11 Questions

A little while ago, Jack Flacco tagged me with the 11 Questions meme. I finally found the time to do it!

Jack is a fellow writer I met on twitter. You really should visit his blog and say hello. He's very friendly and encouraging, and he doesn't bite. I think.

This is how it works:

1. Write eleven random things about yourself.
2. Answer the eleven questions given.
3. Write eleven new questions.
4. Tag someone else.


11 Random Things About Myself
1.  I hardly ever watch TV. I much prefer a good book, or some writing time.
2.  I was born in a small town in Quebec called Val-d'Or (Valley of Gold).
3.  My dad used to work in a gold mine.
4.  I love thunderstorms.
5.  Quebec City is my favorite place in the world.
6.  I love long car trips. A little more challenging now with three kids and a dog, but still.
7.  I visited Paris, China, and Korea.
8.  Did I mention I love travelling?
9.  I studied computer programming in college, but I never worked in that field.
10. I own a Schipperke, a cute little dog with no tail.
11. I believe in miracles.


11 Questions
If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would you go?
That's easy. I would go to England to visit Kurt Chambers, author of the Truth Teller series. Kurt and I are co-moderators of the critique group online we both belong to. He's been my mentor and friend for over two years. I would love to meet him and his family, and to finally learn how to make proper Yorkshire puddings.

If your life were made into a movie, who would you cast as yourself?
Someone once told me I looked like Sally Field.  Haha!! Not sure if I really do, but I'd probably choose her, just because she was so cool as a flying nun.

What's the best place and meal you've ever eaten?
I would say a Korean restaurant in New York City, when I first came to the U.S. I don't remember the name, but I remember the amazing meal we had there. I absolutely love bulgogi!

Where do you prefer to go if you want to just be alone and think?
I go to the mountain near where I live. It's very peaceful there, and I always seem to find inspiration and answers to my questions whenever I go there to pray or just to sort out my thoughts. This is also where my first novel was born, so it's very special to me. I wrote the first few paragraphs sitting in a gazebo facing a small lake. Some of the settings in that book were inspired by that place.

What are your most and least favorite pizza toppings?
Favorite: Pineapple (unlike Jack, who apparently chose it as his least favorite topping). Least favorite: Anchovies.

How do you calendar? Paper, phone, whiteboard, etc?
I use a planner I carry with me at all times, and MS Outlook for work appointments and reminders.

What did you have for breakfast this morning?
A Russian tea cake my co-worker bought from the bakery near where we work.

If you were given a million dollars [tax exempt], what would you do first?
I would make my wish come true (see next question).

What is something you wish for every day?
Can't tell or it won't come true! ;) I'm such a teaser, I know.

What is your favorite non-alcoholic drink?
Raspberry lemonade.

Name one thing you love about yourself, physically or otherwise?
Everything! I'm so awesome. :D Okay, just one thing? Um... my humility.


11 New Questions
1.  How did you get your ideas for your most recent book?
2.  What makes your books different from others in your genre?
3.  What is your biggest challenge as a writer?
4.  What other hobbies or occupations do you have besides writing?
5.  What's your favorite book in the genre that you write?
6.  What's your favorite quote or expression?
7.  Are you a listener or a talker?
8.  Name one thing you couldn't live without.
9.  What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten?
10. If you were an animal, what would it be?
11. Name three adjectives that best describe you.


Tag Someone Else
I don't have to tag 11 people, do I? I might do that anyway, just for fun.

Jess
Marcia Hoehne
Gina Carey
Karen Jones Gowen
Kristen Wixted
Barbara Ann Watson
Robyn Lucas
Melanie Conklin
Jess Keating
Michael G.G.
Akoss

Tag, you're it! Looking forward to reading your posts!

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday Meme

Every Monday, several bloggers post reviews of a MG book they've read. Some of the posts may occasionally be about an author interview or offer giveaways.  I've won a few books just by leaving comments!

If you're a middle grade writer like me, you should definitely take advantage of this wonderful meme.  It's a great way to connect with other MG writers and to discover new books to add to your to-read list. So far, I've only been reading other people's reviews without participating, but I'm thinking about posting my book reviews on Mondays and join in the fun.

To join, simply e-mail Shannon Messenger a link to your blog and the title of the book you're featuring at SWMessenger (at) hotmail (dot) com. Make sure you put MMGM in the subject line and that you e-mail her by Sunday night, so she can feature it on her Monday post. Check out Shannon's blog for more details and for a weekly list of participants with links to their posts. Thank, Shannon, for doing this! You're a star!

MMGM Participants:
(I'll add to the list as I find new ones)

Akoss
Andrea Mack
Barbara Ann Watson
Brooke Favero
Dorine White
Gina Carey

Jennifer Rumberger

Joanne Fritz
Karen Yingling

Laurisa Reyes
Marsh and Emiline

Michael G.G.
Michelle Isenhoff

Mundie Kids

Natalie Aguirre

Pam Torres

Shannon Messenger

Shannon O'Donnell

Susan Olson

Tricia Conway
Vicki Tremper

Let me know if you think of any other blogs I should add to this list.

How to Find Pictures for Your Blog

When I first started blogging, I used Google to find pictures. I knew I might eventually run into copyright issues, so I stopped and looked for other options. Below are my notes from the research I did about sites that offer royalty free pictures.

One side note: Before creating an account on photo sites, I hardly ever received spam e-mail. Now I receive spam mail every single day. Make sure you have a good spam filter on the e-mail you use to register on these sites. I'm not sure which of the four triggered that: Deposit Photos, Fotolia, iStock or Dreamstock.

What's Royalty Free?
According to this article from Stock Photo Guide, royalty free is "a type of license that gives you permission to use a stock image in certain ways. Royalty free means you are not required to pay a royalty each time you use an image."

Royalty free doesn't mean we can use the pictures whichever way we want. Some licenses may not allow you to use the pictures for commercial purposes, for example. Others may specifically state that the pictures cannot be modified. Each site has its own specific rules, so make sure you read the license carefully before using any pictures, even when they're free.

Flickr
Pictures on Flickr are free to use, but require you to credit the author by linking back to their profile.  This article on Skelliewag.org gives advice on how to find and use images on Flickr.

Users can search images within six types of Creative Commons copyright licenses.  To be on the safe side, search for images within the Attribution License, which allows you to modify the images and to use them for both commercial and non-commercial purposes. The other five licenses are more restrictive.

I never use Flickr, because I don't want to bother linking back to that site every time I use a picture, and I found the quality of pictures was generally lower than on paying sites.

MS Office Clipart
I occasionally use MS Office Clipart pictures when I'm in a hurry to find a picture.  I tried to find out if it's okay to use them for blogging, but every answer I find links to this contract, which is very tedious to read.  I'm assuming it's okay, since I'm not using them for resale or business purposes.

Deposit Photos
Most of the time, I use Deposit Photos to find pictures for my blog. This site doesn't offer free photos, but I always find a good selection of pictures on that site for only $0.50 each. I don't mind paying for getting exactly the picture I want. The minimum purchase is $10.00 for 10 credits, and all the pictures I bought so far cost 1/2 credit each.

Fotolia
Fotolia offers some free pictures, but most are sold for 1 credit or more. The minimum purchase is 10 credits at $1.30 per credit (cheaper for greater quantities). A bit expensive compared to Deposit Photos.

Dreamstime
Dreamstime offers free pictures as well, but most of them cost credits. The minimum purchase is 8 credits for $9.99, which is good for up to 8 pictures. It all sounded good, so I registered and bought some credits.  There was a catch, though.  In order to download any of them, even the free ones, I was asked to update my profile information, including my first and last name and my mailing address. I became very suspicious of that site for this reason. Why would they need my mailing address? I'm thinking I'll probably start getting a lot of junk mail if I enter it. They'll let you create an account and buy credit by just entering your e-mail, but then you can't use it unless you complete your profile information. Hmm... Fishy.

iStock Photos
iStock Photos doesn't offer free photos, as far as I know.  The minimum purchase is 6 credits for $9.99. I found it a bit pricey, although they have a good selection of photos to choose from.

Articles About Finding Royalty Free Pictures
I know there are a lot more sites out there where bloggers can find royalty-free pictures. I haven't looked into them because the sites I've found so far are enough for my needs. For further research, I suggest you read the following articles.

Squidoo: Finding and Using Public Domain and Royalty Free Images and Clip Art Pictures
About.com: Top 6 Sites to Find Free Photos to Use on Your Blog
Mashable: 26 Places to Find Free Multimedia for Your Blog
Squidoo: Where to Find Free Images & How to Use Them

Where do you get pictures for your blog?

MG Book Review: My Side of the Mountain, by Jean Craighead George

General Information
Publisher:  Penguin Group
Year of publication:  2001 (first published in 1959)
# of chapters:  22
# of pages:  177
Genre:  Adventure
Website:  www.jeancraigheadgeorge.com

Plot summary:  (from Goodreads)
Terribly unhappy in his family's crowded New York City apartment, Sam Gribley runs away to the solitude and danger of the mountains, where he finds a side of himself he never knew.

Next books in the series:  
#2: On the Far Side of the Mountain (1990)
#3: Frightful's Mountain (1999)

Other related books:
Frightful's Daughter (2002) - Picture Book
Frightful's Daughter Meets the Baron Weasel (2007) - Picture Book
Pocket Guide to the Outdoors: Based on My Side of the Mountain (2009) - Non Fiction

Positive Points

I learned a lot about survival in the wilderness by reading this book. The story is packed with actual information, such as how to make a fishing hook out of wood, how to train a baby falcon, and how to cook food on a campfire.

Many books have one or two animals as characters, but this book has many types of real-life animals in it - Frightful the falcon, Baron the weasel, ... In fact, most characters are animals, and they communicate in their own ways.  There are a few random human visitors as well, but they're not nearly as interesting.

The main character, Sam, is a young boy who runs away from home to live in the woods, where he learns to survive on his own.  His reactions and thoughts were very natural and believable. I could recognize my son in him at times.  Very realistic. By the end of the book, I felt like I knew him well.  He had his own flaws.  At times he got discouraged and wanted to go home, but he loved the woods so much that he decided to stay despite the challenges he faced.

By reading this book, kids (and adults who love reading MG like I do) can experience what it's like to live in the wilderness, even if they'll never run away from home like the boy in the book. It's satisfying to explore areas that we would otherwise never have a chance to discover.

Negative Points
The ending didn't make sense to me. I won't say more about it, not to spoil it for those of you who haven't read it yet, but I was surprised how it ended.  Also, the parents' reaction was not realistic. How can parents let their child run away and not come look for him?  Despite all that, I really loved the story so I'm still giving it five stars.


What makes this book unique
The writing style was mainly in first person POV, but some parts were his notes jotted down on pieces of bark, in first person POV.  He's re-reading his notes once in a while, as it relates to each part of the story being told.  This added some depth to the book and made it different than other adventure novels.


Overall Impression
The whole theme of survival in the forest is fascinating, and the story is very well written.  No wonder this book won the Newberry Medal! If you love animals and nature as much as I do, this book is for you.


My Rating:

Agents for MG Writers - Part 2

I'm searching for an agent for my MG novel, and instead of just gathering information in a notebook or a messy spreadsheet, I decided to save it in blog posts so it can also be useful to other MG writers looking for agents. Here is the information I collected about five agents I decided to query this month, and some others I've eliminated for one reason or another.

(Read part one here)

*** BREAKING NEWS! ***

Agent Mary Kole from Andrea Brown Lit agency just made a big announcement on her blog.  She is now officially a Senior Literary Manager at Movable Type Management She'll be the only one seeing the children’s queries, focusing on picture books, middle grade, and young adult. Please read her announcement for details about her new e-mail and submission guidelines.

I had a hard time choosing between her and Jennifer Rofé among all the wonderful Andrea Brown agents representing MG. That makes it easier for me now, I can query both! Good timing, I haven't sent my queries yet.

***********************************************
5 agents I decided to query:

Lauren Ruth
Agency:  BookEnds
Agent's blog:  Slush Pile Tales
Twitter account:  @LiteraryLauren

What caught my attention:  "I live in New Jersey with my family and my personal interests include watching movies, reading (for fun, still) traveling and making my two-year-old son, Henry, laugh." [A New Jersey girl, like me!]

Note: Her bio says: "middle-grade—all subgenres" but the main site's submissions guidelines state: "BookEnds does not represent children's books, science fiction, short fiction, poetry, screenplays, techno-thrillers, or military fiction." After further research, I found out she does represent MG.

Submit:  Send the query in the body of the e-mail; response time for queries: 4-6 weeks

Interviews & Information:
Monica B.W.
Mother. Write. (Repeat.)
Casey McCormick
Rachel McClellan
Strategy Magazine
All the Write Stuff

Some of the authors she represents:
Cathryn Pritchard
Stacey Kennedy
Gina Danna

Mary Kole
Agency:  Andrea Brown Lit
Agent's website: Mary Kole
Agent's blog:  kidlit.com
Twitter account:  @Kid_Lit

What caught my attention:  At this time, Mary is only considering young adult and middle grade novels and truly exceptional character-driven picture books (she especially loves working with author/illustrators). Favorite themes include: family, home, unlikely heroes, discovering one's voice, and finding one's equilibrium after a big life event. [I remember her from WriteOnCon conference in 2010. I still have notes about voice from a live panel with her and several other agents. That, and her blog, makes me think she wants to help writers succeed. Now that's my kind of agent!]

Submit:  Query letter and first 10 pages

Interviews & Information:
Casey McCormick
Mother. Write. (Repeat.)
SCBWI

Some of the authors she represents:
Emily Hainsworth
Laura Sassi
Dianna Winget - MG Writer
Karsten Knight
Lisa Albert
Bethanie Murguia
Lindsay Ward
Jamie Harrington

Sara Crowe
Agency:  Harvey Klinger
Agent's blog:  A Crowe's Nest
Agent's website: www.saracrowe.com
Twitter account:  @saraagent

What caught my attention:  "For adult and children’s fiction, my taste tends to be for the more literary, often quirky, sometimes funny, always with a strong, original voice. While my list is mostly contemporary realistic fiction, I also like horror, mystery, urban fantasy and historical fiction." [My book is MG contemporary.]

Drawback:  Only responds if interested. I hate that, but I could live with it. [Actually, she did reply, one day after I sent my query. I'm impressed! A lot better than the "no reply means no" policy I thought she had.]

Submit:  Query only, by e-mail or form on the website. Responds within 2-4 weeks, only if interested.

Interviews & Information:
Casey McCormick
Laurie Thompson
Middle Grade Ninja
Cynthia Leitich Smith

Some of the authors she represents:
Lisa Schroeder - MG Writer
Varian Johnson
Dan Wells
Holly Nicole Hoxter
Bruce Eschler - MG Writer
Veera Hiranandani - MG Writer
Jenny Martin
Evan James Roskos
Erin Bowman
Rachel Wilson
Dianne Salerni
Heather Zenzen
Peggy Eddleman - MG Writer
K.A. Barson
Sarah Johnson
Rachel Tafoya
Nikki
Varian Johnson
Dan Wells

Kate McKean
Agency:  Howard Morhaim Literary Agency
Agent's website: Kate McKean
Twitter account:  @kate_mckean

What caught my attention (from an interview): "I'm really looking for more YA and MG contemporary (i.e., not-fantasy) novels." [My novel is MG Contemporary/Adventure.]

Submit:  Cover letter and first 3 chapters - attachment OK

Interviews & Information:
Casey McCormick
Mother. Write. (Repeat.)
Megan Burke
Writer's Digest

Some of the authors she represents:
Jessica Verdi
Noah Scalin
Richelle Mead
Deborah Grabien
Alison Lewis
Patricia Zapata
Josh Wilker
Ellen Luckett Baker

Sara Megibow

Agency:  Nelson Literary Agency
Agent's page:  Publishers Marketplace
Twitter account:  @SaraMegibow

What caught my attention:  "I seem to be drawn to contemporary YA and MG novels - stories set in the real world, preferably with a multicultural or historical aspect." [My MG novel would fit this description!]

Submit:  Send a one-page query by e-mail. Response time: 5-10 days, occasionally longer.

Interviews & Information:
Casey McCormick
YA Highway
Mother. Write. (Repeat.)
Jairus Reddy

Some of the authors she represents:
Michael Martinez
Miranda Kenneally
Natalie Bahm - MG Writer
Stefan Bachmann
Elysia Whisler
Steve Vera
Michael Haspil
Sarah Skilton
Allison Rushby
L.J. Boldyrev
Jennifer Wolf
Ashlyn Macnamara
Jane Kindred
Kat Brauer


****************************************
8 more agents from same agencies:

It was SO hard to choose an agent from Andrea Brown Lit. I went by elimination and I ended up with four possible agents.  How do you choose when there are so many awesome agents from one same agency?

Caryn Wiseman
Agency:  Andrea Brown Lit
Agent's page:  Andrea Brown Lit Agents
Twitter account:  @CarynWiseman

What caught my attention:  She handles children's books only. She would be thrilled to see more contemporary multicultural middle grade or YA—books that deeply explore another culture, as well as books in which the ethnicity of the character is not the issue. She adores a sweet, funny or poignant middle-grade novel, with a great hook that makes it stand out from the crowd.

Drawback:  Senior agent.  Since this is my first time querying, I should probably start with a newer agent looking for new authors.   Caryn is very drawn to speculative middle grade or YA fiction. [My book is MG Adventure/Contemporary]

Interviews & Information:
Casey McCormick

Some of the authors she represents:
Sarah Albee
Terry Lynn Johnson
Bree Dayley
Tom Angleberger - MG Writer
Tara Sullivan - MG writer

Jennifer Rofé
Agency:  Andrea Brown Lit
Agent's website:  Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch (her picture book)
Twitter account: @jenrofe

What caught my attention:  Middle grade is Jennifer's soft spot and she's open to all genres in this category, especially the tender or hilarious. She is always looking for fresh and distinct voices; stories that simultaneously tug at her heartstrings and make her laugh out loud; and "adorkable" heroes.

Interviews & Information:
Casey McCormick

Some of the authors she represents:
Kathryn Fitzmaurice - MG Writer
Barry Wolverton - MG Writer
Nick James
Samantha Vamos
Meg Medina
Crystal Allen - MG Writer
Lauren Strasnick
Mike Boldt

Kelly Sonnack
Agency:  Andrea Brown Lit
Agent's page: Andrea Brown Lit Agents
Twitter account:  @KSonnack

What caught my attention:  In picture books and middle grade fiction, Kelly looks for clever writing, a good sense of humor, stories that stretch a young reader's imagination, and an authentic voice, and fresh ideas.

Interviews & Information:
Casey McCormick

Some of the authors she represents:
Carol Riggs
Bridget Heos
Kathe Anchel
Carolyn Marsden - MG Writer

Andrea Brown
Agency:  Andrea Brown Lit
Drawback:  President. Too big for me.

Laura Rennert
Agency:  Andrea Brown Lit
Agent's website:  http://www.laurajoyrennert.com/

Drawback:  Senior Agent. Too big for me. Represents many genres, including adult and non fiction. Also an author (picture books, chapter books). Not on twitter.

Interviews & Information:
Casey McCormick

Some of the authors she represents:
PJ Hoover - MG Writer
Tammi Sauer
Lia Keyes
Frankie Diane Mallis
Shannon Messenger - MG Writer
Mitali Perkins - MG Writer



Jennifer Laughran
Agency:  Andrea Brown Lit
Agent's blog:  Literaticat
Twitter account:  @literaticat

Drawback: Uses swear words on twitter. *cringe* And judging by her personality, I don't think it's a good match with mine.

Interviews & Information:
Casey McCormick

Some of the authors she represents:
Becky Wallace
Ward Jenkins


David Dunton
Agency:  Harvey Klinger
Twitter account:  @DavidDunton

Drawback:  He specializes in music-related books and is looking for the following types of projects: pop culture, narrative nonfiction, memoir, food, literary fiction, middle grade fiction, and young adult fiction. [my book is not music-related and I don't think it would be a good fit for him.]

Kristin Nelson
Agency:  Nelson Literary Agency
Agent's blog:   Pub Rants We can also subscribe to her newsletter
Drawback:  Senior Agent; too big for me. I'll go with the Associate Agent.

Some of the authors she represents:
Megan Crewe


****************************************
3 agents I couldn't query:

Jamie Weiss Chilton
Agency:  Andrea Brown Lit
Drawback: Only represents YA and picture books


Jennifer Mattson
Agency:  Andrea Brown Lit
Drawback: According to QueryTracker, does not accept unsolicited queries (as of January 2012)


Amy Boggs
Agency:  Donald Maass Literary Agency
Twitter account:  @notjustanyboggs
Drawback:  She is looking for fantasy and science fiction, especially urban fantasy, paranormal romance, steampunk, YA/children's, and alternate history.