SlushPile Warrior - Erin Liles

Today, I am bringing back an old feature on my blog called SlushPile Warriors. SlushPile Warriors focuses on the trials and tribulations of pursuing publication, and what is learned along the way.

I am delighted to be hosting SlushPile Warrior, Erin Liles, who will be telling us about her own travels on the road to publication.

Erin, please tell us a little a little about yourself:

I grew up in California but moved to Texas when I was in my twenties. After college I went to work for a literacy program where I got to share my love for reading with kids and their parents for almost 10 years. But when my husband decided to go back to work after staying home with our two children for 4 years, I got to do what I always wanted to do, stay home with my kiddos and write!


How many submissions do you have out there now?

About 10


How do you research where to send your manuscripts?

I read Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market, but I also do a lot of internet research. I try to stay very connected to other children’s writers through message boards and writer’s groups. Whenever I hear of a publisher, I go to their website and look at their catalogs. If any seem to be similar topics or styles to one of my manuscripts, I will look up the book on Amazon.com and use the preview option to get a better feel for the book.

But nothing beats reading books! No picture book passes through my hands without my checking who published it. My kids are so used to this, that if I have forgotten to look, they will say, “Who published this book mommy?”


What was your biggest submission goof?  What did you learn from it?

My biggest goof was that I started submitting before I was truly ready. I tend to be pretty impatient this way. But I have since learned to let a manuscript “sit” for at least a month (usually longer), and have it go through at least three critiques before I’m allowed to even think it’s ready.


Why do you want to be a writer?

I have always loved to write. I remember being around six years old and painstakingly pecking out a story on my parent’s old typewriter. To this day, my parents love to share the stories I wrote as a kid. I was one of those super shy, but imaginative kids, who always had her head buried in a book, so writing stories just seemed like a natural extension to reading.


What is your favorite style of writing? Why?


Although I blog and occasionally write articles, I love writing picture books. I love the challenge of telling a clear and concise story in 700 words or less. I guess it is the style that just feels the most “right” for me.


What is the most frustrating thing about being a writer?

Rejections! Aside from those, the most frustrating thing is trying to get a story so clear that it cannot be misunderstood in any way. I am often surprised when a story of mine goes through a critique and someone totally misunderstood, or saw something in it differently from what I intended.


What is the most rewarding thing about being a writer?

Acceptances! Aside from those, finishing a story and having the feeling that what you wrote is good.


What is the most important thing you’ve learned about writing?

That while writing is a solitary activity, you really can’t do it alone. You need as much feedback as possible on your work. You also need emotional and technical support from other writers.


Have you been published? If so where?

Yes. I’ve had two stories published at Stories for Children Magazine and a third to be published in June. I have also had a story published at Bumples. And I’ve had a number of parenting articles published in Austin Family Magazine and Mothering online.


How can people find out more about you?

I blog (about whatever I happen to be thinking about at the time) at: http://eliles-coloringoutsidethelines.blogspot.com/


Is there anything else that you would like to share?

I have come to learn that nothing in writing comes quickly or easily. We have to work at it, love it as an art form, and be prepared to wait endlessly for publication. Don’t give up!



Thanks for stopping by Erin and for giving us a chance to get to know you.  Congratulations on your publishing successes!  I'm sure many more will follow.


If any other SlushPile Warriors are interested in being featured, please email me HERE and I’ll send you some interview questions.

VBT-Featuring Nancy Famolari

Today I an pleased to be presenting Nancy Famolari, who will be talking about her latest novel – Winner's Circle.

Nancy, what is this book about?
Summer's father is dead; his only asset, a fabulous trotter. Two men want to help her. She refuses Ned, blaming him for her father's death. Davis, a famous racehorse driver, wins her heart but deserts her after she suffers a serious accident on the track. Max, her rival, will do anything to get the horse for his stable. Summer's dream is to race her horse in the Hambletonian Oaks. Will she get there and will she, finally, find love?

Nancy, please tell us a little about yourself:

I live in the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania in the summer and on a small farm near Ocala, Florida in the winter. My favorite hobby is trail riding. My horse, Ambrosa de la Pluma is a registered Paso Fino. The breed came to the new world from Spain. Paso Finos have a unique four beat gait that is very smooth. They can go for hours on the trail. They are smart and friendly and make wonderful companions. I feel lucky to live in two areas with lots trail riding.

What inspired you to write this story? 

Winner's Circle takes place in the fast paced world of harness racing. For fourteen years, my husband and I had a small Standardbred breeding farm in New Jersey. We raised and raced these marvelous horses. Harness racing is very exciting. There are many heart warming stories about an owner or trainer believing in their horse and against the odds getting the horse to win a big race. The desire to win drives the plot in Winner's Circle. There are also people who take advantage of both horses and people for personal gain, not caring the least about how the horse is affected. I believed these elements would make a good novel.

Do you have a favorite character?

Summer Langston is my favorite character. She's a very determined lady who cares about her horse, Meadow, and overcomes severe personal and professional obstacles to get her horse to the winner's circle. In the process, she learns something about herself and how to give and receive love. I like the fact that she's gutsy and doesn't give up easily.

Tell us a little about your writing schedule: 

I try to write everyday for two hours. Obviously this isn't easy with farm chores and other activities. During Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) I can almost always keep to the schedule because the incentive is to have a novel at the end of the month. I find the first draft fun and relatively easy to do. Editing is the part that gives me trouble. It takes much longer to edit well than to write a first draft.
What are your future writing plans?
I write a series of mystery novels based on life in the Endless Mountains. Murder in Montbleu and The Lake House are available from Amazon. I'm editing the third book, Death at the Writer's Conference. It will be available later this year.

Nancy’s book, Winner’s Circle is available at Amazon.com.

http://www.amazon.com/Winners-Circle-Nancy-Famolari/dp/1460951476/

To find out more about Nancy, please visit her at:
Website: http://sites.google.com/site/nancyfamolai/

Blogs: Nancy Famolari's Place (http://nancygfamolari.blogspot.com//)

Nancy Famolari's Author Spotlight (http://nancyfamolari.blogspot.com//)

Thanks for stopping by Nancy and giving us a chance to get to know you and your book. Best of luck with your book!

VBT-Marvin Wilson -Author of Between the Storm and the Rainbow

Today, in a departure from the children's book world, I am happy to be featuring Marvin Wilson, author of Between the Storm and the Rainbow. Marvin, what is this book about?


This book is based on Between the Storm and the Rainbow, the internationally popular award-winning Free Spirit blog. It is an anthology of the best of the best posts that will inspire you, stimulate your deep thoughts and emotions and also give you plenty of laughter. Read the spiritual/inspirational writings of author Marvin D Wilson and join the global community of readers who count on their daily dose of Free Spirit.

This sounds very interesting, Marvin. Please give us an excerpt from your book.

Freedom through Discipline

(August 31, 2008)

I was able to go to college on a music scholarship. My father was a poor Christian minister, and had I not been born with the gift of music, the advantage of higher education would have been denied me. Thanks to my God-given talents, I was able to go. I was a music major with a thespian minor at Central Michigan University. At age eighteen, I thought I knew everything. I had talent, intelligence, youthful bold confidence and a brash attitude, and a social/political/religious view of our world (this was the late 1960's, mind you) that was one of "I know everything." And anyone who disagreed with me (especially my parents and any authority figures in the older generation, those despicable leaders of the hypocritical oppressive "Orwellian - big brother" government of the times), were dead wrong. I was a "Free Spirit," venturing forth into a brave new world that me and my Hippie friends were forging with our new lifestyle, our drugs, sex and rock and roll religion of freedom.

In my freshman year at college, I met Professor Stephen Hobson. He was my choir director and my private lesson voice coach. He looked to me to be in his late sixties. He was (well, he seemed to me at the time) stodgy and stiff, and a strict disciplinarian. He demanded of me a level of self-discipline and rigorous diurnal practice regimen that I was completely without the ability to understand, let alone adhere to. One little flutter in-between voice registers, any tiny slippage in tonal and/or pitch control when singing my assigned lessons in his torture chambers he called a "practice room" every Wednesday, he would stop playing his piano accompaniment, look at me with this "you know as well as I that that was not good enough" expression and demand that I try it again. Over and over … until I got it perfect. Perfect according to his obnoxious elitist opinion.

I couldn't stand that man. He was asking way too much of me, and for no good reason. I did not see the need for such a tyrannical imposition of discipline on me and my life, my singing, my anything. I was writing songs about freedom and liberty, gigging at night in my rock and roll band, getting over to thunderous applause at the hands of my Hippie peers, why did I need discipline? I was a one-of-a-kind talent; my uninhibited, serendipitous, wild and natural style was destined to become the standard for future generations. Professors in decades to come would teach their students how to emulate ME!

Ah, but those of you with any substantial life experience can guess the rest of the story. I never "made it" as a big impact famous rock and roller. I eventually wound up playing for modest money in little disco bars, playing live juke-box cover tunes for young people to get drunk to and screw each other. But I had learned something along the way.

I learned that in order to become "free" with anything, any pursuit, any hobby, any career, any craft, any aspiration of great accomplishment, you had to go through the discipline first. I never made it as a big name musician, but I did learn how to play my instrument. To this day, I am free when I pick up a guitar. I can express emotions, elevate my consciousness, get all heaven-bound and glorified, and anyone around me will experience the same thing I am feeling. It's a miracle I can produce, at any time, in any place, on any guitar of reasonable quality. But it took years and years of discipline to reach that plateau. Years and years of overcoming sore fingertips and blistered split open calluses, learning the scales, studying the modes, practicing the positions, emulating the recordings artists, getting so familiar with the neck I owned it as an extensions of my hand.

Towards the end of my bar-playing nightclub career, Professor Stephen Hobson came out to see my band. I had called him, letting him know we were playing in his town that week. Even so, I was surprised to see him in the audience – remember, this is a classical musician, a prim and proper professor, a patron of the fine arts, someone who goes to operas and symphony performances. For him to go to a dance club and listen to a top forty band was rather impressive.

And you know what? He was impressed with our performance. I went and sat at the table with him and his wife after the second set and he was beaming. He had wonderful accolades to bestow upon me and my ensemble, complimenting the vocals, the arrangements, our use of dynamics, our overall command of our instruments. And it was then that I told him what I had wanted to say for several years. I told him that I finally understood what discipline meant, what its value was. I knew, I told him, that undertaking the arduous discipline of any given art or craft was the necessary and ONLY way to get free within that art or craft. I told him that I finally appreciated what he had been trying to get through to my thick headstrong skull all those years ago. I knew I had been a special student to him, he had a great amount of belief in my talent, and I also knew I had been a disappointment to him, because he never “got through to me” when I was under his tutelage. I apologized to him for that shortcoming and assured him that his teaching had stuck with me all these years and had now been realized in my life and practice.

The now retired Professor Stephen Hobson's eighty-year-old eyes filled up. He said, and I quote, "Then my life, my career, has been worth it!"

We hugged. Long and sincere. That was the last time I ever saw him. He died a couple years later. I will never forget Professor Stephen Hobson and what he taught me about applying discipline to my life in order to get beyond boundaries and break free.

It applies to relationships and marriage, to any career, to any sport, to any hobby, to any life pursuit whatsoever. If you want to eventually be free, you must initially go through the discipline. It may sound like an oxymoron, "Freedom through Discipline," it did to me as a young Hippie, but it makes perfect sense to me now.

God bless and keep you, Professor Stephen Hobson. Your legacy, your teaching, lives on.

***

http://tinyurl.com/686z5yx

Reviews

“I stumbled upon Marvin’s blog clearly by accident and found his words to be like verbal magnets pulling me into this world he inhabits. It is a terrain full of wisdom, humor, homespun philosophy, good common sense, a poetic sensibility and uncommon spirituality. Reading this man’s work makes it easy to become a confirmed ‘Marvaholic!’”

-L.M. Ross, poet, and author of Manhood and The Moanin’ After

“Marvin Wilson’s award-winning Free Spirit blog not only surprises and shocks you; it tells it like it is, with a generous dollop of love.”

-Jean Henry Mead, author of A Village Shattered and Escape

“I can count on one of three things from my daily visit to Free Spirit … a smile, a feeling of spiritual growth or something to make me think deeply. Many days, they are all rolled into one.”

-Joyce A. Anthony, author of Storm

“It’s an adventure reading what Marvin Wilson writes on Free Spirit since you never know what to expect from him, other than something that will delight, amuse, enrich or inspire!”

-Connie Arnold, poet, and author of Beautiful Moments of Joy and Peace and Abiding Hope and Love



You can find Marvin’s book at the following stores:

Direct from publisher: https://www.createspace.com/3372206

On Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/6ewaypk

You an also follow Marvin’s Free Spirit blog url at: http://theoldsilly.com/


Thanks for stopping by Marvin and for giving us a chance to get to know you and your book.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

Today is Theodor Geisel’s birthday. However, for those who don't already know, he is better known as Dr. Seuss. I loved reading Dr. Seuss as a child. The Cat in the Hat was one of the first books I remember reading. I loved all the entertaining characters he came up with, The Star Bellied Sneetches, The Lorax, Thing1 and Thing 2, not to mention that he was the first one to draw a Nerd and coin the phrase.

As an adult and especially as a children’s book writer, I admire his tenacity. His first children’s book, And To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street, was rejected 27 times before it was published. I was quite a bit luckier with my first acceptance. The Soggy Town of Hilltop was the first of my books to receive a contract. It was only rejected 18 times by my records before it finally found a home with Guardian Angel Publishing. It is written in rhyme and I’ve been told that this book shows some Seussian influences. That may have contributed to my story’s success. I do have other work that’s coming close to exceeding Mr. Geisel’s record.

I also admire the fact that he continued to work at his day job in advertising while pursuing his writing career.  He didn’t discard writing and illustrating in favor of what was paying more money at the time. We are all better off for it.

I hold down a day job and struggle to find a way to keep writing despite the demands on my time. I lament how difficult this business is to begin with, and how the economy is just making it worse. But still I keep plugging away, without knowing if anything I do will ever bear fruit. When I look at the cold, hard facts with a rational eye, I’ve come to the conclusion that I must have rocks in my head.

Fortunately, I save rationality and cold, hard facts for my day job. I’m a writer and always have been. It’s what I do and it’s part of who I am. Luckily for me, giants have gone before me doing exactly what I am doing. It helps strengthen my resolve.

So, Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss.  May your books continue to delight and entertain children and adults alike, and may the struggles you faced continue to inspire writers everywhere.

Virtual Book Tour Guest - Darcia Helle

Hi All,


Today I am pleased to feature author Darcia Helle, who will be talking about her book, Beyond Salvation.

Beyond Salvation is a suspense novel written for adults. This is a departure from my usual topics which usually focus on the kid-lit world. But I think it always helps to change things up every now and then and hey, we adults could always use a good read too.

Darcia, what is this book about?

A teenage runaway disappears from the streets. The only people who care, or even notice, are her two best friends who are also runaways. For reasons of their own, they can't go to the police for help They seek out Michael Sykora, a software designer by day and hit man by night. Known on the streets as The Ghost, Michael has a reputation for taking on the twisted criminals. Rapists. Child molesters. He has never been hired to find the lost. Until now.

Michael teams up with ex-prostitute Nicki and full-time hit man Sean. Together they bend the rules of the justice system in order to find a young girl few people care about. In the process, they uncover a world where salvation comes with a price tag and God's words are used to incite fear in a congregation of believers.

What is the story behind the book?

Homelessness is a huge problem in the U.S. Every age range, from children to the very old, exist in a separate and hidden world on our streets. According to a study by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty approximately 3.5 million people, 1.35 million of them children, are likely to experience homelessness in a given year (National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, 2007).

In No Justice, the first book in my Michael Sykora series, two homeless teens made a brief appearance when they helped Nicki out of a difficult jam. I wanted to bring them back and let them tell their story. That’s when Sara popped into my head and led the way.

Sara is a teenage runaway, friends with the two boys, and missing. The problem with runaways is, when they disappear from the streets, no one but their few friends on those same streets notices. Often there is nowhere to turn for help. Michael Sykora works within that lost world and sets out to find Sara.

To be honest, when I began writing this book, I had no idea what had happened to Sara. I don’t outline and only began with that vague premise. As I explored the reasons behind Sara and her friends winding up on the streets, I was led to the few options they might have to reach out for help. Sadly, there will always be people who prey on those who are desperate. Cults are one of the biggest offenders, often masking themselves as Churches and various sanctuaries of hope. Sara stumbled upon one of these.

As I was writing this book, I wasn’t looking to give a lesson in morality or write a societal thesis. I simply wanted to give these lost people, the characters in my head, a voice. I hope that I achieved that and managed to entertain at the same time.

Thanks for stopping by Darcia, and giving us a chance to get to know you and your book. You can find out more about Darcia and her books by following the links below.

Darcia Helle gives voice to the characters trespassing through her mind. She currently has six books published, all variations of the suspense genre. Originally from Massachusetts, Darcia now writes in the sunshine of Florida.

You can find Darcia in the following places:

Website: http://www.darciahelle.com/

Blog: http://www.QuietFuryBooks.com/blog

Her Message Board: http://www.bestsellerbound.com/

Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/darciahelle

Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/darcia.helle

The Prose Shop is looking for new members

Hi All,

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. I’m still currently digging out from the holidays and from a snowstorm that dumped almost two feet of snow here in the NY City area last week. But things are slowly returning to normal, which means that I have no excuse for not writing and will now need to find some other reason to procrastinate. ;-) However, I digress… (I’m good at that)

The reason for this post is that one of my children’s book critique groups currently has openings. If any writers out there are looking for a critique group, please read below and email TheProseShop@comcast.net if you are interested.

The Prose Shop is a supportive community of people who write picture book manuscripts, as well as magazine stories for children up to 12 years of age. We are an established online critique group created in 2005 and have a mix of both published and unpublished writers. We are dedicated to helping each other to improve technique, become more confident and capable writers, discuss and share information, and get published.

The Prose Shop is organized via a message board. This has huge advantages over groups that use an e-mail system for submitting critiques. Here, members are able to view all critiques. This is where we work as a team. Members are encouraged to comment on critiques, thus bringing about general discussion and debate that is invaluable to the author.

There are only a few rules pertinent to our group. First, we critique at least one story for each story we post. That is a minimum. The more critiques you give, the more you will receive.
Second, we expect at least one critique every 30 days from each member, whether or not they post a story.

Third, to keep the group active and encourage writers to write, we require that you post a story at least every three months. Rewrites of previously posted material will be acceptable.

We are looking for writers who demonstrate a long-term commitment to writing. We would like to see applicants who have an inventory of several picture book manuscripts and/or magazine stories available for critique.

If you are interested in becoming a member, please email TheProseShop@comcast.net and we will send you an application.


Regards,

Kevin

http://www.kevinmcnamee.com/

Why I Don’t Have Time To Write

In honor of the holidays, I’d like to post something I wrote a few years ago. The hypothetical situations have changed a bit. My child’s a little older now. Things like dirty diapers would no longer apply. But I still can identify with the spirit of this piece though. I’m sure some of my fellow writers can too. Without further adieu, here’s …



Why I Don’t Have Time To Write

(Sung to the tune “Deck the Halls”)


Baby’s playing with paint thinner

Fa La La La La La La La La


Worked all day, now cooking dinner

Fa La La La La La La La La


Toilet’s backed up, what a mess

Fa La La La La La La La La


Daughter flushed her Christmas dress

Fa La La La La La La La La


Dirty diaper, really reeking

Fa La La La La La La La La


Sink and bathtub both are leaking

Fa La La La La La La La La


But bubble gum has many uses

Fa La La La La La La La La


At least I’ve written my excuses

Fa La La La La, La- La -La -La



May all of you have a safe, happy, wonderful, time this holiday season.


Peace,

Kevin

Introducing Shelby Patrick

In a brief departure from the children’s book genre, today I am pleased to be hosting Shelby Patrick who will be talking about her new book When Angels Sing.

Shelby, for starters, please tell us a little about yourself.


I’m a native of southeastern Michigan and I write fantasy, science fiction, and horror/thrillers. My first published fiction book is a short story collection entitled The Fear Within, which can be purchased via amazon.com or through my website at http://www.shelbypatrick.com/ (signed copies available). I have also has written two creative writing exercise books – Dark Recesses of the Mind and Forbidden Knowledge. Both non-fiction books can be purchased through amazon.com, lulu.com (as a download or print), or at my website. My first novel was just released in November 2010. It’s a thriller entitled When Angels Sing and can be purchased at http://www.4ublaze.com/ .


What is your writing process? When do you write? Any rituals?


I prefer writing under the cover of night. For some reason, my creative juices flow more freely when the sun sets. I find that I can concentrate on my scenes better if I listen to music – any kind from classical to rock and roll.


What is When Angels Sing about?


Blaze was the perfect man: sweet, charming, and 100% gentleman. There was only one catch. Jenna Michaels had never met him face to face. He was her Internet chat buddy. So when he invites her out to visit him, she jumps at the chance.
But he’s not anything like she expected, and even worse, he has no recollection of ever talking to her. She soon realizes she should have turned tail and ran home because her two weeks in Montana are about to be turned into a cat and mouse game as she is stalked through the streets of Stevensville by a psychotic killer.


What do you think is key to a compelling read? What makes a horror story “work?”


Every story should have good characterization, a strong plot, and well-written descriptions. But what sets the horror/thriller story apart from the rest is the element of suspense. It needs to keep the reader guessing and on the edge of their seats. It should also open with a strong beginning and close with a believable ending. Don’t disappoint the readers or they might not come back.


How would you describe your writing STYLE?


My style is a simple one. I don’t use long words and try to vary my sentence/paragraph lengths. I like to spend a lot of time in my character’s minds, so I do a lot of interior monologue. I don’t outline before I write a story. It comes to me as I write. I think of it as a movie I’m seeing for the first time. Even I don’t know how my stories will end until I’m ready to write the ending.


What are your future writing projects?


Behind the Masque, my second thriller novel, has just been sent to my editor. It should be ready sometime in 2011. I also have a fantasy (my favorite genre) novel in the wings and an erotic vampire tale. Right now, I’m working on a historical thriller set back in 1769 dealing with pirates on the high seas.



What do you do for fun when you’re not writing?

I like games, specifically video games and computer games. If I’m not writing, I can usually be found lost in the latest Role-Playing Game or First Person Shooter on my xbox, be up and about moving and shouting with my Wii, or concentrating on the next move in a computer game. I also spend time with my dog. She’s a Border Collie named Sheba.



Where can people go to learn more about your work?


My website is http://www.shelbypatrick.com/. I have a blog at http://www.writershideaway.blogspot.com/. You can join my mailing list for updates on me and my works or buy a signed copy of my books. I can also be reached at blackwidow@shelbypatrick.com .




Thanks for stopping by Shelby. Best of luck with your books.

Slush Pile Warrior - Michael Sullivan

Welcome to another edition of Slush Pile Warrior. This feature focuses on the trials and tribulations of pursuing publication for both the novice, and experienced writer alike. This month, it is my pleasure to feature the talented, Michael Sullivan.

Please tell us a little about yourself:

I’m the father of two beautiful boys, the husband of an amazingly creative and understanding wife, and someone who has been lucky enough to find love in his work – as a writer and as a pediatric nurse. It’s not every day you find jobs that make use of so many of the seemingly useless things you’ve done in life.
I’ve been writing since elementary school, when an English teacher made the mistake of putting out a stack of writing projects for extra credit. I think I ended up with an A++++++++++++ in her class. I still have those papers. I’m thinking of submitting them for publication under a pseudonym, but I’d be really embarrassed if the third grade me did professionally better than I am doing.

How many submissions do you have out there now?

Not enough.
I had probably 7 or 8 running around, doing their thing, but they’ve slowly been coming home lately. I’m finding more and more responses like “We are no longer accepting submissions, get an agent.” It may be me but I didn’t see this information in any of my research, which leads to your next question…


How do you research where to send your manuscripts?

I use CWIM and Jacket Flap and Writer’s Market. When I remember to I also like to jot down the publishers who’ve taken some of the stories I like to read to my children. If I feel the style or humor match with mine, I’ll do some more research on them. I’ve spent most of my time looking at book publishers, but I’m coming to realize that there’s a lot of things I’d like to write and it’d be good to have a wide and varied collection of clips. My nose gets too high, though, and all of a sudden I get this attitude that nothing but publication of a picture book will do. DON’T YOU KNOW WHO I AM?
And there’s the sound of crickets chirping because you don’t know who I am because I haven’t published very much because I’ve closed myself off from those markets because I fear that what I’ve written is really good and it may not get better and shouldn’t it therefore be in book form instead?
So maybe how I really research things is I sit at my desk and IMAGINE what it will be like when my piece is accepted. I research in my mind what it would feel like to sit in the publisher’s office with an illustrator and editor and my agent and masseuse. I research this feeling and take it out into a book signing attended by hundreds of adoring children. I slyly stand in the children’s section of Barnes & Noble, just nearby my book, waiting for someone to pick it up. I think up what all these moments would be like, and then place the stamp on the envelope and send it away.
I didn’t say this was a good method.


What was your biggest submission goof? What did you learn from it?

I tend to take on this very meek, “please publish me” persona at times. It’s really quite pitiful to look upon, I imagine. Eyes are probably drooping, shoulders slumped, a manuscript limp and torn in my hands. It makes me try even harder, which then just adds this look of intense anguish to my face. I mostly get this when I’m reaching too far beyond what’s in front of me. A very good friend – also a publisher – told me it’s all about numbers and credits. My biggest goof is forgetting that you have to start somewhere… and that’s not usually at the top!


Why do you want to be a writer?

Ha! Someone asked Stephen King something like this, I think. “Why do you write the kinds of stories you write?” His response was, “You think I have a choice?”
I am a writer would be my first response. Part of the angst of writing is forgetting that being read by others does not mean being a writer. When I’m miserable with my writing it’s usually because I’ve placed that condition on considering myself a writer. I’ll always lose that argument because there will always be rejection slips coming in. I feel like and know I am a writer when I’m sitting or laying down with a notebook in front of me and doodling. Or when I’m driving along and a thought for a story pops in my head. Or just typing away at this cool questionnaire. Words and sentences and the art of finagling them together so that you create “this” feeling, it’s addictive. And there’s just some part of me that can’t put that down, that needs to struggle to say something and say it perfectly.
Bottom line, I love it and always have. It’s who I am, not really what I am.


What is your favorite style of writing? Why?

Forward works well.
Seriously, I think that changes. I like a sense of ridiculousness or just oddness to my stories – like what would a boy do born with a leg on top of his head, for example. I don’t really know, never actually thought about it, but it’s something I’d flop around for awhile, just having fun seeing how he would interact with the world. So fantasy and fiction definitely. I also like things that are a bit scary, or, again, just odd enough that you’re not quite sure how scared to be. Whether this comes out in prose or poetry depends on what I hear. Mostly it’s been prose but occasionally a character let’s me know he thinks verse would sound better.


What is the most frustrating thing about being a writer?

Looking at my list of writing things to do, which I’ve posted right beside my computer. That’s one. Probably the worst is writing when there seems to be nothing to write about, when you sit there and start story after story, maybe only a sentence or two, and then move to the next. It’s like no one wants to talk to you anymore, or at least no one interesting.


What is the most rewarding thing about being a writer?

Huh. I feel connected to the world in a way I don’t normally feel. It’s an incredibly freeing thing. Regardless of what I’m writing I also get this sense, perhaps soon or perhaps long, after I’ve finished that I’m also doing something wonderful for myself. It could be as big as tackling something like, “Why am I here?” When I write and what I say is so alive I’m inside it, then I have part of the answer or maybe all of the answer to that question. Or it could be smaller like, “I wanted to give someone a serious case of the willies with this story and I succeeded.” Feeling like what I wrote accomplished what I wanted it to is very rewarding.


What is the most important thing you’ve learned about writing?

It’s more than I ever thought it was. It heals on levels beyond what I can understand.
Also, you can’t do it alone. Or, better, that you don’t have to. I’ve learned more about writing through participation in my critique groups than I ever did from reading a book about writing. When you have a group of strong, honest writers working with you it can transform your work into something leagues better than what you imagined.


Have you been published? If so where?

I spent about 5 years as a fulltime reporter and editor in the New York area, working for several newspapers and then for a magazine. While doing this I also freelanced and had a few humor pieces picked up by Bridal Guide Magazine. I converted to the children’s market 5 years ago, while at the same time having a few kids and going to nursing school. I’m extremely happy to say I recently sold several pieces to a spooky anthology due out from Marshall Cavendish in 2010.


How can people find out more about you?

I finally got a website up and running. It’s at http://msullivantales.com/.
Besides the writing, I put some video up there of my wife and I making fools of ourselves at our son’s school. We actually did that professionally for about 10 years. She doesn’t know it yet, but I’m going to sneak in some more gigs.
I also have a blog at http://msullivantales.wordpress.com/. The blog contains the amazing, the wonderful, the mostly pointless fun of THE BLOB CONTEST! Please come check it out.


Is there anything else that you would like to share?

This peanut butter cookie is pretty good, but my Wonkavision machine is broken. Sorry.

I would like to share a big thank you to you, Kevin! You’re an amazing, gifted and giving writer. Your dedication to the craft is admirable and I’m glad it’s paying off.

Thanks for stopping by Mike. Great interview, it's always fun to hear your humorous and unique perspective on things. Best of luck to you in your writing career.

Slush Pile Warrior - Charlene Haukom

Slush Pile Warrior - Charlene Haukom

Welcome to another edition of Slush Pile Warrior. This feature strives to highlight the trials and tribulations of pursuing publication. This month, I am delighted to present Charlene Haukom.

Charlene, please tell us a little a little about yourself:

I was lucky enough to have a great teacher in high school that encouraged me to take an advanced writing course. I’ve been writing ever since. I had another great English teacher in college who told me she’d see my name in print some day – she was right. Soon after she made that comment, I was published in the school newspaper and then the literary magazine. Fueled by my early publishing success, I majored in Mass Communications with a Concentration in Journalism (not knowing of any other kind of “writing” degree), though I preferred writing literary fiction over news reports. Over time I was drawn more and more to children’s writing, and here I am 9 ½ years later still trying to break in!

How many submissions do you have out there now?

Hehehe. Believe it or not, I only have two picture book manuscripts out right now. After a recent round of rejection, rejection, rejection, I started putting everything back in the file cabinet rather than sending them out again. While I’ve definitely developed a thicker skin, it still hurts to get the famous “not right for us” letters. When I find myself hitting a wall over and over again, it’s time for a change of pace. Right now I’m sitting on my rejected picture book ms’ and focusing on a mid-grade novel. It’s baseball season, after all, and that’s when Jake (the MC) likes to come out to play.

How do you research where to send your manuscripts?

I like to target where I send my manuscripts (to cut down on those letters mentioned above). I start with the basics, CWIM, the online version of Writer’s Market, the book and magazine market books that ICL puts out, etc. When I find editors or agents that I think might be a good fit, I search the net for anything and everything I can find on those people and rule out those that I think aren’t the best matches. At this point, my head is usually spinning, so I stop searching and just monitor some of the major boards (blue, of course)/blogs/interviews and bide my time. Sooner or later, someone I’m interested in will show up at a conference nearby. Then I beg and plead my family to let me go, which of course they always do because they’re super-supportive and wonderful. Even so, conferences are expensive, so I don’t get to go all that often. If I’m lucky, more than one of the people I’m interested will be speaking at the conference I’ve chosen. If I’m luckier, one of them will spark enough interest to pursue. Once upon a time, I was great at rationalizing and twisting and doing whatever was necessary to convince myself that so and so was a great fit. Eventually I realized that all that did was waste their time, my time, and earn me one of those dreaded letters! Now I only send to people that I’m convinced are a good match, and I usually send it exclusively out of respect - is it any wonder I only have two subs out right now?

What was your biggest submission goof? What did you learn from it?

Hahaha! LOL. Oh, dare I say? My very first submission broke every rule in the book, I think. Let me just remind everyone that I’ve been doing this for nearly a decade, so it was a LONG time ago. This was before I joined SCBWI, and before I even joined a critique group. TWO VERY BIG NO-NO’s for any newbies out there that might be reading this. So let’s see, after doing my homework and researching (or so I thought), I sent off my delightfully long and charming cover letter with RHYMING picture book manuscript enclosed. The manuscript that I proudly co-wrote with my 2-year old daughter, and didn’t mind saying so (still don’t, by the way). The manuscript that contained…oh no, say it isn’t so!...a stick figure drawing in the corner because that stick figure is what made the book so darn funny! While it’s true the stick figure is quite funny, I must admit I’m not a trained illustrator. And I’m not a poet, either. And yes, I do know that this paragraph is riddled with sentence fragments.

So what did I learn from this shameful experience? I learned how to be very, VERY embarrassed. LOL. No, seriously, I learned a lot. While I waited for a response (yes, a “not right for us” letter), I kept reading and researching. I joined SCBWI and a critique group, and very quickly learned about the very big mistake I had just made. I quit sending out manuscripts and just focused on learning more about children’s writing and improving as much as I could. I also learned to be very sympathetic toward editors and agents. They get hundreds of submissions like my first one EVERY WEEK, and yet they’re still in the business!

Why do you want to be a writer?

LOL! This is fun. I sure have laughed a lot today. While many, many inappropriate and sarcastic thoughts come to mind, I can’t think of anything to say here. I don’t know. There’s something magical about books, and especially children’s books. When you walk into a bookstore, you feel it. You’re surrounded by magic and your nerve endings start to tingle as you decide where you’re going to look first. Do you let your fingers brush lightly across the beautiful, satiny images bursting out of picture books? Or do you go to mass-market paperbacks and read the tantalizing description on the back to see if it’s going to draw you in? Hmmm…I think I need to go shopping now! It’s been too long since I’ve been in a bookstore!

What is your favorite style of writing? Why?

Oh, I like everything. I don’t know that I can answer this question. OK, I got one. No two. These are things I DON’T like, since I really do like pretty much everything. I don’t like MG/YA that tries too hard to be current. Like when they use BFF every other sentence because that’s what people are saying now. Who knows what people will be saying in the future? I prefer things to be more timeless. I’m also not wild about present tense writing. It seems unnatural to me. Just a personal preference, folks; I know it’s very popular.

What is the most frustrating thing about being a writer?

“Though your project sounds interesting, I don’t feel it’s quite right for our list.”

What is the most rewarding thing about being a writer?

“By Charlene Haukom”

No, no, just kidding. The most rewarding thing so far is something my daughter did recently. She pulled out one of my picture book manuscripts (one of the ones parked in the file cabinet) and read through it. I didn’t know what she was doing until she went over to the table and asked me what “level” of book she just read. Then it occurred to me what she was doing – her reading homework! She’s supposed to read every day and fill out a log that includes title, reading level, and time spent reading. I was so honored that my daughter considers my manuscripts “real books”. Hopefully someday I’ll be able to convince someone else of that!


What is the most important thing you’ve learned about writing?

How to overcome obstacles one small step at a time.


Have you been published? If so where?

Yes, I was a content writer for http://www.preschoolrock.com/ where I published over 65 games, articles, and book reviews. I’m also a freelance writer for The Community Voice, a local newspaper.


How can people find out more about you? (website, etc.)

My website is currently under construction and will eventually be http://www.charlenehaukom.com/, but for now, the only place to learn about me is through these wonderful interviews and by reading the Internet articles I’ve written.


Is there anything else that you would like to share?

Thanks for this opportunity. I’ve had a lot of fun answering your questions. For any other slush pile warriors out there who haven’t joined SCBWI or a critique group, DO SO NOW!

Thanks for stopping by Charlene. That was a great interview.

Writing Assignment from my Wife

My daughter Jennifer recently celebrated her 4th birthday. We had a party for her at our local Pizza and Brew and took over an entire back room. We had it there because we couldn't get the date and time we wanted anywhere else. But it was a pretty good place. The food was good, the price reasonable, and the service was great. But I digress...I'm good at that.

One of the games we played was the Left and Right Game. This game is played at the table and consists of passing an object to the person next to you. Someone reads a story and when you hear the word "Left", you pass the item to the person on the left. When you hear the word "Right", you pass it to the person on the right. Whoever is holding the object when the story is finished wins a prize. Being that I'm the writer in the family, it fell upon me to come up with a customized version of this game. This is what I came up with.

Left and Right Game

When Jennifer was born, right away we were left with a feeling that she must have been left here by angels. Pretty soon we knew we were right. Right from the start, she was an adorable baby. Even though she had jaundice and had to be left under lights in the hospital nursery, she took things right in stride. She was left laying on her back, but she put her left hand under her head, and crossed her left leg and left laying there like that, she looked like she was sunning herself.

Right after we left the hospital, Jennifer continued to work her way right into our hearts. We were always left wondering how we managed to be left with such a bright, personable child. She always said things that left us laughing. She was always able to understand new things right away and when she contradicted us about something, she was usually right.

Right now, Jennifer is four years old and every Saturday morning she heads right for dance school. One of the first things that they taught her is her right from her left. Many of the other children in her class know their left foot from their right foot. But sometimes they make a mistake and confuse their left with their right and their right with their left, not realizing that their left is their left and their left is not their right, but that their right is their right and their left is their left. But then they figure out the right moves and use their right as their right and their left as their left and not their right as their left or their left as their right. You’re left feeling happy for these children because of the smiles left on their faces because they’ve figured out their left from their right and are finally using their left as their left and not their left as their right.

But right when you think there is nothing left to learn, the instructors right at the dance school will use whatever time is left to move the older children right in front to lead the other children left behind in marching in straight line. This is a little more complicated because in addition to using their left and right feet, they are also using their right and left hands, often holding them out right in front of them as they march. Sometimes an older child will be placed right in the back of the line to make sure that the younger kids aren’t left out of the formation and that no child is left behind. But sometimes the additional use of their left and right hands as well as their right and left feet will confuse the younger children left behind and they will start using their left as their right again instead of their left as their left. But in the time they have left, they will figure out that their left is their left again.

But as cute as all of these children might be as they learn their left from their right and their right from their left, I think there is one child left standing out as the cutest one of them all. If you think her name is Jennifer, you would be right.

Actually it worked out fairly well. The adults liked it as well as the children. My father-in-law wound up winning the prize (a $10 gift card). Of course, this puts pressure on me to come up with something better next year. :-)