Hi all-

You’ll notice in the upper right-hand corner of my blog that I’ve updated the excerpt from my most recent manuscript, Fallen. Yes, I’ve gone back to that title. No, I don’t want to talk about it.

Okay, maybe we can talk about it. Naming books is hard.

This newest excerpt is a revised version of my previous first chapter. I’d love to hear some feedback, if you like.

Thanks for stopping by!

OMGITSOVER.

So, J and I both pitched today during the Power Pitch sessions. A Power Pitch session is basically a giant cattle call with about 150 of your closest non-friends and 50 or so agents. You line up behind the marker for the agent you want, and when you get to the front of the line, you pitch for your life in three minutes.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

I was lucky enough to pitch seven times in an hour and a half. I went for the gusto and first pitched to the only agent who rejected me last year. She is very sweet, but it was a ‘no’ on this project as well. Thankfully she gave me a few pointers on my pitch while we waited for our turn to end. Her help was greatly appreciated, and I think really made the rest of my pitches go much better.

Of the next six agents that I spoke with, five asked for pages (that means sending them 50 or so pages of your book. Pages. Get it?). Anywho, one of the agents who asked to see it was from Writers House. SQUEE. I know, right? I can’t tell you how much I love the list at Writers House. So, we’ll see how she likes the work.

So, to recap: No puking, no hysterical giggling, and almost no shaking while pitching. Almost. Did you know I touch my hair a lot while talking? And run my hands nervously up and down my arms? And fidget? Apparently I do. Oh well.

J also did really well. Five of the six agents she pitched asked for pages! Congrats, J!

Tomorrow, we get to do the same thing all over. Wish us luck!

And, because I can’t resist the LOL Cat funnies, a representative pick for today:

On our way to the second day of PNWA. Today J and I pitch to agents and editors. Wish us luck. And wish me luck that I don’t freak out and giggle the whole time. 🙂

Today is day one of PNWA and I totally forgot my sandwich. J and I are sitting at our sign up desk and I’m pilfering her candy.

We opened the doors at 9 am, and that was crazy. I mean, CRAZY.

“Please stand behind the line. Hi, sir? Please stand behind the line. Sir?”

Sigh. Somehow J and I were asked to play bouncers in the sign up room for pitch appointments. People had to sign up for the time they wanted, which of course leads to lots of impatient foot tapping and line pusher uppers.

“Get behind the freakin line and wait your turn! I’m looking at you!”

I wonder who that could have been 😉

Anywho, now it’s calm and quiet, and Jen and I are signing up the stragglers for their appointments.

We’re also slashing perfecting our pitches for tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

Oh goodness. Is it really that time? Can it already be Monday, July 16?

That’s right, the PNWA conference will be starting in just a few more days. Come Thursday I’ll be volunteering at the sign-up desk with my writer-buddy J. If you’re attending the conference, stand in our line 😉

So I’ve been working on my pitch for my latest manuscript. I’m also still waffling on the title.

Can we pause for a second? I love that word. Waffling. To waffle. Waffle. Say it again. Waffle.

Anyway, I really still love the title Fallen. I’m spending inordinate amounts of time on what the title should be, when in reality it doesn’t really matter. Oh well. Here’s my new pitch. I warned you there would be a few! Keep in mind that the pitch has to be a minute or less. You only get three minutes with each agent, and it’s timed!

Foster kid Kendra doesn’t know what it’s like to be held by her mother. All she has is a faded picture the social worker gave her at the hospital two years ago, after an accident killed her parents and bleached her memory. Strange dreams begin to haunt her about a boy who supposedly never existed. She can’t shake him, even as popular guy Liam starts to fall for her and everything in her world finally begins to go right. Kendra can’t let her paranoia go and asks too many questions – sending her past screaming into her present in the form of lethal secret agents, bent on killing her to stop her from discovering her true identity – as a born and bred asset for The Agency, a secret group with a world-wide grip. Kendra narrowly escapes a bullet in the back, running to the boy from her dreams, leaving love with Liam behind. After all, the boy is the only one who can help keep her alive – and maybe explain just who she was before she was Kendra. But will the agency find her, before she can find him? Kendra isn’t about to sit back and wait for an answer.

Fallen is a 63,000 word novel for Young Adults.

What do you think? Better? Worse? I’d love your opinions. How do you feel about the title Fallen versus The Fall? I’m also aware the pitch isn’t grammatically correct, but when read aloud, I think it sounds better this way.

Hi all! I just want you to notice that the first chapters of my latest two books, Rift and The Fall (or Fallen, I haven’t decided) are here for you to read. Just click on those links at the top right of this page. There are three pages listed, “About the Author,” “Rift-Excerpt” and “The Fall – Excerpt.”

Please check them out and leave a comment with what you think! I’d love to hear some feedback.

What is PNWA, you ask? Its the Pacific Northwest Writers Association. They hold an exciting conference each year. There are workshops, luncheons, seminars and best of all – the chance to pitch your work to real-life agents and editors! They also hold monthly meetings where writing experts give advice. I try not to throw up on their shoes.

This is my second year attending the conference. Last year I pitched my third novel, Rift. Almost everyone I spoke with asked to see it, but no bites on signing an agent. This year I’ll be pitching my latest novel, tentatively named The Fall (or Fallen. No, wait, The Fall. Hm.).

Wanna hear my pitch? Okay don’t laugh…

Kendra doesn’t know what it’s like to be held by her mother. All she has is a faded picture the social worker gave her at the hospital two years ago, after an accident killed her parents and bleached her memory. But strange dreams haunt her about a boy who supposedly never existed. She can’t shake him, even when popular guy Liam starts to fall for her. When she asks too many questions, her past slams in to her present in the form of lethal agents, bent on killing her to stop her from discovering her own past – as a born and bred asset for The Agency, a secret group with a world-wide grip. Her only girlfriend, who turns out to be a secret agency operative, is murdered, and Kendra narrowly escapes a bullet in the back. She runs for the boy from her dreams, leaving love and Liam behind. After all, the boy is the only one who can help keep her alive – and maybe explain just who she was before she was Kendra.

Thoughts? Feel free to leave them below. I’ll see how I like this tomorrow. Or Saturday. My pitch tends to change up until I’m standing in line waiting to talk to an agent. Inevitably, I stutter. I’ll definitely mess up a few big words. I swear I have an English degree. Swear!

I’ll be attending the conference this year with my friend, J. We met last year at the conference while waiting for our rides to pick us up. It was an instant connection over our native cities listed on our badges!

Here I come, Seatac Hilton! It’s so glamorous, right? Anyway, if you’ve ever considered joining a writers group or going to a conference, I highly recommend this one. There are so many huge authors, agents and excellent teachers at this conference it’s a little overwhelming. I wish I had more hours in the day to attend more workshops. I feel like I always have to pick between two really good ones!

Also, the author of Cinder (read my review below) will be speaking at the conference, and signing her book. Guess who has two thumbs and is bringing her copy? This gal!

Okay, I promise not to do that at the conference. Sorry.

Get your own copy here: