The Bouncy Castle in Space

Kitty, even my 13yo snark-child appreciated the cookie monster version!

And now i know that Sesame Street is on youtube. I'm not sure I needed that particular piece of information...

but anyway...:

*squee!*

Agent who regretfully passed on Agatha and asked to see the next thing I wrote

REQUESTED THE FULL of my new book today!

*fingers crossed*

So that makes 1 query sent and 1 full request. Not a bad percentage!

Wonderful news, Judy! My fingers are crossed for you.

Yay, Judy! Fingers crossed for you.

Am reading my manuscript aloud to my cat today, out in the yard, where she's resting. I have to keep an eye on her, so this seems a good way to spend the day. It's good to have an audience that is so appreciative, even if she has slept through most of it....

Crossing my fingers for your Judy!!!

There's another advantage of querying--having agents who are eager to see your manuscript!

Yay, Judy!

Good luck, Judy!

My MS is still being read by betas, and the revisions/2nd draft begins tomorrow evening! Until then, I've worked up a rough query letter.

Not many people seem to post MG queries, and even fewer seem to comment on them. SO...! If I post up my QL tomorrow and post a link here, will you give it a look over?

Go on...

Dave

DavidBrett said:

Good luck, Judy!
Not many people seem to post MG queries, and even fewer seem to comment on them. SO...! If I post up my QL tomorrow and post a link here, will you give it a look over?

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I will! It's good to get people who know MG looking at your MG query. I got a few comments that kind of cracked me up in their ignorance of the age level. (I mean, I think it's also good to get the perspective of outsiders. Everyone brings something to the table. But still ...)

Congrats on the full request, Judy. Good luck!

JoyMC said:

I will! It's good to get people who know MG looking at your MG query. I got a few comments that kind of cracked me up in their ignorance of the age level. (I mean, I think it's also good to get the perspective of outsiders. Everyone brings something to the table. But still ...)

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Totally! Give us a nudge here if we miss it.

Okie-dokie - Here it is! Ruth, you already know what to expect (well, depending on how much of the MS you've beta'd so far), so I'd especially like to hear from you - would the QL, make you want to read the MS, if you weren't already?

For everyone else, the same question applies, minus the 'if you weren't already' part.

As usual, edits and crits are welcome - tear it to pieces, if that be your forte!

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=252643

Whooopppeeee!!! I just got an email from a teacher at one of the local colleges inviting me to be a guest speaker for her class. She wants me to talk about ebooks and social networking.

I have no clue how to do this and make it interesting, because I try to limit my speaking to groups of kids under the age of 12. But it sounds like it would be fun, so I may give it a go. It's a fairly small class.

They're even going to pay me! I've not been paid for over twenty years.

Anyway, just wanted to share. My palms are already sweating.

Hi, guys. I'm currently writing kidlit, so I thought I would come on here.

That's great, Ruth!

Welcome, Lisa!

I know we have a bunch of teachers in the kidlit group, and I feel like someone or maybe a couple work with special needs kids. Yeah? I need to do some brain picking about the public school resources available to blind kids these days. If any of you are knowledgeable about that, will you PM me?

I'm not feeling so bouncy these days - lots of query rejections after the initial three requests. Plus some rejections on the previous manuscript that still has a few fulls out. Generally feeling writing-cranky.

OH, and I'm so not feeling confident about the YA I'm attempting, so I'm working on developing out my next MG idea (hence the request for some research help).

Feel like I should contribute something happy and bouncy to the thread though ... Oh! I know! I'll only leave this up for a day or two, but here's my little guy. He shows almost zero interest in picture books, but will pore over a novel for ridiculous amounts of time.

Your son is awesome.

Debating not using the outline for the rest of my WIPs in my siggy - one seems to be useless and the other too restrictive atm...

sissy, just be your charming self and you'll knock their socks off.

speaking of socks, Joy, he's adorable!

Well... it's Day 3 of the new school year, and I'm exhausted. Last year was so easy! This is the third year I've done the K/1 combo, so you think people would be used to it by now. But no. I've got a whole bunch of parents who think the world's coming to an end because their precious darling is being exposed to... who knows what. And meanwhile the precious darlings are talking back and jumping off the slide and gluing paper to the table and hiding in dark corners.

Mom and I had to search the classroom 3 times before we found where Precious Darling was hiding.

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings...

Congrats, sissy! You'll be great.

lisalulu!

{{{Joy}}} The kiddo is adorable! And clearly a genius.

Good luck to all the queriers!

Judy, where was Precious Darling hiding?

And hugs for the whole gang.

Hi, lisa! Nice to meet you.

Joy - Oh, he's adorable! Love the socks, and he has great taste in literature.

Sage - hang in there. Couldn't you figure out a way to turn your adults into kids? How hard could it be? Just make them lots smarter!

Judy - I so appreciate teachers of very young children. I don't know where you find the patience. I'm sure after two days I would be gluing the kids to their chairs.

Joy, he's gorgeous!

We're spending much of our time nursing our sick kitty. She seems to be making some sort of recovery, but I'm not sure.

I had a very odd conversation with a vet tech, however. She was showing me how to set up some new meds, (not on the kitty, just in an office) and my 7 yo was asking questions. They were actually all very good questions, like about side effects of various drugs, when to change needles, etc. Amost everything he asked was something I'd have asked if he hadn't got in with his question first. But:

Vet tech: I'm just not very good at this.

Me: Um, what?

Vet tech: Well, kids, and questions, interruptions, you know, like this.

Kidlet: So, is the potassium already added to the meds, or will you add that after?

Vet tech, talking totally over kidlet: So, you put the needle in like this and....

Kidlet: Um, have you already added the potassium? How much do we give, to make sure we don't give too much?

Vet tech: You see, this is exactly why I don't have children myself. Through choice. I chose not to have them, because I just can't deal with this.

Me: Speechless. Baffled. Then when I asked the exact same questions, she answered. So bizarre.

Thankfully kidlet didn't understand, and was just frustrated at not getting his questions answered. And thankfully, today he helped me set up the IV and administer it, so it went very smoothly and easily. (Thankfully, I answered his questions so that he could assist me properly!)

I don't get why a child asking questions is so taboo to some people. Sigh....

JoyMC said:

That's great, Ruth!

Welcome, Lisa!

I know we have a bunch of teachers in the kidlit group, and I feel like someone or maybe a couple work with special needs kids. Yeah? I need to do some brain picking about the public school resources available to blind kids these days. If any of you are knowledgeable about that, will you PM me?

I'm not feeling so bouncy these days - lots of query rejections after the initial three requests. Plus some rejections on the previous manuscript that still has a few fulls out. Generally feeling writing-cranky.

OH, and I'm so not feeling confident about the YA I'm attempting, so I'm working on developing out my next MG idea (hence the request for some research help).

Feel like I should contribute something happy and bouncy to the thread though ... Oh! I know! I'll only leave this up for a day or two, but here's my little guy. He shows almost zero interest in picture books, but will pore over a novel for ridiculous amounts of time.
[/IMG]

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The sock situation is completely out of control. As is the soft baby hair situation.

I am siiiiiiick and ruining the last few weeks of summer for myself. Argh!

I am reading a kid book from 1969, and one of the boarding school girls in 1918 calls another one a slut. Gasp horror! For being messy and unkempt. Ah, slang.

Kitty Pryde said:

The sock situation is completely out of control. As is the soft baby hair situation.

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He insists on the socks being pulled all the way up and gets suuuuuper pissed when they fall below his knees.

Hi, guys.