Got Marshmallows?

Getting Mail

I should feel loved because of all the mail I receive every day at work. Sometimes dozens of manuscripts arrive in five days; sometimes a dozen or more in just one day. It's quite exciting, really. How many times did I long to receive mail growing up? In fact, I still get thrilled when I receive packages or letters. Perhaps it's because the postal system is slowly becoming extinct, and this almost rare form of communication brings me back in time.

Anyway, it always excites me when I receive packages at work addressed like this:

 

It may be insignificant to some people, but to me it's a reminder of how much I've achieved over the past three years. I did the 5-year track in college so I could earn a minor in editing, and after a few months into the program, I realized I didn't really like editing after all. At least, the copyediting, Chicago abiding side of editing. It was too structured with too many rules (and too many mistakes to be made) for my more right-brained mind. But because of my love for writing, my editing classes helped me to fall in love with publishing, and I stuck with it. (Honestly, I knew I'd have a better chance of getting a job with an editing minor attached to my English/Creative Writing major.)

So after many tears and stressful days, I graduated with an editing minor and found an internship to help strengthen my skills. Again, I didn't love the copyediting side of editing, but I discovered there was more to editing than simply correcting punctuation or sentence structure. After a year working as an intern, I achieved another goal by getting a job at Deseret Book working in Publishing! But instead of the editing side of publishing, I work in the product development/manuscript reviewing side of publishing. My second official title is "Acquisition Editor," which means I achieved my editing goals and get to be part of the publishing process without having to spend time with Chicago every day! It really is the best fit for me, and I stand amazed at how much I was prepped for this position. I know Someone had this in mind all along, even if I couldn't see it in the beginning, and I'm grateful I felt prompted to stick with it to the end.

So although I now have this to wade through every day, I'm so grateful I'm still fulfilling my educational goals of becoming an editor while working in an area of publishing I love best. :)

Want to know how to send your manuscripts in for review? Click here.

The Rent Collector

Looking for a new book to read? Then I HIGHLY recommend this one:

It's a beautiful story of the faith, forgiveness, and healing. 

I literally couldn't put it down!

The writing is simple, yet profound, and you can't help but feel true love and concern for the characters.

READ IT!!!

And for your viewing pleasure, here is the book trailer:

The update you've been waiting for

After playing "in-and-out-of-the-office" tag with my co-worker for several weeks, we finally sat down last Tuesday and talked about my manuscript. What a relief! I've seriously had dreams about it because I've been so anxious to hear what she would say. And even better--she loves my story!

Honestly, the 45 minutes we sat and talked were more helpful than any feedback I've ever had. She was honest and open and kind all at the same time, which I think is perfect when you're trying to critique someone's writing. And I agreed 100% with everything she said. In fact, I'd never even thought of several of her suggestions before, but I loved them and can't wait to incorporate some of her ideas into my story.

What was the biggest issue she had with my story, you ask? Character development. And I couldn't agree more. My main girl, Leah, is a little too naive, and my prince, Evan, is a little too perfect. I realized after our discussion that when I started this story 10 years ago, I envisioned my characters one way and one way only. My plot development and story telling has improved, but my characters haven't, and I really haven't given them the attention on paper as I have in my head. So my goal for the next few months is to develop their characters more.

Another suggestion she had was to not worry about turning it into two books at this point as much as making it one, cohesive story. So instead of sitting in front of my computer trying to figure out chapter 1 of book 2, I am now going to finish the ENTIRE story without worrying so much about the length. It's tough, but I'll have to do some major cutting in the end.

The best news of all was my co-worker really liked the story! She said it reminded her of a fairytale, and it's definitely a novel you want to escape to and read over and over again. :) And she said when I finish making changes and writing the entire thing (I'm re-doing the ending), she wants to see it first!

So no publishing contract, but I honestly wasn't expecting that at this point. I'm thrilled she gave me such great feedback, and it makes me happy to know how much she loves the story. Now it's time to get serious about writing again and make the changes happen!

Tigers on the brain

Last month, I read 3 books in a 4-book series called Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck. They were addicting like Gummy Bears are addicting: sweet and delicious, but not very good for you, and very likely to a stomach ache if you eat too many. My stomach is starting to ache.

 (The first three books.)

My co-worker read the first one for her book club, and knowing how much I love YA Fiction/Fantasy, she asked me to read it and give her my opinion. Like her, I'm not sure what to make of these books. I'm literally conflicted between loving them and despising them, all for various reasons. Seriously, any book that can captivate my attention and make it difficult to put it down or stop thinking about it deserves credit. All three of these books did this to me. (I read all three of them in less than 3 weeks, and they're NOT short books!) The story was intriguing, the settings unique, and the plot more creative than I'd ever come up with. Little details, personality traits, and fantastical elements really stood out to me, and I really appreciated Colleen Houck's creativity and story telling. I'd give you a brief synopsis, but I really don't know how to explain it since it's so complex. Girl meets tiger, tiger ends up being an Indian prince under a spell, tiger prince and girl fall in love while trying to break the curse...yeah.

At the same time, I had a hard time liking the main character, Kelsey. And yes, this was a love-triangle, not too unlike Twilight. In fact, the writing style (and plot in some ways, but with tigers instead of vampires) was similar to Twilight, and although the story and constantly shifting love-interests made it a page turner, I wasn't always impressed by the way it was written. And that's where my heart and brain are battling: can I really love a series that has a dramatic, high-maintenance, indecisive teenage girl; two "perfect" Indian princes; lots of love-triangle drama; and some very poor writing?

 (Final book)

If anyone else wants to read these books (or has read them), I would love to hear what you think! Honestly, I could probably talk about them forever--the good and the bad. Lets face it: I obviously liked them enough to keep reading (obsessively, I might add. Hence, the stomach ache.). In fact, I've already put the 4th (and final) book on hold at the library (it comes out September 4th). And like me, I doubt any girl can stop from falling head-over-heal for Ren.

(Luckily for me, I have a Ren in real life to obsess over. ;))

When Ideas Come

Don't you just love when you come up with a new story idea? It has to be one of the best feelings in the world. For me, ideas come in scenes that I dwell on until I have enough to start putting my ideas into words. I love how the smallest things can trigger new ideas, and they really come when you're least expecting them

Today while sitting at my desk I had a scene pop into my mind that encompasses two of my favorite things: the beach and castles. Guess I'm missing the ocean more than I thought--or else the Olympics in London are making me yearn for British castles and coasts once again. :) Now I'm excited to see where this one scene will lead me!

For you writers out there, has anyone else had a new story idea come to mind that they can wait to pursue?

I just found this online here. 

I'll have to get one of these since--let's face it--most great ideas happen in the shower!

[And for those who have been following my posts on Beyond the Orchard, still no update. My co-worker is out of town this week, but promised to finish my manuscript and talk to me when she gets back. Hopefully I'll finally have some feedback next week!]

Waiting...

The hardest part about submitting a manuscript for publication is WAITING. And yes, after a month, I'm still waiting to hear what my co-worker has to say about my story. Although I'm grateful for this opportunity and for any feedback she has for me, I'm feeling less and less confident about having publishing prospects. I kind of get the impression that if my co-worker was really impressed, she would've talked to me about it by now. And thirdly, the more I think about my story, the more work I believe it needs.

As you know, I turned Beyond the Orchard into two books. And now I'm having second doubts. Again.

I think if I could turn it back into one, concise story, it may have a better chance of getting published somewhere. But how do you turn a 530+ page novel into an under 400 pages one? Ideally, closer to 300? It's hard to cut things out, especially after spending so much time re-working them and growing so attached.

But my husband read it, and even he was frustrated with the cut-off ending. I don't like it when other authors do it to me, so why should I leave my readers hanging?

Hmmm.

So lots to think about as I wait to hear back from my co-worker. Maybe there will have to be some drastic changes to my novel after all.

Thoughts

Ugh. I'm definitely not digging this new blog look, so it will probably be changed again soon...

I really shouldn't be writing right now, but sometimes when my heart feels heavy, writing is the only way to set things right. I've been struggling with something for almost a year now, and although I'm trying hard to trust in the Lord, it seems to get harder and harder to deal with--especially since I can't escape being constantly surrounded by it. (Sorry this isn't very descriptive, but I don't want to share details since it's so personal.)

Today especially has been tough (and it's still early!), and I really want to pour out my soul to God and ask, "Why?" Of course, I know what I should really be thinking is "Why not?" Sure, I've had to deal with challenges and trials before, and they always worked out for the best in the end. This really can't be an exception, but it doesn't make it any less difficult. I know Heavenly Father has a plan for me, and maybe my timing and "needs" aren't the same as His timing and needs for me. I wish I could always have the kind of faith and hope that allows me to trust in the Lord without wavering, but I'm definitely far from perfect.

"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content" (Philippians 4:11, emphasis added). This has become almost a theme in my life--to enjoy the journey and not worry so much about where I am in life versus where I want to be. But it must be followed by verse 13 in the same chapter: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." I know I can't do anything alone.

I don't know if things are going to get any easier, but I'm trying to look at this trial as an opportunity to grow stronger. No, it's not ideal, and it's still going to be hard to bare until I can more clearly see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I know it's there. Sometimes you have to walk in the dark before the path is illuminated for you. Until then, I'll count my blessings and look for other things to keep my mind occupied.

For example, working on book two of Beyond the Orchard...

New Look

I'm trying to update the look of my blog to resemble my manuscript, so please don't be too startled if it looks different every time you come on for the next few weeks.... I'll get it right eventually!

Something to think about

"The power of a glance has been so much abused in love stories, that it has come to be disbelieved in. Few people dare now to say that two beings have fallen in love because they have looked at each other. Yet it is in this way that love begins, and in this way only."

-Victor Hugo, from Les Miserables

I believe it. Do you?

Want to know more about my job?

Then go here.

(I'm too lazy to re-write my last post...)

Tomorrow...

...I'm giving my COMPLETED manuscript to my co-worker to review!!!

I'm super excited and super nervous all at the same time. 

It's taken two months to get everything edited, proofread, and reviewed to my liking.

But I feel good about it.
I've definitely come to a point where I need to just let it go and stop being such a perfectionist.

Shadow Mountain has been looking for "proper romances" for awhile now without any luck, and I really feel like my novel is perfect for this category.

But, like any writer hoping to get published, I'm going to have to be patient and endure the review process... 

Keep your fingers crossed!!

My latest obsession

I get goosebumps every time I watch this.

Can't wait!!!

The Books Inside Me

Isn't this cartoon great? 

It's exactly how I feel right now. I have so many book ideas; the only problem is having the time to get them on paper. 

*Sigh*

Speaking of books waiting to come out, my novel (part 1) is dying to be "finished" so I can give the rest of it to my co-worker at Deseret Book / Shadow Mountain Publishing. 

She read the first 30 pages or so and LOVED it. 

We even had a lunch conference to discuss it and some future possibilities.... :)

Now it's up to me to proofread/revise the last 200 pages and get it to her asap!

It's been tough since the past month was so busy, but I'm finding time. Over the weekend, I spent about 5 hours on it.

I need to stop being such a perfectionist because those 5 hours only got me through 3 or 4 chapters.

The future is looking bright.

Wish me luck!

Sharing some good news

As promised, here is a new, exciting post!

I gave four sample chapters to one of my co-workers last Thursday to read over and possibly consider for publication! She's a product manager who works with the product director over children's and YA publications. I know it's a long shot, but it was worth a try. Currently, she's looking for YA romance that fits the description, "A Proper Romance." My book, which I recently decided to turn into two books due to length and multiple plot arches, is a YA romance that take place in the medieval period. Here is a quick summary I came up with:

Leah has spent her entire life in the orchard, working under the care of a man who doesn't believe in rank. Evan grew up in a castle, surrounded by the social pressures befitting a future king.

Neither are prepared for the single act that will change how they view positioning and love—or the threat that may eventually tear them apart.

Kind of cool, right? I figure that even if Deseret Book/Shadow Mountain aren't interested in publishing, at least she'd be able to give me some good feedback and tips as I continue to prepare for publication. And if she wants to see more of my story, then I'm just about ready to give her a "finished" novel. It feels good to finally be doing something with my story and not letting my perfectionism keep me from sharing it with others. In fact, I may need a few willing readers soon...

Just rambling

I'm having one of those moments where I really want to write on my blog, but I don't have anything to say. I used to write more about how I was feeling on the good and bad days because it was therapeutic to put my words down. Now I'm blessed to have a husband sweet enough to let me vent to. But the need to still write on my blog in order to relieve stress or worry or excitement hits me from time to time. I guess this is one of those moments.

Everyone has good and bad days; it's part of the human experience. Today was more of a "bad" day, although it was mixed with some good too. Nothing crazy, just another day. Work for the past few weeks has been busier than ever, and although I LOVE my job and what I get to do every day, going non-stop from 8 to 5 can be straining. (I stood up from my desk today to grab my coat and my legs literally hurt because I had been sitting for over 4 hours without getting up!) Today as I looked at the growing pile of slush and tried to come up with a more efficient way to review manuscript, send postcards, log submissions, and prepare lists for rejections, I felt completely overwhelmed. In fact, I had some anxiety creep in for a few minutes, and I ended up saying a prayer in order to breathe and focus on my work again.

The good news is God does hear and answers prayers, and within minutes, I was able to focus and get things done. And even more of a blessing, one of our editing interns had a free hour and asked if she could do anything to help. Talk about a tender mercy! She logged some manuscript for me and saved me a ton of time, which I was so grateful for.

The quote that goes something like, "I didn't say it would be easy; I only said it would be worth it" just popped into my head. I guess that's how I feel about my life right now. My job is busy and keeps me always feeling like I'm behind (because I am), but it's TOTALLY worth it. I love what I do, who I work with, who I work for, and what I represent. My personal life can be viewed the same in a lot of ways as well: church callings, finances, writing, etc....but I LOVE my life and wouldn't trade it for the world! I don't know how I got so blessed sometimes. Things aren't perfect; in fact, they're often downright hard, but it's always worth it in the end. Like my favorite expression goes, "Things will work out." And that's a promise.

I'm not going to apologize for my rambling although I feel a little guilty if you actually took the time to come to my blog and were disappointed by what you read. Honestly, I have no idea if anyone ever checks this blog, but maybe I'll have something more important to post next time you visit. :) Of course, that would imply that something new and exciting has happened in my life.... 

Writing...?

I wanted to give a writing update but, to be honest, there really isn't much of one.

I love my new job--even more than I ever imagined--but I've sacrificed my writing by taking it. Working full time really only leaves me with about 3 or 3.5 hours max a day when I'm not either sleeping or commuting or working. And if I break those 3 to 3.5 hours down even more, an hour is usually devoted to making/eating/cleaning up dinner, running errands or staying busy with church-related duties, or just being plain lazy. I can admit this last one because I think everyone can relate: you come home after a busy day at the office and the LAST thing you want to do is anything that takes brain power because, frankly, your brain is fried.

And sometimes I just want to spend time with my husband, whom I haven't seen all day. It's pretty difficult to write and cuddle at the same time ;)

So, do I ever find time to write? Luckily, yes.

I'm trying to be creative with the time I do have: 1) Write during my 30 min lunch break and 2) Sundays. I can sometimes get 2 or 3 pages revised during my lunch (although it sometimes means I neglect the eating part...oops), and every little bit counts! And Sunday evenings are a wonderful time to lounge on the couch and write (especially if the hubby is taking a nap ;)).

Bottom line: I am writing, just not as much as I'd like or hoped. Hopefully this will change. I love my story, but after 6, 7, 8+ years, I think it's time to "complete" it and move on to the next novel!

J. K. Rowling's Harvard Commencement Speech

This was a few years ago, but I didn't discover it until recently. It's a very inspiring (and funny) speech and worth the 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Book Review

Public transportation has it's pros and cons. I'm grateful for a discounted bus/train pass through work, and for the fact that I don't have to use my gas and fight for a parking spot every day. I don't like waiting outside in the cold for my bus or train to arrive, and I certainly don't always appreciate the people I have to share a seat with. But despite longer commutes and less sleep, I'm glad I take the bus and train to and from work for one big reason: reading time! In the last month or two, I've finished multiple books that I want to share:

A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine

This is about a young girl named Elodie who travels to the City of Two Castles in hopes to be a Mansioner (an actress). However, in arrival to the large city, things don't go as planned. I felt the story clever and charming and pure Levine, despite it not being my favorite novel of hers. I recommend it!

The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum

I work with Lisa Mangum at Deseret Book and began to feel guilty about not reading her series. Then I realized I had a free copy of this book sitting on my shelf from one of my publishing classes! Honestly, I wish I had read it earlier. This is the kind of book that would appeal to Twilight fans, only written way better. And it plays with the idea of time travel, mixed with historical figures and literature like Leonardo da Vinci and Shakespeare. Warning: it does end abruptly, so you may want to have the second book on hand when you finish!

 The Golden Spiral by Lisa Mangum

As the second book in the series, it kind of feels like the bridge between the first and third book (which I'm still trying to get a copy of...). It's good, but a little slower than the first one--probably because you relate more with the main character, Abby, who has to wait a lot for things to happen. And again, the ending leaves you longing to read the next!

.

 Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson

Oh. My. Word.

This book is AMAZING! All you Jane Austen lovers out their: beware! You may find yourself falling in love with a new Mr. Darcy and admiring a heroine that isn't Elizabeth Bennet. This book is witty and elegant and a very "proper romance," as the subtitle says. The only catch: it isn't available in stores until this spring. Lucky me, I got to read an advance reader copy because I work for Deseret Book and it's being published with our imprint, Shadow Mountain. But I promise you it's worth the wait! And you will read it in one day because it's impossible to put down once you start.

Crossed by Ally Condie

Confession: I'm not quite done reading this one yet, but I'm super closer. And because it's on my mind and it's too good not to include on my book post, I'm going to write about it now. The second book in a series, Crossed is never ceases to thrill! Cassia is off to the Outer Provinces looking for Ky, the boy she loves, and runs into quite a few adventures on the way. This is quite the page turner, and I'm eager to see how it ends!

Slush Pile

My main job at work is to go through every manuscript submission that gets sent to Deseret Book, whether by mail or email. We call these stacks and stacks of manuscripts the "slush" pile. When I first started working, I inherited the slush pile from my co-worker, and my new cubicle area started drowning in unopened envelopes in less than a week. At one point, I could hardly get to my chair! Luckily, I found some time to go through the piles and get the submission under control (some what).

These are the piles I inherited, before they got too out of control. Believe me, the slush piles got worse.

It sometimes amazes people when I tell them I only spend about 3 minutes on each manuscript submission, but it's the truth. Every manuscript gets logged, and then I read over the first page or two (or skim over the entire manuscript if it's a children's story). And yes--I really CAN tell if the manuscript is worth publishing or not after 3 minutes. Not that I have the final say. I'm the first eyes on everything we receive, and I say, "Yes, this has potential," or "No, send a rejection." But anything I pass on goes through a lot of hoops before the final decision of publication is made.

I'm amazed by what people send in to get published sometimes! I'm constantly entertained or bewildered. And looking over so many submission makes me even more paranoid as a writer. I want my manuscript to be as close to perfect as possible when I submit in the future so other editors/product developers like myself won't have obvious reasons to add my story to the rejection pile.