Monday, November 26, 2018

Fall Fiction Fest Agent Round 2018



WELCOME to the first Fall Fiction Fest agent round!  It's the first time for Amy, Marty and I to square off and have a friendly competition! Many success stories have come out of our other contests over the years and we all look forward to even more of them! 

So while I'm pulling for the Saucy Cranberries, every request is to be celebrated. There are 12 Saucy Cranberries for the agents to read, but they can also make requests for Team Sunshine over at Amy Trueblood's blog and Team Merry over at Marty Mayberry's blog!

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As the agents move through the entries, please remember that contests are subjective. Our agents have a definitive idea of what they would like for their list. If they do not request, it DOES NOT mean the entry was not worthy. No matter what happens, you’ve got to keep querying and NEVER GIVE UP!
  
Before the Cranberries squeeze the competition, here are some guidelines to remember:
  
There is no commenting in this round except for agents. Sorry, but no cheerleading as this may lead to an unconscious bias.

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We are happy to see and retweet your thoughts and cheers over on Twitter under the #fallfest tag! That’s the place to hang out and have fun! I hope to see my Saucy Cranberries present in all their tangy glory! I'll try to shout out when new requests arrive. 

Agents will consider entries at all the blogs regardless of team and they might respond with a fall themed request. Amy, Marty and I are hoping the agents go crazy with the requests! There is amazing talent on all the teams!
  
Good luck to all! 

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Saucy Cranberries 12: JO RIVETTI AND THE MISSING MATH TEACHER, MG STEM Mystery

Title: JO RIVETTI AND THE MISSING MATH TEACHER
Genre: MG STEM Mystery 
Word Count: 49,000

Saucy Cranberries 11: UNDERCURRENTS, MG Speculative Fiction

Title: UNDERCURRENTS
Genre: MG Speculative Fiction
Word Count: 46,000

Saucy Cranberries 10: FAKING IT: A RECIPE FOR DISASTER, MG Contemporary OV

Title: FAKING IT: A RECIPE FOR DISASTER
Genre: MG Contemporary Ownvoices
Word Count: 42,000

Saucy Cranberries 9: WRITTEN IN THE STARS, YA Space Opera OV

Title: WRITTEN IN THE STARS
Genre: YA Sci-Fi/Space Opera Ownvoices
Word Count: 89,000

Saucy Cranberries 8: THE SECRETS THAT DIVIDE US, YA Mystery

Title: THE SECRETS THAT DIVIDE US
Genre: YA Mystery 
Word Count: 65,000

Saucy Cranberries 7: WE COULD BE, YA Contemporary

Title: WE COULD BE
Genre: YA contemporary
Word Count: 81,000

Saucy Cranberries 6: PROJECT: YGGDRASIL, YA Science Fiction

Title: PROJECT: YGGDRASIL
Genre: YA science fiction
Word Count: 71,000

Saucy Cranberries 5: PANDORA REBORN, YA Fantasy OV

Title: PANDORA REBORN
Genre: YA Fantasy Ownvoices
Word Count: 106,001

Saucy Cranberries 4: THE DEFENDER AND THE THIEF, Adult Japan-Inspired Fantasy OV

Title: THE DEFENDER & THE THIEF: THE TALE OF BENKA & ANSI
Genre: Adult Japan-inspired fantasy + #ownvoices LGBTQA
Word Count: 116,000

Saucy Cranberries 3: MOTHBALL MAGIC, Adult Contemporary Fantasy OV

Title: MOTHBALL MAGIC
Genre: Adult Contemporary Fantasy, Ownvoices (LGBTQ)
Word Count: 78,000

Saucy Cranberries 2: ABOUT A GOLEM, Adult Upmarket Paranormal Romance OV

Title: ABOUT A GOLEM
Genre: Adult Upmarket Paranormal Romance (Ownvoices)
Word Count: 78,000

Saucy Cranberries 1: FLIGHT CLUB, Contemporary WF

Title: FLIGHT CLUB
Genre: Contemporary Women's Fiction
Words: 99K words

Friday, November 16, 2018

Finalists for Fall Fiction Fest 2018

The entry pile is a daunting task. It's a hard task to limit ourselves to twelve with so much wonderful available. I know the last word anyone wants to hear is 'subjective', but that's truly the best word to describe how we have to approach slush with so many contenders.


Happily, we had moved from ten to twelve thanks to so many writers letting their voices be heard on election day! 





Because this contest is all about having fun, I'd like to do a team name. Something that fits the contest. Only I came up with so many ideas that I can't decide. I'm letting the twitter poll decide.  Saucy Cranberries. Thankful Turkeys. Or Kick-Ass Boots Writing (Because I love boots). To be updated! 



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united states turkey GIF by Thomas Kastrati


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Now my picks in category order:


MG:

Faking It: A Recipe for Disaster, Contemporary
Jo Rivetti and the Missing Math Teacher, Mystery
Undercurrents, Spec Fiction



YA:

Project YGGDRASIL, Science Fiction
Written in the Stars, Space Opera
We Could Be, Contemporary
The Secrets That Divide Us, Mystery
Pandora Reborn, Fantasy



Adult:

About a Golem, Paranormal Romance
Mothball Magic, Cont Fantasy
Flight Club, Women's Fiction
The Defender and the Thief, Fantasy


Thank you everyone and be sure to check Marty's blog and Amy's Blog for their picks.




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Keep an eye on your inbox. Mentors will be contacting you through the email you used to enter the contest. If that's not your actual email because a friend mailed yours in, you'd better let us know. Each entry will get one mentor assigned to them. 

Please return your revised entry using the same format to the contest email by 11:00 am Eastern time on November 24th. If you are finished early, please send early. We are counting on that time to swat down unruly formatting and create the posts before the agent round. Please do not be late. We will go live without you.

The agent round will start on November 26th and last three days!