Meh.

So, last weekend I did my last Fiesta Movement video shoot with these guys. Was a blast! Except I did something I'm not supposed to.

Apparently, I'm not 6 years old anymore. Apparently my body knows this but my brain doesn't. And apparently only children can sit cross-legged on the floor/ground for long periods of time without throwing their backs out. I forgot that I'm no longer in that category and ended up sitting on the ground for an hour holding a heavy Canon XL1 on my shoulder. (Yes, that's me in the photo.)

I'm an idiot.

I woke up Monday with a bit of back pain but soldiered on. Tuesday it was a little worse, so I didn't work out. But I did sit at the computer all day. Another no-no. Wednesday it hurt a bit and made me fatigued just to sit up. And now this morning: entire lower back swollen with shooting pains down my left leg. Peachy.

So now I'm reduced to the couch or bed when I should be editing the footage I shot on Sunday. This stinks.

At least I have my iPhone with Twitter pals and FB friends just a click away. But I wish I had a lineup of great films to watch. Anyone want to bring DVDs over?

Don't forget the popcorn.

And ice. Ice for my back.

Meh.

'Nother Video

I was going to actually write something today, but this is just so much better than anything I could have blathered about. Ever hear of an Eigenharp? Me neither. They're like musical light sabers. Check it out:

Video of the Week

For all you soon-to-be authors, here's how a book goes from a digital manuscript to a tome on the shelf. Fascinating!

Publishing Myths

Two literary agents I follow on Twitter posted some great publishing myths today. Thought I'd share them with you writer folks who may not be Twitter folks.

Here are a few gems from @hroot who is an agent at The Waxman Literary Agency:

"You don't have to read much to be a writer."
If you're like me, you may not particularly like the novels in your genre. Maybe that's one of the reasons you set out to write your book in the first place. But you should still read them. And read others in different genres, too. Spot things you like or don't like and add them to your mental roster. Sometimes I have breaks from reading if I'm neck-deep in my own work, because some authors' voices are so strong they seep into mine. But that's not an excuse to never dive in.

"If the film rights to your book get optioned, you are definitely gonna be way rich."
Drat!

"The books on the front table of the bookstore are there b/c they're the best ones."
Publishing houses pay for this sort of placement. Keep that in mind the next time you shop. Remember: digging for a gem is still fun and satisfying.

"Getting published is harder than staying published."
Another drat!


And here are a few more from @RachelleGardner, an agent at WordServe Literary:

"Editors & agents always know exactly what they're looking for. (Nope, sometimes we know it when we see it.)"
This is a toughie. Most agents list precisely what they're looking for on their websites. Do you chance sending something that isn't on the list?

"After you sell a couple of books, you should quit your day job."
This one made me laugh. I work freelance, so I don't really have a traditional day job. I don't do well in a 9-5. So, in essence, I've already quit my day job in order to write. I think it would be poetic if once I got published, I got a "real" job.

"Editors don't edit anymore." Or, "Editors will edit the life out of your book." (Puh-leeze.)
Okay, I must admit, I believed the first one was true.

"You have to know someone in the business to get published."
An excellent one to end on. Most of the agents I've "met" online are all actively seeking new clients and most are debut authors. So send out those queries!

Deleted Scene - Excerpt Monday

Once a month, a bunch of authors get together and post excerpts from published books, contracted work or works in progress, and link to each other. You don’t have to be published to participate–-just a writer with an excerpt you’d like to share. For more info on how to participate, head over to the Excerpt Monday site! or click on the banner above.

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Here's a deleted scene from my YA fantasy manuscript, THE TRIBE OF KENDE: THE RISE OF THE PRINCE. In an attempt to cut my word count down and move the story along faster, I've decided to let it go. It pains me, but what is an author to do? The first half still remains in the MS, but hopefully I can find a place for the second half in one of the sequels. Until then, enjoy! (And let me know what you think.)

Excerpt 1 - A Day in Clover Hollow
Requires Adobe PDF Reader

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“Links to other Excerpt Monday writers
Note: I have not personally screened these excerpts. Please heed the ratings and be aware that the links may contain material that is not typical of my site.

Analytics Give Me Indigestion

I know my website and blog have only been up for a few weeks. I know Google hasn't really had a chance to scour my content. I know that there are only about ten people out there who actually know about it. But I still look at my analytics, and I still let them eat at me. It feels similar to gobbling down really greasy pizza topped with onions, jalapeños, and anchovies. My gut starts to grumble, and pretty soon I'm doubled over and all down in the mouth. Why do I let this bother me?

If you've just started a website for your "author side," don't fret when you see the low visitor numbers. It takes time to build up content and get your name out there. It also takes time to think up blog posts that are relevant, that contribute something to the world of writing.

So instead of checking my analytics every day and letting them begin construction on an ulcer, I'm going to look the other way. I'm going to fill that time slot with diving into my manuscript, baking a chocolate cake, chatting with my Twitter buds, soaking in a bubble bath, playing frisbee with my dog, or any other non-gassy pastime.

Today it's listening once again to this excellent yet jaw-dropping tune by The Brobdingnagian Bards from their album, Memories of Middle Earth. If you're a LOTR fan, you must have a listen with me: Legolas

If anything will get your mind off your web stats, it's this!

How To Win Agents and Influence Agents

I'm currently reading a terrific book: HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE by Dale Carnegie. If you haven't read it, go pick it up right now. Besides being a fascinating read, and relevant for decades, I'm positive it will not only help us in our daily interactions, but also help aspiring writers snag agents.

In the third chapter, Carnegie presents a sample letter from an advertising agency who is trying to woo a potential customer. He combs through the ad copy and after each paragraph explains why this particular letter will fail to grab a customer's attention. The ad agency went on and on about how theirs was the greatest ad agency in the nation, how important they were, how prosperous they were, and even alluded to how busy they were. After all, it was a form letter. They did not have the time to address each of their possible clients individually. They spent most of the white space declaring how costumers would be remiss not to take advantage of their services. In other words, they spoke about what they wanted (your business), but failed to talk about what the customer wanted and how they could help them get it.

Let's face it, the agents that we query are humans too. They have mortgage payments (or astronomical rent rates if they live anywhere near New York City), they have kids that need to get to soccer practice, they have parents who are still on their cases as if they were teenagers, they have dating woes, they have car troubles, they have to sit in the dentist chair and get jabbed with the numbing needle just like we do.

And like every other human on the planet, they are driven by wants and desires. Why else do they specifically spell out the types of manuscripts they're looking for on their websites? These are the manuscripts they want to read. These are the books they desire to represent. These are the stories they want to pitch to publishers.

Carnegie believes that if we want something from someone else, all we have to do is make that person want the same thing. He says we need to figure out what that person's desire is, then attempt to give them what they want. For example, if you don't want your kids to smoke, instead of ordering them not to, or talking about what you want, show them how smoking may prevent them from their desires, like making the basketball team or winning in a track tournament. As Henry Ford says, "If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person's point of view and see things from that person's angle as well as from your own."

Why can't this apply to the agent hunt?

Obviously we have wants. We want to get an agent because we want to get published. But this is just as obvious to agents as it is to us--why else would we be sending a query in the first place?

Seems to me that agents spend a lot of time pleading with potential clients (in interviews, on blogs, and on Twitter) to send a personal letter, to find out who they are, what they represent, what their submission guidelines are. In other words, find out what they want! And yet I have a suspicion that most aspiring authors fail miserably.

So, I ask you, is your query letter all about you? Or are you tailoring your letter in a way that shows each particular agent how your story fulfills their desires?

The Fiesta Movement

Some of you already know that I won a chance to be a part of Ford Motor Company's Fiesta Movement back in April. I got to cruise around in a Euro-spec car all summer long, free insurance, free gas. All I had to do was churn out a few geeky web videos. (Just my style.)

But that ride is about to come to an end. I've had an amazing 5 months with the program and mostly, with the Fiesta itself. What a car! I have no doubt Americans are going to love it as much as I do when it goes on sale next summer. In my opinion, it is the coolest, most comfortable, most stylish, most fun to drive sub compact I've ever seen/been in/driven. I never was a Ford person until now. The Ford folks I've met along the way have been classy, creative, and sincere. They've set out to be the cream of the crop, and I must say, they are well on their way.



All that said, I wanted to show one of the videos Husband and I made when we found out we won the contest. Our everyday vehicle, a Honda Element, was our prized possession at the moment, so we created this little webisode in her honor. Funny how 5 months with a sporty manual transmission can change your point of view... The video was a spoof, but now that we've put the Element up for sale, it seems it's become a reality.

So without further adieu, here's one of our first Fiesta Movement videos: Goodbye Honda Element, Hello Ford Fiesta. It'll make you laugh. It'll make you cry.