​5am: Wake up. Unsure if I woke up due to a sound or not, but shortly after I hear something. I’m not sure what it is, but in a house with three cats anything is possible. It takes a bit, but I realize someone is in the bathroom and that must be the sound.
 
9:30am: I’m now awake, no hearing aids on. Husband is working from home and I needed him to repeat twice and needed time to put words together. He talks as I’m walking away and I have to return back to him to hear.
 
9:50am: Realize I have tinnitus ringing in both ears. This is the kind of realization where it’s probably always there, just at times louder than others.
 
9:55am: Another conversation with husband, missed a few things but able to follow by using cues and filling in the gaps.
 
10:20am: Needed a third repetition to follow something.
 
10:22am: Hear a human voice and can’t follow it, turns out husband is talking to one of the cats.
 
10:23am: Cat meows but I can’t hear it, only know she meowed because I saw her mouth move.
 
10:30am: Needed another repetition.
 
10:40am: Husband is on a phone call and while I can hear his voice, I cannot understand most of his end. I talk to him afterwards and need three more repetitions.
 
10:50am: Hearing something, not sure what. I go to investigate and then needed repetition to follow the answer.
 
11:00am: Need repetition twice.
 
11:30am: Miss multiple things and need a repetition.
 
12:30pm: Hearing aids are now on, need tween to repeat.
 
12:57pm: Hear something, keep checking on kitten, ensuring she’s not getting into trouble, sound isn’t from her. No clue what it was.
 
1:40pm: Tween is chatting with friends through headset. I tried to understand but can’t, only catch a few words here and there.
 
2:20pm: Tried to listen to kid talking to friends again, still mostly not understanding.
 
6pm: Need several repetitions during dinner.
 
7:30pm: Need kid to repeat when he talked as I walked away.
 
9pm: Hearing aids are now off, can no longer hear kittens mewls. Needing husband to repeat double, and again, and again multiple times. Ears and brain may now be tired, making communication more difficult. Husband claims he should have noticed I couldn’t follow at one point and move closer/talk louder.
 
9:25pm: All communication at this point is needing at least one repetition.
 
10:14pm: Same thought as above, decide to stop marking down as conversations are coming faster and all need repetition.
 
At bed time notice tinnitus again.

​A few takeaways from this: There were some conversations in the middle of the day, when I had my hearing aids on that I did not need repetition for. There were NO conversations without my hearing aids that did not need repetition. None. When I am not wearing my hearing aids I make sure to get close to the person I’m talking to, and angle my non-deaf ear toward them. This is not something that a hearing person reciprocates.
 
So this is a normal day in my life as a hard of hearing person. I am writing this on another day when I’m not wearing my hearing aids. Tinnitus is raging, kid is talking to friends and except for being loud and annoying (I’m sound sensitive, yeah make sense of that) I can’t tell you what he’s saying, though I did catch something as I walked near.
 
These repetitions are an increase from my memories. Now, my deaf ear wasn’t always deaf, and I used to get some comprehension from there, hearing aids or not. My hard of hearing ear might be blocked with wax or going through some changes of her own, I’ll figure that out eventually (note, this is not a point to have sympathy for me, it is an is, it is my life, whether my ears stay consistent or move closer to deaf, I'm happy with them, and no, they will never become more hearing). Even if that ear is blocked in a way that can be fixed, we are not talking about chopping that list in half, we’re talking about removing a few instances, that’s it.
 
A little estimated math: I miss something 100% of the time without my hearing aids on. Sometimes that means I’m asking for repetition, other times that means I miss a word or two but can still figure out what’s being said. Verbal language is a lot of guessing and missing pieces. When I do have my hearing aids on, I’d venture that drops down to 70%. Put it all together and I’m missing something 85% of the time.
 
That’s 85% of my conversations every single day.
 
Tell me, have I earned my frustration?

I am so excited to be a part of the Salt + Stilettos blog tour! 

Sweet Home Alabama meets Top Chef when Miami’s most determined image consultant
clashes with Samoa’s most uncooperative chef in a race to rebrand him as South
Beach’s newest star.

Brett Fontaine learned early that appearance matters and not to count on anyone but yourself.
Trading her red-dirt roots for the title of Miami’s go-to image consultant, she refuses to let
anything jeopardize her new life.

Not an influential client-turned-stalker who’s up for parole.
Not post-kidnapping panic attacks.
Certainly not the stubborn, attention-phobic chef she’s challenged to transform into a celeb in
ninety days.

Will Te’o can almost taste the dream he sacrificed American Samoa, culture, and
cherished family ties for—opening a four star restaurant in the most cut-throat culinary
location in North America.

Unfortunately, that requires navigating it’s equally cut-throat social scene. When his first
public performance ends in a social media spectacle, his only option is turning to the stiletto-
wearing nemesis who’s invaded his kitchen.

Neither expected to share anything but barbs, yet somewhere between accidentally bonding
over comfort food and office-wrecking sex, they’re named South Beach’s hottest pairing.
Until Brett’s stalker engineers a reputation-shattering reveal. She may be going down, but

she’s not taking Will’s dreams with her. Now Will’s pulling out all his new skills and
cooking up a last-ditch event. He’ll prove to Brett that relying on the right person makes for
the perfect recipe—or be left heartbroken in the spotlight.

Ebook and paperback: April 21 st from City Owl Press
Good Reads | Amazon
​

Click the link to enter this amazing giveaway! -- http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/9751c04228/

About the Author:

Janet Walden-West lives in the southeast with a pack of show dogs, a couple of kids, and
a husband who didn’t read the fine print. A member of the East Tennessee Creative
Writers Alliance, she is also a founding member of The Million Words craft blog. She
pens diverse Urban Fantasy and inclusive Romantic Suspense and Contemporary
Romance.
A 2X PitchWars alum, 2019 Pitch Wars Mentor, and Golden Heart® finalist, her debut
multicultural Contemporary Romance, SALT+STILETTOS, is due out April 21st 2020
from City Owl Press. She is represented by Eva Scalzo of Speilburg Literary Agency.

Find her at:
​Twitter: @JanetWaldenWest
Website: http://www.janetwaldenwest.weebly.com
https://www.instagram.com/janetwaldenwest/
https://www.facebook.com/janetwaldenwestauthor
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/janet-walden-west
https://www.amazon.com/Janet-Walden-West/e/B07DD9FNQ5/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

This is going to be a bittersweet week for me. I’ve decided to remove my first book from publication. There are many reasons for this decision, but before I go there I want to talk a bit about what this book means to me.
 
I started it when I was 21, a recent college graduate. I had hit that pivotal moment of, “I’ve graduated. Now what?” I started writing this before I landed my first post college job, before I moved out of my parents’ house. I started because I had been writing fan fiction in college and I really enjoyed writing and wanted to try my hand at a full-fledged book. I took my favorite fan fiction piece, removed the fan part of it, and got to work.
 
I worked on that book over the next twelve years. That book was with me when I moved in with my boyfriend, changed jobs, bought a home, got married, adopted a cat, lost a cat, adopted three more cats, and had my son. That book would lay dormant for years, collect dust, then be brushed off and worked on again. That book was with me when I finally took that step from “I want to write a book” to “I’m really going to make this a reality.”
 
That book also very much represented who I was at 21, not who I was twelve years later when I finally clicked publish.
 
These characters are a part of me. I know them well, loved them for years. I had a full series planned out, a second book drafted, a third book started. But something happened along the way: I started reading more. I decided to write a new novel, a different novel, a full-fledged contemporary romance. My voice changed.
 
These first few changes become more changes. My craft grew by leaps and bounds, to the point where this first book doesn’t match my other books. And I fear if readers of my other books were to pick it up, they’d only be disappointed.
 
Therefore it is time to put this book back on the shelf. One day I could dust it off and rework it to match where my craft has grown. But I don’t have plans for it just yet.
 
I learned so much with this story, started meeting my first fellow authors, found the start of my voice. So even though I know this is the right decision for my brand and my career, I’m still sad.
 
Writing is personal but publishing is business. And the business side of me knows it’s time. Therefore at the end of this week I’ll be removing Lila’s Choice from publication. My intention is not to erase it, one really can’t in today’s day and age, but to continue moving forward. It will always have a spot of my physical shelf at home, and a place in my heart.

I can't believe that A Perfect Mistake publishes today! Back in 2013 I first sat down to write this novel, my first contemporary romance, with a social worker character based on my former career. This novel has been through it all: so many changes and revisions and rejection. There was a time where I wasn't sure if it would ever find its way to readers.

It has.

As of today people can read this forbidden romance, read these two main characters, Nica and Cam, that I've come to know so well. I've planned out their future, down to the names of their future children. Maybe one day I'll share those tidbits with you. But first, you need to read their story.

This story has heart, heat, romance, and will tug at your heart strings just a bit. Or a lot. My hero is Deaf and, fun fact, he didn't start off that way. In the first draft I only had his grandmother as Deaf, and in a revision light bulb moment, realized he should be Deaf as well. And as I fixed the manuscript I realized he was always meant to be.

Cam does lipread in the novel, so let me be perfectly clear: lipreading is very hard and largely a guessing game. Only 20% of sounds are visible on the lips, the rest comes from inside the mouth. For most of us, lipreading is not a viable option for communication. But some deaf individuals do manage to lipread with decent accuracy. It takes a lot of work, and a lot of practice, which Cam was forced into as a child. So, yes, he does lipread more than most of us, but he also struggles with it.

Excerpt:
 
Nica
 
I needed to get laid. At least, that’s what my amber cocktail made me think—correction, my third amber cocktail. If the first two hadn’t murdered my inhibition, the third managed to land the final blow.

Minus my usual filter, my eyes wandered around the room, hunting for a man to prey on. The bar was packed for a Tuesday night. Waves of chatter encompassed me, creating a low hum in my ears. But I didn’t care about the noise, not when a particular delicious specimen held me captivated, with hair the hue of rich caramel sticking out in different directions. He sat at the bar, hunched over his drink. A brunette with boobs practically spilling out of her top tried to speak to him, but he shook his head and tapped in front of his ear twice, before turning back to his drink.

She may have slinked back to her friend, but I bit my lip, taming down the grin threatening to split my face. Perfect. My fingers itched to communicate, or smooth down his messy hair.

Perhaps both.

Before I could make up my mind, his broad shoulders stiffened and he turned. My alcohol-induced bravado vanished, and I tried to wrench my gaze away. Except, I didn’t move. Not an inch. Total disconnect from cranial activity to body movement. Damn fruity drinks. A pair of brown eyes locked with mine. Crap. I knew better than to be rude and stare.

Quick, sign something, I willed my hands, anything.

About to attempt a feeble fingerspelled “Hi,” I was rendered incapacitated when he sent me a nipple-hardening, throw-out-the-vibrator kind of grin.

“Nica, what have you found?” my friend Lexie Edwards squealed, then let out a soft growl. “Yummy! Veronica, go get him.”

At the sound of my full name, I found the will to tear my eyes away from the man. I turned to Lexie, with every intention of telling her no and finding a cab home but “I need to get laid” popped out. And my inhibitions really were toast, because instead of warmth spreading over my cheeks, it spread in a decidedly lower area. Not able to look at Lexie, possibly ever again, I clunked my head down on the table.

“I’ve been telling you that for years. Does your body even know what to do anymore?” Lexie brushed my wild mass of hair off the table, probably littered with crumbs. Crumbs I could handle. Words, not so much.

I raised my head, wobbling like a bobble head. Lexie didn’t have the same problem—we’d had the same amount to drink and she didn’t appear affected at all. Her silky hair flowed to her shoulders like a hot fudge waterfall, not a strand out of place, unlike my unruly curls. It wasn’t fair, perfect hair and a tolerance for alcohol that resembled a frat brother.

“I didn’t mean to say that.”

“Yeah, you did.” Lexie glanced in the direction of Sexy Caramel Hair. “I think you should go for it.”

“You always think that.”
​
“Yeah, but this guy agrees with me.” 

Grab your copy today!
​
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

I'm so excited to share this cover with you all! A PERFECT MISTAKE, my forbidden romance/social worker romance, is a story near and dear to my heart. For over a decade I worked in social work, and while I never found myself in a situation like my main character, Nica, I enjoyed bringing a part of my former life to the page.

So, without further ado, here's the cover!
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Don't you just love it?
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Oh, wait, you want to see it? Okay...
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Falling for the forbidden has never felt so right…

When social worker Nica Anders indulges in one night of sexual passion with delicious Deaf man Cam Thompson, the last thing she expects is to see him the next day while visiting her dying client. He’s Cassie’s grandson, and caregiver, the one treat she shouldn’t have tasted. Her job is now on the line, demanding she stay away, but their attraction builds like a raging inferno and Nica can’t help but get burned.

Cam Thompson’s life is a mess. He’s losing his grandmother, the one and only person who’s supported him his whole life, and her dying wish is for him to settle down with a good woman—specifically her social worker Nica Anders. Despite his family’s interference and Nica trying to hold tight to her ethics, Cam’s about to risk further heartbreak. He’s falling hard and fast. Only his grandmother isn’t the only matchmaker in the family, and someone will stop at nothing to keep them apart.
​
Steamy, touching, heart-warming. A much-needed #OwnVoices romance to go perfectly with that plate of chocolate brownies and glass of wine!

 Coming November 12, 2019 from Lakewater Press! Add to your Goodreads TBR list and pre-order today!

Goodreads | Amazon

​Pitch Wars is a mentor program where agented/published authors, editors, or industry interns choose a mentee to help them revise their novel and bring it to the next level for three months, ending with an Agent Showcase in February, where agents can read a pitch/first page and can request to read more.

Hey Pitch Wars hopefuls, and other curious people! I’m thrilled to be back as an Adult Mentor for my fourth (!) year. There will be gifs below, so if you are not in a gif friendly environment, come back later to check me out! I’m flying solo this year, and while some of my wish list items might be the same, there will also be changes, so be sure to read on! I’ve had a soft spot for Pitch Wars since before I’ve had the honor of being a mentor, so let me say a few things first: this contest provides a wealth of information. Just by participating, by reading the mentor bios, by hanging out on the hashtag and making friends, you will learn so much. Trust me. I owe a lot of my success to participating in contests, and I’ve never been a mentee. ​

Before we get into what you really want to know (what’s on your wishlist!) let me tell you a bit about me: I write Contemporary Romance and have two NA books out with Avon, Signs of Attraction and Friend (With Benefits) Zone. I have an adult contemporary romance publishing in November with Lakewater Press, A PERFECT MISTAKE, and a rom-com coming next year with Entangled, MATZAH BALL SURPRISE. I’m represented by Lynnette Novak of The Seymour Agency. I also offer some editing services, including sensitivity reads.
 
Beyond the professional stuff, I live with my husband, son, and two cats in Massachusetts. By day I work in the family window treatment business, squeezing in my writing anywhere I can. I’m Hard of Hearing, and neuro-diverse, a big supporter of disabilities.
 
But, enough about me, you want to know what I’m looking for this year, right? You’ve probably guessed by now the main element I want: Romance! What does that mean? I want a novel that has a heavy dose of romance, complete with HEA (Happy Ever After) or HFN (Happy For Now) and all the swoony feels. Yes, there are some exceptions to that list, and I’ll get to those below. Your novel has to have an obvious romantic plot for me, so if the romance doesn’t naturally work into your query, I might not be the mentor for you.

I’m open to New Adult novels, but like you’ll see others mention, it will probably have to be aged up or aged down. I love NA, I write NA, but the market isn’t giving NA a clear home. So send your swoony NA my way, just be prepared to have a chat about how to alter things.
 
And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for (or scrolled to, it’s cool if you have, just scroll back up at the end and read more, okay?), my specific wish list:

• Diversity. Whatever that means to you: race, sexuality, gender, religion, disability, etc. I especially would love some own voices as I’m super sensitive to authentic portrayals. Note that I’m white/cis/straight, so I’m counting on you to bring a respectful and accurate diverse element across. Also note that I want diversity to be an is, part of the make up of the character not a plot point (own voice issue books the exception). If a disabled character is “cured,” I’m not your mentor.
• RomComs! I love me some humor and in today’s day and age, we need a good laugh. I’m not a big of fan of uncomfortable humor, though. Make me laugh and fall for your characters!​
• I’m a sucker for a second chance romance, or friends to lovers. Show me either of these and you’ll have my attention. Secret babies (or babies/kids/pregnancy) also strike a chord, but must stand out from the crowd.
• I recently finished Just One Night by Lauren Layne and Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey and I'm totally down for a best friend's older brother (or sister)!
• I dig unrequited love finally getting its chance (note, see above, both those books have this trope as well).
• I’m also a big fan of the underdog.​

• I love me some alphas, as long as they are nice guys underneath all the roughness, but I also love some beta and gamma heroes! Show me your sweet good guys who get the girl (or guy)!
• I like a story with meat to the plot, that is more than the romance. A story that knows the rules and breaks them just enough to be unique.​
• One of my favorite parts to a story (or movie or television series) is the interpersonal relationships. I love to see those relationships grow and change over the course of a novel.
• I like characters who are real. Sure, we all love the tattooed bad boy, but the hot guy who reads a book at the coffee shop is just as hero worthy!​
• Got a Women’s Fiction novel with a strong romantic component? Send it my way! But this is where it needs to be a strong enough part of the central plot that the romance is clear in the query.
• While I tend to fall in love with a little of everything, I’m a best match for contemporary stories.
• That said, I’m game for some light fantasy, thanks to an overwhelming obsession with Once Upon A Time (I’ve been watching this on loop since I started, but not season 7). Got some fairy tale lore or True Love, gimme! Just keep in mind that another mentor is your best bet for full on fantasy novels.​
• A few other sub genres I’m open to: Romantic Suspense and some Paranormal.
• I want amazing chemistry between the two main characters. That can be off the charts or a slow burn.
• In regards to chemistry…I prefer my sex on page, please. You may be able to tease me with no sex but good build up, however full on BDSM makes me blush far too much!
• Ultimately, it’s voice that will seal the deal for me. And That’s not something I can explain beyond: I’ll know it when I see it. 

There are certain tropes and themes that I tend to shy away from as a reader. This by no means they are on my no list, I've read plenty of books with these areas and loved them, but it does mean that it needs to have other elements from my list in order to be a good match. With that said, I might not the best match for sports or horse related stories. 
​

Things I am not a good match for:

• Historical
• Science Fiction
• Heavy Fantasy
• Non HEA or HFN, I need my happy endings!
• Spiritual
• Abuse/Rape. If you have a character with a past of sexual assault, or recovering, I’m open to this. But I don’t want it on the page.

So why should you choose me? I will praise you as much, if not more, than I will point out areas to fix. I’m a firm believer of the compliment sandwich. I’m a plot hunter. I love nothing more than to find plot issues and point them out. Developmental edits are kinda my jam. And I will go back and forth happily over issues until they shine! I love seeing how things can be made better and stronger. I’m a revision nut. Some of my best work has come from revisions and I’m not afraid to rip things apart and put them back together. I have a soft spot for kick-ass romance black moments. I may have also developed a fondness for torturing characters.

I communicate mostly via email or messaging due to my hearing loss. However, I’m happy to work with what form is best for you!
 
Some of my favorite stuff, to help give you an idea of what I like. I love to watch romantic comedies (While You Were Sleeping, Stardust, Penelope, Sweet Home Alabama) and a romantic plot or subplot has addicted me to more than one television series (Frasier, How I Met Your Mother, Coupling (British version, American doesn’t exist), Once Upon A Time).
 
My favorite author list ranges from those I’ve followed for a long time, to those I’ve recently discovered and can’t get enough of: Jennifer Crusie, Jill Shalvis, Nora Roberts, Tracey Livesay, Naima Simone, Alishia Rai, Alyssa Cole. I’m currently devouring the Stiletto and Oxford series by Lauren Layne, around other books on my way too long TBR list!

I'm always happy to chat or answer questions if I can! You can post a comment below, find me on twitter, or check me out at my AMA on the Pitch Wars Pro Boards. Happy mentor hunting! And be sure to check below for other mentor wishlists! You can also find the main Pitch Wars blog post here.

If you follow me on social media, you’ll notice I’ve started to do an #ASLSignOfTheDay, and have been surprised by the amount of interest it has received! A big thanks to everyone who is supporting me, and coming back to learn more and more signs.
 
But, in light of all of that, especially since I speak in the videos, I want to make a few things clear: ASL (American Sign Language) is its own language, with a different grammatical structure. It is not a word for word translation of English. It's not an universal sign language, different countries have their own. You can learn vocabulary by watching my videos, but not how to use it correctly.
 
The best way to learn ASL is with a Deaf teacher! Because job discrimination is so high for those of us with hearing loss, it’s highly frowned upon for a hearing person to take that job, especially as a non-native signer (I’m Hard of Hearing and didn't start learning ASL until I was 18). If you want to learn, I suggest checking to see if there are any classes with Deaf teachers near you. I know from experience that hearing teachers don’t always teach the language correctly, and some people that I know who’ve taken those classes come out with some funky looking signs. We can spot you.
 
ASL has regional varieties! So note that I’m from New England, some of my signs will differ from those on the west coast, or in the south.
 
There are some signs I probably won’t be able to show in my videos, as ASL has this amazing thing called classifiers. Simply put, classifiers are ways of expressing thoughts in a 3D space. My fellow authors will understand this as the difference between show and tell. With a classifier I can show that something is just a little bit away, or a very long way away, all by using the same sign, just differing how it’s performed.
 
ASL uses a dominant hand. No, you don’t need to all make it your right. If you happen to be left handed, go ahead and use your left hand. Just be consistent. A common newbie mistake is to switch back and forth. I did it at first, but I’m also slightly ambidextrous, so I took some time to figure out which hand I wanted to be my dominant.
 
ASL involves facial expressions! You won’t catch it in many of my videos, as I’m showing a word not a sentence, but eyebrows and mouth positions can be part of the grammar.
 
Two handed signs can be done one handed! In the real world sometimes a person has an injury, or a disability, or happens to be holding something. In those cases the signs can be performed one handed, or use an arm or a nearby object as a prop. It’s pretty cool.

Because of the different grammatical structure, there are some English words that are not found in ASL (the is a prime example), and others are used in different context. Another cool thing? While ASL does have some gendered signs, it doesn't have pronouns like he or she. We essentially use they.

A few resources beyond my daily videos to help out those that want to learn:

​Dictionaries: Handspeak, Signing Savvy, Sign ASL.

Try this link for some app suggestions! Or this link!

​I also love Sign with Robert on giphy!

Questions? Ask below and I'll do my best to answer!

​Publishing is an amazing world, full of luck, opportunity, and so much talent. Authors, agents, and editors share quite a bit about the process, and aspiring folks learn a lot through those facts. But publishing also has a lot of secrets, a lot items we don’t talk about.
 
Going through more than one agent is one of those topics.
 
In my newbie days, before I landed my first agent, I thought of the agent/author relationship as a magical and special unicorn that would last a real long time. And for some, they do. But once I “crossed over” so to speak, and got to interact with agented and published authors, I learned a very common fact somehow missed my attention: most authors have multiple agents over the course of their career.
 
The reasons are vast, but the ultimate bottom line is this: writing is a business. An agent/author relationship is a business one, and anyone who’s held a job knows that there are many reasons why they might leave that job: unhappy working conditions, better opportunities, business closes down, etc, etc.
 
I was thinking of all this as I landed my second agent, and thought about the fun blog post I had made when I landed my first, full of fresh eyed innocence and GIFS and excitement for the future. And I knew I could write a post again, my split with my first agent was amicable and I have nothing negative to write. And yet, I hesitated.
 
This is an area we don’t talk much about. We don’t talk about all the reasons why an author leaves an agent, or an agent drops an author. And I realized I wanted to collect some data, confidentially, so that the results wouldn’t link back to any author or agent.
 
So that is what I did. I collected data from 27 authors who have had more than one agent (or at least left their first agent). I don’t know who filled out the questionnaire, I can’t match up any responses. The goal being to create a safe space to share some details that previously might not be shared.
 
Below are the results:

Why did you split with your first (or any previous) agent(s)?
 
Four responders mentioned their agent quit the business, one had two agents quit, another had an agent retire. The rest are below:
 

• Lack of communication.
• They dropped me because we didn't have similar visions.
• Lack of communication, lack of urgency.
• Not selling my book or anyone else's book, lying about who they were under a fake name.
• After my first book didn't sell, I felt like I fell to the bottom of her client list. She reps (and sells) A LOT of middle grade and YA, and I think clients compete for editor space. She was not editorial (even though she said she was), and I felt that subbing to less than ten editors/year on a project was too slow a process. She also did not communicate well/about what was going on unless I asked (after the first book didn't sell).
• She was awful...but officially, I started writing things that weren’t a good match for her.
• We did not see eye to eye on several issues, including transparency. Ultimately she sided with the publisher over me instead of having my back.
• They appeared to have lost interest in me, didn't have time for me, kept changing their mind on my projects.
• First agent initiated parting after 1 year. I initiated parting with my second agent.
• After multiple revisions, being on sub for almost 3 years, and not "falling in love" with any new manuscripts I sent, my agent and I decided to amicably part ways. At that point I still had my manuscript out with a publisher who had it for 8 months. I got the email it was going to acquisitions a couple of days after we parted, and the offer for my debut came a few weeks after that.
• First agent dropped me. Second agent was unresponsive and didn’t seem passionate about my work anymore, plus I did not have faith in their ability to sell my MSs.
• She wasn't clicking with any of my new ideas and didn't feel she could support them.
• Creative differences. Bad communication on her end, lack of career support.
• It's a complicated answer, but much of it comes down to communication, including always feeling worse after interacting with her.
• Miscommunication on my agent's part when I decided to self-publish some of my books.
• I parted ways with my first agent mainly because of communication and trust issues, and also because she wasn't as excited about my second book as she'd been about my first. My second agent, who I loved, left for a position that didn't allow her to take on her own clients.
• First one wasn’t editorial enough when I needed it. Second one only wanted to rep me for one of my 17 novels.
• She didn’t like my writing after the book she signed me for.
• I didn't have enough confidence in my first agent. She was brand new and we were on sub over a year with two different mss. I parted ways and did some indie publishing before querying for my next agent that I have now.
• My novel didn't sell and communication broke down after that. The agent didn't seem interested in any other projects I was working on and was unwilling to develop anything else.
• First agent quit the business. Second agent lost interest in me when she couldn't sell my book quickly, wasn't as editorial as she promised, and didn't do the best job pitching my work.

 
I also asked if there was a specific event that triggered the separation. A few indicated there were, but weren’t comfortable in sharing. The rest are below:
 

• 3 months of not answering an email.
• I emailed her to state my concern about suggested edits.
• With my second agent, I didn't feel like the agent was directing or fully supporting my career. She put out a book on sub that she didn't read. Then, when I received an R&R she wasn't in a position to help brainstorm those revisions and simply told me to send her the revision when it was ready to re-submit.
• A lot of events overall - one avoided me and wouldn't sell my book and the other tried to cajol their authors into going on a pitch cruise where their agented authors would have to pay to attend which would in turn pay for the editors to attend and would in fact be paying to pitch rather than you know just submitting us directly.
• I had written Book 3, and after being a year on sub with book 1 and a year on sub with book 2 and seeing less than 10 editors for each, I didn't want book 3 to be with her. I wanted someone more editorial and with less of a client list so I wouldn't have to compete for editor space.
• I wrote two books she didn’t want to represent, so we parted ways.
• Yes, we had a falling out over a minor dispute with the publisher, which she saw as a threat to her ability to sell the publisher other clients' books.
• Yes. I worked on revisions for an MS for over a year at their direction, after which they decided they no longer were interested in it.
• (pregnancy 😉)
• First agent literally went from exclaiming over an ms and it being ready to sub after one more editorial pass to a week later saying she didn't love my voice anymore (suspiciously around the time my first book debuted and didn't do great in sales). With second agent, she couldn't sell anything and she never communicated. Never told me I was on sub or forwarded editor responses. Took weeks to respond to emails if at all. We started setting up monthly phone calls, but I still had to remind her via email, which she didn't respond to. At one point, we had a scheduled call and she didn't call back until 4 hours later without even an email update. My final straw was expecting an ms final pass from her only for her to say she'd already subbed it without ever discussing it with me or discussing editors (she never discussed editors or told me names).
• I think the main event was that she didn't love any of my new manuscripts and the debut took so long to sell. That meant I didn't have an agent in my corner as I got ready to celebrate my release. It felt awkward, to say the least! The only reason she didn't shelve my book was because I came up with a new list of editors that I said I'd sub on my own to. But I think even if it had sold sooner, we would have parted ways because she didn't love my other stuff and she started repping more YA and adult instead of MG.
• No specific event but a pattern.
• Third rejected idea with some strong feelings associated.
• I worked on a proposal for six months. I was extremely proud of the work. She read it in two days, accused me of writing niche, dumped on the award-winning authors of my comp titles (saying they had day jobs so they were not successes in her eyes), and when I asked for constructive feedback on what to keep/toss, she refused to tell me or give me any direction as to what I should work on next.
• It had been building for a long time.
• I had told my agent I planned to pull a book from sub if it didn't sell by X date. When that time was reached and I asked her to pull it, she pulled a 180 and told me it was unprofessional and we'd part ways if I pulled it, even though I told her several months prior of my plans. Her reply was that she didn't think I was serious at the time. She then apologized, but the damage was done. I had also been thinking for a while that she wasn't the best agent for me, so I didn't fight to save the relationship.
• For my first agent, she sub-tweeted me, and that was sort of the straw that broke the camel's back for me. My second agent got a new job and that was what forced us to part ways.
• First one was after 3 years and 4 books died on sub. Second one had lead me to believe she would rep everything and I left her when the truth came out.
• An editor was interested in me enough to ask for a proposal/pitch. I showed my first agent two WIPs, two completed MS, and four additional concepts/pitches and she wouldn’t send any of it.
• Not a specific incident, but I never felt 100% confident in her, and looking back, I can see the ms she signed me with needed work that she didn't yet have the skill level to identify and help me level up.
• It was a gradual loss of contact. Responses would take longer and longer. Often I would have to nudge 2-3 times over the course of 3 months just to get feedback on a first chapter.
• When she suggested I pay for a professional editor when one of the reasons I signed with her is because she claimed to be very editorial (but meanwhile, had interns/assistants provide more of the editorial feedback).

 
How long did it take to land your next agent?
 

• About a week

• 6 months

• 1 month

• Between Agent 1 and 2 it took 2 months. Between agent 2 and 3 it took less than a month

• A week

• Another agent in the agency took me on, so right away

• 9 months

• Six-ish months

• Less than two months

• Haven't yet

• 3 months

• 3 months for second agent; 3 weeks for third agent

• Nine months

• 14 months

• A year and a half

• 7 months

• More than a year, but I wasn't actively looking/querying

• A few weeks. (But it had taken me years to get the first one)

• 6 months

• About a year to land my second agent, a few weeks to land my third

• 6 months between 1 and 2, about a year for the 3rd

• Two years.

• Four months

• I didn't query again for 5 years, but when I did start again it took 4 months

• No time. The president of the agency took me on for a year, then passed me on to my current agent

• A year

• A little over a year

 
Did you find querying to be harder or easier the second (or third, etc) time around?
 

• Easier.
• Much easier!
• Querying was fast the first time. Just as fast the second time, but I'm now looking for my third agent. It's been 5 months and no luck.
• Cold querying felt the same pretty much every time. However, once I was more established, I relied heavily on referrals from writer friends and that greatly helped.
• So much easier and faster.
• Harder. Agents took much longer to respond, and even though I got full requests, passes didn't have any useful info as to why.
• Both: I knew what to expect, but I put more pressure on myself.
• It was easier, with a huge caveat: My editor offered for my next books in the series, so I only queried a handful of agents with an offer on the table.
• Easier.
• Easier. I knew the ropes. I knew exactly what I wanted and what I didn't. I was a lot more relaxed about it.
• Still hard. Didn't matter that I had a book already under contract. I was lucky enough to find an agent who was looking for something similar to my second book and had mentioned it on MSWL.
• The same.
• Easier in some ways, I had credentials to my name and the interest I received showed that counted. But my genre is also in a down swing, making it harder.
• Harder on stamina, easier in terms of expectations and less agents queried.
• I didn't query the second time. My current agent reached out to me after reading some of my work. Total kismet!
• It was a bit harder in some ways, but I was also pickier.
• The second time was equally hard to the first, though at least I was more knowledgeable about what I wanted and how to craft a query. The third time was far easier, in part because I already had a pending offer from a publisher.
• The process was easier as I had more experience but I found it harder emotionally.
• About the same.
• Easier.
• Much easier because I had experience with expectations.
• It was harder. I had to query 2 books in that time. Shelving that first one was very difficult.
• Easier at first (more referrals, agents who had previously expressed interest) then harder when the quick requests turned into rejections.

 
Any negative experiences, or warnings, you'd like to share?
 

• Not really negative but I had a much better idea of what I wanted the second time around.
• Check absolutewrite.com and query tracker to see if people post warnings about an agent before you accept an offer. Also, talk to their clients, both ones who have sold and haven't sold a book.
• Really know who you want to sub to. Research agents!!
• If you have doubts about an agent, those doubts are most likely justified and shouldn't be ignored.
• Trust your gut, speak up for yourself, ask questions always.
• It was easier to transfer within the agency, but I wish I'd asked for a week or two to query. It's tough to feel like my agent doesn't really want me.
• I would be careful of the Big Name/Dream Agent. My first agent was and is a lot of people's Dream Agent. I think if she sells your first book, you'll be fine, but if not . . . I knew of three other people who left her before I did, which made it much easier to make the decision. I would say that, if you're in a relationship and having issues, reach out to other clients to see what's going on. I doubt you're the only one facing issues. Once you know it's not "just me," you'll have the knowledge and confidence to leave and/or approach your agent with your issues.
• If an agent makes you uncomfortable or is mean, leave them. A bad agent is much much worse than no agent.
• Only go after agents whom you really want to work with, who have happy, long-term clients, a proven sales history, with a reputable agency. Talk to their clients, find out about communication and subbing process. Make sure they are in it for the long haul, not just this book. If red flags come up after signing, don't feel like you're bothering them. Be professional, but call them out. This a partnership, authors don't work for agents. If you don't feel like they're pulling their weight or holding things from you or neglecting you, talk it out and if it doesn't change, don't be afraid to walk out. No agent is better than a bad one. With these first bad agents, I was doing so much work that they should've been doing.
• I won't lie, it's not easy being dumped by your agent just when you're about to give up on the manuscript you'd worked on for years. It makes you feel like you will never land another agent, especially when my agent didn't like my other stuff. There's no easy way to get through it but to get back out there, keep revising, keep querying.
• If you’re querying and an agent takes months to read your full, don’t assume it’s because they’re prioritizing clients. My old agent loved to say their slow response time to queries was because they prioritize clients, yet they took months to read client stuff too and weeks to reply to emails. After that experience I take it as a flag when agents take more than four months to read a full.
• You need to feel like you can talk to and approach your agent. They are your equal, working with you, and if there is a power play situation it's not a good sign.
• If an agent gives you only two days to accept her offer of representation, that is not the industry standard, and almost certainly a red flag. During a call with a prospective agent, don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions. An agent is your partner, an equal, and an advocate; you should feel comfortable talking to them. If you don't, that says a lot about the relationship you have or would have.
• Always talk to clients apart from the ones the agent refers you to, and always talk to a client whose book hasn't sold yet.
• Talk to as many of the agent's clients as possible before signing
• A bad, or just wrong-for-you, agent is worse than no agent. They can stall your career, leave you with a mess of a contract that you'll be stuck with for the life of your book, or worse. Don't stay with an agent out of desperation or fear. Also keep in mind that even if an agent is a rock star and does great work for other authors, that doesn't necessarily mean they'll be the best agent for YOU.
• I’d always make sure you and the agent are in the same page before you sign. Discuss communication habits, what you can expect editorially and how the sub process will work.
• Agents can seem very competent at first and then start ghosting you.
• Be careful of newer agents. Make sure they are part of an established agency with a good rep and have mentors on staff to help guide them because they don't have enough experience to be going it alone, which means the writer is disserviced.
• Being inherited by an agent is an odd situation. They didn't pick you from the slush, and you didn't pick them to query, so you have to feel each other out in a way that can be awkward. Hopefully it clicks.
• Be prepared for people to stop talking to you if you don't land a new agent right away.
• Even if the agent is seasoned and has a good reputation, even if you speak to happy clients, you may not have the best experience with a reputable agent.

 
Any positive experiences to share?
 

• I talked to several other authors before sending a single query the second time, and everyone was very open to sharing their experiences with their agents. Made it much easier to choose who to query!
• Joining Pitch Wars and other online pitch contests taught me a lot and helped me find authors going through similar experiences.
• Agents tend to really take care with their feedback and passes when you're open about your work and what you want your career to look like. This is amazing!
• I am very happy I took the plunge to leave an agent who wasn't the best fit for me, rather than wait months and years to pull that trigger. It's been a much more positive experience with an agent who shares my vision and passion for my work.
• My current is worth all the trouble.
• I do think having been agented is a plus with most agents. They know your work was good enough for someone before, and they know you'll know the ropes. I feel that I got more requests because of it, but who knows?
• A good agent’s support makes the job of writing easier, on the whole.
• My new agent is a much better fit for me in both communication style, personality, and mutual respect. Very happy that I switched!
• My third agent is like a ninja-angel. She's everything an agent should be: fast, responsive, intuitive, team-player, keeps me in the loop without me even having to ask most of the time, updates me with subs and edits and even if she's going to be out of office. She doesn't push her editorial views on me, is perfectly fine when I write 3 books a year or sub 3 books a year or don't have anything for an entire year. She goes to bat for me if I don't feel comfortable with an aspect in contracts or edits or negotiations. She ALWAYS tells me about subs, passes, discusses potential editors, has time to listen to my many emails about various things. And she's super quick with turn-arounds. She also gets me and my books and loves them, but will also be honest if she doesn't like something or thinks something is an issue.
• My second agent seems more supportive and responds much more quickly than my first, so hopefully it has all worked out for the best.
• Be picky - you’ll find the right agent! Don’t settle! My current agent is wonderful!
• I consider my split from my first agent amicable, and I learned so much from her, as well as met so many people. Even though I was sad to see the relationship end, it was also a good experience overall.
• My current agent is insightful and enthusiastic about my work, and always open to discussing any questions I have, and helping focus my efforts on the projects most likely to succeed. It is night and day from my first agent.
• There was absolutely no negative feedback from agents when I re-queried about having parted ways with the first agent.
• As careers change, needs change. An agent who is great for you at one stage is not necessarily your best advocate later. I'm in a much better place with my current agent, so it all worked out for the better.
• There's nothing like a good partnership with the right agent! It's an open, honest, communicative relationship, and they can seriously do your career (and your mental health) so much good. My second and third agents, both of whom have been fantastic, have talked me down off so many metaphorical cliffs, protected me from shady publishers, aggressively negotiated on my behalf, and helped me spot opportunities I wouldn't have found on my own.
• The whole process has made me stronger and I’ve learned so much about the industry.
• Having a query support group the second time around was highly beneficial in that you could see how common rejections were. Knowing what to listen for when getting that agent call the second time around is also a huge perk in having already been in the query/sub trenches.
• Pitch parties like PITMAD really helped me stay in the community and create buzz about my work.
• Strongly consider doing an R&R, because it may make your book a lot better

 
Anything else you'd like to add?
 

• No matter how successful you were with other agents, how quick the turnaround is, how much experience and book deals you have, finding an agent will still vary. Finding your match takes time. Sometimes it's fast, sometimes slow. It has nothing to do with your talent. Be patient, keep writing.
• Don't give up EVER.
• I would caution that no agent is perfect. I have some issues with my current agent, but she filled the need of being editorial, having a sub strategy, and being a good communicator. Sometimes her edit notes are cuckoo for cocoa puffs, and I wish she was more enthusiastic about my work (If she wasn't my agent, I'd have no idea she liked my work), but don't over obsess. This is a business relationship, and if your agent is doing her job, then you don't need to be best friends, etc.
• Be careful out there. Publishing can be cut throat and deceptive. But also know your worth. Don't be afraid to speak up or move on. Always do research. Always.
• As a midlist author, I'm constantly on edge that my second agent won't love my next manuscript enough to invest the time and effort it takes to send something out on sub. But I realize this is all part of the business and unless you're a bestseller, it's hard to feel secure. There's no guarantee the next book will sell no matter how hard you work. Navigating the publishing industry including agents can be daunting, and staying positive is always a challenge. You just have to focus on the important stuff, the joy you find from writing and the need to express yourself that propels you forward in a climate of uncertainty.
• Don’t give up!
• It's just such a normal thing, to have multiple agents. So don't feel like you've failed or done something wrong or have a black mark against you. You deserve a partner who has your back in this business.
• You should be able to trust your agent, and they should be reasonably communicative. If something feels off, have an honest conversation, and if you can, privately ask other agented authors for their advice too--they can help you understand what's normal and what's fishy. And remember! Parting ways with an agent doesn't make you damaged goods or any less likely to get another agent that's a better fit for you, and it's really not that uncommon at all. Keep the parting amicable if at all possible, and don't leave on a whim, but if you need to go, go.
• Good luck to all!
• I think it's important for writers to get feedback from agents' clients who have actually had their book sold before signing, otherwise it's the blind leading the blind.
• Don't just go after the star agents. Consider more junior agents at established agencies, who will be actively looking for clients and be able to give you more bandwidth while still getting support from more seasoned professions. Cast a wide net. If you believe in your book, don't give up after 50 rejections, or even 100. Consider agencies outside of your native country, even.

I want to thank all the authors who participated. To anyone out there who is finding themselves between agents, or unsure if their current match is the right one, I hope this helps give you some hope and guidance. This is all a normal part of the business.

As for me, I happily have my second agent and I'm excited to see where our relationship goes. My journey in between was on the longer side of those surveyed above, which is daunting and full of stress. But I knew more about what matched me as an author and what I needed and that helped me search for the right potential matches. And it was just as GIF worthy when the offer came around!

Ultimately, we each never know what the future will hold, but we all deserve to have a good agent/author relationship.
 

Over the holiday break I found myself at my local Barnes and Noble with money to spend. I happily made my way to the romance section, eager to pick up a book or two on my list.
 
I walked out with nothing. I first looked up an author whose series I’d been following. I found only one of her books, and I already owned that one. The little romance corner consisted mostly of a few very popular authors, and very little diversity.
 
I paused to wonder why and the answer came to me immediately: eBooks. Many romance readers predominately buy ebooks, so the buying trends change the dynamics, which leads to me finding a diminished selection.
 
It’s more than just romance. I headed over to the fiction area and still couldn’t easily find my diverse authors. Young Adult was fortunately different, and I was thrilled to see a “recommended by Angie Thomas” display featuring other authors of color. While my local store might be failing the adults on diversity, it did a better job on the young adults.
 
Still, I would have liked to see a better selection. Heck, a day later I was at a movies/music/books store that had new and second hand options and not only found a few of my diverse friends, but I also found two books, at a great deal, to purchase.
 
Whether this is a shifting of trends or not, it would be great to see more diverse romances given shelf space. Let readers find us! Sure, we all want to check out the latest from A list author, but we also need new voices to read. The same old same old left me walking out empty handed, knowing I could go to my TBR list and order a bunch of ebooks.
 
Perhaps we’ll see more change soon. Perhaps this is just the start of limited options with the digital phase of publishing growing stronger. Especially in romance.
 
I still dream of finding my books on the shelves, and my friends books on the shelves. I love a good paperback. But I, too, predominately buy digital. It’s easier on storage and my budget. I find perks to both methods of reading. Doesn’t change the desire to see many diverse titles in the fresh new book smelling store.

In 2018 I stopped giving myself reading goals, with a few small exceptions, because it created added stress that I didn’t need. Add to that a great deal of the books I read are unpublished, and therefore harder to count and track on a place like Goodreads, and it made more sense to simply keep track on my own.

So what did I make a goal out of? Not number of books or pages or anything like that. My goal was to have half the books I read be diverse stories. Ultimately I prefer diverse stories written by diverse authors, but that’s not always something easily visible. For my own notes I mark down when I know it to be ownvoices, beyond that I simply enjoy.

Why only half? The answer is simple: I already follow a lot of non-diverse authors and have those books in my collection, waiting to be read. I am also building my list of diverse authors to read and follow, because unless one is actively seeking out diverse voices, it’s too easy to overlook them.

So how did I do with that goal? Out of 29 books I read 15 diverse novels. Not bad. And out of those 15 I suspect 12 are ownvoices, or at least a diverse author writing diverse characters. I think it’s important to read when the ownvoice status is known, to help identify potential bad rep when it’s not. No one wants bad rep out there!

Now, 29 books is on the small side, I know. I did also read 6 full length books from my critique partners, beta reads, and contest submissions, along with who knows how many chapters and pages. The 29 is low for one simple reason: my mental health. It’s no secret I’ve been struggling with this, to the point where I’m pretty darn proud of those 29. For me, the hardest part of a book is the beginning. I need something to really grab me and pull me in. There are two I did not finish on my list, but the other 27 I enjoyed quite thoroughly, and those special words were a great help in lifting me out of my funk.

I’m not going to list all of the books I read, but I will mention my favorites, let me see how long this list becomes:

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
Hard Pursuit by Sheryl Nantus
Reality Wedding by Laura Heffernan
Toxic Desire and Captive Desire by Robin Lovett
A Lady’s Honor by A.S. Fenichel
Stepbrother Dearest by Penelope Ward
Forbidden Hearts Series by Alisha Rai
Only For A Night and Only For Your Touch by Naima Simone
Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
R is for Rebel by Megan Mulry
Acting on Impulse and Pretending He’s Mine by Mia Sosa
A Princess in Theory and a Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole
Scoring the Player’s Baby and Scoring Off the Field by Naima Simone
West Coast Love by Tif Marcelo
Accidentally on Purpose by Jill Shalvis

That “short” list of favorites turned out to be 22 out of those 29 books read, and 27 finished. I’m not able to pick just one favorite, don’t make me! Quite a few of those authors are ones I’ve read before and keep going back for more of their lovely words. And, writer bonus, I know a few of them! It’s a special writerly honor to know people with such talent, and extra special when gobbling up their words.

In case it’s not obvious, I highly recommend those authors and books above. Many of them are diverse, so check them out!

For 2019 I only have two small goals: continue ensuring diverse authors are in my list, and maybe read 30+ if I’m able. That’s it. Life comes with enough stressors, reading should not be one of them. Heck, I actually let go of the diverse goal at one point this year, but since I make a point of out searching for these voices, I still got them in without trying.

I hope your own 2018 read list contains many wonderful treasures in them. And may 2019 bring more!