Flashback Fridays, er, Technical Difficulties: We Haz Them! But Giving Away Stuff 4 Followers!

You might have heard a little rumor that this week's Flashback Friday involved singing. You may even have marked your calendar for the hilarity and humiliation that might ensue. I would have. And now you've stopped by only to find the sad realization that there's no singing.









Wait, don't get mad!











We really, really wanted to sing for you this week, but technical difficulties prevented it.















So we ask that you bear with us, and that we should have something kooky, crazy from us next week. We'll be live with The Songs that Stayed With Us post....and some singing. We've also got some really cool May Flashbacks to bring you, so stay tuned!!!















But until then, here's a Flashback of some literary happenings this week in history.


HAPPY 84TH BDAY to Harper Lee!!! April 28th marked the birthday of the woman who gave us To Kill a Mockingbird, my personal favorite book of all time. The reclusive Pulitzer Prize winner divides her time between New York City and her home place in Monroeville, Alabama. Although she hasn't published anything in over fifty years, Harper has continued writing and has numerous unpublished novels and short stories.















April 21st marked the 194th birthday of author Charlotte Bronte who gave us the masterpiece Jane Eyre. She published the novel under her pen name, Currer Bell, and her literary career was cut short when she died in childbirth at thirty-eight.














And of course, April 23 marked the Macdaddy of all literary birthdays. That's right. It was my main man Shakespeare's 445th bday. I don't know about the other gals on the blog, but I kind of have a crazy fetish, er, appreciation for Shakespeare. I love reading him, teaching him, watching movie adaptations of his works.






















Want some Shakespeare inspired gear or memorabilia? Check out the following sites!!

Shakespeare's Den
Folger Gift Shop
Cafe Press



















So in honor of these birthdays and Booty Shake Friday, we're wanna celebrate with more followers. When we reach 200 followers, we'll give away a $25.00 Amazon gift Card.

To Be a Winner here's what you have to do! (A). Be a follower and post a comment (B). Be a tweeter aka Tweet this contest and post your link in the comments section.

We love, love, love our readers like Shakespeare loved a major death toll in the last Act! :)

Querying Blunders: How Not to Query with Agent Holly Root

Yep, it’s that time again. This latest installment of Querying Blunders (aka: How Not to Query) comes to you from SuperAgent Holly Root of Waxman Literary Agency. For those of you who don’t know, Holly reps AW writer Jill Myles, author of the amazing UF Succubus Diaries series. (and while it’s, er, not exactly YA—*fans self*—Jill has a YA on sub right now which we know will totally rock!)

Also, check out client Serena Robar's Giving up the V and the Half-Blood Vampire series, due to be re-released this June!

Now, on to Holly's thoughts on querying no-no's:

"The hardest ones for sure are the drop-by queries. It happens more in the summer and more on Fridays; the door to the agency opens and in walks a wayward soul. "I flew all the way here from [wherever] just to bring this to you," they say, or "I was in town already and just thought I'd try," or "I'm on a layover from Taiwan." Either way, these folks show up, manuscript in hand, and are shocked when our extremely polite assistant does not immediately hand out a contract and set them up with a bag of money from Random House (often, they don't even know who we are or what exactly we do). Save your time, your money, and the cab fare in from JFK--drop-bys get you noticed but not in the good way."

(GotYA note: Wait—you mean, agents don’t have bags of money just sitting around their offices? Curses, our dreams are shattered!)

"I'd say a couple times a year someone tries the bribery road, by offering up the use of their vacation home/timeshare/frequent flyer miles or what have you, or (more frequently) offering the whole advance as commission. Boundaries, they are your friends."

(GotYA note: Although, we bet the vacation home on an island is tempting sometimes. Especially if it comes with free strawberry margaritas.)

"I also see a lot of the classic information that does not help your cause--"my daughter is a very picky reader and she thinks it's amazing;" "everyone always told me I should be a writer;" "I won the third-grade writing award;" "I think it would make a great movie." And a lot of "this book is the new Twilight/Harry Potter/etc." But honestly, I know how hard the whole query process is so while I might pass on a blunderiffic query now, there's absolutely no way I would remember that person negatively if they showed back up in my inbox, having learned a lot about querying and polished all hints of the kooky out of the letter. Every query is a new chance to do it right!"

(GotYA: We love Holly’s upbeat, positive attitude, and ditto this thought. Everyone makes mistakes when they’re first starting out! Just keep learning and plugging away, and you’ll eventually get there. We have faith in you! Also: blunderiffic might be our new favorite word.)

Thanks so much to Holly for participating, and to Jill for setting this up for us! You ladies are amazing!

Read our INTERVIEW with YA Agent Taylor Martindale and Enter to WIN a Manuscript Critique

THE OLD WINNERS:

Before we do anything else today, we need to announce the winners to GotYA's innaugural fake bio contest!

Third place added prize ($15 gift card): Laura McMeeking
Second place ( $15 gift card and a copy of Beautiful Creatures): Heather Dougherty
First place ($75 gift card): Margay

YAY WINNERS!! Please, email me at houndrat at yahoo dot com so I can send you your goodies!

THE INTERVIEW:

Now, before we get to our next contest, I'm incredibly excited to share my Interview with Taylor Martindale! For those of you who don’t know, Taylor is an AWESOME new agent with the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. If you’re looking for an agent who communicates regularly, is super enthusiastic, hands-on with editorial, will totally have coffee and dinner with you if you live nearby, and, most importantly, won’t think you’re a nutter if you email her with your neuroses on a weekly basis—then you should SO query her. (Neurotic writer? Where? Where? Wait a second…who put that mirror there? Very funny!) In fact, she’s so full of awesomesauce, you can’t even hate on her for being so adorable:

Read the interview, then read below to find out how you can WIN the manuscript critique in a contest judged by AW’s own resident badass, HANNAH MOSKOWITZ!

And now, for our TAYLOR MARTINDALE INTERVIEW!!!!

When did you first realize you wanted to be a literary agent?

First of all, I want to thank you for interviewing me! I’m so excited to be making an appearance on this fabulous blog, and for the opportunity to speak to such a great community of writers. Loving the new GotYA site, too ! :)

I’ve always known I wanted to work in publishing. Even as a little girl, I just couldn’t imagine a career that didn’t involve books. I was lucky that I knew so young what I wanted my future to look like, and it helped me structure my academic goals and extracurricular activities to that end. The funny thing was that I had always pictured myself as an editor. The first time I thought seriously about agenting, however, was during a publishing seminar put on by my college. The career center would invite authors and a range of publishing professionals to speak about their experiences and the industry itself. Something they stressed was figuring out where your passions would lead you in publishing, and that there were so many careers from which to choose.

It was then that agenting really popped up on my radar. I loved the idea that I could be a part of authors’ first steps into publishing, helping build their careers; that I could be so involved in the development stage of their work; that I could be their advocates in the industry. I love working with authors and the early drafts of their “babies.” I find being a part of that creative process inspiring.

What steps did you take to make that goal a reality?

I was blessed with some awesome opportunities as I got into publishing. During school, I worked at Bliss Literary Agency, with Jenoyne Adams, for a year as an intern and then as the Submissions Coordinator. Like I mentioned above, I also went to as many seminars, talks, etc. about publishing that I could find. Then, after school, I chased the best combo for job-searching graduates: informational interviews and more internships. Being a native Southern California girl, I was determined to find the publishing niche out here. The incredible Kate Gale of Red Hen Press took a chance on me—after my random email that somehow made it to her—giving me both an informational interview and Elise Capron’s information at SDLA. Elise was also kind enough to meet me for an informational interview, and an internship spot opened up a week later. I’ve been there ever since, and am so thrilled to be a part of the SDLA team.

What kind of material are you especially interested in right now?

O wow, I am interested in so much! Where do I start? Before I dive into all the genres I’m looking for, I have to say that what I am particularly looking for are characters. Engaging, deep characters whose voices light up the page and stick in your head even when you’re not reading. Those characters who make the plot captivating because of who they are, not what is going on around them. The relationships that make you laugh and cry and long to touch some part of the world around you…

That being said, I’m interested in a wide range of genres. I’m particularly looking for YA titles: contemporary, urban fantasy, literary fiction, historical fiction, etc. I would also love to find commercial fiction, women’s fiction, and multi-cultural fiction. I’m not currently working with non-fiction, but am definitely keeping my eye out for that project that inspires me—cultural studies or literary criticism, possibly.

Overall, though, I’m looking to fall in love with a project, whether it matches my stated interests or not. A lot of publishing is highly subjective, so I’m looking for the authors and books that fit me, and vice versa. I keep my eyes open for them.

I know you were reading slush long before you started at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. If you could tell writers to concentrate on one thing to get pulled from the pile, what would it be?

I’ve found that the best thing an author can do is not get swept up in the bells and whistles of querying. The most important part of your query is simple: your writing. Before you submit, ask yourself if your query letter and sample pages really show off your strength as a writer. Don’t worry about putting your submission in a bright pink envelope with confetti (so hard to clean up!). Focus on being strong, not fancy or flashy. Believe me, it shows!

A few quick tips:

1. Have a solid title and show it off. Titles in a query are like book covers in the bookstore; they catch your eye and make you read the summary. Don’t bury your title in the postscript of your query. Place it where it makes sense for your letter, and have it act as the extra punch to your already awesome pitch. If it’s an email query, put your book’s title and genre in the subject line (per that agency’s guidelines, of course). It stands out from the hundreds simply labeled “Query.”

2. Don’t start off with a rhetorical question. They will never be answered the way you hoped when you wrote it! It only ends up sounding cliché and vague.

3. Do your research before you submit. Show that agent you know a little bit about who they are and what they are interested in representing. Mention where you found them, the more specific the better.

4. When you are querying, know that everything is a process and we’re all in this together. If you’re rejected, don’t be intimidated. Pay attention to the feedback you get and use it to make your project and your writing stronger. A positive, collaborative outlook will get you far.

Now, for the really crucial stuff. Tell us the three songs that currently get the most play on your iPod.

Oh, dear. “Beast of Burden” by Lee DeWyze. Yep, the “American Idol” contestant. He’s my favorite and I’m not ashamed to have already bought a few songs, haha. “Turn It Off” by Paramore. It’s from their newest album, which I only just got (I know, pathetic), and I love it. Hayley Williams is so awesome! Finally, “In Your Atmosphere” by John Mayer, because it gets to me every time.

Salty foods or sweet?

Salty, no contest. It’s bad. I’m currently battling a huge craving for French fries, and resisting is taking Herculean effort. No, seriously. Herculean.

(Deb’s note: Hmmmm, I will definitely have to talk to her about this. It’s common knowledge that sugar kicks salt’s un-sweet tushy all over the grocery store.)

Which YA book have you read recently that you really wish you’d represented?

I was extremely impressed with Maggie Stiefvater’s SHIVER. I loved what she did with a theme that’s feeling tired and overdone these days, and with the characters who drove the story throughout.

I know working in that ocean-view office must be rough, but if you HAD to choose a different career, what could you see yourself doing?

Haha, I know, I drew the short straw on that one, huh?

If I were to choose a different career, I think I would like to teach literature and literary theory at the college level. Those classes and those professors were hugely formative and influential for me and changed the way I thought about literature. Teaching new ways to think about and write about literature seems like an incredible thing to do each day.

I have to say, though, that I’m already in the profession I was born to pursue, and I’m not going anywhere. Helping authors take their work from a new manuscript to a finished book… What better job is there?




And there you have it! THANK YOU Taylor, for both the interview and the very generous donation of a manuscript critique! If you want to query Taylor (trust me—you do!) her submission guidelines are as follows.

Send a query letter, synopsis, and the first 50 pages to:

Taylor Martindale
Sandra Dijkstra Literary AgencyPMB 515
1155 Camino del Mar, PMB 515
Del Mar, CA 92014

E-query by referral only.

And now…

THE NEW CONTEST!

The Prize: A 30-page manuscript critique by Taylor


The Judge: Hannah Moskowitz, author of Break (wait, you haven't read BREAK? What are you waiting for?) and the upcoming Invincible Summer, will be judging (which is kind of perfect, since Taylor and Hannah have worked together before).

The Rules: Since both Taylor and Hannah are all about voice, we thought it only apropos the contest be about voice, too. Enter up to 200 words of your manuscript that best highlights your character’s unique voice in the comments section. Hannah will read all the entries and chose one winner, based on which entry's voice grabs her the most and makes her want to read more.


The Deadline: You have until Friday, 11:59 EST to enter.



Go! Enter! Win!

QUERY-YES WILL CHANGE YOUR QUERYING-LIFE FOREVER

Are your query letters just not cutting it? Are rejections piling up in your inbox? At the mailbox? Are your superbly-crafted queries just. not. garnering the interest you expected? Are you sad? Are you very sad? Do you find yourself sitting in front of your computer hitting the 'refresh' button so many times you've developed carpal-tunnel? Do you experience unexpected bouts of self-deprecating thoughts? Do you have too many cats and not enough ice cream? Do you ever find yourself feeling so low that you've actually considered revising your query letter? Or even the forbidden revision of your manuscript?? Have agents lied about the effectiveness of rhetorical questions??

Well, today everything is going to change, because I have the solution to all of your query-woes.

For the low, low introductory price of $19.99 a day, I'll fill your inbox with Query-YES! a new development in the literary world that is going to change everything about the way we work. With Query-YES! you'll never struggle for that perfect opening line, or even an attempt at defining your genre. Genre is so subjective as to be meaningless these days, and agents know this. They're query guidelines are so full of so full of typos and grammatical erros that they can't even be trusted. But Query-YES! is on your side. 

Every day, Query-YES! will drop a new, customizable query letter into your inbox. These query letters have been tested by everyone I know, and even my parents have approved of them!  (And we all know how tough parents can be, don't we?) With this airtight success-rate, Query-YES! is sure to land you the literary agent of your dreams! So what are you waiting for? Order Query-YES! today!

Query-YES! is the only way to guarantee SUCCESS! 

www.query-yes!dotcom

Continue reading for a free sample of Query-YES! solutions! 
(Query-YES! is a division of T. H. Mafi, Inc.)       >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>

>>>Dear AGENT [sir/madam/snickerdoodle/insert endearment of choice]:

>>>My name is the one you’ve been dreaming of. My face haunts you in your sleep (see attached). My fingers type sweet nothings into your inbox, and you’ve been fighting the urge to offer me representation for some time now. I’ve written to provide you with the relief you need. I’ve written, to tell you, [sir/madam] (this includes all 5,000 of you I’ve CC’d, just so you know this email has been personalized), that the time has come for you to cast-off your fears, and welcome me into your heart, your office, your home, and maybe your bed (are you single?).

>>My current work-in-progress (which I’m certain you’ll absolutely adore once it’s finished) is something of an anomaly. The world has never seen anything quite like it, actually. If I were forced against my better judgment to describe it, I’d have to call it a healthy mix of fantasy, mystery, romance, science-fiction, action-adventure, epic narrative non-fiction, something about a forbidden ruby, a magic lamp, a flying carpet -- oh wait, wait, sorry, that was something else. No, my novel has a special ring, preciousssssss, some tiny hobbits -- oh, oh, oh dear, sorry, that was another book, wasn’t it? My apologies. (I’m obviously very well-read.) The truth is, that in addition to the aforementioned list, my novel features a fairy-boy who exudes sweat-bead-reminiscent-sparkly-skin in the sunlight. The plot will follow his insatiable need to eat a non-fairy girl. She will, at one point, beg him to eat her.

>>>>>>>I assure you that there is something quite forbidden in the novel. (Like forbidden love, perhaps.) Someone has no powers and will discover that, actually, he/she has an incredibly well hidden family tree tattooed on his/her back that includes a note about the powers he/she will acquire at the tender age of 16. The story will also involve some kind of sophisticated-power amulet. To make matters more thoroughly spellbinding, someone will discover a stone with inherent magical abilities. There will be a character who simply appears at random to serve no other purpose than to provide unquantifiable and otherwise irrelevant information. The protagonist will consequently learn a special, ancient art form of kung-fu while struggling to understand herself and simultaneously save the world. She and her breath-takingly-jaw-achingly-heaven-scentedly-swoon-inducingly-inhumanly-gorgeous Love Interest will live happily-ever-after. (OR DO THEY??)

>>>I’m sure that you are desperate for this letter to end so that you may hit ‘Reply’ and offer me immediate representation. But [sir/madam], I can be of some comfort when I reassure you that there is plenty of time for our relationship to blossom and begin.

>First, I must tell you more about my ideas for the future. Alongside the photo I took of myself this morning (my very enticing ‘come hither’ look was inspired almost entirely by you) I’ve attached my rendition of what I am firmly convinced must be the cover of this book. You may have already wet your pants (don’t be embarrassed) in anticipation of the wonder that is my soon-to-be-completed-fiction-novel-of-literary-genius, but do not fear; I will not judge you for using the bathroom in your khakis so unexpectedly. It is, in fact, to be expected, once you begin to fathom the earth-shattering success and unprecedented amounts of money my book will undoubtedly acquire. Not to worry, [sir/madam], I will be here to hold your hand throughout the process. But enough about you, and back to me. (I will, after all, be the mastermind of this wildly lucrative under-taking.)

>>>>>>>>>>>>Born and raised in the heart of a world no other would ever be able to understand and/or appreciate, the life of this troubled author was never easy, nor shall it ever be easy, nor do I think anyone will ever be able to understand what it is, exactly, I endure on a daily basis. My mind is so often wracked with rhythm and blues, red and black hues, surreptitious cues to peruse the delicately crafted muse of my heart. Do not confuse my unique issues with those odious few who think they are shrewd enough to compete with my art. It is simply impossible. I am an inventor an exemplary contender in this sedentary standstill stuck in this static stoic state of sadistic sobriety we call life. I am a collector a connector a catalyst for consensual collaboration connected in cooperation with creators of creational recreational conversational banter. I am a master of sensation and unforeseeable syntactical salvation, I am a mother a father a sister a daughter an either an other an ordinary utter of a broken-hearted brother. I am everything you’ve ever dreamed of in a client. This much should be obvious by now.

>>!!>!>>>Calm, now, [sir/madam], you must be calm. Do not cry for fear of losing me. I have enclosed the entirety of my unfinished fiction novel, saved in a .docxerrorformat006tr0xx for your convenience. I will grant you one week to look over my manuscript in order to ensure the 32-point Papyrus font is to your liking. I have no doubt you will shed tears, blood, and copious amounts of hair upon reviewing my work. You may, in fact, lose an eye or two. I feel it necessary to warn you now.

>>>I will be waiting at home, taking photos of myself in the mirror, thinking of you the entire time I wait for your response. Please do not forget to mention your gender in your reply, and whether or not you are available for a committed, long-term relationship. I am devoted to my craft. This much is reflected in my life, and it will be reflected in our soon-to-be concretized relationship.

>You may thank me for my time.

Oh to love, to love, to love,

To love me is not a crime.

To love, to love, to love,

I’ll stalk you until you’re mine.

>>>Sincerely,

Soon-to-be-rich-and-famous-and-happily-secured-in-a-monogamous-relationship-author@gmail.com

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Copyright © 2010  Query-YES! T. H. Mafi, Inc. All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise indicated, all materials on these pages are copyrighted by Query-YES! T. H. Mafi, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of these pages, either text or image may be used for any purpose other than personal use. Therefore, reproduction, modification, storage in a retrieval system or retransmission, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or otherwise, for reasons other than personal use, is strictly prohibited without prior written permission. 

SERIOUSLY. We'll hunt you down. We're not even joking a little bit.   

Query-YES! is the only way to guarantee SUCCESS! 

www.query-yes!dotcom

Kath tells her laptop that she got an agent...

If you click on the above video, you'll get an abbreviated version of my agent story (which was all I could manage because I was at Starbucks and the guy at the next table was looking at me like he thought I'd forgotten to take my medication).

But, yes, in case it doesn't come through in the video, I am very excited. So excited that I want to celebrate and give you something. Not all of you (because pixel pushers don't make that much money) but at least one of you.

Ready? It's very simple. I'm a gal on a mission. Justin Timberlake brought sexy back and I'm bringing werewolves (or wereanythings) back (not that they ever really went away). To that end, I'm giving one lucky reader a copy of Wallace & Gromit - The Curse of the Were-Rabbit on DVD (and I'll throw in an "I Read Banned Books" button).

Want to play? Just leave a comment saying what animal you would change into if you were a weresomething. It doesn't have to be a wolf. Personally, I call dibs on werepigeon.

The contest will be open until 11:00PM EST on Monday and is open to residents of the US and Canada (my sincere apologies to all other nations).

We've Got Georgia on Our Mind: Interview with Georgia McBride

This is how you may know Georgia McBride.

Hopefully after this interview, you'll see her a little differently!

You may know her awesome work bringing Young Adult writers, agents, and editors together with the weekly #YALitChat on Twitter. She also is the founder of the interactive YALitChat online community where authors, agents, and editors, and readers can come together to discuss the world of Young Adult literature. With Georgia at the helm, the YALitChat grew to 1000 members in three months. Amazing, right? But that's not all of her fabulousness. She is also the author of the pre-published YA Urban Fantasy series PRAEFATIO. Both St. Martin's Press and Sourcebooks Fire have asked her to help launch their debut lines. Her creative background also includes being a former artist manager and marketer in the music business as well as being a product marketing exectutive and web producer. Georgia also blogs with The YA-5 gals, Kelly Barnhill, Steph Bowe, KA Holt, Justina Ireland, Sarah McClung, Cristin Terrill

Here's a little Q and A with Georgia

(1). How important do you feel an online persona is to a writer?

An online presence is crucial in today’s market. As readers are increasingly online, writers must seek to reach them where they are.

(2). You consider yourself a marketing person. For people who perhaps do not have a background in marketing, what are the top three to five things you would suggest for the m to do to get noticed in the industry?

1. Your work must stand out as unique, well-written and marketable


2. You must be professional yet approachable


3. Perpetuate a positive, can-do attitude


4. Seek opportunities to participate within the writing community as a contributor


5. Pay it forward.

(3). You have two small children. For our writers who pull double duty as mothers, what advice would you give them to help balance their writing time?

Writing can’t be a chore. It must be a passion in order to move you forward successfully. Because I’m so passionate about my work, I make time during naps, when the kids are asleep, etc. It’s become my “me” time.

(4). I notice that your PRAEFATIO series and other works deal with Heaven, Hell, Archangles, etc. Since I, myself, have an angel book going on sub in a little while, I’m curious to know what interests you about them?

Nothing in particular. My characters find me. They ask that I tell their story, whatever that may be. I have a reaper waiting his turn, two brothers--averagely human and a human girl who happens to have been cloned from an alien life-source. I didn’t choose to write about angels. It just happened to be Grace’s quandary.

(5). Music has played a great part in your past and present (you enjoy songwriting, managed Indie bands, etc), and I see where Praefatio has an rockstar for an LI. Is adding in that musical layer a conscious or subconscious thing. I, myself, seem to have a guitar player in every novel…I think I’m working at making it my signature thing!

Music seems to seep into everything I do. I’m not quite sure how Gavin Vault ended up as a rockstar though I’m certain there’s a perfectly good explanation in the book. I will say that I listened to music constantly when writing PRAEFATIO and the one song in particular that kept cropping up was Halo by Depeche Mode.

(6). Do you feel that YA needs more diversity? The changing of the cover of Liar comes to mind, and the fact that we need more stories about minorities.

There are YA books written by African Americans, Latinas, Asians and Caucasians and for whatever reason, they simply just don’t get the same attention in the market when the main character is not white. PRAEFATIO has a multi-ethnic cast of characters though the protagonist is white.

(7). I see where you offer to speak to middle and high school students. Do you feel authors should do this because it’s important not only for readership, but also to discuss the craft of writing with them?

I speak at grade schools through college levels and I mentor a college creative writing course! I absolutely believe that writers need to get out and talk to students about writing. They need to share what they’ve learned with kids and help grow the next generation! Of course, from a marketing perspective, its never too soon to think about potential readers for your book.

(8). Since you’re pretty much an International Woman of Mystery, what do you have up your sleeve next…world domination? J

Well… I’m working on the adaption of PRAEFATIO for the big screen! HUGE. Wish me luck!

Psst, Check out the Book Trailer for PRAEFATIO

*Wondering about YAChatlit? Georgia answers your questions*

What’s in it for me?

I get tons of editorial experience by working through submissions, queries, first pages, synopses, etc. In essence, I learn by doing and take that experience and apply it to my own work making it better in the process.

How do I have so much time to contribute?

I don’t. I make time. I also don’t do it alone. I have 2 interns and 10 awesome Group Coordinators in YALitChat that volunteer to manage groups within the community. And now, the weekly twitter chat has 4 awesome co-hosts!

Do I get preferential treatment from the agents/editors I work with?

Absolutely not! In fact, sometimes I think the opposite it true. I think the expectation may be even higher for me.

What makes ME so special that these agents/editors want to work with me?

Perhaps I have the biggest mouth?

Both myself, Krista, and the gals here at GotYA want to thank Georgia for taking the time to do an interview with us. She's truly awesome!!

We also want to give a special GotYA shoutout to our own Kathleen who signed with awesome agent Emmanuelle Alspaugh.

CONGRATS KATH!!!!!!!!!!!

Networking: Not Just For Used Car Salesmen*

First off, a huge congrats to Veronica for her book deal! (See yesterday's post.)We're super excited to have her with us, and that feeling was there BEFORE said book deal.



This news ties nicely into my topic today, because until a few months ago, I didn't "get" networking. In fact, I still hold an Ayn Randian view of people who rely on who they know rather than what they can do.

My old interpretation of people who network:
"Hi, Vee. Nice book deal you have there. We should be friends." = I now need you to beta everything I've ever written and then refer me to your agent.
Doesn't that just feel dirty?

My enlightened understanding of networking: "Hi SusieQCoolness. Nice concept. Have you entered Agent So-and-So's annual contest yet?"
See the difference?

Not just the taking vs. giving, but the idea of glomping onto success vs. spreading opportunity. Networking is actually about sharing needs when you run across them. It's also about sharing some of what you learned from your greenhorn mistakes. "No! Don't have your MC look into a mirror and critique her looks!" "No! Don't test email yourself a query to check format and then forward that query that worked to the agent. Forwarding an email messes w/ format too and they'll see little arrows or whatever."

Here's what made it click for me. A very nice person had read my last MS and told me to query Agent Fabulous, who'd read a full of hers before and given really helpful comments. She thought that my writing style matched up with what Agent Fabulous liked, based on her interaction with that agent. This wasn't a referral. I didn't used Nice Person's name. But I took her advice, and it got me a request of my own.

Things like that. Pretty awesome, and everyone gets a much clearer picture of opportunity when we share our 20/20 hindsight.

-Holen

*My apologies to used car salesmen everywhere. I've never actually bought a brand-new car, so please don't doubt that I'm glad you exist.

Veronica Roth and the Blog Post of Awesomeness

If you noticed that this post title has a very Harry Potter-esque feel to it, then you should realize the epicness behind it.

It should be known that when one of us gets an agent, us bloggers have an uproar. There's cheering, there's laughing, there's chaos in the forums or our blogs, there's dancing (Need I link back to our premiere video?). GotYa gets excited and why shouldn't we? Getting an agent is a HUGE deal. All that pain and struggle to take your shiny piece of art and place it into willing hands is overwhelming. Knowing that you have succeeded at it all gives the feeling that chocolate is raining down upon you...in Disneyland...with Edward Cullen proclaiming his undying love (Haha, get it--undying!).

Now what would happen when we find out that one of our own has snagged a sexy THREE BOOK DEAL?! I believe the response is something like this:

As with any of the amazing ladies in this blog, I am beyond honored to announce:

CONGRATULATIONS VERONICA!!!

It was reported yesterday on Publisher Weekly that our very own Veronica Roth's three-book deal has been sold to HarperCollins' Katherine Tegen Books. We're all thrilled, Vee! I'm sure she'll be able to fill us all in with more info to come.

And while I'm at it, another big congratulations to Agent Joanna Stampfel-Volpe with Nancy Coffey Literary, and HarperCollins editor Molly O'Neill.

Let's show them some blogger luuuuuurrrrrrvvvvvve!! (And maybe Vee will do the victory dance for us again :D )

Time Warping Prose

Disclaimer: I’m unpublished. I’ve never written historical fiction. I am likely going to anger several fans of classic literature with the following post. I’d like the mob to remember that classic literature was not classic at the time of publication—an observation, I am certain, to which Dickens and Hardy and the rest would heartily agree.

On Thursday I made a decision which would impact my productivity on everything from laundry to writing for the next several days: I picked up The Luxe by Anna Godbersen. Described as “The Age of Innocence meets Gossip Girl”, it interweaves the stories of the Holland sisters and their circle of acquaintances in 1899 New York (and was so addictive I picked up the next two books the following day).

Coincidentally, about the same time, I began an email discussion with a fellow GotYA contributor about writing historical YA fiction and what form the prose should take. Should it read like Bronte and Wharton or was it acceptable to use a somewhat more modern style (shorter sentences, fewer semi-colons, nary an “ere long” in sight)?

Personally, I think it’s fine and dandy to use an update style of prose provided you can still weave an illusion of a given time period (something Godbersen did amazingly well). When I pick up a modern novel—even when that modern novel is portraying a far off time and place—I know I’m not reading Dickens or Austen. I’m prepared for the language to be a little more accessible and for things to be a little more straightforward—heck, in some ways, I’m counting on it.

Now, as the disclaimer states, I’m unpublished and hardly a reliable source of information regarding either classics (of which the only one I’ve ever truly adored was Jane Eyre) or historical fiction (somehow I don’t think reading A Knight In Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux gets me much street cred) so I’d love for GotYA readers to weigh in. Do you write or read historical YA fiction? Got an opinion on prose? I’d love to hear it. Any great YA historical fiction titles our readers should check out?

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It would be a glaring oversight of me to write a post mentioning the classics without plugging one of my favorite internet resources: Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg provides internet users with hundreds of titles which have fallen into public domain—including Jane Eyre and The Age of Innocence.

Flashback Fridays: Those Memorable Books We Grew Up With

We're starting a new weekly segment at GotYA called Flashback Fridays. We'll be talking about everything from books to movies to first loves to favorite vacations as well as relating them to the YA literature scene. We'll be "flashbacking" on our own blogs, but most of all, we want YOUR participation as well. So, mark Fridays as your blog days to gaze into the past and smile!

The first ever Flashback Friday is on the books we grew up with. The ones that have stuck with us after all these years for both good and bad reasons. Think of the books your favorites and blog about them!

Here's the links to our personal Flashback Fridays: Krista, Jamie, Debra, Veronica

Jennifer

Are You There God It’s Me Margaret, Superfudge, Ramona, the Pest, The Babysitters Club, Sweet Valley Twins and Sweet Valley High, Harry Potter, & Fear Street. Hearing these titles can make us salivate on cue like Pavlov’s dogs. Why? Because us they take us back to the excitement of devouring books and before the pressures of life’s responsibilities robbed us of our coveted reading time. But not only that, they were our first forays into Young Adult literature.

So, sit back as we take a stroll down memory lane with some books that may or may not be familiar...

Ah, The Baby-sitters Club…there was someone for everyone: the jock, the artist, the California girl, the sensitive one, the dancer, the writer, and the hip NYC fashionista. What about sporting

Team Logan or Team Alan shirts back in the day? You know for Logan Bruno, Mary Anne Speir’s Southern hottie with the drawl, and Alan Gray, the immature pest who couldn’t man up and tell Kristy his feelings? Okay, maybe not.

The Babysitters Club is being resurrected, and no, not like Claudia and the Art School Zombie Crush! Like a lot of us who are growing older, they’re being dusted off and revamped. Here’s some information about the relaunch.

Babysitters Club Set for Relaunch

The Babysitters Club Returns

Want an absolutely HILARIOUS recap of your favorite BSC books? Then you must, and I do mean must, check out BSC Headquarters. Tiff, a 20 something gal, is blogging as she rereads through her old BSC books. I spent way too many hours spitting coke zero on my computer screen at some of the recaps.

If you couldn’t get enough of Claudia’s crazy digs, then check out What Claudia Wore. It not only breaks down Claudia’s fashion forward, er, perhaps worst dressed moments, but it recaps the other characters as well along with a healthy dose of witty repartee.

You might have been under a rock if you never read one of the Ramona Quimby books growing up. If you’re feeling especially nostalgic, you can check out the upcoming Ramona movie, Beezus and Ramona, with Selena Gomez, Joey King, and my own personal favorite, John Corbett. It’s premiering in July. And how cool is it that author Beverly Cleary began penning novels in the 1950’s, and she is now 94 years old! Go Beverly!

How many of us gleefully scared the pants off our preteen selves by reading the Fear Street books? RL Stine gave us a diverse variety of characters and settings, but the creepy factor rang true in all the books.

Good girl, bad girl. Good sister, spawn of Satan sister. Before we were old enough to realize how a lot of soap operas delved into the cliche evil twin brother or sister, it was happening prime time in the Sweet Valley Twins and then Sweet Valley High books. Okay, maybe Jessica wasn’t evil. But come on, she was a megabitch, right? Most of us felt sorry for poor Elizabeth at one time or another, but it didn't keep us away from seeing just what antics Jessica would get into next.

And how bout' those classics? Anne of Green Gables with the daring and precocious "Anne with an E", her wonderful Gilbert, her bosom friend Diana, and the stern, but loving Marilla.

And the Little House on the Prairie series with Laura, her sisters Mary and Carrie, along with Pa and Ma told the story of a family overcoming the odds on the harsh, untamed frontier with love and laughter.

Now it's your turn to tell us about your favorite books from childhood. Leave us a comment with your link.