Eloise Owens

Our Roadmap
Within three interlinking circles (think Olympic rings minus one) are the words: Messenger, Message, and Marketplace. Pay attention to yourself, to your gifts, and to the marketplace so that your words will impact the heads and hearts of all who read your masterpiece.
She requested that we first Be present--stuff pulls at you, but live in the moment. When choosing between two things, do the thing that's important. Second, Ask questions. Third, Tell the truth--don't be afraid.
The most important quality of Great Writers is this: Self Management. Write even when you don't feel like it.
The Messenger:
Take your personal inventory. Ask yourself what motivates you to write, what is/are your strength(s), whatch out for your weakness' in your Messenger Personality.
What is important to you will reveal what type of Messenger you are.

1. Theoretical: Data, information, knowledge, truth
2. Utilitarian: Results, money
3. Aesthetic: Creative, emotional, sensitive, artistic experience, experiential.
4. Social: Change the world, 'others' focused, can't say no
5. Individualistic: Quality, leadership, control yourself and others.
6. Tradition: Strength of belief, systematic, militaristic, always right.

After you figure out what type of messenger you are, you can pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses. IE--Theoretical struggle with data over all else. Utilitarians focus too much on money. Aesthetic are sensitive, emotional, and messy. Social can't say no and are often taken advantage of. Traditional always believe they're right. Individualistic are controlling. Etc.

Pinpointing your type of Messenger will also help you understand what motivates your writing. Do you write because you love creating, or do you need to fill our heads with information and truth, or do you need to prove you're right. Each one of these reasons will help you figure out your messenger.

The Message.

Salable ideas speak to basic needs. Clarify the book's idea by developing a crisp answer to the question: What is this book about?

Ie--This book shows______________(your target reader) that they__________ (take away value. For example. In the Priestess Prophecy, mine would look like this: This book shows YA girls that they are more. (more powerful, more beautiful, more courageous, etc)

The Marketplace:

Speaking, Media, Launch parties, Fans, Partnerships, articles, Tie Ins, book signings. Know your audience. If your targeting YA girls, don't sell your books in sporting goods stores, sell them in malls. If you're targeting middle age men, don't waste your time doing school tours.

And that my friends, is the final installment of the Cedar Fort Conference.

Whew!

Truth Time

I think the time has come to discuss a very important and very pressing matter. Soda Pop. Gasp!
I know, I know. It's a hard subject for most people to dive into. Those differing bottles of fizz tend to bring out the worst in people.
For me, the debate starts with two words: Pepsi or Coke?
Here I go, don't send me hate mail, Pepsi. I haven't always been a Pepsi girl. As a preteen, I was a Coke fan. But then I began to use hairspray, and I have to say, Coke has a very "Hairspray" aftertaste. Ruined me for life on Coke.
And now I digress. I am weird. I know I am. My husband and children confirm the fact daily, but once again, this is my therapy because I'm too poor to afford it on my own: I like my pop flat. *cringe*
Ah, that's strangely liberating. Yes, flat. I hate the bubbles that give you burps and burn your nose/throat on the way down. I will leave it opened in the fridge for a few days. If the situation is dire, I hold my mouth over the nozzle and shake it until most of the bubbles are gone (are you visualizing this? Good, because you needed to smile today. Serious, work on the attitude buster.)
We'll now that I'm out of the closet, I think I'll go have a Pepsi.

I discovered the Author's Guild

WOW! I just found the best sight for authors (the requirement is you have to have a contract).
Here's the description from their website:

Members of the Authors Guild receive free book contract reviews from experienced legal staff, discounted health insurance rates in some states, low-cost website services including website-building, e-mail, and domain name registration, access to our free Back in Print service, our quarterly print Bulletin, and invitations to panels and programs throughout the year.

I've been looking at lawyers that charge $400 an hour to go over my contract. 90 dollars a year gets me access to all of the above! I'm so excited I found them.
Check it out at http://www.authorsguild.org/

The Priestess Prophecy Query

This is the personalized section.

For decades, the world Ara calls home has been divided by a bloody war between the Kanovians and the Nonaeans. Generations of Gifted men and women have been murdered by Assassins in order to cripple Nonae’s armies. But neither side has been able to gain an advantage big enough to win the war once and for all—until now.

When the Unicorn chooses Ara for the priestess, the fate of her kingdom is suddenly thrust into her hands. Once the Assassins learn of her Gift, she must abandon her life, family, and everything she has ever known to follow a mysterious young man who promises safety, training on how to use her abilities . . . and perhaps something more. Ara must decide whether she can trust the man whose motives are unclear at best, and along the way unravel her past—the key to ending the war. But unless she can stay ahead of the Assassins, she may not live long enough to develop into the priestess fate is forcing her to be.

The Priestess Prophecy is a young adult, fantasy novel of 97,428.

My previous writing accomplishments include the publication of a short story entitled Turning Point in The Western Horseman and NHSRA Times. I hold a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and am a Chapter President for the League of Utah Writers. I am currently in the editing stages of my next novel.

Please be aware that this is a multiple submission. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Amber L. Smith

Rejection sucks.

I had an agent that loved my book. She said so herself. I waited for a couple weeks and every communication I had with her was so positive. I started to get really, really excited.
Then she offered a rejection wrapped in mounds of praise. Like all pirates everywhere, I would like to say, Argh!