Super! I should have you on as a guest on my podcast sometime, Charlotte, NETDRAG. You can check out all the episodes so far on my CrimeSpace blog.

You're a real sweetheart! Just in case you didn't receive the email that I sent you a while back with my home address in it, I'm sending you a message via Crime Space and I look forward to receiving my copy of the magazine. Thank you!
I've made quite a bit of progress on the rewriting of my book and I'm very pleased with it so far. It looks as if this version may even be better than the first and for that I am truly thankful. The Lord is so good.
By the way, how's this message for colourful?
They still have not sent me the box that I am supposed to ship my computer back in for repairs, so I'll have to call and see what the hold up is. It's very frustrating, but everything is in the Lord's timing. For each extra day that I've had the computer at home, I've found more things hidden in the hard drive, so maybe I'll find my book! Wouldn't that be great?
Until next time,
Cynde

hahaha! We use "plain talk code" now, and other than "10-4" I con't even remember what those other two codes mean! Read the story, and it's quite the little cliff hanger! I can't believe they're going to make us wait THAT long to read part 2! Oh, and I loved the book review you got for "Switched." Who is that reviewer? She did a very nice job.

It came in yesterday's mail, Charlotte. Will read it tonight and let you know!

I hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July and holiday weekend! (Sorry this is late--we had a death in the family.)
Is everything going well for you and are you feeling alright? You and your family are in my prayers always, Charlotte.
Talk to you soon,
Cynde

Charlotte...the way to break into Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine is pretty much the same, I think, as for most any other publication: Study what's being published in the magazine, think imaginatively, and follow their writer's guidelines for submission (available on the magazine's website) to the letter. EQMM is very good about reading all submitted short stories and replying, though the time varies from a few weeks to a few months. The key is writing a short story that is well-crafted, entertaining, and does not read and feel like a million other mystery shorts that have been published over the decades. Good luck!

Thanks, Charlotte. I'll be watching for it.

Are you sure? I'd be happy to buy a copy if I only knew where to look. Here's my mailing address: P.O. Box 396 Rogue River, OR 97537.

They've changed the format on these messages and I don't like it very much because it doesn't work properly. I'll try once more. I'm trying to send you a "Congratulations" message. Here goes:

Hi, Charlotte!
Congratulations on selling your mystery short story to a magazine! I'm so happy for you! Be sure and let me know what magazine it is so I can buy it and if I send it to you, would you autograph it for me? I would pay for everything, (postage & all) and you wouldn't have to spend a dime! If you want to charge for the autograph, I would understand--it would be worth it! I'm so excited and it's an event worth commemorating! I can't wait to read your story; I bet it's fantastic!
I bet your mom and daughter are so proud of you--I know that I am. You've worked so hard for this and there's no sweeter, more deserving person than you, Charlotte.
I'm glad to hear that your becoming more relaxed in front of crowds. That is good news. Before you know it, you'll be looking forward to your speaking engagement; just you wait and see!
By the way...I love it when you're "chatty!" You're just as cute as can be. Also, don't ever worry about when you get a chance to get back to me, either. I know you're busy and now that you're "famous," you'll be even busier, so get back to me whenever you get the chance. Just always know that I've got your back and I'll be praying for you, ok? I'll always be available for immediate prayer requests, day or night and if you want me to send you my phone number by email, just let me know and I will.
God bless you, Charlotte.
*Hugs and Prayers*
~Cynde

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w262/cyndelouwho22/cyndelouwho22-1/congratulations-q.gif

Charlotte...

Nice to hear about your short story being published in Women's Digest. I remember when my first was published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. It was a real thrill and I've been able to sell them several since. They have two waiting now from me that they've accepted and I might write another this week and send it off for consideration. As for all the credits I have, I got lucky, I guess, when I fell into newspaper writing almost by accident at 19. I liked writing and seeing my buyline from the beginning and just never stopped. Are you working on a third novel? Keep me posted.

Hi Charlotte: Yes, I thought you might enjoy being a part of Police -Writers. I haven't been on my site there in ages...guess I should check in soon and see if I'm even still there! But you know how it is...busy, busy, busy. And lately I've been spending lots of time getting ready for the first episode of my new podcast "NETDRAG" which I hope to have up on the net by the end of this month. Congratulations on the short story! Where I can purchase a copy of Women's Digest?

Aha! I finally figured it out! My computer had some plug-ins that were incompatible with Ning.com, but it's fixed now...so you're stuck with me now!

Well, I be back later when I have something new to talk about!

~Cynde

Hi, Charlotte!
I'm enjoying eavesdropping on your conversation with K. R. Lewis--what an interesting man he is! I sure wish he'd add me to his friends list! Speaking of friends list, thank you for trying to add me. There's a problem with my page that I'm trying to get straightened out with Ning.com.
Ever since I signed on to another one of their sites, this one and the other site don't work properly. As soon as we get it ironed out, you'll be the first friend I'll add.
Years ago, I used to have the same fear of public speaking and talking to managers, etc. that you did, until I had to do a lot of it for my job. I had to do extensive travelling and I was in charge of training hundreds of people. One big secret is to really know what it is you are going to be discussing; in other words, be prepared!
I'll be praying for you. You are so beautiful that you should jump at the chance to go in front of people and let them see you! I'd want to show off, if I were you.
Say "hi" to your mom for me. I hope all is well with you. We've had plenty of excited here and my mom is fit to be tied, but she's been through worse, so I think she'll be ok.
God bless you,
*Hugs*
~Cynde

Agent's KNOW you are going to be nervous. In fact, they'd probably think you were a little weird if you weren't nervous. The good ones will coax the information from you, one way or another, but your efforts at joining Toastmaster's should really pay off. This was a very smart move, so kudos to you!

Actually as it turned out, I didn't have a hard time getting an agent...but only after I spent seven years writing my novel, then researching the heck out of the market, developing a "master plan" to get signed by attending the biggest writer's conference here in the Northwest two years ago when I signed up to pitch my book to six different, hand picked agents at the conference. All of them thought the book was good, but one thought it was exceptional, and THAT is the agent out there you need to be looking for, and to ultimately find. As to how you find them, I think pitching at conferences is way more potentially successful than cold query letters, although I was doing both at the time and I would suggest you do both, too. In the two weeks before the conference I had sent out query letters to twelve different agents, and out of the twelve eleven said "no" and one said "send the first 30 pages," and then said "no" about two weeks later. But at the Willamette Writers Conference face to face, one on one, it was a much different story. Three of the agents took the book home with them, one told me to contact him when I'd sold "2,000 copies" (I'd sold about 300 at the time from March, until the conference in August), one said his agency just wasn't taking on any crime thrillers at the moment, but he'd be surprised if I came away from the conference "without getting at least two contract offers" and one said he'd like to take me on, but his boss "absolutely wouldn't do any books dealing with either terrorism, or child abuse." Of the three agents who read the book, one declined in a very nice email about a week later saying he didn't find any reason "not to like" the story but it just wasn't for him, and the other two both wanted to sign me, but Angela Rinaldi called me first. And that was just fine with me because of all the agents I had pitched, she was the one I felt most comfortable with and seemed the most interested in my work. Anyhow, getting an agent was HUGE. So huge, in fact, I almost retired from writing right there on the spot after I'd signed the contract because I almost had this feeling of, "Well, I've pretty much done it all. Who needs to actually have a book published by a big N.Y. house, if they've accomplished the almost unattainable goal of getting an agent?" But of course I didn't. And then I had the surprise of my life when my agent actually expected me to make my book even better. Well, I followed her advice and spent six and a half months rewriting the manuscript from "He saw them again, the two white swans...." all the way to "The End," trimming away over 70,000 words of excess, verbose, writing fat, and when I was finally finished, the story, the words, the writing, literally popped off the printed page...it was that much better. I like to tell my agent that I finally learned how to write, for real, by un-writing my book. And I have her to thank for it all. So yes, I think getting an agent...a good agent...would be well worth your while. Just be advised: That's when the REAL work of writing will begin.

Hi there. Earl Biggers authored Charlie Chan. My goodness, I haven't thought about Charlie Chan in years. I wonder if the books are available at the library. Probably not. I see in your bio that you are from Cobb County, GA. I have family there. And I work for an accounting firm. Small world. Glad to count you as a friend.

Dear Charlotte,
I'm so sorry about your father and son-in-law! Their deaths must have been such a terrible blow to you and your entire family. I'll be sure to add all of you to my prayer list.
Remember: there is no correct way to mourn, nor is there a proper time frame in which to stop grieving. Everyone has to grieve in their own way. I personally have found that it's so much easier to get through a crisis when you have the Lord in your life; I can't imagine how I would have gotten through my own trials without Him.
The one thing that makes the loss of my loved ones evenbearable is knowing that because they, too, had a relationship with the Lord, I will be reunited with them in Heaven one day. That's why God sent His only begotten Son to die for our sins, so that He could ensure that we would have life everlasting. Isn't that amazing? You and I hadn't even been born, yet he still did that for us!
I'm so glad I've met you, Charlotte. I don't think it was by accident that our paths crossed--I believe it was by design. I'm not usually quite so bold, but I just want you to know I'll be here for you, if you need me, no matter what the reason is.
I've never added a friend on here before (the others have invited me) and I tried to invite you, but nothing happened, so I must have done it wrong. Could you tell me how to do it? (unless you'd rather not add me and if not, there will be no hard feelings. Really! I haven't finished my book yet and maybe you are only inviting published authors right now. I can understand that. Just let me know, ok?)
Anyway, this note has turned into a novel, hasn't it?
Well, have a nice day and I look forward to hearing from you again. I'll try not to bend your ear quite so much next time.
All the best,
~Cynde

Yeah, isn't that the truth! I'll never forget what my agent said to me just after I'd signed with her and told her how excited I was about getting started on my second book, which was going to be a "modern day western set in eastern, Oregon." She said, "No, you are going to write a sequel to this current novel, because that's what you're going to be known as; a crime writer." Damn, I HATE when that happens! But as it turns out she was absolutely right, and I still have that "modern day western" lurking around in the deepest, darkest recesses of my brain. K. R. stands for Kenneth Richard, but I go by Ken. I don't know why I joined CrimeSpace as "K.R." Got tired of typing out the whole, long name I guess.