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.
- Read the wishes to see if your (completed!) MS is a match!
- 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!”
- Hold tight until Jess or I reply if you’ve got the spot.
- 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. - REGARDLESS of which donation you choose, if your pages are passed onto the agent, that agent will also critique your submission.
- Wait until you get an email about how to proceed.
- 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 
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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:
- YA psychological thriller with unexpected plot twists and turns; perhaps even an unreliable narrator (Spots left: 9)
- Well-paced YA mystery in the style of Agatha Christie (Spots left: 8)
- 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:
- MG literary/coming-of-age – think Jenny Han, but younger (Spots left: 7)
- YA science fiction (less on the dystopian side and more on the space adventure side) (Spots left: 6)
- YA psychological mystery/thriller – but not paranormal/supernatural (Spots left: 9)
That’s all, guys. Aaaand GO!
