It's a Monday

Not that you didn't know that already. And actually as Mondays go, today wasn't too bad. I just didn't have a lot of motivation, which would be why this post is going out so late in the day. Still I did get some things done around the house and I did remember I was supposed to do some blogging today, so not a complete waste of a day.

I've started getting responses back from the agents I've queried; all politely worded nos so far. The first one stung, but after that it got easier. I was rather surprised I got responses back this fast. Most of the agents I queried had two weeks as a minimum response time, but I got a few back the day I sent them. And even though they were nos, it was a pleasant surprise to hear back so quickly. I still have a bunch of queries out there and a bunch more to send when I finish my synopsis, so I'm not worried, yet.

As for my synopsis, I did start it, but it's slow going. I'm hoping to get it done by the end of the week. And the review I've been working on? Haven't gone back to it yet, but I want to write it up either tomorrow or Wednesday.

That's it for now. Happy Writing! :)

Fine Art Photograph by NomadicNotebook

The Querying Game

Did I mention that I started sending out queries to agents? Well, I started sending out queries to agents. The first time I had to push the send button was nerve wrecking! But every time after that it got easier. I would have finished by now, but a couple of them wanted synopsises with the query and I don't have one yet. So, tonight's job is to write one. I did this once before but I looked at it today and I don't like it all, so I think I'm going to start over. With any luck writing a synopsis will not be nearly as hard as writing a query. Wish me luck!

Happy Writing! :)

Hand Embroidery Hoop by Moxiedoll

Another Review!

July is going to be the month of reviews it seems. And yes I know it's still June. I'm just getting a head start. Today I'm reviewing Kevin James Breaux's Soul Born. It's a very classic style fantasy story full of magic and swordplay.

Everything Opal had ever wanted was now within her grasp. After years of training under the High Council of Mages she had finally been given the opportunity to show her skills and to earn the respect of her teachers. She would help her paramour, Karn, defeat the invading warlord, Mustaffa, who threatened to destroy the entire kingdom.

But though Karn was a mighty warrior and wanted nothing more than to defeat the evil invader, he also knew something inside him was missing. The memories of his past seemed broken and twisted, as if they had been lived by someone else. And has he and Opal worked to bring down the rising darkness, Karn was sure that there was more evil afoot than just the enemy army. Someone else was pulling the strings and a deeper conflict set in motion years before was about to overtake them all.

* * * * * * * * * *
Soul Born by Kevin James Breaux is the first book in a three book series. It is a classic epic fantasy full of elves, wizards, and fairies. I actually won an ecopy of the book in a giveaway on Fantasy-Faction forums that Kevin was good enough to run a few weeks back. Kevin is also a Fantasy-Faction staff member and can be found on Twitter as @KevinBreaux.

I have to admit that the first thing that attracted me to this book was the awesome cover art, and I found as I began the story that the beautiful woman depicted was the main character Opal. Opal is a mage and one of my favorite things about this book is the way magic works and how it is depicted. Magic in this world is full of color and movement, with each type of spell represented by a different color. Magic is also very scarce and can only be performed by a select few.

The characters in this story are also unique, and even after getting three-quarters of the way through the book there is still more to learn about each one. The story itself twists and turns as it progresses, keeping you guessing as to who is on the side of good and who is on the side of evil. At the end of this book there are still questions to be answered, making the reader wonder which way the story will continue in book two.

I think the story and perspective at times seems to jump around a bit, and I would have liked to know a little more about some of the side characters. I give Soul Born 3 stars, but only because I’m not a big fan of stories where the point of view switches back and forth a lot. If you don’t mind that type of story, then it’s probably more like a 3-1/2 to 4 star book. Overall, I think this was a good quick read and I would recommend this to those who like classic sword-and-sorcery style fantasy stories.

For disclosure purposes, I won a copy of Soul Born from the author in a giveaway contest, but chose to review it on my own. Winning the book did not influence my opinion in this review.

In other news I started shopping for an agent last night. Now to be fair, I'm not very good at shopping in general. And while the idea of having an agent and someday getting published is exciting, it's also very frightening!

So far I have a list of about ten people who represent the fantasy/scifi genre. The next step is to get my query/pitch setup for each person and send them out. I can honestly say that I haven't been this nervous/excited in a long time. Hopefully I'll be sending out my first batch of queries by the end of next week. If any of you have an suggestions or hints or warnings for me, please let me know. I can use all the help I can get!

Hope you all have a great 4th of July weekend, even those of you not in the US. Because technically it will be July 4th for you as well. ;)

Stay safe! And happy reading!

Queries

I haven't gotten to post in a while. My kids, husband, and I were all sick last week, which means I spent all my 'free time' cuddled on the couch watching children's programming with upset little ones. However I did manage to make time to send in a query to Angry Robot just in time for their open submission month!

I think I did a good job with the query, even though it was completely different format then most of the places I'd been reading about. Of course I ended up sending it from the wrong email address, but hopefully that won't confuse the issue too much.

Anyway, now that I've gotten up the nerve to submit to an actual publisher, I thought I might send my story out to a couple more. Not sure who yet, but I'm looking into it. Looking around at places is also helping me keep my mind off the fact that I probably won't hear back from anyone for six months. Waiting is not my strong suit, but I guess now is as good a time as any to learn to be patient.

I also posted another book review in my reviews section. This time I reviewed The Fire Roseby Mercedes Lackey.

Rosalind Hawkins was born in the wrong era. Before women were allowed to vote, even before electricity had reached all areas of the country, Rose was working towards acquiring her Ph.D. in medieval and ancient languages. While most women were reading Jane Austin and The Bronte sisters, Rose was reading The Odyssey in its original Greek! Rose cared little for what others thought of her. She would make her own way and not have to rely on her father’s money or some man to leave her mark on the world.

Rose’s plans ran smoothly even when a failed business venture placed her and her father under crushing debt. But, Rose could make do without the fancier things in life. She could walk to school instead of taking a cab and make her clothes instead of buying them from boutiques. Having to skimp a little here and there would not interfere with her dreams. However, when her father dies and the debt collectors force Rose on to the street, it seems fate as different ideas about where her future is headed.

That’s when she receives a mysterious letter. A rich rail baron on the west coast is seeking Rose’s services as a governess and tutor for his two children. And if that weren’t odd enough, the job description matches her qualifications exactly! Rose isn’t sure why two young children would need to learn ancient Latin or medieval French, but she accepts the job anyway, and makes her way from her home city of Chicago to the huge manor of her new employer an hour outside of the growing city of San Francisco.

But her employer, Jason Cameron, is not entirely honest with Rose, and instead of a job teaching children she instead finds herself translating obscure text on alchemy and magic for a man that she has yet to lay eyes on. And massive house seems to be empty, save her and Mr. Cameron’s assistant. Servants anticipate her every need and whim, but work in complete silence and are never seen or heard. However, the love of her work keeps Rose going without questioning, until she decides to read one of Mr. Cameron’s ‘magic’ books cover to cover on her own time. Her scientific mind suddenly brims with questions. Could magic be real? Could it be that her benevolent employer is really a wizard? And if that’s true, why does he need someone to translate texts for him? And what does he really want with Rose?

* * * * *
The Fire Rose is the first book by Mercedes Lackey in the “Elemental Masters” series. This series takes place at the turn of the 20th century. Each book in the series is a retelling of a classic fairy tale; The Fire Rose being Beauty and the Beast. The world it’s set in is pretty much historically accurate, except for the existence of magic. But magic and its masters are hidden from the world and most people go their whole lives without ever knowing that the unknown is all around them. In this alternate universe, for example, the general populous is blissfully unaware that the Great Chicago Fire was caused by two warring Fire Masters rather than Mrs. O’Leary’s cow.

The magic system in the story is based on the four elements: earth, fire, wind, and water. Every person has all four elements balanced in themselves. Only people whose balance is off, and leaning towards only one element can cast spells and talk with the spirits of their given element.

In The Fire Rose, Jason Cameron is a Fire Master and his ‘invisible’ servants are actually mythical salamanders, beasts of fire and magic. And if you haven’t guessed by now (from the cover of the book if nothing else), the reason Jason does not initially speak with Rose face to face is that he has accidentally turned himself into a beast and now needs someone to help find a way to change him back.

As a kid I was a huge fairy tale buff and to this day Beauty and the Beast is still my favorite fairy tale and one of my favorite stories of all time. So was this a good retelling of the story? After thinking about it for a week or so, I would have to say yes. I like the way the author made Rose a strong character before she even met Jason, rather than being a poor maiden in need of true love. I like the way magic works in the world and I like the way they fit major historical events into the story. Even the twist that he turned himself into a beast, instead of being cursed by an outside force, makes the story that much more interesting.

That being said, I was not thrilled with the ending. It made sense and it fit with the rest of the story, but it seemed rushed almost as if the author had a deadline or page requirement they needed to meet. And while the magic system is interesting, the book spends a lot of time explaining how it works, which can get a little tedious if you just want to get back to the plot. I’ve only read the first book in the series, but I have it on good authority that the books following this are much better, as the world is already fleshed out and the magic system doesn’t need to be explained a second time.

Overall I think the world and the characters were interesting and it was a nice easy read. But if you’re not into fairy tales or you like more gritty fantasy stories, you probably won’t be interested in this book. I, however, am going to dig up the next book and see if my family was right about the series getting better with each story. Plus, Snow White is the next retelling and I’m curious to see if the author keeps the seven dwarves in the story or not.

Need to finish another one today and then decide what to review next. I also have to finish the scene that I left hanging before the kids got sick. I don't want to fall out of the habit of writing every day or I'll lose my rhythm!

Happy writing everyone!

Cause I Don't Have Enough To Do

The creator of Fantasy-Faction, the fantasy book lovers' website I've been writing articles for, has just made me one of the new mods for the forums! So now I can abuse my power...I mean help people with their problems. ;D

Speaking of Fantasy-Faction I just sent in my next review and will be working on a third this weekend. It would have been sooner, but my kids picked this week to be sick.

The review I just sent in was of Storm Front by Jim Butcher. I did a review of the story itself and a short comparison between it and the first book of his other series Furies of Calderon.

Chicago’s mean streets are probably the last place you’d think to look for a fully certified, practicing wizard, but that’s exactly where Harry Dresden decided to set up shop. You’d think being the only wizard listed in the windy city’s telephone directory would make him a pretty popular guy. It turns out, however, that when most people see Wizard listed they tend to think he is the kind that pulls rabbits out of hats, not the kind that solves cases using true magic.

So, with the rent on his office and his apartment both a month overdo, Harry is surprised to get two clients on the very same day! The first a woman named Monica searching for her missing husband, the second Lieutenant Murphy of the Chicago police department needing his ‘special’ expertise in the case of a double homicide. The first case seems to fizzle out soon after he starts the investigation, but the second drags him deeper into Chicago’s criminal underbelly then he’d ever wanted to go. Mafia, supernatural creatures, powerful spells, and magical cults stand between him and the answers he seeks. Can Dresden find the murderer before they kill another victim? And can he do it without getting himself killed in the process? Or will the gathering storm spell the end of Chicago’s only practicing wizard?

* * * * *
Storm Front by Jim Butcher is the first in The Dresden Files series, but even as a standalone book it’s a great read. The story is a typical noir detective novel, but the addition of magic gives it an added level of interest. I think the thing I liked about it most was that the magic made total sense in the setting, which seems weird even when I think about it now. You would imagine, for example, that if a wizard ran a detective agency he would have an unfair advantage over his competition and do very well for himself. But just like technology sometimes makes things harder than they should be (like when my computer crashed halfway through me typing up this review, requiring me to start all over again), magic can be a useful tool but it doesn’t solve all of your problems, and sometimes it can even make things worse.

Harry Dresden isn’t a successful, respected member of society, using his magic to solve the world’s problems, he’s a poor, frustrated private detective struggling to get enough money to pay his rent and buy himself (and his cat) food. And that is exactly why this book is so good. Harry Dresden is the perfect guy to root for. He is honest, chivalrous, hardworking, and he still gets dumped on throughout the entire story. You want him to succeed, you want him to find the killer and escape whatever predicament he has gotten himself into this time. His easy to relate to, snarky personality makes him one of my new favorite characters and I will definitely be reading more of this series.

You might remember I reviewed Furies of Calderon, the first book of Jim Butcher’s Codex Alera, last month. There has been a lot of talk in the forums about which series is better. Well after reading the first book of each series right after each other, I’d like to give you my thoughts on the discussion. I gave Furies of Calderon 4 out of 5 stars, which is exactly what I’m giving Storm Front, but for completely different reasons.

Storm Front was a great book with an awesome main character and a good plot. But the side characters aren’t quite as interesting as the supporting cast in Furies. And I will admit here, I’m not as big a fan of urban fantasy as I am of traditional fantasy. If you are an urban fantasy fan, or a noir mystery fan for that matter, I think Storm Front approaches five-star status rather quickly. I also think that Butcher is more comfortable writing in the modern setting and because of that the story in Storm Front seemed to flow a bit better then in Furies.

In the end the biggest difference between the two, is a flavor difference. If you like your fantasy epic with fantastic landscapes and great battles then try out The Codex Alera series. If you like an urban, gritty fantasy with intrigue and mysterious goings on, then definitely try out Storm Front and the Dresden Files. But whichever way you lean, I would suggest at least reading the first book of each series. Because both are great stories with great characters, and really that’s what awesome books are made of.

The next book I'm reviewing is The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey. I'll let you know when they all get posted. :)

Last night instead of working on my story, which was what I really wanted to be doing, I worked on my query for the Angry Robot Open Door Month. Which is this month. Which I knew about since the beginning of the month. Which is almost over.

Yes, I know I should have started it earlier, and I know I'm going to be rushing to get it done. But the prospect of having to essentially write a book report for my own book was daunting at best and down right scary at worst. I have so far gotten the easy parts done. I've written my name at the top of the paper and attached the first five chapters as they've requested, but just like with the pitch I did for the Amazon contest, summing up an almost 100K word book I just finished writing is proving to be incredibly difficult!

This time, thankfully, the publisher wants a two page summary instead of a 250 word pitch. That makes it a little less stressful, and gives me more space to breathe, but it doesn't seem to be adding to the easy of the writing. I can see why some people spend just as long on their pitches and queries as they did writing their stories in the first place!

I do have one question about this particular query. I think normally your query is your email to the publisher or agent. In this case, they want the whole thing to be an attached document. So if you were me, what would you say in the email the attachment is attached to?