A Call Story by Connie Queen

I love call stories!

For years, I’ve followed writing blogs, and by far, my favorites were call stories. I loved reading about the hard times and then triumph when an aspiring author finally received the call. But I’m excited to say, this is my call story!

First, I want to thank Terri for inviting me to visit Seriously Write today. It’s an honor to be with you.

I submitted my first story in 1999 to a Harlequin editor and was rejected. I kept writing and entering a ridiculous number of contests on and off for the next twenty years. I had my very own Wall of Fame with my framed contest finals. Okay, a lot of that time I was raising 8 kids and not getting much, if any, writing done. That’s okay. When life began to slow down my writing picked up.

Earlier this year I entered a suspense into The Great Love Inspired Author search. On August 19th I received an email from Tina James and as soon as I saw the name, my heart sunk. I thought, "Oh, no another rejection. Or maybe it's a revision this time." I opened the one-line email and was temporarily confused as to why it was so short until I read she wanted to chat w/me on the phone. There's only one reason they want to talk on the phone! We get awful cell signal at my house, and after I emailed her, I ran outside so I wouldn't miss the call. There's no telling what kind of impression I made. I went from being silent to not being able to stop talking. After I got off the phone, I drove the 30-minute drive to my husband's work. There are some things you just have to say in person. Give my man brownie points. He knew exactly what "New York called" meant.

My only advice is don’t compare your journey to others. It took my twenty years to get a publishing contract, and a lot of authors do it sooner, some later. Don’t give up. Our obligations, struggles, and talents are different. Keep writing. Keep learning. Keep submitting
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Look for Justice Uncover in June 2020.

If you’re a published author, how many of you sold your book through a contest? Through an agent?

If you’re still looking for that first sale, what are you doing to get your stories in front of the right editor or agent? Contests? Sending out queries to agents? Pitching at conferences?

Until recently, Connie Queen has spent of her life in Texas where she met and married her high-school sweetheart. Together they’ve raised eight children and are enjoying their grandchildren. Today she resides in Nebraska with her husband, and Nash, her Great Dane, where she’s working on her next heart-throbbing suspense.

Blurbs, back cover copy and pitches – oh, my! by Lisa Phillips

My first ever Love Inspired Suspense I pitched to editor Emily Rodmell with only 100 words. There isn’t a lot of give in that word count, and in that pitch competition I had to be short, to the point and punchy (it was suspense, after all).

Sabine Fraternau, CIA agent, is on the hunt for her brother’s killer. When the Delta Force soldier she loves barges in, the mission goes from bad…to busted. Doug “MacArthur” Richardson is all military, a man of faith with no room in his life for love. When Sabine is accused of betraying her country, Doug is the only one who believes the woman he’s falling for is innocent. But after her ex-husband’s betrayal, Sabine doesn’t believe in happily ever after. Together they have to find the killer and prove Sabine’s innocence, before the nightmare of her past comes back…to kill her. 

Only 100 words, and it packs a huge amount of information in.

Let’s break it down.

A female CIA agent hunting a murderer.

It’s a reunion romance (a hook in Love Inspired novels, and something I knew she’d be looking for.)

The hero is Delta Force, also on a mission. But he’s not looking for love.

Sabine gets betrayed, Doug tries to help but she’s got baggage (are you surprised?)

They have to face down the killer – with a solid link to Sabine’s past in the final twist.

What are your hooks?

Is it a reunion romance? Is there a single mom, a cowboy, is it Amish? What sets your book apart from other novels in a way that would peak an editor or agent’s interest? Maybe there’s a unique setting (like my Sanctuary series, which features a secret witness protection town in the mountains.)

Let’s break down the pitch, and how it’s crafted.

1. Main character #1 - who is this person in a nutshell? If their job isn’t relevant, don’t put it in. But what do they WANT?
2. Main character #2 - do the same.
3. What is going to keep them from this goal? Let your editor know this book has CONFLICT that won’t easily be resolved. Lines like Love Inspired Suspense need conflict in the plot and conflict in the relationship. Make sure it’s all there.
4 and 5: How is the situation going to be resolved? How will the characters work it out? Does faith play in? What about the Antagonist (if there is one)? What’s he up to? 

The first thing I do is answer the questions above. That gives me a big mess whole lot of wonderful details and pertinent information. From there I can refine and refine and refine until it’s a single shiny paragraph.

HINT: If it’s back cover copy, DON’T GIVE AWAY THE ENDING!!

An editor wants to know the twists. You can’t assume they’ll be reading your manuscript so they’ll find out the big twist then. They probably won’t. Give them all you’ve got up front. It’s your once chance to impress them.

For back cover copy (if you’re publishing independently, hats off to you – I do both) then you’ll need to craft the paragraph in a way that draws the reader in. Will he get the girl? Will they save the day together, or die trying? Genre conventions can answer those questions for you, but your job as a writer is to make the reader BELIEVE that there’s a chance the character might not win. That way the victory is all the sweeter.

And guess what? That’s my advice for you while you’re crafting that pitch paragraph for your novel.

Success is hard work – but it’s worth it in the end.

Lisa Phillips is a British ex-pat who grew up an hour outside of London, Lisa attended Calvary Chapel Bible College where she met her husband. He’s from California, but nobody’s perfect. It wasn’t until her Bible College graduation that she figured out she was a writer (someone told her). Since then she’s discovered a penchant for high-stakes stories of mayhem and disaster where you can find made-for-each-other love that always ends in happily ever after. 
Lisa can be found in Idaho wearing either flip-flops or cowgirl boots, depending on the season. She leads worship with her husband at their local church. Together they have two children--a sparkly Little Princess and a Mini Daddy--and an all-black Airedale known as The Dark Lord Elevator.

Lisa’s new book is out this month!! It’s her 8^th Love Inspired Suspense and marks five years since that pitch competition!

PROTECTING THE PRESIDENT

 

Amid the idyllic scenery of Hawaii, rookie Secret Service agent Alana Preston is attacked, and a sinister plot to assassinate the president begins taking shape. But nobody seems to believe Alana, and she doesn’t know who she can trust—except Secret Service director James Locke. Now, with an assassin hiding in plain sight on the island, she and James may be the president’s last line of defense. The closer they get to cracking the case, however, the more intertwined their lives become. And they must fight to keep their hearts out of it. With the life of the commander-in-chief in their hands, falling in love could be a deadly distraction…

AMAZON     NOOK     iTunes     KOBO

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