Seems like I’m starting to get busy with my son’s publicity and his book isn’t even published yet (say a prayer that it will if you think about it.) He won a homeschooling contest with Sylvan Dell for his book Jumping Bugs and he’s been written up recently in the Washington Times. Then the education marketing liaison wrote this:

Our office manager was contacted by PG Media (Parent Guide news, Tweens and Teens news). They would like to feature Joey in the monthly spotlight section of the Tweens and Teens magazine Web site.

Sylvan Dell’s publicist, the editor and I wanted to offer you the opportunity to write the spotlight piece. Anthony is obviously a talented boy, and you know him better than anyone. The details for the spotlight piece can be found in the message below my signature.

How awesome is that?

I’m posting at Writer…Interrupted today! Go check it out!

So you’ve finished your novel and your ready to set your baby loose. But if you were asked to describe your novel in a few sentences, would you be able to do it?

Some people call it an elevator pitch. The little sound bite that will catch an editor’s attention, if you were in…well an elevator. Though you many never use it in the elevator, it’s good to start off with a one sentence summary.

If you use Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake method, you’re already ahead of the game.

“I was using Randy Ingerman’s Snowflake method for my new wip, and I realized that the 5-sentence summary in step 2 is an easy, painless way of creating a 30-second verbal pitch. The 5-sentence summary consists of story setup, three plot disasters and lastly the ending/resolution. It made me break the storyline down into basic components, made sure I have those crucial three disasters, and also helped me to look at the pacing of those disasters.” Camy Tang. Read the rest here.

So what is a pitch?

Here are some great quotes and thoughts about pitches:

“A pitch is a HOOK. It should have one goal and one only: to make the editor want to know more about your story. Just as a chapter hook makes the reader turn the page, your pitch hook makes the editor ask a follow-up question. (Sometimes editors will ask a follow-up question simply to be polite. The trick is making them ask a question because they really are curious about the answer.)” Brandilyn Collins. Read the rest of the post here.

A pitch is a “one minute back of the book type blurb memorized to to an editor. We call this an elevator(pitch). Because, like me, you may literally be pitching it in an elevator. Though it could be anywhere, more than likely, over a meal. I practiced mine last year for weeks before the conference. My friends and I would cold-call each other and say, “Tell me about your book.This practice was nerve wracking but paid off big time at the conference.” Gina Holmes. Read the rest of the post here.

“Don’t tell me your entire story. Just stick to the P’s: Pitch, Package, Platform. PITCH: Give me the essence in as few words as possible. (caveat: “Aliens meets Blue Like Jazz” is not helpful. “Philip K. Dick meets Don Miller” is better, but explain that genre with a more specific comparison like, “Kathy Tyers meets Siri Mitchell.” Mick Silva, acquisitions editor for Waterbrook. Read the rest of the post here.

Okay, you get the idea of how to pitch, now why should you do it.

“One of the most important reasons to go to a conference is to pitch to an editor and/or agent. Many CBA publishers do not accept unsolicited manuscripts. This is a good way to get yourself before an editor you have targeted. With ACFW conference in two weeks there will be a lot of reasons to practice your. ” Margaret Daley, Steeple Hill author. To read the rest of the article go here.

Ready to pitch? I’ll go first.

Here’s my one sentence summary for my WIP Digging Up Death:

An ambitious archeology television hostess investigates a murder and her husbans involvement in an antiquities smuggling ring.

Not very exciting or engaging. How can I take it up a notch?

Here’s my 77 word summary:

Archeology professor Mari Duggins has the perfect life and everything money can buy. As cable television hostess of “Archeology Today,” she’s in line for her dream job at WKZO.

Then her colleague is murdered, and her husband is accused of stealing an Egyptian artifact. Compelled to clear his name, Mari digs up dirt on those close to her.

Will Mari sacrifice her professional dream for her husband’s reputation? Or will someone prevent her from uncovering the truth?

Seems a bit too long for a pitch. How can I combine the two, hook the editor and get him to ask more questions?

Anyone want to tackle my pitch? Leave me a comment! Then work on your own and come back and leave a comment. I’ll feature some in the next Conference Confidence post on Saturday and show you what I’ve come up with!

It is finished!!!

51, 383!!!

THE END!!

And 52 days to spare!!!

I’m starting a new series called Conference Confidence in an attempt to get myself ready and others motivated for ACFW in September (but my tips will work for any writer’s conference.)

I won’t claim I know it all, or know much for that matter But what I do know is that everything I’ve pitched at conferences have been requested by multiple editors (little did I know that I would have to follow up with a finished product…but that’s another story for another post.)

So the first order of business is to figure out why you’re going to a writer’s conference? This will be my fourth BIG writer’s conference in four years, and my third ACFW conference. The first three times I went to a conference I went to pitch and SELL. I was focused, driven and hardly recognized my introverted self. I had to will myself to be an extrovert, in fact flying to my first conference (Glorietta) in Santa Fe, New Mexico I distinctly remember the moment I put on my game face. I gazed out the window, worrying about having to push out of my shell and said “Game on.” (Yes, I’m a big Survivor fan) but it was the focus I needed to play the game. And it worked, I got multiple requests for multiple manuscripts (yet to be written, of course. I admit I was naive and believed what I’d been hearing, that you can sell without a completed WIP…sure if you’re Francine Rivers, Brandilyn Collins or Ted Dekker. Sadly, I was not…)

The last conference I went to (ACFW), I went knowing I wouldn’t pitch anything. I had given up writing and simply went to network and make friends. It was very awkward for me, a little no body, sitting with the big guys, late after classes. But I did it and prayed I didn’t look like the misfit I felt like.

So why are you going to conference this year? And are you willing to break out of your comfort zone? Leave me your answers and come back Monday when I will talk about the pitch.

Yesterday I was on a writing roll. After a week of emotionally bland writing, I found my grove. My characters let loose on their emotions and I sailed through the black moment, quickly and passionately.

Today the momentum has stopped. I feel like I’m just coughing up words on a blank page again, devoid of emotion. There’s so much to wrap up and explain, and I’m so focused on the plot and getting it all in that the emotions of the characters are stifled. I know they’ll come, but my writing felt so alive yesterday. Today it’s blah, blah, blah! I just pray I can get through this next scene without boring myself!

From the Back Cover
Something sinuous in the water brushed against Paige’s knee. She jerked her leg away. What was that? She rose to a sitting position, groped around with her left hand.

Fine wisps wound themselves around her fingers.

Hair?

She yanked backward, but the tendrils clung. Something solid bumped her wrist. Paige gasped. With one frantic motion she shook her arm free, grabbed the side of the hot tub, and heaved herself out.

Paige Williams slips into her hot tub in the blackness of night—and finds herself face to face with death.

Alone, terrified, fleeing a dark past, Paige must make an unthinkable choice.

In Violet Dawn, hurtling events and richly drawn characters collide in a breathless story of murder, the need to belong, and faith’s first glimmer. One woman’s secrets unleash an entire town’s pursuit, and the truth proves as elusive as the killer in their midst.

Buy your copy today!

About the Author
Brandilyn Collins is the bestselling author of Brink of Death, Stain of Guilt, Dead of Night, Web of Lies, Eyes of Elisha, and other novels. She and her family divide their time between the California Bay Area and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Visit her website at www.brandilyncollins.com.

Review
Brandilyn Collins’ Violet Dawn has renewed my faith in engaging, entertaining suspense . She’s woven backstory in a fun and creative way while not wasting words! I like a story that moves and this one does. But it’s not all mystery and suspense. Filled with heartwarming, quirky characters, Violet Dawn makes you wish you lived right there in Kanner Lake.

Paige Williams is a sympathetic character that has you routing for her even though your head is telling her NOT to do it! I won’t give away any more details, you’ll just have to pick up the book yourself!

It’s been a while since I’ve read through a book in just three sittings. Violet Dawn is one such book, and I’m a slow reader! So if you like page turning suspense with lovable and memorable characters, then go out and pick up your copy of Violet Dawn today! And you might as well save yourself some time and order Coral Moon, book 2 in the Kanner Lake Series. It’s next on my reading list and I won’t be giving these two books away!!

Reposted from September 2004
Well, I can’t believe we’ve been schooling for over a month now. While I’m adjusting to not have any free time to myself, falling down exhausted in the bed at 2 pm and staying up late at night preparing lessons, my boys aren’t adjusting so quickly. Joey (7) has daily bouts of whining fits and Chris (10) has trouble following simple instructions and often interrupts and blurts out answers for his brother. (But isn’t that one of the reasons I decided to homeschool?)

If it wasn’t for the daily struggles, battles and screaming fits of anger, school would be going great! I must admit at my lowest, I’ve threatened to put my kids in public school something they don’t want to do. But they’d love to go back to their old private school. They miss the specials and FUN! But they don’t realize yet that there are benefits to homeschooling, like skipping Math and grammar lessons they already know, not having homework, going on outings in the middle of the day and I can go on and on… sleeping in!

We’re actually going on a field trip with friends today and have been on several outings with other friends, but I do admit I have to make the daily stuff a little more fun and I have to realize when my boys get overwhelmed with a task I’ve given them. But it’s a learning process and thought there are more bad days than good days, I will persist knowing that THIS TOO SHALL PASS!

Three years later and it’s still not PASSING! I’m just struggling with a different set of homeschoolers. Timmy is fighting his summer phonics lessons like he did all year. That’s one of the reasons we’re still doing phonics this summer!

For three years I threatened to send them back to school. Never did! But this Fall they will be going to school, but not because of threats. Because I feel it’s the next step in their schooling and our relationship!

I will miss the sleeping in (so will Chris.) I will miss the afternoon outings (though the boys get out at 1:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays) and I will miss having no homework to follow up on. Yet, we will adjust. One thing my boys are is flexible! When they’re full grown, nothing will be able to stand in their way. We’ve done it all and they’ll be able to adapt to it all! At least that’s my prayer!

I’m not very savvy when it comes to the technical side of computers. I love taking photographs, but don’t even know how to edit them to my satisfaction. I’ve tried the basic program on my computer, but it’s limited and does’t do what I want it to do. Plus it’s hard to figure out. I thought about downloading something off the Internet, or buying a program, but it all had dozens of steps and instructions I didn’t have the time or patients to wade through.

Then I found www.lunapic.com

It’s simple, straight forward, not downloading a big program on my computer and best of all it’s free. I’ve only used the crop feature so far, but watched my little cousin work magic with all kinds of special effects.

It really is so simple and easy, even my five year old could do it, if I let her!

 

Any Idea what it is??

 

 

Keep scrolling…

 

 

 

Do YOU know what it is???

The boys called me on my bluff last month! Well, I guess it wasn’t exactly a bluff, but in a moment of weakness, when I had it up to here (raises hand over head…5ft. 3 1/2inches) with them asking to play more time on PS2. I regrettably said, “If you had the Wii I’d probably let you play longer.”

The Wii was close to $300. They could never afford that. But I forgot about my son’s prize money and so began the search for the Wii! The phone calls to toy stores all over town. The last Wii in a town 40 minutes away, and my children insisting at 5:00 pm that we had to “go now and get it.”

That’s when I broke. “This is ridiculous. You’re not driving 40 minutes away using all that gas, just to buy a Wii with money you don’t have yet!” My son hadn’t gotten his check from the company yet. My husband was all up for the drive…

Then I launched into my don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched and we shouldn’t teach our kids to buy on credit speech!!

My husband saw the wisdom in my words and we negotiated a plan. If the boys could find a Wii in town, and they had the money, (I said I would spot my oldest $100 since his birthday was in a month or so, and he would be getting birthday money) they could buy one.

My oldest found one, begged me to buy it on my way home from an appointment one day and the rest is history.

And I’ve been true to my word. They get to play more Wii, and PS2 especially since I’m on a writing deadline!

I’ve set up a blog to document my  writing and publishing journey. I will still post about all my writing adventures here, but my writing blog will be my professional writing website. So check it out and let me know what you think.

This month’s Carnival of Christian Writers is sizzling with some great posts! These posts fit into the carnival theme quite well this month and if we put them into subcategories you might find: Get Your Tickets, The Fun House, Jugglers and Balancing Acts, Thrill Rides, Games, and some great Food for Thought. Have fun exploring the carnival!

Thanks to Tricia Goyer, Dineen Miller and Lynette Sowell for nominating me for the Rockin’ Blogger Chick.

Now I get to nominate five, awesome rockin’ bloggers!!! I’m going for the not so obvious, but still way cool bloggers!

Christa Allen

Claudia Mair Burney

Meredith Efken

Jodi York

Staci Stallings

It’s been about three weeks since I’ve been to church. Traveling on Sundays and visiting family has been the major culprit in keeping me from the building, but it shouldn’t be an excuse for why I’ve been distant from God.

Life gets busy. Life is busy, and so my prayers become shorter and more rote. I occasionally have time for a long Bible study devotion, but that’s the exception not the norm. How come when I’m struggling in other areas of my life, God feels closer? Maybe it’s I who draws closer to Him.

When I quit writing my heart hurt. Only God could heal it. When I struggled daily with homeschooling, I had to run to God. I felt his loving arms around me. So now that everything is going okay, why don’t I call out to him, and desire his presence like in my time of need?

I know I shouldn’t beat myself up about this, but my lack of faith posts (and growth) make me question whether God is still working in my life. Whether I’ve just gotten too busy to sit at his feet.

I’m trying to instill good habits in my life, like God first, even if it’s a  quick meditation on a scripture, but I don’t want that to be the way I live the rest of my life. Fast food faith isn’t really all that satisfying.

So how do you battle these feelings? I know I’m not the only one who has them.

Someone told me slow and steady finishes a novel. I’m trying it out this week.

Today I wrote 1518 words. Cleaned up a few plot points and plotted out the next couple of chapters.

I’m at 35,000 words. I’m shooting for 60,000 and hoping to do it in less than a month.

That’s 1,000 words a day for 25 days!

When I break it down like that it seems attainable, especially since I know I CAN write 10,000 words in a weekend if given the opportunity.

Maybe if I keep at this slow and steady pace, I won’t have to.

A writing friend of mine is really inspiring me by her example. She started writing after me, has several completed manuscripts, an agent and several contracts already.

Now, it’s futile to compare myself to this mother of two, homeschooler, blogger, attorney, church volunteer, marathon runner and who knows what else, so I won’t even try. (Somethings I think she’s not human. Possibly bionic?) But I will try and learn from her discipline and drivenness. She’s completed a 50,000 manuscript in a month. Partly because she’s had to (contract deadline),  partly because she’s got a plan. To write every day.

I write emails, and posts every day, but it’s not the same as cranking out the words on my WIP. A part of me is still afraid to “go there” to make goals, and plans to write more than a couple of times a week because I know I can get so focused on the writing that I forget those around me. I don’t want to go back, but I do feel the winds of change blowing.

Maybe it’s time to set some real goals! I’m just not sure my family is ready for it.

Reposted from September 2004
Aside from battling some attitudes, school is going okay. We’ve been at it for about three weeks and I think the hardest part has been my 2 and 4 year old. I still haven’t figured out how to balance time with them because it seems now they are being neglected of mommy time while I spend almost all my time with the tow older ones.

Another difficulty is adjusting to staying up later just to prepare a lesson for the next day. I’ve also run into problems with teaching grammar. Right now it’s all review for my 4th grader and my 2nd grader is picking it up quickly, but there’s no time in the day to do 2 separate lessons. My oldest is already doing Saxon Math by himself. Right now it’s all review, but I’m sure he’ll need my help soon. So I can’t figure out how homeschoolers get everything in before noon. I’m reworking my schedule to spend time in the morning with my little ones while the older boys do work they don’t need any help with. Then when my two year old is ready for her morning crib play time, I can go into more detailed lessons. Right now the two little ones go to preschool 2 days a week and they love it. I’m getting a lot of work done with the older ones, but tend to try and cram things in fearing I have to make it up for the slack on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

I have to admit I’ve let my temper fly already, especially when dealing with all four of my kids. It’s just tough keeping the little one occupied without me feeling like I’m neglecting them or sitting them in front of the t.v. all day long. Oh well, it’s only been three weeks.

So far my kids like it except they miss recess with their friends and they don’t like mom yelling. I guess I’ll have to work harder in those areas.

I wonder how long it takes homeschoolers to settle into a schedule. Every year it changed for us. Though I still held on to th guilt of neglecting the little ones. When the older ones were their age, they had mommy’s undivided attention.

I’m looking forward to spending more time with Grace and Timmy next year. Although Timmy might be in school longer than I hoped, I’m sure he won’t have a ton of homework and I’ll be able to play with them after school! I’m looking forward to being just a mom again. Though I know I’ll still have to wrangle homework assignments and guide them in studying for tests. It’ll be a new an exciting year! And I’m ready for a change!

Say that five times fast. Then link here for your chance to win!