15 Monday Jul 2013
Posted in REJECTION LETTERS & SUCH
Crossed the state line. Home again.
Now, with pages of editorial notes from an agent, lots of work ahead. But happy work. Like unwrapping a gift you never knew you always wanted. 😊
My niece and nephew came back with us from California. So, I’m writing early morning and late into the night. And all the time in between, riding bumper cars, eating pizza and hitting the local water park.
Whew!
Way too old for this.
11 Thursday Jul 2013
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Looking at a sign for Granny’s Apple Fries in Legoland, California. And it’s muggy beyond muggy. Funny. Just as I complained, a cool ocean breeze blew by.
It’s fun to post at a place atypical to me. So here I am, surrounded by noisy children, laughing, playing, some crying or complaining, but all trying to have fun on this warm summer day in Legoland.
I’ve been meaning to write a little something about my first webinar. It was with Elizabeth Harding from Curtis Brown. Fantastic! I learned so much about the process, plus she gave special insights about querying & submission.
“Protect success!”
Find out what that means. I highly recommend watching this webinar. Especially since Elizabeth Harding doesn’t give many interviews.
Here’s the link:
katieloves.me/agent/
It’s on Katie Davis’ website.
Well, going to see a Lego show. See you between the pages …
06 Saturday Jul 2013
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Teacups clinked while friends chatted over finger sandwiches and delicate pastries, and I just sat there taking it all in.
My old (she’s not actually OLD, she’s only twenty-seven) friend Desz sat beside me. Her flower hat balanced perfectly, at a slight angle, on her perfect little ringlets. She’s such a sweetie.
She told me about her time in Africa and time spent roaming the countryside in England. In Africa, she had to avoid drinking milk or eating dairy products. She was there for three months. So, in England she went to a tea house and poured the cream thick. Jazzed that she finally had dairy, like clotted cream and milk in her tea, she literally went to town. And she says she became so sick. Poor girl. I noticed she drank her tea plain with no cream or sugar.
My friend Adrianne is traveling this fall to London & Paris with her family and she’s already booked her tea time. She named the places, but I can’t remember where.
My cousin, Bruni, is not really into tea. But she sat across from me grinning ear to ear, saying how “we’ve got her hooked” and how cute everything was.
Here are some pics from my afternoon tea at The Grand Tea Room on Grand Avenue …
My cousin Kelsie …
Desz and I …
My nieces had fun with the hats …
Also, my mama & Aunt Lindy came. We’ve talked about opening a tea room exactly like this one, but agree that it’d be a tremendous amount of work.
Afternoon tea is such a lovely way to relax and wrap oneself cozily into a melancholy delight.
05 Friday Jul 2013
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It’s been over a week since our day in Disneyland. Now, with more beautiful agent feedback and lots of thoughtful suggestions, I’m ready to tie up those loose ends in my manuscript.
For example, Humphrey was dropped off by a curb near the security check-in. But that area is designated for TRAMS ONLY. I wrote it into the story, and it created a wonderful opportunity to expound Humphrey’s character. It’s funny.
One agent wrote notes directly on my manuscript. They’ve been so helpful. Another agent wants to see more of my work. So, although I’m still not represented yet, “at least it’s better than a stick in the eye.” Isn’t it?
Being there in person, made a huge difference. So very happy we went.
A few more pics from that day …
The caves on Tom Sawyer’s island.
There’s a myth that a secret vent is in the Bottomless Pit.
The Disneyland map. (I don’t have a photographic memory like Humphrey.) …
I’ll be busy here in my summer cottage (little house in the RV park), revising, working on different manuscripts, whenever I get a free moment.
But tomorrow, I have a reservation for afternoon tea – and I love tea parties!
26 Wednesday Jun 2013
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26 Wednesday Jun 2013
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The morning is muggy and soon to warm up to a nice broil, is what the weather experts have forecasted. But we’re HERE!
I love Disneyland, or should I say, the fictional kingdom of MouseLand!
Of course, I won’t give away all of Humphrey’s secrets. Just a few.
Here’s the first stop…
The curbside where he’s dropped off and past security check-in where he blows off the bakery and heads straight into the Park.
Now to make it inside the Park …
8:45: Inside Park! The colorful Mickey (or in my book: Magnificent Mouse)…
8:48: Second tunnel:
8:50: Souvenir stand where Humphrey sheds the starchy button down shirt …
8:52: Goofy! (Based my fictional character Duffy Mouse on him.)
8:54: Walking down Main Street. Sleeping Beauty’s Castle…(or should I say: Sleepy Mouse’s Castle?)
10:03; Heading into Adventureland! …
10:08: The first ride Humphrey went on with his new family: The Sweetie Pie family…
10:24: on the ride … Yo ho, it’s a pirates (mouse’s) life for me!
10:35: In Critter Country, the approximate location Humphrey spies The Shiny Shoe Stalker! Eek. Do you see him in the crowd?
10:48: This bench means something in the book. Won’t tell what. 🙂
11:01: Wait time for Splash Mountain…(Nothing to do with my book, just thought it was interesting!)
11:21: On our way to Injun Joe’s cave …
11:32: We looked everywhere for the secret vent in the Bottomless Pit. We couldn’t find it. Had several helpers! ..
Maybe behind this panel? Humphrey had hoped to hide in this mythical location.
11:48: Whew! It’s as warm as predicted. My hair is hugely pouffy! It’s been a fantastic, fun morning. Better put my hair in a ponytail. That’s what Humphrey’s new friend, Maribel, does!
Well, we’re ready to get on the train.
This whole time I keep thinking…how would I feel if I were 10 yrs old and left here alone? Would it be fun? As I watch families around me, a large part of the magic of being here is the people you share it with.
I’ve concluded that being here alone would be the (bottomless) pits!
But after all this, will Humphrey ever find a new family? Will he escape The Shiny Shoe Stalker? And more importantly, as he faces his worst fears, who will be there for him?
Find out these answers and more by requesting to read my book, H.H. PLUMTREE’S SECRET KINGDOM!
Ding! Here’s the train …
3:40: Had lots of detours, like, Tarzan’s Tree House, Winnie the Pooh’s ride, lunch at the Plaza Inn.
Plus, I bought a grey tee shirt with Mickey (Magnificent Mouse) on the front, and changed in the bathroom, just as Humphrey does in the book.
Here’s the Cast Member Only door he escaped, running away from The Shiny Shoe Stalker…
6:57: A long but wonderful day! …
25 Tuesday Jun 2013
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Don’t sleep in! My nine-year-old son and I will track protagonist, Humphrey Peterson’s, storybook adventure tomorrow by live posts from Disneyland.
Starting at the spot his parents dropped him off to spend the day alone, the places he hides out from The Lunatic, and other fun adventures Humphrey experiences that whole day, we’ll be there to photograph and journal them all.
Hope you’ll join us. Just follow on my Twitter for live updates.
Tomorrow morning, bright and early. See ya there…
Posted by Nessa B. Schwarz | Filed under REJECTION LETTERS & SUCH
25 Tuesday Jun 2013
24 Monday Jun 2013
Posted in REJECTION LETTERS & SUCH
The real Momma & Caden Sweetie Pie from my novel, Humphrey’s Secret Kingdom. I based the characters on these sweetie pies. And they are the sweetest!
21 Friday Jun 2013
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Last night we had a lovely dinner at a hole-in-the-wall, ate tacos and had a grand time.
But I had another full request and felt ancy to send out the materials. After dinner, we stopped at Sunset Cliff’s near Point Loma. 
Breathtakingly beautiful, the view that is. My cousin, Valerie, smiles nicely.
When we returned to my aunt’s house, I looked over the first page of my novel before sending it to the agent. My cousin’s husband says, “The word ‘laptop’ is two words.” I knew he was wrong, and I even argued the point, but tired and since the spell checker had underlined the word, I made it two words.
Okay, so later, after I hit SEND and returned to my little house in the RV park, I fretted the whole evening because laptop is not two words when referring to a computer. And I knew that. Why did I change it? And being the little perfectionist that I am, I fretted today too.
But it’s okay. Working on the road has its hazards.
Thanks a lot, Dave. 😊
Venessa Bellido Schwarz 