Chance's Way Releases in September 2021 by Nancy M Bell

 

To find more of Nancy's books click on the cover. 

I'm excited to announce that Chance's Way is releasing in September of 2021. This book three of the Alberta Adventures series. This series turned out to be a series about rescues. In book one, Wild Horse Rescue, Laurel and friends rescue some wild horses, in book two, Dead Dogs Talk, Laurel and friends work to rescue some dogs from a dog fighting ring. Book three turned out to be something a bit different. Fans of the series will be familiar with bad boy Chance Cullen. He turned a bit of a corner in Dead Dogs Talk, in book three Chance's Way he is struggling to come to terms with his past choices and see if he can find a better way to go forward. He is still hopelessly in love with Laurel Rowan but knows she won't have anything to do with him unless he can turn his life around. And not to mention that she has a long distance relationship going with Coll Hazel, who lives in Cornwall UK. 

Chance's Way is the story of Chance's search for his truth, learning about who he is and who he wants to become. He is supported by Laurel's dad, Colt Rowan, who has had his own issues with his parents, so he can sympathize with Chance's problems with his n'er do well father and hysterical mother.

This last book in the series wasn't meant to be about Chance's coming of age, but that's how it evolved. 

There's a good mix of rodeo and ranch life mixed into the story and those who live that life will relate to the events that unfold. Concussion and injury are part and parcel of the rodeo way of life. The dangers of concussion and repeated trauma are only starting to be addressed. The tragic loss of Ty Pozzobon in 2017 was a huge wake up call to the rodeo community with regards to the issue of brain related injuries in much the same way as Lane Frost's death at Cheyenne in 1989 brought about the use of flak jackets for bull riders. I touch briefly on these issues in Chance's Way. 

I hope you enjoy Chance's journey. Below are some scenes from life on the Canadian prairies where the Alberta Adventures take place.

Till next month, stay well, stay happy.

Is it Spring yet in Alberta, Canada? by Nancy M Bell

 

To find out more about Nancy's books please click on the cover above.

This is the brand new cover for the last book in The Alberta Adventures series. I really love it, it's Chance right down to the cocky grin. Who doesn't love a bull rider (as long he's not dating your daughter LOL)

So....Springtime in Alberta. It can never quite make up it's mind. One day it will be +16 Celcius and the next it is snowing to beat the band. Hard on my delphiniums who are eternal optimists and always start to push up green shoots as soon as the earth warms even a bit. 

So far this year, we've had some nice warm weather, and then a cold front dips down from the north and BAM- wind, and snow, and sleet, and rain

The pansies tolerate the cold so well I always put them out first. The geraniums, not so much. They come inside to hide until the weather turns again. The flowering plum in the front is working hard to put on a show, but we had some chilly weather and I'm afraid some of the buds got nipped. Hence the old adage to 'nip something in the bud' meaning to stop something before it manifests. 

I'm hoping to have a full garden, but it will depend on what weather we get in June. In the past, it has offered up a hard frost, hail and even snow, so we'll see.

The Saskatoon bushes are blooming, so hopefully I will get some berries before the birds do this year. The Rhubarb is begging to be thinned out already, it doesn't seem to mind the snow either. 

Ian Tyson got it right when he wrote the song Springtime in Alberta. 

On another note, Chance's Way is coming along. Look for it to release in September 2021.

Wishing you all happy gardening and praying for a Covid free summer.

www.nancymbell.ca

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The Alberta Adventures Chance's Story by Nancy M Bell

 

To learn more about Nancy's work please click on the cover.

I am currently working on the last book in the Alberta Adventures. So far the series has dealt with rescues of one sort or another.  This last novel is about Laurel's friend Chance Cullen. He's been a part of all the stories so far and I think he deserves his own story since I've dragged him through hell and back again. In Chance's Way (working title) he struggles with his demons and coming to terms with the sort of man his father is. Here is the first bit of the Chapter One. As you can see, Chance has more than a few things to come to terms with, including his seemingly unrequited love for Laurel Rowan.

Chance Cullen stood on the high school steps, having just turned in his graduation robes. He glanced at the certificate in his hands and sighed. What difference does a high school diploma mean when I don’t even know what I want to do? The parking lot was awash in colour, the girls in their fancy dresses flitted from group to group like a flock of butterflies. The thought brought a wry smile to his lips. The after grad was out at the Rowan ranch, unbidden his gaze sought out Laurel Rowan, long corn silk blonde hair twisted into some crazy up do, his sister called it. The blue of her dress was the exact colour of her eyes, not that he was likely to get close enough to her to compare the two.

Jamming his wide brimmed hat on his head Chance wended his way through the throng of students, parents and grandparents, and probably most of Pincher Creek besides. He was stopped a couple of times by friends wishing him well, but finally reached the sanctuary of his truck. Tossing his diploma onto the passenger seat, he slid into the driver’s seat. His hand hesitated in the process of starting the engine and he leaned his forearms on the steering wheel, resting his chin on them.

Without meaning to, he searched for Laurel in the crowd. With unerring accuracy, his Laurel-dar, as he liked to call it, found her standing with his sister Carly. Laurel’s parents were with the two girls and Chance’s own mother. Anna Rowan’s hair was the same spun silk colour as her daughter and Colt Rowan towered over both of them. Sally Cullen clutched at Carly’s arm and glanced toward Chance’s truck, attempting to pull her daughter away. Chance grinned, it looked like Carly was standing her ground. No doubt Mom was going to make another attempt at forcing the family together. He straightened up and grimaced. He wouldn’t be surprised if Mom hadn’t streamed the whole graduation ceremony to Dad up in prison at Bowden. Bitterness twisted his gut, like that man cared about anything but himself.

He started the truck and backed out of the spot, pretending not to see his mother making her way toward him, he turned out of the school and headed out of town. His phone buzzed in his dress shirt pocket, he pulled it free and dumped it beside the diploma on the passenger seat without checking the caller ID. There was no one he wanted to talk to right now. He drove north out of town, past the hundreds of power windmills sprouting from the rolling prairie hills. God, he hated those things. They marred the stark beauty of the land and the constant noise drove him crazy. Chance chose north on purpose. It was the opposite direction from the Rowan’s. After what happened last November, getting Laurel in danger with those bastards from the dog fight organization, Chance couldn’t look Colt Rowan in the eye, let along his wife. Mr. Rowan said he’d forgiven him, but Chance still struggled with guilt. He slammed his palm on the wheel. Dammit, dammit all to hell! The last thing in the world he ever wanted was to put Laurel in any danger.

Why did I ever listen to Dad? How did I ever convince myself that getting involved with those guys was a good idea? How fucking stupid am I? And what happened to those dogs…

Chance pulled to the side of the gravel road and rubbed at his blurred eyes. Those images would never leave him. Christ, he had nightmares every time he closed his eyes. Willing himself to force the memory of the savaged dogs and the high-pitched screams of terror drowned out and silenced by the harsh growls of the victorious dogs. Chance put his hands over his ears which only served to intensify the chaos in his mind. Flinging the door open he stumbled out into the June sunshine, rounding the front of the cab he collapsed in the tall grass at the edge of the ditch. Burying his head between his knees Chance let the emotions locked down for so long escape. It was more than he could do to hold them in check any longer. Physical pain accompanied the roar of emotions that swept through him carried on his sobbing breath. The images and sounds raging through his head were more real than the gravel biting into his hands where he clutched the ground beside him. Anything to feel anchored to something.

The sun was almost touching the horizon when the visions finally released Chance. He took a shaky breathe and scrubbed his hands over his face, grit from the road scraping his cheeks. The pain was welcome and immediate, serving to ground him in present and chase the last vestiges of the memories away. “Christ, when is this going to stop? I don’t know how much more of it I can take.” He shook his head, removed his hat and ran fingers through his damp hair. Glancing at the sun, he shoved himself to his feet. “Gotta get home and check the stock,” he muttered. Harvey Good Smoke would be at the Rowan’s party, along with his wife. They were so proud of Joey and Chance guessed they had good reason to be. Grimacing, he shoved his hat back on his head and climbed into the still open truck door.

The engine was slow to catch and Chance cursed himself for leaving the door open and running the battery down. How long was I out there sitting on the side of the road like a dead coyote? The truck finally rumbled to life, the phone on the far seat ringing at the same time. Chance closed his eyes and fought the urge to throw the thing out on the road and drive over it a time or two. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and picked up the phone. The caller cut off before he could decide if he wanted to answer it or not. Seven new voicemails, ten texts. Scrolling through, he ignored the call from his father. Waste of skin. Likewise, he skipped the voicemails from his mother, four of them. There were two from Carly, he grinned. She must have been desperate, his sister much preferred texting. Checking those, his grin widened, five were from Carly. A small jolt of adrenalin shot through him, the last one was from Laurel. His hand trembled as it hovered over the keys. What could he say to her, hell, what should he say to her? While he procrastinated, the phone vibrated in his hands. What the hell? Colt Rowan! Why is he calling me? Deliberating the wisdom of answering the call, Chance’s head shot up and he slammed the truck door shut. Slouching down in the seat he pulled his hat lower over his forehead. The last thing he needed right now was company.

The approaching pickup slewed to a stop beside him, the driver leaping out and wrenching Chance’s door open before he realized what was happening.

“You been drinking?” Joey Good Smoke demanded, knocking Chance’s hat off his head.

“No,” he snarled in reply. “And why the hell do you care if I was?” Chance jammed his hat back on.

“Are you kidding me? Your sister is in hysterics thinking you’ve gone and done something stupid, the Rowan’s had to call the doctor to settle your mother down.”

“They should know better than to worry about me,” Chance muttered, refusing to look at Joey.

“Yeah, they should. But for some reason they still love you. Damned if I can figure out why, the way you act.” Joey kicked the gravel in disgust. He pulled his cell out of his pocket and punched a finger on the first contact that came up.

Chance tried to shut his door, but Joey blocked it with his hip.

Whoever he was calling finally picked up. “Yeah, I found him.” A long silence. “Looks like hell, but he don’t smell like he’s been drinking.” Joey glanced at the passenger side of the cab. “No empties I can see.” Another silence. “Range Road Eleven, out near the Castle Valley campsite.” Joey pushed his hat back a bit and glared at Chance. “I’ll try,” he said.

“You’ll try what, Joey?” Chance demanded, attempting to wrest the door shut again. “You reporting to Carly?”

Joey shook his head. “Colt. He’s worried about you and he’s on his way. He told me to tell you to stay here.”

“Like hell!” Chance threw the truck into gear.

“I wouldn’t,” Joey warned him. “The cops are looking for you too. You might as well sit here and face the music.”

Chance swallowed against the dizziness that made his head float and his vision blur. “I ain’t done nothin’ wrong. Why’re the cops involved?’ He wiped a shaky hand across his mouth. “I don’t need this, for fuck’s sake.”

“Blame your mom, she was so worked up she called the RCMP before anybody could stop her.” Joey slammed a fist against the box of the truck. “Why couldn’t you just answer your God damned phone? You looking for sympathy or something? Poor Chance, all alone on grad day when we should all be celebrating. Poor misunderstood Chance. You make me sick! If it wasn’t for Carly, I swear…” Joey stepped back and slammed Chance’s door, sending a quiver through the vehicle. “You know what? Go ahead, go drive off the coulee, go drive into the river. Take your pity party somewhere else. I’ll tell Colt I couldn’t stop your from leaving. ” Joey stomped back to his truck and reversed so he was parked behind Chance.

“Fuck you,” Chance snarled and took his foot off the brake, releasing the clutch at the same time. The pickup rolled forward, the tires catching in the deep gravel at the side of the road. Chance tipped his hat back and pounded his fist against the sudden tightness in his chest. “Not now,” he muttered, hitting the gas. He clung to the wheel, driving more from instinct than anything else, while the road and hills snaked around him. Chance fought the constriction in his chest as it rose to his throat and pulled his lips back from teeth. Hang on, just hang on, almost home.

Finally, the familiar ranch gate loomed in front of him and Chance turned into the lane, barely avoiding driving off the edge of the cattle guard. He jammed his foot on the gas when the barns and shed rose up in front of him. The pickup slewed to a stop by the grain bins. On somewhat safe ground, fairly certain he was alone, Chance released the death grip on the steering wheel and leaned his forehead on it. Fighting for breath, he tried to slow the rapid breathing tearing at his lungs and twisting his gut. Sweat ran down his back, he threw his hat onto the passenger seat, leaned out the door to hurl his guts up. Make is stop or let me die. God, make it stop. What the hell is going on. God make it stop. Jumbled thoughts bumped and crowded each other in his mind.

After what seemed forever, Chance opened his eyes and raised his head. Moonlight cascaded into the cab, reflecting off the silver grain bins beside him. Raking a hand through his hair, Chance grabbed his hat and stepped out of the truck. His good shirt stuck to his back and his best boots had stains on them. He couldn’t remember how that happened. Bending over with his hands on his knees, Chance drew deep breaths into his lungs, his ribs and back protesting as he did so.

“Christ, I feel like I got dumped and stomped on. What the hell was …whatever that was? Am I going nuts or something?” He straightened up and shook his head, instantly regretting the movement. The cell buzzed from inside the truck. Wearily, he reached in and snagged it from the passenger floorboards. Carly. Chance cleared his throat and took the call.

“Yeah, Carly, what’s up?” He tried to sound normal.

“What’s up? What’s up?” Carly’s voice could have been heard by the coyotes two sections over. Chance held the phone away from his ear until the shrill sounds died down a bit.

“Carly, shut up and let me get a word in, would ya? I just didn’t feel like going out to the Rowan’s.”

“Why not, you’re part of the grad class, you were invited, and you were welcome. You know that—”

“I couldn’t…Colt…and Mrs. Rowan…after what happened with Laurel…I just couldn’t…”

“Well, you could have told someone, you could have answered your phone, your texts. Damn it, Chance! How much fun do you think I had dealing with Mom and her hysterics. Got herself so worked up she was sure you’d done something stupid.”

“I’m sorry about that Carly. I didn’t mean to cause trouble.”

“Don’t you ever think before you act? It wasn’t just me, Joey and Mister Rowan and bunch of the guys and their dads went looking for you. Then Joey finally finds you and you run off again. Idiot! Where the hell are you now?” Carly demanded, still on a roll.

Chance sighed and rubbed a hand gingerly over his sore ribs. “Tell them to call off the search, I’m at the ranch and getting ready to do chores. Tell Harvey he doesn’t have to worry about night check.”

“That’s big of you.” Sarcasm dripped off his sister’s voice.

“Look, I said I’m sorry. I’m telling you I just couldn’t do it, face everyone. Them looking sideways at me and whispering under their breath…”

“You’re imagining a lot of that, Chance. The Rowan’s are over it, Laurel’s worried about you. She wanted to go look too, but they talked her out of it.”

“Ya see! Colt wouldn’t want Laurie to find me, be alone with me, not after what happened with the dogs last fall…”

“Get over yourself, Chance! For God’s sake, you’re starting to sound like Dad. Coming up with excuses and blaming other people for your stupidity.”

“Fuck off, Carly. I’m not like Dad,” Chance growled.

“Aren’t you?” Carly snarled and ended the call.

Chance stared at the blank screen for a moment. Carly never hung up on him. Ever. “She must be really pissed.” He shoved the phone in his back pocket and headed to the house to change his clothes.  

https://www.bookswelove.com/bell-nancy/

www.nancymbell.ca

AuthorNancyMBell on Facebook

To learn more about my work please click on the cover 

What a crazy year this has been. Way too full of Covid and bad news. However, the sun is returning and we are turning our faces to the spring. Even while the Alberta prairies are still locked in cold and snow the flowers of spring are stirring in my heart.

I am working on the last book in The Alberta Adventures. Any of you who have followed Laurel and her friends through the three Cornwall Adventures series and then the first two of The Alberta Adventures will be familiar with Chance Cullen and his struggles. The first two books in this last series are about rescuing something, horses and dogs respectively. The third book is Chance's journey and his struggle to rescue his life from the downward spiral and bad choices he has made recently. I'm not sure where it's going quite yet as the story is still evolving. It begins right after Laurel, Carly and Chance graduate from high school. Chance and Carly's dad is in prison for his role in the events in Dead Dogs Talk and Chance is slowly coming to terms with the fact he needs to find his own way and that isn't following the example his father has set. I hope you'll watch for Chance's Way when it releases and see how things play out. I'll keep you updated on how things are going with the plot in my blog posts on the 18th of each month.

Until next month, stay well, stay happy, stay strong.

Nancy

www.nancymbell.ca

https://www.facebook.com/NancyMBell 

 

Author Voice by Nancy M Bell

To learn more aobut Nancy's work please click on the cover above. What is Author Voice? Does everyone have one? What does it do exactly? I found a quote by Richard Nordquist which I thought summed it up quite well. “Voice is the music in writing that makes the meaning clear.” Sounds simple, but of course it’s not. Voice is hard to define and seems to possess chameleon-like characteristics. Changing from one minute to the next. Everyone has an author voice if you write anything at all. Even shopping lists. Some of you will make bullet points for your list, some will list items and where they plan to shop for them, others might categorize the list by price point. It all depends on your personal outlook and how you communicate. So, no matter what, we all have an author or writer’s voice, some of them are just more developed than others. What is Author/Writer Voice? Your voice is in reality the expression of you on the page. A unique collection of your world view, your passions, fears, beliefs and attitudes. A very good friend and mentor told me many years ago that you meet the writer in her books and stories not in her living room. I was young at the time and nodded sagely like I totally understood. It wasn’t until much later and with the seasoning of a few years that I understood what she meant. As writers, we reveal parts of ourselves we would never drag out into the light of day in a conversation or everyday life. Ah, but in our writing we can let those hidden aspects surface and run freely across our pages. Voice is unique to each writer and it’s about having the courage to express yourself on paper. To be a bit more technical: Voice is the unique and individual way an author puts words on paper, a compilation of idioms, syntax, punctuation, development of your characters, dialogue and sentence structure in a body of work. Voice is not choosing to write in first or third person, nor is it a specific technique or style. Voice isn’t about branding. An author’s voice tends to be consistent throughout their work. There will be slight variations depending on the genre an author works in. To complicate things a bit. There is also Character Voice, which exists within the Author Voice. No one wants to read a book with cookie cutter characters who all speak and act in similar ways. So the author must develop the characters in the story and give then each a unique voice, which will inevitably be some part of the author’s own unique voice and outlook. Each character will have their own way of speaking, certain phrasing and ideas they express that drive the story line forward. Every facet of ourselves can be given free rein in our work. Your cast may include authoritative characters, shy, warm, funny, silly, conceited, angry etc. All of these will reflect some part of the author, we can’t escape that fact. Our characters spring from our own wellspring of experience. The trick here is for each character to have a voice that is appropriate to their role in the work, consistent and believable. What is the Function of Voice in our Writing? A well rounded and honed voice makes every word count, set up a consistent thread through the work and speaks to the reader in a way that captures their attention. What is the Difference between Tone and Voice Tone is subset of Voice. Tone is the mood of the story or work while Voice is the personality. So while your voice might be described as ‘serious’ the mood of the individual piece may be quite humorous. In creating a Tone the author sometimes will use jargon or culture specific references. While this might be important if you are writing in a specific genre like Sci-Fi or Chick Lit, you also date your work and limit your longevity. Your writing will be around for years and if you reference a certain movie star or current trend, thirty or forty years from now most readers won’t identify with that. So, don’t be lazy and tell your reader the heroine looked like a Kardashian, or Helen Mirren, or Edward from Twilight. The more diverse your audience becomes the more important it is the you aspire for simplicity and clarity. Avoid slang and culture specific references. The exception to that, is of course, unless you are writing in a genre that your audience will expect it. Just know that you are aiming at a niche audience when you chose to write in that genre. Finding Your Voice Let’s explore how you go about finding that elusive Voice. There are three major elements to consider here: What do you want to communicate about yourself, of in the case of business writing, about the brand you’re representing. If you could ask your readers to describe your work in a few descriptive words, what words would you like to hear from them? What is the purpose of your writing? Your voice will moderate slightly if you are writing a novel, a movie review or an obituary. Decide what you want to convey to your reader. Will you need to use short blunt sentences, or longer descriptive passages? Who is your target audience? This will dictate the style and tone your Voice will acquire. Both of those being subsets of Voice. Take a minute to think about those three points and come up with a few words that apply to your voice. If you’re having trouble with that, think about what you don’t want to say. How is your voice different from anyone else’s? When you have a decent list, start to whittle it down. Scrap any words that aren’t really important, make sure the ones you keep are fairly specific. Pare your list down to four or five words. You can repeat this exercise every once in a while as your descriptors will change as your Voice develops and becomes fuller and multi-layered. Types of Voice Stream of Consciousness: narrative that is made up of the thought process of the characters. Examples are Faulkner’s The Sound and Fury. Character Voice: We spoke about this earlier. Character Voice allows the reader to experience the story from the eyes and POV the character. This can be achieved by the use of third or first person POV, depending on the genre and content of your work. Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series is a good example of use of Character Voice. When she is writing in Claire’s POV it is first person, but when she switches to any of her other characters’ POV she uses third person. A clever convention to keep the reader from being confused while sub-consciously never letting them forget it is Claire who is the main character of her books. Unreliable Voice: The character speaks directly to the reader in a highly exaggerated and excitable way. This is usually employed in first person POV where the character is biased, childish or ignorant and tries to deceive the reader. This is a Voice that can be quite useful in horror or thriller genres to take the reader deep into the POV of the killer or psychopath. Poe uses this Voice in the Tell Tale Heart. Epistolary Voice: This voice is a narrative one which uses letters or documents to tell the story. It may employ multiple characters’ voices, or no character at all if the author has chosen to tell the story through various documents and letters. Shelley’s Frankenstein uses this Voice. Third Person Subjective Voice: This is a very passive Voice where a narrator relays the thoughts, opinions and feelings of the characters in the story. Hemingway’s Old Man and Sea uses this POV. Third Person Objective Voice: The story is told by a narrator who doesn’t touch on the character’s emotions or thoughts. It supplies an objective and unbiased (except the author’s own ingrained bias) POV. I’ll close with a quote form Rachel Gardner: “So how do you find your voice? You can’t learn it. You can’t copy it. Voice isn’t a matter of studying. You have to find it. And the only place you can find it is within you.”

Dead Dogs Talk New Release from Nancy M Bell

For more information on Nancy's books click the cover above.

I'm excited to share with you the latest installment in The Alberta Adventures. The Coal and his band of wild horses are still safe, but now Laurel finds herself embroiled with a dog fighting ring after she and Carly come across an injured dog while out riding. Of course, bad boy Chance, Carly's brother is in it up to his neck trying to prove to his ringleader dad that he's tough enough to earn Daddy's approval.

As in Wild Horse Rescue, there is an underlying message in the book. Dog fighting rings and puppy mills are a real evil and they exist world wide. It is a horrible and reprehensible activity. The animals involved have no voice, other than their unheard cries for help and comfort. We must be their voice and we must speak loudly. Don't by cute puppies from pet stores that aren't supporting local rescues by featuring only rescue animals for adoption, don't buy off local see pages on the internet.

The inspiration for Dead Dogs Talk came from a very real event that a friend relayed to me. She was out riding her horse with a friend along a grassy pathway and they came across a very skinny dead dog tied to a tree by a ratty rope. The dog was obviously ill treated, with scars and wounds and the nails on the paws so long they curled under. Clearly the dog had been caged and not allowed to move normally as the condition of the paws made that painfully evident. She was most likely a used up victim of a puppy mill. No way to identify her or an owner, of course. And frankly, the authorities weren't interested and washed their hands of it. Sadly, even if there had been a way to trace the person or persons who dumped this girl, chances are the charges would have been thrown out of court, if things even got that far. At best, the perpetrator would have gotten a slap on the wrist a small fine. Even if they had been court ordered to not be in possession of any animals, there is no organization that monitors that. Many of those who are under similar court orders just move provinces or totally ignore the order and carry on. There is little or no follow up.
I give my injured dog a happy ending and the discovery of a microchip in another dog leads to the group responsible. In effect, the dead dog with the microchip manages to speak out via the chip.

Please hold your furbabies close and love them. Don't let them roam, keep them safe.

The story isn't all gloom and doom, so don't despair. Laurel ends up volunteering at an animal rescue and she gets to ride her barrel horse Sam at the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Red Deer Alberta. Carly's brother Chance is maturing and starting to realize that his father isn't always the best role model. The last book in this series will be out next year and it will feature Chance and his struggles to find his way in the world. As always, the events play out against the rolling Alberta prairies under the wide Alberta blue sky. Working title is Finding the Way or maybe Second Chance. No clear winner yet.

Until next time, stay well, stay safe. These are my rescue dogs below. Miley, Gibbie, and George.

The Dos and Don'ts of Pitching Your Work by Nancy M Bell

To learn more about Nancy's books please click the cover above. Dead Dogs Talk is Book 2 of The Alberta Adventures and a worthy addition to Wild Horse Rescue. Now in pre-release.



What is a Pitch?
A pitch is short, concise presentation which can be given in person, over the phone, via Zoom, other similar platform, or in an email. Very rarely are pitches sent by snail mail anymore. The content introduces your story idea, the genre and word count. If given in person in a formal situation such as a writers conference or an in person meeting with an agent or editor you should have a hard copy to leave with them. All formal pitches should include your contact information.

Why should you pitch?
If you want to sell your story, you need to have a way to get the agent or editor interested. In order to be published traditionally or be represented by an agent you need to be able to give them a quick concise bit of information that will enable them to ascertain if what you are offering fits with their current requirements.

When Should you Pitch?
Now this is the sixty-million-dollar question.
The manuscript must be complete and polished before you even consider pitching.
Your manuscript should not only be completed, it should have been read by new eyes in the form of beta readers. These fresh eyes will pick up things the author misses. For example: time line issues, consistency of names or locations and spellings of names etc.
Then, before you consider pitching, the manuscript should be edited to the nth degree. You need to hire a good editor for this. No author can edit their own work successfully.
The presence of spelling errors, words used in the wrong context, missing quotation marks etc. indicate to the agent or acquisition editor that the author is either lazy or very inexperienced. Neither impression is going to get an offer of contract if indeed the author gets far.
You need to be prepared to produce your polished manuscript upon request. Nothing will turn the agent or editor off quicker than to go through the pitch process, ask for a part or full manuscript and discover that the manuscript in question is incomplete or ‘still with the editor’.

Do you need more than one pitch format?
Yes, for sure.
What if you run into your dream agent or acquisition editor in the elevator or God forbid the bathroom? You have a very limited amount of time to say “Hi, I’m so and so, I’ve been wanting to meet you. I have a that centres around that I think will interest you. Here’s my contact info (hand them your card complete with contact info and website etc). It was nice meeting you, thanks for taking the time to chat with me. Then exit gracefully.
Your pitch in this instance should be a very short summary of what makes your book:
Unique
Striking
Fresh
Compelling
That’s the famous Elevator Pitch.
Do’s:
Write your pitch out. As many times as it takes to fine tune it.
Practice this pitch until you can recite it word perfect in 30 or 40 seconds. You will sound polished, confident and professional.
Be polite.
Be succinct and brief. Twenty words is perfect and certainly no more than fifty words.
Do remove everything from your book description except that part that most interests the reader.
Fox example: Harry Potter Orphan boy with magical powers goes to school for wizards.
Do smile.
Be pleasant- agents and editors are human- speak as you would to a casual friend. Not too familiar but not like you’re overwhelmed.
Do respect their personal space. It’s fine to be passionate about your work, but don’t get too close and invade their personal space.
Don’ts:
Don’t get wordy and longwinded - they will check out.
Don’t be pushy even a bit. It’s okay to be passionate but no one is comfortable caught in a confined space with someone who is clearly giving you the hard sell.
Don’t linger, or follow them off the elevator or out of the bathroom still pitching.
Don’t be flippant. Respect their attention and time they are giving you.
Don’t be touchy-feely. It’s fine to offer a hand shake (although not in these Covid-19 times) but no touching their arm to make a point.
You don’t need to explain all the granular aspects of your story line. You just want this Important Person to say, “Hey, that sounds interesting. Tell me more.”

The Formal In Person Pitch at a Conference.
In this instance you have a bit more time than the Elevator Pitch. Usually there is a ten or fifteen minute window scheduled for each pitch.
Create your pitch and revise it until it is clear, concise, to the point, polished and most important geared to hook the person’s interest you are pitching to. You’re fishing for that “Please tell me more” response and a request for either a part or full manuscript.
Once you’ve polished your pitch practice it. Practice in front of a mirror, practice on your friend or writers group, practice on your partner. Practice until you can recite it in your sleep. Be ready for any questions the agent or acquisition editor might ask. Be ready to sell yourself, have a concise answer in the back of your mind or questions like: Do you have anything published? If yes, be ready to answer if you are self or traditionally published. Don’t reel off along list of publications if you have them, stay succinct. “I have twelve novels published by . If they wish to know more, have a hard copy of all your bibliography ready to hand.
The agent/editor will know your name, but introduce yourself anyway when/as you sit down.
Remember to meet the agent/editor’s gaze without being too intense.
Smile.
Give your pitch- which should be short enough to allow time for the agent/editor to ask questions and for you to answer.
Exhibit an understanding of how the publishing business works, be familiar with the books and authors that the agent/editor you are pitching too and be able to mention them should the topic come up.
Be ready to discuss your marketing platform if the agent/editor is interested in asking about it. The same with your online presence and social media presence.
Regardless of the outcome of the pitch, be polite and thank the agent/editor as you take your leave. You never know when you might run across this same agent/editor in the future. Just because this pitch might not have been successful doesn’t mean a future pitch won’t be.
A point to remember: Agents/editors talk to each other. If you make a bad first impression with one agent/editor, it stands to reason they might remember that if another agent/editor mentions your name or a pitch you delivered to them in a positive light. If the first agent/editor shares their less than positive first impressions of you it will colour the second agent/editor’s opinion and might be the deciding factor in you receiving a request to submit or not.

The Formal Written Pitch- either via electronic means or snail mail.
This one is a bit less nerve wracking for the author. No face to face meeting where nerves can get the best of you. However, this also means everything you put before the agent/editor had better be letter perfect.
Your entire formal pitch or query should be one page. No longer. Agents and editors get multiple emails and hard copy pitch/queries. You need to get their attention and keep it quickly. Cardinal rule: Don’t be boring.


If you are querying different agents/editors then make sure when you copy and paste that you have the name and company right. No spelling errors, especially in a person’s name. perfect grammar and formatting.
You will need your pitch and a cover letter. You can combine the two as long as you are careful not to get too carried away.
Your cover letter should make it clear you are serious about writing and are passionate about it, that you are not seeing dollar signs flashing. If you are pitching your first novel but are working on a another that’s a good thing to include, so the agent/editor knows your not that one hit wonder ( or hope to be one hit wonder) and you’re in this for the long haul. Briefly list any contests, competitions you’ve entered, any articles published in magazines. What kind of networking you’ve done, attending writers festivals or conference, writing courses you’ve taken. Show them you are serious about writing as a business.
Make sure your pitch/query/manuscript conforms to the agent/editor’s requirements. For example if the information states TNR 12pt don’t send your manuscript in Calibri 10pt. Should it be double spaced, 1.5 or single spaced? Please don’t use hard tabs for indents, you can format your manuscript in Word to automatically indent. Failure to adhere to requested requirements is an immediate turn off to the person you are trying to impress.
Know the nuts and bolts of your work- be able to provide the basics in a few short lines- similar to the Elevator Pitch.
Exhibit an understanding of how the publishing business works, be familiar with the books and authors that the agent/editor you are pitching too and be able to mention them should the topic come up.
Your job is to sell yourself and your work.
Please don’t be flippant or attempt to be humorous. This is hopefully going to be a professional relationship, start as you mean to go forward. Don’t send pictures of your dog, or your kids, don’t send ‘presents’, no matter how innocent.
Do outline a marketing strategy and provide an overview of it. Please be sure you have one. That’s a whole other topic I’m not going to cover here.
Include information on your website, social media presence and any other information that would make you and your work more saleable. That might include education or professional contacts pertinent to the topic or genre of the work you are offering.
Be sure the work you are offering is consistent with what the agent/editor is interested in.
This is a job interview in a sense. Any sloppiness indicates to the person you are trying to impress that you are not someone who pays attention to detail, which in turn implies your work may be full of the same issues. If you display a lack of attention to detail in the all important initial contact it would follow that you are not a competent self-editor which is important. Not to say that you won’t need an editor, but as an agent or editor, you want to be confident the author is going to present you with a pretty clean and tight manuscript.
The hardest part of this pitch is the waiting. There most likely will not be a quick response. It will depend on a number of things, including how many submission emails are in the agent/editor’s inbox, along with whatever else they may be working on.
Make sure you read their website and take note of any expected response times that might be noted there. For example the agent/editor may indicate it may be 3 months, or six months for a reply. If that is the case, don’t email or contact them before that time is up. If after the specified time has elapsed, you can send a polite brief email asking for an update. Don’t nag, don’t bug, above all don’t be pushy.

Your Bio
Something else I should mention is the importance of a good author bio. You want to highlight your writing cred, past publications, awards won, competitions entered. You can include a bit of personal info, but don’t dwell on it. We don’t need to know your dog(s)’ names, or kids names. Keep it short and to the point and then you can include a bibliography below the short bio if needed or asked for.

I’ve whittled mine down over time. I was recently asked for one that was 50 words MAX.
This one was targeted for the editor of a poetry anthology in answer to a call for submission, so I removed anything that wasn’t pertinent to this particular instance.
Nancy lives near Balzac, Alberta. She has publishing credits in poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Her work is included in Tamaracks Canadian Poetry for the 21st Century, Vistas of the West Anthology and by the University of Holguin Cuba in their Canada Cuba Literary Alliance (CCLA) program.

The earlier version was a bit longer and covers more info, but the anthology editor probably doesn’t care that I also facilitate workshops. And he specified a bio of 50 words or under, so you have to be able to cut to the quick without losing the information pertinent to this situation.
Nancy lives near Balzac, Alberta with her husband and various critters. She is a member of the Writers Guild of Alberta. Nancy has presented at the Surrey International Writers Conference, at the Writers Guild of Alberta Conference, When Words Collide and Word on the Lake. She has publishing credits in poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Recently her work has been included in Tamaracks Canadian Poetry for the 21st Century and Vistas of the West Anthology of Poetry. Her poetry is also being included by the University of Holguin Cuba in their Canada Cuba Literary Alliance (CCLA) program. Her latest book Dead Dogs Talk will release in September 2020.


A Good Pitch
If in person- arrives on time-
Is targeted to the requirements of the agent/editor being pitched to
Is practiced and delivered confidently and professionally- if delivered in person
If by electronic means- copy sent to agent/editor is clean. Addressed to the correct person who’s name is spelled right. Copy is clear of spelling and grammatical errors and adheres to all submission guidelines.
Provides contact info clearly and easily found- you’d think this should be obvious, but you’d be surprised.
Gives a concise and succinct idea of what the work being pitched is about- the essence of your work, no long convoluted explanations-
Know what genre your work is- pick the ONE that most fits your work even if there are sub-genres involved
Gives an overview of your experience as a writer/author- publishing history- speaks intelligently about the publishing industry as a whole
Very brief overview of your marketing plans for the work at hand- social media/online presence
Wraps up in a timely and professional manner. Pitcher thanks the agent/editor for their attention etc
If in person- hand over your business card just before you leave.
A Bad Pitch
If in person- arrives late
Is not targeted to the requirements of the agent/editor- genre, word count, formatting
Is clearly not polished or practiced- fumbling for words- inability to answer questions
Inability to answer simple questions- i.e. What genre is your book? What is your word count?
Answers not straight and to the point, rambling on off topic or becoming too involved and convoluted to follow easily.
Uses unprofessional language and/or body language
Pitcher is abrupt or offhand or worse- defensive if hearing something they’d rather not
Going over the allotted time
Forgetting to say thank you and leaving gracefully
Failure to leave contact info- business card is best
Rudeness even if unintended- be aware of your body language and the tone of your words and how they are delivered.

If delivered by electronic means:
Addressed to wrong agent/editor OR name spelled wrong
Copy is not formatted to submission guidelines
Not carefully proof read- spelling and grammatical errors
Does not provide contact information OR it is hard to find
Does not provide some idea of author’s experience
No mention of any marketing strategy or social media/online presence
Rudeness- even if not intended- be aware of the tone of your words.
Incorrectly formatted
Genre not stated or clear


Until next month, stay well and happy.
Nancy www.nancymbell.ca