Novels During Naptime

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T06:30:00.000-08:00

Just out of curiosity, who's your favorite literary couple?

Mine would be a tie between Elizabeth Bennet & Mr. Darcy and Anne Shirley & Gilbert Blythe.

If those two couples were in a cage match, I think Team Avonlea might come out a tiny bit ahead of Team Pemberley simply because Anne wouldn't be afraid to pull hair.

The Long Version (with bonus Star Wars reference!)

2012-02-13T09:20:00.000-08:00

So go here in case you missed this exciting little announcement. For everyone who wants to know the full story, read on, my dears. Read on.

Where to begin? Where to begin?

Spring 2010, I wrote a story about a feisty girl with a penchant for space-time continuum shenanigans. It was the first time I hit The End and thought, "Oh, goodness. I think this might be the one." After a break from it, I revised it. And revised it. And revised it. By January 2011, I (and my love-em-so-much-I-could-puke-glitter writing friends) thought it was time to query.

It was not.

I'd done my research and sent out a small number of queries to agents who I thought would like my voice and enjoy my story. There was one in particular--Victoria Marini--who I thought would be a great match. I loved her quirky sense of humor from her blog and based on what she said she was looking for, I thought she'd lurv my story.

I was wrong.

She (and everyone else) passed. I don't blame them in the least. The query sucked.

And it was actually that rejection that made me push the pause button. I'd blown my one chance with some amazing agents. Something was wrong, but I didn't know what. I couldn't see my story anymore. In March, I was scheduled to go to a writing workshop. I decided to hold off and see what kind of editorial feedback I got there.

The editor I met with really liked it. She told me later I was a bright spot of her weekend. Which made me feel all happy-glowy inside. She also gave me feedback that blessed me down to my booty. But her suggestions required a total rewrite. Not a revision. A rewrite. Like gut that tauntaun and pull out the innards so I could stuff Luke inside. (thanks for the jawa catch, Liz!) That kind of rewrite. I called Hubbykins from a San Jose airport bathroom stall in tears when it sank in what exactly it would entail. (To my defense, I'd only had something like 4 hours sleep the whole weekend. Emotionally, I was a wispy wad of cotton candy waiting to be licked.)

I also came home with my own personal Rock Star Squad of new beta reader/writer friends.

By late October, my manuscript was ready to go back to the trenches. My query got the sparkle treatment, too. (Thanks, Kristin!) And this time? Requests! Lots of them. Yee!!!!

In November, my glitter-puke-inducing writing buds sent me a link to Miss Snark's First Victim's Baker's Dozen contest with a "Do it! Do it! Do it!" note attached. To be honest, I can't remember who was goading me the most. I'll buy them all chocolate to cover my bases.

I hemmed. I hawed. Then the last day of entries, I caved. With that many agents, I thought at least one of them would want to read a partial.

Didn't happen.

Instead, four of them asked to read the full. Squee!! Including, to my delight, Ms. Victoria Marini. A second chance!

A few weeks later, I got an R&R from a non-Baker's Dozen agent. Yippee!! Then, that very afternoon, another non-BD agent asked if we could talk on the phone. The PHONE! I knew she had to like it, but I braced myself for another R&R.

Nope. Turned out she didn't just like it. She loved it and wanted to offer rep. She was lovely. I notified all the other agents. And thus began one of the hardest weeks of my life. (And just FYI, when the Pea was born, he was a week overdue and weighed ten pounds. Just sayin'.)

I couldn't sleep. ~~Couldn't eat.~~ Could only eat chocolate. I hit 5 days out and...blarg. I really liked Lovely Agent. She has a great reputation. But I didn't feel at peace. Why would I be having any reservations?

And then I got another e-mail. It was from Victoria. She loved my story, wanted to talk that day, and made me an offer of representation.

I didn't even have time to be nervous.

We talked, and I walked away saying, "Wow. She gets my characters. She gets my story." Ironically, the revisions she proposed would be harder than the other agent's. They would also be deeper. Truer. They resonated down to my bones.

I was at peace.

Two more agents ended up throwing their hats in the ring, but there was zero doubt in my mind. Victoria was The One. Hitting "send" on that acceptance e-mail was one of the best writerly moments I've had so far on this journey. And then, the Pea and I had a dance party in the living room.

Hubbykins and I let the Pea pick the restaurant for our celebration dinner. Steak'n'Shake. Because we're fancy like that.

(I also need to add a side note. I am blown away that I got a second chance with Victoria. HOWEVER, I am NOT saying that you should re-query agents. I had a very unique experience. Learn from my mistakes. Get your manuscript and query sparkly enough before you start querying.)

In Which I Jump Up and Down and Squeal and Stuff

2012-02-09T06:44:00.000-08:00

Umm, I have an Agent.

Yep. I signed with Victoria Marini at Gelfman Schneider Literary Agency! She's marvelous and lovely and sparkly and the long version of the story is so much fun!

And I would tell that story if I wasn't late delivering the Pea to preschool with a stack of peanut-free, egg-free, dairy-free, gluten-free Valentines. Then a doctor's appointment. Then the carpet guys are coming. Then the wood floor repair guys. Sigh.

In the meantime, here is a picture she drew for me of a kitten riding a unicorn. Because she is awesome. (It was a Twitter thing. You'll need to go follow me for it to make sense. Or just bask in its unicorny wonderousness.)

Tidbits and Nonesuch

2012-02-03T07:41:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I attended the wonderful SCBWI National Conference in NY. Yes, apparently, New York and I are on such beffie terms now that I refer to it as "NY." Doesn't even get a C.

But I diverge.

Others have posted lovely recaps. The SCBWI Conference blog is a gold mine, I tell you. Gold mine. Here are a few little tidbits I picked up over the weekend. (And I'm so lazy, I actually yanked these from an e-mail I sent my friend Liz this week when she asked if I'd heard any interesting industry things.):

-The buzzword right now is Discoverability. Whatever the heck that means. Go google it. Oh, wait. That's kind of Discoverability. Also, Transmedia.
-E-books are gaining popularity with boys because they can read YA books and not worry about toting around a cover with a ballgown-clad girl on the front
-There's some trilogy fatigue. Some publishers are leaning more toward 2 book series (mostly because it's hard to predict 3 months into the future much less 3 years at this point).
-One agent (Regina Brooks) said that MG is going to be the new YA, but the other agents thought YA was going nowhere but up. So take that to mean whatever you want it to mean. (And Regina might be a good agent to query, my MG-writing friends.)
-Apparently, Amazon is the devil.
-Or Amazon is going to save the book industry. One or the other.

-No, really, they think it's the devil.

And now for you Wes Anderson fans out there...

Wes Anderson // FROM ABOVE from kogonada on Vimeo.

Conversation with the Pea

2012-02-01T13:51:00.000-08:00

This is all going down as I buckled him into his car seat yesterday. Not sure why it amused me so much.

Me: (((click)))

Pea: Mommy (in hushed tones), you have purple hair.

Me: Yep.

Pea: How did it turn purple?

Me: I went to get a haircut, and she gave me purple hair.

Pea: It's purple.

Me: Yep.

Pea: Can I touch it?

Me: Yes.

Pea: <3 <3 <3

Me: Okay, I need it back now.

Pea: Mommy?

Me: Yes?

Pea: I want a haircut to get purple hair.

Me: Well...purple hair is only for mommies. (Okay, I realize this is not true 97% of the time.)

Pea: My hair is yellow.

Me: Yes. And I love your hair.

Pea: I love your hair.

Me: Thank you.

Pea: The purple part.

I've Always Tried to Keep Politics Off This Blog...

2012-01-25T06:26:00.000-08:00

But after last night, I feel I have no choice but to throw my full support and endorsement behind a candidate.

Seriously. Am I the only one who wishes we could somehow clone this fictional character into a real person and make her run for office?

New York, New York

2012-01-23T19:45:00.000-08:00

I'm going to be honest. I have a bit of a mixed history with the city itself. It pretty much spanked my heiny on St. Patrick's Day 2007. Then, it perked up later that year.

Well, I'm giving it another go. All for the sake of an insane amount of awesomeness squeezed into one event, specifically the SCBWI New York Conference this weekend.

Anyone else coming?

In Which I Rant Just a Smidge

2012-01-11T20:42:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking a lot about love triangles, specifically, those done right. And those done...in such a way as to bug the crap out of me.

First of all, if anyone is watching Downton Abbey which you should be, you are aware of what a love triangle done right looks like. It's Anna and Bates and THAT EVIL SHREW OF A GOLD DIGGER WIFE. It's Mary and Matthew and THAT (POSSIBLY EVIL) SHREW OF A GOLD DIGGER FIANCEE. To be fair, that situation seems to be setting itself up as a quadrangle. Even. Better.

Not that I'm saying that all love triangles need to have an obvious made-for-each-other couple and a third person that gets in the way of their happiness (although that's a great recipe for conflict). I just hate the love triangle formula of "perfect girl is forced to choose between two perfect guys and, oh my gosh, this is so hard." And those two guys are 1.) the socially acceptable leader in the making who fails to embrace his passionate side and 2.) the less socially acceptable bad-boy who she just can't stay away from. And then they fight over her. And then she chooses the bad-boy. Unless they're both bad boys, in which case, she chooses the one who's older.

Here's the deal.

I made it through high school. I've been a part of love triangles. Without fail, only one side of that triangle involved a y-chromosome. And there's a reason for that. If two guys were involved, it would look a little something like this:

Guy 1: Hey, man, how ya doing?

Guy 2: Good.

Guy 1: So that Bella chick...she's pretty hot.

Guy 2: Ummm, yeah, I was actually about to ask her out.

Guy 1: Oh...hey. No harm, no foul. (((goes off to fursplode and imprint on her baby)))

*I have nothing against Twilight. I just needed an example.

Now, I know what you're thinking. And you're right. Fiction isn't necessarily about something being realistic. If we wanted all our reading to be utterly realistic and believable, we'd spend our time reading appliance manuals. No, a lot of great fiction is about wish-fulfillment. But at the same time, it needs to ring true.

That doesn't mean that there needs to be a clearly right pair and a clearly wrong pair. Because, again, ringing true, life doesn't work that way. One of the best recent love triangles in YA is Katniss-Peeta-Gale. The thing I loved about it is there really wasn't much interaction between Peeta and Gale (again, ringing true to life.) There was no good choice and bad choice. It was just a choice.

And then the other mark of a good love triangle, I believed that Katniss believed that there were compelling reasons for her to end up with either one of them. And she really could have. Notice the important part for me was not which team I thought she should be on but that Katniss had good reasons to be on both teams. I had the joy of watching from the sidelines as my sister read the books for the first time, and she e-mailed me every few chapters to wail about which one she should end up with. She flip-flopped as many times as Katniss.

Note: I realize that not every love triangle will have a tug-of-heart going on. The Downton Abbey example above, there's no viewer doubt whatsoever who should end up together. BUT, the compelling reason rule still needs to apply. Bates has a compelling reason to end up with Anna (they're in lurvvvv) and his wife (to protect the Crawley family as well as Anna from disgrace). I have no idea why Matthew's with that hussy, though. Well, I guess to save face while Mary gets her emotional act together.Seriously. If you are not watching Downton Abbey, why not?

I'm curious. What are your favorite literary love triangles?

Why I Love Hubbykins

2012-01-05T20:47:00.000-08:00

I was reading a YA book starring mermaids because they are awesome the other night, and Hubbykins came up with the idea for me to write a book about vampire mermaids.

He even went so far as to write the first few lines for me:

"I needs me some blood. Need it now. Kinda stinks that I don't have legs. Sigh. Off to see my hot boyfriend play squishball in the state finals. I hate it when they get beat by the Neptunes....OR DO I???"

The main character's name will be Dracuriel. Feel free to join Team Hot Boyfriend or Team Neptune Bad Boy now.

Happy 2012!

2012-01-02T08:57:00.000-08:00

I would like to make a bold claim that I am going to be a more frequent blogger. But I can't. As my sweet friend Kristin recently said, "I don't want to be a blogger. I want to be an author. Who blogs, occasionally."

But I still love to share the things that amuse and inspire and encourage and excite me here. So don't go too far away. You never know when I'm going to throw something like this at you.

I Just...I...watch it.

2011-12-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hubbykins made me watch this last night, and for the first minute, I kept saying, "Why are you showing this to me? This isn't funny. This isn--BWAHAHAHA"

As if Beth Revis Wasn't Awesome Enough Already...

2011-12-07T11:50:00.001-08:00

She goes and does this.

Can't wait to read A Million Suns! How about you?

In Which Karen Gets Nothing, Nothing, Nothing Done

2011-12-02T14:53:00.001-08:00

The Baker's Dozen has officially begun. Come. Obsess with me.

NaNo Day...hahahaha

2011-11-29T08:19:00.001-08:00

29? I don't know. Whatever. Didn't happen this year. As of this moment, I have 10K. I did get some plot points hammered out. And I feel like I finally have a grasp on who my character is.

I also squeezed some great books in this month. The Scorpio Races, Enclave, and I've started Untraceable by S.R. Johannes (Shelli). (How gorgeous is that cover?) Very fun read so far.

Good gravy, was Halloween really a month ago?

NaNo Day 22

2011-11-22T11:52:00.001-08:00

At this point, I am participating in NaNoWriMo in only the loosest sense of both the words "participating" and "Wri." But I am uber-blessed with critique partners who will continue to badger me until I complete the draft. To be honest, if at this point I wrote even 20,000 words this month, I will consider myself a winner. (And what is with those people who write 190,000 words because "50K isn't a challenge?" That is wrong. Wrong, I tell you.)

And if you haven't read Authoress's lovely post today about not giving up, you should go do so now.

NaNo Day 18

2011-11-18T13:22:00.001-08:00

Well, my word count is not what it should be...oh, who am I kidding? It. Is. Pathetic. I'm seriously considering offing all the characters and writing about radioactive sea slugs instead because I think the slugs might be more int--

WE INTERRUPT THIS NaNo UPDATE FOR SOMETHING ~~LESS DEPRESSING~~ MORE AWESOMER.

My sister Ellen did a super fun interview with Secret Agent Josephine (a.k.a. Brenda Ponnay) for the release of her new line of adorably illustrated books. If you've ever wanted to peek into an illustrator's brain, go read it. Go now. And then buy her super cute books.

I would go back to the NaNo update, but I think we all know where that was headed. And it wasn't anywhere good.

NaNo Day 13

2011-11-13T20:53:00.001-08:00

This isn't easier. The first NaNo was my first finished novel. And to be fair, it wasn't all that hard to write. I didn't outline. It was terrible. I knew I was going to trash it. About halfway through, I had the epiphany that I really was a YA writer. My passion lives there. "Driver, can you take me to 3129 YA Lane?" Oh, dear. I'm screen drunk at this point. It was a good experience though.

Then I wrote my book baby, the one I poured blood, sweat, tears, and more sweat into. The one that I thought I was learning the lessons that would make my next novel easier to write.

It's not. If anything, it's harder. Because now I know about the blood, sweat, tears. I know how long it takes to scrub and polish.

Also. I've given up chocolate. This may have something to do with it. Last NaNo I had chocolate. So much chocolate.

For those who like to gawk at my misery, here's my current standing:

8170 / 50000 words. 16% done!

NaNo Day 12

2011-11-12T12:51:00.001-08:00

Thankful I'm actually getting some words in today. I set a goal of 2500, but I wouldn't be shocked if I get in even more.

Also. Thankful that I have an uber-cool little sister that sends me Mental Floss articles for inspiration.

NaNo Day 11 (Happy 11/11/11!)

2011-11-11T15:01:00.001-08:00

11! 11! 11! I love it.

Wow. At this point, I have to write 2,291 words per day to finish on time. And at my current pace, I'll finish this bad boy emphasis on bad at some point in late 2015. Okay, kidding on that last part. But the Groundhog would see the light of day before this draft. The thing is, I'm not sweating it. I know how I write, and when I get on a roll, the words will flow. It's frustrating because the story (as it is in my head) has the potential to be better than anything I've written so far. It's a unique premise and, I think, compelling.

I just need to write it.

I'd make excuses about the unexpected goods and bads that have come up so far this month, but they're just that. Excuses. Still, looking back in a year, I'm not going to regret the great Akins Alcatraz Film Fest of 2011. I won't regret squeezing a bunch of people into my parents' house for my nephew's first Thanksgiving. I won't regret letting the Pea write all over my NaNo notebook and watching in amazement as he wrote out not one but two letters and drew his first smiley face. Also a lot of "worms" which are just lines. But don't tell him. And I won't regret taking time out of NaNo to do other writerly things that are a bit more pressing.

But I do need to buckle down and write.

NaNo Day (I Accidentally Skipped a Day Yesterday) 9

2011-11-09T07:51:00.000-08:00

I am sad to report that I don't have many new words. BUT I did discover this ~~diversion~~ excellent video by Martha Alderson (a.k.a. The Plot Whisperer), the first of a series.

I realized my biggest problem. My main character. I didn't have her motivation figured out, what's really driving her. I now think I have it figured out, at least for the beginning of the story.

Now to actually write it.

NaNo Day...what is this?...7

2011-11-08T12:23:00.000-08:00

Not much to report.

I was traveling this weekend. The result? About 300 new words (For you non-writers out there, this is...not good.). At one point, I just started doodling laser chihuahuas in my notebook. Think laser cats, only with chihuahuas

Also. I started reading Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone on the trip. Note to self: when drafting, do not read anything by Laini Taylor. You will simply want to lock yourself in the bathroom, eat a panful of Rice Krispy Treats, and give up on the notion of ever writing anything but dregs. But you'll enjoy yourself while doing it. That girl can write. But I also read this. It cheered me. A bit.

So. Off to play a little catch-up.

NaNo Day 3

2011-11-03T10:09:00.000-07:00

It's not pretty.

I know ugly first drafts, and this, my friends, is hideous. My heroine is so flat.

I realized what keeps me going as I write--making myself laugh. Or cry. Or scream in frustration.

Not feeling it yet.

NaNo Day 1

2011-11-01T20:43:00.000-07:00

2034 / 50000 words. 4% done!

4%, all crap.

Tomorrow is another day.

Probably of more crap.

Drafting and my perfectionism don't mesh well if you can't tell.

What's In a Name?

2011-10-31T09:07:00.000-07:00

Well, in my case, there is not a T.

Let me start off by saying, if you have at some point referred to me as Karen Atkins, please don't be embarrassed or feel like you need to apologize. Everyone does. Everyone. I'm pretty sure I referred to Hubbykins as Boyfriendykins Atkins at some point when we first started dating. My mother-in-law warned me before we got married that I would spend the next umpteen years of my life spelling my last name. Karen Akins. A-K-I-N-S. Every single time I meet someone. Or give someone my name on the phone. And almost every single time, that person will repeat it right back to me. Atkins.

Wait? What? No.

If I didn't have aspirations to be published, it wouldn't be an issue. Growing up, I learned to respond to my older sister's name. (To the point that if someone yells, "Ellen!" in a crowd, I, to this day, turn around and say, "Yes?") But do you know who insists on my name being spelled correctly? Google. Amazon. Library catalogs. Dang you, you picky library catalogs!

Options? Pen name. Nah. I understand why some authors take one, but it seems like it would add a layer of complexity that I don't need. Toss my maiden name back in there somewhere? (This was actually suggested by my MIL who felt it would sound more literary.) But that also seems to add a level of confusion in searches.

And, yes, the cart is like, "Hey, horse, what are you doing back there?" on this issue. But these are things I think about.

Meanwhile, guess which Mama Pea had to almost forcibly shove her child into a lion costume (now dubbed Aslan) this morning for preschool? Hmm. Yeah.

It's official.

2011-10-20T13:44:00.000-07:00

I'm insane.

I need a little nudge to jump start my new novel, and the energy of NaNo is so infectious. I did it two years ago, and wrote 50,000 words of cuh-rap. But. I went into that one 100% pantsing. This time, I'm going in with a different attitude. And a beat sheet.

For me, any number of words I write will be a victory. I'm going to dub this my own personal NaNoJuStaMo. National Novel Jump Start Month.

Anyone else NaNo-ing?