Why Rejections Are a Good Thing

I've got plenty of writer-friends on the traditional-publishing path who are going through the soul-sucking process of submitting their books to agents or editors and getting rejections.

What does getting a rejection mean? Is it the end of your writing career before it even began?

Nope, not even close.

The best thing about rejections is that they ensure no one who's not excited and passionate about your work will be in charge of selling it. The only thing worse than no agent is a BAD agent! (or should I say, and agent who isn't your #1 fan!). Same thing with editors!

When we get rejections from a pool of agents or editors, they are actually helping us by weeding out the ones who aren't a good fit for our books. And don't we deserve someone who loves our books? I say, let 'em go! It wouldn't have worked out well anyway if they weren't the right person in the first place. :)

That said, when I sent my second-written novel out for submission to an agent and to Harlequin, I got form rejections from both (this was 2000). I was so completely wounded and emotionally hurt from those rejections that I didn't grow my imaginary balls back for another ten years (when I started submitting again in 2010).

By sending out your work, getting rejections but continuing to go for it, you're already ahead of the game by a long shot. We've never even heard of all of the writers who just give up completely in the face of rejection, as I had done for so long. The ones we do hear about, however, are the authors who just keep on keepin' on. They put the rejections behind them and keep submitting and writing new books.

I always know someone's closer to getting published when the amount of rejections starts picking up -- it means they're really in the game!

Oh, and as a side note, if you are an already-published author, and you found this post because you've gotten a rejection letter despite not being a newbie anymore, I am here to tell you that even published authors get rejections. We're just shielded from them by our agents. I remember in 2011 getting a rejection (and I'd been published since 2010), but when I looked online to see if any published author in the history of the world had every been rejected before, I decided by the lack of evidence, that I was the ONLY one!! 

Obviously this is not true. Published authors just don't want to taint their reputation by publicly saying that they were rejected for something (unless it's in their pre-pub years), so you won't see blog posts about rejection the way you will with writers who aren't yet published. I figured I should add that side-note here so the next time someone Googles it, they'll find out the truth ;)

Best,
Shoshanna

Agent(less)

I first started out in 2010 when Ellora's Cave published Punishing the Art Thief, followed by another bunch of books, including the self-published Overheated, and a Berkley Heat anthology.

I signed with an agent in 2011, and we had a successful run together, with 6 books sold to Simon & Schuster Pocket (The Enslaved Trilogy, and The Pulse Trilogy), and another book sold to Entangled Indulgence (The Tycoon's Convenient Bride...and Baby, coming soon).

Recently (March 2014) I decided to part ways with my agent amicably.

Moving forward from an agent when you have books together is a bit like getting separated when you have kids -- she will still be the agent for those books. We'll still be in contact because of them. And a book that she shopped on my behalf that I'm revising right now is hers if it sells, too.

And that's not a bad thing! My previous agent is a wonderful woman, someone I trust, and I hope we will enjoy continued success together with those 7 (maybe 8!) books we have together.

So, to be clear: I'm not against having an agent. Not at all!

In fact, I think, especially when you have as many irons in the fire as I do, that having an agent is pretty important (even if you continue to self-publish, as I'm doing).

I'm excited (also: nervous) about where my career is going, and I have faith that there is an agency out there that will be a good fit for me in this stage of my career... as I self-publish, as I continue building my traditional publishing career, and as I pursue audiobooks and film rights.

I also want to say thank you, thank you for all of the lovely emails, Tweets, and Facebook messages I got when MAKE ME: Twelve Tales of Dark Desire hit the New York Times and the USA Today Bestseller list! I am truly blessed to have such wonderful readers. 

All my best,
Shoshanna
Sexily *Evers* After... ShoshannaEvers.com

Signed with a Literary Agent!!

March 2014 UPDATE: 
This wonderful agent sold 7 books for me in our three years (including the one I queried her about, to Simon & Schuster Pocket). We have recently parted ways amicably.

Okay, now you can read the post, because it's still relevant if you're interested in how authors get agents ;)

November 2011:
Hello Fellow Writers,

Let me start by saying OMG. OMG.

Okay, so here's what happened.... last month I went to a NJ RWA meeting where they were having a panel of agents and editors talking. The whole thing was fascinating, and I ended up being late to the group buffet lunch that they had going on after.

What's that you say? Irrelevant? No. Here's why. By the time I got downstairs, every table was full, except for one seat next the lovely Courtney Miller-Callihan of Sanford J Greenburger Associates. That's the agency that represents Dan Brown of The Da Vinci Code fame. Ya know, no big deal.

So we spent lunch chatting about our toddlers etcetera, and at the end of the day I asked if I could query her. No pitch, just if she wouldn't mind if I emailed her a pitch.

The next day I think she requested the full and followed me on Twitter. (she's @millercallihan if you want to follow her too!)

A few weeks went by, and she @ replied me on Twitter saying she was loving my manuscript and would get back to me ASAP.

I called all my friends and asked what they thought ASAP meant in literary-agent speak. Ten seconds? Ten days? Ten weeks?

Shoshanna Evers and literary agent Courtney Miller-Callihan
of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.

A couple weeks later she emailed to set up a time to call, but there was no offer or anything, so I still wasn't sure what that meant. Did it mean she wanted to call and tell me she loved the manuscript but NY would never buy it because it was too gritty/weird, as so many other agents (four) had said?

I told her I'd be signing cover flats at the Ellora's Cave booth at the Book Expo the following day if she wanted to stop by and say hi. Sorry, this story is getting really long, but I'm always interested in how other people got their agent, so that's why I'm telling it like this.

She did, but neither of us had time to chat since she was busy being an agent and I was busy being an author. So when I was done signing, we went and got lunch and talked about the toddlers again and then SHE OFFERED TO REPRESENT MY BOOK!

And that's how it went. I'm thrilled, naturally. The book in question is a post-apocalyptic romance, sort of dystopia meets erotica, and I wrote it during NaNoWriMo.

Squee!

When Do You Need a Literary Agent?

Hello Fellow Writers!

I've been a busy writer bee lately. I signed the contract with Ellora's Cave for a Christmas themed Quickie titled Ginger Snap, and I resubmitted Hollywood Spank to my editor. Fingers crossed that she buys it!

I also went back to my Taste of Candy erotic romance and decided it could work as a Quickie as well (a Quickie is what Ellora's Cave calls 10k-15k fast-paced erotic romances) so I sent that off to one of my beta-readers to see what she thinks before I submit it to my editor. I want to wait until I get a yay or nay on Hollywood Spank before I submit Taste of Candy, too.

Now I need to get to work on the next project. I have my Chastity Belt book to work on - that went by the wayside when I was doing Punishing the Art Thief edits. So I want to reconnect with that piece.

At what point, I'm wondering, do I need a literary agent? I imagine that now that I've got two books published with Ellora's Cave it might be easier to get my foot in the door, but I'm also wondering if it's a bit premature for me to start handing over 15% (or more) of my royalties.

But then I think - there's probably so much that could be done, that I'm not doing because I don't know any better! An agent could help with that. I love Ellora's Cave (whenever I want to read something hot they are the first place I hit up) but I know that some EC authors write for other publishers as well. I'm not quite sure how that works since EC options your next book when you sign their contract. So that's another thing I suppose an agent could help me with - figuring out all the fine print.

Having a literary agent is one way to avoid the slush pile. That picture above is of an untouched pile of slush in the corner of a publisher's office. An agent gets you past that and onto an editor's desk.

From Agent Query about why we need agents:

Literary agents have connections you don’t. Good literary agents are one-degree-of-separation away from the editors who decide “to buy or not to buy.” Good literary agents are tuned into the literary trends. They know which publishing imprints publish which kinds of books. They hobnob with those editors over lunch. They’re like mini-gods running the literary universe. For better or for worse, they serve as the first gatekeepers in the screening process. Okay, it’s true. The literary agent “hierarchy” adds to the bottleneck. Too many writers competing for the attention of a small pool of movers and shakers. But write a fabulous timely book, and you’ll shoot right through.

Do you have a literary agent? Do you want one?

This week I'll be writing a synopsis for Hollywood Spank - I'll need it if my editor decides to buy it, because all the contracts have a cover page with the synopsis of the book on it. So I'll write the synopsis in the hopes that I'll be needing it :) I'm also going to get back into Chastity Belt (um, not into an actual chastity belt, just into the manuscript!).

And... I may just start doing some research on which literary agents are looking for erotica.
Wish me luck and good luck to you too!

Meg Cabot's Advice

Hello Fellow Writers!

I'm still waiting to hear back on the two manuscripts that are currently being reviewed by publishers. In the meantime, I've been working on "Taste of Candy", an erotic romance. I am totally stuck on this one - something must be wrong! I need to go through and make an outline and see if I can unblock myself. So that's the plan for this week.

I've been reading Meg Cabot's bestselling "Princess Diary" series. They are wonderful books and each is such a quick read. I literally read one of the books in four hours without pause. I really enjoy Cabot's easy going style - I will definitely be reading more of her novels.

On her website, MegCabot.com, she offers her advice to aspiring writers:

What advice do you have to give to aspiring writers?

My advice to young writers is:
Write the kinds of stories you like to read. If you don’t love what you’re writing, no one else will, either.
Don’t tell people you want to be a writer. Everyone will try to talk you out of choosing a job with so little security, so it is better just to keep it to yourself, and prove them all wrong later.
You are not a hundred dollar bill. Not everyone is going to like you … or your story. Do not take rejection personally.
If you are blocked on a story, there is probably something wrong with it. Take a few days off and put the story on a back burner for a while. Eventually, it will come to you.
Read-and write-all the time. Never stop sending out your stuff. Don’t wait for a response after sending a story out…start a new story right away, and then send that one out! If you are constantly writing and sending stuff out (don’t forget to live your life, too, while you are doing this) eventually someone will bite!
It is nearly impossible to get published these days without an agent. The guide I used to get mine was called the Jeff Herman Guide to Agents, Editors, and Publishers. It was well worth the money I spent on it, since it lists every agent in the business and what he or she is looking for. It also tells you how to write a query letter, what to expect from your publisher, and all sorts of good stuff…a must buy for any aspiring author!
And above all, become a good listener. In order to write believable dialogue, you need to listen to the conversations of the people around you—then try to imitate them! So my advice is always to try to keeping quiet, listen only, and let other people to do the talking for a change. You’ll be surprised how much this will improve your writing skills (and how many people will think you’re a really sage person, when all you’re basically doing is spying on them).
Good luck, and keep writing! If I can do it, so can you!

Good advice from a number one bestselling YA author! I have a YA novel called "SL*T" that I was working on and then just kind of let go. It's much darker than most traditional YA fair. I do plan on getting back to it at some point. But for now, I've got my Advanced Writing Workshop instructor going through my Silhouette Desire targeted contemporary romance, "Snowed in with a Millionaire", and I've got my current WIP "Taste of Candy" to work on.
Wish me luck, and good luck to you too!
Yours Truly,
Shoshanna Evers

What Literary Agents Want

Hello Fellow Writers!

My original plan was to get myself a literary agent. I am now realizing, however, that I probably don't need one at this stage in my career, especially if all of the places I want to submit to (specifically Harlequin) allow unagented submissions. But there are plenty of writers that do need or want an agent.

Here is a video from YouTube which shows a panel of agents discussing what they are looking for, what they do, and what they like in an author:



This blog is going to be transitioning from a daily blog to a weekly blog due to my time constraints (specifically, I'll have more time to write my fiction if I spend less time blogging)!

I invite you to browse through the archived posts, to use the search button on the site to find what you are looking for and to keep coming back and commenting on posts!

I am especially interested in hearing how your writing is going. Are you meeting The Writer's Challenge by hitting 1000 words a day?

Are you writing your novel?
Wish me luck, and good luck to you too!

Yours Truly,
Shoshanna Evers

Getting an Agent

Hello Fellow Writers!

Yesterday I didn't sit down until 9:30pm to write. That's probably because when the baby fell asleep, instead of using the time to write, I took a nap as well! When DH came home I was still out at my writing group at the Barnes and Noble, but when I came home I stayed up late to write my 2000 words, bring my word count up to 37,500.

I spent some time perusing fantasy author Tamora Pierce's website yesterday, and she has so much to share that I wanted to put an excerpt on here about getting a literary agent.

How can a new writer get an agent?

Agents are great, but they are also hard to come by. The most important thing to keep in mind is that agents generally don't want to talk to non-famous writers until that writer has a complete book manuscript in hand. This makes sense: many people start books; it takes something special to finish one. Short stories when published look great on a writer's record, but few agents will represent someone whose only work is in short stories and articles, because there isn't all that much money involved. Don't forget, agents have expenses of their own that have to be covered by their commissions: it's hard to pay a secretary when all you get is forty or sixty or a hundred dollars per short story sales!
If you think an agent is the way to go, the best way to find one is to track down THE WRITER'S MARKET (for the current year; these books come out with updated information every year in November) FOR AUTHORS' AND ARTISTS' AGENTS. Try the library first--these books cost about $25 each. If you can't find a copy in the library, try any good-sized bookstore in the Reference Section. It's important to get the book for the current year, because there are always changes in the industry: an agent may decide (like mine) not to take on new clients, or an agency may close, or agents may decide to concentrate on different books and authors than they did the year before. The annual issue of the MARKET will tell you what agencies are looking for new clients, what kinds of books and writers they represent, whether or not they charge a fee to read manuscripts (if they do, I wouldn't send anything to them--I don't trust agents who charge writers to read books), their address, and how they want you to send material to them. (Some want the whole manuscript--ms. for short--some want a query letter, a one-page description of what the book's about, in letter form.)
What does an agent do?

An agent's services depend on the agency. First, an agent reads and comments on your manuscript and advises about the need for rewrites, depending on whether the agent thinks s/he can sell the ms. as is or if it needs more work. The agent then sends the ms. to editors/publishers s/he believes are right for this particular book; often these are people the agent knows professionally through meetings at lunches, conferences, and professional parties. When a publisher makes a contract offer, the agent is the one who negotiates the terms: not only how much money should be paid and how it should be paid out (on signature of the contract, on delivery of the finish book, on publication), but also who controls foreign rights (some publishers have their own divisions in other countries where they feel the books will sell; others will leave such rights in the agent's hands), movie rights, book club rights, and most recently, electronic book rights. The agent also negotiates how much of each sale the writer gets, and the terms for when books go out of print (it's sometimes possible to get out-of-print books back from publishers, and re-sell them to new publishers). The money from the publisher goes to the agent, who checks how many books were sold and to whom and if you got the right amount of money for the number of books sold (some publishers aren't honest--it's the agent's job to keep an eye on them, though you should learn to read your own contracts and statements in case your agent misses something or neglects to pay you all that you are owed). The agent takes out her/his percentage of the money (you didn't think they did all this for free, did you?).
Agents' commissions run from 10 percent to 25 percent of all the money that comes in for you, depending on what services the agent provides.
Most agents will also do all this for any magazine pieces--stories and articles--you may write--once they have taken you on as a book client. If someone wants to quote from your work, an agent is the one who handles the legal agreement and sets a fee on the use of your work. Many agents have relationships with literary agencies overseas; if your publisher doesn't control foreign rights to your books and you do, your agent will send copies of your books to their foreign agencies in countries they think would like your work. Agents will take in and send on your fan mail, and explain the mysteries of the publishing industry.

Today I will be upping my word count to 40,000 words. That's right - I'm getting really close to hitting my goal of writing an entire 50,000 word category romance in one month for NaNoWriMo!
Wish me luck, and good luck to you too!
Yours Truly,
Shoshanna Evers

Writing a Synopsis

Hello Fellow Writers!

Yesterday I worked on my synopsis, getting it down to two single spaced pages, as Harlequin requires. Unfortunately, I don't think it's quite right. Or maybe it is. I don't know and I'm going crazy thinking about it.

I'm currently reading NY Times bestselling author Nina Bangs' book "My Wicked Vampire". I love vampires, so I'm having fun reading it.

Here is what former literary agent Vivian Beck has to say about writing a synopsis. The Vivian Beck Agency, while it no longer exists, has a lot of good writing tips on the website here.

Step 1: Start With A Hook. This should be a paragraph or two similar to the blurb on the back of a book. Mood and tone is important here, use special adjectives.
Step 2: Introduction of Characters. Introduce the main characters in your book. Tell their MOTIVATION, CONFLICT, and GOALS. Stay away from detailed physical descriptions unless this information is pertinent to your story.
Step 3: Construct the Body of Your Synopsis. Here, using paragraphs, write the high points of your story in chronological order. Keep these paragraphs tight, don't give every little detail. Remember, each scene should include, ACTION, REACTION, and a DECISION.
Example: Sam kisses Mary goodnight. (ACTION) He makes her forget she does not want to get involved in a relationship. (REACTION) He's dangerous to her hard-earned peace of mind. (DECISION)
Step 4: Use Three or Four Paragraphs to Write the CRISIS and RESOLUTION of Your Story. Keep this simple, but make sure you show your main characters' reactions. Don't keep the editor/agent guessing. Your synopsis must include the resolution to your story.
Step 5: Rewrite your synopsis until each sentence is polished to the point of perfection. Use strong adjectives and verbs, and always write in the present tense. Make every word count.

Today I have my last writing class. I'll be sad the class is ending but I think I got a lot out of it. I know my novel "The Movie Star's Very Personal Assistant" is better for it. The other women in the class and I are going to keep in touch about our writing and hopefully meet up as well. Since I had some dental work done today, I'm thinking about taking a day off from writing to veg out in front of a DVD on my laptop. We'll see. I usually end up tinkering with something, it's just how I roll.

G-d knows I won't have the luxury of a day off when November 1st rolls around (on Sunday!) and NaNoWriMo begins!

Wish me luck and good luck to you too!
Yours Truly,
Shoshanna Evers

How to Pitch Your Novel

Hello Fellow Writers!

Yesterday I got a lot done - I started the new chapter that I'm going to have to put into "The Movie Star's Very Personal Assistant", plus I worked more on my plot for "Snowed in With a Millionaire", the book I'm going to write for NaNoWriMo starting November 1st. The plotting is going verrry slowly - but I'm worried that if I don't plot the story out to the end that I'll lose steam during NaNoWriMo and not finish writing my novel! Then again, I'm also thinking that maybe if I write my story up to the point where my plotting ends (I have 36 pages of plot right now) that maybe I'll be able to figure out what needs to happen as I write.

Today I will share with you a very informative video from authors Christie Craig and Faye Hughes of WriteWithUs.net. This video is filled with advice for aspiring authors about making the perfect pitch to an editor or agent about your manuscript.



So, to recap:

• Don't think you have to tell every detail
• Talk about your Hero and Heroine's goals.
• Always act professionally
• Be confident in yourself and your work
• Let your passion shine

Today I'm going to work on both my plot for "Snowed in with a Millionaire" and my writing for "The Movie Star's Very Personal Assistant", depending on time - because we are still renovating that upstairs bathroom (a home renovation that takes three times as long as you planned, who woulda guessed? jk) and we're going to a barbeque this afternoon.

Wish me luck, and good luck to you too!
Yours Truly,
Shoshanna Evers

Query Letters

Hello Fellow Writers!

Yesterday I had my writing class, and it looks like I have some work to do on a chapter in "The Movie Star's Very Personal Assistant". I need to change some details to make it more believable. So I started working on that a bit. No work was done on "Snowed in With a Millionaire" but that will happen today.

I'm reading a wonderful Harlequin Presents book by Katherine Lang called "The Millionaire's Misbehaving Mistress" and I am enjoying it so much! I'm starting to wonder if maybe my stories might be better suited for Harlequin Presents than for Silhouette Desire.

Today I would like to look at how to write the perfect query letter to a literary agent.

From AgentQuery.com, there is an article that goes into detail about writing a query. Here is a small piece of that article:

A query letter is a single page cover letter, introducing you and your book. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s not a resume. It’s not rambling saga of your life as an aspiring writer. It’s not a friendly, “Hey, what’s up, buddy. I’m the next John Grisham. Got the next best selling thriller for ya,” kind of letter. And for the love of god, it is NOT more than one-page. Trust us on this.

A query letter has three concise paragraphs: the hook, the mini-synopsis, and your writer’s biography. Don’t stray from this format. You won’t catch an agent’s attention by inventing a creative new query format. You’ll just alienate your chances of being taken seriously as a professional writer. A query letter is meant to elicit an invitation to send sample chapters or even the whole manuscript to the agent. It’s not meant to show off how cute and snazzy you can be by breaking formatting rules and going against the grain. Keep it simple. Stick to three paragraphs. The goal is to get the agent to read your book, not to blow you off because you screwed up the introduction.

Here is an example of an actual query letter, from pubrants.blogspot.com. This blog is written by a successful literary agent. She posted a query that got her attention (and then they sold the book). Ms. Nelson's comments are in blue, and the rest is the actual query.

Dear Ms. Nelson,

I’m a faithful reader of your blog. I admire your enthusiasm, your humor, and your candor. She reads my blog! Okay, I really shouldn’t be swayed by such flattery but hey, I’m human. Since you represent all subgenres of romance, I’d like you to consider Schemes of Love, my historical romance set in late Victorian England. The manuscript is complete at 100,000 words. Nice orientation to her novel.

Gigi’s marriage is doomed from the moment she decides that she must have Camden, by fair means or foul. How can I resist? Right off we know the fall our main heroine is going to take. Talk about flawed and therefore, immediately interesting. Camden, who has come to adore Gigi, discovers her deceit on the eve of their wedding. Shattered, he responds in kind, gives her a tender, unforgettable wedding night, then coldly leaves her in the morning, devastating her. Ah yes, two souls who have now done two wrongs. It’s a romance; I must know how they will make this right. Seriously though, this is such an intriguing set up and combined with the paragraph below, it’s something I’ve never seen before and folks, I read a lot of romance queries and sample pages. It’s hard to find something wholly original and fresh.

As the story opens, it is ten years later. Gigi has petitioned for divorce in order to remarry. Camden returns to England and sets the condition for her freedom: an heir. I’m sold. Didn’t even need to read more. She wants a divorce. He wants a child. Hum… sounds like an intense conflict to me. Despite the years and the sea of bad blood, the physical attraction between them remains as ferocious as ever. Big hint this work is going to be sensual and boy, is it—in very different ways. There’s a sex scene in the novel (and I can’t give it away) unlike anything I’ve ever read anywhere. That’s saying something. Though they each vow to make the act of procreation a cold, clinical one, the overwhelming pleasure of their marriage bed soon makes it apparent that the enterprise is fraught with emotional peril, for both of them. Oops. Two characters who think they don’t like each other but have great sex. What more could I want? Seriously, notice the wonderful cadence of Sherry’s language here: “Though they each vow to make the act of procreation a cold, clinical one, the overwhelming pleasure of their marriage bed soon makes it apparent that the enterprise is fraught with emotional peril, for both of them.” That’s some gorgeous writing and it’s only her query letter I’m reading. If you notice, the whole query is like that, and the novel doesn’t disappoint either.

In an atmosphere thick with mistrust, desire, and incipient hope, they are torn between the need to safeguard their hearts and the yearning to reach out across the chasm of ancient mistakes. May favorite kind of construct. As they rediscover the easy rapport they’d once shared, they must decide whether to let the bygones rule the future, or to love despite their painful past and forge a new life together. I don’t know about you but I’m totally rooting for them to let bygones be bygones.

Schemes of Love recently placed first in its category at the Merritt Contest, organized by San Antonio Romance Authors. Excellent. It has received recognition. Chris Keeslar at Dorchester has requested the full. And editor interest! This actually isn’t a big deal for me because it seems like editors request everything but hey, it doesn’t hurt. Another one of my manuscripts has won the Romantic Elements category of the 2005 On the Far Side contest, hosted by the Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal Chapter of the RWA. Some other credentials and shows a little diversity from just the Historical stuff.

Thank you for your time. I hope very much to work with you and look forward to hearing from you. And she did, quite quickly. Big smile here.

Sherry Thomas

Well, there ya go. I worry about the fact that I have no writing credits - well, I do write this blog everyday - but that's about it. So that concerns me. I'll just have to hope that my stories speak for themselves.

Today I'm going to work on some revisions for "The Movie Star's Very Personal Assistant" and get some plotting done for "Snowed In With a Millionaire."

Wish me luck and good luck to you too!

Yours Truly,
Shoshanna Evers

Literary Agents and Form Rejection Letters

Hello Fellow Writers!

Yesterday I once again failed to meet my own Writer's Challenge. I can't do that if I want to write a whole novel in a month for NaNoWriMo! And if I don't get my plot outline for "Snowed In With a Millionaire" finished before November 1st it is going to be very difficult for me to get that first draft done. So I need to get cracking.

I watched this great video on YouTube from StaceyCochran.com. Stacey is actually a guy. He must have sent over 50 queries out to literary agents, and the video is of him going through all of them one after another (he hadn't checked his mail in a while because he and his wife had a baby). You'll notice all of the envelopes look the same, and that is because Stacey sent out SASEs (self addressed stamped envelopes) with all of his queries.

He just plows through those rejections without even batting an eye. I have a lot to learn from him. I got ONE form rejection from an agent and cried my eyes out and stopped querying. Ridiculous, I know.

And then - he gets a bite. An agent wants to see his work.



Today I have a busy day - I have an interview with a nursing agency (I'm an RN although I currently stay home with my baby) to see if I can pick up some weekend shifts. Then I am going to drop the baby at my parents house and go to my Advanced Writing Workshop. I will try to get some writing done, I truly will.

Wish me luck and good luck to you too!
Yours Truly,
Shoshanna Evers