Just When I Thought I Had It Figured

So, you do know that stories speak, right? Some of them say, "Write me!" which is good. The best will say, "I'm ready, send me off!" Others will say, "I need more work before you query me." But I absolutely hate it when a story says this:

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought I was ready to be queried off I wasn't. I'm actually in need of a major rewrite. I know you've already submitted me to the agents you want most, but I really need this rewrite before you send me off again."

That is exactly what Khaladin did to me today.

The rewrite will make it a better story. It's all for the best. But I thought I was done with this one and now it's like, think again. Oh well. I will begin the revamp process and probably try to sell Help! My Parents Are From Outer Space! And if that one calls out for a rewrite, I will send out The Heart and the Horn. And if that one calls for a rewrite again, I might just throw in the towel on writing.

Believe me? Yeah, didn't think so. You all know I love writing too much to ever quit. :)

Rejection, Dejection, Whatever You Wanna Call It, I've Got It

Well, you've probably already guessed that the agent I queried, the one I really wanted, decided to pass on my work today. Ah, well. Guess it's time to hit the old drawing board again.

Which leaves me with a problem. Normally I always have a plan for querying agents, but this time around, I don't. There is one agent out there that I am really thinking about querying, but I'm not sure yet. Why? I have no clue. I really don't know why I have ever queried him. He's one of the best in the biz and I have never sent him a query in all my five years of querying.

Who is this mystery agent, you ask?

Well, it's Ethan Ellenberg. He represents everything that I write (but that doesn't mean he will want my work) and I know he's good and what he does, so why don't I shoot him an e-mail?

That's a very good question. So, which story should it be?

The Heart and the Horn: a YA high fantasy where a Princess is dethroned and has to destroy an evil shape shifting Unicorn

Khaladin: a MG fantasy where a horse gives birth to a unicorn foal and Judy has to keep him hidden from all eyes

Help! My Parents Are From Outer Space!: a MG science fiction where a girl finds out her adopted parents are aliens and she has to save two worlds before it's too late

Which is your fav? Which do you think I should query off? Khaladin is a very emotional tale, The Heart and the Horn is epic good verses evil, and Help! My Parents Are From Outer Space! is a fun, humorous story that makes you laugh.

So, help me out here, guys. Please?

Another WIP In The Works???

There might be.

I am currently working on yet another YA fantasy, this one titled My Reality, Your Fantasy. A little vague, you say? Well, yeah, it is. I'm not revealing too much on this one at this point in time. But I will tell you that there are two main characters and each will be telling thier story in first person. Yikes! Can I pull this off?

I think so. I enjoy a challenge. *rubs hands together gleefully with strange glint in eye*

Anyway, I have a lot of completed manuscripts right now. I have The Heart and the Horn, Help! My Parents Are From Outer Space!, and Khaladin. I also have a middle grade fantasy trilogy called The Mirror's Portal Trilogy, which is complete, but in editing. If I could just find an agent, I'd be in good shape.

Then again, maybe not. Just because you have an agent doesn't mean said agent will rep all you write. Gotta keep it real here, folks. ;)

Anyway, sorry my posting has been sketchy lately. I've been lazy, there's no other word for it. But I'm going to try not to be anymore. Please don't quit reading and, if you like what you see on this blog, feel free to follow me. Really, I don't bite all that much. ;)

Revamp Is Done!

I wanted to finish my revamp for The Ultimate Evil before the end of April and I have succeeded. But along with some new scenes and dialogue, this story now has a new name.

And, no, it's not Shifter.

Alas, I just found out through Kristin Nelson's blog that one of her clients is coming out with a book titled The Shifter. So I can't use a title so similar. I mean, I probably could, but I don't want to. So I chose The Heart and the Horn.

In other news, I just submitted Khaladin to the McVeigh Agency. Maybe my first partial or full request will be coming soon. I don't know. I guess I just have to wait and see what the future holds. :)

Oh, The Heart and the Horn's new word count is 65K. I cut many of the chapters in half, which almost doubles the amount of the earlier version. But it is only 10K longer than the old one.