July 21, 2019 · 6:21 am

How many books does it take to land a Literary Agent?

Remember that tootsie pop commercial “How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Toostie pop?” If you’re over 40 you do.

I’m waaaaaay over 40.

But I digress.

I’ve been TRADITIONALLY published for 4 years now. My first book hit the shelves from The Wild Rose press in 2015. Since then I’ve had 3 books published with Kensington/Lyrical,  9 more published with WRP and 3 more contracted, one ( so far) published with Limitless and 3 more planned for that series. I’ve won over 20 industry writing awards for my books, the most recent, the 2018 OKRWA International Digital Award and the 2019 Golden Quill Award. I’ve done speaking engagements on romance topics, I have a fierce social media presence and a good following of readers and bloggers and I’m an active member of my local RWA chapter.

I’ve done all the work to get those books contracts, too. On my own. No Literary Agent. And let me repeat – these are traditionally published, not self-pubbed books.

So, why am I still trying to land a Literary Agent when I’ve had such success on my own getting book contracts?

A good question and one I’ve had a lot of people ask me.

I see having a Literary Agent has having someone who is always guarding my six ( or, at my back for those of you who don’t watch NCIS). Someone who will do their best to try to find the publishing contracts for me, instead of me having to invest so much time and energy in doing so when I could be writing. A literary agent knows the ins and outs of the publishing community, what’s new, what’s going out of style. They’ll be able to garner you international rights so your books get to other readers in other countries; they know what conferences to attend, what CONS to do books signings at to increase your exposure and get you more sales. They are your first professional reader and editor, able to tell you where you need to make changes to your manuscript to get it “publishing ready.”

Having a Literary Agent may seem old fashioned to some of the new wave of Indie writers, but I still see having one as an entree to places in publishing I could never go to or get into without one. Literary Agents have relationships with publishing houses that I never will – or can. Editors for those houses trust their judgement. If they talk up an author and her work, those editors will listen instead of unknown me writing a query letter that will probably go into a spam file.

I respect Literary Agents and think they are so worth having. You have a doctor to protect your health; a dentist to protect your teeth. A literary agent protects you and your work. Makes sense, no?

And yet, I still haven’t been able to get any LA’s interested in representing me, so I ask again, how many published books – traditionally published books – does it take before someone will be interested in representing me?

The answer to the tootsie pop question was 3. It takes 3 licks to get to center of a tootsie pop.

I’ve queried upward of 25-30 Literary Agents the past few years. And I’m still not …at the center of the tootsie pop.

Le sigh. Maybe this year at #RWA2019 I’ll finally meet the Agent of my dreams. I can always hope and dream……

Hey, did you know my current book  is currently on sale exclusively at AMAZON and KU?
Here are the links:

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2XmMfBn
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2JkOZpA
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2XcgTZS
Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2xnWg2x

Going to #RWA2019? Follow me on the hashtag #Peggyworksaconference for daily updates on what’s going down and who I’m fangirl stalking.

Until  Next Time~ Peg

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July 19, 2019 · 5:05 am

#ConferencePacking…the bane of my existence

So today’s the day I start to try on clothes I haven’t worn in a while ( okay, a year!), figure out how many “travel sized” personal care items I need to buy, do laundry to ensure I have enough underwear to last a week, and find shoes that go with more than one outfit so I don’t have to pack my entire shoe closet.

Stress, they name is Margaret-Mary.

Cause of stress? I need to pack for RWA.

I am, usually, a fabulous packer. I just came back from a week in London with one suitcase and a backpack, and my packing skills are enviable. When you fly international, you’re only allowed so much poundage per stored luggage. I came in under, more than 20 pounds lighter than what they allow.

Score! If the plane had crashed due to overpacking and overweight, it wouldn’t have been because of anything I’d contributed to.

You’d think since RWA is in NYC this year, I wouldn’t have to worry. No planes, no airport parking, just a drive to MetroNorth, hop on a commuter train and then hail a cab from Grand Central Station to the Marriott Marquis.

Easy peasy.

Yeah., not so much.

Backstory: I have 2 torn rotator cuffs and a bunch of ancillary damage to both shoulders. Due to scheduling issues I’m not having my first surgery to repair one shoulder until the end of august. What that means is that I’m severely limited in how much I can pull/lift/push with my arms. I’ll be attending RWA solo, as always, and getting my suitcase filled with a week’s worth of stuff and then carrying it to NYC is going to be a pain in the…shoulder.

So that’s one point.

Point 2 is since I haven’t been able to exercise much due to the pain and immobility issues of the shoulders, I’m a little….chubbier….than usual, and I haven’t bought any new clothes, so I need to be able to fit into the stuff from last year. And fit into stuff where I won’t look like  a stuffed sausage!!! Can you lose 4o pounds in a weekend?

Yeah, I didn’t think so.

Le sigh….

Oh well. Let me go try stuff on and see what — it anything — fits and doesn’t make me look like a tent.

And don’t forget to come see me in NYC. I’m doing 2 book signings this year:

And

Come see me and get a free book!!!

Until next time ~ Peg

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July 18, 2019 · 12:24 am

Reaching out during #ConferenceTime

My very first RWA conference was in San Antonio in 2015. First timers are given an actual stick-on to place on their name badges stating they are first timer conference attendees. Like everyone else, I attached my badge banner after registration. I was standing by an escalator nervously trying not to look conspicuous and awkward in my solitariness, when ubertalented multipublished author Shirley Jump approached me and introduced herself. She stated she was an RWA Board Member and asked how I was liking my first conference. She asked what I wrote, was I published, what chapter did I belong to, all questions that engaged me in conversation and put me at ease. She was absolutely charming, lovely, and (if you’ve never seen her) gorgeous. She made me feel so special, I went about the rest of the day feeling less like a fish out of water.

Knowing that she took the time to reach out to me, a total stranger, to welcome me to RWA and to encourage me to take advantage of the parties, courses and workshops, gave me such a feeling of acceptance and belonging.

The next year, as a seasoned conference attendee now (LOL) I remembered that encounter and did the same thing Shirley did: I reached out to several people who had first timer banners on their badges. I introduced myself and then engaged them in conversation about their experience the same way Shirley had.

It felt marvelous to reach out that way. I met three women who were much the same age as me, who were at that point in their lives where they wanted to devote themselves to their writing more and were attending the conference to network, see what was happening in the industry, and take advantage of some of the fabulous workshops and courses. They even asked me advice on publishing. Imagine. Me!

Ego-boosting stuff to be sure.

Every year since then I’ve made it my business to connect like that with first timers. And every year I’ve made more writing friends because of it.

Every one of us who write has at one time or another felt that solitary, awkward, what-am-I-doing-here feeling. RWA is a supportive community of writers in all phases of their publishing careers and we should embrace one another on all those levels. A smile and a word of encouragement go a long way when someone is feeling out of place or overwhelmed. So, I’m challenging all of us RWA seasoned members to reach out this year to a first-time conference attendee and welcome them into the community we all love so much. You just may make a novice writer’s day. And conference.

Until next time ~ Peg

And don’t forget – DIRTY DAMSELS is available now here:Amazon KU +

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2XmMfBn
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2JkOZpA
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2XcgTZS
Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2xnWg2x

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July 17, 2019 · 3:48 am

#LongandShortReviewsBloggingChallenge 7.17.19

Today’s topic for the Long and Short Reviews blog challenge is fictional worlds I’d love to visit.

Does NYC in the future count as fictional? ‘Cuz if it does, then I want to visit the New York City of the InDeath series by JDRobb

Cars that fly; no guns – just stunners; auto-chef machines that cook anything you want to eat in less than a minute; magic coats that repel bullets: holograms; goggles that act as microscopes.

These are just some of the very useful inventions of JDRobb’s vivid imagination, and that all help make this futuristic police procedural/romance series so popular at 50 books and still going strong. From the very first book, Naked in Death, published in 1995, readers were hooked by the book’s heroine, Lt. EVE DALLAS, a cop with a dark, disturbing past filled with abuse and neglect as she negotiated her way thru the NYC Police Department of the future. When she meets the enigmatic and hunky Roarke, first as a murder suspect, the sparks flew of the page and have kept flying 50 books in. Snarky wit, villains that keep on coming, and a wealth of interpersonal drama and comedy mark each and every book in the seires. The cast of characters  is as diverse and quirky as they crimes the solve. And through it all, the love Eve and Roarke have for each other and all in their realm, survives, strengthens, and grows.

Due in February 2020, book 50 and the latest thriller in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, homicide detective Eve Dallas investigates a murder with a mysterious motive—and a terrifying weapon.

Pediatrician Kent Abner received the package on a beautiful April morning. Inside was a cheap trinket, a golden egg that could be opened into two halves. When he pried it apart, highly toxic airborne fumes entered his body—and killed him.

After Eve Dallas calls the hazmat team—and undergoes testing to reassure both her and her husband that she hasn’t been exposed—it’s time to look into Dr. Abner’s past and relationships. Not every victim Eve encounters is an angel, but it seems that Abner came pretty close—though he did ruffle some feathers over the years by taking stands for the weak and defenseless. While the lab tries to identify the deadly toxin, Eve hunts for the sender. But when someone else dies in the same grisly manner, it becomes clear that she’s dealing with either a madman—or someone who has a hidden and elusive connection to both victims.

I want to visit – hell, I want to live – in this book series!!!
Let’s see where some of the other authors in this challenge want to visit: L&SR

My newest book, DIRTY DAMSELS, takes place in the here and now in NYC and is available on KU and here:

Amazon US:

Amazon CA:

Amazon UK:

Amazon AU:


When I first saw Cynderella all covered in soot in that sexy maid uniform, I knew I wanted to be her Prince.
She’s a smart and savvy businesswoman who’s built her cleaning company from the ground up. But now that Dirty Damsels was booming, I’ve been hired to arrange a hostile takeover. 
But the temptation of having her was too much to ignore… 
We ended up spending one night together—a night neither of us will forget. Now, I want more. I need more. I want to spend every night, skin-on-skin, with my beautiful Ella. 
Problem is, when she finds out who I really am, she’ll never forgive me.  ~ Duncan Prince

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July 16, 2019 · 12:52 am

#ConferenceTime

In one short week I head to NYC for the annual RWA conference. Can I just tell you how happy I am that I don’t have to fly  to the event this year??!!  A quick drive to New Haven and then a hop on board Metro North and I can be in NYC much quicker than if I have to fly to ports west of here.

Any hoo…

This annual conference has become for me, a time to re-energize, revitalize, and reevaluate my writing career. I get to see writing friends I only see at conferences since we live in different places, and I get to fan-girl my favorite authors and do a little harmless stalking. Hee hee.

I’ll be updating the blog daily with fun stuff from NYC and the conference, so be sure to check out my hashtag #peggyworksaconference on my twitter and instagram feeds.

Until next time ~ Peg

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July 12, 2019 · 12:24 am

A working vacation? Is that an oxymoron?

So if you can see the date in the bottom right hand corner of the above banner, you know my newest book, DIRTY DAMSELS,  released on 7.2.19, smack dab in the middle of my summer family vaca to England.

I didn’t know when the trip was planned and booked that I’d be having a release during the time away. And not only time away, but in another country. In another time zone. With lousy wifi ( Sorry, London, but it’s true).

Any hoo.

The day this book released my family went to Hampton Court to see where Henry VIII romped about, then to several other museums before finishing up at the Sherlock Holmes restaurant for dinner. (  I made dinner, but skipped the rest of the day because I had to be available for blogs and interviews during the day.)

Having a book published when you are, a: in a foreign country and, b: 5 hours ahead of home, was tough, to say the least. I spent 12 hours in my hotel room, glued to the computer and hoping the lousy wifi held. Luckily, it did. I didn’t have to reconnect and reboot more than twice, so thank you Jesus for that.

I was able to watch my Amazon rating all day during the release and I think this was my number one preordered seller yet. I guess I’ll know for sure once the royalty check comes in.

So the question my family asked that night as we all settled around the dinner table was, was it worth missing a great day of touristing to sit in the hotel during release day. I had to be honest and tell them…it was. A book is like a new baby. You want to be there for it, nurture it, watch it grow. In this case I was watching it grow in readership, but you get me, right? I’m not sure the extended members of my family did, but that’s okay.

Would I ever want to be away from home on holiday with another book release. Hell, no. Hopefully, this was a once in a lifetime thing. Or at least a once in a decade thing for me!

When I first saw Cynderella all covered in soot in that sexy maid uniform, I knew I wanted to be her Prince.

She’s a small and savvy businesswoman who’s built her cleaning company from the ground up. But now that Dirty Damsels is booming, I’ve been hired to arrange a hostile takeover.

But the temptation of having her was too much to ignore… We ended up spending one night together—a night neither of will forget. Now, I want more. I need more. I want to spend every night, skin-on-skin, with my beautiful Ella.

Problem is, when she finds out who I really am, she’ll never forgive me.

Available in KU and here:

Amazon US:

Amazon CA:

Amazon UK:

Amazon AU:

Until next time ~Peg

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July 11, 2019 · 12:54 am

More vacation, plus a little work.

Known as the subway in America, we took the Tube or the UNDERGROUND many places in London. Unlike American subways, though, the English tube system is clean, on time, economical and fast. I felt safe every where we traveled underground, something I never feel in American trains.

One day we found ourselves in Kensington Palace. Made famous as the place where Princess Diana chose to live after her divorce, the palace in an actual apartment complex ( for Royalty!) but we were able to tour around certain parts of the building and get a feel for what it felt like when Kings and Queens resided there. There is a Diana exhibit on the ground floor, so of course, we all had to see it.

We took a bus ride around the city on one of the several beautiful days we had and I was struck with all the beautiful flower arrangements around the city streets.

Dinner one night was in 22B Baker street, home of none other than SHERLOCK HOLMES

On our last day we toured St. Pauls’ Cathedral, as famous for Diana and Charles’ wedding as it is for all the famous people buried there, one especially who is near and dear to me: FLORENCE NIGHTENGALE

And, of course, as happenstance would have it, I had a book release while we were vacationing. More about that tomorrow.

Until Next time ~ Peg

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July 10, 2019 · 4:36 am

#LongandShortReviewsWednesdayBloggingChallenge 7.10.19

So if it’s Wednesday, it’s time for a L&SR blogging challenge.

This weeks’ topic? Favorite authors in the ROMANCE genre.

Honestly, I could write this one in my sleep while having a nightmare and sleepwalking.

The number one name on my list is (no surprise to anyone who knows me): Nora Roberts and her literary doppelganger JDRobb.

No one. No. One. Writes like the doyenne of romance. Yes, she head hops, but so what? Yes, some of her stories, esp.  the paranormals can be…farfetched. SO what, again? The recent plagiarism lawsuit she is involved with proves there are some writers so intimidated by her success and brilliance, they will take her words as their own to get ahead. As JD Robb, Roberts has given the romance reading world two of the best characters it has ever seen: Eve Dallas and Roarke. Le sigh…Roarke.

‘Nuff said.

The second name on my list is a contemporary romance writer, Lauren Layne.

 

The very first time I ever picked up a Layne book as a Netgalley selection, I was hooked after the first page. It’s been that way with every subsequent book I’ve read of hers. Snappy, witty dialogue, delicious love scenes, and a casts of friends who would do anything for any one of their group. I simply adore the way she phrases a sentence.

For historical romance, a genre I don’t read much of, but that I love when it’s done right, you can’t go wrong with Elizabeth Hoyt and Eva Leigh.

And although she writes both historicals and contemporaries, I prefer Lisa Kleypas’ historical books. Lots of sexy spice and wicked, wonderful heros!

So, I read romance. A lot of romance. Let’s see what some of the other authors in this challenge read, and who their fav authors are: L&SR

Don’t forget, DIRTY DAMSELS is available now, in KU and at these sites:

Amazon US:

Amazon CA:

Amazon UK:

Amazon AU:


One famous book reviewer called it the best romance she’s read all year!! That’s some praise, believe me! Get your copy today.

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July 9, 2019 · 12:49 am

#WheretheYEXTamI ?

Last week in London was a whirlwind, I will admit. From the moment we touched down until we left, we were in constant motion. It seemed like we wanted to see every sight we could before the week was up – so we purchased the LONDON PASS and did just that! From Westminster Abbey, to Picaddily Circus, to Harrods and on to Greenwich, we walked miles and miles. Each day my Fitbit told me I’d done an average of 15-20,000 steps. Now, because I’m so prone to sunburn – even on cloudy days – I wore a 110 SPF and a hat everywhere. My favorite hat is one from my daughter’s company, YEXT. I wore it in so many selfies, my family cameup with a hastag for me – #WheretheYEXT am I?

Can you guess where I am in these pictures?

Okay, this one is easy! So is this one:

 


I’m pretty sure this one is, too!

Do you know what the big building in the background is called?

This picture, btw, way taken from the very top of St.Pauls’ Cathedral after climbing up the 572 steps to the spire. Can you spell EXHAUSTED? The building in the background is called THE SHARD because it looks like a shard of glass up close.

No brainer on this one!

Quiz time: Is the above pix of St. Pauls, Westminister, or Canterbury cathedral?

If you said Westminster Abbey, you would be correct!

I kinda think I look like a modern day Kilroy! Only I’m a girl, we’re not at war, and I don’t have a big nose. But, like Kilroy just the same. Hee hee

More travels on Thursday, because tomorrow is Long and Short Blogging day!

Until next time ~ Peg

 

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July 8, 2019 · 1:38 am

This tired #worldtraveler is still Blogging away…

Last week I was pretty much on radio silence (except for promoting my 7.2.19 book release) because I was vacationing in London with family. One of my brothers-in-law hails from the country and we figured he’d be the best tour guide we could find.

We were right!

For those of you who have flown to any place in Europe, or points east of the US, you know the time change is a bitch. And it was. The first day I felt like I hadn’t slept in 10 weeks. But I rallied thru. The houses of Parliament were first, followed by the Tower Bridge.

A quick bite to eat in a local pub and it was off to bed.

Sunday we tackled the Tower of London

A few heads rolled in that place.

This was the view from out hotel – The London Eye.

One of the highlights of the vaca was a day trip to the Canterbury. We didn’t hear any tales, but we saw some great sights and had a proper high tea in a teahouse.

I even found the best titled book store EVAH!

So, that’s a little taste of what we did for a few days. More to come in following blogs. I’ve got to sleep now because I’m still on UK time!

Until next time ~Peg

 

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