Wattpad is a site where writers can share their stories as well as read and comment on the stories of others. Every year they host the Watty Awards where they choose winners from a variety of genres. This year they had over 100,000 entries, which is awe inspiring to think of that many people writing and entering. I entered my historical story The Nymph of Versailles under my pen name Kate Valent and won a Watty! (I may have teared up a little when I found out) I wanted to discuss what this means to me personally. You can also view and read the winners here. You can find mine under the literary winners.
As an agent I give a lot of querying advice. The truth is I do understand how difficult querying is because I’ve unsuccessfully queried several books including The Nymph of Versailles. Writing is what led to me working in publishing in the first place. So all that querying advice I give? Yeah, I’ve been in the query trenches and have had all the emotional highs and lows that come with it. I even entered Pitch Wars twice before I became an agent without being chosen. The Nymph of Versailles did net me quite a few full requests when I queried it, but in the end it did not receive representation. I’ve since quit querying my writing due to a variety of reasons and was considering taking that project indie. When it came time for the Wattys, I decided to enter and did not expect anything. Winning was a very welcome surprise. So take this as another don’t give up story because I’ve written at least six books just to get to this point let alone even think about how many more it would take for me to land a traditional deal.
Where do I go from here? I’ve since moved on to writing historical fantasy, which I think suits my writing voice and style a lot better. I love writing historical stories full of magic mixed with real history. I would love to be a hybrid author one day, but for now it feels amazing to finally be able to share some of my writing even if I am a little mortified it’s something that hasn’t been professionally edited yet.
As for The Nymph of Versailles, you can read the blurb below or check it out via the link in the first paragraph of this post. And as a reminder, I blog and Tweet (@KatelynUplinger) a lot of advice on editing, writing, traditional publishing, and even self-publishing.
The Nymph of Versailles Blurb
For fans of Allison Pataki and Philippa Gregory, THE NYMPH OF VERSAILLES is based on the true story of Madame Montespan’s rise and fall at the court of King Louis XIV.
Being the Sun King’s mistress is a coveted position in a court full of greedy courtiers vying for power and Athénaïs Montespan won’t let anything stand in the way of her stealing the king’s heart–not even poison.
When the king’s interest in his mistress Louise begins to wane, Montespan sees the position as a possible escape from her husband’s mounting debts and loveless marriage. Her strained friendship with Louise doesn’t stop her from charming the king. However keeping his heart is tricky in a court full of plotting beauties eager to have him for themselves, especially with her jealous husband bent on ending her seduction.
Then her children’s governess becomes an unexpected rival for the king’s heart and the only woman who can contend with Montespan. With the court swirling with rumors of poison, Montespan finds herself caught in the web of accusations. Her position with the king begins to crumble as she fights to hold on to the life she’s built. Without the king’s love, she fears she will lose everything as she falls from grace.