Is It Hot In Here Or Is It This Book?

March Madness Agent Pitch Match

2012-02-20T08:46:00.001-07:00

Submission time for the exciting March Madness Agent Pitch Match (Phew. That's a twister) is fast approaching. Shelley Watters, Cassandra Marshall, and I are hosting this exciting event on our sites March 12-14. Check out my partners-in-crime sites in my sidebar. So far we have half a dozen agents signed up to participate. The agents we have are looking for young adult and middle grade finished manuscripts.

Here's how it's going down ...

The agents will be bidding on your 35-word pitch and first 150 words of your finished young adult and middle grade novels. The entries that make it into the match will be posted to our sites on March 12. The agents will have two days to review the entries and make notes on the ones they want.

On March 14 it's Game On. We'll have a twitter hash tag for the agents to post their bids and taunt their competitors. The agents will be hashing it out to win more pages or fulls on their favorite pitches. Each agent will have a limited amount of tickets/chips to bid with - partials cost less while fulls cost more. We'll have an official rules post before the fun begins.

Here's how to submit ...

Those of you who participated in our February pitch workshop already have a spot in the submission round. Shine up your pitches and send them tobrendadrakecontests@gmail.com starting now and by the end of February 29 at 11:59PM EST. Put who critiqued your pitch in the subject line like this: Brenda's Workshop March Madness Entry or Shelley's Workshop March Madness Entry or Cassandra's Workshop March Madness Entry. Remember only enter if yours is a young adult or middle grade finishedmanuscript. Please format just as you did for the pitch workshop. (For those of you with other manuscripts, we're working on having a contest for you in the near future so keep an eye out on our blogs.)

It's going to be like the show The Voice. We will pick from the others workshop entries to move on to the Agent Pitch Match. Only one entry per person.

For those who weren't in the pitch workshop, we will have two submission times on March 2.

1ST SUBMISSION TIME: 12:00 pm EST for the first 50.
2ND SUBMISSION TIME: 6:00 pm EST for the next 50.

Only the best of the best will make it the final round.

Make sure to check our sites on March 1 for instructions on how to format your entries.

That's it. I'm so excited!

Truth or Dare: TeamTEENauthor challenge

2012-02-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

So the amazing Julie Cross is running a teamTEENauthor challenge where we post answers to commonly asked truth or dare questions. You can visit her blog here: http://juliecross.blogspot.com where you can find out more about her and her awesome book TEMPEST!

This is the post in which Google provides the top Truth or Dare questions and I reveal my answers...or I accept the DARE that you provide...

teamTEENauthor membership badge

In order to kick-start Julie's blog rebirth after it's long drawn out death, she's challenging her teamTEENauthor friends to create an identical Truth or Dare post and let their readers pick the dares in which we swear to provide photographs, video footage or some evidence of performing said DARE...in the case of a "DARE FAIL" the author will post the photo shown below on their blog for no less than one week regardless of whether it matches the blog's color scheme.

MOST COMMON TRUTH OR DARE QUESTIONS

1) If your significant other said it was alright would you cheat on them?

No freaking way. AND if he said this to me, I'd kick his ass. Seriously, this is a question?

2) What is there about your boyfriend/girlfriend (spouse) that embarrasses you?

Um. When he farts in public (like a grocery store) and runs away snickering. Yes, he is a grown man. And yes, he's going to kill me when he reads this.

3) What is more important than money?

My family. Plain and simple. My family is more important than anything else in my life.

4) When have you loved some one who has not loved you back?

14 years old. Fell madly in love with a guy who was WAY older than me. Wasn't the same level for him once he learned how old I was.

5) When was the first time you had your heart broken?

See the answer to question 4.

6) When is it alright to mix love and business?

When you're visiting your significant other at work and the rest of the office is out, and they have a office door that locks...

7) If you were given a chance to become invisible for one day, what would you do with this ability?

Take a really long nap. Being a mom you don't get time off, so being invisible means that my husband would have to deal with the kids because they wouldn't be running to me for everything!

8) If you could see 24 hours into the future what would you do with this ability?

Get the winning lottery numbers.

9) Who was your first crush with?

Kevin, in the first grade. Had a mad crush on him for quite a while, actually. Poor guy. First grade girls can be so overzealous.

I remember feeling so creative when I left carefully selected little conversation hearts on his desk for Valentines day. Each one had deep meaning for me. I don't recall his reaction, but I don't think he knew they were from me because it turned out that I wasn't the only overzealous first grade girl with the same idea. He was quite the ladies man back then. Come on, he played street hockey! What girl isn't into a guy who plays hockey?!?

10) When is it alright for your boyfriend/girlfriend to lie to you?

Lies breed lies, which just will blow up eventually. But that said, there is some instances when lying to me would be okay. For example, if my favorite comfy pair of jeans makes my butt look huge, but he knows I love them to death, I'd rather he lied and said I looked awesome in them.

11) If you were the opposite sex for one day, what would you look like and what would you do?

Ville Valo from HIM's Killing Lonliness video. (Basically Ville Valo period, but that was when he had a bit more meat on his bones. mmmm...) Sorry, I digress! First order of business, I would pee standing up. Guys have it MADE that they can do that! Beyond that, I can't think of anything guys can do that girls can't! So yeah. Pee standing up.

Alright, you win...DARE me! But, I'm adding a condition...in order to present a DARE you must answer one of the Truths in the comment section below...haha...cause that's how I roll.

Pitch Workshop - Wrap Up

2012-02-16T06:00:00.002-07:00

We're on the final day of our pitch workshop. Brenda Drake, Cassandra Marshall, and I are done critiquing pitches. Go visit http://brenleedrake.blogspot.com and www.camarshall.com to read their critiques. Several who had signed up to participate didn't send in their entries.

After some debate, and due to time constraints, we decided not to make a call for submissions to replace those not submitted. We have to start preparing for our big event in March for YA/MG. So, come back in a few days and get all the details.

The winner (by Random.org) of the door prize (a $35 gift certificate from Editor Cassandra) on my site is...

Rachel Hert

Don't forget to check Cassandra's affordable editing services!

Pitch Workshop - Entry #15

2012-02-15T06:00:00.037-07:00

My comments are bold and in ORANGE.

Name: Rachel Hert
Title: Daemerkin
Genre: YA Fantasy
Word count: 81,200

Pitch:
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.

Shelley's Comments: This is a strong pitch. I like it :)

Excerpt:

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. I could head back now and it would probably be fine.

Shelley's Comments: Great opening paragraph. I stumbled over the shift between 3rd person and first for the last line. Should that be italicized?

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 treeline. “Ehlrin? Is that you?”

Silence.

Shelley's Comments: I loved the pitch and the opening paragraphs. I love the tension that you've infused into this opening page. The only thing I stumbled over really was possibly a formatting issue. Great job. I'd definitely keep reading.

Okay commenters! Your turn! Remember the critiquing rules. Be nice. Provide constructive criticism. Any nastiness will be deleted at my discretion.

Pitch Workshop - Entry #16

2012-02-15T06:00:00.036-07:00

My comments are bold and in ORANGE.

Name: Stephanie Scott
Title: The Astronaut's Daughter
Genre: YA Historical
Word count: WIP 65,000 -70,000

Pitch: When sixteen-year-old Evelyn's father is recruited, then replaced, for NASA's Project Gemini, she's torn between maintaining her newly-attained but fleeting popularity and embracing an interacial relationship.

Shelley's Comments: I'm not getting the connection between Evelyn's father's occupation, her fleeting popularity and an interracial relationship. I'm not seeing any stakes. What does she want? What does she stand to lose?

Excerpt:

Texas was going to make my dreams come true. I was sure of it. Not just for me, but for all of us. Me, my sister Bev, my parents.

Now, if I could get used to the heat. Even alone on the balcony of this old estate house it felt like warm bodies crowded around me. I stood in such a way to prevent sweat from seeping into my dress – a sleeveless fitted sheath that felt too fitted and not sleeveless enough. Either I looked like I had excellent posture, which my mother would love, or like some incurable itch got the best of me.

Back in the ballroom the band started up Moon River. A more appropriate choice would’ve been Heat Wave by Martha and the Vandellas, but I didn’t think this crowd would be into one of my favorite girl groups. Or anything from the current Top 40.

Shelley's Comments: I really like your voice and writing in this piece. But the pitch is not doing this justice. While your writing is full of voice, the pitch is falling flat.

Okay commenters! Your turn! Remember the critiquing rules. Be nice. Provide constructive criticism. Any nastiness will be deleted at my discretion.

Pitch Workshop - Entry #14

2012-02-14T06:00:00.049-07:00

My comments are bold and in ORANGE.

Name: Erica W.
Title: Grave Digger
Genre: Paranormal Romance (Adult)
Word Count: 77,000

Pitch: Romance wasn't on the menu when Stephanie had anaphylaxis, so falling for the apologetic baker was accidental. Being committed to another man was problematic. Realizing both may actually be dead jeopardizes more than her heart.

Shelley's Comments: I'm liking this pitch. Sounds like it has a bit of humor to it as well.

Excerpt:

Stephanie pulled hard on the wheel, steering her blue Porsche into two parking spots and a hint of the curb. Before throwing open the car door, she flipped down the mirror to check her make-up while tucking long, dark brown curls behind her ears. Then, commanding the sidewalk with each ruby stiletto step, she made her way inside the most elegant jewelry store in Upstate, New York – Rousseau's.

Shelley's Comments: I love the opening sentence. Great job. The next two, however, read a bit recipe-like (Before, then, etc). I really like the voice, though.

“Miss Reynolds!” the owner called in a thick, yet delightful French accent. He glided toward her in an all-black tuxedo and laid a kiss on both of her cheeks.

“Hello, Christian,” she said. She was glowing with excitement, her big blue eyes peeking over the counters. “I'm here for Phillip's gift?”

Shelley's Comments: Her eyes peeked over the counters? Not quite sure this is the right visual. maybe she perused the counters? Something. it just feels off.

Christian Rousseau was a man of impeccable style. Though his shop was nestled in the middle of suburbia, clients come from all over the world to purchase a genuine Rousseau creation.

Shelley's Comments: I love your voice in this passage. Besides the few nit-picky things, I really like this. She feels materialistic and self-centered. From the pitch and the opening passage, I look forward to how you will torture her. :) I'm a sucker for romance, so I'd definitely read on!

Okay commenters! Your turn! Remember the critiquing rules. Be nice. Provide constructive criticism. Any nastiness will be deleted at my discretion.

Pitch Workshop - Entry #13

2012-02-14T06:00:00.047-07:00

My comments are bold and in ORANGE.

Name: JW Troemner
Title: The Bones of Babylon
Genre: YA Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy
Word count: 69,000

Pitch:

Chicago never thought herself trapped—the Administration drives away
the monsters and the plague they carry—until Babylon offered her
freedom. She’s fallen for him...too bad he’s out to finish what the
plague started.

Shelley's Comments: I love this pitch. I'm a sucker for post-apocalyptics.

Excerpt:

The empty holes of a human skull leered up at me from its bed of
slime. Exhumed by spring rain, the skull and its hoard of bones
squelched out of the mud at the edge of the woods. Most days the
thought of corpses didn't bother me, but this one spilled a clammy
tremor down my spine.

Shelley's Comments: Wow. What an opening line. Just reading this, I have high hopes for the rest of the book. The entire first paragraph has me itching to beg to read the rest. :)

"I thought you buried all the bodies," I said. All the skeletons for
miles around had been hidden away in a burial mound a decade ago.

Shelley's Comments: The "All the skeletons for miles around" sentence is a bit clunky and I don't quite understand it. If the protag is asking if the person buried the bodies, it feels like it's something that just happened, but the second sentence makes it sound like it happened decades ago.

"I did." Quito knelt in the mud to get a better look at the bones.
Anybody else might have seemed smaller on their knees, but not Quito.
A mountain of a man, his vast sloping shoulders still loomed over me
while he crouched knee-deep in the mud. He drew one of the longer
bones from of the pile and wiped it clean with the edge of his hand,
leaving it ghastly white against his work-stained hands.

Shelley's Comments: Not sure how his shoulders can loom over the protag if he's on his knees? Anyway - overall I REALLY like what you've done here. I would absolutely keep reading.

Okay commenters! Your turn! Remember the critiquing rules. Be nice. Provide constructive criticism. Any nastiness will be deleted at my discretion.

Hunger Games "Safe and Sound" Official Video!

2012-02-14T00:25:00.000-07:00

We interrupt our regularly scheduled post to gush about Taylor Swift ft. the Civil Wars' official video!

Exhibit A: (When you're done hitting replay, come back and read my commentary!)

Get More: Taylor Swift, Safe & Sound, Music, More Music Videos

I am beyond in love with this song! I've seriously had this song on repeat since the day it was released! The video is gorgeous and simple and understated, just like I hoped it would be. I honestly can NOT wait to see this movie. I have high hopes that the soundtrack will be as awesome as this song is.

So what did you guys think? Do you like the video? Do you feel like it captured the Hunger Games vibe?

Pitch Workshop - Entry #12

2012-02-13T06:00:00.036-07:00

My comments are bold and in ORANGE.

Name: S.J. Lomas
Title: Dream Girl
Genre: YA
Word count: 70,000

Pitch: Christine meets the mysterious new guy and enters a dreamworld he's visited for years. Government secrets, an anonymous predator, and a cute astronomer lead Christine to choose between the dreamworld or forgetting it forever.

Shelley's Comments: What are the stakes? What does Christine stand to lose for each choice? So she forgets it, does she lose the new guy too? You've got an interesting concept, I'm just not seeing the stakes. Why does she enter the dreamworld, and what's at stake? Also, you might want to make sure your pitch makes your book stand out from Inception. Right now it feels a little Inception-y.

Excerpt:

They were really going to abandon me. Texas wasn’t far enough for them. Now they had to go all the way to Japan!

Shelley's Comments: I like the first line.

The faster the thoughts swirled in my brain, the faster my little car raced down the road.

What kind of parents leave their daughter behind so they can seek bigger and better promotions? My kind of parents. That’s who.

I squealed into the library parking lot, my workplace for the past two years. I was already fifteen minutes late. Mom, oblivious as usual to the time change between Texas and Michigan, had just called to drop this bombshell while I was getting ready for work.

Japan! Seriously?

“I know it’s far, sweetheart,” Mom had said. “But you’re starting college in the fall anyway. It’s not like you can’t take care of yourself.” So I was eighteen. Barely. That didn’t mean I wanted to be an orphan.

Shelley's Comments: I really like this opening. I'm a little worried about the age of the protagonist, though. 18 is that magic number where it doesn't quite fit into YA, but not quite adult either. I don't really have any critique for the excerpt, I thought the writing was good and you hooked me. I would keep reading.

Okay commenters! Your turn! Remember the critiquing rules. Be nice. Provide constructive criticism. Any nastiness will be deleted at my discretion.

Pitch Workshop - Entry #11

2012-02-13T06:00:00.035-07:00

My comments are bold and in ORANGE.

Name: Jamie K.
Title: The Adviera Adventures: Abducted
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Word count: 63,000

Pitch:

Gary’s abduction left him with an amazing ability that comes with a price - service to the aliens who gifted it. He must learn to control his ability and discover why he’s their prime interest.

Shelley's Comments: This pitch is *almost* there. What are the stakes? What happens if he doesn't control his ability and discover why he's their prime interest?

Excerpt:

From within a brick wall, Sandy and her Hasis trainer, Es, watched a man in a black overcoat scavenge a pile of cardboard boxes. The shadowy alley, capped by a chain link fence, lay littered with a colony of stray cats searching for food. One trashcan fell to the ground with a loud clang and a tabby emerged from the can.

Shelley's Comments: I stumbled over this opening sentence. They are actually IN the brick wall, or behind? There is some passive wording - "lay littered". With passive wording happening in the first paragraph, I wonder if the rest of the ms is like this? Other than that, I like the imagery. I think a little tightening would strengthen this opening.

The man pulled a small gun from his coat pocket and fired at the cat. The purple laser missed the animal by inches and it skittered past him escaping through a small gap under the fence. Using the distraction as a cover, Sandy crept through the brick wall, straightened her jeans and t-shirt, and reached back into the solid surface to pull her companion out by the arm.

Shelley's Comments: The brick wall is still tripping me up - how is she creeping THROUGH the brick wall? The last part of the sentence clues me in that something is not "normal", but I'm still thoroughly confused.

“It’s a dead end,” she said pointing towards the man.

“He’s trapped like a rat in a cage.” Es smirked. Sandy smiled at the use of a human cliché.

Shelley's Comments: The pitch was strong, and had me wanting to read on. But I wasn't pulled in by the passage. I like the imagery, but starting out with someone watching THROUGH a brick wall and them moving through it, when you haven't given me the parameters of your world yet, was jarring. I had a hard time getting into the story because of that.

Okay commenters! Your turn! Remember the critiquing rules. Be nice. Provide constructive criticism. Any nastiness will be deleted at my discretion.

Pitch Workshop - Entry #10

2012-02-12T06:00:00.004-07:00

My comments are bold and in ORANGE.

Name: Christopher S. Ledbetter
Title: The Sky Throne
Genre: YA Fantasy
Word count: 85,200

Pitch: 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.

Shelley's Comments: Great, powerful pitch here.

Excerpt:

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 hadn’t known what she’d meant until that day. And still wished I hadn’t.

Shelley's Comments: I love this opening paragraph. However, that said, I've heard that you shouldn't open a YA with mentioning the protagonist's parents. But I really do love this.

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.”

Shelley's Comments: I have nothing to critique for this. I loved the opening scene. Other than starting with the mc's parent thing (which, even though that's the advice, I still like it as-is). Great writing, beautiful description. Great job Chris!

Okay commenters! Your turn! Remember the critiquing rules. Be nice. Provide constructive criticism. Any nastiness will be deleted at my discretion.

Pitch Workshop - Entry #9

2012-02-12T06:00:00.003-07:00

My comments are bold and in ORANGE.

Name: Cynthia L. Moyer
Title: The Misfortune of the Emerald Thief
Genre: upper MG magical realism/adventure
Word count: 65,000

Pitch: A fourteen-year-old boy discovers he is the next Keeper of the Emerald Cave, the secret magical energy source the people of the Pacific Northwest are unaware of but rely on every day.

Shelley's Comments: I'm not getting the stakes here. I am familiar with your query, but I feel like you're missing the mark with the pitch. Try using the When X happens, main character must y or z will happen.

Excerpt:

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

Shelley's Comments: This opening sentence is kind-of blah.

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.

Shelley's Comments: Loving the voice here. Seems a little old for mg, but I'm no expert w/MG.

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.

Shelley's Comments: Love love love the voice here, and I'm getting the MG voice now. I would almost start the whole passage with "It was easy to tell which way to go: all I had to do was follow the stupid bubbles." Nothing really happens on the bus on the way there, so personally I'd jump forward to the 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.

Shelley's Comments: The bus part doesn't hook me, but I loooooove the voice in the rest of this. I say drop the bus part and skip forward to the bubbles. My only critique on the last paragraph is would a MG protagonist really wonder if they were getting the flu? That sentence rang a little older for me. But, again, I don't write MG.

Okay commenters! Your turn! Remember the critiquing rules. Be nice. Provide constructive criticism. Any nastiness will be deleted at my discretion.

Pitch Workshop - Entry #8

2012-02-11T06:00:00.004-07:00

My comments are bold and in ORANGE.

Name: Christina Marie Morales
Title: Ambience
Genre: YA Paranormal
Word count: 80,000

Pitch: Augusto and Jennifer find their love tested within a city known for its ghost stories that turn out aren’t at all fictional. Welcome to Saint Augustine, Florida where finding love might just kill you.

Shelley's Comments: While I really like this pitch, the phrasing "within a city known for its ghost stories that turn out aren't at all fictional" is clunky. Can you figure out how to rephrase to be more succinct? I'm a sucker for romance, (and ghost stories), so even with the clunkiness of some of the pitch, I'd keep reading. :)

Excerpt:

Nightfall had finally settled over the deserted city streets. I was waiting for my replacement on the highest ledge of the fort I had been protecting for the last ten hours and my feet ached for a rest. The dark bay below me reflected the already risen moon and when I heard footsteps from behind, I turned to greet the newly arrived.

Shelley's Comments: You've got a lot of passive wording in this opening paragraph. Do a search and replace for all forms of "to be" (i.e was waiting, had been, already risen, etc) and revise to eliminate as many as possible to make your voice more active. I am interested to see why she's defending a fort. I like the idea that a girl has a guard position!

“Thank you once again.” I told Eloy, my fellow soldier as he took my position on the ledge and shooed me home.

Shelley's Comments: You're missing a comma after Thank you and my fellow soldier.

“Just get going before they eat all that birthday food.” he joked. “I’ve seen those brothers of yours eat. You’ll be lucky if they left you anything.”

Shelley's Comments: The period after food should be a comma.

It was my mother’s birthday and though I wanted to thank him again for switching nights with me so I could be with her for supper, I followed his order and hurried away. My senses had become so overloaded with the smells of dirt and sweat for the last ten hours that I nearly fell in my hurry to my mother’s untarnished and sweet-smelling kitchen.

Shelley's Comments: I feel like you're missing an opportunity here. I'm left asking why she's on the ledge on lookout, what she's watching for, and am excited to see what's going to happen. But then she is relieved by someone to go to a birthday party. You've got the sensory details to bring this opening scene to life, but they don't happen until later. I'd love to see more sensory details in that opening paragraph. Take these opening pages to really grab us. Suck us into the story. You've got a great premise. You had me hooked from the pitch. Now keep me hooked.

Okay commenters! Your turn! Remember the critiquing rules. Be nice. Provide constructive criticism. Any nastiness will be deleted at my discretion.

Pitch Workshop - Entry #7

2012-02-11T06:00:00.001-07:00

My comments are bold and in ORANGE.

Name: Joshua R.
Title: Undead Chaos
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Word Count: 82,060

Pitch: When a simple zombie beheading goes horribly wrong, Warlock Marcus Shifter must dive into the deadly, paranormal world in order to battle an apocalyptic cult hell-bent on making rampant undead the least of humanity’s problems.

Shelley's Comments: Ooh I think I remember this pitch from something else. But isn't it his fault the zombie is beheaded or something? That said, you've got a pretty good pitch here. I'm always a sucker for a good post apocalyptic zombie movie/book. But I don't think this is post apocalyptic. Okay enough rambling. So you've got the When x (botched zombie beheading) happens, mc must y (battle an evil cult), but we're missing the z - the what happens if the mc fails? We're missing the stakes for Marcus.

Excerpt:

“I’m looking for Marcus Shifter,” the lady on the phone said in a hushed, hurried voice.

Shelley's Comments: I'm not a fan of starting off a novel with dialog. It throws us into a situation without giving us any setup as to who the protagonist is or what they are doing.

I paused Stripes and sat up. “You got him.”

Shelley's Comments: huh? you paused "Stripes"? Not really understanding what you mean here.

“My name is Carly Banks and my husband died a month ago.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. Another Normal hoping to resurrect a loved one.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Mrs. Banks, but I’m a Warlock, not a Necromancer. I can’t raise the dead.”

“You don’t have to,” she said, quickly. “He’s on my front lawn with a shotgun.”

I arrived at her neighborhood twenty minutes later.

Shelley's Comments: Loving this, loving the voice. Almost forgiving you for starting with dialog. :)

The Banks lived in one of the posh suburbs outside of Washington, D.C. that catered to people with too much money and not enough imagination. Carly’s place was a clone of the others: a three-story McMansion with perfectly manicured landscaping and a neon-green lawn. The four-car garage was larger than my townhouse and a fountain bubbled noisily in the middle of the circular drive.

Shelley's Comments: I think you'd be doing yourself a favor to rework this opening scene to get rid of the dialog. Maybe start with something like "It was a twenty minute drive, but the panic in Mrs. Bank's voice when she said her dead husband was now standing on their front lawn with a shotgun had me pressing the accelerator to the floor." Then continue with the paragraph about the description of their neighborhood as he pulls up. That way you hook the reader with the fact that there is a dead man with a shotgun, a wife holed up in the house, and he's on his way to save the day. Or something like that.

Okay commenters! Your turn! Remember the critiquing rules. Be nice. Provide constructive criticism. Any nastiness will be deleted at my discretion.

Pitch Workshop - Entry #6

2012-02-10T06:00:00.062-07:00

My comments are bold and in ORANGE.

Name: Suzi R
Title: Frosty
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Word Count: 52,000 words

Pitch:

When a troubled foster girl learns the lives of the privileged kids are not so perfect, her frozen exterior begins to thaw, but it may not be enough to open up her heart to love.

Shelley's Comments: I'm not really feeling this pitch. Is this all that happens in the book? Can you give us more info, tell us more about what happens? Who does she meet? What happens and how does it change her? What are the stakes? What does she want more than anything? What happens if she if she doesn't get it? It's kinda falling flat for me right now. You've got the When x happens, mc must y in order to z, but I think it's the "her exterior begins to thaw" (or y) that is missing the mark.

First 150:

Snow swirled and wet hair lashed at my face as the wind whipped through my worn coat. My ears tingled from the frigid air, but I stayed outside. 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.

Shelley's Comments: The first sentence isn't as strong as it could be. Like on the other entries, beware of the "as" phrasing. I really like the idea that she liked the cold. Personally, I'd rework the first paragraph to start off with the strongest part - that she liked the cold - it numbed and relaxed her.

My nerves were calm now and as I finished my second cigarette, Jim pulled up in a dark Mercedes. Cool—none of my former foster families were wealthy. He must have left Lana at home, along with Brooke, the daughter I hadn’t met. 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.

Shelley's Comments: I'm disoriented by this paragraph. She refers to her foster dad as Jim, and thinks "cool" when he pulls up in the Mercedes. But then she describes how he must have left the rest of the family at home. I can't tell if she already lives with this family or if this is their first meeting.

I like your voice and think you've done a good job of making it a sound like a teen.

Okay commenters! Your turn! Remember the critiquing rules. Be nice. Provide constructive criticism. Any nastiness will be deleted at my discretion.

Pitch Workshop - Entry #5

2012-02-10T06:00:00.001-07:00

My comments are bold and in ORANGE.

Name: Jenny Kaczorowski
Title: The Alterae
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy with romantic elements
Word count: 64,000

Pitch:

Sixteen-year-old Emma Hawthorne must master her unwanted ability to manipulate emotions in order to find her place in the supernatural world of the Alterae and to destroy the creature who wants to take her soul.

Shelley's Comments: This is a pretty strong pitch, however I wasn't hooked. My problem is that her only desires/goals are to find her place in the world. Which doesn't seem that exciting. Isn't every teen's goal to find their place in the world (be it supernatural or not?) I'm a big fan of the When x happens, (main character) must do y in order to z pitch structure. I feel like your pitch is missing something, but I'm not quite sure what it is.

Excerpt:

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 dew 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.

Shelley's Comments: While I wasn't particularly hooked with the pitch, I really enjoyed this opening section. I like the way you hint at the fact that Emma might not be "normal", but you don't throw it in our face. That subtlety is refreshing. Also - 3rd person in YA is something I rarely run across. Most YA's tend to be 1st person. Again, it's refreshing (provided that you don't start head hopping! :) )

Okay commenters! Your turn! Remember the critiquing rules. Be nice. Provide constructive criticism. Any nastiness will be deleted at my discretion.

Pitch Workshop - Entry #4

2012-02-09T06:00:00.037-07:00

My comments are bold and in ORANGE.

Name: Ellen Rozek
Title: The Recruited
Genre: YA thriller
Word Count: 80k

Pitch: Naomi, a teenage murderer hunting terrorists for the government, must simultaneously avoid the attentions of a boy who would like nothing better than to uncover her secrets and stay one step ahead of her enemies.

Shelley's comment: I'm confused by the phrase "teenage murderer". Is she really a murderer, or an assassin? Why is she hunting terrorists for the government? Who are her enemies? Why does the boy want to uncover her secrets? What are the stakes? What does she have to lose if he does uncover her secrets? What are the stakes?

Excerpt:

The whispers of the other uniformed girls reached Naomi’s ears as she jogged back across the yard and fell into line. Ever since she’d taken up running during their brief moments outside, the same girls who had ignored her after her initial arrival suddenly found her worth gossiping about again. It didn’t matter one way or the other to Naomi. Ignoring everyone around her had gotten her through nearly three years in juvenile prison, and she wasn’t about to stop now.

Shelley's comments: So she really is a murderer. I think this opening paragraph is missing the mark. You've *almost* got me hooked. If you had started out the paragraph with the "Ignoring everyone around her..." sentence, I might have been hooked.

Most of the other inmates had lost interest when they’d found out that harsh words or threats did nothing to provoke her. The few who hadn’t soon learned that she wasn’t above defending herself and that fist fights didn’t faze her. It also didn’t hurt that—of all the girls in the facility—Naomi was the only one convicted of murder.

Shelley's Comments: The last line of the second paragraph is what finally hooked me. We've got a teenage murderer here. I would rearrange the two paragraphs to clue the reader in much earlier that the protagonist is someone special, potentially an anti-hero.

Okay commenters! Your turn! Remember the critiquing rules. Be nice. Provide constructive criticism. Any nastiness will be deleted at my discretion.

Pitch Workshop - Entry #3

2012-02-09T06:00:00.020-07:00

My comments are bold and in ORANGE.

Name: MarcyKate

Title: MONSTROUS

Genre: YA Fantasy

Word count: 70,000

Pitch: MONSTROUS, a YA fantasy, is Frankenstein meets the Brothers

Grimm told from the viewpoint of the monster as a teenage girl.

Shelley's comment: Some people do their pitches like this, but personally, I don't really care for this format. I'd rather know what the plot of the book is than what the theme is. What happens in the book? I do love the idea that it is Frankenstein meets the Brothers Grimm. Can you think of a way to tell us that it's F meets BG within the scope of telling us what the book is actually about?

Excerpt:

DAY ONE

I’ll never forget my first breath. Gasping. Heaving. Delicious.

Shelley's comments: Awesome first line. First paragraph, in fact.

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.

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.

Shelley's Comments: Wow. What a way to start out a book. I would definitely keep reading. I have not come across a YA Frankenstein story. With that said, I was jarred a little when Day One was in past tense and day two was in present. Is the rest of the story in present tense? Also the fact that she has wings and a tail. Interested to see what happens!

Okay commenters! Your turn! Remember the critiquing rules. Be nice. Provide constructive criticism. Any nastiness will be deleted at my discretion.

Pitch Workshop - Entry #1

2012-02-08T06:00:00.008-07:00

Welcome to the Pitch Workshop with Brenda Drake, Cassandra Marshall and I!

Here's how we're going to play:

Every day for the next ten days, each of us will be posting two pitches/150 word entries to our blogs. We will provide a critique, and then all of you, if you would like, can critique the entry in the comment section.

My rules if you are going to critique: be nice. Provide constructive criticism. Any mean comments like "this sucks" etc will be deleted. You know how it feels to receive critiques. Play fair.

If you have time, don't forget to head over to www.camarshall.com and http://brenleedrake.blogspot.com to critique the posts on their blogs as well. One of the best things we can do to help our own writing is to critique other people's work! It helps us look at our own work with a critical eye.

Remember, this event is in preparation for our big Pitch event coming up in March! So even if you didn't make it into the workshop, read the posts, critique, play along. It'll help you for the upcoming EPIC event!

With that said, here's our first entry! My comments are bold and in ORANGE.

Name: Nicole
Title: Moral Compass
Genre: YA fantasy
Word count: 70,000

Pitch:

In a town where people are controlled by moral compasses tattooed on their palms, Tobin defies his and risks imprisonment as he starts having a secret relationship with a girl who already has a mate.

Shelley's comments: I really like this pitch! The only thing I stumbled on was the moral compasses tattooed on their arms. How can a tattoo control someone? I love the secret relationship w/ a forbidden girl aspect. But, what are the stakes if he doesn't have a relationship with her? What does he stand to lose? Is his only desire to be with this girl?

Excerpt:

Why the hell is there sand in my mouth?

Shelley's comments: Great first line. I'm hooked. I want to know why there is sand in his mouth too!

The gritty grains make a horrible crunch as they crackle between my teeth. My chap lips pucker as I try to spit, but I barely have enough saliva. My throat is so dry it hurts to swallow.

Shelley's comments: "gritty grains" doesn't really work for me. I would take out gritty. Also "chap" seems like it should be chapped. Also, careful with overuse of the -as sentence structure. Ex. I do this as I'm doing that. Especially at the beginning of a sentence. Here's a great article on why you don't want to use this type of sentence structure.

As my hand swipes across my lips, my eyes blink open and I stare out at my surroundings.

Shelley's comments: This isn't really working for me. (Again with the "as" phrasing). Maybe rephrase something like "I swipe a hand across my lips and I strain to open my gritty eyes. If I had any moisture in my mouth, it would have evaporated as I stared slack-jawed at the sight before me." Something like that. But in your own words. :)
Everything is beige. Sand dunes stretch out on the horizon and all I can see is barren land.

Shelley's comments: "All I can see is..." is telling. Show us.

What am I doing in a desert?

How did I get here?

My heart races when I realize I can’t answer my own questions.

Shelley's comments: "I realize" is telling. Show us.

I strain to think of my life before this, but all I get is a headache. I can’t even remember what I look like. The bones in my body feel foreign, and my skin feels like a leech attaching itself to my skeleton.

Shelley's Comments: I really like the visuals that you give us here. My comments were generally related to nit-picky grammatical/structure stuff. But overall I like the way you've disoriented the reader along with your main character. I would keep reading.

Okay commenters! Your turn! Remember the critiquing rules. Be nice. Provide constructive criticism. Any nastiness will be deleted at my discretion.

Pitch Workshop - Entry #2

2012-02-08T06:00:00.007-07:00

My comments are bold and in ORANGE.

Name: Vicki Tremper

Title: FINDING SOPHIE

Genre: YA

Word count: 68,000

Shelley's comment: YA is the age group. What genre is this? From the pitch, I'd guess Time travel/Fantasy?

Pitch:

When a teen dancer falls backward in time to 1895 Paris, she must solve a family mystery to prevent getting stuck in the past with a violent cop and the love she can’t marry.

Shelley's comment: There's something about this that doesn't quite grab me. I love the time-travel idea. Does the fact that she's a dancer play into the plot at all, or is it just a character detail? If it's important, leave it in the pitch (and tell us why that fact is important). Otherwise, ditch it from the pitch. I'm also not seeing the stakes. So she's stuck in the past with a violent cop. Is he going to kill her? How is he important to the main plot? The love she can't marry - she's a teenager - would she really be concerned about not being able to marry him? What does solving a family mystery do? Will that impact the future she returns to? For the pitch, focus on the main plot of the book (which I can't really tell what that is at this point).

Excerpt:

Wind rushed down the metro platform, stealing our breath and trying to steal our dance bags. I wished it would steal away the smell.

Shelley's comment: I like the visuals here, but I'm not sure I'm hooked yet.

Humming the adagio from the second act of Giselle, my favorite ballet, I could almost hear the mournful cello echoing off the arched tile walls while my best friend bounced on her toes.

Our train arrived with a great rumbling and whooshing, and we squeezed on. There was nowhere to sit, barely anywhere to stand. Silently cursing the Friday-before-Bastille-Day crowds, I struggled to stay upright. I ignored the elbow pushing at my neck and the briefcase banging against a knee.

“Sophie, you are so lucky to have a hot boy in your host family,” Abby said from the other side of the pole in front of the doors. Her green eyes glinted under her thick bangs. “I’d consider giving up dance for the chance at a French cutie under the same roof.”

Shelley's Comments: This opening section didn't really hook me. I love your description and attention to detail, but nothing really happens here except that they are getting on a busy metro. It isn't until the very last paragraph when Abby hints that there is a hot boy and they are in France do I get a hint of something that might possibly happen. With that said, I think you've got a great concept, it just might start off a little too slow for my tastes. If I were an agent, however, I would request more to see if the action picks up, because I like your writing style and attention to detail.

Okay commenters! Your turn! Remember the critiquing rules. Be nice. Provide constructive criticism. Any nastiness will be deleted at my discretion.

Pitch Workshop - Instructions

2012-02-07T08:54:00.000-07:00

It's time for those of you who made it into the pitch contest to submit your pitches to brendadrakecontest@gmail.com.

Please format your email submissions as follows...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To: brendadrakecontests@gmail.com
Subject: Pitch Workshop

Name: The name you want on your post
Title: Your MS Title

Genre: Any Genre

Word count: The number of words in your manuscript - like - 70,000 (word count matters and we'll tell you if yours is off)

Pitch:
35-word (exact) pitch
Excerpt:

The first 150 words of your manuscript (if the 150th word falls in the middle of a sentence, then please go to the end of that sentence.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your critiquers...

Cassandra Marshall

Brenda Drake

Shelley Watters

We'll be posting two each on all three of our sites for ten days starting February 8th. So hurry and get your pitches into us. First come first served. Your pitches will be open to critiques from others. And you can also post them on your own blogs if you'd like more feedback.

On the final critique day, we'll announce one winner of a fantabulous door prize by Editor Cassandra on each of our sites (that's three prizes).
That's it!

Pitch Workshop with Shelley Watters, Brenda Drake and Cassandra Marshall

2012-02-01T19:13:00.001-07:00

Come join the fun and get your pitch ready for a major pitching event coming in March. My critique buddies and I are critiquing 20 pitches each. Not only that, but you'll get critiques from your fellow writer bloggers! Win!

Here's how it's going down ...

The first 60 entries in the linky below will qualify to submit their 35-word pitch and first 150 words of their Adult, YA, or MG (any genre) manuscript for critiquing. You many only enter once. We'll critique them and post them to our sites for further critiques from your writing friends. We will pull three random door prize winners for the editing certificates from Editor Cassandra. If we don't reach 60 entrants before February 17th, we'll close the linky and split the participants between us. Simple.

Here's your critiquers (click on their names to learn more about them)...

Brenda Drake

Cassandra Marshall

Shelley Watters

Please only enter if you want your entries posted to our sites for critiques.

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INCARNATE Theater Treasure Hunt

2012-01-29T21:59:00.019-07:00

Welcome to the INCARNATE Theater Treasure Hunt!

This week, 48 bloggers are celebrating the release of INCARNATE by Jodi Meadows by participating in a treasure hunt with clues, activities, and lots of prizes including signed books and handknit fingerless mitts. You've reached a CLUE blog, which means somewhere on this page is a clue to finding the hidden page and grand prize entry form on Jodi's website. Follow 26 clues to get there!

For more information on the INCARNATE Theater Treasure Hunt, check out Jodi's post. [http://www.jodimeadows.com/?p=568]

Here's my clue for the treasure hunt:

I was assigned a clue related to Venetian Deserts. So, I picked (with the help of an Italian friend) a panna cotta recipe to share with you. I made it over the weekend, and it is spectacular!

What better way to celebrate INCARNATE's release than with some amazing Panna Cotta. Yum. It's super easy to make (as long as you follow the directions exactly). The following recipe is Giada Laurentis' Panna Cotta recipe, which can be found here. My only suggestion is that I love chocolate, so I'd probably drizzle a little melted chocolate over the berries.

Ingredients
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon unflavored powdered gelatin
3 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch salt
2 cups assorted fresh berries

Directions

Place the milk in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over. Let stand for 3 to 5 minutes to soften the gelatin. Pour milk mixture into a heavy saucepan and stir over medium heat just until the gelatin dissolves but the milk does not boil, about 5 minutes. Add the cream, honey, sugar, and salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat. Pour into 6 wine glasses so that they are 1/2 full. Cool slightly. Refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours.

Spoon the berries atop the panna cotta and serve.

(Recipe is property of Giada Laurentis of the Food Network)

My clue for the password is . . . D
(my clue goes in the 4th word)

For your clicking pleasure, here is the links to the next 3 clue blogs! Good luck!

YA Books Central
Letters Inside Out
B's Book Blog!

A Taste of Tuesday: Carne Asada with Pico De Gallo

2012-01-24T18:09:00.000-07:00

One of my annoying Twitter habits is to tweet whatever I'm cooking. No, not whatever I am eating, but whatever I am making if it sounds really good. I usually get a whole bunch of responses asking for the recipes. So, I figured I'd make it a feature on my blog!

For the inaugural run for Taste of Tuesday, here is my recipe for Carne Asada with Pico de Gallo

Carne Asada

3lbs flank steak (or tri-tip, or whatever beef you can find on sale) sliced thin
1/3 c white vinegar
1/2 c soy sauce
1/2 c vegetable oil
5 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
1/4 c lime juice
1 tsp each of the following:
salt
ground black pepper
garlic powder
chili powder
cumin
oregano
paprika

Throw it all in a zip-lock bag. Marinade anywhere from 1 hour to overnight. It doesn't matter. The longer you marinate it, the stronger the flavor will be. But even without marinating it, the flavor is still wonderful.

Preheat oven for 250 degrees F. Pour the contents of the bag into an appropriate size glass baking dish and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 2 hours. Chop/slice the cooked meat into bite-size pieces/slices.

Pico de Gallo

5 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped (usually yields at least a cup of chopped cilantro)
2 tbsp lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl combine diced tomatoes, onions and cilantro. Sprinkle lime juice, salt and pepper over the top. Stir until combined. Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend.

See? Super easy! We usually make California-style burritos with this, adding cheese, oven-baked french fries and sour cream wrapped in a flour tortilla. You could also make quesadillas, tacos, etc. The possibilities are endless!

Entry for Brenda Drake's "Can you hit a perfect pitch" contest

2012-01-15T14:29:00.001-07:00

Title: WAIT FOR ME
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Word count: 78,000

35 word pitch: When Anna’s invited to work on a dig in Egypt, she meets the boy of her dreams, discovers a buried secret, and must battle Jackals in order to keep them from unleashing Osiris on the world.

First 150 words:

The jagged rocks on the edge of the cliff sliced into my bare feet like razor blades. The roar from the water crashing on the rocks below drowned any other sound. Hot wind whipped my long, dark hair around my face, drying the tears that fell down my cheeks.

“Wait for me, my love,” I whispered. I closed my eyes, and with one breath, stepped off the edge. The wind roared past my ears. I spread my arms and my linen wrap trailed behind me. The sound of the frothing blue-green water crashing against the rocks built until it was the only sound, its beat mimicking the frantic galloping of my heart.

My breath whooshed from my lungs as I hit the churning water. Everything went dark. I expected pain. The water beat my limp body against the rocks, but there was no more pain.

Your comments are welcome, and thank you! :)

A Thank You.

2011-12-24T11:58:00.001-07:00

As we scurry around this Christmas eve, finishing up our Christmas shopping, or traveling to visit family, or grumbling about the traffic, or grouchy people, or how your [insert your annoying relative here] is driving you crazy, I hope you will take a moment to remember how lucky you really are.

Tonight three little kids will be going to bed without their father. They'll wake up on Christmas morning, and while so many other kids in the country are tearing into their pile of presents, they'll be missing their father that didn't get to come home.

Yesterday morning, firefighter Jim Rice's kids got to hug him before he went to work. Last night, they learned that he was never coming home.

You can read the news story here.

Family members mourn the loss of Peabody firefighter Jim Rice: MyFoxBOSTON.com

So, as you are settling down to enjoy your Christmas, I hope you'll take a moment to thank those men and women who put their lives on the line every day for our safety and freedom.

If you would like to contribute to the funds to help the families of Jim Rice and/or the families displaced by the fire, here's the information:

Donations to family of fallen Firefighter Jim Rice and fire victims can be made at any North Shore Bank.

To the many people who have inquired in regards to making donations to the family of fallen Firefighter Jim Rice, and also to the families that have been displaced by the fire on Hancock Street, there have been to two funds set up at the North Shore Bank for this purpose. The first is the Firefighter James Rice Memorial Fund and the other is the City of Peabody Fire Victims Relief Fund. Donations are being accepted at any North Shore Bank branch office, or can be mailed to the North Shore Bank, 32 Main Street Peabody, MA 01960. Mayor Michael J. Bonfanti, and all the members of the Peabody public safety community, thank you for your caring and concern for the many families affected by this tragedy. (Source: http://local.nixle.com/alert/4768055/)

Winner of Busted In Bollywood!

2011-12-19T08:30:00.001-07:00

And the winner of the e-book of BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD by Nicola Marsh from Entangled Publishing is......

Susie Medwell!!!!!

Congratulations Susie, please email lewis@entangledpublishing.com to claim the ebook.

My blog resolutions for 2012

2011-12-09T20:30:00.000-07:00

Hi guys!

I just wanted to take a second to tell you a little about what will be happening with my blog in the next few months.

First off, I'm going to be participating in a little blog fun for Jodi Meadow's upcoming release, INCARNATE. So stay tuned for that.

Expect more book reviews coming up. I've got a bunch of galleys to review, so you can expect to see more in the future.

Agent-judged contests. I'm working on setting up a few agent judged contests as well. Not in December, but in the new year. (Who isn't swamped right now?)

Author interviews. I have some awesome author friends, both published and up-and-coming. I'll be posting interviews with them as well.

So stay tuned! Lots of fun stuff happening here soon!

Brenda Drake's "Can we guess your character's age" Contest Entry

2011-12-08T10:07:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys! I am participating Brenda Drake's blogfest where we are supposed to post our first 250 words and people blog hop and see if they can guess the character's age.

So without further ado, here is the first 250 of my YA fairytale retelling, AWAKEN:

Life-saving kisses only happen in fairytales. My eyes raced across the page even though I’d read the story a billion times. I was always anxious to get to the part where Prince Charming kissed Aurora and woke her from her enchanted sleep.

It’s the part where he bends, ever so slightly, his gaze fixed on Aurora’s rose-colored lips. He hears the witch’s crackly voice replay in his head. “The spell will be broken with true love’s first kiss.” He cups her cheek and his thumb brushes across her bottom lip. Her skin’s so soft, so delicate, he fears she might crumble into dust in his trembling hands.

I mouth the words along with him as he whispers “awakened with a kiss” and dips his head, his lips slowly inching towards hers.

“You look like a bunch of wet noodles!” a nasally voice called out, causing the prince and Aurora to dissolve before me and be replaced by a ballet studio.

“I want a pirouette! Like this!” Belina Sanchez, my sister’s ballet teacher, extended one shapely leg behind the other, pushed into a turn with her toe at her knee and her arms poised in a graceful circle in front of her. Everything about the woman screamed grace.

The same could not be said about the ten-year-old students who tried unsuccessfully to duplicate her graceful move. Casey, my little sister, almost managed to copy it, were it not for the fact that instead of coming to a stop at the end, she toppled into the unsuspecting girl beside her.

So - guess away! Good luck to the other contestants!

Busted In Bollywood Blog Tour

2011-11-29T00:01:00.005-07:00

I’m thrilled to kick of my BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD blog tour with Shelley.

We met on Twitter and were soon chatting about books, writing, agents, kids and life in general. Shelley took part in this book’s cover reveal and she has invited me back to chat about the book.

BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD is a contemporary romance/romantic comedy/chicklit/women’s fiction novel. Think ‘Sex and the City’ meets ‘Eat, Pray, Love.’ With food. Loads of food!

I’m a foodie fanatic. Love my food. So it stood to reason when I wrote a book featuring India I’d include loads of food.

And that’s what I want to share during this blog tour, my love of Indian food.

Over the next 3 weeks, I’ll be regularly posting Indian recipes for dishes taken from the book in my BOLLY-BITES.

I’m hoping you’ll stock up on spices and cook up a storm alongside me!

The first BOLLY-BITE recipe is an Indian standard, dahl. A nutritious lentil dish, it can be eaten with rice or flatbreads (rotis, parathas, chappathis, puris). There are so many variations on this dish but I’ve gone with the basic I love.

DAHL

Ingredients

½ cup masoor dal (red lentils)

1 tomato roughly chopped (I use diced tinned tomatoes for speed and convenience)

1 onion, roughly chopped

¼ tspn tumeric

½ tspn ground cumin

½ tspn ground coriander

2 garlic cloves

3 tbspns oil

1 tspn cumin seeds

½ tspn mustard seeds

15 curry leaves

Salt to taste

1 onion finely diced (optional)

1-2 red or green chillies (optional)

Method:

Place the lentils, roughly chopped onion, tomato, tumeric, ground cumin & coriander with 2 cups water in a saucepan and bring to the boil.

Simmer, stir occasionally, until lentils are cooked to a soft mushy consistency, should take about 20 minutes. (if water evaporates before lentils cooked, add ½ cup boiling water.)

Once this is done, time to add the ‘tarka’ (or final seasoning.)

-Heat oil in small saucepan on low heat.

-Add cumin and mustard seeds, cover, the seeds need to pop.

-Add the garlic, finely diced onion and curry leaves and fry until onion browned.

Add the tarka to the cooked lentils, season with salt and cook for another few minutes.

(if you like it spicier, add the optional chillies to the boiling lentil mixture at the start. I also like adding fresh ginger, about an inch cube grated finely.)

Garnish with fresh coriander to serve.

Now that you’re all suitably hungry, I hope you’ll join me for more tasty Indian BOLLY-BITES coming up.

To be in the running to win an E-book of BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD, leave a comment about food, Bollywood or books!

USA TODAY bestseller Nicola Marsh has published 30 books with Harlequin Romance and Presents series, and BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD is her first mainstream contemporary romance with Entangled Publishing.

She loves chatting with readers and you can find her:

Website: http://www.nicolamarsh.com

Blog: http://nicolamarsh.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/NicolaMarshAuthor

Twitter: http://twitter.com/NicolaMarsh

Book Review: Busted In Bollywood by Nicola Marsh

2011-11-26T19:36:00.002-07:00

Title: Busted In Bollywood
Author: Nicola Marsh
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Release Date: December 6, 2011
Shelley's Star Rating: 4 1/2 stars
Buy it here.

Goodreads Blurb:

Shari Jones needs to get a life. Preferably someone else’s.

Single, homeless and jobless, Indo-American Shari agrees to her best friend’s whacky scheme: travel to Mumbai, pose as Amrita, and ditch the fiancé her traditional Indian parents have chosen. Simple. Until she’s mistaken for a famous Bollywood actress, stalked by a Lone Ranger wannabe, courted by an English lord, and busted by the blackmailing fiancé.

Life is less complicated in New York.

Or so she thinks, until the entourage of crazies follows her to the Big Apple and that’s when the fun really begins. Shari deals with a blossoming romance, an addiction to Indian food and her first movie role, while secretly craving another trip to the mystical land responsible for sparking her new lease on life. Returning to her Indian birthplace, she has an epiphany. Maybe the happily-ever-after of her dreams isn’t so far away?

Review:

If you know me, I'm not a huge fan of mainstream contemporary stories. It has to be REALLY special in order for me to like it. So, by giving Nicola Marsh's upcoming release 4 1/2 stars, that is huge. I really, really enjoyed this book. Busted In Bollywood is, in my opinion, an exciting and welcome combination of Sex and the City and Bollywood.

I have one word for my reaction to this book: hungry.

I know that seems a little weird, but Nicola did such a great job with painting the Indian culture & food that I seriously craved Indian food during/after reading Busted. Now I desperately want to try all of the un-pronounceable foods that Shari loved in the book.

But besides the food, I loved the relationship between Shari and her hero (who will remain nameless to avoid spoilers). Their relationship was hot, sexy and completely believable. My only complaint was that the sex scenes were more "fade to black" than I would have liked. You know me. I like the steamy. So the sex scenes were a bit too tame for me. :)

I'm thankful I was given the opportunity to read Nicola Marsh's first mainstream contemporary romance. She is a fantastic writer and I can't wait to read her next book!

So, on December 6th, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Busted In Bollywood by Nicola Marsh.

Busted In Bollywood Blog Tour!

2011-11-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!

Do I have a treat for you! I'm the first stop on Nicola Marsh's blog tour to promote her upcoming release of Busted In Bollywood (Available on December 6th from Entangled Publishing).

You might remember that was the gorgeous cover I got to reveal last month, where you guys got the first sneak peak! I was lucky enough to get my (electronic) hands on an ARC of Busted In Bollywood, and I have to tell you guys, it is AWESOME! I can't wait for you all to get to read it!

On November 29th, Nicola will be dropping by the blog to kick off her blog tour and she's got a surprise for you!

So stay tuned...

Sorry for the Radio Silence!

2011-10-30T23:57:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the radio silence guys! I've been working hard on revisions for AWAKEN. And then, I'm participating in NANOWRIMO again! (Yes, I think I might have slight masochistic tendencies). Hehe.

Anyway - how many of you are participating in Nanowrimo? It's this crazy thing where a bunch of us crazy writers sign up to write a novel (50k words) in 30 days. At the end, if we succeed, we get a little certificate that says we did it! And, we have a 50k word manuscript that needs some severe revising and editing!

But the important part is just giving yourself a kick in the pants to get writing every day. I've been a bit of a slacker with the writing lately, letting life get in the way. But once I'm done with these revisions, I'll be hitting Nano hard. And then I'll be revising Burn Me (again).

I've got my Nano project all figured out, outlined and everything. Or at least, I had. Then I got a new shiny idea (and of course it was at 2am, written long-hand on a notepad while sitting on the floor in my bathroom). So I'm still not sure which concept I will be going with. One is a YA ghost/paranormal/thriller. The other I'm not sure what genre it would be in. Potentially YA, potentially adult historical romance. Depends on how I decide to take the storyline (which as it stands would be a dual storyline.) Not sure I'm masochistic enough to attempt a dual storyline novel, at the present time. However, we shall see.

So, if you are preparing for Nano, what do you do to prepare?

I know it's silly, and a little type-A personality, but I use Power Point. I take all the photos that inspire me and put them in a slide show. Then I put note 'slides' in there for scenes that I'm considering, character notes, etc. All in a nice, neat, organized slide show. Yeah, I'm a geek. I admit it. I embrace it. I utilize it. Let's move on. Hehe :)

The Revision Process: Finding Critique Partners (Or, Critique Partner Dating Service)

2011-10-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

There are many ways to obtain critique partners. You can check out the Absolute Write boards. You can join YA LitChat and post on their critique partner boards. SCBWI has discussion boards where you can post your work for critique. (As I would assume most writing associations do). Agentquery.com has a critique partner board. You can even post an ad on your blog/facebook/twitter informing your friends/readers/followers that you are on the critique partner search.

I've found the most valuable critiques are from my critique partners. I've developed a relationship with this group of writers and trust them to rip my project to shreds (kindly). I've been through a few critique partners before finally finding my group. Having a critique partner is like a marriage. Both sides have to want you to succeed. I've found that the most successful critique partner relationships are the ones where the critiquer can be honest with the writer on the issues that need to be improved, while doing it in a respectful and courteous way.

I've also found that the best critiques are the ones that pad the bad with the good. Praise, criticism, praise. Find something they did well and highlight that first. Then, let them know what they can improve, what didn't work, etc. Finish the critique on a good note.

A good way to see if you're a good match is to exchange a chapter to critique. If you like their work, and like their critique of your work, then you might be a good fit. If either of you are way off, then it's probably not the best fit.

So on that note, considering how hard I know it is to find the right critique partner, I thought I'd open up the comments to writers in search of critique partners. In order to help you find your perfect match, please post the following:

Name:

Genre:

Word count:

Project Status: (Complete, work in progress)

Email:

Anything else you would like potential critique partners to know (such as where you are in your writing career (starting out, intermediate, published author etc)

Next, go through the other comments and see if anyone sounds like they'd be a good fit for you. Then, contact them to see if they'd be interested in swapping a chapter or two for a try-out. Finally, once you have found your match, come back and update your comment that you've found your critique partner(s) so that other 'daters' will know you're off the market.

The Revision Process: Beta Readers vs. Critique Partners

2011-09-27T15:12:00.002-07:00

When you are new to the writing game, there are a lot of terms that are thrown around like beta readers and critique partners. Not everyone knows what these terms mean, or think that the terms are used interchangeably. But they have very different (and important) roles in the writing process.

Critique Partners: Critique partners are a close group of writers who share their works in progress with each other. The purpose of them reading your manuscript is to give you an in-depth critique. Line editing usually falls to this group. (Although YOU, as the writer, should have line edited that manuscript within an inch of its life before submitting your work to your critique partner for critique). Critique partners are SUPPOSED to find things wrong with your manuscript. Things that need to be fixed, things that don't work, plot holes, voice, characterization, etc. Any issues with your manuscript that an agent or editor would consider a deal breaker. They are not there to catch your typos or grammar issues. YOU should catch those. Read your manuscript out loud (BEFORE sending to your crit partner).

If you've got a critique partner and their only comments are "I love it, it's AWESOME!" for your work, that doesn't really help you grow as a writer. While comments like this, of course, feel wonderful (especially when they mean it), it doesn't do anything to help you polish your manuscript. You might want to consider adding another critique partner.

But, having multiple critique partners brings up a whole new set of problems. What if each partner has different comments? What if the comments contradict what the other one says? This is the point where you, as a writer, must take all of the comments, consider them, ponder them, and decide which is right for your manuscript. If more than one person points out the same issue, then chances are there is an issue that needs to be addressed.

Photo Source: link

Beta Readers: These are your last line of review before calling the project "done". The main difference between these and critique partners is that these are READERS. The key word: READERS.

These readers read your manuscript after you've polished it until your eyes bleed, after your critique partners have ripped your manuscript to shreds and your polished, revised manuscript has risen from the ashes. These readers give you their overall opinions.

While they might catch a typo/missed word/etc now and then, their purpose is to give global comments with regards to character, plot, voice, etc. The global stuff. Anything that worked, or didn't work. Questions that they asked along the way. Things that they questioned. They are your "big picture" readers. They go into the project not as a writer, but as a reader. Think of them as your first real readers. Don't rely on them to critique your work. In order for them to have it in their hands, you should have already critiqued that bad boy within an inch of it's life.

As with critique partners, it helps to have multiple beta readers so that you can compare and contrast the comments. Again, if multiple readers bring up the same issue, then you potentially have a problem. But ultimately, it is your book and you must do what you feel is right for the story.

I have both critique partners and beta readers for my work. Some writers produce such polished work that they skip the critique partners and go straight to the beta readers. Some have critique partners but don't have beta readers. Personally, I feel that each type of reader has their strengths and bring that to the table when they are reading my manuscript.

On that note - thank you so much to all of my critique partners and beta readers. I love you dearly (even when you make me cry) and would not be at this point in my career without your valuable (yet sometimes painful) feedback.

Writers - What about you? Do you have one, or both types of readers? What do you do about conflicting comments?

Nicola Marsh's BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD Cover Reveal!!

2011-09-26T15:04:00.001-07:00

My good friend Nicola Marsh's new book, BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD, is set to release from Entangled Publishing on December 6th. I can not wait for this book! It sounds SO good! So of course I jumped at the opportunity to be one of the bloggers to help reveal the cover!

Shari Jones needs to get a life. Preferably someone else’s.

Single, homeless and jobless, Indo-American Shari agrees to her best friend’s whacky scheme: travel to Mumbai, pose as Amrita, and ditch the fiancé her traditional Indian parents have chosen. Simple. Until she’s mistaken for a famous Bollywood actress, stalked by a Lone Ranger wannabe, courted by an English lord, and busted by the blackmailing fiancé.

Life is less complicated in New York.

Or so she thinks, until the entourage of crazies follows her to the Big Apple and that’s when the fun really begins. Shari deals with a blossoming romance, an addiction to Indian food and her first movie role, while secretly craving another trip to the mystical land responsible for sparking her new lease on life. Returning to her Indian birthplace, she has an epiphany. Maybe the happily-ever-after of her dreams isn’t so far away?

And now for the gorgeous cover...

How great is that cover? I love it!

Stay tuned, as we get closer to Nicola's release date, I'll be posting a little something extra.... ;)

How about another first page contest? (Not hosted by me)

2011-09-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

Hi guys!

My good friend and critique partner, Brenda Drake, is running a first page contest over on her blog, with prizes from Teen Eyes editing.

If you write YA, you should go enter! You can find her post here.

Good luck everyone!!

BURN ME Revisions!

2011-09-04T22:49:00.008-07:00

Hi guys!

I've been working hard on my new YA and have an entire outline set up, including scene summaries! So it's moving along nicely, currently sitting at about 6,500 words!

But, I had to put it aside for a week or two while I finish BURN ME revisions. I got bit by the firefighting bug again and decided that I'd hit BURN ME while it's hot.

My firefighter friend, Greg Conlan, who has been a huge help in answering my research questions for BURN ME, just ended an extended no-fire streak (meaning his shift hasn't had a BIG fire in a while). While that is great for property owners in the area, it can be really hard on the firefighters, who are trained to fight FIRES. Did you know that a large portion of calls that firefighters respond to are medical calls?

If you want to read his blog post about their part in battling the blaze, you can read it here.

But, basically, there was a two alarm fire at a house in Dorchester, Mass.

I could tell you what happened, but I'd rather show you:

Needless to say, these firefighters put their lives on the line for us, and our property. And they don't ask for so much as a "Thank you."

While the 3-family property was vacant and no one was inside at the time of the blaze, one firefighter was transported due to smoke inhalation, and the damage is estimated at $300,000.

L-29 was tasked with climbing into the building to do a sweep of the 3rd floor to check for victims. As you watch the video, you can see them off to the left breaking a window and climbing in to the 3rd floor. You might also notice the flames still licking up the wall on the exterior of the building.

The fire spread into the adjacent building and melted the siding off the house and burned part of the structure.

Arson was called to the scene to investigate the cause of the fire.

So you can kind-of see why I felt the need to write a firefighter book. They are the epitome of a real-life Superman. And who doesn't find Superman sexy?

The firefighters of L-29. Great job guys!

Thank you to all the firefighters who put their lives on the line every day in the line of duty. You are the true Superheroes.

And a special note to Greg - THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR HELP WITH BURN ME! It would have been riddled with inaccuracies if not for your help! :)

A big thank you also to Mark Sicuso and Ron Chamberlin who also answered many questions related to firefighting and arson investigations.

All pictures on this post are the property of the Boston Fire Department and can be found on their Facebook page.

Happiness is Staring at a Finished Draft

2011-08-30T07:45:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already heard the news....

BURN ME IS DONE!!!

Yep, that baby's done! Well, the first draft anyway. I'm letting it marinate for a while before I dive into revisions. But in the mean time, my muse came back with a vengeance, giving me the entire plot outline for a brand spanking new YA paranormal/horror/thriller (I am not really sure what genre it fits into.)

I can't tell you the title, nor anything about it, because it's a really original (and dark and edgy) idea that I want to keep a surprise. But I'll just say that it's so creepy that I'm creeping myself out while writing it! I had to turn on every light in the house on my way to bed last night, I was that creeped out. Which is totally awesome!

I'm still reveling in the bliss of having yet another novel finished (well, almost. Revisions are a whole 'nother ball of wax.) I'm so lucky to get to do what I love. And I'm completely amazed that these entire stories came out of my brain. Who knew I had a whole world (or worlds) in my head? Well, my husband has often accused me of 'living in my own little world', but really, is that such a bad place to live?

The Muse Has Returned!

2011-08-23T19:56:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the extended absence from the blog lately, friends! My muse has been on a bit of a writing strike for the last month or two. But, after an extended vacation, my muse has finally returned! I broke out BURN ME and am working on finishing that baby up, and also completely outlined my next YA project. It's a young adult ghost story. I think I needed this break to refresh my creative juices. I was burned out and my writing was forced. It was obvious in the scenes that I wrote (and subsequently deleted) that I needed a break.

But now I'm back and going strong. I plan to bump up posting on my blog, and will soon be setting up a new agent-judged contest.

I've missed you guys (and my muse - she's got a really great tan from her vacation.)

Looking for another AGENT JUDGED contest? (Not hosted by me!)

2011-08-04T08:46:00.000-07:00

Hi guys,

Rachel is having a contest on her blog judged by Lauren Ruth of BookEnds agency TODAY! Go check it out! http://blackbirdinmywindow.blogspot.com/2011/08/summer-writing-contest.html

Shelley

Epic auction going on RIGHT NOW! (Ends July 25th)

2011-07-20T13:44:00.001-07:00

Carrie Harris is having a seriously awesome auction going on right now with agent critiques/phone calls, books, swag and MORE! Go check it out! http://t.co/sp5eu6Z

From Carrie's website:

"BAD TASTE IN BOYS lurched onto shelves on July 12th! To celebrate, I’m running an online event called Night of the Giving Dead to benefit the kids of C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital! Bid on over 80 items, including signed books, ARCs, and critiques. Participants can enter to win one of two grand prizes: a Kindle or a six month writing mentorship. The event runs from July 11 through July 27th."

And the bids are low - I mean $150 for a FULL ms crit & a 30 min phonecall with Suzie Townsend? Ridiculous! Go bid NOW!

First Pages Contest with Agent Judge Victoria Marini

2011-07-11T14:55:00.001-07:00

First off, congratulations to everyone who entered my first page contest with literary agent Victoria Marini. We were absolutely amazed by the amount of talent that you all had! Victoria wanted me to express her gratitude to all of you for entering her contest. You made her job picking the winners a very, very difficult one! From her pool of semi-finalists, she selected the winners based on a combination of how strongly she felt about the voice and style, and how badly she wanted to keep reading.

THE WINNER OF THE FULL MANUSCRIPT REQUEST WITH CRITIQUE IS....
(Please email your query and full manuscript to Ms. Marini at victoria.gsliterary (at) gmail.com. Be sure to indicate your winner status of this contest in the subject line )

Premeditated (YA - 90k Words) by Ryan Hunter

I used to imagine that confessing to murder would take some of the guilt away, make the act easier to live with. I was wrong.

I realize now that it doesn’t really make much difference whether I confessed or kept the secret. The man was dead and I could not bring him back. Not that I’d want to, I mean the world is no worse off without him. I can say that perhaps it shouldn’t have been my decision to make the world better in that respect. Yes, I’m pretty sure I should have let God make that move.

But it doesn’t matter now. The man’s dead and my confessing certainly didn’t bring him back. It only put me behind bars and left other lives vulnerable to the decisions I’ve made about who should live and who should die.

That’s why you should know that I’ve decided to leave this place.

Playing God is not just a game anymore.

Sincerely,
Inmate 54763
Jenna Adamson

Detective Tambri Carlson slapped the letter atop a jumbled pile of reports and lifted her black desk phone. Within seconds she had juvenile detention on the phone. A siren blared in the background and voices screamed over the intercom making it nearly impossible to hear the man who answered.

“We were just about to call,” he admitted when she identified herself. “We think we’ve lost one of your girls.”

“Lost?” Tambri glared at the letter on her desk.

“We’re not exactly sure yet.”

Tambri’s fingers lost feeling on the handset. “Jenna Adamson escaped. She did not get lost.”

FIRST RUNNER UP - FULL MANUSCRIPT REQUEST (NO CRITIQUE):
(Please email your query and full manuscript to Ms. Marini at victoria.gsliterary (at) gmail.com. Be sure to indicate your winner status of this contest in the subject line )

The Girl With Brown Eyes (YA Fantasy 84k words) by Tracy

"You shouldn’t do that.” The Boy narrowed his eyes and glared with all the indignation called for in such a situation.

"Do what?" The target of his fury, a girl no older than he, swung her legs back and forth.

At twelve and not old enough for a title, the Boy kept his focus on himself, but he had stopped his daily walk through the cemetery at a sight even he could not ignore.

The girl had brown eyes, but as for her other features, he had not taken the time to notice them. He found something else far more interesting. "What you’re doing, sitting on that headstone there!"

"And why shouldn’t I?" Her question seemed genuine, but the Boy could not fathom how she could not see the issue with her actions.

"Because. Someone died there."

The Brown-Eyed Girl brushed an orange leaf from the headstone. "No they didn’t. Not one of these people died here. They all died at home in their beds, or abroad in the world, or wherever it suited the world best to have them die."

The Boy paused in surprise at her response, but could not deny she was right. "Well, I’m sure that person doesn’t want you sitting on his headstone.”

"Oh, I’m quite certain she doesn’t mind."

The Boy jolted. Who did she think she was? He puffed up his chest. "And how can you be so certain?"

She ran her fingers through her hair and shook it loose. "Because,” she said, “this headstone is mine.”

SECOND RUNNERS UP (2): PARTIAL MANUSCRIPT REQUESTS (NO CRITIQUE):
(Please email your query and first half of your manuscript to Ms. Marini at victoria.gsliterary (at) gmail.com. Be sure to indicate your winner status of this contest in the subject line )

Confessions of a Teenage Cyborg (YA Sci-Fi 71k words) by Marcy Kate

Weightlessness is a funny thing.

One moment ago, Dean and I were joking about the stupid, lime-green dress his ex-girlfriend wore to prom. His cheeks dimpled when he laughed.

Now his car skids over the embankment. Our bodies are a blur of pink satin and black tuxedo. My insides lurch and jerk, like knots trying to untie themselves. Dean’s face is a blank sheet of confusion and me, well, I don’t know how I look but I’m sure it isn’t pretty.

The free fall ends when we hit the tree. All that remains is pain and panic. And noise. All kinds of noise. Screams, creaks, and cracks from all sides. I can’t feel my legs or arms, but I’m standing and screaming and tugging at the crumpled car door.

Dean’s stuck. I have to get him out.

Gas fumes sting my nose and burn my chest. I tear the door off the car and nearly tear Dean’s arm off, too. He tumbles out and I drag him toward the field. The car explodes, flames consuming it in a burst of red and orange. The force throws us back from the wreck. I sit in the long grass in my tattered cocktail dress, barely aware of the hot metal in my hands or Dean unconscious at my side.

I can’t tear my eyes away from my left arm.

It’s ruined.

The skin is ripped open, gaping from wrist to elbow, but I hardly bleed.

Shock is an understatement.

Why am I not bleeding? I try to make sense of it, but my arm isn’t right. Something more is wrong than just the wound . . . .

Walking Shadow (YA Fantasy 98k words) by Brigid Gorry-Hines

Everything is a lie––their faces, their words, their clothes, the books on their desks. It's a barrier as fragile as the surface of a bubble.

Underneath it, I see their fears, their secrets, the feelings they hide. I know their loneliness; it emanates from their minds, building from a whisper to a murmur to a scream that ricochets around in my skull.

One of those shrieking souls is my own. On the inside, we're all screaming.

But I've learned that I'm different from them. I accept the scathing mess of words their minds throw at me: freak, girl, freak, witch, goth, freak.

I don't care what they think, as long as they never know the truth. They can think I chose to dye my hair blood-red, that my reflective eyes are contacts. They can think I wear long sleeves because I cut myself, even though I'm hiding something very different from the furious red slashes they'd expect.

I don't blame them. It’s human to make judgments. If I had a choice, I would make them, too.

Instead, I know every detail about everyone––who hates who, who's sleeping with who, who's doing drugs, whose parents hit them. Thoughts and dreams and memories and fears burst inside my head like fireworks … and someday, I won't be able to take it anymore.

I never asked for this. I sure as hell never wanted it. My whole life, I've kept it inside. And it's killing me, crawling through my veins like a disease.

How long before it takes over––before it takes me, like it took my mother?

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
(Honorable mention winners - Please query Ms. Marini directly, be sure to include your status as an honorable mention in my contest to ensure a personal response. Be sure to include your first three chapters along with your query.)

Whispers of the Pines by Colleen (theartgirl)

Figment by Tricia Clasen

Naked Eye by Theresa Milstein

Drop Dead, Gorgeous by Audrey

Regarding Resurrection by Sleeplessblog

Thank you again to everyone who entered the contest. Hopefully you enjoyed the critique portion and used that as an opportunity to hone and polish your manuscript! I'm humbled at the level of talent I have seen entering these contests. You all are amazing.

If you didn't win this contest, Victoria invites you to query her following her submission guidelines.

OFFICIAL ENTRY POST - Birthday Blowout First Page Contest with Literary Agent Judge Victoria Marini

2011-06-28T00:00:00.001-07:00

UPDATE - THE WINNER WILL BE POSTED ON MONDAY, JULY 11TH

Today's my birthday!!!!

And you know what that means....

Time to post your polished first page entry for my Birthday Blowout First Page Contest with Literary Agent judge Victoria Marini!

Photo by James S. Rand

We had a record number of participants sign up, so please only post once. If you decide to make changes, delete your first post and post your new one. PLEASE only do this once.

All entries MUST be posted by 11:59 PM on June 27th, 2011. Comments will be closed at that time and no further entries will be accepted.

In your entry, PLEASE Be sure to include ALL of the following:

Your email address
Title, genre, word count
Your polished first page (250 words) Don't stop in the middle of a sentence.
Where you follow me
Where you spread the word

This contest is only open to YA, Middle Grade, memoir, pop-culture non-fiction, and women’s commercial fiction.

Contest rules:

You must be a follower of my blog and/or Twitter
You must spread the word, via twitter, fb, blog post, whatever.
Your work must be complete.
Your work must fall into one of the following genres: YA, Middle Grade, memoir, pop-culture non-fiction, and women’s commercial fiction.
You do not have to participate in the critique portion of the contest, but why would you miss the opportunity to polish that baby until it shines before Victoria reads it?

Mega Awesome First Page Contest with Literary Agent Judge Judith Engracia - WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

2011-06-12T20:55:00.002-07:00

I know you guys have been waiting with baited breath for my post containing the winners of the ten page critique from Literary Agent Judith Engracia, so without further delay, here they are!

Judith was so impressed with the entries that she picked not one winner, not two, but THREE winners (in no particular order)!

The WINNERS of the full manuscript request and ten page critique are:

Suzi McGowen

Title: Any Fae May Apply
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Word count: 90,000

I follow your blog and twitter, and spread the word on both. See http://suzimcgowen.blogspot.com/2011/05/in-which-there-is-another-awesome.html

I stood at the library door, itching for the sun to go down. The librarian was helping a kid get his first library card, so she didn’t give a second thought as to why I was lingering by the doors.

Once the sun had set and it was safe for me to leave, I headed out for my nightly cuppa tea. A shooting star raced across the sky and I crossed my fingers to make a wish. It was a kid thing and I was too old for that now. How many times had I wished for friends? But I'd already crossed my fingers, it was too late now. I wished for something interesting to happen.

I walked in and out of the pools of light from the streetlights, the silver charms on my pockets jingling softly with each step. Sometimes car headlights would pick me out of the darkness, but I wasn't concerned. My glamour was up and I could pass for human. Tall, but human.

The telephone pole on the street corner was littered with signs and posters. Ads for weight loss, garage sales, a local band. The normal dross of human society. But the scent of magic caught my attention.

My nose twitched and I stopped to give the posters a more thorough look. There was one that was dusted with glamour. Humans probably only saw a poster for a lost pet, or something. What I saw was the flier that changed my life. It said simply, "Job opening: Night Hours. Any fae may apply."

Alison Miller

Title: Envious
Genre: YA Paranormal
Word Count: 73,000

I follow you here and on twitter. I blogged and tweeted about the contest.

Mookie’s suicide hit like a sledgehammer to my chest.

He didn’t leave a note. No call. Not even a farewell text. Not a single clue as to why he jumped off the top of our bleachers—over fifty feet up.

They found his body early Sunday morning. They being Mr. Graham, my tenth grade Geometry teacher with a pug nose and a body to match. He arrived at school for a pre-dawn run and spotted Mookie’s sneaker sticking out of the new fallen snow. Then a frostbitten hand nearby it. A frozen pool of blood.

A police car arrived shortly after, then an ambulance. Even a fire engine although I wasn’t sure what that was for. A fire had already been put out—a burning heat that used to fuel my existence was long gone.

Mookie lay on his stomach at the bottom of the bleachers, a short rusty stake the claim to his demise. The police concluded he hurdled the protective back, and the stake gouged his heart when he fell on it. Tox reports would take a week, but I knew Mookie’s system contained a combination of weed and booze—how much remained the question. Enough to delude my carefree best friend into thinking he should jump, ending what had seemed to be a great life with a bright future.

Yep. Mookie was my best friend. Most of the time—my only friend. And on January 3 he took his life.

This is where his story ends.

And mine begins.

Jami Gold

Title: The Resurrected
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Word count: 93K

***

Daniel’s switchblade clattered to the floor from his slackened fingers, the knife the least of his worries. He fell to his knees and ripped open the shirt of the man sprawled on the linoleum. The slash across Demetri’s skin ended at a bloody hole over his heart. Not good.

“I’m sorry, Demetri. I swear I didn’t mean to. But it’ll be okay, you can heal this.” Daniel fumbled to block the wound in Demetri’s chest. “You’ll be fine. Just fix it.”

Nothing changed.

The truth sank into his brain around the same time the pooling blood soaked through his pants. His hand clenched with the temptation to punch the body. This accident would ruin everything. Before his fears gelled, Daniel forced his mind to send a coherent thought to Renaldo, “There’s been a complication.”

A complication? The understatement prompted a panicky snort. Welcome to the freak show his life had become in the past year. He waited, unmoving, unthinking. Running away and regret would both be pointless.

Renaldo entered the apartment, his usual poker face in place as he took in Demetri’s form. “This was not part of the plan.”

No kidding. But Renaldo would hear the truth in any excuses.

At Daniel’s silence, Renaldo’s gaze moved past him. “And the experiment?”

Right. Clusterf*** number two. Daniel looked behind him, where the apartment’s resident lay on a futon, the lone piece of furniture in the studio unit. Unlike Demetri, the stranger’s body appeared okay. Appearances were deceiving.

**********************************************************************************************
In addition to picking three winners, Judith also picked two runners-up, who will receive full ms requests from Judith!

The RUNNERS UP, who will receive a full manuscript request from Judith are:

Taryn

Title: PLAYING GOD
Genre: YA futuristic
WC: 75K

The inscription was faded and scratched, but Kalyn had never seen such potent words.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

It had probably been there for centuries—one, at least, since no one had believed in the silly myths of religion for over a hundred years—but the weathered lines suggested longer.

Every time she came to this spot, it seemed bolder, deeper, more prominent than the last, as if time itself were going backward and erasing the very marks of age. At that ridiculous idea, Kalyn gave a rueful laugh, the sound echoing in the empty ruins of the old building. Progress. That was the key word of this era. Moving forward step by step and leaving behind anything that would suggest man did not have control of the world.

Her gaze slid from the thick gray wall and searched the sky above. Through a jagged hole in the roof of the crumbling structure they used to call a chapel, she saw the moon hanging like a fat fist amongst a glimmering array of stars. A burst of light cut the darkness in half, and for a moment Kalyn could almost bring herself to believe she’d seen a shooting star.

But no. Reality told her it was most likely a shuttle, or a passenger plane, or even a ship off to the colony on Mars. Not something as natural or uncontrollable or beautiful as a shooting star.

Sharon Bayliss

Title: Stormland
Genre: Urban fantasy
Word count: 67,000

“Why isn’t the sky blue anymore?”

The man sat under a bridge with his niece huddled beside him. The black rain seeped through the cracks above and left little pools of ash on the girl’s pale skin. He moved her over in the hopes of finding a dry spot. The child reminded him of a doll that had been left out in the rain and ruined. He had cut the tangles from of her hair and now it rested around her ears in uneven clumps. She deserved something better than this.

“Why isn’t the sky blue anymore?” she asked again.

“Lena, dear, I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do.”

“The sky is a giant mirror that reflected the blue oceans. But someone threw a rock at the sky and it shattered. So now we just see what was behind the sky.”

“Can they fix it?”

“No.”

“I’m hungry,” she said.

The brush nearby crackled and in an instant the smuggler was there. Far too soon. The child pressed herself closer to him.

“Lena, I want you to go with this man.”

Her little green eyes went wide with fright. “I want to stay with you.”

He took a deep breath to hold back tears. “I am no good at taking care of you. He is going to take you to a better place. He is going to take you to a place where the sky is still blue.”

“Will Mommy and Daddy meet me there?”

Each time she asked about them, he felt like his heart would burst. But this would be the last time he would have to say it.

“You won’t see Mommy and Daddy for a long time. They will meet you in heaven.”

**********************************************************************************************
If you are a winner or runner up and have not received an email from Judith already, please email your full manuscript to Judith at jengracia (at) lizadawsonassociates (dot) com and mention your winner status from my contest.

If you didn't win, you can always query Judith the old fashioned way. She is currently open for queries. Please follow the submission guidelines on her website.

Congratulations to all the winners and runners up. Thank you to everyone who participated in my contest and made it such a huge success. I was thrilled at the response and the talent that was exhibited was spectacular! I'm so proud of all of you!

And if you didn't win this time, you can enter my contest with Agent Judge Victoria Marini see this post for details.

Birthday Blowout First Page Contest with Victoria Marini

2011-06-07T10:05:00.002-07:00

To celebrate my birthday, I'm having another agent-judged first page contest! Rather than celebrate me getting a year older, I thought I'd pay it forward and give you guys another chance to get your work in front of an amazing agent.And who, might you ask, is the judge?

Victoria Marini of Gelfman Schneider Literary Agency!

Here's the 'About Me' info from her blog Rapid Progressive:

Photo by James S. Rand

BASICS
By day (and most evenings, and the occasional Saturday) I’m the newest associate literary agent at the Gelfman Schneider Literary Agency (www.gelfmanschneider.com). I began taking on clients in 2010 and I’m aggressively building my list. I’m looking for any and all kinds of YA (especially thriller, noir, horror, sci-fi/fantasy, dystopian and paranormal) Middle Grade, memoir (but I’m very picky), pop-culture non-fiction, and women’s commercial fiction (edgy contemporary, romantic suspense, or urban fantasy, please).

MY WISH LIST:
In YA I tend to go for the darker stuff. I love fast-paced, high-tension YA, but voice is paramount. I’m looking for the quadruple threat: voice, character, story, world-building.

I’m always on the lookout for Contemporary YA with a great commercial hook. I want a classic YA horror in the vein of Lois Duncan and Christopher Pike. I love Middle Grade with an element of magic, like Coraline, Juniper Berry, and Zombie Tag. I want to be frightened. I want a Gothic tale. I’d love a YA Noir mystery; something like Sam Spade in High School. If you’ve written a ghost story, I’m your girl! I want a tricky game of cat and mouse, a dystopian with an interesting hook, tension (of all varieties), a re-imagined tale, and another world so real I could live there.

I’m interested in time-travel and the intricacies of the space-time continuum, love, forensics, mythology, covert operations, medicine, engineering, nanotechnology, mysterious disappearances, weird science, awesome sidekicks, sexual tension, and all sorts of bits and bobs. I tweet about aforementioned bits and bobs, here

In commercial women’s fiction, I need a romantic element with an interesting hook. I tend to gravitate towards magic and/or mayhem. I’m into paranormal romances and thrillers, Urban Fantasy, and edgy mysteries. I love The Hollows series, for example.

Please note, that while I have my wish list, some of my favorite books (both published and unpublished) were ones that came by surprise. What you really need to remember is this: I want to read something I’m willing to lose sleep for.

MY STYLE
I think of myself as a futur-agent. This means that I am in the business of managing authors’ careers. I’m a saleswoman, a counselor, a consultant, a social networker, a marketer & branding assistant, a digital optimist, and whatever the changing market will require. I am highly collaborative and responsive. I do my best to maintain an open door policy and to make sure my clients know how valued they are.

ON THE FLIP SIDE
By night, I am a lover of music, sleep, baked goods, friends, animals, travel shows, exercise, food and beer. I’m your friendly neighborhood positive thinker and purveyor of quirk.

You can also check out her bio on the Gelfman Schneider website here and Casey McCormick's Agent Spotlight on Victoria here. You can also follow Victoria on Twitter @LitAgentMarini.

This contest is only open to YA, Middle Grade, memoir, pop-culture non-fiction, and women’s commercial fiction.

So here's how the contest will work:

Be sure your work fits into one of the following genres: YA, Middle Grade, memoir, pop-culture non-fiction, and women’s commercial fiction.
Sign up on the link below.
On June 25th, post your title, genre, word count and the first 250 words on your blog for critique.
From June 25th through June 26th, hop around to the other contestant's blogs and critique their first 250 words.
On June 27th, come back to my blog and post your final entry on my dedicated contest entry blog post. Be sure to include:

Your email address
Title, genre, wordcount
Your polished first page (250 words) Don't stop in the middle of a sentence.
Where you follow me
Where you spread the word

That's it!

Victoria will read all of the first pages and select one for a full request (which will include at least a partial critique). She will also request partial for the runners up that she selects!

Contest rules:

You must be a follower of my blog and/or Twitter
You must spread the word, via twitter, fb, blog post, whatever.
Your work must be complete.
Your work must fall into one of the following genres: YA, Middle Grade, memoir, pop-culture non-fiction, and women’s commercial fiction.
You do not have to participate in the critique portion of the contest, but why would you miss the opportunity to polish that baby until it shines before Victoria reads it?

Book Recommendation: WILDEFIRE by Karsten Knight

2011-06-04T13:36:00.000-07:00

So I recently got the privelage of reading an e-ARC of WILDEFIRE from the amazing people over at Simon and Schuster. You can preorder Wildefire, which comes out on July 26th, 2011 at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.

First off, let me say that I have been waiting for this book forever. Seriously. The gorgeous cover alone had me salivaing to read Wildefire. And then I met Karsten on Twitter.

Yeah... He looks like this:

But does hot author + hot cover=hot book? Well before I give you my opinions about the book, here's the synopsis from Goodreads about Wildefire:

Every flame begins with a spark.

Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she’s one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time… And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.

Now I had my doubts. Pretty faces & pretty covers don't always add up to great books. But Karsten not only lived up to my expectations with WILDEFIRE, but blew them out of the water. I couldn't put it down. I read it in two nights (all 393 pages). I wanted to read this book long before I got my hands on an ARC. And I want to read it again. And when it comes out on July 26th, you can bet that I'll be standing in line next to the screaming girls to get my hands on a copy.

Karsten does a great job entwining myth with 'real' life. I loved his new take on old mythology, and how he spun that into his story. I had my opinions about the characters, and he completely surprised me with what he did with them. Every time I thought I knew where he was going, he ran off in a new and exciting direction. Oh, and did I mention there are hot boys in it?

Wildefire is well worth the wait. And the sleep-deprivation induced hangover for two days as a result of not being able to put it down.

Made of Awesome Contest - Official Entry Post

2011-05-30T20:18:00.003-07:00

Drum roll please.....

The time has come to post your final, polished first page for the Made of Awesome Contest with literary agent judge Judith Engracia of Liza Dawson and Associates!

Judith is a literary assistant at Liza Dawson Associates, handling audio rights and digital publishing. She graduated summa cum laude from Fordham University with a B.A. in English and History on a full presidential scholarship. She 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, she is either training for her next martial arts test or causing mischief with her Siberian Husky, Grendel.

Judith is just building her own client list, which means she's got her eye out for some amazing manuscripts! And I know you guys have a ton of talent, so hopefully she'll find some really great work she can't resist.

Please post your final, polished first 250 words. Here is what needs to be included in your comment:

Be sure to include:

1. Your email address
2. Title, genre, wordcount
3. Your polished first page (250 words) Don't stop in the middle of a sentence.
4. Where you follow me
5. Where you spread the word

That's it!

Judith will read all of the first pages and select one for a ten-page critique, which, if she finds the winner's entry intriguing enough, could extend into a full manuscript critique!

Contest rules:

· You must be a follower of my blog and/or Twitter
· You must spread the word, via twitter, fb, blog post, whatever.
· Your manuscript must be complete.
· Contest is open to works of fiction only. Sorry guys, no non-fiction here.
· You do not have to participate in the critique portion of the contest, but why would you miss the opportunity to polish that baby until it shines before Judith reads it?
· All entries must be posted by 11:59 PM (AZ time) on May 31, 2011. Any entries posted after this time will be disqualified.

You wrote WHAT? (I.e. Writing Sex Scenes)

2011-05-25T12:27:00.002-07:00

Apparently, I have the reputation of writing steamy scenes in my novels. I have no idea how I got that reputation. *Innocent face*.

Source

Well, it's probably because it's true. I love to write steamy romance. But there's more to writing a steamy romance than just the sex scenes. I think that the best scenes work when there is building sexual tension, when the tension has gotten so intense, that it must culminate. And depending on the age group/genre you're going for, the act itself should be written to fit the audience.

Source

A sex scene in a young adult (YA) novel? Gasp! Yes. There are YA novels with sex scenes. My YA novels *might* have sex in them. But it's not the same type of sex scene you'd read in my adult work. In YA, more important than the physical stuff and the sensations, are the emotions that are involved. The emotions are more intense, and they are experiencing things for the first time, and it should feel that way.

There has long been a debate about wether or not to include sex scenes in YA books, and I am of the mindset that teens are not as niave as parents would like to think. They are surrounded by sex. TV, movies, music, music videos, books. It's everywhere. They are thinking about it. They're talking about it. Some are already doing it. When I was 14 I was devouring my mom's romance novels. So, I write my scenes with that knowledge. I feel I owe it to my readers to be true to the characters. To follow the scene through. Not just fade to black, like some writers do. Keep in mind my love scenes in my YA are very different than my adult work, but the act is still there. I also feel it's my responsibility to show it in a responsible way. The purpose of the scene isn't to titilate the reader, but to show the growing and changing love between the two characters.

Source

I also know that not all readers are comfortable reading the sex scenes. That is fine. There are tons of books out there that gloss over the details, or might not even have sex in them. I'm sure not all of my books will have sex scenes in them. I only have a sex scene if it is relevant to the plot. But I will always have hot heroes & steamy romance. That's just how I roll. :)

Now, would I let a 12 year old read my work? Probably not, at least not without their parents reading it first and THEM making that decision together. Who knows. Maybe reading my work will open up the dialog between a parent and their kid about practicing safe and responsible sex. That would be awesome.

When my work comes out I'll be posting 'heat level' guides on my website to give readers a chance to make their own decisions about how hot they can handle.

Regardless of the genre/age group that I'm writing for, here are my tips on writing great love scenes:

Build up to the scene. Don't just throw two people into a room and have them start groping. Build the sexual tension to the boiling point.
When you get to the scene, close your eyes, take a deep breath and forget about everything else. Pretend that no one will ever, ever read the scene but you.
Write. Don't stop. Don't think. Don't let your mind tell you what is proper/isn't. Just write the damn scene.
Once it's written, don't look at it. Move on. Write something else.
After you've given it some time to cool off, go back and re-read. Revise. Take out anything that makes you cringe. Blushing is okay, cringing is probably a sign that you should take it out.
Look at the scenes before and after the sex scene. Does it fit? Did you just throw it in for shock value? Does it add something to the plot? If you said no to the first or third, or yes to the second, cut it and put it in another file. That means it shouldn't be there in the first place.
If you've decided it fits, and contributes to the plot, go through it again. Does it read like a bad porn script? If so, you've got some work to do. Don't just focus on the actions/body parts. Focus on the sensations, the feelings, the emotions. Infuse that into the scene.
Have multiple beta readers. Sex scenes are notorious for getting different reactions from different readers. Especially with YA. Consier their opinions, but do what feels right for the story.
Trust your agent/editor. Don't be afraid to tone it down, or heat it up. Trust their guidance.

Okay - that's all I've got. Ultimately, whether or not you include a sex scene in your book is completely up to you and your comfort level. Remember, in the end, ideally, thousands of people will be reading your work. If you are not 100% comfortable with having strangers read it, then consider cutting it. Just because there isn't a sex scene in your book doesn't mean it won't sell. Amazing books sell, regardless of their sexual content.

Here's some extra reading on writing sex scenes: (Caution - graphic language might be used - reader discression is advised.)

An agent's take on writing sex scenes
A hilarious post about writing sex scenes.
Yet another hilarious post on writing sex scenes.
Karen Wiesner's 20 steps on writing great love scenes
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/article6536266.ece

What about you? How do you feel about reading/writing love scenes?

Made of Awesome Contest

2011-05-17T09:36:00.005-07:00

The response was so fantastic from my last agent-judged contest that I thought I'd do another. The Epic contest with Suzie Townsend resulted in five query critiques (from me), one grand-prize full ms request, and I later recieved reports that five of the honorable mentions recieved full requests from her as well!

So here's the new contest. It'll be similar to my Twitter Pitch contest with the critique round and the judging round. But instead of entering a twitter pitch, we're doing a first page contest.

And who, might you ask, is the judge?

Judith Engracia of Liza Dawson and Associates!

Judith is just building her own client list, which means she's got her eye out for some amazing manuscripts! And I know you guys have a ton of talent, so hopefully she'll find some really great work she can't resist.

So here's how the contest will work:

Sign up on the link below.
On May 28th, post your title, genre, word count and the first 250 words on your blog for critique.
From May 28th through May 30th, hop around to the other contestant's blogs and critique their first 250 words.
On May 31st, come back to my blog and post your final entry on my dedicated contest entry blog post. Be sure to include:

Your email address
Title, genre, wordcount
Your polished first page (250 words) Don't stop in the middle of a sentence.
Where you follow me
Where you spread the word

That's it!

Judith will read all of the first pages and select one for a ten-page critique, which, if she finds the winner's entry intriguing enough, could extend into a full manuscript critique!

Contest rules:

You must be a follower of my blog and/or Twitter
You must spread the word, via twitter, fb, blog post, whatever.
Your manuscript must be complete.
Contest is open to works of fiction only. Sorry guys, no non-fiction here.
You do not have to participate in the critique portion of the contest, but why would you miss the opportunity to polish that baby until it shines before Judith reads it?

And the winner of the ten page critique goes to....

2011-05-13T14:27:00.001-07:00

First off, I came across this comic and thought it was so true. When you get in a writing group where you share publicly like that, there tends to be the lemming effect. One person states their opinion and everyone else agrees. That's why I like having multiple critique partners (who may or may not know each other). Each gives me a unbiased critique of my work and I can take their comments and compare notes. If more than one person says something is wrong, it likely is. :)

Okay, enough stalling. The winner of the ten page critique goes to

SUZI MCGOWEN!!!!

Congratulations Suzi! Please email the first ten pages of your manuscript to me at swatterswrites (at) gmail (dot) com.

And if you didn't win - stay tuned.

I'll be announcing another epic agent-judged contest later this month.

Here's a hint: polish up the first page of your manuscript (up to 250 words). We'll be doing the critique round/judge round again. It'll be tons of fun!

Author Headshots

2011-05-11T13:49:00.010-07:00

The dreaded headshot

If you're new to the publishing industry, you might not know that all authors need headshots. I knew this, but procrastinated. I figured I wouldn't need one until after I had a book contract. Well, boy was I wrong. The DAY my agent called to offer me representation, he said "Send over your headshot and bio."

I choked. Um, what? Not only did I need a bio, I needed the dreaded headshot. I wrote up my bio (and as an unpublished author, it was pretty pathetic) and took a quick headshot and sent it off to him.

The slightly less horrible headshot

What I failed to realize was that a headshot is like a brand for an author. It gets put on EVERYTHING. Guest posts, interviews, the list goes on and on. I liked the headshot, but I wasn't in-love with it. But when I tried to change it, my readers (Twitter followers, critique partners, betas, everybody) went nuts. It was like I tried to get a face-lift. The public outcry was overwhelming, and eventually I succumbed to the pressure to change my headshot back to the original.

The least horrible headshot. This one's staying!

But one can only stand staring at the same picture that they don't particularly like for so long. I had to change it. I wasn't in love with the original headshot, but was tentative about changing it again. So I took some more new ones, sucked in a deep breath, and changed it.

So far so good. It's close enough to the original that its not like I had a face-lift, but different enough that I don't want to burn it. And my readers seem pretty happy with it. My favorite response was 'Bow chicka wow wow!!'

Now, maybe when I get my publishing contract, I'll splurge and have some professional author headshots taken. But for now, I'm happy with my sepia-toned, spagetti-strap tanktoped headshot. I like it. It looks like I have a secret. (Which I do...)

So if you are an aspiring author, my advice is to get a good author headshot now. It'll save you from scrambling after you finally get that lusted-after 'call'.

I found a great post about avoiding cliche author photos. Here are some of the hilights:

1. The 'chin on the fist' shot:

Kirk Nugent

Tina Segal

John Updike

2. The 'Oh, you caught me working' shot:

Malcolm Gladwell

PB Kerr

3. The 'Lounging on a counch' shot:

John Girsham

JK Rowling

4. The 'Hand on Face' shot:

Salman Rushdie

Oscar Wilde

Here are some of my favorite author headshots - from my favorite authors!

Aprilynne Pike

Hannah Moskowitz

Karsten Knight

What about you? What's your ideal author headshot?

BURN ME!

2011-05-09T11:36:00.000-07:00

Remember back in November when I was writing BURN ME for Nanowrimo? I put it aside to focus on my YA work for a while. Well, it's been nagging me, and now that I'm done with my latest YA WIP (which is currently with Betas and critique partners - who have given me rave reviews so far) I decided to dust off BURN ME and get back to work on it.

When I left it, it was at 65,000 words. For adult romantic suspense novels, the average wordcounts are usually between 80-100k. So I figure I've got another 20-30k left. Which, when I look through what still needs to be written, that seems about right.

For those of you who've read my work, you know it's steamy. I just don't know how else to write. I've never heard a complaint from a reader saying my work is too steamy. In fact, when I signed with my agent, he was raving about how sexy the YA that I signed with him was. And he didn't want me to tone it down. At all.

So a little about BURN ME - it's an adult romantic suspense about firefighters. There's lots of steam (LOTS) and lots of really great action sequences. Right now I'm doing research trying to make the action sequences more authentic. (And trying to put more plot in between the steamy scenes.) I've had a blast doing the research so far, which included visiting a Fire Training Academy, etc. I've got some really nice firefighters helping me out with the logistical questions. Who knew you couldn't actually see in a fire, because the smoke makes it pitch black?

Anyway - I've got two other WIP's waiting in the wings for when I finish writing BURN ME. And yes, those are YA. Apparently I have some strange fascination with firefighters that I have to get out of my system in order to move forward. Wonder what that's all about. ;)

For the most part, I think I'm going to stick with YA. That's where my heart lies. But sometimes it's fun to genre hop. But, I always will write stories with a romantic theme. Who can resist a boy meets girl story - regardless of the age group/etc. I know I can't.

Oh and remember that picture that inspired the whole story? If you don't here it is again: *Mischevious grin*

The fantasy:

Source

The reality:

Source

So next time you see a firefighter - tell him thanks for putting his life on the line for people he doesn't know. Maybe that's what attracts us girls to them. They are the modern equivalent to a knight in shining armor. Rescuing the damsel in distress from the fire-breathing dragon. It isn't the guy - but the concept of what he stands for that makes him so attractive.

On to the fun part:

For those of you who have stuck with me through the rambling about hunky firefighters - I've got a contest! Leave a comment and I will pick one random commenter for a ten-page manuscript critique.

Good luck!

New Project Finished

2011-05-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Just wanted to drop in and tell you what I've been doing (and why there's been radio silence on the blog lately).

I've been writing a new book. It's a YA Fantasy. That's about all I can tell you. But it's awesome! It is currently in the capable hands of my critique partners and one beta reader. So far the feedback I've gotten back has been great! I can't wait to share more about this project when I can!

Winner of the Epic Follower Blogfest/Contest with Agent Judge Suzie Townsend

2011-04-13T08:48:00.001-07:00

After reading through all the entries for my Twitter Pitch contest, I knew that Suzie had a hard task on her hands to pick just one winner out of the almost 100 spectacular entries.

You all should be very proud of yourselves. Now that you've completed the contest, you know how hard it is to hone your book down into one, 140 character pitch. And even if you didn't win, you're all winners because you now have a one-line summary of your book! Congratulations to everyone for completing such a daunting task!

Without further ado - our GRAND PRIZE WINNER is:

ANGELA KULIG with her YA Paranormal Romance SKELETON LAKE

Here's the winning pitch: Skeletons do regret. Drowning was the easy part. The beautiful but ghastly bones of broken boys & false flesh are now Marlow's whole world.

Suzie said that even in 140 characters or less, she was super impressed with the writing.

Congratulations Angela - I will be emailing you shortly with instructions on how to send your full ms to Suzie.

Now - on to the other news.

Suzie was super impressed with all of the entries, and so she has selected some 'honorable mentions' and invites them to query her directly. Be sure to mention that you were an honorable mention in my contest in your query! Please follow her submission guidelines when you query her, which can be found here.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Caitlin Darell with her YA Historical ROBYN HOOD

Disguised as a man, Robyn seeks revenge on the Sheriff of Nottingham for her father's death with help from her fiery partner in crime, John.

AmmariSky with her Paranormal EPITAPHS FROM THE AFTERLIFE

Everything in Elijah Dirk’s life was falling into place in the summer of 1928, until he died. Too bad his afterlife is such a mess.

Bohemienne with her Dark Fantasy UNDER A DEAD MOON

A cocky young sorceress turns to to the same forbidden magic that threatens her kingdom in a dangerous attempt to save it.

Heather McCorkle with her YA Historical Fantasy TO RIDE A PUCA

During the twelfth century invasion of Ireland, Emily, last of the druids, must master her power to keep her kind from being annihilated.

WriterJes with their YA Fantasy/Romance ALL'S FAIR

Fawn must wed to protect her kingdom. An enemy prince offers peace, but she'd rather kill him and face war than live w/o the man she loves.

Bethany Morrow with her YA Literary Sci-fi THE LAST LIFE OF AVRILIS

Avrilis can save a young man's life but with changes threatening the sacred time-loop, she'll be making them both fugitives on two planets.

Congratulations to the winner, honorable mentions and everyone who participated in the contest. Thank you so much for making my first epic contest such an amazing success!

And for those of you who didn't win - check out Suzie's blog! She and Joana are running a first-pages workshop - go check it out! http://confessionsofawanderingheart.blogspot.com/2011/04/first-page-shooter.html It's a great opportunity to get some feedback from one of your favorite agents!

Query Critique Winners!

2011-04-04T20:41:00.000-07:00

We had an amazing Twitter Pitch Contest! While we're waiting for Suzie to pick her winner for a FULL MANUSCRIPT REQUEST, I have selected (via random number generator at random.org) five entries who will win a query critique from ME.

The winners are:

Saphireblue84 - The Demon Chronicles

Marie Rearden - Deadly Dark Dreams

Grayghost98 - Undead Chaos

Eckspock - Courtly Scandals

Bethany Morrow - The Last Life of Avrilis

Winners - please email me your query at swatterswrites (at) gmail (dot) com. (Remove the parentheses and spaces. etc)

Congratulations to the winners!

Thank you to everyone for making my contest such a success!!!!

Shelley

Please vote for me! Book Photo Shoot!

2011-04-03T20:34:00.001-07:00

Hey guys! So I made it to the top two for Vania's book photo shoot contest. Now she's put it out there to everyone to vote on which one they would rather see her shoot. Please click on the link and vote for mine! (The steamy egyptian romance)

http://bit.ly/g26Yye

Thanks SOOOOO much! I would LOVE to see WAIT FOR ME in pictoral form. And Vania's style is PERFECT for the feel of my book.

Thanks so much!

Shelley

UPDATE - I didn't win (lost by 20 votes) but that's okay! I'm honored to have made it to the top two, and to lose by such a small margin against a multi-pubbed author with a large fan base. It really says a lot about how amazing my followers are. I love you all! Thank you for voting for me!

Epic Follower Blogfest Contest with Agent Judge Suzie Townsend - Post your final entries now!

2011-04-02T21:44:00.003-07:00

The time has come to post your final, polished 140 character Twitter Pitch for my Epic follower contest! Suzie will be selecting ONE entry as a winner, and request a full manuscript! Eeeee!

Okay guys, just as a reminder, here's what needs to be included in your entry.

In your comment, please be sure to include: (Any entries not following the rules will be disqualified. Sorry!)

Title, Genre and Word Count
Your polished 140 character twitter pitch
Where you follow me (blog/twitter). Please include your twitter handle.
Link to where you spread the word (twitter/blog etc)
Your email address where you can be contacted.

Don't forget, while we're waiting for Suzie to select a winner, I'll be picking out additional winners to recieve a query critique (from me - not Suzie).

Disclaimer: Contest is only open to unagented writers with completed manuscripts.
Contest ends at 11:59 pm April 3rd. Entries posted after this time will not be accepted into the contest.

Also - if you don't see your post right away, don't worry. I have comment moderation on so it won't post immediately. Thanks for participating!

Epic Follower Blogfest/Contest with Agent Judge Suzie Townsend Going On Now!

2011-04-01T00:01:00.002-07:00

It's finally here! If you haven't already, go post your 140 character pitch on your blog, spread the word for the contest and go hop around and critique the other participant's entries. I'm making my rounds now, and I hope to make it to everyone!

Don't forget to come back to my blog on April 3rd to post your final, polished 140 character pitch on the contest thread (I'll have a new post just for the polished entries!)

Good luck and thanks for participating!

For rules and links to all the participants blogs click here.

FAQ's:

1. Can I enter more than once (with different manuscripts)? Please only pitch one manuscript in this contest. Suzies wants/tastes are on the previous post.

2. Can we use numbers (4 instead of four) or symbols (& instead of and)? Yes - it's a twitter pitch. You've only got 140 characters. Use them wisely.

3. Do we have to participate in the critique portion? No.

Epic Follower Blogfest/Contest

2011-03-21T14:37:00.003-07:00

Well it finally happened! I hit 100 followers on my blog. And ironically, I hit 500 twitter followers the same week. So rather than having two smaller contests, I thought I would have one mega epic contest!

First, let me introduce you to our awesome, spectacular, fabulous, super ninja agent judge!

Drum roll please......

I'm humbled to announce that the judge for this epic contest will be literary agent Suzie Townsend of Fine Print Literary Management!

No, you're not dreaming. It's the real Suzie! I knew you'd be as thrilled as I am to have her! I did an interview with Suzie a while back, which you can find here.

"Suzie represents adult and children’s fiction. She is actively looking to build her adult list and specifically interested in romance (historical and paranormal), and fantasy (urban fantasy, science fiction, steampunk, epic fantasy). She also loves Middle Grade and YA novels (all subgenres, but particularly literary projects)."

And the grand prize for one lucky follower? A FULL MANUSCRIPT REQUEST. You read that right. For the lucky grand prize winner, Suzie Townsend will request a full!

Thank you so much Suzie for offering up such an amazing prize!

One of the hardest things to do as a writer (in my opinion) is to take your beautiful tens-of-thousands of words manuscript and sum it up into a short, succinct summary. A synopsis is a 2(ish) page summary of your book. A query is a three paragraph tantilizing summary of your book. A pitch is a one or two line summary of your book. It's hard. And as Suzie says on her bio, synopses are evil. But, having a concise pitch is really important. How can you expect someone to want to read your book if you can't tell them what it's about in one or two sentences? So, for my contest, I'm asking you to write a Twitter pitch - a 140 character (or less) summary of your book. It's hard, but so much fun (and useful!)

Here are some helpful sites in writing one-sentence pitches:
Nathan Bransford's blog post
Rachelle Gardner's blog post
Query Tracker blog post
Tawna Fenske's blog post

Okay guys - here's the rules:

As this is a contest to celebrate hitting blog follower milestones, to be fair, only followers of my blog or twitter (@Shelley_Watters) are eligible to participate (but you CAN follow me now & enter! :) )

1. Follow my blog and/or twitter (@Shelley_Watters)
2. Sign up for the blogfest using the link below.
3. Spread the word about the contest (via blog/twitter/etc).
3. On April 1st and 2nd, post your 140 character twitter pitch on your blog.
4. Go visit the other contestants and provide comments/critiques on their pitch.
5. On April 3rd, in the comments section of my contest blog, post:

Title, Genre and Word Count
Your polished 140 character twitter pitch
Where you follow me (blog/twitter). Please include your twitter handle.
Link to where you spread the word (twitter/blog etc)
Your email address where you can be contacted.

So get polishing your 140 character Twitter pitch!

And while we're waiting for Suzie to select a winner, I'll be picking out additional winners to recieve a query critique (from me - not Suzie).

Disclaimer:

Contest is only open to unagented writers with completed manuscripts.
You do not need to participate in the critique portion of the contest, but you do need to be a follower and stay within the 140 character limits (I will be checking all entries). But why not use the opportunity to hone and refine that pitch before Suzie looks at it?

Good Luck!

Contest News To Be Announced Soon!

2011-03-21T09:05:00.001-07:00

As promised, I will be having a contest here on the blog. I also passed 500 followers on Twitter a few days after hitting 100 on my blog, so the contest is going to be mega awesome! I'm currently putting it together and ironing out the details. I'm trying to line up an amazing judge and prize - so stay tuned. It's going to be awesome!

UPDATE: The amazing judge has said yes! Seriously - you're going to die when you see who's judging :)

Hint: polish up your 140 character twitter pitches of for your COMPLETED book.......

Please help me win a book photo shoot with an AMAZING photographer!

2011-03-16T20:44:00.000-07:00

Vania (@reverieBR) is an amazing photographer who creates incredible book trailers for such books as the soon to be released WITHER by Lauren DeStefano, INVINCIBLE SUMMER by Hannah Moskowitz, PERSONAL DEMONS by Lisa Dez, and The Mortal Instruments series from Cassie Claire.

She's having a contest on her blog for agented authors (published & unpublished) with the prize of a mini book photo shoot based off a teaser from your book.

You have NO idea how bad I want to win. Vania is an amazing photographer and her work is gorgeous. I would do almost anything to have her shoot for WAIT FOR ME.

Her contest rules are that we must submit a teaser, then blog/tweet about it for extra points. And if we get people to follow her blog, we also get extra points.

So if you wouldn't mind, please go over to her blog and follower her http://www.vlcphoto.net/, and tell her that I sent you (and either email or @ me on twitter telling me so I can keep track). Trust me - you won't regret following her blog. Her work is gorgeous and the books she shoots for are awesome! And she's constantly giving little sneak peeks for the work she's doing.

I appreciate it so much!

Five Minute Fiction

2011-03-01T11:23:00.001-07:00

I'm so excited to announce that I will be judging a Five Minute Fiction contest on my dear friend and critique partner Monica BW's blog on March 15th. So go check it out and enter! There aren't any prizes (except eternal fame :) ) but it will be tons of fun!

So I've been researching what other authors have done for hiting follower milestones on their blog. Some post adorable (and hysterical) dance videos like Karsten Knight. But, since I don't want to inflict my horrible dancing on anyone, I thought I'd do a contest instead. So, when I hit 100 followers on my blog I'm going to have a contest, or something to celebrate! And, when I hit 500 followers on Twitter - you guessed it - another contest! So spread the news and get ready for some awesomeness!

On the contest note - did you know you still have time to enter the Epic contest on the DNA Writer's blog? Prizes include gift cards, books, and critiques! You still have time to enter! Hurry! Go! Seriously! I'll be here when you get back. :)

SUPER MEGA EXCITING NEWS!

2011-02-24T00:09:00.000-07:00

Drum roll please..........

I HAVE AN AGENT!

You read that right. I am now an agented author! SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

I am represented by the supremely awesome Mark McVeigh of the McVeigh Agency.

Everyone always wants to know the "How I got my agent" story.

So this is mine:

First off, I'd like to thank all of my amazing critique partners, but specifically Brenda Drake, who had enough faith in me and my writing to stick with me through everything. She's an awesome critique partner and I am so lucky to have found her. I would not be writing this post today were it not for Brenda. Love ya Brenda!!! :)

The writing community on Twitter is wonderful. I've met so many amazing writers, editors, agents, readers and bloggers on Twitter. It is a source of valuable information. Agents and editors tweet their likes, dislikes, pet peeves, tips on how to stand out in the slush pile. It might be odd, but I almost see Twitter as one giant, 24/7 writing conference. It's a chance to network, learn and grow, all from the comfort of your home (or phone, or coffee shop, etc. you get the idea).

So why am I blathering on about the value of Twitter? Well that is part one of my agent story. I met a fellow writer, Tracy, on Twitter. We chatted frequently, and discovered that we had a lot in common. (Although I'd still love to learn to fly, Tracy... Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. ;) ) Long story short, she referred me to Mark McVeigh, an agent who she was good friends with. I had already researched him and knew he'd be a perfect fit, so I sent off my polished query and first twenty pages to Mark and mentioned Tracy's referral. Within a few hours, Mark emailed back with a very encouraging request for the full. A few days later, Mark called to offer representation.

The details of the call are kind-of blurry beacuse I was in shock. Mark was wonderful, loved my book and was super enthusiastic about getting it out there. After I hung up, my kids stared at me like I was crazy(but joyously joined in), when I jumped up and down, laughing and crying at the same time. And I am still in shock that not only do I have an agent, but I have MARK.

So the moral of the story? Networking is so important for authors. Not just for referrals (please don't network just for referals!), but learning the business and sharing the journey with other writers. There is a whole community out there just waiting for you to join in.

Announcements and a New WIP!

2011-02-15T09:05:00.000-07:00

Hello dear readers.

I know I am not the best about updating this blog. But know that when I'm not updating this blog, I'm writing! And you know that is what you want me to be doing - right? RIGHT?? :)

So stay tuned for some exciting announcements coming in the next few weeks.

But first off, I'm a contributor to a group writing blog - http://dnawriters.blogspot.com/ . Go check us out. Seven writers - all at different stages of the writing game. We've got great posts, great contest (HUGE one coming up soon - so go follow us!) and have a lot of fun doing it.

On the writing front, I've started a new project. I'm keeping this one tightly under wraps though - so no spoilers. It is YA though. I've decided that while adult romance was fun to write for Nano, I think YA is where my heart lies (and my muse apparently is a seventeen year old girl...) Anyway - I was laying in bed the other night and the idea just started flowing in my head. At midnight I hopped out of bed, grabbed my notebook and started writing notes. By 1am, I had not only a title, but a plot synopsis, an outline, beginning and ending chapters, and even character notes. It was amazing. Tonight was my first night writing the 'shiny new idea' and I got the whole first chapter written. I edit while I write, so it takes a little longer, but in the long run I don't have to do as many editing passes.

My goal is to write the novel in a month (like I did for National Novel Writing Month). It really isn't that hard. The word count to finish a 50k book in 30 days is a mere 1667 words per day, every day. Tonight was a 2227 wc night. Hopefully I can keep this up (because this beautiful story is flowing like water out of my head).

And as I said - stay tuned for some exciting news that I will be announcing in the next few weeks.

Entry for Brenda Drake's Blogfest

2011-02-06T23:52:00.003-07:00

Here is my entry for Brenda Drake's Blogfest.

Name: Shelley Watters
Title: BLUE LOTUS
Genre: YA paranormal romance

First line: The jagged rocks on the edge of the cliff sliced into my bare feet like razor blades.

And, if you're interested - here's the rest of that paragraph:

Good luck to all the other contestants!

On the Tenth Day of Christmas

2010-12-22T10:04:00.000-07:00

For some reason I start out every blog post apologizing for the radio silence on my blog. So - sorry! After contemplating long and hard, I decided to revise BLUE LOTUS again. So I'm working feverishly on that which leaves little time for blogging. On a high note though, the revisions rock. This book is so freaking good! :)

Anyway - I'm a guest blogger on CA Marshall's blog, where she is doing the twelve days of Christmas. Naturally I chose day ten, Lords-a-leaping. Go check it out if you're looking for some holiday season sexiness :). http://bit.ly/iidArG

Happy Holidays!

Shelley

National Novel Writing Month

2010-11-04T21:49:00.002-07:00

If you follow me on facebook or twitter, you know that I'm knee-deep in writing my novel for NaNoWriMo. (Which is a competition where you write an entire novel-length ms in a month - that's 50k words!)

I chose to genre-jump. I love reading romance, and loved writing my young adult paranormal romance BLUE LOTUS (that is currently being queried to agents as we speak). I decided that I wanted to take the jump and write adult romance. I think BLUE LOTUS probably reads upper-ya anyway (there is a graphic sex scene that will probably hit the editing room floor before it hits the store shelves).

I know a lot of writers that have issues with writing love scenes. I'm definitely not one of them. I love the thrill of writing a love scene. The tingle of that first touch. The stomach flip-flopping when he first kisses her. All of it.

So, without further ado - I'd like to introduce you to my NaNoWriMo novel, an adult contemporary romance titled BURN ME.

I don't want to give too much away (well that and I am only 11k words into the novel - so I don't quite know where my characters are going to take me).

But here's my 'back cover copy' for right now...

Katrina Hale's goal in life is to prove herself in the man's world of firefighting. She soon discovers that the heat of fighting fires is nothing compared to the scorching heat she encounters in fellow firefighter Greyson Neal's arms. The heat is turned up when her secret affair is found out and she has to decide if she is willing to jeopardize her career for her steamy romance with Greyson. And if things weren't hot enough, an arsonist setting fires all over their jurisdiction and it's up to her to piece together the clues that will lead to the capture of the perp. As Kat closes in on the suspect, she discovers that the people she trusts the most are hiding secrets of their own.

I'm super excited This book has been 'cooking' in my head for a while, and I almost didn't wait until NaNoWriMo started. Honestly, I don't care if I finish it for Nano or not. My goal in this endeavor is to come out with another completed novel - that is incredible. You can't rush perfection. And considering the average romance novel is in the 90-100k range, I know that even if I complete Nano (50k) that I'm only about halfway done. And then there's the rewriting, and revisions, and editing, and editing, and editing. Then there's the critique partners and the beta readers. Ahhhh I'm getting overwhelmed.

And honestly - who can look at this picture and NOT get inspired?

Picture source: Student Smart

Okay - back to work on an incredibly hot scene.....

Please Vote for my Story BREEDERS!

2010-10-17T18:25:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Please take a second and vote for my story BREEDERS on Greyhaus Literary Agency's contest HERE.

And for your reading pleasure, here's my entry:

TITLE: Breeders

When human satellites identify a massive alien craft orbiting the earth, Macey is thrilled when she is chosen to serve on the team of ambassadors. Then she learns that they are not ambassadors, but sacrificial lambs. But when she is presented to her new mate Rex, the heir to the throne of the AVB race, she discovers that being selected as a ‘sacrifice’ might not be such a bad thing.

Soon the AVB’s secret agenda is revealed –to enslave human females as breeders. But how can Macey be enslaved when she has found heaven in Rex’s arms?

STORY:

Macey tugged the collar of her gown up a little higher in an ineffectual attempt at some modesty. She snuck a glance at the trembling line of women beside her. Each of them had been chosen to serve as an ambassador based on the new ‘visitors’ request: virgin females with ample bosoms and hips, narrow waist, long hair, between the ages of 18 and 25. Most of them barely met the age requirement. It had been a difficult task for NASA to find virgins in the requested age range. She tugged the collar once more with little success and realized that the goal of these god-awful brocade corsets with full skirts was not to cover their ample cleavage -- it was to showcase it.

She squared her shoulders as the hatch hissed open, sliding into a hidden recess in the wall. At first, she expected to see something similar to Fred, her first grade class pet, hop into the hangar. An icy finger of fear stroked down her neck as she got her first true look at the Alien Vampire Bunnies who had a mother ship orbiting the earth. He marched into the hangar, with two massive grey AVB’s flanking him who brought to mind the private body guards the mob bosses used.

The AVB leader’s floppy snow-white ears and blood red eyes reminded her of Fred, but the razor sharp front teeth that emerged from his cleft upper lip as he let out a hiss of satisfaction were nothing like Fred’s blunt buck teeth.

“This is the first shipment?” the albino male asked, his voice strangely soft and gentle despite the fear that his fangs elicited.

“Yes sir. We selected them carefully based on your requirements,” the scientist said. He mopped the sweat away from his shiny brow with a shaky hand.

A flame of doubt singed her skin as Macey wondered why he seemed so terrified. According to the announcement that she had responded to, they were the human ambassadors to the AVB’s and were guests on the mother ship while it was in orbit. So why was this head NASA scientist scared out of his mind right now?

“Good, very good. I’m impressed with your selection,” the albino said as the he sauntered past the line of trembling females. Macey’s stomach dropped to the floor when he stopped directly before her, his blood-red eyes trailing over every inch of her exposed skin. The unmasked hunger in his eyes made her skin crawl, like a thousand fire ants scurrying across her naked flesh.

“Mmm, very good indeed,” he said and spun on his heel, returning to the center of the line. She let out a quiet breath of relief that she was unaware she had been holding.

“Thank you sir,” the sniveling scientist said.

“My son will be by momentarily to select his mate.” His announcement elicited a collective outraged gasp from the gathered women.

Macey stared at the stocky, sweaty scientist that the AVB leader had addressed. He lifted his steel blue eyes to meet hers and a look of remorse crossed his face. Her stomach churned at the confirmation in his gaze: they were not ambassadors – they were sacrificial lambs.

Silence filled the hanger as the women regained control over themselves. She wasn’t given much time to contemplate her new future as the door slid open again with a hiss. A cloaked figure strode confidently into the hangar and bowed deeply before the albino.

“Father,” a deep melodic voice filtered out from under the heavy hood. The voice sent delicious chills over Macey’s body that had nothing to do with fear.

“Rex – pick your mate,” the albino commanded.

Rex made his way to the first of the women in the line. He stepped forward and reached a gloved hand out to brush her flaming hair away from her neck before leaning his cloaked face towards her neck. Macey tensed. The redhead’s shoulders relaxed, and relief washed over her features as he pulled away. He turned and continued down the line, sniffing each woman in the same manner, until he finally stopped before Macey.
She stood ramrod straight, her shoulders back, her jaw clenched, eyes flaring. His face was hidden behind the cloak, but his blue eyes burned intensely as he returned her gaze. He pulled the glove off his hand and brushed her silky hair from her face before resting the warm, smooth skin of his hand on her bare shoulder, his thumb gently stroking her neck.

“What is your name?” he asked, his voice caressing her. His hand was warm and soft against her neck, and she had to fight to keep her eyes from sliding closed on their own accord. The trails his thumb was tracing on her neck caused delicate goose bumps to rise over her skin in response.

“Macey,” she said, her voice strong, and fearless.

A rumble of satisfaction came from deep in his chest as he pulled her forward, his face lowering to her neck. His whiskers tickled her skin as he inhaled her scent deep within his chest. He tentatively pressed his lips against the tender skin at the base of her neck and an involuntary moan escaped her lips. He smiled and pulled away.

“I select Macey,” he said as he slipped her hand in to his and turned to face his father.

As the warmth that had overwhelmed her body the moment his lips touched her throat ebbed, her heart froze. She had just been selected to be the first human ‘mate’ for an Alien Vampire Bunny, an she didn’t even know what he looked like.

Fabulous Friday - Agent Interview - Natalie Fischer from Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency

2010-10-14T21:47:00.001-07:00

Today's Fabulous Friday - Agent Interview's fabulous agent is Natalie Fischer from Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency in San Diego. You can read her biography on the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency website here.

SWW: How did you get into agenting?

NF: By interning! I learned about agents during my query process back when I was still writing, and when I got to college and saw the listing for an intern at the Dijkstra Agency, I jumped on it!

SWW: What genres do you rep?

NF: I represent romance (all genres), young adult, middle-grade, chapter books, picture books, historical fiction, and select nonfiction (including biographies, pop culturish self-help, and memoir).

SWW: A query comes across your in-box that has you jumping out of your seat to request the full ASAP. What is it about?

NF: Well if I knew the answer to this it wouldn’t make me jump out of my seat…because the query that would make me do this is so hot I haven’t even thought of it yet! ;)

SWW: What are your pet peeves for queries?

NF: Not following submission guidelines, addressing to the wrong agent, typos, sending me queries for genres I don’t represent.

SWW: The query rocked - so you requested a partial/full. Now you're passing. What happened between query and pages?

NF: The pages didn’t live up to the premise. Usually this will happen if I don’t connect with the main character or the voice, or I find the pacing is off.

SWW: What do you want to see more of in your submission pile?

NF: Hmm, more chapter books, more adult romance.

SWW: Do any of your clients have books coming out soon?

NF: Yes. Elisabeth Spurr’s MONSTERS MIND YOUR MANNERS is due out in Spring of 2011 from Albert Whitman, and Jessica McCann’s ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF FREE is due out in March 2011. Roseanne Thong’s RED IS A CHILI PEPPER will also be coming out sometime in the coming years. Sorry, nothing more recent; it takes usually 18 months from contract to pub, and I’ve only been selling since last November!

SWW: What are you currently reading? (Other than fantastic client manuscripts and slush)

NF: Well, I’m trying to read THE DUFF and THE PARTICULAR SADNESS OF LEMON CAKE. And…a bazillion other books piled up!

SWW: Salty or sweet?

NF: Salty!

SWW: If you could give writers querying you one piece of advice, what would it be?

NF: Don’t give up – and embrace new directions. Keep writing, and developing your talent, and don’t get stuck in one place with one book. You’ll get there eventually if you follow where advice and edits and rewrites lead.

SWW: Do you twitter?

NF: Yes! @Natalie_Fischer and adventuresinagentland.blogspot.com.

SWW: If you were stranded on a desert island with only one book to read, what is it?

NF: HOW TO GET UN-STRANDED AND OFF A DESERTED ISLAND IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS.

Thank you Natalie Fischer from the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency for participating in this interview. If you are interested in querying Natalie please follow her submission guidelines that can be found here.

It's official - I've registered for NaNoWriMo!

2010-10-14T18:40:00.000-07:00

Well ladies and gentlemen, I've caved and signed up to participate in the National Novel Writing Month starting November 1st. This is where you write an entire novel (at least 50,000 words) by November 30.

The title will be... drum roll please....... BURN ME. Right now the premise (I'm thinking) will be a murder/crime mystery (arson) with firefighters. Because honestly, who doesn't find firefighters sexy?? Anyway - I've been tossing this idea around in my head for a while. It's a diversion from YA (where I have 3 WIP's currently in progress) but I LOVE romance. I'm a sucker for romance. I LOVE JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series. I love Nora Roberts. So why not? Write what you know right??

I'll keep you guys posted as I move forward. If all goes as planned I will come out Nov 30'th with a first draft of an amazing Romance novel. (Or it might be complete crap - it is a VERY short amount of time to write A LOT of words!) Anyway - the whole point of Nanowrimo is to stimulate your creative juices, to push you beyond your internal editor that makes you criticize every word you put on the screen and just write. (Not that I have a problem with letting loose on the page - but revisions can be painful.)

Please Vote for my Story BREEDERS!

2010-10-03T20:20:00.000-07:00

I've entered a writing contest that Greyhaus Literary Agency is running, and he's using popular vote to determine the finalists for his contest. The winner will get two partial manuscript critiques and the potential to have him request a full for potential representation.
So if you have a few minutes, please read and vote for my entry titled BREEDERS. And feel free to share this request with your friends. I really want to win this contest! :)

http://www.greyhausagency.com/Alien-Vampire-Bunny-Contest.html

Thanks!
Shelley

I love my betas and critique partners!

2010-09-29T13:03:00.002-07:00

I meant to do this a while ago, but I was about to go on vacation and forgot.

Tera, one of my incredible betas took it upon herself to make a mock cover for BLUE LOTUS. It is SO pretty!

Thank you so much to all my beta readers and critique partners. You guys are incredible!

Fabulous Friday - Agent Interview - Suzie Townsend of Fine Print Literary

2010-09-24T23:59:00.002-07:00

Today's Fabulous Friday - Agent Interview's fabulous agent is Suzie Townsend from Fine Print Literary Management in New York. You can take a look at her biography on the Fine Print Lit website here.

SWW: How did you get into agenting?

ST: I was actually teaching high school English and feeling a little disillusioned. Meanwhile my younger sister graduated college and started working in textbook publishing. I kept hearing about everything she did and thinking "I would like that." So I picked up and moved and took an unpaid internship at FinePrint to learn the industry. And I loved it. Luckily they loved me too.

SWW: What genres do you rep?

ST: I represent children's books - middle grade and YA. And I'm also representing adult genre fiction - particularly all subgenres of romance, fantasy, science fiction.

SWW: A query comes across your in-box that has you jumping out of your seat to request the full ASAP. What is it about?

ST: For me, it's less plot (what it's about) and more character and voice. I can say I'm reading all YA science fiction, thriller, and horror queries extra closely because I'm really looking for those right now. And the same with adult paranormal romance and adult urban fantasy. But I'm first and foremost into character and I request fulls based on pages. I read the query and then jump down to check out the pages. There I want a great opening line - something that hooks me and shows voice.

SWW: What are your pet peeves for queries?

ST: When authors tell me about myself. I know me - and it's always frustrating when they say something about me that's wrong. Or when someone sends a query that tells me to go to their website without saying what the book is about. Then there's the do not mention phrases, it's frustrating to here things like "Oprah will love this!" or "This manuscript will be an awesome movie!" or "By signing me, I'll make you a millionaire!" It all points to unrealistic expectations or lack or research, and all I really want to know is the book.

SWW: The query rocked - so you requested a partial/full. Now you're passing. What happened between query and pages?

ST: A lot of things can happen here. Maybe the plot unraveled somewhere, or character motivations are missing, or the first 50 pages are really polished and then the rest of the ms doesn't feel edited (it happens). Or it's just good.

And this is one of the hardest things about publishing. There really aren't a lot of bad manuscripts. There are some, but mostly what I request and see are manuscripts that are good but just not great. In today's market they need a wow factor or something that doesn't let me forget about the characters and their story long after I've finished reading. The projects I end up signing are the ones that all my colleagues in the office know about because when I finish I'm stuck on those characters for days and I talk about them all the time.

So then the question is how do you give a manuscript the wow aspect, and part of that will always be subjective, but strong characters with strong voices do it every time.

SWW: What do you want to see more of in your submission pile?

ST: I would love an upmarket women's fiction manuscript with some kind of unique commercial hook (like Time Traveler's Wife), high concept literary YA and middle grade (like How I Live Now and When You Reach Me), adult paranormal romance or urban fantasy that breaks out of the typical genre tropes, and a dark romantic fantasy (like The Black Jewels Trilogy or The Kushiel Series).

SWW: Do any of your clients have books coming out soon?

ST: Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers just came out on September 14th! Allison Pang's Brush of Darkness comes out January 25th. Hannah Moskowitz's Invincible Summer is out April 19th, and Arlaina Tibensky's And Then Things Fall Apart is out in June.

Buy it here

Preorder here

SWW: What are you currently reading? (Other than fantastic client manuscripts and slush)

ST: Eternal Brush of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost

SWW: Salty or sweet?

ST: Sweet

SWW: If you could give writers querying you one piece of advice, what would it be?

ST: Take. Your. Time.

SWW: Do you twitter?

ST: @sztownsend81 and confessionsofawanderingheart.blogspot.com

SWW: If you were stranded on a desert island with only one book to read, what is it?

ST: I can't be stranded with my kindle and it's 3G? If I have to choose, I'm going to be logical and choose the book that I've reread the most The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. (Ender's Game, Time Traveler's Wife, and several manuscripts I've read in the past couple months are close behind though.) Really I'm just not sure if I could live with only one book.

Thank you Suzie Townsend from Fine Print Literary Management for participating in this interview. If you are interested in querying Suzie please follow her submission guidelines that can be found here.

Another great contest

2010-09-22T20:11:00.000-07:00

Hi guys!

The Guide to Literary Agents blog is having another installment of the "Dear Lucky Agent" contest. This time it is for Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy writers (ahem - right up my alley! :) ) Here's the link if you want to enter: http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/Sixth+Dear+Lucky+Agent+Contest+Paranormal+Romance+Urban+Fantasy.aspx

I'm a finalist!!

2010-09-21T11:08:00.000-07:00

I entered @4kidlit's pitch to query contest, and I've made it to the top 20 finalists! http://childrenspublishing.blogspot.com/2010/09/pitch-to-query-contest-top-20-finalists.html

Now Sara LaPolla at Curtis Brown has the difficult task of deciding the 3 winners from the pool of finalists. So my chances are 1:6.7. Pretty good odds! *Fingers crossed*.

If you are interested in reading my query, rather than hunting for it on the contest blog, here it is for your enjoyment. I'd love to hear your comments! If you are an agent interested in reading a partial or full, please email me at swatterswrites@gmail.com.

Dear Ms. LaPolla;

When seventeen-year-old Anna Caerulea's father invites her to excavate a tomb with him in Egypt over the summer, she sees it as the first step in her path to becoming an archaeologist, which she has dreamed of since she was a child. Instead, she finds a different dream come true – Alex, her father’s intern, is not only so attractive he makes her heart ache, he’s the subject of every dream she had, long before she met him.

Together they discover a secret: their lives have been entwined in a millennia-long war between Anubis and Osiris. Anna and Alex must locate Osiris’ tomb before the death god is unleashed on Egypt, or their past is the only thing they’ll have together.

BLUE LOTUS is a paranormal romance targeted at young adults and is complete at 90,000 words.

I am a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a Graduate certificate in Epidemiology from (redacted).

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Shelley Watters

Last day to enter in CA Marshall's free edit contest

2010-09-20T08:19:00.002-07:00

Hey guys!

Today is the last day to enter in CA Marshall's contest to win a free edit. Go here to enter today! http://www.camarshall.com/2010/09/freelance-editor-ca-marshalls-free-edit.html

You have until midnight ET. Good luck!!

Fabulous Friday - Agent Interview - Weronika Janczuk

2010-09-17T19:46:00.049-07:00

Today's Fabulous Friday - Agent Interview's fabulous agent is Weronika Janczuk from D4EO Literary Agency.

http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/d4eo/

SWW: How did you get into agenting?

WJ: I was involved for a bit as an intern at Flux, the YA imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide in MN, where I observed many different processes on the publishing end of things at work. I knew then that I wanted to work in publishing, but I felt that the opportunity to agent was better suited for my personality—I like being aggressive and proactive in my search for writers and, if I represent them, in my advocacy of their interests. I also really liked the idea of having an individualized experience as an agent; I pick my clients, I help shape their books, I work my own hours, etc., without being concerned about the inter-house politics at large publishing houses or the significant amount of non-editorial work editors often must do. After Flux, I interned with a set of different agents, including Bob Diforio at D4EO, where I was promoted to agent in late July.

SWW: What genres do you rep?

WJ: You can find a simple list of all the genres I represent here (http://www.weronikajanczuk.com/p/agent.html) and here (http://www.weronikajanczuk.com/p/what-i-read.html) is a more detailed breakdown of specific interests in terms of story content and writing style.

SWW: A query comes across your in-box that has you jumping out of your seat to request the full ASAP. What is it about?

WJ: I’m going to go about this question a bit literally and talk a bit about my newest client, Debra Orton, who’s written a sexy commercial love story. What really nabbed my interest were, first, the pages and, second, the titles in her comparative pitch: THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE meets 2012 with a pinch of MEN ARE FROM MARS. That really piqued my interest and, based on the pages, worked. I get really excited about commercial hybrids like her project that are tight and promising.

SWW: What are your pet peeves for queries?

WJ: Anything that isn’t a one-page-or-less breakdown of the plot in a way that entices me to read on—in other words, anything that drags, anything that is arrogant or presumptuous or assumptive, anything that is untrue, anything that doesn’t fit in with what I represent, anything overdone, anything with a limited scope, anything without good writing, etc. (As a note, I tend to read the pages first, as I note below, so with the pages—in many of the cases, the first few sentences—I’m missing the feeling of being in the hands of a talented and confident storyteller.)

SWW: The query rocked - so you requested a partial/full. Now you're passing. What happened between query and pages?

WJ: I request the first ten pages with the query and I tend to read the pages before I read the query, so in most cases it’s a matter of me not loving the writing and being super excited about possibility representing the manuscript in question. There have been some instances in which the manuscript’s fallen apart structurally or it’s clear that the author hasn’t streamlined the entire manuscript on the sentence or paragraph level. Sometimes the novel strays from the premise/question established early on. Very often I find that the exact reason is unidentifiable—it’s a lot of different small factors that make the manuscript imperfect for me as a reader and agent (and this isn’t always a reflection on the writer’s skill).

SWW: What do you want to see more of in your submission pile?

WJ: I am very, very hungry for a good romance and thriller right now, and I would also really like to see some fresh sci-fi and a literary horror. I wouldn’t mind taking on an additional fantasy client or two. Or, of course, a writer who’s written anything that is extraordinary—in any genre—that I can jump on first.

SWW: Do any of your clients have books coming out soon?

WJ: I’ve not yet made a sale, so no, but good things are brewing behind the scenes and I hope to have at least one client’s book out no later than the spring of 2012. But whether or not this happens depends entirely on a lot of factors beyond my control.

SWW: What are you currently reading? (Other than fantastic client manuscripts and slush)

WJ: A lot of YA (which, as a note, I don’t represent right now)—I’m catching up on the big titles out there right now (PARANORMALCY, PERSONAL DEMONS, THE DUFF) and I’m also reading some romance and a lot of non-fiction. I just finished a historical analysis of the Salem witch trials. I’m also halfway through Julia Glass’ I SEE YOU EVERYWHERE. (That’s a bit of a random mesh, but that’s how I am as a reader.)

SWW: Salty or sweet?

WJ: Depends entirely on what we’re talking about and my mood. Right now, at this very second, salty.

SWW: If you could give writers querying you one piece of advice, what would it be?

WJ: Your query isn’t done yet. And neither is your manuscript. Set both aside for a few weeks and come back with a fresh—and, most importantly, objective—perspective and fix again.

SWW: Do you twitter?

WJ: I do tweet, yes—@WeronikaJanczuk.

SWW: If you were stranded on a desert island with only one book to read, what is it?

WJ: I’d probably go with A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN by Betty Smith. (Ask me this tomorrow and you’ll get a different answer.)

Thank you Weronika Janczuk from D4EO Literary Agency for participating in this interview. If you are interested in querying Ms. Janczuk please follow her submission guidelines that can be found here.

Stay tuned for next week's exciting installment of Fabulous Friday - Agent Interview where I will be interviewing the fabulous Suzie Townsend from Fine Print Literary Agency!

Enter to Win a Free Edit from CA Marshall

2010-09-08T12:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the blog spam everyone, but the fabulous freelance editor CA Marshall is having a contest on her blog for a free substantial edit. You can enter every day until September 20th. And I REALLY want to win! http://www.camarshall.com/2010/09/freelance-editor-ca-marshalls-free-edit.html

If you have a completed manuscript - you should go enter, or better yet, hire her!

Also (This is not part of the contest requirements)- if you're not following her on twitter at @CA_Marshall, you totally should. She has lots of query advice (she's also an intern at a literary agency). I love her #queries sessions. I always learn so much from her. And she's just overall a really nice person to follow on twitter!

Chance for a free edit from CA Marshall

2010-09-07T09:41:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already - head over to CA Marshall's blog and enter for a chance to receive a free substantial edit. http://www.camarshall.com/2010/09/freelance-editor-ca-marshalls-free-edit.html

She is a freelance editor, so if you're not in the mood to compete for a free edit, you can always hire her. She also provides free query help! (And her comments are gold. Trust me.)

Amazing Amazing Amazing contest by CA. Marshall (Did I mention AMAZING?)

2010-09-06T13:11:00.000-07:00

My dear twitter friend CA Marshall is having a contest over on her blog. She's a freelance editor and the grand prize is a FREE substantial edit. You can enter here.

And if you don't win, you can hire her as a freelance editor. Her rates are very reasonable, and she's a great person too!

Punkiversary Giveaway With Some Awesome Prizes!

2010-08-27T09:34:00.000-07:00

Hi guys!

Emilia Plater, author of Autochromatic, if having a contest, and there are some great prizes (including signed books, Barnes and Noble gift cards, a 20 pg critique and a query critique by the AMAZING Suzie Townsend of Fine Print Literary!

Check it out here!

Contest for MOCKINGJAY!

2010-08-22T14:50:00.001-07:00

Sammi at Note to Shelf is holding a contest! I SO want this book (I just finished HUNGER GAMES yesterday and it was awesome. http://writerlydaydreams.blogspot.com/2010/08/we-love-you-suzanne-collins.html

Book Review - YOU WISH by Mandy Hubbard

2010-08-17T09:19:00.002-07:00

First, here is the blurb about YOU WISH from Mandy Hubbard's website:

You Wish (Razorbill/Penguin)

Film rights optioned by RCR Pictures

“Authentically heartbreaking and hilariously funny, You Wish has it all; snappy dialog, witty introspection, and the truth about what it really means to have all your wishes come true.” – Michelle Zink, Author of Prophecy of The Sisters (Little, Brown)

“You’ll cringe, you’ll laugh, and ultimately you’ll cheer as Kayla uses her unraveling world to patch the holes in her life. Another enchanting escapade from Mandy Hubbard!.” – Kristin Walker, Author of A Match Made in High School (Razorbill / Penguin)

“So many unexpected twists and turns! It is so unique and will keep you guessing on the outcome until the very end. Funniest book I’ve read in a long time!” – Cyn Balog, Author of Fairy Tale / Sleepless (Delacorte / Random House)

Kayla McHenry’s sweet sixteenth sucks! Her dad left, her grades dropped, and her BFF is dating the boy Kayla’s secretly loved for years. Blowing out her candles, Kayla thinks: I wish my birthday wishes actually came true. Because they never freakin’ do.

Kayla wakes the next day to a life-sized, bright pink My Little Pony outside her window. Then a year’s supply of gumballs arrives. And a boy named Ken with a disturbing resemblance to the doll of same name stalks her. As the ghosts of Kayla’s wishes-past appear, they take her on a wild ride… but they MUST STOP. Because when she was 15? She wished Ben Mackenzie would kiss her.

And Ben is her best friend’s boyfriend.

· ISBN-10: 1595142924

· ISBN-13: 978-1595142924

· Order via Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Borders | Indiebound

My review:

I won a signed copy of YOU WISH by Mandy Hubbard through @CA_Marshall's contest on her blog. When my husband got home with the mail yesterday afternoon, I snatched the little bubble wrap envelope from his hand. I couldn't wait to tear into YOU WISH. I had heard great things and wanted to see if YOU WISH lived up to the hype. As soon as the kids went down for the night, I cracked it open. After a page I was hooked. I couldn't put it down. Four hours later (even thought my kids would be up at the crack of dawn, I couldn't put the book down) I finished it with a sigh. What a great way to spend four hours!

I blushed, cringed, laughed and cried along with Kayla as her wishes led her on an adventure through high school. My teenage self totally identified with Kayla. All of her wishes reminded me of similar wishes I had when I was a kid. For each character in the book, I could picture in my head who in my childhood matched the character. And they matched them to a T.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot beyond what the blurb above shows - but believe me. You will not regret reading this book. So run to your local bookstore and pick up a copy of Mandy Hubbard's YOU WISH!

Mandy Hubbard is the author of PRADA & PREJUDICE, YOU WISH and the upcoming titles BUT I LOVE HIM and RIPPLE. She is also a literary agent at D4EO Literary.

Enter to win a SIGNED copy of YOU WISH by Mandy Hubbard

2010-08-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite people to follow on twitter, @CA_Marshall is having a contest on her blog. You could win a signed copy of YOU WISH by Mandy Hubbard (Also a great person to follow on twitter @Mandy_Hubbard). It just was released today. If you don't win, go pick one up at a bookstore near you. I hear it's great!

http://www.camarshall.com/2010/08/win-signed-copy-of-mandy-hubbards-you.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Blogs Of The Week

2010-07-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

I follow many great people in the publishing industry, from agents, to editors, to published and unpublished writers. They are on twitter, facebook and have blogs. I figured I would make a list once a week of the best posts of the week.

A great blog on timing your submissions - http://charlotte-castle.blogspot.com/2010/07/timing-getting-heard-or-getting-binned.html

Rachelle Gardner gives some tips on how to become a better writer: http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2010/07/how-to-become-better-writer.html

The Blogess, just because she is freaking hilarious. http://thebloggess.com/?p=7493

Kristen Nelson of Nelson Literary talks about the ratio of number of books read per person to the number of queries she receives. Interesting! http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2010/07/brilliant-just-brilliant.html