About the excerpt

My previous post (see below) is an excerpt from my science fantasy novel THE GUARDIAN. This is the novel that I am currently finding an agent for--the one that is to be my debut. I've posted this because I thought it might be of some general interest, and also because I figure you should see that if you are going to read my blog. So that you know that I'm not just some blowhard theorist, as it were. This is the prologue and first chapter of my book; make of it what you will. I don't plan on posting any more of my writing any time soon, so if you want to read the rest, you'll have to wait a while until it is published (or, if you're an agent, you can request it by clicking into my profile and dropping me an email).

I've thought about putting my query letter up here, but frankly that reveals a little more information about the book than I'd like to have on the Internet right now. I know that nobody cares about my little book right now, but my hope is that someday they might, and I don't want to have a bunch of spoilers posted right in my own blog. If you're just dying to see it (haha), let me know and I'll be happy to send it to you.

But here's a great time to note that, when it comes to things like query letters, my knowledge is second-hand, anyway. If you want a true expert on things like that (and agenting in general) you should talk to Bill and Beverly at Agent Research & Evaluation or (the famous) Miss Snark. But my purpose here is not to talk about agenting and querying agents, and how to get published (though I may on occasion). My purpose here is to talk about something I know much more about, namely: how to write a book that is actually worthy of being published in the first place. I don't have any fail-safe tips or some sort of bestseller recipe (I wish), but I do have some ideas that you should consider and think about on your own. I'll have more on that later.