Blog

All I can think about today is the VW commercial where the little boy in the Darth Vader outfit runs around trying to manipulate things with his awesome power. I found many of the Superbowl commercials to be so-so. The VW one, though, is getting universal accolades. (It’s my personal favorite.) There are those stand-out ads that we will always remember (E*TRADE baby, the Budweiser streaking goat). It’s hard to quantify what makes these work and others not so much. Yet, we instinctively “know it when we see it.” I think this must be what literary agents are up against:... Read More0

I’ve blogged, tweeted and Facebooked about a great web site called Page99Test.com. Authors (published and not) load page 99 of their book onto the site and readers comment on whether they’d turn the page and if they’d be inclined to buy the book. I’m excited that page 99 from This Side of Crazy earned a “Page Turner” designation! Seventy-three percent would turn the page (the average in the general fiction genre is 48 percent). This is all well and good — except that opinions are subjective. One commenter compared the writing to To Kill a Mockingbird while another called it... Read More0

As I mentioned in my last post, I’m in Texas visiting family. My niece, Haley, received the first season of Glee on DVD. Watching the series has become a family activity. Everyone (including my 20-year-old nephew) loves it. Each time we hear the closing music we want more! Anyway, back on topic. What’s on my mind today is the season one finale where the Glee club goes to regionals to compete. They know they’re underdogs but try to stay confident. Then, their competition shows up one day in the auditorium, does a number and completely destroys the confidence of Glee... Read More0

I’m staying with my sister, Tessa, in Texas for a while. After my mom passed away in 2003, Tessa began creating an outdoor space she’s called Gran’s Garden (my niece and nephew called my mom Gran). It’s beautifully and magically overgrown with bushes and trees; stone cherubs peek out from beneath the groundcover; a rusty metal archway teems with vines; a flagstone area beckons visitors to sit and meditate. It’s one of the most peaceful and spiritual places I’ve ever been. I love that I can end the year in such a place. I was standing in the garden yesterday,... Read More0

When I was a kid, waiting for Santa seemed an interminable space where day-to-day life was put on hold. “I can’t wait! I can’t wait!” became my daily (internal) mantra. I’m not waiting for Santa this year but I’ve put myself in a similar tizzy waiting in other ways. One agent who has my full manuscript tweeted that she is going to read all submissions and reply to authors by the end of the year. Three other agents have had my manuscript for weeks/months and I’m still awaiting word on those. By the end of December, I’ll be notified whether... Read More0