Time For July Update...

 Happy Tuesday All,

Once again, I'm posting the monthly post near the end of the month. But oh well. I was pretty busy during part of the beginning of the month, so I thought I'd wait until after so that I could mention some of it here.

I got to hang out with 2 out of 3 of my Girls' Night Out Ladies. These ladies are my besties and I've known them a long time. We had a nice dinner out and then hung out at a coffee/sweet shop until they closed. The last time we'd all been together was in 2019. I'd seen them on and off, but not all of us together. So, that was a wonderful thing to have happen this month.

#UnhingedPit--a pitching event held on X and BlueSky happened. Authors pitch their manuscripts but in unconventional ways. The two ladies who run the event decided to make me their ambassador (it's sort of a funny story--they liked my enthusiasm when it was first developed in 2024, and after a while we got to talking and that was that). It was so much fun! Well, I usually have fun anyway. I enjoy being a part of the team and participating. The pitches were super creative--which is one of the best parts of the event is seeing all the ideas/ways people come up with to pitch their manuscripts.

I finished another manuscript, but I still have to edit it. I've been working on one of my unfinished manuscripts at the moment. I have other unfinished manuscripts, of course, but I can't work on all of them all at the same time, so I pick and choose which one to focus on at any given time.

I know I'm not giving a lot of details. There are some things going on, but I don't know what will pan out (if anything) so if there is something to report, I'll mention it. For now, I hope you all have had a great July. 

Can you believe that it's almost August already? It seems like the year has flown by!

God bless you.😊

Have A Totally Terrific Tuesday!

BONUS Post: Resource Central (Or, A bit of an update to my Road-mapping post)

 Hi Everyone!

I've decided to provide a post that was just a whole list of resources and info for authors. I've done this before (I think it was 2017) so yeah, it's time for updating. I've done the legwork of inserting hyperlinks so that all you have to do is click on the links of whatever item you're most interested in. There is a TON of information out there for authors and it can be overwhelming to search and file through websites/social media platforms, so hopefully this post can help take some of the stress out of your search. This is by no means an exhaustive list of resources, it's just some that I know about and some that I've even used. At the very end I provide a basic template for constructing a pitch line for your manuscript (this template has helped me tremendously!)

Let's Start With Websites/Resources:

Manuscript Academy -- Offers workshops and events for authors in various stages of their careers. Also offers consultations with editors from publishing houses, and literary agents.

Manuscript Wish List--Run by the people at the Manuscript Academy, has a huge database of literary agents and editors--the agents and editors post their wish lists there.

#MSWL: A lot of literary agents and acquiring editors use this hashtag on X and BlueSky when talking about what sort of manuscripts they'd like to see.

Savvy Authors: All kinds events and workshops for authors.

Association of American Literary Agents   Literary Agents who are members have to adhere to a certain code of conduct. This doesn't mean if an agent is not a member that they're a bad agent, though. It's a site an author can use to research agents.

Absolute Write Water Cooler: A forum for authors with info on literary agents and publishers (and can help with avoiding scams).

Writer Beware: Run by author Victoria Strauss, who keeps up with scams, news, etc in the writing and publishing industry.

Query Tracker (Query Manager): Some agents and publishers use this resource. There is an option to use it for free--but if you want full access, it's $25 (USD) per year.

Query Shark (Janet Reid): While Janet Reid has passed away (April 14, 2024), the previous entries and advice is still available on the blog. By looking through her advice that she gave authors over the years, an author can implement the advice to perfect their query letters.

#WritingCommunity: A hashtag you can search on X and BlueSky that authors, publishers, and literary agents often use to chat about current events, give advice, or offer services. (Doesn't cost anything to search this hashtag as of July 2025).

Various Literary agencies often post information for authors with the query process or submitting to publishers. A lot of it is found on YouTube. There are also a variety of podcasts, too.

Alyssa Matesic: Editor (who has worked for at least one Big 5 Publishers) has a HUGE amount of information available on YouTube. (she also has a website).

BookFox (industry professional) (John Matthew Fox) offers a ton of advice for authors on YouTube (and has a website).

Writer's Market is a book that is updated every year. You can find the 2025 version on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

PITCH EVENTS:

There are several and they are run at all different times. Some only operate on BlueSky and some operate on both X and BlueSky.

#UnhingedPit: A pitching event that uses unconventional methods to pitch a manuscript. (I'm their ambassador, so of course I had to mention this one first LOL). It's loads of fun and open to authors in various genres. The last event was on both BlueSky and X. You can find the rules and other info on BlueSky.     You can also find it on X.

#BluePit is specific to BlueSky. It is a pitching event, but it often also lists upcoming pitching events.

#PlaylistPit is a new (as of July 2025) an event that authors can participate in either (or both) BlueSky and also on X. Authors use lyrics to help pitch their manuscripts.

#QuestPit is (in their words): "a writers hype event that welcomes industry participation" Writers at any stage (whether writing, editing, or querying) can participate in this event. Held on X and BlueSky.

#SmallPit is for finished manuscripts. Authors can pitch to small/indie publishers. You can find info on BlueSky and also on X.

#PosterPit is a pitching event where authors turn their manuscripts into movie posters. (It's fairly new, with having only had one event, but the next one for 2025 is in August). It's held on X and on BlueSky.

#PitchDis is a pitching event opened to disabled (this includes neurodivergent) authors only. The next one, set for September 2025 and will be held on the PitchDis website.

There are several other pitching events--some are genre specific (like #CuPit which is for Romance authors and will be held on February 14, 2026 and #MiseryPit which is for Mystery and Thriller authors and the next one will be held on July 5, 2025--I'm writing this on July 4, 2025 if you're needing perspective or see this post after July 5). And there are other kinds of pitch events that are held throughout the year on both platforms--BlueSky and X. I don't have the time to list all of them here, but info on them is pretty easy to find on either BlueSky and/or X.

AUTHOR GROUPS:

There are a myriad of author groups out there--some are genre specific, and some are not.

One genre specific group is SFWA (Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association).

Another is SCBWI --The Society of Children's Book Writers And Illustrators.

To find local or your genre author groups, I advise doing a web search (Google or whatever search engine you use).

Pitch Line Constructing Template:

This is a basic way to set up your pitch (I've seen various versions of this construct and I've found it really helpful). [CHARACTER(S)] in [status quo] until [inciting incident]. 

So you take your main characters (let's use Georgette Heyer's The Grand Sophy) One might pitch Georgette Heyer's novel this way using the template: When Charles meets his cousin, Sophy Stanton-Lacy, he's unprepared for how she'll turn his well-ordered life upside down and take hold of his heart in spite of her absurd antics. (This is a bit simplistic an "on-the-fly" pitch I constructed here, but I just wanted to create an example).

By the way, you can find The Grand Sophy on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It's one of my favorite Georgette Heyer novels. I think Sophy is hilarious with how she just seems to brush everything off. It made me laugh.

In Conclusion

Like I said in the beginning, there is so much info out there. And, if you're an author who knows of a book, website, or person who can help authors (whether constructing pitches, query letters, synopsis, or general information on the writing craft itself or genre-specific advice) please do post the info (complete with links) in the comment section. Thank you!

June Passing By...

 Happy Monday!

It's the last day of June and I can't believe July starts tomorrow. This month felt a bit like a whirlwind, but there were several lovely moments.

June 10th marked 59 years that my parents had been married. I didn't get to see them on that day, but I did wish them a happy anniversary. They've been such a special example and inspiration for me. (One of my best friends got married on their anniversary and when I found out I said, "You know, that's my parents' anniversary?" My friend responded: "I KNEW it was a good day to get married!").

Two of my out-of-town siblings came in for a few days on Father's Day weekend and I got to see them, as well as my sibling that lives near my parents. We had a nice weekend celebrating Father's Day. Saturday early evening we were at a Mexican restaurant and then Sunday evening had barbecue at my in-town sibling's house. It was very nice. My father is not only a father, but a grandfather, and a great-grandfather, so he's got lots of experience in the fatherhood area. It's an honor and a privilege to be one of his daughters (he has several daughters).

I've still got a few queries out on Sugar & Frost.

I'm working on several other manuscripts--one in particular that I'm almost done writing. The editing will be a process (it always is, though).

I've been enjoying Season 5 of The Chosen--I've been a fan since the early days, and I'm pleased with how well it's taken off (not that I'm super surprised, it's an incredibly well-done show--although, I will say, if you're looking for totally following word-for-word of the Bible, you're going to find out that it doesn't and that they always say to go back and read the Bible--but it's true to the main things that happened regardless of order or anything like that). It's been lovely to see Jesus portrayed as not just with his divinity, but with the whole range of humanity. It's fun to think of Him laughing and cracking jokes with the apostles and having a tender relationship with His mother.

Anyway, tomorrow starts July! Already half way through the summer (well, for Texas we'll probably have really hot weather for a bit longer than some people--and some winters it doesn't get very cold at all!) God bless to you all, and have a great rest of June.

Hope you all have a marvelously merry Monday!

It's May (For A Few More Days)..

 Happy Thursday!

I can hardly believe it's the last week of May. It feels a bit like a whirlwind. 

On May 8th, Real Life Hero and I celebrated our wedding anniversary. We've been married for over 20 years now. We went out to the Cheesecake Factory and had a lovely dinner (and brought up slices of cheesecake for the offspring). We don't usually spend that much on an dinner out, but it was anniversary, so we splurged. It's funny to think how back when I was getting married I had trouble imagining 20 years down the line and here I am past that. I love my Real Life Hero and he's stuck with me until death (when I hope we go to Heaven).

At this time I won't be reporting any news on Sugar & Frost. I don't feel like I have anything I'd like to share about it at this time. (There are still some queries out).

I'm still writing and working on several manuscripts. Two of them I think I'll keep just for me unless I change my mind one day. The others, we'll see what happens. They're not even done being written, so I don't know, yet.

Father's Day is in about two weeks. Where'd the time go?

I'm going to keep this entry really short. I'm pretty private about my "real life", so I won't go into details on that. Things aren't bad, it's just I prefer to keep my posts author life related rather than personal life related.

Anyway, I hope you all have had a lovely May! God bless.

Have A Terrifically Thrilling Thursday!

April Springing...

 Happy Thursday All!

Yes, I know...normally I would post my monthly blog post earlier, but this time it's taken me more than one day to write this post. At first, I needed to figure out what I wanted to post about. And then, it kept feeling like it (the post) wasn't ready.

Querying: Sugar & Frost is the "book of my heart" so far. I had the most fun writing it and I totally fell in love with the characters. I really believe in this story. It's just so sweet and fun. Like a warm blanket on a cold day. I got asked by an agent to send some more pages (I had done some not-insignificant editing--after asking this agent if I might revise & resubmit--I don't know what will become of that; and it wasn't a full request, but still, it was nice that the agent wanted more pages). Despite the situation at hand, I did have one agent comment that "the writing is solid". So, that's something. As I said, this story is incredibly special to me and I do believe in it. I don't know what readers will think, I only know that writing it was one of the best experiences I'd had with writing in a while.

Writing: I've got several new manuscripts in various stages of incompletion--I have yet to meet an author who doesn't have a file folder of such things. Currently two of them have been taking my attention. I started off the first one--and it was flowing nicely. Then, one day, I had an idea for a sequel/companion story, and off I went to write book 2 (yes, before book 1 is finished). I got approximately 35k to 40k written on book 2 and then...realized I had ideas for book 1, so now I've been working on book 1 (again) and have gone over 60k words so far.

I don't know if I'll keep them to amuse myself, or try to get them published. I do write a bit with the idea that they might be out in the public one day, but I also try not to let that be a focus. It's been really nice because it keeps me writing and the old imagination going, without the pressure of me thinking "Okay, I want to get this done by x, and into querying by x." I've got no set schedule for them, just getting the story onto the page and then I'll take it from there.

Reading: Recently, I re-read an old favorite of mine (I've loved this particular story since...oh gee, before I was a teen, I think). It's Beverly Cleary's Fifteen. One of the sweetest, gentlest, most heart-warming tales I've ever had the pleasure of reading. I've read it several times over the years and it still makes me smile. It's not particularly long, but it does have a satisfying ending.

As for everything else--real life just keeps moving forward as it seems to always do.

Have A Terrific Tuesday!

March marches In...

 Happy Friday and Happy March!

Been busy working on a manuscript of mine and playing with some new ideas for new stories and ideas for existing unfinished manuscripts. No new updates on the querying front to report back on, yet, but hopefully some good news will come!

We've now entered the season of Lent. As a Catholic, this season is a time for repentance, prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and reflection. I look at it as a time for not just repenting of sin--but really working on one's relationship with Jesus in a more intense and focused--the word 'intentional' comes to mind--way to make it a part of you rather than just something you do for Lent. Every Christian has their own approach Lent, and since I'm no Theologian, I won't go into much detail here. I do wish everyone a fruitful and prayerful Lent.

Not long ago, I got a new laptop computer. My other one is still working but I was having some issues. So I talked to a friend of mine that knows a lot about computers and he recommended I get a new one. I'm still getting accustomed to the new computer's quirks and idiosyncrasies, but it's not too bad so far. I'm also getting used to the whole Microsoft Word updates (on my old computer I had a different Microsoft set-up and I didn't have access to all of Word's features) so learning where everything is (it's not really difficult, it just looks a little different to me and so I'm figuring it out--but I've got most of the basics! I'm a little scared to open Excel given the adjusting I've had to do! LOL).

I recently (either in February or this month) read Gail Carson Levine's Ogre Enchanted --a Midgrade(MG) Fantasy (which has been out for many years, but I can't recall if I ever knew it and to my knowledge, I've never read it). I'd enjoyed many of her other books, and I had never read that one, so I checked out the digital audio version. It's pretty good. I can't decide if it's a prequel or a sequel to the events of Ella Enchanted, but it features everyone's favorite (or non-favorite) bumbling fairy, Lucinda. And while it's a fun story, Ella Enchanted is still the one I like best. Let me know in the comments what you're reading--be sure to include the genre!

St. Patrick's Day is this month...so don't forget to wear green. It's also someone in my family's birthday. :-)

Anyway, I wish you a wonderful March. And if you observe the Lenten season, may it be fruitful and hopeful. God bless you.

Have a fantastically fabulously fun Friday!

February Post, Short But Sweet...

Happy Thursday and February!

I decided to take a little longer to write my monthly blog post. It was just as well since things were crazy last month with illness sweeping through my house. (Every member of the Averie household has had some illness within the last 2 months--including Averie Cat). So, we're hoping to be healthier this month (although I'm having some allergy issues).

I continue working on things for Sugar & Frost and when I can, I'll let you all know what's going on (no, I don't have a contract with an agent and/or publisher, yet, but some things have happened, but I'm not ready to mention them publicly, yet).

We had the dubious honor of replacing our water heater recently, but the service person put it on such a high temperature that hot water was scalding! We had to adjust the hot water for various things and then when my husband came home he went up and adjusted it so hot water wouldn't be quite so blistering.

Once I'm in a place where I feel I can share about Sugar & Frost, I'll have more news. For now, I wish everyone a very Happy St. Valentine's Day and hope your February is fabulous!

Have a terrific Thursday!