And So It Ends Begins...

For those who have already gone through the blog circuit discussing the ACFW conference, you will notice a few similarities we have in common:

1) sleep deprivation
2) being overwhelmed
3) gratefulness to attend and learn
4) excitement re: pitching sessions with agents/editors
5) meeting the blogging community = WONDERFUL (it was like having built-in friendships amidst a throng of people we didn't know or only knew of b/c we had read their book!)

I'm still recovering from #1. I must have suffered some sort of altitude sickness of some sort...and I'm still not 100%. Thankfully, I had gotten all my pitches out of the way the day before I really felt bad!

SO....on to the big news:

I had TWO PARTIAL REQUESTS! This is the beginning. I'm nervous about it, of course, because I feel like this is some sort of invisible line I'm stepping over. Before I email off these partials, I'm really just a girl who likes to write. But as soon as I hit Send, I'll be a girl who is actively seeking representation and eventually publication. Scary, exciting. I'll be going over some last-minute edits, of course....and most of that will be cuts. So please be in prayer for me about that!

Now...I had a camera at the conference on my phone, but took very few pictures. So I'll have to steal a few off fellow blogger websites in order to round out the picture (no pun intended) of who all I got to meet (and of course, this isn't everyone)!

Here I am with my fab critique partner, Katie Ganshert, before the Saturday banquet. Not all of us had the benefit of lovely spray tans.

This is a big group of us fellow bloggers, all of whom met online in the months preceding the conference. People at our tables always knew we had some other connection besides ACFW. :)
Back: Jody Hedlund, Katie Ganshert, Jessica Nelson, myself
Front: Ralene Burke, Eileen Watson, Krista Phillips, Cathy Bryant

Erica Vetsch and me at the banquet. If I look like I'm about to hurl, it's because most of that night, I really was about to. Erica and my other dining companion (Jessica) were very nice about it. They just said to aim away from the table toward the wall. :)

Here I am with Eileen again at the My Book Therapy pizza party/presentation. I guess we both got accused of having accents at this shindig.

So that's the low down. I also met fellow blogger Jaime Wright Sundsmo, writers Mary Connealy, Julie Lessman, Mary DeMuth, Deborah Raney, Debbie MacComber, Christina Berry, Deborah Vogts, Janet Dean, Michelle Sutton, Camy Tang, Karen Young, Jenny B. Jones, Denise Hunter, Susan May Warren, Rachel Hauck, and so many others, I can't even begin to try to put all of those names down!

I also met agents Donald Maass, Tamela Hancock Murray, Greg Johnson, Rachelle Gardner, Chip MacGregor, and Natasha Kern...which was all very exciting!!

Well, I gotta get to work!

Why I Chose the ACFW Conference: A Newbie's Perspective

Hello to all you ACFW Conference Blog Tour folks! Thanks for joining me here at Where Romance Meets Therapy.

I only joined the American Christian Fiction Writers in January. Since then, I've had a countdown on my blog for the ACFW Conference in Denver (September 17-20). Which means I have less than 10 weeks before I'll board a plane and head to Colorado!

There are several reasons why I chose this conference instead of one of the other stellar national contests (and there are several). I'll attempt to list them all below.

1) Donald Maass - This highly acclaimed agent and author will be presenting the Early Bird Session centered on his popular book, Writing the Breakout Novel. Even as a newbie, I've heard of Maass and this book!

2) Debbie Macomber - This New York Times #1 Best Seller will be the keynote speaker. Debbie writes books for American Booksellers Association, but her books show her deep faith and commitment to Christ. I hardly know of someone who hasn't read one of her books, so I'm very interested in hearing her speak to be inspired and encouraged in this industry.

3) Networking - Almost 30 agents and editors are listed by the ACFW website as being in attendance. Now, I'm under no delusion that I'll meet every one, but just knowing this conference brought in that many publishing professionals was impressive. This doesn't count the multitudes of published authors that will be there, many of whom I have now personally corresponded with via the ACFW email loop, blogs, Facebook or Twitter. The conference does allow the opportunity to sign up for agent and editor appointments, which is a big plus. Though I'm sure I'll have a bout of nerves before my appointment, I've heard from word-of-mouth that the agent and editor I've picked are gracious to first timers.

4) ACFW Genesis contest feedback - This contest for unpublished authors sponsored by the ACFW has already come and gone this year. I entered and received some of the best feedback about my novel I've ever gotten (and I entered other contests). The judges took the time to really give me and many other contestants the feedback we need to take our writing up to the next level. The fact that judges were willing to do this persuaded me to believe the content of the conference was bound to be helpful and insightful.

5) Support/Encouragement - As mentioned before, I have personally corresponded with many of the published and not-yet published authors who are members of ACFW. I've received uplifting emails from authors saying they were praying for my daughter when she got bit by a dog. Funny emails that made me laugh (you know who you are). Helpful information in a timely fashion when I needed advice on a writing matter. Books in the mail from authors who could have waited for me to buy their book (which I would have), but instead sent it anyway to be encouraging and to brighten my day (MANY THANKS!). All this from people I HAVE NEVER MET FACE-TO-FACE. Goes to show you what a close-knit community ACFW already is, patiently fielding newbie questions, taking us under their wings, and sharing their very busy lives with us.

6) My Crit Partner will be there - DO NOT underestimate what a big draw this is! Katie and I developed our friendship online through the ACFW email loop and God just took it from there. We'll probably find out that we're somehow related when we meet each other at the conference for the first time. She's like a sister and we have so much in common! We'll also be meeting two other wonderful women who will split the cost of our room.

So, these are some of my reasons for picking the ACFW Conference. If you're interested, there's still time to sign up. Click the link here for more information. Hope to see you there!

Genre Discussion

I got on the ACFW website today and found out about their Genesis competition. It's for unpubbed authors to submit up to 15 pages of their manuscript for consideration. There isn't any publishing deal out of it, but the winner (who will be announced at the 2009 conference) will get first pick of editors/agents to meet with at the 2010 conference. So that's a big deal.

I started looking at the genres: Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary Romance; Historial Fiction, Historial Romance, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Romantic Suspense, Science Fiction/Fantasy/Allegory, Women's Fiction, and Young Adult.

The categories that interest me are Romantic Suspense, Women's Fiction and Contemporary Romance.

Women's Fiction is now supposed to incorporate the chick/mom/hen/lady lit subgenre. Apparently the industry is moving away from these terms, and the conference wants to reflect that. I write in first person, and probably 90% of my books are from the heroine's point of view. This makes me now a "Women's Fiction" writer, apparently. But here's the definition from ACFW for Women's Fiction.

Novels or sagas set in any location, in a contemporary setting, targeted toward women readers of any age. Issues are those women relate to, often involving relationships. Romance can be an element, but doesn't carry the story.

Hmm. Problem. Romance can be an element, but doesn't carry the story. Hmm.

Cathy Yardley's definition of Chick Lit is "generally a coming-of-age or 'coming-of-consciousness' story where a woman's life is transformed by the events of the story" and her choices." Usually the novels are typically funny and upbeat, with a distinctive type of author "voice" that lends itself to the genre. Now THIS fits me (at least I think so).

So how can Chick Lit be sucked up into women's fiction when romance doesn't carry the story?
Now I know why a pubbed author wrote me back and told me to classify my writing as "humorous women's fiction" instead of chick lit.

On to the other definitions.

Contemporary Fiction: The love story is set in any location in a contemporary setting, and is the main focus of the novel. The end of the book is emotionally satisfying. The stories in this category can be dramatic or comedic.

Romantic Suspense: A suspense plot is blended with a love story, which is the main focus of the novel, and the end of the book is emotionally satisfying. The story can be in any location, but the time frame should be a contemporary setting.

Now for the kicker. The disclaimer in the FAQ section for the contest says this: Please be aware that the industry expectations for contemporary romance and romantic suspense have a higher level of involvement of the hero than is usual in a typical chick lit novel. For example, most contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels have the hero and heroine meeting in the first chapter, whereas most chick lit novels have the hero appearing for the first time several chapters into the story. Also, most contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels novels have 40-50% of the scenes from the hero’s point of view, whereas chick lit is often only from the heroine’s point of view.

DID YOU READ THAT? My current WIP has the hero and heroine meeting in the first chapter. And after reading Gayle Roper's latest, I went back and added some POV from the hero. But certainly not 40-50%. But I could tweak it, of course, to do this. They are in several scenes together throughout the book, and I could re-write them from his POV.

So I'm thinking of submitting a portion of my current WIP (which I hope that I would actually finish before the conference should any one want to request the full manuscript) and making the hero's POV stronger. I technically could enter in both the Women's Fiction and Romantic Suspense if I do this.

Wish me luck!