Soul Shards

Ooops. I just realized that I forgot to post a link to Agent Query in my "Websites for Writers" section. It's there now. :-)

Oh, and BTW, I woke up at about 1:00am and this poem popped into my head. It's unedited, but thought I'd share anyway.


        Soul Shards


I’ve sifted through the shards
of who I once was found anger, despair,
a tiny sliver of happiness.
But innocence is nowhere.
I left it with you, wedged between
the daylight and the darkness.
Layered with dust – forgotten.
In its place, a hole, jagged and tender.
Slowly filling with indifference
To keep me from the same mistakes
I made by giving my soul
into the care of an invalid.

Site of the Week - AgentQuery.com

All right, I admit it; I was playing at the beach yesterday when I should have been doing research for my Site of the Week piece. So, I've decided to review a site most of you will probably already know about, but that I believe deserves (re)mentioning. It has been featured on the 101 Best Websites for Writers put out by Writer's Digest for the past five years. But, I'm still going to tell you why I like it. :-)

Agent Query is a comprehensive database of over 900 literary agents. You can quick search by keyword and/or genre (non-fiction and fiction) or there is also an option for a more detailed search. You are going to find agents who represent big names in the fiction world. While it can be daunting to think about sending your manuscript out to the same agent who represents your favorite author, isn't it fun to think about telling everyone you know that you share an agent with Diana Gabaldon? (You know, just as an example.) ;-)

So, why do I like it? Because it makes searching for the perfect agent not only easier, but more enjoyable. I love knowing in a quick snippet what genres the agent represents, who they represent and what books they have in the works. You want to make sure that the agents you submit your work to are currently selling books to publishers. So, while the site is helpful, please exercise common sense and caution when making your choices.

And they also have these handy little boxes along the top of their homepage that provide links to all sorts of useful information. For example click on "Beware of Scammers" under the Writers heading and you will find a Q & A about how to tell if an agent is trying to take advantage of you. Agent Query has researched the legitimacy of the agents they list, but I still encourage you to browse their agency websites and/or blogs to get a feel for how they operate.

I like to think of Agent Query a one-stop-shopping experience.  It's sort of like Wal-Mart but without the bad business practices and freaky people wearing fox tails on their belt loops. Oh, come on; don't pretend you haven't visited that people of Wal-Mart website. ;-)  Anyway, as an aspiring writer who has used Agent Query to submit her work to agents in the past, I give this site a 5 out of 5 keyboards.

A new look & an invitation to discuss.

Well, I've decided to try a new template. Love the images in the background they feel "fantasyish," but it's a definite learning process for me to navigate. For instance, it took me five minutes to figure out how to post this because there wasn't a big button that said "create new post."  ;-)  (I can hear Joe laughing at me.) Obviously, I am not very good with computers. I actually had to spend 15 mintues on the phone with my little brother to figure out how to change the template in the first place. LOL!  I talked him into becoming the newest follower of my blog while I was at it. Thanks for the help and boosting my follower count, Kev. :-D

Now, on to a real writing discussion. I have been nibbling away at Calli and got another few pages written today while I was at work. (Too bad the bargain store is closing at the end of the month. No more "free time" at work. Bummer.) I still have to type up what I wrote. It's a piece that takes place in Rome from Martina and then Echo's POV. I've recently added two new characters, Jordanes (another Germanian) and Vercingetorix (Rix for short. He's a street urchin from Gaul). They both make appearances in this section.

While I like them both, Sefu is still my favorite secondary character in this novel thus far. My discussion invitation is this; who is your favorite secondary character in your current project(s)? Why does that character stand out to you?

Why do I do these things?

Can I have a show of hands, please? How many of you have ideas in your brain that are stewing because there are only 24 hours in a day and you are limited to the puny, paltry, insignificant number of 2 hands? Do these ideas in queue chastize you at night as you lay down to sleep? Why haven't you written me down yet? How much longer do I have to wait? WTF - are those feety pajamas? You're an adult for God's sake! 

But I'm really being serious here. I have several book ideas floating in limbo. And I just added another to the  list. Darn me and my obsession with history. I was just reading a book (Badass: A relentless onslaught of the toughest warlords, vikings, samurai, pirates, gunfighters and military commanders to ever live - by Ben Thompson - hilarious & informative BTW) and rediscovered Anne Bonny. I'd seen some History Channel shows on pirates where she was mentioned, but she'd fallen out of my memory. But now I am inspired. I have to write a book about her!

So, what is waiting in your head to be given life on the computer screen, notebook page, paper bag . . . ?

Site of the Week - TalkToYoUniverse

I'd like to begin by saying that I met Juliette Wade, the author of this blog, as the result of my interview on The Sharp Angle. It's so encouraging to meet new writers and discover what they have to share.


Juliette has degrees in Anthropology (so jealous), Linguistics and Japanese. When she sent me a message asking to link up our blogs, I did a quick perusal of her recent posts and decided to make her this week's Site of the Week.


So, without further ado, here is my review of TalkToYoUniverse.


I love languages, so this blog really appealed to me. (Those of you who have been reading "Calli" know I'm learning German for that book, as well as expanding my Latin knowledge.) Juliette focuses mainly on the creation of "alien languages" which I believe will spark the interest of many Sci-Fi and Fantasy writers.


I found her recent post about culture in your writing to be particularly relevant. One thing we writers strive toward is a realistic set of characters that our readers will care about. Considering culture as a reference point for your characters' actions is an important step to achieving this goal.


The blog also includes links to research sites as well as writing tips. One in particular, to Found in Translation, includes an interesting discussion on created languages - specifically Na'vi from the movie "Avatar." Click here to read the discussion.

If you are writing fiction that includes aliens and/or non-human spoken language you should check out this blog. Juliette has some great insights and I give this blog 4 out of 5 keyboards. You can now find a link to her blog under my Author Blogs heading.

Site of the Week - BookEnds, LLC -- A Literary Agency

Just a little reminder, this review is only my opinion. :-) I hope you find it helpful.

I have promised you all a review of an agent blog this week. So, as not to disappoint you,  I offer Bookends, LLC – A Literary Agency 



Bookends, LLC accepts submissions from just about every genre you can think of including; fantasy, romance (historical, paranormal, and contemporary), westerns, and mysteries as well as non-fiction. However, they do show a strong preference for romance. (If you have a paranormal romance, this looks like a good place to submit.)

But I did not choose to highlight this blog mainly as a suggestion for submissions. The content and advice Jessica Faust, the agency’s co-founder and lead agent, offers is solid and straightforward. Faust blogs on a wide variety of topics; from basic submission technique to making the perfect cranberry daiquiri for the holidays, all you under 21-ers ignore that last bit. ;-)

She also responds to questions from aspiring authors. Her advice on how to tell if your agent is "bad" (a.k.a not helping you achieve your goal of publication) is frank and informative.

I would recommend checking out this blog. Bookends, LLC gets 4 out of 5 keyboards. :-)


K. Looney(writer)

My Interview on The Sharp Angle

Well, I'm a bit late in posting that my interview is now available to read on The Sharp Angle. Busy day. Here's a link if you haven't read it and feel so inclined. http://lydiasharp.blogspot.com/   And though I'm sure they're getting sick of hearing it, THANK YOU AGAIN LYDIA AND JOE!!!  I had such a great time answering your interview questions.

I just returned from viewing the comments left by other authors and I was so very touched by their kindness and well wishes. All of that support also gave me a boost of motivation. To keep plugging away at Calli, no matter how daunting some of the reasearch may be. To better manage my time.

To have it all. ;-)

P.S.  I will be out of town tomorrow - finally having Christmas with my best friend and her family. But I will be posting my "Site of the Week" on Wednesday. I'm going to be reviewing an agent site, just not sure which one yet.

Calliope update.

Have you ever had a piece come to a screeching halt because you just couldn't track down that one tiny piece of information you were searching for? That little extra something that would make a good plotline great?

Well, Calli didn't exactly come to a screeching halt, but the book was limping along with a large piece missing. I had to skip over the entire voyage from Greece to Rome because I had no idea how long it would take to get there, etc.

But yesterday my mom saved me. Yup, you heard me right. My mom. She got an email, from AARP of all places, containing a link to free online courses taught by MIT. MIT? The MIT? Yup again. So I followed the link. ** Ok, here it is, I know you're wondering - http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/courses/courses/index.htm 

Aaanyway, there are some really interesting sounding courses on there. One in particular that I thought would be helpful with Calli - The Ancient City. I wasn't expecting it to solve my particular problem of sea travel during ancient times, but it has a website listed in the syllabus that did just that. (http://www.ostia-antica.org/)  (On an aside, every time I see Ostia, I laugh to myself. I was an exchange student in Malta. Ostia means sh*t in Maltese.) :-O

So, now I can go back and fill in the HUGE gap that was just sitting there mocking me. Of course that will mean changing some of what I've already written because there will be some things that have to be adjusted about Calli's attempted escape from Zeno, etc. But I finally have the knowledge to write it.

And today I got a pretty good start. I was working down in our bargain store (cool books, cheap prices - but dead as far as customers go once Christmas passes by) so I grabbed one of our mark down journals and started scribbling. I haven't typed it up yet, but I got a pretty good chunk of it written!

**SIGH** That's a sigh of relief all. Pure, sweet relief. I can now finish the rough draft of Calli by April as I've recently set that goal for myself. The final draft however, well . . .

P.S. Thanks Mom!!

Site of the Week - Duotrope's Digest

For my first website I have chosen to review Duotrope’s Digest.


Duotrope specializes in poetry and fiction. However, they do not offer information on novel markets but cover shorter pieces, from flash fiction to novellas. The site includes a word count guideline in case you aren’t certain which category best describes your piece.

This site is free and does not require a membership to view. But if you’d like to sign up, it only takes a few seconds and is free. As a member you can add your own experiences when submitting to markets. By putting in statistics, such as response time, you help other aspiring writers choose the right market.

The site is updated daily and currently includes information on 2,725 markets for short fiction and poetry. You can browse by title, or search for a certain genre/theme that will suit your work. My favorite feature of this site is the Deadline Calendar. They have an extensive list of contests and compilations that do not charge an entrance or reading fee. The submission deadlines are listed in chronological order and each market title is linked to a page where you can get more detailed information, including a visit to the market’s website.


Duotrope’s Digest is easy to navigate and packed with helpful information. I didn’t have any major issues while exploring the Quick Menu bar across the top of the main page. I would definitely recommend it to other aspiring writers with poetry and/or less-than-novel-length pieces looking for homes in the publishing world.

On a side note; the site is run completely on donations. So if you can afford it, make a contribution or buy one of their fun products for writers to help keep it running.

If you’d like to check it out for yourself, I have added a link to Duotrope’s Digest in my Webites for Writers section.

Welcome to 2010.

Well, now that the new year has begun, I must make good on my promise to update and "revamp" this blog. While I have decided to keep posting writing samples on occasion, I will also be adding some new content.

There are a lot of web sites and blogs out there that offer advice to new and/or aspiring writers. But with so many people out there giving opinions and advice you often run into conflicting information. What I propose to do here is to choose one site a week to peruse and then offer my conclusions/findings about each site. I'll be giving each a rating as to how helpful (or not) I found the content. Take these ratings with a grain of salt. I don't pretend to be an expert. What I am offering is another aspiring writer's viewpoint in hopes that I might help one of you find a venue to becoming the next big thing in the writing world.

Because my work schedule changes weekly, I do not have a set day of the week upon which I will be posting. However, I will have a new post up by Sunday each week before 12:00am, Pacific Time.

In addition to these site reviews, I will also be posting the occasional writing prompt or discussion topic.

I will begin 2010 with a discussion topic.     

In recent years, self-publishing has become a more respected form of getting your book into the hands of readers. (Look at Christopher Paolini, for example. He began as a self-published auther at the age of 15.) Have you, or would you, consider self-publishing your novel as a way to get noticed by a large publishing house? Or would you consider self-publishing as a lucrative business without a "real publisher" coming in with an offer?

I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say.

K. Looney(writer)