28. February 2010 by admin.

There is not one big cosmic meaning for all; there is only the meaning we each give to our life, an individual meaning, an individual plot, like an individual novel, a book for each person. -Anais Nin, novelist  

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25. February 2010 by admin.

1- 6 ounce can frozen Orange Juice

1 cup whole or fat-free milk

¼ cup water

3 Tablespoons sugar (or artificial sweetener)

1 Teaspoon vanilla

10 to 12 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Serve with an orange wedge and enjoy with your favorite hero…I mean, cookie.

Nancy Lee Badger

Posted in Recipes | 3 Comments »

20. February 2010 by admin.

Record keeping sounds too much like work, but is an important step to keep track of your activities, especially when you complete more than one manuscript. Some rejection letters—called form letters—do not even reference the manuscript title. Having records of what you sent which agent or publishing house will keep it all straight. NEVER send more than one manuscript to an agent or publisher at one time. Most agencies and publishing house will only accept one per author at a time. If they decide to offer a contract, having a second manuscript in their slush pile makes extra work for them.  

Feel free to send queries to dozens at once, but I recommend no more than 10 at a time. Why? With the advent of e-mail queries, rejections arrive in days or weeks instead of months (or years!) An agent might take an extra few lines to tell you why they do not think your manuscript is ‘right’ for them. Slow pacing or too many characters are things that can be fixed. THEN you can send the manuscript out again.

ALWAYS keep a copy of the original in case someone shows interest in it. That is what happened to me. From the time I wrote the book, submitted it to several agents and a couple of publishers, then entered it in RWA’s Golden Heart writing contest, almost 10 months had passed. I decided to rewrite the book. Bad idea, now that I look back, since the original still sat with Red Rose Publishing (www.redrosepublishing.com) When the e-mail came last August saying ‘Congratulations, Secret Love Match has sold’, I was flabbergasted. Joy filled me and heartache was avoided when I learned they would allow me to meld the two story lines together. I used the knowledge gleaned from on-line workshops to clean up the grammar, tighten up the dialog, and strengthen my characters. My book is due to be published as an e-book on 25 June 2010. The link is: http://redrosepublishing.com/bookstore/extra_info_pages.php?pages_id=4.

SECRET LOVE MATCH is my third completed full-length manuscript. Since signing my first ever contract, I have completed two more full-length stories (one contemporary and one Scottish historical) and a 30,000 word Scottish paranormal novella. I expect to have my current wip (work-in-progress) complete by the time my book comes out. The message here is to KEEP WRITING. When one manuscript is complete and you have sent out several query letters, start the next project. The time between submission to sale to publication can be two years or more!

I digress. What I do to keep my manuscripts straight is this: when I start a project, I choose a binder about 1 ½ inches thick. I fill it with my character profiles (hair and eye color, names, ages, quirks, etc.) I type up a ‘Publishers’ page. Every time I submit to an agent or publisher, I include the date, agency name, agent or c/o name, and what I sent, such as ‘query, 2 page synopsis, first three chapters’. I leave a column blank for the date a rejection (or request for full!) arrive.

A rejection from a certain agent or publisher should be viewed as another opportunity. When your next work is complete, send it out to them! Again, Romance Writers of America (www.rwanational.org) is a fantastic resource since they list agents and publishers on their website, complete with requirements, websites, and genres. There are other sources for publisher information…such as how much royalty does so-and-so offer. We will leave that for another day. 

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18. February 2010 by admin.

My only advice is to stay aware, listen carefully, and yell for help if you need it. -Judy Blume, writer 

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7. February 2010 by admin.

Writing is a lonely profession. When I started writing, back in October 2007, I was employed fulltime, had watched one son graduate college and the other survive a stint in Iraq. I hadn’t planned to write fulltime. I am a voracious reader. Harlequin paperbacks filled my library.  Mystery series by Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich joined them. But it wasn’t until the week my youngest son came home on leave that the floodgates in my mind opened and a story tumbled out.

My first attempt at writing a ‘real’ book turned out to be a contemporary romance. It took one month to write. Boy was I naive. Like a fish out of water, I bought a book on formatting (Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies by Leslie Wainger) and a book listing agents and publishers. I could have learned so much more by joining ROMANCE WRITERS OF AMERICA (www.RWAnational.org).  I submitted my self-edited, formatted by-the-book manuscript’s query letters to several agents and Harlequin Publishing (www.eharlequin.com). I remember the feeling of shock and awe when Harlequin requested to read my full manuscript. Their letter soothed my reaction to dozens of earlier rejection letters.

Unfortunately, they also rejected my book. I stashed it away. Did I stop writing? No. Did I still see a future in it? Yes! What I did next was join the Romance Writers of America, and write another book. I attended a local chapter’s all-day workshop featuring two well-known authors. Due to my work schedule, I was never able to attend the chapter’s monthly meetings.

Then we sold our home in central New Hampshire (right before the bust) and moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. By November 2008 I had completed three full manuscripts. I now reside only eight miles from my local RWA chapter’s meeting place( www.heartofcarolina.org ). The members have helped fuel my ambition and get me excited to succeed. I also joined an on-line writing group for mystery, suspense, and crime-fighting novelists (www.SistersInCrime.com).

Writing does NOT have to be a lonely profession. There are various groups out there, including dozens available on-line. Having someone to talk to, to listen to, to ask questions of, to respect your opinions, etc. is priceless.  I plan to post more chapters relating to writing on this blog with more writing tips and useful websites. Have a question? I invite you to either make a comment or e-mail me.

Nancy Lee Badger

Posted in my thoughts | 5 Comments »