Author: Katy Upperman

Tuesday Tunes: MEAN

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Okay. I know Taylor Swift  is a bit of a polarizing artist. People either love her or hate her. I love her unabashedly. I think she’s adorable, a talented songwriter (her songs are packed with contemporary YA story ideas!),  and she’s appears to be gracious, friendly, clean-cut and appreciative. My daughter (who’s almost four) loves Taylor too. In fact, she recently told me she doesn’t want her last name to be Upperman anymore; she wants it to be Swift. Awesome.

For the past month or so, we’ve been listening to Mean like it’s going out of style. We love the peppy beat and the stick-in-your-head lyrics (You, with your switching sides/And your wildfire lies and your humiliation/You have pointed out my flaws again/As if I don’t already see them…), and my daughter especially likes that the delightful little actress who plays Ramona in Ramona and Beezus is in the video.

Here’s the video, with full lyrics below:


You, with your words like knives
And swords and weapons that you use against me
You have knocked me off my feet again
Got me feeling like a nothing
You, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard
Calling me out when I’m wounded
You picking on the weaker man

Well you can take me down with just one single blow
but you don’t know, what you don’t know…

Someday I’ll be living in a big ol’ city
And all you’re ever going to be is mean
Someday I’ll be big enough so you can’t hit me
And all you’re ever going to be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?

You, with your switching sides
And your wildfire lies and your humiliation
You have pointed out my flaws again
As if I don’t already see them
I walk with my head down
Trying to block you out ’cause I’ll never impress you
I just wanna feel okay again

I bet you got pushed around
Somebody made you cold
But the cycle ends right now
Cause you can’t lead me down that road
And you don’t know, what you don’t know…

Someday I’ll be living in a big ol’ city
And all you’re ever going to be is mean
Someday I’ll be big enough so you can’t hit me
And all you’re ever going to be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?

And I can see you years from now in a bar
Talking over a football game
With that same big loud opinion
But nobody’s listening
Washed up and ranting about the same old bitter things
Drunk and grumbling on about how I can’t sing
But all you are is mean

All you are is mean
And a liar, and pathetic, and alone in life
And mean, and mean, and mean, and mean

But someday I’ll be living in a big ol’ city
And all you’re ever going to be is mean, yeah yeah
Someday I’ll be big enough so you can’t hit me
And all you’re ever going to be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?

Someday I’ll be living in a big ol’ city
And all you’re ever going to be is mean, yeah yeah
Someday I’ll be big enough so you can’t hit me
And all you’re ever going to be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?

Also, two quick things:
1) If you’d like to win a brand new copy of Jessi Kirby’s lovely debut Moonglass, you can enter my giveaway HERE.
2) My friend Caroline Richmond interviewed me for her “After the Call” series. If you’re interested in learning more about my path to signing with a literary agent, you can read the interview HERE.

Check THIS out…

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My writer/blogger/Twitter friend Caroline Richmond has interviewed me for  her fantastic After the Call series. Her blog is adorably stylish (as is she!), and her previous  interviews for this series have been enlightening and informative. Hopefully mine lives up! Check it out HERE.

Also, have you entered to win a brand new copy of Jessi Kirby‘s amazing debut Moonglass? The giveaway is super easy and ends this Friday, June  17th. Trust me: You want to read this book! Enter HERE.

Happy Monday!

Debut Love: MOONGLASS (And a Giveaway!)

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Since I aspire to BE a debut author someday in the not-so-distant future, I’ve decide to start a semi-regular feature highlighting current debuts I’ve read and found to be exceptional.

First up: Moonglass by Jessi Kirby… 

From Amazon: When Anna was little, she and her mother used to search for sea glass, but since they looked at night, they called it moonglass. Now, ten years after her mother’s mysterious death, her father is working as head lifeguard on the same beach where her mother grew up and her parents first met and fell in love. Reluctant to get close to anyone (including her father) and not pleased about having to start at a new school, Anna begins to spend more time alone, running the length of the beach and wondering about who her mother really was. After meeting a lifeguard named Tyler, she slowly lets her guard down and together they start exploring the abandoned houses that dot the beach. But when learning more about her mother’s past leads to a painful discovery, Anna must reconcile her desire for solitude with ultimately accepting the love of her family and friends.

I bought Moonglass having not heard much about it. I was attracted to the gorgeous cover at Borders, then read the fabulous cover blurb by Sarah Dessen (“I couldn’t put this book down. Kirby’s voice is fresh and wise, all at once. An incredible first novel.”) and had to have it.

I devoured Moonglass in a day and completely agree with Sarah’s assessment: It’s an incredible book. The characters are fun, normal teenagers who do things that fun, normal teenagers do. They talk like regular kids, and they make sometimes irresponsible decisions. I love that. There’s no pretention, no pretty-fying, no airs about these characters. They are layered and imperfect, yet I still found myself wanting to hang out with them. And can I just say: I adored Tyler.

Moonglass is one of those rare books that brings everything full circle by the final page. The characters, the setting (a gorgeous beach in Southern California), the plot, the romance, the backstory (some dating back decades)–it’s all vital to Anna’s discovery of herself and her past. I felt complete upon reading the last page, like everything was tied up just the way it was supposed to be.

I recommend Moonglass to anyone who enjoys a top-notch contemporary story about grief and recovery, the crippling power of guilt, and the importance of friendship and family dynamics–with a little bit of sunshine, kissing, scuba diving, beach jogging and sea glass mixed in. 🙂

Do YOU want to read Moonglass? I’m giving away a brand new hardcover (I love the story too much to part with own copy!) right here on my blog.

Here are the rules:

1. Leave a comment telling me about a recent debut you’ve read and loved OR name a debut coming out soon that you’re dying to read.

2. For a second entry, tweet about this contest, including a link to this post. Leave an additional comment letting me know about your tweet.

3. For a third entry, become a friend of this blog by signing up for an email subscription (in the column to the left). Leave an additional comment letting me know. I will verify this through the blog. If you’re already a friend of the blog, tell me (also in an additional comment please!) and you’ll score an additional entry too.

4. This contest is open internationally, now through Friday, June 17 at 12:00pm (noon), PST. I will tally the entries and draw one winner randomly, then post the winner’s name Friday afternoon. 

GOOD LUCK!

RTW: To Plot or Not to Plot

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Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where the ladies at YA Highway post a weekly writing- or reading-related question for participants to respond to on their own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

This Week’s Topic: Are you a plotter or a pantser? Do you like to make a detailed plan before you start a project? Or do you prefer to fly by the seat of your pants and make it up as you go along?

Easy. I’m a plotter, both in writing and in life. I like to have a plan for everything I do: day-to-day activities, traveling, tackling the grocery store, and yes, writing.  That’s not to say I’m a rigid stick in the mud. I am fairly flexible. Things change–of course they do–but anytime there’s a change, I like to make a note of it on my outline. 🙂

Here’s my process for plotting (discussed in more detail in this previous POST):

1) Once I’ve got an idea I’ve stewed over for a good, long while (like, months) I write a twenty-five word (hopefully) high concept pitch, which forces me to get my idea down to its true essence. Later, I use my pitch to write a three-line pitch, then a full query-type blurb.

2) Next I make a basic list of the scenes I already have in my head, which is pretty much an enormous brainstorming session.

3) Then, I tackle a beat sheet, plugging scenes into appropriate places, and coming up with new ones to fill in the gaps. The beat sheet I use is a melding of the one in Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat and the summary of steps in The Hero’s Journey.

4) Once I have my beat sheet, I make a detailed outline, scene by scene and color-coded, one I follow pretty closely once I begin to write. Of course my scene outline isn’t set in stone. I add and delete as I go, because once I start writing, the story begins to come to life and certain aspects inevitably become more or less important.

Sometimes I wish my process could be less formulaic. It seems so much more romantic to sit down with an idea and just start writing, but plotting works for me and I’m sticking with it!

Tell me… are you a plotter or a pantser?

Current Must Reads…

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There’s been so much action in the YA blogging world over the past week or so. In the past few days alone, I’ve read several excellent posts that I’ve 1) Found profound/interesting/thoughtful/helpful 2) Caught myself thinking about over and over and 3) Want to share with all of you. Without further ado…

Writer Natalie Whipple’s What to Expect When You’re Submitting, a cohesive post covering every angle  of the one step of the publication process we don’t often hear a lot about, including: dealing with the internet, waiting, and your mental state… Submission can do a number on your sanity. I like to call it “pendulum swings.”

Triangles of Love, in which literary agent Sarah LaPolla says: A good love triangle should force your main character to ask, “Who do I want to be?” not simply, “Whom do I want to be with?”

Author Gayle Forman’s wise post on Jealousy and how she deals: I have two choices: give in to the insecurity and feel jealous of other authors’ virtuosity or give in to my better angels and rejoice in these wonderful books and tell the world about them.

An Extremely Honest and Scary Post by author Kirsten Hubbard, who talks candidly about debuting as a midlist author: But knowing my book wasn’t given a full chance to soar in this all-important first quarter — even if wasn’t because of its content or quality, but because of its genre (contemporary), my author status (debut), the economy (brutal), and publishing climate (insanely competitive) — it hurts.

Author Barry Lyga’s On the WSJ, YA, and Art, in which he shrewdly refuses to play into WSJ’s Meghan Cox Gurdon’s game: As long as there has been art, there have been naysayers and lack-a-wits jeering from sidelines, mocking the efforts of those who create. I’ve dealt with these nincompoops my entire life and I’m just too old to give a damn what they think or say anymore… I refuse to justify my art.

Subplots–Where to Find Them and How to Use Them from writer Amanda Hannah at YA Highway. I look at subplotting like braiding. We have a couple different threads, it’s just a matter of introducing them into the story at the right time and weaving them together.

So, that’s what I’ve got today. Am I missing anything? Do you have any fantastic links to share?

 

 

June: Contemporary YA Month

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The Contemps is one of my favorite YA group blogs. If you’ve never visited, please do. The published authors who post there are all about highlighting contemporary young adult literature, and they feature some fantastic books!

In an effort to give contemporary books the focus they deserve, The Contemps have declared June Contemporary YA Month! I, for one, LOVE this idea. My general To-Read pile is out-of-control, but my nightstand is especially packed with contemporary titles. To celebrate Contemporary YA Month, this June I’ve decided to read only… Contemporary YA!

Here’s what I’ve got:

The Missing Girl by Norma Fox Mazer
Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti
Fall for Anything and Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers
Caleb and Kate by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma
The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson
Moonglass by Jessi Kirby (Finished this one yesterday. It was lovely.)
Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley
After by Amy Efaw
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray (Half-way through this now… not sure what genre it technically is, to be honest, but for lack of a better classification, I’m calling it Contemporary with a Wink.)
Teach Me by RA Nelson
The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal (Technically not young adult, but Jessica, Elizabeth and their and crazy Californian shenanigans? I’m pretty sure it’ll be reminiscent of YA.)


In more awesome book news: One of my other favorite group blogs, YA Highway, is celebrating two years in existence with a Huge ARC Giveaway! The girls are offering some much sought after titles–definitely worth checking out. Contest closes June 10th, midnight EST.

So, what are some of your favorite contemporary titles?And what contemporaries will you read for Contemporary YA Month?

May’s Book of the Month

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May proved to be way too busy, with some extreme highs and lows in both my writing and personal life. Still, I managed to get quite a bit of reading done. Here’s my wrap up:

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr – Once I was able to get over the craziness of invisible faeries walking among us, I mostly enjoyed this book. The world building was very cool and I especially liked Donia, a tragically damaged supporting character. My gripe came at the end, when the main character got everything she wanted, free of sacrifice, Breaking-Dawn-style.

Darker Days by Jus Accardo – A beta read for one of my super talented critique partners. You can’t read it yet, but I hope you get to soon because this one is all kinds of amazing!

You Wish by Mandy Hubbard – Normally I like my books dark and depressing, but by the end of the first chapter of You Wish, I was hooked. Fantastic voice, enviable wit, laugh-out-loud funny. Plus, it’s set in a town that neighbors mine, which is always fun. I recommend this one as a light, summery read.

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma – Part of me loved Forbidden, while another part was so weirded out by the brother/sister romance that at times I had difficulty absorbing the narrative. Still, the writing was gorgeous and the story (the ending, especially) packed quite an emotional punch. I recommend Forbidden for anyone who appreciates a truly–ahem–forbidden romance, but only for those not disturbed by a very controversial topic.   

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson – I’m not normally a reader of sci-fi (I didn’t even realize Jenna was sci-fi when I bought it), but I thought this book was fantastic. A little slow to start, but because the voice was so unique and the writing so flawless, I didn’t mind . It picked up around page 100 though, and by that point I was completely hooked. There are so many twists and turns, Jenna is almost a study in the plotting of and unfolding of a great mystery.

The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond – If I wrote adult fiction, this is EXACTLY the kind of book I’d want to produce. It’s the story of a little girl who goes missing while playing on a foggy beach with her father’s fiancee, and the guilt, grief and constant state of unknowing that take place after. My mom recommended it, saying, “Read it. You’ll never let go of your daughter’s hand in public again.” Yeah. Pretty much.

And… May’s Book of the Month is Forget You by Jennifer Echols.

 
From Jennifer Echol’s site: There’s a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked up his twenty-four-year old girlfriend. Like Zoey’s fear that the whole town will find out about her mom’s nervous breakdown. Like darkly handsome bad boy Doug taunting her at school. With her life about to become a complete mess, Zoey fights back the only way she knows how, using her famous attention to detail to make sure she’s the perfect daughter, the perfect student, and the perfect girlfriend to ultra-popular football player Brandon. But then Zoey is in a car crash, and the next day there’s one thing she can’t remember at all–the entire night before. Did she go parking with Brandon, like she planned? And if so, why does it seem like Brandon is avoiding her? And why is Doug–of all people–suddenly acting as if something significant happened between the two of them? Zoey dimly remembers Doug pulling her from the wreck, but he keeps referring to what happened that night as if it was more, and it terrifies Zoey to admit how much is a blank to her. Controlled, meticulous Zoey is quickly losing her grip on the all-important details of her life–a life that seems strangely empty of Brandon, and strangely full of Doug.

There are so many things I adored about this book, I think list form will work best for all the gushing I’m about to do…

1) Cover – See the way he’s gazing at her all adoringly? And see how she looks at peace, like she only ever wants to be with him? That’s what initially drew me in.

2) Setting – Florida. The beach. Various swimming pools. The backseat of several cars. Yep. Awesome.

3) Swimming – I swam competitively in high school. It’s a difficult sport to get right on paper, especially if you’ve never actually done it. I’m not sure what Jennifer Echol’s background with swimming is, but in my opinion, she nailed it. From the rush of diving from the starting blocks to the scent of chlorine that lingers on your skin hours after leaving the water, I totally got why Zoey loved the sport.

4) Dialogue – Some of the best teen dialogue I’ve read, hands down. Everything that came out of Zoey and Doug’s mouths was honest and frank, often funny. Jennifer Echols doesn’t filter anything, and I found that very refreshing.

5) Voice (Zoey’s Inner Monologue, in Particular) – Zoey is dry and intelligent, yet confused and often naive. She’s controlling and that shows throughout the story, within all of her relationships (except, maybe, her father). I found myself laughing at her observations and commiserating with her troubles repeatedly. I started Forget You midmorning, and Zoey’s narration kept me reading all day, until I finished early evening.

6) Zoey – The YA novels I enjoy most are ones with female protagonists that are flawed, yet relatable and with inner strength. Examples: Taylor from Jellicoe Road, Lennie from The Sky is Everywhere, Violet from The Body Finder and Mia from If I Stay. Forget You‘s Zoey falls into this group. She has a way of justifying irresponsible decisions and bad behavior, yet she’s obviously a smart girl. I got the sense that even though she excused away a lot (especially in regard to Brandon and her feelings for Doug), deep down she knew exactly what was going on. She just wasn’t ready to face it.   

7) Doug – Why didn’t Doug go to my high school? Despite (or maybe because of?) his snarkiness, semi-dysfunctional family, and occasionally sneaky, self-serving ways, Echols manages to make him utterly and completely appealing. Maybe it’s that we see him through Zoey’s eyes, or maybe bad boys who are secretly good are just extra alluring. Whatever the case, Doug has become one of my favorite YA love interests.

8) Romance – Forget You is, at its core, a romance, and wow is it steamy. Quite possibly one of the most, um, graphic YAs I’ve read, but it works. Both Zoey and Doug are so candid throughout the book, to gloss over their intimate interactions would have been unnatural.

Yep… Forget You joins my short list of favorite YA contemporaries. I recommend it to anyone who’s read and enjoyed  Jennifer Echol’s other books, anyone who enjoys dramatic (but not melodramatic) romance, and anyone who likes layered and truly realistic teen fiction.  

So? What’s the best book you read in May?

On Querying:

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(I’m slowly making my return to blogging. My husband recently deployed and I have a bit more free time on my hands. Happy to be back!)

A few weeks ago I got an email from a fellow writer who’d read my Holy Crap: I Have an Agent! post. As well as offering congratulations, she asked for advice on querying. At first I was surprised and flattered, but not long after opening her email I started to get a feeling of… I don’t know. Unworthiness? I’m so not qualified to be doling out advice! When I told my husband this, he said, “Uh, why not? You’ve been querying off and on for the last year and now you’ve landed an agent. You’re totally qualified.”

Shouldn't everything in life be this cut and dry?

The more I thought about it, the more I realized he might be right. While I’m certainly not an expert on querying (is anyone?), I have had a fair amount of experience and I’ve gained some wisdom that’s probably worth sharing. 

Below are the top ten things I’ve learned regarding the query process. Of course, the following advice only applies once you have an edited, critiqued, revised, sparklingly clean, complete manuscript, as well as a compelling query letter…

1) You won’t know if you’re truly ready to query until you send out a few letters. Of course you shouldn’t  send out your first batch of query letters the same day you type The End at the bottom of your first draft.  It goes without saying that there should be much critiquing, editing and revising before you ever contact an agent about your manuscript. But, you can theoretically spend ages  seeking feedback and tinkering with your story. At some point, scary as it is, you have to be DONE. That isn’t to say you won’t want to revise again (and again) sometime down the line–especially after you start receiving replies on that first batch of query letters.

2) Put a blurb about your manuscript (and possibly a short excerpt) on your blog, and don’t forget your easy-to-find email address. Last fall I had an agent (one who is legit and respected, but isn’t open to unsolicited queries) happen upon my blog. She read the blurb and excerpt I’d posted about a previous WIP, and emailed me to request pages. Talk about surprising! While most agents probably don’t spend a lot of time trolling writer blogs, it does happen. Why not entice them any way possible?

3) Take advantage of helpful agent-focused blogs like Casey McCormick and Natalie Aguirre’s Literary Rambles, Krista V.’s Mother. Write. Repeat., and  Jay Eckert’s Sharpened Pen. These people have graciously put hours and hours of time into their agent lists, databases and interviews. They are amazing resources! I learned about new agents, agents’ tastes, current clients, sales, query pet peeves, and more from sites like these. Querying is incredibly time-consuming, and accurate information on agents and agencies is sometimes hard to find online. Don’t reinvent the wheel. It’s quicker (and easier) to cross-check information that’s already been compiled for you than it is to start from scratch.

4) Stay organized. Be on top of outgoing queries and incoming replies. Know which agents you’ve queried and when. Know the name of their agency. Know their usual response times, or if they’re of the no reply is a no school. And keep querying! I tried to have about eight queries out at all times. When I received a pass, I sent out a new query letter. Rejection is easier to take when you know you’ve got other options out there. On the flip side, when I received a request for pages I sent them immediately, PLUS a new query letter to a different agent.

5) Follow the blogs of agents who interest you well before it’s time to query them. More often than not, they post wish lists, favorite published books, and/or general hints about their tastes. This is a fantastic information to reference when personalizing query letters, and also a great way to gauge whether an agent might be interested in your concept.

6) Follow agents who interest you on Twitter. I reluctantly joined Twitter about a year ago (I did NOT need more social media to suck up my time!). Now, I’m so glad I did. Not only is Twitter is an excellent way to connect with other writers, but it’s taught me so much about querying and literary agents. Many agents tweet tons of helpful publishing information, plus hints on what they’re seeking in their slush. I also made a habit of following the clients of my top-choice agents. A lot can be revealed about client/agent relationships (or lack thereof) through social media interactions.

7) Participate in blogfests, contests and online conferences like WriteOn-Con, especially if they relate to query letters, pitches, voice, or opening lines/pages. Not only are blogfests, contest and many online conferences free, they are a great way to get feedback and connect with writers in the same stage of the journey as you. Plus, they keep your mind occupied while you obsessively refresh your email. Added bonus: Contest finalists often receive prizes like critiques and/or requests.

8 ) Keep an open mind about feedback from CPs/betas, blogfests/contests, and agent replies. Not all critiques are good critiques, but there’s room for improvement in any work. I tried to keep a flexible attitude about my pitch, query letter, and manuscript. When I received a critique, I truly considered it (sometimes for days) before deciding whether to make the suggested revisions. At the end of the day, this is your work. You don’t want to have eventual regrets about making changes you aren’t truly comfortable with.   

9) Make friends at all stages of the game. I’m the last of my CPs to snag an agent. At times, this sucked. They were all moving forward, finalizing agent-requested revisions, going out on submission, and making sales(!) while I was stuck in the query trenches. However, when I ended up with two offers of representation and needed to make a choice, I was so thankful to have friends with experience who could offer sound advice. That said, while having writing friends who’ve progressed farther than you on the path to publication is fantastic, it’s also great to know people who are flailing in the same stage as you. Commiseration is a powerful thing, and sometimes it’s nice to know you aren’t alone.   

10) Know there are no guarantees, but that everything happens for a reason. Personal story time: A few months ago I had a phone call with an agent. We had a nice little chat during which she told me she torn and wasn’t ready to offer representation, but offered some revision notes and asked me to resubmit. I was ecstatic. All I had to do was revise to her notes (which were good) and I’d have an agent. I poured my heart into that revision and was so pleased with how it turned out. I sent my manuscript back to her and spent the next week vibrating with excitement: I was positive I was going to get an offer! Imagine my disappointment when I received her reply and another comment about being “torn,” accompanied by an additional list of new issues she had with the story. She wanted me to revise and resubmit AGAIN. At that point, I had to make a decision. Would I revise indefinitely for an agent who didn’t seem to truly love my story, or would I consider her feedback and continue my search for an agent who “got” what I was writing? I decided to move on, and that turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve made. Sure, I was discouraged at first, but I eventually realized that had I not completed the original revision for that first agent, my story wouldn’t be what it is today. I might not have received the offers of representation I eventually did.

There are no guarantees, but every query, every request for pages, every revision, every NO…

What about you? Do you have any fantastic querying advice to pass on?

Eight Years ♥

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I have been married EIGHT years today. How time flies! My husband is an amazing man, the world’s best daddy, and I adore him.

This is how we rolled in 2003… 


Not much has changed in 2011. Except, you know, parenthood…


Very few men can pose with Spidey (wearing an Ewok t-shirt, no less) and still look hot.

What’s not to love?

Good news, good news, GOOD NEWS!

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Remember how I was going to take a blog hiatus? Well, I’m thinking there’s no better time to interrupt that hiatus than to share some pretty amazing news… I’ve signed with a literary agent!

There’s a lengthy story behind my search for an agent. Here’s the moderately exciting condensed version (because I’m aways curious about how others arrive at agentdom): I wrote a story, queried it, and soon figured out it wasn’t fit for publication. I trunked it. I wrote another story, queried it, and soon figured out it was in need of rewriting. I shelved it. I wrote another story, truly believed in it, queried it widely, raked in some requests and then some “This is lovely, but I just didn’t fall in love” rejections. I revised, then revised again, queried some more, raked in some more requests. And then… THEN…

I scheduled a vacation with my family. I resolved not to stress about writing, not to query, not even THINK about querying. I climbed on a plane with my kiddo and turned off my phone. I flew, then landed. I turned my phone back on. And, of course, there was an email from one of the agents who’d been reading my full: I’d like to schedule a phone call to talk about your story.

Isn’t that always the way it is? When you stop obsessing, big things happen.

I spoke to the agent on April 29th while I was in Georgia, the day my husband graduated from Ranger School. She offered representation. Naturally, I was thrilled. A fun side note: A few months ago, my husband and I set goals for 2011. His was to get through Ranger School. Mine was to sign with a literary agent. Though I didn’t actually sign with an agent on that day, I had serious interest. It was as if my husband and I both hit our goals right at the same time, and it was very cool.

I happen to have a picture from April 29th (because all blog posts are better with pictures!).

After speaking with the offering agent, I emailed the agents who were reading partials or fulls of my manuscript and asked them to get back to me within ten days (serious torture for an impatient girl like me!).

Turns out the wait was worth it. Another offer came in about a week later, from Vickie Motter of Andrea Hurst Literary Management. Vickie had been at the top of my list since I started reading her blog a few months ago. (She has awesome taste in YA literature and does a fantastic Wednesday Reads series. Check it out!) When we spoke on the phone the next day, I just knew she’d be amazing to work with. She’s friendly, smart, collaborative, and has some incredibly thoughtful revision ideas for my story. Still, I made myself think, really consider my choice from all angles, and as much as I liked the first agent who offered, I kept coming back to the same conclusion: I wanted to work with Vickie.

It was seriously difficult to contain my enthusiasm when I emailed her to accept her offer of representation.

Me and my I-Have-An-Agent Bubbly!

So, now I’m agented (so surreal!) and I get to tackle another revision of Where Poppies Bloom, (one recommended by Vickie :)). I can’t wait to get started!