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The Steve Laube Agency

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The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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An Atypical Time in an Agent’s Life

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 6, 2014
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I have enjoyed reading various “typical day” posts lately on other blogs, so I thought instead of sharing a typical day, I’d share an atypical month:

Sad News for Us

My father-in-law, a Baptist minister, passed away at age 89 after two strokes. While our family is sad to lose him, his funeral was a celebration of his life. 

Snow, Snow Everywhere!

I realize snowfall in Virginia is laughable in comparison to other places, but the number and intensity of our storms has been atypical this winter. We drove to Connecticut in between storms, only to be greeted by a storm when we arrived. Instead of visiting my mother-in-law on our first full day in town, we had to hole up in the hotel room.

And Speaking of Hotel Rooms…

Because of a variety of circumstances, my father-in-law’s funeral in one state and internment in another state required that my husband and I be on travel for eight days. So we stayed eight days at the Hampton Inn. 

Contracts Abound!

All the while, I kept getting messages that contracts were pending, on their way, or attached to emails arriving on my smart phone. Thankfully, this is the one aspect of this time period that is not atypical. My 88-year-old mother-in-law asked if all the ringing notifications got on my nerves. “Oh, no!” I assured her. She also said, “You are always on the phone.” I forget that not everyone is as plugged in as I am.

Are You in a Cult?

The nice lady who prepared our free breakfast every morning (Yay, Hampton Inn!) asked us why we were there and we said we were there for a funeral. And we were there. And we were there. And we were still there. On our last day, I asked her if she wondered if we were part of a weird religion where burial requires eight days. She laughed, but I still wonder if anyone there did a Google search on weird religions.

Florida Christian Writers Conference

No time to settle in before leaving for the Florida Christian Writer’s Conference! http://www.floridacwc.net/

This conference is headed up by the lovely Eva Marie Everson and the awesome Mark Hancock. Of course, Hancocks are always awesome. Everyone was wonderful and understanding about my late arrival. By the way, this is a very good, informative, and enjoyable conference. This year, several key note addresses were given by our agency’s own Ellie Kay! (www.elliekay.com) Do consider attending next year.

And finally, Snow!

Today is Monday and in honor of my arrival home, more snow! So a-shoveling I will go.

And there you have it: an atypical time in the life of an agent.

Your Turn:

What has been the most atypical time in your life?

Leave a Comment
Category: Agency, Personal, TamelaTag: Agency, Agents

The Pessimist’s Guide to Things That Will Never Work

By Dan Balowon March 4, 2014
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This is the first in a three-part series on attitudes toward work, specifically for people in publishing.

Today, I am writing about pessimism.  If there were a book glorifying its virtues, it would be the title above.  It would be a thousand pages long with an updated and expanded edition published annually.

Full disclosure…I became a baseball fan of the Chicago Cubs in 1966, a year when …

Read moreThe Pessimist’s Guide to Things That Will Never Work
Category: Career, Dan, The Publishing LifeTag: Career

Did You Feel the Tremor in the Industry Last Week?

By Steve Laubeon March 3, 2014
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by Steve Laube

I know what it is like to feel the earth move under my feet having experienced the '64 Alaska earthquake firsthand. (The above picture is from the neighborhood where we lived called Turnagain Arm.) Therefore I know the difference between a 9.2 Richter scale quake and a tremor that registers near 2.0 on the scale.

Last Thursday Amazon announced they were reducing the royalty …

Read moreDid You Feel the Tremor in the Industry Last Week?
Category: Book Business, E-Books, Get Published, Steve, The Publishing LifeTag: Book Business, E-Books, publishing

Fun Fridays – February 28, 2014

By Steve Laubeon February 28, 2014
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"Thunderstruck" by 2Cellos.

Re-imagine something and turn it into something of your own. Great artists and Great writers do this every day.
Who knew AC/DC could ever sound like this?

Read moreFun Fridays – February 28, 2014
Category: Fun Fridays, Steve

How Much Back Story?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 27, 2014
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Sometimes in my review of a novel, I find that the story doesn't pick up soon enough. I'm not sure what I'll be reading about and my interest may lag, though I can still eye great writing.

"But I wanted my readers to know about my characters," the author may protest.

Understandable, indeed.

However, I believe it's important to lay out the basic conflicts for the reader early on so she'll …

Read moreHow Much Back Story?
Category: Craft, Editing, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: Back Story, Craft, Writing Craft

What Will You Give Up for Lent?

By Karen Ballon February 26, 2014
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Believe it or not, Easter is just around the corner. Which means something else is almost upon us:

Lent.

I love the idea of a 40-day preparation for Easter, of refocusing our hearts and minds to spend more time in prayer and contemplation of what Christ has done for us. And I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of “giving up” something for those 40 days. Even more intriguing—and sometimes …

Read moreWhat Will You Give Up for Lent?
Category: Career, Christian, Faith, Karen, Personal, TheologyTag: Career, Faith, lent

Basketball and Writing

By Dan Balowon February 25, 2014
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Next week is March and that means basketball “March Madness” around the country.  From high school to college, teams will compete in tournaments where excitement is at its peak.  

One of my hobbies is to work as the official scorer for the Wheaton College (Illinois) men’s and women’s home basketball games.  I started doing this back in the late 70’s, took some time away from it when our kids …

Read moreBasketball and Writing
Category: Book Business, Career, Creativity, Dan, The Publishing Life, Writing CraftTag: Basketball, publishing, Writing Craft

Fun Fridays – February 21, 2014

By Steve Laubeon February 21, 2014
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A parody of the song "Blurred Lines" now called "Church Signs."
Found at Jon Acuff's "Stuff Christians Like" blog. Blame him.

Read moreFun Fridays – February 21, 2014
Category: Fun Fridays, Steve

Do You Like to Cry While Reading?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 20, 2014
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I'll have to admit, I don't like to cry. I don't even like depressing songs. Instead I prefer things that are upbeat. For example, here are some of the lyrics to a song that helped me get through my teen years:
Flashlight.
Red Light.
Neon Light.
Spotlight.
Most of all you can funk. Help me find the funk....
Yoww
I think I found the funk!
["Flashlight" was written by Ronald R. Brooks, …

Read moreDo You Like to Cry While Reading?
Category: Reading, TamelaTag: Reading

Spring is Here!

By Karen Ballon February 19, 2014
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A picture of a beautiful flower I took this morning in our garden.

It started two weeks ago. Little green sprouts poking up through the frozen, barren ground. Ground that, thanks to a winter of record-breaking cold, was so hard just a month ago that not even my shovel made a dent in it. So you can imagine my delight when I spotted those bits of green pushing their way through that same, dead …

Read moreSpring is Here!
Category: Career, Craft, Karen, Personal, The Writing LifeTag: Career, Spring, The Writing Life
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