Calling All Fellow Fans: #However Long It Takes!

Greetings, Bookies!

If you don't know now you know ... I love The Originals and The Vampire Diaries. But let me be a tad more specific:

KLAROLINE RULES!

 OR

CAROLAUS RULES!

Whichever you prefer. Having said that, although I hate Klaus for the evil man he is, I absolutely love Caroline and Klaus together. And now that Klaus is doing his own thing on The Originals -- trying to conquer the world whilst killing everyone and everything in his way without a single bat of his eyes and his daughter baking in werewolf Hayley's stomach -- I panicked when he visiting Mystic Falls to gloat over Katherine's seemingly impending death. why? Because of what he promised Caroline. Although I am overwhelmingly ecstatic that Klaus and Caroline finally did the deed ... he promised her he would never return.

Bittersweet Klaus' farewell was. On the one side, it proves how much Klaus is in love with Caroline (he totally pulled a stupid Dear John!). And on the other, bitter, side, it was a smack in the face. Because, like WTF?! He's never coming back for Caroline? Does that means they are never going to be a thing ... a permanent thing as fate wrote it to be? Or could it mean not right now -- for a long while -- but rather when everything settles and Caroline finds her way to him?

NONONONONONO! I refuse to believe Klaroline is over!

Julie will never convince me that "He is your first love,

I intend to be your last, however long it takes" will end

like this. Nope, call it denial but there will be more of

Klaroline.

- MaaiaMrsSunshine, YouTube

Depressed, I found myself scouring YouTube for videos of Klaroline and low and behold what I found:

KLAROLINE PETITION

We, or at the very least, I, know that the petition will not change anything in the immediate future. however, if signing this petition means that CW knows how us Klaroline Shippers feel and stands as a reminder not to forget the merging fate of Klaroline then I am okay with that. So ...

 COME ON FELLOW KLAROLINE SHIPPERS, DON'T LET THE CW FORGET!

Absolutely. This was not casual sex. Klaus let's
Caroline love him on her terms. He's patient. That's
powerful stuff. Tyler loves Caroline when it's
convenient for him. Loser.

- Malteseheart, YouTube

Let us start a revolution! Spread the word! We must fight for Klaroline

#HoweverLongItTakes

Happy Reading!

Spotlight Saturday: Agents

Hey Bookies!

For this week's Spotlight Saturday, since I am doing a Spotlight miniseries on what I am learning during my journey to getting published, I will be talking about literary agents. And for those of you who have not already heard, I recently finished my #WIP2, titled CRIMSON which I plan to make the first in a series, The Grimm Chronicles, of fairy tale retellings.

What I have learned about those who are also on the path of getting published often ask "Do I really need an agent?" Well . . . In my personal opinion, ABSOLUTELY. Literary agents are literary agents for a reason: They know what the hell they are doing. Whereas, us amateurs as just that, amateurs. The publishing business is stormy waters and literary agents are the captains that can navigate and get us where we need to be so that our beautiful bundle of manuscript gets into the right publishing hands.

Or into any publishing hands for that matter!

In case you did not already know, a literary agent is:

a professional agent who acts on behalf of an author in dealing with publishers and others involved in promoting the author's work; represent writers and negotiate the writer's contract with a publishing house.

- Google

The Need to Know about Literary Agents:

1. Common Interest: Find an agent who has an affinity for what you wrote; YA? Thriller? Romance? All three?

2. The Hook: Your query letter should get the literary agent hooked; they read hundreds of queries each week so you want to stand out.

3. Listen: No two agents are the same; each agent has their own preferences so remember #1 and pay attention to what they want to see in your query letter (going back to #2, submission guidelines)

4. Polish: Just as you would polish yourself up for a job interview expect to do the same for your manuscript even before you land an agent. *Think about passing your manuscript through Critique Partners and Beta Readers before you begin the querying literary agents.

5. Hope: DO NOT LOSE HOPE! Even the greatest writers in history got shot down so keep your head up. There is always room for improvement so improve and keep the hope alive.

Having said all of that, keeping tracking of the agents you queried and what they want when you query them is no small feat. Luckily, I stumbled upon a site where you can do just that. And so more! Check it out: QueryTracker

Anything you would like to add? Advice when querying agents? Any secrets that would boost chances of landing an agent? ;)

Happy Reading!

Prepping for BEA 2014!

Bookies!

B-E-A! B-E-A! B-E-A!

Yeah, yeah I know it's only February and BEA isn't until the end of May but what  can I say? I. AM. SO. AMPED! So much so that I dreamt of being at BEA the other night. Need I say more? No ... well, I am going to anyway ;). I spend 362 days a year waiting for BEA. I cannot help it. BEA is all about books! Booksbooksbooks. What more can a woman ask for?

*Awkwardly steps up to the podium* My name is Haysel, and I am a Bookworm. I love big books and I cannot lie. Okay, okay, I'll have mercy on you and calm down on the babble.

Anywho, for those of you new Bookies on the block, BEA stand for Book Expo America. It is an annual #1 book and author event (basically one big book feast!), hosted at Jacob Jacitz Center in my hometown, New York City, in the recent years (Bea 2016 will be hosted in Chicago, no! I shall find a way, I will). BEA is like Cheers ... but a million times better. Everyone knows your name (courtesy of the professional name tags that allow us permittance onto the show floor) and the names of books! Hundreds of books! Books we get to have for, get this, FREE!

NOW DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHY I AM FOAMING AT THE MOUTH?

BEA 2014 will be my fourth go! Wow, how time flies. Starting to feel like an old fart lol

Check out my post from my previous years of attendance:

BEA 2011: Day 1, Day 2 & Day 3

BEA 2012

BEA 2013

Here's the checklist I use in preparation for BEA every year:

- Registration

- Strategy of assault

- Luggage

- Money for luggage check-in

- Oversized totes

- Comfortable shoes

- Phone (don't want to miss a signing)

- Packed lunch

- Water

- Book blogger business cards

Official BEA Links:
- Main site: Book Expo America
- Official news: Book Expo the BEAN blog
- A site for readers by BEA: Book Bliss

- Official BEA Librarian Blog

Happy Reading!