Wednesday 7 March 2012

A round up of news...

Have been awol for a little while, it's been a busy few weeks chez moi. (Stay with me. I took the kids to see The Muppets and am now likely to slip into Miss Piggy lingo at any moment).

First off, i've just had a birthday of the significant kind. The drama! I turned 40 on the Leap Year, and much fuss was made of it. My other half is a man of extremes - he gets it so right, and then he gets it so wrong. A few years back, he gave me a 12ft trampoline - there was frost on the ground and I was nine months pregnant. It was, umm, quite a surprise. There have been other random gifts across the years, so my 40th was always going to call for an act of supreme loose cannon-ness. God bless him, he didn't disappoint. I'm now booked in to go gliding over the Long Mynd at some point this summer. GLIDING! It's basically a huge kite, no engine, and no crash helmet. Am not certain, but think he may be trying to kill me.

Writing wise, i'm working on the first draft of my second single title manuscript and enjoying it. Am still trying to hit my groove with it, but I think it's going down okay.
Have also booked to go on the fabulouso Julie Cohen's one day advanced novel writing course in May, which I'm really looking forward to. Am loving the fact that there is discount for home made cake, lol! Cook books at the ready. (Note to self - return booking form...)
I'm also trying to knock a category manuscript into proper shape to send to Entangled. I was super lucky to be selected to send it in from a pitch comp, so need to get that finished and away.

My first single title manuscript, 'The Lighthouse', is complete at 83k words, and I've started the scary, scary, SCARY process of approaching agents. I've read the Writers & Artists yearbook back to front, and have put big pink fluro rings around suitable agencies, as well as scouring the net and Authors acknowledgment pages for ideas. I've agonised over wording for my covering letter or email, and gnashed my teeth over the synopsis - am still sure it's not right, but the damn thing near killed me and I daren't touch it again.
So far have sent out a clutch of submissions,  and am quietly terrified by the idea of my manuscript being read. The responses have started to come in - a couple of form rejections, a couple of kind, detailed rejections, and then a request for the full manuscript, which I posted off with shaky fingers. Am trying to cultivate nerves of steel and failing badly, am a jelly.





Actually, am making jelly this weekend. My biggest guy turns eight on Monday - and I still have that flippin trampoline!



7 comments:

  1. Hey Jo,

    I laughed out loud at the trampoline gift when u were 9 months pregnant...but am glad he came through for the birthday...And you're doing great!!

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  2. LOL on the trampoline!! Your other half sounds scarily like mine :)

    And well done on all your writing pro-activeness. Good luck with it all!

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  3. Yay for the full request! That's such an awesome story. I hope they love it!
    Not so much on the gliding but...you know. Husbands. :-) Happy birthday eh?

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  4. Thank you, lovely ladies! Husbands and presents should come with a health warning, shouldn't they?

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  5. Wishing your manuscript all the best. It's awful waiting, I know (and some!). As for the gliding... I'm sure it's one of those that will feel fantastic afterwards!!

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  6. Thanks, Chris. The wait is something that doesn't get any easier, isn't it? Ad thank you re the blog, I've just had my spring makeover. Wish it was so easy to do it to my actual home!

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