Thursday, February 11, 2016

You might be wondering....

If you're reading this, you're probably wondering where all my blog posts went.  Well, the answer is short and sweet--I unpublished most of them.  Let's all face it.  I'm not a regular blog poster, anyway.  I absolutely suck at talking about myself and what I'm doing.  The posts that I unpublished were 90% apologies for not posting regularly.

Even so, I didn't want to completely erase this blog.  I have about 25 blog posts I felt worth keeping, many which will make the transition into actual "pages".  Also, I still like to think of this blog as 'home'.  I just have to find a way to make it more interesting--for me and for you.  I've considered using it to write a web serial, though I guess that would need a blog of it's own.

I honestly don't know right now.  I just wanted to put it out there that I'm muddling through, trying different things, and continuing my journey as an "author-in-progress."

A few notes:

1:  Flames and Family: The Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Fanfiction
If you've connected "Ashpence" with "Madashes2ashes," then you're probably wondering about this.  Well, I never intended for it to take this long to write the finale.  I guess it's time to admit it.  I'm mentally blocked.  Maybe I'm just scared because I know how emotional it's going to be to write the end I can see coming.  I need to face it, though.  The fact that people are still out there waiting....  I'm letting them down.  I'm letting you down.  I'll do my best to make some progress in that direction.

2.  Gay Fiction
Going forward, I do intend to focus on this genre.  I still am working on a long series.  The story is intricate, though, so I'm being careful about the planning phase.  Current outline has me needing 13 books.  Whether those will be novels or novellas is still undetermined.  I also have at least three other standalone novels that I don't have the heart to trunk.  Those WIPs are "Harlot" LGBT/Fantasy, "Harem" LGBT/Rock Star, and "Lovebirds" LGBT/YA.

I'm also working on an YA/LGBT Wattpad series.  This is NOT a serious story.  (Of course, F&F didn't start out serious and I spent years working on it.)  My whole intention in writing on Wattpad is to get myself back into the steady writing routine that was broken about two and a half years ago.  In my opinion, Wattpad is all about instant gratification, and I suppose I need that boost in my ego/confidence to get me back in gear.  It certainly can't hurt.

3.  Real Life
My personal life is going to be in flux for a few months and that always takes precedence.  I'm moving, plus I'm going to be picking up a crap ton of extra hours at work.  So, while I wish I could make promises about when I'll make a decision about what to do with this blog or when I'll finally get that "first" novel completely drafted, I can only actually promise to do my best.


Saturday, November 2, 2013

Multiple POVs in Query Letters

I reference this old post about multiple POVs in a Query letter so often that I decided to put it over here on my blog so I can find it with more ease.  Hope people find this helpful!

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My novel has two main characters--but my query only has one. It wasn't easy to get there. I went through a LOT of revisions until I managed to cut the second MC out. The result leaves out a LOT of the plot, but it still works.

I think the key to remember is that the query isn't really a mini-synopsis at all. It's fishing.

You write a good hook to snag an agent's attention.
You lure them in with unique bait and curious movements.
In conclusion, you reel them in with a solid plot-line and a strong voice.

You only NEED one MC to catch an agent's attention. Once they take the bait, they can be surprised by what you've cooked up. Agents KNOW it's impossible to condense an entire book in a couple of paragraphs. That's not what they're looking for in a query--that's for the synopsis and full requests. A query is only intended to tell them that you've got potential and you're worth the time it takes to read a partial or a full.