Have you…

Have you checked out the pictures from the photo shoot this weekend?

www.facebook.com/angelawrites

Let me know what you think!

Photograph

I’m actively watching Jane Friedman on Twitter, for up-to-the-second updates from BEA. How I wish I could be there. One day…one day I will no longer be stuck in this cube, and I’ll be able to attend conferences. I have high hopes for RWA in Orlando. After all, Disney is my backyard, and best friend, so to speak. 

I was browsing the RWA site this morning, and drooled over the amazing topics being discussed. I suppose, if I can’t muscle up the $500 plus room and board, I can settle for purchasing the DVD….once again. *sigh* 

I must say, Saturday was great. The photo shoot went very well. The night before the cast was over until ten or eleven. Following that, I colored Dustin’s hair black. That was fun! Three girls shoved in a bathroom, watching him wash the black dye out of his hair was thoroughly amusing. It looks fantastic. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out www.facebook.com/angelawrites. 

After Dustin left, Christina (who plays Jill, and who is also my bff), Erica (the production assistant, and other bff) and I went on a fun adventure to my condo, to pick up the camera charger. Afterward, we went to Wal-Mart. Okay, since when does Wal-Mart wax the floor at midnight? Seriously, Wal-Mart? It’s Friday, a very popular night by most standards, and midnight isn’t late! I was on a mission to buy flip-flops for Dustin, but the section was closed. Christina coaxed the poor old man, with her batting eyelashes, to let us jump across the roped off area, so I could quickly grab a pair of shoes. 

It was an interesting night to say the least. After happy meals, and hours of Christina rambling, we finally fell asleep.

 Saturday started with a bang. While beginning the cast hair and make up, we watched John Tucker Must Die. Amazing movie. So funny. After that, we began New Moon, but that was cut off early when I finished dressing everyone. 

I took amazing photos, not to brag, but I did. 

They should be released shortly. Some are already up at  www.facebook.com/angelawrites and, just because I love you guys, I’ll leak a few unreleased photos on here.

 What do you think?? They are mostly dramatic, but as my cast found out….I love drama. lol.

 COLLIDE quote of the day:

“He groaned, and slid one arm under me, and the other grazed my forehead, pushing aside my bangs until they were off my face. His porcelain skin was glittering in the dim lights, I tried not to focus on his beauty, but it was unparallel. ”

Ciao,
Angela Francis

Airplanes…

“Can we pretend that airplanes
In the night sky
Are like shooting stars
I could really use a wish right now…
wish right now, wish right now…”

Today a group of us from work volunteered at Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa. Don’t get too excited, I didn’t get to clean the animal cages, or hang out inside the actual zoo. Instead, we helped prepare for the white elephant garage sale they are having tomorrow. We arrived at 7:45, and by 9:30, I was completely dead. Seriously, I hate the heat in Florida. After pricing a table of creepy Halloween decorations, a couple of us crapped out, and sat in the air conditioning, folding flyers about Wazoo. It was a blast. 

Between waking up at 5am and working in the Florida sun, and humidity, I’m exhausted. Tonight, we are preparing for tomorrow’s photo shoot. It should be fun. We’ll see. Wish me luck!

COLLIDE quote of the day:

“My eyes were fixated on my reflection, and began sinking to who I was now – baggy pants, long-sleeved, black shirt, and topography of bruises all over my skin, like a roadmap of everywhere Lucas has been. Sometimes it’s better to hold all the pain inside, that way the only one who can judge you, is yourself.”

 

Ciao~
Angela Francis

Agent on the Threshold…

How to find the right literary agent? 

People think it’s easy to find the right agent.
Pick and agency, and send-off the query. 

Back up.

My cast makes fun of me, and says I love dramatic pauses. I do. Good things take time, don’t they? 

Finding the right agent is like a dramatic pause. First, you have to find an agency. Research the agency. Explore their lists, who they publish, what they are working on now, their recent deals? Has the agency had a deal in a while? 

Finding the right agency in a whole takes time, then on top of that, you have to research the agents. Read what they like, what they don’t like. It’s very important to research s specific agent. Do your homework. Look at their list, who they represent, what they are looking for, what books they enjoy, etc. It also helps to read their blog if they have one. From there, you can tailor your letter to their personality too. They like to see that you aren’t sending them a random query, with no knowledge about them. 

Afterward, I like to research the agency on the water cooler. Read what other writers/authors are saying. Sometimes, there will be a link to a certain agents blog, with up to the minute updates on what they are looking for. 

Twitter is GREAT in the literary world. Agents, editors, writers, authors, assistants, etc. they’re all there. In the past, I’ve seen agents closed to queries open for an hour, or a few days, and only announce it on Twitter. I suggest creating an account. You can jump on mine, I follow a lot of agents and editors, and branching from there.

 More on finding the right literary agent next time…. I must run off to rehearsal today!

Publishing tip on Twitter today:

MarleneStringer New Writers: Srsly, don’t write “the end” on your ms then turn around & submit to agts. It is not READY. #pubtips

Check out the COLLIDE trailer page for updates on the trailer. Pictures should be up soon! 

Ciao~
Angela Francis

Queries

Awesome site!

I spent hours reading good and bad queries. I suggest other writers do the same. You’ll learn a lot!

http://queryshark.blogspot.com/

Trailer dreams…

Trailer update, visit the COLLIDE TRAILER page!!

Inside The Fire

…..Inside the literary world….

Today’s playlist?
Mayday Parade. Erica let me borrow their album, and I love it!! Gainesville natives are the best! Hence, Sister Hazel. 

I asked myself that question way back when. It seems, yet again, that people think they can write a novel, and then voila! You’re rich and famous. No..no…no. 

Now, the hard part starts. The query letter. It would physically be impossible to write about a query letter, so I’ll direct you to other blogs for that. 

Nathan Bransford, http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2008/03/query-letter-mad-lib.html

Mary Kole, http://kidlit.com/category/queries 

Those are great sites. You can also Google,  Query Letters and find a lot of information. Some good, some bad. 

While you are breaking into the literary world, I recommend  joining a few sites. 

Publishers Marketplace
This is an amazing information source for agents, publishers, etc. It give you an insight on everything going on in the world. Everyday, if you subscribe, you will receive a Publishers Lunch

 The site says, “Publishers Lunch is the industry’s “daily essential read,” now shared with more than 40,000 publishing people every day. Each report gathers together stories from all over the web and print of interest to the professional trade book community, along with original reporting, plus a little perspective and the occasional wisecrack added in.” 

Subscribe here:
 http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/lunch/subscribe.html 

Another site you should sign up on ….. 

Absolute Write Water Cooler
This is an awesome forum to chat with authors, writers, and the occasional agent and publisher. Here, you can research agencies/agents, and find up to the moment information. Under the proper section you can discuss everything from what playlists you listen to while writing, to what ideas you have for your manuscript. It is a wonderful information source and support system.

For all you, YA writers…this is a MUST add… 

YA Lit Chat
Everything you need to know is on this site. I am new, and as I begin drudging through it, I find it absolutely amazing.

http://yalitchat.ning.com/ 

Another new site, is…. 

Oasis for YA
This is a collaborative blog for YA.  Here is what their site says, “Founded by aspiring authors, we want to create a relaxing sanctuary among the often dry, harsh reality of writing, editing, and querying.” 

Self explanatory. Definitely check them out. I love reading their blog!
http://oasisforya.blogspot.com/ 

Again, there are a million sites for advice. You have to find what works for you, and try to stick to it. It’s all about finding a routine. 

Next blog…..how do I find the right agent???

COLLIDE quote of the day:

“You have to keep going no matter how many mistakes you make, once the curtains have opened there’s no turning back. To me, being on stage is the best form of magic.”

Trailer update:
rehearsal tonight. It’s going really well. The funny parts are funny, and the serious moments are just as I hoped they would be. I have amazing actors. Wait till you see how awesome this will be!

Have a great Tuesday!!
Ciao~
Angela Francis

 

I’m Ready….

So you completed your manuscript, now what?

Today’s Playlist:
I’m Ready, by Jack’s Mannequin
Butterflies and Hurricanes, by Muse
Failure by Design, by Brand New
Bruised and Scarred, by Mayday Parade
Dance Sucka, by Radiohead
Carissa’s Weird, by Iron and Wine

 

It always makes me laugh when people say, the quickest way to become rich and/or famous to write a book. There’s something in that sentence that irks me. One, they obviously don’t realize how much hard work it takes to write a full length novel, let alone the steps it takes to publish it. Nothing is “easy”, there’s never a “easy in” or everyone would be famous. And if we all were, then it wouldn’t be special, or a “dream”.

 So, you’ve completed a mass of pages, compiled into a story. In your mind, if you’re new, the hardest part is over, right? Wrong. You are just getting started. First, you need to have your manuscript polished. Not only completed, and well written, but you should have someone read through it. Make sure you pick someone who knows grammar, punctuation, etc. That person should read through and critic the story. Should something be changed? Does it all make sense? It there anything pointless written? 

It’s easy to think your writing is flawless, and the story makes perfect sense, and nothing is dull within it. But that isn’t the case. After I completed COLLIDE, my mother read it. Afterward, we sat down and discussed the story, what made sense, what didn’t, etc. From there, I went through and edited my work. I added scenes, deleted some, and all around made changes. From there I asked someone else to read it, then another person, until I felt I had enough opinions to really creating something deeper. 

I turned COLLIDE, at that time it was named something else, from a 500 (word doc) page manuscript, into four novels, and 90,000 words. At that point, I found Laura, with Flying Pig Communications. I am horrible when it comes to grammar. Seriously, I must have missed that in school, because my grammar and punctuation stink. Anyways, Laura edited and polished my manuscript. But despite everything, whenever I pull up my manuscript, I change something. It’s pretty horrible, lol. But that proves, once again, that even though you finally finish, until the book is on the shelf, published, it’s never really complete. 

In this series, we’ll talk about completing your manuscript, writing query letters, and the steps to take, to find the right agents to query. 

Next…..well, you’ll just have to come back and see. 

In COLLIDE news, first full practice with Madison and Lucas is tonight. be prepared to be amazed with these two. 

Have a great weekend and happy mothers day! 

Ciao~
Angela

Setting Sun…

Today’s Playlist contains…..
Tyrant, by OneRepublic
Bring On the Comets, by VHS or BETA
Dark Blue, by Jack’s Mannequin
Setting Sun by Eskimo Joe
Brooklyn Blurs, by The Paper Raincoat
Friends, by Band of Skulls
Each Coming Night, by Iron and Wine

I went on a whim and bought THE LAST SONG movie soundtrack. Surprise, surprise! I love it. Completely addicted to the tone of music it has. 

On the “Collide” book trailer front, we had our first run through Tuesday. It went pretty well. I can already tell this is going to be so much fun. The girls really click well, and everyone seems to get along. I’ve very pleased with my casting decisions, and very anxious to start the process. I have my first rehearsal with the actors playing Madison and Lucas tomorrow. I’d like to throw a shout out to Erica aka Euricuh, my PA/right hand/everything, she has been so helpful so far, especially with the details leading up to practices. 

Monday, Joe, the DOP, and I went location scouting. It seems like everything is set besides an auditorium. Worse comes to worse, I rework the location, but I really don’t want to do that. If anyone has an auditorium we can shoot in, or a stage, please let me know! We would greatly appreciate it. 

I can’t believe how much goes on-on the front end. We had one rehearsal, and already, I feel like I’ve done so much. From advertising auditions, to casting, to creating a script, picturing how it will work, locations, props, wardrobe, schedules, and now practicing. This is definitely a huge learning experience for me, and I’m grateful to have such a fantastic team to work with.

 On another topic, I’m singing again with church, and Particle Blue. Hopefully, once the trailer is completed, I can start promoting, and managing the band again. Sometimes I wish I didn’t have three full-time jobs….writing, band, and then the only job that makes me money. 

Today’s been kind of long. Here’s a quote for the day:

“Lucas bent over and kissed me hard on the lips. His sweet taste was almost as intoxicating as it used to be. A small tear ran down my cheek. He slowly wiped it away with his cool, marble fingers—his skin leaving a burning sensation as it passed.”

 Ciao
Angela Francis