I want to send acknowledgement and a huge Kudos to Table 100 for the website project of www.debilynsmith.com. The site is up and running, looking very professional, yet informal.Just what I wanted. It's a great avenue for showcasing my work and you've done an incredible job, persevering through the constant changes. I'm sure it wasn't easy when you had to deal with someone that uses 500 words to your five.
Congratulations on another happy, satisfied customer. Feel free to use my name as a reference for any future reluctant or indecisive clients. I can honestly say it was worth every cent!
Thanks again.
DebiLyn

One GIANT Step Closer...

I have returned from the 10th annual Bloody Words Mystery Writers conference in Toronto with what I consider good news. Instead of having my dreams squashed, my work laughed at and doors slammed in my face (as the nightmares went) I am filled with hope, a renewed vigil and even a deadline of sort for my future. It was all good, all interesting and definitely worthy of the champagne my sister bought for us to celebrate with on Saturday late-afternoon. But before that...

I started my adventure lost in the Hilton Hotel for almost 30 minutes before finding the escalator that took me downstairs to the conference area. Once I saw the skeleton with the Bloody Words t-shirt, I knew I was finally there! Festivities started with a 5:30-6:30 meet-and-greet with glasses of wine for purchase and phyllo nibblers being passed by white-gloved waiters.I figured one glass of wine and a pastry-laced dinner a la BW wouldn't hurt, so I eagerly drank and noshed without abandon.

My interview with the esteemed Christina Hogrebe of the NY based Jane Rotrosen Literary Agency was at 7 PM, so it was with a wine-loosened tongue and buttery-throat terror that I was brought to her and introduced in the Varley room. While seated at a linen-draped interview table, Christina had a glass of red wine at her side, perhaps to suggest the informality of it all. To help de-stress the situation? Unfortunately, this was lost on me. I think my nervousness compounded with how much I truly wanted to work with Christina. Of the 4 attending agents, she was the only one actively looking for female based literature. Her on-line bio was written with a light, humorous touch that mirrored the way I usually try to address things and although I was concerned with having an American agent, Christina professed her fondness for my childhood idol and Canadian heroine, Anne Shirley. Christina was another kindred spirit!
The"emotional meter" was at an alarming high. I am still amazed I didn't throw up during our meeting.

I began just fine. I even handed Christina a copy of the "script" I would be following to explain my background and key points of the books. A plan which I still kick myself for not following. When talking about Not Just One, I skipped from the beginning to the near-end, to the middle, then tripped around bringing up other key actions out of sequence as her eyes grew rounder and rounder.
"I think you might have enough for three books in this one," she said, seemingly lost in the jumbled mess that had spilled from my overly lubricated throat.

This is about when my lower left lip began to tremble. At first it was slight, but within a breath, it was a full blown earthquake happening right there on my mouth. I looked into Christina's big eyes. Could she see the twitching? Did she worry I was insane? Would I next start to froth, coming to a full lather before my allotted fifteen minutes were up?

What was she saying? Her lips were moving with sound, but I could not hear. The twitch had a thrumming pulse that filled my ears. I watched and her face turned away from mine. Her hand went into her purse. She is from the United States.. Would she pull out a stun gun? Mace?
But out came a business card. "Think about what I have said and then send me something in about a month." Her smile was large. And sincere.
The administrator was at my elbow to escort me so I rose and stumbled away, turning once, not sure if I should shake Christina's hand or do what I felt like which was bolt from the room, lamenting, "Oh, no! I'm such an idiot!"

All night I mentally whipped and cursed myself, not thinking that the outcome had been good. I had the golden business card and a personal request to see more of my work.It doesn't get a whole lot better than that for a first time author. Okay, she could have begged to have it sent right away. As it turned out, it was for the best that she didn't.

The next day came the manuscript evaluations. Not Just One was with Barbara Fradkin who thought it was very good. "It's hard to write humour and mystery together, but you did it quite well," she said. That's not to say there isn't still some major adjustments in the first chapters dealing mainly with back story versus moving the plot along faster. I have a problem with switching from past to present tense through out as well.
Barbara gave me a big hug when we finished and wished me the best of luck with it in the future. Now I have my work cut out for me. Armed with an experienced writer's comments and suggestions I can present something very professional to Christina next month.
Best of all, I received the validation I had went to Toronto for from not just one, but two multiple-published authors.

That night was the wind-up dinner. I delivered wine tickets to thank some of the key volunteers for helping me bumble my way through my first BW, including one for Barbara Fradkin. I also took one to Christina. While there, I told her honestly what the evaluators had to say about my work. She responded by saying she was looking forward to my submission to her next month. She was even concerned that the agency was having e-mail problems and to keep trying if mine didn't get through to her. We left on a good note. Not just a good note, but a note that didn't feel finished. It's like meeting someone who becomes an instant friend. You look forward to seeing them again some day. I hope I get that day. Maybe in PEI, I told her, where Anne of G.G. was written?
So, it was a worthwhile trip, if not only for rubbing elbows, sipping cocktails and having dinner with other writers, even some pretty famous ones! There were the workshop classes and an open mike session of ask an agent! Yes, I brought up the Canadian versus American book sale and setting for your novel question. I think agent Helen Heller said it all when she said "I disagree" quite firmly to agent Stacia from New York, before advising us to, if we could, set our stories south of the border.
Interesting conversations.

I have one month to get these books revised and ready. There won't be a lot of e-mail, face-booking or blogging time, but I will keep you posted on any new developments.
Until then, thanks again for becoming a follower of all these Dribbles from DebiLyn. Today I feel like I am one giant step closer. It IS going to happen!

All My Bags Are Packed...I'm Ready To Go...

Thursday, May 27 is the big day! It's almost here!!I have spent the last few weeks revising and polishing and then printing piles of packages to hand to perspective agents while attending the Bloody Words Mystery Writers Conference in Toronto.There is a summary, a synopsis, a biography and sample chapters for each book. I will be sporting ten pounds of paper on my shoulder.
What to wear, what to wear? I had to unpack the sweaters and long sleeved shirts after discovering Toronto is in the midst of a heat wave. 30C! Imagine! Lucky, lucky me. Poor Torontonians who will be able to see the white glow from my legs coming from blocks away. Let's see, a dress, some clam diggers, heels, white pants, sunglasses,t-shirts...sensible walking shoes!
I have my appointments for interviews lined up, have googled the area to see where everything is and am about as ready as one could ever be. For once in my life I am not feeling sick with anxiety before something of this momentous occasion. I am filled with confidence. I am a writer, have been for years now. And my time to reach my full potential has come. I have two wonderful books that I believe will make others laugh as much as they make me laugh. I am ready for critiquing and to change whatever it takes to get them out of the drawer and into print.
But yes, okay, the cheer-up bottle of wine and bar of dark chocolate will be waiting to console me if things don't quite go as I imagine...
Thanks again everyone for all of your support and belief in what I do. Now to get someone in the biz to believe!

Perseverance Plus

I cannot believe the agonizing stories of persistance I have been getting over friends trying to sign up on this blog site as a follower!
I truly thank you all from the depths of my heart, especially if you had to spend more than the 5 minutes it should take. I don't know if it's some people's operating systems,their mail being different from the website or what?
If you're still trying, send me an e-mail and I'll try and do it for you from here!contact@debilynsmith.com
Good luck and THANK YOU for your support.

Bumbling With Computers

I drive my husband crazy! I wish in a good way, but no. There's a long list behind that statement of how I drive him mad, but the one I'm going to address is the latest. Computer Bumbling.
We can't agree on how to use a computer. Barry is one of those people that when he sees a new page on his computer screen pop up, his eyes immediately rise to the top left of the page and he begins to methodically review and read everything he sees. Left to right. Brrring! Left to right. Brrrring! Like an old style typewriter. It takes him forever to search for something.

Me? I take in the entire page at a glance and hit "delete," or "more" or "next" quickly if there isn't anything that catches my eye for what it is I am looking for. "This is a reflex age," I chastise. The same with any new electronics. Who reads manuals? Just take the thing and start pushing buttons. Something will start to work. Just do it. Nothing bad will happen! The sky will not fall!

If I'm not pushing strange buttons that I can no longer even see on my cell phone or DVD player, then I am at the computer moving the mouse back and forth rapidly when things are sluggish and the computer acts like a python trying to swallow the last half of a horse. Flick, flick, flick. I tell my husband it seems to help. Flick, flick, flick. But last week, while deleting some mail files, his entire "Barry Save" file mysteriously went missing. Long story short and $60 lighter, we got MOST of them back. Still missing is all of April and May and of course, the only files he had to have.
"That's because you flick, flick, flick," he snarls.

"You can't prove that," I counter.

While trying to get friends to sign up on this blog, I became aware of the rest of the aged computer bumblers out there. It's not just us! After asking someone under 30, their name appeared instantly on the blog list. Over 30? I have to first advise them it didn't work. They're not on there. Then I have to re-explain and then sometimes make a third attempt to help.

Eventually they always get it, but it makes me wonder? How many of us are using these computers without having even a quarter of a clue of what we're doing? It's like bumper cars. We're not sure how to steer them properly so we grip the wheel, hit the gas pedal and just start driving madly.
Maybe I don't have a bug that is moving and deleting files? Maybe that's my senility or my flicking or driving the computer all wrong.

The scary part is, just when you think you DO have something figured out, they change the game. New operating systems or upgrades to your programs that totally lose you.I just hope the entire techno thing doesn't speed up like everything else is doing these days. Never mind the days, the YEARS are zooming!

Oh well, until one of the kids come to visit and straighten me out, I'm just going to continue the bumbling. And hopefully I don't do too much more damage in the meantime!
Flick, flick, flick.

Free Long Distance Dialing

I accidentally left my sweater at the Royal Bank.

As I live out of town a bit, I decided to call and get the receptionist to hold on to it until the next day, when I would return to town and pick it up.

Houston phone numbers begin with 845- as does the Royal Bank's, but when I dialed 845-2218, I got transferred to somewhere in Winnipeg!

After two rings, an automated voice thanked me for phoning and told me how wonderful this automated service was because now I could reach someone 24/7, blah, blah, blah.

Had I reached someone yet? Not yet. The "voice" gave me a list of options, none of which included lost sweaters. I did press zero for operator. I was then told to make another choice, between personal accounts and business or agricultural account information. I wondered if I should get my client card ready as was suggested. Then the surprise. I was told this call would be recorded so now there would be proof of my senility- something a husband just waiting to commit his wife would want to hear about. Could this recording stand up in court?

This was silly. It's a 7 minute drive to the bank and I had already wasted that, plus someone had just recorded two swear words that slipped from my mouth. I hung the phone up and jumped into my car, ready to return to the bank. That's when I found my sweater behind the passenger seat.

As I returned to the house I thought, hey, I have a good friend in Winnipeg. I haven't heard from her for awhile. Now that I can phone for free, I picked up the receiver and dialed 845-2218. Eventually a real person does come on the line, and believe-it-or-not, he knew Mary Jean Radley! She was about to have her third son and he would call and let her know I was asking about her.

I phone the bank often, just to see how the weather is in Winnipeg and to check up on that new baby of Mary Jean's. Who knows, if it gets nice enough, I may go for a visit?

But until then, I'll keep checking with my local bank.

New Mothers Day Tradition

My sister in Ontario has started a new Mothers Day tradition. We lost our mother to pancreatic cancer in April, 2009. A month later, our first Mothers Day without her, as you can imagine, was extremely grievous for us both.
But this year, my sister and three girlfriends who have also lost their mothers decided to hold a "Lunch With Mom" afternoon. My sister hosted the event and draped a table with our mother's market-place plates and dishes. Cut flowers, our mothers favourite, scented the air. They served their mother's pickles and recipes from their cookbooks. Adorned in their Mom's jewelry, they placed photos of their dearly departed on the side board before spending the next hours swapping favourite stories of life between mothers and daughters. There was laughter and tears. A sense of closeness through loss but at the same time, a joy for turning something so sad into something wonderful. Something to repeat again next year.
For me, I celebrated this year with my mother-in-law and her family. It's not the same, but it helps.
There will come a day when my sister's new tradition will be for me as well. Maybe the two of us will even spend it together?
Whatever you end up doing, have a Happy Mothers Day everyone.