Cupcakes, Cocktails, and Critiques-Blurb Submissions Open!
Going to the Romance Writers of America National Conference in Atlanta in July? The agents and authors from the Seymour Agency want to meet you there!
Enter, Cupcakes, Cocktails & Critiques, the Seymour Agency’s novel blurb and elevator pitch contest, to have you work crtitqued by authors and considered by top-selling agents.
Submissions are open from May 13-May 25, 2013. I will post the blurbs here on my blog on Tuesday, May 30th. The Seymour Agency authors and agents will critique and comment on those blurbs from June 1st-15th. Visit Seymour Agency Agent and Author Marisa Cleveland’s blog on Wednesday, May 15th to learn about the authors who will be critiquing the blurbs.
Everyone who attends RWA and enters this contest will be invited to the Cupcakes, Cocktail & Critiques Party during the conference at the hotel’s bar. This party is not a pitch session but a celebration and opportunity to network with agency authors and agents. Cupcakes will be provided!
Also during this time, the Seymour Agency agents and authors will be reviewing the blurbs and vote for their favorites. Brand new agent Marisa Cleveland will treat the author Agent Mary Sue chooses, the author Agent Nicole chooses, and the author with the most votes from our authors to a cocktail at the agency party at RWA!
However, you do not have to attend the conference to have your blurbs critiqued by the agency authors and agents. Even if you are unable to attend RWA, this is a wonderful opportunity to get your work in front of bestselling agents and maybe even get signed!
Mary Sue Seymour, Founder of the Seymour Agency and the #1 Top Selling literary agent in Inspirational Fiction.
Nicole Resciniti, Senior Agent, one of Publisher Marketplace’s Top Dealmakers, and ACFW’s Agent of the Year 2012
Marisa Cleveland, Associate Agent and Romance Author with Entangled Publishing
How to enter and rules:
Email your blurb (100 word limit) and one sentence elevator pitch for your book to authoramandaflower@gmail.com.
Submissions close on Saturday, May 25th. Submissions will be posted here on my blog on Friday, May 31st. Authors and Agents will review and votes on the submissions June 1st-June 15th. Winners will be announced Monday, July 1st on Marisa Cleveland’s blog.
Murder, Plain and Simple Cover Reveal and Giveaway!
Finally, I can share the adorable covers for MURDER, PLAIN AND SIMPLE (book one in my Amish Quilt Shop Mystery Series) and PLAINLY MURDER (the prequel e-novella to the series). I write this series under the pen name Isabella Alan.
Here’s a teaser to the novella cover. That’s Oliver there. He’s my protagonist’s, Angie Braddock’s, darling French bulldog, who both helps and hinders her investigations.
To see the entire cover of each book, visit
Cozy Mystery Book Reviews
and
Destination Amish
On both websites, I am giving away an Amish Prize package, but you must visit their websites to enter. You can enter the giveaway on both websites to double your chances of winning! Good Luck!
Special thank to Cozy Mystery Book Reviews and Destination Amish for taking part in the big reveal!!!
Dead Fred Goes to TLA!
Last weekend, Dead Fred and I traveled to Fort Worth, Texas. My publisher sent me to sign copies of A Plain Scandal at the the Texas Library Association Convention. We were only there for 24 hours, but in that time, I got to hang out with the B&H sales team, run into and chat with my editor from Zonderkidz, and connect with hundreds of librarians. I’m so grateful that B&H gave me the opportunity to go! I’m a lucky girl!
Enjoy Dead Fred’s photo journal.
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- David and Ashish
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- With Zonderkidz editor Kim Childress
A Plain Death Finals for Three Book Awards!
Great news! A Plain Death has finaled for three books awards! I’m so thrilled and honored to share this 
news. Thank you readers for embracing Chloe, the Troyer family, and Appleseed Creek!
Inspys Awards – Mystery/ Thriller Category
This is the bloggers’ award for Excellence in Faith-Driven Literature. Winners will be announced June 28th.
ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year- Religious Fiction Category
This an award for the best books from independent publishers. There are 62 categories, which range from True Crime to Picture Books. Winners will be announced June 28th at the National American Library Association Conference.
Christian Retailing’s Best Awards – Amish Fiction
This award is for Christian Books and merchandise, nominated by those who work in the Christian publishing and merchandise industry. Winners will be announced at the International Christian Retail Show, June 23-26.
Cover Reveal Gift Card Winner
Thank you to everyone who entered the BAM Gift Card Giveaway to celebrate the cover reveal of my children’s mystery, ANDI UNEXPECTED!
And the winner is: Loretta Shumpert
Loretta said, “My favorite, which I don’t have anymore is 365 Favorite Bedtime Stories. It would be nice to find it somewhere again.”
Please email me at authoramandaflower@gmail.com to claim your prizes. You have one week to claim your gift card and cupcake bookmark. Congrats!
And if you missed it last week, here is the cover again. Isn’t it great?
Andi Unexpected Cover Reveal and Giveaway
It’s finally here! The cover for Andi Unexpected, my first mystery for children. I wrote this novel in 2006 and thought it would never be published. Even though I believed that, I wrote it because the main character, twelve-year-old Andora “Andi” Boggs, with frizzy strawberry-blonde hair, braces, and cheerful resilience, popped into my head fully formed and wouldn’t go away until I wrote her adventure. I was beyond thrilled when my superhero agent Nicole sold it to Zondervan, and I’m looking forward to sharing this story with you and the kids in your life.
About the novel:
After the sudden death of their parents in the jungles of Central America, twelve-year-old science geek Andora “Andi” Boggs and her diva teenaged sister Bethany move to rural Killdeer, Ohio to live with their eccentric twenty-something aunt. The timeworn house has been home to the Boggs family for generations. Exploring the attic in her grief, Andi discovers proof of another Andora Boggs in the family tree hidden in a Depression-era trunk. Despite the meddling of the citizens of Killdeer, Andi and her new friend, Colin Carter, are determined to find out who this first Andora was, how she vanished, and why no one in town wants to talk about her. As more and more unanswered questions pile up, Andi and Colin must decide who they can trust with their secrets and who is interested in Andora’s story for the wrong reasons. (Middle Grade Mystery, target age 8-12)
Without further ado…
What do you think? For me, the cover looks like a glimpse into my own childhood which was filled with adventure, mystery, and wonder too. I could not be happier. To celebrate this gorgeous cover, I’m hosting a giveaway here on my blog. See below for details.
What you will win:
A $20 gift card from Books-A-Million and a cupcake bookmark. Even if there isn’t a BAM in your area, you can use the gift card on their website.
How to Enter:
1) Leave the title of your favorite children’s book in the comments. I’m looking forward to learning your favorite titles.
Extra entries!
With this contest you will have two more chances to enter, giving you THREE chances to win! You have the opportunity to enter two more times by doing the following. Be sure to leave a comment letting me know you did one or both of these.
1) Like my author page on Facebook.
2) Like my pen name Isabella Alan on Facebook
The winner will be randomly selected from those who entered. Contest ends Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013 at 5pm (EDT). Winners will be announced here on my blog on Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013.
Thank you again for following me on Facebook ! Good luck!
Dead Fred Goes to Galveston, Texas!
Last weekend, Dead Fred and I traveled to Galvenston, Texas. I was there to get a break from my day job and plan out my my second Amish Quilt Shop Series novel, which I am writing under my pen name Isabella Alan. As usual, it was all vacation for Fred. The weather was perfect and the Gulf of Mexico was beautiful. Enjoy Dead Fred’s photo journal.
Author with a Day Job Survival Guide: tips to maintain sanity
People ask me all the time how I sustain two full time jobs: one as a writer and one as a librarian. Usually, I say, “I have no idea.” However with further thought, I realized I have a set of guidelines I *try* to follow to keep me from going around the bend. Here they are:
- Stop writing at 11pm on a work night. I’m a night owl, so this can be tough for me. Even if I can’t sleep, I try to make myself stop writing.
- Don’t check work email when you’re off the clock. This is not always possible depending on what crisis is going on at the library. Yes, there are library crises… trust me.
- Treat your lunch hour as sacred time. Use it for exercise, sleep, or writing business. Do not work through it, which can
be very easy to do. When I really want to escape during my lunch hour, I’ve been known to sleep in my car. - Find the humor in your life. The fact I have to sleep in my car for peace and quiet is kind of funny.
- Use break times for social media and pressing writing-related emails.
- Leave your work problems in the parking lot. Don’t fret about the day job issues at home. Again, this is not always possible.
- If you can afford it, pay for help at home. I hired a family friend to clean my house. Honestly, I don’t have the time to do a really deep cleaning that it needs, so she comes every three to four weeks. I always get a little misty when I come home to a clean bathroom.
- Remember vacation time is precious. As tempting as it is to use all your vacation time for writing conferences and book signings, don’t do it. You need a break. Go on a real vacation with sun, sand, and a good book you didn’t write.
- Remind yourself why you work so hard. In my case, it’s for my niece and nephew. I work two jobs with the hope someday they won’t have to.
- Eat a cupcake. You deserve it for sure.
Sweet and Sassy Giveaway
The Seymour Agency’s Facebook Page is hosting a giveaway of author gifts to celebrate the release of Marisa Cleveland’s novella, The Valentine Challenge and my novel, A Plain Scandal! This giveaway features Amish potholders I bought in in Holmes County pictured here. Marisa Cleveland contributed cupcake-themed gifts. Who doesn’t love cupcakes?
To enter click on the link, which will take you to the giveaway app on the Facebook page. http://bit.ly/UvvsFG
Giveaway ends Monday, March 4, 2013. Enter now! Good luck!
My writing process in bullet points
- Check calendar and realize a new novel is due in 4-5 months. Panic ensues.
- Sit down to start writing with nothing: no outline, no idea. Try not to cry.
- Check calendar, book due date looks suspiciously closer.
- With shaking hands, begin to write, write, and write. Know most of the words are no good but try not to dwell on that.
- Hit page one hundred and experience mid-manuscript crisis. Lament to friend about the awfulness of book.
- Meet with friend for an intervention. Repeat same conversation with friend that we have over every single book.
Me: I have no idea what this book is about. I can’t do this.
Friend: You say that about every book.
Me: I know, but this time, it’s true. It’s going to kill me. I have no creative thoughts left.
Friend: You say that about every book.
Me: Oh wait, I know how to fix it! But oh no, this is a major rewrite. It will take forever. I’m doomed.
Friend: You say that about every book.
- Recover from pity party, and finish rough draft. Book is now due in three months.
- Dance around with glee. Eat a cupcake to celebrate.
- Give self 48 hours off from book.
- Start first revision. Beat head on desk over the jagged prose. Decide to completely rewrite the ending.
- Finish first revision. Start to enjoy the process.
- Give self 24 hours off from book.
- Start second revision. Start to hate the novel less.
- Give to beta reader.
- A week later, get the novel back from beta with comments and incorporate those comments into manuscript.
- Send book to agent. Book is now due in six weeks.
- 3-4 weeks later, get book back from agent and incorporate her comments into manuscript. Start to think the book isn’t that bad.
- Email book to editor.
- Dance around with glee. Eat cupcake to celebrate.
- Check calendar and realize a new novel is due in 4-5 months. Panic ensues.
