Catching up, and new things coming!

Wow, so I haven't blogged since January. Lots has happened since then, in my personal and professional life, and I'm going to do some blog posts over the next few weeks to catch up on all of that. I'll pre-date them so that they show up when they should have if I'd posted them on time.

Also, I have a new website coming soon, my fancy professional author website, so stay tuned for that! This blog will migrate there when it launches, but I'll give you a heads up before that happens. Until then, here's a sneak peak: http://www.rachellacey.com/

Much more coming soon, so if you're reading this, stay tuned, and thank you! :)

My Agent

Sarah and Rachel

Two words I wasn't sure I'd ever write: my agent. As an aspiring author, I had long fantasized about receiving "the call," an agent offering representation. And then, it happened. I am beyond thrilled to say that I am now represented by the fabulous Sarah Younger at Nancy Yost Literary Agency.

Sarah grew up in North Carolina and has a special fondness for stories with a strong supporting cast of animal characters. It's like it was meant to be :) As soon as I spoke to her on the phone, I knew she was the right agent for me.

So, I don't think those two words will get old for a while. My agent! I know I am in great hands with Sarah and NYLA, and I can't wait to take the next steps in my career together!

Pitch Madness

So, since I had a sparkly new manuscript ready to query, I decided to try my luck at Pitch Madness, hosted by the fabulous Brenda Drake. I submitted a 35 word pitch and the first 250 of my manuscript, UNLEASHED, and then sat back and chewed on my fingernails while the entries were whittled down to 60, which would be read and bid on by agents.

I sat up until midnight on that fateful night, waiting to see if I had made the cut. After nothing but rejection on my first manuscript, I was ready for disappointment. And then, at twelve a.m. on the dot, I refreshed the page, and UNLEASHED popped right up as one of the entries to be featured in the agent round of the contest. Needless to say, I didn't sleep much that night!

When Pitch Madness went live, agents shot "darts" at the manuscripts they wanted to read more of, with each dart representing a different amount of pages requested. I resisted the urge to give my manuscript one last polish, convinced I wouldn't get a hit. Just being included was enough of a boost to get me started querying this manuscript!

Click here to read my entry in Pitch Madness.

I Won!

Over the weekend, I found out that my second novel, Unleashed, placed first in the Single Title Contemporary category of the Silicon Valley RWA's Gotcha Contest! This is absolutely amazing news, and I am still floating around in my happy fog.

My prize is a critique from an editor at Berkley Publishing (wow!) and also, my entry will be sent on to another editor who will be picking the overall Grand Prize Winner. Critique from an editor at a major publishing house is priceless, and I am so thankful for the opportunity.

This was the first contest I entered with this manuscript, and the feedback from the judges was the best I've ever had, so hopefully that means I'm on the right track. I am so excited to beging querying this one in the Spring!

Also, my amazing critique partner, Annie Rains, finished second in the Inspirational Romance category! We received identical scores, but apparently the competition was a little bit tougher in Inspirational. Here's hoping this is the beginning of a very exciting 2013 for both of us!

Farewell, 2012, and here's to you, 2013

I set a lot of goals for myself in 2012, and I completed almost all of them. I wrote my second book (and finished ahead of schedule which was amazing!) I finished revisions on the first book and began querying agents. I took a few classes, and entered several new contests. I became RWA Certified PRO. And I plotted book #3!

It was a busy year, in writing, and in my "real life," but I learned and grew so much as an author. I want to bring that momentum with me into 2013! So, here we go, my 2013 writing resolutions:

1. Query book #2 (assuming I don't sell #1).
2. Enter at least 2 writing contests.
3. Take a writing class - there's always something new to learn!
4. Write book #3.
5. Attend a writing conference. I'd looooove to go to the RWA National Conference in Atlanta in July, but my son may start kindergarten that week, which would be tragic timing! Can't miss that for anything, so if that's the case, Nationals will have to wait.
6. Plot book #4 - not sure yet what it will be, but there are several secondary characters from my first two books begging for their own storyline. Or something else new and unrelated!
7. Get more involved in my local RWA chapter. Step outside my comfort zone and socialize outside my critique group.
8. Build a better online platform for myself (better blogging, Tweeting, maybe even start my author website?)
9. Pick a pseudonym for myself. I don't know why I can't figure this out? I just can't find one I love. Maybe the universe is trying to tell me to keep my own name? :)