Silken Sands Wrap Up!
I never thought I’d be so happy to see my own backyard this morning. Yes. That’s my backyard. Jealous? ;D
I came home from Silken Sands last night after the banquet of so much food but I was dying for my own bed. I was telling everyone when you have an Ikea mattress, it matters.
Overall, I had a fantastic time and made a ton of new friends. I came away with boatloads of swag that weighed about a ton. Mom had a relaxing time of walking along the beach and mastering the art of falling asleep in five seconds.
Oh, and by the way, I got a couple requests to submit Darkmore.
I’ll wait a moment for that to sink in. Are you running in circles like I am? Hell yeah!
The two people I desperately wanted requests from indeed did said requesting.
The first was Lucienne Diver of The Knight Agency, who was really nice and really easy to talk to! She really liked the pitch and said it was one of the best she heard in a while. About that point I think I flatlined for a moment then came back to reality.
Lucienne requested the first 30 pages as well as a synopsis. But wait, there’s more! As we continued to chat I mentioned I had a rough draft of Americana Fairytale, my YA book, and she requested the synopsis of that! If you’ll excuse me, I think I need to take a moment to shriek in glee.
The second to make a request was Grace Bradley of Ellora’s Cave. Before I went to Silken Sands I was told Grace was a really nice, and they weren’t kidding! Grace was really sweet and likewise really loved Darkmore’s pitch! She requested the first three chapters, the last chapter, as well as the synopsis. We also talked about her being a vegan, and she showed me pictures of her kids. All in all, we really hit it off!
Yeah. There’s been lots of rolling on the floor and screaming time as you can tell.
I should stress I kind of have about a six week to two and a half month window to make my submissions to them, so I better get cracking! Also this isn’t a sure thing, they can still reject me in the end, but at least I got my foot in the door and got through the hardest part.
It was funny in talking to people that some people prefer writing query letters over pitching in person. They say it’s easier when they can’t see their faces. Now that I’ve done pitching, I’m pretty sure I can do it again. It’s like ripping off a band-aid. I will tell you I was scared to death before I went out there, but once I did it I was good to go.
Now I leave you with your crazy thought of the day:
Back in 1994, I was 15 and Darkmore had only been conceptualized two years before. I was at a comic book signing by one of my idols Marc Silvestri. I’m standing in front of him and I remember in my head I said to myself “Jeeze, Lex! Say something!” and I say to him “I might be working for you some day.” He glances up and says, “Oh?” I nod and tell him, “I’m a penciller. And a writer.”
Now, at rapidly approaching 33 next month, here I am.
I hesitate to say I’ve arrived, but I’m now a couple blocks away from the venue.
Originally published at Nomad Chronicle. You can comment here or there.