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Agent Wish Lists for 2016 + Interview with Lisa Childs
The Knight Agency Newsletter: Write. Read. Repeat.

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Top Announcements

» APEX by Ramez Naam was nominated for the 2016 Philip K. Dick Award, an award celebrating distinguished science fiction.

» Tibby Armstrong is celebrating her vampire hunter novel sale by giving away a loaded Kindle Fire.

» In a special Glamour article, Steena Holmes and other authors discussed what books they were gifting over the holiday season.

» BLOOD IN HER VEINS by Faith Hunter, DEAD BEFORE DYING by Kerry Schafer, and DREAMING DEATH by J. Kathleen Cheney were listed in My Bookish Ways as February 2016 Must Reads in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror.
 

 

 


In this Issue

» Ask Deidre

» The Informer

» Agents of the Roundtable

» Sales Roundup

» Agency News

» Author Interview

» Author Tip of the Month

» New Releases


Ask Deidre

Every month, Deidre Knight picks a question submitted by Twitter and Facebook users. The reader who submits the winning question receives any two books of his or her choice from this page. To submit your question, simply post it on Twitter with the hashtag #AskDeidre.

And now for this month's winning question ...

 

Is there such a thing as literary agent burnout? If so, how is it that you’re still at the top of your game after almost 20 years?

Oh, man, is there ever such a thing as burn out! Don’t we all find ourselves grinding gears after twenty years at anything? For me, the key is constantly seeking creative and personal renewal. Taking time to stop, assess my life and career and business, and then make adjustments so I can find joy anew. My mantra for this year is: “Today I choose joy.”

For me, the key to staying at the top of my game—in anything—is managing to find the joy in what I do. And it’s always there to be found, if I just stop and look. For instance, I’ve just signed on my first client of the year, Anne Marsh, who is going to be a fantastic addition to TKA. Working with new talent, and great new people, always energizes me and reignites my passion for my career. I also work to refill my creative well by writing, crocheting, or whatever else renews my mind. In turn I then I have fresh energy for all my clients, and for my fantastic coworkers. Sounds so simple, but there’s a conscious choice to find the joy and refreshing day by day.


The Informer

The Struggle for Success: What Are You Willing to Do?
by Nephele Tempest

I read an interesting article recently that talked about the difference between asking yourself what you want and asking yourself what pain and struggle you’re willing to endure in order to get it. The first question demands you respond with a result, and we all have very similar results on our wish lists: money, health, love, a nice home, wonderful trips for vacation, and so on. The second question demands you think about what level of effort you’re willing to put forth, what struggle is required, what pain you must endure in order to achieve your goal—and it makes you consider whether you want that thing enough to do the hard work necessary.

At the start of the new year, it’s natural to set goals. I’ve discussed them, as well as the importance of planning out the steps you need to take in order to achieve those goals, several times on my blog leading up to the end of 2015. But we rarely talk about what those steps entail.

Most things don’t come easily. It’s a cliché, but that doesn’t make it any less true. Whether you want to train to run a marathon or write a novel, you’re going to have to put in hours and hours of effort, and say no to the distractions that keep you from putting in the time that achieving your goal demands. And the reality is that you’ll spend far more time in the lead-up to your goal than you will enjoying the goal itself. A marathon requires hours of training and at least a few hours to run the day of the event, but the joy and excitement of crossing the finish line will be brief, and the bragging rights you earn will be temporary (unless you want to drive your friends and family crazy). Likewise, writing a novel and getting it published is a long, difficult road, often with frustrating setbacks. At the end, you have a beautiful finished book in your hands, but then comes the concern about sales figures and writing the next book, and the entire process starts all over again.

Writing, like certain other careers, has this strange illusion of glamour attached to it. But in truth it is a hard job, one that requires a great deal of time and patience—and one that, in most cases, yields a very small financial reward. If you don’t enjoy the process at least part of the time, if your primary motivation is that end result, you might want to consider carefully whether you love writing, or simply love the fantasy of having written. I don’t want to discourage anyone who truly wishes to write; the world would be a smaller, sadder place without all the stories being written each year. But I also want people to find their truest dreams to follow, the ones that light them up every step of the way. Whether that is writing for you or some other thing you’ve yet to discover, I wish you a fascinating and successful journey.

Still here? Then go write.


Agents of the Roundtable

What Is Your Current Wish List?

DEIDRE KNIGHT: My current wish list would include a very smart, lyrical historical novel. Something unexpected—could be a wide range of time periods, including ancient Greece or Rome. I’m very interested in finding a refined, upmarket manuscript in this genre. I am also hungry to find a fantastic new women’s fiction author—someone whose work grabs me the way Jojo Moyes’s Me Before You or The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger did. Southern fiction would definitely be something that rings my bell, as I’m a native southerner. I adore male/male romance, as you can tell by looking at my list. Something in that genre that places high emphasis on characterization and quality writing and emotionality would definitely grab my attention. I’m a fan of strong alpha heroes in romance (who isn’t really?) Military, band of brothers, that strong connection between the men always speaks to me.

PAMELA HARTY: I am definitely looking to add new talent to my list in 2016. I would love another wonderful contemporary women’s fiction author like Steena Holmes who writes very heartfelt novels that explore complex issues in our current world. I am also looking to add a single-title historical to my list, and romantic suspense continues to be a personal favorite. On the nonfiction side, I would love to see more business books like David Amerland’s E SNIPER MENTALITY: ELIMINATE FEAR, DEAL WITH UNCERTAINTY AND MAKE BETTER DECISIONS, which St. Martin’s Press will be publishing next year. I would also love to add a true-crime author like Catherine Pelonero, who wrote Kitty Genovese: A True Account of a Public Murder and its Private Consequences

ELAINE SPENCER: I would love to find some great women’s fiction to start the year off—stories with lead characters you relate to, whose struggles you identify with and whose problems resonate far beyond the pages. I’m looking for stories that make you think about your own life and choices and say “what would I do?” I’m would also love to see some new young adult and middle grade material. I’ve moved away from these in recent years and I’m looking to rebuild my list in these areas, particularly with contemporary coming-of-age stories examining first loves, fitting in, social media trends, body identity issues and family dramas. And of course I’m always looking for great romance, particularly category-length projects, romantic suspense and sexy city-set contemporaries. Oh, and I'm definitely looking to add a cozy or two to my list.

NEPHELE TEMPEST: I’m really on the lookout for some fabulous new romance, particularly contemporary or romantic suspense. I want something with tons of tension, both sexual and emotional, and real obstacles to the relationship—something where you really can’t imagine going in how this couple can ever work past whatever it is, making a happily-ever-after seem impossible. Lots of yearning, high stakes, big reward. I’m also still on the lookout for women’s fiction. A true women’s journey story about making something happen, whether that’s an adventure or a goal or a career achievement. Can have romance but that’s not the focus I’m really looking for. And I’m less interested in recovery-type stories (characters coming off of divorce or illness), more in characters who are motivated by a lifelong dream. Powerful motivations are critical for me: for example, protagonists who are driven by seeing something in the world that needs fixing, or who overcome other life circumstances—and hopefully learn something about themselves in the process. 

LUCIENNE DIVER: I’m excited to have a strong, amazing, fairly full list right now. That said, I would love to find a really kick-butt romance this year. I never know exactly what I’m looking for until I find it, but something modern and edgy would be great. That doesn’t mean I would turn down a fabulous fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or young adult novel right now. The important thing is that I love the voice and the storyline. 

MELISSA JEGLINSKI: My 2016 wish list includes more mystery and more middle grade clients. For mysteries, I’d love to see cozies with interesting and different settings beyond the small town or shopkeeper scenario. I’d also love to see more historical time periods with female amateur sleuths. In middle grade, I look forward to getting more diverse protagonists. Still wishing for a ghost-centric plot and a boy/girl detective agency. 

KRISTY HUNTER: I’m very excited to be building my list in 2016. Specifically, I’m looking for middle grade, young adult, women’s fiction, mystery, and romance. My focus right now is to find a project that has relatable characters but also feels fresh. Being the submissions coordinator, I often see the same plot lines repackaged over and over again. I’d love to find a manuscript that feels totally original and stands out from the pack.

TRAVIS PENNINGTON: I'd love to find a high-concept thriller like William R. Forstchen's One Second After or Blake Crouch's Pines. Stories dealing with important topics such as racial profiling, human rights abuses, Middle East relations, and illegal immigration are also high on my wish list. However, I'm open to all genres as long as the story is well-written and has me rooting for the protagonist within the first few pages.

KINDLE
 


Sales Roundup

» Tibby Armstrong's INHERIT THE NIGHT, the first in a paranormal male/male romance trilogy, featuring a blind vampire hunter and the nemesis who tempts him to risk everything for love, to Shauna Summers at Loveswept by Deidre Knight

» Larissa Hardesty's THAT SUCCS, to Georgia McBride of Month9Books by Travis Pennington


New Clients on the Block

» Anne Marsh: Website | Twitter | Facebook
 


News

» BLOOD IN HER VEINS by Faith Hunter, DEAD BEFORE DYING by Kerry Schafer, and DREAMING DEATH by J. Kathleen Cheney were listed in My Bookish Ways as February 2016 Must Reads in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror.

» Lucy Farago, author of SIN ON THE STRIP, is a nominee for the 2016 Faces Awards. The Faces Awards are hosted by Canada's Faces Magazine and recognize Ottawa's favorite people, places and faces.

» To celebrate the upcoming release of DEAD BEFORE DYING, Kerry Schafer has created a special version of the board game Clue in which readers can enter a drawing and win prizes while playing the game. Click here for more details.

» APEX by Ramez Naam was nominated for the 2016 Philip K. Dick Award, an award celebrating distinguished science fiction.

» In a special Glamour article, Steena Holmes and other authors discussed what books they were gifting over the holiday season.

» Barnes & Noble’s Bestselling Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Graphic Novels and Manga of 2015 included ALICE by Christina Henry and STAR WARS: DARK DISCIPLE by Christie Golden.

» THE FIFTH SEASON by N.K. Jemisin was on the shortlist for the American Library Association’s RUSA (Reference and User Services Association) Reading List. The Reading Room blog paired with the People’s Choice Awards to create a Favorite Books category for the first time, and THE FIFTH SEASON was also a finalist for the Favorite Fantasy category. Click here to vote for your favorite.
 

Author Interview

Ever since Lisa Childs read her first romance novel (a Harlequin of course) at age eleven, all she ever wanted to be was a romance writer. Now a bestselling author of nearly fifty novels for Harlequin, including her latest, RED HOT, Lisa is living the dream.

TKA: Tell us a bit about RED HOT, the first book in the Hotshot Heroes series.

Lisa: Elite firefighter Wyatt Andrews has no problem risking his life to save others. But in order to save himself, he doesn’t dare risk his heart—especially not on a bossy, overbearing woman like fiery Fiona O’Brien. Fiona is fierce—fiercely protective of her younger brother, who wants to become a firefighter like his hero Wyatt. She will do anything to keep him safe. She’s also fiercely passionate. She just might be the most danger Wyatt has ever faced.

TKA: Have you ever been close to someone with a hazardous job, and how did you deal with it?
 
Lisa: I have been close to people with hazardous jobs. But I know those people are trained to handle the hazards of their jobs. So they are probably in more danger of falling in the shower than being hurt at work. I am also a firm believer in fate. Everything happens for a reason and when it’s meant to happen.

TKA: How much research did you have to do to get the details right about firefighting?

Lisa: I have a great resource in a friend who used to work for the U.S. Forest Service during his summer breaks from college. He traveled with a hotshot crew to fight wildfires. I have another friend whose son is currently a forest ranger. In addition to interrogating them, I also did online research.

TKA: From the Payne family in your Shotgun Weddings series, to Fiona and Wyatt in RED HOT, you've written some very compelling characters. But your plots are equally amazing. What comes first for you: the plot or the characters?

Lisa: Sometimes the characters—like with the Paynes. I love that family like they’re my own, and I guess that they are. They are all so real to me that their personalities create their own plots. The plots for the Hotshot Heroes came first, and then I created the characters who would be compelled to take on the dangerous, gritty career of being Hotshots. 

TKA: Have any of your characters ever surprised you with something about themselves as you were writing? If so, what was the biggest surprise you can remember? 

Lisa: In the Shotgun Wedding series, I was surprised when Nicholas Rus showed up as proof that Nicholas Payne had cheated on Penny. That surprised me as much as it did the rest of the Paynes. I’m so happy I am continuing that series as the Bachelor Bodyguards and will be able to explore everyone’s reaction to Nick’s existence.

Currently, Cody Mallehan has been my most surprising character. He’s a Hotshot with Wyatt Andrews. In RED HOT and HOT ATTRACTION (which follows RED HOT), he flirts with other guys’ women and seems to live for adventure and thrive on danger. But he has depths of character and sensitivity that I didn’t know until I began to write his story, HOT SEDUCTION. For all his cockiness and flirting, he’s actually very lonely and loving. I’m so happy to give Cody the love he deserves.

TKA: What's next in the Hotshot Heroes series, and are you working on anything else besides it?

Lisa: I’ve been writing the Bachelor Bodyguard series for Romantic Suspense and the Hotshot Heroes for Blaze concurrently. I’m currently working on the last of the four books for Bachelor Bodyguards, but I haven’t told Nikki Payne’s story yet. So I’m hoping to write hers soon. I will be starting the fourth book for the Hotshot Heroes soon, too. Even though we will find out the identity of the arsonist, I would love to keep writing Hotshot heroes, and think there are more secrets to reveal about these hardworking hunks!

Visit Lisa's official website, follow her on Twitter, and join her fans on Facebook.
 


Author Tip of the Month

Carol Berg is the national bestselling author of ASH AND SILVER, which made both the December 2015 Amazon's Best Books of the Month: Science Fiction and Fantasy and the Bookworm Blues Best Fantasy of 2015 lists.

Carol's tip: Characters carry our stories, giving life and relevance to whatever tale we tell. We live with them for months or years, learning their history, their likes and dislikes, their prejudices and fears. We confront them with plot twists and broken relationships, challenge them with world-threatening events or nasty politics or dysfunctional families. As we become more familiar, we can write their dialogue in our sleep. All good, right?
 
Almost. Sometimes we love our characters too much. We confront the heroine with the scary brooding sorcerer and then allow her to imagine that, “perhaps he was only trying to scare everyone with this show of villainy. I’d never seen him actually hurt anyone.” Or we have our romantic hero swear off on his lover, only to say, “I’d move out and let her learn what the world was like. But I’d promised to fix her car, and nobody was going to call me a quitter,” or “I was done with her. But I didn’t delete her number from my phone.”
 
To see what your characters are made of, dig a little deeper. Let your heroine be genuinely terrified. Let the hero leave his ex to fix her own car, so that she meet someone new. Let him delete her phone number, then provide him a reason he desperately needs to get in touch with her. Ferret out all those excuses and sudden insights that sap tension and make their paths too simple. Your characters will have to deal with real difficulties, and your story will be the richer for it. Remember, you are their creator, not their friend.

To learn more about Carol, visit her official website.
 


New Releases

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