Best & Worst Books of 2011

I love to read! And, I love Goodreads.com, because it allows me the opportunity to look back at what I've read during 2011 ... and remember the joy (and pain) of some noteworthy books.

First, a few important notes:
1. These are books I read during 2011 ... not necessarily books that were published in 2011.
2. For the "best" list, I'm only considering the books I had rated five stars.
3. For the "worst" list, I'm only considering the books I had rated one star.

Drum roll please ...

Best books of 2011 (My top five favorites in order of preference):

The Worst Books of 2011 (I only gave three books this year a one-star rating, and they were all equally gag worthy ... blech):

To read my reviews for any or all of the above books, visit: http://www.goodreads.com/

I read less than normal in 2011 ... only 26 books.
How many books did you read in 2011?

And, if you don't know ... then sign up on Goodreads! It's fun! And, be sure to "friend" me on there when you do sign up!

3 Great Blog Posts

I visited some really great sites during a blogfest middle of December, and about half way through, I wished I had kept a list of the best posts. So, I didn't start making notes until late in the game, but I wanted to share some of my favorites with you.

How to Write an Epic Adventure ... now interestingly enough, this post comes from a gaming site, but the concepts presented would help ANY writer take their story to the next level. Definitely worth stopping in and reading!

Create a Personal Universe Deck ... create a *what* ?? Seriously. At first, I scrunched up my eyebrows, and thought, what the heck are you talking about? But, after reading it twice (seriously, I can be a little slow-to-grasp sometimes) I realized what a great idea this is ... I had never heard of it before. I'm going to give it a test drive and see what happens. I let you know in a future post.

Traditional Publishing vs. Self Publishing ... I don't think this blog post was actually a part of the blogfest, but somehow I happened upon it, and I thought it presented a great discussion of the topic.

What's the best blog post or tip you've read recently?

Book Review: LUCKY STIFF

Lucky Stiff by Deborah Coonts


My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Bummer!


Maybe my expectations were too high because I had enjoyed the first book so much ... or maybe this book just fell short. Either way, I had a hard time pushing through to finish the book.

What I loved about WANNA GET LUCKY? (the first book in the series):

1. Lucky O'Toole was in charge of customer relations at a big LV hotel, and she had great adventures solving customer problems.

2. Lucky wasn't involved in an annoying love-triangle. She actually picked a guy.

3. Lucky's boyfriend was a cross-dressing-female-impersonator for a big LV show.

4. Lucky was a self-confident kick-butt kind of gal.

5. The secondary characters were all a hoot.

6. The writing was great, and the plot kept me guessing.


What I hated about LUCKY STIFF (the second book in the series):


1. Lucky acted like she was everything BUT in charge of customer relations. She played the role of general manager, food & beverage manager, boss' daughter, nervous-nelly, and police detective.

2. Guys were panting after Lucky left and right ... why?

3. Lucky's boyfriend exited in the very beginning of the book. What? I wanted to see the whole self-confident-cross-dressing-female-impersonator character more!

4. Lucky whined and whined and whined - about everything imaginable, and when she wasn't whining, she was drowning her sorrows in alcohol. Really? *sigh*

5. The secondary characters ... well ... frankly, I was too annoyed by everything else to notice them much.

6. The writing seemed rushed, contrived, and lacking.


I don't understand why Coonts threw Lucky into the detective role instead of allowing her to be the customer relations expert we came to love in book one. Page 232 Lucky thinks: "There was a reason I wasn't a detective--I sucked at it." I agree. Go back to customer relations.

I'll give book three a try (because I loved book one so much), and then decide if I will continue with the series.



View all my reviews

What about you? Are you reading any series where one book has left you frustrated, but you continued on with the series? Were you glad you did or did not?

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

"Adoration of the Shepherds" by Gerard van Honthorst, 1622

I hope your day is wonderful.

Creepy Stalker Songs

source: www.bryanadams.com

Well, as I finished up revisions on my ms (which has a creepy stalker dude in it) ... I am finding creepy stalker details in various aspects of my real life.

YIKES!

I had the radio on in the house, and one of my favorite Bryan Adams' songs came on. I remembered the words, and it brought back sweet memories of growing up in the 80's.

Then, the very next day I heard the same song on the radio in the car. Which surprised me. I listened more closely to the words and got chills. This is a creepy stalker song!

YIKES!!

CLICK HERE to watch the official Bryan Adams Video

And, then I was researching song lyrics for my ms revisions, and stumbled across a website that listed the creepiest song lyrics ever - - and this Bryan Adams song was listed as the creepiest!!

I tried to embed the video here for you - - but that option was disabled - - so, take a quick click on the link above and listen to the words! It talks about dying and sacrificing and fighting ... all for you.

YIKES!!!

"You know it's true, everything I do ... oh ... I do it for you."

What's the creepiest stalker dude song you can remember?

How I Got My Agent!!

I'm a believer in writing short blog posts. If you're a believer in reading short posts, then simply read the next sentence, skip down to the bottom, and leave a comment; that will work out fine. :)

Short story:
I wrote a query letter, and she liked it.

or ... check out the ...

Long story:

2009, January: I decided I wanted to change careers and pursue a long forgotten dream of becoming a published author (sound familiar?). I purchased Janet Evanovich's HOW I WRITE and Writer's Digest's GUIDE TO LITERARY AGENTS, and I began my research into the industry.

2009, July: I finished my first manuscript, MANIFESTED, and I started sending out query letters.

2009, August: Rejections started flooding in. I thought I had a pretty tough skin. I knew rejections were part of the process, but one in particular really bothered me. The agency's website had listed SO MANY specifics of what needed to go into a query for them to consider your project; it was a lot of work to tailor my query letter to meet their exact specifications, but I did it. So ... when I received back (via snail mail) a form rejection that was crookedly photocopied and addressed Dear Author ... for some reason that one rejection sent me over the edge. I lit it on fire. Literally. I went outside with a match and sent the piece of paper up in flames. I found it quite liberating. And, then I went back to work and sent out more query letters.

2009, Fall: In the meantime, I knew (based on my industry research) that the most important thing I could do after finishing my first manuscript was to start the next one. And, that's what I did. But, I also, bought more books on the craft of writing, subscribed to magazines and journals that would help me better my skills, and wrote flash fiction to tighten my story telling. And, I hooked up with some great critique partners that I met through the Writer's Digest Community online.

source: http://simplenda.com/tag/winter-rocks

2010, April: Even though I'd received requests for partials and fulls, I came to the harsh realization that my first manuscript, MANIFESTED kinda-blew-chunks-even-though-my-kids-thought-it-was-great (aka was-not-so-good) in the writing department. I shelved it and stopped sending out query letters for it. I focused my time and effort on learning the craft of writing and finishing my next manuscript.

source: http://jessica.mumstudent.com/2011/02/12/slow-down-embrace-the-spring-for-rest/

2010, August: I finished my second manuscript, THE EDUCATION OF THIA, and started sending out query letters.

2010, September: I received a very different response from agents regarding this ms vs the first one. I received quite a few requests for partials and fulls right away, and I just KNEW this was going to be "it!" I was so excited!! When rejections came back from the full requests, I paid attention to the feedback received from the agents. But it was tricky, because while one said, "The main character is too naive" another said, "The main character sounds too adult." Okay. Revisions, none-the-less.

2010, October: With a bright and shiny revised version of THE EDUCATION OF THIA, I headed off to my first ever writer's conference. I met up with my first critique partner, Melissa, who'd I'd met through the WD Community, and we had an absolute blast at the conference. Furthermore, I left the conference with two agents requesting the full ms, and they were very excited about the pitch I'd given them. I just KNEW this was IT!! One of these fantabulous agents was going to offer me a contract. Yes-sir-ee!! Let's celebrate! I went home too excited to work on any writing. I was waiting to hear from the agents. I stopped sending out queries, because I knew one of these agents was gonna be THE ONE!! Wahoo!!

2010, November: I sent very polite follow-up emails to the agents who'd requested fulls at the conference. Both responded right away explaining how busy they were (of course, I get that, I want them to take care of their current clients first, that makes sense). But I was extremely demoralized. I couldn't seem to start a new ms. So, I pulled out MANIFESTED and dusted it off. I figured I could work on rewriting it and improving it until I found my writing mojo again.

2010, December: I started sending out new query letters for THE EDUCATION OF THIA. I changed the title, twice, and changed the query letter many times. I stopped getting requests for partials or fulls for it. Just rejections, or worse yet, no responses at all.

source: http://www.winterwanderland.com/

2011, February: Received email from one conference agent (who had been SO EXCITED about my pitch) telling me that she had decided to shelve my ms, unread. She was no longer looking for new clients, but when she was ready to look again, she'd read the ms then.

2011, May: Received email from second conference agent (who had been SO EXCITED about my pitch) apologizing for the delay in reading my ms. She said the writing was great, but it just didn't excite her. *sigh*

2011, Summer: I went through ups and downs working on rewrites of MANIFESTED, sending query letters for BUT HE LOVES ME (aka The Education of Thia), and trying to rekindle my passion for writing. But, honestly, I was bummed! The "conference experience" had messed up my motivation and broken through my tough skin.

2011, September: I was diagnosed with a pineocytoma, or a cyst, or a tumorous module, or a lesion, or something (ah ... my love for the medical community really soared during this time period). I became distracted with that process and forgot about writing for awhile. But, when the doctors decided it was too dangerous to remove the 12mm thing in the middle of my brain, I had to decide if I was going to be happy or sad and move forward. I chose to be happy and get back to writing.

2011, Fall: I decided I would finish my rewrite of MANIFESTED, and I seriously got back to work. I wanted to achieve my goal. I had hit a tough spot in 2011, but I was finally ready to pick myself back up and get back to what I loved: writing.

Hold on to your seats, here comes the exciting part ...

 2011, November (aka 11-11-11): I sent out 11 queries for BUT HE LOVES ME. The eleventh agent (for reals!) I queried that day requested a partial the same day (it was a Friday). Monday, she requested the full. Wednesday, she requested a phone call. Thursday, we discussed ideas for revisions. I LOVED all of her ideas, and my MOJO exploded with excitement!! She said if I could accomplish these revisions, she'd offer me formal representation. So, I put my head down and got to work. I was on fire!!  I sent her the revised ms about a week and a half later (I know, I know, it's sounds like I rushed it, but I'm telling you: I was ON FIRE!!). She read it right away and requested more revisions. At first I was sad I'd missed the mark, but then I realized, she didn't reject me; she wanted to keep working with me!! So, I got right back to work on more revisions. YAY! I was still so excited about the process of writing and revising. And I was SO THRILLED to think that someone had caught the "vision" of my story. So, while I was busy working on more revisions. She surprised me and mailed me a contract!!! ACK!

2011, December (aka 12-12 (for reals!) 2011): Brianne Johnson of Writers House sent me a contract for representation. And, I haven't stopped smiling since. My husband got up in the middle of the night last night to go pee (I know, TMI), and it woke me up. I couldn't go back to sleep, because I was just so excited about the fact that I, Margo Kelly, have an agent!!! YAY!

So ... that's how I got my agent.

Simple formula for getting an agent = write a manuscript, research the industry, get a critique partner, listen to feedback, revise, revise, revise, write a query, revise it, send query, revise it, write another ms, research the industry, learn from the research, better your skills, revise your query, never give up, keep writing, send more query letters, find another critique partner, listen to feedback, write more, learn more, never give up, send more queries, revise, revise, revise, write more, research more, ... and eat chocolate, lots and lots of chocolate ... and then start the process all over again.

Oh wait ... maybe that's not a simple formula.

How about you?
Do you think there is a "simple formula" for getting an agent? If so, what is it? :0)

So ... You Have an Agent ... What Does That Mean?

haha

The one question I received more than any other this weekend (from non-writerly-people) was, "I heard you got an agent. Congrats. But, so, you have an agent ... what does that mean? Can't you just go onto Amazon and publish your stories without an agent?"

Well, I'd like to answer this way, "It means I get to jump around the house and dance all day."

haha

Right. I suppose I could have done that before signing a contract with an agent. But, it is simply so much more fun WITH one.

haha

Okay. Maybe I'm still a little too giddy with joy to write a realistic post about anything. :)

But, I'll try to answer the question.

Here's what it means to have an agent:
1. Validation. Someone who works in the publishing industry thinks my manuscript is of worth. (yeah, yeah, I know ... I should reach deep within myself and find value with my own self-worth ... whatever.)
2. One Small Step (in the publishing industry) One Giant Leap (for the writer trying to break into traditional publishing) ... I'm one step (leap) closer to my goal of having my manuscript published and on the shelf in a book store.
3. Cheerleader. I have an agent on my side cheering me on and shouting to others about the story I've written.
4. A Ticket to the Party. An agent gives me access to editors and publishers that I didn't have prior.

A few of you have asked various questions in the comments of the previous post, and I will be thrilled to tell you more of the story. Check back for a more-down-to-earth-with-less-dancing post Wednesday. :) Well ... maybe I shouldn't make promises ... I'm kinda enjoying the writerly high I'm flying on ... haha!

What about you? Do you have an agent? Want an agent? Or do you think they're unnecessary?

I Have an Agent!! WAHOO!!

Guess what I did today?

Hey - don't judge me just because I look like a chipmunk! I was a little excited! Merry Christmas to ME!

I signed a contract with Brianne Johnson at Writer's House Literary Agency!!!
Look how awesome the agency is: CLICK HERE
Look how awesome Brianne is: CLICK HERE

I guess that wall-of-revisions (see post from a few days ago) really paid off!! But, maybe I should have put some make-up on before taking this picture. Sheesh! YAY ME!

Do RULES really exist?

In honor of a great blogfest ( CLICK HERE to check it out ) ... I'm re-posting a little-rant-item that originally saw the light of day over eighteen months ago on my blog. How do you feel about "being" verbs? Hmm? I wonder if I've grown as a writer since originally posting this ... LOL.

...

I've read on many agent blogs various reasons why debut novelists are rejected. One such blog led me to a list of "mistakes" new writers often make. I thought it was an awesome list.  You can find it here:

The Ten Mistakes

So, after finding this list, I chose one item (number six on the list) and went through my first manuscript and worked to correct that "mistake."

The website explains, "Once your eye is attuned to the frequent use of the “to be” words – “am,” “is,” “are,” “was,” “were,” “be,” “being,” “been” and others – you’ll be appalled at how quickly they flatten prose and slow your pace to a crawl. The “to be” words represent the existence of things – “I am here. You are there.”"

Okay fine. I improved my manuscript.

I read a lot of books. And, at the time I was working on these revisions, I was reading the second Frankenstein book in Dean Koontz's series. So, I put his book to the test. I was shocked to read five pages before he used a single "being" verb. Shocked. But then, reading the third book in Koontz's series, my head exploded. There were "being" verbs in every sentence (exaggeration, obviously). I thought, what the heck? But, then I decided, well ... it is Dean Koontz, he can do whatever he wants. He's not trying to get an agent and publish a debut novel.

BUT THEN, I'm reading Beautiful Creatures by Garcia and Stohl which is a debut novel. There are five being verbs on the first page and twenty-one in the first chapter (not even two and a half pages long). 

It's a New York Times bestseller and an international bestseller. Hmm.

So, not only did they use being verbs, but they also got an agent, got a publisher, and are selling a TON of books.

Great. Maybe I should go back through my manuscript and put all of the being verbs back in it.

Or not.

Who is to say what the "rules" really are in writing a book? What's the trick? Is it just about story concept? I don't think so. I think it has to be a great story concept, and I think the writing needs to be above par.

What "rules" do you love/hate?
Do you even believe in RULES!?

Extreme REVISIONS - What Would YOU Do?

I know writing "the end" on your first draft of a manuscript is pretty exciting ... but certain elements of the revision process thrill me just as much. It's like working a jigsaw puzzle ... but certain parts of the picture change during the process and you must adapt and move with it.

Quite awhile ago (sorry, I can't remember when or where) I came across a writer's blog that featured pictures of her revision process: pages spread out on the floor and taped across a wall. I remember being shocked and thinking, "Sheesh! That looks like a LOT of work!" So, I never tried that approach for myself. ha. Why work? Writing is supposed to be fun! :)

However, I've been in the trenches revising and revamping one of my manuscripts. And I needed a new approach. I needed to see the conversations between the main character and the "bad guy" in a new light. I needed my brain to process the information differently. Find something ...

And I remembered those crazy pictures of pages taped to a wall.

So, I printed out all of the conversations between my main character and three other characters (one is the real bad guy and two are potential bad guys to keep the reader guessing). I even used different colored paper to help me quickly spot who was participating in the conversation.

And I taped them to the wall:

It took a long time to print the pages out, and it took a long time to tape them to the wall.

I doubted the process and the time invested, but I went through the WHITE pages first ... twice ... and it wasn't until the third pass that my brain clicked and saw the words in a different way.

I had a big AHA moment. YAY!

I quickly started to scribble modifications in pencil. And then I grabbed a blue highlighter and started to write the emotions on the pages in big letters so I could stand back and see the progression of the relationship. I used red stars to mark certain types of moments and yellow stars to mark others. Then I attacked the colored pages.

My kids came home from school and their eyes bulged out ... they thought I'd gone a bit crazy! ha.

This morning, I went through the pages on the wall again and was thrilled to realize how well everything now flows. Success!

Was it worth the effort? Absolutely.

Will I do it again ... only if necessary! :)

What's your most extreme method for revising?

Book Review: LIGHTNING by Dean Koontz

Lightning by Dean Koontz


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Aha!



Terminator meets The Time Traveler's Wife.


Yup ... Well ... Kinda.


No killer robots were involved.

But, as I read this book, I kept thinking of the timeline for The Time Traveler's Wife ... how at first it was tricky to follow. Same with Lightning, but once you get in the groove, it's fun. And like Terminator, some guy is trying to save some girl for some reason. But, also like Terminator, the girl soon learns that the guy won't always be around, and so she'd better hurry up and stock-pile lots of illegal weapons to protect herself with ... hahaha.

Great book. Loved it.

View all my reviews

What are you reading right now?

OH NO! Santa is a Stalker!

I've been knee-deep in revisions for my internet predator manuscript, and Monday night I took a break to watch The Sing Off (love it) ... and had a terribly disturbing revelation afterward.

Santa is a Stalker!

Think about it for a minute:


You better watch out (and look behind you!)

You better not cry (cuz he preys on weaklings)
Better not pout (cuz that annoys him)
I'm telling you why (listen to me, I've researched this!)
Santa Claus is coming to town  (to get you!)

He's making a list, (of all your personal information)
And checking it twice; (so the police can't nab him)
Gonna find out Who's naughty and nice. (cuz he preys on weaklings!)
Santa Claus is coming to town (to abduct you!)

He sees you when you're sleeping (cuz he's a creeper!)
He knows when you're awake (cuz he's a stalker!)
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake! (and call the police!)

O! You better watch out! (and look behind you!)
You better not cry. (cuz he preys on weaklings!)
Better not pout, I'm telling you why.
Santa Claus is coming to town. (to abduct you!)

Santa Claus is coming to town. (call the police!)

picture source: http://daredevyl283.wordpress.com/2009/12/18/santa-clause/

HO! HO! HO!

Are you a believer?

Share & Encourage - Insecure Writer's Support Group

The first purpose of the Insecure Writer's Support Group is to share and encourage.

So ... let me SHARE some of my favorite things:

Oh ... wait ... maybe I was supposed to SHARE things directly related to writing? :-) Frankly, the above items ARE related to writing, because they relieve my stress and enable me to focus on delicious sensations to improve my writing efforts. Yeah. That's WRITE!

Now, let me encourage you:

If only we, as writers, could be determined as the character "Salt" ... we could accomplish all of our writerly goals. Watch a movie with a strong female protagonist (or male, if you're a man!) and get inspired to kick butt!

Buy these handy little pens and change the way you read - - fiction and non-fiction. When you're going through a book, for pleasure and for knowledge, highlight a passage that you find particularly inspiring or motivating and flag the ones that matter most to you. This process makes you consider the writing more deeply and helps you remember what it was about the book that inspired you.

Do you mark books while you read?

Generating Blog Traffic

Do you ever look at the "stats" for your blog ... and then look at the top keywords searched, that brought traffic to your blog?

Should I be concerned that "Hairy Russian Women" was searched for and brought two people to my blog? What does that mean exactly? ha!

Some time back, I wrote two blog posts about my kids (simply because young adults make me laugh, and I thought my blog readers would get a kick out of the stories):

Dumpster Diving
Can You See the Sweat on the Back of My Shirt?

These two posts continue to get a ton of random hits from Google searches every day. Apparently, a LOT of people are interested in both topics ... again ... what does that mean exactly?

And, yet, on a more realistic note, you can use those keyword statistics to help you formulate new posts that might generate new traffic and lead to new followers. For example, over the weekend, a lot of people searched for book reviews of BEFORE I FALL by Lauren Oliver. This brought new traffic to my blog. So, this tells me, that people are actively searching for book reviews. Great validation for reading MORE BOOKS! Yay me. :)

So, while these keyword searches may prompt me to post more book reviews, I can promise you one thing: I will not be prompted to write anything (other than this very post) about hairy Russian women. YIKES!!

What type of posts on your blog continue to get large hits from random Google searches? Does it surprise you?

SARAH'S KEY by Tatiana De Rosnay

Well ... it's not often that a movie version moves me as much (or nearly as much) as the original book. But, I watched SARAH'S KEY last night, and, found myself gasping and crying in several places, and it took me straight back to the feelings I had when I first read the book.

Read my review of the book HERE!




I highly recommend the movie. I'm not a fan of subtitles, but I really enjoyed this and was not distracted by the reading involved. :)

My husband watched it with me, and he's not read the book. He was moved. He said it wasn't his favorite, but he enjoyed it.

I loved it, and will definitely be purchasing my own copy of the movie for my collection.