How to WorldCon in Style - Part II

And today we continue with more WorldCon tips! If you missed the first set, it is a tragedy and you must be chased by rabid dogs through the street--or you can just read up on it here. Now, we'll continue with our program.

Tip #7 - If a publisher has a party...you GO. We met James Frenkel, Senior Editor at Tor, within seconds of walking into the party and we spent the next two hours chatting with him. We also met the very awesome and entertaining, Eddie Schneider, a literary agent at Jabberwocky. If you are looking for an agent and you haven't queried him...do it! He's fantastic.

Hanging out with agent Eddie Schneider and a
fun new friend with a PhD in Physics is definitely picture worthy.

Tip #8 - Although, it is very cool to attend the Masquerade. It's also okay to be fashionably late...especially if you wear some unbelievably awesome corsets. Also...if you ever need a corset, you should buy it from the freaktastic ladies of Damsel In This Dress. Michelle (the owner) is amazing and SO fun. Everyone should have a corset...this may even apply to men. I haven't seen one in a corset yet, so I'm reserving judgment.

Dude, need I say more?

Tip #9 - If you have done the work to get yourself into a corset(not an easy task, but totally worth it), wear it to as many balls, parties, local gas stations, etc. as possible. Because who doesn't like to feel this fancy?

Also, making the "Blue Steel" face from Zoolander = never a bad idea.

Tip #10 - Stop by Friday to learn of the amazing coolness that is the BWB (Brothers Without Banners) and why you REALLY need to know them.

How to WorldCon in Style

My amazing time at WorldCon took a week of recovery, and it will also require a week of blogging to really show how incredible it was. So, that's what I shall do.

Brace yourselves.

Tip #1 - the first thing you need at WorldCon is some uber cool roommates to share it with. I nailed that one, as you can see here.

Cool Roommates - CHECK!

Tip #2 - Packing appropriately...this I didn't do. And it was a sad day for all. How do I know I messed this up? A few clues: If you pack 5 pairs of shoes and only use the absolutely most comfortable ones -- Fail. If you show up at the hotel and the bell hop asks if you have a dead body in your bag -- Fail. If you start searching through your bag and all you can find are workout clothes and maternity pants (you know, in case you find a pants-less, pregnant woman) --EPIC Fail.

Tip #3 - Remember there are parties EVERY night, even the night before it starts and the night it ends. Do not miss these. If you miss things like your new friends dancing in the hotel fountain, you will regret it. Just trust me on this one.

Parties - where you hang out and talk books with cool new friends like these.

Tip #4 - If you have George R.R. Martin AND the throne from the HBO set of Game of Thrones in one room, the stars have aligned. Don't waste the opportunity.

The suspenders and the hat make the man, do they not? 

Tip #5 - The panels are interesting and roaming the halls and networking is very awesome, but the parties are nothing short of incredible. Whether you are partying it up with the Klingon's (watch out for the outline of the headless body on the floor), dancing to "Apple Bottom Jeans" with a room full of strangers, or chatting it up with the fantastic editors at Tor or Pyr. The parties are where it's at. There is no doubt about it.

Tip #6 - Stop by Wednesday for more tips and pictures, two words - Harry Potter & Corset. Don't miss it.

Interesting Characters

I've been thinking a lot lately about building believable characters. It's really interesting. It goes into a lot of detail about how you should know your characters as well as you know yourself.

I thought it would be a fun exercise to name some weird facts about ourselves that others might not know. Just to make the point of exactly how well we know ourselves.

In the comments--put in at least one thing that isn't commonly known about you. Here are a few of mine.

~ I was fifteen when I got my first kiss--and then I got 12 in one night. A wacky friend lined up every guy at my birthday party and he pinned my arms and walked me down the line. I was too shocked to respond at the time-- but he got an earful the next day.

~ I was pulled over 8 times before I ever got a ticket--this all happened before I turned 17. Did I mention that I'm kind of a speed demon?

~ I never had to study in school, everything came easy to me--but I often planned study parties with my friends, because I knew they needed to study and I wanted to feel normal.

~ I once received an invitation to a high school dance via a toilet seat that was left on the floor of my room.

~ I was very shy when I was younger and by the time I went to high school I felt pinned in by that stereotype. So, I convinced my mom to let me change schools so I could get a fresh start. When I graduated I was known as one of the most outgoing girls in school.

~ My sister is one of those people whose lives should be made into a book or movie--but I'm pretty sure she'd kill me if I did.

~ My mom is a ridiculously strong woman--but also one of the funniest people I've ever met. When I was a teenager she used to tell all my friends stories about how she had a magical gorilla toe that made all the men want her.... no, I'm not kidding.

Enough about me, what about you? What are your strange facts? Do you think you could fill out a similar sheet about your protagonist?

After RENOvation comes Recuperation...

Today, I plan to catch up on a little sleep and a few errands that have been waiting while I was at WorldCon. I'll be doing a big post on Monday to show you all the fantasticness that is WorldCon, but until then...you'll just have to wait.

I thought I'd do a quick recommend for a new critique partner matching site called Ladies Who Critique. I wouldn't have gotten anywhere without my crit partners, so if you are in need of one, go check it out! Here are some main points about it you should know:


- LadiesWhoCritique.com is a completely free, critique partner match-making service, where writers can find the perfect partner/ beta reader.
- Think match.com but for female writers! Writers can search others profiles, create their own, try as many times as they like to find 'the one'.
- Writers can search for other writers in their genre, and find someone with the right kind of experience.
- We will start with 5-10 genres, and expand to cover each and every genre possible.
- It's completely free for everyone!


It is up and running now and I like their layout and genre divisions. If you find someone on there, let me know! I'm not currently looking for a new crit partner, but I'd love to know about your experiences with it!

My Book Sold in Italy! Sono così felice!

Yay! I finally get to tell you that INSOMNIA sold in Italy!! I'm so excited! Did I mention that I love Europe? Like so so much! I'm a big fan. Here is my official Publisher's Marketplace announcement:

Italian rights to J.R. Johansson's INSOMNIA, to Newton Compton, by Luigi Bernabo Associates on behalf of Taryn Fagerness Agency and Kathleen Rushall of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.


Did I mention that Taryn and Kathleen are amazing? Because they really are! So, yay! Newton Compton is very cool and their covers are gorgeous. 


Can you tell that I'm excited!? Let me say it in one of my new favorite languages!


Sono eccitata! Oggi, festeggiamo!


Or -- I'm excited! Today, we celebrate! And if Google translate is getting this all wrong, then to my new Italian friends, I say - Perdonami :) 


Hooray!!

McDonald's Giveth & McDonald's Taketh Away

Good ole' MickeyD's taught me a very good lesson about writing this week. I know what you're thinking...if we're learning writing lessons from a fast food restaurant, what's the world coming to?

Touche' my friends, touche'. Just let me tell my story, and then decide whether or not the lesson is worthwhile.

The other morning, I stopped by my local McDonald's for a fruit parfait. As Backpack from Dora would say, "Mmm mmm mmm Delicioso!" Or something multi-cultural like that.

As I pulled into the drive-thru. They did the customary greeting where they try to convince you to buy more food than you really need in an effort to make all of America more spherical. Usually, I can resist these pretty well. But on this day, it was snowy and cold...and they played to my weakness. The conversation went a little something like this.

MD's - "Welcome to McDonalds! Would you like to try a steaming cup of our gourmet hot chocolate today?"

me - *long pause while I dream of hot chocolate*

MD's - Um...can I help you?

me - Yes, actually, I would love a gourmet hot chocolate.

MD's - A hot chocolate?

me - Yes, and a fruit parfait. (I know, I'm a health nut...what can I say? ^ insert sarcasm here^)

MD's - What kind of hot chocolate did you say?

me - *long pause of utter confusion* Um... gourmet?

MD's - *long pause while they look up the definition of gourmet* I'm afraid we don't have any hot chocolate.

me - *whimpers* You don't? Why not?

MD's - I guess we're cleaning it or something.

me - *cries*


Yes, folks, that's how it went down. What can we learn from this excursion? We can learn that we shouldn't lead our readers to believe they will receive something and then never give it to them. We must meet the expectations we set for the reader. Otherwise we leave them crying and questioning the meaning of life in the McDonald's drive-thru... or, um... disappointed at the end of the book (assuming they finish it at all).

So? Was it a good lesson? Or am I just desperate to give meaning to my disheartening drive-thru experience.

Recycling is Good + Yay! WorldCon!

So, I'm getting ready to leave for WorldCon tomorrow morning and I'm PUMPED! So, in honor of cool things that I like...and also because I'm busy. I'll be recycling some posts from way back on my blog that I find entertaining in retrospect. Most of them were not fun at the time, but I can look back and find them fun now. Look at me! I'm growing!

Ahem, so without further ado...

(For the purposes of this post, please be aware, cellulose = insulation. NO, I didn't know that before this weekend. YES, I am going green, I don't care if you think it's trendy.Now, back to our program.)

In case you were wondering, I didn't fall off the face of the Earth, or go fishing. I am currently in my attic--buried in cellulose.

This is not my favorite place to be.

There is no cause for alarm. I have several reasons to be certain I will make it through this.

1 - Cellulose must be edible, because I haven't died yet.

2 - I was able to chew through a stray internet wire and by rigging it to the fillings in my teeth I am able to get rudimentary versions of my e-mails printed on my brain. Convenient? yes. Comfortable? no.

3 - My next door neighbor kindly plays music in his jeep loud enough that it rattles my windows and I can, as they say, "Get jiggy wid' it." (Don't knock it. Until you've seen a woman covered in cellulose dancing--you haven't lived.)

4 - One corner of my roof is leaking, by carefully placing my head against the wall--in between two rusty nails, of course--I am able to get a little water. It tastes like tar, but it's wet.

5 - I am confident this time alone will give me plenty of time to brainstorm and outline my next 12 novels. When I get out of here (after MANY showers) I'm going to burn that keyboard up!

6 - I'm reasonably sure that this will get me an agent. Why? Who doesn't want to represent a writer who is handy, charismatic (HEY! No laughing! I am totally enjoying my own company!) and could go on Survivor? (Self-fulfilling Prophecy? ... Possibly. ;-P )

Until I make it out, feel free to comment.

Oh, and pray for rain.