19 Notepads

19 NOTEPADS!

For the first time I counted the number of legal pads I used while writing To Kiss the Sea. Nineteen! That's roughly 80% of the book right there!

(Saving my mermaid notebook from @celipher for TKTS Book 2 notes. Yes, there's going to be a Book 2! Surprise!)

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE NEWS:

*TKTS is officially out on query submission!*

I planned to wait for beta feedback before querying, but I had the opportunity to attend the (virtual) 2022 Writing Workshop of Chicago, which includes the option to pitch your completed manuscript to agents. I pitched to four agents, via Zoom, and all four requested an official query! Does that mean I'm guaranteed an agent? Of course not, but live pitching gave me the chance to really put TKTS out there.

I attended the in-person 2019 workshop and I'm planning a post to compare the two experiences!

Have you ever done a traditional book query? What's one thing you learned from the process?

...

[Image: An antique end table sits at the edge of the woods. Stacked on top are 19 yellow legal pads full of notes, with a smaller notebook leaning against the pile. On the notebook cover is an illustration of a mermaid with long red hair and a sparkling blue and yellow tail.]