Author: Heather Webb

Agent Interview with Michelle Brower: On Pitch Sessions, Her Dream Project, & Industry Gossip

Wednesday, January 20, 2016
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This week we are presenting the insights of our agents on querying and the publishing business in general. I am fortunate to be working with Michelle Brower, formerly of Folio Literary Management but now at Zachary Shuster Harmsworth. Michelle picked my novel out of the slush pile one snowy afternoon, and changed the course of my life. Working with her has been a joy. She has the instincts of an editor,…

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Where Are They Now? An Update from Deb Alum Heather Webb

Thursday, May 7, 2015
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Editor’s Note: This week we’re catching up with last year’s Debs and seeing what they’ve been writing, publishing and working on since they were last on the Ball. Today, we welcome back HEATHER WEBB, author of BECOMING JOSEPHINE and the recent RODIN’S LOVER. Thank you, Debs, for the invitation to return! It’s great to be back, even if for just a quick visit. What’s happened since I said goodbye to The Ball? So…

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So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye…

Thursday, August 28, 2014
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For my last post at The Debutante Ball, I keep staring at this blank screen and don’t know what to say. There’s nothing clever swirling around in my brain, no catchy phrases, no top five lists. The only thing I feel is this warm pulsing, this GRATITUDE. Gratitude for doing what I love, for having my books published, for the lovely reader letters and reviews and support. Gratitude for new…

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Book Two Updates: The Countdown to Rodin’s Lover Begins

Thursday, August 21, 2014
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BECOMING JOSEPHINE was the first debut from the class of 2014 to be launched. This means I’ll soon be gearing up to the countdown for book two. I have to say, it was quite a learning experience to write under deadline while launching another book. (Though tough, it’s definitely a good problem to have.) I turned in a draft to my editor in early April, my final edits two weeks…

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Looking Back is a Historical Author’s Favorite Past Time, Unless We’re Talking Launches

Thursday, August 14, 2014
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I’m one of those people who analyzes and picks apart, and reanalyzes something until it’s practically gray matter. So when I think about looking back at my debut launch (even though it hasn’t been that long ago), it all seems a little fuzzy. The weird thing is, I’m a historical writer and I really love to derive meaning from past events and apply them to the present. Not in this…

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3 Ways to Handle Writerly Rejection

Thursday, August 7, 2014
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Remember how we talked about overwhelmed author syndrome last week? Yeah, I’m still stewing in that. I leave for France on Monday for research and I can’t seem to get traction with anything I’ve attempted this week. Lordie, I can barely get this post out. But here we go! My thoughts on rejection are as follows. You can look at it three ways:   THEY DON’T LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU…

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System Overload: How One Author Copes with the Grind

Thursday, July 31, 2014
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I’m sorry, did someone say overwhelmed author? Yeah, I don’t have time to write this post because I’m in SYSTEM OVERLOAD. No really, I am. I’m putting together my marketing plan for book two at the moment and trying, trying, trying to put words on paper for book three…and I still feel like I just wrapped all my book promo for my debut. (I could also go into conference proposals,…

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Maybe a Little Guilt, Ok, NOT

Thursday, July 24, 2014
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I love this week at The Deb Ball! We get to spill our silly secret pieces of happiness. It is a little embarrassing to admit these out loud, but hey, we writers have thick skin and can take the heat, right? (Pishaw) Here we go: Trashy magazines. Hey, I figure I cram my brain with only so many heavy duty resources about culture, history, war, etc, per day. I’m allowed…

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When “Doing it” Feels Right, Put the Sexy in Your Novel

Thursday, July 17, 2014
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I’ve enjoyed reading the other Debs posts this week about S-E-X. It seems we all agree that including the dirty deed in our novels should only be included if it feels right. “Doing it” when it feels right is all well and good, but how do we write it well? Study the Greats: This is definitely the best place to start. Pick up a few romance novels and study how these…

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Sometimes Craft Trumps All & The Black Hour More than Delivers

Thursday, July 10, 2014
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I finished reading The Black Hour last weekend, yet it still clings to me. I could philosophize about the violence that has gripped our country (because Lori did a brilliant job capturing this sentiment), or the fascinating mystery set to the backdrop of an environment I still hold near and dear–the college campus, or even the many questions that arise in the narrative about what it means to lose something…

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