SOLD!!! (I wish)

No, LA LA GIRL has not yet been sold, but I did have a very successful appointment with an agent here at the Romance Writers of America national conference. Basically, she told me that she loved my pitch and that it's exactly what she's looking for. I nearly jumped across the table and french kissed her. Nearly. I was able to contain my glee just enough to manage nothing more than a blissful smile wide enough to rival that of a beauty pageant contestant. So, now I'm to send my little creation off to her and she'll either give it the axe or give it a chance. We're not out of the wood yet. So, fingers crossed everybody!

The Road Home

I'm headed back to Atlanta tomorrow morning, back to the city I fled 12 years ago in search of bigger and better things. Atlanta and I did not get along back then, but I've heard that it's changed. Good thing, 'cause I sure haven't. Well, that's not exactly true. I've cut my hair since then. Don't get me wrong. I think the South is packed with beautiful land, stately homes, and rich history. We just weren't meant to be. Like any relationship, you either click, or you don't. We didn't. Oh, sure, we had some good times. I experienced a lot living in Atlanta and in my college town of Athens, but there was always something missing. I just didn't know what.

Moving to Los Angeles back in 1994, I was ready to embrace the unknown, meet new people and discover what was missing in my life. Unfortunately, I still haven't found that missing thing. And I have really looked for it. In the closet, under the bed, behind the refrigerator. Nada.

So, maybe I have to go back to Atlanta to find it. Wouldn't that be rich? I spend 12 years toiling away in Tinsel Town just to discover that what I was missing was back home all along. Yeah, I doubt it. I'm stuck on Hollywood. No matter how much I complain about it, I still love it.

Freakin' Hot!

Normally, when I'm talking about something hot, I'm usually referring to a lovely specimen of man. Unfortunately, the only thing on my mind these days is the unbearable heat in Los Angeles. I've lived in this town for 12 years, and I've never experienced anything like it. I had to drive to Woodland Hills (a suburb in the Valley) yesterday to pick up an airport card for my laptop (that's a wireless internet device for those non-mac users out there). When I arrived, the little temp guage on my car told me it was 115 degrees. I wasn't exactly sure just how hot that was until I got out of the car. I swear, it was as if I'd been punched in the face by the hand of Satan himself. Christ, it was hot!

Now, I'm headed to Atlanta in a couple of days where they have heat AND humidity. This is a very nasty combination, and one my hair is surely going to protest. Well, at least they have a/c there. :)

Time to Wow 'em!

Okay, I have a tiny hope that my pitch at RWA will be slightly better received than Ed Wood's studio pitch, but you never know 'til you get there! I've finally managed to whittle my manuscript down to a coherent and enticing (hopefully) blurb. Now, I just gotta get up the nerve to deliver it. You would think that having performed improv in front of some of LA's toughest audiences would have left me with nerves of steel, but you'd be wrong. In giving my practice pitch to my critique partners, I was so nervous I could barely breathe. What's going to happen when I'm pitching to an agent or an editor? I'll tell you what will happen. Martinis for breakfast will happen. Get me drunk enough, and I could pitch naked! On second thought, drinking at breakfast might be a bad idea on pitch day. Guess I'll just have to suck it up....

Pitching and Bitching

People ask me all the time if it's hard to write a novel. No. Writing isn't hard. Summarizing is hard. How do you condense 400 pages of manuscript into a 5 minute blurb and still make it interesting? I've been working on my pitch for La La Girl for days now, and I have to say this is one of the hardest tasks I've ever had to do. Pitching is a true art form. And damn if I don't need some lessons!

Blogging for apples!

Okay, I'm a novice at this blogging game, but I'm thrilled you've stopped by to check it out. I'll be posting news and probably doing my fair share of ranting here, so if you're ever in the mood to gripe, feel free to join me. My gripe today is the freaking heat. Damn it's hot in this town. LA is supposed to be mild and temperate, but when the hills are burning in the desert and the ocean breezes stop 6 miles short of your doorstep, you'd be hard pressed to call this summer mild.

Next week I'm headed to the RWA national conference in Atlanta. I'll be pitching my latest work, LA LA GIRL, to an agent and editor **fingers crossed** and will generally be doing a lot of drinking, schmoozing and drinking. Did I mention drinking? Just kidding, I'll keep it under control.

Yeah right. I need a drink, damn it. So sue me.

Ciao,
Lucie