Author Bethany Wiggins: March 2010

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Author Success Story - Michelle McLean

Imagine Bethany's surprise when she learned that the friend she had made in a worldwide writing forum lived in the same small town, just a few minutes away! Michelle McLean was that writer, and here on day three of Authorly Journeys week, Michelle gives us a glimpse into her successes.

Tell us about your book.

Homework Helpers: Essays and Term Papers will be published by Career Press in Jan 2011. It is a fun, user-friendly guide that takes the confusion out of writing essays and papers and includes tips on researching, citing sources, and proofreading, along with chapters on a dozen different types of essays. These chapters include sample drafts of every stage of the writing process for each type of essay discussed, and has tips for and examples of the dreaded SAT essay. Unlike other books that are so full of technical jargon they confuse more than help, this book uses straightforward language and simple steps to guide students through the essay writing process.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to finding an agent and publication?

With non-fiction, I needed a query letter and a proposal describing what my book was about that included a couple sample chapters. I sent my query to my seven top picks for agent and over the course of three weeks received three requests. Of those three requests, one agent, Krista Goering, really stood out in her enthusiasm for my book. In fact, within 45 minutes of her confirmation email that she had received my proposal, she had written back asking for a phone call. After speaking with her, I knew I had found my agent and I withdrew my proposal from the other two agents and signed with her. She’s been a complete dream. I couldn’t ask for a better agent. Since she also represents fiction, I sort of hit the jackpot :)

The speed with which this took place was completely surreal. I had spent more than my fair share of time in the trenches with my first book, so I had prepared for a long, hard road with this project as well. I still find it hard to believe :)

We tweaked my proposal a bit, sent it off to a few publishers, received two requests, and signed with Career Press in February.

Was there ever a time you felt like giving up? Why didn't you?

In this non-fiction journey, no, just because it happened so fast! But in my quest for representation and publication for my fiction, definitely. I queried my first book for quite a while before moving on to a new project. But really, no matter how many “I-am-never-going-to-do-this-again” moments I have, I just really love what I do. Too much to ever truly give up on it. We all have our down days, I think. For me, the urge to write just beats out any moment of weakness I have…even if it takes a few days or weeks or months. My fingers always end up back on the keyboard eventually :)

Thanks so much for inviting me over, ladies. It's always a joy to spend time with two of my favorite writers.

Linkage!

Michelle's Website

Michelle's Blog

Papers, Prose, and Poetry Blog (for tips and help on writing essays, papers, and poetry)

Michelle on Facebook

Michelle on Twitter

And to read all of today's Authorly Journey interviews, click below:

Elana Johnson

Lisa and Laura Roecker

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Author Success Story - Mary Lindsey

Today is day two of Author Success Story week. This stuff is here to inspire you - to show that you, too, can make it in this biz!

Meet my Mary Lindsey, good writer and great friend. (And be sure to check out the CRAZY pics at the end of this post from when Elana and I met Mary in real life!)

1. Tell us about your book.

SHATTERED SOULS is my debut young adult novel scheduled for release Fall 2011 by Philomel (Penguin).

Here's the deal description from Publisher's Marketplace:

Mary Lindsey's SHATTERED SOULS, a dark and dangerous forbidden love story about a Speaker who helps lingering ghosts pass to the spirit world and the Protector who has pledged to serve her, to Jill Santopolo at Philomel, by Ammi-Joan Paquette of Erin Murphy Literary Agency (world).

2. Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publication?

My road to publication was rocky but charmed. I'll spare you the gory details. Suffice it to say I am blessed to have an agent like Joan, who believes in my project as much as I do. In fact, at some points along the way, she might have believed in it even more than I did.

3. Was there ever a time you felt like giving up? Why didn't you?

There were only two times I considered giving up: 1) When I realized I need to part ways with my first agent. 2) When I faced the daunting reality of querying all over again.

What kept me going is my love of writing, my amazing critique partners who kicked me in the butt when I turned inward (thanks, pentaverate), and something a publicist once told me: "The only thing all published writers have in common is they never quit."

Thanks for inviting me to participate in this interview, Suzette and Bethany, and thanks for running a blog that is so informative and up-lifiting.

Linkage:
Mary Lindsey's Weblog
Mary Lindsey's Website
Mary on Twitter
Mary on Facebook

And to read all of today's inspirational interviews, click below:
Elana Johnson
Lisa and Laura Roecker
Beth Revis
Leah Clifford
Victoria Schwab
Kirsten Hubbard
Carrie Harris
Kim Harrington
Amy Holder
Kathy McCullough
Tiffany Schmidt
Susan Adrian
Dawn Metcalf
Gretchen McNeil

And now, the truth about what happens when three (very imaginative) authors get together, mwah hah hah! (pssst... notice who won!)

I hope you all are having a fantastic week!

~Suzette~

Monday, March 29, 2010

Author Success Story - Sarah Wylie

This week is the Week of Authorly Journeys, brainchild of Elana Johnson. To quote Elana:

This week I'm bringing in the big guns: People who've traveled down this long and winding road toward publication. Some of them already have book deals. Some have agents. Some have both. They've "made" it.

I want to spotlight someone each day this week to hopefully inspire you, provide a beam of hope along your way, and really prove that you CAN succeed in this crazy business. You CAN go from slush-pile-nothing to agented to published author. Yes, I'm looking at you. YOU.

But I'm not the only one on-board this positivity wagon. Join us this week for 75 (yes 75!) success stories! Then dream big. Go forth and query. Conquer.

Today I'd like to introduce you to my agent-buddy and friend Sarah Wylie.

1. Tell us about your book. (Publication Date, Publisher, One or two sentence description.)

ALL THESE LIVES is my contemporary YA debut (FSG, 2012) about a girl who believes she has multiple lives.

2. Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publication?

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember – angsty poetry, looong emails, and fan-fiction for my favorite (bad) TV shows. I finished my first novel about two and a half years ago, and wrote a few more “practice” novels. Then, in 2009, I wrote ALL THESE LIVES. It was the novel that landed me my fabulous agent, Suzie Townsend. We revised, went on sub in December, and sold at the end of February 2010.

3. Was there ever a time you felt like giving up? Why didn't you?

For me, the biggest challenge so far has been self-doubt. I think writers are freaking brave – every time we sit down and open up a blank document, we’re admitting that we think we have something worthwhile or unique to say. When I think about it too long, it’s totally intimidating and scary.

I didn’t give up because I’m more in love with writing than I am afraid of it, but also because I’m really lucky to have awesome cheerleaders behind me. Johnny Depp has had my back through this whole thing. Okay, maybe not the real Johnny Depp, but a girl can dream. :)

Thanks for having me, Suzette!

Here are links to Sarah on the web:

Sarah With A Chance

Sarah on Twitter

To read all of today's Authorly Journey interviews, click below:

Elana Johnson

Lisa and Laura Roecker

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Happy Birthday Suzie!

Happy Birthday to my sweet agent Suzie Townsend. And thanks to Janet Reid for putting together this awesome vid!

~Suzette~

Friday, March 26, 2010

More Show, Not So Much Tell.

On Monday we talked a bit about show vs. tell. A lot of you commented that you still struggle with this. So I thought I'd play teacher for a day and try to make it a little clearer.

Tell: She stood still, too scared to move, and listened for someone approaching.

Show: She stood frozen in place, red skirt gripped in white knuckles, and struggled to hear anything above the pounding of her own heart.

Analysis: Instead of telling you she is scared, we show it--frozen in place... white knuckles... pounding heart... I am showing you what fear looks and feels like instead of telling you she is afraid.

Here's another.

Tell: Lini was so jealous, she couldn't fall asleep in spite of the fact that she was exhausted.

Show: Lini lay awake late into the night, fighting the little monster of hate plucking at her heart and keeping her aching body from sleep.

Analysis: I am showing you that Lini can't sleep and that she is exhausted... lay awake... keeping her aching body from sleep... because she's incredibly jealous of another woman... little monster of hate plucking at her heart.

Does this help? Is it any clearer or are you still trying to see the bottom of the show vs. tell pond through murky water? I found a few more awesome links on show vs. tell here, here and here.

And don't forget about the QueryTracker contest! The info should post today so hurry on over there after you've finished our session of Show and Tell. And have a wonderful weekend!

--Bethany

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Agent-Judged Contest!

Just wanted to let our readers in on a little secret - the QueryTracker Blog is having an agent-judged contest this Monday! Be sure to check out the Publishing Pulse tomorrow (Friday) for the deets.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Where Do You Get Your Characters?

These are the ways I've found mine:

From a Jazz game. This poor father of 7 probably thought I had a crush on him, because I even took his photo with my cellphone. What caught my attention was the way he cheered for the opposing team while all his children rooted for the Jazz.
A snip of this, a bit of that. Some of my characters are purely my own invention - and frankly, these have been the hardest to flesh out.
From thin air. Fully formed, this is my favorite way to get them. I still remember the child's voice I heard coming from behind a hedge on the school playground, the voice that stayed with me as I penned Three Secrets.

If you'd like to get to know your characters better, check out the questionnaire I posted today on the QueryTracker blog.

What about you? How do you get your characters?

~Suzette~

*Check out agent Suzie Townsend's blog to win Hourglass by Claudia Gray. All you need to do is comment.

*Jackee at Winded Words had a fun scavenger hunt last Friday, and I won! Thanks, Jackee!

Monday, March 22, 2010

What I've learned. It Took Me Long Enough!

It wasn't until I wrote five books that I finally figured out how to write (and I know enough now to understand that I still have a long way to go!). I reread my earlier stuff and am embarrassed for myself! I thought those first four were SOOOOOO GOOOOOOD! It is amazing what years of dedication and practice will do to a writer! Here are a couple things I learned.

-Show vs Tell. Yep. Pretty sad that it took me five years to get this. Here's an example of my telling... "She was too scared to turn around." Ugh! And here's the show... "Holding my breath, I dare the quickest of glances behind me."

-Less is more. Because it really is! Think Twilight vs Hunger Games. Twilight is a great story about Edward and Bella... with a whole heck of a lot of stuff thrown in the middle. Seriously. I skip ALL the extra high school stuff--my own personal version of the Readers Digest condensed version. But Hunger Games? Genius. Not a single extra word. Or scene. Or chapter. Or entire year of boring high school.

A few posts about Show vs Tell here and here and even here.

Well, enough of all this blabbering on! I'm taking up too much of your precious time. Go write something! Or cut out those extra words in your WIP! Seriously! Go on! Get outta here!

~Bethany

Friday, March 19, 2010

What Do You Do?

The other day my teenage son came home from school with this story: “So I was in my Financial Literacy class, and our teacher had us each tell what our parents did. I said my dad is a pilot and flies all over the world. Everyone thought it was neat. Then my teacher asked what my mom did. I said my mom is a writer, which is alright, but every morning she gets up and makes me and my sisters a hot breakfast before school. Kids were like, 'Your mom makes breakfast every morning?' And I was like, 'Yeah. Every single morning.' And everyone thought that was the neatest thing of all.”

This, of course, made my day. (Especially coming from a teenager!) While writing is my lifelong passion, my kids and spouse are my lifelong loves, and they come before all else.

That said, there are so many different things in life that need our attention. My dear friendWindy Aphayrath comes to mind. She works this crazy job where she travels all over the world, she writes captivating YA novels, and she's a wife. She's also a mom to two little girls. Her daughters are well-behaved, well-adjusted, and completely adorable. Somehow she manages to fit it all in. (I suspect she never sleeps!)

Elana had a wonderful post about this phenomenon called Wearing Many Hats. And for you writers who are also parents, these posts on the QueryTracker Blog might interest you:

Writing Under the Influence of Children: Tips for Parents who Write

Writing Under the Influence: Tips for Parents of Very Young Children

Also, Maggie Stiefvater has a post on why it's important to be more than just a writer.

What about you, dear readers? What jobs do you do besides writing? How do you find time to balance it all?

~Suzette~

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Play It Dangerous

You've all heard it...

"One day you're in, and the next day you're out." -Project Runway

"This is the end of the road for you." -American Idol

"Sorry, but you're going home." -So You Think You Can Dance

What do these have in common with writing? We, as writers, go through this same thing every day.

It is called REJECTION.

I have noticed a common link between the people on the reality shows that get these rejections...

"Sorry. It was just too safe. You need to take a risk."

"Too safe, Dog. You need to step up and make it your own."

"You danced too safe. It was boring. I almost fell asleep."

Every time I see someone rejected on these shows, I know how they feel. I am brought to tears sometimes watching American Idol! But the judges are right. That's the real killer. If you don't stand out--if you play it safe--you won't make it. You have to be brave when you write. Take chances. Try new things. Play it dangerous!

Do you guys cry when you see other people get rejected? And what are you doing to make your work stand out?

Are you voracious enough to make it? Check out the Querytracker blog to find out!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Six Lies and One Truth - Revealed!

Thanks for all your fun guesses! Ready to be shocked?

I own seven dogs, all of them Mexican Hairless. False. I own two dogs, both of them Welsh Pembroke Corgis.

My children call me SuperMom… because they are grounded if they don’t. False. Alas, I am not a supermom, just a regular one.

Every month I go bungee jumping, to remember what it feels like to be young and carefree. False. The last time I went bungee jumping I was 22 and I puked off the top of the tower. No more bungee!

When I was two, I climbed a ladder and got stuck on the roof. My pregnant mother had to rescue me. False, although I can see why this one seems true...it did happen to a friend's little brother and mother. (Is it cheating for me to use someone else's truth?)

I get a perm every month to keep that curly look. False. The curls are natural - and a bit wacky most days!

I was once playing in an abandoned car. Opened up the glove compartment to find a rattlesnake! False...for me. Though this did happen to my husband when he was 7.

Which leaves the truth, and to be honest, I am a bit nervous that you will all think I am wacko! So let me just preface this by saying I am a very fact-based both-feet-on-the-ground kind of gal. Which is why what happened is so odd...

Here is the truth as I listed it amongst the lies:

I once stayed in the Copper King B&B. I was blessed by a long-dead nun.

While driving across Montana my friend Lesley and I stopped for a single night at the Copper King Bed & Breakfast. We were told the 35-room mansion had been built by one of the richest men in the world.

Lesley and I slept in the same room and she went right to sleep...but as I dozed off, I felt a cold, thin finger trace the shape of a cross on my forehead. I snapped awake, stunned, turned on the light to see...Lesley sleeping and an empty room. I left the light on, started dozing off, and then it happened again. Woke Lesley up, told her about it, she went back to sleep and soon so did I, only to have it happen again. All told, it happened about six times that night.

Now, I am not Catholic, but I do know what the sign of the cross on the forehead looks like when it is done... so in the morning I told Lesley it had happened throughout the night, and I also told her the finger felt thin, and therefore feminine. She laughed, said I had a wild imagination.

After breakfast the owner gave us a tour of the house. She was telling us about the Copper King and his family when I interrupted her. "Did this house ever have anything to do with the Catholic Church? Maybe nuns or priests or something?"

Her mouth fell open. She looked at me very strangely. Then said, "After the family died, the house was given to the Catholic Church. It became a nunnery."

Lesley and I stared at each other wide-eyed. We finished the tour in silence, and I never told the owner, whose family has owned the mansion for four generations. I hope someday to go back again, though I don't think I will spend the night!

So now you know! This writer was once touched by a ghost, or something of the sort! (As I'm not a big believer in the phantasmagorical, do you think it could have been a fold in time? Maybe the nun was perturbed to find me in her bed!)

Is anyone familiar with the symbol of the cross on the forehead? Do you think I was being baptized, or *gulp* given the death rites?

Have you ever been touched by an angel? Ghost? Nun? (lol!)

Monday, March 15, 2010

Winners! Lots of Winners!

Congratulations to all our winners! Here they are:

Enstrom's Toffee -- Shari Bird!

How to Write the Great American Romance -- Veronique Pettingill!

The Host -- Laura Diamond!

The Body Finder swag -- Andrea Lorange!

40 pg. Submission/Critique with agent Suzie Townsend -- Aimee Bussard!

Winners, email us BethanySuzette(at)gmail(dot)com with your addresses.

(FYI Winners were chosen using a Random Number Generator.)

Thanks to Shannon O'Donnell for this beautiful award! It is meant to be shared with the coolest blogs we know, and we've found so many good ones lately! So here is our very huge list of the VERY COOLEST blogs!

Jemi Fraser

LT Elliot

Nisa

Alicia Walker-Muhlestein

Watch tomorrow for a post revealing which of the lies below is the truth about Suzette.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Muchas Gracias!

Thanks to all who entered our Fantabulous Followers contest. The contest is now officially closed. We are thrilled to meet new friends and look forward to following your blogs and getting to know you all! And we will definitely be having more contests. We'll be announcing the winners tomorrow afternoon, but in the meantime we'll answer some of your questions about us:

Suzette - Six Lies...Can You Spot the Single Truth?

I own seven dogs, all of them Mexican Hairless.
My children call me SuperMom… because they are grounded if they don’t.
I once stayed in the Copper King B&B. I was blessed by a long-dead nun.
Every month I go bungee jumping, to remember what it feels like to be young and carefree.
When I was two, I climbed a ladder and got stuck on the roof. My pregnant mother had to rescue me.
I get a perm every month to keep that curly look.
I was once playing in an abandoned car. Opened up the glove compartment to find a rattlesnake!

(Thanks, Cheree at Justified Lunacy, for the fun activity and the Creative Blogger Award!)

Bethany - 7 Facts About Me

Hair=blonde
Eyes=green
Children=3
Some favorite older books=Jacob Have I Loved, The Hero and the Crown, The Changeling Sea, Dune, The Book of Morgaine, The Great Gatsby, Tess of the D'Urbervilles.
Some favorite newer books=Catching Fire, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, Shiver, Twisted.
No TV=No Project Runway=sad.
When I have writers block, I stare at the plant on my desk.

(Thanks, Jemi Fraser, for the Picasso Award associated with these questions!)

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Fantabulous Followers Giveaway

You could win a submission/critique from an agent!

In celebration of our fantabulous followers, and in the spirit of paying it forward, we are having a super giveaway! Five fabu prizes for our five hundred followers. We love you guys!

Here are the prizes:

Suzie Townsend, literary agent extraordinaire with FinePrintLit, has consented to give to the grand prize winner a 40-page partial submission PLUS a critique of those pages! (We know! INVALUABLE!)

Kimberly Derting, author of THE BODY FINDER (release date 3-16) has donated an awesome Body Finder black totebag (perfect size for a whole stack of library books), a signed-in-silver poster, autographed bookmark, and sticker for one lucky winner! (Check out the Literati Blog for pics!)

The book THE HOST, by Stephenie Meyer. Need we say more?

HOW TO WRITE THE GREAT AMERICAN ROMANCE by Katherine Lanigan makes writing almost easy! The step-by-step guide can easily be applied to writing fiction of any genre.

Ever had Enstrom's Toffee? Seriously, the most delicious confection EVER. Suzette's husband flew to Colorado to pick up this 4 ounce box, and we are giving it away to one lucky winner!

It's super easy to enter.

Follow our blog (widget right over there ---->)
Follow Elana's blog (she has a BUNCH of books she's giving away!)
Fill out the form below.

Linkage: Suz on Twitter, Literati Teen Blog, Bethany on Facebook, Suz on Facebook

Contest ends Sunday, March 14, 2010 at 10pm MST. Good luck! :)

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Saturday, March 6, 2010

Silver Lining Part Two

Today must be our lucky day! Lizzie Mason of Potent Potables has given us The Silver Lining Award as well. Lizzie guest blogged over on the QueryTracker blog last month and had some awesome advice on publicity. (Lizzie wears two hats - writer and senior publicist for a big house!) Plus, she is one awesome gal. I've been hearing good things about her for quite some time from my pal Elana.

So Bethany blogged here with her choice of five recipients, and now I'm thrilled to choose five as well.

Sharon Mayhew. Not only uber-friend, but uber-daring as well! Sharon braved the world of Skype to talk face-to-face with literary agent Mark McVeigh. You can read all about it on her blog, Random Thoughts.
Shannon O'Donnell. I have great admiration for anyone who teaches, and judging by her other blog, she is one heck of a teacher. Her comments on our blog always buoy me, as does her blog, Book Dreaming.
Carolyn V. Not only does her blog brighten my day, this gal is a delight to chat with in real life! So check out her blog, Checkerboard Squares.
Alyssa Kirk. This teen has so much positive momentum going! Plus she is a darn fine writer and a sweet friend. Don't late the name of her blog scare you, as it is WIP-related: Demonic Attractions.
Girl With One Eye. Because I adore her! And I love that she reinvented herself when her boys went to school. Her blog, Squirrell Amongst Lions, always keeps me coming back for more.

Okay, to be honest, I am miserable right now. There were so many more of you I wanted to pass this along to... hopefully I will get a chance soon.

Have a great weekend!

~Suzette

Friday, March 5, 2010

Confession

Um, yeah... I totally stole the confession idea for this post from my friend Elana. But what can I say? Elana is brilliant and it is a brilliant idea! I want to know your writing confession! Here is mine.

Deepest darkest fear: When my kids are grown, realizing I missed their childhood because I was too involved in writing.

(That's why I write when they nap or after they are in bed. 7 p.m. bedtime works wonders for my writing!) So, what is your fear?

And on to other stuff: We got another award. Thank you L.B. Diamond! You are a joy and delight, LB. And in honor of you, I nominate these fellow bloggers for the Silver Lining award (look to the sidebar on the right for a picture of the award!).

D.L. Hammons at Cruising Altitude because he always leaves profound comments on my posts. Thanks, DL.

Embee over at Musings of a Would Be-Writer because she does everything! Check out her profile if you don't believe me.

Scott at A Writer's Blog because even though I don't know him that well yet, he seems to brighten a lot of blogs with his comments.

Kristi at Sisters In Scribe for being plain, flat-out awesome and absolutely lovely online!

And Karen at Novels During Nap Time for getting about fifteen people to follow Shooting Stars at our last contest. Thanks, Karen!

Check out details of an upcoming contest for this blog on the Query Tracker blog--the contest will be co-hosted by the amazing Elana Johnson, so be sure you follow her blog, too!

--Bethany

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Beware the Silent Critter

The worst critique I ever got went something like this:

"Oh my gosh! I love your book. It is so perfect. Your main character is awesome! The love interest is so hot! I couldn't put it down!!! DON'T CHANGE ANYTHING!"

The best critique I ever got went something like this:

"I hate your main character--she whines all the time! And she is so stupid!!! How can she not see what is going on around her? And the bad guy is completely unbelievable because he has no motive. I want more action and less whining."

Let's face it. Without criticism, we cannot grow. I love my worst critique ever because every starting-out writer needs a cheerleader. But the amount of growth that comes from a gritty, honest critique is priceless!

Here's the honest truth (at least, this is how it happened for me and my agented friends):

An agent will sign you because he/she loves your book. But that agent will tear your plot/writing/everything to pieces to make it the best it can be!

So if you have cheerleaders instead of critters, keep them! They make writing worth it. But find some vocal critters and ask them to critique with their knives out! Ask for shreddage! Because how else will your manuscript grow?

Check out Elana's post for more on this subject.

Writing got you down? Need a little inspiration? Check out this post on the Query Tracker blog.

Tell me--what is the worst critique you ever got? And the best?

--Bethany

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Winners Announced - Questions Answered :)

Thanks to all who entered our Spread the Love mini-contest! Next month will see our biggest contest yet, so if you haven't already, sign up to get a notification by email to the right of this post. (We promise not to sell your addy to anyone!) Without further ado, I'm pleased to announce the winners:

Stina Lindenblatt from Seeing Creative

Karen from Novels During Naptime

Congratulations, ladies! You can send your first five double-spaced pages when you are ready: BethanySuzette@gmail.com.

I promised answers to your questions about us, and first I'd like address the oft asked, "Are you really sisters?" YES! We are truly sisters. I'm on the left, Bethany is in the middle, and our sister Tiffiny is on the right. I'm older than Bethany by almost four years exactly. (Tiffiny doesn't write - but she's one heck of a good beta reader!) OH! A little insight on the photo, these were our Easter dresses. We were living in Denver at the time, and the first time we wore them, we found a giant mud puddle in the gutter which we SAT IN! Our mom had to wash them repeatedly to get the stains out, but the backside of my dress never fully recovered. Whenever I think about my childhood, I think of red and white flower-print. :)

Here are some of the blog-award answers, and I'll be posting more in the weeks to come:

Share ten unusual or unexpected things about yourself. (Bethany)

I failed ninth grade English. (If my teacher could only see me now!)
I was falsely accused of cheating in eleventh grade English. I was too shy to stand up for myself. (Thanks, Emily B. for being the real cheater.)
I can do the splits with my right leg forward, but not my left leg... yet.
I ate a moth once. It flew into my ice cream sundae as I was pouring on the caramel sauce. Little bug got caught in my teeth. Gag.
I don't write or blog much during the day because my kids are my top priority.
Do you guys seriously even care that I am writing this stuff?
At age 21, I jumped on a Greyhound bus and chased my boyfriend across the country to marry him. Parents were less than thrilled.
What I want out of life=Joy. What I've discovered=you can't know joy without sorrow.
I am a cub scout den leader. And I LOVE it!
My religion comes before my writing.

Thanks, A L Sonnichsen, for asking! :)

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Share ten honest things (Suzette)

It took me a long time to like blogging – and now it is the brightest part of my day.
I have a hard time keeping my feet on the ground when I’m sitting. Even at the dinner table, one foot is always up on a chair. (Erm... unless I'm wearing a skirt! And I do behave at restaurants.)
Guilty pleasure – dark chocolate and a good book. Every time hubby is out of town.
I have lived through so many difficult things IRL that most days I feel 80 at heart.
Speaking of age, old ladies make the bestest of friends. So do writers.
I used to garden, build stone walls, sew a lot, write letters, etc. And then I started writing books. Besides my family, writing is my only priority. (Which usually means a messy house!)
Bethany and I have identical voices. On the phone, no one can tell us apart.
As a teen, I sawed a hole through the floor (under the carpet) to stash my journals. When my parents took the journals anyway, I stole them back and burned them.
Favorite scents, fresh rain and babies’ hair.
No matter how tired I am, I stay up until midnight or I feel gypped. The one night I made myself go to bed at 11, I missed a meteor that lit up my state as bright as day. (Still bummed about that!)

Thanks, Sharnon Mayhew, for asking! :)

Happy March, everyone!

XOXO

Suzette

Monday, March 1, 2010

Awards for All!

Thanks to all who entered our contest! Next month we will be having a celebration that will include an agent-related prize, so be sure to sign up (at right) to get a notification via email. You won't want to miss it!

There's a post I wrote that I would love to have your thoughts on: Leap and the Net Will Appear is over on the QueryTracker Blog. :)

I know we promised to announce the winners today. Don't stone me, but after 5 hours of setting up this blog post my eyes are bleeding, so I'm going to have to beg your forgiveness for putting off the announcement until tomorrow. I also know that some of these awards require us to answer some questions - and many of you are avidly awaiting these answers! I promise to post those tomorrow as well.

Now, we'd like to give awards to all of our entrants, and to our lovely followers of this blog. We've received 12 awards these past few weeks and want to spread the love. And we hate choosing favorites, so please, pick one for your blog: