Sunday Scribblings... Writers Conferences: An Author's Golden Ticket!

I am a writer. There. I've said it at last. Yes, by day I teach and tell people I'm a Lit teacher, but it never changes the truth. I write. Even when no one is looking. Even when no one pays me. Even when all odds are stacked so firmly against me that it seems a preposterous waste of time. I write anyway.

This madness has been going on for 20 years. Then it was in notebooks and peache folders in high school, scribbling away about doomed rock stars in the middle of Algebra. My twenties were spent in a maelstorm of screenplay contests, printing off 120 pages on a printer you had to feed individual paper. Today I'm incredibly sophisticated with my pink Dell lap top and my full time job. But how does one break out of their computer and land on the shelves of Amazon.com or the illustrious Barnes and Noble? If you've read anything about publishing, the answer is: YOU DON'T! But, to all the writers who are reading this post, rest assured about one thing: THEY LIED!

There is a golden ticket. For singers, it's American Idol. For writers it's a thing called The Writers Conference. They are expensive (thank you full time job!) but the good news is that they are year round, all over the country and probably coming to a city near you.

Why are Writers Conferences such a boost for new writing careers? Well, anyone who has ever performed the masochistic duty of sending out rounds of query emails (they don't even accept written letters anymore) knows what a trial in self -hatred it becomes. First, nobody cares. Second, even though they ask you to include the first ten pages in your query, they don't read them. Last year, I sent out queries for my book about an international Punk icon who disappears from her adoring (but violent) public and buys a bed and breakfast in the South of England. Now, I realize that punk rockers may not be the first choice for all agents and editors, however, it became clear to me that they weren't even reading the pages when they said things like, "a little more conservative than what I was hoping for". Surprise, surprise, agents really don't read unsolicited material.

At the writers conferences, they have to. It's their job. You can pay an additional fee and have agents write all over your first ten pages and conference with you about what they did love, and what they didn't. They have to look you in the eye and discuss your project. If the agent doesn't like your material, they'll tell you and they'll show you exactly why. If they do, many agents feel kind hearted enough to allow conference attendees to send them material. In other words, you are miles ahead of the email query.

My Experiences at the SDSU conference Jan 29-31st

My book: A gothic teen romance set in the French Revolution in which Martine Demont, a starving girl with an ability to telepathically connect with her loved ones, is saved by a cursed boy.

My Strategy: I researched the attending agents, found the agency I most wanted to work with, someone who was looking for teen Gothic romance and who was relatively new. This helps because new agents actually want clients and I want someone who WANTS me. As for the sacred 10 minute window of opportunity, I decided long before the conference that I would sit down, LISTEN, and at the end of whatever the agent said, if they did not include: "Please send me the rest", I would then ask them exactly when they knew they were not interested in my book. Was it the title? Was it the genre? The first page? Where? I need to know exactly where my pages became a snooze fest or not up to standard.

What Happened: I actually went to a presentation that the agent was giving right before our scheduled appointment. This allowed me to see whether or not I thought I could work with her, if we were the right fit. She blew me away. She was so enthusiastic in her approach to teen lit, so approachable and fun that a terrible gnawing began in my stomach. I suddenly wanted the chance to work with her more than I'd imagined. It was almost cruel. I introduced myself after her presentation and then proceeded to panic. When we finally met, she had written all over my pages clarifying to me what the difference was between good and great (thank you!). She told me what she enjoyed and what was still misty (ha ha) and then said nothing. Oh dear. I took a deep breath and launched into "Where were you out?" She looked at me and said: "I'm not. I want the rest of the book." HOOO RRAAAAYYY!!!!!!!!! Granted, it's just another step in the yellow brick road but every step is forward motion. Even if she just reads it -- it's more than anyone else is reading.

Results: I'm not the only one this happened to. In fact, I know, personally, three people who have had this happen for them within the last year. Considering that I don't know many writers, this is a pretty amazing statistc. My friend Seamus, who has been shopping his WW2 thriller for a year, consulted with the top agent at the conference, had a very less than impressed interview with her and when he asked my get to the point question of "When were you out?" she said the same thing my agent did and even gave him the award for best submission.

Huh.

I guess sometimes, you've got to lead the horse to the water, and ask him why he's not drinking. Apparently, he will then, dip his nose in the water and swallow it down. Not that anyone in this scenario is a horse.

Writers conferences: the golden ticket.

GIVEAWAY!!!! Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict

Courtney doesn't know what's going on when she wakes up in the body of Jane Mansfield (not the 50's bombshell) a reserved, regency beauty. Suddenly, she can needlepoint, dance, ride horses and remember memories that are not her own. She also finds herself in a love triangle she doesn't understand involving people she's never met. Soon, she finds herself falling for the devestatingly attractive Edgeworth. Will she want to return to the present?


This has been a popular title among Jane Austen lovers. And although it was not my favorite, it was an entertaining, quick read.

RULES OF THE GIVEAWAY:

You are entering to receive a free copy of Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler. The Giveaway will be between 2-5-10 and 2-20-10.

* Leave your comment with your EMAIL ADDRESS

* If you are a follower (let me know), I'll enter you twice

* If you are a follower and post the giveaway on your blog, I'll enter you three times!

GOOD LUCK!

Searching for Jane Austen Pt. 1

Jane Austen was not happy in Bath. While it was the center of fashion and entertainment for the vacationing set of Regency England, Miss Austen felt stifled and out of place between the gossips and convention. When her father gave up the rectory in her beloved Steventon, it was with a heavy heart that she was uprooted to the more equitable climate of Bath.

The Austens spent a very little time in happy circumstances. Her father died, leaving the Austen women bereft much like Ann Elliot prejudiced against the city after her mother's death in Persuasion. Bath is a shockingly small community and the relationship between rank and street address was keenly felt. The farther away from the Crescent a person lived, the farther they had fallen in life. During Regency England, the center of the town with the Pump Rooms, the Crescent, the Cathedral and theater was splendid. It was therefore, quite astonishing to most how degraded the living quarters became the closer one moved towards the river. Jane had to watch her family of nearly destitute women move closer and closer to the river and therefore, ruin. She was powerless to stop it.

She did not write for 10 years.

However, it is nearly impossible to believe these solemn facts when you visit. My mother (having hired a car and nearly losing our lives on several ocassions) literally gasped when we turned off the highway and started down the narrow road leading into the Greater Bath area. The city sprawls out over the most glorious hillsides and it is true, the stone is golden and catches the light whatever time of day it is. Bath is not a bustling city, all noise and movement (although Miss Austen typically spoke of it as such). You stroll in Bath, you take the double decker bus and they linger. The shops are glorious (special mention to Waterstones: the most FABULOUS book shop in the universe) and everything is an easy walk.

More importantly, everything is Jane Austen. It is ironic that her least favorite place is so indelibly stamped by her having lived there. I'm sure many things have happened in Bath (the Romans for Heaven's sake) but no one cares about that. In Bath there is the overwhelming certainty that the city is what it is today because Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were written by a young lady who hated the city but immortalized it through her heroines.

My mother and I stayed at a bed and breakfast that should be a MUST for all Jane Austen fans. Grosvenor Lodge is a true Georgian building, completely refurbished and absolutely the most lovely rooms we have ever stayed in. It was the closest to Jane Austen living as we were going to get.

Collin is the owner and quite possibly the funniest human to have ever walked God's earth.

The Roman Baths are extensive and yes, the water is still bubbling. Sad to say, but it is no longer possible to dip into them for their healing purposes :)

A little further walk away from the Pump Rooms and the splendor of Roman ruins is the Jane Austen Center. They do a wonderful overview of Jane's life and especially how colorful her brothers were. There is very little authentic memorabilia and none of it directly related to Austen, however, upstairs is a DELIGHTFUL tea room where every menu choice is related to an Austen character. I had the Darcy tea and ate the entire piece of chocolate cake myself.

This is a picture of Gay Street where the Jane Austen Center is situated (look closely and see the man dressed in Regency just visible). One of Austen's houses is two doors up but is currently a dentist's office. You can't help but laugh at that -- A very appropriate progression considering how she felt about Bath in general.

Check out this movie I made after I came home: Austen's greatest hits! I was so inspired. But then... how can we not be?

MY FAIR GODMOTHER GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are few books as fabulous as "My Fair Godmother" by Janette Rallison. To be fair, my dear friend Natalie (under my followed blogs under: Stampin' Nat) was the one who alerted me to it and told me it was the "perfect" book. She was right.
Savannah is a Junior in high school and having the worst day of her life. When her godmother, a punk teen more interested in shopping than accurately granting wishes, gives Savannah a taste of what she believes to be her deepest desire, Savannah is thankful to get back to life as usual. That is, until she realizes her choices have affected someone else, a shy choir boy by the name of Tristan. She must do everything in her power to help Tristan before it is too late. Together, they make a formidable team and Savannah realizes that one should NEVER underestimate choir boys!

Granted, this is a lame review. I simply can't spell EVERYTHING out because it would positively ruin the whole story. One of the great charms of this book was the spectacularly surprising turns the story takes. I was floored after the first chapter. I laughed out loud in the second. I gasped (again, out loud) in the third and nearly fell over in the fourth. The only thing I can say about this quick read is READ IT! It's the kind you read in one night and spend the rest of the next day in the glow of possibility for a relationship you never actually had.
The author, talented Janette Rallison, was kind enough to talk to me and divulged that she is in the middle of book two! Same fairy -- different thwarted lovers and she promises she is working hard to insure that "new boy" is every bit as swoon worthy as our Tristan.

Sigh.

RULES FOR GIVEAWAY:

You may enter to receive a free copy of "My Fair Godmother" between February 1st and February 15th.

This contest is open to everyone

Enter by commenting on this post and LEAVING YOUR EMAIL.

Followers will be entered twice (please mention you are a follower)

Be entered three times by posting this giveaway to your blog!

Good Luck!!!

The Haunting Mystery of Lanhydrock

I saw his face in clips on Antiques Roadshow while dressing for school one morning. A shadowed picture, misty with years and a time long since forgotten. He was Tommy Agar Robartes, the 36 year old heir to Lanhydrock, an estate at the zenith of Victorian and Edwardian splendor. The eldest of 10 children, Robartes was popular, athletic, the ultimate hope for future generations. He was an MP for Cornwall, a catalyst for change, for improvements for the working class. When war broke out in 1914, Tommy Agar Robartes enlisted, although he was the titled heir of his family. Men like Robartes with responsibilities of Lordship were, by and large, given desk jobs and remained safe on English soil. This wasn't good enough for Tommy who demanded that he be sent to the frontline with his men. Once there, he was a brilliant strategist who once was so outraged at what he considered a cheap shot attack by the Germans that he had his family send over all of his instruments, taught his men to play well enough to be considered a band and advertised a concert of German music all over the French Valley where both sides sat, day after day in stalemate. He knew the Germans would not be able to resist the music and once the concert had begun and the Germans were singing in the nearby brush, Tommy's men threw aside their instruments and opened fire. Once they'd inflicted the losses they felt they were owed, Robartes posted another concert for the Germans and promised that no further attack would ensue.

He was a favorite of his men one of whom remembered that Captain Robartes was "always extremely kind and gentle. He treated us all as friends. There were many little actions which we appreciated... when he returned from leave he would immediately visit us in billets, or wherever we were, asking kindly after our welfare. Not only that but he never returned empty-handed; a present from the homeland would be issued out to each one of us."
Tommy Agar-Robartes was the beloved son, the golden standard of a world that was turning to mist around them and on September 30th at the Battle of the Loos, Captain Robartes was shot while rescuing a private from certain death. The private, a common man of no rank, survived the war, Tommy Agar Robartes, like thousands and thousands of others was buried in a mass grave in a place that would later be called "the Wasteland". The army sent his preparation kit of toilettries back to his mother who put it away, never to open it. And just like that, Lanhydrock disappeared forever. Only one of the ten Robartes children married and had children and in the 1950s, their empire was over, the house turned over to the National Trust.

Today, if you choose to venture out on the misty Bodmin moors of Cornwall, you will find the house immaculate, ready and waiting for a family who will never come. On the morning I finally made my pilgrimage, it was rainy and haunting... and packed! Every school in the south of England was there to see a REAL Upstairs Downstairs house. But it was still lonely, still wistful, the children's nursery, Tommy's room where his letters were still out, the dirt of his knee pads still intact, his favorite painting of a deer stag still hung as it ever was. The grounds were like a fairies wood, endless and magical. Being at Lanhydrock, one is immediately aware that nearly all English 1920's inspired literature must have been inspired by this last standing relic to that forgotten time. Gosford Park, House at Riverton, Brideshead Revisited, Upstairs Downstairs, Atonement, Remains of the Day... all of them have touched these waters. Moving through the archways, through the roses and the libraries, it is at once everything that we had and everything we lost in the graveyards of our own wastelands.

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton -- Review

"Last November I had a nightmare.

It was 1924 and I was at Riverton again. All the doors hung wide open, silk billowing in the summer breeze. an orchestra perched high on the hill beneath the ancient maple, violins lilting lazily in the warmth. The air rang with pealing laughter and crystal and the sky was the kind of blue we'd all thought the war had destroyed forever. One of the footmen, smart in black and white poured champagne into the top of a tower of glass flutes and everyone clapped, delighting in the splendid wastage --" Kate Morton

And so begins the fragile and haunting memories of Grace Bradley in Kate Morton's unparalled "House at Riverton". In 1924, a young and disturbed poet took his life by the lake at the great house of Riverton with only two young women as witnesses, one, Hannah, the lady of the house and the other, Emmeline, her sister, a famous actress and the lover of the doomed poet. Now, 70 years later, Grace Bradley sits in a nursing home at 99, the last surving member of the Riverton household and the last person on earth who remembers what happened that fateful night. Ursula, a movie producer, wants everything Grace can remember, everything Grace has spent a lifetime trying to forget.

Author Kate Morton takes the reader back to the bygone era of pre WW1 England, showing us the glittering world of the English upper crust through the musings of a 14 year old servant girl who grows with her "superiors" into womanhood. Grace's life as a servant is taken straight from the beloved episodes of Upstairs Downstairs. There is a Mr. Hudson, Mrs. Bridges, a Rose, an abused scullery maid. There is an Edward who returns home with shell-shock. Indeed, much of Morton's novel seems an homage to Upstairs, Downstairs on both ends also providing us with a headstrong suffragate daughter as with Elizabeth, a Georgina etc. But it's a lovely homage. And the poetry of Morton's words, her images, her nuances, hold the reader with golden ties.

The cast of Upstairs/Downstairs

Through the years, Grace is privy to Hannah and Emmeline as they grow, as they change, as the world betrays their innocence in the name of "have tos". She is there, as a young girl herself, when the poet, Robbie Turner first enters Hannah and Emmeline's lives. She is there when he leaves. She watches from the station as Hannah hands him her hair ribbon before he goes to war; a ribbon he will carry the length of the war and beyond. She is there when he returns, years later, changed, as they all are, with eyes only for one. Finally, Grace is there, indeed, is the catalyst for the tragedy that brings the young poet, Hannah and Emmeline to their collective destiny.

This book was magically and wildly nostalgic. The words and the allusions Morton uses are often breathtaking. I was whisked away, I was transported, and just as Grace begins to blur reality and memory, I too found it difficult to reconcile a head full of memories that were not my own. As Grace gets closer to the truth and her final breath, the ghosts she's kept at arm's length for so many years are thick and insistent, everywhere and calling her. The beauty of Morton's writing, the achingly beautiful story that she creates allows the ghosts to call for the the reader as well. When the mystery was finally revealed, I literally gasped out loud. When the book was finally over, I wanted to cry. It has been many years since I've had the pleasure to read art and Kate Morton is truly an artist.

Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story by Carolyn Turgeon Review

I was led to believe this was a fairy story. The cover, the back of the book, everything led me to believe this was a dark "sorta fairytale" I could sink my teeth into. Au contraire.

The Godmother, by Carolyn Turgeon is a look at the psychology behind a fairy godmother who not only falls in love with Prince Charming herself, but ultimately feels better suited for him as well.

Lil is a fairy godmother cast out of her rich, lustrous fairy world and forced to live her days disguised as an old lumpy woman on earth because she didn't fulfill her mission to unite Cinderella and Prince Charming. Every day she binds her wings painfully and looks for signs, glimpses that somewhere, her ethereal fairy sisters are still aware of her, coming for her.

Through a series of flashbacks, we see Lil's fairy world before she chose poorly, the clear lake the fairies sleep under, the exquisite rush of flying over the human world, the tantalizing look at first love when she sees Theodore (Prince Charming) for the first time and a hypnotizingly dark Cinderella who has more issues than we've been led to believe. These flashbacks reveal bits of the story and begin to parellel Lil's present situation in the "real world" when she decides to bring two lonely people together. She figures if she can help these two interesting people find each other, she will be forgiven and be allowed to return at last. She is tired, she is old and having to remain in the human world is a drudgery she can bear no longer.

This story should be silly. We're talking about fairies and Prince Charming and Cinderella. But it is deep and dark and sensual in its magic. I found myself whirled into a vast and beautiful world I had no desire to leave. I wanted desperately for Lil to return, to be her gorgeous fairy self again, to see Theodore, to find what was taken.

So how did it go wrong? I will not reveal the final chapter but found myself actually a little miffed that I had been manipulated so completely and I found myself in a bad mood for days. There was no magic, the climax was absolutely not worthy of the author's talents. I've read plenty of books I didn't like and then quickly forgot. But this book was in my top five favorites by the second to last chapter -- and then failed absolutely. I was ready to buy a copy for all of my friends and give it to my friends for Christmas. But this is not one I'll be recommending or reading again. Sigh. A real shame because I still want to go to the fairy world, I still want to see Theodore and I still want Lil to be the fire-haired goddess she used to be.

But this book shows you -- you can't have everything.

2 stars out of 5