Firsts Fridays: Emily Rittel-King

I feel a special kinship toward today’s Firsts Fridays guest because I not only consider her a great blogging buddy she is also my friend. Emily Rittel-King is doing many things in her life, like writing, blogging and querying. None of them are firsts for her but I love her insight and I think you will too so let’s get to know her shall we…
This is what she says about herself:

I'm a mom busting out of my daily grind by immersing myself in the pages of a book, preferably my own. I dabble in suspense and paranormal fiction for young adults and adults, but my first love is romance.

You've probably guessed my real name isn't E.R. King, and you may be asking, what's with the pen name? I'm very attached to my maiden name, Rittel, enough so that I considered sticking with it, but the only people who know how to pronounce it correctly live in my hometown. My father was my high school principal (can you imagine?) so everyone knows me: kids, teachers, gas station clerks—it's a small town. To avoid mispronunciation (Rit-elle, not Ri-tell or Ri-dell), I've honored my family name by making it an initial. Hence the name E (Emily) R (Rittel) King.

Randomness about me: If my house was set on fire and I had time to rescue three things I would choose my hard drive, Violet my cat, and my wedding photo. In case you're wondering, my husband and our three munchkins got out okay, but sadly, my box of Lindor Truffles was consumed in the flames. The cat had an edge over the chocolates, but only by a hair.

DB: Hey Emily! I’m thrilled to have you visiting todayJ

When I first checked out your blog you had three followers and now you have over 200, not to mention the tons of comment love. Can you tell us your secret?

ERK: I don’t know if I have a secret so much as a thirst for blogging. I follow a lot of blogs, read them, and comment on them. I found the blogs I follow through blogfests, reading other blogger’s comments, and going to the links people post when they receive blogging awards. My Blogging Mentor Monday’s guest spot has helped me gain followers and taught me a lot about Blogging. Receiving blogging awards and tags also helps.

As for my own blog, I try to post about issues on my mind. A fellow blogger taught me how to receive comments by e-mail, so those who have a working e-mail address I respond to directly. It’s saved me time and helped me form personal relationships with my followers. I also like to post only 2-3 times a week. This gives time for those who don’t check their blogs every day to comment.

DB: It really is cool how we develop these great friendships with our blogging friends.

Sticking with blogging questions for a moment, it seems you are all over the blogosphere. Every blog I visit you have been there and left a lovely comment. How do you time manage your blogging, visiting blogs, writing and personal life and still stay sane?

ERK: I’ve really pushed myself to get out there and find blogs. My hunt has slowed a bit, as I’m following plenty now, but then I find another great blog and I HAVE to follow and comment. It can be tough fitting in blogging while writing, but the balance of work and play keeps me sane. I really don’t spend that much time blogging. I’ve discovered that the two busiest blogging days are on Monday and Tuesday (sometimes Wednesdays), so I spend a couple of hours on those days. The weekends are usually pretty quiet in the blog-o-sphere.

DB: I think you’ve found the key by figuring out the busy days and taking it easy the others.

You have recently been querying agents and are doing pretty well as far as requests for partials or fulls. Can you give us some query advice?

ERK: I wish there were a magic formula for querying, but alas, it’s all about perseverance and finding an agent who falls in love with your writing. First and foremost, be prepared. Don’t go into it hoping you’ll find an agent, KNOW you’ll find one. Then be patient, believe in yourself, and realize a rejection is no more than a “no thank you.” You don’t want an agent who feels lukewarm about your book. You want total and complete adoration. Don’t settle for anything less!

DB: Great advice!

What are you working on now and where do you see yourself in the future of writing?

ERK: I’m still plugging away on my 5-book series, which I see myself finishing sometime in the next decade. : ) It’s fun, but a lot of work. Building a world that spans five books makes me careful of every plot twist and subplot because it all adds up. I know the ending, which helps a lot. Still, writing is hard work. Querying is hard. Believing in yourself in the face of rejection is hard. The future depends on what I do today, so I’m busting my butt to get what I want.

DB: You nailed it on the believing in yourself being hard. I think we can sometimes be our own worst enemyJ

You are co-hosting a fun blogfest with me called the Killer Characters Blogfest in a couple of weeks. Can you tell us a little about that?

ERK: YES! The blogfest

DB: If anyone is interested in signing up you can go HERE to do so. We will be offering three prizes!

Tell us anything. It can be about you, your writing, something fun. Whatever. The floor is yoursJ

ERK: Life is good! Be thankful for what you have, work for what you want, and believe you can achieve your dreams!

DB: Perfect way to end it Emily! Thanks for being here; you’re a doll for doing thisJ

ERK: I appreciate the opportunity, Deana. This was fun!

DB: If Emily sounds as awesome to you as she is to me you can find her blogging it up at Lets Get Busy Writing.

Until next time…

Keep writing. Keep learning.