Books and Boards: A Dream

Books and Boards. Best idea yet.

A long long time ago, I got it in my head that I really liked books. My ideal jobs were; a librarian, a bookstore clerk, or a coffee shop barista. Well, we all know I got fired from a coffee shop. And well, sort of a library. But, of these career choices, I have yet to take on a bookstore clerk. Or, better yet, bookstore owner.

Until now.

The local bookstore is for sale. It has three floors and a basement. Baxter and I would be able to live on the second floor. Ideal since I hate moving, PLUS I hear it has three bedrooms. Suddenly, BOOM all those rent payments are going towards paying off this ginormous loan! The third floor is rented out to a yoga studio that pays $450/month. The first floor and basement are a mix of new and used books.

The catch: I'm broke. I hear you have to have money for a down payment on such a venture. Either way, I'm meeting with the realtor Wednesday to look at the entire building, and Thursday, I'm going to try to talk to the bank to see how much a loan like this would cost/how much of a down payment I'd need/is this a good idea?

My projected time frame is this:

Buy it by July.

We'd be like this. Only, we'd be at work!

By October/November turn it into a Books and Boards shop. We'll sell books and snowboards, because
well, those are the two very best things in life. Plus, across the street is a bike and ski shop. There are no board shops around here.

Then Baxter and I live happily ever after, while he rocks out at work with me.

What could possibly go wrong?

The Obligatory Thankful Post

Brenda Drake has been having the Thankful Blog Hop floating around, and as Thanksgiving is tomorrow, I guess I should, you know, contribute.

**My friends.

Me and the Penet family.
I spent last Thanksgiving with them :)

Usually here most people say friends and family here but if you know me, you'd know why I'm leaving family out of the equation. My sisters are my friends, and thus, they are included in this broad category.

In the last year, I have tested, destroyed, blown up, rekindled, and started the threads of friendship that bind me to other people. I moved across the country (the north to south way) and with the help of my friends, am now finding my feet underneath me. This feat would not have been possible without people pushing me in the right direction, offering to house my belongings because I can't afford my storage unit anymore, sending me gifts or money, putting gas in my tank, allowing me to crash in their basements while I was homeless, or loaning me $200 when my car broke down.
Without them, I would not be standing right now.

He's not impressed by NaNo

**Baxter

When I got him, it was a bad idea. I spent about four years away from him while my aunt and uncle fed him. Then about two or three years ago, I talked it over with my cousins because I loved Bax, and he loved me. They told me point blank, "Don't ask permission, just take him. If you ask, they'll say no. Just write a note, apologize, and they'll forgive you someday."

That year, Bax and I got pictures with Santa and sent out Christmas cards. Just recently, I wrote my aunt a letter, and still recieved no response. Sometimes I hear about her through my mother, but it's rare. My heart breaks more with each year that passes, but at the same time, I can't come to regret the decision I've made. Like with my friends, without Baxter, I also would not have survived the last year.


**Electricity

It's such a small thing, but when Hurricane Sandy hit Maine, my house lost power for about twelve hours. My NaNoWriMo project revolves around power going out world wide. Because of this, I've come to having quite a few anxiety attacks. I'm happy my computer works, that light switches bring light, that my iPod plays music.

Best. Job. Ever.

**Being a snowboarding instructor

When I started the season last year, I was two weeks off surgery. I was nervous, and scared, and a lesser rider than everyone around me. By the end of the season, I wasn't afraid of rails, I could rock 180s and began 360s. I rode fast, hit ice patches, got a concussion, slammed my surgery scars into the ice, but it was so, so worth it.

Last year someone made the joke, "Oh, is this one of those things you wanted to do your whole life?" and I said, "Yes, actually. I've wanted to do this since 8th grade." And I've finally gotten the chance. It doesn't pay well, the lessons can be hard, but each and every single day I get to be there is a blessing.

**A roof over my head

Even if it's not where I plan to stay forever, it's nice to have a bed to go to, a place where I can shower in peace, and a basement where I'm rarely bothered. It has its cons; like no wifi, sometimes things that make me feel ungodly uncomfortable, but there are people who don't have a place to live. So I'm thankful for mine.

Scary, isn't it?

**My Car

In the years I've had Riley, I've driven from Maine, to Michigan (a couple of times) to North Carolina, to Massachusetts, to Florida, to North Carolina, to Virginia,  to Washington D.C, and Georgia. At the age of 22, without a cosigner, I wrote my name on a line and began making payments. Sometimes they're easy to make, sometimes, like right now, they're not.

The backseat smells like something died. There is more dog hair than I think the world knows what to do with. And then, the brakes went out this week, to the point it was recommended that I stop driving. But I needed to travel to Biddeford, and Fryeberg, and today I'm in Boston. Monday night a friend, without hesitation shelled out nearly $200 so I could get my car fixed. It's amazing to drive it and not hear the screaming death I'd heard for the last month.

**The request I've gotten

It's hard being rejected. but one day, friends, those requests will turn into a deal. You just gotta keep holding on!

And, while there are several other things I'm thankful for this year, because it's oh-so-cool to do, I saved the best for last:

You guys!

**My Followers.
When I started this blog, I told myself I'd be happy with just fifty followers. Most of those were my friends who I harassed on facebook, and they probably don't even check up on this. When I reached one hundred, my jaw dropped. Now, nearly to 150, I am so humbled that you guys have stuck this thing out with me.

You guys stop in. You comment. You're supportive. Some of you have written me emails and asked questions or send further support. Two of you even sent me some awesome presents! (Have I mentioned how much I love free stuff?)

I truly and grateful for your appearance, your tweets, your re-tweets, and the interactions I have with you. Thank you for being around.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday. Eat some Turkey for me!

Research II: Obtaining Sponsorship

You know that moment where you write about something really cool? Like, maybe your MC throws a disc in a game of disc golf, or takes off running in a cross country meet, or stands up in front of peers at prom to sing some karaoke? And then you realize...

Crap. I don't know what I'm talking about.

Me (black) and sister (tie-die) preparing to sing karaoke.
The dismayed, "What am I doing here?" face is why
this picture is here :)

There's a point where you can't just make something up because in fiction, things have to make sense, or at least, be plausible. For example, if you're at a soccer game, you're not going to start dribbling the ball with your hand. Some people may not know that, but a majority will.

This is the point where you have to do research and fully understand what you're writing. Sometimes it's as easy as going to a middle school/high school and chatting with some kids. Sometimes you can google, "What are tents made out of?" (Which I literally did yesterday.)

In My Sister's Memories, Allie and Mike were stellar disc golf players. I sided more with Sarah (the older sister) who ended up in the trees. I'd played a couple of times before, once at church camp when I was in like, 8th grade, and once in August when I'd evacuated for Hurricane Irene. This second time, I played with my friend Jake and his friend Greg, who were extremely good players.

An excellent place to play if you're ever in Burlington, NC

At the time I'd played, I didn't expect disc golf to appear in a novel, but in November, that's what Allie ended up playing. Because I'd taken pictures with Jake and Greg, I had a decent recollection of the day and the game, but it had still been awhile since I'd played.

Now, I lived in Maine and had no idea where disc golf courses were, and didn't own any of my own equipment. So, I contacted Innova Discs, sent a simple e-mail saying:

My name is Lynne Schmidt, and I'm an author doing researching on disc golf for my young adult novel. (I told them the premise of the story), and then said, I was wondering if you'd be willing to donate some discs for my research?

Sure enough, less than a week later, I had an Innova Disc box waiting for me on the kitchen table. It was April before I really got to play, but when I did, I took note of the surroundings, the way I threw (and still managed to end up in the trees). But I got to play, I got to do sponsored research, and it was fun. PLUS! I got to keep the discs for future playing!

So, what's my point? Sometimes we don't have money to fully research our projects (after all, we are writers). But sometimes, we can contact companies, and they'll be willing to help us out in exchange for a blog post. If they're not willing, trust me, the lack of response doesn't hurt nearly as much as getting rejected from agents :)

Here's to research and here's to sponsorship!

High School Dances

Thanks to Kelley Lynn for hosting this blog hop!

My friend (blue) Crazy Carolin, and me (dark red)
Sophomore or Junior Homecoming

As the title suggests, the hop is about high school dances, which is awesome because I LOVED high school dances. I went to every homecoming, coming home, and prom available....and even went to some extras (because my sister invited me to hers since she went to school an hour away from me.)

Though I hated dress shopping because my shoulders and hips are too wide, I loved finding shiny shoes, getting new make-up, getting my hair done, and being the only girl getting ready who knew what she was doing....which was funny, because I never wore make-up to school.

Sadly, all of my dances took place in the era of film cameras so I only have the photo above, and some from prom. This story, however, takes place with Alex and me at Coming Home.

Coming Home for those of you who aren't familiar with the term, is where girls ask the boys, AND then the couple wears the same outfit. At my school's Coming Home, you also had the chance to get hitched. Teachers would pose as ministers and marry the students. They supplied bogus wedding certificates, and cheap re-sizeable rings.

Days before, I'd found out Alex had cheated on me (gasp!) but because I was young and in love, we figured we'd try to press on...if I didn't murder him, first.

Plus, I'd already bought the tickets and filled out the paper work so he could come, so damnit, he was coming whether he wanted to or not!

Alex and Me (and my friend's brother in the background)

After going to Hot Topic and buying shirts that said, "Don't Make Me Go Zelda On You", and getting white tear-away pants from Aeropostal, we were ready to go.

The dance was mostly fun. Most of my friends had found out what he'd done, and so there was a drive-by kicking from my friend Erika, some people would walk by and call him mean names, and I was still teetering on the edge of snapping and punching him in the face at any moment.

Then the DJ made the announcement that the weddings were now open, and suddenly the anger evaporated. Replaced, was a desperate need to marry Alex. Though I was still incredibly pissed and hurt, it seemed like only the rational thing to do. Since I'm the girl, I wasn't going to propose...even if it was a fake wedding. Instead, I decided that if he didn't propose, I'd have another reason to pick a fight with him.

My friends kept running at us, showing us their rings and certificates, and I was oozing with jealousy. I wanted to get married, too! I loved the stupid kid, and it was part of Coming Home! Every time we danced, I looking over, pining at the adorable couples getting married. It's not fair! That should be me!

At some point, Alex disappeared.

After five minutes of pacing back and forth on the dark dance floor, I figured out he wasn't in the bathroom, and the anger started surfacing again. I wasn't sure where he'd gone until a friend ran up to me, grabbed my arm, and dragged me to the vending machines, where Alex was waiting. They both smiled at each other, and she left.

"What is this?" I asked, probably not in a nice way.

Alex proceeded to take my hand, and drop to one knee. "I think it would be in your best interest to marry me," he said, and my heart and stomach fluttered.

"My best interest?" I laughed, not caring if the whole school was staring at us.

"Yep."

I probably played it off like I wasn't giddy, or excited, and when he got up, I kissed him because he was mine, and I was happy. We went to the "chapel" (a small sign at the top of the stairs that said something like "Chapel" or something like that), and when they asked if we did, we said I do. We signed the paper, and were both distracted when the photographer took our wedding picture, so it was the worst picture...ever. (I wish I had a copy to show here, but it's in my storage unit, sorry!)

We spent the rest of the night with my friends, and playing with our rings. Months later, I want to say it was for my birthday, he made a photo collage consisting of our wedding rings, a copy of the certificate, our wedding photo, and some lottery tickets we'd scratched off.

I had a lot of adventures in high school, but this was probably one of my favorite ones. Hope you guys check out the other entries!

Best Birthday Eve, Ever

I am very excited :)

Today, after a very intense meeting up north, I came home to have another intense conversation about the direction(s) my life could head and how much I've grown in the last year or two. I checked my e-mail, which is rare to do since I work on a computer for eight hours a day, and usually just want to be away from technology....but I opened my e-mail to find more rejections and then...

Thanks so much for submitting. (Great, another rejection). Your query intrigues me, (Okay, but it's still not my thing, blah blah blah, rip off the band-aid already) so I’d love to take a look at your full manuscript (Wait...what???). I re-read this line a couple times while saying out loud on my sister's bed, "Oh my God, Oh my God...."

Please send it via Microsoft Word attachment at your earliest convenience. (And then I start screaming)

I look forward to hearing from you. (And screaming more. Followed rapidly by jumping up and down, clobbering my dog and telling him I love him, and choking on my lean pocket dinner, and screaming and trying to find a place where my cell phone gets signal).

From this point, I ran in figure eights in my road, and called most everyone in my phone, while jumping and becoming aware that while I box every other day, I am still vastly out of shape....only one or two people actually answered, but that's okay. 

This has been the best birthday eve, EVER. 

Reality check real fast:

I am super excited. Beyond words flattered and excited. At the same time I've been watching agent's statistics and am well aware that while this is a step in the right direction, there is a HUGE chance I will still be rejected. Nonetheless, I am SOOOOOO happy tonight. Reality can sink in Wednesday. I think I'll enjoy my birthday tomorrow :)

Goals And Good News!

So, here's this:

       1) go to www.amazon.com/abna
       2) download the PDF list of second round entries for your category
       3) search for the author name from your submission form and the title of your entry

Look up the name Stephanie Schmidt and BAM you'll see my name. My novel has advanced to round two of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest.

Okay, now for the real blog.

When writing or submitting always have goals. If you start writing something, are you going to be okay with stopping in the middle to return? Are you aiming for this to be a longer story? A shorter story? Are you open for anything?
When submitting to an agent, what do you want? Will you be satisfied with the asking for a partial? Will you be okay with rejection? Are you shooting for the moon and asking for an agent during your first round of queries?
Now...competitions. Do you want an honorable mention? Are you prepared to not even hit the mark? Are you prepared to win?

Here are my thoughts on life:
Writing--When I start, I allow the story to take me wherever it wants to. If the narrator's voice is strong and I feel a lot of anger or passion behind it, I know I'm in for a little bit of a longer story. Although, if she cuts me off, I'm okay with that too. I can always go back and edit and add more.
Agents--I just went through my first round of queries. Going into it my GOAL was a request for a partial, which I received and am SUPER stoked about. Even if they reject me, it gives me reassurance I have some semblance of an idea as to what the hell I'm doing. It also took out the sting of the rejections I had received, and probably will receive. I met my goal, I can relax a little bit, refocus, and make a bigger goal, the all elusive actual AGENT and FULL request (of course, not in that order!)
Competitions--I recently entered into the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest and my novel has advanced to round two! Out of close to 10,000 (that's what it gets capped at) entries, they selected 1,000 to move onto round two. My name, my work, has moved onto round two.

Here is why I'll get rejected:
Because my manuscript wasn't nearly as polished as it is now. Also, I was rushed for time (deadline was at midnight, I submitted at like 11:55pm, maybe even 11:58pm)...and forgot to de-color my text. (When I had written the novel, each chapter was a different color to help me go back to it/remember what the chapter was about).
BUT--I had a goal, that I would make it onto round two. And I did.

Now it's time to press on, and keep working for that agent!!

The Finished Product

Alright. After years of editing and revising and writing, the grand total stands at:
220 double spaced pages
Approximately 73,000 words
And one exhausted potential author. :)

Here's the game plan for the remainder of the week:
Today--Rest up, read my book "Writing Great Books for Young Adults" (Thank you Elizabeth!). See if there's more that needs to be edited.
Tomorrow--Go to work, continue reading said book. Make three perfect query letters that say "My novel rocks, finally!" without saying it.
Monday--Get edits back from my readers. Go to work, edit, edit, edit, edit, edit. Sleep.
Tuesday--Go to work, be nervous the ENTIRE day. Send out three awesome query letters, and however many pages they ask for and hold by breath. Whew.

At this time I'm also looking at getting some business cards. I also sent out my creative nonfiction story this morning, it cost $1.39 for shipping and $20 for the competition...

Have I mentioned I'm broke?