Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and started the new year off right. My goals this year are to keep motivated and stay focused on my craft. So far, I've been right on track. And that brings us to my writing tip for this month.

WRITING TIP OF THE MONTH

Staying focused.

If I think about writing an entire book, I'd probably never sit down to start it. I give myself a goal of writing at least a paragraph a day. If I write more, that's great, and if I don't, I'm not too hard on myself. I just make up for it the following day or maybe the following week. The point is, if you set a goal, you're most likely to achieve it, or at least work toward something. You can't write a book in a day, but surely, you can write a page or a paragraph. Even a sentence is making progress. Some folks hardly have any time to write, but if you're serious about your craft, you'll find the time. Even if it's only five minutes a day. Life will never be perfect, and if we wait until it is, we'll never write a thing. So sit down and go for it!

AGENTS ACTIVELY LOOKING FOR NEW CLIENTS

3 SEAS LITERARY AGENCY
P.O. Box 8571
Madison, WI. 53708

Agent accepting romance fiction queries:
Michelle Grajkowski

How to Query:
First 3 chapters, synopsis, and a bio sheet

Estimated response time:
2-3 months

Currently looking to represent: Romance, including contemporary, historical, category, western, romantic suspense, romantic comedy, and inspirational. Also looking for women's fiction, mysteries, and children's stories.


Kraas Literary Agency
507 NW 22nd Ave. Ste. 104
Portland, Oregon 97210

Agent accepting romance fiction queries:
Ashley Kraas

How to Query:
First 50 pages of a completed manuscript along with an SASE. Include e-mail address if you have one.

Estimated response time:
3-5 weeks

Curently looking to represent: Romance manuscripts (all areas; suspense, historical, contemporary, category, paranormal, etc.) and women's fiction.

Magazine accepting short story submissions:

Glimmer Train
www.glimmertrain.com

Accepts stories of 8,000 words or less. Check out website for submission guidelines and contest information as well.


Thought for the day:

Since it's difficult for a new author to get their books into bookstores, we have to come up with creative ways to get the word out there.

Here's something you might want to try:

Gift stores are always looking for something different to stock their shelves with. Stop in, talk to the owner, & introduce yourself as a local author. Many independent shop owners are happy to help out a fellow entreprneur. Works especially well for cookbooks, how-to books, or if you write romance, stop by before just before Valentines Day.

If you have an idea about a interesting & different way to market your work, feel free to e-mail me at: jmccle3252@aol.com

Have you heard about Bookcrossing.com? It's an online trend that's innovative, fun, and a great way to set books free. Read it, register it, release it. It's that simple...Check it out!

Valentines day is almost here, so follow your heart and visit these romance sites:

THEROMANCESTUDIO.COM & DIVASOFROMANCE.COM

Two excellent sites where readers and writers can go and find new talent, contests, author interviews & excerpts, and so much more.


Bye for now....

You're friend,

L.C. Martin