An Agent's Sense of Humor

Well its official. No one can ever say Janet Reid doesn't have one hell of a sense of humor. :D All hail the Shark.

Inspiration

Okay so for any of you who don't know I find a great amount of inspiration in music. Not just with my writing but also in my every day life. There's nothing better than hearing that new song that makes your heart beat fast and has you cranking up the radio to full. So today I'm adding to my inspirations.

Here is the video from Love Save the Empty by Erin McCarley



Now for my question to all of you....What's your go-to music to get you inspired to write?

Upcoming Contest!

Miss Snark's First Victim is having another Secret Agent Contest starting Monday. This is a monthly occurence and one that is well worth entering!!

Every month, Authoress holds a Secret Agent Contest where a real life, honest to God literary agent will look over the first 250 words of your finished manuscript. The winner usually gets to submit their full manuscript for the Agent to read and consider offering representation. Cool huh? But there are only 50 entrants per contest so you have to enter early!

This month's Secret Agent will read YA and MG submissions. So if you have a finished (and I do stress the finished part - pollished and all) manuscript then enter this fun contest! Its a great way to get some great feedback and see if your stuff will make the cut. For full submission guidelines read here.

EReaders vs. Books

First, I would like to preface this post with... I understand the lure of EReaders, especially for the busy people out there. People who have to read on the road, in the air, or just plain on the move. You know, people like agents who don't want to be lugging around a bunch of 400 page novels, unbound manuscripts, and weighty contracts while they are on their way to meet with publishers or clients.

That said...I get it, honestly I do, but I won't be buying one anytime soon.

I flat out refuse to relinquish my hold on books (pun unintended :D) Call it the romantic in me, but I love the feel of the pages passing under my fingertips or the smell of a fresh binding. There's just something about the physical aspect of it that makes reading fun - real. But then again, I'm the type of reader that will curl up in a cozy chair with a blanket and a cup of coffee and disappear into the world on the page. That is what I love about reading and losing all of that to the digital copy is something I just won't do.

Reading a good book is something to be savored. That's my opinion anyway.

So I ask you... EReader or Book? Which to do you prefer?

The Online World for Writers

Today's blog is about the online world of writers. There are some great writer communities out there and I highly recommend any author, published or not, check them out. From Twitter's #amwriting trend to websites like Miss Snark's First Victim, there is just something about seeing what your peers are going through that offers some form of comfort.

Who knows...maybe I'm just odd but somehow knowing that there is someone else out there who totally gets that sudden and overwhelming urge to thump your head against the wall (or your desk) because your main character decides to up and runaway to Rome without consulting you or finally realizing there is a massively gaping hole in the middle of your plot that you had missed during the 9 read-through's before.

Yup! No matter what it is I promise you there is most likely someone out there that feels your pain. And that it why the writer communities are so great. You can find those people, you can talk things out, and get their opinions. Because after all, if anyone is going to get you, it will be your fellow writers.

In the end, just know it is a struggle. But that's what makes it so worth it. If it was easy to get published -- to be a success -- it wouldn't feel like an accomplishment once it happens.

And until that day....

P.S. I just wanted to say hello to my new followers. :) If any of you have a site that you absolutely can't live without I would love to hear about it in the comments! And I doubt I'm the only one that would check them out.

Literary Agents Do Have A Sense of Humor!

Suzie Townsend from Fine Print Literary posted this great vid about a day in the life of a lit agent and I thought I'd share. :D It's always nice to know that Lit Agents have a sense of humor too. :D