Bye-bye, Authonomy. I'll be taking down my books and deleting my Authonomy account. It's getting a bit ridiculous over there. Maybe after a bit, it will settle down again and regain some semblance of order, but I can't wait around for that. I keep getting distracted by all the petty arguments - some shocking, some hilarious - in the forums, the begging for backings, the spam messages. I did meet some awesome people there, and got some good feedback, but I think it's run its course for me. I have to focus on other things. My life, for instance haha. And writing. Editing. Submitting.
So my last sort of cryptic post was about me looking for a new job. I was thisclose, but the job fell through. I'm looking to cut back to a part time job to make more time for writing. I had something lined up, a part time assistant manager position, but then the store manager stepped down a week after interviewing me and took the position herself. Go figure. So I'm still looking. Meanwhile, I'm still doing the 40 hour a week gig and trying to fit in the writing stuff around that.
I had my first short story published in Divine Dirt Quarterly a few months ago, and I have a poem forthcoming with them. I also finished an erotic short story that I'll be submitting this weekend to Oysters&Chocolate for their print anthology. Keep your fingers crossed for me on that one. I also have another short story I want to polish and find the right venue for, plus a couple ideas for more erotic short stories. Hopefully I can acquire some more publishing credits to put in my query letters, once I start querying again. Sorry's Not Enough is simmering on the back burner, awaiting some major revisions. I want to up the pace on Confessions of a Non-Believer and get that finished and out to agents. Then I can delve right into my erotica series.
It's time to focus. Quitting Authonomy cold-turkey is the first of many steps to do that.
Showing posts with label Authonomy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Authonomy. Show all posts
12 March 2010
06 June 2009
Aspiring Author Profile: ME!
So I'm rounding up some aspiring authors to profile in the coming weeks, but I figured it wouldn't be fair to them if I didn't also participate. So here's my questionnaire:
Name: J. Lea Lopez, not to be confused with a much more famous J.Lo, whose middle name happens to be Lynn
Age…ish?: 26
Location: Pennsylvania, US
Genre(s) you write: Women’s fiction, Erotica
Books/Authors you love: Dean Koontz. Absolutely anything by that man. Some recent books I’ve read that became instant favorites are The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, by Mark Haddon, and Wetlands by Charlotte Roche.
How long have you been writing? My memory’s pretty hazy before middle school anyway, but that’s about when I can recall writing down stories. In secret, of course, because I always based them on real people I had crushes on at the time. Like my seventh-grade math teacher. No joke. They were really cheesy and bad, but that need to tell stories (I now make up fictional characters, thank you very much!) has never left me.
Do you have any professional/industry experience as a writer? Nope. Wouldn’t mind getting some, though.
Had anything published? Not unless you count my high school lit magazine, or that joke of a site poetry.com. They publish anything.
Agent status (please X all that apply)
[X] Need one
[X] Want one. Desperately. Want. One.
[ ] Got one
[ ] We’re “talking”
[ ] I’m cyberstalking him/her, but so far they have yet to respond to my inappropriate sexual advances…. Erm, I mean, my query letter.
[ ] Agent? Who needs an agent?
Either/Or when you write:
Pen and paper, or computer screen? Definitely pen and paper.
Plotster (outlines, scene cards, etc.) or Pantster (writing by the seat of your pants)? Major pantster. I get a hint of the plotster sometimes, but it’s usually overrun by the ADD tendencies of my pantster self.
Music on, or off? On, most of the time.
Solitude, or surrounded by people, sounds, things? Each has its benefits. I do enjoy my quiet, solitary writing time, though.
Cleanest first draft possible, or screw grammar/spelling/punctuation and fix it later? Cleanest possible. I think things over so long before I ever even write a word, I guess that’s why it takes me so long to actually get a chapter written sometimes.
Slave to the whimsy of your muse, or writing like it’s your job, even when you don’t feel like it? Total slave. Like whips and chains, it’s that serious. I get extremely frustrated when I’m inspired with a great idea and “real life” gets in the way of me sitting down and writing. And I don’t always have the self-control to make myself churn out a couple pages every day. My muse likes to jerk me around.
Do you have a certain place/time of day/writing implement/obsessive ritual/etc. that is crucial to your writing process? I like to write in black pen. Even red pen sometimes. But blue irritates me. I don’t like using blue pen unless I have nothing else.
Where do you get your inspiration? It just comes to me out of nowhere. I might see/hear/experience one tiny little thing, then my brain immediately shoots off into what-if land, and before I know it, a story is born. For example, Sorry’s Not Enough was borne out of the idea of ‘when might a student-teacher relationship not be so inappropriate?’ and it’s evolved into so much more. That student-teacher aspect is just a small part of the picture now.
What one thing do you really love about your own writing? I don’t know. I like the feeling I get when I sit down to do some editing, and before I know it I’ve forgotten the editing part and just read 30 pages for the pleasure of it. That’s pretty special. But I don’t know what it is about my writing, necessarily, that I like. People compliment my dialogue. And my sex scenes haha. So I guess I like those. But that’s two things. Whatever, it’s my survey anyway.
What one thing do you wish you could do better? Dialogue. Doesn’t matter how many people compliment it, I’m still my worst critic.
Anything else you want to say? Fish tacos. That’s what’s for dinner. Soon as I make them.
Anything for us to read? Aww, you want more? Haven’t you read enough? Well let me see what I can dig up for you….
This is from Chapter 14 of Sorry's Not Enough:
Name: J. Lea Lopez, not to be confused with a much more famous J.Lo, whose middle name happens to be Lynn
Age…ish?: 26
Location: Pennsylvania, US
Genre(s) you write: Women’s fiction, Erotica
Books/Authors you love: Dean Koontz. Absolutely anything by that man. Some recent books I’ve read that became instant favorites are The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, by Mark Haddon, and Wetlands by Charlotte Roche.
How long have you been writing? My memory’s pretty hazy before middle school anyway, but that’s about when I can recall writing down stories. In secret, of course, because I always based them on real people I had crushes on at the time. Like my seventh-grade math teacher. No joke. They were really cheesy and bad, but that need to tell stories (I now make up fictional characters, thank you very much!) has never left me.
Do you have any professional/industry experience as a writer? Nope. Wouldn’t mind getting some, though.
Had anything published? Not unless you count my high school lit magazine, or that joke of a site poetry.com. They publish anything.
Agent status (please X all that apply)
[X] Need one
[X] Want one. Desperately. Want. One.
[ ] Got one
[ ] We’re “talking”
[ ] I’m cyberstalking him/her, but so far they have yet to respond to my inappropriate sexual advances…. Erm, I mean, my query letter.
[ ] Agent? Who needs an agent?
Either/Or when you write:
Pen and paper, or computer screen? Definitely pen and paper.
Plotster (outlines, scene cards, etc.) or Pantster (writing by the seat of your pants)? Major pantster. I get a hint of the plotster sometimes, but it’s usually overrun by the ADD tendencies of my pantster self.
Music on, or off? On, most of the time.
Solitude, or surrounded by people, sounds, things? Each has its benefits. I do enjoy my quiet, solitary writing time, though.
Cleanest first draft possible, or screw grammar/spelling/punctuation and fix it later? Cleanest possible. I think things over so long before I ever even write a word, I guess that’s why it takes me so long to actually get a chapter written sometimes.
Slave to the whimsy of your muse, or writing like it’s your job, even when you don’t feel like it? Total slave. Like whips and chains, it’s that serious. I get extremely frustrated when I’m inspired with a great idea and “real life” gets in the way of me sitting down and writing. And I don’t always have the self-control to make myself churn out a couple pages every day. My muse likes to jerk me around.
Do you have a certain place/time of day/writing implement/obsessive ritual/etc. that is crucial to your writing process? I like to write in black pen. Even red pen sometimes. But blue irritates me. I don’t like using blue pen unless I have nothing else.
Where do you get your inspiration? It just comes to me out of nowhere. I might see/hear/experience one tiny little thing, then my brain immediately shoots off into what-if land, and before I know it, a story is born. For example, Sorry’s Not Enough was borne out of the idea of ‘when might a student-teacher relationship not be so inappropriate?’ and it’s evolved into so much more. That student-teacher aspect is just a small part of the picture now.
What one thing do you really love about your own writing? I don’t know. I like the feeling I get when I sit down to do some editing, and before I know it I’ve forgotten the editing part and just read 30 pages for the pleasure of it. That’s pretty special. But I don’t know what it is about my writing, necessarily, that I like. People compliment my dialogue. And my sex scenes haha. So I guess I like those. But that’s two things. Whatever, it’s my survey anyway.
What one thing do you wish you could do better? Dialogue. Doesn’t matter how many people compliment it, I’m still my worst critic.
Anything else you want to say? Fish tacos. That’s what’s for dinner. Soon as I make them.
Anything for us to read? Aww, you want more? Haven’t you read enough? Well let me see what I can dig up for you….
This is from Chapter 14 of Sorry's Not Enough:
“So are you and this John guy serious now?”Want to know how they got here, and what happens next? You can read Sorry's Not Enough on Authonomy.
The answer to his question was a resounding no. She definitely wasn’t interested in anything serious. Not with John.
“It’s not a big deal.”
“You might want to tell him that.”
Charlotte smiled. This was a new side of him. It was strangely flattering to know he was jealous, even if he wouldn’t admit it.
“If I know anything about 17-year old boys, let me tell you that he’s looking for something definitely more serious than you are.”
“He’s 18 already.” His birthday was in September.
“An older guy, huh?”
“Yeah, I seem to like the older ones,” she said.
They locked eyes.
“Do you?”
“Didn’t you know?”
His eyes glinted. “I might have guessed.”
She wanted to tell him that the way he made her feel just by looking at her like that was a thousand times more remarkable than anything she ever hoped to get from John. Her smile faltered when she remembered what she was supposed to be talking to him about.
“Is there anything I can do about my grade?” she asked abruptly, making sure her voice wasn’t nearly as soft or teasing as it sounded to her a moment ago.
“I’m glad you’re thinking about that. I don’t know what’s been going on the past few weeks, but your work isn’t meeting the expectations I have for you. Not in the least.”
She hated that authoritative tone and the way his eyebrows arched slightly, his concern almost parental.
“Can I rewrite it?”
“I’m sorry, but no. The requirements for the assignment were clearly spelled out, and you had plenty of time to do it right. Your overall average is a low B right now, but there’s no reason you can’t pull it up by the end of the year.”
“I know I screwed up, okay? Isn’t there anything I can do about it?”
“You can do better next time. There will be plenty of assignments between now and the end of the school year to balance that one grade. If you were in danger of failing, I’d be willing to discuss extra credit, but you’re not.”
“Fine.” Charlotte stood up and stacked her books. She was already ten minutes late for Chemistry.
“I don’t know what more you want from me. I can’t have a special set of rules just for you and not the rest of the class.”
“I’m not asking for a better grade in exchange for sexual favors, I just want to rewrite the damn thing!”
He jumped out of his chair and hurried to close the classroom door. He turned to her, his face flushed red.
“What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to get me fired?”
“No, I— I wasn’t trying—” It was just a stupid joke. He was supposed to laugh, to give her that knowing look like he had when they’d talked about John. She’d said it thinking of Steven, not Mr. Patria. She had to find a way to reconcile the two ideas of this same man, or she really would lose her mind.
“I shouldn’t have said it. I didn’t mean anything by it, I swear,” she said, picking up her books and trying to maneuver past him.
“Charlotte, wait.” He reached for her, sliding his hand all the way around to the small of her back.
It was much too intimate a gesture, and she reacted much too boldly, stepping into him so that the only thing between them was her armful of textbooks. Reaching behind with her free hand, she found the doorknob and clicked the button lock with her thumb.
“We can’t do this,” he said, but he made no move to walk away. She’d never wanted him more than she did in that instant when his hesitation proved to her that, though he was unattainable, he was not unwilling......
02 March 2009
How Can You Be Mad at This Face?
This is one of the reasons I haven't gotten around to the blog recently! C'mon, look at those adorable little Mini Dachshund eyes! You can't be mad at me now, can you? A friend of mine rescued her from a neglectful home and now she's our little baby. She's a bit needy at times, wanting always to be with you, to be touching you, licking your face, sitting on your lap. But I can't refuse that little face. Just. Can't. Do. It. So computer time has been challenging, especially since she always wants to be sitting on my lap, and when my hand strays for too long to type or move the mouse, she fusses. She's getting better though.
Still, I can't believe how long it's been since my last entry! I've gotten some writing done with Confessions. Not a lot, but some. Still some revisions and polishing going on with Sorry's Not Enough. The erotica novel is basically on hold right now. Just not enough time in the day! I do want to get the corresponding blog up and running though. I've set up the address, now I need to get some posts done and set them to publish at future dates so I don't have to worry about it. I'm hoping to get some decent attention (and potential fans) with that blog, before the manuscript's even ready for an agent. Can you imagine if I could go to an agent with the completed ms, a blog, and a built-in readership ready to go? That would be awesome.
Meanwhile, real life is happening. The day job is sucking me dry, but paying the bills. I've started writing on HubPages, though I don't have too many articles just yet. And I signed up for oDesk, but I haven't yet downloaded the software or bid on any jobs. Should probably get off this dial-up and onto something a little more high speed so I can be more efficient while I'm online. It takes me 20 minutes to get online and pay my phone bill for crying out loud. I don't think anyone wants to pay me to work on my slow internet connection for their freelance writing jobs.
I'm still doing the Authonomy thing, too. It's getting frustrating because Sorry's Not Enough is stagnating in the charts and playing the 'game' can get old really fast. I'm hanging in there, though, hoping to get some good feedback I can use to improve. So that's the update for now. Hopefully the next one won't take me a month. And maybe I'll have some more adorable doggie pics!
08 December 2008
The Good, The Bad, and The Who Cares??
I can't seem to get above a once-a-month frequency in my posts lately. :-) But here I am again. Let's start with
The Bad - Cancer and Bankruptcy!
Yes, cancer. Not me, thank goodness, but in my family. Found out the Sunday before Thanksgiving, and it's been a tough couple weeks since then. Literally the day after this diagnosis, I found out the company I work for had filed for bankruptcy. Jobless by New Year's! Fabulous.
The Good - Luck and Writing!
I caught a lucky break and just happened to be in the store last week when another store manager came by saying she needed to hire an Assistant. I filled out the application and handed her my resume that afternoon, interviewed that evening, and again two days later with the District Manager. Now I'm just waiting on all the background and reference checks and hopefully I'll have an offer this week!
Also, although I haven't been writing much the past two weeks, I HAVE started my erotica novel! I've got a couple chapters down, a basic plot (which is what I was struggling with to begin with) and I'm having tons of fun with it. To Call Home is still at a bit of a stalemate on Authonomy (ranked 169) but I haven't been plugging it much. However, I've reached the #7 Talent Spotter ranking! It's pretty cool. Hopefully if I can crack the top 5 in that and get my face on the homepage, then I'll get a few more readers.
The Who Cares?? - Naysayers!
Continuing with the topic of writing, Nathan Bransford blogged about Authonomy! I'm not saying 'who cares' to Nathan and his blog, of course! I don't get to it terribly often, but I really enjoy his blog. The 'who cares' is for some of the ridiculous commenters on that post. People who've never even used Authonomy bashing it, people bashing it because they didn't have the success they seemed to think they deserved, or because they weren't comfortable with the "game" aspect of it. Of course it's big on shameless self-promotion, but isn't querying the same thing? By simply sending your query to agents, aren't you essentially saying "read me! publish me! i'm fabulous!" ? Authonomy is no different. The comments on Nathan's blog were mixed good and bad - a few of us Authonomites managed to get in some good words. But overall.... if you don't like it, that's fine. No reason to call the rest of us who DO spend time there silly, and our writing trash. Just hush and get on with your life and we'll do the same.
The Bad - Cancer and Bankruptcy!
Yes, cancer. Not me, thank goodness, but in my family. Found out the Sunday before Thanksgiving, and it's been a tough couple weeks since then. Literally the day after this diagnosis, I found out the company I work for had filed for bankruptcy. Jobless by New Year's! Fabulous.
The Good - Luck and Writing!
I caught a lucky break and just happened to be in the store last week when another store manager came by saying she needed to hire an Assistant. I filled out the application and handed her my resume that afternoon, interviewed that evening, and again two days later with the District Manager. Now I'm just waiting on all the background and reference checks and hopefully I'll have an offer this week!
Also, although I haven't been writing much the past two weeks, I HAVE started my erotica novel! I've got a couple chapters down, a basic plot (which is what I was struggling with to begin with) and I'm having tons of fun with it. To Call Home is still at a bit of a stalemate on Authonomy (ranked 169) but I haven't been plugging it much. However, I've reached the #7 Talent Spotter ranking! It's pretty cool. Hopefully if I can crack the top 5 in that and get my face on the homepage, then I'll get a few more readers.
The Who Cares?? - Naysayers!
Continuing with the topic of writing, Nathan Bransford blogged about Authonomy! I'm not saying 'who cares' to Nathan and his blog, of course! I don't get to it terribly often, but I really enjoy his blog. The 'who cares' is for some of the ridiculous commenters on that post. People who've never even used Authonomy bashing it, people bashing it because they didn't have the success they seemed to think they deserved, or because they weren't comfortable with the "game" aspect of it. Of course it's big on shameless self-promotion, but isn't querying the same thing? By simply sending your query to agents, aren't you essentially saying "read me! publish me! i'm fabulous!" ? Authonomy is no different. The comments on Nathan's blog were mixed good and bad - a few of us Authonomites managed to get in some good words. But overall.... if you don't like it, that's fine. No reason to call the rest of us who DO spend time there silly, and our writing trash. Just hush and get on with your life and we'll do the same.
11 October 2008
Charlotte, Confessions, and Disney World
My my my! It's been quite a while since my last post. To Call Home is complete, as I already told you. I've compiled a list of agents to query. I've got a query letter ready. I went to Disney World last week on vacation, and now that I'm back, I'll be sending out my first query this week! I'm so excited to get my first rejection haha. I hope I get more than a bunch of rejections, of course, but I'm realistic. It takes better writers than me lots of time and lots of query letters to land an agent and a deal, so I'm hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.
During the two-hour plane ride to Orlando, I actually got a little bit of writing done on Confessions of a Non-Believer. But even as I'm writing that one, I'm bombarded by scene ideas for my erotica novel, which as of yet has almost no plot, no working title, no nothing except a main character named Marisol. But still, I'm even thinking Marisol's story could turn into a series. Me, write an erotica series? haha. Never thought I'd be able to say that with a straight face.
I think I might start writing the erotica one even as I'm working on Confessions. I found that hard to do while finishing up To Call Home, but I think that was more to do with the fact that one is third person POV, past tense, and the other is first person POV, present tense (why, why, why am I writing first-person present when I've heard so many times that agents hate it??? haha). But Confessions and Marisol's story will both be first person, one present and one past tense. I think I can do it without too much difficulty. Besides, Marisol won't quit giving me crazy ideas about who she wants to sleep with and where.....
But anyway, for your reading pleasure, To Call Home is posted on Authonomy in its entirety. Confessions of a Non-Believer is still in progress, obviously, but the first 5 chapters are also on Authonomy. Search for them by title, or search for me as J. Lea Lopez or live2write.
During the two-hour plane ride to Orlando, I actually got a little bit of writing done on Confessions of a Non-Believer. But even as I'm writing that one, I'm bombarded by scene ideas for my erotica novel, which as of yet has almost no plot, no working title, no nothing except a main character named Marisol. But still, I'm even thinking Marisol's story could turn into a series. Me, write an erotica series? haha. Never thought I'd be able to say that with a straight face.
I think I might start writing the erotica one even as I'm working on Confessions. I found that hard to do while finishing up To Call Home, but I think that was more to do with the fact that one is third person POV, past tense, and the other is first person POV, present tense (why, why, why am I writing first-person present when I've heard so many times that agents hate it??? haha). But Confessions and Marisol's story will both be first person, one present and one past tense. I think I can do it without too much difficulty. Besides, Marisol won't quit giving me crazy ideas about who she wants to sleep with and where.....
But anyway, for your reading pleasure, To Call Home is posted on Authonomy in its entirety. Confessions of a Non-Believer is still in progress, obviously, but the first 5 chapters are also on Authonomy. Search for them by title, or search for me as J. Lea Lopez or live2write.
04 September 2008
Good Times!
So I had a fabulous writing day today! I finally got past the end of a scene that had me stuck for a while. I don't even know why. I knew exactly what had to happen, but for some reason I just couldn't write it. But now it's written. That, and the scene right after it. And the whole chapter after that! I'm getting so close I can taste it now.... I think I may be able to meet my September 15th deadline after all! It all seems to be falling into place.
PLUS, Authonomy is now live! That means that all of you - all four of you who read my blog - need to go over there, sign up, and search for my novel To Call Home. Then add it to your bookshelf! C'mon..... do it for me. Pretty please?
I'm excited to see how things change or work out now that there will be an influx of new readers and/or writers. We'll see.
PLUS, Authonomy is now live! That means that all of you - all four of you who read my blog - need to go over there, sign up, and search for my novel To Call Home. Then add it to your bookshelf! C'mon..... do it for me. Pretty please?
I'm excited to see how things change or work out now that there will be an influx of new readers and/or writers. We'll see.
05 June 2008
Authonomy
Don't know why it's taken me so long to get around to this post, but here it finally is! I've found a great new resource called Authonomy. It's run by HarperCollins publishers and it's very cool! As an author, you can post as much or as little of your novel as you want. In order for others to be able to read your book, however, you have to have at least 10,000 words. This helps ensure that only serious authors post. If you've got 10k words, chances are you're pretty serious about writing and publishing. You can also post more than one novel if you want to. Other members read as much or as little of your book as they want, and then offer comments! You can read and comment on other people's books, too. Sounds cool, right? There's even more.
When you find something you like, you can add it to your watchlist. Or you can "back the book" by placing it on your virtual bookshelf. You have a limited number of spaces on your bookshelf, and other members can see which titles you put there, so this is a way for you to point out the best and the brightest, so to speak. And just imagine if lots of people put your title on their bookshelf! How awesome would that be?
And the interface is pretty rockin' too. When you want to read someone else's book, you don't have to clutter your hard drive with downloaded files or worry whether someone else is using the same word processing software you are. Once members upload their chapters to the Authonomy site, everything appears within the webpage! Simple as that.
Now, not to burst your bubble or anything, but Authonomy is only in its beta release. Membership is by invitation only. If you put your email in on the website, you can hopefully get a beta invite of your own soon enough! I'm SO glad I accepted my invitation because I've gotten several positive comments about my first nine chapters so far! I'm waiting to polish up a few more before I post those also. I definitely recommend this site to any serious writer looking to market themselves and their writing.
Now don't worry, Agent Query, I'm not leaving you! AQ and Authonomy are very different resources, and I love both for the different things they offer.
When you find something you like, you can add it to your watchlist. Or you can "back the book" by placing it on your virtual bookshelf. You have a limited number of spaces on your bookshelf, and other members can see which titles you put there, so this is a way for you to point out the best and the brightest, so to speak. And just imagine if lots of people put your title on their bookshelf! How awesome would that be?
And the interface is pretty rockin' too. When you want to read someone else's book, you don't have to clutter your hard drive with downloaded files or worry whether someone else is using the same word processing software you are. Once members upload their chapters to the Authonomy site, everything appears within the webpage! Simple as that.
Now, not to burst your bubble or anything, but Authonomy is only in its beta release. Membership is by invitation only. If you put your email in on the website, you can hopefully get a beta invite of your own soon enough! I'm SO glad I accepted my invitation because I've gotten several positive comments about my first nine chapters so far! I'm waiting to polish up a few more before I post those also. I definitely recommend this site to any serious writer looking to market themselves and their writing.
Now don't worry, Agent Query, I'm not leaving you! AQ and Authonomy are very different resources, and I love both for the different things they offer.
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