Author Heather McCorkle

The list of tweets for writers that I scrounged up this week is a bit thin since I've been spending most of my time writing, but I did manage to find a few really good ones. This first one is from me but it is about an excellent post that Chuck Sambuchino wrote. If you're a writer you need to read this before you do your holiday shopping: @HeatherMcCorkle The Publishing Industry Needs Our Support: http://tinyurl.com/24spacc A great post via @ChuckSambuchino  of @WritersDigest  #writing Literary agent Jennifer Laughran of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency let's us in on a little secret about when to submit: @literaticat Do you want to know the secret, sure-fire time to submit so your query will definitely get noticed? http://tinyurl.com/32gv4s9 Are you curious about why Super agent Nathan Bransford left the publishing industry? Then you need to read this interview: @NathanBransford  In which I'm interviewed by the awesome @RachelleGardner  about leaving publ...

The picture that inspired me this week is much different from what you're used to seeing here on Heather's Odyssey. If you spend much time on the web you've probably heard the shortened version of this header, NaNoWriMo. For those who don't know what it is, NaNoWriMo is a month where writers of all kinds come together to encourage one another to pump out words. 50K in 30 days is the goal, though no one minds if you fall a bit short. The spirit of NaNoWriMo is to get words on the page by dedicating an entire month to your writing. Though I didn't participate this year I cheered from the sidelines and did my best to keep my word count high in honor of those who were taking part. Every time I saw a tweet, Facebook, or Scribblerati update from one of my friends about their NaNoWriMo progress it encouraged me to pick up the pencil and do a bit of writing myself. You were my inspiration not only this week, but the entire month of November and I want to say thank you. Th...

This year I am thankful for many things but since this is my blog about my writer's journey I thought I'd focus on that. Great links for writers will be involved so read on! #1) I am thankful for the use of my right hand. It seems like a simple thing until you lose it. Several years ago I broke it and my right wrist. The doctor said I would be lucky to get 60% use of it back. That was unacceptable to me. I finished six months of physical therapy in two and not only got full use of my hand back, but full strength as well. #2) I am thankful for my critique group the Scribe Sisters . A good critique group is like finding that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Such a thing is almost unobtainable it seems and yet is so worth the hunt when you do find it. If you're looking for your own you might try the wonderful writer's social network Scribblerati or Twitter . #3) I am thankful for each and every one of my followers here on Heather's Odyssey, Twitter, Scribbl...

I found some gems among the publishing world tweets on Twitter for you this month. Some of these I'm sure you'll want to bookmark! This first one is fantastic. My friend Angela found a blogger, Shawntelle, who created a book royalties calculator. You definitely want to check this one out! @AngelaAckerman Book Royalties Calculator by @shawntelle (How cool is THIS?) http://bit.ly/cKhv19  #writing #amwriting Brian Klems of Writer's Digest answers the question, should you grant an agent an exclusive read if they ask? @WritersDigest Should You Grant an Exclusive Read to an Agent? - Q: I recently had an agent respond to one of my queries and reques... http://ow.ly/1a05aK You don't want to miss this interview by Chuck Sambuchino of Writer's Digest with agent Katharine Sands about agent pet peeves. Read this carefully to make sure you don't do any of these things! @ChuckSambuchino Lit agent Katharine Sands talks "Agent Pet Peeves": http://tinyurl...

Finally I found a picture that makes me think of my main character! Since much of this novel takes place in a forest this picture couldn't be more perfect. Sure you only get to see her from behind but the subject of this picture has the same long, brown hair as my main character and about the same build. The picture has an air of magic and mystery to it that I thought was perfect. I have a feeling this will be my main picture muse for this novel! I finished reading Blood Promise by Rachelle Mead and wow did it wrap up good! The second half of the book more than made up for the slow first half. I loved it and am definitely getting the next one. In the mean time I'm taking a break from reading the young adult genre and have picked up Grave Witch  by Kalayna Price , an adult urban fantasy. After a great chat with the author over on The Knight Agency's blog I had to pick up one of her books. She is a fantastic, fun lady and I'm glad I did because this book has sucked me...

Luck was with me in the book winning department this November which has made my mailbox a very happy place. Unfortunately I fear it makes the UPS person a bit nervous as I appear to be stalking them. ;) But with good reason, just check out these fabulous books that I won! I won Torment , the sequel to Fallen, by Lauren Kate from the wonderful Mundie Moms book bloggers. These ladies are always doing giveaways and their reviews keep my To Be Read list very long. The best part? They never disappoint. Every book they've recommended I love! Follow these gals! I won Unconventional by J.J. Hebert from the fabulous and ever supportive writer of middle grade novels Eisley Jacobs . It looks like it is going to be a very inspirational novel which will make it an excellent read for December! If you aren't following Eisley you're missing out on knowing a truly special lady so click on her name and check her out. Now to get some reading done! What was in your mailbox this month?

Now that I have a few fulls of my manuscript out to agents and editors I've started to seriously think about The Call. You know the one, the call every aspiring author dreams about. The call from an agent offering representation. I'm not so arrogant to think I have it in the bag, especially in today's economy. But, I know it's best to be prepared. Having gone through this before I know the excitement of that call can cause you to forget everything you were going to ask. And let's face it, this is a big decision. You don't want to forget your questions! I've scoured the internet and have put together a list of questions that you should ask an agent when they call with an offer of representation. Some of these are questions I've come up with and some are from other sources. Some sources said to ask questions such as, is this agent a member of the AAR, who are their clients, what have they sold recently. All these things can be found on the internet so yo...