Let's Talk About Authors As Rock Stars

..... over at the YA Misfits blog.

I'm talking about why authors are gods in the eyes of readers and writers, but maybe not everyone else.

Also, there are GIFs.

Click here to check it out!

Happy Book Birthday to BEHIND THE SCENES by Dahlia Adler!

You guys! It's finally happening! The book I've blogged, tweeted and GIF'd my excitement about for months is at last out in the world! HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY, BEHIND THE SCENES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

High school senior Ally Duncan's best friend may be the Vanessa Park - star of TV's hottest new teen drama - but Ally's not interested in following in her BFF's Hollywood footsteps. In fact, the only thing Ally's ever really wanted is to go to Columbia and study abroad in Paris. But when her father's mounting medical bills threaten to stop her dream in its tracks, Ally nabs a position as Van's on-set assistant to get the cash she needs. 

Spending the extra time with Van turns out to be fun, and getting to know her sexy co-star Liam is an added bonus. But when the actors' publicist arranges for Van and Liam to "date" for the tabloids just after he and Ally share their first kiss, Ally will have to decide exactly what role she's capable of playing in their world of make believe. If she can't play by Hollywood's rules, she may lose her best friend, her dream future, and her first shot at love.

....And a huge congratulations to its fabulous author, Dahlia Adler! (And if you haven't already, click the link to purchase, because you're missing out if you don't!)

In honor of BtS's release day, I'm offering a little glimpse "behind the scenes" into my own writerly life.

Most of you know my own novel, LAST YEAR'S MISTAKE, comes out next summer. I'd love to show you a picture of my office and tell you it's "where the magic happened," but alas, the first draft of LYM was complete long before I moved to my house in Georgia. So.....

That's a picture of a fountain pen, very apropos for a writing cave!

My desk, which is supposed to have a corkboard above it, but doesn't
because I can't find one I like.

The obligatory bookshelf, complete with the stereo my husband gave me
in the 1990's, when he was my boyfriend and we were our own YA novel.

..... here is where the magic did NOT happen.

Unless you count revisions, which we probably should, since this office *is* where I took the "finished" ms from 64,000 words to 72,000. Curious to know what that looks like?

Well, it's a little something like this:

Normally I'm not nearly as organized about revising. I scribble down some notes on a sheet of paper, and cross them off as I address them. But as it turns out, realizing you need to rearrange chapters in the first half of the novel in order to address your editor's wish list  is a little more daunting than just revising from beta notes.

So this time, I was all about color-coded note cards (blue for Present chapters, white for Past). I paper-clipped them to their respective sections of the novel and laid them out on the floor so I could keep the timeline straight, and see the main points of each chapter at a glance. It was a HUGE help.

Especially since I can only work on my writing when this little guy naps:

Nap?! How can I nap when soon I'll be
holding the BOOK instead of the postcard?
FIST PUMP!

So there you have it - a little peek behind the scenes at how and where I revised LAST YEAR'S MISTAKE. It's also where I finished (but not started) BUSTED, where I'm currently turning my novella, JESSE'S GIRL into a full-length novel, and where I'll be revising SHADOW PARK.

And now I'd like to offer I'd like to offer a way less boring look behind the scenes - the actual book. One random commentor will win a copy of BEHIND THE SCENES courtesy of moi! 

For everyone else here's where you can go to get it:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Scenes-Dahlia-Adler/dp/1939392977

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/behind-the-scenes-phoebe-adler/1104516606

The Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/Behind-Scenes-Dahlia-Adler/9781939392978

Indiebound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781939392978

CONGRATULATIONS, DAHLIA!!!

Kickass Queries Series! # 11 - Caitlin Sinead

Well hello there!

It's been a while since I've been able to get around to posting, but never fear - I'm back, and I have another installment of the Kickass Queries Series for you!

Today we're talking with Caitlin Sinead about the query that scored rep from Andrea Somberg at Harvey Klinger, Inc. - and who recently sold the novel, LOVE, AND OTHER EPIDEMICS, to Carina Press for publication in 2015! Congrats, Caitlin!

Caitlin's Query:

Even as a senior in college, Quinn is not so good at understanding the difference between bacteria and viruses or explaining to smitten men that she’d really just prefer a dash of random hookups.

Quinn is good at other things. Like drinking wine in the Virginia college town’s civil war graveyard and crafting plucky modern dance routines. But these skills aren’t exactly useful when she wakes up one morning with purple eyes.

They don’t hurt. In fact, the condition seems to spur speedy healing. After a religious group attacks her—the eyes are evil, obviously—her bloody coughs and broken arms become mere memories within hours. However, as more students’ eyes shift to purple, the violence increases. It becomes painfully clear that the healing disease can’t save you from a five-story fall. Or decapitation.

Thing is, the religious group isn't responsible for the rash of killings. A small town plus an unknown serial killer is bad, but it gets worse when a quarantine is added to the equation. Once there is no escape, Quinn realizes she can’t rely on “smarter people” to save her and her friends.

Fortunately, she has a theory. She just needs proof, which demands that she study scientific terminology and hone her deductive reasoning skills. And she will also have to try to work with the local cops. Even if the young lead detective just so happens to be one of those aforementioned smitten men.

G: How many manuscripts did you query prior to signing with your agent?

C: This was my second manuscript

G: How long did it take to write your query, and what things/steps do you think were most important to make it agent-ready?

C: Warning: this is going to be a frustrating answer….

For my first manuscript, I took weeks upon weeks and hours upon hours crafting the query.

For this one, I was in a Writeoncon forum getting feedback on the first pages. I had a strong draft of the book, but it wasn’t even ready for CPs, so I hadn’t started with query writing. However, another writer wanted to know more about the book. So I whipped together a query in about an hour and posted it for her.  I got a few bits of minor feedback and tweaked it slightly….and then a ninja agent came by and asked to see the MS when it was ready!

After doing a happy dance, I did, in fact, slam my forehead into the keyboard. (Okay, not literally.) I spent about an hour on a query and got a request.

Even though it was successful practically right off the bat, I did make a few additional improvements, but it was nothing like my first query, which I constantly overhauled. In fact, I probably spent more than thirty hours writing and rewriting. In the end, it got me seven requests. This one, which all-in-all I probably spent less than five hours on, got me sixteen requests.

I think I needed to spend thirty hours on the first one though to get the knack for query writing. And, when it comes down to it, I guess my second book could have just been a stronger, more enticing story. 

G: Tell us about your query style – do you approach your entire list of prospectives at once, or query in small batches and revise in between?

C: I was sort of addicted to querying. J

I told myself to just query a few at first to make sure it worked. But every day I got excited and sent out a few more anyway. When I got a rejection, I wanted to jump right back in and send it to someone else! And when I got a request, I gained more confidence in the project and query and wanted to send it to more agents! And when I clicked the refresh on my email and it was empty, I wanted to be productive instead of impatient, so I sent out more queries!

So, basically, I probably spent a couple of weeks just sending out a few each day. (Though that wasn’t so much the “plan” as it was just me not being able to help myself.)

G: Now the fun part – what was “the call” like? How did you know your agent was the right person to represent your project?

C: It was surreal. Honestly, if she hadn’t kept mentioning the characters in my book and specific plot points, I would have been fairly certain there had to have been some kind of mix up. She gushed about what a great writer I was and how much she loved the characters and even told me that she canceled going out for drinks because she was so caught up in the book. …My book!

It was definitely one of my most fun moments in the publishing process so far. J

I knew she was the right person because of her enthusiasm but also because of her vision for the project. She wanted me to make a lot of changes. Instead of that scaring me, I felt that she was contributing valuable input to help the book be even stronger, and I saw it as evidence that she must really like it if she was willing to put so much additional effort into it. 

G: If you could give one piece of advice to authors seeking publication, what would it be?

C: Enjoy the process.

I know this is going to sound a little crazy, but I actually sort of miss querying. There was such camaraderie among writers. We were all in the trenches together, supporting each other through rejections and cheering each other on when we got requests. And it was neat to get that fun feeling every time my email dinged knowing it might be a request or an agent offering personal feedback or…an offer!

Obviously, I’m thrilled to have an agent and now a publishing deal and I’m loving the new steps involved. (And will definitely continue to need support from the writing community through the ups and downs.) But querying was a cool experience too.  So, have fun with it as much as you can; enjoy the process and not just the end results. 

Thanks for you honest and enthusiastic answers, Caitlin! Wishing you the best of luck with EPIDEMICS and all your future endeavors!

Caitlin Sinead earned a master’s degree in writing from Johns Hopkins University. Her story “A New Life at 30” was shortlisted in the 2012 Writers & Artists Short Story Competition. Her writing has appeared (or is forthcoming) in multiple publications including The Alarmist, The Binnacle, The Idiom, Jersey Devil Press, Northern Virginia Magazine, and On Tap. You can find her on Twitter, @CaitlinSineadJ, or on her website, http://www.caitlinsinead.com/

Kickass Queries Series! # 10 - Sharon Biggs Waller

Hey all!

Welcome to the 10th(!!) installment of the Kickass Queries Series! Today, my agency sister, author of A MAD, WICKED FOLLY, and all-around lovely person, Sharon Biggs Waller is here to share the query that helped land our agent, John M. Cusick at Greenhouse Literary!

And, if you haven't heard, Sharon just sold a second novel to Leila Sales at Viking!

Go track her down on Twitter and say congratulations!

Sharon's Query:

I’m writing to seek representation for my 95,000 word YA historical. A Mad, Wicked Folly is a tale of classic teen rebellion, with a twist: the rebellious teenager becomes a suffragette. 

London,1909. When 17-year-old Victoria Darling poses nude for a forbidden art class, she gets dismissed from her posh French boarding school. Her humiliated parents decide to tame their willful daughter by removing what got her into trouble, her beloved art. Vicky is devastated to lose her dream of becoming an artist, but sees a glimmer of hope when her parents arrange a marriage to Edmund Carrick-Humphrey, a wealthy young man.  Marrying Edmund means she can go to her dream school, London’s Royal College of Art; but more importantly, she can finally break free from her father’s control. 

Vicky feels her life is set until she meets a group of militant suffragettes and a handsome young police constable, William Fletcher, who is sympathetic to their cause. When Vicky mistakenly gets arrested in a suffragette riot, she falls into a world where women are willing to sacrifice everything to win the right to vote. Vicky meets fellow artist and American suffragette Lucy Hawkins. Lucy is the woman Vicky wants to become—independent, with a life she’s created. 

Will Vicky decide whether to step out into an unknown world where her opinions and individuality matter or stay in a place where she feels safe but her voice is never heard?

A Mad, Wicked Folly looks into an era that has made such a great impact on women’s lives today. The story is filled with the luxury of Edwardian fashion, the exotic world of Pre-Raphaelite art, the delicious taste of forbidden love, and the bravery of young women during the birth of women’s rights. 

G: How many manuscripts did you query prior to signing with your agent?

S: I’ve been writing fiction since the early 90s so I have a few novels under my bed, which is where they should stay! I think the count is around four, not including A MAD, WICKED FOLLY.

G: How long did it take to write your query, and what things/steps do you think were most important to make it agent-ready?

S: I wrote so many versions!  I actually took a Writer’s Digest webinar on writing queries, which included a free critique.  I also worked with a freelance editor to get it honed perfectly.  The query is so important to get right and you really have to do your homework.  It’s probably the most important thing you’ll ever write because it represents you as a writer and your story. So for me, spending some money and taking extra time was important.  I was a full-time writer in the magazine and non-fiction book world so I was no stranger to queries.  Still, I wanted that extra help, and it certainly paid off.  I’m a dressage rider and when I was training full-time I took a lesson with a top coach once a week.  It was so important for me to have that coaching to help hone my skills and point out problems, so I applied the same theory to writing. 
 G: Tell us about your query style – do you approach your entire list of prospectives at once, or query in small batches and revise in between?

S: Small batches.  I try to make sure my story is very solid before I send it out but I might tweak it here and there based on a comment from an agent.  For instance, I decided to rework the beginning because Vicky’s personality wasn’t shining through enough.  I was getting that “not drawn to the character enough” comment.  Then I realized that I had omitted the inciting incident and was just using it as a short flashback.  I wrote it out as a scene, which really showcased Vicky’s strengths and weaknesses, and once I did that I started getting requests for full manuscripts. 

G: Now the fun part – what was “the call” like? How did you know your agent was the right person to represent your project?

S: Actually I almost didn’t query John! I had been following him on Twitter for a long time and I had read his novel GIRL PARTS.  I didn’t think my writing was good enough to submit to him and I wasn’t sure a guy would relate to my story.  But late one evening I was scrolling through my Twitter feed and saw that John had mentioned wanting a Downton Abbey type YA.  So I thought, this is a sign!  I asked him if I could submit and he sent me the link. At the time, John’s query process was a bit different.  You filled out an online form, so I had to deconstruct my query and answer a few extra questions.  I actually liked that a lot because I had a chance to pitch my story in a more in-depth way. 

I filled out the online form on Friday, he read it on Monday, and signed me on Tuesday!  It was really fun because he was sort of live tweeting how much he loved this particular story.  I didn’t think it was mine, but when he started following me on Twitter and then emailed to ask if we could talk, I realized he had been talking about me. 

I was so, so nervous before our phone call.  I get really chatty and kind of breathless on the phone when I’m nervous so I was worried I would sound like a moron, but John was so kind and so complimentary that he really put me at ease.  He did most of the talking so I didn’t have to say much, thankfully!  I decided right then that John was the agent for me, so the next morning I wrote rejection letters to the six agents that were considering my novel still (which was so surreal!).  And then John sold FOLLY to Leila Sales at Viking three months later. 

G: Confession: I almost didn't query John, either. Oops! Last question: If you could give one piece of advice to authors seeking publication, what would it be?

S: Make sure you are absolutely ready before you start querying.  It’s hard to know if your manuscript is ready on your own, so I recommend sending it to a freelance editor.  It will cost about $600, depending on your word count, but it’s money well spent.  After all, you are asking the publisher to invest a significant amount of money on your book before they even see a dime of that money, so a little investment on your part is worth it.  By all means, go through your critique partners first, but you really need that professional coach who does not know you and isn’t afraid to tell you the truth.  A bonus to using a freelance editor is that many of them know agents and will often recommend one to you.  It’s a foot in the door.  And find an editor who comes recommended and has been in the industry for a while.

Take rejection on the chin. Everyone gets rejected, and yes, it does sting and it will always sting.  That’s just the nature of this crazy business.  And this is a business.  People must make money and if the market isn’t buying historicals or dystopians, or what have you, right now, wait a little while to submit that story until the market eases a little.  Or try to make yours stand out above the crowd.  Above all, do not reply to rejections.  Try to learn from them, even if you don’t agree.  Maybe you can tweak something and make it even better than it was. Grouse to your friends and family if you must, but never ever make it public.  

Shivers….

Oops, that was two pieces of advice.  : ) 

Thank you for stopping by, and for sharing your work and your insight with us, Sharon! Best of luck with FOLLY, your new deal, and all your writing endeavors!

Sharon lived in the UK for six years, after meeting her own British constable beau and marrying him. She did extensive research on the British suffragettes with the help of the curators of the London Museum—when she wasn’t at her day job as a riding instructor at the Royal Mews in Buckingham Palace. She has three non-fiction books published under her maiden name, Sharon Biggs. You can find her online on Twitter, @sbiggswaller, and at her website, http://sharonbiggswaller.com/ .

LAST YEAR'S MISTAKE: A Guided Tour

Good Morning, All!

So ever since I announced my book deal, I've been getting this question a lot:

"What is your book about?"

For some reason, I find this to be a very difficult question to answer. I'm always afraid I'm going to say something stupid. Or worse, make my story sound stupid.

I promise, it's nothing close to stupid. But this is why I write - because when I'm asked to say things without the help of a backspace key, I'm exponentially more moronic.

So today I thought I'd put together a little show-and-tell combo that would answer this question for me, and hopefully explain why I love this story so much, and why I hope you'll love it, too.

Here goes:

LAST YEAR'S MISTAKE is a book about Kelsey, 

Isn't she love-lyyyy? 

who lived in a small town in Connecticut called Norwood (which doesn't really exist.) The house Kelsey grew up in looked something like this:

A small, boxy split level like all the other homes in her neighborhood. This house, BTW, really *does* exist. And I used to live in it.

Kelsey much prefers the surroundings of her yearly vacations at her uncle's summer home in Newport, Rhode Island, where the houses look like this:

Okay, so maybe these are not actual homes, but some of the preserved Gilded Age mansions that overlook the beach. Still, Newport has a ton to offer compared to Kelsey's hometown, and it also happens to be the place where she meets her best friend the summer before high school starts.

Everyone, say hello to David.

Anyone else hear Pony by Ginuwine playing in their head
right about now? No? So it's just me, then...

As it turns out, not only does David's grandfather own the house next door to the one Kelsey's family vacations in each summer, he is in the process of moving to Kelsey's hometown in CT. The two of them become fast friends, inseparable in either Connecticut or Rhode Island.

Unfortunately, life is about to throw Kelsey some curve balls in the form of old friendships unraveling, health scares, bullying, and worst of all, David turning his attention to Kelsey's sworn enemy, Isabel.

Aren't flawlessly beautiful brunettes just
the most disgusting thing ever?

When Kelsey's father is offered a job just outside of Newport, Rhode Island, she's convinced there's no reason for her to ever want to stay in Connecticut - until the night before she's ready to leave it all behind, and David confesses his love for her.

Furious that David would turn her whole world upside down when she's on the brink of a fresh start - and even more furious at what she sees later that same night - Kelsey runs off. And doesn't look back.

Fast forward to a year later, when Kelsey is living in Rhode Island. She's succeeded in shedding her old life for new friends, a new look, and even a yummy new boyfriend named Ryan:

Someone please tell me they feel
the need to bust out with their best Leighton Meester
impression of Good Girls Go Bad right now.

So imagine Kelsey's surprise when, on the first day of senior year, a piece of her past shows up in the hall at school - David.

Now Kelsey is forced to face the past she thought she wanted to forget, and the reality that her new life may not be as perfect as she once thought. She'll have to decide what's more important - the life she thinks she loves, or the boy who never stopped loving her.

And that's it in a nutshell.

Liked the sound of it? Feel free to add it to your shelf on Goodreads!

Kickass Queries Series! # 9 - Michelle Modesto

Good Morning!

Today we have a double feature of sorts for the Kickass Queries Series. My agent sister, Michelle Modesto, is here - and over at the YA Misfits blog - talking about her novel, MACHINE AND THE WILD, which debuts with Balzer + Bray in 2016.

Michelle's deal was announced the same week as mine, and if you're looking for a 2016 book to be excited about, look no further. Here's why:

Michelle's Query:

It's been several years since seventeen-year-old Westie lost her family and her arm to cannibals while traveling west on the wagon trail, yet the memory still haunts her.

She's on a downward spiral, spending her time in saloons, preferring the warmth of whiskey to the cold hands of everyday life. It's only when fate brings those cannibals to Rogue City where she lives with a brilliant inventor and a band of misfits, she discovers her will to live again. She trades booze and gambling for a stronger drug: vengeance. 

Now, with a powerful mechanical arm, there's nothing to stop her except maybe her own reckless ways. If she’s not careful, the revenge she seeks for those she lost years ago could cost her the family she has now.

G: How many manuscripts did you query prior to signing with your agent?

M: I’d written four other novels, but only queried one other MS prior to Machine and the Wild. The others were more like practice books, a way to strengthen my craft. So, in other words, they sucked.

G: How long did it take to write your query, and what things/steps do you think were most important to make it agent-ready?

M: I started writing my query letter when I started writing the book and it changed as the book changed. Overall, I think it took about six months. When I was done I entered it into a query contest on Twitter where I was able to get it critiqued. That was so much help. I recommend Twitter contests to everyone.

G: Tell us about your query style – do you approach your entire list of prospectives at once, or query in small batches and revise in between?

M: I always queried in small batches, about five at a time. Keeps things clean and focused.

G: Now the fun part – what was “the call” like? How did you know your agent was the right person to represent your project?

M: Yay! This really is the fun part. So, we all have that dream agent, right? The one we’ve had our eye on for some time. John M. Cusick was that agent. It happened after I read Girl Parts a few years ago. That book was weird and wonderful and one of my all-time fave YA novels. When I got the idea for Machine and the Wild, he was the first agent I knew for sure I wanted to work with.

The “call” was equal amounts of excitement and terror. Here was my dream agent and he was interested in my book. I kept thinking, he likes my book, this is awesome, I’ve got this. Then when my phone rang I totally panicked, like, oh my dog this is really happening, what did I get myself into? I felt like an imposter and that somehow he’d made a mistake. But he loved my book and was a super chill dude, easy to talk to. When we started talking about changes for the book and I saw our visions for it align, it was pencils down, the search was over.  

G: If you could give one piece of advice to authors seeking publication, what would it be?

M: My advice for authors seeking publication is, get on Twitter and follow agents and editors. They are always tweeting their wish lists and other helpful advice.

Thanks, Michelle! To learn more about MACHINE AND THE WILD, head over to today's YA Misfits post and check out our interview!

Kickass Queries Series! # 8 - Summer Heacock

Hey Peeps!

We're back with another edition of the Kickass Queries Series! This time, Summer Heacock (who you might recognize as @Fizzygrrl from Twitter) is sharing the query that won her offer of rep from Sarah LaPolla with Bradford Literary!

Summer's Query:

I am seeking representation for WITH A SHAKE OF HER HAIR, a women’s fiction manuscript complete at 81,000 words.

Ellie Donahue is drowning in Suburbia.  She is driving a beige mini-van and wondering where the twenty-year-old version of herself disappeared to.   The version that didn’t give a crap about high-fructose corn syrup and thought ramen noodles and beer was a balanced dinner.

Stuck in a predictable rut of routine Sunday night sex and Thursday night chicken, Ellie’s biggest concerns are running into meddlesome Sancti-mommies at the grocery store, or being forced by her nudist mother-in-law to listen to an AC/DC cover by her band, ‘The Noody Blues’ and trying to ignore the fact that they are indeed naked while singing it.

When confronted by her husband's infidelity with a coworker, Ellie is forced out of her rut and into a reality where she is torn between the temptation of an affair of her own with her daughter's delicious soccer coach or fighting for her rapidly crumbling marriage. With her life upside down, Ellie struggles to determine her next step, and finds herself longing for the predictability of Thursday night chicken.

G: How many manuscripts did you query prior to signing with your agent?

S: I queried three manuscripts before signing with my agent. Oddly enough, the MS I was signed with was the first MS I’d ever queried. It had been sitting all lonely on my laptop for a few years when I dusted it off, revised a bit, and ran with it.

G: How long did it take to write your query, and what things/steps do you think were most important to make it agent-ready?

S: My first query? Like, fifteen minutes because I was an actual idiot and had no idea what I was doing. My functional query that worked years later? I’m not entirely sure. I’d gone through maybe a dozen drafts of that query before I landed on what I thought would work.

When I look back on how this last version came about, the most important things to me were research and CPs. I spent a lot of time searching through “How To” query sites, and sent a loooot of variations to fellow queriers.

I can’t say it enough, in writing, you need people who will be honest with you. Someone who will tell you what is good, but also when you suck.

G: Tell us about your query style – do you approach your entire list of prospectives at once, or query in small batches and revise in between?

S: I like to think of my querying self as two different people. There was early on, excitable puppy Summer who wanted to get her book out into the world, and four years later Summer who, as such, did not have her head lodged securely up her ‘tocks.

I find that going in small batches works best. Especially at first. If you have a fairly high request rate, carry on. If you aren’t getting requests, revise.

I’ve done the “all in” all at once thing, and it was not what I would call my best choice.

G: Now the fun part – what was “the call” like? How did you know your agent was the right person to represent your project?

S: I’d had a list of agents that had my work at the time, and I knew I was getting close to The Call. I had my favorites, ones that I would have sold a kidney to get an offer from. I was doing R&R’s for seven of them by the end.

But I swooned for Sarah when she sent me her notes requesting an R&R. I quite literally bounced up and down squealing as I read those notes. “OH MY GOSH SHE GETS MEEEEEEEEE!” is what my poor husband heard from across the house.

When we had The Call, I was already pretty smitten kitten for her. I tried to play it all cool like, “Thank you, this is wonderful. I’ll have my answer to you in 24 hours.”

Exactly 26 minutes later I called her back and accepted. Because I am a smooth mofo.

G: If you could give one piece of advice to authors seeking publication, what would it be?

S: Wear a helmet.

Okay, perhaps something a little less ominous.

Surround yourself with people who are doing what you do, either in real life or online. Going through the fresh hell that is the road to publishing sucks a lot less when someone is walking that brimstone sidewalk with you. You will learn more, experience more, and come out a stronger writer in the end.

But like, seriously though on the helmet.

Thank you for sharing your hilarious query and story with us, Summer! Best of luck with SHAKE and all your writing endeavors!

Summer has been writing for fifteen years, and for the last eight years has been featured in her local paper, "Our Home Town", as the head writer for the Reviews and Opinions column. Her training is in Psychology and Creative Writing, and she also has a strong background in Theater and Stand-Up Comedy, a combination of experiences that I have been very helpful when writing. She is a stay-at-home-mother of two and is in the process of writing her next novel. You can follow her journey on her blog, Twitter, and Facebook.