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Monday, September 3, 2012

GUTGAA Meet and Greet - Hello!

Welcome to the Gearing Up to Get An Agent blogfest!

I really have no clue what I'm doing, but I'm jumping in with both feet so I can meet other fabulous authors who are looking for an agent. Just like me (soon)! Today is the Meet and Greet. I'm answering questions. If you have more to add, by all means, add them to the comment list and I'll try to get to you (after the BBQ - it is Labor Day, y'all).

Where do you write? I have a study on the south end of the house. I think it was a bedroom at one point, but no it's my writing room/homework room/art room. It's also the guest room.

Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see? My baby! She's seven months old and we set up a play corner for her with an alphabet mat and toys. She likes to scootch around and play while I work.

Favorite time to write? In the early morning. On weekdays I wake up at 5am to write because my older kids get up at 6. If I don't get my writing done before breakfast, I don't get it done. Once the kids are up there's too much Momming to do.

Drink of choice while writing? Ice water.

When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence? I write most my books to instrumental music. I love the Game Of Thrones public soundtrack on Pandora. I usually edit in silence.

What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it? The inspiration for the book I'm pitching this month and getting ready for an agent was a face on a milk carton. The inspiration for the novella I'm writing this month was my readers demanding to have another Heroes and Villains story.

What's your most valuable writing tip? Don't Quit. Take a day or a week off if you need to, but don't quit. Rejections don't matter. Bad writing days don't matter. You can recover from those. If you quit, it's over.


Want to meet some other awesome authors who are hunting agents? Check out the list below!

29 comments:

  1. Hello, you :)

    Were we supposed to include the Linky? My bad :S

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  2. Hello! It's nice to find out more about you :)

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  3. Hello! So nice to meet you!

    Your baby is SO cute!!

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  4. I came through GUTGAA. I love the blog. Especially the flow chart.

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    1. The flow chart is one of my favorites too. When I find some free time I'm going to make one for people who are new to SFR (sci-fi romance) so they can pick a book they already like and find an SFR that will suit them.

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  5. Very intrigued by the premise of your story, sounds very cool!

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  6. Nice to meet you! What a cute baby pic! And I'm going to go check out the Game of Thrones soundtrack, because I'm always looking for good instrumental music.

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  7. Don't quit, great advice! Nice to meet you!

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  8. Adorable baby! I love that age... they've started developing a personality but can't yet tell you to get lost... :) Good luck with GUTGAA, and why do you have a pic of socks?

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    1. I always wear crazy socks. My Twitter, FB, and GoodReads all have the socks. It's what people recognize. There's a longer story to that, but really, it's because people notice my socks before they notice the rest of me. I'm very average looking (height, weight, color... all average!) but very few people rock rainbow socks on a daily basis.

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  9. I'm in SFR, but more science fiction than romance. Also need a Beta/CP.

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    1. I love military SF with a touch of romance. I like it without romance if there are enough explosions and actions. Email me and maybe we can do a chapter exchange?

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    2. Hi Liana. You might like my current wip. Very much military sci fi with romance. I am also looking for a crit partner. Hi.t- hint.

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  10. Love the pictures. You're daughter is adorable. Good luck with GUTGAA. Stop by and say hello if you get the chance. http://anjeasandro.blogspot.com/

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  11. Hi Liana,

    Just dropping by to say hi and nice to meet you, too! I am right on board with you when it comes to the use of soundtracks and instrumental music when writing. I find it can really help inspire me when writing specific kinds of scenes, but when it comes time to revising, you definitely need to focus in on voice and how your writing makes you feel without a soundtrack!

    Cheers and have a great GUTGAA!

    John

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  12. Hi Liana,
    Thanks for stopping by at my blog! Love your daughters picture! She'll give you plenty to write about.

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  13. Hi Liana, you are a blogger-extraordinaire (in addition to being a marine biologist, sci-fi author and gypsy)! I just hatched my blog last month so it's a scrawny featherless thing at this point, constantly begging to be fed. Thank you for visiting and putting some food in its mouth :)

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  14. I follow you on Twitter. Just FYI. I write sci-fi too and fantasy. Mostly YA but also other stuff.
    Nice to greet ya!

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    1. Say hi to me on Twitter some time, I'm there far too much!

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  15. Man, your look left view so beats mine!

    I sure admire that 5 AM kind of commitment.

    I jumped in without knowing quite what I was doing too, so I'm glad to know there's someone else...

    Where in California did you live, once upon a time?

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    1. I'm a San Diego girl born and raised. :) We moved when I started grade school, but I spent every summer there until I was 17 or so.

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  16. When you say face on a milk carton, do you mean a missing person picture? I thought those weren't a thing anymore! I remember a 1990s Lifetime TV movie called The Face on the Milk Carton. I am now SO curious about your story!

    Here's my GUTGAA Meet and Greet Post

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    1. I remember that movie! That actually was part of the inspiration too. I was thinking about missing persons, and Jane Does, and what would happen if the Jane Doe whose murder you were investigating looked just like you.

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  17. Hello Liana! You are my fuzzy sock twin!! the socks pinned to the clothes line LOVE IT!!! LOL! Your baby is a little cutie patootie!!

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  18. Nice to meet you! You have a beautiful baby girl!

    I tried waking up at 5am or earlier in order to get some work done before the kids get up, but my 3 year old is a very light sleeper and wakes up at the slightest creek of the floor boards.

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  19. Nice to meet you. I love the Jane Doe photo. That's just nuts!

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