Giveaway winner, upcoming interview and how every experience matters

Thanks to those who posted their pitch and critiqued this weekend! Melvin the Magic Sorting Hat was tough to poke awake (he hates Mondays) but he finally spat out the name of:

Lyla!


Congratulations - I sent Jolene your contact info. You two can confab on what works best in the critique arena. Good luck!

On Friday, the ComicCon goddess Cole Gibsen will share her publishing journey. Her debut, Katana comes out in March, 2012 and has been dubbed a 'supernatural samurai' by her publisher. A super cool stealth assassin writer by day and fashionista by night, you don't want to miss her.


Now *deep breath* I must confess this weekend has been a nadir in my parenting experience. I've heard some writers say their MS is like a child to them, and honestly, my response is a bit of eye rolling. Really? A child? Uh, no. I can shelve my MS if it doesn't work/sell. That's not an option with my kids - who, BTW, walk around with my heart in their bodies. And when they hurt, I do, too. Right now my insides feel like they've been pounded with a mallet. Part of me hurts...the other part of me perks up and says: hmmmm. Interesting. How can I use this later?

Because this is the truly great part of the writing life. Everything is of use. The more it hurts, the more I file away because we all have these moments. Sharing and recording them is what connects us all. It's what we call the human experience. And it's these moments that can make a writer great.