WOTP: Emily Layne, Young Adult Author

Sooo... My original interview for this slot wasn't able to happen. But luckily I know an agented author on submission very well. A certain, Emily Layne.
Otherwise known as... ME!
You guys probably already know everything about my publishing journey thus far, but it's always fun to revisit. At least, it was for me.

To start on a personal note, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

It feels silly to tell myself a little about myself... But here it goes. I'm a Christian, the oldest of four girls, and I'm the cliche I've loved to write since I was a kid story. Courtesy of writing so many stories as a kid, my typing speed is 105 WPM and courtesy of my dad I'm a potato chip fanatic. Since I was eighteen I've been writing with the intent of getting published. Six years later (you can do the math to how old I am!), I'm still determined to see my novels on the shelves and to discover fanfiction about my characters. And, honestly, I don't think that dream will ever die.

What is your “how I got my agent” story?

My story is definitely a long one, but I’ll shorten it as much as I can! I wrote four books before I signed with my agent and didn’t sign with her until the fifth one! In total, I had over 250 rejections for all four books (one was a sequel).

For THESE WICKED WATERS, the novel which got me my agent, I sent out fifty-three query letters that all ended in rejection, one way or another—except one. In fact, I’d closed out the query because I hadn’t heard back from the agent in over three months. Time went by during which I was busy giving THESE WICKED WATERS a massive overhaul. A year later, almost to the day, I got an email from literary agent Becky LeJeune, asking to see the full of my book. And within a week, I had an agent! It’s still hard to believe how everything worked out. The timing was perfect!

What novel landed you your agent?

Well, I kind of gave this one away! THESE WICKED WATERS (currently a working title until a publisher decides otherwise!) is the novel that landed me my agent. TWW is a mix of different genres, but I suppose it could be classified as a Young Adult Paranormal Thriller. I won’t give too much away, but it involves an island resort, a centuries-old vendetta, and vicious sirens.

Tell us about the much anticipated and nerve-wracking “Call” with your now agent.

I did tons of research beforehand. I wanted to know exactly what to expect. But of course, you can only do so much research! I will share a few facts for the Call that I found helpful:

1. Make sure you write down all of your questions beforehand. Nerves will make you forget what you wanted to ask!
2. Just because an agent is interested in your book, doesn’t mean they’re the perfect fit for you. Don’t let the allure of “literary agent” tempt you to choose a relationship that isn’t right for you or your book!
3. Take lots of deep breaths. Pacing in circles also helps!

Have you written/queried other books before?

Yes! I’ve queried three other books. Books that I will never let see the light of day again! The books were:

ELEMENTALS: a story about a college student who finds an evil locket and also discovers she can control all four elements and also happened to be stolen away as a child into the human realm. (Yeah, way too much was going on in this book!)

BOUND: a time-travel romance where a sixteen-year-old and her bad-boy classmate are thrown back in time, their only way back home is for them to stop a murder.

AFTER ALICE & SHATTERED: a darker, steampunk reimagining of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

What is the hardest part about being on submission?

Realizing that there’s more waiting ahead. I thought that as soon as I got an agent, the hard part of getting my book published. When, in fact, getting an agent was just the beginning of a long (and sometimes discouraging process). But slugging through the querying slush was great preparation for being on submission!

What is the best part about having an agent?

Having someone who believes in your book as much as you do. That, and a buffer for when the rejections come in!

How do you cope with waiting to hear back from publishers?

I’m supposed to be plotting a new trilogy, but it’s hard to get geared up to write knowing another project is out in limbo. Other than trying to write, I’ve been building up my author platform—which is more work than you’d think!

Do you have any tips for writers who are querying?

Make sure your query letter is the absolute best it can be. And don’t get discouraged with rejections. Though it might not be what you want to hear, sometimes the first book you write isn’t The One. Keep learning and keep imagining!

Finally, how will you celebrate when you eventually get your book deal?

I have a certain cookie recipe that I’ve been waiting to make since I got the idea for my book. You can bet that I’ll be baking and singing and dancing and probably crying.

I'm seriously looking forward to these cookies! It was fun to interview myself, though a little confusing too. Below are some links if you want to stay connected with me:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Oh! And if you're a fellow writer slugging through chapter after chapter, I'm giving away a free eBook, 14 DAYS: FROM BLANK PAGE TO COMPLETED NOVEL. Just click here to get it!

Farewell, Old Times

Back in June, my lovely agent yanked me and THESE WICKED WATERS from the slushpile. Which turned my slogan, a young adult writer braving the slush pile, on it's head.
Since then I've procrastinated remodeling my website...
Until today.

If you get this post via email, I'd advise visiting my website and exploring--quite a few things are different!
For those of you who clicked (or tapped) to get here. Explore! I've made some changes: color scheme, layout, new signature, etc.! Let me know what you think. 
And, can I just say, I hate website design. It takes so long to figure things out. We writers have it tough.

What I'm Up To

Back in mid-June I got to share some very exciting news with you guys. You can find the original post here. 
So, what am I up to post-agent-getting?
I plan to write a series on what to expect after signing with an agent. But I haven't experienced each step yet. So this time around, I'm sharing updates of what's going on with me writing-wise.
My agent and I have been steadily working on THESE WICKED WATERS. No major editing overhauls, just a few tweaks and changes. If things stay on track, we're hoping to be ready to submit to publishing houses after Labor Day. How exciting is that?!

Yeah, I can't quite believe it. Yet.
But as excited I am about THESE WICKED WATERS, it's not my only toasted bread in the Fondu pot (can you tell I'm craving something particular?). I'm also editing SECOND-HAND SCAVENGERS, my NaNo project from last year. I hope to have my first round finished in the upcoming days so I can send it out to beta readers.
On that note, if you're interested in swapping stories for beta reads, just let me know!
Isn't life exciting?

First Lines

The blank page is a challenge. First lines, even more so.
Despite the best plotting I can muster, by the end of my edits, my first lines are never the same. This applies to every single (seven!) book I've written. 

Since I'm working on editing THESE WICKED WATERS for my agent (final round, we hope!), I thought it would be fun to share all of my first lines. To my surprise, there were six different versions. Most of them are similar and some not so much. Number 6 is the "final" version that is currently in my manuscript.
1. "The stories should've kept Mom away."
2. "When Mom bought the island investors called "cursed," I figured she wanted a challenge."
3. "When Mom bought the island rational investors called "cursed," I figured she was hungry for a challenge."
4. "The mysterious disappearances and unexplained drownings should've kept Mom away from the island."
5. "Color me cliche, but for a "cursed" island I expected some dense fog, a bubbling volcano, and a gnawed skeleton-or two-stretched across the beach."
6. "For a "cursed" island I'd expected dense fog and gnawed skeletons stretched across the beach."
Do you have a favorite? Even still, I'm not sure which one is absolutely perfect. Though that's the struggle with writing, nothing is ever absolutely perfect!

How I Got My Agent

This is a post that, at my darkest moments, I never thought I would write. 
This is a post that, at my most hopeful moments, I only dreamed about.
But here I am, sitting in front of my computer, fingers clicking away at the keys, a smile on my face, telling you lovely blog readers...

I GOT AN AGENT.

To those of you who are reading this post, jealousy twisting your hearts, I've been where you are. I know. I know how hard it is, how discouraging, how depressing. Especially when reading success stories. 

Don't. You. Dare. Give. Up.

To show you how much I do understand, here's some background information.
I signed with my agent for THESE WICKED WATERS. My fourth book. That's right. I wrote four books and queried three of them (one was a sequel) before I found an agent. I'm talking over 150 query letters and subsequent rejections.
That doesn't even count the queries I sent out for THESE WICKED WATERS. 
(Hint: here comes the actual How I Got My Agent story.)
Back in June 2015, after winning a few contests, I sent 53 query letters for TWW. Of those, I received the following:
Partial Requests: 1 Partial Upgraded to Full: 1 Full Requests: 1 Rejections: 51
...Or so I thought.
The usual policy with agents is that if you don't hear back in four weeks or so, the answer is "no." I'd closed out all my outstanding query letters and retreated from the front lines. I knew TWW was The One. The truth of it resounded in my bones. But I realized it needed work. And maybe my query letter did too.
I let TWW sit. For almost a year. In the meantime I wrote two other books and focused on this blog. Finally, early this year, I came back to TWW and began a massive rewrite that took months.
The day after I finished my overhaul (June 8), an email pinged my inbox. It was an agent, asking to see the full of TWW, from a query I sent a year ago. I did some hurried proofreading and sent off the full a day later, not expecting much. 
Okay, to be honest I was expecting something: A Rejection.
On the evening of June 15 I got another email. I was sitting at my desk at work, eating dinner with my sister. My phone vibrated. I opened the message, already brushing off the "Unfortunately this isn't what we're looking for." 
When my gaze reached the, "I really enjoyed your book" sentence, I leapt out of my chair. I didn't even read the rest of the email! I started squealing, pacing around my--thankfully empty!--office, babbling nonsense while my sister read the rest of the email. Once sufficiently calmed down, I hurried back to my desk and read the message in a daze.
An agent liked my book!
An agent wanted to talk to me!
To me!
I was shaking. I was so happy tears threatened. I was disgustingly sweaty with nerves. I had no idea what to do with myself. I called my family, told my closest friends. It took me a literal hour to relax enough to think clearly enough to email the agent back.
Things moved quickly at this point. I set up The Call (or so I hoped), accepted her offer of representation, and ok'ed the agent-author contract.
So, now, in as much disbelief as I was when I first got that email, I can say:
Hello. I'm Emily Layne, represented by Becky LeJeune of Bond Literary Agency.
I can't wait to share this process with you guys. This is a phase of the writing world that is brand new to me. I hope we can learn together! Thank you for sticking with me in the querying trenches. Through the ups. And the downs. You're all so wonderful, and I don't deserve you.
Now, how about some help thinking of a new slogan? I'm no longer "a young adult writer braving the slushpile." 
...Am I?

Ideas, Where?

I'm still steadfastly working on THESE WICKED WATERS.

In the meantime, I'm prepping SECOND-HAND SCAVENGERS for Ink & Insights 2016. As I've edited the first 10,000 words, I've been reminiscing.
For my almost all of my books, I can't tell you the exact moment the "idea" came to mind. With SHS, I can.
In fact, I have evidence of it. I was sitting at the library, using the Internet on my laptop. When the idea popped into my head, I grabbed my phone and saved it as a note--the bare skeleton of an idea. Inspiration that I had no idea how I would use. Yet.

That's right. I got the idea on July 10, 2014. If you followed my Idea to Pages series, you'd realize I didn't start planning SHS until July 9, 2015. A year later--almost to the day! This shows how important it is to write your ideas down! You never know what stories can come from them. 

Every book has a humble beginning. It all starts with one idea.

An Overall Blah

Clouds have invaded the east coast, and they appear too comfortable to leave. Every professor who comes into my office at work mentions the clouds. In fact, one said, "Now, Emily, it's your job to make sure the sun comes out tomorrow."
Unfortunately, I don't have any special contacts with mother nature.
Not only is the lack of sun depressing, but it drains the motivation too. While rainy days are awesome for writing, consecutive cloudy days?
...Not so much.
Which is why I'm coming clean. I haven't worked on THESE WICKED WATERS since my resolution post. 

I haven't been totally lazy. I've been hard at work prepping SECOND-HAND SCAVENGERS for Ink & Insight's contest. (Anyone care to beta read 10,000 words???) But I know I need to get back on track, good weather or not.
Wish me luck. I've got a whole new chapter to write for TWW. You have no idea the massive editing that has been done on this book. I just hope it's worth it!

Goal Time

As I've sworn before, telling people your writing goals makes a difference.
It makes you stick to them.
Which is why I'm updating you on my dismal progress.
Slow progress is being made with THESE WICKED WATERS. I feel like I've been editing this book forever. Maybe I'm having a hard time with motivate because there is so much work to do. I have pages of pages of notes left to enact, and I'm halfway through the novel!
Thus, I've set the following goal for myself: edit one chapter of TWW a day.
Yes, the number's a little underwhelming, but doable. That way I don't feel like a failure at the end of every weekday. That'll be a nice change.

Now for a new manuscript! Any of you remember SECOND-HAND SCAVENGERS? Well, I'm prepping it for entry into Ink & Insights! Placing third last year earned me a free entry, and boy am I going to use it! 
The goal for this novel is a lot simpler: finish editing 10,000 words by Saturday--Monday at the latest.
I can totally do that.
...Right?

Rhode Island Run-In's

If these tweets during the six hour car ride are any indication...

...my recent trip to Newport, Rhode Island was an interesting one. (Too bad I couldn't leave my cold behind) I've never travelled farther north than New York City, so visiting "the ocean state" was quite the experience. Not only is it colder up there, but the water is so blue. And I'm not talking "tropical" blue. I'm talking a deep, mysterious, sapphire blue.

Not only that, but everything is rocky. The beaches, the front yards, the soil. Fences and property lines were a plethora of rocks. Some mansions even had enormous boulders in their front yard!

Seeing the ocean again really helped me with TWW. Imagination will only take you so far! While on the Cliff Walk one night (a path that takes you along, well, cliffs as wells as the ocean and past mansions), my fear of the sea rekindled. Ever since my "incident" two summers ago, the ocean has terrified me. Coincidentally, my main character, Annie, is scared of water too. Now that this fear is fresh in my mind, editing TWW will be that much easier. Though, in the picture below, I look more cold than scared. Next to me is my mom. Which of us looks colder? We like to call ourselves Red Riding Hood and The Astronaut.

Another interesting place we visited in Newport was the Vanderbilt's "summer cottage." I'll let the pictures speak for me here.

Amazing, huh? There's not much left to the imagination here!

Rhode Island was a beautiful state, but I have to say, there's nothing quite like home.

And I don't think there ever will be.

Stages of Editing a Book

I feel like I've been editing THESE WICKED WATERS for as long as the sirens in the book have been alive. (*hint*: it's centuries)
As I've been slogging through paragraph after paragraph, making some tweaks or huge overhauls, things have been interesting. There have been high points (where I'm moving through with lightning speed) and low points (where I flop on top of my sister who's trying to study and demand for her to pay attention to me).
Which is why I'm devoting this post to my editing adventure--in fun gif-form. Prepare yourself!
Finding typos you can't believe you missed.

Reading a scene where you didn't have to make any changes (so, so rare).

Stumbling upon a plot device that makes absolutely no sense.

Realizing halfway through that you tried to query this book.

When laziness strikes and all the words blur together into, "Blah, blah, blah..."

When you're convinced that this book stinks, and there's nothing you can do to salvage it. In fact, you're never going to be published. EVER. 

But then you remember that you love the characters.

And that this book is worth it.

Happy editing!

A Deadline is Anything BUT Dead

I'm just going to come out and say it: Writers are infamous procrastinators. 
The thought process goes something like this:
"I really need to write my book..." *Notices a t-shirt is out of place in drawer* "Hmm." *Commence reorganizing entire bedroom*
And this is just one example. Writers have an amazing super power to do everything but write. I can say this because I am a writer.
So, how to conquer this age-old nemesis? 

Easy. Enter in THE DEADLINE.
For some people, this deadline involves a certain acronym that rhymes with RaRoTiSo.
...Okay, it's NaNoWriMo. In fact, Camp NaNo is going on right now, and it's really helping me to get motivated on my THESE WICKED WATERS edits. Well, that and an upcoming trip to RI (I want to have my book totally edited so I can listen to/read it in the six hour car ride).
But if it's not NaNoWriMo season, no problem! Pick a reasonable date for yourself and TELL PEOPLE. This way, you're accountable. Or if you have a pride problem like me, you won't even need to tell people because you're always in a competition against yourself.
Yikes.
Seriously, though. If you're struggling to write, plot, edit, make dinner--it doesn't matter. Set a deadline for yourself, and you'll find things moving along rather quickly.
Good luck!

Wading Into Editing Waters

Last month I posted about how I'm editing THESE WICKED WATERS via the Kindle app on my tablet.  Well, I've just finished the first round. 64 pages of notes later, and I'm ready to make changes (read: lots) to my book. A book that I once thought was 100% perfect.

Sheesh. Kinda embarrassing, guys. Like, embarrassing to the tune of fifty query letters sent out. And fifty subsequent rejections.
But these changes are going to be epic. I am so, so, so excited. It's like comparing the mess that was The Hobbit trilogy to The Lord of the Rings. (Hint: the new version of TWW is going to be LOTR)
It goes to show you, that sometimes you need a HUGE break from a WIP to make it really able to shine. In fact, this time last year I started writing TWW. Crazy how things move so fast, isn't it? Well, this time around I'm going to move slow and steady...
And win that race!
Er, agent.

The "Itch"

Winter has officially settled along the East Coast. For now, anyway. The weather has caught a deplorable case of the "maybe, maybe not"'s. 
Regardless, as much as I love snow (though we don't have any a the moment), I've got the urge to go somewhere warm. Not just warm, but hot. I'm talking palm trees, sandy beaches, and flip flops. 
Unfortunately those places are both out of my price range and currently unattainable (responsibilities, alas!). Are you in the same boat as me? Stuck waiting for June or July to roll around on the good ol' calendar? Stuck. Stuck. Stuck.
Or... are we?
If books count as summer vacations, we are totally not stuck! In fact, I'm prepping to delve into THESE WICKED WATERS, a book that takes place:
1. On an island. 2. At a five star resort. 3. During the SUMMER.
Maybe my body can't be enjoying the sun and heat, but my mind can. That's the wonderful part about books. You can go anywhere. You can do anything. You can be anyone.
And, okay, I'll admit, snuggled up against the cold reading a book gives off very different vibes from stretched out on the beach with a book in one hand and chilled water in the other.

But at least it's something!

Get. Back. Up.

Take a gander at the sidebar labeled "Updates & Happenings." If you're feeling lazy, here's a screenshot...

See those highlighted portions? Those are the current stats for THESE WICKED WATERS. And these stats aren't counting the agents who equate silence with a big fat NO.

I queried fifty agents.

So basically, imagine that 25 as an enormous five, zero.

What's my reaction, you ask?

THIS!

Excuse me, rejections in my inbox, I really don't care about you (anymore, at least). I've heard the phrase thrown around writerly circles, "Don't give up until you send 100 query letters."

Well, guys! I'm only halfway there. I've done some tweaking on my query letter to alter the focus to other elements.

Placing in the few contests that I already have is proof to me that THESE WICKED WATERS is worth something.

I'm not giving up.

Neither should you.

Even if it means totally redoing your query letter, your cliched plot, or your synopsis.

I Can Write About This Later

This past weekend I accomplished another item on my Summer Bucket List. (I'm moving pretty fast, huh?!)

The weather was absolutely amazing for a beach day, and I loved it. Though I didn't set foot in the water.

Why, you ask?

Last year I had to be rescued by a lifeguard. At the best of times I'm not a strong--if even decent--swimmer, and the water was rough. Credit to my dad who was on his way to rescue me when the lifeguard intervened (I know you're reading this!).

Still, the event was internally traumatizing. Then and there I vowed I'd never venture into the ocean deeper than my ankles.

On the plus side, my lifeguard rescue led to the birth of THESE WICKED WATERS. Of course, I didn't start penning TWW until February when it was cold and dreary and very un-island-resorty.

But still. Being back at the beach last weekend reminded me of how the idea for water-wing-wearing Annie was sparked. It's amazing how scary moments in life serve a purpose, even if only a plot idea for a book.

Ever wonder how beach lifeguards rescue people? Feel free to ask! While being rescued I basically memorized everything. Somehow I knew I'd need the information for later ;)

Oh, and by the end of my book? Annie is a very awesome swimmer.

Drowning My Sorrows

In all three of the books I've queried...

I've never failed this bad. Only one request so far (a partial at that). And fourteen rejections.

Guuuyssss.

This is like my darkest hour. My sadness is demanding boxes (yes, BOXES) of chocolate, a bubble bath, and a really good book.

Instead I'm drowning my sorrows--literally. On Monday I restarted (yes, I've done it before) this kick where you drink the recommended amount of water for your body. 80 ounces, people. I've become very good friends with the bathroom at work. Considering my bathroom phobia, this is a big accomplishment.

Enough peppy humor. I really am concerned. I thought my query letter was perfect. At least, that's what everyone told me. My nearest-and-dearest and strangers around the world can't be liars.

(ARE YOU?!?!?)

By my highly mathematical equations, all these rejections mean one thing: fate owes me, and I'll have a request sitting in my inbox soon.

That logic works, right?

They've Taken Over--Send Help

Say it with me, readers:

"Characters in books are not real people. They are imaginary products of a writer's imagination."

Okay, maybe say it even simpler:

"Book characters don't exist in real life."

But, guys? They kind of do. Not all of them, but definitely bits and pieces. I realized this Saturday when I was hanging around the pool with my sisters (super hot on the east coast this spring, say whaaat?!). To illustrate, I'll give you a few lines from my currently queried book THESE WICKED WATERS.

"Positive things about short hair: saves time in the shower. Negative: hair cut to the jaw line doesn’t fit into a ponytail."

"I yanked on my ugly florescent life jacket. Underneath I wore a cute tankini with pineapples on it."

"As I entered Mayfield Villa, I wondered if Mom considered the fact that I didn’t know how to swim, before she dragged me to her island."

And here's a picture of me from Saturday...

Short, crazy hair? Check!

Pineapple bathing suit? Check!

Can I swim? NOPE! In fact, I had to be saved in the ocean last summer (never going into the waves again), which happened to kickstart my idea for THESE WICKED WATERS.

So, are book characters all that imaginary? 

I don't know. You tell me.