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Gearing Up to Get an Agent Meet & Greet

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Our regularly scheduled Marketing Monday will run on Wednesday.

Hello! For new friends, my name is Jordan McCollum and I blog about writing craft and marketing (usually on Mondays). For old friends, Deana Barnhart is hosting her annual Gearing Up to Get an Agent blogfest, and I’m so happy to join in! Once upon a time, Deana read one of my manuscripts, and I read hers. Little did I know I was the first person to read her writing! Now Deana is represented by Sarah Lapolla of Curtis Brown, Ltd., and I’m sure we’ll hear some good news about her book soon (different book, so I haven’t read it [I wish!], but it sounds great!).

Today is the opening event in her Gearing Up to Get an Agent blogfest, the meet & greet! So here are my interview questions:

Where do you write?
I have two main spots: the loveseat in the family room (where I am now) and the dining room table.

Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see?
A towel, a survey with envelope, a lid, a book, two kids’ t-shirts, a pony and a bottle of gun cleaner. The typical mess, usually things my kids bring me to keep me company…

Favorite time to write?
ALL THE TIMES! Usually the answer is night time, especially after 10 PM, but I think I might find a new favorite time since I’ll have two hours where all my children are in school or bed 🙂 .

Drink of choice while writing?
I usually don’t drink anything, and water is probably my most common choice, but caffeine free Dr Pepper is a fave.

When writing, do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?
Yes. Well, not silence, since that’s pretty hard to come by with three kids 6 & under running around (and a TV). If I’m using music, it will usually be a couple songs thematically related to my book, some fitting tracks from a movie soundtrack, and perennial favorites from Queen and Led Zeppelin. My last book was written to ’60s pop and ’70s rock. Iiinteresting.

What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?
It was a ’60s pop song, actually. I’ve heard it dozens of times, but this particular time, I was standing in the Dollar Tree buying Valentines for my kids (the day before Valentine’s Day, naturally). And I thought “What if . . . ?”

What’s your most valuable writing tip?
Just one? Augh. I have so many I started this whole blog about writing tips 😉 . If I had to pick juuuuuust one, it’d be “Keep learning.” I have a book accepted by a publisher and I still take writing classes. Reading craft books recharges me. And number two would probably be “Challenge yourself.” I have to try something new with every manuscript to keep myself interested and growing and challenged. And number three would be check out my free writing guides for lots more tips 😉 !

In honor of GUGTAA, I’ve posted an excerpt of my WIP, I, Spy!

Nice to meet you! Hop on over to Deana’s blog to join in the Gearing Up to Get an Agent blogfest all this month!

17 thoughts on “Gearing Up to Get an Agent Meet & Greet”

  1. I’m very curious to know what the theme is for your book that has a 60s and 70s playlist. =D I have read part of Deana’s book with her agent, and it’s a very cool premise.

    1. You can read the first 6 pages here . . . but they have nothing to do with the song. (That part comes in the second quarter.)

      Eventually I might run a contest to reveal the song, so I’ve been kind of hesitant to tell anyone what it is. I think my husband is the only one who knows.

    2. Oh, but I can say that one of the songs on my playlist was “Secret Agent Man.”

      And then the rest is Queen and Led Zeppelin, which apparently I can write and edit anything to.

  5. It’s nice to see a familiar face in this blog hop. Very cool that your story idea came from a 60s pop song and on the day before Valentine’s Day no less.

  6. Hello! I have to say the gun cleaner next to your writing space freaked me out a wee little bit! Congratulations on getting a publishing contract – how cool is that??? I wouldn’t actually know, but I remain hopeful. Have fun with GUTGAA! Stop by and say hi if you have a chance – but leave the gun at home, I prefer to murder my villains by other means, bwahahaha.

  7. Hi Jordan 🙂 Nice to meet you! Very curious what the song is that inspired your WIP. I think that is my favorite question of the m&g. Love reading everyone’s responses 🙂

  8. I’m still making it through the Meet & Greet posts. I think challenge yourself can be a tough one because, at least at this point, I’m still learning the basics. Sometimes I pick up a book that is so phenomenal writing-wise I want to cry out of envy, but then I realize it probably wasn’t the author’s first book (current example: Gillian Flynn’s GONE GIRL. And it isn’t her first book or even her second). So, right now the challenge is just completing my novel to make it the best I can.

    Good luck with GUTGAA!

  9. I also listen to music that fits my WiP when I write. In fact it’s now come to the point where I have 9 playlists for one series. One for every book in the series and one for every character. Not obsessive at all. ;-P

    1. Hey! You’re COMMENTING! Actually, it’s the one you just read. Yeeeah, it doesn’t show at ALL in the story. But that’s where the idea came from. Remind me tomorrow and I’ll play the song for you.

  11. I’ve been slowly making my way around the Meet & Greet posts… haven’t been commenting, but I think it’s a great idea.

    I fully agree with your ‘Keep learning’ advice. I’m surprised by how many writers say they just keep writing and expect to learn by doing, as if sheer quantity is a guarantee of success. Repeating the same mistakes isn’t going to get anyone anywhere!

    Now I’m off to find the next contribution to this blogfest. 😀

    1. Aw, thanks, Em! It’s dumb–I’ve got a bunch of nearly-written posts, and no time to finish and post them. But, then, I’m working on pages for YOU.

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