*takes a bow… then falls over from the weight of her ego*

Even got a snazzy blog update and a new business card for the event. Hoping to market myself as a MG author while I am there… maybe turn some heads in a good way.

It’s going to be a lot of fun regardless of what comes out of it. We all have a 10 minute pitch appointment with one of three agents we selected. We don’t find out who we received until we get to the conference on Friday. Which means little time to tailor your pitch… But it should be okay.

The pitching park should  make me mighty nervous… I mean really! But for some reason I’m just telling myself, “Be yourself Eisley… Knock em dead!” Haha Hopefully not too dead though, wouldn’t that be bad.

News at 10:00:: Agent falls over dead after talking with the fabulous Eisley Jacobs.

Hmmm, maybe I should tell myself something else. Something less incriminating.

In any event, I will be pitching DEGLAN RISING, which will hopefully have a more MG name by Friday… and a new query. Because something about my query just isn’t grabbing the agents… I think it’s just not MG enough. Which I get…

So, if you need me this week… I will be around working my tail off getting ready for the conference

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If you have never heard of Google Alerts… let me be the first to tell you how important it is to you.

I can almost guarantee Donita K. Paul, author of the DragonKeeper Chronicles; Robert Liparulo, author of the Dreamhouse Kings series; and Karen Kostlivy, author of Cyber Writers and the Zebra of Life all use Google Alerts.

(Kathy, Robert and Donita… can you please respond to this message so I may prove a point? Hehe… thanks.)

Other then simply typing their name in this post, I will not send them a personal note saying, “Hey I mentioned you”. Nope, instead I will let Google Alerts do that job and hopefully they will respond.

How does it work… It’s really quite simple. Follow this link to Google Alerts and you will get a screen that looks similar to this one:

You can see in the image above that I have put my own name into the “Search terms:” field. Basically I am telling google that any time anyone puts my name into a blog post or tweet or anywhere on the web, Google Alerts will send me an email (Deliver to box above) telling me when, where and who said my name.

Why is this valuable to you?

Because marketing is important to your novel! If you are releasing your first novel, like for instance Kristie Cook just published her first novel Promise (http://www.ihavepromise.com/ – She has a great Labor Day Deal going on if you haven’t picked it up!). She wants to see the awesome reviews that people are posting on their blogs and she wants to make sure she responds to each of them in a timely matter. Do you know how cool it is to have the author of the book you are blogging about comment on your blog post? For good old fashion readers… It’s way cool!

I have a great personal example. I used to have a blog with Veggietales theme. If you don’t know what the Veggietales are, I strongly urge you to check it out if you have preschoolers in your house. Not only is it hilarious to them but they throw in some great jabs for adults too. Bunny trail: So, one day I was blogging about Veggietales, wondering if I should facelift my blog. Lo and behold, Brian one of the Chief Officers at Big Idea itself comments on my blog! Besides the fact that I almost died right there on the spot, it really made me have a new found respect. I mean I was a peon, in their eyes. Not that I am still not one… I digress… yet he took the time to just give me a quick comment. THAT is fabulous marketing! I still buy every Veggietales that comes out… and this maybe the reason why. I appreciate the company and their personal touch.

If you need more examples of how Google Alerts works for you… I say try it. You can choose how many results you get (as you can see in the box) and how often. Usually I get 1-2 emails a day with up to 20 results on one page. All clickable so I can immediately go to the site and check it out.

It is a fabulous tool to help you hear the “buzz” of what is going on around the web about your upcoming novel or you!

Will you try it?

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Well, I am headed to the park in a little while so I only have a few minutes to Flash, but Flash I will. Today’s flash will be about the two cats that are arguing for placement here in my house…

Enjoy!

—

I was so scared sitting in that metal contraption surrounded but hundreds of other unwanted animals. Every time the humans would come to tend to me, I would panic and hiss. I just wanted to go home. But where was home? My Mommy moved to Japan, I heard my last caregiver say. But why would my caregiver bring me here? Wasn’t there another option?

“Pepper?” The voice of the man in the white coat called through the bars. “You’ve been busted out.”

What did that mean? Had my Mommy come to rescue me from Japan?

The man grabbed at me and shoved me into the plastic crate. I hissed as he carried me roughly through the crowded halls.

“Is this Pepper?” The man asked the small girl who stood nearby. She looked vaguely familiar. I crept forward and meowed my gasp. I knew her. I’d seen her at my caregivers house many times. At last, someone I knew.

“Please, please take me home!” I meowed at her. And she did.

The ride home was nerve wracking. All the new smells and sounds, but there the girl was. Petting me, telling me it was going to be okay. And I believed her.

When we arrived at the girls home, the smells immediately caught me off guard. It wasn’t smells I was used to and it told me another feline claimed this as home. I hoped she would accept me.

I sat on the windowsill of the human’s dwelling quarters, thankful I was no longer in that horrible jail, when the other feline rounded the corner. She was beautiful with dark grey tipped ears and a smoky white body. I tried to smile at her but that seemed to make her awfully mad. She darted at me screaming her hisses, “You aren’t welcome here!”

Panicked, I raced toward the shelter of my room. The human grabbed the other feline and subdued her, but it didn’t prevent her from shooting looks of hate my way.

Was I not wanted in this house? My heart fell into my stomach, I couldn’t bare not being wanted.

The human approached me cautiously, her words soft and sweet. “Pepper, it’s okay baby. Are you okay?” She scooped me up and I nuzzled into her arms, afraid that she may return me to jail. She stroked me lovingly and with ever rake of her hands, my anxiety melted away. She did want me here. “Lucy will get used to you, Pepper. Just give her some time.”

The purr erupted from my belly and I closed my eyes, I had found home.

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The thing is… While these stories are based on actual events… they are fiction. In the first Chronicle (Ishmael) he clearly states that angels are only servants. But someone, who obviously doesn’t read my blog, took this part of the little story out in her mind and well, she has elevated the angels higher then I ever intended. Which bothers me.

Yes angels exist. Yes they are servants of the most high. Yes they have names. Yes they fight our UNSEEN battles. No they should not be worshiped. UNSEEN was intended to show how the servants are used for HIS glory and well… in a certain instance I feel like that fact was bypassed.

So, in so many words… UNSEEN is on hold until I get clear confirmation on what I need to do with it. To those whose stories I have written, it’s probably a little sad because you know they are powerful testimonies of God’s provision. I just can’t push this project until I know for certain HE wants me to.

Make sense? I hope so.

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Really? How am I surviving? I am a 10-12 hour girl. Not a 5 hour girl!

THIS IS NOT OKAY… Someone take note. Then stick that note to my brain so it can read it when it’s attempting to wake me up too early.

But, I refused to nap today. In fact, I got a lot of work done and even Alpha read 50 pages tonight for one of my critique partners! So all in all, lack of sleep = productive… today.

Tomorrow… all bets are off. I hope everyone is okay with take out… cuzz I may just be a zombie or something.

Though, Zombie’s eat brains… and while I am going on a missions trip in December… that is not on my to-try list. #justsayin

I should go… before I have to delete this post in the morning.

(side note… I tried to find a couple pics to go with this post… I may have nightmares tonight.)

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Enjoy!

The woman walked at a quickened pace down the empty street, “Jeremy, hurry up.” She called after her child on the bright red Radio Flyer tricycle.

Jeremy weaved circles in the sidewalk, making customary vrooming sounds as he imagined himself darting the bad guys. He was a superhero, after all.

The mailbox loomed at the end of the street, mocking every step the woman took towards it. The chances of anything being in the box was slim, just as it’d been the last four weeks she’d checked. But still, each day after the white truck shuffled down their street, she would make the decent under the guise of an afternoon walk with her cape wearing son.

“Mommy, will we stop at the mailbox today or keep going to the park?” The three year old questioned while purposefully running over the ant hill piled in the grass beside him.

The words stung the woman. Maybe she should just continue to the park and forget what brought her out on the hottest day of the year. Maybe if she passed the box this time, the letter would magically appear in the box when she came back. Maybe-

“Mommy,” her son whined from behind her, stuck on the edge of the sidewalk.

She helped her son right his getaway vehicle and turned her attentions again on the box.

They told her she would receive a letter by now or some type of communication about the accident. It had been far too long since the news went viral on CNN about the helicopter crash in the gulf. The crash her husband was pilot of.

She cursed the military and their semantics. Why is it considered okay to leave a spouse waiting for news of her husbands mortality? If he is dead or missing, she just wants to know. She wants to be able to prepare her son for… for what? A funeral?

She gripped the silver mailbox at the end of her street as her legs threatened to crumple underneath her.

No. She had to think positive. No news is good news.

“Mommy, are we going to the park?” Jeremy asked as she fit the key into the small hole.

“Yes, baby. Just let Mommy check the mail.” Her fingers trembled when she turned the rusted lock. She held her breath and allowed a tear to trickle down her cheek. Please God. Please. she pleaded, Let there be something. Anything.

“Mommy?” Jeremy’s confused voice drifted off into the muggy air. She ignored him and reached into the narrow opening, fumbling with the circulars.

“Mommy?” Jeremy called again. She wished he would just remain silent two more seconds. She just needed to see. She just needed to know.

“Mommy!” He screamed, making her jump and drop the contents in her hand. Mail flew in every direction. She wanted to scold him but instead she frantically dropped to her knees and began to search through the mess

It had to be there. Please. Anything.

“Gretchen?” The voice echoed in her head and immediately made the tears spring to life. She cursed the memory of his voice. It had been a long eight months since she’d spoke to him voice to voice but she could still hear his voice like he stood beside her.

“Mommy?” Jeremy’s voice seemed pinched and struggled, but still she refused to look up until she had turned over ever piece of mail scattered on the ground.

“Gretchen?” The voice echoed again, this time she couldn’t push it away. The tears sprang anew down her cheeks. When she heard the voice again, this time closer and more labored, she gasped.

No. No. No. Please don’t torment me. Please.

“Gretchen. It’s me. It’s really me,” the voice she longed for filled her ears.

She fought the haze of her tears and looked up to see her husband, still in his desert fatigues, standing just four feet away.

Time stopped as she raced to his embrace, instantly happy the letter had not come.

What is a Friday Flash? It’s when I see something and without thinking too hard about it… write a short story. Could be anything… Last time it was about a beat up van. You can read that one here. Enjoy!

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I love critiquing for my friends because they realize I’m not out to get them. I’m just trying to nitpick the heck out of their MS so they will maybe find a diamond amongst all the coal I’m throwing at them. I have different forms of critiquing but both of my friends asked for brutal… which is hard. I have to turn off the “Its only your opinion, Eisley” and interject “Eisley, say what?”

When I send the MS back, I panic a little. Because I know what it’s like to get my MS back and written all over. I mean really, it’s hard to see your baby under the knife. “You mean, Eisley isnt perfect?” Yeah, No.

So as you can imagine, it would be hard to read a BRUTAL opinion on your story. But that is just it. It’s all just an opinion. It’s not God’s honest truth about your MS… it’s just Eisley, Say.

It is important if you receive a MS back (one that has been critiqued by a friend) that you pour over it and figure out if the critique is right for you. Because lets face it, we all have varying opinions and two friends may not be fabulous critique partners. You really have to figure out if the critique flows with your style. So usually, when I critique for the first time, I send back the first chapter before I spend hours and hours and HOURS going over it and ask if it’s what they wanted. If it is… we have a green light. The race is on. If not, then I take a step back and just read it and enjoy it for the plot/story and call out the plot holes.

Does it offend me to be told, “This wasn’t what I was looking for”? No. In fact it’s a relief sometimes. Because you can kinda tell when your style of writing doesn’t mesh with your partners.

Finding a critique partner is hard, but when you find a few who really have your best interests at heart… hold onto them and don’t let go! Even if they kick and scream sometimes… cuzz you know you will both be better writers in the end.

My critique partners complete me!

And that’s no joke.

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The final installment of this series by Suzanne Collins just came out yesterday and twitter was raging with people procuring their copies and neglecting their responsibilities to read it. Those who read it are biting their tongues to talk about it now… Thankfully unwilling to spoil the ending for those of us who haven’t jumped ship yet.

Now the dying question… Is the series that good?

When a craze like this (or Harry Potter, Twilight, etc) comes into the limelight how does it make you feel to be on the outside? Do you rush out and buy the books just because everyone else has? Or do you take your time and finish the 40 books on your waiting list?

I am tempted… very tempted to bump Ms. Collins books to numero uno. Not because I want to be in the “IN” but because they are Young Adult and quite frankly if they are “that good” I want to see why, as a fellow writer. WHICH is excellent for Ms Collins sales. LOL… Me buying them just because. Crazy how it works that way.

The series explores timely topics like violence-as-entertainment and rule-by-intimidation. All VERY timely in my opinion.

Anyhow, if you haven’t heard about them, here is the “back of the book” on all the books:

THE HUNGER GAMES: Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, “The Hunger Games.” The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When Kat’s sister is chosen by lottery, Kat steps up to go in her place.

CATCHING FIRE: Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

THE MOCKINGJAY: Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins’s groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

So, will you read? Have you read? Are you waiting for your copy… inquiring minds want to know.

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Ethiopia 2010
I thought I would start here because this is top most on my list today. Fundraising. Oy vey. It was hard to fundraise as a kid, and I won’t lie, it’s hard now too! But I have a few things I am working on, so I hope and pray they pan out to help completely fund my trip to Ethiopia. If you have no idea what I am talking about, click on the Ethiopia Goal tracker to the right, the whole story is behind there.

As you can see by the updated ticker, I have raised $1440 towards my goal of  $3150. I have no doubt in my mind that all the funding will come in for this fabulous opportunity and already as I see the sponsorship come in, I am blown away. If you are one of my sponsors, Thank you, from the bottom of my heart thank you. God is already preparing me for my time there and I am humbled that he has called me to go. If you feel led to give $5, $10, or $50 towards this trip, let me know. All donations (when written to the church we are going with) are tax deductible.

Middle Grade Novel – DEGLAN RISING
It’s in the hands of an agent at the moment and now I wait. I am still debating on a name change but we will see what this agency comes back with. I have a few good ideas roaming about my brain that I will share when the time is right.

I have been thinking about the sequel though, which thrills my beta readers. More then once I have been asked how long it will take me to write it. To which I have no answer. It took me just over a month to write DEGLAN RISING but I had a whole week off from most my “normal” responsibilities. So *shrug* who knows…

YA Fantasy – RINGS OF TIME
Some of you have beta read RoT, which I thank you for. It’s my first baby and I love it. The story is fresh and fun and it’s full of adventure. Some of you might even remember that I rewrote it back in April, hoping to give it what it needed… but suffice to say, it still doesn’t have it. Which I am strangely okay with. The realization came when one of my critique partners read the first chapter again and marked the heck out of it. I took a step back and really debated on if I wanted to shelve this one or rewrite again. Because it just does not work the way it is. My characters are too old for the YA market and too young for the adult market. So, what do I do? Think… think… think… Ah ha! What if I rewrite again and make it middle grade… hmmm. So this is what I am thinking on. It will take a bit of rethinking because of certain aspects, but I really think I can pull it off. I will rewrite the first couple chapters and then send it over to my critique partners again. See what they think… if it still falls short, it will go on the shelf.

Women’s Christian Fiction – RUNAWAY CHOICES
Is currently on the editors desk. When it’s done, it’s time to query. Which means I suppose I should start working on a query letter, eh? Haha…

Other Project Ideas
I have way, way, WAY, too many right now. I am trying not to think about them while I wish for more hours in my day. Whoa to me.

The Rugrats – aka my children
DD10 (almost 11) is doing well. She starts 6th grade soon… which is weird weird weird… I can’t believe I have a sixth grader! She is even in YOUTH GROUP now… Oy vey. Stop the world, I want off! And she is coming with me… As my only girl. I worry for her. *sigh* She still loves her dolls and her camera… thus lots of doll pictures. LOL

DS9 learned to do an ollie Sunday… He was so excited he could have peed his pants. LOL He is doing his last bit of 3rd grade work before he starts on his 4th grade year. How fun… uhh, maybe not. It’s Language Arts he is behind on, he just doesn’t like it so much.

DS7 is fighting with RAD (Reactive Airway Disease) right now. When we were on vacation, he didn’t get sick once. But we get back to Colorado and immediately he gets sick. What gives? Maybe he is allergic to Colorado? So we are nebulizing him and hoping this doesn’t turn into anything more then his normal sick. At least I have a Dr. I trust to take him to if he does get sick. On the Sensory Processing/ADHD front (same DS), I tried the coffee trick the same trusted doc suggested and by golly it really worked! I gave it to him before school time today and he is quiet and working! I think I will send him chocolate!

The Dreaded Day J-O-B
Some remember I used to babysit for my day job… what those some that remember might not know… I quit before I left for California. Sad for the parents, but good for me. I think It’s been 7 years since I have not had someone else’s kids in my home, so it was time for me to move on.

What will I do? Well good question. I have lots of talents that can be utilized here at home via telecommuting, but you have to have the right connections to be able to do it. Which I don’t have.

I am going to make a couple book trailers for my novels and showcase them for a while… see if I can get any bites there. Really I only need to make an extra couple hundred a month, but I have to be able to continue to stay home and homeschool my beautiful children. That is where my heart is…

Anything Else I Forgot
Honey, you could be here a while if I try to remember everything I have forgotten. But I will say that I intend to blog daily again and make it very relevant to my craft and the writing industry. So stay tuned…

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My vacation has been awesome. I missed my family dearly (it had been 3 years since visiting last! TOO LONG!) and spent some awesome time with everyone! We had a bit of drama here and there… nothing most dysfunctional families can’t appreciate It will be hard to pack up and leave… but I must. My husband lives in Colorado… and has been without his family for about 6 weeks… Maybe more. I haven’t actually counted.

The kids are anxious to get back to the normal… whatever that is. They really just want their beds. Actually… any bed would do at this point. Ha ha ha. They are such troopers… they’ve been sleeping on the floor!

When I get back, I have a to-do list.

DEGLAN RISING was just requested and they say they will take 3-4 months to get back to me… Well, okay then. I guess I will plot book 2 and think about rewriting RINGS OF TIME again Oh yes, another post all together… Brilliant I think I am taking is Middle Grade… Oh yea. For real. Still debating.

Anyhow… My blog/twitter/web hiatus will end on Friday morning when I will do nothing but enjoy my highspeed internet in Highlands Ranch, Colorado… and maybe a little Mile High sunshine!

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