100 Year Starship Conference

I like to think of myself as a pretty intelligent person. However, this past weekend I spent my time with hundreds of people who made me feel like a complete moron.

Yep, I attended one day of the 100 Year Starship Conference.

What is it, you may ask?

Sadly, I'm not entirely sure. The basic premise seemed to be that scientists from a variety of backgrounds would come together to present their ideas on what it would take to create and support an interstellar exploration mission within the next hundred years.

I poked my head into several different lectures going on throughout the conference, covering topics in a range from societal views on why mankind should take to the stars, to potential propulsion systems, to estimated costs of creating an interstellar capable vehicle. Cool, right?

Well, it would have been, if I could have understood half of what they were saying.

And, perhaps, I didn't understand much because the conference wasn't intended for me. Most of the attendees were scientists. But it was free and open to the public, which would seem to imply that the public should be able to understand the discussions--that, perhaps, the presenters should be presenting in terms that the above-averagely educated public should understand, and not only those with doctorates.

Now, to be entirely fair, I spoke to other attendees who told me that not all the presentations were incomprehensible to someone without a physics degree. Some, I hear, were quite entertaining, thought-provoking, and creative. I just happened into the one where the screen at the front was displaying complex formulas for achieving near-light speeds, and another where the presenter kept her head down the entire time, reading straight from her notes.

Interstellar travel is a concept that excites me, that fires my imagination as a writer of science fiction. If achieved, it opens all sorts of possibilities for the future of mankind. I feel guilty for complaining about a free conference. After all, no one made me attend. And the concept is fantastic. But organizations like this one are going to need the people like me for support, funding, a positive public opinion, political backing. So, we need to better understand what they are working on.

They did make some strides towards that goal. They brought in a number of successful writers of science fiction to present panels on their views of interstellar travel. I attended one of these, featuring one of my favorite writers, Elizabeth Bear. During the panel presentation, the authors helped make some connections between those working in the scientific fields, and those who loved the concepts but may have lacked the science backgrounds. They brought up the human factor of interstellar travel, what it would be like from a psychological standpoint, how it would affect the evolution of the human race. I came away with several great ideas for future stories.

So, no, the conference was not a waste of time. What I understood, I enjoyed. I just wish my brochure had come with a Universal Translator.

Agent for the Hubby!

Yes, I know I promised more Backspace details, but I've been away on a trip and without internet access. And while traveling, the hubby GOT AN AGENT! And not just any agent, but the fabulous Cameron McClure of The Donald Maass Agency. So, we are now agent cousins (writers represented by the same agency but not the same agent.) I'm so thrilled for him. Now he can suffer with me through revisions and the submission process. :-)

Back to Backspace--Day One

About a year and a half ago I won a scholarship to the Backspace Conference. It was a phenomenal conference with lots of agent/writer interaction and personal attention. This year, my husband won the same scholarship. How cool is that?!

We just got back from New York this morning. Physically, I'm exhausted. Mentally, I'm recharged and ready to storm into a summer of writing. This would be a very long post if i tried to describe the whole experience, so I'm breaking it into days.

We got in very late Wednesday night. Thursday morning, bright and early, the conference began. (Why do they always have to start these things so early?) We attended panels on "What Agents Want" and "Query Letters That Work." Then, I went off to read while the hubby attended the workshop on query letters. By the time that ended, he had two requests for partials from the agents conducting the workshop. We had lunch with some other very nice writers of young adult and middle grade fiction. Then he went back to the opening pages workshop and I read some more. After this came the mixer where we chatted with agents and writers. It's all done in a very comfortable atmosphere, everyone mingling and exchanging experiences and advice. Next came an agent panel on "The Wow Factor." In other words, what makes an agent say, "Wow!" while reading your manuscript or query. At the end, my husband went up to speak with one of the agents and got another request for his material.

We then had a two hour break, so we headed off to The Donald Maass Literary Agency. My agent, Amy Boggs, had said I could come by and see the agency and chat. It was very nice, and more orderly than I imagined it would be. Lots of books, but no piles of manuscripts and letters. Everything is electronic these days. I also got to meet agent Stacia Decker and Donald Maass himself, and he welcomed me very warmly.

Back to the hotel where I hung out while Joe attended another workshop. And then we hit the bar. Now, let me say up front, I don't drink. One glass of wine is quite enough for me. But most of the networking at writers conferences goes on in the bar, and the lobby if the bar is overflowing. Best trick is to order something nonalcoholic that looks like a real drink. Stick a stirrer stick in anything and it looks like the real thing. Otherwise, you might say something really stupid in front of a future agent or editor.

We found a group of writers and chatted for several hours about writing, querying, etc. I don't generally tell people I have an agent unless I'm asked directly about it, or if my husband is bragging on me. I just sit and listen to all the "advice" writers give other writers about how to land an agent. I will offer my own suggestions, but I don't say I already have one, mainly because I get amused when people tell me that I'm going about it all wrong. As long as everyone is nice about it, I keep my secret. If someone really gets aggressive or rude, though, I (or my husband) will casually mention that I'm already represented. If someone is really obnoxious or condescending, he'll toss in there that I had seven offers of representation, and we get to watch their eyes pop. That doesn't happen too often, though. Almost everyone we met at this conference was polite, friendly, and eager to soak up any advice anyone could give about this very long and difficult process, and also willing to acknowledge that there is no one secret method or path to getting an agent.

And so ended day one.

Moving Right Along

I love writing. I hate revising. Not to say I won't do it. I will. And I'll give it my best effort. I just don't enjoy it the way I enjoy creating new words. I think most writers feel the same way, although I have met a few who embrace and love revising.

Must be something wrong with them. :-)

Anyway, got my revision suggestions back from my new agent. I was, understandably, a little nervous. I mean, I knew she loved the book, or she wouldn't have offered to represent it. And she'd said she wanted minimal changes. But I worried that once she'd reread it with a closer eye (and no competitive deadline hanging over her head) that she'd find all kinds of things that needed fixing.

So I opened the email with some trepidation to find . . . one suggestion. That's right. One. And it was the same one she'd suggested in our initial conversations about the book. I take this as a tremendous compliment.

In addition, she offered several great ideas on how I might accomplish what she was looking for in that one suggestion. I guess I shouldn't have worried so much.

Now let's hope the changes meet her expectations.

New Agent a Good Influence

I've only been represented by Amy Boggs a couple of weeks, and she's already proving to be a good influence on my writing habits. One of the tasks assigned to me was an outline of where the VICIOUS CIRCLE series is headed in its sequel. I had some vague ideas to that effect, but nothing definite. This forced me to get my thoughts in order.

So, I spent the weekend preparing a rough synopsis of book two, currently titled DARK ADDICTION. Between my general notions and the hubby's brilliant input, I think I've pulled together a pretty good plot. We'll see how well it holds up after Amy and a future editor make changes to book one, but at least it's a starting point. It even served to provide a guide toward book three in what I'm thinking will be a three-book story arc.

I will say, it's weird getting back into that particular protagonist's head after so much time has passed. I rather missed writing her, actually. Cor is dark and sarcastic, but with a definite sensitive side. However, given the amount of torture I'm about to put her through, she would kill me if we ever met on the street.

New Representation!!!!!

Yes, it has been a very long time since I blogged. That's because I was dedicating every minute of free time to the Great Agent Hunt, also fondly known as GAH!!!!

I will say, I did things quite a bit differently this time. I had two manuscripts ready, so I tried to gauge agent personalities and send the right one to the right person.

I also queried a lot more widely. Instead of sticking to those representing science fiction and fantasy, I also queried agents who handled "general" and "commercial" fiction. Surprisingly, I got a lot of requests from those areas.

After I got the first offer of representation, I also decided to nudge agents who already had my partials and fulls. But in addition, I nudged those with only queries from me. This generated a firestorm of sorts, nine full requests in one day, and many more over the course of the next several days. I also received a large number of thank-you notes from agents who appreciated being "kept in the loop" even though they only had my query letter. Apparently, this sort of notification isn't normally done, but some agents have backlogs of emails, and I gathered that they are frequently disappointed if they finally get to a query letter, only to make a request and find out the writer has already accepted representation elsewhere.

The next thing I knew, I had SEVEN offers of representation, all from wonderful agents. Each night brought a different CALL. I ate little, and slept less while I agonized over making the right decision.

Some were boutique agencies. Others were major, long-established agencies in New York. Every single one of them had something positive to offer. I asked questions, spoke with their clients, did anything I could to narrow down my choices. I called friends and family members who were patient while I brainstormed my decision-making process out loud to them.

After much deliberation, I selected the fabulous Amy Boggs of The Donald Maass Literary Agency. Many, many of my favorite authors are represented by them. I am honored to be part of the Maass Agency family.

Book Review Time - Richelle Mead and Gini Koch

It's been awhile since I did a book review post, maybe because it's been awhile since something really knocked my socks off. But I've read a couple of books in the past few weeks that I enjoyed from beginning to end. That's not easy to find for me. Often, it takes me awhile to get into something, but STORM BORN by Richelle Mead, and ALIEN TANGO by Gini Koch had me from their opening lines.

STORM BORN was a book purchased out of desperation for something to read. None of my fave authors had anything new out, and the cover attracted me, so I gave it a chance. I'm not usually into fantasy, but I loved this. Modern day meets faerie realm. Great, strong female main character, two intriguing male leads. Snappy dialogue. Steamy romance. (Not for the middle school set, and I know some of you reading this are in middle school, so, no, not for you). This book gave me a whole new perspective on foxes, though I already thought they were cute. And if you adults out there read it, you'll understand what I'm talking about.

ALIEN TANGO is a sequel to TOUCHED BY AN ALIEN, and again, not for middle school readers. I'll confess, I almost didn't read TOUCHED BY AN ALIEN because it sounded too tongue-in-cheek for me, but I'm very glad I did. And ALIEN TANGO might be even better. Gini Koch is the master of snarky dialogue, and her heroine is as kick-butt as they come. Jeff Martini, our hero, is utterly desirable. The action is non-stop, and the plot twists and suspense-builders are cleverly woven throughout. I haven't finished this one yet, but I'm halfway through and need to stop writing this post so I can go and read more.