Can NaNoWriMo Novels be Any Good?

If you go to the ravenousromance.blogspot.com site, you'll find that we are supporting NaNoWriMo. We are encourging writers to write erotic romance novels during this month and send them to us.

We expect to be deluged. We expect most of what we see to need so much work we will be unable to do anything with it except tell you where you need a lot of work. But we also expect to find some writers who we can work with and who will grow into RR authors. That's what editors used to do many years ago.

So I was a little shocked when one of our writers told me that many editors and agents have flat out refused to read any NaNoWriMo books.

And I was equally shocked that a reader of the RR blog said it would take years to get a novel to the point where it could be submitted, so any NaNoWriMo novel sent in after only a month of editing would probably suck.

Writing is a learned skill. And the more you do it, the better you become at it.

I was a journalist before I became an agent and an editor. You learn to write, and then you learn to write quickly. You learn to edit yourself. I've been writing (and pubbing) for three decades (since I was 17) and it took me forever to write anything when I was a young adult, and now I can write good, well-crafted prose at a speed I never imagined.

NanNoWriMo is about learning and mastering style and craft and pacing of information. The first thing you learn about writing is that writers write. That's what NaNoWriMo is really about - getting that book out of your head and onto the page. A writer's group, a good editor and even your reader will tell you what works, how to make it better and where to improve. NaNoWriMo (and RR ) is not about the Great American novel. It's about finishing your first novel. My advice to first time authors has always been to write the novel you can finish. It will teach you how to write the next one.

So, yes, I think there are going to be some pretty good novels sent to us from this NaNoWriMo excercise, especially since now there's a real market and place for your 50,000 word novels.

Are Agents Zombies?

It's what we've all been waiting for, and yes . . . I know it's short notice, but please do come!

WHAT: Live Chat With NY Agent Lori Perkins - "THE ZOMBIE STOMP"

WHEN: Friday, October 30th - 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. EST

WHERE: RAVENOUS ROMANCE NING - Chat room, http://rrauthors. ning.com

Bring your poisonous apples, your favorite witch's brew and a *black hat* full of questions. We'll be talking zombie love and what's hot in publishing. Now's your chance to ask Lori what you always wanted to know about agents. So don't be shy!

And, oh, yes, we'll be giving away gift certificates for free e-books from the Ravenous Romance site!

Please pass the word and let all your friends know. We'd appreciate it if you'd twitter about the chat in the next few days.

Be there or Be Square!

Keta Diablo

http://ketaskeep. blogspot. com

Back from Killercon

Every now and then an agent goes to a convention and gets inspired. This usually happens for me at Necon. It happened at Killercon too.

Killercon was awesome. Imagine your favorite horror, thriller and paranormal romance writers let loose upon Las Vegas? I don't think the city will ever be the same.

Now, you have to realize my biases here (my heart belongs to horror - especially vampires - I've sold more than 200 vampire novels in 22 years - although the zombies are trying to seduce me), and then my second love is erotica and paranormal romance, so this was an orgy for me. I went to every single panel and reading I could - I mean Joe Landsdale, L.A. Banks, Heather Graham - it was almost too rich for my blood.

And then we judged an erotic horror contest at midnight one night, and the submissions were so good, that I think we're going to buy the first place story for Ravenous Romance!

I dragged Lisa and Tommy Lane to Bite!, the vampire burlesque show that's been running on and off on the strip for the last two years and we had second row seats. Great concept, costumes, and dancing, although it could use more story and hotter men. But what fun!

And I even witnessed Brian Keene get inspired on the zombie panel. He now has the ending for his comic book series, and we all were amazed as Hal Bodner realized the underlying themes of his M/M zombie novel, FOR THE LOVE OF THE DEAD.

If you love these genres, mark your calendar for next year's Killercon. Brian Lumley and John Skipp have already agreed to attend. I think it's going to be in August next year. I can't wait.

I have a new Intern - Please Read her Blog

As if I don't have enough to do - two full time jobs, three junior agents, a teen-aged son and a grown-up relationship - I got an email from a local journalism school graduate inquiring if she could intern with me this summer.

Now those who know me know that I believe in mentoring, because I was so poorly mentored when I was a young woman in my 20's by the icons of feminist journalism - they just made me feel so small and insignificant - and I vowed that when my turn came, I would give back. So I said yes.

But I take interning seriously, and always make sure that I have something to teach.

It turns out that Vanessa is a horror fan - she actually worked for someone I had just met at Necon - so there is much that I can teach her.

And I've asked her to keep a blog, so please visit, and comment, and encourage.

She'll be interning at the agency through the summer, and then begin a six month internship at RR while she goes for her Masters in Publishing.

http://vanessayvette.blogspot.com/2009_07_01_archive.html

Agent EK is Avidly Seeking Middle Grade and YA

I'll post about Necon and RWA shortly, but while you're waiting for my reports, I thought you'd be interested to know that one of our junior agents at L. Perkins Agency has declared her love of YA and is aggressively seeking new authors, so tell you friends and family!!

Below is EK's description of what she's looking for:

"I’m tired of getting queries from authors who don’t currently read YA, never read YA, say books published today are terrible, but they heard that Harry Potter lady made more than the Queen, and hey, they can do that! Writing for kids is easy, right?

I love YA books. I loved them when I was a kid and I still love them now. I want to see manuscripts from people who love it as much as I do. I want to find the books that kids are going to remember with fondness. I inhaled Lois Duncan, LJ Smith, Babysitter’s Club, Sweet Valley, etc, etc. These days I’m excited by the writing done by Suzanne Collins, Kristin Cashore, Claudia Gray. I’m also into the teen novels by people like Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, Barry Lyga and others. I’m looking for smart middle grade and teen novels. (No picture books, please.) I like fantasy and paranormal, and other odd things. Zombies are pretty big at the moment, and I’d also like to see witches, psychics, time travel and superheroes. As far as non-genre, I like strong, female heroines and books with fresh voices and a quirky sense of humor. I’m really sick of knock-off “Harry Potters’ and “Twilights.”

Lori told me to list some of my favorite TV shows to give a better sense of my taste. I liked Buffy, Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars, How I Met Your Mother, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Justice League, Firefly, True Blood, Project Runway, Top Chef.... As I kid I loved Jem and the Holograms (magic earrings = always good) and Get Smart."

Send queries directly to EK at EKlperkinsagency@yahoo.com.