The Girl with the Green Pen: An Interview with Taryn Albright

When I was clueless and writing my first query, who did I turn to? 
When I was in the query trenches and didn't know what agents to query or how to find agents, who did I call?

When I finished a 1st draft and needed a quick Beta read to make sure I was headed in the right direction, who did I send my MS to?

This little beauty here. I don't know anyone with as much on her plate as Taryn. She swims collegiality, she's in college (obviously), she writes up a storm, she interns, and she edits professionally. Here's a brief feed from her @tarynalbright #sbscrits feed last Saturday when she did 1st page and query crits for free.

• Ask yourself why you're leaving that "shocking twist/secret" out of the query. If it's so cool, why don't you use it as a hook?
• The best word with which to start a query? "When." "When something happens, someone must." 
• Seventeen-year-old MC. NOT seventeen year old. If it's an adj, USE THE DARN HYPHENS.
• No query sentence should merely describe your character. Combine it with an action.
• Does your MC want something on the very first page? Even something as simple as a sandwich. Goals pull readers forward
• I'm seeing a lot of filter words in the 1st page. Check this post out for tips on how to cut your filters: http://www.tarynalbright.blogspot.com/2012/11/4-common-manuscript-weaknesses.html …

Great advise, right?

And now that she's branching out and opening her very own editing service (with such a fun website that I just want to go and play with all the buttons all day long) I asked her to do a brief interview. Her answers are in green:)

Why The Girl with the Green Pen? Why green?
Most edits are made with a red pen. If someone critiques your manuscript, s/he will most likely cover it with red ink, right? Not so much here. I make all my notes in green because I like to reflect the idea of moving forward. Green means go, it means new life. These are ways to think of your revisions, and this is how I like to think of the editing process.

Green is my favorite color for many of the reasons you mention here, but also because it makes my eyes dance;-)

What's the weirdest query (or MS) you're ever read?
Luckily I don't request weird MSs, and all my clients are fantastic ;) As for the queries, well it's always fun when they write back to form rejections all passive aggressively ("just so you know, five billion better agents have requested the full manuscripts.")

Have you ever squealed reading a query? (besides reading mine, of course)
Not out loud! But I have multiple times gone to stalk the author on twitter :)

What query advice do you wish everyone knew already?
WHITE SPACE IS YOUR FRIEND!!! Seriously, nothing is worse than opening up a query and seeing a thick chunk of black. You do not want the intern going to read with a frown.

Any last minute advise for those to the minute NaNo-ers out there (who might claw your eyes out if they realize you beat Nano in what? 6 days?)?
Write or Die!!! link to site so you don't think Taryn's threatening you:D

Thanks Girl with the Green Pen!

And if you're in the NaNo homestretch, Go. Write. Now. I'm cheering you on from the winners circle. The chocolate fountain and strawberry tarts are delightful, but I had to take off my lei, the horses wouldn't leave me alone.

Have you ever used an editorial service? or Taryn's free query passes?

Happy Book Birthday Michelle Davidson Argyle and Bonded

I can't resist a good fairytale retelling and Michelle Davidson Argyle doesn't disappoint! After reading an exerpt of Thirds on her blog The Innocent Flower, I have been anticipating Bonded's release date. Michelle was kind enough to agree to an interview on her book birthday. So read this interview, make one of her favorite meals, and go out and buy Bonded;)


I'm constantly salivating over your twitter posts. How do you have the energy to write and to make such luscious meals so many nights of the week?
See, this is why I'm a writer ... all those luscious meals I talk about really aren't complicated or that luscious ... really, they're not! It's the words I choose to describe what I'm eating, and I also think the key is fresh ingredients. I take a trip to the farmer's market every week to get fresh fruits and veggies, I've spent the last year learning recipes to incorporate more vegetables. So instead of just omelettes, I'll post that I'm eating omelettes stuffed with poblano peppers, feta cheese, and cremini mushrooms. Sounds fancy, but it's really not. I chopped stuff up and made an omelette. Voila! Honestly, four nights out of seven at our house, we're eating stuff like grilled cheese or ramen noodles. I try to plan at least two prepped meals a week. I love food, and I love to talk about food, so it's exciting to post stuff I'm eating, even if it's simple!


Could you share your favorite recipe?
One of my comfort foods, and all-time favorite recipe is my mom's sweet and sour meatballs. They are even good leftover, and I rarely like meat leftover.

SWEET & SOUR MEATBALLS
1 ½ lb fresh hamburger
2/3 cup rolled oats or cracker crumbs
1/3 cup minced onion (red or white)
1 egg
1 ½ tsp salt
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 cup milk
SAUCE (I like to double this)
2 tbsp. corn starch
1/21 cup white sugar
1 cup cup vinegar (I like to use 1/2 red wine vinegar and 1/2 white vinegar)
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1/3 cup chopped red pepper
1 can pineapple
hot cooked white rice
Mix first 7 ingredients and shape into meatballs. If using a nonstick skillet, melt some shortening first, and cook meatballs until done. Remove meatballs. Pour fat from skillet. Mix starch and sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce until really smooth and pour into hot pan. Bring to a boil until the sauce starts to thicken, then add meat, pineapple, and green pepper. Serve over rice.
We made this meal last weekend and it was a hit. 



Official Short Description of Bonded:
What happened after Cinderella married her prince? How did the eivl sorceress in SLeeping Beauty turn evil in the first place? Discover these stories and a world filled iwth magic, forbidden love, elves, sprites, dragons, and the most powerful creatures of all--thefairies--in Bonded, a collection of thre fairy tail inspired novellas.

Based on three fairy talkes, Bonded contails a fairy talke continuation (Cinderella), a fairy tale retelling (One-Eye, Two-Eyes, Three-Eyes), and a fairy prequel (Sleeping Beauty).


What do you think the heroines from Cinders, Thirds, and Scales would pick as their favorite foods?
This is fun because food plays an important part in each novella!
In Cinders, Christina loves to visit the kitchen in the castle. She thinks a lot about food and cooking with her mother. She watches Fortune, the head cook, prepare meat and other things for meals. I think Christina would choose beef broth with pepper for her favorite food.
In Thirds, food is essential to the story! Poor Issina is starved for the entire beginning of the book. She's so hungry, in fact, that she eat roots from the cellar. Tree roots. Blech! Later, Issina is happy to discover prepared meals in the forest. I think she'd choose sugared dates as her favorite food.
In Scales, Serena connects her favorite to her mother. There's a scene where she watches her mother make apple tarts from scratch. Later, when Serena is traveling with Lief in the human realm, he asks her what she'd like him to make for her to eat. She immediately choose apple tarts!

If your life were a recipe what would it be?
1 lb simplicity
3 snippets yoga
4 cups patience
1 chocolate bar/per week
Mix everything together and spend time in the kitchen every day with family and/or friends.
Garnish with 2 cups writing on the side.

I had no idea you did yoga-I've been teaching yoga for the past 10 years and don't know how I survived without it. I wish I could live on 1 chocolate bar a week.

Thank you Michelle for the interview! We're adding your Sweet and Sour Meatballs to our go to recipe file.

If you'd like to learn more about Michelle here's another great interview by my CP Kathryn Purdie where Michelle talks more about her road to publication.

Bonded is available 

Goodreads here

Amazon here

Barnes and Noble here

Local Bookstores everywhere :)

Author Interview: Lana Krumwiede

I met Lana this summer at the Writers and Illustrators for Young Readers Conference. She was super nice, pleasant to chat with, unassuming-even with having an awesome book deal-which she didn't even mention until a long way into our conversation. So take notes authors-chat, be nice, people will like you and then when you mention an upcoming book-we'll think-WOW this super nice person has a book deal, it couldn't happen to a better gal. And then we'll mark the date on our calendars and eagerly await the arrival of your book. I still have the awesome bookmark she gave me that day as we tried to protect our eardrums from the Class Songs and wicked feedback they generated.

First of all, Happy Book Day! I have 3 children born in October, so it seems like a good month to have a book:)

Okay, to the questions:

RH: If you could make your own ice-cream flavor what would it be?

LK: Hmm . . . I'm not sure, but it would definitely involve caramel and chocolate.

RH: You have great taste in ice cream:) When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

 LK: When I was in third grade, I wrote like crazy. Somehow that faded away over the years. About two decades later, I connected with an old elementary school friend, and she asked me if I had published anything. When I answered no, she said she always thought I would be a writer. Until that moment, I had forgotten the joy I had found in writing as a young child. I even dug out my elementary school papers that my Mom had saved, and sure enough, in my awkward grammar-school cursive, I had written that I wanted to be a writer. It was like my 8-year-old self sending a message to my adult self. I eventually turned to writing again, although it took a few more years to figure out how to create that opportunity.

RH: When did you pick up writing agin?

LK: I started writing again in 2001. I started with short pieces--poems and stories for children's magazines. I did that for 7 years and had many publications in Highlights, The Friend, Spider, Babybug and other magazines. It was a great way to learn about writing for children and about the publishing industry.

RH: Have you always written for the middle grade audience?

LK: Middle grade seems to resonate with me. In my own life, this was the time when I fell in love with books and reading. I love picture books, too. I have a picture book under contract with Candlewick as well, and I can't wait to see how it turns out!

RH: What are you working on now?

LK: Right now, I'm working on the sequel to Freakling, which I'm very excited about! Taemon travels outside of Deliverance and discovers the outside world is not what he expected.

RH: What was your inspiration for Freakling and how long did it take to write/come to fruition, from your head to book in your hands.

LK:  
Thinking about the idea and building Taemon's world = 1 year

Writing the first draft (started over many times) = 2 years

 Beta readers, revisions, writing a query = 6 months

 Finding an agent = 1 month

 Revisions with agent = 6 months

 From contract to release date = 18 months

 Grand total = 5 1/2 years!

RH: I just signed with my agent and my non-writing friends have been asking me when my book is coming out. If they only knew;)

And here is FREAKLING in all its glory!! 

Goodreads Blurb: 
A thrilling, fast-paced dystopian novel about the dangers of unchecked power and the dilemmas facing a boy torn between two ways of life.

In twelve-year-old Taemon’s city, everyone has a power called psi—the ability to move and manipulate objects with their minds. When Taemon loses his psi in a traumatic accident, he must hide his lack of power by any means possible. But a humiliating incident at a sports tournament exposes his disability, and Taemon is exiled to the powerless colony.

The "dud farm" is not what Taemon expected, though: people are kind and open, and they actually seem to enjoy using their hands to work and play and even comfort their children. Taemon adjusts to his new life quickly, making friends and finding unconditional acceptance.

But gradually he discovers that for all its openness, there are mysteries at the colony, too—dangerous secrets that would give unchecked power to psi wielders if discovered.

When Taemon unwittingly leaks one of these secrets, will he have the courage to repair the damage—even if it means returning to the city and facing the very people who exiled him?

I can't wait to read it! I ordered it this morning.

RH: Advise for writers in the query trenches.

LK: I signed with Molly Jaffa, my amazing agent, after sending a cold query, but I think the only reason that worked is because I did a LOT of research up front. I read through agent interviews on blogs and carefully went over agents' websites. I had a list of five things I was looking for in an agent: 1) An editorial agent 2) Likes middle grade 3) Either works for a well-established agency or has plenty of experience in the industry 4) Likes fantasy and science fiction 5) Loves my story. So I guess my advice is know what you're looking for and research carefully. Oh, and you'll need a great manuscript and an equally great query letter. Don't forget that step. :)

These are great questions. Thank you so much, Robin!

RH: Thank you Lana for the interview and your advise! So glad to have you on the blog! 

Lana's amazing debut novel:
Goodreads here
Amazon here
Barnes and Nobles here
Local bookstores everywhere:)

Meet Michele Robbins Acquisitions Editor at Familius

See that gorgeous woman on the right? She's my sister (and mother of 9! children). I'll let you guess who's older. I convinced her to be my first interview. So, let's get started.

If you could create your own ice cream flavor what would it be? 
I would mimic my favorite chocolate bar: Lindt dark chocolate with Black currant and almond slivers.

What's harder, mother of nine or Mater Familius?
Mother of nine. I can shut off the computer, but there is no shut down button on any of my children.

How do you, as the Acquisitions Editor work, with your writers? 
Once we have a writer contracted we get an outline and we start working through the chapters. There is a lot of collaboration and it is wonderful to learn new things all the time. We have authors around the world and across the country, so I love to use technology. Google chat is a great tool. I can work with an author in a far off city and make sure we have the concept just right; we share computer screens and and see each other's edits as we go. One author even sat on her bed in PJ's as we ironed out a few points. Technology really helps me as a working, stay at home Mom.

Can you tell us briefly about a project they're asking for submissions on called Lessons From My Parents? 
I wanted to combine the wisdom of parents into a book that could be used as a reference for ideas on how to parent as well as a feel good read for anyone. I know there are tons of research driven books on parenting out there (some published by Familius), but when children share things their parents taught them through word or example, that is real life evidence.

It has been so fun to read submissions from many states and, so far, 4 countries. Something magical happens when people take time to reflect on family, write about it, and share it with others. Family connections are stregthened and love grows. I am really excited to see this book come together and to share it with you. Here's the link to submit or to share with your friends.

http://www.familius.com/1lessons-from-my-parents

If we have a brilliant nonfiction idea how do we submit to Familius and what is your response time?

You can send send it through snail mail to PO Box 204 Huntsville, Ut 84317 or submit via email to bookideas@familius.com Please know we are looking at fiction too. Families who read fun books together are happy! We have two children's picture books coming out.

Our response time is about 1 week. It obviously takes more time to explore the idea and contract books that fit our mission.

Stranded on an island and could only bring one book, what would it be?
Such a hard one, perhaps it should be a long one, a really long one, something that has it all: humor, love, friendship, tragedy. Would my complete works of Shakespeare count? If not I'll go with The Guernsey Literary and Potatoe Peel Pie Society that pretty much has it all too.

Thank you, Michele! To learn more about Michele Robbins or Familius your can find their website at www.familius.com or follow her on twitter @materfamilius. They just published their first two books: Muddling Through: Perspectives on Parenting by national storyteller Bil Lepp and Glad to be Dad: A Call to Fatherhood by Tim Meyers

Questions about digital publishing companies? Leave them in the comments and I'll see if I can get Michele to answer them.