All Because Erin Dyed Her Hair.

My friend Erin (see photo--yep, that's the beautiful Erin) dyed her hair black. So what, right? Well, when her hair was black, her eyes looked gold. And all I could think as I stared at her, and probably freaked her out with my scrutiny, was, "Her eyes look like cat eyes." What does this story have to do with a blog that centers around writing? Everything. When I saw those gold eyes, a character was born. An entire trilogy was inspired. All because Erin dyed her hair (thanks, Erin!).

And then the other day, I supervised youth dodge ball. And this boy, this teenager, walked into the gym. My jaw dropped. My eyes grew round. I stared at the poor teenage boy the whole evening. And I'm sure he got totally creeped out--I am slightly beyond my teenage years, way too old to be staring at him like that. But it was as if the character from my work-in-progress peeled himself off the page and came to that gym to haunt me. If I'd had my notebook, I would have been scribbling furiously. If I'd had a camera, I would have been snapping pictures until the battery died. If I had been brave, I would have talked to him. Instead I studied him from afar and memorized the way he moved, how his t-shirt hung on him, the angle of his cheekbones, how he smiled when he pegged someone with the ball. I went home and wrote him onto paper. And finally fell in love with my character. Sigh.

So where does it come from, your character inspiration? And do you love your characters like I do? Even the bad ones?

--Bethany aka Wiggy

P.S. Check out the Querytracker blog for the latest in agent news.

Agent-Judged Contest on the QueryTracker Blog!

Fantastic news - the QTblog is hosting another agent-judged contest! I'm honored to be working again with literary agent Anna Webman of Curtis Brown Ltd. This contest is for Young Adult Novels only. Come check out all the details on the QueryTracker blog!

An Offer I Can't Refuse

Two short months ago Bethany announced "I Have an Agent" and today I'm beyond thrilled to share the same news.

I have accepted an offer of representation from Brendan Deneen of Fineprint Literary Management. I've worked with Brendan in the past over at the QueryTracker blog, so I already know what a terrific guy he is, and I'm honored to be working with him in this capacity. For more info about which project of mine caught his eye, check out Mary's post on the QTblog.

What makes my journey and Bethany's unique is that we set out together when we made a pact to write. Seven years and many novels later, we have reached agenthood within six weeks of each other. I love ya, sis, and have enjoyed sharing this journey with you!

Thanks to each and every one of you who follow this blog and who have offered your unfailing support. You have helped me grow as a writer and as a friend.

Warmest wishes,

Suzy

The Moments that Make Us

There are things in life that we have no control over that leave their mark - death of a loved one comes to mind - and then there are those subtle things that make just as big an impression.



Take opera. My exposure to it consisted of Pretty Woman, when Edward Lewis (played by Richard Gere) said, "People's reactions to opera the first time they see it is very dramatic; they either love it or they hate it. If they love it, they will always love it. If they don't, they may learn to appreciate it, but it will never become part of their soul." I made a point of listening to a smattering of opera after that - nothing happened. I figured I was one of those who would never have it in my soul. Many years later I bought a collection of classical music, and tacked on at the end, almost as an afterthought, was a very short opera piece by Puccini. I was so stunned by its beauty I found myself crying. That one piece unlocked a window in my soul, and I have loved opera ever since.


Another involves Flaming June, a painting I think you all know I love, as I use it as my Google icon. (Sweet Cynde even sent me Flaming June emery boards!) On a recent trip to the museum I found myself face-to-face with an original 4x4 inch oil study that was part of the planning stage for Flaming June. To see the actual brushstrokes of Lord Fredrick Leighton ... I stood riveted to the spot as a long line of patrons accumulated behind me. When one of them finally cleared his throat, I gave up my place and moved to the back of the line to await another turn.

Other life-altering moments that come to mind include a recent camping trip I took with my children, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, and sunsets in general, which never fail to spur spiritual growth. This past weekend I swam in a million-year-old crater pool. Once I got used to the fact that I was floating atop 65 feet of water, the experience was profound.


I want to know about those subtle, life-shaping moments that make you who you are.

Suzy

P.S. Be sure to check out these incredible paintings by Connie Tom (she painted Aspens Aglow, above.)

P.P.S. My good friend Lisa Amowitz is now blogging, so be sure to check out her blog.

P.P.P.S. Blog reader K. M. Weiland's book has just come out. Congratulations, Katie!

One last post script. In these wee morning hours as I write this, I've stumbled across a very sweet lullaby by Vienna Teng. I think you'll like it.

The Fact in the Fiction

Much of one of my manuscripts takes place around an abandoned silver mine. Giant, gnawing holes so deep you can't see the bottom, stipple the ground where the earth has collapsed in on the mine shafts. Fact: I played at this mine as a teenager, snooping through the brush and ponderosa pines to find these sunken-in mine shafts. My cousin used to write stories about what came out of those shafts. I write about what's been dumped inside.

I have a neighbor. He's in his mid-twenties, braids his goatee, is as rough and hard as asphalt--the type of guy you make sure not to make eye-contact with if you see him on the street. He heard I wrote books and asked what they were about. I told him I had written a book called "The Hunted," about Skinwalkers. His lips thinned. He told me a story. A story that made his voice shake. A story he could not tell while looking at my eyes. He stared at his hands all the while, probably clasping them to keep them from trembling.

"I was chased by a Skinwalker. I was driving along a dirt road in the middle of the night. When I saw it, I pushed on the gas as hard as I could. It ran as fast as my car. It looked mostly human, but not quite. I have never been more scared of anything in my life. I've never told anyone." Fact: "The Hunted" part two is about Skinwalkers that look mostly human... but not quite.

An old family friend of mine worked as a security guard at a youth mental hospital. While doing rounds one night, he witnessed a teenage girl committing suicide--she had tied a shoelace around her neck and was twisting it tighter and tighter with the pencil she'd looped through it. He turned to the hallway and screamed for help. When he turned back, she was gone. While searching the records of the hospital, he found the report of a teenage girl who had committed suicide by shoelace and pencil--more than half a century before. Now there's the premise for a story. Fact: I don't write ghost stories. I don't dare.

So, tell me, how much of the fiction you write is based on fact?

An Award - For YOU!

Hey friends, let's party! I'm going to do something a bit unorthodox here, so hang on to your hats and get ready to win an award.

First, I'd like to thank the following for giving our blog an award:

Danni at Romantic Harbor
Angie Lofthouse at Notes from the Writing Chair
Michelle McLean at Writer's Ramblings
Andrea Cremer at A Blurred History
Pamela MacLean at From Barbies to Words

If you have given me an award but don't see your name here, please let me know!

And now for the unorthodox part. I have the hardest time singling out blogs for awards, and then worry that I've missed someone. So here's the deal - if you leave a comment on this post, you get an award. You can choose one of the awards from below. Leave a comment letting me know which one you've nabbed and I will put a link to your blog in the post. Voila! We're all happy.

And now for the awards:

A Light in the Night Award

The Lemonade Award
Judith Mercado at Pilgrim Soul


The Splish-Splash Award
Wendy at All in a Day's Thoughts
Diana Paz at Writing Roller Coasters
Crystal and Pamela at Two to Write


The Zombie Chicken Award
Stephanie Thornton at Hatsheput: The Writing of a Novel
Danyelle Leafty at Myth-takes
Angie Lofthouse at Notes from the Writing Chair
JM Diaz at An Ulterior Motive


The Kreativ Blogger Award

Wishing you all a fantastic week,

Suzy

P.S. Special thanks to The Book Bundle blog for a special package I got in the mail today - from Ireland, no less! I won their first contest and am looking forward to reading Crossed Wires by Rosy Thornton.

From the Query to the Call

So you've finished your work in progress. Not only have you finished, but you know that it is going to be the next big thing--like Stephen King big. Awesome! Time to celebrate! Now all you have to do is write the query. Right? Because without a magnificent query letter, not a single agent will even look at your manuscript, no matter how good it is. Well, if you're like me, you'll sit down at the computer to write a nice little query that conveys the extreme awesomeness of your manuscript... and hit a wall worse than writers block.

Why is it so hard to write a few short paragraphs about your work? Well, let's get the opinion of an expert. Christine Fonseca interviewed Elana Johnson, query expert extraordinaire, and here is her (Elana's) opinion....

Elana Johnson (EJ): In my experience, writers have a hard time getting to the main conflict of their novel. They want to spend so much time setting everything up, from character details to the fancy world they’ve created to the relationships. And books are about conflict. Along with that is the fallout of the conflict. Most of the queries I’ve seen are missing the consequence if the MC can’t solve their problem. And if I don’t know what the stakes are, why do I care?

For the whole interview and a review of From the Query to the Call, click here.

Oh, how I wish I had this ebook in my hands five years ago when I wrote my very first, horribly long-winded query! The time I would have save! I'm not saying that it'll be easy to come up with that perfect query, even with this wealth of knowledge at your fingertips. But it'll make it a heck of a lot easier.

Congratulations to our friend and fellow writer, Elana Johnson, who is releasing the ebook From the Query to the Call this Monday, September 14th.

So, here is the question of the day. Why do you think writing a query is so stinkin' hard?

Also, check out the Querytracker Blog for the the Publishing Pulse and a fascinating article on plagiarism.