Gilmore Girls, Villains and Jury Duty

To celebrate the arrival of Gilmore Girls on Netflix, I fired up the coffee maker and slapped on my sarcasm and wit. Yes, I'm binge watching. Don't judge. I must mention the only permanent cast member that cracks me up more than any other character is Kirk--human-Kirk, not cat-Kirk. I watched the show when it debuted back in 2000 and dreamed of living in Stars Hollow.

Every timeless television series features an unforgettable antagonist. After all, what would a story be without the person who opposes one of the main characters? Boring. Well, I did some pondering while watching Gilmore Girls and my little writer's eye spied Lane's mother, Mrs. Kim. She has great hopes and aspirations for Lane to have a Korean boyfriend. Mrs. Kim stands in direct opposition to Lane's eternal happiness: a boy in Lane's rock band and her love interest, Dave Rygalski, played by Adam Brody. Lane (Rory Gilmore's best friend) creatively thwarts her mother's plans to ruin her life. BTW, the "Lane and Dave" story line is the best thing that ever happened to Gilmore Girls. 

The story line in a nutshell consists of Lane getting a fake Korean boyfriend to please her mom because Lane is secretly in love with Dave. If her mother found out, she'd be grounded until she was 35. Lane and her fake boyfriend make a plan to have her fake boyfriend who also has a fake Korean girlfriend (not Lane) break up with her. Try to keep up. Her mom will then feel sorry for her and allow her to go to the prom with Dave. Things never go as planned. The fake boyfriend breaks up with his fake girlfriend and begins to fall in love with Lane.

Meanwhile, Dave gets a little jealous of Lane's fake boyfriend and a little tired of keeping their attraction for each other a secret. One night, all goes awry when Lane confesses everything to her mom. The unexpected happens. Lane's mom shows no reaction. Her quiet, somber mood freaks Lane out. My favorite episode is when Dave shows up at Lane's door, confesses his "crush" and asks if he can take Lane to the prom. He faces the antagonist, ready to make a deal with the devil, but is shocked at Mrs. Kim's response.

Watch Dave's famous monologue if you are a fan of Gilmore Girls, Adam Brody or a fan of humor. Villains fight for what they believe in just as much as the protagonist. In this case, Mrs. Kim just wants to shield her daughter from the world (and boys). Did I mention boys? It's a worthy goal for a mother. And remember, folks, Dave flosses.

The final countdown to the Pitch Wars contest agent round has begun. I'm experiencing a root canal on Thursday and Jury Duty next Monday. Just watch the video and you will see a reflection of my disheveled self. "I can't feel my right elbow anymore." (Just watch the video:)


How's your week going? Worse than mine? Have you spotted some well-played villains lately? Have you written antagonists that aren't pure evil and have a heart?

IWSG: Get Your Game Face On: Publishers vs Agents

Come join me in the IWSG group created by Alex Cavanaugh. We post the first Wednesday of each month! http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/p/the-insecure-writers-support-group.html

Name: Jennifer L. Hawes and I write upper middle-grade fiction.
Website: http://www.jenniferlhawes.com/ or on my Blog: http://www.jenniferswritingrevolution.blogspot.com/
Title: Publishers vs Agents
I give the Insecure Writer's Support Group permission to use all or part of this blog post.

When signing with a small to medium sized publisher (or self-publishing), you will most likely design your own book marks, plan book signings and school appearances. Be prepared to do a lot of work. You must make contacts with other writers, libraries, book clubs, bloggers and organizations to promote your book. There were many things I enjoyed about having a small publisher for my debut novel, but many things I'd do differently. Publishers represent your book (to some degree) while agents represent you, your book and your future books.

For my current, finished novel, I am seeking a literary agent. My experiences have left me feeling like I just won the lottery to losing the State Championship game in sudden death overtime. Let me warn you. You will be forced to play the WAITING game. This game is NOT fun. It freaks you out every second of every minute that you WAIT for them to read your requested full. (And the dozen or so other ones they've requested from other writers.)

Don't settle and don't quit. Put your best work out there. Follow agents and Writer's Digest on Twitter. Don't forget to be professional with agents. Always address them by name. Always include some of the qualities that match your book to their #MSWL (Twitter hashtag for "manuscript wish list") or go to their website. And for the love of all that is holy, follow submission guidelines. If they are closed to submissions, DO NOT QUERY THEM.

BE PATIENT. This is not for the faint of heart. You must be strong--warrior strong, line-backer strong. Paint your game face on and race to the line of scrimmage and WAIT for the big game to start. You CAN do this!
(I tell myself this every morning.)


Tell me about your experience with publishers vs. agents. What do you like/dislike about both? Do you enjoy self promotion? How do you handle the "waiting game"? 

IWSG September 2014: "Wait for It."

Come join me in the IWSG group created by Alex Cavanaugh. We post the first Wednesday of each month! http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/p/the-insecure-writers-support-group.html












As we all know, the writing process is forever a waiting game. Shawn Spencer said it best, "Wait for iiiiiit." Yes, if you want to perfect your craft, publish your work, promote your writing and enter contests, it all takes TIME.

I entered Brenda Drake's #PitchWars contest in August. We found out the winners last night. That was the longest three weeks of my life. Waiting and hoping and praying I'd make it into this contest, was a true challenge of faith and stamina. And for the record, I did make it into the contest as an alternate. I am indeed honored! There were 75 mentors and thousands of contestants, but they could only pick one mentee and one alternate.

Everyday on Twitter, since the contest opened, the mentors reminded us to wait patiently. They mentioned the endless waiting game in the writing industry. If we are to succeed in this business, we must WAIT FOR IT.



What you have waited for in the past or are you waiting for something right now? Did you ever give up on something that you wish you had been more patient with?

IWSG: "Get Back to Work, or You're Fired!"

Come join me in the IWSG group created by Alex Cavanaugh. We post the first Wednesday of each month! http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/p/the-insecure-writers-support-group.html

Benson's familiar words to Mordecai and Rigby from Regular Show ring in my ears, "Get back to work, or you're fired!" My words to myself, "Get back to writing; vacation's over." I'm back to my old writing self, somewhat. The kids start school in a few weeks. Feel free to join me in singing these words, "It's the most wonderful time of the year..."

Don't get me wrong. I do love my kids, just not in my face the entire summer, eating all of the food in the house like rabid racoons. I admit, the more I hang with my homies (my teenage sons) the more I write the funny, the unexpected, the real-life stuff that makes MG my fave genre.

As you know I'm on the path to securing an agent for my upper middle grade mystery. It's funny how you can feel worthless after a few rejections. Even when they say, "It's not you, it's me." I know this field is so subjective, but it still stings. I  try to remember all great authors have been rejected. Then things can quickly change. It feels like I won the lottery when I got one partial and two full requests! In the meantime, I'm going to enter Brenda Drake's #PitchWars. You should check it out if you are interested in getting an agent. It's for finished adult, YA and MG manuscripts. The 75 mentors choose one person to mentor their ms over a two month period.

So, I tried finishing my YA thriller set in Chicago (I will finish it!), but then the idea for my next mystery, the second in this series, hit me in the gut like a football tackle. I'm loving where this story is headed. If you see me stalking my sons, it's for research purposes. I seriously can't make this stuff up. 

I hope you have enjoyed your summer. Do you have a fear of rejection? Are you back to work--writing? What are you waiting for? Oh, yeah, the kids...to leave the house. Gotcha!

Vacation Inspiration

Well, I survived a week of family visiting us at our house, followed by a week of vacation in the Wisconsin Dells with the same (and more) family, followed by yet another week of more family members at our house this past week.

I thought I'd feature some highlights from our trip. Because a writer's brain never stops and inspiration always lurks behind the next photograph.

Storms. They blasted their way through the state. Thankfully, we just missed the big one that blew through Iowa and Illinois with straight line winds up to 100 mph. Tornado Alley runs through Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois, so we're programmed to dive for cover at a moment's notice. I kept my eye on all of the "Emergency Exit Only" doors throughout the week. Here's a shot of the theme park Mount Olympus before another storm. Mt. Olympus is the world's largest outdoor/indoor water park, featuring roller coasters, gigantic wave pools, water slides and other rides.

The Dells originally was a destination for non-mega theme parks. Boat tours on the Wisconsin River along with hiking tours were the main attraction led by the man who made the Dells famous, H. H. Bennett, Father of the Dells. He was the first person to ever take a photograph of something in motion. His photography studio/museum still stands on Broadway Street.

Baraboo is the town located right next to the Dells and is home to the Circus World Museum where five of the Ringling Brothers started a circus in 1884. Two more brothers joined the Ringling Brothers Circus and eventually bought out Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1907 and created The Greatest Show on Earth.

The diverse shops located downtown will make you stay and play or read and relax. Because every used book store should have pianos and puppies...

Baraboo is also home to Devil's Lake and the bluffs. My sons visited two weeks prior to our vacation with their youth group. This is why I chose not to tag alone, and I always close my eyes when they show me pics like these...(And you can now see why my son was the inspiration for Free Runner.)

And for all you Percy Jackson fans, I found Zeus, Medusa and Hades all in one place at the Mount Olympus theme park:

I hope you are having a wonderful, memory-filled summer! Now, back to working on my books and cleaning my house. What have you been doing this summer?

IWSG: Staying Positive

Come join me in the IWSG group created by Alex Cavanaugh. We post the first Wednesday of each month! http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/p/the-insecure-writers-support-group.html

First, I have some really good news:

 FREE RUNNER was awarded Honorable Mention in the 2014 Purple Dragonfly 

Children's Book Awards!!!

I should've named my post "Staying Alive." My agenda this summer includes surviving a family vacation with my teenage sons, tearing apart my house and cleaning it from limb to limb, and submitting my middle-grade mystery to agents.

"Clean it up and make it interesting. This involves rewriting until you feel like you need a bone marrow transplant." -Brian Beker

If you are in need of a sharp editing tool, I encourage you to try Noah Lukeman's book, The First Five Pages. If you are in need of someone to clean your house, please don't call me. With ten people in my house this past week, I'm trying to stay positive. I may need to call Servpro--"like it never happened."

I'm on vacation this week with my hubby, two teenage sons and one little princess. Yes, there will be stories to share.
  
Are you in the process of editing? Are you taking a break and enjoying a vacation this summer? What's your favorite book on writing? Do you agree with the quote by Beker?!

#TFIOS, Chris O'Donnell, and a Selfie

I watched the movie trailer for #TFIOS (The Fault in Our Stars by John Green) and bawled my eyes out. I'm only on chapter seven, but I know how it's going to end. No, I didn't read any spoilers. I just know. It's one of those books that sucks you in from page one with witty dialogue and intriguing, intelligent characters and won't let you go. How can I go to the movies and watch this without a dozen boxes of Kleenex? It leaves all the YA chic lit books, with hot guys on the covers, in a pile of dust.

The story resonates with me because I have teenagers. To have one of your children endure cancer and suffer their loss would be pure agony. One person said the heartbreak was more felt and seen through the eyes of the parents. John Green, you know how to make us laugh out loud, weep and experience blood shot eyes for weeks.

So, on a different note, some of you from the A to Z blogging challenge this past April might
remember my admiration for actor Chris O'donnell. (Notice I didn't say "obsession." Although, that might be a more accurate description but not in a creepy, stalker kind of way.) Growing up, I idolized this star, because that's what you do when you're a teenager. I guess I retweeted a pic of him during NCIS:LA's #ShowNShare week. CBS sent me a prize: an autographed photo of CHRIS O'DONNELL! Was not expecting this. Will encase it in bullet proof glass.

Yep, that's me. I don't always take selfies, but when I do it's because I'm one of the biggest NCIS:LA fans this side of the Mississippi. And, yes, that's the Mississippi River behind me. I'm also really into the series, Burn Notice, right now. What's up with me and all these spy guys?!


What are you reading this summer? I still have loads of books to read: The Murder Complex, Nerve, Hacker are just a few on my list. By my book choices, can you guess I'm still in the middle of writing my teen spy thriller set in Chicago?What are your thoughts on #TFIOS ? Have you read the book or seen the movie yet?