A Well-Read Tart

A Food and Book Lover’s Blog

How to Shelve a Manuscript: The Saga of Novel #3

The good I wrote my third novel.  The bad Instead of querying this manuscript to literary agents, I'm going to shelve it.  In case you're unsure: THIS WAS NOT THE PLAN.  Prepare yourselves, Tartlets, because this is, indeed, the Saga of Novel #3. A lament, if you will. Because in shelving a manuscript, I've lost a lot.    Let's back up It's been almost a full year since my last writer life update. Soon after I posted that, I started...

When Should I Stop Querying My Manuscript?

Among all the questions plaguing aspiring authors, one of the most depressing has to be "When should I stop querying my manuscript?" Unfortunately, I think I've found an answer. It's been awhile since I've posted a writer life update. While there's been a lot going on behind the scenes, I've kept quiet since my last post because I was hoping that, by now, I'd have some good news to share with you. You may remember that in early 2020, I revamped...

Back in the Saddle Again: Querying Literary Agents, Round 2, and Writing Novel #2

All I can think of is that scene in Sleepless in Seattle: Tom Hanks summons up all his manly courage to call a woman and ask her out on what'll be his first date in quite awhile, as the old-timey song "Back in the Saddle Again" plays jauntily in the background. Because, that's about to be me. I'm getting back in the saddle again, continuing my quest to find my perfect literary match. Yep, that's right! I'm going back for Round 2 of querying...

Writer Life Update: Query Letters and “Showing vs Telling”

So, YEAH. My writer life has taken a little bit of an unexpected turn. I had originally planned to use January to write the rest of my second novel, which I started working on in the fall. I'd been making steady progress on it, but once the holiday season hit, there was just no time for writing. Since I was "taking off" from the blog in January, I figured I'd devote the month to writing the rest of my foodie fiction/rom-com story. But, that's...