Case Cracked: Editing Mystery Novels
This post was originally posted on the Lee & Low blog. I’ve long been a fan of mysteries. Trixie Belden was my BFF as a third and fourth grader. Nancy Drew was another favorite. Veronica Mars updated the teen …
Tag: publishing
BYU event before LTUE
Life, the Universe, and Everything is NEXT WEEK! That means I’ll be seeing many of you then. If you’re unable to attend LTUE, though, and are in the area, you should check out this event. It’s free for any who’d …
My LTUE schedule 2012
I’ll be in Utah this February again this year for the excellent science fiction/fantasy convention Life, the Universe, and Everything. It’s the convention’s 30th anniversary this year. Normally it’s hosted at Brigham Young University, but due to scheduling difficulties it’ll …
Win a critique from me
And by the way, if you haven’t seen me talk about it on Twitter or Facebook, you should check out this post on Cynthia Leitich Smith’s blog in which I interview Tankborn author Karen Sandler—and at the end you’ll see …
FAQ: Muslim protagonists
A writer asks: I recently submitted the first three chapters of my manuscript to Tu Books as per your guidelines, and I am a ball of anxiety. My MC is a Muslim girl, and while the story itself is pure …
On query letters and “requested” material
Writers often ask me about query letters—how to write them, what to put in them, what will hook me. The problem is that I hate query letters. I much prefer a simple cover letter with the first three chapters (NOT …
Submissions update
For those of you who submitted PARTIAL manuscripts, I am nearly up to date on everything that has come in up through June 1. I’ll post when I am, so that you’ll know that if you haven’t heard from me, …
“I have this GREAT idea!”
I see this so often—most recently earlier today: A “writer”* tells his or her friends, “I have this great idea for a novel! What do you think? If I wrote it, would you read it?” There’s no way to answer …
LTUE schedule
Also, one more reminder: If you’re in Utah and have a chance to get to LTUE next week—only $20-25 to rub elbows with a bunch of professionals working in fantasy and science fiction right now and free for students—you should …
LTUE pre-game
Well, I don’t know what else to call it. I’m flying in a little early before LTUE in mid-Feb. to visit Rick Walton’s publishing class, and he tells me that editing students will be invited as well. So if you’re …