March 2012

Linkity-Link: It Must Be Friday

Nephele Tempest

Hurray for Friday! I hope you’ve all had a productive week and that life is treating you well. As per tradition, I’m dropping in with an assortment of links for you all to enjoy. Some are a bit sillier than usual. I think spring must be in the air and it is affecting my mood accordingly. 😉

If you haven’t already dropped by yesterday’s post, please do, and leave a comment with what books you’re currently reading. People have already shared some great titles; I’ll admit a few are getting tacked onto my mental TBR list. Check out the other comments if you’re looking for some recommendations.

Without further ado, I’ll move on to the links. Have a lovely weekend, and happy writing!

Free-book Friday – My lovely client Helen Keeble is running a giveaway for ARCs of her fabulously funny debut YA novel, FANG GIRL. She’s actually going to be doing this each month until the release date in September, but there’s still time to get in on the drawing for March. For great photos of the book, check out this earlier post.

Failure: The Key Ingredient to a Successful Writing Career – A thoughtful look at what it takes to pick yourself up and keep moving forward.

10 Women to Watch in 2012 – A great list of up-and-coming female authors, including one of The Knight Agency’s brilliant clients, N.K. Jemisin, who is represented by my co-worker Lucienne Diver.

Neil Gaiman on Writer’s Block – Pretty much speaks for itself.

Pie Notes – Yes, this is a recipe. For Girl Scout Thin Mint Ice Cream Pie. Because sharing is love, and because the inspiration for the recipe came from a very amusing afternoon in the hotel lobby during the San Francisco Writers Conference a few weeks back. See? You never know what’ll happen at a writers conference.

To-Be-Read Lists

Nephele Tempest

Blogs and newspapers and magazines love to make long lists of books, from award nominees and winners to new releases and recommended reads in various genres. Well, I’m simply curious what’s on everyone’s TBR piles.

It’s probably unsurprising that I have numerous TBR piles around my home. I try, periodically, to stop the flow, but I’m a book buyer both by nature and by vocation, so it’s unlikely to happen anytime soon. Still, you can see by this example of just one of the many stacks of books I’m anxious to read that I have plenty to keep me busy. There are about four more piles this high, plus what’s on my Kindle, and another dozen or so titles that have bookmarks in them already.

Lately I’ve been reading more submissions than anything else, but I’m eager to hear what all of you are reading and excited about. Please share! Leave a comment with some of your favorite recent reads, or books you’re looking forward to getting your hands on.

 

Happy Book Release Day!

Nephele Tempest

A very happy book day to Shannon K. Butcher, whose exciting next installment in her wonderful Sentinel Wars series hits stores today: DYING WISH. This novel features a strong, intelligent heroine, and a stubborn hero who just might need to learn a thing or two about hope.

Jackie Patton has been rescued by the Theronai from her captivity and torture at the hands of the Synestryn, only to learn that she’s a potential match for the Theronai warriors who need a woman to literally save their lives.

Forced to choose, she unexpectedly selects Iain, a cold-hearted warrior who doesn’t want to be saved. Iain is convinced that it’s too late–that his soul is already as dead as his former betrothed, killed by the Synestryn. Still, he is the only one she wants. But is Iain indeed beyond saving?

Congratulations to Shannon!

Friday Links

Nephele Tempest

Happy Friday! I don’t know about all of you, but I’m quite ready for the weekend. It’s been a long and incredibly busy week.

In keeping with tradition, I’ve brought you some fun, education, and intriguing links to kick you all into the weekend. I particularly recommend the first — a video clip of actor Alan Rickman on the Charlie Rose Show. It’s on the long side, around 28 minutes, but he talks about character and writing and editing, and it’s worth every minute. (Plus, that voice.) Enjoy, and happy writing!

 

Scent Inspired the Book; Her Inspired a Perfume – Interesting post about M.J. Rose’s THE BOOK OF LOST FRAGRANCES and the story behind it.

My First Time: Amy Franklin-Willis – The author talks about her debut novel and her publishing experience.

The Trouble with Fantasy Romance – A thought-provoking look at choices in world building.

On Expectations – Author Dani Shapiro on the writing life.

How to Spot a Reader – A whimsical, amusing list.

State of Submissions

Nephele Tempest

Happy March 1st, everyone! I am pleased to announce that, as of today, I am once again open to submissions. If you are interested in querying me, please follow our agency guidelines, which you can find on The Knight Agency website. Please do not send me random letters/chapters/manuscripts unless I have asked for them. Any unsolicited material will be deleted unread. Also, do not send snail mail; we are a green agency and make every effort to keep as much of our business as possible paper-free.

I am looking for new clients who write any of the following: Up-market commercial fiction; women’s fiction; urban or secondary-world fantasy; single-title romance including paranormal, suspense, historical, and contemporary; historical fiction; and young adult and middle grade fiction.

Currently, I still have a handful of full-length manuscripts that I’m considering in my submissions pile, and I hope to have the rest of that backlog addressed within the next few weeks. Regarding partial submissions, I have responded to everything I have received prior to February 24th–which basically means I’m working on submissions of requested material from the San Francisco Writers Conference.