Monday, April 27, 2009

Good News / Greater News

I am officially addicted to breakfast burritos...
No. That's not the good news....
It's quite bad, actually.

The good news is that the Storymaker's Conference went very well. I learned a lot from writer's boot camp, talked it up with talented authors, and overall had fun. None of my first chapters placed in the contest, but I received great feedback. I was very happy to see that my most recent works show a marked improvement from the ones I started back when I was 15. Also I went to the Whitney Awards dinner and watched two of my favorite new authors recieve awards, James Dashner for The 13th Reality, and Brandon Sandersen for The Hero of Ages. Good job, guys!

The greater news? (Drum Roll) My novel The Dragon's Heart is now in the hands of editor Lisa Mangum of Shadow Mountain Press. Our pitch session was wonderful and nothing like I expected. We just have to wait and see what the verdict will be. Hopefully all of the countless hours and the grimy sweat has made an improvement, so the novel will stand on its own. I did have a strange urge to get started on book 2 yesterday. Very Strange! Why now, the day after I gave her the manuscript? Anyway, Lisa is a really cool person, and she writes too! Her first book, The Hourglass Door, is coming out soon. Watch for it. From what I've read so far, I'm hooked!

This week's agenda: Get ready for a roadtrip to Chicago, meet some of my fans out there, mingle with the family, and see the lil babies! So excited. Until then, I'm thinking of rereading some of my epic, and then start chapter 4, and possibly a chapter 1 for the next installment. Busy, busy.

Thank you everyone for your prayers, wishes, chi, karma, persistant nagging for more chapters, and heartening encouragement. We have a small victory here. I never would've gotten this far without you. Give yourselves a huge pat on the back. You deserve it more than I do.

Monday, April 20, 2009

This is it...

...don't get scared now (name that movie)!

The writer's conference is five days away, and I couldn't be more excited, nervious, anxious, and petrified all at once. My presence there will amount to that of an ant before a council of giants, but hey, someone has to drag off their crumbs of knowledge and know-how. Being a recipient to other writers, hearing and sharing in how they perceive the world, is enough for me.

What I'm looking forward to most is the pitch session. Haven't a clue how it will go, so again, I'll treat it like a learning experience. I'm not exactly the best salesman, so making friends and valued associates will be more feasible at this point. Of course, if the editor in question likes what I have, I won't turn down any offers. Keep your fingers double crossed...I mean...wait...?

Update: No completed chapters this week, however, I drafted some 5k words. Big chapter. HUGE! A good way to end part one of an epic, right? I'm just excited to wrap it up and put it aside so I can focus on language/technology research for it and finishing up that new fairytale/collaboration I've started. Looking good. No holds bar now!

If you're at the conference, I'll see you there! If not, I'll tell you all about it! Believe it!

Monday, April 13, 2009

So That's What Mutton Tastes Like!

It was Lamb, actually, but in any case, I was able to try it this weekend for the first time. Interesting stuff, a bit gamy, and I'm not entirely sure if my stomach agreed with it, but hey, I bet the next time around my insides will be more tolerant. Moving on...

A slight setback has come up in the editing committee for the collaborated work, but that has not stopped me from pushing forward with an additional 3k words this week. My new Acer Aspire One notebook has arrived, so, like any new computer, I spent some time getting acquainted with it and filling up all those GBs with my entire life's work, and a few choice movies and music selections too. I love it. LOVE it! It's a great little machine. For the "on the go" writer, I highly recommend it. It's not too hard on the wallet either, $350, and the smaller screen version is $299. Buy it on Amazon and select free shipping. That way you don't have to pay tax or shipping.

Now to start another new and exciting week of work. Another 3k words and part 1 will be finished. I can't wait to go back and add the little details that I missed the first time around.
It's spring, guys! Why aren't you jumping?

Monday, April 6, 2009

Killing Time and Characters

What a nice, long, relaxing weekend. How was yours?

I was able to write quite a bit of new material over the last week (another 5k words!), making my goal of writing 2 chapters last week a reality. That was a new push for me. Not only in writing two chapters, but having to say farewell to 3 wonderful characters who, knowing that they were going to bite the dust a long time ago, struggled with the fact that I actually arrived at that point and committed the act! (no real people were harmed in the drafting of this chapter)

Waiting for a pitch session is rather intense. What do I say? What do I do? I haven't a clue! Hopefully one of my good buddies, who has been through the process, can fill me in on the details. The thing is, if I had to submit my work beforehand, it does not feel like a pitch anymore, but I'm more than ecstatic about pushing my dreams to the envelope! April 24th!

That's about the extent of my news this week. Sorry. Not everything can be exciting all the time. However, I'm proud to say that I'm very close to finishing the first quarter of my first epic fantasy novel (50k words/200k words!)

I do want to share this awesome photo that I took about a month ago with my tiny pocket Casio camera. The Moon and Venus, so close. I just love space stuff; I soak it up like a cosmic sponge.


Have a great week everyone!