Getting the Call with Marty Mayberry

I remember Marty's entry from last year's Sun versus Snow so clearly! The voice knocked my socks off and I'm so glad this story will go to submission. Congrats again, Marty! There's nothing like the joy of helping a writer on their way.

Thank you for inviting me to share my Call, Michelle!

I was ecstatic when Michelle chose TWIST OF FATE, my historical fantasy, for 2014’s Sun vs Snow contest. Michelle is not only an excellent author (check out KINDER’S CURE), she’s an educator/mom/wife, and she spends tons of time supporting the writing community.

In Sun vs Snow, I got some requests, but no offers. I sent out some queries. In fact, my CURRENT agent rejected my manuscript.

In June, I participated in a Twitter pitch contest. Thanks for hosting, Dan Koboldt! Here’s my tweet:

HF #SFFpit Toss a NYC socialite into a Pompeii arena w/a sword in her hand, add a gladiator, and steam erupts in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius.

One of my CPs RT’d my tweet, and her agent asked for the MS. I was so excited I leaped around my living room. I’d heard great things about this agent. You could pretty much say she was a dream agent. But she’d rejected the MS in January, so her request presented a dilemma. Should I remind her she’d passed? Or send it anyway? I didn’t want to begin what I hoped would be a lasting relationship without being honest, so I told her. Fortunately, she still wanted to see the full.

She loved it. Well, most of it. You see, my main character, Pandia, is a goddess, the daughter of Zeus. I’m afraid she was a little too indulged. In fact, she was way more excited about fashion and her mani-pedi that she should’ve been.

The agent asked if I was interested in an exclusive revision (not an R&R). She offered to go through TWIST OF FATE and make detailed suggestions. Assuming I agreed with her ideas, we’d revise until the MS was where she thought it could be. In exchange for her incredible input, I’d withdraw all outstanding queries/partials/fulls (OMG!), and she’d have dibs on the end result.

By the time we began the revision in December, I was querying two other books. But, I’d also done some revising of TWIST OF FATE on my own (sadly, I had to remove most of the references to Pandia’s lovely nails). I sent my agent this version. We made more changes, and she emailed asking if we could chat. Eeeek!

My agent is the best. Instead of me trying to get my book out there all by myself, it’s us, a team. During our call, she told me she loved TWIST OF FATE. You’ve got to adore someone who gets your work. I tried to sound intelligent on the phone although I believe I came across like I’d lost my mind. I stuttered. I fumbled with my words, spitting out what had to be total glop in reply to her questions. Somehow, she saw through all that to the real me.

Since I still had fulls and partials out with my other manuscripts, I notified those agents of my offer of rep. I got plenty of well-wishes, but already knew in my heart what my decision would be.

I’m thrilled to announce I’m represented by Jessica Watterson of the Sandra Dijkstra Agency. http://dijkstraagency.com/

  

Here are the stats for those who like that stuff:

2 offers of rep

TWIST OF FATE (adult historical fantasy): 58 queries; 5 fulls, 10 partials

100 KISSES (young adult contemporary romance): 60 queries, 7 fulls, 9 partials

PHOENIX RISING (young adult sci-fi thriller): 55 queries, 4 fulls, 2 partials

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Marty Mayberry writes whatever strikes her fancy, from young adult science fiction to adult historical fantasy. When she’s not flinging her main characters into impossible situations, she works at an RN/Clinical Documentation Specialist. She has a BA in International Affairs in German and an Associate’s Degree in Nursing. She and her husband live in Maine with their three grown children, three neurotic cats, and a geriatric chocolate lab. Give her a powdery white beach to take long walks on, an ancient ruin to explore, or a Boston Bruins game, and her life’s complete.

Find her at:

martymayberry.com

Twitter: @Marty_Mayberry

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marty.mayberry.77