Agents, confidence, & what's up in my life

Hi all.

A new blog...of mostly whatever I want to talk about and what's important to me. Those of you who visit here from DeviantArt, I'm still going to write in my journal there and at my blog with RWA Online. I just wanted a space for me me me me. LOL

My search for an agent continues. I queried three agencies yesterday that I'm interested in and that seem the kind of folks I'd like to work with. I'm a little picky - okay, I'm a lot picky. Just as the agent has to determine if I would work well them, I feel obligated to do determine the same about the agents before I submit. So I don't just submit to an agency just because the name sounds good or just because its an agency. It's a process for me. I visit their site, do research on them, see who their clients are and visit the client's webpages if they have one. I look around to see what their reputation is. But that's not all...I read the information that agency provides on their sites to determine if what they have to say jives with my own career plans.

I feel that its only a matter of time before my novels are in print. I've two completed right now and two more very close to being finished. So I think I've got a good start on a book deal that an agent might set me up with.

I don't feel I'm conceited because I know my writing is good. I think I'm confident in what I do. Just as a mechanic knows he can fix a car, I know I can write a good historical. I am sure of where my strengths are and I am constantly working to improve areas that are not as strong. I take my writing very seriously. It is NOT a hobby - it is a passion - and now that I am published and earning money, it is also a business.

My top concerns is my obligation to my readers and doing business with publishers in a professional manner that does not jeopardize my integrity, respect for myself or my work, my basic beliefs of what is right and wrong. This does not make me a snob. This makes me someone who knows who I am and someone who is not afraid of sticking to the things that are important to me.

I don't like getting involved in the little cat fights and arguments that I see going on all over the internet between writers. I don't have the patience for it. True, I will speak up and voice my opinion at times and perhaps defend someone I know to have pure intentions but as far as the ongoing mud slinging, I refuse. It is juvenile and a waste of time. I'd much rather be writing and responding to emails from my readers. Oh sure, sometimes I want to ask these writers how old they are and how they manage to get through their daily lives if they behave like that in other aspects of their life - but the truth is you cannot argue with a two year old on a two year old's level and win. They don't operate with the same reasoning and cannot think outside of the scope of their own emotional turmoil. Basically, it's a waste of time and energy. It's best to ignore them until they see that their efforts are in vain and have finished throwing their tantrums.

Instead, I write. And that is working for me. Last month The Nothing But Trouble Bride from Liquid Silver Books and Christy's Ghost from Loose-Id were released. I've recently received contracts from Titan Press for the first two books of my 9 book mainstream historical romance series as well as a contract from the same publisher for a non romance fantasy.

I've also recently been signed on by Venus Press as the art director in their cover art department. I'm the editor of Psyche's Lamp, the newsletter for my local RWA Chapter - Magnolia State Romance Writers. And I'm currently writing an anthology with multi published author (and my best friend), Deanna Lee.

I hope to have an agent's interest by the end of the year and at least on my way to working out a contract with a print publisher for a multi book deal by the end of next year. And I will continue writing sensual romance books for electronic publication and submitting them to Liquid Silver Books, Venus Press, and Loose-Id.

-SG