Mid-Year Review

       

       Here we are, halfway through 2015 (I know, when did that happen?) Since I consider my writing a second job, I thought it would be a good time to give myself a mid-year review. 
       As a refresher, here are my 2015 New Year's Resolutions:

1. Read more blogs about writing, and make comments. Goal: one new blog/comment per week. 
       Well, we're starting off with a fail. I have done neither of these things on a weekly basis. Perhaps this resolution was too ambitious. I'm going to change it to one or two a month and go from there. Baby-step to make it more likely: compose a list of writing blogs so I can easily click and read when I have time. Have ideas of writing blogs for me? Please leave them in comments!

2. Do at least two rounds of queries for my middle grade novel. 
       Ok, this one I feel better about! I have done one round of querying (eight agents) and await to hear from seven of them still (first reply was a "no." Add it to the Rejection Tally). Most agents say they'll respond or pass within eight weeks, so that gives me plenty of time for a second round of querying in the fall!

3. Begin new middle grade novel (I have two ideas I'm kicking around...will let you know which wins). 
       Another win! I have begun a new middle grade novel while I'm waiting to hear back from agents. My new project: an alternate history set in Chicago in the 1960's, in which gender roles are reversed, i.e. women are the dominant sex. Told from the point of view of Theo, a 12-year-old boy who wants nothing more than to grow up, get married, stay home and raise his kids. 

4. Write two blog posts per month.
       Well...not quite. If I'd stuck to this I should have 12 posts this year and I have 8. Three quarters of the way isn't too awful, right? My husband and I bought a house, packed, and moved all between the end of February and the end of March, which sunk writing way, way down on my list of priorities. But it has risen to the top once again! (song playing in my head: "Survivor" by Destiny's Child)

       No need to wallow in the mud of my failures...let's celebrate two out of four resolutions (I mean really, two and three quarters)!! And I now resolve to try a little harder on following other writing blogs, and continue with my own blog posts. 

       Now for you: there are 6 more months left in the 2015 calendar. Time to do a little self-evaluation of your own...revisit resolutions, see where you're at, and re-resolve, if needed. How have you done on your New Year's Resolutions? Can you remember what they are? I wish you the best of luck in tackling old goals and creating new ones, and I celebrate with you in what you've already accomplished thus far! And, even if you think you haven't done much in the way of your goals this year, here's a little Pooh Wisdom to keep in mind: 

She's At It Again!

       Hats off, again, to my childhood best friend Jessica Lawson on the release of her second novel, NOOKS & CRANNIES! She continues to be uber-impressive, cranking out fantastic novels while caring for two big kids and two little ones. 

       I haven't read it yet (don't worry, it's at the top of my summer reading list), but here is a little blurb: 

Tabitha Crum is a girl with a big imagination and a love for mystery novels, though her parents think her only talent is being a nuisance. She doesn't have a friend in the world, except her pet mouse, Pemberley, with whom she shares her dingy attic bedroom.

Then, on the heels of a rather devastating announcement made by her mother and father, Tabitha receives a mysterious invitation to the country estate of the wealthy but reclusive Countess of Windermere, whose mansion is rumored to be haunted. There, she finds herself among five other children, none of them sure why they've been summoned. But soon, a very big secret will be revealed--a secret that will change their lives forever and put Tabitha's investigative skills to the test. 

       I believe Jessica described it as CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY meets CLUE. Plus, I detect a couple references to MATILDA and even PRIDE & PREJUDICE. Can't wait!

       If you're interested in winning a free copy, check out Jessica and her agent Tina Wexler as they discuss middle grade voice here. You can also win a free query critique by Tina if you're a writer! 

My First Book Review

       The long awaited moment has arrived: on the last day of school, I finished reading my middle grade book The Sleepers to my 4th grade class. Then, I confessed. I apologized for lying to them, and told them it was not written by my friend, but by me (click here for my original post from when I began reading it to my class). 

       I wish I had photographed their faces. Imagine shock + delight + pride. I also wish I'd had time for a more formal feedback process, but it was a rather hectic day. After having missed the previous 4 days of school for jury duty, I had to try to squeeze what I'd normally do in a week in one day. On top of that, our end-of-the-year picnic was moved indoors due to thunderstorms. But as they sat eating their Dairy Queen lunch, I gathered what feedback I could and scribbled it down so I'd remember. Two of my students were motivated enough to write down a review for me. 

       Here are 4th graders' reviews and comments about The Sleepers:

"Fantastic book! Very suspenseful and adventurous! If this book gets published I call dibs on the first book!" (hand drawn: 7 stars)

"One of the best reads of my life. Okay, of 4th grade."

"You can retire from teaching when this gets published."

"Mrs. Azark, I. Am. Impressed."

"How did you get the idea?"

"I'd recommend that book to my friends."*

"When I'm in college, and my friends have your book on their bookshelves, I'll be able to say I know the author!"

"I don't know if this is good or bad, but there are lots of cliffhangers. It's good because it makes you want to keep reading, but it's bad when you have to stop."

"Can I have your autograph? It'll be worth millions."

"When this books gets published, I'm going to be the #1 person to buy it. And it WILL be published."*

"I love this book!"*

"It's kind of like The Giver, how it takes place in a 'perfect' society." *

"When this book is on the New York Times Bestsellers list, I'll say 'That's my 4th grade teacher!'"

*comment from before they knew I wrote it

       In addition to these comments, many of them were very concerned with what the cover of the book would look like. I insisted that I wouldn't have much input, but they shared their ideas anyway. So, prospective publishers, I have 27 children with ideas for the cover in case your artists can't think of anything. 

       It was a pretty cool feeling to see how excited they were about my book. I felt like a celebrity answering questions and talking about it with my kids. So, now I've completed my own market test, and I can't see what would be better proof to an agent or publisher that my book is worth taking on!