11th Nov2011

Bubbling Over With Excitement

by Georgia McBride

I am so joyful, I’m about to burst! No. That thing didn’t yet happen, but, I am happily celebrating the success of others today. I have many colleagues in this business, some have even become true friends. Today I am celebrating a few of those folks and I am unable to contain my excitement for them so, I’m going to do a short post in their honor.
First, next week is the release of DESTINED by Jessie Harrell. In case you’ve not heard of it yet because you’ve been living under a rock, let me tell you about it. Well, how about I let someone else tell you about it? Here are some reviews.
Now do you believe me? OK. Time for a disclaimer. I also happen to be the book’s editor. And I must say. This is one of the most well-written, well-told stories I have ever read. When Jessie sent it to me, more than a year ago, I couldn’t say the same. I was unable to see then that DESTINED would become what it is today. But Jessie is smart. She took advice and critique from friends, editors, agents and yes, me, and worked it into an amazing novel that rivals many of the ones currently on my shelves.
Jessie is a wonderfully talented storyteller, and I celebrate her today because she didn’t give up. She refused to. She needed to tell this story and she did. And what a story it is. Congratulations, Jessie. What an amazing treat for readers of YA. Thank you for allowing me the pleasure of working on this novel. I wish you the very best of luck (though you don’t need it).
Now, onto the celebration of another dear friend. Lauren Hammond is a relatively new agent. I’ve been with her through the ups and downs of being a new agent. I don’t doubt there are more ups and even downs to come. But what I couldn’t stand were the negative comments, the naysayers and haters who got down on Lauren simply because she was new, unproven and without much experience in the industry. What they didn’t know, was that Lauren is one of the smartest, most dedicated and hungry people I know. She is kind and considerate and always puts the needs of her clients before her own.
I knew it was only a matter of time before Lauren would have something to celebrate, and advised her to ignore the negative Nellies and silence them with her success. It was difficult. The waiting. The watching. The pain. Lauren also is very sensitive and tried to defend herself once on a writer’s board I shall not dignify by naming. It only backfired.
I am over the moon with joy today, for Lauren and her entire staple of clients. Lauren, an agent for a whole eight months has landed squarely on the literary map. Today, her client Rachel Harris announced the first of Lauren’s deals on twitter. “@RachelHarrisYA: So, yeah, I’m gonna be PUBLISHED! http://t.co/7SStKW71 EEP! #MyWana #YASB #amwriting #amreading #yalitchat #writechat #entangledbooks” OK. So she may have used a few too many hashtags, but what they heck. She’s excited! Congratulations to Rachel, Lauren and the amazing folks at Entangled Books. And did I mention Lauren, Rachel and Entangled are ALL YALITCHAT.ORG members? Shameless plug. Here is the link to Rachel’s web announcement.
As for Lauren, a little birdy told me that she has in fact sold another book. The details of that deal are currently under wraps. I’m certain you won’t have to wait that long to hear more however. To query Lauren, read submission guidelines first!
And finally to celebrate even more, I’m giving away SIGNED copies of Margaret Peterson Haddix’s SENT and Lisa McMann’s CRYER’S CROSS! To win, please subscribe to my little site that could, here (sorry I don’t yet update often), and become a BELIEVER. Finally, please comment to congratulate my amazing friends, and a random winner will be chosen on December 1. Tweeting this contest/post give you extra love. Did you get all that? That’s 3 things to win, plus an extra thing for good measure! Good luck and thank you!
I hope you are inspired.

XO,
G
PS–sorry for the crazy spacing issues today but WordPress was acting wonky.

Category : agent query, creative inspiration, emerging author, first time author, first time novelist, georgia mcbride, literary agent, Paramonal YA, query, road to publication, seeking literary agent, teen romances, YA Authors, YA authors on twitter, ya book review, YA books, YA reads, young adult fiction, Young Adult Novels, young adult reading
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9 Comm
08th Nov2011

No Nano

by Georgia McBride

I was talking with a friend the other day about how beat up and exhausted I feel. This was in response to whether I was participating in NaNo this year.

I told her that since signing with a new agent in June, I’ve revised PRAEFATIO, a 99,000 word manuscript twice and written its related 3 synopses, written a middle grade, OLIVIA GRIMLY’S PARANORMAL EXPERIMENT which is 50,000 words and revised it twice, and written an 11,000 word YA partial called CONFESSIONS OF THE DARK QUEEN plus its 15-page synopsis and revised them both twice.

I suppose I simply could have responded by saying no. But it only occurred to me then how much I’ve worked and how hard, to prepare an arsenal of works to be ready for submission when the time came.

So, no NaNo for me. Only more revisions and submission preparation! Then, a long winter’s nap.

Happy writing!

XO,
Georgia

Category : book synopsis, completed manuscript, first time author, first time novelist, literary agent, middle grade novel, new young adult novel, Paramonal YA, praefatio, road to publication, story synopsis, YA Authors, young adult author
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2 Comm
26th Jun2010

The Doctor(ow)is In!

by Georgia McBride

Me with Cory Doctorow

Went to check out Cory Doctorow for the first time in Cary, NC at Barnes and Nobles at a signing he was doing to promote his new YA release, FOR THE WIN. I was blown away. The place was packed and the energy was high. People were thrilled to be there and engaged from the moment he took the podium.

Cory is easily one of the most at ease public speakers I’ve had the pleasure to watch. And I’ve seen all kinds. High-priced pros, media super stars and poor, fumblimg idiots and everything in between. I’ve even been paid to coach people on how to do it well and get paid to do it–so I know a thing or two about this.

This man IS his work. They are one and the same. He lives and breathes it with real conviction and stands firmly behind his convictions without apology and without concern for what anyone else may think about it. Even still he is relatable, likeable, approachable and funny. He impressed the heck out of my six year old daughter and some other kids around her age group as well as people my age and above. He appeals to  teens, technology lovers, the political crowd and parents interested in giving their teens something more than the typical YA read. He had me at “hello.”

Category : YA Authors, YA authors on twitter, YA books, YA reads, young adult author, young adult fiction, Young Adult Novels, young adult reading, young adult series
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22nd Jan2010

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES, Indeed

by Georgia McBride

Had a great time on Tuesday, January 19th at the reading and book signing of YA authors, Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia. If you don’t know (you’ve been living under a rock), they are NY Times bestselling authors of the novel, BEAUTIFUL CREATURES; their first. We’ve corresponded online via twitter, facebook and #YAlitchat and I felt like I knew them before tonight. Meeting them in person was like seeing old girlfriends or college mates. I was so proud of them. They hardly seemed nervous, though this was the first stop on their “Southern Tour.” They are pros, as comfortable in front of an audience as they are with one another and rather deserving of their success.

I also got to meet @reverieBR, YA book blogger, photographer and book trailer producer. She is the creative mind behind the awesome trailer for BEAUTIFUL CREATURES and I hear she’s working on Holly Black’s new trailer. AWESOME!

Finally, I met someone who recognized me from my online jaunts. A YA book blogger named Lauren. How cool is that. All around, it was a great day. Oh good Lord. PLEASE, not the Fresh Beat Band again.

Oh wait, did I mention the super cool dog tag? What could be better?

Oh and I think they said someone called the bookstore and asked if I was sgining that night. How funny is that?

Category : YA Authors, YA authors on twitter, YA books, YA reads, YA urban fantasy, young adult author, young adult fiction, Young Adult Novels, young adult reading, young adult series
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