“I think we all have that sweet spot—the place where the life we want to live and our ability intersect. For some, the trick is finding it.

For others, like me, deep down inside you already know what you want, so it’s about finding the courage to dig up that dream and dust it off. It’s not too late. Dreams don’t have an expiration date. Not even a best by date. If it’s still your dream, it’s still your dream.”                                                        ~Claire Cook

The Book

So many of us are there—hanging in limbo somewhere between the life we fell into and those dreams we’ve clung to or rediscovered. Maybe you’ve just figured out what you really want to be when you grow up, even though you’re very grown up—30s, 40s, 50s, or more. Perhaps your aspirations were derailed by real life: marriage led to a big mortgage, kids led to spending your time taxiing from school to soccer meets. Your career went on hold, or in a direction that was convenient and manageable.

But it’s not what you’d dreamed of once upon a time.

You have an itch—that niggling feeling of what you really want to be doing with your life. You want to write a book, make jewelry, open your own business—some creative outlet that might not work financially (yet) but would fulfill that need within. Your dream. Your passion.

But how do you turn yourself around and chase after that dream? How do your reinvent your life?

You open Never Too Late: Your Roadmap to Reinvention (without getting lost along the way) and let USA Today bestselling author Claire Cook share her experiences and inspiration.

The Author:

Claire Cook has been called the “Queen of Reinvention.” She wrote her first novel in a minivan at age 45 while her kids were at swim practice. Five years later, she strolled down the red carpet at the premier of the movie adaptation of the second novel MUST LOVE DOGS. (Yes, the cute romcom starring John Cusak and Diane Lane.) Now she’s the beloved author of eleven charming contemporary women’s fiction books—and one inspiring non-fiction debut you’ll adore.

Find Claire at: Her Website * Twitter * Facebook * Pinterest

 

The Good Stuff:

This book is entertaining, enlightening, and downright helpful if you need to jump-start your motivation. Told with honesty and Claire’s trademark easygoing wit, NEVER TOO LATE is part memoir, part self-help guide, and a whole lot of fun.

Much of the book bounces around her experiences as a speaker at We Move Forward, a women’s conference set on the gorgeous Isla Mujeres, Mexico. The three-day retreat seems to be a deluxe combination of inspirational talks, spiritual soothing, and flat out fun for women from across the globe. Claire shares what she learned from these diverse women, each who found happiness and empowerment in her own unique way.

But before you think this is just another  “You Can Do It Sam”  book or hippy-dippy spiritual guide, let me set you straight. It’s not. It’s spunky and optimistic, but Claire transparently shares the ways she messed up on her journey and the many challenges she still faces. Her section detailing the disintegration of the good ole publishing machine was an eye-opener, and she candidly writes about why she left her big New York agent and publishers after over a decade of being “the hardest working author in the universe.” (You can read an excerpt here on Jane Friedman’s blog.)

Claire also spells out practical how-to steps. She details how keeping a notebook handy for all of your reinvention ideas can be just the thing when you hit a speed bump. (I have about 10 spirals scattered around the house and car. Too many?) And she also explains how slow and steady goals can make the journey to success much more achievable. (Read an excerpt here on WriterUnboxed.com.) After finishing the book, I set my goal and took on her two-pages a day come hell-or-high water challenge. Okay, my version is slightly modified to include work schedules and a ten-year-old, but it’s working. That blinking cursor doesn’t seem so terrifying. It’s only two pages. Even if each word is like tweezing errant eyebrow hairs, I can do that, right? Right.

If it sounds like this book would be most helpful for aspiring authors—you’re correct—partially. Honestly, Claire’s wit and wisdom can be a spark for anyone who needs a charge, whether you dream of opening a dog walking business or climbing K2.

My copy accompanied me on vacation. I kind of felt as if Claire was lounging on a beach chair beside me, sipping on a frozen umbrella drink, and chatting about her experiences. I came back home inspired and ready to get shit done.

The Recommendation:

If you’ve conquered your dreams, made billions of bucks, or have shelves full of Oscars/RITAS/Nobel Prizes collecting dust—maybe you don’t need this book.  It’s for the rest of us.

Read it, recommend it to friends, and discuss it with your coffee klatch or book club.

But if you’re one of my friends, you’re going to have to buy your own copy. My personalized paperback isn’t going anywhere.  I’d like to think that the “Congrats on your win” handwritten inside refers to celebrating getting my ass back in that writer’s chair, even if it only is two pages a day. Thanks, Claire.

*Oh, and readers can download a free workbook to help get them on track. Fun. Practical. Fabulous.

The Details:
Never Too Late: Your Roadmap to Reinvention (without getting lost along the way)
by Claire Cook
291 pages
Marshbury Beach Books (July 15, 2014)

Some of you may know that I work in a library. Books are my life, and if I had to be employed outside the home again, I wanted to be around things I adore. And I do love my job: I enjoy helping people, having adult conversations, and just wandering the stacks (okay, I’m usually never just wandering, but even shelving my dear books fills me with joy sometimes). But working at the library has come with more than a few surprises and given me some valuable (and slightly frightening) insight into how people are actually using these venerable institutions.

1. It’s not about the books.

I know. If you’re anything like me, libraries are ALL about the books. We love them, savor them, breathe them. But books are losing popularity, markets are changing, and other services are in high demand. Our library is about DVDs. Then free computer usage. Many cardholders have never checked out a book. I know.

2. Libraries are not quiet anymore.

Cell phones are allowed. And we can’t do the infamous librarian “shhhh” unless we can hear your entire conversation more than three aisles away. Groups gather at our tables for projects, homeowners association meetings, and tutoring sessions. (Including a tutor who uses a ticking metronome!) I once had to politely banish a group of gabbing Girl Scout troop leaders to a far corner because they were yapping like a group of sugared-up Brownies. The building is filled with a constant hum.

3. Very few “real” librarians actually work at the library.

Patrons call me a librarian every day. I rather like the title, but alas, I am only a lowly library clerk. Chances are, most staff members at your library are as well. We do most of the same things as a librarian: answer questions, plan and carry out programming, help with research, handle library accounts, and SO MUCH more, but we don’t have that MLS degree. Or maybe we do, but the official position (one per branch, often only a few per county!) is not open. And we work for half the pay. Which is a key factor because…

4. Libraries are as underfunded as schools.

This shouldn’t be a surprise. Library funds come from county taxation. Property taxes took a nose dive, which means funds evaporated. Plus fewer residents think they “need” libraries, so the percentage of taxes libraries receive keeps dropping.

5. Some people who work at libraries have no passion for books. None.

I’ll admit—this one knocked my socks off. I’ve had to rationalize it like this: when I worked retail management, I sold and managed many commodities I had absolutely no interest in (like men’s suits, shoes, and underwear). Libraries work the same way. I’d say half of the staff at my branch hasn’t read a book in years. A few listen to audiobooks when they drive. It’s all about customer service and moving a commodity. Meanwhile, I want to cry with joy whenever a patron asks my opinion on books, and I’ve volunteered to “show off” many of my favorite books and create displays to get these books discovered. And don’t even get me started on weeding…

6. Fiction make up a disturbingly small percentage of check-outs…and the numbers are dropping.

Entertainment DVDs make up most of our circulation: around 40%. Next comes Children’s Easy (picture) Books and CDs. Only then comes Adult Fiction and Lease books (new & best sellers) together making less than 15% of total check-outs—and those numbers are about evenly split. Think about it: ALL of the fiction books which aren’t top new releases (i.e. James Patterson, Nora Roberts and the like) make up only 7ish percent of our circulation. People don’t come to the library to check out novels. Well, some do, but not nearly enough.

7. A huge chunk of the population still has no (or very rudimentary) computer skills. And forget about having any concept of the Dewey Decimal system.

I’m guessing they don’t teach library skills in schools anymore. Or make students do research projects that require actually going to a library. Most patrons look at me as if I’ve sprouted a book from my head when I mention that books are actually organized by numbers. They don’t know how to find anything alphabetically or numerically. They can’t figure out how to type a title into the catalog and hit “search.” They just can’t grasp the concept. And our free computers (3 hours of use per day) are a huge draw in my branch’s location. So many people don’t know how to use Google. Or find their email, print, or type a message. Some don’t know how to click on a mouse. Blows my mind. And it’s not just older folks. I push our free computer classes, but so many patrons refuse to take them. How can anyone hold a job now with NO computer skills? You can’t even sign up for food stamps without some computer knowledge (which many folks don’t have, so we became part-time social workers as well).

8. So much material is “lost” because patrons never bother to check it back in.

Let’s say we look for a book—a classic like 1984 for example—that’s in high demand now due to high school summer reading lists (which I love). We may have 45 copies in the system. But that’s all the copies the library system has ever owned. Over the years many have been damaged and withdrawn. Dozens (say 75%) of the copies still show up as checked out with due dates as old as a decade. People just never check them back in and abandon the library system. And don’t even get me started on DVDs…if you want a copy of movie released more than five years ago, there might be one or two left…might be… So these thousands of people have been billed for these items, which leads to…

9. Many patrons rack up HUGE fines.

When I was a normal library patron, I’d occasionally have an overdue book. Usually only a day or two because my schedule wouldn’t allow me to drive the six miles to the branch. I’d slink up to the counter and immediately admit my books were late. Hanging my head, I’d take my wallet out and pay, apologizing the whole time. Now—no way. Patrons have $40, $60, $100+ fines on their accounts. I’ve seen a few over $200. Whole families owe hundreds because each member has racked up so much. Collection agencies are involved. People fight us. Others just shrug and walk away, never intending to pay or set foot in a library again.  And FYI: library fines are like student loans—they NEVER disappear.

10. Libraries must evolve to stay open.

Books won’t keep library door open. Door counts matter. And unfortunately, books just aren’t drawing people in. So we drum up adult programming, offer tech classes, and promote children’s crafts, movies, and science programs. We try and teach patrons about ebooks, but most patrons who come in would need hours of one-on-one help. The patrons who are computer/ebook savvy likely download everything from home, never needing to step foot in a branch. We make copies, send faxes, and act as unofficial computer tutors. We occasionally help someone discover a new author, and my heart grows six sizes each time. But we’ll find ways to draw people in, even if it has nothing to do with books because we need to find ways to keep books available to those who love them. Our future depends on it.

 

 

 

Wishing Patti Callahan Henry a very Happy Pub Day!

The Book:

Eve and Cooper Morrison are Savannah’s power couple. They’re on every artistic board and deeply involved in the community. She owns and operates a letterpress studio specializing in the handmade; he runs a digital magazine featuring all things southern gentlemen. The perfect juxtaposition of the old and the new, Eve and Cooper are the beautiful people. The lucky ones. And they have the wealth and name that comes from being part of an old Georgia family.

But things may not be as good as they seem.

Eve’s sister, Willa, is staying with the family until she gets “back on her feet.” Their daughter, Gwen, is all adolescent rebellion. And Cooper thinks Eve works too much. Still, the Morrison marriage is strong. After twenty-one years together, Eve and Cooper know each other. They count on each other. They know what to expect. But when Cooper and Willa are involved in a car accident, the questions surrounding the event bring the family close to breaking point. Sifting between the stories—what Cooper says, what Willa remembers, what the evidence indicates—Eve has to find out what really happened. And what she’s going to do about it.

The Author:

New York Times bestselling author Patti Callahan Henry has published ten novels–including one of my favorite reads of last year, AND THEN I FOUND YOU. Hailed as a fresh new voice in Southern fiction, Henry has been shortlisted for the Townsend Prize for Fiction, and nominated four different times for the Southeastern Independent Booksellers Novel of the Year.

She grew up in Philadelphia, the daughter of an Irish minister, and moved south with her family when she was 12 years old. With the idea that being a novelist was “unrealistic,” she became a pediatric nurse. Not long after having her third child, she began writing down the stories that had always been in her head. Patti wrote early in the mornings, before her children woke for the day, but it wasn’t until her daughter mentioned  that she wanted “to be a writer of books” when she grew up that Patti realized that writing was her own dream as well. She began taking writing classes at Emory University, attending weekend writers’ conferences, and educating herself about the publishing industry, rising at 4:30 AM to write. Her first book, Losing the Moon, was published in 2004.

A full-time writer, wife, and mother of three—Patti Callahan Henry lives in Mountain Brook, Alabama.

Find Patti at:  Her Website  *  Twitter  *  Facebook  * Goodreads

 

The First Line:

My eyes changed color and I didn’t even notice.

The Good Stuff:

By now we’ve all realized that in real life, there is no such thing as the “perfect” family. Chances are, even the most glamorous and stable of folks have something going on behind the facade. In THE STORIES WE TELL, Eve and Cooper live with this disparity: on the surface, everything looks fabulous. In reality, his online magazine is struggling, he’s jealous of the time Eve spends on her successful letterpress business, Fine Line, Ink., their teenage daughter teeters on the brink of full-fledged rebellion, and Eve’s free-spirited sister, Willa, is really a recovering alcoholic living in the guest house until she can piece her life back together.

The story starts strong: on a dark and stormy night, Eve is summoned to the hospital after her husband and sister are injured a car accident. Cooper escapes with only a glaring gash across his face, but Willa has suffered a traumatic brain injury. She can’t remember what happened that night, and Cooper is blaming her and her drunken antics—a story that doesn’t mesh with what either sisters believes.

But why wouldn’t Cooper be telling the truth?

The story also dips into the sketchy subject of financial infidelity. It’s a topic friends and spouses just don’t discuss, yet in these unstable times, it’s something that occurs more than we’d care to imagine. Does sneaking around the bank account destroy trust as wholly as cheating in the bedroom?

Eve and Cooper’s teenage daughter, Gwen, tugged at my gut. Each episode of acting out left me wondering how I’d handle a similar situation—and nervous considering I’ll be parenting a teen in just a few short years. I wanted to yell at Gwen and hug her all at the same time.

The details about Eve’s passion for printing and need to create added a colorful layer to the story. Though the ease of computers, many of us may dabble in graphics and design, but few of us have worked with a finicky old letterpress, hunted through junk shops for antique font sets, or spend hours pondering the differences in the feel of fine papers. I love the premise of the Ten Good Ideas card line—ten commandments for really living, like “be kind” and “search for the true” instead of ten rules threatening you should not do. These rules for living not only exemplified Eve and Willa’s values, but grew from their desire to be good to each other and in life—and made for a highly successful card line.

Patti weaves music throughout the story, and I have to admit—she (or should I say “Eve”) has great taste. Songs provide an escape for Eve, act as a precursor of moods, and evoke just the right feelings in the reader—if they’re familiar with the lyrics. But who doesn’t cinch up a bit inside or feel transported to a hazy memory when they hear “Landslide” — be it the Dixie Chicks or Fleetwood Mac version?

It just so happened that my ARC of THE STORIES WE TELL tagged along with me to the Jack Johnson concert in Saint Augustine last month. (I don’t go anywhere without a book.) Imagine my surprise when a day or so later I read about Eve listening one of my favorite J.J. songs, “Flake.”   I dropped the book. The book had just seen that song live! Talk about good karma.

Recommendation:

Buy it. Lovely writing, relatable characters, and a plot that will keep you reading until you discover the truth. Toss it in you beach bag (or summer concert bag!). Though the novel delves into some serious issues, it’s actually a relatively light read. At 272 pages, it’s perfect for a weekend away—one of the reasons it’s topping summer reading lists. It would be an excellent summer selection for book clubs as well—plenty of meaty, relevant topics to discuss, but short enough to fit in during the often hectic time of year.

 

The Details:
The Stories We Tell by Patti Callahan Henry
Release Date: June 24, 2014
Print Length: 272 pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

 

 

Any other soccer/football widows out there?

Happy New Year, y’all!

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been counting down the days until I could kick that crummy 2013 out on its keister. Adios—don’t let the calender page slice you a paper cut on the way out.

A few of you may have noticed that things have been a little quiet around here. In real life, things have been anything but.  ::sniff, sniff::   Notice that intoxicating scent drifting on the January breeze? That’s the smell of change, my friends, and hopefully the winds of fortune are shifting my way.

News from my writing world: Remember a few months ago when I announced that my manuscript won the General Fiction category for the Novel Rocket Launch Pad contest?  Well, the Grand Prize announcement was December 9th. I’ll admit, I’d stopped obsessing dreaming thinking about it. No pressure, prayers, holding breath, or fingers crossed. So imagine my surprise when I opened my email that morning to discover I’d WON!  Yippee!  Someone (okay, a lovely panel of judges with exemplary taste) chose THE LAST RESORT as the Grand Prize winner! Whoo-hoo!  I’d like to give a shout out to everyone involved, and a sincere thank you to the Novel Rocket team. Your support has keep me going in this sometimes soul-skewering business. Thank you.

And thanks to them, I won’t use my 380 pages as fire pit kindling. . . just yet.

The other big news: I am officially a SAHM no more. Yes, I know I’ve been working my a$$ off for the last many years writing and editing, but most of the real world just considers that a luxurious little hobby, something I dabble in when I’m not nibbling bon bons in front of the TV.

Not only do I now have one (additional) job, but two.

If you’re going to do something, do it big, right?

The day after I was accepted to be a work-from-home contractor for a search engine company, I finally scored an interview for a library position. I’d been waiting on that call for nearly two years. (I swear, it’s easier to get into the Mafia than to score a library position.)

Several interviews, a couple of tests, and reams of paperwork later, I am officially a library employee.

Yeah. Kid in a candy store.

An exceptionally busy candy story—my library branch looks like Honeydukes swarmed by a horde of Hogwarts’s students jonesing for a new flavor of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans on a daily basis—but books are my passion, and now I have the privilege of being surrounded by them every day.  (And shelving them, checking them in/out, fixing them, organizing them, recommending them…)

And then there was the whole holiday thing going on—life is never hectic at that time of year anyway, right?

So I have some major changes going on around here.  My family must adapt to me working outside the home. We must shift homework duties, household responsibilities, and figure out what to do with the dear kiddo on days when our schedules conflict. I must accept that I’ll have less time with my family and adapt to having fewer opportunities to flex my writing muscles. My husband must familiarize himself with the kitchen once again.

But change is good. In fact, that will be my theme, my word for the year: change. I’ll strive to embrace change, enjoy change, thrive with change. . . for a change.

Don’t worry my friends, I’ll still be around. I’ll still be sending my (now Grand Prize Winning) manuscript out to agents. I’ll still write and blog. I might shift my focus a bit.  I’m not sure. Change is in the air, and I’m going to suck it in with deep, cleansing yoga breaths.

I hope you’ll stick around for my journey.

May the new year brings you and your loved ones change for the good!

Happy 2014 y’all!

photo credit: WanderingtheWorld (www.ChrisFord.com) via photopin cc

 

My kid can’t watch prime time TV. Maybe Too Cute on Animal Planet or something from one of the *Kids Only* channels, but any current sitcoms or dramas on mainstream channels—not happening. The sex, gore, and violence is just too much for a 10-year-old to handle. The modern shows make me long for the Can’t Miss TV, for family sitcoms that drew all-ages to the screen, for simpler times when the entire family could gather around the living room TV and watch together. We didn’t have many channels to chose from, and we were spoiled if we even had cable (ooohh, HBO!), so programs seemed much more kid-centered.

It might be my fuzzy memory, but it seems like when I was a kid in the 80s, every night there were shows the entire family could indulge in. As I skipped down TV memory lane, I came up with far more than ten.

Do you remember any of these 80s family classics?

 

1. The Cosby Show

How could any 80s kid not love the Cosbys? They were the perfect upper-middle class family we all wanted to join. Mom was a lawyer, dad a doctor, and none of the kids were perfect. Now I realize I should have taken notes on how Claire dressed down her kids so efficiently. And when dad Cliff went at it, we all laughed.  Remember the funeral for Rudy’s goldfish? How about Cliff’s sweaters? Pure 80s gold.

And don’t forget the spin-off, Denise goes to college, a.k.a. A Different World

2. The Facts of Life

For some reason, I was obsessed with the idea of going away to boarding school. (I blame it on The Girls of Canby Hall books.) I wanted their independence. I wanted their friendship. I wanted to smack the spoiled Blair and hang out with cool tomboy Jo. I wanted my own Mrs. Garrett. And I wanted George the handyman (Hello young George Clooney…)

3. Family Ties

Hippie parents, kind of square kids, and sibling ribbing that made you laugh. Alex P. Keaton made Michael J. Fox a household name before Back to the Future, and he’s still going strong.

4. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire

This show came out in 1990, but close enough. This is when we all fell in love with Will Smith, and he proved that rap/hip-hop didn’t have to be nasty. Do you have the theme song in your head yet?

5. Blossom

Did you realize that Blossom was modeled after a modern-day Holden Caufield? Neither did I back then (I had a few years before I fell in love with Catcher in the Rye) but I loved Blossom for her funky wardrobe, free dancing, and fast-talking friend Six. Oh, and I wanted Joey Lawrence for an older brother. Thrilled to see Mayim Bialik on Big Bang Theory now. Thrilled.

6. Silver Spoons

He was the little rich boy all little girls swooned over. I’m pretty sure my Barbies to dated him (when she wasn’t with Ricky Martin, who was then in the boy band Menudo). We wanted to hang with Ricky and Alphonso in their mansion so full of arcade games and toys it must have been the original Man Cave. We mooned over his heartbreak as Mr. Mister sang Broken Wings and wished we were there to comfort him.

 7. Different Strokes

“What’chu talkin‘ ‘bout, Willis? ‘Nuff said.

8. Full House

Who imagined that baby Michelle would grow into the uber-rich Olson twins?

9. The Wonder Years

Kevin and Winnie and the curse of being “just friends.” Totally got it then.

 

10. Who’s The Boss
Because every career girl needs a live-in male housekeeper right? Tony Danza played one of the original Mannys, and his daughter on the show, Alyssa Milano, was super cool—to an 8-year-old.

But wait—ten show just barely puts a dent in all of the fun shows I remember from childhood. How about:

Growing Pains

Kirk Cameron’s poster graced many girl’s walls back in the day. Now when I see this box I only see Robin Thicke’s dad. ::shivers::

 Doogie Howser, M.D.

 

 

 

 

Neil Patrick Harris as a boy-genius was cute back then, too.

 

Punky Brewster

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So, she looked a little like Rainbow Brite. . . Actually, I think her style is back IN style.

My Two Dads

My Sister Sam

 

 

 

 

 

Charles in Charge

Webster

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. Belvedere

ALF

Head of the Class

 

 

 

 

Gimme a Break

Dukes of Hazard

Okay, not the best example of classic TV, but we all watched it loved it as kids. If you were a true 80s kid you must have had a die-cast General Lee car or Daisy Duke Underoos. What were we thinking?

 

21 Jump Street

Teen drama. Hello Johnny Depp. Still swooning.

What shows have is missed? Which shows do you miss the most? Any you want to buy on DVD to show your kids?

My heart is racing this morning. Not just a little I’m-nervous-about-riding-this-roller-coaster-pitter-patter, but a holy-crap-I-just-ran-a-10k-and-I’m-about-to-keel over beat. You see, there’s this game called Pitch Madness. During a strict 24-hour window, aspiring novelists on the hunt for agents submit their 35-word pitch and the first 250 words of their completed manuscript. Several rounds of slush pile readers whittle down the entries (hundreds? thousands?) to the top 60 and post the winners on their blogs.

The winners were posted at 8 a.m. sharp this morning. Though I tried to ignore my anxiety and the #PitchMaddness twitter feed craze, I still woke at six counting down the minutes until the big reveal. I wouldn’t be one. I can’t get my hopes up. Need to brace myself for the months and years of rejection this writing business is bound to dish me like my heart carved and served on a platter.

At 8 a.m. I peeked at the first blog (who’d hinted on twitter she’d picked a women’s fiction entry). Not me. Damn. Checked the second. And the third. Tons of YA, dystopian, magical realism. None of me. Double damn. Figured I might as well check the last one, just in case. My heart felt like it dangled  in a noose.

There I was. Lucky #13. Hot damn.

So, it’s two hours later, and I’m about to down a blood pressure pill to stop the racing. Next week, agents—real agents, some who are on my short list to query—will compete for manuscript requests. Holy crap on a stick. I have some work to do—never know, I might be one of the lucky ones.

This month I’ve dedicated myself to preparing perfecting my submission package (pitch, query letter, 3 different synopsis, and a manuscript polished brighter than spit-shined patent leather pumps). I just started an online class—Submissions that Sell—and I need to hop on the fast track. I need all that knowledge and critique now—no, last week. And it all needs to be squeezed in during a crazy month overflowing with back to school schedules, concerts, trips, conferences, and chaos. But there’s never a “right” time, right?

Reading through the other entries I felt overwhelmed by the amount of talent out there. Some of those first lines snagged me, and I can only assume they will be like a wriggling, juicy, scrumptious bait worm to the agents playing for requests. I wish all the other hungry writers all the luck in the world. I’ve set my hook. Let’s hope my work is strong enough to reel someone in.

And the clock ticks down until Tuesday when the games begin.

 Check out my entry here on FizzyGirl.com. (Click on THE LAST RESORT #13!)

Thanks to all of the generous bloggers, writers, slush pile readers, and agents participating in this creative melee of Pitch Madness. Y’all rock!