Skip to main content

Good Friday

ACRW 2004 Conference highlights

9/23/04

The conference was a terrific time. I was especially relaxed because I already had an agent, and didn't feel the urge to take advantage of the opportunity to speak to agents and editors. I sauntered into mealtimes and just nabbed a seat wherever there was space, and ended up talking to neat people.

I finally met Pammer, Squirl, and Heatherdi from the Steeple Hill discussion boards. Pammer and I roomed together, and Squirl and Heather roomed together.

Pamela is a wonderful woman of God. We stayed up late talking about all kinds of things, and her spiritual insight into the things I shared with her really blessed me. She's been through so much in her life already, and has such a rich and scarred past. She was like the older sister I never had.

Cheryl Wyatt (Squirl) is cute and funny, and her brain is going a mile a minute. She was fun to talk to, and I hope I was able to encourage her in her writing, because she was feeling a bit discouraged by the end of the conference. There's just so much to absorb, and she seemed a bit overwhelmed. She made little personalized bags for everyone from the Steeple Hill boards, which was thoughtful and hilarious.

Because of her avatar, I thought Heather was blonde. :-) She's a smart, witty chick with a flavorful Texas accent. She is very affectionate and loving. In some ways, her humor reminds me of my brother a bit. I enjoyed hanging out with her, although we didn't have as much time as we'd have liked. Heather if you're reading this, remember that YOU ARE WORTHY!!! WOOHOO!!!

I also met everyone else from the boards: Dream, Ziongirl (Julia), Jaen (Janet Spaeth), Margaret Daley and Marta Perry. Lunch at the House of Windsor was a blast. They're all sweeties. Margaret especially has sooooo much energy! She's a hoot. And Jaen is terrific--I wanted to hug her every time I saw her. She received a contract from Heartsong that was presented at the conference, which is totally awesome!

I was a bit worried before the conference that I wouldn't get any nibbles, but I met with two editors (Sue Brower from Zondervan and Kris Bearss from Integrity) who both wanted to see the proposal. When I pitched, both editors said, "Asian Chicklit? I've never heard of Asian Chicklit." I took that as a good sign. In fact, Brandilynn Collins came up to me later (I'm so stoked she remembered me, even) to tell me that she'd heard Sue speak very highly of my proposal idea. She also said to let her know how it goes with Zondervan.

I also got a chance to meet Krista Stroever from Steeple Hill, and she recognized my name from the eHarlequin Steeple Hill discussion boards, can you believe that? I was freaking out because I didn't realize they followed the boards so closely, and I was wondering if I'd said anything I shouldn't have. :-) She also mentioned that she'd read my action/adventure short story, which I had posted a link to on the boards. She said she liked it, although it's not exactly what Steeple Hill publishes. I smiled and nodded. "Yes." Hopefully coming across as agreeable and professional, and not an unpubbed author desperate to get her attention and opinion, even though inside I was screaming, "SHE LIKED MY STORY!!!" She asked what I write, and I told her, "Asian Chicklit." And her eyes lit up and then my memory is a bit fuzzy but I remember her telling me to tell my agent to please keep Steeple Hill in mind. Now that's cool, isn't it?

Katrina Sapp (Poettiss) gave an absolutely incredible spoken word performance. Moving and colorful and inspiring. Lots of women were clamoring for her CD.

I met Linda Mae Baldwin and we happened to run into each other and chat a few times. She's warm and friendly and didn't mind my sauntering by and taking up her time.

I had an author appointment with Linda Windsor. She's a gas. I asked her how she decided to write for CBA versus ABA and she told me she was a bonafide Jonah "backstroking in the belly of the whale." But I'm glad she's writing romantic comedy for the CBA. I think she adds a very unique voice to the genre, and her characters all have "hormones," as she calls it, which makes me relate to them better and enjoy the story more. She probably thinks I was stalking her because the day I had the author appointment, I wandered into dinner late and ended up sitting at her table.

Krista Stroever and Joan Golan from Steeple Hill gave a very informative workshop on Editor/Author relations, and what happens once your manuscript gets to the publishing house. It was full of practical info, tips and suggestions for what to do and not to do.

I again ran into Debbie Clopton, whom I'd met at Mt. Hermon in the Fiction 101 track. She's really nice, and has the most terrific Texas accent I've ever heard. I had lunch with Cheryl, Heather, Debbie and Angie Poole on Sunday after the conference ended, and the three Texans at the table made for an entertaining meal.

I got to hang out quite a bit with Mary Griffith again (www.marilynngriffith.com). I love talking to her--she's one of the funniest women I know. We spent an afternoon just shootin' the breeze in her hotel room. She also gave me a lot of great advice. One was that I don't need to work on the second book in my Single Sushi series right now, unless I'm going to market it as a single title, because if a publisher buys the series, they'll give me time to finish the next books. I hadn't even thought of that, and it was kind of a relief because I've been having so much trouble with the manuscript. She also heard that Krista is buying up romantic suspense stories, and suggested that I take my action/adventure and make it into a suspense/pseudo-Bombshell storyline with a Lorena-like heroine. I thought that was a great idea, and I already have a few story ideas I'm flirting with. Mary also had an idea for a multicultural chicklit anthology--Gigi's Place or something like that--with three multicultural protagonists. She wanted to suggest the idea to our chica Mir (from the Steeple Hill boards and ACRW/ACFW), and we three would each do a novella. I thought the idea was kickin'. I haven't heard from her since, but if God wants it to happen, I'm sure He'll nudge her about it again.

Meredith Efken was my conference mentor (again, actually, since she'd also filled that role for me at Mt. Hermon) and it was terrific to run into her the very Thursday afternoon that I arrived at the hotel. Later that evening, I was chatting and had questions about agent/author etiquette, and she introduced me to her agent, Andrea Boeshaar from Hartline. I also met Joyce and Tamela from Hartline--both very nice ladies. Andrea was incredibly warm and friendly, and I kept running into her during the conference. I went to her novella late-night chat on Saturday night, which had a lot of good information, and chatted with her a bit. I mentioned Mary's idea for a multicultural chicklit anthology and she thought it was a great idea, and encouraged me to talk to Kristin Billerbeck.

One very interesting late night chat I attended was Branding taught by Lee Hough from Alive Communications. He compared it to Nike's "Just Do It" and the swoop symbol. Each author needs to find her niche, something that sets her apart, something that targets a certain readership or genre or subject matter. Publishers like leaders, trendsetters, new ideas. To boldly go where no man has gone before... ;-) He suggests authors decide their passion and then write it. There is a downside--once you brand yourself, you're kind of stuck writing that at least until you're established enough to branch out. It's a matter of promising something to the readership and then delivering on that promise. People picking up Kristin Billerbeck's books expect Christian Chicklit, not murder suspense. If she branched into another genre too soon, she'd be failing and disappointing her readership. So if you pick a branding, pick one you can stick with for a while. I took this as good news, since I write Asian Chicklit/Romance. Most people I talked to had never heard of it before, so that means I'm a trendsetter, right?

I also met Marilyn Hilton (www.marilynhilton.com), who just happens to live close by me in San Jose. So I fly miles away to meet someone who lives about 15 minutes away from me. It was nice, because we had the same flight home, which was really late--around 8:30pm--so we kept each other company at the airport. I'm looking forward to keeping in touch with her. Her agent is Janet Grant so I'm sure she'll be published soon.

My highlight was when Brandilynn Collins prayed over Squirl, Pammer, Heather and myself on Sunday after the conference had ended. It was a time of true anointing. I got (I think) affirmation that Asian fiction is what I should be writing, but I need to wait and trust. Since I got back, I've felt God's peace inside me--a well of something deep and cool and refreshing and calm, that certainly isn't ME! So it must be God's Spirit nestled there, cupping my heart. Thank You, Lord, You're so gracious and good to me. My days have been calmer and filled to the brim with God's grace to me and His peace in me.

Whew, that's a lot. Time for bed.


Categories:

Comments

Popular Posts

Bethany House Publishers Cover Survey Invitation

Captain's Log, Supplemental I just got this from Bethany House Publishers: Hello Reader, We at Bethany House Publishers appreciate our readers opinions about the books we publish. Occasionally, we seek your input about upcoming products. Currently, we are conducting a survey about the cover image for an upcoming novel. For your time, we are offering a giveaway in conjunction with this survey. You will be able to choose from ten recent Bethany House novels, and there will be ten winners. Winners will be notified within two weeks. Click here to take the survey, which should take about 10 minutes to complete. Thank you for your participation, and feel free to forward this email on to your friends or link the survey on your website. The survey will be available through Monday, September 17. Thanks for your time and your opinions. We value your feedback. Sincerely, Jim Hart Internet Marketing Manager Bethany House Publishers

Narrow Escape contest for January!

I’m so excited because my January Love Inspired Suspense, Narrow Escape , is now available! Here’s the back cover blurb: KIDNAPPED IN BROAD DAYLIGHT Arissa Tiong and her three-year-old niece are snatched off the street by members of a notorious drug gang. Having lost her police officer brother to a drug bust gone bad, Arissa knows the danger she's in. But she has no idea why they want her. Desperate to protect the little girl, Arissa escapes and runs straight to Nathan Fischer. She knows the handsome, weary former narcotics cop hasn't told her everything about the night that ended her brother's life and Nathan's career. But he's all that stands between her and dangerous thugs who are after something she doesn't even know she has. This is the 4th book in my Sonoma series , but each book is stand-alone. The hero is Nathan Fischer, who had a minor role in the 3rd book, Stalker in the Shadows . To celebrate, I’m giving away 10 copies of Narrow Escape ! Her

I sold to Steeple Hill!

Captain's Log, Supplemental Remember that romantic suspense proposal I blogged about earlier? Well, it just sold to Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired Suspense line! I am so jazzed! I am beyond jazzed! The story’s working title is Sinister Spa The story's title is Deadly Intent and here’s a blurb (but it’s probably not what will appear on the back of the book): Massage therapist Naomi Grant could use a massage herself. With her father at home recovering from a stroke, Naomi is put in charge of the family’s elite day spa in Sonoma county. The new responsibilities sit awkwardly on her shoulders, and things only get worse when handsome Dr. Devon Knightley breezes into the spa, demanding to see one of the female clients. And the woman is found dead in Naomi’s massage room. Suddenly, Naomi is a suspect and her family’s spa is shut down. How could God let this awful thing happen? Devon only needed to see his ex-wife about a family necklace she still hadn’t returned, but when she dies and

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th

Year of the Dog serial novel

About Year of the Dog : A month or two ago, I remembered an old manuscript I had completed but which hadn’t sold. It was a contemporary romance meant for Zondervan, titled Year of the Dog . The book had gone into the pipeline and I even got another title ( Bad Dog ) and a cover for it, but eventually my editor at the time decided she didn’t want to publish it, for various reasons. She instead requested a romantic suspense, and so I cannibalized some of the characters from Year of the Dog and thrust them into the next book I wrote, which was Protection for Hire . Honestly, I didn’t take a lot from Year of the Dog to put in Protection for Hire , aside from character names and a few relationship ties. I was originally thinking I’d post Year of the Dog as-is on my blog as a free read, but then it occurred to me that I could revamp it into a romantic suspense and change the setting to Hawaii. It would work out perfectly as (yet another) prequel to the Warubozu series and introduc

Welcome Spring with these Christian/sweet and wholesome books in Kindle Unlimited!

I’m participating in this promo. Click on the graphic to check out all the Christian romance books available and stuff your eBook reader! Welcome Spring with these Christian/sweet and wholesome books in Kindle Unlimited!

I GOT A CONTRACT!

Captain’s Log, Stardate 03.29.2006 I had a wonderfully funny blog post planned for today, but I got sidetracked by some news yesterday! Zondervan has offered me a three-book contract on my Asian chick-lit series ! I’m still stunned by everything that’s happened. The series is actually a 4-book projected Asian chick-lit series about four cousins who fall under the infamous family title "Oldest Single Female Cousin," and their ruthless, wealthy grandma applies pressure on each of them to improve their lack of love interests. I think the first book is tentatively scheduled to be released in August 2007. The blurb on the series is on my website here . Brandilyn Collins posted to the ACFW loop about my writing journey, and Tamara Cooper asked that I share it. And since you all know how much I like to talk , here it is. My writing journey: Like most writers, I have wanted to write since I was very young. (In high school, I wrote a fantasy novel that will never see the light of day

Sweet March Freebies

Sign up for these authors’ newsletters and get free books! Click on the graphic to check out all the free books. You might find a new favorite author! Sweet March Freebies

New book idea a la Captain Caffeine

Captain's Log, Stardate 04.14.2009 So my husband, Captain Caffeine, had lunch with a few friends a few days ago. And they asked about my writing, and if I’d been on Oprah yet. (Yeah, right) They then discussed NYT bestselling books, and why can’t Camy write a NYT bestseller. (Sure, let me just open a vein over a blank page and it’ll come right out.) So Captain Caffeine came home with ideas for my new NYT bestselling novel. First it starts with vampires, because Twilight is so hot. But not just any vampires. This one’s an Amish vampire. And he’s not just an Amish vampire, he’s a cop in disguise, infiltrating the Amish community to protect a witness. (Hmm, that storyline sounds familiar ...) But wait! There’s more! To add more conflict and stick with my brand of Asian fiction, we introduce the Tibetan monk! Who joins the Amish community to get away from the pressures of monkhood. But in reality, he’s protecting the Chinese princess on the run, trying to escape from her father’s Hong