April 11, 2014

Stepping Back

I've been considering this for a while, and I've decided to take a short break from updating this blog, so that I can focus on an overabundance of family events (all good!) and querying Muse.  I will still be around to respond to comments / questions, but may not post new content for a few weeks.

Normally, today's post would have been a Flash! Friday story, and interestingly it has been 52 weeks since my first entry into this weekly contest.  With these, too, I will be taking a pause, though perhaps an upcoming prompt will speak to me, and I'll change my mind. 

Meanwhile, there are many posts on a variety of writing topics which will remain available, and I hope they will provide perspective, or needed advice, or perhaps merely a distraction.  Some suggestions: 

And to leave you with a bit of writing, I have a new poem. This is just a draft, written quite recently, but I'd love any feedback!  Here goes: 

Lost Heart

There are things about me you never understood
But then there are those only you ever could
Which no one else noticed, or tried — or would 
So a piece of my heart, or my soul, stays with you
Despite how I tug, yank, or beg, it rests true
Ignoring my anguish, it pulls anew 
Though I try to let go, to forgive, to give in
That one little chunk that you tore from within
Decides this battle I never will win


Thanks everyone, and have a wonderful several weeks! 

April 7, 2014

On Finding the Right Agent

By Jennie Davenport


As a debut author and, once upon a time, a querying writer, I can tell you that knowing whether or not a certain agent is the right fit is…difficult. Oftentimes, our judgment can be a bit muddled because we are so desperate to find one—any one, really—that will give our stories a chance. So in our search, we come across an agent who represents our genre, and we immediately think, “Oooo! Maybe he/she is the one!”

I thought that so many times it would be impossible to count. So, if you’ve felt that heart-wrenching pain from your ONE rejecting you—and even your fifteenth ONE in a row—YOU’RE NOT ALONE!

Querying is difficult and trying. It takes patience and the ability to learn and grow. And timing is everything. But don’t let that repetitive rejection dim your passion! Learn from it, grow from it. Never stop tweaking your query. Never stop looking for an agent. Never stop trying to be better.

April 3, 2014

Book Blast: Honor Among Orcs

I'll be out of town this weekend, which unfortunately means no Flash! Friday entry, but for those of you who may want something a little longer than flash fiction, check out this new book by Amalia Dillin!

Beauty must save the BEAST…


 photo Dillin_HAOKindleFinal_zps7437f3f0.jpg

Honor Among Orcs

by Amalia Dillin


Publication Date: April 1, 2014