The Tea Post 26: Japan, Literary Agent, and new Projects!
Literary Agent Update!
Sorry I haven’t posted for a while! Too many awesome things have been happening!
I began prepping to query AFTER LOVELIFE after the holiday season. This was my second time querying a book. My first novel was a series of learning lessons and about 140 rejections.
Cherry Blossom season in Japan! We were so blessed to get 2 full weeks of Cherry Blossoms everywhere we traveled!
I went to Japan for two weeks right after I had just begun querying agents for my manuscript AFTER LOVELIFE. I’d done about one round of querying. I’d heard not to query during vacation. But I’d participated in a Twitter/X writing contest #Unhingedpit, and got my first agent like. This is a signal to go ahead and query an agent because they are interested in your pitch. You don’t want to wait too long to respond to a like and have the agent forget you.
My UnhingedPit post
So I sent the query off right before I left, not really expecting to hear anything back for a while, and halfway through my trip, I got a partial request for my book. That was thrilling. I sent my partial off, and I figured I probably wouldn’t hear back soon. Then one day later, I got a larger partial and then a full request. That blew my mind.
Went out with my husband, best friend and her husband to their favorite Ice cream shop in Japan to celebrate. (Black Sesame, Cherry Blossom and Matcha flavors)
So, after running around Japan, celebrating with ice cream, I sent off the full when I got back to our little hotel room. And then I figured, I for sure won’t hear back for a while, or it will be a quick rejection, and I went back to enjoying Japan! And then got the shock of my life when I got an offer of rep from my now wonderfully kind, smart, and talented agent Grace Demyan at Harvey Klinger Literary Agency.
Grace is an author herself, and her debut book is coming out October 21st—I highly recommend it. It’s a beautiful story that brings attention to what happens after foster care. The plot is about the familial bonding of two wonderful women playing pranks and trying to save a blueberry farm with a sweet sideplot romance. You can pre-order a copy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Target! And Grace is donating 50% of pre-order royalties to Foster Futures <3
What Now?
I finished edits for my agent and AFTER lOVELIFE is out of my hands for now!
I’m starting a new book! So far, just character ideas and backstory. But it is in the same universe as AFTER LOVELIFE, though not the same characters!
So far the cast includes a necromancer, a ghost dog, and an undead weretiger warrior! I don’t do much outlining but the vibes inclide more planetary travel, graveyards, and hopefully some dry humor.
If interested in my Self Published SFF book you can find it at one of the retailers below or request it at your local library! Even if it isn’t in your library yet, you can make a request and often libraries will stock a copy! Or check out the free sample chapters on my blog, also offered on Amazon’s ebook edition.
Barns&Noble: Searching for Sun
Amazon: Searching for Sun
Powells: Searching for Sun
The Broken Binding: Searching for Sun
