Anyway, my writing/blogging productivity levels have been doused with Gatorade runs, drenched with driving duties, and doomed by the fact that I've been plotting ways to amuse a 3-year-old for 6-8 hours at a time (rather than plotting a new WIP). Frustrating, but seeing your kid at bat or on the mound is worth it. I realize that he is actively experiencing his last days of childhood, and it's bittersweet to watch.
ON another note, if you're seeking an agent and write picture/chapter books, middle grade and/or young adult fiction, you MUST put the following contest on your calendar:
Blog: Fresh as a Daisy, Daisy Carter
Contest Entry: 1st Page of your completed, polished manuscript
Date: June 29th
Agent (drumroll please): Tricia Lawrence of Erin Murphy Literary Agency!!!! She is not open to queries (other than recommendations and conference attendees), so this is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to get your work in front of her!!
Here's some info from her agency bio:
Tricia is the "Pacific Northwest branch" of EMLA—born and raised in Oregon, and now lives in Seattle. After 17 years of working as a developmental and production-based copyeditor (from kids book to college textbooks, but mostly college textbooks), she joined the EMLA team in March 2011 as a social media strategist hoping to learn from Erin and Joan about agenting.
As associate agent, Tricia represents picture books/chapter books that look at the world in a unique and unusual way, with characters that are alive both on and off the page, and middle grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction that offers strong worldbuilding, wounded narrators, and stories that grab a reader and won't let go.
Follow Daisy's blog NOW, so you won't miss any updates!
Have a great weekend!
You can NEVER have enough baseball! Love it! Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteTrue~ baseball's great! It's the two-hour drives to get to the game that suck the life outta me :)
DeleteThanks for reminding me about the contest, Jess. And best of luck to your stepson's team. :D
ReplyDeleteThanks! Hopefully we'll win one soon :)
DeleteSoak it up, J. They can't stay young forever. Still have very fond memories of my mom lugging me around to baseball tourneys, so you're building something special, even if he is more worried about the snacks and you not embarrassing him in front of the team. :)
ReplyDeleteHa! Funny you should say that~ he's taking it muck more "seriously" now that he's in high school, but still nags about the kind of gatorade that's best for performance and what kind of sandwich/snacks I should bring for between games, and says just to drop it over the fence into the dugout, not to make a big deal about it, etc. Ah, youth :)
DeleteBeen there...done that, where the chasing a high school baseball player is concerned. Your right though, don't miss a single pitch or at-bat, not if you can help it. But keep the notebook handy for scene or story idea's!! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for blogging about the contest!
ReplyDeleteI grew up at baseball parks because my brother played. Nothing brings back memories like the smell of a ball...
Sigh. Hope your stepson's team wins some soon!
Thank YOU for hosting the contest! I hope he wins one soon, too :)
DeleteWow, your life sounds like mine. My two oldest boys have been playing baseball and it's taken over our lives. NOT loving it LOL and looking forward to our schedule opening up a bit:) Great contest you identified for those querying right now -- awesome!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think our schedule opens in mid-July. That'll be nice :)
DeleteYeah, my writing life is semi on hold right now with two different sports and end of schoolyear activities. Sigh. Thank goodness for nights and weekends!
ReplyDelete-Vicki
Too bad I'm physically incapable of staying up late!
DeleteGood luck everybody - including your son, Jess!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Matt :)
DeleteCool opportunity. Thanks for letting folks know. Though I'll pass.
ReplyDeleteMaybe next time :)
DeleteWishing the best for your step-son's baseball team. You might be right about the reversal of practice vs actual playing time.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up regarding the contest, especially since the agent in question has a limited gateway to get to them :-)
Thanks, Angela~ hopefully we'll win one soon!
DeleteI have a lot of students who play baseball. I'm blown away with how time consuming it is for them and their families. Thank goodness my son went the musical theatre route. This contest sounds yummy. Thanks for the heads up.
ReplyDeleteSeriously...it takes a lot of time. Part of me wishes I could get on the team and practice with them to counteract car and bench butt :)
DeletePicture books? Maybe I should pull one out of that drawer. This sounds like too good an opportunity to miss!
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend, Jess!
Thanks for letting me know about this contest, Jess. A friend just signed with Tricia :) so I may have to check this one out. Best!(I also blogged today)... Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteVery cool! I have a friend who just signed with Tricia as well :)
DeleteWish I could enter the contest but my current story isn't quite finished and certainly not polished - yet! Sounds like a great opportunity :)
ReplyDeleteI'm sure more contests are coming through the summer and fall!
DeleteThanks for the heads up! Your so good like that.. always looking out for us. :)
ReplyDeleteHey~ gotta take care of my fellow agent-hunters :)
DeleteHi! Thank you so much for your comment! (:
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked my list! I realised that it's going to be (at least) two parts! ( :
Yes! I love Jenni's tumblr and blog!
Romi.x
No problem, Romi~ wish I had even more time for blogging and commenting :)
DeleteEnjoy your time with your rascal! I always sucked at baseball and seeing my son out there loving it really moved me. I can't wait to see him play again!
ReplyDeleteOh, and the contest sounds fun. lol
I have no hand/eye coordination (I was a soccer player), so I'm in awe of anyone who hits/catches a ball :)
DeleteLOL at your comment about needing to spend more time practicing than playing! May they have a huge breakthrough and start winning lots of games. And I feel for you with trying to entertain a three-year-old during those times. That's got to take some creative thinking.
ReplyDeleteThanks, too, for sharing the contest. She sounds great. I passed the details on to several friends.
We do lots of sidewalk chalk if the field is surrounded by concrete...heck, we do sidewalk chalk even if there isn't concrete :)
DeleteI can totally relate to the summertime activities-- although it's been a long time for me, I look back with happy memories with the busy summers with my kids. Enjoy, it goes by way too fast.
ReplyDeleteI know, I know...luckily I have a 3-year-old as well as teenagers, so I'll be busy with kid stuff for another 15 years or so :)
DeleteI remember when my children did baseball/softball - it was busy but so much fun. Enjoy the season! And thanks for the contest update. :)
ReplyDeleteI just wish all of the fields had shade trees...it's killer out there in the Colorado sun!! :)
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