After the Madness Workshop #S-12 STEEL HORIZON

#S-12 STEEL HORIZON

I never knew the world could hold so much silence. It echoed through the hollow malls and empty stores, through highways filled with nothing but the charred shells of abandoned cars.

It whistled through the bones of the dead.  

LOVE LOVE LOVE this opening.

All eyes looked up when the first raindrops fell from the sky. Scrappers feared the rain. It was the only thing that kept us safe. Kept us hidden. But even with the rain pattering down on the steel roof, nobody talked or moved. We were too tired to be thankful from our short moment of safety. We all knew it wouldn’t last.

A shiver ran down my spine as I watched the people around me with their backs hunched and shoulders sagged. Even though their numbers were small, I wasn’t used to being around people. I tried to isolate myself from them, hugging my legs to my chest and keeping myself folded into my corner. 

A man and his young son were nearby and I couldn’t help but stare; he was the youngest person I’d seen in months. 

Brown hair clung to his face, streaked with dirt and tears, but his father still let him press his head against his chest, holding him close. He comforted him and told him everything would be all right. His words were lies, but I could never contradict him. Because deep down, I wanted to hear those things too. I wanted someone to tell me that we were all going to live and actually mean it.

I can not tell you how much I loved this opening page. Personal preference? Maybe. I LOVE anything post-apocalyptic/zombie/etc like this. I would absolutely keep reading. Loved the voice, loved the bleakness of the world. And funny that you opened with the exact thing that draws me to post apocalyptics in the first place: the silence. LOVE this. 

After the Madness Workshop #S-11 DROWNING BAILEY

#S-11 DROWNING BAILEY

Her lips were blue as if the taste of air hadn’t breached them for years. The gray of her skin gleamed with remnants of water seeping from her pores, denying her freedom from the element that stole her life. Her flint black hair rested in a tangled web of dampness, dangling strands around the frame of her vacant white eyes. Their pupils barely visible through the foggy film that layered over their once vibrant color. The liveliness of her face was far beyond damaged from the abrasive trauma of her death, leaving it unrecognizable. She never spoke a word. Not even a whisper of breath escaped her. The Drowning Girl, I called her. 

I love this opening. 

She leered over my bed night after night like a lost soul looking for a sign of life. When I was thirteen, she made her first appearance and I vowed never to sleep alone in my room again. For days, I urged my parents to take me away from the haunting apparition, but they only blamed it on my childish imagination.

Over time, I discovered that she would never appear outside the four walls that made up my bedroom, as if some unseen force forbid her from leaving. Using that fact to my advantage, I persuaded my parents to allow me to sleep in their room. It was the only place I felt absolute and safe. When they finally had enough of my ridiculous accusations, they forced me back into my own bed. I pleaded for every light to remain on from the hallway to my room until I was safely asleep.

I was intrigued by this, and I'd keep reading. My only criticism is why she didn't just sleep on the couch, or pick a different bedroom to sleep in once she figured out that the ghost was contained. This opening also reminds me of the Sixth Sense, and I wonder if agents might think "I've seen this done before" etc. Just a thought.

After the Madness Workshop #S-10 UNYIELDING

#S-10 UNYIELDING

Glass shattered, piercing the silence of night. Gabe leapt from bed in a state of panic and his blankets tackled him to the floor. He wrestled the material in a chaotic display of acrobatics. His hands began to sting from the anxiety, like being jabbed with pins and needles. Not again! 

He stopped and focused, trying to settle his emotions to keep from setting his covers a blaze. The power calmed. 

He broke free from his blankets and sprung up, alert. What was that!?  Gabe stared at his opened door, searching for signs of movement beyond his room. 

The house slept.  Silent.

Good, it was just a dream. 

No sooner had the thought entered his mind, a shadow dashed through his door.  Before his eyes had time to warn his brain of potential danger, she was at his side, arms outstretched.

“Sis,” he said, exhaling a deep breath.  “Why are you out of bed?”  He bent over and picked up the frightened, little girl.

“The noise scared me,” Kyla whimpered, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist and throwing her arms about his neck.

She heard it too!  Hisheart quickened. What should I do?  Did Mom and Dad hear it?    

He attempted to lower the six year old to the ground, but she squeezed tighter, moaning.

Suddenly the house shook, booming as if a rocket had barreled through the living room.  This time there was no mistaking it for a dream. 

A scream shot up the stairs.  Gabe knew instantly who it was.  Mom!

I loved everything about this. I hooked at the first line and sad to get to the end because I don't get to read the rest. Great job.

After the Madness Workshop #S-9 DOLLS

#S-9 DOLLS

All Melissa Susann wanted was to survive her first day.

Nothing else. That was all.

As she walked into the front office and looked at the somewhat worn-out chairs, at the safety posters on the walls, and at the vases of flowers located around the room, she thought: Please, oh, please God, let me survive. I don’t be the hottest, or the prettiest, or the skinniest. I know I will not be any of those things. I just want to make it through without any embarrassments. Please, please, please.

There are some grammatical issues that need to be worked out ex."I don't be the hottest"

A dark-haired woman with black-rimmed glasses sat in a desk to Melissa’s right. She held a beige telephone receiver to her ear with one hand and wrote something down on a yellow, square piece of paper.

There are some grammatical issues that need to be worked out ex."sat IN a desk" 

Melissa approached the desk. Holding to the right strap of her backpack, she took slow, reluctant steps. Sweat coated her hands. She wiped them on her jeans, only to have them moisten up again seconds later.

The woman raised her eyes to Melissa and smiled.

“Hold on a minute, please,” she said.

Melissa nodded.

The sounds of phones ringing, people talking, paper shuffling, and doors closing plagued her ears. The fain scent of eggs and coffee wafted into her nostrils. Sweat prickled at the back of her neck.

The woman placed the phone down. She sighed and attempted a smile. “Yes?”

“Um, I’m new,” Melissa said, her cheeks turning red.

“Your name?”

“Melissa Susann.”

“S-U-S-A-N?”

“But with an extra N at the end."

The woman nodded.

Besides the grammatical issues, I didn't see anything to critique here. I wasn't hooked, unfortunately. There was nothing exciting, or sparkly to hook me. It just felt kind-of boring. The only thing that I get from the first page is that she's the new kid at school and she's nervous. That could be summed up in a sentence or two, leaving the rest of the page to suck me in, make me want to keep reading. Is this really where the story starts?

That said, I'm not really a big fan of contemporary YA, so maybe it's more an issue of personal preference. I'll leave it up to the commenters to tell you what they think. 

After the Madness Workshop #S-8 Samie Leavy

#S-8 Samie Leavy

I push my palms flat against the ground, tug the fresh blades of grass through my fingers and think about the bodies buried beneath me. I know there are over four hundred men, women, and children in the mass grave and I know how they died. Everyone knows.

Love this opening paragraph. 

I live in Vita: A country built above its dead. For miles beneath the concrete slabs of the City there are endless graves. It is our job to burn or bury the bodies, depending on their status or cause of death.

The luminous glow of the dawning sun creeps across the sky as I watch, listening to Clay's rhythmic snoring. Birte doesn't like us to sleep outside, he says children have no business sleeping amongst the dead. I don't understand his reasoning, we live in the cemetery – we are constantly amongst the dead.

I'd come to live with Birte and Clay when I was four, Clay was five. Birte Graves had lived at the cemetery all his life, and had raised his only son there after his wife died in childbirth. His son Lirit Graves, Clay's father, had died the day before I arrived. The day Lirit died, he'd returned to the cemetery, after wandering with those people for three years. His cause of death was never mentioned but there's a rusty stain in the middle of the floor of that looks a lot like a blood stain. It doesn't surprise us Lirit died, that's what happened if you wandered with them.

This one is tough. I was hooked up until this last paragraph where you info dumped all of the mc's backstory. That's where you lost me. But the first three paragraphs were awesome! Can you find a way to give us the mc's back story as to how he/she came to live with Birte a little at a time?

After the Madness Workshop #S-7 Holly Boland

#S-7 Holly Boland

I eyed the couple sitting at the wrought iron table to my left. They were engrossed in conversation with each other, their affection for one another, apparent. The umbrella shading the table wiggled back and forth with the breeze. I could smell the evil in the air, even though everyone else around me was oblivious. It seared through me like a ripple of invisible energy; both dark and familiar.

As a whole, I like this paragraph, however I think it could use some tightening. For example, the fact that they are to the MC's left. Is this detail necessary? Maybe try to combine the first two sentences together to make it more succinct. I am intrigued by her ability to smell evil on the air. 

Then I saw him. His face lined with hard facial features, just as Toni had described. Cobalt blue eyes, with his chin resting on his tattooed forearms. He was ordering food from a roadside stand; his arms perched on the countertop. His black hair shaggy, yet stick straight. He was a little unwavering, with his casual appearance, but he was not as unknowing as the people around him. He could be the one.

"His face lined with hard facial features" doesn't do much for me - what does it mean? Also "He was a little unwavering" another description that I'm not understanding. 

I’ve searched for the one for quite some time now. I looked away in disbelief. He’s smiling; that’s an act of kindness. The first sign of weakness in this world. Kindness. Across the street, hid beneath the shadows of the two large brick buildings, they waited for him. I caught sight of a reflective flicker in the window of the same building. Binoculars. A scope, perhaps. He was surrounded. I had less than a minute, seconds at best, to reach him. I started towards him, when a bright light seared my vision. I saw the explosion, before I heard the thunderous rush. The heat engulfed me, burning the hair off my arms…

There's some tense shifting throughout this first page that leaves me questioning if this project is written in present or past tense. Ex: "I've searched" "He's smiling".


Truth be told, I wasn't hooked by this opening, until you got to the part about people watching him, and the explosion. So much description of what's going on around the guy and what he looks like. And then he's blown up. 

After the Madness Workshop #S-6 YA: PLAYLIST

S-6 YA: PLAYLIST

Kissing Todd started this summer. I’ve known him since we were in diapers. We’ve grown up together in the same building. I’m often 12C’s lone inhabitant since Dad travels too much for his job with the Army Corps of Engineers. Todd’s across the hall in 12B with his mother, Margo. She’s Editor-in-Chief at a small publishing company founded by her parents that’s always in danger of being devoured by larger publishing houses.

This first paragraph feels very choppy and jarring. It also feels like an info dump. You're giving us all the details about the characters without really letting us meet the characters. You're telling us about your characters, rather than showing us.
This summer we volunteered at Safe Haven, a no-kill animal shelter. I’d love to say I’m filled with compassion for all God’s unwanted creatures but I graduate in nine months and community service is required. True to form, I started my hundred hours in June. Todd, always much smarter than me, showed up for his last twenty expertly filling the roles of moral support, comic relief and dog breed expert.

Still info dumping. Show us, don't tell us. 
The Kiss (deserving of a capital ‘K’, it was that good) seemed like an accident. We’d just cleaned our last kennel. The August sun beat down deathly hot, both of us dirty and sweating like pigs, and this complete euphoria overtook me. I grabbed Todd in a big hug like I’ve done a thousand times since we’ve been alive and for some reason, we didn’t break apart so quickly.

Backed by a symphony of barking dogs, we kissed. And kissed some more. Until my lips were raw and my knees like melted butter.

We don’t talk about what made it happen.

We just keep doing it.

I feel like you're starting in the wrong place. (And starting with a flashback is cliche). I think this opening would be stronger if you started out with the kiss scene. The emotions, the feelings, the situation. Make us feel that first kiss with her. THEN bring us forward to where you are now. Intersperse the details of their past rather than throwing it all on the table on the first page. 

That said, your writing is clean and I love your voice once you get to the kiss. But it's the telling vs showing and back story that loses me before you have a chance to hook me with your voice in that scene. 

After the Madness Workshop - #S-5 JENNA'S GHOST

S-5 Jenna's Ghost

When that front door swung open, I felt as though I had been shot in the heart. I may as well have been—I already felt dead. Being rousted from the only home I had ever known still came as a shock to me even though I had been expecting it for months. Throughout the trial of my father, I had been living with my best friend’s family, and I have to admit that I held the tiniest flicker of hope that I could stay there permanently. I was also hoping that dad wouldn’t have to serve time. But he did. Five years for assault. He was taken to jail and in a very real sense, so was I.

Unfortunately, I wasn't grabbed by the first sentence. When in first person, avoid using the word "felt" at all cost. It distances your readers from the character. This first paragraph feels very info-dumpy/back story to me. 

It was the County, in all its wisdom, that decided that it would be better to uproot me yet again to go live with my mother. It didn’t matter that I was nearly seventeen and hadn’t heard from her in over thirteen years. And I know for a fact that it wasn’t mom’s idea that I was there at her doorstep, cradling my sad little garbage bag of ragged possessions in my arms.

Mom stood rigidly at the door, scanning me over as though I were a virus burgeoning in a warm Petri dish. Then she stepped aside, allowing me entry into her house.

After some uncomfortable small talk with my caseworker, I was left alone with my mother, this dour stranger who viewed me more of an interruption than her spawn.

Like the first paragraph, the first page felt very info-dump/backstory to me. I think you could tighten this up by jumping straight to her mom opening the door and her reaction to that. You could intersperse in the little details (like not seeing her mom in 13 years and going to live with her etc) IN the action, instead of piling on all the details of why we should care about her up front.

That said, I love the line about how her mom looked at her. Your voice is shining through there, but it is lost underneath the info dump from before. 

After the Madness Workshop - #S-4 YA Paranormal: FRACTURED RADIANCE

S-4 YA Paranormal: FRACTURED RADIANCE

Love the title.

At least once a week, Melia Hale dreamt about her death.

Interesting opening line. I like it.

The dreams started around her eighth birthday, and she had yet to repeat one. Surrounded by the pyramids, in a thick deciduous forest, or on a Spanish tall ship—the locations varied, but the method stayed the same. Lia died by fire every time. And there was always something familiar about the flames. A feeling of inevitability, tinged with anger, resolve, and helplessness.

Oooh, interesting.
As Lia stood in the dark, cluttered tent at the state fair, she once again felt that sense of destiny. The gypsy held Lia’s hand close to her face, traced the lines in the upturned palm, and closed her bloodshot eyes. Lia wanted to withdraw her hand from the swarthy woman. She hadn’t wanted to come in here. Well, not exactly. Gavin had suggested it, and Lia had agreed with little thought. Now, alone in the patched red tent with this woman who reeked of pipe smoke, she regretted it—despite the pull. She’d always imagined visiting the gypsy at the state fair. The dingy tent stood on the edge of the fairgrounds. It huddled in on itself, afraid to reveal its secrets. Curiosity had pricked Lia’s mind since the first time she’d passed it, eight years ago. She’d envisioned a crystal ball on an ornately carved pedestal table. Not a foldable card table, a stack of dirty laundry in the corner.

The gypsy pushed a strand of matted black hair out of her face and opened her eyes. She smiled, too.

I was hooked. Great voice. Interesting concept. I would read on, hoping that the rest of the book lives up to the promise of the first page. Great job.

After the Madness Workshop - #S-3 YA Historical Fantasy Romance - UNDER THE TREES

S-3 YA Historical Fantasy Romance - UNDER THE TREES

I clung to the saddle as Major tore down the path in front of us. My muscles burned and sweat dripped into my eyes, but I could not let my horse slow down. Not when the heaving sound of his labored breathing tore at my heart. Not when my face and arms stung from low-hanging branches ripping at them. Not even when a monstrous fallen log loomed before us. Leaning forward and ducking low on Major’s neck, I extended the reins. With a grunt, he launched us into the air.

I loved this opening paragraph. Leaves me asking who this person is and what they are running from. Definitely hooked. 

For the barest of moments, time hung suspended, leaving only the soaring.

His hooves slammed back down, but he stumbled on the landing. I pitched forward, nearly flying out of the saddle. I flailed and tried to straighten while my horse regained his footing. My left stirrup dangled uselessly beside my foot, but I pushed Major back into a gallop, even as I struggled to recover my balance. We could not stop. I gripped Major’s sides and clutched handfuls of his black mane as the next bend in the trail swallowed us whole.

Then the path opened up, and I let out the reins. Major shot forward, racing beside the river on our right side. It led all the way through the Golden Woods to Braythel. If I could make it to that kingdom, I might have a chance. Digging in with my heels, I urged Major on. I had to get to Braythel.

Everyone that knows me knows I'm a sucker for fantasy like this. I loved this opening. I have nothing to critique because you did a great job at starting in the action. The writing is clean and the voice is strong. I'd keep reading. Great job. 

After the Madness Workshop - #S-2 YA Sci Fi: Future Shock

#S-2 YA Sci Fi: Future Shock

"They can take our freedom, but they can never have our French fries!"
I'm not usually a fan of opening with dialog, but I love this. 

If there had been a desk in front of her, Grace Harper would have smacked her head against it. Repeatedly. Loving the voice so far. 

The auditorium erupted into cheers, a decidedly uncommon occurrence for Dresden High School's student council candidacy announcements. Usually, students simply said what position they were running for and why people should vote for them, to weak applause or the occasional overzealous "Yeah!" from the stoner kids in the back.

Apparently, all it took was a twinkly-eyed Quarterback running on a French fries platform to get people enthusiastically engaged in student government.

Grace had to use all her strength to unclench her jaw. Her fists, however, she kept balled at her sides, so that she wouldn't try and wring anyone's neck. She wasn't usually this aggressive, really, but there was something about pretty-boy jocks who reduced student government to a popularity contest that irked her.

Said jock extraordinaire, Jake Carlson, gesticulated wildly at the crowd to keep going, and ended his brilliantly puerile campaign speech with, "So if you vote for me, everything will be awesome, and you can have all the French fries you want!"

Head. Desk.

Before she could engage in any more imaginary stress relief, the student council adviser, Ms. Jefferson, nodded at Grace to go up to the podium, despite the fact that the crowd was still whooping, cat-calling and clapping. Jake, for his part, was encouraging them by way of a dramatic reenactment of last week's game-winning catch.

I loved this. Yes, it hooked me, simply because of the voice. Interested to see how this relates to the genre you have listed, since it reads very contemporary. But anyway, yes, I would keep reading.

After the Madness Workshop - #S-1 Ellen Rozek

S1- Ellen Rozek

  An elbow jabbed Naomi Williams squarely in the ribs as she pushed her way into line alongside the other inmates.  Though yard time was almost always uneventful, today some idiot newcomer had thought it would be a good idea to heckle her while she ran sprints up and down the fence.

I'm generally not fond of using the protagonist's full name in anywhere except in dialog. It drags me out of the narrative before you've had a chance to pull me in. Especially not in that crucial first paragraph. Is it important that we know her full name right off? I'm not really grabbed by this. I *want* to be - an inmate as protagonist is interesting, but I'm not quite getting it. Maybe have Naomi reacting to getting jabbed by an elbow, or getting knocked to the ground. Something to show us that something exciting is going to happen. It's reading a little flat as-is

            The other girl smirked at her now, gunning for a fight.  Naomi looked away just long enough to roll her eyes.  It was only a matter of time before the newbie learned she shouldn’t mess with the only convicted murderer in the facility.  Normally Naomi would’ve delayed that particular lesson, but hearing catcalls while exercising in eighty-five degree heat hadn’t exactly improved her mood. 

I think you could bring the first and second paragraphs together and make it more punchy to really draw your reader in. 

            As they marched inside in a straight line, she kept her eyes on newbie’s back. Right before they passed the guards Naomi stepped hard on her heel, sending her stumbling into the girl in front of her.

            The guards were on newbie’s case right away, thinking she’d tried to start something.  When she protested that she’d been tripped, they only bothered her more. Meanwhile, Naomi kept her face blank and her eyes facing forward.  Three years in lockup and she knew exactly how to stay out of trouble—and how to cause a little if necessary without getting caught.  All she wanted was to be left alone, and putting the occasional person in their place was a small price to pay for solitude. 

            By the time they finally shoved the newbie back into line, Naomi almost felt sorry for her.  Almost.

This leaves me wondering why you chose to start your novel here? Is the newbie somehow going to play into the rest of the story? I get you're trying to draw the reader in with the interesting twist that the MC is an inmate convicted of murder. I just wonder if this is really where you want to start the book out? I think with combining the first and second paragraphs and making it more succinct would really help strengthen this opening.

After the Madness Workshop

When reading for our recent PitchMadness, we noticed the entries that didn't make it to the agent match was because the first words weren't hooking us. There wasn't a unique element to pull us in, the setting was right but the action was too familiar, or the story started in the wrong place. So we decided to do another workshop focusing solely on the opening page. 

Brenda Drake, Erica Chapman, and the writers at YAtopia are joining me in critiquing your opening words on their sites this month. 

 YAtopia

Brenda Drake

Erica Chapman

Here how it's going down...

If you want to join in sign up on the linky below. Remember your entry will be placed on our blogs and critiqued not only by us but also by your peers. We're accepting up to 40 60 participants. We'll be critiquing two each per day starting March 26. Depending on the success, we may open another round at a later date. After you sign up on the linky below email your first 250 words of your manuscript (finished or unfinished - any genre) to brendadrakecontests@gmail.com. Again, don't wait. Email your entries right away. 

Only the first 40 60 will make it into the workshop, so hurry and sign-up now!

Mister Linky's Magical Widgets -- Auto-Linky widget will appear right here!
This preview will disappear when the widget is displayed on your site.
For best results, use HTML mode to edit this section of the post.

Pitch Madness Roundup

Pitch Madness Recap

First off, I want to thank all the agents who made this such a success. There were a few glitches but everyone was so kind and they were fixed quickly. 

John Cusick - Scott Treimel NY
Sarah LaPolla - Curtis Brown
Sara Sciuto - Full Circle Literary
Molly Ker Hawn - The Bent Agency
Lauren Hammond - ADA Management
Judith Engracia - Liza Dawson Assoc.
Carlie Webber - Jane Rotrosen Agency
Louise Fury - L. Perkins Agency
Gordon Warnock - Andrea Hurst literary
Kevan Lyon - Marsal Lyon Literary Agency

The Wild Card Agent: Victoria Marini - Gelfman Schneider Literary Agents

Next, I want to thank Brenda Drake and Cassandra Marshall for co-hosting this awesome contest with me. You both rock!

Then, Erica Chapman for reading through the first round of slush with Brenda, and sometimes again when we just couldn't decide on our reads.

Finally, to all the 198 participants who put themselves out there. It was so hard to choose the best entries for the contest. There were some entries I said yes to that didn't make it. A lot made it to the contenders round. If you didn't get to the match round or didn't get a request, please remember that reading is subjective. You just have to find that person who falls in love with your manuscript. There was an entry that I was stoked about and absolutely loved that didn't get a request. And then there was one that I pulled out of the trash because I really liked it, and it got tons of requests. So you see, it's just a luck game sometimes. Keep writing. Keep querying. And keep playing the game.

And the winning hands ...

S-1 Middle-Grade Fantasy: EMBER Winner: @johnmcusick with 2 pair! (query+25 pgs)

S-2 Middle-Grade Magical Realism: THE MISFORTUNE OF THE EMERALD THIEF Winner: @johnmcusick with 2 pair! (Query+25 pgs)

S-3 YA Contemporary: A GIRL NAMED JACK Winner:@NovelistLauren with a Flush! (Query+100 pgs)

S-4 YA Contemporary: OLIVIA TWISTED Winner: @johnmcusickwith a straight flush (trumps all partial requests)

S-5 YA Urban Fantasy: AN UNCOMMON BLUE Winner:@sarasciuto with a Straight Flush (trumps all partial requests).

S-6 YA Science Fiction : AWAKENING Winner: @LitAgentMariniwith a 4 of a kind (query+ 150 pgs)

S-7 YA Contemporary: RECLAIMED Winner: @johnmcusick beats@gordonwarnock's flush with 4 of a kind (query+150pgs)

S-8 YA Fantasy : THE HOURGLASS BRIDGE Winner: @louisefurywith 2 pair (query+25 pgs)

S-9 YA Science Fiction: ONE Winner: @LouiseFury with a Flush (query+100 pgs)

S-10 YA Suspense: INFLUENCE OF THE AIR Winner: @sarasciuto with a Full House (Full request).

S-11: MG: Figment is @mollykh with 4 of a Kind (query+150) (After a challenge with John Cusick!)

#S-12 YA Sci-Fi: THE WILD - Winner of the hand: @LitagentMarini with a Full House (Full request) (Due to error in scoring, Victoria Marini, Sara Sicuto and Louise Fury will all receive their requests for the Wild.)

S-13 Upper Middle-Grade Contemporary : SUMMER SPELL Winner:@louisefury with 4 of a Kind (query+150 pgs)

S-14 YA Urban Fantasy: MORNING STAR Winner: @johnmcusickwith a high card (query + 5pgs)

S-15 YA Contemporary Fantasy : HELLFIRE Winner:@sarahlapolla with a straight! (Query+75 pgs)

#S-16 YA Fantasy : MONSTROUS Winner: @SaraSicuto with a Royal Flush (Full request)

#S-17 YA Fantasy : THE SKY THRONE Winner: @sarasciuto with a Full House (Full request)

#S-18 YA Urban Fantasy with Romantic Elements : THE ALTERAE Winner: @sarasciuto with a straight (query+75)

#S-19 YA Contemporary : FROSTY @gordonwarnock beat out @johnmcusick for the challenge round!

#S-20 YA Fantasy : DAEMERKIN Winner of the hand:@johnmcusick with 2 pair (query+25pgs)

 

Until next time ... that's it!

March Madness Agent Pitch Match - Welcome Agents!

A big welcome to all of the agents, readers, and participants who are excited about the Pitch Madness event!

All comments will be moderated from here on out so that theagents can play their hands in secret. They'll have until March 14th at 12pm EST when comments will be published and winners will be revealed,

Readers and participants can follow along with the Twitter hashtag#PitchMadness too!

There are sixty entries that made it to this final round. I've got twenty, Cassandra has twenty, and Brenda has twenty, so be sure to visit their blogs and check out the other entries too!

Best of luck to everyone!

Agents, SHOW US YOUR HANDS!

Pitch Madness #S-S-10 YA Suspense: INFLUENCE OF THE AIR

#S-10 YA Suspense: INFLUENCE OF THE AIR


When a teen girl’s discovery of a nun’s journals in her new home—a former convent—unleashes a monster, she and her best friend must dredge up the past to save their futures.


When I was a little girl Dad insisted monsters couldn’t get me so long as one person in the house loved me. Mom was always more matter-of-fact: she said she’d shoot them before they could make a move. I never believed Dad—Mom packed more credibility since she had a gun tucked against her hip most days.

That was when Mom being a cop was a good thing. These days I worried more about her ticketing me for reckless driving. Believing in monsters was something I’d outgrown, like Santa Claus.

My scooter, a seventeenth birthday present from my parents, buzzed closer to the restaurant where I was due to pick up my best friend Noah. The speed limit was thirty, but I was pushing fifty. The Tern, in all its tourist-attracting crap, popped into view when I turned the corner. Surfboards, old nets, and plastic crabs swayed in the frigid, salt-scented wind.

Pitch Madness #S-12 YA Sci-Fi: THE WILD

#S-12 YA Sci-Fi: THE WILD


In South-Three township, where everyone is constantly monitored by the Regime, Lucas Dawson will risk escape into the unknown Wild to avoid having his memories wiped and to discover a way to destroy the Regime.

For my sixteenth birthday my parents staged my death. The stakes were higher since I was so old. Sometimes under tens had sudden “fatal” accidents. But my parents couldn’t bear to push me out into the Wild before I was tagged, so they hoped for things to change, but tried to prepare me in case they didn’t. And well, they didn’t. They got worse.

One little green pill under my tongue and I was puking my guts all over the field at Regiment training. Rank, I know, but kind of funny watching the officers running around trying to figure out what to do with me. I don’t think anyone had ever been sick at training before, except for normal stuff, like exhaustion or heat stroke or injuries.

I spent the next morning, my real birthday and my fake deathday, at home dumping water in the stainless steel toilet and making retching noises.

Pitch Madness #S-20 YA Fantasy : DAEMERKIN

#S-20 YA Fantasy : DAEMERKIN


Two rules: Kill demons on sight, and stay out of their forest. Tiani shatters both on a dare and runs into one who saves her life, but letting him go means exile or worse… possession.


The silence of the forest sent chills up Tiani’s back. Even the crickets were quiet. A faint red glow bathed the mountain ridge, the sky changing from the black of night. A few more minutes and the sun would rise and she could go home. She swallowed past the lump in her throat. Just a few more minutes.

A chill filled the air, the silence unnerving. There should be something, some sound that spoke of everything being all right. She located Demon’s Point once more, every muscle tightening. Her clammy fingers clenched around the leather bound hilt of the knife and she slipped it from its sheath tied around her leg. It’s probably nothing. Just a wolf or bear. Nothing more dangerous than that.

A twig snapped behind her and Tiani spun, scanning the tree line. “Ehlrin? Is that you?”

Silence.

Her heart beat in her ears, her knuckles white.

Pitch Madness #S-19 YA Contemporary : FROSTY

#S-19 YA Contemporary : FROSTY

After Sydney falls for her foster sister’s boyfriend, she learns Brooke is gay. But Brooke won’t give up Corbin and even if she does, Sydney’s mistrust of others may keep her from ever embracing love.


My ears tingled from the biting wind and swirling snow, but I stayed outside to smoke. The caseworker thought I was nuts, but I liked the cold. It numbed me… relaxed me. Besides, I couldn’t smoke inside—those were the rules.

After finishing a second cigarette, my nerves were calm. Jim pulled up in a dark Mercedes. Cool—none of my former foster families were wealthy. I met him and Lana a week ago, but not their daughter Brooke. This time the caseworker suggested placing me in a family with a teenage girl. As if me and Brooke would be close friends, and my senior year would be the best ever. I was smart enough to know that would never happen. I just needed to get through these last six months with the Claytons, and I’d be on my own.

Pitch Madness #S-18 YA Urban Fantasy with Romantic Elements : THE ALTERAE

#S-18 YA Urban Fantasy with Romantic Elements : THE ALTERAE


When Emma’s best friend drowns, she must master her unwanted ability to manipulate emotions to figure out what really happened or risk becoming the next victim of the ruthless creature responsible for her friend’s death.


Emma hadn’t slept in three days. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the river again. Saw her again.

She shuddered and forced herself to watch the mourners gathering around the grave at the base of the hill. The black-clad figures clung to one another, finding comfort in knowing they didn’t mourn alone. Comfort Emma couldn’t share. Even from where she stood at the crest of the cemetery, their shock and grief and anger pounded against her.

The wind shaped Emma’s dark hair into softly waving tendrils and she brushed them away from her face with the back of her hand. She shifted and the frozen dewdrops clinging to the grass crackled under her feet.

Emma knew she should join the other mourners. She knew they expected her to share in their public display of sorrow.

But she couldn’t.

The slightest touch, the slightest betrayal of emotion and she would lose everything.

Pitch Madness #S-17 YA Fantasy : THE SKY THRONE

#S-17 YA Fantasy : THE SKY THRONE

In order to become powerful enough to avenge an attack on his family, Zeus must access the power of The Sky Throne. But, doing so might kill him in the process.


The distance between darkness and light was a nano-moment, my mother once told me. A sliver of space. The breadth of a strand of hair. I didn't know what she’d meant until that day. And still wished I didn't.

I trudged up the darkened beach, digging my toes in the sand with each step. Visions of pearl-skinned sea nymphs still danced in my head. Their iridescent eyes and seductive charms made me smile.

"C’mon, Zeus" Anytos called, throwing a stick at my feet.

I held a finger in the air.

"Zeus, seriously." He clapped his hands.

"Wait. Hold on." I closed my eyes to enjoy the images of those sea nymphs. Just a moment longer.

"Zeus!" His words sliced sideways through my memories of them. "Sun’s nearly up. We don’t have much time!" Tos stood at the top of a dune, calling down.

I sighed. “I’m coming.”

Pitch Madness #S-16 YA Fantasy : MONSTROUS

#S-16 YA Fantasy :  MONSTROUS


When Kymera, a hybrid created to rescue the city’s children
from an evil wizard, falls for a human boy, she’s forced to ask who
the real monster is: the wizard, Father, or worse, herself.


DAY ONE

I will never forget my first breath. Gasping. Heaving. Delicious.

When I opened my eyes, the colors of the world swarmed me, filling up
all space with hues and objects for which I had no name.

Three seconds later, I passed out from sensory overload, or at least
that is what Father says. He fixed me up and when I woke the second
time, the world became a more comprehensible place. The object
hovering over me was a face, the circles within it were eyes, and the
warm, wet drips leaking from them were tears.

The crease across the bottom that widened under my gaze was a smile.

“You’re alive,” Father said.

Even now, hours later, he mutters it still.


DAY TWO

I lean back against the willow and hold out my arms, studying them
under the waning sunlight. The thin red lines marking the sections of
my body have faded to nearly nothing, leaving only the many shades of
my flesh and the tiny metal bolts fastening joint to wing, tail to
spine, and neck to shoulder.

Pitch Madness #S-15 YA Contemporary Fantasy : HELLFIRE

#S-15 YA Contemporary Fantasy : HELLFIRE


Being a witch is new to Phoebe. Being hunted isn’t. With danger on her tail, Phoebe does what any girl would do. She grabs her boots and her dragon, and goes to kick its ass.


I could hear them. They were in the walls – again.

I scrunched my eyelids shut, trying to ignore the weird itch behind my eyeballs that always seemed to flare up whenever the Crazy was about to hit.

It didn’t work. Never did.

With a growl of frustration I sat up in bed, hearing the flutter and scrape becoming almost frenzied inside the wall.

“Not again,” Christina groaned. My roommate pulled the pillow over her head. I reached under the mattress for the hammer, wishing it was of the sledge variety instead of the mediocre claw hammer I’d snagged from the maintenance guy’s toolbox. Chris muttered something else, but it was lost under her pillow and the incessant scraping inside the walls.

I rolled out of bed, still glaring at the wall as though I’d be able to see the evil little buggers right through the plaster.

Pitch Madness #S-14 YA Urban Fantasy: MORNING STAR

#S-14  YA Urban Fantasy: MORNING STAR


When Dani discovers she’s heir to the Animal Kingdom and the key to ending the deadly feud that killed her parents, she must decide what she’ll risk and who she’ll sacrifice to fulfill her destiny.


This is where the elephants died.

Dani's parched throat, the pain of her swollen feet, vanished at the first sight of the body-dent in the dust. The miles she’d walked were worth it. Home – its fertile soil, heavy green trees – seemed a dream compared to the harsh Kenyan light, the twisted baobab trees, the smooth depressions that spoke death.

The ground called to her. She knelt, placing her palms to the compressed land. She closed her eyes and saw bones buried there, deep under the sand, bones that held the shape of the earth. They whispered. I’m still here. I haven’t left. Remember me. A tingling current started in her fingertips, wound its way up her arms and joined the elephant’s life force to her own.

Pitch Madness #S-13 Upper Middle-Grade Contemporary : SUMMER SPELL

#S-13 Upper Middle-Grade Contemporary : SUMMER SPELL


The heat has everyone on edge in Louisiana, including fourteen-year-old Cassidy Harwell’s family, and the tension between them only gets worse when her father decides to sell their farm, now all they do is fight.


I’m sitting in the kitchen with Mama, and she’s got the radio on full blast. They’re playing one of her favorite songs, and she’s singing along to it. Mama’s voice is as sweet as nectarines. It puts a smile on my face. I wish I could sing like Mama.

The song ends and the news comes on. Mama shakes her head at the radio as the news reporter says that it’ll be another hot night in Louisiana. “Humph,” she says. She stops chopping carrots and turns to me. “If the devil thought he had us then. He sure does now.”

“And what if you don’t believe in the devil, Mama?” I ask.

She raises her brow and wags her finger at me. “Don’t you ever let me hear you ask that again, Cassidy. The devil is as alive as we are.”

Pitch Madness #S-11 Middle-Grade: FIGMENT

#S-11 Middle-Grade: FIGMENT

For an imaginary friend, the rules are simple: be a good playmate to your human assignment and move to a new post when your kid grows up. George breaks one crucial rule: he becomes human.

The boy's right leg shook while he waited. He sat sandwiched between a miniature purple dinosaur and a monkey with a red top hat and matching tap shoes. The dinosaur cleared his throat and shot the kid a sidelong glare which might as well have been an arrow—straight, fast, and deadly. George wanted to say, "I could swat you like a fly," but he steadied his leg instead. He didn't need any more problems today.

All three kept their eyes peeled on the door on the opposite side of the waiting room. Finally, it opened, and each sat up straighter hoping to hear his number next.

A girl who looked like she stepped out of a cartoon—her head a little too big for her body—read six numbers from a card. The dinosaur groaned, and the monkey sank back into his chair. She smiled at George. "Back again?"

Pitch Madness #S-9 YA Science Fiction: ONE

#S-9  YA Science Fiction: ONE


Sixteen-year-old Merrin Grey thinks having half a superpower makes her broken – until she and the boy whose power makes her whole are targeted for biological experiments that may destroy their powers completely.


Most nights at dusk and some mornings before sunrise, I sneak to the back of the shed and I practice. I push myself off the ground, telling my body to go weightless, and hover. An inch, two, six, then a foot. I stay there for seconds, then minutes.

I can’t generate enough tension between my body and the air to take a step - can’t even make myself drift. I’d give anything to be able to float along like a freaking ghost.

It’s the same for all of us. Most Ones start with an ability everyone thinks will turn into a superpower. A really fast runner might have muscles that can’t take the strain after a few seconds. Or a kid who can stretch an arm out really far will have to wait days for it to pull back into place. They put up with getting teased at Superhero High, waiting for their Second – in those cases, enhanced muscle power or elasticity - to show up.

Pitch Madness #S-8 YA Fantasy : THE HOURGLASS BRIDGE

#S-8 YA Fantasy : THE HOURGLASS BRIDGE

Hauled into a hidden, 16th century, magical civilization, nerdy teenager Diamond must unleash the destructive new powers within herself to defend her ancestors in a war she doesn’t know she started.


Midnight, 30th September, 1509.

Serena wanted to run.

The hourglass stood on the altar stone in the center of the clearing. A cruel wind sliced through the trees, stinging Serena’s hands and drawing tears from her eyes, but she welcomed the sensation. At least, for now, she could feel.

“Take the glass,” the witch instructed, capturing Serena’s gaze across the altar. “Turn it once and see that you have controlled time.”

The glass felt like ice in Serena’s trembling hand as she turned it. Beneath its moonlit surface, the rushing sands of time slowed to a trickle and stilled. For the sake of the man standing beside her, she stifled a sob.

She reached into her cloak pocket, reassuring herself that the second hourglass was tucked inside. Either a last hope or a fatal trap; she knew only that it would rob her of her children. Again.

Pitch Madness #S-6 YA Science Fiction : AWAKENING

#S-6  YA Science Fiction :  AWAKENING


Kate’s about to discover she has a gift. With a touch, she’ll read your emotions. Know your thoughts. Download your memories. She’ll learn to hi-jack your mind. Kate’s about to discover what killed her sister.

I stalled at the edge of the creek. Transfixed by Claire’s hair. The long strands fanned out in wisps and rode the surface of the water. She floated about ten feet out, her foot caught on a large log, the slight current rocking her body.

My brain couldn’t translate and I wasted precious seconds on the rocky bank wondering why my sister would go swimming with her clothes on in the middle of December.

When clarity struck, it hit with the force of an unexpected punch, shattering my lungs, hurling my breath to the other side of the muddy ravine.

“Claire!” I stumbled down the embankment, sloshed through the murky water, and fell to my knees by her shoulder. The icy water soaked me up to my waist, weighting down the ends of my hair. A tangled mane plastered her face. I brushed it away.

Wished I hadn’t.

Pitch Madness #S-5 YA Urban Fantasy: AN UNCOMMON BLUE

#S-5 YA  Urban Fantasy:  AN UNCOMMON BLUE


When Bruno grabs the hand of a suicidal Green, he saves the
boy’s life and forever alters his own. Now he must choose between
tearing down Télesphore’s color barriers, or saving his own crumbling
future.


Madame Axelle winked as she dropped an exam on my desk. “Good luck,
Bruno,” she whispered.

I tried to smile, but only managed a grimace. The final was thick this
year. I fingered the edge of the packet, waiting for permission to
turn it over.

Why was I so nervous? Yeah, it was the last test before
classification, but I had remembered to study. What I’d forgotten was
the protein bars. Only two hours past lunch and I was already getting
hungry again.

The room went dark.

“Begin,” Madame Axelle said.

I blinked, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the dim light. I knew the
school just wanted to make it harder for us to see our neighbor’s
answers, but trying to write while using my palm as a lamp was not one
of my strengths.

I flipped the test over and by the bluish light of my fire, read the
first question: According to Télesphorian legend, how did the first
man and woman populate the world?

Pitch Madness #S-4 YA Contemporary: OLIVIA TWISTED

#S-4 YA Contemporary: OLIVIA TWISTED


Sick of moving from one lame foster home to another, sixteen-year-old Olivia thinks she’s finally found love in handsome, smooth-talking Z, only to find out he's trying to recruit her into his world of cybercrime.


Nothing reflects the personality of a home like a doorbell. Buzzing for the no-nonsense, cathedral chimes for the snobs, light sing-songy bells for the artsy-fartsy—I’ve heard them all. As Julia releases the button and the cock-a-doodle-dooing ends, my first impression of this home is that the owner might be insane.

The door opens and an unsmiling woman with short, mousy brown hair greets us with a raised eyebrow.

“You must be Mrs. Carter.” Julia thrusts her pudgy hand toward the lady. “I’m Julia Winters from Child Welfare.”

Mrs. Carter looks at the hand for a moment, as if trying to decide whether it’s safe to shake, then slowly offers hers.

“This is Olivia, whom you’ve been expecting.” Julia’s open-palm gesture at me is like announcing, “ta-da!” Mrs. Carter just presses her lips together. I’m guessing she’s in her forties or fifties, although she might look younger if she’d attempt a smile.

Pitch Madness #S-3 YA Contemporary: A GIRL NAMED JACK

#S-3 YA Contemporary: A GIRL NAMED JACK

In the high school hallways of mass self-destruction, Jack walks the line between reality and imagination, hero and villain. Challenged by kryptonite crushes, and kung-fu masterhood, Jack must face the ultimate battle...with her nerdy self.

Until now, I’ve survived high school by being Invisible. You know, blend in with the crowd, don’t speak to anyone, move out of the way if anyone gets too close. Never make eye contact. It’s a trick I learned last year as a freshman when Cliff Cower threatened to bash my face in for the hundredth time. Like a good nerd, I was giving a tour of the school to William Blake—not the poet, the new kid—when Cliff huffed and puffed his way over to me. He bent down and got in my face as I backed up against the lockers. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for impact. But after a few seconds nothing happened. When I opened them, I heard Cliff’s distant laughter echoing as he rounded the corner into the stairwell. It was then that I knew what I had done. It was miraculous! I had made myself Invisible.

Pitch Madness #S-2 Middle-Grade Magical Realism: THE MISFORTUNE OF THE EMERALD THIEF

#S-2 Middle-Grade Magical Realism: THE MISFORTUNE OF THE EMERALD THIEF


A bubblicious tale of magical Seattle siblings who must upset their evil uncle’s plan to destroy the entire ecosystem of the Pacific Northwest in the name of greed.


There had to be a better way to get through town.

I gripped the bar above my head as the bus rounded corner after corner, lurching to a stop every other block to let some riders off and even more people on. I was stuck in the land of standing-room only and its sea of perfume threatened to knock me over dead.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I jumped off early and headed for the market. It was easy to tell which way to go. All I had to do was follow the stupid bubbles.

Thousands of them spun in the morning air. As I pushed though the tourists, the smell of the coffee in their cups and the fresh-baked baguettes in their shopping bags teased my nose. My stomach growled. My arms and legs still felt full of lead. Maybe I was getting the flu, with a giant side of train wreck.

Pitch Madness #S-1 Middle-Grade Fantasy: EMBER

# S-1 Middle-Grade Fantasy: EMBER


John Davy has never crossed a bridge made of spider webs. He doesn't know anything about Mender’s magic plants or Silhouettes. All that changes when he finds a mysterious seed that responds to his touch.


A ball of wet paper slapped the side of John's face. He caught himself before falling out of his chair but was powerless to stop the hot blood that flooded his cheeks. Dice and his friends exploded with laughter. Cold saliva ran down his cheek and John swallowed hard to keep his lunch inside his stomach. The spit wad had caused him enough embarrassment for one day. He took a deep breath and remembered they wouldn't be laughing much longer.

"I can't wait to see your face w-w-when-" John paused. He was stuttering again. His cheeks burned even hotter.

Dice lowered his straw, "Can't wait to what? You got something to say to me, f-f-f-freak?"

John clenched his fists but said nothing.

"Just what is so funny Mr. Menning?" asked their wrinkled teacher.

"Nothing, Ms. Jessup," Dice said as he fumbled to hide the straw shooter.The woman marched toward him.

March Madness Agent Pitch Match - THE RULES

Okay, we know, March Madness is about basketball, and our intention was to make it like the game, but we couldn't come up with a fun twist to it. So we made up our own March Madness with a poker theme. 

And by we, I mean BRENDA. I'd like to take a moment to thank Brenda for coming up with this amazing concept and the rules of play. She is the ultimate party/contest planner! Thank you Brenda!!!!

And here's how it's going down...

On March 12 at precisely 8AM EST, the entries will post on our blogs. The agents will have until March 14 at exactly 12PM EST to read the entries and "show" their hands in the comments. The comments will be closed so no one will see the bids until we release them. The highest hand wins their request. It will all play out on the blogs and on the twitter hash-tag #PitchMadness.

What happens with ties, you ask? Well, that's where it gets tricky!

While playing their hands in the first round the agents will save some of their hands to use during the next round. This is where they must come up with a strategy on what hands to keep in case of a tie. Will the agents save their highest hands and start off bidding low, and then slam their opponents in the challenge round? Will they use their trump hands to shut out the other agents and hope someone else doesn't use it on the same entry and cancel it out? Hmm...should be interesting.

Tying agents move onto THE CHALLENGE round, which starts after the reveal. We'll announce the tying requests on the hash-tag #PitchMadness. Tying agents will then go to the entry post and "show" their new hands in the comments. Each challenge will continue until there is a winner or until all but one player busts (runs out of hands) for that request.

  

And here are the agents' "hands"...

Please note: only one request per agent for each entry, unless you are in The Challenge Round.

The fun starts March 12th so come on back and see who made it into March Madness Agent Pitch Match! 

March Madness Agent Pitch Match - Making the Cut

Whew! We just finished wading through all the entries for the Agent Pitch Match. Thank you so much to everyone who entered their pitch for consideration!

It was really, REALLY hard to narrow down the entries to the finalists that will be featured on our blogs for the agents to bid on. The quality of the submissions was amazing. If I could have, all of you would have moved on to the agent round.

But alas, we could only pick 60. Stay tuned for the entries to be posted (20 on each blog) on March 12th and the rules that the agents will have to follow to bid on the entries on March 9th. Also, keep tabs on the #PitchMadness hashtag to watch the agenty mud-slinging that will commence. It's always entertaining to see the agents get competitive!

If you didn't make it to the final round, don't fret. We will be setting up another contest in the future. Keep honing your craft and working on that pitch, and maybe next time it'll be YOUR entry that the agents are fighting over!

March Madness Agent Pitch Match - Introducing the Agents Part 2

As we make our final decisions on the entries for the March Madness Agent Pitch Match, we'd like to introduce the second batch of fantabulous agents playing in the final round. 

 And here are the second five agents ...

 Gordon Warnock

Andrea Hurst & Associates Literary Management

He tweets

Gordon combines industry knowledge with a sharp editorial eye and experience as a college-level tutor to provide friendly and thorough aid with polishing manuscripts and book proposals. He's looking for Contemporary Commercial Narrative, YA (Think Ellen Hopkins and Jay Asher, not Stephenie Meyer), Pets, Humor. Some of his favorites are: Super Sad True Love Story, The Garden of Eden,  Feed, Real Ultimate Power, Unlucky Lucky Days, and Nietzsche’s Kisses.

Judith Engracia

Liza Dawson Associates Literary Agency 

She tweets  

Judith is currently building her client list and looking for all types of fiction, especially middle grade, young adult, urban fantasy, steampunk, and paranormal romance.When she's not reading, Judith is either training for her next martial-arts test or causing mischief with her Siberian Husky, Grendel.

 Carlie Webber

Jane Rotrosen Agency

She tweets

Carlie is building her agenting career on her favorite genres: young adult, middle grade, romance, horror, mystery, suspense, thrillers, literary fiction, contemporary fantasy and women's fiction. Her ongoing submissions wishlist includes but is not limited to high-concept YA, literary suspense, grunge era nostalgia and things that go bump in the night.

 Louise Fury

L. Perkins Agency

She blogs

She tweets

Louise believes in the power of marketing and is constantly on the lookout for authors who know how to promote themselves. She is seeking well written, teen Sci-Fi and Young Adult horror.  She is also on the hunt for deep, dark contemporary YA and select Middle Grade fiction with a literary feel-- it must be realistic and thought provoking and the characters must be authentic and original. Louise is a huge adult horror fan, but also loves romance (especially Regency & Victorian) and is looking for steam/cyberpunk.

 Kevan Lyon

Marsal Lyon Literary Agency

She tweets

Kevan handles women’s fiction, with an emphasis on commercial women’s fiction, young adult fiction and all genres of romance. Kevan works with her authors to help them realize their dreams of being published and to build a long term career as a writer.

Come back Friday to find out the rules of play for the agents.

March Madness Agent Pitch Match - Introducing the Agents

While we're busy reading the entries for the March Madness Agent Pitch Match, we thought we'd introduce our fantabulous agents competing for the best of the best entries that make into the final round. 

And here are the first five agents ...

John M Cusick

Scott Treimel New York Agency

Stalk him on twitter 

Check out his blog 

John is a literary agent looking for Children's, Middle Grade, and Young Adult fiction. He’s also an author. I've just finished reading his YA novel, Girl Parts and LOVED IT. Also, check out his short story Abandon Changes. If he wasn't busy enough, John is also the managing editor for Armchair/Shotgun , a biannual journal that publishes fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.

 Sarah LaPolla

Curtis Brown, Ltd.

She tweets

She blogs at Glass Cases

Sarah represents both adult and YA fiction. For adult books, she is looking for literary fiction, urban fantasy, magical realism, and short story. On the YA side, she welcomes literary fiction, science fiction, urban fantasy, magical realism, romantic comedy, and mystery. She also has a keen interest in voice-driven stories, strong female protagonists, and complex characters.

 Sara Sciuto

Full Circle Literary

The Blog

She tweets

Sara is actively building her list with a focus on middle grade and young adult, in particular, dystopian, science fiction, fantasy, and unique paranormal. She also enjoys contemporary stories with a strong, authentic voice (but no chick-lit, please). She has a particular soft spot for anything in the Deep South (sweet contemporary to dark paranormal), gritty contemporary, utilitarian dystopias or dystopian thrillers, anything with international locales or period settings (think flappers or "Mad Men"), and anything with artistic themes. Sara is also looking for standout picture books and select nonfiction.

Lauren Hammond

ADA Management Group 

Living In Literary La La Land 

She tweets 

Lauren only represent Young Adult, Middle Grade, and Adult Romance authors. She's looking for YA(any genre), MG(any genre),Contemporary Romances, Historical Romances, and anything edgy and dark. She doesn't want or need anymore Paranormal/Romances.(Unless you have horror as a sub-genre and in that case she'll make an exception.) She would like to see some YA or MG horror novels cross my desk. The creepier, the better. She's also looking for edgy contemporaries and swoon-worthy romances. If you've written a New Adult novel ( in any of the genres listed above), she will consider that as well.

Molly Ker Hawn

 The Bent Agency

The Blog 

She tweets 

She's looking for young adult and middle grade fiction that's inventive, well-crafted, and rich with emotion, whether contemporary, historical, fantasy, sf, thriller, romance, or mystery. Her favorite books have characters she wish she could talk to in worlds she wish she could visit, and she loves stories that grab hold of her and keep her up reading long into the night.

  

Don't forget to come back Wednesday for The Agents Part II!