Good News Abounds in the Blogosphere!

In case you haven't heard, my awesomesauce CP, Kelley Lynn, has been offered a publishing contract for her book, Fraction of Stone, by Sapphire Star Publishing!!!!!

*BIG CHEST BUMP!*

Her release date is March 7th, 2013. To hear her awesome story, POP ON OVER to her blog!

Congrats, girl!!!!!

Spell for you today ;)

Alohomora!

I Am An Agented Author!

Agented: To be with Agent. (Blogger, why do you not recognize this word???)

Holy crap, I’m writing this post. I still can’t get my head around it. But here we go!

I think writers dream of that moment when they can post THE post. The one that says, ‘Yo, I’ve got an agent.’ Or ‘Hey, check out this publishing contract I just signed.’ I know I’ve done the embarrassing Academy Award speech. “I’d like to thank my family and friends, and most importantly all the people who think I’m awesome enough to deserve this.” Complete with kissing the trophy and not tripping on 5-inch heels.

Uh, yeah. So my dream of being the world’s next Meryl Streep didn’t happen, but that’s okay. I get to announce something MUCH BETTER than that. And as much as I’ve rehearsed this moment in my fantasies, I’m sort of drawing a blank as I’m typing. Gosh, how do I put this eloquently and witty and all that other stuff? Hmm… I can’t so, I’m just going to shout it at you.

I HAVE AN AGENT!

*cues chest bumps and cyber hugs, then shimmies around the room*

Wanna hear the story? Well, I'm going to tell you anyway. I’ll try to keep it short :)

I wrote Nerd (Sorry, that's code for the actual title, which is How to Date a Nerd) in 3 weeks, and it was only for fun. Really, wrote it because I wanted to try my hand at contemporary, and got the inspiration to do a nerdy love story after playing Harry Potter Scene It for four hours. (I played until I got a question wrong. I challenge anyone to ask me a HP trivia question in the comments ;)) 

Me on the day I got one of the best presents ever!

I wasn’t going to query it. No. I was going through the query blahs and didn’t have the lady balls to put it out there. It wasn’t until one of my cps basically punched me through the computer that I had the guts to put it in a contest… where I got my first request. (Thanks, Hope!)

That got me a bit of courage to enter it into contests, which I got pretty good response from. But I still didn’t query. Call me a wimp, but I didn’t want to jinx myself.

Out of the contest requests, I received 3 R&R’s, so I spent about 2 or 3 months rewriting my butt off. Then I sent it back to those agents, and got ‘frowny face’ responses. (But that’s okay! There’s good news on the horizon!)

A couple weeks ago, I hit a slump. Really discouraged at the rejections I kept getting on the fulls I had out there, then getting pissed because I should just be grateful I had so many requests. Ah, the endless cycle. Then I read David King’s post on plateaus, and it smacked me in the face. Yes, I had entered contests and put my story out that way, but I hadn’t queried really. That was my fault that I wasn’t moving forward. Because I was scared.

I had a huge list of agents I was ready to query. I took a deep breath and threw some out there, crossing my fingers because these were my top list. When I heard back the next day from one of them, I was thrilled to see she wanted my first 50 pages. Then later that same day, she wanted the rest… sending me an email that made my day, saying she got to page 50 and was mad there wasn’t more to read. (Can I say, “Eep!”)

I was so psyched I shot off the rest of my manuscript and then tried not to freak out all weekend. (That didn’t work, btw).

She got back to me that Monday. I’d been so used to seeing, “I love this book, but…” So when I saw she wanted to represent me, I think I may have lost consciousness for a moment, then I got so excited I upset the little baby in my tummy and had to lay down for the rest of the afternoon. (It was worth it.)

Then came THE CALL, and I’ll save that for another post, because it deserves its own story :)

I still had the ms with other agents, so I let them know about the offer, gave them two weeks to respond, and then lived the longest two weeks of my life.

In the end, the choice I made I knew I was (now that’s a tongue twister) 1,000,000% comfortable with and I’m pleased to introduce you to my agent: Brittany Booker at the Corvisiero Literary Agency!!!!!!

(You can visit Brittany HERE at her blog, or read more about what she's looking for HERE at the agency website.)


And now, the Harry Potter spell for the day, because I'm just so uber happy right now, I could take on a million dementors.


Expecto Patronum!

Hooker Winners!

Happy Pioneer Day to my fellow Utahns! Best thing about July 24th being a state holiday so close to July 4th is you get to hear fireworks every night in during the month.

Did I say best? I meant the most annoying thing in the entire world.

Anyways, just popping in for a couple things. Wanted to thank Leigh Covington for using me as eye candy. I'm no Channing Tatum, and no one wants to see me with my shirt off, but hey, you get what you pay for. :)

AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO PROVIDED A HOOKER! (Ya know, for the Hookers and Hangers blogfest.) The hooker winners are up today! So pop on over to see our picks! Which were incredibly difficult to choose. Yes, yes, hosts say that all the time, but I'm being honest. Everyone's hookers were dang incredible.

Spell for the day:

Alohomora!

Shaking the Ball

So, I was tagged forever ago with this Magic 8 Ball thing by the awesome Jaycee DeLorenzo, and also a few other people and I totally apologize for not remembering who.

Anyways, here's what I get from it, hopefully I'm right, lol. I shake this baby up, ask it a question, and my commenters tell me what the magic 8 ball says. :) It can be about a part in the WiP, or a query, or anything, from what I understand.

So... shaking...

Oh MAGIC 8 BALL (or commenters) PLEASE TELL ME IF THE PASSIVENESS OF MY OPENING SENTENCE BOTHERS YOU.

If that doesn't make sense, um... let me explain. My opening sentence to this WiP is majorly passive, but I don't want to change it. I'll give you the first paragraph and will you all tell me if it bugs you, or if the voice behind it is enough for you to let this slide :)

Alex Finnigan is walking in on me naked.

Of all the places I thought someone would first see the fully grown boobs and bellybutton ring, I definitely didn’t picture the girl’s locker room at the Christian Country Club. But here we are. Alex must have some kind of super power that pops off deadbolts because I could’ve sworn I locked up.

Any suggestions would be helpful!

And I tag the first five people to comment! Hopefully, that doesn't prevent you from commenting, lol.

Harry Potter spell for the day:

Episkey!

At the Ninja Captain's Place

Okay okay, celebrity moment... It's like I've been asked to walk the red carpet with Hugh Jackman. (Drool.)

Anyways, you won't catch me here today. Well, you did catch me here, but I'm making you go somewhere else :)

Over at Alex Cavanaugh's today.

(Holds in major 'EEEP!' in attempt to be professional about this.)

For some reason, he thought it would be fun to have crazy me over for a guest post, so yeah, if you all want to click on over, I'll give you each a cyber fist bump.

Thanks peeps!

Deletrius!

Did I Leave You Hanging?

Okay! If I did not comment on your hooker, it means I didn't see it! And I would hate for you to miss out on my portion of the judging because I missed your entry. So, if I didn't comment, will you let me know with your bloghop entry number in my comment section so I can correct that? Thank you!

Now, time for the hangers :)

For those of you who haven't been following the blogfest, a hanger is the last sentence of a chapter. And the challenge? Does it make you want to read the next chapter? Or does it leave you 'hanging'?

Sharing three from each of my books again. :) Enjoy!

How to Date a Nerd

I'm going to talk to Zak, and this time I won't crawl out a window to get away from him.

"And here," he says, tossing his jeans at me, "please don't run across the street without pants on."

I should do what he says and go home. Forget everything. But I have a reputation of doing things I shouldn't do. (yes, I cheated and used the last paragraph again, lol)

Reasons I Fell for the Funny Fat Friend

Just like that, we're holding hands. And damn it if I ever let her go.

"Kiss me."

I just want to be with her, and give her another first as she gives me one of mine.

The Friday Night Alibi

"Did you use the window again to get in here?"

"How about Mean Girls?"

Not that I'm thinking about Chase in my sheets! Totally a 'What if'' scenario!

King Sized Beds and Happy Trails

This trip will be one hell of a week.

I fall asleep, running my thumb over the ring on her pinky.

And I cry like a pussy, over a girl I'll never have.

I'm excited to see everyone's hangers!!! See you around the bloghop :)

Stupefy!

Got Some Hookers to Show You

Time for some hookers!

Okay, so when I searched 'hookers in movies' on google, this is what came up.

I can't stop laughing!

It's the beginning of the Hookers and Hangers Blogfest hosted by the Falling for Fiction gals. (Um... me and a few of my peeps :))

In case you are wondering, a 'Hooker' is the beginning sentence to a chapter. This challenge is to post your hookers and see if they 'hook'. Pretty self-explanatory.

So, I realized once we posted the announcement for this, mine kinda suck. You're getting three from each of my books, and just pretend they hook you, even if they don't :D

Okay! Here we go...

How to Date a Nerd

If I blow any more air into my cheeks, they may pop.

The cafeteria is like the Houses in Harry Potter, I swear.

I'm so glad I closed my window last night because I probably made some very embarrassing noises in my sleep.

Reasons I Fell for the Funny Fat Friend

More than half the time, girls who think they're fat really aren't.

This shit is hard. (haha! I realize how funny that sounds out of context.)

What do you wear to a party you don’t want to go to? Nothin’? Yeah, showin’ up buck ass naked will be a sure sign of, ‘I’m not into you. Sorry if I led you on.’ (I cheated and used the first paragraph, cuz it made me laugh. :))

The Friday Night Alibi

Alex Finnigan is walking in on me naked.

Chase is a freakin' manwhore.

"You know, I'm still waiting on that kiss, Kel."

King Sized Beds and Happy Trails

I’m not enjoying the whole Operation Get Back With Douchebag, but seeing Lexie in that bikini was worth it. 

So much for the no touching thing.

You know that arrogant-as-hell strut? Yeah, I’m doing that.

So, there you go! I didn't use my chapter titles even though I so wanted to. I'm excited to see everyone else's hookers!

Harry Potter spell of the day:

Incendio.

Sup, my peeps?

Oh goodness, I know it's been a while. Sorry I'm posting just to tell you I'm posting somewhere else today, lol. But if you are hungry... you may want to check it out :D

Let's All Have a Foodgasm!

Jade Hart is Getting Published!!!!

Oh, do I have some news!!! I've been *patiently* waiting to tell all of you about my wonderful CP, Jade Hart signing with Curiosity Quills!!!!!!

Yay!! Happy dancing and glitter throwing and fizzy sherbet party!!!

So everyone throw their hands up and give a shout out and CONGRATS to Jade :) 

Thanks to Sharon Bayliss and Krystal Wade's Contest in May: The Wilde Fire Contest, Jade Hart has the exciting news of announcing her New Adult Urban Fantasy Novel SAMSARA which will be published this year by Curiosity Quills.

Information about SAMSARA:

Loka has died. Again.

For the seventeenth time.

Each reincarnation cloaks the previous, and Loka never remembers her past, who she truly is. Not that it would help. Loka believes she's human... she’s mistaken.

Her Samsara: the perpetual journey of suffering and never knowing who she is, has changed. Hidden deep in her rolodex of memories lurks darkness and power, and her new rainbow eyes sees things which should only exist in Hindu fables.

Loka is informed she is a deity with more personalities than a schizophrenic, and has been forced on a path to unlock who she truly is. With strange power tingling in her limbs, and tattoos that burn with bloodfire, the only help Loka receives is from her douche-of-a-celestial-guide who speaks in cryptic circles, and the mysterious and frightful half-beast, half-man, Shankara. He is as terrifying and deadly as an assassin, but despite Shankara’s passion to kill, Loka falls in love. As their bond increases, he reveals a dark secret:

Loka’s power is so great it could kill her and every soul alive if it isn’t harnessed correctly... And once she figures out the truth, she has one raging battle to fight. Brahma, the God of Creation, wants what swims in her veins, and he’ll stop at nothing to get it.

 

See more at:  http://www.dreamwritepublish.blogspot.co.nz/  

Follow Jade on Twitter: JadeHart8

Joint Blog: http://www.falling4fiction.blogspot.co.nz

And spell dedicated to Jade today: Expecto Patronum!

I'm Not an Airhead

Time for another one of these Insecure posts :) Since this Wednesday is a holiday for us in the States, I think it was okay for me to post early. You'll have to forgive me if I'm wrong on that. My mind doesn't retain much information when I don't get much sleep.

Speaking of... That's what I'll be posting on today. My insecurity that I struggle with all the time, not just last month, this month, or whatever, but I've always struggled with.

So, people think I'm dumb. I know this because I hear it all the time. The slow jokes, the blonde jokes, the demeaning pats on the head, and the people who are just mean enough to just flat out say it. "Cassie, you're so stupid sometimes."

In fact, it happens so often, when people say the opposite, call me witty or brilliant or smart, (I'm not trying to brag or anything. Just pointing out that not everyone calls me stupid.) I have a hard time believing them. I often wonder if I have the 'know how' to make it in this business... or any business for that matter. If people think I'm incapable of taking care of my kids, or if I'm seen only as a ditz. The girl who's an airhead, and thinks people are laughing with her, when they're really laughing at her.

Okay... So that was my insecure paragraph ^. I'm sorry if I'm bringing you down. I blame the prego hormones.

Now, forgive me if what I'm about to say comes off extremely arrogant. But the thing is... I know deep down, I'm not dumb. I had a 3.9 GPA when I graduated, Honors Society, Sterling Scholar (In math... surprising, I know), I was promoted to manager at two of my jobs within a year, tutored Calculus and Algebra II students, and won the Nobel Prize. Okay okay, you caught me on the last one. ;)

Thing is, the people who know this ask me why I pretend to be stupid if I'm really smart. Um... this pisses me off more, because I'm not pretending anything! That just makes me feel even dumber. Like, okay... what did I say that was stupid? Is it the way I talk? Or is it because I ask a lot of questions? 'Cause asking questions does not make me dumb. Once I hear the answer, I don't need to ask the question again. (Most of the time. Memory loss comes with being a parent.)

Anyways, point is, I'd rather be called anything else than stupid. Including fat. It hurts worse when I hear I'm an airhead. However, there are always going to be people pointing out your flaws, and we can either let it get to us, or shake it off. After dealing with this part of me for so long, I want to let it go. I want to have faith in myself that I am smart enough to be successful. That I'm capable of doing whatever I want to. That I have the ability to learn and keep learning without the fear of what people think when I ask questions.

Let's see how that works for me, lol.

And spell for the day:

Duro