My Mom-Mom Always Said, "Life is Good!" (She Was Also Really into Clown Paintings)
This is pretty much what life’s looked like lately.
If you think martinis and meatball and television with my favorite person in the world are a bad thing, well then, you don’t know jack.
(Because really, it’s pretty terrific.)
In other terrific news, querying is going well. I’ve had a much more enthusiastic response to my last set of query revisions. Here are my current stats, stat!:
- I have queried twenty five agents.
- Of those, thirteen have sent me form rejections.
- I have received two partial requests, one of which led to a very thorough, thoughtful, and precise rejection. It was so nice–and fairly complimentary–that I didn’t feel bummed about it at all. Seriously, I wish all agents could be like this one.
- I have received two full requests (one not from the original agent queried, but another at the same agency), for a total of 16% of agents who wanted to see more.
In case you’re curious, this is the version of my query I’m currently using. Two writers–Kirsten Hubbard and Gretchen McNeil–gave me some help with revisions and I’m incredibly grateful for both of their awesomeness.
Fifteen-year-old Miranda Cohen wants to shed her dorky old image and reinvent herself someplace new—so she applies to Sacred Grove Academy, a residential free school for gifted students. But it’s not until she arrives on school grounds that she realizes how gifted she truly is. Turns out that Miranda is the long-lost descendant of a changeling, or fairy child, and mysterious powers course through her.
Students selected to attend Sacred Grove are supposed to spend their time learning to tame their otherworldly powers, but Miranda has other things on her mind. She’s struggling to redefine herself as “Randy,” a gorgeous, cool, and powerful Diviner—able to read patterns in nature, see into the future, and even tell when someone is lying. And falling for Mikhail, an older student with a gift for music and a tragic home life, seems precisely like something Randy would do. It doesn’t hurt that Mikhail can’t keep his hands off her, something that attracts the admiration (and the jealousy) of the other girls at Sacred Grove.
But when Mikhail begins to pressure Miranda to take part in a sinister ceremony, she finally realizes the steep costs of their relationship—and how truly dangerous playing with magic can be.
THE STONE SORTER, complete at 66,000 words, is a young adult urban fantasy with dashes of dark romance that will appeal to the readers of L.J. Smith, Kelley Armstrong, and Holly Black.
I have to say, though, amidst all this query business that I’m really happy that I’ve started something new. If I don’t give into the urge to be a vegetable this weekend, I’ll probably hit 20,000 words on SEAS RUN DRY. I’ve reached the part of the book that feels immersive, but still has the promise of a new beginning. You know, that stage when you’re past the point of no return with a project, but are still pretty much in love with the idea. The work is really sustaining me through the query process; if I don’t get any bites on THE STONE SORTER this time around, I feel confident that I can bounce back with this manuscript. That’s a great feeling.
Phoebe
Phoebe is a 20-something writer who lives in New York State with her husband and cat. She is a dork, not a geek or a nerd.
Her debut novel, Starglass, will be released from Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers in Summer 2013.
8 comments
Nice! That really is a very strong query.
Thanks Jaimie! I can't say that writing it wasn't painful (and even looking at it now, I feel like there are things about it that aren't perfect), but I'm happy enough with it that I'm not shoving revisions at my husband daily anymore.
Yaay
This entry really makes me feel positive and inspired (and that's what I definitely need right about now).
I can't wait to read more about the merman!
Aw, glad I could be of some inspiration!
You know you'll be one of the first to see my merman.
Man, that sounds dirty.
I preferred "unsavory ceremony". A ceremony absent roast mutton.
Yeah, I kinda did, too. I imagine Miranda making a face, as though something tasted rotten.
But I think this one works better.
You are such a role model for me, Phoebe. No joke. It's so great to read your blog. I've sent out my first short story submission to a lit mag in Arizona. Glad I broke the ice, but I've done nada since. Share your words of wisdom on momentum with me!
Yay, Sarah! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!