A Life in the Day

I believe that one can never have too many writing utensils. I have dozens of pens, markers, and highlighters and am always buying more. I'm currently addicted to the Preppy Fountain Pens . I’ve used a Passion Planner for my daily bullet journal and scheduling for the past four years. I would create my own bullet journals before that. I have four kids, 2 boys, 2 girls, and my eldest son was my early birthday present when he was born. I love coffee and have finally started drinking at least one cup “puya” (no sugar, no creamer). I love Star Trek AND Star Wars, there’s never an OR to them. My dog has been with us for 20 years, he has been a part of my kids’ lives for MOST of their lives. Fall and Winter are my favorite seasons. I come ALIVE in the Fall! My great-aunt pretended to be her brother to enlist during WWII and every day I think of ways to honor her boldness. I am not athletic (nor do I want to be) so if you see me running, you better run too. Something or someone is chasin...

It's likely that 2021 was a better year for your TBR pile than 2020 and if like me, you started reading more via audiobook, it's likely that you met and/or exceeded your reading goal. While I set a pretty high goal this year (136 books), 100 of them were picture books which really helped me to understand the category better though I'm still not as well-versed as I'd like to be. But that's a post for another time. Of the 36 novel-length  books I read this year , a few were major standouts! Alyssa Cole's How To Catch a Queen   was actually a great way to start the year. Alyssa Cole is an auto-buy for me so I knew I was going to like the book but I went into it with a bit of trepidation since I didn't like Sanyu in previous books. I knew there was more to him and Shanti than met the eye but I also liked that this book is about how an arranged marriage doesn't have to be a loveless one. How two people can grow to love one another and learn what love can mean...

While there are dozens of articles on how to help socialize your child with autism, there are only a handful speaking to parents looking to help socialize their autistic adults the same way. As a parent of an adult with autism, I grapple daily with letting go, letting him function without me, and as my husband says, “cut the umbilical” little by little. But while my son is able to coordinate his own transportation to and from work every day, do his own laundry and even check his bank account as he learns to manage his money, he’s not able to retain and maintain friendships that can blossom into love relationships. It’s not for lack of trying. My son is that friend that texts you out of nowhere to “check in.” He’s the friend that knows your interests so well, he’s got them memorized and will show up with the perfect birthday present when he’s invited. There’s the crux of the problem. He’s not always invited. Some of his friends’ parents are as involved in their kids’ lives as we are ...

“Laughter and orgasm are great bedfellows.” ~ John Callahan Laugh every day  — They say laughter is the best medicine and I couldn't agree more.  Laughter releases endorphins , the same ones we release when we exercise and the same ones we release when we orgasm. That euphoric feeling that makes your body thrum, your head clear and your spirits lift, comes from the same place your laughter comes from. So when was the last time you laughed? You may rob yourself of an orgasm (which I don't recommend) but you should never rob yourself of your sense of humor. Without it, life is not just dull, it can be downright unbearable.  “A day without laughter is a day wasted.” ~ Charlie Chaplin Be the master of your own happiness  — I was talking to my daughter about how difficult it is to be a friend at times, especially when we see our friends unhappy and can't do anything to change it. Sure we can crack a joke, tell a funny anecdote, redirect their thoughts to s...

I'm an avid reader but clearly, I need to read more. I need to read faster and I need to be able to count the manuscripts I read for work in my Goodreads challenge so I can complete my goal every year. According to my Year in Books on Goodreads  I've read over 13,000 pages across 47 booksin 2018. You'd think I would be happy with those numbers but knowing that I'd set my Goodreads challenge to 50 books and failing it by 3 titles (which are currently sitting in my “currently reading” list) stings. I’m a habit tracker, a list maker, 🎶a task list taker...🎶 and find it completely satisfying to check off or fill in a tracker with a completed task. Days where that doesn’t happen are usually marked as “frustrating or stressed” in my mood tracker. I need to complete tasks! It’s almost an obsession really. But even while failing to complete the Goodreads challenge for 2018, I was able to achieve my goal of diversifying my reading list. I devoted 2018 to reading more POC a...

If you had to create a playlist that defines your expectation of the year, what would that be? I have several playlists on my phone for different things: Christmas playlists both Spanish and English, Movie Soundtracks both instrumental and not, a writing playlist and two “mindset” playlists. These are the ones I turn to, to start my day or motivate me one way or another.  In 2018, I created the "Abundant Life" playlist; a mostly gospel music list that reminds me to stay centered and live my best life, abundantly.  For 2019, I've decided to stick with my “You Got This” playlist; a playlist I created on my 39th birthday and have been adding to every year through my 45th. It’s a playlist of empowerment and reflection all at once with lyrics that remind me to kick ass and remember who I am with songs like Undefeated by Jason Derulo, Rise Up by Andra Day, and He Lives In You by Lebo M from the Lion King Soundtrack. It’s a playlist I put on shuffle while dr...

Dobby is a 15-year-old mouthy miniature pinscher with cataracts in his eyes, a limp from being run over by a car a decade ago and the heart of a lion... in the body of a puppy. While he barks bloody murder to get anyone to help him down off the couch, he can still jump up to the couch when he thinks no one’s watching. He sleeps a lot now but his ears still perk up at the sound of any crumb hitting the ground and while he can’t really run like he used to, he still canters like a mini stallion on his infrequent walls. He avoids the outdoors if it’s raining, refuses to eat soft foods despite not having most of his teeth and gets in your face to sniff you when he can’t see you, which is most of the time now as his eyes cloud with cataracts. But he still gets playful, crouching down, his butt and tail wagging when he’s offered a snack and prancing around my husband’s buddies while they play cards in hopes of a few table scraps. As I get older and the body aches a...

Photo by Papaioannou Kostas on Unsplash I'm a sucker for friendship stories. If a book has a strong, core friendship that lasts throughout the story, it's a good chance you've hooked me as a reader. Some of my favorite stories are adventure stories where a group of friends help each other achieve an impossible feat or where the main character defeats their nemesis with the help of their friends . Photo by Aman Shrivastava on Unsplash But while good friendships make for good stories, we don't encourage male friendships to thrive beyond childhood, and we don't encourage physical affection between them to extend beyond puberty. We tend to sexualize their bonds instead, creating rifts and establishing an environment of toxic masculinity . We tell our boys to be boys, to stop crying, to stop feeling or showing emotion after they reach a certain age (an age arbitrarily chosen by parents or the community they're raised in, by the way). We teach our boys ...

Continuing my birthday-month blog series, this week, we'll go over the negotiating a Deal Sheet. Also known as the Offer Letter, the Deal Sheet is the first step in your negotiation of a publishing contract. It is usually a one-page document attached to an email, or embedded into the email, detailing what the publisher is offering to publish the work. It is generally received after a phone conversation between the agent and the acquisitions editor (or the acquisition editor and the author) where the deal points are discussed. Deal sheets are not a contract but they are generally a viable offer that a publisher has put on paper for the agent to take to the author and/or approve/reject on the author’s behalf. It details general points (deal points) that the publisher is willing to offer the author in exchange for the right to publish the work. It’s important to understand and review these points well before agreeing to them as these are generally the first opportunity you have ...

It’s my birth-month and I think it only fitting that I dedicate it to launching a new blog series. This week we’ll discuss establishing an author platform and tying that your author brand. After all, readers are buying you when they look for your titles, not your publisher, or your editor, or even your adorable, Puertorican literary agent with a penchant for coffee and gifs in everything. Aren’t platforms for nonfiction writers and 70s shoes? An author platform is as vital to the fiction author as it is to the nonfiction author and it encompasses everything from blogs to social media presence, speaking engagements and media contacts. But simply put, platform is the “ability to sell books because of who you are or who you can reach.” – Jane Friedman So what’s a platform and why do you need one? "Platform is the ability to get people to follow and find you for information and guidance." - Chuck Sambuchino,  Create Your Writer Platform It's what you do before ...

You've likely spent a few months revising your manuscript, making sure to remove clutter words , tighten scenes , strengthen plot-lines and create kick-ass characters you're sure readers are going to love (or hate). It is now ready to go out to agents and editors in hopes of publication. But agents receive thousands of queries per month, how do you make yours stand out? First and foremost, remember that your query is a letter and should be addressed as such . You can address the agent with the standard Dear Saritza, or Ms. Saritza (though I prefer the informal Hi Saritza to Ms. or Mrs.) but DO NOT start your query with To Whom It May Concern, Dear Agent or Ladies and Gentlemen. Our names are everywhere, take the time to personalize your query and make the effort to show the agent you've done your research. I recommend reading How To Write A Query Letter by Rachelle Gardner as the first stop in your research. Her blog is a an invaluable resource to aspiring authors, ...

I read a lot of Romance novels. It's my not-so-guilty pleasure and one I'm never ashamed to speak about or seen enjoying but it wasn't always the case. While living at home (with my very religious mother), I had to sneak my romance novels (and any horror or suspense books) into my room or leave them in my band locker to read during lunch or between class periods and band practice so my mother wouldn't throw them away. But many of the Women's Fiction titles I'd bring home, my mother simply glanced at the cover and "paid me no mind." What's interesting is that some of the WF titles I'd read in the late eighties/early nineties while in school were steamier (and sometimes scarier) than some of the romance novels, horror books and suspense titles I'd be shamed for reading at home. In Women's Fiction, as a young woman, I'd find more main characters that looked like me where romance was still very much about the love and pleasure of...

We were discussing "High Concept" or "Commercial Appeal" at the office yesterday and realized this is something that trips up many authors and agents. So here are my very random thoughts on the subject. Source: Creative Commons What is High Concept? First, let me say what it's not: It's not your whole book. Not inherently lowest common denominator plot (like a literary or think piece plot). Not just a movie pitch (Stranger Things: ET meets Aliens and every other 80s movie). Not another term for gimmicky. High Concept has five elements: broad appeal,  ooh factor,  originality,  standout setting, and  illuminates a universal human truth. Source: MemeMaker The premise has broad appeal which I know is kind of vague since appeal is really subjective but the concept should be distinct, easily parsed with a clear premise that is immediately intriguing and taps into a wide range of readers' interest. A great example today was Kami...

While working with one of our agent apprentices, we discussed how and when it's appropriate to offer representation and how do we know if the author is going to be a good fit for both the agent and the agency. It's important to be mindful of our time and resources when we know the quality of the work is there from the author. So, I put together a quick list of questions I ask myself when I find that manuscript I love and want to offer representation. Photo by Ben Terrett When I read a manuscript for representation, I'm not just reading for fun. I'm looking at a lot of different factors and deciding on whether I'm the right fit for this project. So I ask myself: Is the work engaging? Does the author have an established platform? Does the work need a lot of editorial work or just a quick polish? Do I have the time to devote to the editorial needs of this work? Do I have the time to devote to the needs of this author? Off the top of my head, how many edi...

Image by Saritza Hernandez (c) 2015 In publishing, the hurry-up-and-wait method of getting to publication can be frustrating and defeatist to a new author or to a new agent advocating for her clients who have little to no patience. As an author, you’re racing to the finish line of this manuscript decathlon you’ve poured your heart and soul into then rush your beta readers and critique partners to provide you with the feedback needed to make this book even better. You rush to make a list of editors and agents to query then… you wait. You sit on your hands itching to check in with those publishing individuals whose emails you reached out to just the day before wishing and hoping they’ll respond with that coveted offer of publication or representation you’ve been dying to receive since you began your authorial career six months prior. It doesn’t work that way. It can’t work that way. It shouldn’t work that way. Image by Saritza Hernandez (c) 2015 My grandmother used to s...

Image by Saritza Hernandez Have you watched Pitch Perfect 2 ? We ended up seeing it twice this past weekend and while I love the songs and found myself singing along (especially in that scene with Rebel Wilson and Adam DeVine) the scenes that struck a chord with me the most were with Keegan-Michael Key who plays Becca's b oss, an award-winning music producer. The first time we see his character on screen he's calling a staff meeting and asks everyone to give ideas. To just shout out anything that comes to mind and no one says or thinks of anything productive to say. As he walks away, he tells them they have one minute to wow him. "My time is like a toddler in a tiara, people: short and precious." – Keegan Michael Key I thought about how many times I think the same thing when going through pitch appointments or going through the query inbox. Your query needs to grab my attention quickly and hook me. In one of my workshops: "It's All in the Hook...

Image Courtesy: WikiCommons I'm in historic Charleston, South Carolina attending the PubSense Summit and, as always, I spent a good part of my afternoon yesterday, sitting quietly taking it all in. People-watching. You can learn so much about where people are, where they're going, what they hope to accomplish just from sitting quietly and absorbing your surrounds. The hotel has a Starbucks in the lobby so after picking up my grande soy Oprah Chai Tea latte and an egg and cheese sandwich, I went upstairs to the mezzanine and sat down to enjoy my vittles. It was my only moment of anonymity and I cherished it as much as I cherished my Starbucks semi-healthy meal. I watched people move from one panel to another, talking about their projects, what they were working on next and talking to the panelists who had just finished their session. It was a great way to get to know the people in attendance and sort of prepare myself for the panel I would be on shortly. Image Courtesy:...

I know that I have to get better about my time management (evidenced by the fact that I’m writing this blog post instead of continuing to check off items in my daily to-do list) but I think it's important to note that a day in the life of a literary agent is long and sometimes difficult to manage. I've made posts about "my day in the life" before  but it doesn't hurt to reiterate, right? On a typical day, my work hours are 14-16 hours long and consist of so much “brain work” that I often need a nap around 4 PM. (Much like a toddler or a Golden Girl.) So, what do these 14-6 hours consist of, you ask? Email: 3-4 hours are usually spent replying to, composing and forwarding emails emails from clients (sounding a lot like “are we there yet”) emails to clients (royalty summaries, editorial letters, marketing/promo ideas, what are you working on next) emails about clients (buzz-building) emails to editors (proposals, negotiations, general “how-do-you-do” ...