As we mentioned earlier, eight (8) people would be randomly drawn who were NOT one of the Speed Dating winners and posted at or before 8:30am. They will receive a response to a query letter by the end of business tomorrow.
The queries can be sent up to 2pm ET tomorrow, Wednesday, December 1st, in order to allow time for same day turnaround. The response will be a quick yay or nay -- no aditional feedback will be given. Send to Contests@KnightAgency.net.
Okey dokey folks. We've noticed that many of you were a bit confused by exactly where to post your comment, and placed it in the OLD contest announcement post rather than the NEW post that went up today. We worked hard to eliminate any loop holes from the rules, and felt it was clear where to post this morning in the "official" spot, but don't want to overlook the fact that so many posted elsewhere. So, that said, Deidre has agreed to fold the first 50 commenters from the OLD post into the contest. So, if you posted there -- all is not lost. Same deadline applies. Send it to us by 2pm ET. Contests@KnightAgency.net. Got questions? Ask us here.
BTW, we'll have a list up of the winners (all 175) in a bit.
WINNERS LIST (125):
1. Jennifer Cook
2. Kimber Chin
3. Liz Czukas
4. Amanda Carlson
5. Misha McGuinness
6. Mai L. Lee
7. Keri Ford
8. Mary M
9. Annabelle L.
10. Syd13
11. Meg
12. Tory Michaels
13. Kerri Nelson
14. CD Coffelt
15. Joan
16. Jamie Farrell
17. R.G. Porter
18. Carolyn Rosewood
19. B.T. Sonderby
20. Harris Channing
21. Jennifer L Hart
22. Amanda Brice
23. Jennifer N. Valdez
24. Suzanne Perazzini
25. Erin Kelly
26. Susan Saxx
27. Danielle DeVor
28. Amanda S. Green
29. Candace Wall
30. Mary Kate Kopec
31. Marquita Winslow
32. Tonya Kappes
33. Amanda Bailey
34. Lillian Grant
35. Callie James
36. Max Gladstone
37. Brenda Drake
38. Moira Keith
39. Janell Cleveland
40. Louise Delamore
41. Darin Kennedy
42. Joe Iriarte
43. J. Elis Morgan
44. Lori Dyan
45. JC Coy
46. Chelsea Hendrix
47. Kay Elam
48. Tanya R
49. Susan Spann
50. Ann Kopchik
51. Kristen Howe
52. Cheri LaClaire
53. Tracey Garvis Graves
54. Amanda Vyne
55. Brenda Whiteside
56. Joylene Nowell Butler
57. Cera Daniels
58. Janet Tait
59. Christine d'Abo
60. Steph French
61. Kendall Grey
62. Chris Bailey
63. Samantha Cade
64. S.Q. Eries
65. K.S. Olcott
66. Mary Kate Leahy
67. Laurel Wanrow
68. Abagail Schmidt
69. Jerri Drennen
70. J.F. Jenkins
71. Jeanette Murray
72. Evangeline Holland
73. Leona Bushman
74. Theresa Monsey
75. Shanon Wray
76. Eve Eschenbacher
77. Monica Peters
78. Imogen Howson
79. Samantha Hartley
80. December Gephart
81. Josua Thomas
82. R.B. Wood
83. Tara Kollas
84. Crista McHugh
85. Gina Leigh Maxwell
86. Adrienne Giordano
87. Anna Alexander
88. Lynne Freeman
89. Carol Preflatish
90. Steven Till
91. Michelle Miles
92. Kinley Baker
93. Kirk Kraft
94. Seamus Bayne
95. Sarah P
96. Robert Imfeld
97. Kimila Bowling
98. Melissa Dawn Harte
99. Dave Clark
100. Julia Weston
101. Rita Oberlies
102. Alyssa Marble
103. Pat O'Dea Rosen
104. KD Fleming
105. Shannon Schuren
106. Leigh
107. Patty Blount
108. Donna Sheilds
109. Hope Welsh
110. Shoshana Brown
111. Sandra Cormier
112. Eliza Gayle
113. Kate MacEachern
114. Mandy Mikulencak
115. Shalanna (Denise) Weeks
116. Kerri Maniscalo
117. Patricia
118. Sydney Carroll
119. Gloria Oliver
120. F. Roberta Walker
121. Jess Anastasi
122. Diane Garner
123. Elise Linch
124. Scott Robinson
125. Sarah Nicolas
ADDITIONAL 50 WINNERS ADDED FROM OLDER BLOG:
1. Tanya Kepic
2. Megan C. Floyd
3. Brenda Means
4. Angela Cavener
5. Hether Nickodem
6. Darin Kennedy
7. Marianne van Gelder
8. Peyton Ellas
9. Scooter Carlyle
10. Kahlen Aymes
11. Skye Taylor
12. Niki Gamm
13. Kathleen Groger
14. Eleanor Gwyn
15. Tessa Devan
16. Marsha A. Moore
17. Charles Dowdy
18. Samantha James
19. Courtney Simonds
20. Linda JB Herrick
21. Dianne Miley
22. Melissa Stark
23. Cathy Perkins
24. Moon Child
25. T.A. Northburg
26. Justin - Pete
27. Steve Schatz
28. DeVallon Bolles
29. Lisa Iriarte
30. Marlene Frere
31. Lisa Wells
32. Sofie Couch
33. Patricia Walker
34. Gonzalo Munevar
35. Coralie Hugthes Jensen
36. Deserae McGlothen
37. Val Clarizio
38. Marlene Frere (Corrected due to double posted name. Anna Patterson next in line, who is both received and accounted for)
The Official Post for Speed Dating with Deidre Knight -- Comment Here To Win!
UPDATE: Okay, wow. Like, we hardly know what to say. You guys are so awesome! 129 comments in 2 minutes! So, we're feeling like we need to do something special since you all worked so hard to be a part of this contest. Therefore, we will randomly draw 8 (eight) people from the names of those who left a comment at or before 8:30 WHO ARE NOT one of the first 125 to send a query letter directly to Deidre Knight. She will only reply with yay or nay, no critiques or feedback. Names will be posted by 3pm ET today, and she will reply to you by the end of the business day tomorrow.
It's the BIG day! Time to get this party started! Let's see... We need a bit of music to set the mood, something entertaining to break the ice and some sort of signature party drink...and... Wait one second. Are you actually still reading this?!?! If you've already reviewed the "Speed Dating with Deidre" rules, then you should be leaving a comment with your name IN THIS POST like NOW. Go on. Scoot! The rules are also listed at the end of this post if you need a refresher. We'll still be here when you come back.
Okay, done? Did you make it in time? If so, awesome and good luck! If not, well it's not the last time we'll be throwing a totally spectacular contest. In fact, we really like giving things away around here. On Thursday, December 16th @ 12:30pm we're holding our annual online holiday party in the chat room. Our agents, authors (possibly YOU!), their fans and TKA friends will be mingling while TKA Santa gives away TONS (and we do mean tons) of signed books.
In the meantime, we can have our own little contest kick-off party below now that you've left your comment and a bit of the pressure is released. You deserve it. As promised...
Holiday Music (insert "an agent" for "you"):
Entertainment (Lots of snarkiness in this video, but definitely LOL!):
Signature Drink (we know it's early still, so we'll keep it light): Mix orange juice and your favorite champagne to taste. A la mimosa!
Thanks to everyone who participated! We appreciate all of you for making this contest a smashing success!
CONTEST RULES---
HOW IT WORKS:
TODAY!!!!!!: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30TH-- 1. The first 125 people to leave a comment (including their name or pen name) in the contest post on The Knight Agency Blog will be automatically entered and should promptly send in the first three pages of their completed manuscript to Contests@KnightAgency.net. You will be able to leave comments from 8:00am ET to 12pm ET to gain entry in to the contest. Your first 3 pages must be received by 2pm ET.
The name entrants choose to post in the comment section MUST ALSO BE noted in their emailed submission. If we cannot match the name provided in your email to the one left in the comment section – your entry will be deleted without notice.
2. Only the first 125 entrants will receive email notifications about contest results (i.e. whether they’ve made it to the next round or not). If you’re not one of the 125, please do not email your 3 pages – we will not reply.
DAY TWO: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2ND-- 3. Deidre will select up to 25 entries to advance to the second round from the initial 125 entries. The names of the selected entries will be posted publicly on The Knight Agency blog by the end of the business day Thursday, December 2nd, and the selected writers will also be notified via the provided email address to submit 10 pages. The pages must be emailed to Contests@KnightAgency.net by Friday, December 3rd at 12:00pm ET.
Those not chosen to advance to the next round will receive email notifications. However, please remember this is speed dating. There will be no critiques, recommendations or explanations given as to why an entry was picked or not at any time during the contest. Please do not contact us for any type of feedback. Not being chosen doesn’t mean your literary dreams are over. It just means your perfect literary match is elsewhere. Remember, there are other fish in the sea.
DAY THREE: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8TH– 4. On the third day of the contest, Deidre will pick an undetermined amount of entrants to send in the first three chapters of their manuscripts based on the ten pages sent by entrants the previous week.
5. The selected entrants for Day Three will be posted on The Knight Agency blog and notified via email. They must submit their first three chapters no later than 12:00pm ET, Thursday, December 9th.
DAY FOUR: MONDAY, DECEMBER 13TH– 6. On the fourth day of the contest, Deidre will select an undetermined amount of entrants to submit their full manuscript. The names of those advancing to the final round will be posted on The Knight Agency blog, and they will also be notified via email. Full manuscripts must be received no later than 12:00pm ET, Tuesday, December 14th.
THE BIG REVEAL: MONDAY, DECEMBER 20TH-- 7. On the fifth day of the contest, Monday, December 20th, Deidre will reveal her new client on The Knight Agency blog, and the winner will also be notified via email. If none of the material submitted meets the needs of The Knight Agency at this time, the prize of representation will be void. However, a final winner will be selected to receive a general manuscript critique from Deidre. The first chapter critique winner will also be announced.
IMPORTANT DETAILS: - International participants are welcome. - If another Knight agent is actively considering your query, you are not eligible for the contest (active means an agent has informed you that they are considering your manuscript and would like to review more material) - If we have previously rejected your manuscript, please do not enter this contest unless your work has undergone a substantial rewrite - The only genres that will NOT be accepted, are those that are outlined in our submission guidelines.Here is an excerpt from our guidelines page regarding what we do not represent:
"5. Due to the the wide range of tastes and preferences that exist among The Knight Agency's six acquiring agents, we are currently looking for material in a wide spectrum of genres. Please reference the list below for the types of submissions we are NOT currently accepting.
- Screen Plays - Short Story Collections - Poetry Collections - Essay Collections - Photography - Film Treatments - Picture Books (although graphic novels will be accepted) - Children's Books (although young adult and middle grade titles will be accepted) - Biographies - Non-fiction Historical Treatments" - Entries shoould be double-spaced
- Only full manuscripts can be entered. - Contest is open to both unpublished and published authors. - To find out what type of books the agency DOES NOT accept, please visit our submission guidelines page. - We will check out spam filters to make sure no one gets caught there; however, if your email becomes otherwise delayed, deleted or falls through a black hole – your entry will be declared void. We are not responsible for lost entries. - Your materials must be sent in by the deadlines outlined above. Late submissions, even by mere minutes, will result in forfeiture of your entry. - Everyone, and we mean EVERYONE, will receive the same generic “yay” or “nay” reply letting them know whether or not they have advanced to the next round. Please don’t ask us for any additional explanation or feedback of any kind. Deidre is reading these entries as fast as she can while maintaining her busy schedule – so there’s no time for hand-holding. - Do not send your entry to any other email address besides Contests@KnightAgency.net. Failure to follow this instruction will result in deletion of your entry. - Multiple entries are not allowed. If you enter more than one manuscript, only your first entry will be counted. - Corrections are not allowed. What you send in the first time is what Deidre will judge. No exceptions. Make sure you’re attaching the right document. - Do not send pages more than we ask for at any time. If we ask for 10 pages and you send 20, your entry will be deleted without notice. - To protect ourselves from potential viruses and other random flotsam and jetsam, the first three pages you send in should be pasted within the body of your email. Not attached separately in a Word document.
However, once we’ve established communication after the first round, subsequent pages, should be properly formatted for submission and sent as Word document attachments. The Word document should ALWAYS include a cover page with your name, physical address, genre and overall word count.
- The only information that we will ever reveal about you publicly is the name you provide. The only places we will post your name is on our company blog, and possibly in the company newsletter.
- The winner of the random drawing must claim their prize via email to Contests@KnightAgency.net 30 days from notification of their win. The critique will be returned within eight weeks after receipt of materials.
- All entrants will be opted in to The Knight Agency newsletter. The newsletter contains a link that allows you to easily opt out at any time.
TKA Serials: Maria Geraci's THE BOYFRIEND OF THE MONTH CLUB
Today our TKA serial post is hosted by romantic women’s fiction author, Maria Geraci. Her third novel, THE BOYFRIEND OF THE MONTH CLUB, comes out December 7, 2010. Enjoy her excerpt below. You can find out more about her books at http://www.mariageraci.com/.
CHAPTER ONE -- The Ghost of Boyfriends Past
Grace O’Bryan didn’t believe in ghosts. She also didn’t believe in witches, vampires, love at first sight, that there was anything real about reality TV, or the ridiculous claim that you could lose ten pounds on the three-day cabbage soup diet (she’d tried it twice). If you couldn’t see it, feel it, touch it, or taste it, then in all likelihood it didn’t exist. Which made for some very practical thinking on Grace’s part. Except for the one ripple in the otherwise smooth seas of her personal logic. Like her abuela Graciela—the Cuban grandmother Grace was named after—what she did believe in was curses.
How else could you explain tonight?
She had waited a whopping two months for Brandon Farrell to ask her out, only to wake up this morning on her period. Not that that in itself was a problem. She wasn’t a have-sex-on-the-first-date kind of girl. Nor did she suffer from bad cramps. But she’d also woken up five pounds heavier than she’d been last night (maybe she should have given the cabbage soup diet one more try). So instead of the outfit she’d planned on wearing, she’d ended up borrowing her best friend Sarah’s little black dress. Sarah had excellent taste in clothes—the dress was a winning combination of elegant yet discreetly sexy. Sarah was also a size larger than Grace, and the dress had fit perfectly. At least it had fit perfectly back at Grace’s town house. It wasn’t until Grace had folded herself into her tiny red VW Bug that she’d noticed the dress was a tad too short.
And now, thanks to some heavier than average Saturday evening Daytona Beach traffic, she was late for her date. She tugged on the hem of Sarah’s dress and opened the door to the city’s newest, most exclusive restaurant, Chez Louis, only to find herself nose to aquiline nose with Felix Barberi.
Grace sucked in a breath. It was a Dickensian nightmare. Too bad the man standing in front of her was one hundred percent real. Grace might not subscribe to love at first sight, but substitute lust for love, and in Felix’s case she’d been a firm believer.
At first, Felix had been incredibly charming, despite his annoying habit of wanting to make out to Celine Dion’s number one hit, “My Heart Will Go On.” But Felix worked in the restaurant business and the brutal hours had strained their relationship and tarnished his charm. The ultimate strain had come when Grace had returned early from a business trip to surprise Felix on Valentine’s Day. She’d gone to his apartment with a bottle of red wine and a pepperoni and anchovy pizza, only to catch Felix going at it with a dancer from the Topless-a-Go-Go.
Grace didn’t know which was worse: the fact that Felix had cheated, or that the someone he had cheated with had a rack that must have cost six months’ worth of lap dances. The incident had confirmed however that the St. Valentine’s Day Curse was alive and well. Read more »
Super Big Mega Gigantic Contest Announcement! She’s Just That Into You: Speed Dating with Deidre Knight
UPDATE - We're thrilled that so many of you plan to enter Deidre's contest and can't wait until tomorrow. That said, some questions have arisen that were not outlined in the rules last week. Please check out our updated guidelines below in red. Looking forward to tomorrow!
Just one more update... We're expected a pretty big response tomorrrow morning, so please don't get frustrated if you have trouble getting on the blog for any reason. Keep checking back with us periodically until you're able to get through. Best of luck!
What are you asking Santa for this year? A cashmere sweater? Flat screen TV? What about a gift that keeps on giving well into the New Year and beyond – literary representation?
Knight Agency president and founder Deidre Knight is on the hunt for a fresh, unique voice to add to her personal client roster. Are you the one she's looking for? Find out by joining us here on The Knight Agency blog for "Speed Dating with Deidre." Beginning Tuesday, November 30th, Deidre will whittle down the first 125 entries to one lucky winner.* The contest opens at 8:00am ET right here on the blog, so set your alarms!
Oh, and there’s a special bonus, one randomly drawn winner will receive a first chapter critique from Deidre – drawn from all entries.**
*If it is determined at the end of the contest that the materials submitted are not on par with The Knight Agency's needs, representation will not be offered. In this case, Deidre will provide a final winner with a general manuscript critique.
**The random drawing for a first chapter critique will be selected from the first 125 entries sent in during the specified entry period from 8:00am ET to 2pm ET on Tuesday, November 30th, 2010.
HOW IT WORKS:
DAY ONE: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30TH--
1. The first 125 people to leave a comment (including their name or pen name) in the contest post on The Knight Agency Blog will be automatically entered and should promptly send in the first three pages of their completed manuscript to Contests@KnightAgency.net. You will be able to leave comments from 8:00am ET to 12pm ET to gain entry in to the contest. Your first 3 pages must be received by 2pm ET.
The name entrants choose to post in the comment section MUST ALSO BE noted in their emailed submission. If we cannot match the name provided in your email to the one left in the comment section – your entry will be deleted without notice.
2. Only the first 125 entrants will receive email notifications about contest results (i.e. whether they’ve made it to the next round or not). If you’re not one of the 125, please do not email your 3 pages – we will not reply.
DAY TWO: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2ND--
3. Deidre will select up to 25 entries to advance to the second round from the initial 125 entries. The names of the selected entries will be posted publicly on The Knight Agency blog by the end of the business day Thursday, December 2nd, and the selected writers will also be notified via the provided email address to submit 10 pages. The pages must be emailed to Contests@KnightAgency.net by Friday, December 3rd at 12:00pm ET.
Those not chosen to advance to the next round will receive email notifications. However, please remember this is speed dating. There will be no critiques, recommendations or explanations given as to why an entry was picked or not at any time during the contest. Please do not contact us for any type of feedback. Not being chosen doesn’t mean your literary dreams are over. It just means your perfect literary match is elsewhere. Remember, there are other fish in the sea.
DAY THREE: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8TH–
4. On the third day of the contest, Deidre will pick an undetermined amount of entrants to send in the first three chapters of their manuscripts based on the ten pages sent by entrants the previous week.
5. The selected entrants for Day Three will be posted on The Knight Agency blog and notified via email. They must submit their first three chapters no later than 12:00pm ET, Thursday, December 9th.
DAY FOUR: MONDAY, DECEMBER 13TH–
6. On the fourth day of the contest, Deidre will select an undetermined amount of entrants to submit their full manuscript. The names of those advancing to the final round will be posted on The Knight Agency blog, and they will also be notified via email. Full manuscripts must be received no later than 12:00pm ET, Tuesday, December 14th.
THE BIG REVEAL: MONDAY, DECEMBER 20TH--
7. On the fifth day of the contest, Monday, December 20th, Deidre will reveal her new client on The Knight Agency blog, and the winner will also be notified via email. If none of the material submitted meets the needs of The Knight Agency at this time, the prize of representation will be void. However, a final winner will be selected to receive a general manuscript critique from Deidre. The first chapter critique winner will also be announced.
IMPORTANT DETAILS:
- International participants are welcome.
- If another Knight agent is actively considering your query, you are not eligible for the contest (active means an agent has informed you that they are considering your manuscript and would like to review more material)
- If we have previously rejected your manuscript, please do not enter this contest unless your work has undergone a substantial rewrite
- The only genres that will NOT be accepted, are those that are outlined in our submission guidelines.Here is an excerpt from our guidelines page regarding what we do not represent:
"5. Due to the the wide range of tastes and preferences that exist among The Knight Agency's six acquiring agents, we are currently looking for material in a wide spectrum of genres. Please reference the list below for the types of submissions we are NOT currently accepting.
- Screen Plays - Short Story Collections - Poetry Collections
- Essay Collections - Photography - Film Treatments - Picture Books (although graphic novels will be accepted) - Children's Books (although young adult and middle grade titles will be accepted) - Biographies - Non-fiction Historical Treatments"
- Entries shoould be double-spaced
- Only full manuscripts can be entered.
- Contest is open to both unpublished and published authors.
- To find out what type of books the agency DOES NOT accept, please visit our submission guidelines page.
- We will check out spam filters to make sure no one gets caught there; however, if your email becomes otherwise delayed, deleted or falls through a black hole – your entry will be declared void. We are not responsible for lost entries.
- Your materials must be sent in by the deadlines outlined above. Late submissions, even by mere minutes, will result in forfeiture of your entry.
- Everyone, and we mean EVERYONE, will receive the same generic “yay” or “nay” reply letting them know whether or not they have advanced to the next round. Please don’t ask us for any additional explanation or feedback of any kind. Deidre is reading these entries as fast as she can while maintaining her busy schedule – so there’s no time for hand-holding.
- Do not send your entry to any other email address besides Contest@KnightAgency.net. Failure to follow this instruction will result in deletion of your entry.
- Multiple entries are not allowed. If you enter more than one manuscript, only your first entry will be counted.
- Corrections are not allowed. What you send in the first time is what Deidre will judge. No exceptions. Make sure you’re attaching the right document.
- Do not send pages more than we ask for at any time. If we ask for 10 pages and you send 20, your entry will be deleted without notice.
- To protect ourselves from potential viruses and other random flotsam and jetsam, the first three pages you send in should be pasted within the body of your email. Not attached separately in a Word document.
However, once we’ve established communication after the first round, subsequent pages, should be properly formatted for submission and sent as Word document attachments. The Word document should ALWAYS include a cover page with your name, physical address, genre and overall word count.
- The only information that we will ever reveal about you publicly is the name you provide. The only places we will post your name is on our company blog, and possibly in the company newsletter.
- The winner of the random drawing must claim their prize via email to Contests@KnightAgency.net 30 days from notification of their win. The critique will be returned within eight weeks after receipt of materials.
- All entrants will be opted in to The Knight Agency newsletter. The newsletter contains a link that allows you to easily opt out at any time.
Countdown to Turkey Day with The Knight Agency: Pamela Harty
UPDATE: The winner of 10+ books by Knight Agency authors is donnas. Congrats! Please email your physical addy to Contests(AT)KnightAgency.net.
It's the final day of our Thanksgiving countdown, and Knight Agency vice president of sales, Pamela Harty, has written our final send off for the holiday.
We hope you enjoyed hearing from our authors during the last several days, and we encourage you to come back after you've stuffed yourselves to the gills with sweet potato casserole, turkey, dressing, ham, rolls and macaroni and cheese to check out some fab contests and blogs we have planned for the end of the year. (Oh boy, I think I just gained 5 pounds from writing the previous sentence. LOL.)
Final Giveaway! Leave a comment to win 10+ books from Knight Agency clients for your holiday reading enjoyment. The winner will be announced on Monday, November 29th.
______________________________________
Gratitude is an Action Word
I am always a bit intimated to post on our TKA blog. Working every day with such amazing writers, I know just how much my own writing pales in comparison. That being said, it may sound funny that my blog post title is Gratitude is an action word knowing full well gratitude is a noun.
But for me, as this holiday season kicks off I plan to make a conscience effort to make my gratitude apparent to everyone by both my actions and my attitude.
On a professional level, I have so much to be grateful for beginning with my most basic ability to see and read the written word. So first off, I am thankful for my eyesight and my 2.0 reading glasses.
I am thankful for the Internet, high speed connections, my laptop and blackberry – all of which make my work accessible, portable, and allow me to do my job from any spot in the world any time of the day.
I am grateful for my Kindle and the inroads that have been made in the digital publishing world this year. I am thankful that with the click of a few buttons I have thousands of books available to me.
I am thankful for our submissions box and knowing that any day the most amazing manuscript might come in and possibly be our next best seller. I am thankful to Melissa who does an extraordinary job staying on top of the mounds of incoming material. Thank you, Melissa!
I am thankful for my other wonderful co-workers and the skills that they each bring to the table making The Knight Agency such a special place to work.
Thank you Elaine for running such a tight ship and your willingness to talk over lunch. And Jamie for all those questions you answer and checks you send out. Thank you, Jia for always having a smile and helping me with every random computer issue I have. Thank you Nephele for west coast updates and Lucienne for your diligence and hard work on all things Dorchester. You are all amazing ladies. Thank you for all you do!!!
I am so thankful for Deidre and Jud and all that they have done to grow TKA. Deidre is a giver of time and talent every day. I am grateful that I can make a living doing something so much fun with people I love.
And finally, I am thankful for my awe inspiring clients whose talents and imaginations are amazing. In an industry where rejection is as common as the winter cold, I say thank you to my strong, smart, funny, creative, quirky and lovable clients. You keep me on my toes. In this competitive marketplace you understand the power of both a good rewrite as well as a strong sense of humor. You people are such professionals. You know who you are. Thank you, thank you.
Yes, for me I hope to make gratitude an action word this season! Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
Countdown to Turkey Day with The Knight Agency: Jenna Kernan
UPDATE: The winner of a signed copy of HIS DAKOTA CAPTIVE by Jenna Kernan is Shoshanna Evers. Congrats! Please email your physical addy to Contests@KnightAgency.net.Leave a comment to win a signed copy of HIS DAKOTA CAPTIVE by Jenna Kernan. The winner will be announced tomorrow morning.
Tools to Make Me Thankful
In this season of gratitude, I would like to show my appreciation for an eclectic list of gizmos and software for which I am truly thankful. And though none of them will bring world peace, they bring peace to me and that is a good start.
1. TextAloud Program: This has been a Godsend. This software speaks my words back to me. I guess I’m an auditory learner, because my manuscript can say: He it form Mars. But because I remember writing, He is from Mars, I often don’t see the mistakes. But Crystal and Mike read only what is written. Crystal and Mike are the voices I purchased with the program. Crystal reads my heroines POV and Mike reads my hero’s. Because of Mike and Crystal’s hard work, I have many fewer mistakes in my writing. In fact, when I finish this blog, they will help me proof-read it. They are not perfect, as they can’t tell REED from READ, and they don’t sound exactly human, but I love them both like family and would gladly invite them to my Thanksgiving table if I could.
2. Handheld Dictation Tape Recorder: I’m embarrassed to admit this one as I heard on the radio that Sony has stopped producing the Walkman and the host wondered aloud if anyone in the world still listened to cassettes. I do. I buy books on tape (real tape, mind you) at yard sales, book stores, church bazaars and other odd places. Everyone is getting rid of them, so I have dozens of wonderful stories waiting for me. I also listen to CDs, but I can’t stop them and get back to exactly the same place. Boy, if you pause that cassette, it is there waiting in the exact place you stopped. I listen in the car, in the tub (and since there are no ear buds I don’t have to worry about getting them wet) and when I’m getting dressed. All times when I couldn’t read. This particular cassette player was designed for dictation. The speaker is built in and it has the odd feature of being able to speed up or slow down the speed of the recording. Since I am a New Yorker, I set the speed just a little faster than normal to hear more story in the time I have to listen. Isn’t that pathetic?
3. MP3 Player: For listening to podcasts during the day. The variety of options are endless. I also listen to downloaded audiobooks. In addition, it has become a sleep aid. When I have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep I click over to Joseph Conrad’s, HEART IF DARKNESS. “The horror. The horror!” Yes, I have listened to it awake, but something about the reader’s voice and Conrad’s long sentences makes this a perfect sedative for me and for thousands of students in 10th grade English class. It also makes a nice flashlight in hotels to help me find the bathroom at 3 AM. I know, there’s an App for that, but honestly, I still don’t know how to use my cellphone, so give me a break with the Apps.
4. Post-Its: One more tool I can’t live without then editing or revising a manuscript—Post-its and if you visit my website News page at www.jennakernan.com you will see why. It’s not pretty.
So there you have it. These are the gadgets/software that makes my world a happier place. In this season of thanks, let us not forget the useful tools that aid us in our work, calm our soul and are often much better company than our relatives.
What software or gadgets rock your writing world?
Or
Would you rather spend two hours on Thanksgiving with your laptop or your Aunt Marge?
N.K. Jemisin joined us in the TKA chat room last Thursday to talk about her Inheritance Trilogy novels, which include THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS, THE BROKEN KINGDOMS, and the upcoming THE KINGDOM OF THE GODS. We had an awesome time talking about her series, writing habits and giving away books! Click here for the chat transcript.
Countdown to Turkey Day with the Knight Agency: Renee Bernard
UPDATE: The winner of a surprise book from Renee Bernard's backlist is Johanna R Jochum! Congrats! Please email your physical addy to Contests(AT)KnightAgency.net. :-) To win a surprise book from Renee Bernard's backlist, leave a comment. The winner will be announced Monday morning.
Things I'm Thankful For This Year
How can I not be thankful this year? This was the year of letting go and I’m always going to be grateful for all the wonderful lessons that invoked. Like a lot of people, when the economy shook like an earthquake, we just tried to hang on. And anyone living on the west coast knew better than to congratulate themselves on surviving too quickly. After all, what’s an earthquake without a few aftershocks? And sure enough, this has been a year of aftershocks—financial and personal.
But we simplified our lives, and I announced at the dinner table that instead of looking at it as “cutting back”, I wanted us to think of it as a real opportunity to “do better”. (Boy, did that meet with some blank stares! ;-) But I boxed up the stuff we didn’t need, cleared out the garage, sold it if it wasn’t nailed down and remembered all those old-fashioned skills I’d once considered hobbies for a rainy day. I discovered my inner homemaker; banished any illusions I was aiming for Martha Stewart perfection and just accepted that eclectic and colorful were going to be my mantras.
Life is too short to worry about matching flatware.
We’re eating together (whenever we can) and I’ve perfected my meatloaf. Our art projects cover the walls, and my girls and I have invented our own style of belly-dancing. We don’t go to the movies, but Fiona has a puppet theatre stage show that is always changing and I love the live performances. We don’t go shopping (this is one I’m very grateful to give up since it’s an activity I never enjoyed) but NOW, we set up our own “store” and take turns being the shopkeeper. My four year old is a ruthless bargain hunter and extremely savvy when it comes to selecting shoes.
I told a friend that your pride dies first when you land on your rear end, but strangely enough, once you’ve dusted your pants off, a person’s sense of humor just takes its place. I’m thankful to be able to laugh. If you can’t laugh, you can’t love. And if we gained any ground in my little clan, we ruled in the category of love. I’m so thankful to have this family and to be loved (despite mama’s odd hours at the computer keyboard).
I know the life of a romance writer is supposed to be about glamour. I should be describing how grateful I am for that trip to Europe or that wonderful vacation we took to the south of France or make something up about a second home in the mountains… Ah, the joys of fiction! But I think it’s more important to share how vital it is for me to escape in those books and pages, to allow those characters to insert themselves into my life and let me “pop out” whenever I have a few minutes to work at my desk. I’m grateful for the creative outlet that allows me to be productive with these voices in my head vs. heavily medicated and mumbling to myself in corners ;-)
Every Tuesday night, hosting “Canned Laughter and Coffee” on Reader’s Enterainment, I got to laugh and talk to other writers and I’m way past grateful for the giggles that reminded me each week that I’m: a) not alone in the craziness, b) lucky not to be powering my computer with a bicycle and c) not writing fast enough!
This was the year that my fictional world took off. My historical romances, the Jaded Gentlemen, kept me distracted, but I also managed a few other manuscripts while no one was looking (a time travel, a science-fiction/fantasy romance and even an erotic romance—keep your fingers crossed!!). Instead of being set back by events of the past year, the writing thrived and I thrived with it.
Most of all, I’m grateful to the readers that chose to escape with me. Of all the books they can read, they mystically and benevolently pick up mine, and I’m continually amazed by this miracle. I’m grateful for every email and note of encouragement and have vowed to answer every single one to make sure that those strangers realize the wonderful impact of their words.
Countdown to Turkey Day with The Knight Agency: Marjorie M. Liu
UPDATE: The winner of a book from Marjorie M. Liu's Dirk & Steele series (winner's choice) is Maureen. Congrats! Send your physical addy to contests(AT)knightagency.net.
Majorie M. Liu, New York Times bestselling author of the Dirk & Steele series and Hunter Kiss novels, is stepping into the spotlight today to share what she's most grateful for this year. Leave a comment sharing what you're most grateful for, and you'll be entered to win a novel from the Dirk & Steele series -- winner's choice! Check out the Dirk & Steele backlist here. ________________________________________________
I think about what I'm grateful for every day -- and it always starts in the morning.
Yesterday, for example. Just before dawn, I could observe from my bed an army of squirrels racing to the tops of trees, silhouetted against the dark sky -- and I thought, "Wow, what a fun thing to wake up to." And then the sun rose, and that was beautiful; and the air tasted clean outside when I took the poodle for a walk; and breakfast was good, and the house was flooded with morning light.
Small things, you know? There are big things I'm grateful for: my family, friends, good health, a roof over my head and food on the table. I'm grateful to have a job I love.
But it's the little moments that are just as special, and they're everywhere, all the time. It's good to be alive. Every day is worth being grateful for.
I wish you all a lovely Thanksgiving, and a wonderful holiday season!
Chat Online with N.K. Jemisin TONIGHT @ 9pm ET -- Pub Convo and Prizes!
It's only 9am here, but we've already got our evening planned out. Tonight we'll be hosting the fabulous N.K. Jemisin in The Knight Agency chat room. N.K.'s books have received major accolades from the fantasy community, and she's also picked up a few nominations from Romantic Times and made the Best of 2010 book lists for both Amazon and Publishers Weekly. Not too shabby.
If you unfamiliar with N.K.'s books, I'm sorry to report you're behind the curve. Luckily there's a way to catch up fairly quickly. Check out the interview she recently did in our newsletter, or read the excerpts on her website of THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS and THE BROKEN KINGDOMS. (Hint: This research will be super helpful in the chat tonight when I'm throwing out trivia questions for several awesome giveaways.)
Countdown to Turkey Day with The Knight Agency: David Mack
UPDATE: The winner of a book by David Mack is Alim S. Gafar. Congrats! Please email your physical addy to Contests(AT)KnightAgency.net.
We have an awesome post from STAR TREK TYPHON PACT: ZERO SUM GAME author David Mack, who's talking about what he's most grateful for this year below. But before we dive in, I wanted to stick in a plug for our chat with N.K. Jemisin, fantasy author of THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS and THE BROKEN KINGDOMS this Thursday, November 18th at 9pm ET. Find out more info on the chat in our sidebar ad featuing the author or in this post.
And without further ado, take it away David! Remember to leave a comment to win. The prize will be the winner's choice of either STAR TREK TYPHON PACT: ZERO SUM GAME, VANGUARD: PRECIPICE or THE 4400: PROMISES BROKEN. The winner will be announed in this post tomorrow morning.
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On Being Thankful
It’s easy to be thankful when our circumstances are good, but it’s even more important to remember to be thankful when they are not. This is an idea that’s been much on mind this year as Thanksgiving approaches.
I won’t bore you with specifics, but I’ll confide that it’s been a difficult year for me, my family, and my friends. There have been professional disappointments and financial difficulties, deaths in the family and serious medical crises that have changed our status quo, and numerous small moments that add up to a dispiriting year. It is one of my greatest personal shortcomings that, at times such as this, I tend to focus on the negative and blind myself to all that is right and good.
The question most of us are asked to consider at this time of year is, “What are we most thankful for?” In my case, the question is not for what am I thankful, but for whom.
I am thankful for my wife, Kara. She is my compass, the one who tells me whether I’m on course or steering off the map into a sea of dragons. She sees through my strange habits and gloomy moods and reminds me to stop being a writer every once in a while so that I can just be me.
I am thankful for my parents and for my brother and his family, who all continue to be my biggest fans. They celebrate my successes and sympathize when life deals me lousy cards.
I am thankful for my in-laws. Their generosity, kindness, and love of life makes every visit with them something to anticipate with excitement and remember with fondness.
I am thankful for my friends, who counsel me when I need advice, share the small moments of fun that break up life’s monotony, and remind me that I’m not as great as my best reviews or as bad as my worst. In particular, I am grateful for Glenn, who is my voice of reason and occasional source of ideas; for Brandy and Peter, who share their love and knowledge of wine; for Keith, who can always make me laugh; for Alan, who reminds me that creation is supposed to be fun; for Emily, who brightens rooms with her smile; for Brenda & Rob and Vanessa & Eric, for never failing to surprise, amaze, and impress me; for Marco, who helps me shape dreams into something just this side of real; for Margaret, who shows no end of faith in my abilities; for Dayton and Kevin, who have become more like brothers to me than collaborators; and for Aaron & Jen, and Dave, and Mike, and so many others who remind me my life has a cast of thousands.
I am thankful that I had eighteen years of companionship with my beloved cat Ripley, who passed away this fall after a brief and terrible struggle with cancer; I am thankful that our cat Puck is healthy; and I am grateful for our friends Amy and Paul, who rescued a beautiful stray kitten from a dumpster behind a strip mall in Houston, paid for veterinary care to nurse the kitten back to health, and at their own expense brought that adorable creature to New York City so that my wife and I could adopt her and name her Freddie (actually, her name is Winifred, but we only call her that when she misbehaves).
I am thankful that, despite not having had the kind of year for which I had hoped, I still get to work from home, writing for a living. As a boy, this was the life I dreamed of, and thanks to my wife’s unwavering support, it is now my reality.
I am thankful for every fan e-mail I receive, for every reader who is affected enough by my words that he or she feels motivated to write to me and share their feelings and opinions. I’m grateful for every fan who asks me to sign a book or a comic.
I’m grateful to the fine folks at BOOM! Studios—especially Ian, Matt, and Chip—as well as Farscape creator Rockne S. O’Bannon, for letting me script the eight-issue limited series Farscape: Scorpius.
I am grateful that my agent, Lucienne, still believes in my potential as a writer.
I am grateful that my body has not yet completely fallen to pieces (despite a number of prominent malfunctions) as I start my slow slide into middle age.
I am thankful for my wife’s cooking, for good wine, for a world filled with ephemeral moments of beauty, for random acts of kindness, and for flashes of inspiration that make me ache to return to my keyboard and set myself back to work.
I am grateful that there are so many more people and things I could write about, but that space limitations prohibit me from listing them all here.
As I reflect on how rich my life is in family and friends, it occurs to me that the most important reason for us all to be thankful is that it gives us hope. Focusing on the things that we treasure and that make our lives worth living is how we find the courage to weather Fate’s fierce storms.
Here’s hoping Fortune smiles on us all in the year to come!
Countdown to Turkey Day with The Knight Agency: Maria Geraci
UPDATE: The winner of THE BOYFRIEND OF THE MONTH CLUB by Maria Geraci is Sara! Congrats! Please send your physical addy to Contests(AT)KnightAgency.net.
Today Maria Geraci, author of the upcoming release THE BOYFRIEND OF THE MONTH CLUB, as well as THE BUNCO BABES TELL ALL and THE BUNCO BABES GONE WILD, helps us continue our countdown to Turkey Day with a fun Q&A post about Thanksgiving traditions at her house. She also graciously agreed to take a Thanksgiving quiz to see if she was smarter than a 5th grader. See her results below. :-)
To win a copy of THE BOYFRIEND OF THE MONTH CLUB, leave a comment. The winner will randomly drawn and announced tomorrow morning.
1. Who’s in charge of carving the turkey at your house?That would be my husband, Mike Geraci (I have a strange habit of using his full name when referring to him). I clean the turkey, stuff it, and cook it. He carves it and then takes all the credit!
2. Name one thing you usually only eat at Thanksgiving that you wish you could have every day. Oh my God. Years ago, I found this great vegetable medley recipe. You take a large bag of frozen vegetables (carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli). Dump it in a casserole dish. Add 1 can of Durkee’s fried onion rings (reserve a small amount of onion rings for topping), 1 small jar of chopped pimentos, 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, 4 ounces of sour cream, shredded Swiss cheese (about 6 ounces) and mix it all together. Add pepper to taste. Place in a 350 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes until bubbling hot. In the last 10-15 minutes of cooking, you can sprinkle the top with the rest of the fried onion rings and some more cheese if you want.
My kids absolutely love this stuff. I only make it on the holidays because I don’t want to know how many calories are in it!
3. What is your fondest or funniest Thanksgiving memory? Probably the Thanksgiving I was still in college and couldn’t go home because I was working a part time job and had to work the Friday morning after the holiday, so I was really bummed. My parents surprised me and drove up to school (a 5 hour trip) with a complete meal. We had Thanksgiving dinner, just the 3 of us, in my little apartment!
4. How would the main character in THE BOYFRIEND OF THE MONTH CLUB celebrate the holiday?Funny you should ask, because this scene actually happens in the book! Grace begins Thanksgiving day with her family by keeping their years long tradition of watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade on television. Her brother Charlie (who’s a main secondary character in the book) misses it because he’s working, which causes some tension between them. Then her mother and her abuela go out power shopping, while Grace decorates their artificial Christmas tree and Grace’s dad (Pop) and Charlie decorate the house Clark Griswald style (think National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation movie.)
5. Are you smarter than a 5th grader? The following quiz was created for elementary school kids. Take the test, and share your score – and elaborate on why you think you are a Thanksgiving whiz or maybe why social studies was never your strongest subject.
1. What year did the Pilgrim first celebrate Thanksgiving?
a) 1521
b) 1621 (correct answer)
c) 1721
d) 1821
Yay! I got this right. Maybe I am smarter than a 5th grader!
2. How long did the first Thanksgiving celebration last?
a) 1 day
b) 2 days
c) 3 days (correct answer)
d) 4 days
Oops! So the right answer is 3 days and not 4. But… If I was one of those pilgrims, we’d definitely be celebrating as long as we could. I mean, I’d take any chance to break away from milking cows and tending crops and cleaning and the other multitude of chores I’m sure women did back then. Wouldn’t you?
3. Which president established Thanksgiving as the last Thursday in November?
a) Abraham Lincoln (correct answer)
b) Andrew Johnson c) Franklin Roosevelt
d) George Washington
Abraham Lincoln? Are you sure? I’m pretty positive they didn’t teach this back in my 5th grade.
4. Where was the first Thanksgiving celebrated? a) Mayflower b) Plymouth (correct answer)
c) Springfield
d) Boston
Yay!
5. Wild turkeys can NOT fly.
a) True
b) False (correct answer)
This is a perfect example of a trick question. Of course, I got this right, but still…
What a fun quiz! I love Thanksgiving! There’s no pressure to buy or give presents. Just good food, surrounded by family and friends and the knowledge that I’ve made it one more year on this planet with the opportunity to give thanks for all the wonderful things I’ve been given. This past year, I’ve had several friends diagnosed with different medical problems. Thankfully, everyone is doing well and fighting their hardest to keep healthy. It makes me doubly thankful that my husband and kids are healthy and safe and that we have a roof over our heads and food on our table. You really can’t ask for more in life than that.
I’m also extremely grateful to have a new book coming out next month. It’s called THE BOYFRIEND OF THE MONTH CLUB and it’s a romantic comedy about a woman who turns her dysfunctional book club into a boyfriend club, where women come together to discuss the men they’ve dated, comparing them to classic literary heroes and villains.
It’s getting some great advance reviews. Publishers’s Weekly says, “Geraci (BUNCO BABES TELL ALL) fills the fluffy but enjoyable story with literary references, and her leading lady is endearingly flawed. Romance readers will revel in the Austen-perfect happy ending and the warm friendship among members of the club.”
I’d love to give away a copy of the book to one commenter (will be mailed out the first week of December- perfect for your holiday reading!)
Thanks TKA!
Maria Geraci writes fun, romantic women’s fiction. Her third novel, THE BOYFRIEND OF THE MONTH CLUB, comes out December 7, 2010, in trade paperback, from Berkley, Penguin, USA. Please visit her website at www.mariageraci.com for more information on her books.
