Free Online YA & Children's Writer's Conference in August

For those of you who have a hard time attending a writer's conference, either because of time, money, or perhaps your unswerving devotion to having your butt in the writer's chair, this conference might be for you. The 2nd Annual WriteOn-Con will happen August 16-18, 2011. Last year's conference had over 11,000 participants. There will be hourly events, live chats, videos, online forums, and it is a great chance to network and connect with fellow writers, illustrators and agents. Many of those agents will be prowling for new talent as well and you'll be able to post your work.

So if you're a children's or YA writer/author, register for the conference by going to their website here. Not all information may yet be available, so if not, bookmark that site and keep checking back!

Gorgon-zola!: The First 250 Words

Here's the first exciting couple of pages from Gorgon-zola!, my commercial women's fiction manuscript with a dose of magical realism now seeking an agent. It's complete at 100,000 words. Enjoy, and thanks for reading and your comments!

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I poked the man in the chest.

No flinching, no moving, no blinking. No blinking? I poked him again to make sure. Definitely no blinking. He was one of those creepy wax statues, a sick grin on his face like a clown who broke loose from the circus.

I glared at him. All I needed was an aspirin for my headache, not some lewd pick up line and a practical joke.

With a sigh, I turned on my heel and made for the door.

I walked by the cosmetic aisle and spared a quick look at my face. My eyes had always been green, but never chartreuse, and never so swollen. A face appeared in the mirror behind me and I shrieked, stumbling backwards into a display of nail polish. Bottles skittered everywhere and I clenched my teeth as my headache kicked up a notch.

I turned to blame the jerk who surprised me, but there was no one there.

Muttering under my breath and vowing to get some more rest, I went outside, hit the auto unlocker on my keychain, opened the door to my red Ferrari Spider, and climbed inside. The Spider flaunted wealth that I knew I didn't have or put into any other aspect of my life. But I loved fast cars and it was a testament to my new American life, with an Italian spin of course. It had taken me years to save up for this beast.

Gorgon-zola! Now Seeking an Agent!

When Serpi's temper flares, men stand still to notice - literally. To make matters worse, snakes are appearing in her hair, she's growing a second pair of eyelids, and she feels like a chew toy between Athena, who wants her powers back, Eris, the goddess who started the Trojan War, Poseidon, who won't take no for an answer, and Ares, who thinks the best way to handle her is to put her out of her misery. All Serpi wants is to be left alone to lead a normal, quiet life, but when one of her students goes missing, she learns Perseus is hot on her trail, and the Fates start issuing ultimatums, Serpi realizes she must take sides or she'll lose her sanity, her sister's life, and her only chance at love with the same man who once took her head.

Sound interesting? Well, I'm currently shopping for an agent!

I have a deep and abiding love for Greek mythology which is what brought me to this topic. Medusa is such a misunderstood woman/creature. Modern books and movies have pegged her as a monster, but rarely does anyone focus on what made her this way. Medusa was a Priestess, and a very attractive woman. It was natural that the Greek god of the seas, Poseidon, desired her. Depending on the story she either willingly went to Poseidon, or he raped her, but the problem was that it was done in Athena's temple. In anger, Athena cursed Medusa with all we know her as today. Some say that Medusa used to be a part of Athena, and her anger splintered off and became her, thus they shared the same powers. After this point, you can imagine that Medusa lived the rest of her life a very lonely woman.

I thought I would give some new life to the Medusa myth, while bringing on a small cast of Greek gods and goddesses to add more life. It's finished, and recently been revised due to a few comments from a couple of agents who took time out of their schedule to lend this as-of-yet unpublished author a helping hand. Now I'm back to seek an agent for who's as passionate about it as I am.

The agent search begins (again)! Wishing myself and all of you searching the best of luck!

Two Writing Contests You Should Know About

I'm pretty sure that there are a score of others that I don't know about, but I stumbled across these two and wanted to pass them along. Both of them end this weekend, so if you're interested in scoring a look by a literary agent, check out these links. All these two generous contest promoters ask is return is a little social media oomph, or for you to follow their blog. So what are you waiting for? See all of you there!

Dear Lucky Agent Contest

Held by Guide to Literary Agents blogger Chuck Sambuchino. For writers of women's/upmarket fiction. Deadline is June 26, 2011.

Birthday Blowout Contest

Held by author Shelley Watters on her blog "Is It Hot In Here Or Is It This Book". For writers of women's commercial fiction, YA, middle grade, memoir or pop-culture non-fiction. Deadline is midnight June 24, 2011.

Change in Me, Change in My Blog

When I first set up this blog, my intent was to connect with the world along the lines of mythology, writing, fantasy/sci-fi/YA literature, gaming, and anywhere else my soul decided to trek. When I lost my son Alistair just over a year ago on June 5th due to a stricture in the umbilical cord, I changed. How could I not? I can't say that I've had much more luck concentrating through the past year, and two more losses (early miscarriages), but one of the things that has struck me in the past couple of weeks is that I have gotten off my original path. It's only through the love I have for my three children, and the gifts they gave me when they came into my life, and when they departed that I think I've finally found my way back. I've spent so much of my time trying to figure out how to blog about my trek without bringing them up, in the event that I may offend someone. But I've realized that they are so deeply a part of me, that the only way I can blog, and write, is with their spirits watching over me.

So let me reintroduce myself. I am a writer, and an author of Gorgon-zola!, for which I am seeking an agent. I am a voracious reader of fantasy, sci-fi, young adult, and whatever else strikes my fancy, and I am always looking for recommendations, so send them my way! I am an unabashed video gamer and board gamer. I am a black belt in martial arts, both karate and kobudo. I love to travel around the world and try to flee the country once a year to do just that, limited vacation time and funds, my only barrier. I love Greek and Roman mythology, and its influence is seen in almost every aspect of my life. I garden, I walk my adorable beagle Cosmo, and I love to play tennis. I am a wife to my loving husband of almost nine years, and yes, I am a three-time baby loss mommy.

Be prepared for book reviews, for knowledge of contests out there, and for postings of my own writing. Be prepared for nods to other authors and writers that I think you should read too, and people you should follow on Twitter. Be prepared for posts about trips I've taken, things I've seen, and things I think you should see too. Be prepared for posts on mythology, recipes I've tried, and things that make me laugh.

Welcome to where my soul trek has taken me now. Welcome to my new home.

And may anyone reading my blog who has experienced the loss of a child, know that my heart is with you.