

The Pitch-A-Partner Festival Agent Round is LIVE!
Thanks to everyone who participated! We had some wonderful entries and are looking for great things to come from the writers who were selected to move on to the agent judging round. Our lovely agents – Adriann Ranta, Tina Wexler, Jennifer Laughran, Suzie Townsend, Laura Bradford, and Pooja Menon – will be cruising the entries and making their requests in the comments until 9 PM EST tonight.

A MONSTROUS Announcement (Plus a Giveaway!)
Yes, this is THAT post. The one where I finally get to scream from the rooftops that my book sold. I know. I KNOW. I can hardly believe it either. My fabulous agent Suzie Townsend got the first offer on MONSTROUS in all of eight days back in September, but I haven’t been able to talk about it until now.
We’re Missing Something…
…and it’s called empathy. It’s the ability to put yourself in other people’s shoes, but more so than just sympathy. That has overtones of pity–empathy is all about understanding. So why am I giving a vocabulary lesson? Because lately I’m seeing a disturbing lack of empathy among fellow writers.
The Obligatory Birthday Post: The Best Presents Ever. And Muppets.
Today is my birthday and this year Mr. MK outdid himself.
He bought me a house.
Best. Present. EVER.
A Lesson in Cultural Diplomacy
It’s amazing what kind of beauty can transpire when people around the globe work together. Case in point, Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir, featuring 2,052 performances from 58 countries. One journalist had this to say about the piece: “For whatever precision the performance might lose due to the method–many voices in individual bedrooms spanning the globe–it gains exponentially by connecting them, easily surpassing any previously heard live performance by the sheer impact of linking so many persons at latitudes and longitudes around the world. Choir: Ultimate Edition, anyone?”
Simply put, the effect is stunning.