Archive | June, 2012

CLOSED

Crits for Water 2012 is


now closed.

Thank you so much to everyone for helping us serve over 750 people with clean, safe water. Lots of hearts!!

Posted on June 30, 2012 in FAQ · Comments { 0 }

Crits for Water 2012: Recap and Awesome.

So, y’all made my life a shinier, sparklier place of awesomeness and fancipants, not to mention the lives everyone changed with your fabulous donations. We took my $10,000 goal and blew it out of the water.


With over $15,000 USD raised.

In three months, guys, we raised enough to give

more than 750 people clean water

or

three communities

or

about 150 families.

In about 18 months, everyone who donated will be able to see exactly where their money went. You’ll see the community you helped to change for the better–you may even be able to zoom in on google earth and see the exact water project that we helped build.

Everyone, I am so, so grateful. This was bigger and more wonderful than I’d imagined. Despite my (many) mistakes, y’all pulled together and just…

…well, I’m getting teary eyed typing this.

So thank you.

<3

---

In other news, I've got some Water Stories prizes to give out! As a recap: throughout the campaign, rather than donate to water projects, I decided to donate to the organization. They offer super fabulous charity: water swag that goes to support things like salaries, office space, post-its, etc. And I’ve been giving away that swag to folks who wrote water stories throughout the campaign.

So, drumroll please…

The June winner is


Linda McLaren!

She’s winning this super fabulous water bottle:

And, oh yeah, there’s a grand prize, ’cause I FEEL LIKE IT, WHAT.

And the winner of this fabulous necklace (or the cuff links! Whichever) is…


Christine Finlayson!

I’ll be emailing both of you soon-ish.
In fact, PS, apologies to everyone. My inbox is a giant mess right now (I have guests! Early Fourth of July party). If you’re waiting on an email from me, I promise it’s coming! Thank you so much for your patience.

Really, thank you to everyone. Y’all are the best community of giving not-really-strangers a writer could ask for.

Big hugs!

Posted on June 30, 2012 in Giveaway · Comments { 10 }

Water Story: Swimming in the River

by Christine Finlayson

The Smith River runs through Jedediah Smith State Park in northern California, just over the border from Brookings, Oregon.

Our first glimpse of this oasis came after six days of camping on the foggy Oregon coast, trapped in a tent with a toddler and a preschooler. When the sun finally broke through, we couldn’t wait to jump in the Smith River and swim.

Although the memory is years old, seeing this photo always brings me back to a place of peace-and it’s why our family treasures clean water.

—

Christine writes mysteries that are set in the Pacific Northwest, and each one includes a river, lake, or beach. It’s just too hard to stay away from water! Learn more about her by checking out her website.

Posted on June 29, 2012 in Memory, Photo, Water Story · Comments { 1 }

Water Story: Long White Clouds

by Linda McLaren

There’s a place where the earth rumbles, where faces are drawn in lines the color of the sea.
The clouds hang low.
You can reach up and touch them, if you remembered how to do that sort of thing.

They cast reflections in the water, images dancing between whales spewing air.

I watched from the beach. Stayed on that beach ‘til the sun dipped into the water and turned it to gold. Watched still as the moon rose up over the island and gently hovered.

This was my new home, and yet, I was forever searching for a fragment of the land I’d left behind.
We are bound to our land, and I too was bound to mine.

I went past the sulphuric lakes to where a volcanic mountain waited beneath a crisp, cool lake.
In this place some say you can see the past churning through the water in the early morning mist.
Some say you can dip your fingers in and feel the tug of something gone.

I did dip my fingers. Toes too.
I submerged myself in the cool cleanness of the lake and let it tug me where it would. The tall pines on either side of the water shimmied in the wind, watching.
The mountain with its cut off top, watched too.

Something else did too.

They say the water carries the past. They say it will come find you if you let it.

On the horizon a canoe slid free from the hot pools steam. A feathered man stood at its helm. Regal. Tall. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him.
We stayed staring at each other for some time. We both had come a long way.

We had places yet to return.

And in this place, the water, sky and earth came together to remind me.

I would always be home.

—

This reflection was of Linda’s time spent living in New Zealand, a land that evokes a spiritual sense of belonging. A place of magic. Her other stories were about her time on Lake Erie and a terrible drought when she first moved to Australia. Learn more about Linda at her blog or by following her on twitter (@writerescape).

Submit a water story! No donation required, and it’ll enter you for a great, water-themed prize drawing that goes to support charity: water the organization. Water stories are accepted any time, from now through June 28. Two more giveaways to win!

Posted on June 28, 2012 in Memory, Water Story · Comments { 0 }

CLOSED: Critique of 2500 Words with Leigh Bardugo, Vanessa Di Gregorio, and Biljana Likic

Crazy awesome opportunity with three Pub Crawl ladies: Leigh Bardugo, Vanessa Di Gregorio, and Biljana Likic. They’re offering one lucky winner a critique of 2500 words from young adult fantasy or scifi, adult literary fiction, romance, or horror. This is a great chance to get three fabulous sets of eyes on your opening, so get to changing lives and bid, guys.

This auction will be open for bids only until June 29th at 6:00pm, Eastern Daylight Time. Please be aware that, as the campaign is ending soon after the close of the auction, you need to make your donation before 11:59pm, eastern time, on the 29th. Sorry for any inconvenience.

  1. Comment on THIS BLOG POST with your bid. Bidding starts at US$1.
  2. You may, of course, bid more than once.
  3. The highest bid at 6:00pm, Eastern Daylight Time, June 29th, 2012, will win.
  4. Once the auction closes, if you are the highest bidder, I will contact you with further instructions.
  5. Please DO NOT donate, send the file, etc., unless I email you! SERIOUSLY.
  6. And…go!

—

About Vanessa:

Vanessa Di Gregorio works in publishing as an account manager/sales rep at Ampersand, a book and gift sales agency. A former literary agency intern with a penchant for picture books and YA fantasy, Vanessa knew she would end up working in the book biz. When she isn’t driving around visiting bookstores (or working on her company’s website), she can be found reading, playing video games, watching T.V., or writing. She also may or may not be working on a YA fantasy. A social media addict, Tumblr enthusiast, carbivore, Instagram junkie, and supporter of the serial comma, Vanessa leads a wonderfully nerdy life in Toronto with her husband. You can find Vanessa geeking out at Something Geeky, Goodreads, or on Twitter.

About Leigh:

Leigh Bardugo was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Los Angeles, and graduated from Yale University. She indulges her fondness for glamour, ghouls, and costuming in her other life as a makeup artist in Hollywood. Her debut novel, SHADOW AND BONE, a YA fantasy set in a world inspired by Tsarist Russia, was published in June of 2012 by Holt Children’s/Macmillan and is now a New York Times Bestseller. She is repped by Joanna Stampfel-Volpe of New Leaf. To learn more about Leigh and the Grisha Trilogy, please visit her website or follow her antics on twitter.

About Biljana:

Biljana Likic (Bil-yana Lik-itch) was born in Belgrade, Ex-Yugoslavia, but has lived in Toronto, Canada since she was only a year old. Her dream as a kid was to be an actor, but as time passed this dream morphed into being a writer, since in writing she wasn’t confined to simply one character. It was during high school that she decided to dabble in writing a novel, and it has since turned into the finished manuscript she is revising today.

She’s also passionate about history and the personalities that occupy it. She’s constantly drawing inspiration from the past and setting these ideas in today’s world, discovering that really, people don’t intrinsically change as drastically as the snooty tomes of history would have us believe. Right now, she’s in her second year at the University of Toronto with a double major of English and Medieval Studies.

Posted on June 28, 2012 in 2012 Crits, Finished · Comments { 11 }

CLOSED: Friday the Thirteeners Fiesta — Critique of 4 Queries with 8 Authors

Congrats to our four winners, Adia, Aun-Juli, Sharon, and Rissa!

Your last chance for a guest query critique in Crits for Water 2012 is with a Friday the Thirteeners Fiesta: eight fabulous 2013 debut authors are offering to critique the queries of four lucky winners. Which means for one pledge, you get two sets of expert eyes on your query. This can be for any young adult or middle grade manuscript. The participating critters are Erin Bowman, Elsie Chapman, Mindy McGinnis, Shannon Messenger, Ellen Oh, Megan Shepard, April Tucholke, and Kasie West. For more information about these generous ladies, read their short bios below, or check out their websites (linked).

Because the campaign is ending shortly, this pledge is only open until June 29th at 6:00pm, Eastern Time. Winners are expected to pledge before 11:59pm, eastern time, on June 29th as the campaign will close on the 30th! Sorry about that, but thank you ahead of time!

  1. Comment on this blog post saying how much you pledge.
  2. By pledging, you promise to donate the pledged amount only if you win
  3. Pledges must be at least $5. (Enough to provide one person with clean, safe water–maybe saving their life.)
  4. If you would like to pledge more, go for it! Every additional five dollars will give you another entry. (Ex: pledging $20, enough to give one person in a developing nation clean water, gets you four entries)
  5. You do NOT need to pledge more than previous commenters.
  6. Once pledging time ends, I’ll choose a winner using random.org.
  7. Again: please do NOT donate unless I email you saying you’re the winner.

This is a little complicated, so if you have any questions, feel free to comment below or email me.

—

About Erin:

Erin Bowman writes YA fiction and is represented by the marvelous Sara Crowe of Harvey Klinger. Her debut novel, TAKEN, will be published by HarperTeen (Winter 2013).

When she’s not writing, she usually spends time far, far away from a computer. She likes to hike. And camp. She also likes coffee, and hoodies, and the feeling one gets when the perfect song comes on the radio at exactly the right moment.
 
 

About Elsie:

Elsie Chapman grew up in Prince George, BC, before graduating from the University of British Columbia with a BA in English Literature. She currently lives in Vancouver with her husband and two kids, where she writes to either movies on a loop or music turned up way too loud (and sometimes both at the same time).

She’s repped by The Chudney Agency, and her debut novel, DUALED, will be published by Random House in February, 2013. A sequel, DIVIDED, will be published February, 2014.

About Mindy:

Mindy McGinnis is a YA librarian and author, represented by Adriann Ranta of Wolf Literary. Her YA dystopian, currently titled NOT A DROP TO DRINK will be available from Katherine Tegen / Harper Collins, Fall 2013.
 
 
 
 
 

About Shannon:

Shannon Messenger graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts where she learned–among other things–that she liked watching movies much better than making them. She also regularly eats cupcakes for breakfast, sleeps with a bright blue stuffed elephant named Ella, and occasionally gets caught talking to imaginary people. So it was only natural for her to write stories for children. KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES is her first middle grade novel, launching October 2, 2012. LET THE SKY FALL, a young adult novel, will follow in Spring 2013. She lives in Southern California with her husband and an embarrassing number of cats. Find her online at shannonmessenger.com.
 


About Ellen:

Ellen Oh, also known as Ello, is a lawyer, a writer, and a college instructor now living near the nation’s capital. She has three smart, beautiful little girls and an ultra-supportive husband who tells me to write every day. She’s repped by the amazing Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary. Her first book, PROPHECY, Prophecy Series Bk 1, is being published by HarperTeen for release in Winter 2013!
 
 

About Megan:

Megan Shepard grew up in the mountains of North Carolina, raised behind the counter of her parents’ independent bookstore, Highland Books in Brevard. After college, she joined the Peace Corps and spent two years in Senegal, where she lived in a mud hut with no electricity or running water.

As a writer, though she originally focused on stories for younger children, she soon found herself writing young adult literature instead, which doesn’t require nearly as many tender moments and includes a lot more cursing. When she’s not writing, she can usually be found horseback riding, day dreaming at coffee shops, or hiking in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina.

About April:

April Tucholke currently lives in Bend, Oregon, at the edge of the Deschutes National Forest. She can see all the stars. The air smells like pine, and she hears coyotes howling at night. She digs classic movies, redheaded bullies, big kitchens, and discussing murder at the dinner table.

She’s married to the freelance journalist Nate Pedersen. She is represented by Joanna Volpe at Nancy Coffey Literary Agency. Her debut novel BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA will be published by Dial, an imprint of Penguin. (Summer 2013)

About Kasie:

Kasie West’s love for writing is a sickness really. Her debut novel, PIVOT POINT, will be published by HarperTeen Feb. 12, 2013. (Followed by its sequel a year later.)

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US, her contemporary YA novel, will be published in the Fall of 2013 (HarperTeen).

Her agent is the talented, funny, and sometimes crazy Michelle Wolfson.

Posted on June 28, 2012 in 2012 Crits, Finished · Comments { 11 }

CLOSED: June Agent Wishlist: Ammi-Joan Paquette and Sarah LaPolla

Thank you so much to everyone for participating!
Congratulations to Haylee Qualls, Suze Winegardner, Brandi Ziegler, 
Chris Day, Emily Skrutskie, and Demetra Brodsky!
 
 
 
 
 

Let the scramble for June’s Agent Wishlist begin! This is your chance to get a query and five pages read and critiqued by Super Intern Jess Silva, Super Author Luvina Jean-Charles, and one of two spectacular agents, Ammi-Joan Paquette or Sarah LaPolla.

This contest will be open until June 29th at 10:00PM Eastern Time or when all the spots are filled. Please participate as quickly as possible, as donations to the campaign will close soon.

  1. Read the wishes to see if your (completed!) MS is a match!
  2. Claim your spot by commenting on this blog post. Please include the agent’s name and wish number in the comment. For example, comment: “Sarah LaPolla #3, please!”
  3. Hold tight until Jess or I reply if you’ve got the spot.
  4. Only once your spot is confirmed, go to http://mycharitywater.org/critsforwater2012and make one of the following donations:
    ——-$1 for a read only by either Luvina or Jess.
    ——-$5 for a critique by either Luvina or Jess.
    ——-$10 for a critique by BOTH Luvina and Jess.
  5. REGARDLESS of which donation you choose, if your pages are passed onto the agent, that agent will also critique your submission.
  6. Wait until you get an email about how to proceed.
  7. Jess/Luvina will read your submission. The ones they feel best match the agent’s wishes will be forwarded to the agent for critique.

If you’re confused, feel free to ask questions in the comments. Both Jess and I will be monitoring the Wishlist to keep tabs across all timezones :)

—

So, without further ado, the Wishes!!

Introducing Ammi-Joan Paquette of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency!

Joan joined EMLA in spring 2009 as an associate agent and was promoted to agent in fall 2011 after working in the editorial area of educational software development. In the last few years she has placed dozens of manuscripts with editors and is especially passionate about connecting with and launching the careers of debut authors. As the “East Coast branch” of EMLA, Joan works from her home office in Massachusetts, with long-distance support from the main Flagstaff office. She represents all forms of children’s and young adult literature, but is most excited by a strong lyrical voice, tight plotting with surprising twists and turns, and stories told with heart and resonance that will stand the test of time.

An EMLA client herself, Joan is also the author of a picture book, The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies (Tanglewood, 2009), a mid-grade novel Nowhere Girl (Walker, 2011), and several other books due out in the next few years. When she is not on the phone, answering email, or writing, you will most likely find Joan curled up with a book. Or baking something delicious. Or talking about something delicious she’s baked. Really, after books and food, what else is there worth saying?

Joan’s Wishes:

  1. YA psychological thriller with unexpected plot twists and turns; perhaps even an unreliable narrator (Spots left: 9)
  2. Well-paced YA mystery in the style of Agatha Christie (Spots left: 8)
  3. Rich YA fantasy, with a strong female main character and plenty of action, in the style of Graceling (Spots left: 1)

 

And Sarah LaPolla of Curtis Brown LTD!

Sarah LaPolla began at Curtis Brown in 2008, working with Dave Barbor and Peter Ginsberg. Sarah is interested in literary fiction, narrative nonfiction, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, science fiction, literary horror, and young adult fiction. She loves complex characters, coming-of-age stories, and strong narrators. Sarah graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Writing and English, and went on to receive her MFA in Creative Writing from The New School.

Sarah’s Wishes:

  1. MG literary/coming-of-age – think Jenny Han, but younger (Spots left: 7)
  2. YA science fiction (less on the dystopian side and more on the space adventure side) (Spots left: 6)
  3. YA psychological mystery/thriller – but not paranormal/supernatural (Spots left: 9)

That’s all, guys. Aaaand GO!

Posted on June 27, 2012 in 2012 Crits, Finished · Comments { 68 }

CLOSED: Critique of 7000 Words by Author Rachele Alpine

Lucky 13s author Rachele Alpine‘s critique is the penultimate auction on the chopping block, and she’s offering a doozy: a critique of the first 7000 words of a young adult or middle grade manuscript (any genre). Her debut, the YA contemporary Canary told in both prose and verse, will come out next August with Medallion Press. (Cannot wait!)

This auction will be open for bids until June 28th at 11:59pm, Eastern Daylight Time.

  1. Comment on THIS BLOG POST with your bid. Bidding starts at US$1.
  2. You may, of course, bid more than once.
  3. The highest bid at 11:59pm, Eastern Daylight Time, June 28th, 2012, will win.
  4. Once the auction closes, if you are the highest bidder, I will contact you with further instructions.
  5. Please DO NOT donate, send the file, etc., unless I email you! SERIOUSLY.
  6. And…go!

—

About Rachele:

Rachele is a high school English teacher by day, MFA student by night and YA writer during any time in between. She likes to write with a big cup of coffee, good music and her puppy by her side. She’s repped by John Rudolph at Dystel and Goderich. Her debut novel CANARY will be published in August 2013 by Medallion Press.

Posted on June 27, 2012 in 2012 Crits, Finished · Comments { 5 }

CLOSED: Critique of Three Chapters by Author Marie Lu

Got some mega awesome coming your way: Marie Lu, author of Legend and the upcoming Prodigy, is offering to critique the first three chapters of a young adult science fiction or fantasy novel. Marie is pretty much legend (heh, I bet she gets that all the time) for her classiness and awesome, so get a-bidding, folks!

This auction will be open for bids until June 27th at 11:59pm, Eastern Daylight Time.

  1. Comment on THIS BLOG POST with your bid. Bidding starts at US$1.
  2. You may, of course, bid more than once.
  3. The highest bid at 11:59pm, Eastern Daylight Time, June 27th, 2012, will win.
  4. Once the auction closes, if you are the highest bidder, I will contact you with further instructions.
  5. Please DO NOT donate, send the file, etc., unless I email you! SERIOUSLY.
  6. And…go!

—

About Marie:

Marie Lu was born in China in 1984 (perhaps a sign of dystopian stories to come), and moved from Beijing to Baton Rouge, Louisiana in the same year the Tiananmen Square massacre happened. Eventually she and her parents settled down in Sugar Land, Texas—which she still considers her hometown.

She finished her first novel when she was 15 years old, but it took her second manuscript to acquire a literary agent. When that one didn’t sell either, she went off to college in Los Angeles and wrote two more manuscripts. Although those still didn’t sell, one of them did get her the amazing literary agent Kristin Nelson, who sold her fifth manuscript, the dystopian young adult novel LEGEND, to Putnam Children’s/Penguin USA.

Marie graduated in 2006 from USC and currently resides in Los Angeles, where she spends her time stuck in traffic.

Posted on June 26, 2012 in 2012 Crits, Finished · Comments { 11 }

CLOSED: In-Depth Query Critique with Agent Kate Testerman

Excellent critique opportunity today with super agent Kate Testerman of KT Literary. She’s offering to critique a query of a young adult or middle grade manuscript (any genre). This will be in-depth, like a very special About My Query post, PLUS Kate’s offering the winner a follow up phone call (or some tea, if you live in the area) to discuss the query, as well as some sweet KT Literary swag: a tote bag and a flashdrive/bracelet. So get a-bidding folks, and help Crits for Water finish with a bang.

This auction is open for bids until 11:59pm, Eastern time, June 26th.

  1. Comment on THIS BLOG POST with your bid. Bidding starts at US$1.
  2. You may, of course, bid more than once.
  3. The highest bid at 11:59pm, Eastern Daylight Time, June 26th, 2012, will win.
  4. Once the auction closes, if you are the highest bidder, I will contact you with further instructions.
  5. Please DO NOT donate, send the file, etc., unless I email you! SERIOUSLY.
  6. And…go!

—

About Kate:

After nearly ten years with industry powerhouse agency Janklow & Nesbit Associates, Kate Schafer Testerman formed kt literary in early 2008, where she concentrates on middle grade and YA fiction as well as handling some select adult commercial fiction and narrative nonfiction. Bringing to bear the experience of working with a large agency, she enjoys concentrating on all aspects of working with her authors, offering hands-on experience, personal service, and a surfeit of optimism.

Her clients include Maureen Johnson, Ellen Booraem, Stephanie Perkins, S. Terrell French, Thomas E. Sniegoski, Josie Bloss, and Matthew Cody, among other exciting newcomers. Kate is a graduate of the University of Delaware’s Honors Program, a former cast member of the New York Renaissance Faire, and an avid collector of shoes. Her interests cover a broad range including teen chick lit, urban fantasy and magical realism, adventure stories, and romantic comedies. She is an active member of the SCBWI and AAR.

Posted on June 25, 2012 in 2012 Crits, Finished · Comments { 15 }