Below are the 13 most recent journal entries recorded in jordansummers1's LiveJournal:

Monday, February 11th, 2008
1:39 pm	Ginger Clark Speaks  I compiled the list of all the questions that everyone asked and sent them to Ginger. She chose which questions to answer, so if you don't see your question, you know why. :) What do you hate/dislike? The rejections, of course! And when your clients editor leaves her job, and you have to walk them through the orphaning processthat can be frustrating. How did you brake into it (did you complete an internship/work experience placement)? What made you choose agenting, and do you see yourself working as an agent for the rest of your professional life? Writers House was my second job in publishing, and within six months I knew I did not want to go back to the editorial side of publishing. I enjoy always being on the side of my author. Agents have a bit more freedom than editorsI think many of my editor friends and contacts spend time in meetings that I dont have to, and editors are very overworked and underpaid. Why is it that so many agents are now referral only? How are new writers supposed to get their work seen, unless they go to conferences and get a pitch appointment (and you often find that everyone's booked by the time you hear of the conference and you find out how to pay up)? What would constitute a referral, anyway? I think many agents have full lists and must be very selective about what writers they take on as clients. A referral means you either met the agent and he/she requested your work; another agent referred you to them; or an author they either represent or know referred you to them. 1. How do you decide whether to represent a new author--apart from a promising manuscript? How many clients do you like to have at one time? Well, its usually based on the strength of the work. I have had a few instances of falling in love with a book and then talking to an author, and realizing early in the conversation that we just didnt have the same vision for their work or career. Or speaking to an author and realizing our personalities just did not jell. Thats rare, though. Right now I am looking to take on new clientsmy list is not full yet! 2. Do you always get the same cut from each author, or does it vary? What would you say is an average cut for most agents? 15% is the standard rate for a book deal, or movie deal. 20% is the rate for foreign sales, either translation or into the British marketusually because you are using a co-agent there, and you each get 10%. 3. Do your clients usually stick with you for their whole careers, or is there a high turnover? Do agents ever get rid of their clients, or is it usually the other way around? Wow, kind of a touchy subject! When I offer representation, I do so thinking this person will be with me for many, many years. I dont know how other agents are, but the lower the turnover, the better as far as I am concerned. Regarding parting waysclients have left me; I have fired clients; and it has also been a mutual parting of ways. 4. What's the average number of revisions you normally request? What's the most and least number of revisions you've ever asked for? Good questionusually the second or third, or maybe fourth draft is what Im sending out. I do have a new client whose work I read three times before I offered representation, and she just sent me the fourth draft which I will send out shortly. I loved the book each time I read itit just was too long until that third draft, and then I realized I had to offer representation or I would kick myself when another agent took her on. I'd like to know if she's still looking to expand her list of urban fantasy authors, and if she's interested in concepts and characters that are atypical of what I believe has become standard fare in the genre. As a rabid UF reader, I know I want to read something other than vampires, werewolves and faeries. What are her thoughts on this? Yes, I am definitely looking for urban fantasyand I, too, would love to see something that does not involve vampires! Id love a book about a genie, a succubus, a witch, a psychic, a fairy, etc. etc. I once told a writers conference, with as much seriousness as I could muster, the succubus market is vastly underservedand I meant it! And there you have it. I'd like to thank Ginger for taking the time out of her busy schedule to answer the questions.:) (Comment on this)
Saturday, January 26th, 2008
5:24 pm	Agent Q & A Opportunity--Curtis Brown My agent, Ginger Clark (http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/GClark/) has been kind enough to agree to do an interview at my blog (www.jordansummers.com). Ginger is an agent with Curtis Brown (no relation to the British Curtis Brown Agency). Before that, she worked at Writer's House. She has a lot of experience in the industry and has more than paid her dues. I'm putting together a set of questions now and thought I'd throw out the opportunity for you all to do the same. If you have any questions for my agent, list them in the comments. I won't be able to use them all, but I'll definitely use a few. She also said that if people had further questions for her that she'd be more than happy to answer them. I'm sending her the list of questions on the 7th, so that gives everyone plenty of time. Fire away. :)  (Comment on this)
Monday, January 21st, 2008
12:55 pm	1. Your genre(s)? The genres that I'm currently writing in are: near-future dark paranormal romance, contemporary romance and dark urban fantasy. In the past, I've written erotic paranormal historicals, time-travels, and contemporary fantasies. 2. How many books have you completed? Since 2002 I've written: 9 single titles-7 of which are sold/published 8 novellas-6 of which are sold/published My first mm releases is in November. I have a category book coming out March 1st. I'm in the process of finishing my tenth single title now and have a second one due Sept 1st. 3. How many books are you working on now? I can only work on 1 book at a time. 4. Are you a linear or chunk writer? Linear 5. The POV you're most partial to? I'm partial to third person POV with multiple characters, but I've recently started writing in first person. I think once I get the hang of it that I'll really enjoy it. 6. The theme that keeps cropping up in your books? Two things pop up repeatedly in my books: Things are never as they seem and the characters are never who they think they are (ie their pasts are always a lie). 7. How many days a week do you write? 5 or 6 days a week, depending on how productive I am during the week. 8. What time of day do you get your best writing done? I actually get my best writing done in the afternoon from 1 to 5:30/6:00pm. Used to do my best work at night, but that changed a few years ago. I WISH I could write productively in the morning, but I'm barely breathing then. *ggg* 9. Who are your inspirations? Lynn Viehl, and not just because she's an amazing writer. She's also a reluctant mentor to me. ;) 10. Who are your favorite authors to read? (different from mentors) Patricia Briggs, Lora Leigh, Matthew Reilly, Simon Green, Rob Thurman, Jeaniene Frost, PC Cast, Angela Knight, Charlie Huston, Raymond Chandler, Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Charlaine Harris, Christine Feehan, Jim Butcher, Karen Chance, LKH (I've only recently started reading her work. I'm on book five or something like that.), Carrie Vaughn, Stephanie Laurens, Lisa Kleypas, Celeste Anwar, Michelle Pillow, Mandy Roth, Amelia Elias, and Christine Warren. (And so many, many more.) I also read a ton of graphic novels and manga. Too many to list the authors. (Comment on this)
Thursday, January 3rd, 2008
10:04 am	What Did I Write? Man, I have to come up with a better way of taking notes. Let me give you a little background. My agent asked me to add some things to my urban fantasy. The task took longer than I'd expected because 'I' ended up making a LOT of changes. See it's been a while since I'd read the manuscript, so I found all kinds of stuff to tweak. Some of it covered what she'd asked for--and some of it didn't. Anyway, I'm getting off topic. Back to the notes.  I'm not one of those writers who can edit a manuscript online...UNLESS it's someone else's work. I know that's weird, but take my word for it, it's the truth. I have to print out a hardcopy of the book and read through it, while making notes along the way. Did I mention that I have to read it aloud? I think you can see where I'm going with this. My manuscripts end up looking like a treasure map with arrows and lines scribbled all over them. I write horizontally, vertically, on the front and on the back. This wouldn't be a problem IF I didn't have to type the notes in afterwards. That's where I find myself. It took me five (yes, you read that right) FIVE hours to type in 136 pages of notes. I still have 252 pages to go. Gulp. Did I mention it needs to be done today, so that I can read it over the weekend and mail it off on Monday??? Head hits desk. Do you have a good way of taking notes? If so, share. Please. :) (Comment on this)
Tuesday, October 16th, 2007
1:12 pm	Cross Post 1. Your agent stops returning your phone calls. 2. Your agent takes months to read your submissions. 3. Your agent forgets to submit your work. 4. Your agent stops returning your emails. 5. Your agent sends back all the work you submit to them with a 'thanks, but no thanks' note attached. Not all these things happened to me, but they have happened to friends. I know that to most writers landing an agent is a high point in a career. It falls somewhere behind selling your first book/s. But getting an agent doesn't solve all your writing biz problems. Sometimes, landing an agent will be the beginning of the end of your career. Just as a good agent can make a career, a bad agent can stall it. And by good and bad, I'm not necessarily talking about disreputable. Disreputable agents have their own special category (and place in hell:). I'm also not talking about needing to change agents with the phases of your career. Sometimes you have to leave a reliable agent, if they can't take you to the next stage of your career (ie bestseller land). If you're a newbie writer reading this entry, please don't freak. It's just the nature of the beast business. You can be with the top agent/agency in the country, but if they don't get your work, then it won't matter. They will not manage to sell you. Heck, they may not even manage to submit your work to a publisher. Having a bad agent can mean just a bad agent for you and your career. Right about now, you're probably asking, how can I determine who's bad and who's good? The truth is that you can do all the research in the world and it still won't amount to much. Research can keep you from making a fatal agent mistake, but it can't prevent you from signing with an agent who is wrong for you. You won't know how that person truly works until you've signed your name on the dotted line. Yeah, I know, it sucks. Some writers are lucky enough to get a good agent right out of the shoot. Others, like me, take the long route. (wg) I had to go through a few people before finding a good fit. That doesn't mean that all my old agents were bad agents. They weren't. I know some writers who are on their fifth agent. :-O I hope that I'm done agent hunting for a while. Stopping and starting over does little to progress one's career. *g* I'm now going to open my blog up to questions, but I reserve the right to plead the fifth. ;) Does anyone have any questions about finding an agent? (Comment on this)
Wednesday, October 10th, 2007
10:57 am	I still haven't managed to pick up the new L.L. Foster book yet. My reading time diminishes greatly when I'm writing. I am currently working my way through Charlaine Harris' Ice Cold Grave. I love this series. (ICG is book three.) It's all mystery with a touch of paranormal. The heroine was struck my lightning when she was young and has been able to find the dead ever since. She travels around with her step brother (no blood relation), Tolliver. The sexual tension between the two characters is thick, thick, THICK. Truly delicious to read. I swear Charlaine writes some of the best first person stories out there. I bow before her abilities. A lot of readers and reviewers have freaked out over the implied incest in this book. Personally, it didn't bother me, but I understand why it would upset some people. Are there any taboos that you think writers should avoid? On a separate note, what is everyone reading? Recommendations are always welcome. :)  (Comment on this)
Sunday, March 25th, 2007
11:45 am	Need Some Help-Cross Posted From Fangs Fur & Fey My friends and I have been discussing urban fantasy novels. They seem to be going through a bit of an evolution right now, splitting into various subgenres.  (Which I think is cool.) Someone brought up the question about multiple POV's and none of us could name a single urban fantasy written in third person POV. Do you guys know of any straight urban fantasies written in third person?  Have you ever read an urban fantasy written in anything but first person? Thanks! (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, March 19th, 2007
7:04 pm	Real Life Heroes... Today is my dh's birthday. He shares this very special day with his twin, who's over in Scotland. May they both celebrate many, many, many more years of candles on the cake. :) Love you. In honor of dh and the romance he brings to my life, I thought I'd share a bit about how we met. I'd been living out in L.A. and had just moved back to the Midwest. I had left a long-term relationship and was feeling a little shaky. Some people go to counseling in unstable times, I go to psychics. *wg* Anyway...I went to see a psychic. (I should preface the entry now by saying that I believe that she is the ONLY true psychic that I've ever been to.) She didn't read cards or ask me questions. She simply put a tape into an old recorder, and then began to rock back and forth. Why the tape? Because she blurts out information, so it would be difficult to take notes. During this reading, she told me that I was going to meet a man from far away. Now keep in mind, that my idea of far away was the distance between the coast and the Midwest. I thought that was a possibility because I thought I knew who she was referring to in the reading. That was until she started telling me that I would be traveling to England. Now I know what you're thinking, she's a flight attendant, that's not out of the realm of possibility. Only one problem with that theory. I worked for a domestic carrier and I didn't have a passport. So I politely told her that I thought she was mistaken. She didn't take that well. :-O She continued to lay out details, including the month I'd meet him, the fact that he was tall, that he had dark hair and lighter eyes. She then said I would be engaged withing five months of meeting this man. At this point, I knew she was full of shit. I don't move fast on ANYTHING. LOL! I let her finish the reading. She'd said several names, none that I recognized or knew. I paid my twenty-five dollars and left. Here's where it gets weird. Months before going to see her, I'd started a visualization exercise. This exercise entailed me picking characteristics for my 'ideal' man. Because the exercise was visual, I'd also cut out a picture of a character from one of my favorite TV shows at the time, who represented the characteristics that I was looking for in reality. The TV show was Highlander. Fast forward four months, I'm at a training class in the middle of nowhere. I'd met a couple of the people she'd (the psychic) had told me about. It's the month that I'm supposedly going to meet this man. (Keep in mind, I thought I knew who she was talking about.) It's the first day of class and I get paired with a man from Scotland. His sister's name just happens to be on the short list of names that the psychic gave me. (Didn't find that out until later.) One class turned into three. Five months later, we got engaged. My friends and family thought that I was crazy. His did too. We couldn't have come from more different worlds. (Think Hee Haw meets royal bloodline and you'll get the picture. *ggg* ;) Yet, we couldn't be more perfect for each other. Moral of this story: Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it. :D (Comment on this)
Sunday, March 4th, 2007
12:04 pm	Two Worlds I do apologize for not being around as much as usual. I have so many things going through my head right now that I can't seem to focus on the blog or much of anything else for that matter. It hasn't been bad thoughts (for the most part). I've mainly been pensive. Website designs, goals, writing, and career have been ongoing themes. I'm trying to decide how best to proceed, while inching my way through edits and more craft books. I'll admit it's difficult. I feel like I'm straddling two worlds. This was particularly driven home at the RWA meeting the other day. It was great seeing friends and visiting, but I felt more out of place than ever. I know part of this is due to my lack of attendance. But an even larger portion is due to the change in my writing. It's getting darker and far more violently graphic. A lot of my new work has elements of horror. I'm finding it more and more difficult to write 'light' romances. Hell, I'm finding it difficult to write romances at all. Strangely, I have no idea why I'm slowly veering away from the genre that I love. It's not like there isn't romance in my new books. There is. It's just not the focus of the story anymore. I'm in unfamiliar territory, which is something that always makes me uncomfortable. For those of you who've traversed this land, how did you get through it? (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 30th, 2007
3:22 pm	Fast Draft--Why did it work? Paperback Writer asked me to do a blog entry on FAST DRAFT once I finished participating in the exercise. My official ending date is on the 31st of this month. I started a couple of days later than everyone else. I'll begin by explaining what Fast Draft is (although the name is fairly self-explanatory). Fast Draft was created by Candace Havens as a way of getting the first draft of a manuscript down on the page. The point isn't to necessarily complete the book, but to get the bones down. The object is to get 20 pages written everyday for 14 days, so that you end up with 280 pages. I admit it sounds daunting. Two hundred and eighty pages in fourteen days. Yikes! I didn't even think it was possible (unless you're Sherrilyn Kenyon, Nora Roberts or PBW) to get that kind of page count daily--but it is. The key is to forget everything you've ever learned about writing and just let go. You don't have to stick with a chapter if it's not working, you can jump anywhere you like in the book. The dreaded internal editor has an extremely difficult time keeping up with you, when you do this. (wg)  Now I admit that I didn't write 280 pages. I didn't have 280 pages left of my book. I wrote 167 pages and finished the book. I plan to write ten more by tomorrow for a total of 177 pages. (Because I'm anal. *ggg*) Could I have written 280 pages? Yes, I could have. I didn't know that was possible until I completed this exercise. If anyone would've asked me that question prior to doing Fast Draft, I would have said no way. Which brings me to the question of why this worked, when other writing challenges haven't. Three reasons come to mind. The first is that Candace is big on guilting you. I don't mean that in a bad way. She makes it very clear before the challenge begins that there will be no whining and that if you don't write the pages you'll be letting the 'group' down. Now normally this kind of crap doesn't work on me. Not because I don't feel guilty about letting people down (I do.), but because I tend to have an abreaction (It pisses me off.) when I know someone is trying to manipulate my emotions. It also helped that Charlene Teglia and I checked in with each other several times a day to make sure we were making progress. The second reason I think Fast Draft was so effective was because of the time period. I've done 'Book in a Month' a couple of times. The first time it worked really well for me. The second time, not so much. I know a month isn't a long period of time, but for some reason fourteen days seem more 'doable'. The cut in days also erases any chance of making excuses. You only have fourteen days to get as much writing in as possible. You automatically see the light at the end of the tunnel before you ever write a single word. The third reason I think Fast Draft worked is because the approach to writing was different than anything I'd done before. I had extensive notes for my manuscript, including two different chapter breakdowns. Before I started writing, I took those notes and placed them in my book as chapter markers. I didn't care if they ended up staying where I originally put them. I just needed them on the page so that I had a loose outline to follow. Also, Candace encourages placing notes throughout the manuscript as you're writing, so that nothing slows you down. All this made writing chapters much, much, MUCH simpler. I'm not saying that Fast Draft was easy. (Personally, I'm still burnt.) But I'm not sure I would have a first draft completed now, if I hadn't participated. Actually, I take that back. I know for sure I wouldn't have a draft done now, if I hadn't decided to participate. Fast Draft has taught me a new way to approach writing a manuscript. Like Charlene Teglia, I'm not good at stopping and starting. I have to plow through to the end, then go back and 'fix' everything. Up until Fast Draft, I hadn't been doing that with this book. I've been editing as I go along, which has slowed the writing process down to a crawl. This method is a way for me to get the bones of the book down fast without messing up deadlines. I will be using it in the future. For those of you who've participated in Fast Draft, what was your experience? Did you find something that worked better for you? If so, what? (Comment on this)
Thursday, January 4th, 2007
6:20 am	Petting Stingrays No, that's not a metaphor. *ggg* Last night dh suggested that we go to the zoo. (They're having a night light show.) It was a spur of the moment trip. One thing you must understand is that I'm NOT a spur of the moment kind of gal. I like to 'think' about things for a while. So I was quite surprised to find myself throwing on makeup to go out. We strolled through the zoo, gazing at the lights and the beautiful full moon. There were a ton of people there, but everyone was laughing and having a good time so it wasn't so bad. (I don't tend to like crowds. Yes, I'm always 'that' much fun.) (wg) Anyway, we were wandering around past the camel rides and found ourselves at the stingray petting pool. It's at this point that I turned into a kid and hiked my sleeve up a second before plunging my arm into the cool water to stroke slippery goodness. Five minutes later I was giggling with the ten year olds, standing around me. I'm not sure who was more excited at the prospect of petting the next stingray that swam by, them or me. I'm so glad we made the trip. The stingrays were worth the price of admission. Have you done anything lately that brought out the child in you? (Comment on this)
Monday, December 11th, 2006
8:54 pm	Deck the Halls with Wolfsbane and Garlic, Fa la,la,la,la... I'm finding it amazingly hard to get into the holiday spirit this year. My brain is wrapped so tightly around this urban fantasy (that keeps fighting me) that I can't seem to focus on anything else. Instead of trees, ornaments and presents, I'm thinking about blood, ripped limbs and shadowy figures. I may have to break out the Nightmare Before Christmas and call it a day. I don't know if it's a natural progression in my writing or an age thing (gasp), but I can't seem to let go of projects that aren't finished. Mentally, I toy with them like a loose tooth, until they bleed and tumble out of my head onto the paper. The last two books had to fall into place completely for me to finish writing them. I really hope this isn't a new trend. For those of you working on a project, can you let it go long enough to celebrate the holidays? Or do you pull a Stephen King and work everyday until it's done? (Comment on this)
Monday, November 6th, 2006
6:05 am	RED Oh, wow. Um. Blush. Yikes! I'm not sure if you want to know more about me or my book. I haven't written a blurb for RED yet, so I swiped pieces from my synopsis. Hopefully I caught all the typos. :-O RED War is brewing in a near-future world where murder is all but unheard of and the existence of creatures known as the others has yet to be proven. In the end, one woman will face her fears to stand and fight. Grandmother, what big eyes you have… Gina Theresa Santiago, Red, as she’s known on the International Police Tactical Team (IPTT), knows all about tragedy. Orphaned at the tender age of nine, Red approaches her job with the kind of gusto that only someone trying to right the wrongs of the past can possess. Grandmother, what big ears you have… Small town sheriff, Morgan Hunter has a killer to catch and secrets to keep. Part of a clandestine race of peoples known as the Others, he walks a fine line between enforcing the law and protecting the people of Nuria. When a woman he used to date turns up dead with her ears (and various body parts) missing, all clues point to an animal attack. Morgan knows better. He may not know who committed the crimes, but he knows what did. He has to find the murderer before the International Police Tactical Team steps in and exposes the townsfolk of Nuria to persecution and death from the purebloods. Grandmother, what big teeth you have… Red finds Lisa Solomon’s lifeless body after a firefight and refuses to dismiss the scene as an animal attack. Her pursuit of the truth leads her to a boundary town called Nuria. There she meets Sheriff Morgan Hunter, the man who will not only change Red's life, but her destiny. What if Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf turned out to be the same person? *********** The last question in that 'blurb' is what started this whole story off in my head. I kept wondering what would happen if Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf turned out to be the same person. As they say, the rest is history. The book is written in first and third person. (The killer/killers are in first person. The rest of the book is in third.) Tor offered me a three-book deal. The first book, RED will be out in 2008. :) It will be followed by two more books from the same universe. (6 Comments |Comment on this)