Becca Fitzpatrick

Hi all!

I am back from New York!  And I have my TOP FIVE moments from NYC (and they're even in order.  Well, mostly.)

5.  Wandering around Harlem.  My agent advised me to take a cab from Laguardia airport to my hotel in Manhattan, but my husband assured me the bus/subway/walking route was the way to go.  Plus, he said, it would be a great way to really experience the city.  First, I got off on the wrong bus stop and spent an hour wandering around Harlem.  Keep in mind it was dusk.  The city was getting dark.  Oh, and I had a strange man following me around, telling me I should "go somewhere with him."  Finally I located the subway, but it was the WRONG TRAIN.  But, hey.  No problem, right?  I figured I could make it work.  Somehow.  Then, as I was standing on the platform waiting for the train to arrive, the woman beside me said, "Miss, are you sure you're headed to the Bronx?  'Cause I think you want to go down another level.  That will take you to Brooklyn."  She looked like she knew what she was talking about, so I got on the train to Brooklyn.  And the people on the Brooklyn-bound train helped me make it to Grand Central Station, which was only, like, fifteen blocks from my hotel.  So, yeah.  Experience the city?  Check.  

4.  A surprise bag . . . with my own top ten to-do list.  Shortly after I arrived at my hotel, a mysterious bag was delivered to my room.  


Welcome-to-NYC goodies from my friends at Simon & Schuster!  (I'm wearing the I <3 NY tee as I type this).  They also gave me my own top ten list of things I had to do while in NYC, starting with buying a pretzel from a street vendor (check) and ending with . . .

3.  Visiting my publishing team!   Which, as it happens, is the most awesome publishing team ever.  Period.  These people are part human, part awesome.  Part sheer publishing genius.  Oh, and they're funny.  So part comedian, too.  And part rockstar!  After the official meetings (like where the publicity team unearthed all of my secrets, stopping just short of the color of my underwear) we had lunch and talked about our favorite authors and made fun of Justin Chanda's artistic sketches, which have been known to include . . .

2.  Early drafts of HUSH, HUSH's cover!  I am sworn to secrecy in this department, but I can say that there will be no bananas on the cover.  None whatsoever.  There may, however, be something that resembles a banana on the cover.  How's that for cryptic? 

1.5.  Dinner with editor Emily and publisher Justin.  Tuesday night Emily, Justin and I ate dinner at The Blue Fin, which had the most amazing jazz going on in the background.  We talked about our favorite shows and I think Justin and I convinced Emily to watch Veronica Mars.  (And you were beginning to think I could write a post without mentioning Veronica Mars - ha!) 

1.  Meeting my agent and other cool people at InkWell.  This is where the time line gets tricky.  I met agent Catherine before I went to S&S, but I didn't meet the rest of the InkWell team until the following morning.  They hinted at more good news on the horizon, but again, nothing is concrete so MUM's the word.    

So, yeah!  That's it!  My amazing trip to NYC.  I'll leave you with this pic of Times Square (just ignore the traffic cop glaring at me and thinking stupid tourist thoughts).  Hopefully this will be the first trip of many! 

-Becca

Hi all!

I was reading Carrie Ryan's blog the other day, where she talks about first lines.  "The first line is everything.  Everything."  

Amen, Carrie.  

During the last rewrite of HUSH HUSH, my first line got the ax.  I stuck in a placeholder line - reserving a spot for the perfect line - which I was sure would come to me.  You know, eventually.  But here I am, a month after completing revisions, and that perfect first line is still eluding me.  

Hoping for inspiration, I pulled several books off my shelf.  I cracked book after book open, and read opening lines.  But instead of receiving inspiration, I started to sweat at the thought of trying to live up to some incredibly great lines.  See here:

Harry Potter was a highly unusual boy in many ways.  - Harry Potter III, J.K. Rowling

 

Ask Annie your most complex interpersonal relationship questions.  - Teen Idol, Meg Cabot

 

In life, Elizabeth Adora Holland was known not only for her loveliness but also for her moral character, so it was fair to assume that in the afterlife she would occupy a lofty seat with an especially good view.  - The Luxe, Anna Godberson

 

"It's not fair."  - Privilege, Kate Brian

 

I'd never given much thought to how I would die - though I'd had reason enough in the last few months - but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this.  - Twilight, Stephenie Meyer

 

Becca again.  I thought about holding a first-line contest where you, my readers, came up with my perfect opening line, but then I realized as the author, that's probably my job.  And I was probably taking the easy way out.  I mean, next thing you know, I'd be holding a contest to write my sequel . . .

Anyway.  Yes.  I'm in first-line agony.  I've been having night sweats about my book going to print, immortalizing my lukewarm opening line forever.  And ever.  And eeeeeeever.  

In other news . . . I'm almost positively certain I'm flying to NYC next month!  I'll get to meet agent Catherine and editor Emily.  I'm mildly freaking out because I'm not sure what I should wear.  Are jeans too casual?  Is a dress too formal?  Aside from the fashion uncertainty, I'm incredibly excited!  I've never been to NYC.  In fact, I've only been to a big city once, Philadelphia.  In a horrific way, it was a fairly exciting trip.  I had a man threaten to kill me.  Several police offers came to my rescue, and I remember pepper spray and a gun being drawn.  My husband, who grew up in Philadelphia, jokes that the whole time he lived there, he never had anything scary happen.  And the one time I visit, I manage to have my life threatened, an entire train stopped and evacuated, and said threatening man hauled off to jail.  

What can I say?  I'm drawn to danger.  

-Becca


 

     

last week if I'd known how long it would take before I could announce my news.  After all that expectation building, I'm hoping my news doesn't disappoint--I certainly think it lives up, and then some ;)  Without further ado . . . 

I'm going to be published in the UK!!!  By Simon & Schuster!!!

I'm beyond excited to work with S&S on both sides of the Atlantic, especially regarding the effectiveness of a joint marketing and publishing strategy.  I received an email from my US editor this morning gushing about my UK editor, and I can't say enough how lucky I feel to be working with such fantastic editors.  I have my own personal guardian angels watching over me ;)

Last night I woke up long before dawn and thought about my future.  Obviously I'm not a crystal ball and I have no idea what's in store, but the thought of connecting with readers around the world was enough to keep me awake the rest of the night.  Of course we write books for ourselves, but I think most of us write for others, too.  That's why we seek publication.  We hope our readers are challenged, entertained or maybe even changed by our stories.  Because that's the root of all fiction, isn't it?  Change.      

I had an encouraging chat with my agent today.  I'm not sure this is what she gained from our conversation, but I can say it's true for me.  It's time to stop putzing around and go to work.  I've got an outline of my sequel hammered out, and there's no reason to delay writing. 

Well, except for FEAR.   

It's been eighteen months since I started a story from scratch.  But as the wise patesden reminded me, I'm not the same writer I was back then.  I've got an arsenal of skills and tools I learned through the journey of writing my last novel, and I get to put them to use now.  I'm not promising the journey will be any easier this time, but it will be nice not to feel like I'm walking around naked and blindfolded.  

I have some exciting news, but can't share yet.  I will say that today was the first day everything started to feel real.  I am going to work with an amazing, talented and oh-so-wise editor.  I am going to create the best book I'm capeable of.  I am going to be published.  My book will hit shelves.  If I'm lucky, I'll connect with readers.   

I have arrived.  Time to get to work.    

This is my first Thankful Thursday.  I've been thankful on Thursday before, but this is the first time I've publicly acknowledged it on my blog. 

6.  I'm thankful for my archenemy.  I had an encounter with her last night.  If it weren't for her, my blood pressure would never get a workout.

5.  I'm thankful I have feet.  I'm thankful I can decorate my feet with shoes.

4.  I'm thankful for Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.  Otherwise I would have my two-year-old's crayon mural on the living room wall.

3.  I'm thankful for books.  Books rock my world and give me something to live for.

2.  I'm thankful for cooler weather.  My oven is once again functional beyond storing a birthday cake from May that I haven't yet decided how to get rid of.  (Do I soak it in water to loosen the cake?  Do I throw the cake--and glass pan--out?)

1.  I'm thankful for my agent.  She finished reading my revisions.  Guess what?  She loves them.  SHE LOVES THEM!

Yes, it's true.  I have an agent!  An amazing, talented, living, breathing, BIG TIME agent!  If you've read The Book Thief or I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak, or the Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan, or The Year Nick McGowan Came to Stay by Rebecca Sparrow, then you already know a lot about the fabulous taste in books of agent . . . Catherine Drayton at InkWell Management!

Seriously, I am SO excited.  No, excited isn't the right word.  I am EUPHORIC!  Catherine's confidence and faith in Hush blows me away.   

Now for the dirt. 

I enjoy immensely reading other authors' journeys, so I thought I'd post a little bit about how Hush went from a few small ideas ponging around in my head to a 300 page young adult romantic suspense novel. 

I started writing Hush five (yes, five) years ago.  J was hunting for a birthday present for me, and came across a listing for community education classes.  He debated between Japanese cooking and an online writing class.  He knew I loved writing from the volumes and volumes of journals I'd written and hung on to from my growing-up years, so the writing class won out. 

After I'd finished three chapters of Hush, I figured it was a good time to send them out to literary agents and see if they thought I had a shot at getting published (my knowledge of the industry was truly amazing, I know).  About a week after mailing the sample chapters, I got two requests to see the full manuscript.  I went into crisis mode and, in the space of ten days, finished writing the novel and mailed it back.  Needless to say, I was rejected. 

Then, one year ago, I dug the story back out and decided I was mature enough and ambitious enough and knowledgeable enough about the real way the industry works to try writing and submitting Hush again.

It took two-and-a-half months to write the novel and the moment I typed the words The End, I started querying.  I mean, the novel was done, right?  Finished, completed, el fin.  

Er, no. 

After garnering several more rejections, and letting the manuscript marinate on my hard drive, I started rewriting.  I cut over two hundred pages.  Chop, snip, slice. 

Then I mailed it out again.  Better results this time, but no cigar. 

So I rewrote again. This time only a hundred pages had to get sent to the recycling bin.  I was getting closer. 

I mailed the story out again.  Even better results . . . small bites . . . but not The Big Bite. 

So I rewrote a fourth time.  This time I did major damage.  No holding back.  I put everything I had into the manuscript.  I caught my second wind and I ran with it. 

Then I mailed the story out and held my breath. 

Within five days, I had three offers of representation.  I could hardly believe it. 

The moral of the story?  Yeah, I didn't think I needed to spell it out.  :)


And now for the shoes.  MY NEW AGENT SHOES.  My I-HAVE-AN-AMAZING-AGENT-AND-I'M-TAPPING-ALL-OVER-THE-PLACE shoooooes.