Guest Post: How Sonia Hartl got her agent!

Today I'm letting my 2013 PitchWars mentee Sonia Hartl take over my blog so she can tell you her epic and amazing "How I Got My Agent" Story. Without any further babble from me, here's Sonia!

About the Author:

Sonia Hartl lives in Michigan with her husband and two daughters. She’s a member of SCBWI and her work has appeared in several publications including The Writers Post Journal, Boston Literary Magazine, and the anthology Bearing North. When she isn’t writing or snuggling with her family, she can be found trying out new restaurants or singing bad karaoke. 

This was an incredibly long and surprisingly short journey for me, all at the same time.

In October of 2013 I’d just trunked my second manuscript, and was finishing up my third. I found writing something new was the only way I could distract myself from hitting refresh on my inbox during the query process. It was different than anything I’d ever written. I loved it with my whole heart, but I also knew I had a lot to learn and needed some guidance. The always awesome Brenda Drake was hosting Pitch Wars in December/January, so I spent the bulk of November polishing my new shiny, trading pages with other mentee hopefuls, and working up a query.

Long story short, I got picked by the amazingly talented Dannie Morin! She taught me so much in five weeks, it was like going through writing boot camp. And I was stoked, because I wanted to work my ass off, grow as a writer, and learn from the best. I got all that and more. I’m still beyond grateful for the experience. I firmly believe I am where I’m at today because of it. While I didn’t end up with an agent for that manuscript, I got requests, four times more than my previous two manuscripts combined. It was progress.

Since I always write something new while querying, I started a project I’d had sitting in the back of my mind. But halfway into this new shiny, something weird happened. Another idea started occupying my mind. I took notes on this idea, started doing research, and told myself I’d get to it next. But it wouldn’t leave me alone. It got to the point where I couldn’t put any words to my other WIP because all I wanted to do was get this YA contemporary on paper RTFN.

So I did.

And this story poured out of me. I had the first draft down in just over three weeks. I revised, got feedback, revised, more feedback, and so on. After a month and a half of polishing I sent my first round of queries. It was the fastest I’d ever started querying after completing a first draft, but I think of manuscripts like houses (or wedding dresses for people who didn’t get married at the courthouse). When it’s right, you just know.

Two weeks into querying, I got an email from an agent who requested my full saying she was enjoying my story so far. I was like OMG, OMG, OMG this has to be a good sign, right? But I tried not to read too much into it. I totally kept it together. Sort of. Then three days later she asked for a phone call, and I was like OMG, OMG, OMG this can’t be happening this soon, it will probably be an R&R. Because self-doubt.

But it wasn’t.

It was The Call. Cue internal squeees while I awkwardly fumbled my way through the conversation and tried not to vomit from all the nerves. I always pictured myself being calm and mildly witty during The Call. The consummate professional. Yeah. I wasn’t any of those things. But thankfully she still wanted to rep me. I asked her oodles of questions, and all of her answers were fantastic. I knew right away she was someone who got me and my story, and I’d really enjoy working with her.

I took a week to let the other agents who I had my ms, query, and last ms know I had an offer. My emotional pendulum swung from anxious to flailing all week as more offers of rep came in. All of them were wonderful, and I would’ve been lucky to work with any one of them, but the original offering agent was the best fit for me.

I’m so excited to be represented by Rebecca Podos of Rees Literary Agency! She’s everything I want in an agent, her vision for my story completely matches mine, and because when it’s right, you just know.

Final stats:

Queries sent: 60

Requests: 22

Offers of rep: 6

During the query process I learned three important things that will stick with me for life: Work hard, stay positive, and never, ever give up.

Fangirl Friday: An Interview with Pitch Warrior Sonia Hartl!

Last but not least, may I introduce my official #PitchWars First Pick, Sonia Hartl! Her NA Contemporary Suspense GASLIGHTS IN VAUDEVILLE  had me from the title and I am completely and totally in love with this world Sonia is building! I've been having a blast helping my team get their manuscripts nice and shiny for the agent round next month. Here's a little about my first round draft pick and her gorgeous book baby!

Tell us a little about your writer's journey so far: 

I started writing quirky little tales about penguins and monsters when I was young. The escapism of stories always appealed to me. While other kids were gluing together macaroni necklaces, I was creating worlds inside my head. As I aged, my writing turned to dark, angsty poetry about my adolescent experience. One of those poems won a contest. They sent me a plaque. I think my mom has it in a box somewhere.

I started out majoring in Creative Writing in college, but life took some interesting turns, and I ended up with a BS in Psychology after a few years of being a stay at home mom. I moved to a new city with my husband and our daughter where I had no phone during the day, no car, and no internet. I turned to writing as a way to fill the void, typing up chapters between late-night feedings and walking the floor with my newborn. My first manuscript was terrible, but I’m proud of it because it signified the start and completion of something new. It showed me that I was capable of writing a full-length novel. After I trunked my first effort, I took a few years to write flash fiction and short stories, to really learn the art of saying more by saying less.

Okay, let's hear your Twitter Pitch! (140 characters or less.)

19yo Tess wants out of her father’s skeezy vaudeville outfit, but a sexy escape artist & a vengeful stalker have other plans in mind.NASusp

What inspired you to write this book? How is it a book only you could write?

Growing up, both of my parents moved around a lot. It was rare for me to spend more than a year at the same school. I was always the new kid, and being painfully shy, it was difficult for me to make friends. I can relate to Tess’s need for stability and normalcy in a world that is always moving. That deep down in the gut desire to plant roots and be more than just a passing face in the crowd is what inspired me to write her story.

What's your favorite thing about writing?

Creating characters who start out as shimmery little tingles in the back of my brain and develop into vivid entities I can’t get out of my mind. I love bringing a character to life through action and dialogue until they’re breathing off the page.

What's your least favorite thing?

Those days where I think everything I write is crap. Self-doubt is strongest during the first drafting phase, where I’m usually pantsing everything and trying to figure out how to begin ironing out the kinks.

Now it's time to brag a little--What do you love most about your book?

I’m in love with the world I’ve created. It’s equal parts dark and whimsical, and so damn sexy.

Okay, now a little about you. (And yes, I stole these questions from In the Actor's Studio with James Lipton.)

What is your favorite word?

Clandestine. That word is not used often enough in this century for my liking.

What is your least favorite word?

Twerking. Seriously, WTF is that?

What turns you on?

Hot summer nights, drinking cold beer on my back porch with my man and contemplating the universe.

What turns you off?

Black socks with sandals. Any socks really, but black socks are particularly heinous. 

What sound or noise do you love?

The words my two-year-old mispronounces. When I ask her what she wants for lunch she says a swamwich, and when I ask her where her sister is, she says he’s in his room.

What sound or noise do you hate?

Styrofoam rubbing together.

What profession, other than your own, would you most like to attempt?

I’d like to own a flower shop in a touristy beach town. I delivered flowers for a few months before I started college, and I still maintain that it was the best job I ever had.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear G-d say when you arrive at the pearly gates?

Grab a beer and get comfortable, Jim Morrison is waiting to rub your back.

Finally, what's the one question you've always wanted to answer in an interview? (And of course, you have to answer it!)

If your life had a soundtrack, what would it be?

Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. Sums it all up perfectly.

About the Author:

Sonia Hartl lives in Michigan with her husband and two daughters. She’s a member of SCBWI and her work has appeared in several publications including The Writers Post Journal, Boston Literary Magazine, and the anthology Bearing North.

When she isn’t writing or snuggling with her family, she can be found trying out new restaurants or singing bad karaoke.