Being Thankful & Why I Have An Agent

I haven't posted often lately because I've been so busy.  I'm thankful for it . . . but it does mean that sometimes I cannot get around to doing all the things I'd like to.  

So far in 2010, I've published one novel, one novella, two stand-alone short stories, and have had three other short stories in anthologies.  I also have one more stand-alone before the end of the year (my m/m Christmas short due out Dec. 2 through Silver Publishing called "For the Love of Scrooge."  I am so thankful to be published, I can hardly express.  This has been a dream come true and I am so lucky that the dream keeps repeated itself.  

I am also thankful for the people I have in my life.  My husband (who supports the crazies writing sometimes give me), my kids (who don't know what I write yet other than me saying "no you can't read it, it's only for grown ups -- but will know one day), my family, my friends.

I was fortunate this year to also have another special person enter my life.  My agent.  Saritza Hernandez with the L. Perkins Agency.  

I wanted to take this opportunity to recognize how very thankful I am for Saritza and answer a question I've been asked frequently lately:  Why do you have an e-agent?

The short answer is that I believe there are many benefits to having an agent even in the current e-pub world that does not necessarily require it in the same way that the print world does.

The long answer is, and in no particular order:

(1)         My personal preference is that Saritza takes care of all the business side of things for me.  I have a busy and stressful day job . . . so I prefer not to worry about the querying process, contracts, etc.  I do write the query synopses, and other required synopses and outlines, and look over contracts.  But the meat and bones of it Saritza handles.  That is one of the primary benefits for me.  I asked her (and she agreed) to represent all my work so that I don't have to worry about it.  She takes care of everything for me.  This may or may not be a plus for someone that writes romance for a living and has much more time to devote to all sides of the process, but for me it is invaluable!

(2)         Having an agent even though not required may be advantage with regard to relationships the agent (Saritza) has built up with editors and publishers.  So, for example, a story submitted by an agent may get noticed quicker, read quicker, or pushed to the top of a submission pile or any other number of benefits.

(3)         Saritza from my experience is an "editorial" agent.  So, she will help with editing and almost act as a beta reader too.  Give me suggestions if something isn't quite working in my story (and find typos, grammar mistakes, etc).  If she finds anything, she'll let me know before she subs it to give me the opportunity to fix anything and (hopefully) make my story better.  I’ve been writing for a living in my day job for many years now and no matter how many times I proofread and edit something, I always find mistakes. I am thankful for another pair of eyes (because you can never have too many).

(4)         I truly believe that e-publishing is going to continue growing and is the future.  It may take a while, but because if this core belief (which e-sales confirm), I also believe that one day (again maybe not in the next year or so, but some day) the rule like the one Samhain has will be the norm.  At Samhain, agented submissions are not required.  However, if the publisher is ever temporarily closed to submissions, having an agent is one of the only ways to get in see Samhain's FAQs. 

As e-pubs continue to grow and get more submissions, they will need agents to be the gatekeepers.  And not just in times when they are closed to submissions, but all the time.  When that happens (no if, but when), e-agents will be the same position as print agents, and will be as numerous (perhaps current print agents will discover that to stay alive they must also become e-agents).  As this progresses and time passes, e-agents (like print agents now) will become more difficult to come by.  They will get many, many, many more queries than authors they are willing to accept as clients.  When that happens, I already have mine.  And, she will have loads of experience over others.  I like the idea that I'm ahead of the game for what I believe is inevitable.

(5)           It is comforting to know my agent is connected to and backed by a very long-standing and well-respected agency, L. Perkins Agency.

(6)         I like having an agent that is on the cutting edge of this e-publishing revolution.

(7)         It is wonderful to have someone in my corner, who puts my needs above all else.  Someone who values her clients and goes out of her way to cherish them, and nurture them, and respond to many emails and tweets and Facebook posts and hysteria and joys!

I can think of many more reasons, but I’ve already written so much that I could have . . . well . . . been writing.

I am thankful for much, but I am particularly thankful for my agent!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Happy Release Day!

Today is the release day of the first story I have written that combines both of my lives -- the attorney me and the writer me (not that I'm anything like the heroine in this super sexy tale)!!


Behind the Bench is now available from Breathless Press!   

Judge Stephanie Marks wants only one thing in her courtroom besides order: the powerful and irresistible defense attorney, Clayton Jennings. She would give almost anything for him to approach her bench and directly examine every wanting inch of her. 

Will fantasy alone be enough to get Judge Marks through the trial of the century, or will their desires consume them, forcing them both "out of order"?


Here's and excerpt:


It was the trial of the century for a small Texas town, population less than 40,000. A man, with the body of a forty-five-year-old and the mind of a ten-year-old, accused of assaulting his lifelong caregiver. For Judge Stephanie Marks, it would be the defining case of her career. 
And yet, as the weeks-long case came to a close, all she could think about was the ruggedly handsome defense attorney, Clayton Jennings, and what it would be like to sprawl him across her dark mahogany bench and fuck him.
Stephanie watched as Clayton's crisply ironed Caraceni slacks clung to his legs. With each step he took, the wool moved erotically over his well-toned thighs. He paced in front of the last witness, deftly peppering him with all the right questions. Stephanie stared at the charcoal stripe design, mesmerized by the way each line accentuated the curve of his cock, leaving just enough to her imagination. And her imagination had no problem filling in the blanks.


Ready for more?


Head on over and get your copy here.


Behind the Bench is the first in a series of erotic legal shorts -- stay tuned for the next!!

Tell All Tuesday!

Welcome back to another edition of Tell All Tuesday!  This is my favorite post, because I really love to learn about other authors, their inspirations, and how they write!!

Today, we have Maureen O. Betita.  Maureen’s debut novel will soon be released from Decadent Publishing.  And it has pirates!  I love pirates!!

Tell us a little about yourself, Maureen.

I’m a lifetime Californian, living in a town where the mayor once staged a protest and gave out medicinal marijuana from the courthouse steps. I love living here! I married my high school sweetheart 30 years ago, have lived all over California and presently have a home within walking distance of a bluff overlooking Monterey Bay. I’m a pirate nut, and attend pirate festivals, renaissance faires, science fiction and fantasy conventions, writer’s conferences…oh, and the husband and I like to take cruises.

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing forever, but nothing really came together until about ten years ago.

Do you write exclusively erotic romance?

To be perfectly frank, I’m not sure I write erotic romance! I write romantic adventure and sometimes it involves erotic adventures! And sometimes…okay, most of the times, it involves pirates. But sometimes it involves fairies. Or aliens. Or foxborn. Or time traveling sexual witches…with pirates. (My agents says I write erotic romance, so I let her opinion win out. She’s the professional!)

What inspires your stories?

Would you believe…pirates? And second chances. Big believer in second chances. Three years ago I suffered sudden cardiac death and only survived due to my husband’s ability to do CPR. I was writing before that, but it came into sharp focus after I was given that second chance! Everyone deserves a second chance. And of course, my fear of rejection was nothing after nearly dying.

Wow, that's amazing!

How do you choose a publisher?

Well, I have a dream print publisher. And when my agent says I’m ready, we’ll shoot for them. Why them? I chose them because so many of books I read carry their imprint. Who are your current publishers? My current publisher is Decadent Publishing. And I’m really thrilled with how involved they are and how fast they move.

What is your latest release?

My premier release is The Kraken’s Mirror…with pirates, ‘silverton’ hero and heroine, a 1690 Tortuga where modern technology works (like blenders, I believe strongly in blended drinks…) and…! Tada! A matchmaking albino kraken! Throw in a curse, waltzing vampires, a zombie infested swamp and a forest full of werewolves…

Here’s a blurb for The Kraken’s Mirror

Treated by our youth oriented society as invisible and sexless Emily Pawes attends a pirate festival to recapture the make believe magic she knew as a younger woman. She wins an interesting bit of booty at an old woman's bric-a-brac stand. The Kraken's mirror is a magical portal and transports her to a land of Hollywood piratitude, where swashbuckling heroes own iPods. With little choice, she embraces the madness, deciding she’ll play pirate until she figures out how to get home. Or wakes up in a padded cell.

Instead of men in little white coats, she encounters the handsome Captain Alan Silvestri. He is a man haunted by a strange curse. Good luck is his to command, but it comes at the cost of any place to call home or people to call family. Resigned to die shunned by all, forced to sail every three days, he begins to dream of a special woman.

When they meet, sparks fly, passion flares. He needs her to be free, but more than that, he needs her to be whole. They set sail, uncertain of who has control of the wheel, seeking to defeat his curse of good luck and discover all the Kraken’s mirror plans for them.

What is your writing process like?  How long does it take you to finish a story from beginning to end?

I write in Starbucks. Yup, with my iced venti Americano at my side…switching from e-mails, blogs, writing… I multi-task like mad. I find the chaos around me helps to silence the inner critics, those who survive being thrown to the kraken, of course. (I regularly toss the inner critics to the kraken.)

From finish to end…wow. So much depends on how well my pantsing is going. I can finish a story inside of two months…but the dangers of being a total pantser (don’t tell my muse I actually do some light plotting, he doesn’t know, so let’s keep that a secret, kay?) Where was I? Oh, revision. I like to work multiple projects at a time, so with luck I can be caffeine buzzing through a new story while revising another… While a third rests, preparing for revision. Since I’m highly unorganized, revision can take…a few more months. (My revision, not editor/agent requested revisions…those I move through at the speed of lightning.) (Really! Is my editor reading this?)

How funny! Since I started my new day job, I’ve been writing at Starbucks too.  It’s actually a great place to relax and write!!

Is writing your full-time job?  If not, how and when do you find time to write?

All I do is write. Well, and walk the dog, avoid my kitchen, ignore my garden, do the laundry when it is absolutely necessary… All that avoiding can take some time! I start my day with walking the dog, then Starbucks, then walk the dog again, head home…call the husband and ask what he’s bringing home for dinner…

Do you have other published works?  Please tell us about them!

Not yet, but I have a huge amount of writing waiting…many pirates, those aforementioned aliens, fairies, etc.

How do you market your work?

I blog like a fiend. I’m on two group blogs, Castles & Guns and The Romance Writers Revenge. Plus I have my own writing blog, called Believing in Second Chances. I’m working with my publisher on learning how to do more. Like mastering the universe of Twitter. And I’m on FaceBook. And am having my website redone.

What do you love most about writing?

Oh, telling stories. And breaking the rules. I embrace anarchy when I write. I love the freedom to totally color outside the lines with my storytelling.

Who are some of your favorite authors and books?

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. The Nightside series by Simon R. Green. Everything Charles de Lint writes. Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series… And I love mysteries! All those sweet little cozies that feature cooks, baristas, dog walkers, vintage clothing collectors… Though my first loves were Sherlock Holmes, The Adventures of Robin Hood and The Lord of the Rings.

I don’t have a book to give away but in the spirit of being a good pirate, I’ll pick something special from my treasure chest and send it along to a random commenter. Oh, and some chocolate. Just because.

And what a nice pirate you are, Maureen!  Thank you for stopping by and I wish you much success with your book.  I know I’ll be buying it!!

To learn more about Maureen, please visit her on her website, on @maureenobetita, or on one of these blogs: www.romancewritersrevenge.com (as 2^nd Chance, every Friday), www.castlesandguns.com/ (every Tuesday), and believinginsecondchances.typepad.com/ (every Sunday and Wednesday)