I hope I can do this correctly, but here is my cover for my new early chapter book KEEP OUT! (spring 2010), the first volume in the RED DUNE ADVENTURES SERIES. (the cover! 
)
In KEEP OUT! Lucas and Andre try to solve the mystery of who, or what, has destroyed the endangered piping plover’s nest. And Lucas hatches a plan to get Andre to keep his dirty socks on his side of the room!
It will be out in Canada in April and (hopefully!) everywhere else this fall.
Unofficially Official Agent Appreciation Day
Date: Friday December 11, 2009Posted in: Uncategorized
YA author extraordinaire, Kody Keplinger has started a grassroots Unofficially Official Agent Appreciation Day (today!) so I thought I’d join in on the fun. Check out Lisa and Laura Roecker’s blog for a list of all the participating authors.
I tweeted this on twitter, but here’s a more permanent (slightly tweaked) record of my appreciation for @bostonbookgirl (i.e. Lauren MacLeod of The Strothman Agency)
If I told you how funny, smart, lovely & savvy Lauren MacLeod was, you’d all want to query her….but I want her all to myself.
So I won’t do that.
If I told you Lauren MacLeod sold not ONE but TWO of my books within 3 mos of signing…you’d all think “Wow! that Lauren is a cracker jack agent!”
But I didn’t say that.
Cause I want her all to myself.
If you knew that Lauren MacLeod laughed at my corny jokes, shared my love of DC, HSM, TL & ZE…you might wonder what all those initials stand for.
But those are closely guarded author/agent secrets. My agent. Mine, mine, mine…
Oh, okay…I guess I could share…
*pouts*
Ah, the dreaded synopsis. Authors hate to write them but they’re a necessary, albeit evil, step in the querying process.
When querying agents/editors, some require a 1 or 2 page synopsis with your initial query. Others will ask for it when they request pages, especially a partial. A synopsis is a re-telling of your story from beginning to end, hitting all of the major plot points (and yes, in a synopsis, agents/editors want to know the end).
I know, I know…it’s sooo hard to distill a whole novel into one page…*whine*…BUT, I’m here to tell you it’s not impossible. Come on, I KNOW you can do it! You wrote a whole freakin’ novel, didn’t you? This is one measly page.
*sendingyouabitoftoughlove*
Okay. No grumbling. You ready?
This is how I structure my synopses. (Also, very useful for outlining, btw: NaNoWriMo, anyone?) I’ve listed the 9 major points I want to cover when retelling my story. I write a paragraph or so under each point and once done, I’m left with about a one-pager. Of course, before I send it off I take away the headings, but this framework helps keep me on track.
1. Inciting incident (The big problem)
What is the incident/problem which sets your story in motion? What is your MC’s goal, quest, problem s/he needs to overcome?
2. Plot Point 1 (first obstacle)
What is the first obstacle, roadblock, conflict your MC must face en route to his/her goal?
3. Plot Point 2 (second obstacle)
What is the second obstacle, roadblock, conflict your MC must face en route to his/her goal? This shows your MC in increasing difficulty and displays the ramping up of tension.
4. Plot Point 3 (third obstacle-situation is about as bad as it can get)
What is the third obstacle, roadblock, conflict your MC must face en route to his/her goal? This should be your character’s ‘darkest hour’.
5. Climax A (lighting the fuse)
What sets things in motion for the big show-down?
6. Climax B (watching it burn)
What conflict/tension/precariousness happens to make us wait and wonder? This is the point where things could go either way…
7. Climax C (kaboom!)
This is where the excrement hits the ventilation device. The ‘final showdown’.
8. Denouement
Everything becomes clear. The world makes sense again. Story questions are resolved.
9. Resolution
And they all live happily ever after. Or not.
See? That wasn’t so bad, was it? Now, you can write a synopsis in 9 easy steps too!
And, psst…, if this looks a bit like my plotting outline…as I mentioned, it is…
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
Happy synopsis-writing, outlining, NaNoWrimoing, everyone!
What a week! I’m shaking my head in total disbelief. First THIS happened and now MORE good news. Far more than I deserve.
From today’s Publisher’s Marketplace:
Children’s/Middle Grade
Helene Boudreau’s REAL MERMAIDS DON’T WEAR TOE RINGS, about an aquaphobic mer-girl trying to balance the drama of two-legged teenage life with her quest to rescue her mermaid mother from really scary mer-dudes, to Rebecca Frazer at Jabberwocky, for publication in Fall 2010, by Lauren MacLeod at The Strothman Agency (World).
Other things I don’t deserve:
1. My fabulous super agent, Lauren MacLeod. Lauren had to talk me off so many ledges over this whole submission process. She has nerves of steel and can leap tall buildings in a single bound, which is why SHE, on the other hand, TOTALLY deserves this good news.
2. My amazing new editor, Rebecca Frazer. Rebecca is just a whole lot of awesomeness. From the second we spoke on Tuesday, I KNEW she totally *got* my manuscript. Like, how often does THAT happen?
3. My phenomenal critique group. Where the heck would I be without their kicks in the pants and knocks upside the head? Nowhere, that’s where. And yes, they’re that violent, but no pain, no gain.
4. My friends and family. You guys put up with so much. Half the time I can’t believe you’re all still listening. The other half, I whine anyway.
And yes, maybe I don’t deserve all these things, but I sure am grateful! Though, I’m pretty sure I’ve used up my quota of good news and sparkly karma for a good long while.
Hugs, all! 
When I was 9…my teacher wrote a picture book. She brought it to school to show us and I remember how she went from teacher to goddess that afternoon, with every flip of the page.
Wow!
A real author! In my little town! I was in absolute awe and went straight home that afternoon and wrote (and illustrated!) my own picture book about a couple of kids with a crazed robot that goes off on a rampage through town, flattening hedges and knocking soup cans off grocery store shelves.
Um, yeah. Bestseller, fer shur…
But, a spark ignited in my gut that day. I knew from then on that I wanted to write picture books like my teacher, now an author. I wanted to BE that author more than anything in the world.
Many (many) years passed and about five years ago, I decided to get serious about that childhood dream of mine. So, I wrote a picture book. And another one. And started a novel. And by a very lucky twist of fate, had that novel published. And then wrote more picture books.
And this was one of them (announced today on Publishers Marketplace):
******
CHILDREN’S: PICTURE BOOK
Helene Boudreau’s I DARE YOU NOT TO YAWN, an anti-bedtime story testing the theory of whether yawns are contagious, to Mary Lee Donovan at Candlewick, by Lauren MacLeod at The Strothman Agency (World).******
Yup, that’s me. And yup, that’s my book! Needless to say, I’m BEYOND thrilled!
So, I want to give my shy and awkward 9 year-old self a hug right now and say…guess what?
You did it…
I’d long forgotten that 9 year-old’s book, my first picture book, until last year when I was in my hometown launching my first novel ACADIAN STAR.
Something you should know about my mom: I have 7 siblings and we joke that our mom passes off the same baby picture for all 7 of us. READ: She’s not very sentimental.
Who can blame her, she was too BUSY to be taking pictures. But that day last October, she went into her back cupboard and pulled out a manila envelope.
She’d saved it.
Thirty years later, she pulled out that very first story of mine, each page laminated, each pencil-drawn sketch of my crazed robot, unsmudged, and said, “I knew you’d want this someday.”
And there it was; the defining moment of my decision to be a children’s author, perfectly preserved.
I’ll admit, I’m bawling as I write this. Maybe I’m up too late, maybe it’s the sense of relief that I can actually share this wonderful news with you, but thank you for reading.
And thanks to my teacher for showing me what was possible, to my wonderful agent, Lauren MacLeod, for believing it was possible for *me* and to Mary Lee Donovan at Candlewick for opening a whole new world of possibilities for me and this book.
Thanks to everyone who participated in my first annual ‘TALK LIKE A CAJUN/ACADIAN’ contest. I had a blast reading all of your entries!
Now, the moment of truth. You’ll see that the chicklets and I went to great lengths to ensure that winners were chosen under the most rigorous contest protocol and conditions:
The ballots were shuffled, the mood was tense, we were at the edge of our stools…but there could only be ONE winner…
Well, actually…since I have two chicklets, I couldn’t just let ONE of them choose. Imagine the discontent in the judging panel! So, in the spirit of equality, the second winner of our first annual ‘TALK LIKE A CAJUN/ACADIAN’ contest is….
I mean…
Yay!! Plus two very happy contest administrators in desperate need of nail-trimming, apparently.
Congratulations, Becky and Sandra! I will drop you a line to get your info in order to receive your autographed copy of ACADIAN STAR!
Thanks for playing, everyone! J’ai eu toute sorte d’ fun!
Okay, okay, so it’s NOT exactly ‘Talk like a Cajun/Acadian Day’ but August 15th IS National Acadian Day.
To celebrate…a CONTEST…to win a copy of my middle grade novel, ACADIAN STAR.
To win, let’s have a bit of fun. I’m sure you’ve all heard of ‘Talk like a Pirate Day’ well here’s a twist. Our very own, super-spectacular…
TALK LIKE A CAJUN/ACADIAN DAY!!
To win a copy of ACADIAN STAR, you can either:
1. Just comment (yawn…)
OR…
2. Join in on the fun and tell me your favourite Acadian word. Mine is ‘BARDASSER’, which pretty much means trying to look busy, but otherwise goofing off (i.e. procrastinating).
OR…
3. REALLY get into it and leave a comment in your best Acadian ‘chiac’.
From Answers.com:
“Chiac is a dialect of Acadian French heavily mixed and structured with English.
Par example: Drive ton car jusqu’a le store pour me chercher des buns pour les hamburgers. ”
OR…
4. As a hats-off to my Cajun cousins to the south, feel free throw in some Cajunisms too!!
So many CHOICES! So, have at it! A winner will be randomly chosen on Wednesday, August 19th. Bonne luck and good chance!!
10 kilometers
1 L of water
1 hour 16 minutes of pounding the pavement
141 competitors
DEAD LAST.
But look what I GOT!
That’s me on the left, sucking wind, trying to make up my oxygen debt. Little sis is on the right (the well-rested one, since she’s been waiting for me at the finish line for the past 20 minutes). Best part about the day? My niece placed second in her age division and won half a dozen lobsters. Gotta love running races in Nova Scotia.
So, how does this relate to writing? It doesn’t. Ha!
Well, yeah. It kinda does. The whole running thing is pretty analagous to how I felt when I first joined my critique group about 5 years ago. I was a newbie. Soft. Starting from nothing. Fellow writers blew by me with their talent and drive. All I could do was watch them go and hope that I’d catch up, someday. But like my sister, my critique buddies were there for me at the finish line. Most even ran back to cheer me on as I made my way to my goal.
Writers, and runners, are human. It’s easy to fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to others. Who’s ahead of you, who’s beside you, who’s behind? But where does that get you? The best we can do is go at our own pace, pick ourselves up if we fall and take that glass of water as it’s handed out at the aid station.
(Did I mention they were packing up the aid stations as I shuffled by? Yeah. Uh-huh. Dead last.)
I accept that I’m a horrible runner. But yanno what? It still felt great to cross that finish line.
I had a very fun and busy spring, filled with school and library visits, a non-fiction writing project (done! yay!) and writing/revising/submitting of my tween novel.
So what’s next? Hmm…
Well, writing-wise, I’m finishing up an early chapter book project and hope to get that submitted before we leave for our month-long Cape Breton trip. While out East, I plan to work on my male point-of-view young adult novel and have a couple of appearances lined up.
I’ll be at the Antigonish Public Library on July 6th, conducting a day-long youth writing camp and will also be presenting at the Petit de Grat Library (date TBA) as part of the TD Summer Reading Program.
And of course, there’ll be plenty of swimming, biking and running in between to prepare for the triathlon in August.
In a moment of sheer, over-inflated confidence, I signed up for a triathlon in August.
Do I swim? Um, yes, but haven’t for a while.
Can I bike? I *own* a bike. Does that count?
Do I run? Well…*lumber* would be a more accurate description.
But, I have two willing training buddies and about 12 weeks to get myself in a reasonable enough state to not embarass myself. (that’s the hope, anyway) And plus, this will be a much needed distraction from my busy spring of writing, school and library presentations, not to mention the ongoing superduperagentsearch.
So why a triathlon? Hmm…good question. Mainly, it’s to balance out my writing/parenting/social life a bit. I think it’s easy to isolate yourself and be too much ‘in your head’ as a writer. I find this necessary when I’m deep into a character and heavy into writing. There comes a point , though, when the effort invested really brings diminishing returns and a fresh perspective is in order.
So, yeah. Swim, bike, run.
Having an outlet like training for a triathlon can only be good for my creativity. But when I’m (inevitably) the last one to stumble out of the lake, the last to wilt off the bike and the last to crawl across the finish line, can I ask a favour?
Don’t laugh. 
