Giving it another go

So I sent off my short 'Arabian Nights' story to the anthology competition which closed on Sunday. I was happy enough with the story in the end, after some serious edits from two close friends, however I think it is one of the pieces I feel most critical about. I guess having so little time, I didn't really research middle eastern society in that period particularly closely and relied almost entirely on stereotypes from Aladdin and One Thousand and One Nights, which made it sound like many other stories in that genre, but perhaps not as original and genuinely 'me' as some of my other writing. Moral of the story, try and pick projects with slightly longer deadlines? Oh, and forgive yourself and keep going.

Response for Bastet

So I got a letter back from the Online Magazine about my short story Bastet which read as follows:

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Hi Beaulah,

Thank you for your ideas. We've discussed them, and after some thought,
we feel that the changes we'd want would probably clash with what you
are trying to do with this piece. I'm feeling that the story is pretty
closely tied to the concept of the Garden of Eden.

I wish you success with this story and with your writing career.

[Editor]

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*Sigh* oh well. The funny thing is, if they had told me what they wanted I would have compromised 150% for the chance to be published... which is probably why they didn't. I guess something is still to be said for artistic integrity. The important thing is that I keep going. Every experience has something to teach, and from this one, I learned that it is important to have a reason why you are doing things in your writing. 'Just cause' doesn't quite cut it unfortunately.

Duotrope

I discovered the website 'Duotrope' the other day and immediately fell in love. It has listings for so many online publications and deadlines for upcoming themed competitions etc. I think I will have a go at some of these to keep my creative juices going!!
Definitely a short story writer's best friend. I highly recommend it.

Short Story Query: Bastet

So about a week ago, I sent off a whole stack of query letters regarding a short story I had written called "Bastet" - a flash fiction post apocalyptic view of the world through the eyes of the famous egyptian cat goddess. Today, I got the following response:

Hi Beaulah,

Thank you for your submission to [Journal]. We have read your
story, "Bastet," and we like it. I'm just a little confused why the
woman is named Eve, since since that name's from a different religious
tradition than Bastet. Thoughts? Clarifications? It seemed to stick
out a bit for us.

[Editor]

*big grins* This is a step up from the responses I have recieved so far and by far the most positive feedback I have had to date. Even if they don't go with my piece in the end, I feel extremely happy with this little snippet of communication!

My response was as follows:

Hi [Editor],
That is an excellent question. In truth, it was because there was no female godess figure within the Christian religion nor famous enough female human within the Egyptian mythology to be able to consolidate. I also liked the idea that the two could coexist - would it work if I changed the 'Osiris' reference at the end to 'God' i.e. 'God could keep his humans?' Or would that be a little too challenging? I am completely open to suggestions and more than willing to work on this issue if you would like.
Thank you very much for your feedback,
Regards,
Beaulah

Dealing with a 'No'

Here is the final reply I got from the agency about a month later:

Dear Beaulah Pragg:

Thank you so much for sending the [Agency] sample pages of THE SILVER HAWK.

After a careful reading, we are sorry to say that we don't believe this project is right for our agency.

Because this business is so subjective and opinions vary widely, we recommend that you pursue other agents. After all, it just takes one "yes" to find the right match.

Good luck with all your publishing endeavors.

Sincerely,

[Agents Name]

So that's pretty much my list of email-able US agents exhausted for now. I had a talk to my muse (Tehnuka) and I am playing with the idea of turning the book into a web comic or serialized web novel... I am okay at drawing, so with a little work, maybe that is an option - it would look very cool... hehe. Other than that, I will keep working on my Authonomy rating and move on to writing other projects for a little while until inspiration strikes as to what to do with this one...

Query Letters: My first try

This is the Query Letter I sent out to 19 agents in the USA a week and a half ago:

Dear [agent's name],

I am an avid reader of your blog - Pub Rants - and I really appreciate the example query letters you post there in particular. I have noticed that several of the successful queries were in the fantasy or romance genres and I was hoping you would consider my book, the Silver Hawk. It is a story about a 'god' who must learn to love, and a girl who is much more than she seems and is an upper young adult Scifi/Fantasy novel, complete at 83,500 words. The synopsis is as follows:

A thousand years is a long time to be cataloguing souls, especially when they have the same stories to tell, over and over again. Unlike his twin sister Maat, Mikael has never found it difficult to keep an emotional distance from the human population they are studying, but with the birth of the blind princess, Juliana, Mikael finds himself unable to look away and, unexpectedly, beginning to care.

Juliana is unique, isolated, and considered cursed by her own people. When her grandmother dies, she is on the verge of absolute power and more than a few people would rather have a civil war than a cursed monarch. Mikael watches as she struggles to earn respect, support and love, all the while, knowing her darkest secret – the soul she carries is not human. His genetic experiments altered her bloodline generations back and now it is his responsibility to find out who, or what, is hiding inside her. The truth, he finds, is more than he could have ever hoped or feared…

In the end, Mikael saves Juli’s life, breaking the most fundamental rule of his profession: never interfere with death. The consequences could be catastrophic, both for his career and the planet's entire human population...

The Silver Hawk is the first novel in a projected trilogy and I am currently 10,000 words into the second instalment. I also have many other stand alone story ideas with the same characters. Thank you very much for your time and consideration. Please contact me if you would like to view the whole manuscript.

Regards,
Beaulah Pragg

I got two requests for more pages and i am still waiting for the responses to those.

An amazing review!

Beaulah...

Finally got the time to complete reading of the entire story. LOVED IT! Absolutely loved it.

Never a huge fan of the fantasy genre, I found the oh-so-casually-included super-science appealed to my sci-fi soul, enough to keep me reading what became a stunning story in it's own right, and a brilliant lead in to a trilogy... though where you plan to take the tale from here I can honestly not predict... which for me is a major bonus as I HATE predictable plots.

If ever you need a pre-publication review, you have but to ask, and I will be happy to supply one. Amongst the awesome talent coming out of New Zealand, you stand out as a young author with mature ability. Well done!

I would wish you luck, but I think the luck is better wished to the publicists, because whoever snaps your contract up will indeed be lucky to have you onboard.

---
Karl
Senior Reviewer
www.KIWIreviews.co.nz : NZ's top ranking dedicated product review website
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Wow! Thank you so much Karl =D

The story so far...

As of right now, I have completed one novel ( The Silver Hawk ) and sent away queries to 19 agents based in the USA. I have had 2 requests for pages so far and one of those politely declined, so I am waiting on feedback from the second. I manage a blog based on the brilliant book "The 3 a.m. Epiphany" by Brian Kiteley called, surprisingly enough: "3 a.m. Epiphany Project" which was inspired by the film "Julie and Julia" with Merryl Streep. Today, I felt so inspired by the lack of disaster at recieving form rejection letters that I went out and submitted a short story of mine called "Bastet" to five different online magazines - Niteblade, Allegory, Expanded Horizons, GUD and Daikaijuzine. I'll keep you apprised on how that goes.

On a more personal note, I am a 21 year old New Zealand chick living in Christchurch and working writing into the spaces between being a Hoyts Cinema Attendant, a Psychology Tutor at University and a part-time Graphic Designer. I have a degree in Psychology and a diploma of Graphic Design. I have been with my Chinese boyfriend for five years now and I'm still trying to learn the language. I'm a lot better since taking a course in Chinese at Uni last year, but I have a long way to go.
I'm still living at home at the moment, but hoping to move out as soon as it is financially feesable (mum already has plans about what she's going to do with my bedroom!!)

I owe a couple of people a lot for giving me the confidence to write. First would have to be my English teacher at High School - Mr Brock. I thought I sucked at English until year 12 when I had the privelage of being a big fish in a small pond for once. Second equal (chronologically) would have to be my Aunt Kristina (who lives in the USA) because she told me after my very first National Novel Writing Month that she thought I could be a real author. Not saying what I wrote was anywhere near descent, but her absolute faith has been there since then and never faltered. Also my father, who still reads everything I write and thinks it's cool - love you papa! Thirdly, would have to be my friend and muse, Tehnuka. She listened in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens when all I wanted to do was talk about this story idea... for hours! She has listened ever since then, falling in love with characters entirely irrelevant to the story who suddenly become central because of her appreciation... telling me when I was making a mess of things and always keeping it real. Would you believe her degree is in Vulcanology?

Oh dear, I really could go on forever. My mum, who used to be a technical writer and is the most amazing editor. My good friend Karl, who manages Kiwireviews and gives me the most amazing opportunities to read, review and be seen.

I guess the moral of the story is: We are who we are because of the amazing people around us. I feel incredibly privelaged in that regard.

Thank you so much guys! I love you all =D