Introducing Write Dreams, a writers' charity auction coming soon, and Luna!

Today I'm interviewing Luna, one of my CPs and friends. She's going to tell you all about Write Dreams, a writers' charity auction that's following on in the footsteps of Write Hope. The auction begins on January 16, so make sure you check it out and follow along - there's heaps of cool stuff to bid on.

Take it away Luna.

We’ve been talking a lot lately about Write Dreams, would you care to tell us what it is and what it aims to do?

Write Dreams is a kidlit auction we (Marieke, Amanda & me) have set up to raise money for Donna’s Dream House in order to help them with restoration costs following an arson attack on the 23rd December 2011.

In the middle of the night, arsonists broke into the office building and adjacent health centre. They stole essential computer equipment and damaged the suite, before setting fire to the furniture. When the fire was discovered, it was almost too late. The building was so badly damaged that it may have to be rebuilt completely, with total damages estimated in excess of £80,000/$125,000. More importantly, the fire destroyed photographs and mementoes of Donna - and hope.

What is the cause behind Write Dreams?

Donna Curtis died New Year’s Day in 1996, she was only 20. Having spent her last four years fighting cancer Donna saw the suffering of many terminally ill children and vowed her legacy would help them live a little more happily in the time they had left.

Donna’s Dream House is a holiday home for children and teenagers with life-threatening or terminal illnesses. The Dream House is run completely by volunteers and encourages the imagination. It’s how any child would imagine the perfect holiday to be. It’s full of light and laughter, fun and - most importantly - life. Since its start, Donna's Dream House has hosted and helped almost 380 families. 300 of those children have now sadly passed away, but the families who are left behind will always cherish the memories from Donna’s Dream House.

Why is this so important to you and Amanda and Marieke?

I’ve been sitting here for 20mins trying to decide how best to answer this… my mum died of lung-cancer when I was 11. She was ill for months and spent her last Christmas in a hospice. My father tried to explain this to me but I just thought she’d get better. The last time I saw her I was too occupied with playing with my nephew that I barely said hello. She died on the 2nd January and I didn’t tell her I loved her when I went home the day before.

Just over a year and a half later my father was in hospital to have his foot amputated. And I hadn’t learned, too excited about going into town I was only there for a short while. (To be fair to my younger self, it was supposed to be routine surgery.) When I came home from school the next day the doctor was on the phone to explain he had died during the night.

If I tried, I could maybe scrape together 10 memories of my mother, sadly even less of my father. I can’t even fill a photo album with what I have… while it’s not the same as watching your own child suffer from a life-threatening illness, making memories, having something to hold on, is why this is SO important.

My Mum & me.
I don’t remember this but it’s worth more to me
than my entire book collection. 
(And that’s saying something!) 

Donna’s Dream House offers that dream holiday to children who may very well never get the chance to have one otherwise. It understands and supports the families of these children – it gives them a chance to build memories. Memories that will be vital to those left behind, because no matter what they say, time doesn’t heal that kind of loss. You learn to deal with it and remembering the people you love happy helps more than you can imagine.

Marieke spent a large part of her childhood in hospitals with doctors not always convinced she’d come out again. Making memories then and continuing to do so is the same lesson I learned.

Memories can be little things. One of my favourite memories is playing hide-and-seek with Marieke and two other friends in Covent Garden. If was cold, very confusing to the people around us (this was two years ago) BUT so much fun.

Amanda has the mom’s view in this, the fear of your child having a terminal illness, the feeling of helplessness. Donna’s Dream House can’t cure the illness but it can help support children and parents.

So what’s the plan with the auction? When will it start and what can people who want to help do?

We have a (still) growing list of awesome donations from writers, publishers, etc.

Starting on Monday the 16th January we will be opening the auction, posting several items per day. Among other things, we have a full signed set of Tabitha Suzuma's books, all of Alyson Noël's Immortals series with some awesome swag, Waterstone's Children's Book Award-winning Artichoke Hearts, ARCs, critiques, and many more.

The event will last two weeks.

Where can we find Write Dreams and follow along?

The auction will be held here: Write Dreams and is starting on Monday the 16th January. You can also find us on Twitter where we will be posting info about specific auctions as well as general updates, etc…

Any other comments you want to make about Write Dreams or Donna’s Dream House?

Just that it’s a really worthy cause and the donations are awesome, so you need to check it out!

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Thanks so much to Luna for taking the time to appear on Rach Writes... Make sure you all head on over to Write Dreams and follow along, then turn up on January 16 to bid on their awesome items.

The Insider Scoop – Interview with Caitie Flum, ex-agent intern and proofreader (Part 3)

Welcome to The Insider Scoop, where I’ll be bringing you interviews, useful tips and tricks, and all sorts of insightful information from those deep within the children's book industry.

Today, we continue our interview with Caitie Flum, an ex- agent intern with Hachette Book Group and Writers House, and a proofreader in the medical industry.

This interview has been posted in three parts as follows:

• Part 1 – a day in the life of an agent intern (here)
• Part 2 –evaluating queries (the inner workings of a literary agency) (here)
• Part 3 – the specific things that agent interns report on when assessing queries/manuscript submissions for a literary agent, plus more about queries (today)

So, onto the final part this interview…

Question 5 - What information concerning a query/manuscript submission do you put in a report to the literary agent? [Out of curiosity, do you have a standard checklist that you compare against - if so, is this something you can share with us?]

I don't have a checklist, but I will give you an overview of the things I included.

Query:

Usually if anything beyond decision it would be underlining things I loved or a quick sentence about the book's greatness.

Rach: First impressions so do count!

Partial:

• Reaction after first 5-10 pages.
• If there was any character development in first 50. So many partials have just action, action, action and nothing to develop who the character is or their motivations. Character is so important (especially in YA and MG) and if the writer hasn’t made it a priority in the partial, it is an issue.
• Impression of main and side characters.
• Any major issues I saw.
• After 50 did I need more?
  

Rach: That’s interesting. “Need more” vs “want more” or “wouldn’t mind looking at more.” Seems a much higher test that needs to be passed!

Full:

This was always the longest because this is what the agent would see, or, more likely the foundation for my editorial letter to the author (which made me very nervous).

• I would include everything from the partial.
• Lots of time on major issues with suggestions on how to fix overall quality of writing (it is easier to fix an okay story than an okay writer).
• Analysis of market and how well it is written with market in mind.
• What I think the hook is.

Question 6 - What causes you to automatically reject a query/manuscript submission? Is there anything in particular we should avoid saying/doing when submitting a query?

• Too much voice in the query, like I said before it is usually covering up for bad writing or story.
• Sending us a query for a genre/type of book we don't do at all.
• Comparing self to blockbusters (Twilight, Harry Potter). Comparing is fine, but find something that wasn't a smash, it shows you actually know your competition.
• Trashing a book we represented. It didn't happen to me, but Jodi Reamer was upstairs and she would get queries trashing Twilight all the time. Guys...she represented it. She helped it make a ton of money. Even if you don't like it, don't bash things she worked on then claim yours is better thinking she will want yours!
• Too many errors. I forgave a typo or two, but grammatical errors or too many typos showed laziness.
• People talking about more than one project in one query. Just don't.

Rach: Great advice Caitie, thanks!

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Well, that wraps up this interview with Caitie Flum. Thank you so much for sharing your insights into this world with us.

A final word from Caitie… I have a book blog where I also discuss the publishing world at caitieflum.wordpress.com. If you look on that blog, you will see I am currently accepting queries/partials from writers who want a critique. I will give you what I gave the assistant.

And stay tuned next Monday, October 25, where I'll be interviewing the winner of our First Crusader Challenge (announcement of results to follow shortly).

The Insider Scoop – Interview with Jody Hedlund (Author of The Preacher's Bride)

Welcome to The Insider Scoop, where I’ll be bringing you interviews, useful tips and tricks, and all sorts of insightful information from those deep within the children's book industry.

Today, I’m pleased to introduce author Jody Hedlund. Jody is a debut historical romance novelist who was a double finalist in the 2009 ACFW Genesis Contest. She received a bachelor’s degree from Taylor University and a master’s from the University of Wisconsin, both in Social Work. Currently she makes her home in Midland, Michigan, with her husband and five busy children.

Jody is represented by agent Rachelle Gardner and her debut book, The Preacher’s Bride, is releasing in Oct. 2010 (it’s available on Amazon.com and will be in most bookstores).

So let’s dive straight into some questions…

How would you describe your own writing style?

It’s always hard to see our reflection in the mirror and describe what we see. But I’ll try! I think that I aim to have a plot-driven story, with deep characters, as well as weaving in authentic historical details (since I write historical romances). I’d also describe myself as a tight-writer, mostly fast-paced, and constantly looking for ways to add tension and conflict to my story-lines.

Rach: What a great way to describe your writing style. And it’s so important to add that tension and conflict, isn’t it, to keep your characters on their toes and your readers turning the page for more…

Are you working on a new WIP at the moment? If so, what are your writing goals?

I’m currently working on completing in-house edits on my second contracted book. That involves several different types of edits over several months span. In between all of the editing, I’ve begun researching my third book. It’s my hope to finish researching and plotting in the next couple of months because I’m happiest when I’m in the middle of the actual writing process.

Rach: Sounds like you’re hugely busy. And with five children as well – wow!!! I’m amazed you find the time, you must be so organized.

What is the best piece of advice you can give aspiring writers as they reach for their writing dreams?

Constantly be looking for ways to grow in the craft of writing. Read books to improve fiction-writing techniques, practice what you’re learning, and write more than one book. We can never go wrong when we seek to grow in our writing abilities. In fact, growth and perseverance are key factors to success in this industry.

Rach: I love this advice – will definitely be taking it on board!

Your debut book, The Preacher’s Bride, is being released on Oct. 1, 2010. How are you feeling about the launch?

I’m excited and nervous at the same time! A debut is such a special time in a writer’s life. For most of us, it’s the accumulation of years and years of hard work. But it’s also very intense realizing that people are beginning to read my book and getting a firsthand look at my writing style and ability. It’s somewhat unnerving to come under intense scrutiny from fellow writers. But so far, the feedback I’m getting from both writers and readers is positive. I’m bracing myself for negatives too, because I know I won’t be able to please everyone.

Rach: Can’t wait to read the book, and congratulations on its release. So exciting!!!

Lastly, the all important question: cupcakes or chocolate???

How about chocolate cupcakes with loads of rich chocolate frosting on top? Last year for my birthday, that’s exactly what my husband bought for me from a gourmet cupcake shop, and they were divine!

Rach: Yum!!! Best of both worlds…

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Thank you so much Jody for your time today. Make sure you keep an eye out for Jody’s book when it’s released later this week, and stop by her blog, Author, Jody Hedlund, where she chronicles her journey to publication and dispenses heaps of writing wisdom.

And pop back to The Insider Scoop next Monday for Part 2 of my interview with Caitie Flum, ex-agent intern and proofreader (you can read Part 1 here).