The Baker's Dozen Agent Auction Won My Heart

It's been an emotional day.

Ever since daylight savings I've had a pretty messed up sleep schedule. It's only an hour difference, and this last one was the good one when we gained back that hour we lost in the spring, but somehow it gt me so messed up that I'm now going to bed at 2pm and waking up at 9pm or so. This isn't really a big deal as I work from home and I tend to work better in the wee hours of the morning anyway (fewer distractions?)

So when the 2nd Baker's Dozen Agent Auction opened this morning at 10am, I started out in awe of Authoress and Jodi Meadows who worked so hard to whittle down all those entries and extremely grateful that my entry for THE STARS FELL SIDEWAYS was chosen. I didn't make the cut last year, so that was already a huge honor just to be listed along with the other wonderful writers.

I got a TON of really helpful critique comments leading up to the start day and I'm totally thankful for everyone who took the time to comment on my little book. I knew my logline was off, and didn't know how to fix it (even editors are too close to their own work sometimes!) and some very wonderful people gave amazing help. All in the spirit of community.

But then six minutes into the auction, I got a bid. I wasn't expecting anything for a long time, as I was number 56 out of 60 entries and I figured it would take a while for the agents to go down their lists and pick out which ones they wanted to bid on. The auction goes for a whole 24 hours and I thought, 'well maybe after all the good ones get bid on, one of them might take a look at mine and make a bid...'

And then five minutes later I got another bid. From another agent. I about died with happiness.

And a minute later there was another bid, from ANOTHER agent.

And a minute after that, the first agent bid again, doubling the amount of requested pages.

Lots of congratulatory tweets came in, lots of SQUEE-ing went on, and I'm pretty sure I freaked Mollie Pup out with all my gasping and yelling and general celebrating. I turned into one of those authors that goes spastic.

I seriously thought that I had fallen asleep and that I was going to wake up and all of the happy would be gone. I was afraid to tweet. I could only send thank yous and O_O out.

I was in awe of the first agent, Lauren MacLeod, who felt so passionate about it that she took the risk to bid against herself (the other agents might've been waiting to sneak in the full request first!) all the way up to A FULL REQUEST. Less than half an hour in and my auction was closed.

Utterly bewildering.

I didn't have any words. And then I found out that DNA's own Erica Chapman got a full request too!

The seriously amazing thing about today was how much hope was floating around. Everyone was encouraging and really enjoying the playful banter of the agents and dreams were realized. How many people can seriously say that three agents fought over their book? How many people get full requests less than half an hour in? I'm totally in awe of everything today.

And so I did what any writer would do in that situation, and I took a nap. Six hours later, I woke up and refreshed my auction page repeatedly. Maybe the agents got confused in all the excitement and bid on the wrong book. Maybe they'd find something wrong and I'd be disqualified. Maybe this, maybe that, maybe I had dreamt it after all.

Me, the agent intern, the one who should know better, who knows that agents are real people too, couldn't even look at the agent profiles without spazzing and stressed about replying to a DM one of the agents sent me. I totally get it. I have a newfound respect for the spazzy authors out there. It was all I could do to keep it together.

And all day, things have been making me cry. The Biggest Loser contestants crossing the finish line after running a marathon, the peaceful way Mollie looks when she's sleeping, the Celtic Women that I came across while flipping channels for background noise, those Humane Society commercials... (oh, wait, those always make me weepy...)

Huge thank yous go out to my fellow DNA ladies. I wouldn't have got this little book written without you guys, especially Shelley and Brenda and Erica.

Big thanks to the writing community at large for being so amazing.

And OM freakin' G, HUGE congrats to Erica for her own full request!

~~~

 

C.A. Marshall is a freelance editor, lit agent intern, YA writer, and loves to play with her dog Mollie. She dreams of one day owning a small house near the water, preferably in England, with a shelf full of books she has written and has helped others to write. She is currently single. And unagented. She can be found in Emmett, MI, at camarshall.com for writing, editorcassandra.com for editing, and on twitter @CA_Marshall.

Bob Ross Was One Smart Cookie

Bob Ross was famous for always saying,

"I hope you never create a painting that you're totally satisfied with, for it's this dissatisfaction that will create the motivation necessary for you to start your next painting, armed with the knowledge you acquired from the previous one."

In an episode that I watched recently, he said that if we did manage to paint something that we were satisfied with, we might as well just up and quit then. We have nothing greater to strive for if we've reached our potential. He said we should then go find something else that we like to do and try and satisfy ourselves there.

I hope that we are never satisfied with our books, because it will keep us striving to make the next one the best that we can.

So, here's to dissatisfaction! *clink*

~~~

 

C.A. Marshall is a freelance editor, lit agent intern, YA writer, and loves to play with her dog Mollie. She dreams of one day owning a small house near the water, preferably in England, with a shelf full of books she has written and has helped others to write. She is currently single. And unagented. She can be found in Emmett, MI, at camarshall.com for writing, editorcassandra.com for editing, and on twitter @CA_Marshall.

Writers and Taxes

For those of us in the US (and the expats around the world) tax time has just come to a close. Some of us celebrated book sales and article placements by having to pay taxes on our earnings. But even if you didn't make any money writing last year, you might still be able to write off your expenses as a writer.

Here are some things to keep in mind for NEXT year.

• If you buy a new computer this year, you may be able to write it off on your taxes. If you make a lot, you can write the whole amount off or you can spread the cost over 3-5 years (depending on state). This also goes for eReaders like the Kindle, Nook, iPad, Kobo, or Sony Reader. If you read books on it, or can write with it, chances are that it can be counted as a necessary expense and you can write it off.

• If you host contests on your blog, you can write off things like packaging, postage, and even the prizes themselves. So if you give away a book, you can write off the book, the box you ship it in, the postage to send it, even the tape you use to hold the box together. 

• If you're actively pursuing a writing career, you can write off the cost of your website, URL's, email hosting, etc. Blogger's URL service is only $10, but that $10 will add up over time. You might even be able to write off the cost of your internet service if you actively use it for networking, promotion, etc. 

• Going to conferences and book fairs can also be written off. That includes gas, parking, public transport, lodging, meals, and the cost of attendance. Yearly membership fees (like those to SCBWI, etc) can also be taken. You can't deduct the cost of nice clothes or shoes (writers don't technically have a uniform) but you can deduct the costs for dry cleaning.

• If you've got a local writers group, the costs of travel can be deducted, so keep a record of when and how far you drive.

• Late fees for library books can be written off as well. I don't think you can write off the renting of DVD's, but book sales, book replacement fees, etc, can be taken off. This also includes the costs of using the internet at the library.

• If you've got a home office, you can write that off too, everything from decor and office supplies to heating and cooling costs for that percentage of your home/percentage of your rent. Rules vary, but usually if it's used solely for writing/reading (ie, research) and has a door that closes, you can write it off. There's some rumor that if you write off a large amount for a home office you'll get audited, but it's hit or miss. Most of the stuff in my home office I already had so there wasn't much to write off. Be careful with record keeping and be honest and you shouldn't worry about being audited.

• Books. Yeah, you can write off the cost of books. It can be considered 'research' and 'keeping up with the industry' and that's totally awesome. Also, subscriptions to writing or literature/review magazines count too. How-to writing books and market guides are also game.

• You can write off the costs of hiring a freelance editor (like me!) or if you're self publishing, all that design work, cover art creation, the costs of getting an ISBN, printing costs, all of that can be written off. Books given away to reviewers can also be deducted at full retail value.

• Promotional materials like business cards, bookmarks, posters, postcards, gift baskets, and other tchotchke's you may give away can all be written off. The costs of signings, author appearances, or other speaking engagements (and Skype fees) can be taken too.

• Making copies, a printer, paper, ink, all of that can be written off too. The costs of sending paper queries can also be deducted, including the return postage for SASEs.

• If you make long-distant calls to your agent or editor, those calls can be deducted. 

• If you pay a babysitter to watch the kids while you work, you can write that off. This could also including housekeeping fees depending on your local rules.

• If you take a family vacation, visit museums, local writers groups, libraries, local media/celebs/writers/agent/editors, and collect business cards as proof that it was a "working" vacation and you can write it off.

• And here's the kicker, you can even write off the cost of getting your taxes done. Tax lawyers, accountants, and other professional services are writeoffable.

It all varies state-to-state and you should consult a certified CPA to be clear about the rules for your area. Tax laws change from year to year so pick someone that is active in the field. If anything, H&R block do a free chat and you can make a free appointment with a tax consultant to figure out the answers to your questions.

If it falls under "Necessary Business Expenses" it's deductible! Claiming you bought a private plane to learn how to skydive so that you can write about skydiving won't cut it, but if you took a lesson or two or did a jump while on vacation, you should be able to write off that.

It's never too early or too late to get organized for tax season. Visit the IRS website @ www.irs.gov or call them toll free at: 800-829-3676 and request publications such as # 334 (Tax Guide for Small Businesses and Individuals who use Schedule C or C-EZ), #535 (Business Expense –this guide tells you what you can and CANNOT deduct), and #552 (Record keeping for Individuals).

So save those receipts and have a happy writing year!

~~~

 

C.A. Marshall is a freelance editor, lit agent intern, YA writer, and loves to play with her dog Mollie. She dreams of one day owning a small house near the water, preferably in England, with a shelf full of books she has written and has helped others to write. She is currently single. And unagented. She can be found in Emmett, MI, at camarshall.com for writing, editorcassandra.com for editing, and on twitter @CA_Marshall.

Learning How To Be Professional By Watching TV

One of my guilty pleasures is America's Next Top Model (ANTM). Last nights episode was filled with all kinds of drama and I couldn't help but make the connection to the writing world.

You see, there's been some tension building up between Alexandria and Britanni.

Alexandria started out with major attitude issues, taking over photo shoots, even offending guest judges and photographers. She's basically spent every episode saying things like "The other models don't talk to me anymore, but that's okay, I don't need them." [Uh... If it didn't bother you, you wouldn't be talking about it in every freaking episode.] Anyway, she's shown some progress in that she keeps all the drama at the model apartment, and has even begun letting the professionals do their jobs and is sticking to her job: modeling.

Britanni's been watching Alexandria for weeks now, being "fake" to the judges in panel and "acting all sweet" during photoshoots and she's been the most outspoken about her feelings for Alexandria. In last night's episode, emotions were running high after a photoshoot about breast cancer and when Nigel picked Alexandria as the winner (she won a freaking car) Britanni snapped. She started talking about Alexandria in hushed tones to the other models, and when Alexandria said, "I can hear you, you know," Britanni lashed out with some hurtful words that Alexandria, Nigel, and even the Ford execs that were present picked up on. Britanni apologized profusely and seemed to learn her lesson after the panel put the smackdown on her.

So at panel (when they decide who stays and who goes home that week), the outburst was brought up and when asked about it, Britanni said... Well, actually, here's the clip: (start it about four minutes in for the real drama stuff.)

Nigel comes back to Britanni's comments saying, "As far as being a role model is concerned, to be that outspoken, at a photoshoot, in front of the photographer, in front of the clients by the way, Ford were there, was extremely unprofessional. There's a reason why we don't know all of Alexandria's business. It's because what you do at home, is what you do at home. It's worth bearing that in mind, cause now I have a different idea about you."

Ouch.

Then Tyra says, "In terms of sportsmanship, what you have done is probably one of the weakest things that a role model can do. No matter what you feel inside, if you think that somebody else is getting something that they don't deserve, you shut your lips. Especially in front of a client. This is a business. You have to respect the client, you have to respect your co-workers, and you have to respect yourself."

Without getting into the whole viewer drama about Tyra being hypocritical when it comes to second chances, what, as writers, can we learn from this?

Well, lets plug in a few new words to the two quotes from Nigel and Tyra from above:

Nigel, "As far as being a role model is concerned, to be that outspoken, on a blog, in front of the readers, in front of the publishers/agents by the way, they could have read the article too, was extremely unprofessional. There's a reason why we don't know all of Alexandria's business. It's because what you do at home, is what you do at home. It's worth bearing that in mind, cause now I have a different idea about you."

Do you see how that can have an effect on you as a writer?  Spouting off to reviewers and like this author did, isn't the way to go about doing things. Potential readers see those comments, agents and publishing professionals see those comments (especially when they go viral on GalleyCat and twitter). Every single thing you put online is there for the whole world to see, for practically forever. Just because you delete it doesn't mean it goes away. There are screen shots, caches, etc, ways of pulling those things back from oblivion. And those things can hurt you. They change the way the reader sees you, and could make some of them not want to pick up your book. Agents/publishers won't want to go into business with you when they see how combative you are.

Tyra, "In terms of sportsmanship, what you have done is probably one of the weakest things that a role model can do. No matter what you feel inside, if you think that somebody else is getting something that they don't deserve, you shut your lips. Especially in front of a client. This is a business. You have to respect the client, you have to respect your co-workers, and you have to respect yourself."

I didn't change anything in that quote because I think it can stand just the way it is, but a few lines stand out. THIS IS A BUSINESS. Your co-workers are your fellow writers, book bloggers, social media friends, agents, editors, publishers, etc. 

Leave the drama and mistakes to the TV shows. It doesn't matter who is wrong or right or unfair or undeserving. You stick to your job, WRITING.

~~~

 

C.A. Marshall is a freelance editor, lit agent intern, YA writer, and loves to play with her dog Mollie. She dreams of one day owning a small house near the water, preferably in England, with a shelf full of books she has written and has helped others to write. She is currently single. And unagented. She can be found in Emmett, MI, at camarshall.com for writing, editorcassandra.com for editing, and on twitter @CA_Marshall.

Celebrating Milestones

The other day, the ever fabulous Mandy Hubbard shared how she celebrates her successes by writing what she's celebrating on the cork from the wine and putting the corks in a vase on her shelf where she can see them.

How great of an idea is that?! Do go read her post, it's fantastic.

For me, I like to write up blog posts and used the milestones label for easy finding. Blogging also share my sucesses with my friends and readers, so that's great, but on days when I feel like a hack, it's easy to forget that that label is there. It's also easy to forget to blog about something and those happy days get "lost"

So what are some other ways to commemorate milestones? Here are a couple of other ideas:

• Treat yourself to a movie, scrapbook the ticket stub
• Get a honking coffee and write the success on a napkin to scrapbook or frame to hang on your wall
• Buy yourself some flowers and press one of them to scrapbook/frame
• Spend time with friends. Take a photo to frame/scrapbook
• Walk the dog/go to a park. Gather leaves to frame/scrapbook. Build a tree of happy times.
• Shop. Buy a charm for a "celebration bracelet" or something else you collect.
• Keep a notebook of happy thoughts, celebrations, etc. Keep it nearby.
• Tweet about it using a hashtag just for you. #HappyCassandra, anyone? :P

You can celebrate the big things like book deals and publication dates, or the small things like writing every day or finishing a chapter. You can also celebrate the happy times of your friends, too, to help you remember that you're not alone. Helping and inspiring others is definitely something to celebrate!

What do YOU do to celebrate success?

~~~

 

C.A. Marshall is a freelance editor, lit agent intern, YA writer, and loves to play with her dog Mollie. She dreams of one day owning a small house near the water, preferably in England, with a shelf full of books she has written and has helped others to write. She is currently single. And unagented. She can be found in Emmett, MI, at camarshall.com for writing, editorcassandra.com for editing, and on twitter @CA_Marshall.

Are you a reader or a writer? And how does that affect your blog?

So I like reading books. I read at least three or four books a week. This is counting both published books, MS's from The Agent, and ARC's.

For published books, these are either borrowed from my local library, bought by me, or sent to me as wins from contests or the publisher.  I usually can only afford to buy books that I love and so I naturally want to share the lovely book with my blog readers.

MS's from The Agent are not shared with anyone, not reviewed anywhere, and the readers reports are only sent to The Agent and the person who keeps track of requested material. That will never change.

For ARC's, most of the time it's required that I review the books I get. Sometimes those books are awesome, like Hannah Moskowitz's INVINCIBLE SUMMER and Beth Revis' ACROSS THE UNIVERSE and I'm happy to contribute to the buzz that helps them to sell more copies when the book releases.

But sometimes those books just don't do it for me. Sometimes it's the writer's fault, sometimes it's mine. That's okay. Not every book is going to please every reader. 

But I'm not a reader. 

I'm a writer. I have chosen that as my ambition, and with that ambition comes specific obligations. One of those obligations is that I should never write negative reviews and post them in public places. 

They say that if you write unfavorable reviews, It's like taking a giant crap on the heads of the writer, the editor, the publishing house, and the agent who all worked to get that book published. You shouldn't say not nice things about people that you may want to have a working relationship in the future. Because, duh, if you say bad things about my friends I won't want to be friends with you either. 

So for me this means deleting my Goodreads account/reviews and removing book reviews from my website (or changing them to "book recommendations.") It means removing myself from ARC tours and waiting until books actually come out before I get to read them. It was a hard decision to come to as I enjoy sharing my opinions and I love Goodreads, but sometimes sacrifices have to be made.

I'm content to be a writer, and to leave the book reviewing up to those who make that their ambition. 

So, are you a writer or a reader? What will that choice mean for you?

~~~

C.A. Marshall is a freelance editor, lit agent intern, YA writer, and loves to play with her dog Mollie. She dreams of one day owning a small house near the water, preferably in England, with a shelf full of books she has written and has helped others to write. She is currently single. And unagented. She can be found in Emmett, MI, at camarshall.com for writing, editorcassandra.com for editing, and on twitter @CA_Marshall.

EPIC Double Helix CONTEST!!

Hi Everyone!

I hope everyone is having a fantastic week! Well. We have reached 100 followers!!! YAY! Thank you so much for following us.

We think that it's about time to have an EPIC contest! Just fill out the form below to enter for your chance to win one of these great prizes! And we're giving extra entries for spreading the word and/or following our individual blogs. So you have the chance to score some mega entries!




Prizes:

• Brenda: Free $25 Amazon gift card.
• Shelley: Free book from the Book Depository under $15.
• Erica: Free book from the Book Depository under $15.
• Cassandra: Free 10 pg MS critique or 4 pg synopsis critique ($35 value).
• Diana: Free $15 Starbucks e-gift card.
• Janelle: SIGNED paperback of Lisa McMann's WAKE.

GRAND PRIZE: Full substantial edit of 80k or less (MG or YA only) from Kari!

Rules:

• Must be a follower of this blog.
• Fill out the form below.
• Contest ends at midnight EST March 6th.

Links:

• DNA on Twitter
• Erica’s blog
• Cassandra’s blog
• Brenda's blog
• Shelley’s blog
• Diana’s blog
• Janelle’s blog

Thanks again and GOOD LUCK!!

How to write a bio for your query (And happy Groundhog Day!)

First off,

Happy Groundhog Day!

Insert awesome segue... (How can you segue from a groundhog, eh? C'mon! It's a groundhog!)


B wrote an excellent post on Monday, and I was particularly interested when she said that she didn't have a bio section in her query because she didn't have any credits. That got me thinking... So many people have trouble with their bios. So here are some tips on how to make this often-overlooked bit shine.

Writing a bio for your query letter can be tricky. You want to showcase your accomplishments, but you don't want to come across as a jerk, either. 

• Formatting
• Keep it short - a single paragraph is best.
• Write it in first person. Third person bios are creepy.
• List major writing credits
• Self-publishing doesn't usually count. Don't bother including that info unless you've won major awards or have recently sold a TON of copies. Like thousands.
• If traditionally published, include the year and publisher name.
• If you've got short story or journal credits, only list the ones that will be familiar to the agent/editor. Rinky-dink places that no one has ever heard of won't really help. Use that space to say something else that will.
• List writing associations
• RWA, SCBWI, etc.
• If you're secretary for one, treasurer for another, and member at large for six more, that's all fine and dandy, but keep it short. List two or three of the bigger ones and leave it at that.
• Don't list small things, like podunk library patron, bogus who's who's, or published in that poetry mail-in book thing that you pay to be included in. Those peg you as an amateur and lessen your credibility.
• Personal stuff
• If you've got five kids and nine cats and stories about how each of their names came about... don't include that. Save that "getting to know you" stuff until later.
• Places of work - If you're a lawyer and you write legal thrillers, then include that. It adds to your credibility. If you're a mom of teens and you write for teens... eh. That doesn't really set you apart from all the other moms that are querying. 
• You don't need to share your story about how you've been writing since you were five and that you like to make up stories.  Stick to stuff that's relevant to THIS book.
• If you've got a writing/publishing MA/MFA, list it. 

What To Do If You Have No Writing Credentials:

In the immortal words of Douglas Adams, DON'T PANIC. We all started out with nothing to show for our passions, and that's perfectly ok. It's perfectly acceptable to not include a bio if you don't have anything.

If you want to include something though, try saying something like: 

"I blog regularly at www.myblog.com and on twitter @WriterMcWriterson. I'm also working on another book about a half-vampire/half-toaster."

Those two sentences show that you've got an online presence going (Yay marketing!), and that you're serious about writing because you're already hard at work on another book.  Win-win.

~~~

C.A. Marshall is a freelance editor, lit agent intern, YA writer, and loves to play with her dog Mollie. She dreams of one day owning a small house near the water, preferably in England, with a shelf full of books she has written and has helped others to write. She is currently single. And unagented. She can be found in Emmett, MI and at camarshall.com

SO YOU WROTE A BOOK: Now what?

So you've written a book.

TIME TO QUERY-PARTY!

Uh... no.

TIME TO REVISE? (yay! Revisions...! mumbles...)

Right! So what happens when you revise? 

• Look for the "big picture stuff" like:
• Plot
• Pacing
• Character development
• Overall story arc
• Don't worry about:
• Spelling
• Grammar
• Formatting

You work work work work work work work and work some more, and then when you've fixed all those plot holes and merged those two characters, and erased that one scene and added in those three other ones, now you should have a decent book!

QUERY-PARTY?

Not so fast, young whippersnapper.  Now it's time to EDIT!

Wha? Didn't we just...?

Now it's time to go back and do that spelling/grammar/formatting stuff that you ignored earlier. It's best to not try to do them both at the same time. You want to be focusing on that story problem, not comma splices, when you do revisions. Then, when it's time to edit, you won't have to worry about plot holes as you zap those adjectives! Adding stuff in, taking stuff out... If you're rearranging and shuffling and making a mess of your novel while trying to copyedit too, you'll be wasting time and mental energy.

NOW QUERY-PARTY?

Well, no.

NO? :(

Now you should let your book sit. For like a month or more. And then--

A MONTH??!

Yeah, the longer the better. Get yourself away from that book and work on another book for awhile distance yourself. Read some books.

:(

It's okay. After some time, bring that book back out and repeat both revisions and edits. I bet you'll find some more mistakes! And we want our books to be the best we can, right? Right! 

So then after another round of revisions and edits, now you can

QUERY-PARTY!!!

No.

Bugger.

Now you can send it to alpha readers, and beta readers, and critique partners, and maybe even hire a freelance editor! And then do MORE revisions and edits!

Dang.

Yeah, lots of edits. But it's a tough market out there. You want your book to be the cream of the crop. Don't give agents/pub houses a reason to pass on your book. Make them fight over you.

AGENTFIGHT! AGENTFIGHT! AGENTFIGHT!

Ok, calm down. 

So now that you've revised and edited and you've made it the best possible book you can make it...

QUERY-PARTY!

Yay!

~~~

C.A. Marshall is a freelance editor, lit agent intern, YA writer, and loves to play with her dog Mollie. She dreams of one day owning a small house near the water, preferably in England, with a shelf full of books she has written and has helped others to write. She is currently single. And unagented. She can be found in Emmett, MI and at camarshall.com

HOW WE MET

http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/archives/2004/Jan/

It was a dark and stormy night during the early days of NaNoWriMo 2010 and I decided to hang out for a night in the Michigan NaNo chat room to get my word war on.

And then the next day I checked my internet usage (I only get 5GB a month! *GASP*) and about died when I saw that chatnano had used nearly a full gig. "There goes my hopes of literary chattage," I thought to myself, before breaking down to weep and gnash teeth.

I stumbled upon Chatzy, a pretty awesome chat program that used significantly less bandwidth and rejoiced! I got a few of my fellow Michigan NaNo-ers to join me in Chatzy on the days that they didn't meet for on chatnano for some word wars, like Erica with her character's bra with wings (really, a skimpy dress,) and then invited some friends from twitter to join in with us.

Of those were Kari, word war speed demon that would make anyone cry with her word counts that were usually double the rest of ours. We decided early on to congratulate her, but secretly she didn't count towards the real winner. I frequently had the lowest counts, but I had friends so it didn't matter.

Other friends came along, like Shelley, the resident romance guru who kept us late into the night with her sharing of Greyson and that girl firefighter and their, um... parts.

Brenda came along too, sharing bits (and whole copies) of her Library Jumpers book that took the group by storm, along with her owly BirdBoy.

The five of us really fell in together during November 2010. By months end, I really didn't want our lovely chat sessions and word wars to end, but end they did.  Revisions were to be had, as well as incoming family for the holiday. Funny thing, though, we all kept meeting in Chatzy. We'd share bits and news and encouragement and embarrassing stories... They didn't want our perfect little group to break up either!

And so, fast forward to January when a few of us were talking on Twitter. Janelle and Diana got curious about our cryptic tweets and so we welcomed them into the fold. It's like they were there all along.

Erica dubbed us Dumbledore's NaNo Army, and I shortened that to DNA, and thus the DNA writers were born.

~~~

C.A. Marshall is a freelance editor, lit agent intern, YA writer, and loves to play with her dog Mollie. She dreams of one day owning a small house near the water, preferably in England, with a shelf full of books she has written and has helped others to write. She is currently single. And unagented. She can be found in Emmett, MI and at camarshall.com

Introducing: CASSANDRA!

Bio:
C.A. Marshall is a freelance editor, lit agent intern, YA writer, and loves to play with her dog Mollie. She dreams of one day owning a small house near the water, preferably in England, with a shelf full of books she has written and has helped others to write. She can be found in Emmett, MI and at camarshall.com

She is currently single. And unagented.

Books:
YA "GIRL INDIANA JONES" WIP: A teenage stunt double goes to Portugal to film on location. While on a boat tour of the coast, she gets caught in a storm and washes up on the shore of Atlantis. However, the Atlanteans don't want her to leave and she must fight to free herself with the help of two hot Atlantean boys.

SALTWATER: Contemporary YA. A family still reeling from the death of the little brother wins the lottery, then must fight off a stalker. Complete at 59,000 words.

THE PRACTICE OF WEARING SKIN: Paranormal YA. A girl has thirty days to wrap up her life before she becomes a grim reaper. Complete at 51,000 words. Currently being queried.

THE INSIDE OF TREES: MG urban fantasy. Twins move to the country and discover a group of Travellers in the woods behind their house who guard a secret: a Lilliputian race of faeries. Complete at 48,000 words.

DRAMA LLAMA: Picture book. A drama llama llama learns to do things for himself. Complete at 464 words.


Other Interests:

My dog Mollie, tea, reading, sleeping, editing, punctuation, the color blue, silver things, sparkly things, design, graphics, headbands, words, letters, books, beta reading, tiny manatees, mac computers, copyediting, bicycles, old cathedrals, old skeleton keys, rain, surfing, the ocean, Scrivener,  international travel, water, winter, writing, ☆, ★, ♔, , ♫, ♥, ⚜, ♨, ♕, ✄, ✉, ⚓, ⎈,☼, ☁, ☂, ☃, ❀, ✪, ✯, ✵, ❄, ❅ & ✈.


Links:
http://www.camarshall.com
http://www.twitter.com/CA_Marshall