Tag Archives | Pledges

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: Critique of 5 Pages by Authors Emma Pass or Kit Grindstaff

Congrats to the winners, Akossiwa, Jean, and Carolyn!

Got a pledge here to help you polish up your opening pages with one of two great authors, Emma Pass or Kit Grindstaff. Both Emma and Kit are members of the Lucky 13s, with Emma’s debut Acid, YA a dystopian thriller, coming out with Random House, and Kit’s The Flame in the Mist, an MG fantasy, with Delacorte. Emma is offering to critique the first 1250 words of a young adult or middle grade manuscript for one winner, and Kit will have two winners. Please note that Kit prefers speculative fiction. Also, if you have a critiquer preference, please include the author’s name in your comment. :) Thank you!

You can pledge for this critique until June 26th 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 one person in a developing nation clean, safe water, gets you four entries.)
  5. But regardless of how many entries you have, you can only win one of the three critiques.
  6. You do NOT need to pledge more than previous commenters.
  7. Once pledging time ends, I’ll choose a winner using random.org.
  8. 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 Kit:
Kit Grindstaff was born near London, and grew up in the rolling countryside of England. After a brush with pop stardom (under her maiden name, Hain) she moved to New York and embarked on her still-thriving career as a pop song writer.

Kit now lives with her husband in the rolling countryside of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the SCBWI. The Flame In The Mist is her first novel.

About Emma:

Emma Pass grew up at an environmental studies centre near London, went to art school in Cornwall and now lives in the North-East Midlands with her artist husband, where she has a day job at her local library. She is represented by Carolyn Whitaker at London Independent Books and her YA dystopian thriller ACID is out from Random House Children’s Books in early 2013.

Posted on June 24, 2012 in 2012 Crits, Finished · Comments { 15 }

CLOSED: Critique Package with KA Barson and Elle Cosimano

Another wonderful opportunity to work on your opening pages with the authors of the Lucky 13s, this time with Kelly Barson and Elle Cosimano. Elle and Kelly are both offering to both critique the first 2500 words of a young adult or middle grade manuscript (any genre, although Kelly specializes in contemporary or historical, and Elle in thriller/suspense) PLUS both will also critique your query. So get to pledging, guys, because this is a fabulous opportunity to get two sets of great authorly eyes on your work.

You can pledge for this critique until June 20th 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 $10.
  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 three 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 Kelly:

Kelly Barson graduated from Vermont College of Fine Arts with an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. She can usually be found in her messy office sporting no make-up, bed head, and sweats. Her YA debut, 45 POUNDS, is about Ann, a sixteen-year-old girl who doesn’t fit—not in her blended family and certainly not in Snapz! clothes—is convinced that if she could only lose 45 pounds, her life would be perfectly normal. She soon learns that is nothing perfect about normal. 45 POUNDS will be available from Viking Children’s Books, Summer 2013.

About Elle:

Elle Cosimano grew up in the Washington DC suburbs. The daughter of a prison warden and an elementary school teacher who rides a Harley, she majored in Psychology at St Mary’s College of Maryland, and set aside a successful real-estate career to pursue writing. Her debut DEAD BLUE is a thrill-ride of a novel, in which a math-whiz from a trailer park discovers she’s the only student capable of unraveling complex clues left by a serial killer who’s systematically getting rid of her classmates. DEAD BLUE will be coming from Dial/Penguin Fall, 2013.

Posted on June 18, 2012 in 2012 Crits, Finished · Comments { 10 }

CLOSED: Critique of 2500 Words + Query by Author Ashley Elston

Next up is Ashley Elston, author of the 2013 Disney-Hyperion debut The Rules for Disappearing. Ashley is offering a submissions package–your first 2500 words plus a query of any young adult manuscript. Ashley writes fantastic queries and beautiful words, so do not miss her expertise. Plus she’s a super nice, classy lady, and an amazing photographer.

You can pledge for this critique until June 18th 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 $10.
  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 three 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 Ashley:

Ashley Elston is a writer and occasional portrait photographer. She lives in Shreveport, Louisiana with her husband, Dean and their three young sons. Ashley also helps run her husband’s landscaping business but only because it’s a good excuse to dig in the dirt.

Ashley also can be found on twitter or her blog.

Posted on June 16, 2012 in 2012 Crits, Finished · Comments { 3 }

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 5000 Words by Author Erin Bowman or Author Chelsey Flood

Congrats to our winners, Mia, Linda, and Jay!

A great chance for three separate winners today–Erin Bowman, super author of the upcoming Taken is offering one critique of 5000 words and Chelsey Flood, Lucky 13er author of Infinite Sky, will critique 5000 words for two winners. These are for young adult manuscripts (any genre) only. Both ladies are incredibly talented and kind, so pledge and if you win, you’ll get amazing eyes on your first pages.

Pledging will be open for this critique until June 15th at 11:59pm, Eastern Daylight Time.

  1. Comment on this blog post saying how much you pledge.
  2. Please just pledge once. It will enter you for both Erin Bowman and Chelsey Flood’s critiques.
  3. But you can only win one of the three critiques.
  4. By pledging, you promise to donate the pledged amount only if you win
  5. Pledges must be at least $15.
  6. 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.)
  7. You do NOT need to pledge more than previous commenters.
  8. Once pledging time ends, I’ll choose a winner using random.org.
  9. 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 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 Chelsey:

Chelsey graduated from an MA in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia in 2010. While studying there, an extract from her novel won the Curtis Brown Award, and she also met her wonderful agent, Catherine Clarke. Her second novel, will come out with Simon and Schuster in 2014.

She currently lives in Bristol, where she writes full time. When she’s not at her desk she likes to play table tennis, swim in the river, drink beer and read.

Posted on June 13, 2012 in 2012 Crits, Finished · Comments { 17 }

CLOSED: Critique of 5 Pages by Author Jodi Meadows

So turns out I can’t read my own schedules, because THIS is the amazing last chance to get a critique from the super amazing Jodi Meadows in Crits for Water 2012. Do not miss this. Jodi has helped so many authors through her query projects and her famous critiques–she’s got the eye and the knowledge to help you whip your first pages into shape. This offer is for the first five (double-spaced) pages of a young adult or middle grade novel (any genre) only. So get to pledging!

Pledging will be open for this critique until June 14th 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 one person 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 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 12, 2012 in 2012 Crits, Finished · Comments { 17 }

CLOSED: Critique of a First Chapter by Author Kara Taylor

Next up on the Crits for Water awesome is former intern and wonderfully lovely Kara M. Taylor, author of the upcoming Prep School Confidential (St. Martin’s, 2013). Kara is offering to critique the first chapter of a YA or MG manuscript (any genre). Get to pledging, guys, because Kara has some great insights about what it takes to make your submissions stand out, especially after her time as an intern for the illustrious Elana Roth in addition to everything else!.

Pledging will be open for this critique until June 9th 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 $10.
  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 seven 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 Kara:

Kara is 22-years-old and represented by Suzie Townsend of Nancy Coffey Literary. She lives and writes on Long Island, where she splits her time between her Chihuahua, cupcake decorating, and graduate school. She’s a certified English teacher, but she’s still trying to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up. PREP SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL is about a Queen Bee/accidental arsonist and a murder mystery at a creepy Boston boarding school.

Posted on June 7, 2012 in 2012 Crits, Finished · Comments { 6 }

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 }

CLOSED: Critique of 50 Pages by Cassandra Marshall

Another of the three great chances to get a critique from Cassandra Marshall, freelance editor, YA author, and literary agent staffer of awesome. You are welcome to participate in all three of Cassandra’s critiques, but there will be three separate winners. So get involved in them!

This pledge is for the first 50 pages of any YA manuscript!

Pledging will be open for this critique until June 5th 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 $20.
  4. If you would like to pledge more, go for it! Every additional ten dollars will give you another entry. (Ex: pledging $80, enough to give an entire family in a developing nation clean, safe water, gets you seven 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 Cassandra:

Cassandra gets to use her MA in Creative Writing from Newcastle University in her day job as a freelance editor. This means that she can set her own hours and lay around the house in her pajamas all day (not really) and snuggle with her dog Mollie whenever she wants to (really). She’s seriously addicted to that dog.

She’s also addicted to reading queries for a literary agency in NYC. Some are funny, some are horrifying, and some are so awesome that it takes all her reserve not to jump around and shout about them. She does that anyway, but only in the privacy of her own home.

It took a year in the northeast of England to get that MA and even though she’ll be in student debt up to her eyeballs for the rest of her life, it was worth every penny. And before that she attended Rochester College where she earned a BA in Professional Writing.

Posted on June 3, 2012 in 2012 Crits, Finished · Comments { 11 }