Unite!

I am joining the ranks of my fellow writers who are publishing links to Barbara Bauer and her attempts to silence AW and others from posting the Twenty worst agencies list that has Barbara Bauer as fourth in the list. I am also posting the list (though if you click on the second use of HER name, you'll be taken to SFWA's copy of the list) here on my blog.


THE LIST:

* The Abacus Group Literary Agency
* Allred and Allred Literary Agents (refers clients to “book doctor” Victor West of Pacific Literary Services)
* Capital Literary Agency (formerly American Literary Agents of Washington, Inc.)
* Barbara Bauer Literary Agency
* Benedict & Associates (also d/b/a B.A. Literary Agency)
* Sherwood Broome, Inc.
* Desert Rose Literary Agency
* Arthur Fleming Associates
* Finesse Literary Agency (Karen Carr)
* Brock Gannon Literary Agency
* Harris Literary Agency
* The Literary Agency Group, which includes the following:
Children’s Literary Agency
Christian Literary Agency
New York Literary Agency
Poets Literary Agency
The Screenplay Agency
Stylus Literary Agency (formerly ST Literary Agency)
Writers Literary & Publishing Services Company (the editing arm of the above-mentioned agencies)
* Martin-McLean Literary Associates
* Mocknick Productions Literary Agency, Inc.
* B.K. Nelson, Inc.
* The Robins Agency (Cris Robins)
* Michele Rooney Literary Agency (also d/b/a Creative Literary Agency and Simply Nonfiction)
* Southeast Literary Agency
* Mark Sullivan Associates
* West Coast Literary Associates (also d/b/a California Literary Services)

If you feel so inclined, please see Jim's blog for information on how you can unite against scam agents/agencies.

Technorati link: BarbaraBauer

Where am I?

Well, it's been a while since I posted to this blog. I've been taking care of my family, reading books, revising, critiquing, caring for my guppies (you can read about them by visiting Guppy Diaries), and writing a bit now and then. :-) The kids will be out of school for the summer soon, and I may not have as much time for writing as we have family reunions and such during the summer.

I've joined a new critique group and am very happy with the feedback I've recieved (and hopefully the feedback I've given is helpful). I've done more revisions on my first chapter as a result. Is there ever an end? :-)

Go Fish!

Well, I went fishing, sort of . . . I went to the pet shop and purchased some Fancy Guppies. Why? Well, it is a long story so if you do not have time to read it (or you don't care), just keep swimming.

My daughters have aquatic turtles that used to live in a ten-gallon fish tank. They started out as wee little things but have grown (duh!) until the 10g tank was no longer large enough to accommodate them. We purchased a twenty-gallon turtle tank (yes, a tank made especially for aquatic turtles) and the turtles are much happier with their new digs. After the move, I was left with the 10g tank. Well, obviously I had to put it to use! My son's science teacher was kind enough to offer Feeder Guppies (the kind that people buy to feed to other fish, etc.) to anyone who wanted them. My son brought home four of them for himself. Since he already had a small fish bowl to keep them in and didn't requre my 10g tank, I asked him to bring some Feeder Guppies home for me. He was happy to oblige and returned with nine fish for my 10g tank.

So how did the Feeder Guppies turn into Fancy Guppies? Was it magic? NO! As I said, I went to the pet store . . . But that's later in the story. :-) So I have nine Feeder Guppies. I begin to research Guppies online (I wanted more information) and discovered the wonders of Fancy Guppies. Now, if you don't know, Feeder Guppies aren't the most attractive things, but Fancy Guppies . . . Now those are beautiful fish! The websites I visited filled my mind with information and left vivid images of the gorgeous guppies in my brain. So I went to my pet store (to purchase more food for the turtles . . . And no, we don't feed them guppies) and there in the tanks were Fancy Guppies! Oh, the beauty, the wonder! I had to have some for my self!

I purchased two males and one female (after the sales clerk assured me the Fancy Guppies wouldn't devour my Feeder Guppies) and happily brought them home. The next morning, the female Fancy Guppy was sleeping with the fishes, and not in a good way (she was dead). I mourned as I flushed her (what did you want me to do, bury her in the back yard?) and after I dropped my kids off at school, I went back to the pet store to purchase another fish. This time, the sales clerk was kind enough to let me purchase one female and get two free (I think she felt sorry for my loss). So that brought the count to 9 Feeders and 5 Fancies. But was that enough? No!

The next morning, I woke to find baby guppies! Eight of them! Apparently, one of the new females was pregnant! I transferred the babies to a new container (the adults will sometimes eat the babies) and went shopping for a breeding net (so I could put the babies back in the tank and they would be protected from the adults) and some baby guppy food (yes they sell such a thing). Well, they had gotten a new shipment of fish! Could I resist? Nay, I could not. I purchased two more females and one male. I also purchased two smaller tanks (normally used to keep Beta in), one for my son to put his guppies in, and one for my oldest daughter because she wanted some guppies too! I brought everything home, set up the new tanks, took my Feeder Guppies from my 10g tank, gave six of them to my daughter, three to my son. Then, my youngest daughter decided she wanted some guppies (like I couldn't see that coming). So I took the small tank from my son, went out to the shed to retrieve his old Beta tank (I think it holds 1.5-2g), cleaned the tank, transferred his original four fish into the Beta tank, gave my youngest daughter three guppies in the smaller tank, put my son's baby guppies in the small fish bowl, and now everyone is happy.


So we have a lot of guppies (one of my son's Feeders had two babies)! I must say, I don't regret it (at the moment). The fish are beautiful and I love to be able to look at them as I pause in my writing. It is so relaxing! So, if anyone needs guppies . . . :-)

So, what have I done writing wise? Revised my query and used it as bait to catch an agent. So far, I haven't even had a nibble, but I'm hoping to catch one soon.