Just Because It's Funny!

Something to make you smile. :)

Don't Be a Mad Turkey Cat!

Turkey Cat is angry. He's rather irritated that his guests are not sharing in the holiday joy as he so obviously is. Don't be a Mad Turkey Cat! 

I know it's hard to not stress about the holidays. Whether you're traveling across the country, going to your not-so-favorite in-laws house, or cooking for twenty plus guests, it's easy to get stressed during the holidays rather than be thankful for what you have. 

If you've been trying to get published for a while, it's easy to get down on yourself this time of year. I know I sure did and I regret it so much. One thing to remember, if it was easy to get published, everyone would do it. It's not easy. NOT. AT. ALL. So, if you're doing it, that means you love it. That's the first battle won right there. Also, not every book is a winner. It doesn't mean all your books are losers, it just means not every book you write is going to strike a chord with an agent or editor. You could write just one book and it will land a deal. You could write ten books and not one garners even a request for more material. Don't give up. You heard me! DON'T. GIVE. UP. And you know why you should never give up, because that would be too easy. Rejection hurts. It hurts our egos. It hurts our dreams. It hurts our hearts...but let that hurt strengthen your resolve.

In a sweet potato filled nutshell, this is a time to be thankful that you have the guts to try. You've actually put your soul into something and then put it out there for the world to see--to critique--even to reject...but you're still here and you're still kicking, so keep writing. Giving up is not an option. If you do I will send Mad Turkey Cat to your home and mind you, he is not declawed!

'Nuff said. 

Have an awesome Thanksgiving! Let your crazy family inspire you or at least entertain you! :)

Hilary

The Most Adorable Agent EVER! ;)

So, I finally met Marietta last weekend, my agent extraordinaire! Here we are at the Hancock building. You can see Lake Shore Drive behind us. We had a great day and Marietta and my kids and husband got along great. I think my daughter, Nomi, was about to sneak into her purse and fly home with her. :)

I always get a lot of questions from people about my agent. What I can tell you about Marietta Zacker? She's super down-to-earth, hilariously funny, a burst of energy, and LOVES what she does! A while back, Marietta held a Q&A on my blog. Anything you ever wanted to know about her taste in kids' books is there! She's likes blueberry pancakes too, though I don't know if that's a helpful tip. ;)

Happy Friday, everyone!  

Please Pass Syrup?

I signed with my agent, Marietta Zacker of Nancy Gallt, back in 2009...gosh, that sounds like a long time! I'm here in the City of Big Shoulders and she's in New Jersey. We both have nutty schedules to boot. That said, we've never had the chance to meet after all this time.

Lucky for me, Marietta will be speaking at the IL SCBWI conference this Saturday, and on Sunday, her and I will finally meet! Somehow she's convinced I'm very tall, but I'm not, I just wear very tall shoes! ;) 

Long story short, I can't wait to meet her. She's taking my family and I out to breakfast and my four-year-old, Nomi, will be impressing her with her Spanish the whole meal and probably won't let me get a word in edgewise, but that's okay, because I feel so lucky to finally thank her in-person for all she's done for me!

So, please, pass the syrup! :)

What You Gain from Public Speaking

Just two weeks ago, I spoke at Mahomet-Seymour Jr. High, one of many
schools I spoke at, as part of the Youth Literature Festival through the University of Illinois.
In total, I spoke to over 1000 kids in three days!
What an inspirational experience for me and what inspirational kids!

In October 2010, when my first book came out, I was painfully nervous talking in front of groups. It didn't matter if it were kids or adults, I'd have so much anxiety I'd come close to backing out, that's how bad it got! On one occasion, I was scheduled to speak in front of 450 kids and came close to cancelling with some lame excuse, because I wasn't about to tell them it was my horrible fear of utter failure! My husband told me I had to do it. He said, he knew I was scared, but it was more important to not let the kids down, and in turn, not let down myself. He was so right! It was a rewarding experience and as soon as I got going I was fine. I still fought the anxiety for a while, but now, two years later, talking in front of groups, big or small, is such a pleasure!

I literally get goose bumps when kids sit up in their chairs and I can see them listening and thinking. And after my presentations, when kids come up and tell me about their stories and what they're writing, I can feel their excitement about writing. They ask for advice and ask me what I think about their ideas, and trust me, some of these kids have amazing ideas! They inspire ME!

Long story short, never be scared to share your story or give your advice. Even if you fall on your face, if you've inspired one writer, young or old, or they've inspired you, something amazing just happened! 

Speaking of young inspiring writers, happy birthday to Lenny Lee! He's a teenager now! Someday, I hope to be in the audience when he's up there talking about his first book! :)

Thanks to you all!

Hilary

Youth Literature Festival, October 4-6th!

Come see me and several other children's authors from the great state of IL at the Youth Literature Festival this weekend! I'll be talking to area schools all day Thursday and Friday and then on Saturday I'll be at the Community Day Celebration talking to kids, speaking on panels, and signing books! Thanks to the University of Illinois for organizing such a great event and all the great sponsors who made it possible! If you're in the area, I hope to see you there!  


The Youth Literature Festival celebrates the value of literature in the lives of youth by bringing together local and national authors, illustrators, poets, and storytellers to share their stories, their craft, and their enthusiasm with children, teens and adults. Author visits to area schools are a central part of the festival activities. The festival also includes a Community Day Celebration that is free to the public on October 6, 2012. Community Day activities encourage all ages to share in the value of literature with hands-on activities, performances, and author presentations.  

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE! 

PS: Congrats to Kristin Rae, who just signed with my agent, Marietta Zacker!! So happy for you, girlie! :)

"...and the cat won." The End

Due to a CRAZY schedule I'm taking some time off from the old blog, which I've never done before. I have Lords of Trillium, Book III of the Nightshade Chronicles to finish soon, and I feel a little bit like poor crazy Muffin, who looks like she's about to lose it on whoever is snapping that picture! 

On a cool note, Nightshade City and The White Assassin are available on nook, and will be available in e-format on Kobo, Amazon, and iTunes in the very near future! Very exciting to see my book on nook! As always, my publisher did a bang-up job!

I'll be back in October, unless Muffin gets to me first! ;)

Hilary

I Sent WHAT????

We've all done it. I don't care how well published you are or how new to the industry you are, but we've all sent something out with a big fat humbling and in most cases highly visible typo--and usually more than one. It's unavoidable. No matter how many times you read through a manuscript, you are bound to miss things from time to time.

If you've recently sent something out to an agent or editor and realized you've left in some conspicuous typos, don't freak out. Take a step back and know that it happens to everyone. Besides, if someone was going to bounce you out of consideration for a typo or two (or even a couple more) in your 250 page manuscript, possibly it's someone you wouldn't want to work with anyhow. Clearly, there are flagrant typos in some manuscripts, wherein the reader is tripping over one in every paragraph, that's not going to fly, but everyone, from writers, to agents, to editors, miss things now and again. After all, we are only human and if humans were perfect, there would never be typos in published books--bestselling books--books that have been combed through by the author, editor, readers, and copy editors, among others. I mean, it happens. It does. Period.

Tips for catching typos:

Print it out: Print out the full manuscript. Somehow a lot more typos slip by the naked eye staring at a monitor, than when you hold the physical manuscript, knocking out typos like Mike Tyson with your almighty red pen.

Read your work out loud: This requires you to read every word from start to finish. Time consuming and dry throat inducing? Yes, but a lot more effective than skimming through it silently.

Let your work sit a while: This is a hard one for me, as I'm about as patient as a stock broker, but do it. Even if it's just overnight, let your work sit. This will cause you to read your words more thoroughly and thoughtfully the next day, rather than flying through something you were just working on.

A second set of eyes: When time permits, I always have my husband read through my work before I send it off. Since he's reading it for the first time, it's far easier for him to catch "to" versus "too" than it would be for my tired eyes.

Okay, truth time. In my first manuscript I had typos. I think you've probably figured that out by now. After I caught them (which was after I hit "send") I sat at my laptop and cringed, wondering how on earth I could have missed something so glaringly obvious (note: it was only glaringly obvious to me). I probably read through the manuscript at least 50 times, but there they were, "shutters" instead of "shudders", "there" instead of "their". You get the picture. I wondered if I'd be automatically rejected, heck, even black balled! Yes, I was (and still am) a bit of a wackadoodle. But hey, I still got published! Luckily, the typos did not. ;)

Long story short, there will generally be normal inconsequential typos somewhere in something you send out. Don't sweat it. It doesn't change your story or your hard work. It only makes you human.

PS: If there are typos in this post, please blame typo cat. He posted it for me!

Hilary

Answer and Winner of the Mystery Question Giveaway!

I asked last week (in the post below) what do the Disney villains, the Evil Queen, Maleficent, Scar, Gaston, Ratigan, Frollo, and Clayton all have in common...and the winner is Kayeleen Hamblin!! She answered with the correct answer first: They all had a hand (or paw) in their own demises...as it goes with most villains worth their evil salt. Yes, crime does not pay. Okay, well it does sometimes, but it shouldn't! :) 


Congrats, Kayeleen! I'll be sending you five brand spanking new YA ARC's for your super genius answer! Please send me your snail mail address to h.wagner@nightshadecity.com! 


Thanks to all who entered!! Look for more giveaways soon!


Hilary

A Mystery List Contest for 5 YA ARC's!

Okay, what is the below list about? Think carefully, it is not necessarily what you think! Everyone who guesses will be entered to win FIVE fantastic YA ARC's! You don't have to get it right to be entered into the contest! Winner (and the answer) will be announced next week!

1. Evil Queen
2. Maleficent
3. Scar
4. Gaston
5. Ratigan
6. Frollo
7. Clayton

Girl Scouts Studio!!

I'm amazed and honored to be featured by the Girl Scouts of America this week as a featured author on Girl Scouts Studio, a showcase for inspiring storytellers of all kinds. I remember when I was a Brownie, wearing my neatly pressed little uniform. I was so impressed with myself when I got to wear it to school! I felt special and that I was part of something really important and I certainly was. The Girl Scouts is such a great organization. It empowers and inspires girls and promotes friendship and understanding, and what could be better than that? Were you a Girl Scout or a Boy Scout or part of a similar organization or club? If so, how did the experience influence you? For me, it made me stronger and more supportive of others--two things that have carried me through my life.

Please check out their interview with me and other authors HERE!

Travel Cat Waves....

Travel Cat has been doing a lot of traveling and feels a little bit like Steve Martin in that movie! 

He will be back next week with new posts! 

Until then, HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!