We got the dog!! We went with the female choc. lab mix, and so far I love her!! She is a very smart dog and seems to really love the kids, which is important. She had an "accident" on the floor the first night, but I really think that was more from being in a new place than anything else because it hasn't happened since! It took only a couple of days for her to realize what the word "Sit" meant She is a wonderful dog.
I am seriously going crazy waiting to hear something from the agents that are reviewing my manuscript. I still have a couple weeks at least to wait before I should hear from the first one that asked for a full. I will try to stay busy to keep my mind occupied, but that is easier said than done. Even when I am busy, my mind wanders!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Feeling positive
I have been making what I think are the last of some minor revisions on "Stand-In" over the last couple of days and I also redid my synopsis. I sent out a few more queries and I feel pretty good about how my work looks. So, fingers crossed!!!
I have started jotting down alot more for the next in this series as well. The second book is, as of this moment untitled, but I do have a few name possibilities bouncing around in my head with all the other ideas.
Also, on another note, totally unrelated to my book(s), we are in the process of getting a new family dog. Our beloved lab, Sadie, passed away in February at the age of 18. I swore I would never want another dog, because no other dog could ever replace her. She was amazing and I miss her tremendously. But, alas, my kids want a dog, and I find the idea growing on myself as well. This dog will not replace my Sadie, but will be a new and different dog for us to share our love with.
We have visited our local animal shelter, and while hubby and the kids fell in love with a chocolate lab mix, I myself fell head over heels for a dog I have named Tucker, even though he is not yet mine to name. He is, without a doubt, a mix of many breeds. A mutt, if you will. But I knew in an instant that he is wonderful. Nothing is certain at this point though, as there is a waiting period in which the owners who may have lost track of their animals have an opportunity to reclaim them. We will know more in a couple of days as to whether either of these animals is still available for adoption.
I have started jotting down alot more for the next in this series as well. The second book is, as of this moment untitled, but I do have a few name possibilities bouncing around in my head with all the other ideas.
Also, on another note, totally unrelated to my book(s), we are in the process of getting a new family dog. Our beloved lab, Sadie, passed away in February at the age of 18. I swore I would never want another dog, because no other dog could ever replace her. She was amazing and I miss her tremendously. But, alas, my kids want a dog, and I find the idea growing on myself as well. This dog will not replace my Sadie, but will be a new and different dog for us to share our love with.
We have visited our local animal shelter, and while hubby and the kids fell in love with a chocolate lab mix, I myself fell head over heels for a dog I have named Tucker, even though he is not yet mine to name. He is, without a doubt, a mix of many breeds. A mutt, if you will. But I knew in an instant that he is wonderful. Nothing is certain at this point though, as there is a waiting period in which the owners who may have lost track of their animals have an opportunity to reclaim them. We will know more in a couple of days as to whether either of these animals is still available for adoption.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
New title?
I must admit, that I watch very few movies. So, imagine my dismay when I was discussing my book with someone who frequently watches movies and find out that there is a movie out there called "Pulse"!!
Of course I immediately did a search to find out what the movie is about. It is nothing like my book, but now it appears that I should change the title. If my book gets published I do not want prospective readers to think that it has anything to do with the movie. And, I certainly do not want people to pass it up becuase they have seen the movie and assume that this is the book for it!!
Uugghh!! Anyway, I think that my new "working title" will be "Stand-In". I checked first to make sure that there is no movie with that title (HA HA).
Of course I immediately did a search to find out what the movie is about. It is nothing like my book, but now it appears that I should change the title. If my book gets published I do not want prospective readers to think that it has anything to do with the movie. And, I certainly do not want people to pass it up becuase they have seen the movie and assume that this is the book for it!!
Uugghh!! Anyway, I think that my new "working title" will be "Stand-In". I checked first to make sure that there is no movie with that title (HA HA).
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
A little bit about me, a little bit about PULSE
I am thirty-three years old and the mother of three fabulous kids. My husband and I have been together since our sophmore year in high school and were married a couple of years after we graduated.
I am a life long resident of the great state of Michigan, and I must say I really do not like snow or cold. But, alas, I do not see me leaving my beloved state anytime soon!!
I have a degree in Business Administration and currently work for the United States Postal Service, a noble institution which I truly love. I enjoy fishing and reading in my spare time, as well as writing. As previously mentioned in yesterday's post, I recently completed my first novel, PULSE and I am getting started on the next while I submit PULSE to agents.
Pulse is a commercial fiction thriller and in my opinion, would appeal to readers of John Sandford's "Prey" Series as well as fans of Sandra Brown's thrillers. In "Pulse", the authorities are stumped when local women start disappearing. When the bodies of the women start turning up, their appearances have been drastically altered. It is obvious to Detective John Broden and Special Agent Alex Darby that the killer wants these women to be somebody else. The question is, Who?
When a trooper request the presence of Broden and Darby at what appears to be a simple home invasion, the two lawmen get their answer in the form of Kelly Jo Carter. She is, without a doubt, the object of a killer's twisted obsession. They are certain that Kelly will definately be the killer's endgame, and want to use her as the bait in an elaborate trap to catch him. Kelly knows the name of the man responsible for the break-in at her home and the murders, but has a deep seeded mistrust for law enforcement where this particular man is concerned. If she gives Broden and Darby the name, she fears that they will only cover the entire thing up... again.
I am a life long resident of the great state of Michigan, and I must say I really do not like snow or cold. But, alas, I do not see me leaving my beloved state anytime soon!!
I have a degree in Business Administration and currently work for the United States Postal Service, a noble institution which I truly love. I enjoy fishing and reading in my spare time, as well as writing. As previously mentioned in yesterday's post, I recently completed my first novel, PULSE and I am getting started on the next while I submit PULSE to agents.
Pulse is a commercial fiction thriller and in my opinion, would appeal to readers of John Sandford's "Prey" Series as well as fans of Sandra Brown's thrillers. In "Pulse", the authorities are stumped when local women start disappearing. When the bodies of the women start turning up, their appearances have been drastically altered. It is obvious to Detective John Broden and Special Agent Alex Darby that the killer wants these women to be somebody else. The question is, Who?
When a trooper request the presence of Broden and Darby at what appears to be a simple home invasion, the two lawmen get their answer in the form of Kelly Jo Carter. She is, without a doubt, the object of a killer's twisted obsession. They are certain that Kelly will definately be the killer's endgame, and want to use her as the bait in an elaborate trap to catch him. Kelly knows the name of the man responsible for the break-in at her home and the murders, but has a deep seeded mistrust for law enforcement where this particular man is concerned. If she gives Broden and Darby the name, she fears that they will only cover the entire thing up... again.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Tougher than I thought!
My first official Blog, so I am just going to ramble a bit.
Okay, so here's the proverbial scoop. I finished my first novel, "Pulse", which is a commercial fiction thriller. Hooray!! Right? Well... NOT REALLY!!
Finishing the novel, I quickly discovered, was not the hard part. The hard part is just beginning. As a newbie to all of this, I started trying to do research, which thanks to the Internet, has been filling my brain with tons of useful (but sometimes confusing) information. For example, formatting your manuscript. Visit ten different sites and you can actually get ten different interpretations of the "correct" way to do this.... I know, I checked! That is a very long story which I am going to skip for now.
So, back to the bigger picture. In this day and age you do not just contact a big publishing company and say, "hey, my book is done, take a look!" Nope, to get your book out there you first need to query an agent, and cross your fingers in the hopes that they will want to see your manuscript, and then, if they do, you cross harder and hope they offer representation.
My first thought was "What the heck is that and how do I do it?" More research. This is another area where there is a vast difference of opinion as to what makes a good query letter. I have been toying with mine, and I am not certain that it has that special "zip" just yet, but I did get an agent at a rather "BIG FISH" agency interested in seeing my manuscript. Hmmmm...
Of course, that was one agent that wanted to see it out of many that did not! She has had it for about a week, and I know it can take MUCH MUCH longer than that, so we will see. I have made several revisions since I sent it to her (I must admit, I had jumped the gun a bit and not even proofread.... OOPS!! I sent the query, she wanted to read it, and I got excited.)
I will post a bit about my novel in a future blog. I will also try to post about the trials and tribulations I encounter on the road to getting it published.
Okay, so here's the proverbial scoop. I finished my first novel, "Pulse", which is a commercial fiction thriller. Hooray!! Right? Well... NOT REALLY!!
Finishing the novel, I quickly discovered, was not the hard part. The hard part is just beginning. As a newbie to all of this, I started trying to do research, which thanks to the Internet, has been filling my brain with tons of useful (but sometimes confusing) information. For example, formatting your manuscript. Visit ten different sites and you can actually get ten different interpretations of the "correct" way to do this.... I know, I checked! That is a very long story which I am going to skip for now.
So, back to the bigger picture. In this day and age you do not just contact a big publishing company and say, "hey, my book is done, take a look!" Nope, to get your book out there you first need to query an agent, and cross your fingers in the hopes that they will want to see your manuscript, and then, if they do, you cross harder and hope they offer representation.
My first thought was "What the heck is that and how do I do it?" More research. This is another area where there is a vast difference of opinion as to what makes a good query letter. I have been toying with mine, and I am not certain that it has that special "zip" just yet, but I did get an agent at a rather "BIG FISH" agency interested in seeing my manuscript. Hmmmm...
Of course, that was one agent that wanted to see it out of many that did not! She has had it for about a week, and I know it can take MUCH MUCH longer than that, so we will see. I have made several revisions since I sent it to her (I must admit, I had jumped the gun a bit and not even proofread.... OOPS!! I sent the query, she wanted to read it, and I got excited.)
I will post a bit about my novel in a future blog. I will also try to post about the trials and tribulations I encounter on the road to getting it published.
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