Things that inspire me to write #100: The Vancouver Writer’s Fest #writersfest

October 20, 2012.Reading time 1 minute.

Could there be a better way to kick off my Mental Gatorade challenge than spending the day at the Vancouver Writer’s festival? What I love about this festival is the opportunity to hear authors and publisher talk about writing like it matters, like it means something–like when I am sitting alone at my computer I […]

Writing and the hunger for swine blood

October 17, 2012.Reading time 1 minute.

Congrats to me. Like some angry bird with a hate on for smirking pigs, I have just launched yet another manuscript (my third) into the publishing stratosphere. And it was not easy. Sure, there was a lot of work involved–especially when combined with my many new mommy duties–but that really wasn’t the hardest part. The hardest part for me: […]

What matters most: a writer’s rejection

March 25, 2012.Reading time 1 minute.

After five years of Penguin wishes and Harper Collins dreams, I have finally come to the conclusion that my memoir manuscript about working as a model in Japan may never be published. According to the most recent rejection, this one from Scholastic, there just isn’t much of demand for life stories in the young adult […]

Rejected! Me! Book! Now! Sucks!!

November 25, 2011.Reading time less than 1 minute.

OUCH! My first proper publisher rejection! After telling me that my story was compelling, said publisher, who I will not name specifically (except to say that they are often eaten by killer whales and march in a waddling-like fashion) gave it a pass. I know, I know, writers have to have a tough skin blah […]

Whoot whoot! one more step closer!

June 11, 2011.Reading time 1 minute.

Yay for me! My manuscript revisions–which took me about three months to complete and involved reworking practically every damn paragraph in what I now call the BEASTIE–have been accepted by my agent. I think her exact words were ‘excellent and stunning’. Okay, I maybe those weren’t exact words, but they were definitely good ones, which […]

Dear loser: the joy of the rejection letter

January 3, 2011.Reading time 2 minutes.

When I was sixteen and selling my face to Japanese marketers, my agent told me not to take rejection personally. “It’s just a business” she said, “don’t get down if some clients don’t like your look.” It didn’t work then, either. I received my first proper rejection from a literary agent about a year ago—and […]