Call it what you will

My return after two years. Why? I need to keep a journal and this is it. So everything that has happened to me since my last post is gone. A faded memory. No, I kid. No literally, I had another kid. I have a boy. Miracles do happen. Was he planned? Hell no. Do I love him? Yes but not the teething. Gray was born Oct 20, 2012 and it almost killed me. Seriously. I'm going to focus on the positive and leave it at we are both alive and thriving.

We are still in Denver, making this the longest we have ever lived in a home and still love it here.

Currently, because it hurts my brain to dwell on the past, we are in the thick of summer.  All the girls are in swim team and I need them to be or they have too much energy to go to bed. Aaron is in the thick of business planning at Redbull and that means I'm buying an electric guitar for Lore's birthday on Wednesday alone. I'm hoping to find a cheaper decent blue one.

I went to the Big Sur in the Rockies Writing Workshop in May and got to be in a group with Andrea Browne of Andrea Browne Literary Agency. The workshop was amazing. They loved my Recess Revolt but not the title. For shame. I still can't think of a better title. Titling is hard. Right now my query is sitting in Kelly Sonnack's (andrea browne agent) email and it is killing me. It has only been a week but I was secretly hoping to hear from her by now. HarperCollins wants my story, Andrea wants my story and yet Kelly hasn't responded yet. She waited 8 weeks to reject me before, I'm hoping she responds faster. But I'm worried since I didn't hear from her by now that it isn't the gem Andrea thought it was at the workshop. I was hoping she would have requested a full manuscript by now. HarperCollins gave me until the first week of July to send a partial. But I want an agent. Patience. I suck at it. Argh.

On the upside, I'm finishing my YA dystopia while the revolt goes cold. Sunny and Amber will be pleased.

My tomorrow is insane. Why isn't summer more relaxed...I guess we are doing fun things but it is crazy busy. On the docket: swim team for 1.5 hrs, buying a guitar, balloons and other birthdayness, visiting Jen Bagozzi who is in town, and then ending on A days and YW.

I better get writing before my eye close. good night.

Hey, how you doin? It's been awhile

I have many reasons why I haven't blogged for the entire month of April.

1. Spring Break. A week and a half in Utah visiting friends and family plus snowboarding. It was a great trip. We were there over April Fool's (on which Alys had her baby and I didn't believe her till we saw the pictures. Sorry Alys.) Lauren dared me to get her with three pranks because one would be too easy. My kids feel love based on how many pranks I pull on them. It's sick, I know, but I love it too. Before we left, we peeped my parents house so when they returned from their cruise they had just under 100 peeps hidden all over their house. Some had their butts or wings bit off by Morgan--those were Mom's favorite ones to find.
2. Writing and rewriting and writing some more. I'm almost ready to query.
3. Running here a little and there a little. I'm running the Thanksgiving Point Half Marathon with Sunny and Kendra on Saturday. I get butterflies just thinking about it. I'm pretty sure I won't be picked up by the you-suck-van but I'm just planning on finishing. This is my training half. If there is such a thing. I plan to beat my crappy time (because it will be crappy) at the end of the summer.
4. Ava's birthday. The little sassy kitten turned five. We had a big party at Pump It Up. She wore a giant grin the entire time. I can't believe she's five. It really is soo crazy how fast they grow up.
5. Keeping up with the kids and the final sprint to the end of school. Everything is wrapping up right now. I just bought dance recital tickets (that sold out like rock concert tickets) and it will be fun to see them get their groove on. We've got field trips and joy school and plays and a bazillion other things.

That's all I can think of right now. Oh we got Bailey back from her dog training. She's been gone since January and it has been bliss. She's been a good dog since she's returned. She's mellowed a ton. Little Bryn started crying when I told her Bailey was home. She's missed the dog the most. She stinks like the dog most days.

Or baby grandma kittens.

"Mom, when is it going to be ocean day?"

"What's ocean day?"

"You know, when miracles happen."

"I don't know."

Ava is a crazy cat. We just got bunkbeds for Ava and Morgan. Ava is on the top bunk and has hit her head on the ceiling a couple of times. She keeps threatening to take the bunkbed down. I would love to see her try. It took all my man strength to help Aaron put it together.

almost there, almost there

This weekend I went to the Northern Colorado Writers Conference. Writing conferences are great opportunities to meet agents, writers, publishers, etc. They also have great classes to help writers learn the biz and how to write better. I went to NCW last year, and this year I was better prepared.

I also got to pitch my puddlejump story to an agent (from one of the most prestigious children's agencies) and a small press publisher. I decided to pitch to the publisher first, to get my sea legs and practice my pitch. I was her last pitch session (they only last 9 minutes, which is tiny amounts of time to sell your story), so she offered to keep talking to me till I met with the agent. She immediately saw the value and commercial appeal of my story and said I had an idea she felt definitely belonged at the Big 6 (nickname for the top publishing houses). Then she gave me ideas for how to pitch and present my story to the agent. She also requested a partial, in case the agent wasn't interested. Biggest help, so lucky to get the extra 9 minutes with her.

Then I met with the agent. I actually ate dinner with her the night before and talked casually with her several times before we met (I'm learning), so I wasn't nervous and after having the small press excited about my story, I felt very confident. I gave her my pitch and she wanted to know more which usually means she's interested. The tricky part about pitches is that they can't actually see your writing. But she wanted to see more and get into the story. She gave me her card and told me to definitely send my first 15 pages. Later in the day, the agent was critiquing first pages, and I told her my first page was in there.

Then I met up with some other friends, compared notes and went to another class. I definitely had the most positive pitching session of the group. Then came lunch. Before going in I told my friends to save me a seat because I needed to run to the bathroom. (You drink all day at conferences.) I came out of the stall and bumped into the agent at the paper towels. This is an awkward moment, because I've read countless stories of agents complaining about being pitched to in the bathroom. But I kept it cool and made small talk. She followed me out and then this is where it gets interesting. She asks me if this is my first pitch, and I told her that I pitched a different story last year to another agent. Then, very interested, she said, "oh yeah, what genre?"

To which I responded "contemporary middle grade"(which I later learned from the agent's class is a new trend for MG).

I can see her face have an ah ha and then she says, "Another MG."

And this is where I know I have her because agents don't want you to jump around in genres (picture, YA, poetry, MG, etc), and I say, "It's all about MG. It's where I want to live." I find my friends over at a table, and the agent came and sat with us. Poor thing, she barely got to eat because I rounded up some other MGers to our table and we picked her brain. By the end of lunch, based on my questions, I was able to demonstrate that I know the market and the industry and that I'm not a newbie. Winning.

During lunch, the small press pulls me over and tells me that she talked my story up to the agent. That I was the story to pick up. More Winning. I could have kissed the lady but kept it casual instead and just thanked her.

After lunch I had volunteered to be the agent's admin assistant for her class. So we walked and talked to the session. Then we had the anonymous page critique session afterword. My page was 1 of 20. They only liked 3 or 4. Mine was one of them. And they used it as an example of understanding the mindset of MG. Points. The session ran late, so everyone had to run to the keynote.

After the keynote the conference ended, I couldn't see the agent but I found the small press. I shook her hand and thanked her again. (Knowing she would be with the agent for dinner that night), I called out which first page was mine. She said she had guessed it and told me I had a gift and a ton of potential. I'm pretty sure she'll cheerlead for me later.

So I have a lot of work to do...they had recommended that I write the story in first (which I generally don't like) instead of third. I plan to convert the story and polish some more over the next month or two. Then send my pages. Cross your fingers for me. I'm almost there.

And even if she rejects my manuscript, I'm in great shape to query other agencies. I can almost taste it. Loud screams. Points.

The best pest in the west

I was listening to Bryn read Ramona the Pest last night before bed. Bryn got to a part where Ramona explains that she has to make a loud noisy fuss to get her way sometimes because she's the littlest.

So I asked Bryn, "Who does that sound like in our family?" (Thinking of Morgan.)

"Lauren."

I laugh. "I was thinking about someone else."

"You mean Dad."

[Yeah, I got a house full of fussy, noisy people. Jealous?]

cuz like, you know.

Today, while reading the scriptures with the kids, I found an answer to something I've been praying about. I love that. Church is true.

Extra prayers for mom: her heart thing is today.

The difference is presentation!

While playing restaurant tonight:

"Mom, I'll be a sassy young girl who lost her voice. So you'll have to order for me. I want Orange Juice and Mac & Cheese."

"Why are you sassy?"

"Because none of my friends would play with me today." (This is all backstory to her character)

"Okay, Ava."