New Website - And Final Post!

As of June 2009, I've officially launched a new site at www.sararamsey.com. The site is an integrated website/blog, with some static content about my work and a blog-style section that I update frequently.

Since the new website is ready to go, this is the last post on this site. However, all prior content from this blog, including comments, has been migrated to the new site, and so nothing is lost. Hopefully the new layout and added content will make up for any inconvenience you may face by updating your bookmarks.

Thanks for stopping by, and hopefully I'll see you at the new site -- www.sararamsey.com.

The End of the Agent Hunt

I have fabulous news to report -- my search for an agent is over! It all ended much more quickly and dramatically than I expected. Two weeks ago, I was worried that I might never sign (yes, I'm impatient -- it often takes years to sign). But then, last Thursday, a totally wonderful agent called me while I was at work to offer representation!

She was already at the top of my list based on her reputation, and her sheer enthusiasm for my work while she offered representation was enough to put her over the top. Still, I've read enough horror stories about failed agent/author relationships to be wary, and so I contacted the other agents who were considering my work to let them know that I had received an offer. By the end of the weekend, two other agents had made offers -- and so as of Memorial Day, I was suddenly in the unexpected position of having to come up with interview questions so that I could choose between the three offers!

I spoke to all of them on Tuesday, and while I felt that all of them could have been good fits for my work (and one in particular was the other top agent on my list, making my choice more difficult), I ultimately decided that the first agent was the best fit for my long-term goals. I mailed the contracts on Friday, and we're talking again this week to discuss the process for submissions to publishing houses.

So, it's been a complete whirlwind, and obviously I'm very excited. However, I realized while I was on the phone with one of them that I've successfully scaled the agent mountain and reached the peak -- only to discover that there's another, bigger mountain looming in the form of beginning the search for a publisher. Happily, my agent (I love saying that!) will be my partner on that climb, so I'm not alone -- but this is by no means a done deal. I spent the weekend brooding over that sobering fact, but I can't brood for long; the excitement of continuing to make progress towards my goals will pick me up again.

This means that, as of tonight, "The Agent Hunt" will be retired as a label -- staring this week, "The Publisher Hunt" will begin! Stay tuned...

Betrothals and Marriage Contracts

When I'm writing, I usually just put "[CHECK]" at the end of a sentence when I'm not sure I have the historical details exactly right, or when I don't want to bother looking up where hemlines and waistlines were in 1811 vs. 1812. However, when I was working on Madeleine and Ferguson's story last night (yes, I wrote after work! score!), I realized I'm at a point in their saga where I need to take a step back and do some research. Fudging the details in a first draft is all well and good when the details relate to a type of fabric; it's a much bigger issue when your whole story hinges on how betrothal contracts worked, because if it turns out they don't work the way you thought they did, your story may never be right again.

So, it's research time for me -- which is too bad, because I really just want to keep writing. But perhaps this is a lesson that I should do this type of research sooner; I knew about one hundred pages ago that this was coming, and if I had discovered then that the twist could not possibly work, I would have written the past hundred pages with another goal in mind. Fingers crossed that the betrothal contract is sound, or I will be one unhappy camper.

Bone Daddy

I had to share this deal that I found in my latest email from Publishers Marketplace:

FICTION: WOMEN'S/ROMANCE
R.G. Alexander's BONE DADDY, a three-novella single-author erotic anthology about a sexually charged voodoo spirit, the people whose bodies he inhabits, and the mischief he creates, to Kate Seaver at Berkley HEAT, for publication in summer 2010, by Roberta Brown of the Brown Literary Agency.

The reason I had to share is because my father, for whatever reason, likes to say "bone daddy" in a rather menacing voice when he's got his electric carving knife out and ready to do some damage to a ham or turkey. Reading this sale announcement and hearing my father's voice in my head saying "bone daddy" has scarred me for life!

Today was fine on the writing front, albeit not fantastic; I wrote ~2000 words, which is less than half of what I wanted to write, but is still eight pages farther along than I was before today. Hopefully I'll get a chance to write tomorrow, but the day job requires some serious attention. Have a lovely Sunday!

Saturday is Writing Day!

I've decided to write all day today -- well, after I blog, of course. And, since I've already been up for almost three hours, perhaps "all day" is an exaggeration. But I'm ignoring the desire to clean, the desire to shop, the desire to see friends, etc., and focusing all of my efforts on Madeleine and Ferguson for the next eight or ten hours.

Hopefully my horoscope for today is accurate:

You are energized in a very real way, for you can see what's ahead if you continue to work hard and plan for your future. But the currents may be speeding up now and this can make you nervous, even if it's also exciting. You want to succeed, but you may be afraid that it won't last if it all happens so fast that you don't have a strong foundation. Don't let your fears get in the way of your success.

Happy Saturday, everyone! By this time tomorrow, Madeleine and Ferguson will be even farther along in their journey towards the happily-ever-after.

Bloom Where You're Planted

While my day job provides many benefits (such as a paycheck) and many frustrations (such as the sixty-plus-hour weekly commitment that pulls me away from my writing), what keeps me going back is my fabulous set of coworkers. I'm very lucky in that I actually enjoy seeing many of the people I work with; there are always the occasional people whom I avoid when I see them walking down the hall, but they are far outnumbered by the people whom I would gladly sacrifice ten minutes of precious worktime to catch up with.

I had a meeting today with one of my direct reports, and the meeting reminded me just how lucky I am to work with these people, and even more importantly how much I just need to figure out how to balance the job and the writing and not get frustrated when either one is not going exactly right. The person I met with was an officer in Iraq and served two tours before leaving the Army and going into the private sector. As we were talking, he mentioned something that his grandmother told him before he left for Iraq -- that it was important to "bloom where you're planted." Isn't that excellent advice? Regardless of whatever situation you end up in, you can still strive to bloom in it.

This is far sappier than I usually get, so I apologize for the uncharacteristic lapse. I will be back to my regularly scheduled snark tomorrow!

My Favorite Things: Hair Tinsel

Occasionally I intend to post things that I currently love. Top of mind (and head, ha) right now is hair tinsel! One of my friends got it last week, and I just had to copy her; I adore sparkly, shiny accessories, and luckily my day job allows me certain freedoms in terms of my ability to occasionally act like I'm sixteen. Since I have never dyed my hair and do not intend to start until the grey starts its inevitable assault, hair tinsel is an appealing option for adding some flare to my hair without damaging it.

Essentially, the tinsel is hair-width metallic fibers that a stylist ties to individual strands of hair near the roots. Once tied in place, the strands stay there until the hairs fall out. The tinsel can be shampooed, styled, blow-dried, etc., just like normal hair -- but I would swoon with ecstasy if my normal hair could ever turn to tinsel on command.

Ten strands of metallic purple tinsel later, and my long brunette hair suddenly has an edge to it that I adore. It's not over-the-top noticeable, but I love when the metallic strands catch the light. While it's not something I would do all the time, I'm pretty sure I will have to do it again for the RWA conference -- perhaps a color to match my Golden Heart Award Ceremony dress?

To see what hair tinsel looks like, check out this site; I got the tinsel put in at a salon in Silicon Valley. Enjoy, and comment if you decide to get tinsel!