "what do I want to be when I grow up?" Life is about "what do I want to be today?" and today I want to be a writer. (disclaimer: long term goals are awesome too.)
That is my life lesson for this year. Heed my life lessons, they are few and far between.

-J

ps- for the record I still love to talk politics and make your ass grass with my mad knowledge of random shit like international pirating (ahoy!) laws.
oh! And if you're still interested in book reviews, I'll be posting here once in a blue moon. And leave me a comment because I'm a narcissist in desperate need of reassurance.

Reading Mix Tape

I haven't posted in ages. So geez get off my back. I know you're all waiting with bated breath for my next review. My brains been elsewhere.
Anyways, here I am and review-less at that. Several people have asked me if I've got a list of my recommended reads. Yesterday the answer was no, but lucky for you- today the answer is YES! I've taken sometime to compile my little reading mix tape. My favorites... sort of... I'm going to try to avoid any major literature staples. I mean Brave New World, The Awakening, Animal Farm, Great Expectations, The Decameron... those pieces (amongst others) go without being said. So this is my unabashed favorites list.. it includes zombies, chick lit, sensitive vampires, dead body sensing teenagers, gay football players, angry marines, and sex ed teachers. I would like to think there's something for everyone. In no specific order....
1. DUFF by Kody Keplinger
2. Fade/Wake/Gone Series by Lisa McMann (3rd book is a little lacking but still great)
3. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
4. Divergent by Veronica Roth
5. Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin (There's a Japanese movie adaptation, but haven't been able to find it?)
6. Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling (no brainer)
7. God Shaped Hole by Tiffanie DeBartolo
8. The Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead
9. The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare (4 of 6 books have been released)
10. Little Children by Tom Perotta
11. Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
12. The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer (proudly)
13. The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins
14. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephenie Perkins
15. Perfect Chemistry Series by Simone Elkeles (2 of 3 books are out)
16. Going too Far by Jennifer Echols
17. Election by Tom Perotta
18. In the Woods by Tana French (I haven't read the others in this series but I hear good things)
19. The Millenium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson
20. Prep by Curtis Sittenfield
21. Nothing by Janne Teller
22. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (absolutely haunting)
23. Shopgirl by Steve Martin
24. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
25. The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perotta (Can you tell I'm a HUGE Perotta fan?)
26. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
27. The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney
28. Into the Wild by John Krakauer

Luckily for you... I'll be sporadically adding to this list.
-J

Off with her head!!!

 I bought a Kindle. Okay well I didn't BUY it. It was a late graduation present from my parents. A year ago if you would have told me that I was going to buy an e-reader I would have had some choice words for you intermingled with how a tablet will never replace a book and etc.. And then we went on our honeymoon. And I brought a suitcase full of books. Not only did I bring a suitcase full of books but I also brought them back with me after having read them because I couldn't leave a perfectly good book behind, what if someone wanted to borrow it some day? 

Ian and I are going on several trips over the next year or two and some of them are domestic flights, I don't know about you but I'm still pissed about all the new baggage rules so I had to come to terms with the fact that a suitcase full of books (while beautiful) is just unrealistic. And on top of all that, I've got this whole "no book left behind" thing when I travel. Therefore I can not bring myself to terms with the act of buying a book in an airport and leaving it in a random hotel room. Basically I'm a book hoarder. So I started toying with the idea of a Kindle. Why a Kindle? I like Amazon. I have an Amazon Prime account and it's AWESOME. I know the Nook is a little fancier, and honestly Nook is a really cute name for an e-reader but it's just a little too technologically emersed for me. According to Ian (and I say according to Ian because there is no way in hell you would find me comparing and contrasting electronics) the Nook blows through some serious battery and I don't need a color screen to read. Anyways my contemplating turned into action when my parents said they would buy me a 3G Kindle as late graduation present (go with the 3G it's worth the extra cost).

So here I sit having read my first couple books on my Kindle.

and I like it.

I'm sure you're saying, "What did you say???".

I said, I LIKE IT.

Here's the deal, I'm a skipper. Majorly... I have been known to thumb to the back of a book in the store before buying it to make sure the plot interests me even after knowing the end. I know, I KNOW. That's ridiculous. I'm just not a plot person. I'm a character person (don't get me a wrong a good plot is a good plot, I just have to LOVE my characters).

This is my favorite thing about my Kindle: IT'S A PAIN IN THE ASS TO FLIP TO THE BACK OF THE BOOK. I'm sure there's some magic button that will take me to the last page but I don't care to find it because I'm enjoying this whole "reading blind" thing (oxymoron, I know). 

Today will be one week with my Kindle, and I've already blown through four books... although I'm lacking in the sleep department.

So there you have it. Welcome to the future yall. Next step: Kindle cover I can't find the perfect one. I like the Kate Spade covers but they've gotten some bad reviews. Any recommendations?

-J

PS- there are A LOT of free downloads for the Kindle, including just about all of the classics!

The Infamous TBR Pile

TBR.
To Be Read. My to be read pile is enormous. I hide books in nooks and crannys and conveniently forget about them. I've recently been trying to make a point of reading the books I own, rather than buying new books.
It's not going so well.
I typically try to work from my to be read pile and only read brand new books if it's something big that I've been waiting for. I've decided rather than look at the whole pile I'm going to break it down into mini piles. (Excuse the messy table.) Here's my current list... so barring any much awaited books coming out this is what I'm planning on reading in the next couple weeks! (top to bottom, right to left)
The Passage by Justin Cronin
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
On The Road by Jack Kerouac (I know, I know...)
Love Sick by Jack Coburn
Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder
The Wild Things by Dave Eggers (the full length version of Maurice Sendak's childrens book)
Don't Sleep With Your Drummer by Jen Sincero

As you can see my reading tastes are diverse (although at times immature :)). Wish me luck! Do you have any books your dying to read? Any books you're putting off? Any reading recommendations?
J
ps- almost through with The Mazerunner!