Rainy Day Inspiration

by Brittany Geragotelis

Since it's gloomy and misty outside today, I thought I'd bring a little news to brighten your day....

I just found out that while we're in California in December, we're going to be shooting Heather Morris (Brittany on "Glee") and Kendall Jenner (younger sis of the Kardashian girls)!!!! It's going to be a double-fantastic shoot and I'm worried that I might actually pass out from all the excitement. But this is just the first bit of news I have for you....

This weekend, I started writing a new book. I still have Painless out with agents for consideration, but I got an "offer I couldn't refuse" and had to take it. So, here's the big announcement: the online writing community www.wattpad.com has asked me to write an original novel for them for their readers! Now, just to give you a little background on WattPad, it's sort of like Youtube for books. Anyone can upload their work and anyone can read it. The cool thing about it is that the readers determine what becomes popular, bringing the power back to the readers themselves!

Now, this being said, I was approached by WattPad a few weeks ago and they told me that they're looking for a new author to work with in January. See, although the site is open to all, there are spotlighted authors that they work with to grow their audience and fanbase. And after reading on our site that I've written books, they contacted me! I met with someone from the company last week and decided (after a lot of questions and a bit of meditation) to go for it. But instead of just uploading one of my other books, I'm going to be creating something just for the Wattpad audience.

I can't give away the whole plot, but I will tell you it has something to do with the Salem Witch Trials. A reimagining if you will.

So, since you're catching me at the beginning of writing this new book, I'll be able to take you through my process of how I write a book—so stay tuned!

5x5,
B.

I'm off to the happiest place on earth!

by Brittany Geragotelis

photo credit: Disney

Got another rejection for Painless today...but no matter, because I'm heading to Disney World! Yep! My vacation is finally here, and Matt and I are spending the next four days in beautiful Orlando, FL, to get our fill of fun in the (not so) sun. Several months ago, we planned our trip and paid for it all ourselves; it's all-inclusive (hotel, flight, park hopper passes, meals, etc), and we're going to have a blast running around the resort, going on rides and eating our weight in yummy gluten-free food (they offer it practically everywhere in the park!). We're even spending one of the days at Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I can't wait to see how they were able to bring the magic of that book to life. And to drink some butterbeer (also gf!)!!!!

Don't worry, I'll be taking pics the whole time and I'll try to post them while I'm there. Have fun wherever you are and I'll be talking to you soon! Hopefully I'll even be able to bring a little bit of magic back with me!

5x5,
B.

Three Requests and a Rejection (and a half)

by Brittany Geragotelis

I have to admit, I was a little worried when I started out this round of queries with a big fat rejection (and not even a personal one...one that actually said, "We're sorry for the impersonal nature of this standard rejection letter..."). But I wasn't going to stress over it. In fact, I let it roll off of me and kept my attitude set to "Positive."

And good thing too, because the day after I received that rejection, I got a request for my full manuscript from one of the other agents I'd queried. And then a few days later, another agent wanted to look at it, too. Agent #4 (who's actually a friend of a friend) let me know that Painless wasn't for him, but that he wanted me to send the summaries of each of my other books. So, not exactly a rejection, but not exactly a "yes" either (to this book).

Then yesterday, I received another request, this time for the first 30 pages! People seem to be generally interested in the book, which is awesome! Now, if only one of them (or more; I certainly wouldn't mind if there was a bidding war over representing me) would fall in love with it and take me on as their client!

So, since last time I kept a positive attitude about this whole thing and got some positive feedback, I figure this is the way to go. Though I don't want to get ahead of myself (or become overconfident), a little bit of faith couldn't hurt...I think I can, I think I can....

What do you guys do to stay positive? Leave your comments above!

5x5,
B.

So close I can taste it...

by Brittany Geragotelis

My friend and co-worker who edits all my books, just returned Painless to me after having looked at nearly all of it. (And to answer your question: Yes, she is a saint for doing this six times now. Thanks Marisa! Couldn't have done it without ya!) So, I've got her copy in my hands and am planning on spending my Labor day weekend making her edit changes. We were only able to talk briefly yesterday as we ran out to grab lunch, but it sounded like she liked it! She said that it definitely has a different feel and voice than any of my other books; this is good news, since Painless is way edgier than anything else I've written.

Now that I have her edit suggestions, I just have to make the changes and then create my list of agents to send it out to. I'm planning on sending them to a few agents who were interested in Ki$$ & $ell, but ultimately didn't love it enough to take me on, but expressed interest in my writing. Then, I'll go through my list of other YA agents and see if I can find anyone who fits the vibe of this book. Once I send out my query letters, I'll have to sit back (patiently) and wait for the responses to come trickling in. This is always the hardest part. Dealing with rejections (because let's face it, these are much more common than yeses) and getting your hopes up only to be let down...

But I'm getting ahead of myself (and apparently I'm getting a little pessimistic, too). The point is, after this weekend, I'll be ready to send stuff out and then hopefully, if the stars align, I'll get that elusive acceptance e-mail saying, "We read your book and love it. We've got to have you as a client." To which I will humbly say, "Thank you. Where do I sign?"

I'm so close now, I can practically taste it!

5x5,
B.

Published author? Soon, very soon.

by Brittany Geragotelis

There's a little something I've been keeping a secret and I haven't told my blog-iverse yet, mostly because nothing's been set in stone...until now.

On Wednesday, a chapter book is being delivered to the publishers at IDW (famous for its comic books, including G.I. Joe, Angel, Transformers and Star Trek), and two of the chapters in it were written by me! So, yes, my writing is soon to be published. Now granted, I only contributed to this particular book, but I'm working on an outline for another book for the same company and will be co-authoring it with another writer within the next month. And then, if things go as planned, I will be writing a third book on my own.

Now, I'm simply being commissioned to write/contribute to these books, so they're not my creations. But they will consist of my writing. And that makes me a published author.

So what does that mean for me and my writing? Well, I'm hoping that it will help me to finally land an agent (cross your fingers). I finished re-writes on Painless this weekend and will be handing it off my superiffic editor, Marisa, to do her magic. Then, after I make her changes, it will officially be ready to send out to agents for consideration. My hope is that they will see that I've been commissioned to write these chapter books and it will give me some serious book cred, which will result in them being willing to take me on as a client.

So now you know. As soon as I hear more, I'll be sure to pass along the updates. And as soon as the company that I'm writing for has launched (supposed to be this Wednesday), I'll give you the details on that, too!

5x5,
B.

Don't be afraid to ask for help

by Brittany Geragotelis

It's a funny thing, this book-writing thing. See, it starts out as this very solitary, solo project, but by the end it's turned into a bit of a group effort. At least, if you plan on getting published. Because the truth is, even though the book started out with your vision, it takes a lot of different people with different opinions to get to the finished project that you seen in stores. Whether it's from friends, writing critique groups, agents or editors, a book will no doubt receive several "suggestions" of how it can be stronger along the way.

Only about five people have read Painless and every one of them has had something to say about it. All have enjoyed reading it, but the suggestions on what I should change have varied from choosing a new last name for a character to making the main character older to completely re-writing the ending. One of those five people was an agent who gave me my first rejection. She said that some of the book was Best Seller material, but other parts weren't quite there yet. As a writer, you have to be willing to make changes to your MS, because ultimately an agent or editor's suggestions are made because they want to sell a solid product. The problem was, when I told the agent to tell me what she wanted me to change and that I'd be happy to do it (if it made sense to the story), she said she couldn't quite put her finger on what needed to change. So, that was that.

Now, I'm onto Plan B, which includes me going back and taking a look at all the suggestions my friends have given me and making changes where it would help make the book stronger. My boyfriend went to school at Columbia and studied film and one of the things he was taught was how to structure a storyline (OK, script; but same sort of thing). Out of everyone, he's had the most advice for me, but I have to say that nearly all of it was spot-on when I really listened to what he had to say. I think I'll be making about 70% of the changes he suggested and honestly, I truly think I'll have a much better story because of it.

But despite this great advice (and all the others I've received), I couldn't help but feel like I was taking someone else's ideas and passing them off as mine. At one point, Matt was giving me specific lines for a certain part of my novel, and I found myself saying, "Stop giving me your ideas, I don't want to steal them!"

As I've given it more thought though, I'm realizing that this is what all authors have to go through. We write the first draft and then there are several others who come in and help us fine-tune it. In the end, I'm still the one who's created the story and it's all MY writing. If you get a little editorial advice along the way...well, that's just the sign of a real writer. And a real writer isn't afraid to ask for help.

5x5,
B.

100th Post Celebration!

by Brittany Geragotelis

I can hardly believe it, but this is my 100th post! Time sure flies when you're writing blogs.

You know, I first started this blog because I was knee-deep in trying to find myself a new agent and I figured that my having a blog would look good on my writing resume. But to be honest, a big part of the reason I started http://brittanythebookslayer.blogspot.com is because at the time I was dealing with a lot of rejection. I was getting "no's" left and right and was beginning to feel pretty down. You can only hear that you're a great writer and that an agent loves your writing and your story...just not enough to take you on as a client, before wanting to call it quits for good. So, yes, I originally started this blog as an outlet; a way of getting my writing out there to the public, minus the rejection.

So, I guess it's only fitting that I'm writing my 100th post just a few days after getting my first rejection of my latest manuscript, Painless.

The difference is, this time I have a little more encouragement on my side. I have all my amazing readers out there who log in on a daily basis and make me feel like my writing isn't for nothing. Sure, the rejection hurts. I don't think there's a writer out there who doesn't feel the sting despite how often it happens. But the fact that people enjoy reading what I write—book or blog—well, that feels pretty darn good.

So, as for the recent rejection. I gave myself a day to feel a bit blue. Let my super awesome boyfriend take me to Target (the new one that just opened up in the city; btw, if you haven't been yet...it's AWESOME!) and buy me a present (a cool new notebook), take me to dinner at our favorite gluten-free asian cuisine restaurant, Lili & Loo, watch Despicable Me at 86th St and end the night with a stop at Pinkberry.

And after having my night of feeling sad, I let it go and devised my Plan B, which will include a few revisions of Painless before I start sending it out to another round of agents (and a few publishers that have offered to take a look). In the meantime, I have this blog...and all of you who are great enough to read it! Thanks for logging on for 100 Posts!

5x5,
B.

Say a Little Prayer For Me...

by Brittany Geragotelis

I finished writing my sixth book, Painless a little over a week ago, and immediately threw myself into my first edit of the book. This was mostly because I wanted to have a truly good first draft, and partially because I'd given myself a self-imposed deadline of having the book ready to send out by the first of June. I also had an agent-friend (let's call her Agent X) itching to read it when it was done.

Agent X was one of the first "industry people" to encourage me to go edgier with my writing. She was especially interested in Painless from the first time I told her about it and has acted as a sounding board for me throughout the process. So, between her excitement to read it and my antsyness to have the first draft out of my hands, I made a vow to have it done, ASAP.

Now that I'm finished, the results are out of my hands...as much as I want to get an agent, I can't just take someone by the shoulders, shake them and say, "Represent me!!!!" until they say yes. People don't appreciate it when you use physical force to get what you want...go figure.

You know, it wasn't until my fourth book that I actually did a read-through myself, before sending it out to agents. See, by the time I finish writing a book, I'm so sick of thinking about it, writing about it, living in it, that the last thing I want to do is read it AGAIN. So, I've always had a friend of mine read the first draft and edit it for me, look for any inconsistencies in the story, mistakes in timelines and characters and of course, spelling and grammar. Thank GOD for her (Shout out to Marisa!), because had she not slaved tirelessly over my writing, there's no way my books would have been in any shape to be read.

Anyway, starting with my fourth book, Sober in the City, I began reading the first draft myself to make sure that it was the product I wanted it to be. But even then, it's a little difficult, because I'm so close to my books, that I'm afraid I can't really look at them clearly. Like I'm too close to be objective.

photo credit: Matt Irwin/style.com

And then specifically with Painless, I wasn't sure whether I'd done what I'd set out to do. I've always played it pretty safe with my writing, made family-friendly teen books. Painless is not what I would call family-friendly. The main character is damaged, dark and difficult....and with someone like that, there's a delicate balance between making a complicated character and having her still be likeable. (Here's what I imagine my main character, Bliss, to look like; I modeled her after supermodel Jessica Stam...only Bliss has dark hair and a sprinkling of scars.)

So, even though when I read through the book, I enjoyed the story I'd come up with, I'm not quite sure if I accomplished my goal. I guess I'll find out soon enough, since I sent off a copy of it to Agent X on Monday night, as well as to a few people VERY close to me.

I'm crossing my fingers that when I do hear back, that the feedback is good and that this is "the one" that finally hooks me an agent!

Wish me luck!

5x5,

B.

Long Live The King...

by Brittany Geragotelis

photo credit: Warner Bros.

Matt and I saw Clash of the Titans yesterday and I hate to say it, but we were not impressed. I had such high hopes for it, too, so it was disheartening when it turned out to be a total snooze-fest. We saw it in 3D and that was probably the most disappointing part of the movie. When I go to see something in 3D, I'm expecting things flying at the audience. And Clash would have been perfect for this. There were Scorpions attacking, Medusa and her snakes and then of course the Cracken. So many opportunities for cool 3D effects! However, there were none. Yeah, things were a little more dimensional, but there was nothing special about it. Especially not for $17 per person (that's how much it costs in NYC)!

Now, on a more exciting note, just read that Stephen King has a son who's become a pretty successful author in his own right. And the cool part? He made it while using a pen name (Joe Hill), so he'd be sure his career wasn't based on who his father was. He wanted to do it on his own. Gotta respect that!

Off to write more of Painless now. Up to page 170 and need to get crack-a-lackin! Oh, and don't forget that tomorrow's blog will include a special guest!

5x5,
B.

Gossip Mill

by Brittany Geragotelis

Well, after a few days of beautiful dress and skirt-wearing weather, we're back to overcast and damp. Blech. Bring on the summer already! I'm so pasty white, I'm pretty sure I glow in the dark. Oh well, I guess this gives me a good excuse to sit around and write all weekend, right?

Speaking of writing, I'm up to page 152 in "Painless." Lately I've been channeling my inner "angry chick" to write my main character, Bliss. She's very pissed and lonely and fearful...all emotions I have no problem tapping into, based off of my own health issues in the past. I just wrote my character's first sexy scene. It was (hopefully) hot and primal. Sometimes I'm as surprised by the encounters myself, because I don't always know they're going to happen (and how) until they just do. Good times.

photo credit: Jackson Pearce

On a similar note, I'm happy to announce that I will be interviewing Sisters Red author, Jackson Pearce in a future blog! I'm beyond psyched to talk to her about her writing schedule and where she gets her inspiration from. If you have any questions you'd like to ask Jackson, leave them in the comments section below.


This week's been rather quiet here in the office...well, sort of. The past two days, it's just been me and my co-worker Toni, and today we also have our lovely intern, Steph, in the house (who just told me she reads this blog! Yay!). This means that basically there are three of us on the 22nd floor today! It's as scarce as a scene in a zombie apocalypse movie—you know, before the zombies show up in droves. But it's also sort of nice...I'm currently blaring Avril Lavigne and have very few distractions around me, so I'm getting quite a bit done.

photo credit: The CW/Gossip Girl

On the other hand, the beginning of our week started out the exact opposite. I don't want to get totally into it, but there were some big changes here at our company this week, and ever since then, people have been INSANE. Seriously, I don't think I've witnessed this much gossip since I was in high school. And even then, it was sort of expected. With the exception of the people in my department, everyone seems to have their conspiracy theories about the future. There's been more than one occasion where I just wanted to say, "Grow up! You're not a teenager anymore. Don't you have anything better to talk about?" The fact of the matter is that just like in life in general, none of us knows what's going to happen in the future (unless you're a psychic like Allison DuBois on "Medium"), so what's the point really in worrying about it? How about channeling that energy into something positive, like doing your job well, asking a friend how they're doing (instead of just focusing on yourself), or writing a blog (wink, wink)? So, in the meantime, I'm just trying not to engage in or get caught up in other people's drama. And to be honest, it's not all that hard a thing to do...

Now, to brighten your day, here's a story that made me smile this morning. Another reason your children should be cheerleaders.

5x5,
B.

Medium and psychic stories

by Brittany Geragotelis

I'm at my boyfriend Matt's house in Maryland for Easter weekend, and so far, it's been full of a lot of relaxation (and a ton of writing; up to page 143 in "Painless"!). I've pretty much set up shop on the couch, snuggled up under a blanket (although it's beautiful outside) in front of the TV, mini laptop on my lap.

I woke up at the butt-crack of dawn this morning to have breakfast with Matt's mom. His little cousin (Maya) was performing in a sort of breakfast/theater show for the acting group she's a part of. Maya was a hoot. She's around 7 and is a natural performer. She's so much like Amanda Bynes back when she had "The Amanda Show" on Nickelodeon it's crazy. Give the girl her own show already!

Anyway, then we went to the mall and back here to the house, where I plopped myself down for three hours and just wrote. Today, the story just wasn't flowing. When this happens, I just have to push past it, because I know I can always go back and fix things later. The important thing is to get something down on paper (or computer screen) that advances the story. "Painless" has been such an interesting book for me to write so far--It's SO much darker than the stuff I usually write. I mean, this girl is seriously damaged...but she also kicks ass, which is actually really fun to write.

Now, I'm laying here and watching "Medium" on Netflix. I've always been a fan of the show, but recently I've been on a psychic kick. I just finished re-watching the first season, and it was so neat watching it all from the beginning. And the special features on the DVDs were AWESOME! Seriously, if you like the show and get the chance, watch the special features.

photo credit: Allison DuBois

I'd had no idea that the show was based on a real woman named Allison DuBois (pictured left), who's a psychic and medium who's married to Joe DuBois, works for the district attorney's office as a jury consultant and has kids who are all showing signs of psychic abilities themselves. So if you watch the show yourself, you'll see that basically the show is all about her life. She's even written books about her experiences as a medium. I'm totally psyched to get her first book, Don't Kiss Them Goodbye (Get it? Psyched?).

You know, I have to admit--I do believe in ghosts. I had a few experiences growing up that have stayed with me over the years and I can't presume to think I know EVERYTHING that goes on in this universe. I think our intuition is a form of being "psychic," but most of us (especially adults) let our heads talk us out of those nagging feelings that something's off, wrong, right, dangerous, a good idea, etc. We don't trust the natural intuition we may have. Maybe psychics are just better at listening to their intuition and interpretting it.

Sometimes I have dreams that I think are slightly prophetic. Like, I'll dream about someone I haven't thought about in a long time, give them a call and find out they're going through a tough time and my call was perfect timing. Coincidence? Or is it just my subconscious telling me to pick up the phone?

Either way, I definitely think there are people out there who are more intuitive than others. Who knows, maybe there's a little psychic in all of us...it's just a matter of whether we use our abilities or not.

5x5,
B.

Advice from a blonde pop star

by Brittany Geragotelis

One of the cool things about my job is that I get to meet a variety of celebs. Through work I've gotten the chance to meet Meg Cabot (Otherwise known as my writing hero!), Danneel Harris (Pictured with me here; Sooo sweet & the lucky girl is dating "Supernatural" star Jensen Ackles!) and Bring It On & Stick It writer/director, Jessica Bendinger (My sister-soulmate; you'll never meet a more humble person from Hollywood).

photo credit: Matisse

Don't get me wrong, though--it's not like there's a celebrity in our office every day. But every once in a while we do get the occassional surprise guest. Yesterday, the pop singer, Matisse (pictured left) stopped by. In case you're not familiar with her, Matisse (real name, Brittany Smith), got her start as one of the John Frieda Twins. She and her twin sis, Alex, started their own pop group called "Brit and Alex," and had a hit on the Step Up 2 soundtrack. After becoming pretty popular over in the UK, Brit's sis decided to quit the biz, leaving Brit wondering if her dreams as a singer were over.

First off, Brit is a really sweet girl. With a sunny smile and platinum blonde locks she perfectly fits the part of pop star. She's got a quiet disposition though, which is interesting since she's such a dynamic performer. You can tell she thinks through her answers before she gives them, and she's worked hard to get to where she is.

photo credit: Matisse

While we were sitting there and chatting about her impending singing career and her latest single, "Better Than Her" (which has already hit #16 on the charts), the conversation quickly turned to how she came to be "Matisse" and dealing with the rejection that comes with following your dreams. She explained that after her sister left their group, Brit suffered from a serious identity crisis. Her fans knew her as a part of a duo and without her sis, she wasn't sure people would buy her as a solo artist. So, she reinvented herself as an artist, under the name Matisse, named after the artist who didn't conform. The point was, despite the setbacks she had, she kept pushing forward.

This is something that I find myself doing every day. See, all I've ever wanted is to be a published author. It's been my dream since I was little. And when I moved to NYC, the first phase in my dream came true: I got a literary agent. He was a great guy and believed in my writing, but after failing to sell a few of my books (and having a lot of interest for one at Harper Collins Childrens), we went our separate ways.

Long story short, I thought this was a sign I wasn't supposed to be writing. Dumb, I know. After about 9 months of no writing at all (besides at work), I felt myself being drawn back to writing. What I learned from that experience was that I really don't have a choice: I'm a writer. I'm good at it, and I have stories to tell. So, the past 2 years, I've been hard at work and have finished 2 more books and am in the middle of my latest, Painless.

I've been sending out queries for one of my books, Ki$$ & $ell, and have received 8 requests for partials and fulls--but mostly rejections. I'm not going to lie--The rejection is hard. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but that's SO not the case. It's especially hard when I review so many books for work that just aren't good. As time goes by and my dream remains just out of my reach, I'm constantly wondering whether I should give up....

But I don't. And it's stories like Brit's and Meg Cabot's (Meg's said before she hit it big, she got a rejection every day except for Sunday--and that's because the mail didn't come on Sundays) and countless other people who are in creative fields (actors, singers, writers, etc), that keep pushing me forward. I need to have faith that eventually my book will be at the right place at the right time and things will all work out the way they're supposed to.

So, all in all, it wasn't such a bad day at work...

5x5,
B.