Thursday, October 21, 2010
Update on books
Just a quick update that at long last the first chapter of my fourth book has been typed up. It took forever for some reason, but at long last it's complete. I hope that now that I have gotten the groundwork laid somewhat, the story will start to flow better. I have so much to write and yet it's been impossible to do so. Not sure why. Well, I'm hopefully getting book four now. Lord willing someday there will be five books and they will all be published and settling nicely on store shelves for all my loyal fans to pick up and read and add to their romance collection.
Signing off for now,
Amy
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Book Reviews-A Way To Get Out Of The Dumps
So, without further ado, here are just a few great comments by total strangers who adored my book, The Heart's Discovery (previously Once Upon A Time), Book One in The Heart Saga:
(These are direct quotes, any mispellings or any other grammatical issues are the author's voice and therefore nothing has been changed in the reproduction of these)
With adroit use of graphic and vibrant prose the underlying emotions of the family arriving at their new location is sensitively and perceptively described in The Heart's Discovery, even down to the detail of the queasy unease felt by Angie aboard the boat. This attention to detail, without becoming restrictive or mundane, permeates this work and allows it to stand out in comparison to many others. BACKED. Robert Davidson. The Tuzla Run
The Heart's Discovery
Dear AMV,
You are not an aspiring author, you are one.
This is well written. The characters are real. The dialogue is too.
The setting that you present at the outset is magical.
It is my pleasure to back this book.
A Zoomer
I really enjoyed what I read of this book. In my opinion it is going to be a serious contender for a place on the Ed's desk.
The description is perfect.
BACKED !!
Sye
Losing The Hate
Hi Amy,
Aspiring? - I think not! beautifully paced, crisp dialogue & well rounded characters. Read as far as chpt 12 & will finish it out - not sure about the title; minor quibble
backed
Rob (After this particular comment, I changed the titles of all five books and the saga as well and discovered that the new titles all worked much better than the old ones-so thank you Rob!)
Did you say you wre an aspiring author? Hell no, you are one and one among the best. I love your simple effective style and the way you blend chracter, dialogue and setting. This is so enticing and bit by delicious bit, the reader get more and more of the intrigue and plot. Great work, truly.
A fine book and one that is going to climb..
Best (yasmin esack)
You have a very colorful writing style- very enjoyable. Your characters come to life-- which, of course, is the mark of a good writer. Great balance of dialogue and narrative, easy flow to your paragraphs, natural writing.
Backed with pleasure!
Cori
"Princess"
Amy,
Once Upon a Time is a delightful story which is sure to appeal to young adults. I wish I could have known Angie and Devon. Backed with pleasure.
(Walden Carrington)
Nicely written. The dialogue is sharp and you describe your MC's journey from helpless home-sickness to excited wonder superbly. I can see no areas for improvement here. Backed with pleasure. Colin
You have written a very interesting, funny and unique storyline, which I do like, and created most memorable main characters in Angie and Devon. The dialogue is realistic and well written and the pace of your story flows well. All of this along with your descriptive writing makes your work a pleasure to read. Backed.
Andrew Burans
The Reluctant Warrior: The Beginning
Interesting journey Amy. Nice consistent structure. Good flow of thought. Make a terrific movie!
blessings,
jim
jack & charmian london
Dear Amy
totally original read, funny in places and very well crafted....I loved your short and long pitch both really sell your book which they are meant too so CONGRATS, and love the way you write. Your ability with words to craft an orginal read is amazing. the characters have decided to take up permanent residence but i will insist they leave soom to go home. ha!
The VERY best of luck to you
BACKED BY ME FOR SURE.
Denise
The Letter
Dear Amy, I love your romantic story :) - ah, love. :) Your pitch was concise & prepared me for your trilogy :) - that's exciting the your story will go on :) - & on. :) Crisp dialogue & paragraphs, along with your wonderful love-story moved your story quickly through chapter 11. :) I've backed your book :)
Love, Susie
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Discovering that you've been fooling yourself all along.
I feel hollow, sad and extremely disappointed. I don't know that I have the courage to put myself out there anymore and get rejected over and over and over again. I think I'm just sick of the whole 'game'. I'm not saying I quit...yet, but I am saying I'm taking a hiatus. I don't want to deal with publishing houses who never give me a second glance or ones who do but then change their mind or get overruled or whatever. I'm tired and sad and just plain tired.
That's all for now.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Waiting
Ah well, that's enough whining for now. Will let you all know when ANYTHING happens in regards to me getting published.
Signing off for now,
Amy
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Being approached by a Publisher
And I'm excited! Who honestly gets approached by a traditional publishing house? I am still feeling slightly unreal. The best part is, I was beginning to think I should just pack it in. I mean, my stories are okay, but clearly none of the agents I sent them to thought they were more than that.
Well, we'll see how this pans out, but again, very excited!
Until next time,
Amy
Sunday, August 1, 2010
THE END
The title of this post does not mean I am calling an end to my writing. Far from it. I am however done this particular chapter of my journey and moving into the next. Just over a week ago I finished book three in my trilogy and actually typed the words The End at the bottom in bolded caps.
What a weird sensation. I looked at those two words and felt a mixture of pride, sadness, stress and exhilaration. First, knowing that I had just completed a trilogy (and no small trilogy, as many of you can attest) in one year and two months made me feel so proud that I had actually managed to accomplish something that my mother and others close to me have assured me is no small feat.
The sadness came when I realized that I will be saying goodbye to Angie and Devon, two characters who I think I have come to know nearly as well as I do myself. Though I intend to have them make cameo appearances in my next two books, and I even plan to do a huge edit on all three books and therefore will see them again, it's just not the same. Day in and day out I have molded my main characters, walked in their shoes, and even dreamt out scenarios for them. Funny thing is, as I wrote them to do what I wanted, I discovered that they began to do what they wanted, jumping off the pages sometimes to tell me what they thought about something or how they would react, and not how I thought they should react. So yeah, I feel sadness at the thought of saying goodbye to two characters that I have come to know extremely well over the past year and two months.
The stress I think is due largely to knowing that at this point I have no editor and I need to get a proposal or two completed soon and get my work (on at least book one) into their hands soon so that the process of getting my books out can begin. It is stressful partially because of what a monumental task getting the proposal(s) done can be, but also because I know I will be receiving many, many rejections from agents, and if I'm lucky, the publishers themselves before the right agent and or publisher comes along. It is never easy to have one's work rejected, whether you are a business person, an artist, a writer, or a janitor. You take pride in your work, and you feel that although there is always room for improvement, you gave your best and presented your best work. Then it is rejected and you start to question the value of it, the main point and sometimes even your own worth, even though you know worth is not in the eyes of the world, but in the eyes of God. Clearly, I forget that often. It is very hard to be rejected, and so I guess my stress is a bit wrapped up with fear as well. It's a struggle I know I will have to go through to get out on the other side, and I pray that I will be strong enough and willing to take enough hits and grow from them, not give up when it gets hardest.
And lastly, I feel exhilaration. Knowing that I completed the trilogy when there were times I had such bad writer's block that I got migraines and slept poorly, trying desperately to regain the thoughts I lost and come up with knew ones, is just a huge accomplishment in and of itself. I was told to give up at times by well-meaning friends. I was told that I was wasting my time, and people may still think that. I had lots of support to go along with the naysayers, and I am not published yet. But you know what? I just finished a trilogy with each book averaging 60 thousand plus words, and in some cases 80 thousand plus, and less than two years!
Now, I know there will be tons of editing to do, and lots of work to simply get it into the hands of the right publisher, but having finally gotten most of the story, if not all on paper and having gotten my thoughts and ideas down as I imagined them in my mind has been an incredible feeling. The journey continues, but the development of the trilogy is complete. This chapter has closed and therefore I supposed the words The End are appropriate.
And yet, now I can look forward to the next two books and any other books in separate series or stand alone books and know that, as long as I have a creative mind, and the ability to type, I will be writing books. They may or may not get published, but as long as I have the strength, ability and brain power, the stories locked away in my heart will get out on paper.
The next question is, if I do get published, who will read my books? And yes, that is a question I do not know the answer to as yet. I know of a small group of readers who are already dying to get their hands on my books, but who knows if they will still be there at the end of the road? I will choose to believe they will. I choose to keep my head high, shoulders back and my hands on the keyboard or on a pen poised over a notebook and write until I cannot write anymore.
And so I close this post with some words of encouragement for any other struggling authors out there: You may not write the great Canadian novel. You may not win a Pulitzer, or the Nobel Prize, but if you have a dream to write, write. Don't let anyone ever tell you you can't write. If it is in your heart to write, and God has given you the gifting, then it is a crime to ignore that gift.
Until my next post,
Amy
Monday, July 12, 2010
A quick thank you
A personal thank you to Daniel, who inspired me with the idea in the first place. You have also been a fantastic brain stormer, with many an idea that had never occurred to me before. Without you I would miss out in great opportunities to truly develop my characters from all angles. It takes several pairs of eyes to catch the varying sections of a character's psyche and I appreciate your insight.
A personal thank you to Brandy for loving my books and telling me how a character does or does not resonate with you. You're a really great friend and I respect your thoughts on all aspects of my book.
When I get published, you're both going into the acknowledgments, but I thought I should really put out a big thank you now as well.
You are incredible friends and I thank you for believing in me.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Revisions, revisions, revisions
So, for anyone who is interested in becoming a pro bono (because I can't afford to pay somebody...so don't ask. ~L~) proofreader and commenter on my stories, please let me know. I'll send you the story in PDF format so you can read, but I don't want comments right on the manuscript (gets too messy).
Thank you to a couple friends who have given me some really valuable feedback on each book in my trilogy. I have begun revisions on various sections that apparently needed it and am learning more about my characters as I go. I used to think that if I wrote a story that was it. I would close the book on the last page, say 'The End' and never look at it again. That works fine for a story I write only for myself, but if I want to be published and have others read and enjoy my stories as much as I have enjoyed writing them, clearly I cannot just close the book and leave it. I used to think revising my work would be hard and tedious and even somewhat painful. I'm actually enjoying it thoroughly. Who knew I liked to manipulate my story and characters so much?
Part of the reason I may be enjoying revising so much, is the fact that, after just over a year, my trilogy is coming to a close. I dread saying goodbye to characters I have actually begun to love. I know that their story must end for other characters' stories to begin, but I have become very attached.
Who knew I had such a passion for writing? I'm discovering a whole new world that was apparently trapped in my imagination and watching it unfold is an adventure in itself. I love looking at the page and going, "I have no idea what's going to happen next!" and then writing. I've caught myself laughing out loud or crying as I write and been amused at myself. How I love to write!
Back to revisions, I am working on that now. I am really, truly loving it! Anyone want to be a proofreader, drop me a note. I can always use the input.
Signing off for now.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
A Phil Collins song
Phil Collins - Always
Dreams will all come true,
Bein' here with you
And time will fly
Caring each day more
Than the day before
Till Spring rolls by
When the Springtime has gone
Will my love linger on?
I'll be loving you...always
With a love that's true...always
When the things that you planned
Need a helping hand
I will understand...always. Always
Days may not be fair...always
That's when I'll be there...always
Not for just an hour
No, no not for just a day
No, not for just a year...but always
Days may not be fair...always
That's when I'll be there...always
Not for just an hour
No, no not for just a day
No, not for just a year...but always
Until forever is through
Until there's just me and you
Always
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
The dreaded rewrite
Just to get you up to speed, I am working on editing book one to send off to a contest (wish me luck!) with Word Alive Press, and at the same time working on rewriting different sections in both books two and three. At the same time, ideas for books four and five keep popping into my head and I have to write them down before I forget them. What a crazy process writing is! I find the more I write, the more I want to write, and the more ideas just seem to flow out of me. The only annoying thing with trying to get one's work published is the dreaded rewrite.
Correction, that's the second most annoying thing. The first is doing a brief outline of every chapter in each book and then coming up with a short and long synopsis. I've been procrastinating on those and want to get to them, but then my story ideas keep getting in the way. :) I have had friends who offer me useful feedback, and that has helped a bunch in trying to polish up my works. I am of course nervous as I begin the process of putting myself out there once again, and being vulnerable. It's true that when a person writes for their enjoyment, and then tries to market it, it feels almost wrong. I feel like I'm cutting off an arm when I delete a section in my book, or trying to dye my skin a different colour when I do a rewrite of a section or in some cases, an entire chapter.
Well, it's a process, I know that. Someday I will look back at all my stumblings and bumblings and laugh. Someday, Lord-willing, I will be a household name and will have this legacy to leave my daughter. As a teenager and young adult, she will read my works, and if she has daughters, they will read it too. Big dreams, I know. But what's the point of dreaming, if you can't dream big, right?
Well, that's all for me for now. It's late and I need to have my rest for tomorrow's long day. My daughter has stopped napping and so I am finding I need to keep her very busy through the day so she will sleep well at night (and not be cranky by 6pm because she's bored).
Off to try and get the sleep I need!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Getting my books posted
Saturday, July 3, 2010
My very first entry
I have been told that if one wants to get noticed, a good way to do it, is to have a blog. Now, why do I want to get noticed? Well, mostly because if I'm ever going to get my stories into a publisher's hands, they need to know that people are actually interested in reading them. So, I will be putting them up here and hoping to get feedback. And yes, I know there will be some negative, but hopefully a lot of positive. If you must criticize, please 'speak the truth in love' as much as possible and temper it with some positivity, okay? Anyways, so this is the end of entry one. Day I don't know what of my writing journey. Will post my work soon.
Amy Mitchell Virgin