So while I was away...

Blimey, the last few weeks have been busy.

I mentioned in my last post that I'd been to a conference in NYC. Well, the best thing that could have happened there would have been copious editors/agents falling upon my writing like voracious bears, and signing me up in a flash....ok, that didn't happen. But the second best thing did: I met a great bunch of children's writers who invited me into their crit group based a mere 15 mins from where I live! Gawd, meeting folks here at events and networking is so much easier than back home in the UK. My new group meets fortnightly and hand on heart, they're all writing (and crit-ing) to a really high standard. It's been such a boost. I dug my chapter book out, dusted it off and presented them with the first three chaps. What a blast; they were all desperately positive about it, but also had some hugely useful ass-kicking feedback for me. I will be running the next few chaps by them in a week or two, then doing another draft before I submit it to some editors I met at the conference. So that's all jolly.

Had a fab new idea for a kid's novel and outlined the whole thing in one day. That's unheard of for me; I am the queen of making it up as I go along. I'm really excited about it and trying to get stuck in, but I am majorly distracted at the mo', because...

On the chick lit front, all is good, but nerve-wracking in the extreme. I was shortlisted in a competition in the UK which meant that I had the opportunity to have the beginning of my book showcased to a handful of top agents. (A sort of helping hand from the slush pile, if you will.) I was flat-out last week, polishing the last few bits of the book, in order to be able to send it through to the organisers who are acting as a go-between with the agents. After a the long nights of editing, I'm now waiting for news. If any of the agents request more of my book to read, the organisers will let me know - cue huge cries of RAH! and much jumping up and down. Every time my email pings, I'm a total state. I know a couple of the other peeps on the shortlist, and they have both had requests for more chapters...but all is quiet for me! Aargh, it's agony. The other writers are in a different category from me, so it's possible I shouldn't judge my book's chances by their experience, but still, it's horrible not hearing anything. It's only been a couple of days, which is a nano second in publishing so it's not exactly like my hopes are gone, but it's still unbearable waiting!

Off to pace and chew some furniture!

Er...Happy New Year...?

Wow, it's been a long time.

Excuses? I've been travelling a fair old bit, there was Christmas, I've had to look after a poorly family member in the UK for a couple of weeks then travel back to Boston, go to New York for a writers' conference and then I got the flu!

The good news is: the sick family member is now much better, I've been writing/editing like CRAZY, and I'm thinking I might be able to get out of bed later today for the first time in six days!

I'm feeling extremely positive about my writing at the moment, very excited and enthusiastic - both for the chick lit novel and my kids' books. It's all about finding enough hours in the day at the moment.

I'll write more about my exploits, including a lil' competition I've been shortlisted in, and my time at the New York conference, very soon. In the meantime, hope everyone is doing well and writing like fiends!