<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post95862009559086184..comments</id><updated>2007-05-09T12:13:05.929-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Comments on Women of Mystery: Querying 101 - Initial Success Hints</title><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.womenofmystery.net/feeds/95862009559086184/comments/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7818123252981343255/95862009559086184/comments/default'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.womenofmystery.net/2007/05/querying-101-initial-success-hints.html'/><author><name>Laura K. Curtis</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08444534759113332744</uri><email>laura.kramarsky@womenofmystery.net</email></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>3</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-4716548103601011625</id><published>2007-05-09T12:13:00.000-04:00</published><updated>2007-05-09T12:13:00.000-04:00</updated><title type='text'>I would love to hear more about finding an agent f...</title><content type='html'>I would love to hear more about finding an agent for a book featuring an off-beat sleuth!</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7818123252981343255/95862009559086184/comments/default/4716548103601011625'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7818123252981343255/95862009559086184/comments/default/4716548103601011625'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.womenofmystery.net/2007/05/querying-101-initial-success-hints.html?showComment=1178727180000#c4716548103601011625' title=''/><author><name>Elaine Will Sparber</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02678727606822464947</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='16728348367847609501'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='http://www.womenofmystery.net/2007/05/querying-101-initial-success-hints.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-95862009559086184' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7818123252981343255/posts/default/95862009559086184' type='text/html'/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-8731245034634181510</id><published>2007-05-08T10:36:00.000-04:00</published><updated>2007-05-08T10:36:00.000-04:00</updated><title type='text'>They all seem to like 'quirky' characters, at any ...</title><content type='html'>They all seem to like 'quirky' characters, at any rate. I hear that again and again. You wouldn't query a hard-boiled, suspense, or thriller agent with it but I'd think it should work for just about anybody else. Knowing your writing, and now knowing something about your character, I can tell you that &lt;I&gt;this&lt;/I&gt; sister wants to read it!</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7818123252981343255/95862009559086184/comments/default/8731245034634181510'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7818123252981343255/95862009559086184/comments/default/8731245034634181510'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.womenofmystery.net/2007/05/querying-101-initial-success-hints.html?showComment=1178634960000#c8731245034634181510' title=''/><author><name>Lois Karlin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00658333345815494310</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='05463385754730086242'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='http://www.womenofmystery.net/2007/05/querying-101-initial-success-hints.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-95862009559086184' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7818123252981343255/posts/default/95862009559086184' type='text/html'/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-7755181418457269834</id><published>2007-05-07T22:37:00.000-04:00</published><updated>2007-05-07T22:37:00.000-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Fabulous news, Nan!!As a fan of both characters yo...</title><content type='html'>Fabulous news, Nan!!&lt;BR/&gt;&lt;BR/&gt;As a fan of both characters you mention, I am sure I would love Busty.  And I actually think it's probably *easier* to place a wacky character than a more mainstream one.  Certainly you have a better chance of being an original!&lt;BR/&gt;&lt;BR/&gt;I'm currently not querying the old manuscript because, like you, I got requests for it, and kind, complete and non-form rejections, but no takers.  And at Sleuthfest, I found out why.  (Actually, one of the things I was told may apply to your first MS, too.  I don't know what kind of teachers your sleuths were, but in the past year I have been told by numerous sources that "academics don't sell.")&lt;BR/&gt;&lt;BR/&gt;I have a couple agents in mind for when I finish my current MS, but that's a ways off, so for the moment I'll be vicariously experiencing your thrills and chills.</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7818123252981343255/95862009559086184/comments/default/7755181418457269834'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7818123252981343255/95862009559086184/comments/default/7755181418457269834'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.womenofmystery.net/2007/05/querying-101-initial-success-hints.html?showComment=1178591820000#c7755181418457269834' title=''/><author><name>Laura Kramarsky</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08444534759113332744</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='12301457858836367955'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='http://www.womenofmystery.net/2007/05/querying-101-initial-success-hints.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-95862009559086184' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7818123252981343255/posts/default/95862009559086184' type='text/html'/></entry></feed>