Friday Fricassee

Last Friday, I was emotionally abused by a stranger.

Please know that I don't throw around terms like "emotional abuse" lightly.  But it is what it is--it happened, and I survived.  But it was painful.

I'm not going to go into nitty-gritty details; there's no need for that.  And I'm not going to bash anyone's character, so you won't see any names here.  But remember the interview I was so excited about?  The one where the team was already interested in hiring me, and I only needed to meet the founder of the company for the final step in the process?

Yeah, that.  She turned out to be a very different person from the one she displays in videos and presentations online.  Something felt wrong when she didn't say "you're welcome" -- or even crack a smile -- when I thanked her for her program (self-help, healing-centric).  Something felt even more wrong when she asked me which of her books I had read.  And then, when I couldn't remember the titles, she admonished me.

I'm not making this up.

It went downhill from there.  She told me exactly what she thought was wrong with this blog (which had little to do with the reason we were meeting in the first place), hurled character accusations at me, and then scolded me for not "accepting her correction".  I'm not one to use "WTF", but this was definitely a WTF moment.

Like many abusers do, she couched all this in "I'm just being honest".  But this had nothing to do with "being honest".  In the space of five to seven minutes, she reached into my soul and tried to tear it out.  She didn't succeed, but she did leave me stunned and numb.

It made no sense.  My experiences with interviewing for this company had been nothing but positive.  It felt like a "click".  I was beyond excited to meet this woman, whom I admired greatly.  To have the scales torn from your eyes when a public figure isn't who they say they are is...well, devastating.

Yes, that's the word.  I was devastated.

I'm not devastated any longer, though.  Mr. A and I have done our research.  We've learned that my experience with this woman was by no means an isolated experience.  And we've also learned that at least two of this woman's books were highly plagiarized.

I also spoke with a woman whose friend, an author, apparently gave Ms. Founder a manuscript of hers to read--only to have Ms. Founder "borrow it" and ultimately publish it as her own work.  Yes, this is hearsay.  But these are the stories that surfaced after this thing blew up in my face.

All that to say--I am so thankful that I was rescued from working for a woman that, ultimately, I could never have worked for.  One of my roles would have been to be her "voice" in blog posts and other online publications.  There is no way in hell that I could have been this woman's voice.

And here is THE BEST PART OF ALL:  After this happened, and because of a huge outpouring of support I received from friends, I realized HOW VERY IMPORTANT MY WRITING IS.  Not that I didn't already know that.  But I had definitely lost sight of that.  And for the past week, I have poured my heart into its happy place--working on my stories.

And yes, it's been a great week.  I'm working on a light revision right now (well, light except for the fact that I'm changing the tense--again.  But I love Josh and Danielle.  Yes, I do...), and I just had a break-through with something that I haven't been able to figure out for MONTHS.  In fact, I was sort of despairing over it.

So there's the lemon-aide from this particular lemon.  And I'm feeling terrific!  I'm definitely in the right place.

Thank you for your undying support as I moved through the interview process.  I really expected to be able to announce to you today that I'd landed the job.  Instead, I'm announcing my renewed commitment to pursue my dreams as an author, which is really where the lion's share of my creative energy needs to go.  Same as yours does.

Thanks for being here!

As You Prepare For ON THE BLOCK

Those of you who have participated in--or happily watched the unfolding of--The Baker's Dozen Agent Auction over the past 5 years will remember that there was always a lot of hoopla over the loglines, including instructional posts and three separate rounds of logline critique here on the blog.

We're not doing any critique rounds this time.  On The Block is a more streamlined, less time-intensive contest, and I'm going to put the onus on you to get your logline crafted and edited before our September 10 submission date.

Here's a little help:

WRITING YOUR LOGLINE

CRAFTING YOUR LOGLINE

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM OUR LOGLINE GURU

MORE LOGLINE WISDOM FROM HOLLIY BODGER

AND A FINAL CHUNK OF LOGLINE WISDOM FROM HOLLY BODGER

Hopefully you will find the above links helpful.  Remember that a well-crafted logline is like a tiny, high-impact synopsis of your story.  It is NOT a blurb, a summary, or an actual synopsis.  For the context of this contest, think of your logline as a micro-query.  It's going to grab my attention so that I eagerly read the words that follow.

Please ask your ON THE BLOCK questions below.  I'm already getting excited to read your submissions!

Friday Fricassee

Funny how vacation throws you into a sort of alternate reality for a while--and then, suddenly, you're back.  Here I am, fricasseeing a Friday again, as though no time has passed between.

So I want to make sure you're aware of ON THE BLOCK, which I announced on Monday.  I think maybe some folks squeaked an extra day into their holiday weekend, so if you missed the news, HERE IT IS AGAIN.

The short story:  24 entries, all genres, 10-minute bidding windows, over a dozen agents.  ALL HAPPENING THIS NOVEMBER!  Submissions are in September.  Please click over to read the details.

Secondly, DON'T MISS THESE PICTURES OF AUTHORESS WITH AMAZING PEOPLE.  You know all of them.  (No, really.  You do.)

Please leave any and all questions about ON THE BLOCK either here or on the original post.  I want to make sure everyone's on the same page before we move forward.

That's all for now--happy writing and happy weekend!

Hugs From Jodi And a Day In NYC

This year's vacation was a little different for us--instead of spending a week at Our Favorite Beach and then hanging with my parents for a few days, we made my parents' place home base and did lots of Things from there.  As a result, we got to spend time with people we normally wouldn't, and got to see and do things we normally don't.

A people-oriented, series-of-day-trips vacation filled with laughter and adventure.  Practically perfect!

On our second day of traveling, we met Jodi Meadows at an incredibly nifty pizza place, where she signed my copy of Orphan Queen and subjected herself to hugs and smooshes and endless questions about her recent trip to the U.K.  And where she also gave me a fresh-from-the-oven ARC of The Mirror King, of which you should probably be at least a little jealous.  Though when I'm finished reading it, it's going to make its way into a fun giveaway here on the blog, so don't hate me too much!

After a few days at my parents' and a quick overnight trip to Our Favorite Beach, we got up early and headed for NYC.  It was smooth sailing (my parents only live an hour and a half from the city) until about two miles from the Lincoln Tunnel, where traffic came to a veritable standstill.  From that point, it pretty much took us ninety minutes to travel slightly more than three miles.  Which made me incredibly late for Josh's panel at NYU.

I was fortunate to at least get there in time for the Q/A part, and it was fun to watch Josh in his element, along with the other agents.  The students--aspiring agents all--were incredibly attentive and engaged, and asked all manner of truly excellent questions.  The upcoming generation of literary agents!

That's Josh next to Kate McKean (another of our former Secret Agents) during the panel.  And now you can see how incredibly bad I am at taking impromptu photos on my iPhone.

After the panel, Josh and I lunched on sushi and talked about books and his amazing children, and then walked to his office, where I was finally able to meet the inimitable Danielle Burby, who is sprouting all sorts of superhero bits as we speak.

(I mean, seriously?  This woman is an agent to look out for!  I'm thrilled that she's on my team.)

Being the brilliant young thing she is, Danielle came up with the idea of my holding the bag over my face.  I mean, look how the shoulders line up!  It's like we planned it or something.

(Some day, I am going to post a picture of me with this dynamic duo WITH MY FACE SHOWING.  Hold me to that.)

So, what was my take-away?  It's this: Josh Getzler doesn't just talk the talk. He walks the walk.

While I was with them in Josh's office, Danielle announced that she had just closed a deal.  Josh exclaimed heartily, trippety-tropped across the room, and threw his arms around Danielle.  It was raw, unedited delight.  What an honor it was to experience that moment of triumph!

And these--these--are the people championing my books.  How lucky am I?  They're not just punching a time clock.  They're breathing their passion for stories into an industry that can as easily swallow you whole as it can hand you your long-sought dreams.

Thanks, Team Getzler-Burby, for staying in my corner.

I had my own triumph when I left their office and walked the few blocks to Starbucks, where I planned to meet editor-of-sparkly Alison Weiss.  No, really--it was my first time to ever walk alone in NYC.  (Yes, I am THAT city virgin!)  Always before, I've had Mr. A at my side, guiding me along the streets he knows so well.  I think I may have grown up a wee bit.  Finally.

So I then spent a couple hours chatting (and chatting and chatting and chatting) with Alison, who is as sweet in person as she is online, and who oozes and drips love-of-books like nothing you've ever seen.  If you ever end up with Alison as your editor, you will be blessed indeed.

I mean, LOOK AT THAT SMILE! She could charm the whiskers off a cat.

Alison, thanks for connecting.  You're going places!  And I'm honored to know you while you're getting there.

And there you have it--my I-don't-get-there-nearly-enough trip to NYC, where a big chunk of my heart dwells.  Next time, I hope to visit during the New York City Ballet's performance season.  Because NEW YORK CITY BALLET.

Thanks to the enthusiasm and support of my agent and his Girl Friday, I'm ready to dive into the Next Thing, and to keep pressing forward.  That, and I got to finally get one of my dearly loved black-and-white cookies, which I horked down in the car on the way home.

Because all good things become even better when you add a cookie.

Announcement: ON THE BLOCK!

What better way to say "I'm back!" than to announce the details of our brand-new, super exciting contest!

ON THE BLOCK is an auction styled after our beloved and retired BAKER'S DOZEN.  Here are all the details:

1.  ON THE BLOCK will showcase 24 first pages.  All genres in all age levels (MG, YA, NA, adult) except erotica/erotic romance will be included.
2.  SUBMISSIONS will be held on Thursday, September 10 from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm EDT.  I will be reading the slush pile and will choose the 24 winners.
3.  There will be a $20 entry fee for this contest.  You may enter no more than 2 manuscripts.  A maximum of 250 entries will be accepted.
4.  The 24 winning entries will post on the blog on FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6.
5.  Our PARTICIPATING AGENTS will then begin to read the entries and decide which ones they want to bid on.
6.  On TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, the bidding will begin! Each entry will be ON THE BLOCK for EXACTLY 10 MINUTES.  At the end of each 10-minute segment, bidding will close, and bidding on the next entry will commence.  THIS WILL BE FUN AND EASY, because everyone will only have to watch the bidding on ONE ITEM AT A TIME!
7.  Entries will go to the highest bidder (a full request).

Precise submission instructions will post closer to the submission date.  The basics are:  You will need A LOGLINE and YOUR FIRST 250 WORDS.

This is a NEW CONTEST, so EVERYONE may enter, regardless of which contests you've been in before!  You must be unagented, and your entry must be FINISHED and POLISHED.  (In other words, if you know you wouldn't let an agent read it right now, then please don't enter.)

We already have over a dozen agents who have said YES!  So the buzz has begun.

Questions?  Ask them below!  I'll do my best to work out all the kinks as quickly as possible.