How Nancy Herman Got Her Agent

Nancy Herman signed with Mandy Hubbard of D4EO Literary Agency for an incredible project called Letters to Mary.


She's guest blogging about how it happened over at Operation Awesome today.


Her advice to aspiring authors? Be ready.


And polish those one-sentence pitches. You may need one sooner than you think. :)

Don't forget Thursday, October 28th is the awesomesauce query chat with Elana Johnson and all us OA gals. 


You also won't want to miss Monday, October 25th, 2010 at 9:00 pm EST:

WriteOnCon's very special Live-Chat with the fabulous Sara Megibow of  Nelson Literary Agency, LLC.

Monday's Collection of Awesome

Mondays can be rough, what with the tearful goodbyes to the weekend and all. But this Monday has some special consolation prizes for the weary weekday warrior:

1. As promised, Amparo's putting on: An Awesome Thanks: 100 Followers Contest

-It's our way of saying thank you to our fabulous followers who helped spread the word so fast about the new Operation Awesome blog. Just follow and comment for a chance to win one of six prizes, including 10-page critiques, and a custom-made blog banner or button. You can be a new follower or an old friend. All are eligible.

2. I know you've missed them because I've been missing them, too: WriteOnCon gals are back!! And they've got a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT  via vlog.

-Also skip on over to Elana's blog to grab the new WriteOnCon button. The code is in the side bar.

3. If you've been wondering what to do with that book you wrote that's "good writing, but not unique enough to stand out in this competetive market", give this quick read a look: Rewrite Your Book

-It's my weekly writing tip over at The Best Damn Creative Writing Blog, inspired today by Mandy Hubbard.

Ripple by Mandy Hubbard: New COVER!!

Mandy Hubbard has a new book in the works. It's not out yet. YOU WISH just did come out, though, if you'd like a taste of her wonderful writing! (She also wrote PRADA & PREJUDICE, which looks adorable!)

And now she's giving us:

RIPPLE

I know, right?

Here's the blurb, which makes her come-hither-stay-away stare perfectly understandable:

Eighteen year old Lexi is cursed--by  day, she's just like every other teen at Lincoln CIty High. But from dusk until dawn, she's forced to swim and sing, a modern day siren. At sixteen, her voice became a deadly lure, and Steven-- the only boy she's ever loved-- followed her straight into the story surf and drowned.

Now, Lexi spends her nights at a forgotten lake up in the mountains, where she can swim and sing in peace. She's become an ice queen, forced to keep everyone around her at arm's length in order to protect them. 

That is, until Cole comes to town. Cole, with his dark good looks and prying questions. She can't seem to keep him away, and she's no longer sure she wants to. But how can she let him in when it can only end in his death?

Coming in August, 2011, from Razorbill/Penguin!

Are you excited yet? :-)

I am.

YOU WISH fan-made cover (Mandy Hubbard's newest book!)

My mock cover art for Mandy Hubbard's YOU WISH:

YOU WISH by MANDY HUBBARD


What if all your wishes really came true?

Kayla McHenry’s sweet sixteen sucks! Her dad left,
her grades dropped, and her BFF is dating the boy
Kayla’s secretly loved for years. Blowing out her candles,
Kayla thinks: I wish my birthday wishes actually
came true. Because they never freakin’ do.

Kayla wakes the next day to a life-sized, bright pink
My Little Pony outside her window. Then a year’s
supply of gumballs arrives. A boy named Ken with
a disturbing resemblance to the doll of the same
name stalks her. As the ghosts of Kayla’s wishes-past
appear, they take her on a wild ride . . . but they
MUST STOP. Because when she was fifteen? She
wished Ben Mackenzie would kiss her. And Ben is
her best friend’s boyfriend.





Above is my fan art cover remake of Mandy's exciting book. (photo credit to M@tty1378 on Flickr.com) The real cover (which I love) is pictured to the left. 


The book is coming out August 5th! Pre-order your copy now!




If you'd like to see more fan-made covers, go HERE.

Mandy Hubbard knows I exist!

If you don't know who that is, go to your bookstore right now (any Barnes and Noble will do) and pick up a copy of Prada and Prejudice.

Instead of ruby slippers, Callie's red Prada pumps are the transportation device to another world: the year 1815 in London.

Great hook, huh? It's definitely a book we'll have to discuss on the blog in the near future. (Reminder: we're reading IF I STAY by Gayle Forman right now, to discuss and review next week.)

So how do I know Mandy Hubbard knows I exist?

BECAUSE....

My query was randomly chosen for her week-long query workshop at her blog: AUTHOR/AGENT MANDY HUBBARD: QUERY WORKSHOP DAY 3

Here's what she said about it:

So... overall? A very strong query. It's nicely personalized for me, introduces a character with a strong internal conflict, and showcases a plot in which there's plenty at stake. The word count and age range is right on target.

It might be a teeny bit brief-- perhaps we could get a little more of a sense of the character beyond his desire to be a do-gooder, but at the end of the day, this will probably still garner requests.

It's slightly more boy-oriented than I typically gravitate toward, but I would probably still request it to see if the voice would win me over to the dark side. :-)

I'm giddy right now.

Okay (moment over), back to writing.