I am proud to announce that the Circle of 5 has reaped it's first success. One of the short stories I sent into True Romance magazine sold in a week's time! It's a small victory, but it will be the first time I've ever gotten paid for my writing. I won't be taking any grand vacations or quitting my job, but I took a nice chunk off the price of the new laptop or iPod I've been eyeballing. My story - "I Stopped A Robbery While In Labor" - will be in the May 2008 issue of True Romance. Yay me! I've sent them 2 other short stories and 5 mini-feature items, so I hope to have more sales soon.I didn't sign a contract for thousands of dollars or land a fancy agent, but I feel good. A little boost. A reminder that I don't suck. And oddly, instead of distracting me from writing and editing my full length books, its actually fired me up a bit. A taste of success to keep me going. I honestly needed it. Over the past few days, I've been flipping back and forth between writing shorts and editing Ghost of a Chance for an agent request and its going well. I'm getting a ton done without burning out on either project. It's keeping Lucinda motivated, which is critical at this stage.
Right now my only problem is figuring out what to work on. My primary focus is to finish editing Ghost of a Chance and get a full out to an agent by March 1st. Major priority. At the same time, before I got the request, I started working on a novella for Nocturne Bites. I'm really psyched about it and I wanted to finish it quickly and get it out ahead of the competition. That's been pushed back. And of course, my Blaze - Red-Handed, has stalled out on page sixty. At least I've got enough for a partial, but I need it done and ready to pitch by June. And then, (yes, there's more) I've been motivated and encouraged to re-work my vampire series as single title and start querying it to houses that accept unagented manuscripts. I've sent a few queries out as feelers and if one of them actually asks to see more, I'm going to be hard pressed to get it fully reworked in addition to everything else.
All I can say is "whoa." Lots to do, lots to do. What's on your to-do list?
SP
Circle of 5 Status:
2 Agent Queries Still Pending, 2 Rejected
2 Agent Partials Still Pending
1 Agent Full to be Sent out March 1st
1 Publisher Query Pending
2 Contest Entries Submitted to Lauries
2 Short Stories & 5 Short Features Submitted to Trues, 1 Short Story Sale!
16 comments:
You know better than to ask to see my to do list... it's not for the faint of heart!
Topping it, of course, is getting my revisions done. I'm actually getting some good stuff done now that AC is well enough to go to school and I can have some quiet to work.
Squee on the sale!!
Yay on that sale. I rather feel like a proud mother watching her baby take its first steps.
Right now my to-do list is composed primarily of recovering from the foot surgery. It gets a little better every day but I'm tired of having to sit most of the day with the foot propped up. I'm tired of being half-gorked on pain pills. I want my sinus headache to go away.
PM
As the Aussies would say, good on ya! Way to go, SP. There's nothing like that first check!
A favor to ask: would those of you who e-mail me privately, even if it's only occasionally, please send me an e-mail? I finally fried my beloved Mac and had to get a new one, and the old one so completely gave up the ghost I can't get it boot. I keep trying, but in the meantime -- it's holding my address book hostage. So I'm trying to rebuild my e-mail list. Major headache.
Congratulations, SP! Woot! (And this is so strange because I dreamed about you last night. Nothing to do with writing. We were shopping for dresses, then went to a big waterpark. Fun. :-)
Can't even think about the to-do list until the book is done, which I will finish tonight sometime. (Another woot!)
My to do list has one item on it. Finish the book that's overdue! After that I can look for the real list, which is lost somewhere in the mess that is my office, beneath piles of paper. Actually, the list might be on one of those pieces of paper . . . :-)
Congrats on the sale! And the produtivity of your circle.
LJ
Squeeee on the sale, SP! The circle of five is working :-)
Working on my book tops my to do list. I've been delayed by the flu and now can't seem to get my butt back in gear. I have an entire day at home tomorrow though so that'll jump start my muse...or I'll drown her in the bathtub whichever works best.
Instigator
My To Do List is on hold today. I'll be trying to find a sitter for my sick child so I can go to work. Then coming home to take care of sick child. :(
Not fun.
Angel
Rut-roh. Let me just remind Angel that murdering friends is a guaranteed way to lose a halo... even if said friend's child could be responsible for the illness.
I promise-- I didn't think AC was germy last night.
I don't do lists, but I have to say, your circle of 5 rocks!!
Congrats on the sale!!
WTG, SP!!! Yeehaw! And you didn't mention this last night because? :) Proud of you, girl!
My TD list is rather long, some of it thanks to PC (ahem). But on the revision front, things are making sense!
I finally, in a nod to structure, thought I might see how my book was laid out if I took the time to learn Scrivener (it's a Mac thing). So I broke the chapters out, the revised ones so far, and gave them color coding depending on whether they were mostly romance, romance + suspense, or suspense. And I had a perfect 1,2,3 progression that repeated itself like the most well-organized PC-event you ever saw! I was kind of proud I'd done it naturally and didn't even know it. :) I am NOT a plotter or outliner or any of that organized stuff. :)
Hurrah on your sale! congrats and many, many more!! Interesting that you have a Circle of 5. What's that all about? Crit group?
My to-do list involves about six book starts and figuring out which one to pursue. I'm really pleased to be in a creative streak just now, but it is a little confusing. Must get new BLAZE idea down on paper before it evaporates in the heat!!
Congratulations on the sale! I can't wait to read it. Be sure to let us know when it hits the stands. Money - the almighty motivator. Works for me!
Sherry W.
Way to go, SP! You're on your way. :-)
Congrats on the sale! I remember how exciting the first one can be. I'd decided to pack my typewriter away and get a real job when I sold a poem for $12.00. As far as I was concerned it wasn't just a check, it was a message from God telling me that I should be a writer!
Enjoy it and may this sale be the first of many!
Carla Cassidy
Hey, this is so great, SP! I'm so proud of you. I remember my first "paid" story. It came out in a little literary magazine and I was paid in copies. I still have every one of them.
My advice to you is to work on the writing you're "psyched" to do. Go after it, young lady!
My "To Do" list includes finishing Anousheh Ansari's memoir (about 3 months of work, I figure), finish the Red Helmet book tour (sigh), and then get going on "The Dinosaur Hunter" which I'm really psched about but HAVE to put off.
Linda and I are headed to West (by God) Virginia next week as part of the Red Helmet tour. That should be fun and will include that coal mine visit with Kathy Mattea. Pray that it doesn't snow. We'll be driving ourselves.
H3
Betina,
You can find the info on the Circle of 5 in the recent Friday posts. The past 2 or 3, I believe.
Angel
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