Writer’s Digest has an interesting article posted on how to get an agent, or rather…how NOT to get an agent. Since I’m currently on the hunt for an agent, I thought it might be a good idea for me to make sure that I wasn’t starting things off on the wrong foot.

I’ve heard that the right agent can really make a writer’s career…just as the wrong one can break it…or, at the very least, slow it down.

Writing conferences seem to be great for meeting agents–you get to go in, sit face to face, and pitch your work. Nice–but a little intimidating for me. I can’t stand face to face rejection. The mere thought terrifies me. But I’m planning to go to the RWA convention this year, and I think I’m gonna have to work through my fear…and pitch.

Preditors and Editors is a good site for checking out potential agents–they list any negative reports that those folks might have.

Oh, and speaking of negatives…if you’re looking for an agent, and he/she asks you to pay an upfront fee–run, don’t walk, away. Agents who charge reading fees are to be strictly avoided.

So…like I said, I’m on the hunt. And I’m not much of a hunter (unlike my die-hard dad!), so wish me luck.

I just finished my latest manuscript. Yep, 380 pages of blood, sweat, and tears. Hmmm…that doesn’t exactly shout, “Romance!” now, does it?

The next step: Editing this baby.

But…editing will have to wait until tomorrow. I’m going to bed!

Avon is open to submissions; specifically, Avon wants historical romance (100,000 words), contemporary romance (100,000 words) and African-American romance (90,000 words).

To query Avon, you should prepare an overview of your book–no more than 2 pages–and email it to: avonromance@harpercollins.com. Their turnaround time on e-queries is currently listed as one to two weeks (pretty impressive!).

Avon has a lovely set of guidelines for their would-be writers. They seem to be looking for all sorts of stories–romantic suspenses, dramas, funny tales…the field appears to be wide open.

Here are a few of Avon’s recent releases:

Sword of Darkness by Kinley MacGregor
What Price Love? by Stephanie Laurens
Sighs Matter by Marianne Stillings

On Saturday, Nick and I headed to the theater…and saw Basic Instinct 2. I was a bit worried when I discovered that the film was showing in the smallest screening theater…that’s usually not a very good sign. And when we got inside, and I saw that only about ten other people were there, well, I took that as bad sign #2.

Then the movie started. Yes, as the reviewers have noted, the opening is a bit…um…wild, but, hey, it’s Basic Instinct!

The plot got moving really fast. Murder within the first five minutes. Sex, too. And, dang, Sharon Stone looked really good–did she sell her soul to the devil or what?

But anyway…the character of Catherine Tramell was much harder in this film. Sure, you’re probably thinking, the woman is a cold-blooded, seductive killer…how can she be harder? Simple. Unlike the original Basic Instinct, Catherine isn’t pretending to be a good girl. She doesn’t cry and try to get sympathy from the other characters, she doesn’t bat her lashes and talk about how everyone she loves just “happens” to die. Oh, no, not this time. This time, she’s evil, and proud of it!

I didn’t think I would be surprised by this movie. I mean, come on…duh–Catherine’s a killer! Well, yes, she is…we all learned that in the first film. But…this time, there’s another twist. One I didn’t see coming. One that I very much enjoyed–and that’s all I’ll say so I don’t go into spoiler land.

So, what did I think of the movie? I liked it; heck, I’d probably even buy the DVD. Is it gonna win an Oscar? No, but it sure was fun to watch.

This week, I thought I’d do a few publisher spotlights. And the first publisher I’ve decided to write about is, well, my very first publisher, ImaJinn Books.

The thing I like most about ImaJinn is that they only publish paranormal stories. Yes, ImaJinn is truly dedicated to romances about witches, vampires, psychics, werewolves…anything that goes bump in the night.

ImaJinn accepts e-queries…and the turn around time on submissions tends to be very fast. (Which is good, because I hate waiting in suspense!) The email address for queries is: editors@imajinnbooks.com. Of course, if you don’t like emailing your queries, you can always go the snail mail route:

Editorial Staff
ImaJinn Books
PO Box 545
Canon City, CO 81215-0545

ImaJinn publishes books in both print and e-book form.

The desired manuscript length for ImaJinn is 70,000-90,000 words. For complete guidelines, check out ImaJinn’s Romance Tip Sheet.