It was a great week for doing weird things for good with my team, DaCleverFoxes. With revisions for Book Witch, I wasn't able to do as much as I'd wanted, but I did five solid tasks! I'll explain them below. The collage of pics I submitted will be at the end of this post!

"Lasts" - The last something I did. I chose a picture of myself & my dear friend (& publisher) Michael. It was the last time I was in Michigan, the last hotel convention, AND the last time I was in a bar before the pandemic struck. 

"Amabie" - This painting of a mythical Japanese mer-creature was said to emerge from the sea to predict either an abundant harvest, or an epidemic. We already have the epidemic, so maybe it'll give us something positive instead!

"Mask of hope" - a mask with a message of hope on it. "Always Keep Fighting" comes from Jared Padalecki's campaign to support those with depression.

"Writer's block" - I'm a writer. This was my block. We don't get along.

"Snack attack" - those pesky snacks! I just wanted a cookie!

This year, we had a summer camp theme, so not only did we work with our own team, we also had opportunities to work with our cabinmates on different tasks. There was also a task to find a fellow GISHer that you have something unusual in common with & share it. My other teammates chose those tasks, so I didn't get any shots for that. 

It was a bummer not to be able to go out into the community as in years past, but it was fun to get to know the GISH community a little better. If you ever have the opportunity, I highly suggest it. You don't even have to be a fan of the television show Supernatural to do it. We have a lot of GISHers who've never watched an episode! 

Now, it's time to buckle down & get back to being a writer. I have a new synopsis to write (ick) before we go out on submission! 

This week, I'm taking part in GISH (Greatest International Scavenger Hunt). Created by Misha Collins (Castiel from Supernatural). It's a week of doing crazy tasks with a virtual team of crazy people - all for charity. This is my 4th year. Though I can't share what I'm working on right now, I can share tasks I've done in the past. Here's a sample: my polymer clay "moon tick," and "fishing" for compliments. These were done last year, and they're two of my favorites!

Besides GISH, I've been working on revisions for Book Witch (which I introduced last week). Trying to do both hasn't been easy, but I'm making headway. Speaking of Book Witch, check out the commission I had done of Aurora, my main character!
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​Art by Ivelisse Housman.

In October of 2019, I decided to try NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) that November. But what would I write? The answer came in just one word: Libromancer. What if I wrote about a teenage (because I write YA) libromancer? Having recently come out, I decided to explore my bisexual side. Now, I had a teenage, bisexual libromancer. I just needed a name, and a plot. You know - important stuff! 

The name came while I was playing Sims 4.

I'd created a witch in the game named Aurora Franklin. A little voice in the back of my head, my libromancer's voice, told me it was perfect. And Aurora Franklin was born. I still needed a plot. Aurora, that little voice, whispered again: Aurora's ex-girlfriend comes back into her life to beg her to help her brother, who was in trouble with the leader of a dark, rival coven. A thrill shot through me. This, I thought, has potential. 

On Nov. 1st, I started writing. Rather, the book wrote itself. I merely let it work through me. Every day, twice a day, I'd write. At night, new plot points would pop into my head, sometimes keeping me up late. I'd never written anything so quick, or so easily. And I knew...I KNEW...this book would be, pun intended, magic. On 11/25/19, I won NaNo. On 12/4, I finished the manuscript. 

Book Witch was ready to query in April 2020, for DVpit, a pitch party on Twitter for marginalized voices. It debuted to some great, positive feedback. In May, I participated in PitDark, and that's when Amy saw - & liked - my pitch. 

A lot happened in that time. Amy switched agencies. The pandemic was in full swing. I felt utterly crushed by life. Yet there was always a tiny glimmer of hope in the form of a teenage, bisexual libromancer. I knew she was special, and I fought for her every step of the way. Even through a revise & resubmit request that had me completely change the POV from third to first person. 

Then, on July 17th, the most amazing thing happened: I received an email to schedule The Call. The Call is usually to discuss an offer of representation, and it was! I signed the contract on July 29.

6 pitch likes
21 queries
5 full manuscript requests
11 rejections (not counting the agents that backed out after the offer of rep)
1 revise & resubmit

And now I have an agent! 

My Twitter feed blew up after the news. People I didn't know were congratulating - and following - me. My first meeting with my agent post-signing was successful. A plan's been made. I like plans. I can focus better with plans and goals, though I usually prefer to just WRITE. For now, though, I'm basking in the glow. It feels pretty good.