Tag Archives | Fantasy

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: 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: Critique of Three Chapters + Synopsis by Author Claire Legrand

Crazy fab opportunity today with unicornly Claire Legrand, author of the deliciously creepy upcoming middle grade, The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls. Claire is offering to critique the first three chapters of and synopsis for a young adult or middle grade fantasy or science fiction. Claire is pretty much the most amazing thing since sparkles, so get to bidding, folks.

This auction is open for bids until 11:59pm, Eastern time, June 24th.

  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 24th, 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 Claire:

Claire is a Texan living in New York City! She writes fantastical stories, and her daemon is an ocelot but sometimes a unicorn.

Her first novel, THE CAVENDISH HOME FOR BOYS AND GIRLS, due out August 28, 2012 from Simon & Schuster BFYR, will probably give you nightmares. Or at the very least make you buy a nightlight.

Her second novel, THE YEAR OF SHADOWS, due out in Fall 2013 from Simon & Schuster BFYR, involves several ghosts, a girl who lives in a haunted music hall, and a rather insouciant cat.

Her third novel, WINTERSPELL, due out in Fall 2014 from Simon & Schuster BFYR, is a young adult retelling of The Nutcracker, full of faeries, bloody swordfights, and forbidden romance.

Posted on June 23, 2012 in 2012 Crits, Finished · Comments { 9 }

CLOSED: Critique of a Query or Synopsis by Agent Katie Grimm

Another fabulous Super Agent opportunity, this time with Agent Katie Grimm at Don Congdon Associates. Katie is an incredibly warm and talented agent, and she’s offering to critique a query or one page synopsis. In adult fiction, this can be for: literary fiction, upmarket women’s fiction, historical fiction, mystery, or thriller. In young adult, the MS can be a fantasy or contemporary (but especially a mix between the two), and any genre in middle grade (but preferably something humorous with a creepy twist).

You can pledge for this critique until June 24th at 11:59pm, Eastern Daylight 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.
  4. If you would like to pledge more, go for it! Every additional three dollars will give you another entry. (Ex: pledging $20, enough to give one person in a developing nation clean, safe water, gets you six 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 Katie:

Katie joined Don Congdon Associates in 2007. In addition to maintaining her own client list, she acts as business manager. She focuses on vivid literary fiction, transportive historical fiction, up-market women’s fiction, cohesive short story collections, and lurid mysteries & thrillers with exotic or historical settings. In young adult, she is actively seeking both contemporary and fantastical high-concepts with a touch of romance. In middle grade, she looks for heart and humor with a strange or creepy twist. Most importantly, she is hooked by fiction with emotional resonance and longevity, and in her opinion, this requires an authentic voice, relatable characters, and a twisting plot that keeps her intrigued. For non-fiction, she is looking for narrative non-fiction about history, popular science, off-beat topics, and counter-culture. She is also a member of SCBWI.

Posted on June 22, 2012 in 2012 Crits, Finished · Comments { 21 }

CLOSED: Critique of 2500 Words by Author Sarah J Maas

Another fantabulous opportunity to perfect your opening pages, this time with the author of the super-buzzy Throne of Glass. (If you haven’t been reading her novellas set in the same universe, OMG, read them now. FANFRIGGINTASTIC. Ahem.) Sarah J Maas is offering to read the first 2500 words of a young adult paranormal or fantasy novel. She has amazing taste and an equally amazing ability to help improve an MS, so get to bidding, folks.

This auction is open for bids until 11:59pm, Eastern time, June 22nd.

  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 22nd, 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 Sarah:

Sarah J. Maas lives in Southern California, and over the years, she has developed an unhealthy appreciation for Disney movies and bad pop music. She adores fairy tales and ballet, drinks too much coffee, and watches absolutely rubbish TV shows. When she’s not busy writing YA fantasy novels, she can be found exploring the California coastline.

Her debut YA epic fantasy novel, THRONE OF GLASS, will be published by Bloomsbury on August 7th, 2012.

Posted on June 21, 2012 in 2012 Crits, Finished · Comments { 8 }

CLOSED: Critique of a Query by Author Janice Hardy

Congrats to the winner, Mandy!

One of three chances to get Janice Hardy‘s excellent comments for any fiction, though she specializes in science fiction/fantasy! For this raffle, Janice is offering to critique the query for your manuscript. Plus, she’s offered to help over several drafts so it can attain a fantastic polish. Janice is the genius behind the Healing Wars series, but she also runs an incredible blog, The Other Side of the Story, that also has wonderful articles on how to write a home run of a query.

You can enter for this critique until June 17th at 11:59pm, Eastern Daylight Time.

  1. Go to http://mycharitywater.org/critsforwater2012
  2. Click on the “Donate” button and donate $1.
  3. Then in the comments section, please write in a way to contact you. You can use your email, twitter, or website. Anything’s cool, as long as you check it often :D For example:
  4. When you donate, mycharitywater will ask you to become a member (if you’re not already). That does NOT mean the donation didn’t go through! If in doubt, check your email/bank account before re-donating.
  5. I will use random.org to pick the raffle winner on June 18th
  6. Anyone who does not win the raffle will receive a consolation Kat-Crit of a query or synopsis.

This is a little complicated, so please, if you have any questions, use the comment section below! And thank you so much!

About Janice:

A long-time fantasy reader, Janice Hardy always wondered about the darker side of healing. For her fantasy trilogy THE HEALING WARS, she tapped into her own dark side to create a world where healing was dangerous, and those with the best intentions often made the worst choices. Her books include THE SHIFTER, BLUE FIRE, and the final book in the trilogy, DARKFALL. She lives in Georgia with her husband, three cats and one very nervous freshwater eel. You can visit her online at www.janicehardy.com or chat with her about writing on her blog, The Other Side of the Story.

Posted on June 15, 2012 in 2012 Crits, Finished · Comments { 0 }

CLOSED: Critique of 3 Chapters by Author Janice Hardy

One of three chances to get the super amazing eyeballs that are Janice Hardy‘s on your fiction (any genre or age group) MS, though she specializes in science fiction/fantasy! For this auction, Janice is offering to critique the first three chapters of your manuscript. Not only is Janice the genius behind the Healing Wars series, but she also runs an incredible blog, The Other Side of the Story, full of amazing advice (and examples!) for aspiring writers. Janice has incredible insight, so get to bidding, folks!

You can bid for this critique until June 16th 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 16th, 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 Janice:

A long-time fantasy reader, Janice Hardy always wondered about the darker side of healing. For her fantasy trilogy THE HEALING WARS, she tapped into her own dark side to create a world where healing was dangerous, and those with the best intentions often made the worst choices. Her books include THE SHIFTER, BLUE FIRE, and the final book in the trilogy, DARKFALL. She lives in Georgia with her husband, three cats and one very nervous freshwater eel. You can visit her online at www.janicehardy.com or chat with her about writing on her blog, The Other Side of the Story.

Posted on June 15, 2012 in 2012 Crits, Finished · Comments { 16 }

CLOSED: Critique of a Synopsis by Author Janice Hardy

Congratulations to the winner, Mia!

One of three chances to get a critique by the super fantabulous Janice Hardy, author of the Healing Wars series. For this pledge, Janice is offering to critique the synopsis (up to three pages) for any fiction MS, though she specializes in science fiction/fantasy. Plus, she’s offered to help over two drafts to get it epically polished. Janice also runs an incredible blog, The Other Side of the Story, that helps aspiring writers tackle the craft and submissions, including the dreaded synopsis.

You can pledge for this critique until June 17th at 11:59pm, Eastern Daylight 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.
  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 two people in a developing nation clean, safe 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 Janice:

A long-time fantasy reader, Janice Hardy always wondered about the darker side of healing. For her fantasy trilogy THE HEALING WARS, she tapped into her own dark side to create a world where healing was dangerous, and those with the best intentions often made the worst choices. Her books include THE SHIFTER, BLUE FIRE, and the final book in the trilogy, DARKFALL. She lives in Georgia with her husband, three cats and one very nervous freshwater eel. You can visit her online at www.janicehardy.com or chat with her about writing on her blog, The Other Side of the Story.

Posted on June 15, 2012 in 2012 Crits, Finished · Comments { 11 }

CLOSED: Critique of 5 Pages + Query by Author Jodi Meadows

The last (just kidding, she’ll have one more!) of Crits for Water 2012′s Jodi-Crits starts now! Jodi is offering another chance at a query package–a critique of a query plus first five pages for an adult fantasy or science fiction, or a YA or MG (any genre) manuscript. Jodi has exquisite insight and lots and lots of fabulous experience, so get to bidding, folks!

Plus she’s really nice.

You can bid for this critique until June 9th 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 9th, 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 Jodi:

Jodi Meadows lives and writes in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, with her husband, a Kippy*, and an alarming number of ferrets. She is a confessed book addict, and has wanted to be a writer ever since she decided against becoming an astronaut.

*A Kippy is a cat.

Posted on June 8, 2012 in 2012 Crits, Finished · Comments { 11 }

CLOSED: Critique of 25 Pages + Query by Author Susan Dennard

I’ll contact the winners soon! Congratulations Jerry and Larry!

My super fluffy, adorbz, and crazy smart critique partner Susan Dennard, author of the upcoming Something Strange and Deadly (July 24th), is offering to critique the query and first 25 pages of a YA MS (any genre) or an adult fantasy. And, hey, because Sooz is all kinds of awesome, I will draw TWO winners once pledging ends. Her clear and perceptive comments have done wonders for my writing, so don’t miss this opportunity.

Pledging will be open for this critique until June 6th at 11:59pm, Eastern Daylight 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 $15.
  4. If you would like to pledge more, go for it! Every additional five dollars will give you another entry. (Ex: pledging $40, enough to give two people in a developing nation clean, safe water, gets you six 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 Susan:

Susan is a 28-year-old reader, writer, lover of animals, and eater of cookies. She used to be a marine biologist, but now she writes novels. And not novels about fish either, but novels about kick-butt heroines and swoon-worthy rogues (Kat notes: Oh, all of the Spirit Hunters, yes please).

She currently lives in Germany with her French husband, two adorable dogs, and that crippling cookie-addiction.

Posted on June 4, 2012 in 2012 Crits, Finished · Comments { 23 }