All Edits...Edited...now what?

My Nightshade City edits are off to my editor and now, my finished manuscript, Edwin Copperpot, is off to my agent. I feel slightly lost having nothing to write! Don't get me wrong, I had a great day with my husband and kids, it's just been so long since I've had a writing break, even a brief one, I feel a little strange...like when you leave your cell phone at home and you suddenly feel disconnected from the entire planet!

Okay, I'm going to relax for the rest of the weekend and try not to go crazy waiting on word from both my editor and agent. Frankly, I'm not sure which I'm more worried about. I'm confident with the job I did on both, but then again those second guesses creep up on me the minute I click the send button! Nothings worth doing if you don't have to work (or pull your hair out) for it, right?

All right, putting my frazzled brains on holiday for a few days. Having a few cookies now and watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with my son and husband! Willa Wonka can take a girl's mind off anything!

xoxo -- Hilary

P.S. The IL SCBWI conference is next Saturday! Who's going? I am, I am!!!! Can't wait!

A Simple Matter of SEND and New Excerpt!

So, NIGHTSHADE CITY has officially been delivered to my editor, on Halloween night to be exact. As every writer knows, whether you're trying to snag an agent or sending your finished product off to your editor, clicking that infamous SEND button can be a fear provoking ordeal!

I'm very happy with my edits and I love the story more than ever now, but of course, I've already started second guessing myself, as I'm sure every writer does, but there comes a time when you just have to throw caution to the wind and just hit SEND!

I already have a new SEND goal for this week, which I will meet. I've promised my agent EDWIN COPPERPOT and now that my rats are off safe and sound, somewhere in New York, I can finish my ghoulish edits and get Edwin off to Marietta in New Jersey, no later than Friday! Edwin is a steadfast Londoner...hmmm...I never pictured him as a Jersey boy, but what the heck!

Do you have a SEND goal too? Best of luck to anyone hitting their own SEND button! If I can do it, you most certainly can!

Now, in honor of my rats, I've posted an excerpt from NIGHTSHADE CITY, one no one but a few people have read. Any of you who've read Nightshade's other excerpts, know Billycan is one wicked ol' rat...need I say more?

xoxo -- Hilary

Clover was preparing the fire pit for dinner when she heard a slow, methodical scratching against her door. She hadn't heard Billycan calling down the corridor. Immediately recognizing the sound of his billy club against the wood slats, she sprang up towards the door.

"Get out of sight," she whispered. A tall, cloaked figure rose from the table and concealed itself in the shadows. "Stay back and stay covered. He only wants Stipend. I'll be back promptly." She gathered herself, swallowed hard, and opened the door.

"My, my, running late today, aren't we Miss Clover?" said Billycan, his voice acidic.

Clover kept her eyes to the ground and put her items into a wheelbarrow. "I'm sorry High Collector. I'm making dinner. Lost in my recipe, I did not hear your call. It won't happen again," she said.

Billycan had little patience for her excuses. "Very well, very well, Billycan is sure it won't happen again." He glared at his lieutenant. "Mark her off the list, Lieutenant Carn," barked Billycan. Carn silently marked her off the list and stepped back in line with the other soldiers. Billycan turned back to Clover. "I have more pressing matters today, my dear." Billycan reached into a wheelbarrow and retrieved a stiff scroll. He unrolled the discolored paper, signed at the bottom with Killdeer's three pronged mark.

Clover eyed the parchment and backed into her quarters. She prayed to the Saints for the Collector to move on. Please, she thought, let the scroll be for another.

"Not so hasty, little one," said Billycan. He beckoned her back, curling a gnarled claw. "Billycan has something to share with you. Something I think you and your lovely family will be rather delighted with. Are they in?" He poked his mangled snout into her room.

"No sir, they are hunting Top Side," she replied. Clover tried to block Billycan, who easily lurched over her like an oversized ivory sickle, examining her small quarters.

"Where are your brothers and sisters then?"

"My brothers were sadly killed in the Great Flood. As for sisters, I have none."

He carelessly pushed her out of his way and stepped into her quarters with his scaly, hairless feet. "Pity, pity," said Billycan. He had spotted the rat, whose feet were simply too large to conceal. "Billycan wants to know who that is, in the back." He pointed a spiny digit at the shrouded rat. "Who is that hiding shamelessly in the corner? Billycan would like to know and he would like to know now." She could not answer. Unprepared for the inquiry, she stood speechless.

Billycan's blood began to pump as he thought of a potential conspiracy in his midst. Her clan could not be trusted. Abruptly swooping down to her level, he displayed his barbed, yellow teeth in a crooked scowl. "Now for the last time, girl, who and why is this brazen rat hiding in your quarters?" His eyes bulged and his torso heaved. "Out with it!" he hollered.

Her heart thumped in her elfin sized chest. Through her young life, Clover told many tales to the Ministry, just not with Billycan towering over her, his teeth dripping with icy drool. A thought finally came. "I give you my word High Collector, he is not hiding. This is my Grandfather, Timeron, he is stricken with plague, unsightly to behold and highly contagious. My parents won't let me venture within an arm's length for fear of infection. It's so hard not to hug my dear grandfather, as I fear he will soon be at rest with the Saints, but as my father always says, the living must do just that--live."

As much as Billycan wished otherwise, her explanation sounded reasonable. He composed himself. "Yes, they must indeed live, as must Billycan," he said. He took a step backward, wondering what ghastly deformities awaited under the mucky shroud. He resisted his urge to check.

Rats & Dead Guys & Cake, Oh My!!

So, life has been busy! I just finished the edits for NIGHTSHADE CITY last night, on my birthday no less. By birthday law the edits have to be great, right? Of course Nightshade will be getting one final read through before sending off to my editor, but they are done! I'm thrilled with the changes I made and hopefully my editor will be too. My rats are dear to my heart and I hope I did them proud!

EDWIN COPPERPOT should be off to my agent this week. Editors will finally meet my dead friend Edwin and I couldn't be more excited! He's got a lot to say, and quite eloquently I might add, for a guy who kicked the bucket in 1788.

Last but not least, my super thoughtful husband had our bakery make me a birthday cake out of my business card! They did such a nice job! And yes, if you couldn't tell, it's Halloween themed! Normally, I wouldn't put a severed finger, brains or eyeballs on a cake, although I might write about them! In fact, in Edwin I did!

If only there was more time in the day or I didn't need to sleep! Happy almost Halloween everyone!

xoxo -- Hilary

Translating Editor Language...

I'm exactly half way through my NIGHTSHADE CITY edits. When I first saw all those funky editor symbols on the page, I'm not embarrassed to say, I had no clue what several of them meant! Hey, I'm not an editor, so how would I know? We don't know things until we know them! So, I did a little searching and quickly figured things out. I Googled it! Yes indeedy!

I found a great resource on the University of Colorado at Boulder website. It demystified all those mysterious marks, making something that resembled ancient Egyptian into plain English! The symbol that confused me the most looks like a simple fraction with an I on top and an M on the bottom. I had no idea what it meant. I thought semi-colon, colon? I had no clue. Found out it's an em-dash. "Ah-ha!" I said! Now it makes sense. Long story short, you may want to bookmark the link below. It spells out all the symbols in simple language that even I can understand and I'm blond! Ha, ha!

One symbol that is not on there is "AQ". If you see an "AQ" in the margins, that stands for "Author Query". It's a marked off area of the MS that needs clarification of some sort. Your editor will send along separate notes with corresponding page numbers to the AQ. My editor sent 4 pages of AQ to me and I'm about 75% through them, yay! The tricky part is making sure when you clarify or change the specific AQ segment, that you do it throughout the entire MS. I recently changed a character completely. He went from a short and quiet rat, to a tall and jovial fellow, who likes to crack jokes. So, clearly, I have to carry that through the whole MS or things will make no sense! My rats aren't shape shifters after all!

Without further ado, here is the link for the Proofreader’s and Editor’s Symbols guide on the University of Colorado at Boulder website.

http://www.colorado.edu/Publications/styleguide/symbols.html

Hope it helps!

xoxo -- Hilary

Edwin Copperpot Edits Done + New Mysterious Excerpt!

So, I love finishing a manuscript, but it's never truly done until the edits are finished, and I'm thrilled to say, yay, I'm done! I'm so happy with the way Edwin Copperpot has turned out! Can't wait to share with the world! I'm so glad Edwin is complete that I'm going to bother you all with another little excerpt. This novel has been a whirlwind in many ways! Now my rats will get the full attention they so greatly deserve!

xoxo -- Hilary

In this excerpt, Edwin has found the cellar of the mysterious House of Warrants. Things are growing stranger by the hour...

The spirit hovered around the bookshelves, waiting until Edwin followed. The books all had the date painted on their spine; Edwin noticed the last book read 1888. A hundred years he thought, maybe that's how long he'd been down here, or maybe there were more books somewhere, there was no way to be sure. The Phantom Spirit fluttered in front of another case.

As if impatient, the spirit aggressively rammed itself into the spine of a book several times. "I gather you want me to look at that, don't you?" asked Edwin. The spine of the book read 1788, in gold lettering. With a hard jerk, Edwin yanked the book from its shelf, expelling what must have been lifetimes of dust. "Just wonderful, more dust, thank you kindly." He coughed, fanning it away. "1788 was not a good year for yours truly."

He cracked open the book, revealing more of the same: Missus Elvira Tarkington, strangled while asleep, C-Mr. Jonathan Willington, brother, M.B. Edwin read a few entries aloud, "Sir Tobias Remington, gutted from stem to stern, C-Miss Lorna Remington, daughter, M.B." He assumed 'C' stood for culprit. "Gutted, by his flesh and blood?" Edwin thought of his father. He shrugged. "I suppose he must have deserved it. Luckily, my father was murdered before I had the chance to consider such an option." He flipped through several pages. "Well, whoever M.B. is, he's certainly a most prolific note taker. He has more entries than all the other M's combined, whoever they are." The pages were dated chronologically. "October second 1788, poor Monsieur Duvall did not meet with a peaceful reckoning in any fashion, apparently drowned by his servants, frightful business that must have been." The month, October, suddenly struck him. He looked at the spirit. "That's what this is about. My reckoning is in here, isn't it?" The spirit hovered in place.

Edwin madly turned through the pages, nearly tearing them from the book. "October 30th, 1788." Running a nervous finger down the page, he read the names off one by one. "Mr. Samson Todd, hanging, Miss Lucy Whittington, bludgeoned--" He skipped to the next entry, pushing out a shaky breath. "Lord Edwin Copperpot...Lady Celia Baskerville, eviscerated with an axe, C-Lord Leopold Baskerville II, husband, M.B." The book dropped from his lifeless hand. Holding the desk for support, he crumpled onto a stool.

A Glimpse at an Editor's Edits!

So, I recently received a hardcopy of my manuscript, NIGHTSHADE CITY, from my editor, Julie Amper of Holiday House. She marked it up nice and pretty with her editorial notes. The snapshot is of one of the worst looking pages I could find. I came across it flipping through the MS and thought, wow, this is a bad one! Thank God that's only one of a few that look that! Most pages have a few little things and some have none at all! Seeing pages coming back clean surprised the heck out of me. What? You think it's good the way it is? The rats were happy too. See the white one in the picture? He's smiling, you just can't tell!


Now I'm just getting into the edits and things are going well. I was very intimidated when the FedEx arrived last Friday. I waited until Saturday morning to look at it, expecting everything to be crossed off in bright red marker! Thankfully, no such luck!


I can't wait to have Nightshade finished, perfect and off to the copy editor. That will be a good day!


xoxo -- Hilary


P.S. RATS RULE!!

My Original Query Letter Revealed...SCARY!!

Recently, I've had a few writers email me asking about query letter advice and any tips I can share. I don't feel qualified to give advice on writing the perfect query, so all I can honestly say is come up with something, anything that will set your letter apart, follow each agent's explicit query guidelines, and above all write truthfully. Don't try and give an impression of yourself that is not true. There is no need to lie or to stretch the truth. While there are agents who care about previous publishing credits, they won't give a pig's eye about them if they don't like your query and/or sample chapters. In other words, don't be afraid to be honest. As far as publishing credits, I had not a one!

So, in order to fully embarrass myself this beautiful fall Monday, I've posted my original query letter. Because of it, I received about 15-17 requests for partials and 10 for fulls, eventually getting me signed with Nancy Gallt Literary Agency and one other offer of representation.

Trust me, I know it's hard to cram everything you want to say into a one page letter, but doable, to be sure. I started with a two page letter, and edited down to one. I read my query now and know it could be far better, still too wordy! After all, it was my first query letter! I remember when I began querying; I searched for query letters online. The infamous query was so mysterious to me! I found a few other authors who posted theirs, which helped take the unknown out of the forever daunting query! One query I found came from YA Author, Heather Brewer. I thought hers was great, so you may want to google her and see if she still has it posted somewhere, excellent query! So, here is mine in all its bare, ratty glory! Enjoy and absolutely no snickering about my query! ;)

xoxo -- Hilary

Dear Elusive Über Agent,

As a girl, still at the age when toys were the appropriate gift, I hated getting dolls. I did not want to pretend to be their mommy or make up pleasant conversation surrounded by tea and biscuits. I found them more than a little annoying, with their perfect noses and pristine curls.
Instead, I loved animals, particularly of the rodent variety. I would sit in my room for hours, stuck in between my toy rats, mice and moles, spinning their next exotic escapade in the odd and mysterious world in which they dwell. Animals have emotion and depth, offering much more than companionship, especially when given a voice on paper. NIGHTSHADE CITY combines this voice, with the realm of YA animal fantasy, character driven fiction, and our continuing, albeit creepy fascination with the cryptic, four legged creatures that overrun our great cities and homes. Outwardly just vermin, but are they?

The rats of Trillium City are underground and have been so for years. Little do the weary humans of the steely city realize, an ancient throng of strangely intelligent rats exist right under their very feet, thriving in the intricate Catacombs excavated lifetimes ago.

Barely escaping alive, rat brothers, Vincent and Victor Nightshade, flee their underground home, the Catacombs, dodging mandatory recruitment by the Ministry run Kill Army. They make it to the surface, disappearing into the dark, human metropolis of Trillium City, where they stumble upon a hidden rat made tunnel, and trek down to a concealed world, buried farther in the earth than even the Catacombs. Founded by a group of rebel rats, the covert city’s residents are set on derailing the corrupt Ministry of the Catacombs, and freeing its many citizens from death and torment at the hands of the narcissistic Killdeer, the charming and decadent leader of the Ministry, and Billycan, a peculiar and slightly demented ex-lab rat, who commands the Kill Army with a bloodthirsty fondness for butchery. When the Nightshade brothers join up with Juniper, the ardent leader of the newborn city and despised adversary of Billycan, they soon unearth the demons that have haunted Juniper since his youth and learn how their father, Julius Nightshade, really died. Working with Juniper and his rebels, a fearless Ministry seamstress, and a relic tribe of earthworms, Vincent and Victor Nightshade battle for retribution and redemption against Killdeer and his army, realizing their future and releasing ghosts from their past.

Writing stories since childhood, I've completed my Bachelors in Fine Arts from the University of Kansas. I'm a professional visual artist from Chicago, hoping to take my creativity to the next level. I've completed NIGHTSHADE CITY, an 80,000 word novel, focusing on fighting for what you believe in, the true meaning of family and refusing to let a few decide the fate of many.

Thank you and take care,

Hilary L. Wagner

P.S. I did not really address the agent as Elusive Über Agent! Ha!

SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED! Holiday House contract signed!

Everything has been worked out and I have a signed contract with Holiday House! And, yes, I did take this dorky picture of myself! It was unavoidable--had to be done! ;)

My awesome agent, Marietta, did NOT tell me it was on its way, the little sneak, so there it was in my mailbox when I got home last night! So, I'd like to give a super big thanks to her! She has just been extraordinary on so many levels and I'm a very lucky writer to have her and Nancy Gallt in my corner.

It was amazing back in April when Craig Virden decided to take me on and even more amazing to get an offer on my book from such a prestigious children's publisher only two months later! As I look up to the sky, all I can say is thank you, Craig! There will be a little surprise in NIGHTSHADE CITY, only for you! Many, many thanks to Holiday House, I can't wait to get started on the edits and make my rats the very best they can be!

Last, but certainly not least, thank you needs to go to my husband. He is my very free, freelance editor/husband/friend/critic. Without him, Lord only knows where I'd be.

What a great way to start the fall season! Happy fall everyone and to everyone who's given me support and encouragement thank you as well. It means so much! Not just as writers or readers, but as people, we are all in this together. Kind words mean a lot! Yes, yes, I know that last part might ring a bit corny, but I don't care, it's true! Thank you.

xoxo -- Hilary

"Hey you, I'm a Writer!" Business Cards

So, I ordered my "I'm a writer" business cards today. What fun! I have to say, the back side is my favorite, love that line about some book coming out. What was it called? Oh yeah, NIGHTSHADE CITY! Ha, ha! I really adore these cards. I think they really show who I am and hopefully the kind of writing you're in for with me, creepy, but fun! I may be going to the IL SCBWI conference in November, so I figured I needed something to give out other than scraps of paper with my name scribbled on them in purple and orange crayon. Please note: My phone number is not 555-5555. I felt a little weird posting it for all to see...but what an easy number that would be to remember!!

Alright then, plenty of work to do on Edwin!

xoxo -- Hilary

I was on the news (sort of)! CBS 2 Chicago liked my tweet! ;)

So, yesterday, it's about 6am, I'm sitting in my PJ's, checking email and lo and behold there I am on the big screen TV! I nearly spit my coffee out! To be clear, it wasn't actually me, it was a picture of me along with my Tweet. Needless to say I was pretty surprised to see CBS 2 Chicago's weather man Ed Curran pointing at my big ol' smiling face and talking about my tweet on Twitter! I knew I'd be on TV someday, but I was hoping it would be about my book and I'd actually be there! Oh well, I'll take it for now! Click the picture if you'd like to see the clip, too funny!

xoxo -- Hilary

EDWIN COPPERPOT -- Put a fork in him, he's done!

I'm happy to report the story of EDWIN COPPERPOT is complete! I wrote the ending just last night and I love it! It turned out exactly how I pictured it in my head, perhaps even a bit better! So, the story of Edwin is finished, but technically I still have to edit. I'm one of those bizarre people who actually loves editing, so I'm excited to dig into this. There are not too many changes I need to make. I tried to go back and change things as I went along this time, making my life easier when all is said and done.

All my books are close to my heart and Edwin is no exception. This story is about fate, asking if it's possible to change our own. When I finished the story last night I now understand why I so needed to write it. Mulling things over, I realized I changed my own fate when I wrote my first novel, Nightshade City, having no idea when I finished it, that it would someday be a published novel being read by others. I just kept working and hoping, even praying, that it would someday see the light of day. It made me understand not only the importance of following our dreams, but the significance of doggedly working to achieve them, even when you start to think the only word you'll ever hear in regards to your efforts is "no". I'm a stronger person for it and for that I will forever be thankful.

Alright, no more dramatic introspection! Time for fun! Halloween is soon approaching, making now a perfect time to take a bite out of ol' Edwin (in the editing sense of course) and all his creepy, rotting cohorts. I'm so excited to wrap this one up completely, handing it over to my agent in a cobweb covered trick-or-treat bag, sprinkled with icky spiders! Too much, you say? Okay, maybe I'll just email it instead...

xoxo -- Hilary

Walking along a steep embankment, Edwin looked up at the sky. "No stars," he said. "That's one thing I dearly miss of our living days--stars."

Stopping along the water's edge, he leaned against the railing and peered down at the choppy waves below, wondering what dead creatures from long ago swam in its murky depths. He watched intently as a decaying hagfish leapt from the water. It had a wolf eel clenched in its teeth. Edwin supposed even dead fish felt the urge to eat. He swore the thing eyeballed him before plummeting back into the purple sea.

EDWIN COPPERPOT nearly done! New excerpt, Teaser Tuesday!!

I realized recently that I started writing EDWIN COPPERPOT on June 7th. Somehow, in the middle of that night, the idea for the story hit me. No longer able to sleep, I got up and started this novel. I must have been dreaming about something dark, funny, romantic (it seems that dead rotting folks can have romance too) and oh yes, a bit gruesome, because what's the point of being deceased if you can't have some creepy, ghoulish excitement now and then? I love black comedy and Edwin has no shortage of that.

So, completing a book in three months...hmmm...how do I feel about that? Well, great! Clearly, when I finish the last chapter (hopefully this week) the editing begins, but I'm really proud of old Edwin--really proud. This book is me in every way from start to finish and the story seemed to write itself at times. A lot of research went into it, more than you'd think, so I suppose this is a historical fiction too.

EDWIN COPPERPOT questions everything. Where life actually ends and what happens when we die. Do we have a chance to better ourselves, maybe even change our fate? Is death really death or just another layer of life? Can we go back to the world of the living? Heaven and Hell...yes, that's in there too I'm afraid. What's a book about dead people without a little fire and brimstone?

I've posted a new excerpt below, hope you enjoy it!

xoxo - Hilary

The fog had dispersed. Edwin sucked in a deep breath, holding it in for a moment. He stared up at the high moon which punched the dark like a glowing beacon of optimism. He came upon the café, hoping against hope that Maura would be there, sitting at their usual table, musty book in hand, but with all that had transpired, he could only guess where she might be. He peered through a window, trying to spot her.

With any luck, if Maura wasn't there, Bunny Black and Percy Poole would be. Maybe they would know her whereabouts. The two were always chattering about some silliness or another, babbling on about topics that made little sense to anyone but them.

The last time Edwin made the unfortunate mistake of sitting with them sans Maura, they jabbered on endlessly about the many varieties of decaying spiders the café had to offer. Bunny brought up the question as to which part of the spider its web expelled from. Bunny suggested its mouth, while Percy insisted it was the other end. Needless to say, this heated tête-à-tête went on for what felt like an eternity, until Maura at last arrived. Seeing the pained expression on Edwin's face, she quickly explained spiders' silk is released from their spinnerets, having nothing to do with their mouths or their backsides. Edwin chuckled as he skimmed the room for her. Thank God for Maura Lancaster.

It was a funny little café. One of those peculiar places where if you sat in a certain spot, you could distinctly hear the conversation coming from another. From time to time, when their usual table was occupied, Maura and Edwin would slink to a corner by the door, and snicker wildly as they sat behind a dead fig tree, listening to the colorful conversations of the kitchen in crystal clarity.

On one such occasion, an irate Scottish cook admonished Didier, the stubby little French waiter, with the personality of mud, for mixing up all the orders. Instead of defending himself, Didier merely grunted back at everything the cook said, grunting louder with every insult. Consequently, the cook's ire rose to a whole new level of Scottish fury, producing arcane vocabulary, presumably curse words, Edwin and Maura deduced could only be from the days of William Wallace.

There was yet another spot, three tables down from where he and Maura usually sat, slightly hidden from view. If you sat just near the front of the cafe, just under the washed out painting of Henry VIII, you could hear every syllable uttered at this veiled table as distinctly as if the speakers were sitting next to you. A group of surly Frenchmen frequented the spot, but as Maura and Edwin knew very little French, the conversations were not nearly as intriguing as the kitchen banter, barring the times when the Frenchman snorted raunchily, laughing about some lewd anecdote. Even with a French tutor from Paris, Edwin never learned to speak a lick of French, but somehow managed to recall the translations of all the dirty words.

Craning his neck, Edwin eyed the table. The Frenchmen were not seated their today. However, Maura Lancaster and Charlie Redgrave were.

Edwin held himself back from interrupting them, not certain what he might do. To be sure, clocking Redgrave in his oily puss would be gratifying, but it would only incense Maura and after the party, the conversation they'd had, he knew such a move would not be wise, however pleasurable. If there was one thing he learned from his father, it was how to throw a devastating punch. He opted to eavesdrop instead, not exactly noble, but far less messy.