Ironic Anniversary

Seventeen years ago today I married my husband. For the record, he's just as good-looking now as he was then, he just doesn't look fourteen anymore. I still laugh at our wedding picture. I look 12. I promise, we were both in our twenties though.

Seventeen years ago we married on the day before Father's day just like today. The weather was windy, but not too bad. My hair was self-made because my stylist got the flu. Uhm, I sort of had poodle hair as a result of my efforts. Oh well. With all the wind I don't think it made much difference.

We headed out on Father's day for our honeymoon. That's when a horrible sore throat settled in. I smiled through the six hour drive and hoped it would go away. Well, it kind of did. It moved out of my throat and into my lungs.

So there we are in the middle of nowhere in a cabin without heat, and it snows. In June. And if that's not enough, I've got bronchitis so bad that I can't even talk at all.

Yeap. That was our historic honeymoon.

And here we are, seventeen years later. You'll never guess what my husband picked up while we were on vacation..... bronchitis. He hasn't had a real voice for a week. He can't talk sometimes or he'll end up in a coughing fit. It's sort of like we've switched roles to celebrate our anniversary.

I should have known that would come back to haunt us.

Anyway, thank goodness for antibiotics.

And, in spite of snow in June and bronchitis, I would do it all over again because being married to my man is worth it all. For those of you who know him, you understand how amazing he is. And for all of you who don't, you'll just have to take my word for it.

We have a Winner!

Using random.org I came up with a lucky winner of the $40 gift card to CSN stores.

Congratulations Tracey!

So, I've been breaking "rules". I never announced when the contest would end, but then, I've been on vacation and now that I'm back, it seemed like as good a time as any to move things along.

Thanks to all of you who sent warm thoughts! It really meant a lot to me.

Since I've announced that I signed with an agent, I've had some more questions related to the subject.

Who did I sign with? That's been the most common question. And, without further ado, I give you Irene Kraas from Kraas Literary Agency. She is an intriguing agent who represents an assortment of genres that I can't help but love. If I'm lucky, she'll keep loving everything I write and we'll make an unstoppable team.

Since I'll probably never stop writing, I'm going to come up with lots more new ideas. The book I'm working on right now is really different than everything else I've done. Hopefully it will someday be a hit too.

If by some miracle, we sell my latest manuscript any time soon, I'll be sure to let you know. I'll have to celebrate big time and do some kind of giveaway.

As for the latest writing-related stuff, I've been asked to be an agent/editor coordinator for the LDStorymakers conference which will be held May 6-7, 2011 at the Downtown Sheraton in Salt Lake City. How I got lucky enough to have the funnest job, I'll never know. Already it's been a blast.

And, for those of you who live in the proximity to Boise and are interested in writing childrens-YA, SCBWI will be holding a conference September 11. I'll be giving a presentation regarding my path to publication.

So, if you have any questions you want me to write about, drop in. I'd love to post about something you're interested in!

Till then, you'll probably end up with stories of my vacation and other mysteries of the universe....

A Giveaway and some News

Here's a giveaway that anyone would love. Click on vanity to see where you get to shop if you win.

For those of you who are submersed into the writing world, you will understand the significance of what it means to get a literary agent. If those words mean little to you, just think of an agent as the possibility of great things.

Without an agent, writers are often limited to small press, religious markets or niche publications.

With an agent, writing has new exposure to the national market publishing houses. Having an agent does not guarantee success, but it does improve the chances.

That said, my big news is that I signed with an agent. YAY!!!

And, as fate would have it, an online store approached me last week and asked if I would host a giveaway on their behalf.

For your enjoyment, there is a $40 gift card up for grabs from CSN stores. They have so many great things to choose from that you can't go wrong. Need a new bookshelf, a new chair, throw pillows, a hammock, whatever, they have tons of stuff.

To enter, just leave a comment with your e-mail address. Right now I haven't picked an end time for the contest, but it might go all month. I'll update that as I get more info.

Good luck!

Poem from my son

I've had this sitting on my desk for the last few days. It was a school assignment that my 7th grade son did and gave to me.

My Mom

Your face is like the beautiful, wonderful New Zealand.
Your hugs are like the fuzzy warm socks that you absolutely love.
Your favorite feeling is funny and you sure know how to show it and how to use it.

You're sweet as your homemade chocolate milk.
Along with that milk, you're the dark chocolate, sweetening the whole world, not just me.
Your voice is soothing, as if Josh Grobin is singing in the back of my head.

You are the one helping me change my dark world into a wonderful green one like yours.

I loved it. Just like I love him.

So you want to get an agent.... Part 2

Query letters

As promised, I'm going to talk a little about query letters. When I first heard about them, I looked in books and on the internet trying to find out as much as I could. While I did learn a few things, I still felt under-qualified to write a compelling one.

What I really wanted to see was an honest-to-goodness real query letter that actually got the attention of agents. All the pretend ones didn't help me see how I should do it.

While I won't say I'm a professional at it, I do have my own query letter that I will share with you. With it, I made some notes in red.

Here is the e-mail version of mine ( if you want to snail mail your query, format accordingly)....

May 18, 2010 (putting the date on the top helped because it was easier for both me and the agent to keep track of when the letter was sent)

Agent's Name,

For your consideration, I give you Point Champions, an 82,770 word dystopian, speculative fiction young adult novel. (It is imperative to put the title, word- count and genre.)

Seventeen-year-old Cherry is determined to make it on the elite government Jr. Team. Not only would such a feat provide her family with a way out of poverty, but as a Point Champion she would get the chance to leave her small town. Though trying for a spot nearly takes her life, she makes it in and is sure a better life awaits her. But no one told her that serving her country meant pretending to be married and acting as a spy. When her teammate goes missing she is on her own to solve the mystery. It’s up to her to find the lost Champions and unravel the web of her government’s plan. (Short synopsis. I think the shorter the better. If they want more of an explanation than this, I promise, they'll ask.)

My other published work is a young adult fantasy novel, Älvor released May 2009. (Do mention your other published work, but don't bother to brag about it. Just the facts. They have more than enough resources to look you up more if they want.)

My marketing strategy currently includes book signings, school visits, presentations and panel discussions at writers conferences and Writer’s Leagues, blog tours, a blog http://alvor-daretodream.blogspot.com/, a website www.laurabingham.com, twitter, an author page on Amazon.com and a Published Author List member of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) and LDStorymakers (a group of published authors). (This is where I brag. I think authors don't give themselves enough credit for the work they do. I was surprised to see in writing how hard I worked to market my book. This is definitely a selling point to agents.)

I have a Bachelor degree in Biology from Boise State University and earned certification to teach all science subjects in secondary education in the state of Idaho. I currently direct and teach clogging for a studio group I’ve owned for seventeen years. (Short and sweet- who are you in real life? Don't go on and on.)

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Laura Bingham

Your Address

Your phone #, e-mail address, and website if you have one (Do end all of your letters with plenty of ways to contact you, even if it is an e-mail. Just like the date, the more they have at their fingertips, the easier it is for them.)

Other than the query letter, pay attention to the submission requirements. Always follow their rules and give them exactly what they want. It gets time consuming, but thanks to the new standard of e-mail, it's now a lot less expensive. 90% of my queries were e-mailed. I did snail mail submit to agents if I really wanted them, but it doesn't improve your chances of getting them. Sometimes agents accept e-mail queries and then ask for snail mail manuscripts. Be prepared to print all 300-ish pages and mail them off. When mailing partials, get a large clasp envelope and send it with tape over the flap. When mailing whole manuscripts, be sure to use a small box, not one that drowns your book, and mail it MEDIA. This will save you tons of money.

More to come on the process later!

So you want to get an agent.... Part 1

The last little while of my life has been consumed with the process of finding an agent. Now that I am in the final days of this whirlwind of a roller coaster, I wanted to talk about the tips and tricks I've learned.

And then, when it's all said and done, realize that they are only suggestions and that anything I say might not be the way some agents would advise.

I think the agent query thing is pretty old-school. What I have to say could be found anywhere. There are a couple tricks I've learned though, and they very well could be the difference between finding representation and not.

First, let's talk about finding agents.

My best advice is signing up with publishers marketplace.

It is an exclusive list of deals made by publishers and agents. It costs $20/month. For a long time I thought I didn't really need it, but I haven't regretted a single cent I've spent in the last two months. I feel suddenly very connected to the publishing world. By using reverse engineering, I found agents who are selling what I write right now. I don't have to guess at it. I spent a couple days going through deals from the most recent and backwards and submitting to agents who looked right for my genre. Of course, I always cross-referenced my research by looking at their websites and other resources.

Other helpful tools agent query
and query tracker.

I used both of these resources to see either more info about each agent or to track the average response time. I also like the Absolute Write Water Cooler where you can do research on any agent or publisher through other people's experiences.

I have to admit, I've used all of these. When I get a request from an agent I always check the water cooler site to see what the buzz is about that agent.

Coming next, query letters...

I'm back...

Maybe it just feels like it's been forever. Last weekend was busy!!! We left early in the morning on Friday and headed down to Utah for the CONduit convention.

And I didn't come in costume.

I did, however, get a picture of the very talented Sarah Seiter. She did the artwork for an optioned cover of Alvor. Click here to see more of her art.

My synopsis of the weekend would go something like this.....

Was hugged immediately upon arriving... thanks Julie Wright, for making me feel special.

Shortly after realized that I have no clue how to think like or converse clearly with high-fantasy-fanatics. Gave up trying.

Went to the best author panel discussion there, yeah, because I was on it. Had a blast talking to other writers about everything YA.

Saw James Dashner the next day and actually got maybe five whole minutes to talk to him. He still rocks. I can't wait to read SCORCH TRIALS.

Dragged my husband through the vendors room where all the creepy things were sold. Saw many costumes, some cool, many disturbing. Accepted the fact that I'll never fit in with the costume-clad crowd.

Walked to the Gateway Mall for breakfast and lunch and felt spoiled for staying only one block away.

Then drove home and I've been trying to catch up with my life ever since.

More news to come this week, I promise. But ta ta for now.