Oops

Hey do y'all remember how I was gonna really focus on developing my Internet presence? That's okay, me neither apparently. Anyway, I'm coming back but, until I do, please enjoy Esperanza Spalding being awesome.

Lets all hug and jump up and down

A short story I submitted a while back is going to be published!

The editor had some minor notes and he feels the ending needs to be "more satisfying" but overall he said I have the skills to be an excellent short story writer and he's really interested in working with me.

I like the ending, but I wouldn't take my ball and go home over it. And it will be great for me to have something to put in the writing credits section of my novel query letters. Plus, now I have something to prop up my fragile ego if my test readers tell me the novel sux.

Yay!

Query

I've been working on my query letter as an alternative to e-mailing my test readers every five seconds. I'm happy to say I think I've got a reasonable draft that I've just now sent to a query letter critique site that I frequent. I'm pretty sure this won't be a final draft, but I'm at an end as to how I should proceed so here's hoping for some constructive feedback.

Also, I've got two new books to add to Recommended Reading and when I get back in town I plan to pick up at least a couple of the suggestions in the comments from the Courtney Summers post from the library where I've got them on hold. So both the list and the journey to publication are well under way.

Good job team.

Two Things

First, I just registered for my first writer's conference! I'm super excited even though I'm not sure if I'll get much out of it. I was too late to grab a slot for an agent critique or pitch session so all that's left is the workshops, the panels, and the social event.

I'm really hoping the workshops and panels are more useful than a lot of people make them out to be because I'm awful at mingling so I don't expect to get much networking done at the social event. One on one I'm fine. Speaking in front of a large group is not problem either. But dump me in a hotel bar with no friends in sight and I'm sunk.

I blame it on the fact that I've had the same friends pretty much forever. I just don't know how to meet new people anymore.

And the second thing is that I've discovered it's even kind of depressing just to look for body acceptance friendly novels. I mean to begin with there's the dearth of self-acceptance novels that don't involve changing oneself to gain that self-acceptance. But then, the few mentions of books with fat people who don't lose weight (first of all they're apparently termed "obesity novels" which really pisses me off like that's all the book's about or something) always make sure to wave the OH BUT IT'S TOTALLY UNHEALTHY DON'T FORGET flag which, um, just no. The whole thing makes me all stabby.