"THE CALL" Blog Hop: Part 2

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Hope your week is continuing to go well! Today is Part Two of the Seymour Agency "THE CALL" blog hop hosted by the Seymour Agency Promotions Manager, Tonya Kuper! Want to know what happened during "the call" from my wonderful agent Nicole Resciniti? Check out my answer to the questions below.

TONYA: "The call." Do you remember the date you got the call from your agent? What did you do to prepare for the call? If you didn't get the stereotypical call then how did your agent offer representation? What was your reaction while on the phone? What was your reaction/thoughts when you got off the phone?

KAIT: Nicole called me and offered representation in the evening on Saturday August 13th, 2011 (yes, I remember it that specifically lol). I wasn't even remotely prepared for the call. If you read my last post about the "before part" of the call in Part One, then you might remember that I said Nicole actually left me a voicemail when I didn't pick up her call, because it was an unknown number. Her message was something along the lines of 'Hi Kaitlyn. This is Nicole Resciniti from the Seymour Agency. I wanted to let you know that I read Skinwalkers [the W.I.P title of what is now Twilight Hunter], I loved it, and I'd love to represent it.' I was sitting on husband, Jon's, couch (at that time he was still my fiance) and I literally jumped up and screamed at the top of my lungs. I think everybody in the whole apartment complex probably heard me lol. I immediately started crying and jumping up and down. Jon was laughing and jumping up and down with me lol. 

Before I called Nicole back, I called my mother and then my friend, Brittany Marczak (who is now a marketing assistant at Entangled Publishing), both of whom were an integral part of the writing of Twilight Hunter. Both my mother and Britt had supported me every step of the way, read several drafts, and they both were beyond happy at the news. 

Once I'd finished briefly talking with them, I called Nicole back. The conversation mostly consisted of me squealing in joy as she talked about how much she loved my book and her vision of where she would like to submit the manuscript if I accepted her offer. I didn't ask many questions, because I was on cloud nine. Everything I'd ever planned to ask if I ever got the call just completely toppled out of my head. So much for planning ahead!

When I got off the phone with her, I was still crying and the main word I would use to describe my feelings then is stunned. I cried on and off for the rest of that night out of pure happiness--and several times within the following week as well! 

Check back on Friday to read about the aftermath of the "call" from my agent, Nicole Resciniti!

"THE CALL" Blog Hop: Part 1

Happy Monday, everyone!

Hope your week is getting off to a great start! Today is Part One of the Seymour Agency "THE CALL" blog hop hosted by the Seymour Agency Promotions Manager, Tonya Kuper! Want to know what happened before I got "the call" from my wonderful agent Nicole Resciniti? Check out my answer to the questions below.

TONYA: Before "the call." What category and genre do you write?  What to you do other than write? How did you end up in contact with your agent from the Seymour Agency (cold query, conference, etc.)? Did you communicate with your agent before you got "the call" from them (did you talk at a conference, email, do a Revise & Resubmit)? 

KAIT:  I write adult paranormal romance as Kait Ballenger, and Y.A urban fantasy and contemporary New Adult under my maiden name, Kaitlyn Schulz. Other than writing, I work part time at an assisted living facility as an activities director, caring mainly for Alzheimer's and dementia patients. I'm a professional English tutor and I've been known to dabble in professional Egyptian cabaret bellydancing (seriously) ;-) I'm also a student in Spalding University's Masters of Fine Arts program, where I'm earning my degree, so I can teach creative writing at a university level. 

I ended up in contact with Nicole through a chain of very lucky events. I met Mary Sue Seymour, the head agent and founder of the Seymour Agency, on an elevator while at the Romance Writers of America conference in NYC in 2011. When Mary Sue asked what genre I wrote and I told her paranormal, she gave me her card and told me to query Nicole. I sent Nicole a cold query and received a full request for my paranormal romance manuscript the very next day (now TWILIGHT HUNTER, the first novel in my Execution Underground series, releasing this September). It took me a little while to get the full manuscript to Nicole, as there were edits I wanted to do based on things I learned from the conference. But once I sent it to her, she emailed me the next day asking if I'd written the novel targeting Harlequin and asked if I could lengthen or shorten the word count accordingly if it were submitted to a category or single-title line. I replied, yes, that I would be willing to do that. My phone rang with an unknown number several minutes later. I don't pick up numbers I don't know, but then when my voicemail 'dinged' and I listened to it, it was Nicole calling to offer representation. I know now that she had laid in bed that morning and read the majority of my book on her cell phone! The thought of someone being that entranced over my work still amazes me. And Nic was right from the start, my manuscript ended up at Harlequin with their single-title HQN line!

Check back on Wednesday to read about the actual "call" part of mine and Nicole's conversation!

THE CALL Blog Hop

Coming Soon!

THE CALL Blog Hop!

Seymour Agency authors will be sharing 

their "The Call" experience on their blogs!

(The Call is when their agent called to offer representation- a very exciting time for an author!)

Come check out The Seymour Agency authors: who they are, 

what they write, what their call was like, & maybe even some
GIVEAWAYS!

THE CALL Blog Hop will take place during the week of 

January 7th-11th, with authors posting

on their blogs the 7th, 9th, & 11th.

You'll find a complete list of participating Seymour Agency authors, all representing different categories and genres!

Fall in Love Blog Hop and GIVEAWAY

Happy (shortly belated) Halloween, everyone! Hope you had some great autumn festivities with more to come. A las personas que celebran el dia de los muertos, espero que disfrutan sus felicidades! En caso de mi espanol esta mal, perdonme por favor--no es mi lengua nativa y estoy aprendando lol.

First things first. As part of the Fall in Love hop theme hosted by the wonderful Reader's Confession, I want to gush about my two favorite debut authors this year: Kate SeRine and Cecy Robson. See their covers below! =D Aren't they pretty?

Both writing urban fantasy with a wonderful dash of romance, but casting their own unique spins on the genre, these ladies' novels rocked my socks off! Kate SeRine's gritty, badass heroine Tess "Red" Little knows how to hold her own in a world where fairytales run rampant. And Cecy Robson's kind-hearted, Weird Girl, Celia Wird, has a fierce inner tigress--literally!--and Celia's not afraid to sink her claws into anyone who threatens her family.

These debut authors have amazing voices. In all her stubbornness and intelligence, Tess kept me right by her side and rooting for her from the very first page, and Celia is a woman after my own heart--she balances the line between the girl everyone can relate to and a badass superwoman perfectly. ;-)

The writing is strong in both of these novels and any urban fantasy reader, and even those who normally enjoy solely paranormal romance, should give these fantastic debuts a try. I'm looking forward to the next installment of the Transplanted Tales and of the Weird Girls.

If you'd like to check out my full review of Kate SeRine's Red, please click the link: Review of Red. I also plan to host the wonderful Kate SeRine again in the coming months of 2013 with the release of the second novel in her Transplanted series, The Better to See You.

You'll have to wait patiently for my full reviews of Cecy Robson's Weird Girls. On November 27th I'll be posting a review of the Weird Girls Novella and on December 18th I'll be posting a review of the first full length novel in the series, Sealed with a Curse. I will clue you in--if you haven't caught my drift already--and say that I LOVED both Cecy Robson's books!

Now, onto the giveaway! U.S entrants only please!

Since my own publisher is Harlequin, I will be giving away four different Harlequin novels from various lines (three of which are signed): Killing Me Softly by Maggie Shayne (single-title romantic suspense), The Protector by Carla Capshaw (inspirational historical romance), His Bride for the Taking by Sandra Hyatt (contemporary romance, and The Longest Night by Cindy Dees (romantic suspense).

The giveaway starts today, November 1st 2012, and ends November 11th 2012 with the winner announced on the 12th.

So how about you? Who are your favorite debut authors of 2012? Please share in the comments! And don't forget to enter the giveaway! Extra entries for those who follow via FB or Twitter, or those who tweet about the contest. Cheers!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

An Irresistibly Sweet Blog

I received my second blog award from a lovely YA author, Lea Nolan! Thanks, Lea! I want to take a big bite out of those irresistibly sweet strawberries!

Here are The Rules 

1. Thank and link to the person who nominated you. Thanks again, Lea!

2. Share 7 random facts about yourself. I'm on it--check!

3. Pass the Award on to 10 deserving blog buddies. I'd like to pass this award on to: the ladies of Kiss and Tell YA, Lisa Sanchez, Laura Kaye, Kristin Miller and....honestly, I don't know many more bloggers lol.I hope that's okay! *ducks from people boo-ing and throwing tomatoes*

4. Contact those buddies and let them know.  Check.

Okay here we go. Seven random facts about me:

1) I absolutely CANNOT stand mustard. Any type of mustard. The smell alone disgusts me. I don't know why I hate it so much, but I just do and I have hated it ever since I was a small child. Just seeing a bottle of it makes me wrinkle my nose in disgust. Gross! When my soon-to-be-husband eats it, I won't kiss him afterward until he has brushed his teeth! Lol! When I see that bottle, my reaction is somewhat similar to the cat below.

2) I have a planner that I like to use for EVERYTHING. I write every little appointment or thing I do in there. Even if it is a task I have already completed, I go back and write it down. My family jokes that I even plan when  use the bathroom--not true! 

3)  I LOVE jewelry--big, flashy, sparkly, sometimes even gaudy jewelry. Even people who are only acquainted with me could/would probably tell you that I always have a ton of jewelry on. Maybe it comes from the fact that one of my jobs is being a professional bellydancer? And when I'm on stage I'm always wearing big jewelry? Who knows...

4) I'm getting married in 53 days!!! As of March 10th, 2012 I will be Mrs. Jonathan Ballenger. Super excited! And for our honeymoon, we're going to Hawaii! Then from Hawaii, we're hopping over to Bangkok, Hong Kong and Tokyo, then back home to Orlando. How cool is that?! We met in a creative writing class at my alma mater, Stetson University. He was a graduating senior when I was a freshman, so I thought he was pretty cool. When I attended his graduation party, right after we met (this was a few years ago) I was SO intimidated. I wanted him to think I was cool lol--plus, his dad was/is the dean of the university! Talk about wanting to make a good impression. That's us in the photo below. Isn't he handsome?

 

5) Speaking of travels, did you know I've traveled all over Japan? I've also traveled all over Ecuador and have visited Mexico. Tokyo? Nagasaki? Osaka? Quito? Cuenca? Been to them all! Now to add Bangkok and Hong Kong to that list!

6) Even though my last name is very German, I'm mostly Polish. I don't speak it fluently--only a few household phrases, though I'm learning more--but my favorite comfort food in the whole wide world is pierogi! For those of you who don't know, pierogi are Polish dumplings that are usually filled with potatoes or saurkraut--like a potato filled ravioli. I also love things that are super spicy. Love jalapenos (even though they're not that hot) and most things with habaneros in them.

7) Every week my close friends and I have a movie night. The actually night varies, since we all have different work schedules, but it always happens. Of course, I wouldn't be telling you this unless there was something more interesting to it. And there is! You see, we don't always watch 'normal' movies. Things that were currently released on DVD? No. Movies on at the box-office? No. Classic movies? No. We like to watch really crazy things by very "artsy" directors. Let's just say we refer to our movies as "mind-f***s." If we get to the end of the movie and don't say "what the heck just happened?" and cannot proceed to talk about it for an hour afterward theorizing the meaning, it wasn't a successful movie lol. Our latest was a film called Antichrist directed by Lars Von Trier. If you have a weak stomach for violence and sex in film (at times, simultaneously), and don't like to watch movies that are confusing and creepy, don't watch Antichrist.

Thanks for reading. Please visit my friends above and see what seven random things they've got to say.
 

~Kaitlyn

Romance Girls Gone Goblin GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

It's time to announce the winners of the Romance Girls Gone Goblin giveaway! Let me start out by saying that this was a very successful giveaway. We had a lot of entries. With that in mind, the winner of Julie Kagawa's Iron King is................*drum roll*.............Geshaumann! And the winner of Kristina Douglas' The Fallen: Raziel is......................*drum roll*.......................The Book Heroine!

Congratulations, ladies! I will email you an official notification. You'll have three days to respond with your mailing address before a different winner is drawn.

Thanks to everyone who entered!!!

Til Friday ;-)

Romance Girls Gone Goblin and GIVEAWAY

Muhahahahahahahaha! *crash of thunder and lightning* *bats flying everywhere*

Happy Halloween, everyone! Hope you're all gearing up for a SPOOOOOOOKY Halloween weekend! To celebrate Halloween we're talking about our favorite scary, Halloween films and we're having a paranormal themed giveaway!


Now, when I was thinking about what to write for this Halloween post, I started to think about all the things I've done over the years in order to celebrate this fantastically creepy holiday.

On thing I'm sure we've all done at least once in our lives is trick-or-treating. But what about once we get older? When we're too old to trick-or-treat, but we don't yet have kids, how do we celebrate?

Along with going to Universal Studios' haunted houses, Halloween Horror Nights, one thing I love to do is watch Halloween or horror movies. It's a great way to get in that creepy, scary sort of mood while you're handing out candy to trick-or-treaters.

So this year, to celebrate Halloween on the blog, I thought I would post an excerpt from my favorite Halloween movie (and well..quite frankly, my favorite movie ever). I hope you enjoy this little snippet and that it helps get you in the Halloween mood.


I hope you enjoyed the clip, of my favorite movie, A Nightmare Before Christmas! In honor of Romance Girls Gone Goblin, I'll be giving away a copy of YA paranormal romance, Iron King by Julie Kagawa and adult paranormal romance, The Fallen: Raziel by Kristina Douglas. Click on the covers below to read the back-cover blurbs. Here's what you need to do to enter:

Giveaway deets:

• You must be a follower of this blog
• You must leave a comment with your name and email addy so I can get a hold of you if you win. Also, please share with us a favorite Halloween/horror film or favorite Halloween memory.

US residents only, please.

Winner will be drawn on November 1st via Random Org. Winner has three days to respond, after which a new name will be drawn.

Make sure to stop by the rest of the participating blogs for more Halloween fun, and chances to win more prizes! Woohoo!

Good luck and Happy Halloween!!

Catch Me If You Can Blogfest

Happy Monday, everyone! Hope your week is starting off great and for those of you on Spring Break, I hope you are having a fun, relaxing time.

We've got something new today, which I'm really excited for. Nocturnal Readings is participating in the Catch Me If You Can Blogfest hosted by Kristina at Kay Kay's Corner. Yay!

The rules are simple. Today, March 7th 2011, participants leave a sample of 550 words or less of their current WIP on their blog. On the 7th and the 8th, we'll be hopping around leaving comments on the samples writers have posted. The point is to simulate catching an agent's attention. How many times have writers heard that if an agent isn't interested within the first few pages, you will be thrown into the evil rejection pile?

So today, we're testing that out. We're posting the beginning of our works, so you can tell us if we "catch your attention" within the first few pages, and it's your job to let us know if we did our job right--give us an honest, but polite, critique. Would you keep reading if you picked this up in a bookstore or library?

What I'm posting today isn't so much a "work in progress" since it's a complete and edited manuscript, but it is what I'm currently querying to agents. DEMON REINCARNATE is a YA urban fantasy novel, complete at 72,000 words. It is the first in a series titled, THE FOUR CHARMS, with the second novel completed as well. For more information and to read the back cover blurb, please click on the tab at the top of the page titled, "Demon Reincarnate." Below is the first 500 words. I hope you enjoy it and don't forget to click the link to Kristina's blog, so you can critique the pages of the other participants as well. By the way, if your critique is too long for the comment box, or you want to keep it private, you can email it to me at nocturnalreadings@gmail.com  Til Wednesday! ;-)

DEMON REINCARNATE

Chapter One:

               I searched the crowds’ faces for the demon in our midst. He was out there, and he was waiting for me. My posture slumped and my eyes watered just a little. I battled the burning taste of vomit at the back of my throat as his cold, black eyes locked with mine. What a completely unpredictable beginning.

The whole ordeal disgusted me; the echoing of Pomp and Circumstance, the sea of green robes, and the smell of teenage sweat. Though maybe, I was the only one who felt that way.

Anxiety built up in my chest and overwhelming adrenaline plagued me. I buried my face in my shaking hand and tried not to hyperventilate. Though my instinct at that moment weighed heavily on the flight option, the fight was still buried deep down in my gut, itching to get out. 

 The fight. A jolt of fear raced through me. I sat upright; my chest heaved in and out, while I attempted to catch my breath. I was definitely not okay.

            “Laura Deni.” The principal’s reedy voice carried throughout the center.

            God, why me? I shifted in my seat and fidgeted as I tried to ignore the screaming buffoon next to me, who found it necessary to break my left eardrum every time one of his friends crossed the stage. My whole body stiffened as I fought the urge to look at my family. I gritted my teeth. My resolve wouldn’t break. I wouldn’t show my fear.

            I inhaled a deep breath and squared my shoulders. Nothing would happen in a crowd full of people. Exposing the supernatural world for all to see, wouldn’t be his pick of poison.

            “Heather Lucier.” The principal called another student. 

            His smooth voice echoed in my ears. “You’ll need to come with me, Kat—”

            “Katriona McBain.” My name boomed through the loud speakers.

            I paused. Not his voice. The principal. My name sounded throughout the Ocean Center again.

            “Katriona McBain?”

            My stomach dropped and lodged itself between my toes as I envisioned a million different ways the moment could go wrong. I frowned. Really? I was being ridiculous. What was wrong with me? I chastised myself for worrying about my graduation ceremony while a demon sat next to my mother. Ridiculous.

            Without a second thought, I stood from my seat, walked through the rows of students and stepped onto the stage.  I shook the principal’s hand and received my diploma—no tripping, blushing or cheesy smiles included. The whole scenario passed by within seconds. Four years of sleepless nights studying for college warranted five seconds of tainted glory? Anti-climatic to say the least.

            I paused by the side of the stage. Depression lingered with my parents; I could tell from their strained grins. I forced a smile to return the rest of my family’s excitement. My hand trailed up to my throat as I waved. Goosebumps prickled across my arms as I ran my fingers over the crucifix dangling around my neck.