Price of Jewelry

Do you wear a diamond? A ruby? A sapphire? Do you believe precious gems are really worth the price? Or do you think marketing ploys have merely driven the prices up? And do you really think diamonds are as rare as the public has been led to believe? Why is a diamond more expensive than an amethyst?

I'm full of questions.

Well, I believe a lot of so-called precious stones are expensive because of marketing campaigns. However, as a rock collector, I also know that many rocks and crystals are truely rare and hard to find. Furthermore, some are not only hard to find, but they're also sometimes hard to cut and/or polish into useable jewelry pieces.

You can purchase a large rough emerald for a tiny fraction of the price of a small cut emerald for a ring. I love to find rare pieces of rock or crystal at a great price, but like any form of collecting, you have to know what you're doing before you buy anything. Research is necessary. I have a huge piece of rose quartz (about 2 feet by 1 foot by 1 foot) that cost about the same as a small (3 inches by 1 inch) piece of rose quartz. The difference? The big piece is considered a mass (looks like a giant rock) where the small piece is a rare crystal structure. Rarely does the rose quartz form crytalline shapes.

Now, I'm no expert. I'm merely a novice rock collector, but the concept of rocks amazes me. Why? Because the earth beneath our feet seems like a big pile of dirt. And yet, clear quartz crystals grow (it takes a ridiculous amount of time) and form a point. Flourite crystals grow and form cubes - right angles. You can whack open rocks and find incredible structures inside. And, rocks such as the ones pictured here only form in certain parts of the world. The Boulder Matrix Fire Opal can only be found in Australia. And it's very expensive.

"Fire Opals" a short story by Margo Kelly

Julia and Natalie lingered at the storefront window. They glanced at the amethyst cathedrals and giant quartz points, but the smaller and rarer stones grabbed their interest.


“Let’s go in,” Natalie said.

Julia shook her head no. “It’s a metaphysics store,” she said and pointed to the sign above the window.

“Givingana,” Natalie read aloud and squinted at the sign. She looked at Julia and shrugged. “I don’t have a clue what that means. It doesn’t matter. It’s a store with rocks. Come on.” Natalie grabbed Julia’s arm and drug her to the door. Little bells chimed as Natalie pushed the door open. They paused inside the door to let their eyes adjust to the dark interior of the shop. Julia glanced upward. The ceiling had no overhead light fixtures to illuminate the space.

“Maybe they’re closed,” Julia whispered. The shop’s musty smell mingled with burned incense. “Let’s leave,” Julia said. The thirty-three-year-old geologist didn’t believe in metaphysics, but the darkness of the store invaded Julia’s core and sparked her fight or flight instinct. She started to turn for the door, but stopped when a small elderly man stepped through the dangling beads that draped the doorway to the back room. He halted in front of the beads when he looked at Julia. She watched the beads settle. The man looked sixty or seventy, but his stature matched that of a twelve-year-old boy. Gray stubble covered his light brown scalp, but his face was freshly shaved. He didn’t look Australian, white or aboriginal. He seemed of Middle Eastern descent. Julia’s active mind speculated how he came to work in a small Brisbane shop. He stood straight, clasped his hands, and revealed a chipmunk-tooth smile.

“G’day,” he said. He took a few steps toward the friends. “May I help you?”

Natalie stepped forward and closed the space between them. She said, “We’d like to have our palms read.” She pointed to the banner above the register. In bright rainbow colors, the sign read: Palmistry, Numerology, Psychic readings, Aura cleansing.

Julia rolled her eyes and raised her voice, “No, we don’t. We were just leaving.” Julia hated metaphysics, fortune tellers, and con artists. She lumped them into one equal group.

“I’m Joaquin Yamurru,” he said. “Welcome to my shop.” He bowed his head and offered a Namaste pose. Julia sighed. Natalie mouthed the words, “Shut up.” She opened her eyes wide to emphasize her point. In return, Julia mouthed the words, “Make me,” and raised her eyebrows. They’d been friends for years and could fight like sisters. The man, Mr. Yamurru, held his pose, oblivious to their silent argument.

He lifted his head and faced Julia. He stared at her, or through her. Julia turned, looked behind her, and saw nothing there. She wondered if they were alone in the shop...

read the rest of the story at: http://www.margokelly.net/
and then come back here and post your comments, good, bad, or indifferent!

Following the rules (choke, gag, cough)

I'm not sure an unpublished writer who follows all of the "rules" will ever get published. Seriously.

I finished my young adult novel back in July and began the query process. I was consumed with following the "rules" of proper query letter writing... I read and researched to learn the best ways to write it, submit it, and follow it. Rejection. Rejection. Rejection.

Then I found a series of posts on The Guide to Literary Agents' Blog. The series featured actual queries that snagged an agent. The agents commented on the query letters and explained why they were successful. I noticed a trend. Most of these letters didn't follow the "rules" I had found. I also noticed that many of the agents commented how the letter stood out from the rest of the slush.

I scratched my chin and thought, "They stood out because they didn't follow the rules and because their voice really shined through."

I rewrote my query as though there were no rules. I didn't limit my word count. I didn't limit my paragraphs to three. I didn't start by introducing the genre or the main character.

I sent the query letter out to eleven agents on the eleventh of November, at eleven p.m. HA. I'm actually serious... although, it wasn't premeditated. I figured, my favorite number was eleven. I should take advantage of it, right?

Well, either the number eleven worked for me, or breaking the rules did, because eleven days later (I KID YOU NOT!) on the 22nd of November, an agent emailed me and asked me for the full manuscript. Well, it's been more than eleven weeks, and the ms is still with the agent. She's been busy selling books (which is a good thing, yah?) and so she hasn't had a chance to get to it yet... patience is not my virtue.

So, I sent out a new batch of query letters. This time I tried to conform the letter to more rules. Rejections.

I'm going to write a new letter this week focusing more on the spirit and voice of the book. I'm going to break the rules again and see what happens.

Now, I meant to cover one more thing in this post, but since it's so long I'll save it for another post. While I think it may be necessary to break some rules to get noticed... I think other rules need to be followed. Oh, and one more topic for a future post... Who's writing the rule book and what makes them the authority?

Deaf or Blind?

Have you ever thought about such choices? If you had to be either deaf or blind, which would you choose?

The answer for me is easy (granted, I've never been and hope to never be faced with the choice).

I would choose to lose my hearing.

Living in silence doesn't sound so bad some days. However, living in darkness sounds utterly terrible to me. I'm not sure how I'd handle never seeing a daffodil bloom, an Idaho blue sky, or the words on a page. I love to read. I love to write. Sure, you could do these things without eyesight, and many people do every day. I don't want to...

My wonderful son, Mitch, has always had a vision problem. He lost 80% of the vision in his right eye before we ever knew there was even a problem. He's an adapter. He is an easy-going kid who can adapt to the circumstances, without complaint. When we learned about his vision problems, he was five years old. We worked with the specialist to help regain some of his vision. It was hard. He fell behind in reading skills because of the steps we were taking to improve his vision.

The doctor said, "He can always learn to read, but he can't always regain his vision."  Well, needless to say, he's never gained a love for reading. It's work for him. Over the years we've maintained regular appointments with the eye specialist and I thought things were going well. I thought he was holding his own with his vision and the eye doctor has been altering his prescription to work him OUT of his bi-focals (yes, bi-focals since the age of six, and he's now sixteen). Well, Mitch, who is a straight A student, got a D on an English test. The test covered a novel. Turns out he didn't read it. I thought it was a behavioral choice. It wasn't, not completely. I found this out when he brought home "To Kill a Mockingbird." The small book was sitting next to his computer and on his computer screen was "Spark Notes" (his generations' "Cliff Notes"). We talked. I told him he had to read the book. I made him sit with me and read it out loud. I watched as he read. His right eye completely sank into his nose (not slightly, but significantly) and his left eye struggled to move back and forth to read the tiny printed words. I stopped him and we talked about it. It physically hurts him to read.

I've spent the last several days, sometimes hours a day, reading the book out loud to him.

I've contacted the school, made an appointment with the specialist, and researched his rights for assistance with education. I called the library to see if a large print version of the book was available. Nope. Really? Wow...

I love to read. I can't imagine what it would be like to not be able to read.

Tootsie Pops

I'm using the concept of "How many licks does it take to get to the center?" as my mantra while I continue to seek an agent.

How many licks does it take to get to the center of the publishing world?

Every time an agent says, "No," I put a Tootsie Pop in the jar. Every time I write, I get to enjoy a Tootsie Pop from the jar. I nearly emptied the jar during my last revision effort, but I don't really like the brown ones. So, one brown sucker sat alone in the jar.

You can see from the picture, the jar is filling again with responses from agents.

I remain determined.

I still love Tootsie Pops.

I still love writing.

I need an agent to say, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" ... okay, that might be a little too "When Harry met Sally." I'd be happy with one little "yes." ha.

I'd also be happy with a bag full of Tootsie Pops that contains NO brown suckers!

Donations are happily accepted.

Another easy contest opportunity

I figure, if you've got the work already finished - - enter as many easy and free contests as possible. :)

So, if you've finished your ms and your query letter, check out this easy contest:
http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/

I'm available

Yesterday, Monday (Presidents' Day), was an impossible day to write with three kids home from school. So, I cleaned instead (yuck). While cleaning, I came across a piece of paper with my handwriting on it. It reads:

I am available to more good than I've experienced, realized, or imagined before in my life.

Nice.

Then, it went on to challenge:
1. Write 50 benefits of current life
2. Write 100 benefits of new life

Today, I will make these two lists. How about you? Do you think it's helpful to think in these terms?

Here's the "hook" (cross your fingers) dangled in front of seven agents tonight/morning/whatever (midnight)

RE: Manifested, a young adult novel

Dear Lucky Agent (not the real salutation):

Sixteen-year-old Luke discovers he can rapidly heal himself and others. When the hunters find out, they want him and his family dead. The Guardians want to use Luke’s ability to benefit their society. Luke must decide who to trust as he learns to control his newly manifested healing abilities; and decide fast, because his family’s survival depends upon him.

Luke plunges into the epic conflict between Guardians and hunters while his family comes along for the ride.

The Secret Society of Guardians consists of humans with supernatural abilities like teleporting, projecting, and shielding. The hunters, normal humans, seek out and kill Guardians, especially since a healer has manifested.

Manifested is a fast paced young adult novel featuring magical realism. The story will appeal to the fans of Allyson Noel’s Immortals series and Scott Westerfeld’s Midnighter’s trilogy. While Manifested is a stand-alone book, it has great series potential.

I am seeking representation for Manifested. The finished manuscript of 78,400 words is available upon request. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Your soon-to-be-published and favorite writer (not the real signature)

Fishy fishy in the brook, come and bite my little hook...

I need a HOOK for my book so agents will look...

Couldn't I just attach a five dollar bill instead?

I will write an awesome query letter today with an awesome hook. 

Couldn't I just say, "Dear Agent, My book is awesome. Read it. Love it. Thanks." ???

According to Janet Reid (aka the Query Shark), you should not lead with a dependant clause. Oops.
http://queryshark.blogspot.com/

According to another agent, you should start with the story hook. Another agent says start with the title, genre, and word count. Another agent says give a bio. But another says a bio is irrelevant.

Here's the above paragraph retold in a joke format (borrowed from: Agent Rachelle Gardner's blog):

How many agents does it take to screw in a light bulb?


Agent 1: Sorry, we're not accepting screw in light bulbs anymore. Bayonets only, and we only get them from the store.

Agent 2: We considered your light bulb but it's a bit too modern. Have you tried turning it into a candle?


A3: Loved your light bulb. Great light. Lots of illumination. Unfortunately, the agency's decided to remain in the dark indefinitely.

Nice..

However, the agents all seem to agree that a HOOK is essential for them to want to LOOK at your BOOK.

Can you describe your favorite book with a one line hook?

Public Flogging - ACK!

Seriously... who would intentionally submit themselves to a public flogging?

... me ...

Check out my favorite site for writers:
http://www.floggingthequill.com/flogging_the_quill/2010/02/flogometer-for-margowould-you-turn-the-page.html#comments

I need and appreciate the honest feedback, but now I need a box of tissues and a box of bandaids.  Tissues for obvisous reasons (kidding, I'm not a crier when it comes to harsh feedback), and Bandaids for the wounds sustained from banging my head against the wall (not kidding).

Here's an example of the feedback so far:

"There's promise of good content... and it's written with a good command of English... What's missing is an understanding of the craft of writing novels..."

hmm - go check out the site. You can vote (be HONEST - I do NOT need hand holding) whether you'd turn the page or not (cool process). And you can leave your comments as well.

I'll gladly accept any gifts of tissues, bandaids, or chocolates.

Contest Opportunity for Writers

Here's a quick and easy contest opportunity for writers of Young Adult and Middle Grade books:

http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/CommentView,guid,0f19a935-88a5-4424-b39f-618618e58ae6.aspx#commentstart

I'm sending my entry today. I'll let you know the results. :)

Creating Memorable Characters

How do authors come up with some of those crazy colorful characters in their books?

Is it their imagination? No, it's their observation!

Why create a new character, when you are surrounded by real characters? LOL.

For example...

Jacob, who prefers to be called Chocolate (a self determined nickname), loves pink. He wears pink braces on his teeth, pink shirts to school, and pink pajamas to bed. If anyone makes a smart-alec comment about his fondness for pink, Jacob will pause to look them directly in the eye, and then say, "Hey, not everyone can do pink, but I am completely secure with my manhood." At which point, the smart-alec usually replies with, "Huh..." and walks away. Jacob makes friends everywhere he goes. Why? Because he's not afraid to be happy. At the Rec Center, he runs up the two flights of stairs and jumps high at the top. He does a spread eagle, landing with both arms in the air and sings, "Tah-Dah!"  He's okay with the fact that all the parents sitting just a few feet away watching their toddlers' gymnastics class turn their heads with a "What the... heck?" kind of look on their faces. He's happy.

He'd make a great character for a book... and luckily for me, I can observe him on a daily basis. If you look closely at the picture above, you will see not only his pink braces peeking out, but also his pink pajamas buried under the chocolate.

Have you read the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich? Talk about some colorful characters!!

"All writers are people watchers," Janet explains in How I Write. "If you want characters that ring true, take a really close look at the people around you: that buttoned-up old lady on the train as well as the girl with fourteen facial piercings who hangs out at your local coffeehouse" (page 5).

Do you associate with a real character on a daily basis? Who?

Paltry...

An email I received today:

"Dear Author,


... A form rejection is a paltry return for the time and effort you put into your work ..."

Ha.

At first I stopped on the "Dear Author" part (an immediate sign of rejection - - why continue to read?) but I track my query letters and responses in an excel file, and so I read on to see who the letter was from.

This response related to a query I sent in August 2009. Yup. Paltriness.

What's worse than a response that takes six months? No response at all. What's worse than a "Dear Author" salutation? No response at all.

So...

I say, "Dear Agent, Thank you for your tardy and paltry response. I appreciate the time it took you to cut and paste your form rejection and send it to me."

Really, in all sincerity, I do.

And, I like the word paltry. :)

Another Tootsie Pop for the jar. I'm good.

No sharp objects!

I've decided I'm no longer allowed to use sharp objects. Only butter knives for me!

Why?

Because I've discovered it is VERY hard to type with my pinky finger bandaged. Yup. Monday, I nearly sliced the tip of my little finger off with a steak knife - - I was cutting a bagel. Bad choice.

I use that finger for the shift, Q, A, Z, keys. These keys mAy not seem importAnt to you right now, but trust me, if your finger is bAndgAged, you suddenly reAliZe how mAny times those letters AppeAr in your sentences!


Too bad I didn't have Luke (fictional main character of Manifested) here to heal the cut for me. :) By the way... have you read the first chapter yet and posted your opinion?  Check it out here: http://www.margokelly.net/ You can post your opinion on my facebook fanpage (link in sidebar) or here on this blog.

OkAy, bAck to work.

What makes an editor stop reading your manuscript?

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers says, "What's the first thing acquisition editors look for when they begin reading a fiction submission? Several editors we know have answered that question the same way: "The first thing I do is find a scene with some dialogue. If the dialogue doesn't work, the manuscript gets bounced. If it's good, I start reading"" (pages 82-83).

Hmm.

Very interesting.

This book has great tips for improving dialogue as well as other editing tips. I bought my copy on amazon.com for $10.