tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3082144652103827912024-03-17T23:03:49.132-04:00It's In The DetailsThe highs and lows of trying to get published and everything in between.Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.comBlogger1740125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308214465210382791.post-62473220936399110162020-11-16T09:00:00.003-05:002020-11-16T09:00:06.496-05:00Query Questions with Maria Napolitano<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Writers have copious amounts of imagination. It's what makes their stories so fantastic. But there's a darker side to so much out-of-the-box thinking. When a writer is in the query trenches, their worries go into overdrive. They imagine every possible disaster.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here to relieve some of that endless worrying is a series called Query Questions. I'll ask the questions which prey on every writer's mind, and hopefully take some of the pain out of querying. These are questions that I've seen tossed around on twitter and writing sites. They are the type of questions that you need answers from the real expert--agents!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'm so happy to bring Query Questions back from the dead with new interviews. Since I stopped doing interviews, a whole new crop of agents have settled into the business, and I'm sure people would like to know more about them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Today we get to take another look at an agency with a different aspect on the market. Maria Napolitano is with <a href="https://www.bookcaseagency.com/about-us" target="_blank">Bookcase Literary Agency</a>, which focuses on international sales and subrights, along with the domestic US market. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5IevsrR7J9qBTpR4APi6HJ0of7ZDLcQlIc2fb0bEb1VGlAXS0z-fppA3UZ5Nmicgyp7Tve-BgCbKcbCv6-XGtAWCoduROnNJBZXpw0gDIFhA242F2Xx7n_GQF6slSOBuIwn3I5R5JOc/s244/maria+napolitano.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="244" data-original-width="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5IevsrR7J9qBTpR4APi6HJ0of7ZDLcQlIc2fb0bEb1VGlAXS0z-fppA3UZ5Nmicgyp7Tve-BgCbKcbCv6-XGtAWCoduROnNJBZXpw0gDIFhA242F2Xx7n_GQF6slSOBuIwn3I5R5JOc/s0/maria+napolitano.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Is there a better or
worse time of year to query?</span></b><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Query when you’re ready! Like
most agents, I manage my queries on a rolling basis, so you can’t know exactly
what projects I’m juggling or what my schedule looks like, or just how quickly I’ll
get to your work. Some moments in the publishing year are calmer than others
—like the height of summer or the winter holidays— so an agent might be
catching up on queries during their downtime. Or they might be on vacation!
Instead of worrying about their schedule, focus on what you can control, like
sending your best work, and practicing patience. Publishing is better measured
months than days, so getting accustomed to that early on will prepare you well
for the long run.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Do you look at sample
pages without fail or only if the query is strong?</span></b><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I look at the sample
pages unless I see major red flags in the query. Sometimes that means the project
is in a category I don’t represent. Or it might be a clear signal that this
project is not one I’d want to be associated with, ie one with racist or sexist
or otherwise bigoted content. I understand that writing a good query is hard
work (and not quite the same as writing a good book) so I make a point to also
look at sample pages, even if the query isn’t knocking it out of the park.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">How open are you to
writers who have never been published? </span></b><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Very!
I love working with new writers — I don’t think a previous book or publication
is a prerequisite at all in fiction, and a debut book can be a great way to
burst onto the scene. (In most categories of nonfiction, however, having a
career or expertise in your subject matter can be more crucial.)</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The dreaded rhetorical
question in a query. Are they as taboo as the rumors say?</span></b><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I
am not a fan of the rhetorical question, because I prefer a query to give me
concrete information about the project — rhetorical questions often feel
cheesy, or leave me wishing I had one more sentence about world building or
specific details instead. But that doesn’t mean they can’t work in the right
context, and it doesn’t mean they’re an automatic pass from me! I would just
urge authors to make sure the question is doing the most work possible in that
query, and not sacrificing some other, more effective bit of text.</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">How important are comp
titles? Is it something you want to see in a query? Are movie/tv reference okay
as comp titles?</span></b><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Extremely
important. The comp titles help me understand how you see your project, and how
it might fit into the book market. I like to think of comps as a shorthand
formula to show a book’s best case scenario in terms of audience, point out its
common traits with other successful projects, and showcase its unique
combinations of elements. Using TV/film comps puts a lot of cultural
touchstones in play, so as long as you mention a book or two as well, I’m fine
with it!</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Do you prefer a little
personalized chit-chat in a query letter or would you rather hear about the
manuscript?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Chit-chat is nice if you
have something personal to say, but the work is what really counts! If you
don’t have a personal touch, you don’t need to try and shoehorn something in. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">How do you feel about writers nudging on
full/partial requests? At what point is it appropriate? <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I would say after a few
months, feel free to nudge me! Reading submissions, deciding whether or not I
want to have a call or potentially offer rep, or asking other team members for
their opinion on a project as well can take quite a while. There’s nothing
wrong with checking in and asking for an update if you’ve gone a while with no
news.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When a writer nudges with an offer, what length
of time is helpful to give you enough time to consider? A week? Two weeks?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Two weeks is pretty
standard! Anything less than that would make it really tough to read
thoughtfully and come to a decision. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white; color: #282828; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Many agents say they don't care if writers are
active online. Could a twitter account or blog presence by a writer tip the
scales in getting a request or offer? And do you require writers you sign
to start one?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #282828; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">No and no. Similar to
previous publications — in nonfiction, having a platform or established
audience can be a plus, but for fiction writers, I don’t look at social media
or online presence (except to make sure there are no red flags that would make
me not want to work with the author, like inappropriate or bigoted material).
At the end of the day, having a large social media following is no substitute
for good writing!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white; color: #282828; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If a writer makes changes to their manuscript
due to feedback should they resend the query or only if material was requested?
Does it make a difference if the changes are from an R&R with another
agent?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #282828; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If the manuscript has
changed so much the query is no longer accurate —meaning the major themes and
plot arc aren’t represented in the query you sent— then withdraw and resubmit with
a new query that represents the project better. If your query still works, you
can leave it in play and just send your revised draft to anyone who requests
material. You can include a quick note explaining you’ve made revisions if
there are differences between the sample/query and material you’re sending, to
avoid any confusion.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #282828; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If an agent requested
material and you’ve made substantive changes of this scale while they’re
considering, I think it’s ok to contact the agent and ask if they would like to
see a new version. But that would be pretty rare, and you’d have to feel the
new manuscript is practically a different book! If you’ve only made cosmetic
tweaks or fixed a few typos, don’t bother. Those minor changes won’t make or
break a decision — the bones of the book are what really count here, so there’s
no reason to ask an agent to start their reading over.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #282828; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When it comes to revise
& resubmits: most are done under exclusive, so in that situation you
shouldn’t be sending that draft out unless the agent who requested it has passed.
If that happens, you can keep sending that material out in either of the above
scenarios, but I don’t think it’s necessary to mention that it was the result
of an R&R. That shouldn’t affect someone else’s decision making, but in
reality, it might undermine their confidence in the work if they know others
have already passed on it. Better to start your conversations with a clean
slate.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Do you look at trends or editor wishlists when
deciding to sign a manuscript?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Not specifically, but
I am keeping market trends and shifts in mind and paying attention to what
editors are looking for in broad terms as I’m looking for new clients. I won’t
sign a client just because one editor said they’re looking for something in
particular. But hearing folks clamor for rom-coms or horror might push me
towards those categories, too. I want to feel confident that there’s a market
for the work that I sign, but I don’t make decisions based only on other
people’s wishlists: I have to feel passionate about a project and believe in it
myself, and be in sync with the author as well, in order to sign them. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Do you consider yourself a hands-on, editorial
type of agent? Does a manuscript have to be sub-ready or will you sign stories
that need work?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m pretty hands-on. I
don’t expect manuscripts to be ready for submission and enjoy working with my
clients to get to that level. But I do expect the queries and manuscripts I see
to be as good as the author can get on their own, with a certain level of
sophistication and polish — no half-baked or rough drafts. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">What is your biggest query pet peeve? Is there
anything that automatically sinks a query for you? <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Being rude — to me
or other authors! Some authors pitch their books as better than X, Y, or Z, or insult
other writers or projects. That attitude does not make me want to work with
you, even if your writing is off-the-charts-incredible. I’d rather see a pitch
that sells me on your work than a query that puts others down. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">What are some of your favorite movies or books to
give us an idea of your tastes? <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">My taste is wide-ranging!
The elements that unite my favorite projects are well fleshed out characters, a
unique voice, and a palpable sense of momentum in storytelling. Often I fall
for books that have some strain of weird or dark humor, an adventurous conceit,
or a tragic angle. Which if you think about it, are some ways in which a strong
character, singular reading experience, or strong narrative propulsion can
manifest. I also love a book that can make me see the world in new ways, twist
a classic trope, or poke fun at the world around it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Lately, I’ve been reading
<i>The Authenticity Project </i>by Claire
Pooley and <i>The Vanishing </i>Half by Brit
Bennett, and watching <i>The Queen’s Gambit,
Schitt’s Creek,</i> and the brilliant Spanish heist show <i>La Casa de Papel</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Thinking a bit more
broadly, some books that have really stuck with me over recent years are: <i>Mostly Dead Things</i> by Kirsten Arnett, <i>The Alice Network</i> by Kate Quinn, <i>When We Were Yours</i> by Lisa Wingate, <i>Nothing To See Here</i> by Kevin Wilson, <i>Her Body and Other Parties</i> by Carmen
Maria Machado, <i>Get a Life, Chloe Brown</i>
by Talia Hibbert, <i>Bromance Book Club</i>
by Lyssa Kay Adams, <i>A Woman is no Man </i>by
Etaf Rum, <i>The Seven or Eight Deaths of
Stella Fortuna</i> by Juliet Grames, and the <i>Neapolitan Novels</i> by Elena Ferrante. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Maria</span></span></span><span style="text-align: center;"> comes to Bookcase from literary scouting, where she fell in love with the process of matchmaking books with just the right editors and publishers around the world. Her free time is largely spent reading or running—but none of that reading-on-the-treadmill nonsense. Maria is a born New Yorker who currently lives in Astoria, Queens with a sourdough starter named Ryeley.</span></span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Maria is currently open to queries for adult fiction, especially commercial to upmarket women's fiction, rom-coms, and suspense & thriller. Strong characters, especially women and underrepresented voices, and high-concept projects that beg to be read in a single sitting catch her attention best. She is also looking for select nonfiction: memoir/essay from a unique and immersive perspective; inclusive, wide-angle health and life advice from experts in their field; pop science (not pop culture) and narrative nonfiction that answers questions she didn’t know she had about things she didn’t know she cared about. She is not looking for politics, religion, poetry, cookbooks, or diet books.</span></span></p>Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308214465210382791.post-40401260076520140942020-11-05T15:12:00.000-05:002020-11-05T15:12:11.231-05:00Query Questions with Kate Foster<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Writers have copious amounts of imagination. It's what makes their stories so fantastic. But there's a darker side to so much out-of-the-box thinking. When a writer is in the query trenches, their worries go into overdrive. They imagine every possible disaster.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here to relieve some of that endless worrying is a series called Query Questions. I'll ask the questions which prey on every writer's mind, and hopefully take some of the pain out of querying. These are questions that I've seen tossed around on twitter and writing sites. They are the type of questions that you need answers from the real expert--agents!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm so happy to bring Query Questions back from the dead with new interviews. Since I stopped doing interviews, a whole new crop of agents have settled into the business, and I'm sure people would like to know more about them.</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlvX2iEkXIWyqeWbshoWnEc9BuZeMO4vvGPay7hyphenhyphenqFKyX0tn5VGDtuuA7ffV5HfpnQPYQfxzcPAjeAFQTv-dxM3LKlE-FIN24YLE1Z3uzqdCTXlXiOJk0zpkdAOrOgZnU9ReM86pluzA/s2048/Agent+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1585" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlvX2iEkXIWyqeWbshoWnEc9BuZeMO4vvGPay7hyphenhyphenqFKyX0tn5VGDtuuA7ffV5HfpnQPYQfxzcPAjeAFQTv-dxM3LKlE-FIN24YLE1Z3uzqdCTXlXiOJk0zpkdAOrOgZnU9ReM86pluzA/s320/Agent+photo.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Join me in a warm welcome to Kate Foster of <a href="https://www.stormliteraryagency.com/aboutus">Storm Literary</a>! Kate has just joined Storm most recently and Storm seems to be a growing agency with recent sales. Here are Kate's answers:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><b>Is
there a better or worse time of year to query?</b></span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In my opinion, not really.
Agents are always busy and most already have a backlog of queries in their
inboxes! Yes, there are convention and book fair seasons that may cause agents
to have other priorities, but it shouldn’t stop authors sending in their
queries anyway. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><b>Do
you look at sample pages without fail or only if the query is strong?</b></span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yes, always. Sample pages
are more important to me than anything. FYI, I’m unlikely to open attachments
sent in with a query. I prefer everything pasted into the email: query first
followed by first ten pages. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><b>How
open are you to writers who have never been published? </b></span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Very. Completely. Entirely.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><b>The
dreaded rhetorical question in a query. Are they as taboo as the rumors say?</b></span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yes and no. Honestly,
swapping out these questions by hinting at what’s to come is ultimately more
appealing and enticing. Rhetorical questions are now cliché, and actually don’t
showcase a writer’s word magic. I’m not against one in a query but it might
make me wonder how developed this author’s writing skills are. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>How important are comp
titles? Is it something you want to see in a query? Are movie/tv reference okay
as comp titles?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">They help, for sure. It
instantly tells me what tone to expect, what kind of audience we’re looking at.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And yes, definitely. A
mixture of book and TV/movie comps are great too. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Do you prefer a little
personalized chit-chat in a query letter or would you rather hear about the
manuscript?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The pitch part of the
manuscript is the most important part. It’s what we’re all here for. If authors
want to chit-chat, go for it, but for me that samples more of the author’s
character than anything else. My attention will be grabbed by the pitch.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>How many queries do you
receive in a week? How many requests might you make out of those?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It varies because I’m very
new, so in my first week I had hundreds and hundreds! And honestly, I haven’t
noticed much of a pattern developing since. I also haven’t looked at a
percentage of requests I make, sorry! I don’t generally request partials,
though, only fulls. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>How do you feel about
writers nudging on full/partial requests? At what point is it appropriate?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Do it! I’d say three months
is a good time to wait unless the agent specifies a different time frame on
their website. At Storm we reply to ALL queries. There’s no “no reply in X
weeks means a no” with us. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>When a writer nudges with
an offer, what length of time is helpful to give you enough time to consider? A
week? Two weeks?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Two weeks works nicely. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Many agents say they
don't care if writers are active online. Could a twitter account or blog
presence by a writer tip the scales in getting a request or offer? And do
you require writers you sign to start one?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">No, not for me. Yes, a
presence can give a good insight to a person’s dedication and their
personality, etc., but the writing and voice and my connection with the story
is where it counts. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And no. I will discuss
social media with my clients and will support and guide them if they choose to
set something up. I have two clients who are not at all active on Twitter. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>If a writer makes
changes to their manuscript due to feedback should they resend the query or
only if material was requested? Does it make a difference if the changes are
from an R&R with another agent?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I think only if material
has been requested. What has happened and what I like is if an author emails me
and explains that they have already queried but would like to remove this and
re-query in the future since they are revising based on feedback. I’m good with
that approach. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>What themes are you sick
of seeing?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">None, really. I mean, all
themes and concepts are repeated and have been for years and years, so this is
why we say read widely and always look to add a fresh spin on something. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Do you look at trends or
editor wish lists when deciding to sign a manuscript?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yes and no. I spend a fair
bit of my week perusing editor wish lists and recent book deals, so it’s
impossible not to have this at the back of my mind when I’m reading queries.
But ultimately I have to fall in love with a story and see the potential if I’m
going to offer. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Do you consider yourself
a hands-on, editorial type of agent? Does a manuscript have to be sub-ready or
will you sign stories that need work?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Oh yes. I love
brainstorming and editing and I’m not at all afraid of hard work. Being part of
a writer’s growth is an honor. I’m able to look over typos or too much telling
or wobbly pacing, etc. if I fall in love. As long as the author is up for some
hard work as well I’m totally game! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>What is your biggest
query pet peeve? Is there anything that automatically sinks a query for you? </b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Other than receiving
queries for categories I don’t represent (picture books and adult), not really.
I guess when authors send long long long queries with too much or very little
detail about the actual book. That’s quite off-putting. Keep the pitch part of
your query to about 200 to 250 words. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>What three things are at
the top of your submission wish list?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Middle grade. Middle grade.
Middle grade. Will this work? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>What are some of your
favorite movies or books to give us an idea of your tastes? </b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I have such varied tastes,
to be honest, but I have listed some of my favorite books in my bio on the
Storm website. For me, characters are key. If the characters have depth,
conflict, and a clear voice, I’m generally hooked because I care. Make me care.
Please. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Kate is an associate literary agent with Storm Literary Agency and a children's author writing about friends, family, and dogs. Originally from a small town in the south east of England, she now lives on the Gold Coast in Australia with her family and two rescue dogs.</span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"></span><p></p>Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308214465210382791.post-42041000979101939552020-10-28T12:00:00.000-04:002020-10-28T12:00:09.589-04:00Query Questions with Margot Belet<p style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;">Writers have copious amounts of imagination. It's what makes their stories so fantastic. But there's a darker side to so much out-of-the-box thinking. When a writer is in the query trenches, their worries go into overdrive. They imagine every possible disaster.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here to relieve some of that endless worrying is a series called Query Questions. I'll ask the questions which prey on every writer's mind, and hopefully take some of the pain out of querying. These are questions that I've seen tossed around on twitter and writing sites. They are the type of questions that you need answers from the real expert--agents!</span></p><p style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm so happy to bring Query Questions back from the dead with new interviews. Since I stopped doing interviews, a whole new crop of agents have settled into the business, and I'm sure people would like to know more about them.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Today we learn a little more about foreign agents with Margot Belet of <a href="https://www.agentur-literatur.de/" target="_blank">agentur literatur Gudrun Hebel</a> in Germany. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jeuHRWVyLxhUdt2g0mQi9KZCFolftD79FGUcGnbaue4GvXD234BMja0CzmJWdA2nW4lG_exrVpyjgNMi9R_ZOxAB4w4Ce8QfQgofFbA8eq1XKpfvTwYwDkHR-PAZc50v-a5_bslQfFQ/s2048/Agent+photo_Margot+Belet.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1705" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jeuHRWVyLxhUdt2g0mQi9KZCFolftD79FGUcGnbaue4GvXD234BMja0CzmJWdA2nW4lG_exrVpyjgNMi9R_ZOxAB4w4Ce8QfQgofFbA8eq1XKpfvTwYwDkHR-PAZc50v-a5_bslQfFQ/s320/Agent+photo_Margot+Belet.JPG" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Is there a better or worse
time of year to query?</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I read
submissions whenever I find a spare moment, so the short answer is no. However,
I would avoid sending out submissions during the holidays (for us in Germany,
that's mainly Christmas, Easter, and a few weeks in July-August) as well as
during the weeks leading up to the major trade book fairs (Frankfurt in
October, London in March, BookExpo America in May). Nobody wants their
submission to end up at the bottom of an agent's inbox.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Do you look at sample pages
without fail or only if the query is strong?</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As long as
the query fits the genres/themes I'm looking for (or is somehow intriguing
enough to make me forget about those genres), I'll always read the sample
pages. <a name="Bookmark"></a>Most authors, especially those new to the business,
have a hard time writing the “perfect query” (if there even is such a thing).
That doesn't mean that their book won't be awesome. Right now, I still feel
like those judges on “The Voice”, when a new singer walks up the stage – every
time I open a new manuscript, I hope to be swept off my feet and to want to
“push my button” to get that author on my team! I just started building my
author list a few months ago though, so there might come a time when I get less
curious and excited, and more cynical.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">How open are you to writers
who have never been published? </span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Very open.
Writers who have never been published will probably have less trouble finding
an agent or a publisher than those who have already published some works that
did not sell well. Every first-time writer might still turn out to be the “next
big thing”. If previous works exist, however, publishers will want to know why
these weren't (that) successful, and why the new work is going to be different.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">How important are comp titles?
Is it something you want to see in a query? Are movie/tv reference okay as comp
titles?</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">That depends
on whether decent comp titles are available. If you've written something
boundary-breaking and genre-defying, don't try to define it with comp titles.
If, on the other hand, you've written something that clearly fits one genre or
is inspired by a certain tradition, comp titles might really help me decide
quickly whether your query fits my tastes. A warning here: comp titles raise an
agent's expectations, so don't use very famous/brilliant ones if your work does
not closely resemble them – the agent will only be disappointed once they start
reading. And please be more creative than “the next Harry Potter”. Unless
that's exactly what you've written – in that case, send it my way immediately!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Do you prefer a little
personalized chit-chat in a query letter or would you rather hear about the
manuscript?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The more you
can tell me about the manuscript without wasting too many words, the better.
That obviously does not apply to “personalized chit-chat” that helps convince
me why you're the perfect person to tell this particular story. If you've
written a murder mystery and you're a forensic pathologist in real life, that
would be extremely interesting to know.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Many agents say they don't
care if writers are active online. Could a twitter account or blog presence by
a writer tip the scales in getting a request or offer? And do you require
writers you sign to start one?</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Perhaps it's
because I'm part of a newer generation of agents, or because I've worked at a
nonfiction editorial department before becoming an agent, but I think it does
help if authors already have a fan base on blogs/social media. Especially for
nonfiction books, where authors usually need to be experts on their topic. Many
fiction authors are not active online, and some make the conscious decision not
to get distracted by all of that, and that's fine too. But if an online
presence is something that defines/excites you, why not highlight that in your
submission? <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">What themes are you sick of
seeing?</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I used to
really love romantic comedies, but lately many of those stories just feel so
exaggerated – I'd like to read more genuine feel-good romance about real
relationships. Apart from that, I am only sick of seeing submissions that do
not fit my wish list (see below), that don't address me or at least the agency
by name (“Dear Mr./Mrs.” just won't do) or pretend to be personalized messages
but actually aren't (“I think my work would fit your agency's profile really
well!' – really? Why?). I expect authors to do some research before submitting
their work: sending the same email to a hundred agencies rarely works. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Do you look at trends or
editor wishlists when deciding to sign a manuscript?</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My colleagues
and I talk to editors regularly. Even when we're trying to sell a specific
title, we might get the reply that an
editor is not interested in that right now, but would be excited to read genre
x or topic y. If a suitable submission then appears in our inbox, that could
influence our decision to sign that manuscript. More often than not, however,
it works the other way round: I read a manuscript, my gut tells me that this is
something special, I will sign it and then find the right publishing partner
for it.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Do you consider yourself a
hands-on, editorial type of agent? Does a manuscript have to be sub-ready or
will you sign stories that need work?</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm
definitely an editorial agent! Working together with authors to make characters
more believable, to speed up (or slow down) the story's pace, to solve plot
holes and avoid style mistakes is the most fun part of my job – I could never
stop doing it. I might not have the time to make manuscripts 100% perfect
before sending them out to publishers (that last step will be your editor's job),
but I try to get them as close to perfection as possible. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">What things are at the top of
your submission wish list? What are some of your favorite movies or books to
give us an idea of your tastes? </span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm currently open to queries in the
following genres: <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">- Quirky,
contemporary <b>fantasy</b>, often with a fairy-tale touch and/or a portal that
leads to a world filled with wonder. Some of my recent favorites include <i>The
Invisible Life of Addie LaRue</i>, <i>The Night Circus, The Hazel Wood</i>,<i>
The Ten Thousand Doors of January</i>, the <i>Caraval </i>series,<i> </i>and
anything by Neil Gaiman. I'm also a massive <i>Harry Potter </i>fan – for me,
fantasy is less about swordsmanship and epic battles than about cozy armchairs
and talking animals. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">- B</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">elievable, subtle <b>romantic
comedy</b> that doesn't focus on the world of fashion or on slapstick scenes
(like the female lead clumsily tripping over her own feet). I'm also looking
for other <b>optimistic </b>narratives about navigating life. My favorite
titles include <i>The Keeper of Lost Things</i>, <i>The Memory Shop, The
Reincarnation Blues</i>, and most of Jill Mansell's and David Nicholls's work.
My all-time favorite movie is <i>Love Actually</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">- <b>Murder mysteries </b>rational enough for the
reader to guess along (anything inspired by Agatha Christie, escape rooms, and
puzzles). I'm currently reading Stuart Turton's high-concept murder mystery <i>The
Devil and the Dark Water </i>and loving it. Movie-wise, I recommend <i>Knives
Out</i>. I also enjoy a good, unexpected twist towards the end, like in many M.
Night Shyamalan movies. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">- Select <b>nonfiction</b>, especially about animals
(from extinct to unexpectedly cute, like in Sy Montgomery's <i>The Soul of an
Octopus</i>) or other living things (trees, shrubs – surprise me!). The best TV
equivalent is anything by David Attenborough, especially the mind-blowing <i>Planet
Earth II </i>(which has better story lines and more believable characters than
some books out there).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">Margot
Belet moved from Belgium to Berlin, Germany to join the “agentur literatur
Gudrun Hebel”</span><i style="background-color: transparent;"> </i><span style="background-color: transparent;">agency in June 2020. Although Dutch is her native
language, she was brainwashed early on by her anglophile parents. Her love
affair with English-language literature started with “Jane Eyre” at the age of
12 and despite this being just slightly overambitious, she has never looked
back. After two MA degrees – in Sociology from a Belgian university, and
European Culture at University College London – Margot went on to complete a
PhD in Cultural Sociology, during which she developed a Twitter roleplay
exercise that helps adolescents enjoy reading. Of course, she also gathered
publishing experience: at literary agencies in London and New York, and as a
fellow at the nonfiction editorial department of the German trade publisher
Rowohlt. </span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As Margot is not yet added to her website there, she has given me her submission information. Any writers whose work fits my wish list are welcome to mail a short author bio, synopsis (the whole story, with spoilers) and the first 40 pages to: <a href="mailto:margot.belet@agentur-literatur.de" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank" ymailto="mailto:margot.belet@agentur-literatur.de">margot.belet@agentur-literatur.de</a></span></b></p>Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308214465210382791.post-43617860805784410302020-10-19T15:12:00.001-04:002020-10-19T15:12:27.062-04:00Query Questions Interview with Megan Barnard<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">Writers have copious amounts of imagination. It's what makes their stories so fantastic. But there's a darker side to so much out-of-the-box thinking. When a writer is in the query trenches, their worries go into overdrive. They imagine every possible disaster.</span></span></span><br style="background-color: white;" /></span><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here to relieve some of that endless worrying is a series called Query Questions. I'll ask the questions which prey on every writer's mind, and hopefully take some of the pain out of querying. These are questions that I've seen tossed around on twitter and writing sites. They are the type of questions that you need answers from the real expert--agents!</span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm so happy to bring Query Questions back from the dead with new interviews. Since I stopped doing interviews, a whole new crop of agents have settled into the business, and I'm sure people would like to know more about them.</span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thanks to <a href="https://www.jdlit.com/megan-barnard" target="_blank">Megan Barnard with </a><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.jdlit.com/megan-barnard" target="_blank">The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency</a> for starting us off!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVR2Q6HCxjRVXoQqcDYCnass7LK_XZlCZe3F3k5A4A7lRB1tZL2lYQ_YZbpHYyxmf1GpCXr6Ez7PsZOpWFwk5_IAL-2yYqSKJoKq22bPYVj2Ahy8_RpfgYtvBZL0P3YLs2GF4AEOIqVI/s2048/IMG_6493.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1782" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVR2Q6HCxjRVXoQqcDYCnass7LK_XZlCZe3F3k5A4A7lRB1tZL2lYQ_YZbpHYyxmf1GpCXr6Ez7PsZOpWFwk5_IAL-2yYqSKJoKq22bPYVj2Ahy8_RpfgYtvBZL0P3YLs2GF4AEOIqVI/s320/IMG_6493.jpeg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><b>Is
there a better or worse time of year to query</b>?</span><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;">Not
for me! I tend to look at queries in batches--and that’s usually just when I
have time. I might be slower to respond during the holidays, but I always
respond to every query and submission I receive. </span><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><b>Do
you look at sample pages without fail or only if the query is strong</b>?</span><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;">I
would say 80% of the time I look at sample pages--I know how hard it is to
write a query! The only time I wouldn’t look at the pages is if the book is in
a genre I don’t represent, or it totally disregards my guidelines. </span><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><b>How
open are you to writers who have never been published</b>? </span><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;">I’m
totally open to unpublished writers! I love working on debut novels and helping
guide new writers’ careers, so send your debuts my way!</span><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><b>The
dreaded rhetorical question in a query. Are they as taboo as the rumors say</b>?</span><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;">I
don’t reject queries because there’s a rhetorical question in the query. A lot
of agents don’t like rhetorical questions because we get them so often, and <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">I think there’s usually a more interesting
way to put the question, so I would just </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">really</i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> think about whether
you need that rhetorical question before you send your query. </span></span><span style="background: white; color: red; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>How important are comp
titles? Is it something you want to see in a query? Are movie/tv reference okay
as comp titles?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comp titles are really
helpful for me because it helps me picture where your book would sit on a
bookshelf. Movie/TV references are fine as comp titles, though you do generally
want at least one book (published within the last 3-5 years) as one of your comps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Do you prefer a little
personalized chit-chat in a query letter or would you rather hear about the
manuscript?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I don’t really care
either way! If you comp to a book I recently tweeted about that can be nice
especially since I usually say if I’m looking for something similar, but I
don’t reject queries if they’re not personalized. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>How do you feel about
writers nudging on full/partial requests? At what point is it appropriate?</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I answer all queries and
submissions. I try to respond to all queries within 6 weeks, and full/partials
within three months. After that, it’s totally fine to nudge and never bothers
me. I’d say give most agents at least three months with requested submissions
(but check their guidelines first!) but tell all queried agents about offers of
representation as soon as you get one. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>When a writer nudges with
an offer, what length of time is helpful to give you enough time to consider? A
week? Two weeks?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I’d say at least 10 days,
but two weeks is great as it gives agents a bit more time to read. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #282828; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Many agents say they
don't care if writers are active online. Could a twitter account or blog
presence by a writer tip the scales in getting a request or offer? And do
you require writers you sign to start one?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #282828; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I don’t care about
social media for fiction writers. Platform is really important for nonfiction,
so you do want to be active on social media if you’re writing nonfiction. I
think it’s important for fiction writers to have some kind of social media as
it can help them connect with readers, but it’s something we can work on and
build slowly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #282828; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #282828; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>If a writer makes
changes to their manuscript due to feedback should they resend the query or
only if material was requested? </b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #282828; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I’m always happy to get
read a new query if the manuscript has been significantly revised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #282828; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Do you look at trends or
editor wishlists when deciding to sign a manuscript?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">If I love something, I’ll
sign it. Trends and wishlists change so quickly in publishing that only trying
to rep books that fit certain molds would be a nightmare! I do look at
wishlists when thinking about what editors to submit to, but that’s after I’ve
offered representation. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Do you consider yourself
a hands-on, editorial type of agent? Does a manuscript have to be sub-ready or
will you sign stories that need work?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I’m an editorial agent. I
have a background in editing, so if I love something but think it needs work,
that wouldn’t necessarily turn me off. It just depends whether I have a
specific vision for what a revision would look like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>What is your biggest
query pet peeve? Is there anything that automatically sinks a query for you? </b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I automatically reject
queries for books in genres and categories I don’t represent. I’ll also reject
them if I don’t get an actual query, like just a synopsis or pages where the
query should be. Otherwise, I don’t reject things for minor typos or small
things like that. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>What three things are at
the top of your submission wish list?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;">Historical
fantasy like <i>Circe </i>or <i>The Snow Child</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;">Nonfiction
that combines memoir and nature writing like <i>The Outrun </i>or <i>The Salt
Path</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;">Lyrical
literary fiction like <i>The Island Child </i>or <i>The Good People</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>What are some of your
favorite movies or books to give us an idea of your tastes?</b> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Books: <i>The Lake House</i>
by Kate Morton, <i>Circe</i> by Madeline Miller, <i>The Island Child</i> by
Molly Aitken, <i>Inferno </i>by Catherine Cho, <i>I’m Telling the Truth But I’m
Lying </i>by Bassey Ikpi, <i>A God in Ruins</i> by Kate Atkinson. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Movies/TV: The Office,
Schitt’s Creek, The Crown, New Girl, Downton Abbey, Top Chef, La La Land, The
King’s Speech, Pride and Prejudice, Anne of Green Gables, About Time. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Basic, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">Megan joined The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency as an Associate Literary Agent in 2020, after interning for nearly three years at several top literary agencies, including P.S. Literary Agency and Folio Literary Management. She has worked as an editor and copywriter and has a BA in English (with a concentration in Creative Writing) from Hollins University. When not working, she runs, drinks coffee, and travels widely. Her favorite places to read across the globe are Île Saint-Louis in Paris, Pacific Grove, CA, and Portmagee, Ireland. In reality, though, she spends most of her free time shuffling her towering stacks of books around so they don’t kill her or her husband.</span></p>Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308214465210382791.post-51117279076662821342020-04-18T09:06:00.000-04:002020-04-23T08:47:37.463-04:00Pandemic: When You Feel Sick, The Beginning<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So I've started journaling about my experiences during the pandemic of 2020. This is the second post and covers the period I became sick.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I started the second week off work about the same as the first week, cleaning. People at home were either cooking or cleaning. I'd picked cleaning and had already washed all the throw rugs and the downstairs curtains. There had been some changes in our state. The governor had closed schools officially on March 19th. At this point they were shut down until May 1st. Of course, that didn't last either.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Everything was up in the air during this time. It was the time of rapid changes. Governor Holcomb announced on Friday, March 20th (my daughter's birthday) that all nonessential businesses would close on the upcoming Tuesday. Nobody knew for sure what an essential business was. Some things were obvious: healthcare providers, grocery stores, and pharmacy. But it included a lot of other things, including building trades. My husband and his boss and co-workers were trying to decide whether that included them. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Together, they voted to work on Tuesday, the day of the closures. Parts of the county were closed down to all but essential travel, other parts were open. People were learning slowly what they should do and what they shouldn't. Could we go for drives if we stayed in our cars? Could we go to the parks if we kept apart? Playgrounds were closed. State parks became free as nobody now manned the gate.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10E1QRX8ws4t9P-3AkDbZqKX3sCPAMui8UXgh_at8IL28spTS8U06ffbAeQ-ufSqUKy8ujB6S4MHuRh5iBjKQrU6vYbry-tGoM1mCKIh_nGrCQHYZVcDEQRLog2n6m6REUsBkcWjoxBQ/s1600/20200410_114252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10E1QRX8ws4t9P-3AkDbZqKX3sCPAMui8UXgh_at8IL28spTS8U06ffbAeQ-ufSqUKy8ujB6S4MHuRh5iBjKQrU6vYbry-tGoM1mCKIh_nGrCQHYZVcDEQRLog2n6m6REUsBkcWjoxBQ/s400/20200410_114252.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our school preschool playground taped closed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The term social distancing became a thing. What had been allowable, groups of fifty became groups of ten and then no groups at all. Stay six feet apart. Grocery stores put marks on the floor to show us where to line up to keep apart. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Everything was uncertainty and fear. Stories of covid-19 survivors had yet to float around social media to remind us that most people weren't going to die. If you caught the disease at this point, everyone assumed the worst would happen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tests seemed to be things for famous people. Actors like Tom Hanks got tested. NBA stars got tested. Politicians got tested. Ordinary people not so much. As I found out first hand.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tuesday March 24 we started shelter at home. My husband, as an essential worker, went to work. I read the paper and started washing the bedroom curtains. I worked a puzzle. I ate lunch. At home. Alone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Soon after lunch, I felt different. I got that feeling behind my eyes, my head felt hot. How do you describe a fever? You just know when you have one. We'd thrown out our digital thermometer a few weeks ago. It just wasn't accurate. I put in a new battery, but it was too hard to use. Too hard to get an accurate reading because you had to hit the exact right spot on your temple. Impossible.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Instead we had an ancient mercury thermometer I inherited from my parents. There weren't any left in stores.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I got out that blast from my past and checked. Well, waited three minutes for the reading to take and then checked. That little silver line had shot up to the 1 in 100. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I had a fever. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I texted my husband as I considered what to do. Feeling sick not just from the fever. I'd had a dry cough all winter. I always have a dry cough all winter when I first get up. That cough had lately been kind of an all-day thing. Just there. Not really bothersome. Now with a new meaning. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'd felt a weight on my chest for a few days. Probably everyone had. It was stress; it was panic; it was too much time listening to the news. Or was it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Those were the three symptoms given at that time to watch for. Fever. Cough. Shortness of breath or pressure in the chest. I had all three. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My husband texted me back. The frantic fear coming through the three short words: On my way.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All his co-workers packed up. That's what the word "fever" did. It had power. They got their tools and went home. They would stay home for the next two weeks, even though they had never been near me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">News reports said symptoms began to show from five to twelve days from point of contact. It had been eleven days since I worked in an elementary school full of children.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As our doctor had retired this year and we hadn't found another, I called one of the three hotlines for our county for those without providers. They answered promptly. I wasn't put on hold. Things went fast and I had a tele-medicine appointment with a doctor for three o'clock. I'd get an email with a link.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I put on some zen meditation music and went back to my puzzle. I got the curtains from the dryer and hung them up. My husband came home and felt my head, hugged me. I took my temp another million times, using the oven timer to record when three minutes had passed. The silver line stayed at 100. (I remembered you did have to shake the thing down and it still went to 100.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Three o'clock came and I followed the link and clicked the prompts. I waited for the doctor to show. Words can't describe the emotions. Nerves. Fear. I was hot and cold at the same time, another symptom. My head and body hot. My hands, arms, and back cold.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The doctor came on. Asked about my symptoms. I could obviously carry on a conversation at this point. I had the breath to speak in complete sentences. The video showed my cheeks were red. More signs of the fever. I coughed a little. Told them it was dry cough. No, I hadn't coughed anything up. No, I didn't have any phlegm or congestion. No vomiting or diarrhea. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">He asked if I'd traveled. No. Had I been in contact with anyone who tested positive for Covid-19? Not that I knew, but I did work in a school. He told me tests results were taking five days to return. He said I would be well before the results came back. He said call back if I have trouble breathing. That was it. No test for me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Honestly, I didn't want to be a bother. I didn't want to be around the health workers who were risking their lives and maybe make them sick. Take their time away from sicker patients. I let it go and took some Tylenol. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was feverish all day and evening. I stayed on the couch with a blanket and watched Love Island and then probably a movie. My husband kept me company. That night, I woke feeling hot, yet craving more blankets. It was the kind of hot that felt good. I wanted to be hot to kill the virus. I remember being sweaty. I slept well.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The next morning and all day Wednesday no fever. I began to notice that I felt winded after talking. I could still have conversations but now I felt breathy. The pressure on my chest was still there. It didn't come and go as my stress levels grew or diminished. It stayed constant. The cough didn't get worse. It really never bothered me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We stayed home. We did some things. I got up and showered and acted like normal. I had more appetite than normal. I felt hungry all the time. I wandered around the yard and looked at the plants starting to poke up from the dirt. My husband cleaned up leaves and I picked up a few.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That night I woke at 3 am feeling like I couldn't breathe. I was breathing but it didn't feel like it was doing any good. There wasn't enough air. The panic I felt certainly didn't help. The humidifier running in the room wasn't helping. I got some water, walked around. It didn't get better. I have a history of stuffy nose at night. It is something that happens to me every night. Having plugged-up nostrils didn't help either. I tried counting my breaths and paying attention to each one. Telling myself I was obviously breathing. It didn't help.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Then I remembered we had a full bottle of Vicks VapoRub. The home medicine my grandmother had put on us when we were little. She used to rub it on our chest at night and then safety pin a wash cloth to our nightgowns to keep them clean. My mother would put it under our noses when we were sick. We had a bottle my daughter had bought for a cold and left here. She liked to take off the lid and sniff the vapors. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I got the bottle. Put some under my nose. My stuffy nose opened. I started to relax. The scent of Vicks VapoRub was safety. It was home. It was family. I thank God for that bottle of Vicks. I have used it every night for the last weeks and still use it as my symptoms sometimes persist even three weeks later. Somehow with that and counting my breathing I got back to sleep. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Then next day, Thursday the fever returned in the morning. It stuck around all day and that night. It was under 100. I decide to call the hotline again. This time I got a different doctor and I didn't have to wait two hours. She video chatted with me inside of 15 minutes. She had a lot more sympathy. I admit I broke down describing how I had felt unable to breath the night before. How I felt winded when talking. Admitted it was scary. She asked the same questions. What was my cough like? Had I traveled? Had I been in contact with anyone positive. Same answers. She said it was now taking eight days to get results. Same script. I would be well before results came in. I appeared to be mild. How many deep breaths could I draw in fifteen seconds. I did four. She said that was good. Call back if it gets worse. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That was the last time I tried to get tested. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The fever kept on all Thursday. Just noticeable. Not as bad as Tuesday but ever present. Again I moved around my house as normal. Got dressed. Followed my routine but staying inside. Rested on the couch. Watched TV. Several times I woke in the night feeling unable to breath, but not as bad as the first time. I had my Vicks now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Friday morning started out with more fever. That vanished by lunch. The doctor had said to isolate until my symptoms disappeared. That seemed too vague now. Until my cough went away? But I had a cough all winter. It always lasted until the furnace got turned off and the air had more humidity. Turning off the furnace was weeks away where we lived. We were getting short on food.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My sister risked herself to go to the store and get us some groceries. She left them outside our door and we talked to her through the window as she stood way back. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Saturday the fatigue hit. No fever. Little cough. Still a weight on my chest. Still sort of breathless when I talked. We tried to take our dogs for a walk. Something safe to do as the streets were deserted and there's lots of open space. Something we usually do two or three times a day for at least a mile. We are big walkers. I'm not in bad shape. The elementary school a block away was always deserted now. We headed there. I began to get tired. My heart beat faster than normal. I struggled. I couldn't talk. We headed back and I wondered if I could make it. Inside our gate, I dropped into a deck chair, exhausted. I would sit there ten minutes before I recovered enough to go inside. I had gained a new symptom.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Another came a few hours later as we watched a movie. I didn't share it with my husband as it was too scary to talk about. My neck felt thick and tender. It gradually occurred to me I had swollen glands in my neck now. Not going to lie, that freaked me out all over again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The fever never came back, my swollen neck was mostly gone the next morning, but the drastic fatigue lasted several more days. I continued to wake up at night, feeling like I couldn't breathe enough. It wasn't until like a week later that I drew in some really deep breaths and realized that I hadn't been doing that for days and days. I hadn't noticed that I really wasn't able to breath deeply. When the doctor had me count my deep breaths that first week, they were actually pretty shallow. Breathing is something you take so much for granted that I wasn't able to compare how I used to breathe to how I was now breathing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The shallow breathing was gone and I hadn't figured it out until the deep breathing came back. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Day five and then day eight passed, days when people's breathing often got worse as reported on the news. Mine didn't. I was able to remind myself this must be a mild case. I wasn't going to die. That was a big thing toward my recovery.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The pressure vanished from my chest. When I woke with a stuffy nose, I was able to go back to sleep quickly. I could take our lonely isolated walks without needing to rest afterward. I felt almost normal at times.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But it didn't leave entirely. Whether it is from stress or from whatever I had, I still have episodes when the pressure comes back. When I feel winded. Even over three weeks out, where we are now, it still happens.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now I wonder about anti-body testing. Would it show I have anti-bodies if I could get one? Am I maybe immune now? As far as I know, there aren't any tests for that in our part of Indiana yet. Or only for critical care workers. Will I ever know? I don't know. I could be out helping, possibly immune.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I think about it now I feel angry. Really angry and I don't get angry often. I had all the symptoms and still was denied a test. Because there weren't enough tests. Now I am left to constantly wonder. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Am I immune and don't know it? Though no one really knows how immunity works or even if it truly exists yet. People in South Korea had relapses after testing positive and became positive again. Nobody knows. Maybe immunity only lasts a week. Maybe I have it. Maybe I don't. Maybe I'll never know.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the three weeks since I got sick, the world has spun out of control and also stabilized. Staying home and hearing bad news has become the normal. Events unfold a little more slowly without all the drastic closings, though the Summer Olympics were rescheduled for a year from now. Indiana schools lost the entire rest of the 2019/2020 year. All the stores except essential services are closed now. Basically that means just the retail clothing stores are closed. Hardware stores are still open. Car repair. Oil changes. I did a drive-up drop-off for my dog to get his shots. No contact. Just a masked worker taking my dog away, pay over the phone and talk to the vet, and then my pet returned. We wash our hands after getting the mail. We wash our hands after getting the newspaper. We put packages in the basement for a few days to "cool" off. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We go to get groceries once a week (try to only go once anyway) and pick up my mom's prescriptions by drive through. We wipe down the ATM with Clorox wipes before inserting our checks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After two weeks we considered my symptoms gone. My husband's small group of four went back to work, nervously, but they started a new house. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Wisconsin was forced to vote in person by the Supreme Court and stood in long lines to exercise their rights. I cried for them. I cried for essential workers and medicals experts. I cried for our mail woman. I cried for the people on Twitter announcing they lost family members. I told grocery workers thank you with new feeling. It is easy to cry during these weeks. Not just for me. For a lot of people.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The state park campgrounds closed and I will miss camping. Seniors lost their graduations and their proms.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bernie Sanders dropped out of the race by video and Biden stands alone. Democrats talk about voting by mail in November. The president refused to fund a failing postal system--at least at this point. Bad news after bad news, though we still share good news. 500,000 recovered, maybe including me. I enjoy people sharing their Animal Crossing stories (Can't get my own game. There are no Switch to be found.) Christopher Walken reading <i>Where the Wild Things Are</i> as only he can. A singalong show of stars singing Disney songs. Those are the things that entertain us. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Stimulus money of $1200 per person is starting to arrive. I pray for the people suffering without jobs and the people suffering who have lost loved ones. The people who have gotten sick and the people who will get sick. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The numbers have risen drastically. Over 600,000 infected in the U.S. Over two million world wide. Deaths nearing 30,000 in the U.S. New York maybe reaching their plateau. The virus is in two local nursing homes and the retirement convent of nuns at the college I attended thirty years ago. There are six deaths in our county and over 300 who have tested positive. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Protesters march in Michigan who want to get their hair done and buy fertilizer, virus be damned. 5.5 million more unemployment claims. Over 6 million unemployed in the week before this. So many I can't keep track of the totals. The stock market is up and then down. It's April 16th and everywhere is talk of re-opening, despite not having testing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For me, I don't want to re-open yet. It's too soon. I want an anti-body test. I want to know. Perhaps I should have tried harder. Perhaps I did the right thing by staying home. We are in the nobody really knows stage. Nobody really knows if they are sick. If they are immune. What will happen next. I don't think this world will get any easier anytime soon.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">They are also studies that we will have to social distance until 2021. That there will be no concerts or in-person sports events for a year or more. That this could last a long, long time. I don't want that either. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It snowed yesterday in the middle of April. Today the snow is gone and the sun is shining. The sky is a summer blue. The grass is growing and will need mowed soon. The flowers are coming up despite the cold. I think our cold snap will pass and we will stand up again someday, too. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span>Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308214465210382791.post-77960640169689276882020-04-10T12:25:00.000-04:002020-04-16T09:38:03.169-04:00Pandemic: The Beginning, A Story of Three Polls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The covid-19 epidemic of spring 2020, it seems that everything happened in a blur of speed, yet at the same time crept up as a series of gradual changes. Somehow the days now feel like both were true. We saw it coming and yet we didn't. For me what stands out wasn't being furloughed from my job--first for two weeks, then for two months, then for the rest of the school year, but the results of three polls.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It all started with short news stories of a sickness in China in January and February. Barely a thing to be marveled at. Entirely too far away to be meaningful to people going about their lives or concentrating on the impeachment of the president. But then the sickness hit in other countries. Iran. South Korea. Italy. And the story got bigger. We began to hear wash your hands, use hand sanitizer, avoid crowds.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">By the time we thought to buy hand sanitizer, the stores were all out of them. After working at a school for year and years, I searched my dresser, my desk, my purse, and came up five travel-size bottles. Some still full. I had friends who are kindergarten teachers with stock piles of the stuff in their classrooms and borrowed a pump-sized bottle. We felt rich, but most people hadn't noticed the disease yet.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At work, school went on as normal. Co-workers were beginning to wonder if they should cancel their plans for Spring Break in April, to skip that trip to Florida. I saw a tweet from Hillary Clinton in late February from Scientific America that mentioned stocking up for two weeks of groceries. We stopped going out except to the grocery store. I bought frozen food, canned chicken, extra snack, and paper towels. I grabbed one of the last containers of Clorox Wipes. Notably: I didn't grab toilet paper.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There were cases popping up in the U.S. in some states, but not everywhere.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And on Friday, March 6th, I created my <b>first</b> Twitter poll. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It asked one simple question: How often are you going out? Are you moving about as usual? Taking only needed trips? Or have you become the world's newest hermit? It was funny. A joke. I never thought it would get real.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here were the results from March 6th:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">72.2% Going out as usual</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">24.4% Only taking needed trips</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3.3% Were hermits</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As most of my followers are writers and writers are often introverts, I thought the poll might have a slight lean toward hermits. I was surprised most people were going out as usual. After all, coronavirus had hit the US now. People were dying in Washington state. It was starting to appear in other states. Testing had started and was entirely too limited. Many people hadn't notice. The president had called it a hoax. Had said it would disappear. My stuffed pantry said I wasn't so sure.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The week of March 9th we made more visits to the groceries stores. Three or four people wore masks. We had been using hand sanitizer heavily after we left any public place. We washed our hands when we got home. We stocked up, more. Shelves began to empty. I got one of the last packages of toilet paper at Meijers--Angel Soft Lavender Scent. I just took one because this is America. Why would I need to keep extra in my basement when someone else might need it?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Italy went on lock down. The epicenter had moved from China to Italy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is the week colleges told students to go home. They pulled classes and put them online. University after university followed suit. They'd brought foreign students home the weeks before, from China, from Europe. I remember Purdue closing, then Indiana University, followed by Michigan State, our own local Notre Dame went next, followed by Saint Marys. All closed within days. Public schools in other states began to close for two weeks. Our school librarian had grandchildren in Portland and there was a case at their school. Another co-worker had her sister's Indianapolis school close for cleaning after a case.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Events closed: the NBA shut down their season, high school sports went without an audience, spring training stopped, concerts cancelled. The local theater stopped the Broadway showing of the Lion King. Movie theaters tried to spread out patrons and then gave up and closed. Sport after sport cancelled. No more, college basketball, no March Madness, goodbye hockey, everything but some golf events shut down. Writing conferences were cancelled. Music concerts gone. On and on. So many cancellations.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Another co-worker came in and said stores were empty, no toilet paper to be found. We hurried to the store yet again and found this:</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQa8tWXGaqCmbYi2rK0MdLa7Z1pvcpcVQTb1CFlw1-xT-ClMt_0E-hZHNBEreTafNOxyNz6_r9lDuD0qwSnzouf02ZMXMDQyrftjIUvkSSnlQKGFvkvIbKNlvADjNEO8hd0fuL9q_etU8/s1600/20200315_090753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQa8tWXGaqCmbYi2rK0MdLa7Z1pvcpcVQTb1CFlw1-xT-ClMt_0E-hZHNBEreTafNOxyNz6_r9lDuD0qwSnzouf02ZMXMDQyrftjIUvkSSnlQKGFvkvIbKNlvADjNEO8hd0fuL9q_etU8/s320/20200315_090753.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ramon Aisle</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It began to hit home that normal was out the window. When we went to the store I took pictures of the empty shelves. Frozen fruit, vegetables all gone. Nothing in the water aisle. Little flour, sugar, and no yeast, few eggs. Some cleaning supplies were gone but others plentiful. Few tissues, paper towels, and little toilet paper. Canned food gone. Feeling scared or anxious became the normal state.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1MYLKVWAD7XnDSRGcH67a9BR0v8uY_cmW8l4Ni_z9yGC8NrS7ENUPiwNUdu9nzxYLkGMzJDvlZluWweAelnFcOIJxOGT9oRmoazpO9AlDs6f2SziM7gNWnJrse_EJXYH9y5oPF822-9Q/s1600/20200315_090357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1MYLKVWAD7XnDSRGcH67a9BR0v8uY_cmW8l4Ni_z9yGC8NrS7ENUPiwNUdu9nzxYLkGMzJDvlZluWweAelnFcOIJxOGT9oRmoazpO9AlDs6f2SziM7gNWnJrse_EJXYH9y5oPF822-9Q/s320/20200315_090357.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water Aisle</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4YHmrGo9mpaNS2mcRuOD_hc-mLREWgjaCQZdustcKVdIZ-A40Niu-n_lTbyYhyiv2VtPsZPtf6uHBKxD8Db2bfIOj8wxHjsh52LcMUA20NAkdX4Ow7WadSrG2vaqNyyN2eI61nMvzRKo/s1600/20200315_091357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4YHmrGo9mpaNS2mcRuOD_hc-mLREWgjaCQZdustcKVdIZ-A40Niu-n_lTbyYhyiv2VtPsZPtf6uHBKxD8Db2bfIOj8wxHjsh52LcMUA20NAkdX4Ow7WadSrG2vaqNyyN2eI61nMvzRKo/s320/20200315_091357.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flour<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paper products<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvmYmJczKhkA9OF7sB0vNPM7Kbe3JSjtMTUp-rSaQUnt0xoKwdel_lLGh1usuUZbL9zMN_954DlXy6iN5g38uTSpeQJnpHTa22-Wf4Fq-YYYkOvG5LqqkxdfaqJI_RkiRVXIyC3UFcCl4/s1600/20200315_091617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvmYmJczKhkA9OF7sB0vNPM7Kbe3JSjtMTUp-rSaQUnt0xoKwdel_lLGh1usuUZbL9zMN_954DlXy6iN5g38uTSpeQJnpHTa22-Wf4Fq-YYYkOvG5LqqkxdfaqJI_RkiRVXIyC3UFcCl4/s320/20200315_091617.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last time we saw cleaning wipes</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On one bright spot our son in Chicago got a work from home notice from his company. Something he could easily do as it's a software design company.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The next day, Thursday, March 12 Governor Holcomb gave schools a 20 day waiver. They could miss 20 of our required 180 days and not have to make them up. Our first local school system closed that afternoon. It wasn't mine. We had our first positive test case in our county. I spent the evening texting my boss with the closing I was seeing on Twitter because she wasn't on social media. Ohio closing all their schools. Michigan closing all their schools. We were still open.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Friday, March 13, I was afraid to go to school for the first time. We had cases here, in our county. Not just in Indianapolis. Teachers didn't follow their regular schedule. We expected to be closed at any moment. They were instructed to send all math and reading work books home with students. All Chrome books for the 6th graders to go home. Teachers were frantically copying packets of worksheets to send home. Our media tech frantically printed up step-by-step instructions on logging into important learning systems for parents and then stapled <b>every</b> child's password and login to the back, an incredible task that I don't know how she managed. Word was we weren't closed because we had so many at risk kids. Kids who needed our lunch and breakfast services. They were working on a solution.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At 2:00 they called all time card staff to the office. Fill out your time card for the rest of the two weeks and bring it down. We were told not to report on Monday. Only the cafeteria staff and custodians would now be the only ones working. Students would be expected to do two online learning days a week. They could drive up between 11 am and 1 to pick up a hot lunch. The plan was to close for two weeks. That wouldn't last.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All evening we got emails from administration, sometimes with conflicting information. We would all be paid during the closure. (Huge sigh of relief) Teachers would switch to on-line learning. Students would be required to complete assignments and report attendance two days a week. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That night, I did my <b>second</b> twitter poll. There were around 1700 cases in the U.S. The same poll as before. Just one week from the last. The results were a lifetime of difference. We were the same, but everything around us had changed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">23.9% Going out as usual</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">59.7% Only taking needed trips</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">16.5% World's newest hermits</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Several people said their usual was being a hermit or only needed trips so the results are what they are--unscientific. Still the difference from the last week was stark.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The week of March 16th is the week Governor Holcomb finally closed all schools--just for two weeks. It was my first week at home. My husband's work was slow and the weather uncertain so he stayed home. We made quick trips to the store to get what we could. Everyone now sheltering at home was cleaning A LOT. Doing puzzles. Baking. People posted funny memes about being home. Our pets became our co-workers. People learned how to use Zoom to teleconference and laughed as pets and kids wandered though. We shared our favorite isolation movies. Celebrities did videos of singing from their basements. Nobody wore pants and we laughed about changing from day pajamas to evening pajamas. We were scared, but still had our sense of humor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We also went to the local craft store and bought two puzzles. We were the only ones in the store and used hand sanitizer and washed as soon as we got home. We put the puzzles aside for days in a sort of quarantine because no one knew for sure how long germs could stay on surfaces. We washed our hands after handling the newspaper or the mail. Oh, and gas prices dropped under $2 a gallon. Way under. First down to $1.80 area and then lower. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A week and a new escalation. The governor closed restaurants and bars on March 16th. My daughter's fiance lost his chef job. They fired everyone the moment the announcement went live. Most restaurants did. Those with drive-thru or carry out stayed open, but dine-in options were gone. Unemployment was huge, but just getting started. We already hadn't eaten out for weeks. We went nowhere but the grocery store and that one trip for puzzles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That Friday I did my <b>third</b> and last poll. People were no longer unaware. They were scared. There were 18,000 cases in the U.S. California had gone on lock down. Deaths were being reported. Congress was trying to come up with a relief plan to help. The changes in the poll results again were drastic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1% Going out as usual</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">54% Only taking needed trips</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">45% World's newest hermits</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Things had changed, but the worst hadn't begun. Not even close.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The next week I got a fever.</span><br />
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Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308214465210382791.post-55114015541656115172020-03-18T07:48:00.000-04:002020-03-18T07:48:22.521-04:00The PB Party Showcase is Open!<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Thank you again for another wonderful PB Party! You picture (and chapter) book writers know how to have a good time. Mindy and I are once again in awe of your talents. Below are some things to remember and the link for the agents and editors and all of you to find the entries.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggk5s4kZy0cYLyzhGqJECCksR_4h0hiDyHkm-eWwtsuAPwRA3fZfE7ePwOFJbK7RaWEoyTwfxqOTwkMwVpnJpyeHflCLkjplS9pzOjJWxxKgimLJeWZjVDkCVi1_vSvMfaO4XkOBOi-jU/s1600/smaller+PBParty+bear+and+cupcake+with+faded+border.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggk5s4kZy0cYLyzhGqJECCksR_4h0hiDyHkm-eWwtsuAPwRA3fZfE7ePwOFJbK7RaWEoyTwfxqOTwkMwVpnJpyeHflCLkjplS9pzOjJWxxKgimLJeWZjVDkCVi1_vSvMfaO4XkOBOi-jU/s320/smaller+PBParty+bear+and+cupcake+with+faded+border.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Commenting on entries is for agents only. If you'd like to cheer or rave about a favorite, please hop over to twitter at the hashtag #PBParty. The party continues there as we celebrate and support our fellow writers. Mindy will continue to have fun prompts for you for a few days.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;">We are thrilled to have an illustrator's art showcase for the second year. We hope the agents love all the entries and go crazy with their requests. </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><br />Again the entries will be seen on my website, not here on the blog.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://michellehauckwrites.com/contest/picture-book-party-spring-2020/" target="_blank">Here is the link to the 28 entries and on Thursday at 8 am the art showcase will be added to the group.</a></b></span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Notice once you get there, there is a link to the left in the sidebar (Picture Book Party Spring 2020) which will take you back to the entry start at any time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thanks to everyone who entered. Stay tuned to the blog or sign up for my newsletter for future contests. </span></div>
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Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308214465210382791.post-46534527920651623852020-03-17T15:45:00.000-04:002020-03-18T11:27:18.931-04:00Announcing the Finalists for the PB Party 2020 Agent/Editor Showcase<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Welcome back, everyone!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Make sure you read to the end for the list of winners of another great contest from our rhyming expert, Lori Degman. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSA6QuUjxT4R3JotsQuQijNjN0lZYtTQdpkTaETIOoGZ_J6O4tyPTtcBUo5Q5H0A_0bIluKi4UnelAZdmCPaVJ9lYti_TRlsuEuxQWKItprxEF9-P11RkPPeEQIIgc7ZDgy3UE8LQDEtQ/s1600/smaller+PBParty+bear+and+cupcake+with+faded+border.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSA6QuUjxT4R3JotsQuQijNjN0lZYtTQdpkTaETIOoGZ_J6O4tyPTtcBUo5Q5H0A_0bIluKi4UnelAZdmCPaVJ9lYti_TRlsuEuxQWKItprxEF9-P11RkPPeEQIIgc7ZDgy3UE8LQDEtQ/s320/smaller+PBParty+bear+and+cupcake+with+faded+border.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Just like last year, Mindy and I gave this much thought and fought for a good variety of stories and artwork. We kept an eye out for diversity, but also for unique concepts or interesting methods. We consult with the agents on what they are looking for and what might not be selling at the moment. We found entries that made us laugh and those that made us cry. You, the writers, are amazing!<br /><br />There were way more fantastic entries than there are spots. We had so much trouble narrowing down the field. In fact, we were making the last picks just this morning. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And we did increase our "budget" of entries because we had so many agents and editors signed up this year. Plus everyone needs a dose of happy right now. So we will have <span style="color: red;">29</span> entries! <br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Before the reveal, I just want to remind everyone that contests are for fun and meeting other writers, building contacts. In no way are they a reflection on a story. There are only 29 picks out of 526 entries. Maybe people have entered contests and gotten no love, only to get an agent from the query slush--like me. For one thing, we are limited to the number of picks we can showcase, while an agent is not. So keep querying, keep writing those adorable picture and chapter books.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's very tough. I know the disappointment. Hugs. Use it to keep going.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /><b>Please if your title is on the list, watch my blog early on Wednesday and check your entry for typos or formatting problems. Let me know as soon as possible what needs fixed either commenting here or @ me on twitter. All the writer showcase posts will be up before 8 am.</b><br /><b style="color: #666666;"><br /></b><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="line-height: 18.2px; line-height: 18.2px;"></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gLIlWEP5N9EUC8MvVKAQrW6sjojXkaO1wHVAyL0jLmkov-Rsfx1JHLjM26kAezvktMCSmIITR5EvpKzGPRLJIc2eDxLiss55eIrDHSjU6icINYW8JoFWrlvgqFU7Dez_YIBbliIaHdQ/s1600/smaller+PBParty+bear+and+cupcake+with+faded+border.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gLIlWEP5N9EUC8MvVKAQrW6sjojXkaO1wHVAyL0jLmkov-Rsfx1JHLjM26kAezvktMCSmIITR5EvpKzGPRLJIc2eDxLiss55eIrDHSjU6icINYW8JoFWrlvgqFU7Dez_YIBbliIaHdQ/s320/smaller+PBParty+bear+and+cupcake+with+faded+border.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxvfU0yHxv9XIm3-zeN0N3sBaAYVPAos4hbDOy1Pkf_QjdlneQRT6Cf_CtFGpsYsOaD7O11QNY_AREKINQTlPY4AKPoZZhLaIkyBe5LemAWFmafxY0TRivP9n2fZnhDtjQP-72Cbl2SQ/s1600/belle.gif" imageanchor="1" style="color: #4d469c; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="line-height: 18.2px; line-height: 18.2px;"></span></span><br /><span style="line-height: 18.2px; line-height: 18.2px;"></span><br /><span style="line-height: 18.2px; line-height: 18.2px;"></span>So here are the 29 picks for the<b> Writer Showcase</b>, listed in no particular order and color coded like a rainbow just for fun.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Little Robot's First Day</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Into the Deep : The Mysteries of the Mariana Trench</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Magnificent Mary: The Story of Olympic Boxer M. C. Mary Kom</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Moon Bug, The Spotted Zebra</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Luna's Green Pet</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Cecy Speaks Spanish</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>A Pair of Plastic Bags</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Iggy Crane: The Case of the Missing Bolt</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Arabella's Space Webs: The True Story of a Space Spider</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Ashe on the Outside</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hannah's Hair</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Say Goodbye Hairy Fly</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: lime; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Chicken Coupe</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: lime; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Massimo: The Mighty Thundercloud</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: lime; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>A Weed's Worth</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: lime; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Sergeant Diggs and the New Recruit</b></span></span><br />
<b><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Peaches</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Wildflower</span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Arlette Best, Magical Pet Sitter</span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">Diwali Away from Home</span></span></span> </b><br />
<b><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Let's Go Adventuring</span></span></b><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Lord Fluffington</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Sky Pie</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>The Loud Librarian</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>The Underwater Guide to Starting a Rock Band</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Dear Human</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Always Be Yourself</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Sincerely, Seahorse</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Firefly Surprise</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span><span style="color: purple;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">For </span><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">finalists</span><b> only, if you want your entry deleted after the agents/editors are done, please leave a comment below so I have a nice neat list of what to take down. If you want to leave your entry that is great too, as others can read next year and get an idea of what works.</b> (All non-finalists will automatically be deleted from our files.)</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But wait, there's more! </span></span>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here are the picks for the <b>Illustration Showcase (artwork only)</b>, also listed in no particular order and color coded like a rainbow just for fun. These 12 will be posted before 8 am on Thursday. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hilda the Aqua Chick</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hector the Inventor</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>A Different Kind of Nut</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Finding Zero</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>An Otter Failure</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: yellow; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Kevin</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: lime; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>As Young Groundhogs Do</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: lime; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Let Me Out!</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Wild Wanda</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>The Go Away Rain Dance</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Deal with a Dragon</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Belle and the Dancing Robot</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(All of these will be removed a few days after the showcase ends.) </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Congrats to the finalists! </b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br />I hope everyone will stick around #PBParty to cheer during the showcase, which lasts three days and starts tomorrow. Mindy and I are going to keep the party flowing with more daily questions each morning. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><u>Lori's contest winners!</u></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnnn7BI8oWGRQzUem8UzwFnrhU7CHKwmSiMSMv40Uem08VWtI_MNRNToyxHvtJTqh2zF4DdO0BMDjDxnWGnm7YY6a2T1l_0Ct2UfMzw_GvhEaFeLlFdBTqMoZnqdV5UZRaxI2gkmYag8/s1600/Lori+giveaway+2020+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnnn7BI8oWGRQzUem8UzwFnrhU7CHKwmSiMSMv40Uem08VWtI_MNRNToyxHvtJTqh2zF4DdO0BMDjDxnWGnm7YY6a2T1l_0Ct2UfMzw_GvhEaFeLlFdBTqMoZnqdV5UZRaxI2gkmYag8/s400/Lori+giveaway+2020+2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We’ve had so much fun reading your PBParty entries, chatting with you on Twitter…and seeing your hilarious and witty monster manner tips for the giveaway with our PBParty 2020 rhyming pro, Lori Degman. If you are a winner, please DM Lori on Twitter. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here’s Lori with the winners:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Let me start by saying thanks to everyone who entered! These were all fun entries, which made it so hard to choose. Now, without further ado, here are the winners:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Best Monster Manner and winner of a critique – Heather Kinser @hethfeth</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I chose Heather’s entry because it was clever, with fun rhymes and perfect meter! I liked the extra rhyming line at the end!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Monster dear, do not be rude, when camping in the park</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">and commandeering hikers’ food discreetly in the dark,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">compose a friendly thank you card, explain “it was delicious!”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Before you go, it isn’t hard to wash the dirty dishes . . .</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You wouldn’t want your victim to believe you were malicious.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Monster Manner Runner-up and winner of TRAVEL GUIDE FOR MONSTERS – Shira Zwiren @ShiraZwiren</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I chose Shira’s entry because it was well-written rhyme and the surprise at the end was subtle and funny!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When coming inside, your feet may track mud,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Or garbage or leaves or animal crud,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But no matter what, if you catch my drift,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Don’t enter a home without bringing a gift!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Honorable mentions – </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Brenda Whitehead @Brenda@_Prof</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Monsters, take care not to stare, we can’t all have 3 eyes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Or purple horns, or 16 arm, or feet of massive size.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Celebrating differences is both polite and fun!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So look your new friend in the eye, say hi, then play and run!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I chose Brenda’s entry because it was imaginative and a timely “be kind” message!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Elizabeth Pagel-Hogal, Author @ElizPagelHogan</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Monsters should be seen . . . and heard.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">K. Marcus found comp titles! @kmarcuswrites</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Monsters please remember to pick up any fingers and toes that may have dropped on the floor while you were eating.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I chose Elizabeth and K. Marcus’ entries because they were both simple, yet funny!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHCS1CdZi62n4ShGkZQDsMAobhJuCw32NKZ5vbfvMDI3ZkHt2T-Bv3I_e9d8lta-Eqy92ep_lAHhy-bDqsVTo7-xFW00UB4MCNUujQiJ7Ois5GYWFGTsOj0tDMoTJF_XhQhYD6aNsgjLY/s1600/Monster+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="411" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHCS1CdZi62n4ShGkZQDsMAobhJuCw32NKZ5vbfvMDI3ZkHt2T-Bv3I_e9d8lta-Eqy92ep_lAHhy-bDqsVTo7-xFW00UB4MCNUujQiJ7Ois5GYWFGTsOj0tDMoTJF_XhQhYD6aNsgjLY/s400/Monster+cover.jpg" width="328" /></a></div>
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<br />Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308214465210382791.post-31781204606235372122020-03-06T08:00:00.000-05:002020-03-06T08:02:11.827-05:00Introducing The Picture Book Party Submission Forms!<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hello! Mindy and Michelle are so happy to welcome you to the last post before submission! You've seen our amazing <a href="http://www.michelle4laughs.com/2020/03/pbparty-agents-and-editors-2020.html" target="_blank">agents and editors</a>, now it's time to share the Entry Forms!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Please read everything carefully and take your time!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Remember that the submission forms will not unlock until<span style="color: red;"> 3:30 pm Eastern time on Monday, March 9th</span>. The forms will stay <span style="color: red;">open for two hours until 5:30 pm Eastern time on March 9th</span>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you are unable to access a computer during that time, please don't hesitate to ask a friend or relative to load your information for you! Getting help is not against the rules. With that said, we also suggest you have someone else read your query and excerpt before you send. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You can <span style="color: red;">not</span> revise your entry once submitted so check, and double, then triple check everything before you hit submit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After you hit submit, there will be a message saying thank you for entering. That is your confirmation. There will <span style="color: red;"><b>not</b></span> be an email confirmation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Below you will find the links to the entry forms and a repeat of the rules and information you will need to enter. Please check out the<a href="http://www.michelle4laughs.com/2020/02/picture-book-party-2020-is-here.html" target="_blank"> FAQ post</a> for answers to other frequent questions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I will post the chosen finalists a day before the agent round starts. I've no idea what time I will post the results on March 17th, because I'm unsure how many entries we will receive and thus how crazy busy we will be. So stay tuned to hear how many entries we receive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Also please scroll to the very end of this post where you will find our <span style="color: red;">Twitter Party topics</span>. The Twitter party will start on Monday, March 9th and go through March 17th. This is where we hang out and have fun and talk about our love for picture books! Please join us there at <span style="color: red;"><b>#PBParty</b></span>!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b style="line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Links:</span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /><br />Please note there are links to two<b><span style="color: red;"> different</span></b> forms to load your information to PB Party: one for author/illustrators to include a place for images and another for everyone else. <b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Do not use both</span></b><span style="font-size: large;">!</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje25xDkqrmToMeI9fyWlow1f-wkwojfgZ40538MtpX70npQUB4rKSPGviJy6HCNxx4lQhiEa8Fi0cZ-1r6xdxHBIbCbjfPSo0UpTvBJ6TUD_KrsODtEVb78gKwcEv7IQBnxw9EqUsmt0Y/s1600/Twirling+stop+sign.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="84" data-original-width="84" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje25xDkqrmToMeI9fyWlow1f-wkwojfgZ40538MtpX70npQUB4rKSPGviJy6HCNxx4lQhiEa8Fi0cZ-1r6xdxHBIbCbjfPSo0UpTvBJ6TUD_KrsODtEVb78gKwcEv7IQBnxw9EqUsmt0Y/s320/Twirling+stop+sign.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>PLEASE SLOW DOWN and read this again! Do not pick the wrong form. Take the time to get it right.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Please note there are </span><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">two</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> different forms to load your information to PB Party: one for author/illustrators <b>and </b>another for everyone else. </span><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">Do not use both</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For <b><span style="font-size: large;">author/illustrators</span></b> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>only</b></span> use this link: </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://forms.gle/favxX9xdS67tHHkS9" style="text-decoration-line: none;">https://forms.gle/favxX9xdS67tHHkS9</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You MUST have a Google account to use this link. Make sure you have one (and know how to log into it) before the short submission window opens. This is ONLY for author/illustrators who are including illustration samples!!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For <span style="font-size: large;"><b>EVERYONE ELSE</b></span> use this link: </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://forms.gle/2hUHamunFcDKQ7Cx6" style="text-decoration-line: none;">https://forms.gle/2hUHamunFcDKQ7Cx6</a></span><br />
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(Note: this link will NOT allow you to include illustrations.)<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b style="line-height: 14.56px;">The Rules:</b></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px; line-height: 14.56px;"></span><br clear="none" /><span style="line-height: 14.56px; line-height: 14.56px;"></span>Please follow this blog by clicking the "Follow" button in the left sidebar under the Followers app. Or if that is stubborn and won't work, you can subscribe to Michelle's newsletter or follow <a href="https://twitter.com/Michelle4Laughs" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">@Michelle4Laughs</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/MindyAlyseWeiss" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">@MindyAlyseWeiss</a> on Twitter. If you aren't on Twitter, Mindy will have updates on her<a href="https://www.facebook.com/MindyAlyseWeiss" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"> Facebook</a>. Or do all four options. We will be tweeting hints and advice as well as partying!<br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="line-height: 14.56px; line-height: 14.56px;"></span><b>NEW THIS YEAR</b>: You may send<b style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: red;"> ONE</span></b><span style="color: #444444;"> </span>entry and only one entry. We got so many entries last year (818!) that we need to scale down this year. Only one entry will be chosen per person, meaning if you are picked for the story part of the contest, you will not be picked for the illustration showcase. Any attempt to cheat will result in entries thrown out (and sadly it has happened in the past.) <br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="line-height: 14.56px; line-height: 14.56px;"></span>On <b>March 9th at 3:30 pm </b>Eastern the submission window opens and the Google form will go live for two hours. <br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="line-height: 14.56px; line-height: 14.56px;"></span>You will see a thank you for submitting as a confirmation of entry.<br clear="none" /><br clear="none" />1. This contest is for unagented writers and writer/illustrators with<span style="color: #666666;"> </span><span style="color: red;"><b>finished and polished</b></span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span>manuscripts. They must be ready to submit if requested by an agent or editor. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />2. Also, if you have had an agent in the past, but no longer have one, you may enter. Or if you are traditionally published without an agent. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />3. If you have submissions, including fulls out, with other agents or editors, you may enter PB Party. But please let us know if you receive an offer during the contest time. This happened last year-we celebrated the great news and made room in the final round for a couple more dazzling entries!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />4. If you have self-published other stories--but not this one--you may enter.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">5. If a manuscript or illustration was featured in<span style="color: #666666;"> </span><span style="color: red;">PB Party or a </span><span style="color: red;">previous contest showcase anywhere in the last year</span>--congrats--but we'd rather not see it. Send us something agents haven't already seen in a contest. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b style="line-height: 14.56px;">Info you need for the Submission Form:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;">In Order as they are on the form:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br clear="none" /><b>1. Title</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b style="line-height: 14.56px;">2. Sample/Excerpt</b><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span>Include your <b><span style="color: red;">first</span></b><span style="color: red;"> </span>50-60 words for a picture book, 100 words for chapter books. <b><span style="color: red;">Do not</span></b> stop in the middle of a sentence. We will go by the word count given by Word. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: red;">Do not</span></b> go over 60 words/100 chapter book. (Entries in the past were disqualified for going over.)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Single space and put <b><span style="color: red;">spaces in between</span></b> paragraphs. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br clear="none" />For shorter picture books, less than 50 words may be submitted. *Do NOT enter a PB if over half of it is in the sample—you don’t want that much of your work online, even for a few days.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Please use all caps for titles as the form strips out formatting like italics and bold type.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: red;">Art notes count toward your 50 words</span></b>. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Michelle will delete parts of entries after the contest ends for those writers uncomfortable with their work being out there for all to see. Please request this directly to her on Twitter.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b style="line-height: 14.56px;">3. Query</b><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span>Your entire query letter. Include everything, including your comps, bio, greeting, closing. Please be sure to note diversity and ownvoices in the query as well. (You may use whatever you want for a greeting. Dear Agent. Dear Michelle and Mindy. But do not address your query to a specific agent or editor.)<br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span>Here's the chance to make your entry shine and make the agents and editors fall in love with your words. Dazzle us with your plot and characters, don't just list themes.<br /><br />Don't worry about including personal information like names, as that will not be copied into the showcase. If you include links in your bio, we will assume those can be made public.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The form scrubs out <span style="color: red;"><b>all</b> </span>formatting. Don't worry, it does this to everyone so all is equal. But for <b><span style="color: red;">italics</span></b> you can use all caps for titles (comps). </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">4. Word Count </b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">(round to nearest ten, hundred for chapter books)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>5. Genre </b>Please check all genres for your manuscript—and be sure to let us know if it’s diverse or own voices. If you’re not sure about genre, maybe one of these will help: humor, character driven, metafiction, concept, STEM, STEAM, rhyming, lyrical, board book, fantasy, bedtime, historical fiction, contemporary.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If it’s non-fiction, what type of non-fiction (biography, narrative, etc.) </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There will be a place to check Other and add your own genre.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br clear="none" /><b>6. Name </b>In case we need to contact you.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /><b>7. Email Address </b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>8. Twitter Handle</b> This is optional, but we suggest Twitter is a great place to learn craft information. And a quick way for us to locate finalists.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: red;"><b>On the Author/Illustrator Form Only</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>9. Upload Two Image Files </b></span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><br />Author/Illustrators may upload <b><span style="color: red;">two</span></b> illustrations to show an example of your artwork. They should be from the <b><span style="color: red;">same</span></b> manuscript and <b><span style="color: red;">must be illustrated by the author</span></b>. Please no storyboards.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">You will need a Google account to use this form. You might make sure ahead of time that you have one. </span><br style="background-color: white;" /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Now for the #PBParty Fun Topics:</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Reminder: Don’t forget to include the #PBParty hashtag!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Monday, March 9 All day</b>: Great parties require great food! What’s your main character’s favorite dish or sweet treat? Even if it isn’t in your book, this can help you know your character better. Dig deep and share! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>PM:</b> Congrats and good luck to those who entered PBParty! Tell us what genre you submitted and what other genres you write. How do you make time pass faster while waiting for news?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Tuesday, March 10 AM</b>: Do you listen to music when you write? Have word count goals? Set aside BIC time (butt in chair)? Share your daily writing routine. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>PM</b>: Which authors and illustrators have influenced your manuscripts the most? Tag the authors to make others aware of their amazing books. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Wednesday, March 11 AM</b>: How do you handle writer's block or your bossy internal editor? How many drafts do you write before you consider a project finished? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>PM</b>: Share your best tips and resources for writing picture books. What were you surprised to learn about the process?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Thursday, March 12 AM</b>: Tell us if your MC is human, animal or something else. What surprised you most about your manuscript? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>PM</b>: What are your top tips for getting your word count down and making your manuscript sing?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Friday, March 13 AM</b>: Share a favorite line from a story you wrote.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>PM</b>: How have contests helped you or your CPs?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Saturday, March 14 AM</b>: What picture book character would you like for a best friend? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>PM</b>: How many manuscripts do you work on at the same time and how do you decide what feedback to use when revising? </span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Sunday, March 15 AM</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">: Are you the type to have a book spring into your head, write it down quickly and then take a long time editing your words....or do you spend a long time meticulously planning and drafting? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>PM</b>: Who has helped you through the writing and querying process? Time to share your thanks and spread the gratitude. </span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Monday, March 16 AM All Day</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">: Share your favorite picture books and chapter books, current and from childhood. We hope agents and editors will share their favorites…and ones they’ve worked on, too!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>PM</b>: What are some great conferences, workshops, classes, and other events for picture book and chapter book writers and author/illustrators? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Tuesday, March 17 All Day</b>: The finalists will be announced today! Congrats to them…and everyone who entered. You worked hard on your entry and sent new hope out—that definitely makes you a winner in our eyes!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If a ‘no’ gets you down…what helps take the sting away so you can dive back into writing, revising, and submitting? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Good luck and have fun everyone! If you have any questions, please leave them as comments on this post.</span></div>
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Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308214465210382791.post-45450044581166224292020-03-02T07:18:00.001-05:002020-03-13T07:08:53.631-04:00PBParty Agents and Editors 2020<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4wGriHjy1aRslfrwagHCfYP8esGpYHfLTNKVVn75mrHKnviidpecqbq9N5T9mtVVArI7Ynd_DtuT7968DM1OuWjwRhMu74Df0Jl-WllsIoV5qJedMbkEBrehh25KCsyl71umS1MzZkU/s1600/smaller+PBParty+bear+and+cupcake+with+faded+border.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4wGriHjy1aRslfrwagHCfYP8esGpYHfLTNKVVn75mrHKnviidpecqbq9N5T9mtVVArI7Ynd_DtuT7968DM1OuWjwRhMu74Df0Jl-WllsIoV5qJedMbkEBrehh25KCsyl71umS1MzZkU/s400/smaller+PBParty+bear+and+cupcake+with+faded+border.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;">Introducing the agents and editors for the 2020 Picture Book Party! Hang on to your seats--it's a very long post!</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;">Please read through our announcement post and FAQ <a href="http://www.michelle4laughs.com/2020/02/picture-book-party-2020-is-here.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Submission is <span style="color: red;">Monday, March 9th at 3:30 pm EST</span>! The submission form link will be on this blog on <span style="color: red;">March 6th</span>, along with a repeat of the rules and instructions. The submission form will remain <span style="color: blue;">locked</span> until Monday at 3:30 pm and then be open until 5:30 pm. You may send only <span style="color: blue;">one</span> entry, and there is a <span style="color: blue;">separate form</span> for author/illustrators to allow uploading of two images. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">We can't wait to read them! </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;">Remember we recommend researching each agent to determine if they would be a good fit for you in the event that you are <b>chosen</b> and <b>receive</b> a request. Note: Listed agents have agreed to take part in the contest, but that doesn't mean they will make requests or that life won't happen and prevent them from appearing. Everyone will do their best.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;">Check out last year's entries <a href="https://michellehauckwrites.com/contest/picture-book-party-spring-2019/" target="_blank">here</a>. </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;">Here are the talented agents and editors. Please thank their kindness by following them on twitter. <b>Click on their names below to go to their twitter account and click on their agency names for that website</b>. </span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/jmcgowanbks" target="_blank">James McGowan</a>- <a href="http://bookendsliterary.com/submissions/" target="_blank">Bookends Literary</a></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5boftAHWRRiwKDGUJ78P_dfn-NYjG6Q_SdtKNrpnIhHSImprupaNcVYHtClgjWJgdTgLC8GMoRsvH_mkhTqWdwJreDPqWJXVYg9FLiqaEZ5zJ5muge4u_yIByPHPjc1ST8b_0kRnJS4/s1600/JM-headshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5boftAHWRRiwKDGUJ78P_dfn-NYjG6Q_SdtKNrpnIhHSImprupaNcVYHtClgjWJgdTgLC8GMoRsvH_mkhTqWdwJreDPqWJXVYg9FLiqaEZ5zJ5muge4u_yIByPHPjc1ST8b_0kRnJS4/s1600/JM-headshot.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Since interning at BookEnds as an undergrad in the summer of 2015, James has (basically) never left. He's just continuously level-up-ed inside of BookEnds. Now he is the Literary Assistant and Social Media Manager for the team.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">James is a Staten Island native, and holds a Master's Degree in English from the College of Staten Island. He’s been a reader since his mom gave him the first </span><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">A Series of Unfortunate Events</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> book, and ordered the sequels regularly through Scholastic book orders. He only recently learned he could be a writer... now, his debut picture book, GOOD NIGHT, OPPY, publishes in Fall 2021 from Boyds Mills Kane Press. When James is not reading/working/writing, he can usually be found watching an unhealthy amount of sitcoms.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">James is seeking submissions in adult, middle grade, and picture book fiction, as well as middle grade and picture book non-fiction. In all age categories, he's looking for more authors from marginalized communities.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On the children's side, he is actively looking for both fiction and non-fiction picture books of any style, realistic and humorous middle-grade fiction including mysteries, middle-grade non-fiction, and select young adult fiction. James is primarily drawn to humor in his kidlit, and loves all things funny and silly. For non-fiction, he's particularly interested in books about science, climate and environment, little known people or events in history, and other STEM-related topics. Some of his favorite kidlit creators include Stacy McAnulty, Jory John, Elise Parsley, and Aaron Blabey. One of his favorite YA writers is Jason Reynolds.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/AdriaMGoetz" target="_blank">Adria Goetz</a>- <a href="https://www.martinlit.com/about-mlm" target="_blank">Martin Literary Management</a></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Adria Goetz is a Literary Manager, currently accepting queries for picture books, middle grade, young adult, graphic novels, quirky gift books, lifestyle books, cookbooks, adult nonfiction, Christian Living, and devotionals. She represents books both for the general market, and the Christian market.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Adria is a 2016 graduate of the Columbia Publishing Course in New York City, a six-week intensive course on all aspects of book, magazine, and digital media publishing. She is also a graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle with a B.A. in English with a creative writing emphasis. Adria worked for the Pierce County Library System for two years. Prior to becoming a Literary Manager, Adria fostered her knack for developing creative work during her three years as an intern and assistant at Martin Literary & Media Management.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Adria loves magical stories like </span><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The Night Gardener</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, stories which feature everyday moments contemporary families experience, like </span><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Hair Love</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> or </span><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">My Papi Has a Motorcycle</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. She is also looking for funny commercial picture books.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/vselvaggio1" target="_blank">Victoria Selvaggio</a>- <a href="https://www.stormliteraryagency.com/aboutus" target="_blank">Storm Literary Management</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFU-lAOg3RJemmIigHILCnPo4_3D2sysyxYxvg4uW5rHpcpBXb7ryMwVm68QK8jR5h5Cb36Ggxoj3BrPIc6gjWXc4QY0Z0X-clXYvNFeACBJhxle-F1KjSB79v_4-Gp5yo0iybg8EldhQ/s1600/VictoriaSelvaggio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFU-lAOg3RJemmIigHILCnPo4_3D2sysyxYxvg4uW5rHpcpBXb7ryMwVm68QK8jR5h5Cb36Ggxoj3BrPIc6gjWXc4QY0Z0X-clXYvNFeACBJhxle-F1KjSB79v_4-Gp5yo0iybg8EldhQ/s1600/VictoriaSelvaggio.jpg" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Victoria Selvaggio, previously with The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency was drawn to the publishing scene first as an author. She is a prior Regional Advisor for SCBWI: Northern Ohio, where her desire to help writers and illustrators reach their publications goals inspired her to become an agent.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With over twenty-five years as a business owner, Victoria is excited to help grow the agency’s client base with talented writers and illustrators, while also helping build the agency from within with motivated agents who possess the same ideals, literary interests, goals, and approaches to the industry.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As a frequent presenter at conferences, library events, contests, etc., Victoria is always interested in meeting writers and illustrators, and hearing about unique projects!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Victoria is currently closed to queries, except through contests or conferences.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/WilbursBF_Char" target="_blank">Charlotte Wenger</a>- <a href="http://www.prospectagency.com/about.html" target="_blank">Prospect Agency</a></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdR8fNxPOK1HYmJwT7Zz1h-MhE-mpfrmCA4H0GlAF1MGFI5jUFrPSDrsGKkD0dyOas1UVXjBeuW4PVNyP1o0zN3uhkaLukbQvei46ufPMN1AcbN2Rl0D-WwCHOvy5PkXZ1b2Z1tO7FA_s/s1600/charlotte-wenger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdR8fNxPOK1HYmJwT7Zz1h-MhE-mpfrmCA4H0GlAF1MGFI5jUFrPSDrsGKkD0dyOas1UVXjBeuW4PVNyP1o0zN3uhkaLukbQvei46ufPMN1AcbN2Rl0D-WwCHOvy5PkXZ1b2Z1tO7FA_s/s1600/charlotte-wenger.jpg" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Although my parents didn't intentionally name me after Charlotte A. Cavatica, as a child, I imagined that my white semicircle headboard transformed into a spider’s web at night. From a young age, I was aware of the impact of words and a well-crafted story. Now I’m delighted to work with clients to weave book webs that leave their mark on readers.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I honed my love of stories by getting a BA in English and theatre from Eastern Mennonite University. After graduating, I worked as a project manager and editor for Scribe, a Philadelphia-based publishing services company, for three years. To follow my passion for books and children, I moved to Boston to earn a master’s in Children’s Literature from Simmons College (now University). I interned at Charlesbridge (editorial) and Candlewick (sales), and after grad school, I interned with literary agent Rubin Pfeffer for a year. Prior to joining Prospect Agency, I was an associate editor for just over two years with Page Street Kids, where I acquired and edited more than twenty picture books and grew relationships with authors, illustrators, agents, and other editors.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">As an agent, I enjoy the editorial work and the relationship building; so I love attending conferences and leading workshops. I've mentored Simmons MFA students and also serve on the national advisory board of the Mazza Museum, the world's largest collection of original children's book art, in Findlay, Ohio.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I'm interested in working with authors and illustrators of children's books—board books through YA, but especially picture books—as well as adult nonfiction, particularly biographies and memoirs.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez is a mom, wife, math teacher, picture book author, co-host of the kidlit Spring Fling Writing Contest, creator of the Fall Writing Frenzy Contest, and intern at Olswanger Literary, looking to acquire her first manuscript to submit to editors. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">In her free time, Kaitlyn loves to play soccer, binge-watch shows on Hulu and Prime, and, of course, read. Her favorite stories are historical fiction, and short stories are her jam. She’s recently gotten into dramas, fantasies, mysteries, and romances. And of course, she LOVES picture books! Especially when her husband, daughter, and she all cozy up and read together.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">For picture books, Kaitlyn is looking to represent the following (but you never know what might catch her fancy! </span></span><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fiction: STEM/STEAM, humor, magical realism, rhyme, diversity, creative ways of looking at normal things, tear-jerkers. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nonfiction: STEM/STEAM, historical (biographies rock but make sure they have a super creative hook)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Natalie is an agent at Bradford Literary Agency. An honors graduate of the University of San Diego, California, Natalie holds a B.A. in Literature/Writing. Natalie has been an agent since 2009; after nearly four years at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency and a brief dabble in writing author profiles and book reviews for the San Diego Union Tribune, Natalie joined Bradford Literary Agency in February 2011.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Natalie’s specialties are all ages (PB, chapter book, MG, YA) of children’s literature (fiction and nonfiction), adult cozy mystery/crime, female-driven thrillers, and upmarket women’s/general fiction. She also represents illustrators and select adult nonfiction.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">In novels, she likes historical (primarily 1800s-1920s), multi-cultural, own voice representation, magical realism, LGBTQ, strong female leads, sci-fi/fantasy, gritty, thrilling and darker contemporary novels, and horror.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">In picture books, she likes short-texted (500 words or less), emotionally-resonant, quirky or character-driven. She likes softer, lyrical bedtime books that are beautifully written, humor, strong voices, strong characters, and texts with fun, clever and unexpected twists at the end.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">She looks for unique perspectives and fresh ideas in nonfiction. In children’s nonfiction, she likes picture book biographies, STEAM topics, and texts exploring feminist and social issues. In adult nonfiction, platform and innovation are key; Natalie is drawn to prescriptive titles in the areas of self-help, psychology, business, and science, and is also open to quirky gift and humor books, New Age titles, and nonfiction featuring under-represented voices.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSfsTjzrtSyzjPKkk2FLhvqJm122KjPOBf8t0S9xfJ2zk0M1GtJV17aRgtF9QfxwD4WmMmAqVVW6gW4e-KIbvyd9BAwJZ__qAgN-1otlkhTf-CCYE0jNf4tJtjRB5OcXA50FL7WdP1Nc/s1600/victoriawells.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="500" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSfsTjzrtSyzjPKkk2FLhvqJm122KjPOBf8t0S9xfJ2zk0M1GtJV17aRgtF9QfxwD4WmMmAqVVW6gW4e-KIbvyd9BAwJZ__qAgN-1otlkhTf-CCYE0jNf4tJtjRB5OcXA50FL7WdP1Nc/s320/victoriawells.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Victoria started her career as an editor at Dial Books for Young Readers, moving later to Putnam. In 2001 she set up Bloomsbury USA’s children’s division, starting with three people (and a dog). Bloomsbury grew quickly, soon hitting the bestseller lists and acquiring major awards, publishing such authors as Shannon Hale, Nikki Grimes, Renee Watson, E. D. Baker and many other beloved creators. In 2013 Victoria opened her own agency, Wells Arms Literary, where she represents authors and illustrators for the full range of children’s books, from board books to young adult, as well as some non-fiction. In 2018 Wells Arms Literary joined in association with Hannigan Getzler.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Looking for: I am not looking to grow my list of clients. I will, however, look at what comes in and if I think we might be able to work together I will be in touch. I especially enjoy contemporary young adult fiction, middle grade with magical realism elements, and picture book texts that are fun to read aloud, but leave a sweet and profound aftertaste. Everyone has good ideas; I like to see writers who can put those ideas into their own brilliant words and illustrators who can write their own stories too.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/mcummingskidlit" target="_blank">Mary Cummings</a>- <a href="https://amsterlit.com/about/" target="_blank">Betsy Amster Literary Enterprises</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtC64qXEpxDrN2_hZvftKorVttEpdI4tJRroJuhhypyG2uZaW3aBp5aBNDjrrMc0ZWfSJp5TETM8K6mIVg7GqxbPYKPyxhAjSgvWs_FW1rU3zo5ju58rCCXO7OQ-J2_cRqAayBIW3CUc/s1600/mary+cummings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtC64qXEpxDrN2_hZvftKorVttEpdI4tJRroJuhhypyG2uZaW3aBp5aBNDjrrMc0ZWfSJp5TETM8K6mIVg7GqxbPYKPyxhAjSgvWs_FW1rU3zo5ju58rCCXO7OQ-J2_cRqAayBIW3CUc/s320/mary+cummings.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I'm a literary agent with Betsy Amster Literary Enterprises. My sales include picture books, chapter books and novels by George Shannon, Ariel Bernstein, Angela Dalton, Elizabeth Verdick, Loretta Ellsworth, Karen Briner, Hannah Voskuil, David Cundy, Joy Keller, Ariel Horn, Susan Haas, Lois Barr, Dawn Young, Nick Dyer, Melissa Martin, John Elkins and others.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Houses I've sold to range from Viking and Knopf to HarperCollins, Random House, Philomel, Wiseman/S & S and many more. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Top of my list for picture books: Love themes. This could be new baby, child and an other (pet, sibling, parent, etc.) or love for the full world and nature. My tastes are pretty broad. I particularly like warmth. Also good are humor, adventure, and quirky charm. Kindness is important to me. I like adorable and cute. I like sad and satisfying. I like gorgeous and lyrical. I like wondrous. I really like love (see above, re. picture book top want). I like energetic and unconventional. I like serious and poignant. (I know. As I say: my tastes are pretty broad).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/leslie_zampetti" target="_blank">Leslie Zampetti</a>- <a href="https://www.dunhamlit.com/about.html" target="_blank">Dunham Literary</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Leslie joined Dunham Literary in June 2016. Previously, she was an intern for The Bent Agency.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">A former librarian with over 20 years’ experience in special, public, and school libraries, Leslie has cataloged rocket launch videos and Lego rocket ship models, presented SEC documents and story times, and negotiated with organizations from Lexis-Nexis to the PTA. Her experience as a librarian has given her a distinct perspective on publishing and readers. A writer herself, Leslie is very familiar with querying from both sides of the desk.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Leslie graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in English and has a Master’s of Library and Information Science degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">For children’s books, Leslie seeks middle grade and young adult novels, especially mystery and contemporary. Historical fiction set in the recent past, novels in verse, and off-the-beaten path romances are on her wish list. For picture books, Leslie wants unusual true tales, biographies of unsung heroes and heroines, or stories that show everyday diversity to mirror under-represented readers and open windows to others. She is drawn to books about Florida, baseball, and kids with book smarts and big hearts.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/MadmoiselleClel" target="_blank">Clelia Gore</a>- <a href="https://www.martinlit.com/about-mlm" target="_blank">Martin Literary Management</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2DzzOrKax_MFQZy8jHllntyvy5kgM9TJTIMXVClo8qyL3L_CkmKuKVzLwKWMOts37HP79DPNKLyqmDaL_wONOnHQ14SMYzayMOq20wKzuRYUiUfoRnm82fQiMvFLivnjH1tSowwZlLeU/s1600/clelia.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2DzzOrKax_MFQZy8jHllntyvy5kgM9TJTIMXVClo8qyL3L_CkmKuKVzLwKWMOts37HP79DPNKLyqmDaL_wONOnHQ14SMYzayMOq20wKzuRYUiUfoRnm82fQiMvFLivnjH1tSowwZlLeU/s200/clelia.jpeg" width="200" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">It was when Clelia first read <i>Charlotte’s Web</i> in the first grade that she got hooked by the magic of books. Her love of children’s books carried through adulthood and she is delighted to dedicate her life to bringing quality books and stories to young (and whimsical adult!) readers. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Clelia is originally from the suburbs of New York City. She has a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Boston College. She received her J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law and practiced law as a corporate litigator in New York City. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">In 2011, she decided to dedicate her career to books and reentered graduate school at Emerson College, where she received a master’s degree in Publishing and Writing. While she was studying publishing and taking creative writing courses at Emerson, Clelia gained firsthand experience in the publishing industry working in the children’s book division at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and in academic books at Oxford University Press. She also taught academic writing and research courses to freshman students as a graduate student faculty member at Emerson College. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Clelia acquires picture book, middle grade and young adult books. She is particularly interested in developing her nonfiction clientele. With apologies, Clelia is no longer accepting new adult fiction queries at this time.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/AllieLevick" target="_blank">Alexandra Levick</a>- <a href="http://www.writershouse.com/submissions" target="_blank">Writers House Literary</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgga1oFjcpe6k_pQEFfEecv8BNaouvV6ZSPL06OoTkLGT1t2r8fWld2sX9HeAD2tPvl3_6V9-Y7cPIpCtxMQHvZYJmyn-MSrD3ybP02115pLmt5LkyEo18g7u1rHbW21GgdjYUsMxV4xSk/s1600/AlexandraLevick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgga1oFjcpe6k_pQEFfEecv8BNaouvV6ZSPL06OoTkLGT1t2r8fWld2sX9HeAD2tPvl3_6V9-Y7cPIpCtxMQHvZYJmyn-MSrD3ybP02115pLmt5LkyEo18g7u1rHbW21GgdjYUsMxV4xSk/s200/AlexandraLevick.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I started at Writers House as an intern for Brianne Johnson and was quickly pulled from the program to begin working for Senior Vice President, Merrilee Heifetz. Later, I covered senior agent, Stephen Barr's, paternity leave and began working as an assistant to senior agents Brianne Johnson and Rebecca Sherman. I have also worked as a bookseller in both the adult and children’s markets, as well as on the house side of the publishing business in publicity. In 2015, I graduated from New York University with my Masters of Science in Publishing: Digital and Print Media, with a specialization in Media Content Development.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I am actively growing my picture book, middle grade, young adult, and adult lists.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Picture book author-illustrators, a wide range of middle grade and YA, and more speculative-leaning or genre-bent upmarket adult works. I’m committed to working with writers from diverse backgrounds and am looking to put forth a list of outstanding creators who will be able to provide windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors (thank you, Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop) into all kinds of experiences. I’m particularly looking for own-voices stories about historically underrepresented characters, identities, and cultures.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">No matter the genre or age-range, I crave a distinctive voice and strong thematic point behind the work—I want to run screaming to my friends and family about your book because there is so much to discuss. I love character-driven stories that revolve around BIG topics (discussing things like mortality or grief in a new and hopefully somewhat uplifting way is always an instant lightbulb!). Upon further consideration, I'm not looking for 'issue books’ per se, rather I’d like to represent authors and stories that stand for more than just a good yarn; I’d like to represent authors who provoke conversations around important and necessary topics in our world today. I don’t just want contemporary versions of these stories, either. Send me your fantasy, your sci-fi, your genre-bender!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/the_cat_agency" target="_blank">Christy Ewers</a>- <a href="http://www.catugeau.com/" target="_blank">The CAT Agency</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Christy Ewers, has been rooted in the children's literature industry since her mother, Chris, started the agency in 1994, and joined as an agent in 2013. Although Christy is not an artist herself, art has been a huge part of her life and career, even before joining the agency. With a degree in English/Journalism and over a decade of experience in various creative fields, Christy offers a different perspective to the agency, while maintaining the enthusiasm and love that her mother brings to the industry. She works closely with the entire “family” of artists, spearheading the promotion and deals for CAT Agency illustrators, as well as working alongside the authors in the group to help craft their stories and hone their writing for young readers. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Aside from writing, her interests include running long distances, seaside escapes, very hot coffee and pitbulls. Christy is - hilariously enough - a dog person.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Her husband, Chris Ewers, is an artist, too, as a talented cinematographer and film-maker (www.christopherewers.com). They have 2 little ones, Billie & Finnegan, who are The CAT Agency's resident experts and critics. Billie has over 7 years of experience in the world, and is a fan of everything and anything “unicorn”. At age 4, Finn boasts incredible knowledge of CREEPY PAIR OF UNDERWEAR, which he can now practically recite. Billie currently enjoys using every marker in the box, while Finn uses the color red. And only the color red. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyLH0AUGtV9qbiDbbj8gKO8ne6ETwlxJtc_cQGi5Vc2puCMigYMKc8lYu7ZILGpxtoWwYZd0p69-OIWq-iGReCUWWMxpdzNJN-FL_tV5XsVV1rBshRGcYdZc3XqLlxnbEcpZ3Xw5BabAI/s1600/agent-laurel.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyLH0AUGtV9qbiDbbj8gKO8ne6ETwlxJtc_cQGi5Vc2puCMigYMKc8lYu7ZILGpxtoWwYZd0p69-OIWq-iGReCUWWMxpdzNJN-FL_tV5XsVV1rBshRGcYdZc3XqLlxnbEcpZ3Xw5BabAI/s1600/agent-laurel.png" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I began my publishing career in the editorial department of HarperCollins Children’s Books/Katherine Tegen Books in New York City. In the past decade, I have also held positions in the marketing department at a small publishing house, in a library, and as a bookseller at one of the nation’s best independent bookstores. What I love about agenting is being the author’s number one cheerleader through all these parts of the publication process!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I am seeking young adult and middle grade fiction with a special interest in contemporary and fantasy-with-a-twist. I look for engaging voices, commercial hooks, and immersive worlds. My YA tastes are pretty commercial whereas my middle grade tastes can skew more literary and I’m especially interested in middle grade that might lend itself to illustration.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">For picture books and graphic novels, I am especially seeking authors-illustrators (although I am open to both solo authors and illustrators) who bring a unique vision. My tastes are diverse, ranging from sophisticated to quirky to gently humorous. I am interested in art in all mediums, but especially appreciate a smart use of color and perspective. I am not the right fit for “issue” books, rhyming texts, or overly sentimental stories.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">In nonfiction for children and young adults, I am seeking biographies, histories, and explorations of STEM elements, especially projects with an age-appropriate hook and series potential.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">In every category, I am seeking voices that have previously been underrepresented and stories that have been overlooked.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Rick Margolis- <a href="http://risingbear.com/" target="_blank">Rising Bear Literary</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEMOnkQnqsZd-HqcT8gcvi66j5pQlTEuX6NI3xeXsLoo46AaOYYqk2irzR-DZkNCnqyC_FYMoKL6BZI99uMzsxoCH6mV782k7Rsbqw0OXBRCIRm3s5KIkMOckHweRMGFxuQ4_HggsFhWs/s1600/rickmargolis.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="294" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEMOnkQnqsZd-HqcT8gcvi66j5pQlTEuX6NI3xeXsLoo46AaOYYqk2irzR-DZkNCnqyC_FYMoKL6BZI99uMzsxoCH6mV782k7Rsbqw0OXBRCIRm3s5KIkMOckHweRMGFxuQ4_HggsFhWs/s320/rickmargolis.png" width="275" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">For nearly 15 years, I worked for School Library Journal, the world’s largest reviewer of books for young readers. As SLJ ’s executive editor, I had the pleasure of interviewing many remarkable children’s book creators, including Kate DiCamillo, Mo Willems, Katherine Paterson, Gene Yang, Rita Williams-Garcia, Markus Zusak, Rebecca Stead, and Jon Klassen. One of the best parts of my job was writing a monthly interview column, “Under Cover,” which highlighted new and promising authors and illustrators (like John Green, Suzanne Collins, and Stephenie Meyer) who went on to have amazing careers. Along the way, I also met many publishers and children’s book editors. Because I’ve read so much and so widely, I have a strong sense of the stories that appeal to them, and I know the literary market well. And for some reason, almost every year I was able to predict the winner of the Caldecott Medal, which honors the year’s best-illustrated book.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Although I loved my stint at SLJ, I was ready for a new challenge. But not just any job would do.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I wanted to find one that felt like my true calling—one that I was wild about—and that could contribute something of value to the world. I also wanted to stay connected to kids’ books—because I love them and because I was once a reading specialist (working with students who struggled to read) and I know firsthand what a profound difference the right book can make in a young person’s life.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">To make a long story short, after lots of praying and scores of meetings with some very insightful folks (and a fair amount of snacking), I launched Rising Bear Literary Agency, LLC, specializing in what I most love: picture books, early- and middle-grade fiction, young adult literature, and adult novels with unforgettable teen characters.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Rising Bear aims to help writers and illustrators do their best possible work, to pair them with the perfect publisher, and to see them develop long, rewarding careers. We’re excited to work with people who are passionate about creating exceptional books—and who are ready to change the world, one fabulous title at a time. We offer a full range of services that include foreign, film, and merchandising rights in all forms of media.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/abigailcrfrank" target="_blank">Abigail Frank</a>- <a href="https://www.greenburger.com/" target="_blank">Sanford J. Greenburger Associates</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1YMOC_LlAL7cc0XgvgqO1kJxDDVk1h_or9PGOHtPs8WkE9lC0ZhuSLPQKqDSezb41D4gelIhuplPHm6e-o3WeQ2YOx3hVuE2SppMgqjx96TshH53Emdfz2vLnntuBPXNRd4A1pWHCa8/s1600/abigalefrank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1YMOC_LlAL7cc0XgvgqO1kJxDDVk1h_or9PGOHtPs8WkE9lC0ZhuSLPQKqDSezb41D4gelIhuplPHm6e-o3WeQ2YOx3hVuE2SppMgqjx96TshH53Emdfz2vLnntuBPXNRd4A1pWHCa8/s320/abigalefrank.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Abigail is passionate about stories for young people, especially those that are hilarious, poetic, quietly heartbreaking, and/or swoon-worthy, and she cares about voice, above all. She gravitates towards picture books that feel entirely original, chapter books with big personalities, and novels about unforgettable teens falling in love. She is committed to advocating for the work of marginalized authors and artists, and she’s actively looking for stories that allow young readers to recognize themselves in the books they love. She is also looking for select adult projects, including narrative nonfiction (especially if it explores pop culture, healthcare, or higher education) and rom-com-y commercial fiction. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Abigail joined the Greenburger team in 2017 after interning at Writers House. Formerly an assistant to Brenda Bowen, she now assists Faith Hamlin with her extraordinary and eclectic list of clients. Abigail graduated with a degree in English Literature from Swarthmore College and worked in healthcare before pursuing her passion for books.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Abigail is searching for thoughtful and clever writing that never underestimates the subject or the reader, and she cares about voice, above all. She is committed to advocating for the work of marginalized authors and artists, and she’s actively looking for stories that allow young readers to recognize themselves in the books they love.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/Lynnette_Novak" target="_blank">Lynnette Novak</a>- <a href="https://www.theseymouragency.com/" target="_blank">The Seymour Agency</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpSxeY3dve1x9uDRXIt-tgH4LspNfHQHaUqVpeEdAlvusmgdu7PwR9Bl5eW6QV4FD_k36GxOeoA7h0drVr0Ri-fMr0_IAHPwm1LiAkbewIzxG5iLMS9ehxT1sLXlHsT2NHJhV_gAOM2Q/s1600/Lynnette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpSxeY3dve1x9uDRXIt-tgH4LspNfHQHaUqVpeEdAlvusmgdu7PwR9Bl5eW6QV4FD_k36GxOeoA7h0drVr0Ri-fMr0_IAHPwm1LiAkbewIzxG5iLMS9ehxT1sLXlHsT2NHJhV_gAOM2Q/s1600/Lynnette.jpg" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Prior to joining The Seymour Agency, Lynnette spent seventeen years freelance editing. She worked with new writers, advanced writers, as well as New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors. Lynnette earned a bachelor of education degree from the University of Manitoba, where she specialized in English and French. She excelled in Advanced Creative Writing in university and studied writing for children and teens through the Institute of Children’s Literature. She was a Pitch Wars mentor in 2015 and 2016. Both her mentees acquired an agent.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Although Lynnette was born and raised in Manitoba, Canada, she now lives in Minnesota with her husband, twin girls, and many pets. Her personal interests include reading, writing, exercising at the gym (okay, that’s a love/hate relationship), working on an assortment of crafts, all things having to do with animals (if she could own a farm, zoo, and animal shelter, she would), and enjoying time with family and friends.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">In adult fiction: thrillers, psychological suspense, horror, contemporary romance, romantic comedy, and mysteries (traditional, amateur sleuth, and cozy).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">In young adult fiction: thrillers, psychological suspense, horror, mysteries, sci-fi, fantasy, and contemporary.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">In middle grade fiction: fantasy, sci-fi, action/adventure, mystery, contemporary, horror, and humor.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">In children’s fiction: picture books (non-rhyming preferred). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/MelissaRicheson" target="_blank">Melissa Richeson</a>- <a href="https://sally-apokedak.com/" target="_blank">Apokedak Literary Agency</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbDuU3hNbsFbulZomHO89yGg6nIqfS1l-g_tHK9eM1yTY2AObbZrxXQf0dT1JiZv-gfgiSPvJWMpWIWCl6UVwY9Lm2JpqJJGEsGDvw_M7dSOMggK0hPWqozh0WoKI2LGr51fcOOlcawg/s1600/Melissa+Richeson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbDuU3hNbsFbulZomHO89yGg6nIqfS1l-g_tHK9eM1yTY2AObbZrxXQf0dT1JiZv-gfgiSPvJWMpWIWCl6UVwY9Lm2JpqJJGEsGDvw_M7dSOMggK0hPWqozh0WoKI2LGr51fcOOlcawg/s1600/Melissa+Richeson.jpg" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">In the spring of 2018, Melissa joined ALA as an intern and a year later she moved to an Associate Agent role and began developing her own client list.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">She holds a degree in Marketing, as well as a background in elementary literature education–both assets that will benefit our clients, old and new.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Melissa has been working as a writer for years, with publishing credits in The Washington Post, Focus on the Family, Florida Today, Space Coast Parent, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and many more. She had a children’s fiction serial run in an online magazine for over a year, is a current staff columnist, and coaches writers on a part-time basis.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">To build her client list, Melissa is focusing on children’s book authors—picture books through young adult. She’s drawn to witty wording and whimsical design for picture books, humor and quick pacing for chapter books, charming mysteries or magic in middle grade, and fresh, character-driven stories in young adult. She’s not the best fit for horror, high fantasy, or graphic violence of any kind.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I’m looking for picture books that are so heartfelt they get me choked up or are so funny they make me laugh-cry. (Either way, bring me to tears, I guess?) Non-fiction in picture books is awesome too. I love chapter books with quick pacing, a great hook, and a well-researched world. In middle grade, I adore magic, humor, and a sense of imagination. For young adult, I’m typically drawn to contemporary and historical work, but a good fantasy draws me in too. Use subtle wit and intelligent wordplay, and I’m all in.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Some of my perennial favorites include Harry Potter (Rowling), A Series of Unfortunate Events (Snicket), Junie B. Jones (Park), The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (Avi), The Messenger (Lowry), and A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens). More recent titles that I’ve loved include Stay Sweet (Vivian), The Unexpected Everything (Matson), Salt to the Sea (Sepetys), An Ember in the Ashes (Tahir), What to Say Next (Buxbaum), and Words in Deep Blue (Crowley).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/SWekstein" target="_blank">Samantha Wekstein</a>- <a href="https://thompsonliterary.com/bios/" target="_blank">Thompson Literary Agency</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Samantha Wekstein grew up in Westchester, NY. She attended the University of Maryland, College Park and received a B.A. in English. She now lives in NYC with her husband and dog. After internships with Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency and Rowman & Littlefield, she began her career in 2013 at Writers House LLC. She then briefly worked as an assistant at The Agency Group (now UTA) before returning to Writers House for the next 5 years where she began supporting the CEO, and then the Founder, before becoming an agent.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">She’s been lucky to work with a variety of best-selling and award winning authors across all genres. She joined TLA in 2019 where she’s excited to grow her list. In YA, she loves creative and epic fantasies, but she is also drawn to realistic stories with multi-dimensional female characters. She is always interested in elevating diverse voices, particularly through feminist narratives. She is seeking middle grade of all stripes, but especially stories that deal with themes of friendship, adventure, or encountering tragedy for the first time. She is also on the lookout for whimsical, meaningful, and funny picture books. On the adult side she is drawn to commercial voices in Romance, Women’s Fiction, Historical Fiction, Sci-Fi and Fantasy. Her clients include Lani Forbes, Korrie Leer, and Jessie L. Star, among others.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/AndreaAgency" target="_blank">Andrea Morrison</a>- <a href="http://www.writershouse.com/" target="_blank">Writers House Literary</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBsp4gRQqoQf2zrgr8vuqAn3jwHfmbJUf5lDAe0lgjZv887-6wisuPai1iGagmeWxwbVs_DZacv59J0wbEv58MXagrClSZnuBMWGfvHKLGexqjVK6oEBPWXs0Tk4qze2VwnfOYYDADkI/s1600/andreamorrison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBsp4gRQqoQf2zrgr8vuqAn3jwHfmbJUf5lDAe0lgjZv887-6wisuPai1iGagmeWxwbVs_DZacv59J0wbEv58MXagrClSZnuBMWGfvHKLGexqjVK6oEBPWXs0Tk4qze2VwnfOYYDADkI/s320/andreamorrison.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Writers House is a full service literary agency that was founded in 1974. I started in our California office in 2009 as an intern to Steven Malk, and I have been in love with publishing and this company ever since. In NYC, I first learned under Brianne Johnson, and then went on to assist Rebecca Sherman and Geri Thoma. I've had the opportunity to work closely with a variety of bestselling and award-winning authors and illustrators, in genres ranging from picture books to middle grade and YA, to adult literary fiction and nonfiction. I'm actively building my own list of clients.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I studied Literature & Writing at University of California, San Diego and earned my MFA in Fiction from Columbia University—not only do I understand the revision process from an agent’s point of view, I also understand it from a writer’s perspective. I truly love editorial work, and am hands-on when it comes to helping authors revise and build projects.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I’m looking for quirky and humorous picture books filled with heart, and stories that help kids learn more about environments they know well, and other ways of life they're less familiar with. I’m passionate about working with author/illustrators who have stories they can’t help but tell, and who are excited about sharing tales that children will remember in their teens, in their thirties, in their sixties...stories they’ll want to pass on to their own children and grandchildren. I remember reading MARTHA SPEAKS and A BARGAIN FOR FRANCES countless times as a kid, and I’m looking for books that will also be read multiple times, with characters who are what Martha and Frances were to me. **At this point in time, I'm only taking on author/illustrators and illustrators of picture books.** some illustrators whose work I admire: Dana Wulfekotte, Scott Campbell, Diana Sudyka, Matt Phelan, and Sydney Smith...just to name a few! (The list could really be SO, so long.)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/sharimaurer" target="_blank">Shari Maurer</a>- <a href="https://www.stringerlit.com/agents" target="_blank">Stringer Literary</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgo0OuhIsg9raBqUZLThloCxrClM9PErVq1RCmpVfE13-atHrpyNVCOCQLeUXj4u1IxuNrZkVZSraO9VGjF_VA5l2RiCD51O2CuSL8YHr-gfgOA3eb4V1vfOrmZGtPXYRDMVwGnH2mI3w/s1600/Shari_floral_small_400x400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgo0OuhIsg9raBqUZLThloCxrClM9PErVq1RCmpVfE13-atHrpyNVCOCQLeUXj4u1IxuNrZkVZSraO9VGjF_VA5l2RiCD51O2CuSL8YHr-gfgOA3eb4V1vfOrmZGtPXYRDMVwGnH2mI3w/s320/Shari_floral_small_400x400.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Shari graduated from Duke University with a degree in English, and later studied Dramatic Writing at NYU. Following a stint at The Children’s Television Workshop on international productions of Sesame Street, she published both novels and non-fiction, and worked as a writer and editor. Shari has also written Parenting & Lifestyle columns for several websites. A mother of three, she lives in New York with her husband.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Shari Maurer is currently seeking contemporary & historical YA and MG (no fantasy, please), and book club fiction. She also seeks funny picture books, New Adult, Romance, Women's Fiction, and nonfiction.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/lindsaydauld" target="_blank">Lindsay Davis Auld</a>- <a href="http://www.writershouse.com/home" target="_blank">Writers House Literary</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK88ZNWJHa3-dtANngUZKlaJrDrIbSaiHjnAeDwxLHuBEX5qMX3l3ASAKjeeKwqIZCiq3KHcEJJP-vyQ7NCRBEgPAzeM833HRNTqL1yfEUhLrVmmC9s1vmBTtV2ypeMEFG1JVu95oRU44/s1600/LindsayDavisAuld.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK88ZNWJHa3-dtANngUZKlaJrDrIbSaiHjnAeDwxLHuBEX5qMX3l3ASAKjeeKwqIZCiq3KHcEJJP-vyQ7NCRBEgPAzeM833HRNTqL1yfEUhLrVmmC9s1vmBTtV2ypeMEFG1JVu95oRU44/s320/LindsayDavisAuld.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I started at Writers House in the West Coast office, where I apprenticed with Steven Malk and had the opportunity to work with some of the very best authors and artists in the industry. Before taking time off to start a family, I helped launch the careers of several bestselling and award-winning authors. I've now recently re-joined Writers House and I'm actively building my list. I'm seeking picture book, middle grade, and young adult manuscripts, including illustrated and graphic novel submissions. Growing up, I loved (and still love) stories by Lois Lowry, Beverly Cleary, Roald Dahl, Madeleine L'Engle, Mildred D. Taylor, Philip Pullman, Katherine Paterson, and E. L. Konigsburg. I've always been passionate about children's and young adult literature, and, as an agent, I'm eager to help bring fresh voices, characters and stories to a new generation of readers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I'm particularly drawn to mysteries, fantasy, historical fiction, friendship stories, romance, magical realism, adventure, and books with humor--light or dark or both. I would love to see submissions from diverse or underrepresented authors.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/melissabnasson" target="_blank">Melissa Nasson</a>- <a href="https://www.rpcontent.com/" target="_blank">Rubin Pfeffer Content</a></b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJ7Ve3BOE5IVGLZcUxyYU1ce71-ldHwclupIyvYshJWkX46GUhyphenhyphenF7otc8gMMs5URm73ES1sZ0kNwCtHmHi9xs9MZ687NXsnwd7QWB50XWPjEMALHBBjH0HVjvugUwiGZ76lRew0Tiygc/s1600/melissanasson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJ7Ve3BOE5IVGLZcUxyYU1ce71-ldHwclupIyvYshJWkX46GUhyphenhyphenF7otc8gMMs5URm73ES1sZ0kNwCtHmHi9xs9MZ687NXsnwd7QWB50XWPjEMALHBBjH0HVjvugUwiGZ76lRew0Tiygc/s320/melissanasson.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Melissa Nasson has spent her life living in and around Boston, attending college at Boston University (Go Terriers!). While studying at Boston University School of Law, she realized that becoming a literary agent would combine her passion for books with her legal background, and she began interning at Zachary Shuster Harmsworth, and later at East-West Literary Agency and Rubin Pfeffer Content. After taking the bar exam in 2012, Melissa worked as a foreign rights intern at Perseus Books Group before starting as contracts director at Beacon Press. Melissa loves dogs, craft beer, making pickles, tending to her tiny vegetable garden, and her pet tortoise, Norton.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Melissa is seeking middle-grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction. She is also accepting picture book queries. She is open to all genres, but has a special love for fantasy and science fiction. She enjoys unexpected settings and loves a good romantic angle. For nonfiction, she’d love to see manuscripts that bring to light untold stories from history, particularly featuring individuals from marginalized groups. Above all, she wants to see strong, polished writing, fully developed and multifaceted characters, and fresh concepts. Tip: Melissa is not a good fit for bathroom humor.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/GoGirlsGoBooks" target="_blank">Frances Gilbert</a>- <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/imprints/8C/doubleday-books-young-readers" target="_blank">Doubleday Books for Young Readers</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil15KFd1FhBl2HE9PzRMAJ-ntkelG-GbvzBLp9PGBjfb-qKQtStE09HIK6SZyUZL74yqHquGmKOAwTeboR9djojN0lkNY2Aq_vkJf6vYfAGDAkLMMZKtiQrDbTnf7JWDD6KN78eZ7fcCo/s1600/GGGcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="322" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil15KFd1FhBl2HE9PzRMAJ-ntkelG-GbvzBLp9PGBjfb-qKQtStE09HIK6SZyUZL74yqHquGmKOAwTeboR9djojN0lkNY2Aq_vkJf6vYfAGDAkLMMZKtiQrDbTnf7JWDD6KN78eZ7fcCo/s320/GGGcover.jpg" width="257" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">FRANCES GILBERT started her career in children’s books when she was still a child, working in the children’s department of her town library throughout high school. After graduating from university with an M.A. in English, Frances’s first job in publishing was as a Book Club Editor at Scholastic Canada in Toronto. She moved to New York in 2000 to set up a children’s editorial division at Sterling Publishing, where she stayed till 2012. Frances then moved to Random House Children’s Books, where she is Editor-in-Chief of Doubleday Books for Young Readers. Titles she has acquired and edited include: The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine by Mark Twain, Philip Stead, and Erin Stead; I Don’t Want to Be a Frog by Dev Petty and Mike Boldt; the Hello, World! board book series by Jill McDonald; Bunny’s Book Club by Annie Silvestro and Tatjana Mai-Wyss; and Wordy Birdy by Tammi Sauer and Dave Mottram. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">In addition to editing children’s books, Frances also writes them: She is the author of the picture books Go, Girls, Go! (Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster) and I Will Always Be Your Bunny (Doubleday); the Step Into Reading titles I Love Pink!, I Love My Tutu!, and I Love My Grandma!; and an abridgment of The Secret Garden (Little Golden Books).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Sarah Rockett- <a href="https://sleepingbearpress.com/" target="_blank">Sleeping Bear Press</a></b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwzHVtyB8C819BMt4HFqTSYSeBKmr4cMc2MltLnJcxYm4hrSUJWBngKUsPe9xlUdvMs_dd3BP8tQ7ztmxD_PPJooIUW5mvC_bdalHyvHTeupql9oZsR307-ZLAAILWgFLt3zcy4eiCOU/s1600/SRockett_20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1527" data-original-width="1197" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwzHVtyB8C819BMt4HFqTSYSeBKmr4cMc2MltLnJcxYm4hrSUJWBngKUsPe9xlUdvMs_dd3BP8tQ7ztmxD_PPJooIUW5mvC_bdalHyvHTeupql9oZsR307-ZLAAILWgFLt3zcy4eiCOU/s320/SRockett_20.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Sarah Rockett is a picture book editor with Sleeping Bear Press. She loves stories about nature and kindness--as well as anything that encourages big, joyful belly laughs. Recent projects include Winged Wonders: Solving the Monarch Migration Mystery, Snow Globe Wishes, A Boy Like You, and Nature's Friend: The Gwen Frostic Story. She lives with her husband, young son, and cocker spaniel outside of Ann Arbor, but vastly prefers the woods of northern Michigan. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/alayne_kay" target="_blank">Alayne Kay Christian</a>- <a href="https://www.bluewhalepress.com/about.html" target="_blank">Blue Whale Press</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmvBwJIaHC9ntDxnv3ZmooUyBf0d-EMCGskBo5JpWSiel3WsM8QB-piWriJNkM3D2TXIvUCWXFPdStq9MA1VQsZ3LodFut5BM12iTWUAJV0lAVux2E70BCS8ilPpLQIHMqcM5D0ppO6Y/s1600/Alayne+DSC_0296+crop+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="165" data-original-width="200" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmvBwJIaHC9ntDxnv3ZmooUyBf0d-EMCGskBo5JpWSiel3WsM8QB-piWriJNkM3D2TXIvUCWXFPdStq9MA1VQsZ3LodFut5BM12iTWUAJV0lAVux2E70BCS8ilPpLQIHMqcM5D0ppO6Y/s320/Alayne+DSC_0296+crop+%25281%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Alayne Kay Christian is the content and developmental editor for Blue Whale Press and an award-winning children’s book author. She is the creator and teacher of a picture book writing course, Art of Arc. She shares more or her knowledge and tips for writers through her Writing for Children Webinars. She has been a professional picture book and chapter book critique writer since 2014, and she worked as a 12 X 12 critique ninja for three years. Alayne is a graduate of the Institute for Children’s Literature. In addition, she has spent the last eleven years studying under some of the top names in children’s literature. Alayne’s focus at Blue Whale Press is content editing, creative direction, and working with authors and illustrators to coordinate the path to quality books.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Blue Whale press is looking for unusual characters, strong narrative arc, strong voice, fresh/unique premises, and surprise twists. We are drawn to unique stories that standout from all the rest. We gravitate toward humor, but we would love some stories that tug at the heartstrings, but again, in a unique, standout way. Clever and/or humorous informational fiction that is written with young readers in mind tends to get our attention.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Note from Alayne: Some have asked what we are not interested in, so I will offer that we are not interested in trends. Trends eventually lead to an abundance of similar stories. If you haven’t seen it before, your chances are probably better with us. We aren’t able to produce board books at this time, so manuscripts for the newborn to three age range are not for us. We are not against faith-based stories that give a mild universal message. However, heavy messages about specific beliefs based on specific religions aren’t a good fit for us. We are currently not looking for young adult manuscripts.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I’m excited about the many talented picture book and chapter book writers in our kid lit community, and I look forward to spotting some gems in your entries! Let the party begin!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/AsiaCitroAuthor" target="_blank">Asia Citro</a>- <a href="https://www.theinnovationpress.com/" target="_blank">Innovation Press</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">ASIA CITRO, M. Ed, is a former classroom science teacher with a Master's in Science Education. She is the author of <i>150+ Screen-Free Activities for Kids</i>, <i>The Curious Kid's Science Book</i>, and <i>the Zoey and Sassafras</i> chapter book series, among others. She is also the creator of the popular blog Fun at Home with Kids, the owner of (and an editor at) The Innovation Press, and the founder of the Seattle Children's Book Festival. Her work has been featured on Apartment Therapy, The Chicago Tribune, Today, Disney Baby, MSN, King 5 TV, and Highlights, among others.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I love quirky and creative manuscripts that aren't iterations of children's books that currently exist; an ideal manuscript either covers a new subject or uses a new presentation or approach to cover a perennial topic. Manuscripts that make me laugh are a huge plus. As a former classroom teacher, I also appreciate having some form of learning tied in and definitely have a penchant for manuscripts that promote STEM skills/learning. We love diverse characters (and are VERY interested in any #OwnVoices manuscripts) and characters who challenge traditional gender roles. The Innovation Press is open to all kinds of submissions (board books, picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and graphic novel), so long as the target audience falls in the PreK-5th grade range.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/CallieMetler" target="_blank">Callie Metler</a>- <a href="https://www.clearforkpublishing.com/about.html" target="_blank">Clear Fork Publishing</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Hi! I am Callie Metler-Smith. I am the CEO and founder of Clear Fork Media Group in Stamford, Texas. I answer to the following titles: Publisher of Books, Newspaper Chick, Bookstore Owner, Writer, Illustrator, Wife, Mom, and Friend.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I am the illustrator for the Enchanted Snow Globe Chapter Book series written by Melissa Stoller. I have also written two other books: Swensons, Penick, and the TCR and Ben’s West Texas Snow. My third book, How to Babysit a Logan, tells the reader about autism from the perspective of my son Logan’s cat has a release date of April 2019.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">When I'm not working on my corner of the Stamford Square, I love spending time with my husband, Philip and two sons, Logan and Ben.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">CFP's Mission statement is to publish books that promote creativity, diversity, and books that expand your mind for adults and children. Our adult titles include poetry, non-fiction, and science fiction books. Our children's titles include board books; picture books; chapter books; and young adult.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: transparent;">Ninja Editor Dragonfly </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">This editor wishes to stay anonymous. Authors will be contacted by us with specific instructions if Ninja Dragonfly makes any requests.</span></span></span><br />
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Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308214465210382791.post-68629413170018830272020-02-11T15:17:00.000-05:002020-03-04T16:07:25.101-05:00Picture Book Party 2020 is Here<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mindy Alyse Weiss and I are so very happy to be back for our sixth year! We have fifteen agents and a few editors already signed up, and that number might grow. We will reveal the agents on March 2nd.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Please read all the information below carefully, and all the way to the end. We get lots of questions about this contest, most of which can be answered by reading everything. We are also including a FAQ below.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br clear="none" /></span><span style="background-color: white;">Picture Book Party (#PBParty) is a contest for writers and author/illustrators of chapter books and picture books. Unlike a twitter pitching event, your entries are sent to Mindy and Michelle (the two Ms) via Google form, </span><span style="background-color: white;">and we pick a variety of genres for the agents/editors to read and hopefully request </span><span style="background-color: white;">on Michelle's website</span><span style="background-color: white;">. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The day to submit your contest entry is <b><span style="color: red;">Monday,</span><span style="color: red;"> </span><span style="color: red;">March 9th</span><span style="color: #444444;"> at</span><span style="color: red;"> 3:30 pm Eastern time</span></b><span style="color: #444444;">.</span> <b>New this year,</b> You will submit by Google form. Please note we are not using email this year.<br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><b></b><b>The submission window will stay open until 5:30 pm Eastern time. </b>That way no one has to rush. <br clear="none" /><br clear="none" />Mindy and I will go through the entries and pick our 20 favorites over the next few days, plus our favorite illustrations for the art showcase. (We just might add a few additional ones--the amazing submissions make it hard to narrow down our final choices!)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Agents and editors then read the selected entries on Michelle's website and make requests*<span style="color: red;"> <b>Wednesday, March 18th - Friday, March 20th</b></span><span style="color: #444444;">. The illustration</span> showcase will start a day later and run <span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">Thursday, March 19 - Friday, March 20th</span> with the same agents/editors. Repeat, agents/editors will be announce March 2nd. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">*You are not obligated to send requests to any individual agent/editor. Do your own research.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">During the submission and before the agent showcase, we have an<b> actual party on twitter (#PBParty)</b>. Here we celebrate our love of writing and picture books with a variety of topics. It's a place to get to know your fellow writers of children books. Topics change each day. Examples include: share your favorite picture book, share where you get your writing inspiration. And so on.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hopefully, this makes the waiting easier and more fun.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b style="line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Rules:</span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span><br clear="none" /><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span>Please follow this blog by clicking the "Follow" button in the left sidebar under the Followers app. Or if that is stubborn and won't work, you can subscribe to Michelle's newsletter or follow <a href="https://twitter.com/Michelle4Laughs" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">@Michelle4Laughs</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/MindyAlyseWeiss" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">@MindyAlyseWeiss</a> on twitter. If you aren't on twitter Mindy will have updates on her<a href="https://www.facebook.com/MindyAlyseWeiss" target="_blank"> facebook</a>. Or do all four options. We will be tweeting hints and advice as well as partying!<br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="line-height: 14.56px; line-height: 14.56px;"></span><b>NEW THIS YEAR</b>: You may send<b><span style="color: red;"> ONE</span></b><span style="color: #444444;"> </span>entry and only one entry. We got so many entries last year (818!) that we need to scale down this year. Only one entry will be chosen per person, meaning if you are picked for the story part of the contest, you will not be picked for the art showcase. Any attempt to cheat will result in entries thrown out (and sadly it has happened in the past.) <br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span>On <b>March 9th at 3:30 pm </b>Eastern the submission window opens and the Google form will go live for two hours. <br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span>You should see a version of your entry when you hit submit as your confirmation.<br clear="none" /><br clear="none" />1. This contest is for unagented writers and writer/illustrators with </span><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>finished and polished</b></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">manuscripts. They must be ready to submit if requested by an agent or editor. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2. Also, if you have had an agent in the past, but no longer have one, you may enter. Or if you are traditionally published without an agent. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3. If you have submissions, including fulls out, with other agents or editors, you may enter PB Party. But please let us know if you should get an offer during the contest time. This happened last year-we celebrated the great news and made room in the final round for a couple more dazzling entries!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">4. If you have self-published other stories--but not this one--you may enter.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">5. If a manuscript or illustration was featured in <span style="color: red;">Picture Book Party or a </span><span style="color: red;">previous contest showcase anywhere in the last year</span>--congrats--but we'd rather not see it. Send us something agents haven't already seen in a contest. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Word Count </b>(round to nearest ten, hundred for chapter books)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Genre </b>Please include all genres for your manuscript—and be sure to let us know if it’s diverse or own voices. If you’re not sure about genre, maybe one of these will help: humor, character driven, metafiction, concept, STEM, STEAM, rhyming, lyrical, board book, fantasy, bedtime, historical fiction, contemporary.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If it’s non-fiction, what type of non-fiction (biography, narrative, etc.) <br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><b style="line-height: 14.56px;">Query</b><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span>Your entire query letter. Include your comps, bio, greeting, closing. Please be sure to note diversity and ownvoices in the query as well. (You may use whatever you want for a greeting. Dear Agent. Dear Michelle and Mindy.)<br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span>Here is your chance to make your entry shine and make the agents fall in love with your words.<br /><br />Remember this is a query and not a pitch. Don't worry about including personal information like names, as that will not be copied into the showcase. If you include links in your bio, we will assume those can be made public.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The google form scrubs out italics so use all caps for comps. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">(Here's a trick to keep your paragraph spacing: copy and paste your entry into the form and then put in the line spaces. They seem to get lost when you copy and paste. It may look right but sending scrambles the spacing. Or copy from a Google Doc. We will still read your entry if the form messes up the formatting.)</span><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><b style="line-height: 14.56px;">Sample/Excerpt</b><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span>Include your <b>first</b> 50-60 words for a picture book, 100 words for chapter books. <b>Do not</b> stop in the middle of a sentence. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Do not</b> go over 60 words (100 chapter book). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Single space and put <b>spaces in between</b> paragraphs. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">No indents needed, but you may center or tab if appropriate.<br clear="none" /><br clear="none" />For shorter picture books, less than 50 words may be submitted. *Do NOT enter a PB if over half of it is in the sample—you don’t want that much of your work online, even for a few days.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Art notes count toward your 50 words</b><span style="background-color: white;">.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Repeat, </span></span><b><span style="color: red;">Art notes count toward your 50 words</span></b><span style="background-color: white;">.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br clear="none" /><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span>Also Michelle will delete parts of entries after the contest ends, if requested on twitter. For those writers uncomfortable with their work being out there for all to see.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Name </b>In case we need to contact you.<br clear="none" /><br /><b>Email Address </b>Also in case we need to contact you.<br clear="none" /><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span><br clear="none" /><b>Illustrations:</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>New From Last Year</b>: Author/Illustrators may upload <span style="color: red;"><b>two</b></span> illustrations to the Google Form to show an example of your artwork. They should be from the <b>same</b> manuscript and <b>must be illustrated by the author</b>.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Important information: </b>There will be a <b>separate</b> Google entry form just for author/illustrators. This is because uploading a file requires a Google account and we don't want to require everyone have a Google account. Make sure you are using the correct form.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We love artwork and can't wait to see yours! If you don't have artwork, don't worry, and don't upload anything. You will still be considered.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Mindy and I will pick our favorite illustrations to go into our Illustration showcase. This was a huge hit last year. This showcase will start one day later than the story showcase. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Hopefully, these directions were clearer than mud, if not, read the FAQ below. Or you may leave questions in the comments or on Twitter. Please no DMs or emails. Don't forget the<span style="color: #444444;"> </span><b style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #cd232c;">#PBParty </span></b>hashtag. </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;">We can't wait to see all the heartwarming cuteness on March 9th! </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>FAQ</b></span></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">When do I post my pitch?</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;">You don't. This isn't an online Twitter pitch event. Picture Book Party requires a query and your first fifty-sixty words. Entries are sent to us by Google Form. See above for more details. Selected finalists will be posted into an agent showcase on Michelle's website during specific dates. Agents and editors will then make requests. You decide whether to send the requests so research the agents when we post the list on March 2nd. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Writers can watch my blog on <b><span style="color: red;">March 17th</span></b> for a list of the<b> <span style="color: red;">finalists</span></b> selected before the showcase.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"><b>But it's called Picture Book Party. Where the party?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;">The party is on twitter under #PBParty. But it isn't a pitching party. It's more of a get to know you party. We tweet daily topics-- it's a great way to get to know other writers and make friends. Agents/editors might stop by. It's a place to hang out and have fun while the hosts read the entries. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Everyone is welcome to join the #PBParty conversation, whether you write PB or not.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>So there's two showcases for editors and agents?</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Yes. There's a showcase that includes queries and excerpts and another showcase that includes just illustrations. Each illustration will be assigned a number and agents will request by that number. </span>With tons of amazing entries and so few spots in the final round for samples/pitches, we’re thrilled to highlight more of our favorite art in the Illustration Showcase.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you’re chosen for the sample and query part of the contest—yay, that’s awesome! You won’t be eligible for the Illustration Showcase, but plenty of agents and editors will see your entire submission in our final round.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Oops! I sent my entry using the author/illustrator form by mistake. Resend?</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">No. We will still read your entry and consider it the same as all the others. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Do I have to limit myself to 50 words for the excerpt; Can I go over or under? What if I have a chapter book?</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;">You may post less than 50 words. Or you may go up to 60 words to finish a sentence. Entries can't be more than 60 words, unless you have a chapter book. Chapters books may include 100 words. Remember: Single spaced. Space between paragraphs. 12 point font. Times New Roman or equivalent. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Do art notes count toward the 50-60 words?</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: red;">Yes!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Can I send more than one entry?</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;">No. This year we will only accept one entry per person, pen name, or giant octopus squid. All others will be disqualified. :-(</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Can I send an illustration?</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;">Yes! We encourage author/illustrators to do so, but it is not required. You may <b><span style="color: red;">upload</span></b> two illustrations per entry from the<span style="color: red;"> same</span> manuscript to your Google form. Remember, there is a different Google form just for adding illustrations. This does not mean to send a storyboard. We will <span style="color: red;">not</span> be using <span style="color: red;">storyboards</span> or <span style="color: red;">double spreads</span>. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Oh No! My italics and formatting keeps disappearing when I paste into the form.</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Sadly, Google forms strips out bold and italics and other formatting. Nothing we can do about it. You can use all caps in place of italics and know that it is doing this to all the entries, making them all even.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">I just learned about PB Party and missed the window. Can I send my entry late?</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;">No. The Google form will close in two hours and that's it. You may find a friend/relative to send your entry if you are unavailable.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>I have submissions out with agents/editors, can I enter?</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Yes. Please let us know if you receive an offer.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>I self-published this story already, but took it down, can I enter?</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">No. Not with that story.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>I used to have an agent, but now I don't, can I enter?</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Yes.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">I made a mistake--can I send my entry again?</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;">No. Duplicate entries will disqualify you. We will read even with wonky formatting. Check and double check, then triple check before you hit submit.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Even though the Google form won’t be available ahead of time, you can create a file with everything you’ll need, then copy and paste it into the form. Now is the time to check every word, share with critique partners, and make sure it’s ready to dazzle. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Will my name and twitter handle be up for everyone to see?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;">No. If selected, we will not include your name or twitter handle on the blog. That info is private for us only. Note: We do <b><span style="color: red;">Not</span></b> add you to our newsletters or give your info to anyone. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Do I have to be on twitter to enter?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;">No. We do suggest it as great place to learn and where we will be tweeting out hints and tips. Also a great community to make friends because you need friends in this industry.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"><b>I didn't get a confirmation email. Should I resend?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;">Big no. Google forms will thank you for submitting to PBParty after you submit, so you know we have your entry and can’t wait to read it. 😊 </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"><b>What greeting do I use in my query?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;">Whatever you want. Dear Michelle and Mindy. Hi gals. Dear Agents. Dear Beautiful Angels. Have fun with it. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Should I include a closing?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;">You can include thanks, but no need to put your name, address, personal info. Those will be stripped out if posted to the showcase. If you want to include links to your illustrations or other identifying info in your query bio, that is up to you. We will assume you want us to leave any info in your bio. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"><b>I don't see the email address for the contest. Where is it?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>We switched to a Google form this year! It’s a great way to ensure everyone is able to enter and know it’s been received. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Can we get feedback on our entry? </span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We’re sorry, but we take a lot of time away from our own writing to run this contest and aren’t able to critique anything. But…during the #PBParty fun on Twitter, you can tweet that you’re looking for critique partners or a group and find some great matches! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Since the sample word count is low, can I squish quotes from my manuscript into my query?</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">No. We're seeking samples and queries that look professional. When agents, editors, and other people look at the finalists, they should be great examples of eye-catching queries. Share an irresistible blurb with a great hook and awesome comps. DON'T try to make up for the short sample word count by sneaking chunks of your actual story into the blurb.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>What's the hashtag again?</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">#PBPARTY </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>How do I know this is a good contest? Do you have any proof?</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">We have had several successful agent-writer matches and at least two books published so far.</span> There are several other books that will release this year or next, including two that were 2019 finalists!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dance-Like-Leaf-Aj-Irving/dp/1646860578/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=dance+like+a+leaf&qid=1581267747&sr=8-1" target="_blank"><i>Dance like a Leaf</i></a> by A.J. Irving sold to Barefoot Books. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48134152-flap-your-hands?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=rlTZBp4H7Z&rank=1" target="_blank">F<i>lap Your Hands</i></a><i> </i>by Steve Asbell sold to Lee and Low by Christy Ewers.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="https://amsterlit.com/leventhal-ellen/" target="_blank">A Flood of Kindness</a> </i>by Ellen Leventhal sold to WorthyKids (Hachette Book Group) by Mary Cummings.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Here's a picture of the two books published so far from earlier contests, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Boy-Creation-Diamonds-Tracy/dp/0062659030/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+diamond+and+the+boy&qid=1581451495&sr=8-1" target="_blank"><i>The Diamond and the Boy</i></a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Betty-Builds-Julie-Hampton/dp/1513262327/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=betty+builds+it&qid=1581451528&sr=8-1" target="_blank"><i>Betty Builds It</i></a>. Feel free to support these writers! </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Now, if you read this giant post all the way to the end and are excited, please comment with your favorite type of cookie. Then pretend that Michelle sent that cookie to you. Was it good?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;">Who is ready for PBParty to begin?</span></span>Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.com84tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308214465210382791.post-84437356859511022652019-04-27T13:31:00.001-04:002019-04-27T13:31:32.765-04:00No Query Kombat 2019 <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">It's with a heavy heart that I share there will be no Query Kombat this year. This is the time we should be busy planning and inviting agents and judges. None of that has happened for several reasons. This year, I'm feeling drained from contests. Pitchwars went on much longer than ever before, and I've been doing contests for over six years now. I need a break. At least from the big contests.</span><br style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">In addition, many of you also know that one of my usual co-hosts for Query Kombat had a baby this time time last year. She just does not have the time to give to her family, her writing, and contests. On top of that, my other co-host has gotten more and more busy with his day job. He'd be unavailable to reach during the week days. That leaves just me. To do Query Kombat by myself or with completely new and unfamiliar co-hosts is just too much. Most of the load would still fall on me. </span><br style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">I need some time for my own writing and family. So we've decided to put Query Kombat aside for this year. Hopefully, there will be changes that make it possible again next year.</span><br style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">But don't despair! Query Kombat is a huge contest with tons of judge and lots of scheduling. You might remember that between the reading of subs and the entries battling from 64 to the Grand champion, Query Kombat lasts a month and a half. It also involved over thirty judges and so many blog post. Really time consuming to plan and execute. I </span><em style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">hope</em><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"> to fill the summer months with a smaller contest. I'm doing some brainstorming about that now and I'd like your help.</span><br style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">I'm asking you to think about a breezy summer contest and what that might look like. Comment with your suggestions below. I've been thinking of something interactive that lets the writers who enter actually vote on who reaches the agent round. Maybe with myself having a few host saves. Perhaps doing several rounds with the top vote getters moving forward. But share what you like in a contest, and I'll do my best to put something together! </span></span>Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308214465210382791.post-60851177193340685612019-03-27T08:00:00.000-04:002019-03-27T08:00:02.634-04:00PBParty 2019 Agent Round!<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Once again I really enjoyed this contest. There were a few more challenges this year with the number of entries, my cold, and a new puppy, but I think it turned out better than ever before.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">As always the entries blew all three of us away. They are beyond adorable, heart touching, hilarious, sweet and informative. And Picture Book authors are by far the kindest and most polite people! I don't know about Mindy and Sharon, but I felt like I was in the middle of a group love hug on twitter all week.<br /><br />Commenting on entries is for agents only. If you'd like to cheer or rave about a favorite, please hop over to twitter at the hashtag #PBParty. The party continues there as we celebrate and support our fellow writers.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">We are thrilled to have an illustrator's showcase this year. This is entirely thanks to Mindy--her idea and she put in the hard work to make it happen. I hope the agents love it. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /><br />Again the entries will be seen on my website instead of my blog.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://michellehauckwrites.com/contest/picture-book-party-spring-2019/" target="_blank">Here is the link to the 25 entries and our illustration showcase</a>.</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Notice once you get there, there is a link to the left in the sidebar (Picture Book Party Spring 2019) which will take you back to the entry start at any time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Any entry with artwork will have (A) in the title to make them easier for the agents to find. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><br />Thanks to everyone who entered. Stay tuned to the blog or sign up for my newsletter for future contests. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><br />Note: I know of one entry that wished to be taken down after the agent round. I will also be taking down the illustration showcase. If you want your entry taken down after the agent round, please email us. </span></div>
Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308214465210382791.post-12658954325054681982019-03-26T08:00:00.000-04:002019-03-26T16:25:57.152-04:00Picture Book Party Finalists for 2019<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Can I just say how amazed and a little overwhelmed we were to go from 300+ entries of last year to 800+ entries this year. Incredible! Thanks for making this happen. Of course the numbers took us right down to the wire before the agent showcase.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Mindy, Sharon and I tried to give this much thought and pick a good variety of entries. We kept an eye out for diversity, but also for unique concepts or interesting methods. We found entries that made us laugh and those that made us cry. You, the writers, are amazing!</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><br />Even more so this year there were way more fantastic entries than there are spots. We had so much trouble narrowing down the field. In fact, we were making the last picks moments before this post went live.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Before the reveal, I just want to remind everyone that contests are for fun and meeting other writers, building contacts. In no way are they a reflection on a story. There are only 20 or so picks out of 820 entries. Maybe people have entered contests and gotten no love, only to get an agent from the query slush--like me. For one thing, we are limited to the number of picks we can showcase, while an agent is not. So keep querying, keep writing those adorable picture and chapter books.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ9VeP6P3DoE47NEKTU7CiQJJ0TewTOd79XUSU0xycaqErHtmbqWIvBXWoxGU-7o8MALs1Wn-rOxR4TWMjXNzPkCP9eFts8fnV6mkTqQUc5CfZiBVMAP0rr90Z1IRviZ-iT5Z-EvS2CN0/s1600/tigger.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ9VeP6P3DoE47NEKTU7CiQJJ0TewTOd79XUSU0xycaqErHtmbqWIvBXWoxGU-7o8MALs1Wn-rOxR4TWMjXNzPkCP9eFts8fnV6mkTqQUc5CfZiBVMAP0rr90Z1IRviZ-iT5Z-EvS2CN0/s320/tigger.gif" style="background: transparent; border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid transparent; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;"></span><span style="background-color: white;">It's very tough. I know the disappointment. Hugs. Use it to keep going.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Please if your title is on the list, watch my blog early on Wednesday and check your entry for typos or formatting problems. Let me know as soon as possible what needs fixed in this post or on twitter. </b></span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxvfU0yHxv9XIm3-zeN0N3sBaAYVPAos4hbDOy1Pkf_QjdlneQRT6Cf_CtFGpsYsOaD7O11QNY_AREKINQTlPY4AKPoZZhLaIkyBe5LemAWFmafxY0TRivP9n2fZnhDtjQP-72Cbl2SQ/s1600/belle.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxvfU0yHxv9XIm3-zeN0N3sBaAYVPAos4hbDOy1Pkf_QjdlneQRT6Cf_CtFGpsYsOaD7O11QNY_AREKINQTlPY4AKPoZZhLaIkyBe5LemAWFmafxY0TRivP9n2fZnhDtjQP-72Cbl2SQ/s400/belle.gif" style="background: transparent; border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid transparent; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;"></span><span style="background-color: white;">So here are the 25 picks, listed in no particular order and color coded like a rainbow just for fun.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"><br /></b><span style="color: red;">The Little Pink Robot</span></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Detective Jelly Donut Investigates: Vegetables Gone Bad</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jessie's Journey</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Simon(e)</span><br />
<span style="color: orange; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ten Just Wants to Have Fun</span><br />
<span style="color: orange; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Strong Hands: The Story of Young Potter Maria Povika Martinez</span><br />
<span style="color: orange; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A Flood of Kindness</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">Delphine Denise and the Best Mardi Gras Ever</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: cyan;">Bro vs. Peas... How to Feed a Sister</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: cyan;">Down My Snowy Street</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: cyan;">Sugar</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: cyan;">I Voted!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: lime;">Bert and Wert: We Do the Dirty Work</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: lime;">The Three Little Pigs Need Your Help</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: lime;">Ruth Bixer, Problem Fixer</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: lime;">Mako Brown and the Ghoul Dragons</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">The Robot that Could: The True Story of Mars Opportunity Rover</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">Keep on Truckin': The Story of the Red Ball Express</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">Flap Your Hands</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: purple;">Bad Pizza</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: purple;">Pauli's Key: How One Woman and Her Typewriter Changed the World</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: purple;">Including Alice: The Story of Alice Johnson and the First Soap Box Derby</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: magenta;">A Flag Full of Suns</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: magenta;">The Princess and the Key</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: magenta;">Minha's Mission</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">It's not over! There's more!</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Because we had so many agents interested in illustrations this year, we are doing something about that. There will be a special entry of <b>just illustrations</b>--each one labelled with a number. Agents can request by number which artist they would like to see more of. If you submitted an illustration, check for your artwork there tomorrow morning. (If I have time I'll get a list added to this post.) </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Congrats to the finalists! Hugs to those who will be watching! See you Wednesday for the agent round. It does last three days. Nobody is promised requests, but our fingers are crossed. </span></span>Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308214465210382791.post-82760232205841197672019-03-19T07:46:00.000-04:002019-03-19T07:46:55.082-04:00Picture Book Party Submission Day and Party Topics!<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #444444; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>TODAY IS THE DAY!</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Submission Day!!!! (4:00 pm EST)</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img alt="excited new year GIF" height="478" src="https://media0.giphy.com/media/1PMVNNKVIL8Ig/200.webp?cid=3640f6095c8e69a34e4c30536323b3a1" width="640" /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">The agent round will be<span style="color: red;"> March 27th- 29th</span>. See the list of agents and editors <span style="color: #4d469c;"><a href="http://www.michelle4laughs.com/2019/03/2019-picture-book-party-agents-and.html" target="_blank">here</a></span>. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;">Now for a quick review of the rules. I urge you to read ALL of this post so you don't make an easy mistake.<br /><span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span>Please be a follower of this blog. You can click the "Follow" button in the right sidebar. Or if that is stubborn and won't work, you can subscribe to my newsletter or follow @Michelle4Laughs and @MindyAlyseWeiss on twitter. I imagine we will be tweeting hints as well as partying!<br /><br /><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span>You may send <b>two</b> entries for <b>different</b> manuscripts in <b>separate</b> emails. That's two and only two, whether you have multiple pen names or multiple email addresses. Please be honest and not send more. Only one entry will be chosen per person. If you send two, still only one will be picked. Any attempt to cheat will result in entries thrown out (and sadly it has happened in the past.) </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444;">You will receive a confirmation email for the </span><b style="color: #444444;">first</b><span style="color: #444444;"> submission. Usually nothing will go out for the second submission. That's perfectly normal.</span><b style="color: #444444;"> Do not expect to get a confirmation email for your second submission.</b><span style="color: #444444;"> Yahoo just doesn't work that way. Have confidence that if the first got through, the second did also. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span>On </span><b style="color: #444444;">March 19 (today) at 4:00 pm</b><span style="color: #444444;"><b> EST </b>the submission window opens. </span><b style="color: #444444;">Do not send early or your entry will be deleted</b><span style="color: #444444;">. You may resend at the correct time if this happens. We are recycling an email address as I already have too many. Please send your entry to </span><b style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: red;">SunversusSnow at yahoo dot com</span></b><span style="color: #444444;">. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span>You should receive a confirmation email. </span><b><span style="color: #444444;">If you do not get a receipt for you </span><span style="color: red;">FIRST </span><span style="color: #444444;">submission, please contact me or Mindy on twitter before resending</span></b><span style="color: #444444;">. (Please don't ask about second submissions. See above.) We want to get a good count of entries and duplicates make that harder. The window will stay open one hour until 5 pm EST. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span>This contest is only for </span><span style="color: red;">finished and polished</span><span style="color: #444444;"> manuscripts. It has to be ready to go out to agents.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span><b style="color: #444444; line-height: 14.56px;">The Format:</b><br /><br /><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span><b style="color: #444444;">Subject Line</b><span style="color: #444444;"> of your Email: PBParty: Title</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span>Example: PBParty: Hot Tub Santa</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span>Inside the email please bold where bolded in my example. Single space with spaces between paragraphs. No indents unless required by your style choice. Use Times New Roman or equivalent font and the size should be 12. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 18px;">(Here's a trick to keep your paragraph spacing: copy and paste your entry into your email and then put in the line spaces. They seem to get lost when you copy and paste. It may look right but sending scrambles the spacing.)</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span><b style="color: #444444;">Name:</b><span style="color: #444444;"> Sharon Chriscoe</span><br /><b style="color: #444444;">Twitter Handle:</b><span style="color: #444444;"> @extracleansanta (optional)</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><b style="color: #444444;">Title:</b><span style="color: #444444;"> HOT TUB SANTA</span><br /><b style="color: #444444;">Genre:</b><span style="color: #444444;"> (Here please tell us what type of picture book this is) Example: Board Book, Bedtime Rhyme, Nonfiction, Biography, etc. or List Chapter Book </span><span style="color: red;">If this is OWNVOICES, please say so here!</span><br /><b style="color: #444444;">Word Count:</b><span style="color: #444444;"> xxx (round to nearest ten, hundred for chapter books)</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span><b style="color: #444444; line-height: 14.56px;">Query:</b><br /><br /><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span>Your entire query letter here. Include your comps, bio, greeting. Please be sure to note diversity and ownvoices in the query as well. (You may use whatever you want for a greeting. Dear Agent. Dear Michelle, Mindy, and Sharon.) You do not need to leave a closing--name and personal information will be removed. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span>Here is your chance to make your entry shine and make the agent fall in love with your words. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span><b style="color: #444444; line-height: 14.56px;">First 50 Words:</b><br /><br /><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span>Include your first 50 words for a picture book, 100 words for chapter books. Do not stop in the middle of a sentence. You may go over by one or two words to finish a sentence but not more than five. Single space and put </span><b style="color: #444444;">spaces in between</b><span style="color: #444444;"> paragraphs. You may center or tab if appropriate.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #444444;">For short picture books, less than 50 words may be submitted. Any count under 50 is allowed.</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;">Art notes <b>do</b> count toward the 50 words.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Also I will delete parts of entries after the contest ends, if requested. For those writers uncomfortable with their work being out there for all to see. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><b>Bonus</b></span><span style="color: #444444;">: <b>You may attach one illustration to your email to show an example of your artwork. If you don't have artwork, don't worry, that's okay too. We do have something special planned for illustrations this year. It's a surprise. </b></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br style="color: #444444;" /><span style="color: #444444;">Messed up formatting won't hurt you, but forgetting to include some part of the entry will. Double check before sending.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Now for the</span><b style="color: #444444;"> twitter party fun</b><span style="color: #444444;">! Visit daily under the hashtag <b>#PBParty</b> to meet and greet and scout out slush hints. Here are the suggested topics for each day to get you going, but feel free to start your own on twitter. Just remember to be kind and be inclusive. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #444444;">Tuesday, March 19th</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #444444;"> <b>PM</b>: Tell us what genre you submitted and what other genres you write. <b>All day:</b> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;">Great parties require great food! What’s your main character’s favorite dish or sweet treat? Even if it isn’t in your book--this can help you know your character better. Dig deep and share! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #444444;">Wednesday, March 20th</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #444444;"> <b>AM:</b> Do you listen to music when your write? Have word count goals? Set aside BIC time (behiney in chair)? Share your daily writing routine. <b>PM:</b> </span><o:p></o:p></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;">Which authors and illustrators have influenced your manuscripts the most? Tag the authors to make others aware of these amazing books. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /><b>Thursday, March 21st</b> <b> AM: </b>How do you handle writer's block? How many drafts do you write before you consider a project finished? <b>PM:</b> Share your best tips and resources for writing picture books. What were you surprised to learn about the process?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Friday, March 22nd AM:</b> Animal, vegetable, mineral. Tell us if your MC is human, animal or something else. <b>All Day:</b> Share you favorite picture book and chapter books, current and from childhood. Give us a list so all the genres are included: bedtime, rhyming, STEM, lyrical, humorous, nonfiction, bio, early readers, etc. Watch for our agents sharing theirs as well on the hashtag. <br /><br /><b>Saturday, March 23rd AM:</b> Share a favorite line from a story you wrote. <b>PM: </b>How have contests helped you or your CPs?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 13.91px;"><br /><b>Sunday, March 24th</b> <b>AM</b>: What picture book character would you like for a best friend? <b>PM: </b></span><o:p></o:p></span>What are your top tips for getting that word count down and making your manuscript sing?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 13.91px;"><b>Monday, March 25th</b> <b>AM: </b></span>Are you the type to have a book spring into your head, write it down quickly and then take a long time editing your words?....or, do you spend a long time meticulously planning and drafting? <b><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 13.91px;">PM:</span></b><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 13.91px;">Who has helped you through the writing and querying process? Time to share your thanks and spread the gratitude. </span><span style="line-height: 13.91px;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 13.91px;"><b>Tuesday, March 26th All day</b>: What do you do to take the sting out of rejection? </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 14.56px;"></span><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 18.2px;">Mindy, Sharon, and I are not sure when the picks will be announced, but it should be around Saturday. We are so excited for the fun to start. As you've probably noticed we have a great group of agents and editors. The most agents we've ever signed up for a PB contest.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 18.2px;">If you're not on twitter, Mindy will be posting tips and hints on her<a href="https://www.facebook.com/MindyAlyseWeiss" target="_blank"> facebook page</a>. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Time to have fun!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img alt="happy birthday good job GIF" height="361" src="https://media0.giphy.com/media/DKnMqdm9i980E/200w.webp?cid=3640f6095c8e69b6793030656b81acce" width="640" /><span style="color: #444444;"><br style="background-color: white;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 18.2px;">Good luck everyone! </span><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 18.2px;"> </span></span></span>Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308214465210382791.post-68877968046434218842019-03-16T11:02:00.001-04:002019-03-17T19:49:02.190-04:00Frequently Asked Picture Party Contest Questions<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We get a lot of questions. Here's a selection of the ones I see the most. They are in no particular order. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhf-Spn6Xly4aKnPd9C6blLvsxTu2xMKPMh4wVFZo1aUzTfARv-VQghrRC3jboO7NO3kUae_hwXcZihKB5HHW-sA2-lSFLU_QE4dJHqusG1HJDIx7__bBO3Ems1im7JXqFMwh72xCqNhQ/s1600/PB_Party_for_contest+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1413" data-original-width="1239" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhf-Spn6Xly4aKnPd9C6blLvsxTu2xMKPMh4wVFZo1aUzTfARv-VQghrRC3jboO7NO3kUae_hwXcZihKB5HHW-sA2-lSFLU_QE4dJHqusG1HJDIx7__bBO3Ems1im7JXqFMwh72xCqNhQ/s320/PB_Party_for_contest+%25281%2529.JPG" width="280" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When do I post my pitch?</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You don't. This isn't an online twitter pitch event. Picture Book Party requires a query and your first fifty words. Entries are sent to us by email. <a href="http://www.michelle4laughs.com/2019/02/picture-book-party-2019.html" target="_blank">See our announcement post</a> for more details. Selected finalists will be posted into an agent showcase on my blog during specific dates. Agents and editors will then make requests. You decide whether to send the requests so <a href="http://www.michelle4laughs.com/2019/03/2019-picture-book-party-agents-and.html" target="_blank">research our agents and editors</a>. Writers can watch my blog for a list of those finalists selected before the showcase.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>But it's called Picture Book Party. Where the party?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The party is on twitter under #PBParty. But it isn't a pitching party. It's more of a get to know you party. We have daily topics to tweet about and get to know other writers and make friends. Maybe agents will be stopping by. It's a place to hang out and have fun while the hosts read the entries. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do I have to limit myself to 50 words; Can I go over or under? What if I have a chapter book?</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You may post less than 50 words. You may go over by two or three words to finish a sentence only. Entries can't be more than 55 words. Chapters books may include 100 words. Single spaced. Space between paragraphs. 12 point font. Times New Roman or equivalent. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do art notes count toward the 50 words?</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yes.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Can I send more than one entry?</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yes, you can. Each person may send two different manuscripts in two separate emails. Do not send more than two. Pick your two favorites, the ones that are the most polished, the ones that are the most original, the ones you've queried the least--in other words, you decide. Only one entry will be picked per person. You do not have to send two. You can send one.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Can I send an illustration?</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yes! We encourage you to do so. You may <b>attach</b> one illustration per entry to your entry email. We have something special planned for illustrations this year.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I just learned about PB Party and missed the window. Can I send my entry late?</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">No. We stay open one hour and that's it. We have a feeling there will be a ton of entries this year. It wouldn't not be fair to those who followed the rules.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you send early you will also be deleted, but you can resend at the proper time. <b>4:00 pm EST on March 19th</b>.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My formatting messed up. Am I disqualified?</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">No. We will read even with wonky formatting. Now if you forgot your 50 words or sent a pitch instead of a query, you will probably not be selected. And we have too many entries to allow redos. Please send the correct info the first time. Check and double check your entry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Will my name and twitter handle be up for everyone to see?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">No. If selected, we will not include your name or twitter handle on the blog. That info is private for us only. Note: We do nothing with your info. <b>Not</b> add you to our newsletters or give your info to anyone. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Do I have to be on twitter to enter?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">No. I do suggest it as great place to learn and where we will be tweeting out hints and tips. Also a great community to make friends because you need friends in this industry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>I didn't get a confirmation email when I sent in my entry. Should I resend?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Big no. Check your spam folder. Then contact Mindy @MindyAlyseWeiss or myself @Michelle4Laughs on twitter with the title of your ms. We will check for you. We'd rather not read duplicate entries. Most of the time the entries are there. If you aren't on twitter then reply to the Submission day post with your title and name. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>I got a confirmation on my first entry but not on my second. Resend it?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Big no. Our vacation reminder/confirmation email will only go out once in most cases. If the first went through than the second one did. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>What greeting do I use in my query?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Whatever you want. Dear Michelle, Mindy, and Sharon. Hi gals. Dear Agents. Have fun with it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Should I include a closing?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You can include thanks, but no need to put your name, address, personal info. Those will be stripped out if posted to the showcase. If you want to include links to your illustrations or other identifying info in your query bio, that is up to you. We will assume you want us to leave any info in your bio. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Those are some frequent questions off the top of my head. Feel free to post others in the comments. </span><br />
<br />Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308214465210382791.post-76170483634211849612019-03-05T08:00:00.000-05:002019-03-07T15:49:29.897-05:00Getting the Call and a Giveaway with Scott Wilson<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The first book I wrote was a hot garbage fire. Being the inexperienced writer that I was, of course I thought it was amazing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I sent out the manuscript to agents, I expected daisies and fireworks and sparkling songs of praise. Instead, I got silence. The only replies were form rejections, except for one agent whose wise words I will never forget: "200,000 words is way too long for a debut young adult novel."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Deterred but not defeated, I wrote another book. And then another. Both of them drummed up the same level of tumbleweed interest, so I started going to local writing groups in Boston and New Hampshire. I'd never had my writing critiqued by anyone except my wife and my mom before then, which looking back was a big part of the problem. Having my work sliced open and gutted was about as painful as if it'd happened to my own stomach, but absolutely necessary and a learning experience like no other.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With new determination, I wrote another book. And then another. Still more silence accompanied by the occasional loud rejection—loud because of my groans and grumbles of frustration that my wife had to put up with. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I started a job writing articles online, translating Japanese entertainment news for a Western audience. I also started running one of the writing groups I'd attended as a member, with writers now looking to me for feedback and guidance even though I was in the same boat as them: a cracked, ceramic bathtub lodged in a giant wad of river muck.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was at that point I'd finally had enough. The thought of pouring the next months of my life into a book that would likely end up with a resounding "meh" was too depressing to bear. So instead, I reverse-engineered the process. Rather than writing a book first and then sending it out to agents, I tried the opposite: create an irresistible query letter and synopsis first, then write the book to live up to it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Doing things this way, I learned a lot. After my first query draft, I immediately saw there were no stakes in my story, so I threw some in. (Let's put the artificial moon in the sky on an impact course toward Earth!) It was also lacking some exciting details, so I threw some in too. (Hey, let's slap a giant glowing red X on that artificial moon while we're at it!) And best of all, I didn't even have to worry about editing my manuscript, because there was no manuscript yet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I passed my query and synopsis around to anyone unfortunate enough to look in my direction. With their advice and newfound wind in my bathtub-boat sails, I wrote the opening chapter to the book. Then I wrote it again. And again. And again. Sometimes the sixth time is the charm!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was during that time I moved to Japan with my wife, and I wrote the book for the next months in the middle of the night, still working American hours for my online job. By the time October rolled around, I was two chapters away from finishing the first draft.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But that was also when I heard about a contest online: Nightmare on Query Street. Tons of agents would be taking a look at queries/synopses hand-picked by Michelle Hauck and others, and it was open to anyone to submit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Even though I was two chapters from the end, I figured I might as well try my luck, thinking I wouldn't make it past the first round anyway. Maybe, if I was lucky, I'd get some feedback on just my query and synopsis. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But then Michelle chose Metl, my book, as one of the fifteen to make her cut. I couldn't believe it. Someone finally acknowledged my work… and they weren't even related to me!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Four agents requested to see more. <i>Four.</i> That was four-times-infinity more agents than had ever requested to see my manuscript before.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Three of the agents eventually decided to pass, but one of them, Mark Gottlieb, offered representation. I told him I needed some time to finish the last two chapters, which he was fine with. I'd suddenly gone from slouching out the last bit of the manuscript to typing away at breakneck pace for a deadline. And I loved it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For the six years leading up to that moment, I'd always seen getting an agent as the endgame. The point when I could finally relax. But again, my inexperience showed. That was only the beginning. Then came sending out the manuscript to editors, reviewing offers, checking over contracts, the editing process, suddenly having a new deadline for the sequel dropped into my lap. And I still have a lot more to learn.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I don't want to say the same thing that everyone says: "never give up and follow your dreams." Yeah, persevering and doing the work is important, but I think what's even more important is not being afraid of trying new strategies. If your query letters suck, then start your next book by writing the query letter first. If a contest comes around and you're not even done with your manuscript, try entering anyway and see what happens.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Worst comes to worst, you'll still be the at the same place you are now, but with a bit more knowledge. And best comes to best, maybe your own bathtub boat may finally get dislodged from the river gunk.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now onto the raging rapids and piranhas!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You can check out <i>Metl: The ANGEL Weapon</i> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Metl-Angel-Weapon-Scott-Wilson/dp/1948671115" target="_blank">here on Amazon</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>About the book: </b><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When technology is outlawed, the future looks a lot like the past.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thirteen-year-old Caden Aire spends his days working in the fields and his nights sleeping in a horse stable, all under the watch of Metl -- Earth's mysterious and artificial second moon, a looming relic of humanity's lost era.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But Caden's simple life changes when one night, a fiery red X suddenly appears on Metl's surface, and the same red Xs start glowing on his palms.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now Caden must find the only person who knows what's happening to him, but he doesn't have much time. Metl has started on an impact course with Earth, and to stop it, Caden will have to face both the unsettling truth about his world ... and about himself.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Giveaway: Comment below with your favorite type of technology you would miss most if technology was outlawed. Random winner will receive an ebook copy of Metl. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Scott Wilson works as a translator and editor for the Japanese news-entertainment website <a href="https://soranews24.com/author/scott-wilson/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">SoraNews24</a>. He runs <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/scottwritesstuff/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">ScottWritesStuff</a>, a creative writing livestream on Twitch, and in his free time can be found playing video games and Magic: The Gathering with friends. <i>Metl: The ANGEL Weapon</i> is his first novel. He lives in the Japanese countryside with his wife.</span></div>
Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308214465210382791.post-78257025132156753012019-03-01T08:00:00.000-05:002019-03-13T07:10:37.317-04:002019 Picture Book Party Agents and Editors<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnw_gUDWVOksiOoC5u7EVoI-bYgxlOaFyvl2prJd3qKBFOT2FUiczMYo3neu1m6w8EZNpFN1zwlJjZw_UaMkBiA9kPlG-1HVBnMQX0bKY4SzRNbcK54RyiCsStSyegoTnPvwXM6YXnhU/s1600/PB_Party_for_contest+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #3778cd; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnw_gUDWVOksiOoC5u7EVoI-bYgxlOaFyvl2prJd3qKBFOT2FUiczMYo3neu1m6w8EZNpFN1zwlJjZw_UaMkBiA9kPlG-1HVBnMQX0bKY4SzRNbcK54RyiCsStSyegoTnPvwXM6YXnhU/s320/PB_Party_for_contest+%25281%2529.JPG" style="background: transparent; border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid transparent; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="280" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Introducing the agents and editors for the 2019 Picture Book Party! </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To see how to format your entry, check out this <a href="http://www.michelle4laughs.com/2019/02/picture-book-party-2019.html" target="_blank">post</a>. Submission is Tuesday, March 19th at 4:00 pm EST! The window will remain open for one hour. You may send two <b><i>separate</i> email</b> entries. We can't wait to read them! </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Remember we recommend researching each agent to determine if they would be a good fit for you in the event that you are <b>chosen</b> and <b>receive</b> a request. Note: Listed agents have agreed to take part in the contest, but that doesn't mean they will make requests or that life won't happen and prevent them from appearing. Everyone will do their best.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Check out last year's entries <a href="https://michellehauckwrites.com/contest/picture-book-party-spring-2018/" target="_blank">here</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here are the talented agents and editors. Please thank their kindness by following them on twitter. I forgot to add that we also have a ninja editor who may request but wishes to stay anonymous. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was when Clelia first read Charlotte’s Web in the first grade that she got hooked by the magic of books. Her love of children’s books carried through adulthood and she is delighted to dedicate her life to bringing quality books and stories to young (and whimsical adult!) readers. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Clelia is originally from the suburbs of New York City. She has a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Boston College. She received her J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law and practiced law as a corporate litigator in New York City. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In 2011, she decided to dedicate her career to books and reentered graduate school at Emerson College, where she received a master’s degree in Publishing and Writing. While she was studying publishing and taking creative writing courses at Emerson, Clelia gained firsthand experience in the publishing industry working in the children’s book division at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and in academic books at Oxford University Press. She also taught academic writing and research courses to freshman students as a graduate student faculty member at Emerson College. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Clelia attends writing and publishing conferences. She also sits on the board of directors for Poetry Northwest magazine. In 2017, she was named one of Publisher’s Weekly Star Watch honorees.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Clelia acquires picture book, middle grade and young adult books. She is particularly interested in developing her nonfiction clientele. With apologies, Clelia is no longer accepting new adult fiction queries at this time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #303030;">To find out more about Clelia, check out her blog at </span><span style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #4673e3; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><a data-content="https://cleliagore.com/" data-type="external" href="https://cleliagore.com/" rel="undefined" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">www.cleliagore.com</a></span></span><span style="color: #303030;">. She also tweets tips, news and musings related to writing and publishing at </span><span style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #0088cb; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><a data-content="https://twitter.com/MadmoiselleClel" data-type="external" href="https://twitter.com/MadmoiselleClel" rel="undefined" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">@MadmoiselleClel</a></span>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://bookendsliterary.com/about-us-2/#Marchini" target="_blank">Tracy Marchini of Bookends Literary</a></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After four years as a Literary Agents Assistant at Curtis Brown, Tracy Marchini left to pursue her own editorial business and to earn her MFA in Writing for Children from Simmons College. With ten years of experience either at an agency or working as a freelance children's editor, she joined BookEnds in June of 2016 and is excited to grow her list of both award-winning and debut authors and illustrators.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Growing up, Tracy made it a personal goal to read every Nancy Drew Case Files in her school’s library and still has a soft spot for a good girl detective story. As an adult, she loves the sense of possibility in children’s and young adult literature – and can still empathize with the soul-crushing feeling that is mandatory gym class.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As a children's author, her picture book debut <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Chicken Wants A Nap</em> (Creative Editions) was called "A surprising gem" in a starred <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Kirkus </em>review.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You can follow Tracy on Twitter at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/TracyMarchini" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="background: 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #6b9d2e; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s;" target="_blank">@TracyMarchini,</a> or learn more about how to submit to her on our <a href="http://bookendsliterary.com/submissions/" rel="noopener" style="background: 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #6b9d2e; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s;" target="_blank">submissions</a> page.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tracy is looking for picture book, middle grade and young adult manuscripts across most genres, including contemporary, mysteries, thrillers, magical realism, historical fiction, graphic novels and non-fiction. She is also looking for picture book illustrators and author-illustrators.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">She is not a good fit for YA horror, true crime, hard sci-fi, or high fantasy. At this time, she is not looking for board books or early chapter books.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://www.dunhamlit.com/leslie-zampetti.html" target="_blank">Leslie Zampetti of Dunham Literary</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Leslie joined Dunham Literary in June 2016. Previously, she was an intern for The Bent Agency.<br /><br />A former librarian with over 20 years’ experience in special, public, and school libraries, Leslie has cataloged rocket launch videos and Lego rocket ship models, presented SEC documents and story times, and negotiated with organizations from Lexis-Nexis to the PTA. Her experience as a librarian has given her a distinct perspective on publishing and readers. A writer herself, Leslie is very familiar with querying from both sides of the desk.<br /><br />Leslie graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in English and has a Master’s of Library and Information Science degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.<br />She is available to speak at conferences.<br /><br />You can follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/leslie_zampetti" style="text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;" target="_blank">@leslie_zampetti.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For children’s books, Leslie seeks middle grade and young adult novels, especially mystery and contemporary. Historical fiction set in the recent past, novels in verse, and off-the-beaten path romances are on her wish list. For picture books, Leslie wants unusual true tales, biographies of unsung heroes and heroines, or stories that show everyday diversity to mirror under-represented readers and open windows to others. She is drawn to books about Florida, baseball, and kids with book smarts and big hearts.<br /><br />For adult fiction, Leslie is interested in literary mysteries, upmarket romance and women’s fiction, and historical fiction from lesser-known eras and places. For nonfiction, Leslie finds narrative nonfiction that straddles the boundaries between crime, memoir, and literature especially appealing. An armchair adventurer, Leslie enjoys experiencing wild places and extreme challenges from the comfort of her chair.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.prospectagency.com/agent.html#emma_sector" target="_blank"><b>Emma Sector of Prospect Agency</b></a></span><br />
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Reading has always been a certain kind of magic for me. As a kid, I was sure I could make things move with my mind like Matilda and I waited patiently for my Hogwarts letter to arrive when I turned eleven. As an adult, I've shifted my magical studies a bit. Now I help these wonderful things we call books come into the world, and it's almost as amazing as moving things with my mind.</div>
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I majored in English at the University of Vermont and moved to New York City just a week after I graduated for my first job in publishing, an internship in Hachette's advertising and promotions department. When the summer was over, I knew I had found my people. I worked for Simon & Schuster's Children's Division for the next six years, first in marketing and later in editorial. Then I moved west to California in 2017 where I was a freelance editor while working as a publicist for an independent bookstore.</div>
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Now, as a children's book agent with Prospect, I use all my past publishing experiences to help new authors and illustrators develop their work and find their editorial match.</div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">I'm open to middle-grade and YA of all types, but I'm especially drawn to fantasy adventure, magical realism, and historical fiction. I love picture books with big ideas and few words and chapter books with quirky, vibrant characters.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://bookendsliterary.com/about-us-2/#McGowan" target="_blank">James McGowan of Bookends Literary Agenc</a>y</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Since interning at BookEnds as an undergrad in the summer of 2015, James has (basically) never left. He's just continuously level-up-ed inside of BookEnds. Now he is the Literary Assistant and Social Media Manager for the team.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">James is a Staten Island native, and just recently graduated with his Master's Degree in English from the College of Staten Island. He’s been a reader since his mom gave him the first <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">A Series of Unfortunate Events</em> book, and ordered the sequels regularly through Scholastic book orders. When he’s not reading/working, James can usually be found watching an unhealthy amount of sitcoms.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">James is seeking submissions in <span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">adult </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">literary and upmarket fiction, mystery, thrillers, and suspense</span> including, but not limited to, <span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">psychological and domestic suspense/thrillers, literary and upmarket thrillers, and historical mystery. </span>He is also accepting submissions in all sub-genres of<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;"> Young Adult fiction, </span>and is actively looking for <span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Picture Books. </span>James is actively looking for #ownvoices and diverse characters and stories in all genres.He’s eager to find an adult fiction with the same feel as Station Eleven, The Road or The Book of M. He loves all things dark and creepy in adult fiction, and all things funny and silly in picture books.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some of James’ favorite authors include Celeste Ng, Edwidge Danticat, Jesmyn Ward, and Tana French on the adult side; Jason Reynolds and Sabaa Tahir in YA; and picture book authors like Jason Carter Eaton, author/illustrator Elise Parsley, and our very own Tara Luebbe and Becky Cattie.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Follow him on twitter at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/jamerrson" rel="noopener" style="background: 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #6b9d2e; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s;" target="_blank">www.twitter.com/jamerrson!</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://www.martinlit.com/about-mlm" target="_blank">Adria Goetz of Martin Literary Management</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Adria Goetz is a Literary Manager, currently accepting queries for picture books, middle grade, young adult, as well as lifestyle books, quirky gift books, graphic novels, cookbooks, adult nonfiction, Christian Living, and devotionals. She represents books both for the general market, and the Christian market. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Adria is a 2016 graduate of the Columbia Publishing Course in New York City, a six-week intensive course on all aspects of book, magazine, and digital media publishing. She is also a graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle with a B.A. in English with a creative writing emphasis. Adria worked for the Pierce County Library System for two years. Prior to becoming a Literary Manager, Adria fostered her knack for developing creative work during her three years as an intern and assistant at Martin Literary & Media Management with Sharlene Martin and Clelia Gore. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Adria is specifically looking for:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Young Adult:</span> Adria loves anything from slice-of-life contemporary realistic stories to fantasy stories with richly built worlds. She trends toward the speculative side, or books with just a dash of magic. Please send her anything creepy, as she is known to be a true crime junkie who has read nearly every Wikipedia page on every known serial killer. Right now she is specifically looking for a sweet YA romance in the vein of <span style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">When Dimple Met Rishi</span>, a funny, voicey contemporary realistic YA in the vein of Robyn Schneider’s work, a lush, atmospheric mystery in the vein of <span style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Truly Devious</span>, a thriller in the vein of <span style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">One of Us is Lying</span>, and magical realism in the vein of <span style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender</span>. Above all else, Adria loves an atmospheric setting-driven book where the author draws the reader into the rich world they’ve built—whether that world is the bakery down the street, or an island in the sky. It’s also important that the cast of characters reflects the beautifully diverse world we live in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Middle grade: </span>In middle grade fiction, Adria mostly wants to embark upon a fantastical adventure. She’d also love a summer camp story, an epistolary novel, mystery, and historical fiction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Picture books:</span> She’s looking for anything from a fun, poppy, commercial picture book (<span style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dragons Love Tacos</span>), or a dazzling lyrical picture book biography about a lesser known person from history (<span style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Noisy Paintbox</span>). Some of her favorite recent picture books have been <span style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Night Gardener</span> and virtually anything else created by Eric and Terri Fan, Miss Hazeltine’s Home for Shy and Fearful Cats, and <span style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Adria lives in an old Victorian home in the Seattle area with her husband Alex and their two darling kittens, Maple and Mulberry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To learn more about Adria and what she is (and isn’t) looking for, check out her <span style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #0088cb; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><a data-content="https://adriagoetz.com/2016/10/05/what-im-looking-for/" data-type="external" href="https://adriagoetz.com/2016/10/05/what-im-looking-for/" rel="undefined" style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">wish list</a></span></span>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">She tweets at <span style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #0088cb; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">@<span style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><a data-content="https://twitter.com/AdriaMGoetz" data-type="external" href="https://twitter.com/AdriaMGoetz" rel="undefined" style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">AdriaMGoetz</a></span></span>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://www.tridentmediagroup.com/agents/alyssa-eisner-henkin/" target="_blank">Alyssa Eisner Henkin of Trident Media Group</a></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“There’s no greater professional joy than championing a book that you believe in and watching the world delight in it.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After earning her Bachelors from the University of Pennsylvania, Alyssa fulfilled a childhood dream that she professed on a home video at the age of six: move to New York and work with books. In 1999, Alyssa began her career in editorial at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Here she found “kindred spirits” who loved <em style="background: transparent; border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Anne of Green Gables</em> as much as she did and a kids book space that was rapidly growing. In late 2006 Alyssa (and her inner-entrepreneur) headed to Trident to expand the firm’s children’s book business.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Over twelve years, hundreds of deals and numerous bestsellers and award-winners later, Alyssa still delights in nurturing her books at every stage. From editing and idea-honing to collaborating with marketing, foreign, dramatic, merchandising, and audio partners, Alyssa works hard to ensure longevity for her authors’ work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Actively seeking new clients, Alyssa represents all forms of literature and illustration for children and young adults.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Alyssa’s primary focus for new projects is middle grade. She is fond of both fiction and nonfiction: from illustrated and graphic novels and memoirs to series with the interactive spirit of a trivia game. A lover of underdogs, school stories, humor, heart, mysteries, and regional and ethnic flavors, Alyssa looks to spice up the cannon with projects that break new ground. She also enjoys select young adult projects, especially when they champion social justice or have an intriguing family or romantic dynamic. And with picture books, rollicking read-alouds and fascinating biographies are always intriguing.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Follow her on twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/AgentHenkin" target="_blank">@AgentHenkin</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://amsterlit.com/about/" target="_blank"><b>Mary Cummings of Betsy Amster Literary</b></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mary Cummings</span> represents fiction, literary nonfiction, and poetry for children and teens, from picture books to middle grade and young adult novels, including contemporary and historical, humor, mystery, fantasy, and multi-cultural. She is particularly seeking middle grade novels as well as picture books with strong story arcs, a spunky central character, and warmth, humor, or quirky charm. In literary nonfiction, her areas of interest include picture book biographies as well as lyrically written science, nature, mindfulness, and social awareness issues. (Read more about Mary <a href="https://www.cummingskidlit.com/" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; color: #bd1402; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">here</a>.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cummings served for fourteen years as education director at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis, where she organized an annual festival of children’s literature and selected judges for the prestigious McKnight Award in Children’s Literature. She represents both career writers and newcomers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.upstartcrowliterary.com/agent/susan-hawk/" target="_blank">Susan Hawk of Upstart Crow Literary</a></span></b></span></div>
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Susan Hawk has worked in children’s books for over twenty-five years. She comes to Upstart Crow from the Bent Agency, and her clients include Alison Oliver, illustrator of the bestselling <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Baby Lit</em> board books and the forthcoming picture book <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Moon</em>; Ruth Spiro, author of the <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Baby Loves Science</em> board book series; Marcie Colleen, author of the <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Super Happy Party Be</em>ars chapter book series and the forthcoming picture books <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Love, Triangle</em> and <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Penguinaut!</em>; Lisa Tyre, whose debut middle-grade novel, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Last in a Long Line of Rebels</em>, was a BEA Buzz Book title; Sarah Lariviere, whose middle-grade novel <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Bad Kid</em> is an 2017 Edgar Award Nominee; and Rachael Allen, author of the YA novels <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">17 First Kisses</em>, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Revenge Playbook </em>and the forthcoming<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"> A Taxonomy of Love.</em></div>
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Before agenting, Susan worked in the Children’s Marketing departments of Penguin Books for Young Readers, Henry Holt Books for Young Readers and North-South Books, where she managed campaigns for many books and authors including Eric Carle, Mary E Pearson, Richard Peck and Joan Bauer. She’s also been a children’s librarian and bookseller, and spent some time in Dutton Editorial, acquiring select picture book and YA projects for that list.</div>
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Susan represents books for children and teens only: <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and young adult, along with some non-fiction for children and teens too</strong>. She’s committed to building a diverse list of books and authors, and welcomes submissions in this area.</div>
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She’s looking for books that grab her by the heart and don’t let go! Complex, layered, flawed, and lively characters are irresistible to her. She loves writing that acknowledges and explores the way humans can hold opposing feelings—sometimes lots of them—all at one time.</div>
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Plot is equally important. She wants to be drawn deeply into your story, and even if it isn’t an adventure, she wants to feel like she’s on the edge of her seat, waiting to see what will happen next. Humor is key—she likes wry, witty humor (not so much gross-out humor). Even if your book isn’t meant to be a knee-slapper, a bit of something funny is very welcome. She wants writing that’s sharp, focused, thoughtful and inventive. She’s a sucker for bittersweet and soulful. Literary or commercial, high concept or character-driven, she wants to be surprised by your book.</div>
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She’s omnivorous when it comes to genre and loves reading mystery, fantasy, scifi, humor, boy books, historical, contemporary — you name it.</div>
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In picture books, she’s currently looking only for author-illustrators and is drawn to work that’s vibrant and emotional, indelible characters, and succinct, expressive texts that tell a real story. The non-fiction she represents relates to kid’s daily lives and their concerns with the world.</div>
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Follow her on twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/@susanhawk" target="_blank">@SusanHawk</a>.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.writershouse.com/submissions" target="_blank">Alexandra Levick of Writers House Literary</a></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQPstpgVRYpxF5YamtNpMnJvt95xHfoMAQT_ti5GVJkMnSnkMIqbLiWDD7fWoMoeG-9F31imLgmloQ4ncOFxgMhxGEbmfbSdM-GBOZTvMtpiZuHYzskEp56apmfsqazeNa7kZFdJBIjw/s1600/allielevick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQPstpgVRYpxF5YamtNpMnJvt95xHfoMAQT_ti5GVJkMnSnkMIqbLiWDD7fWoMoeG-9F31imLgmloQ4ncOFxgMhxGEbmfbSdM-GBOZTvMtpiZuHYzskEp56apmfsqazeNa7kZFdJBIjw/s200/allielevick.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I started at Writers House as an intern for Brianne Johnson and was quickly pulled from the program to begin working for Senior Vice President, Merrilee Heifetz. Later, I covered senior agent, Stephen Barr's, paternity leave and began working as an assistant to senior agents Brianne Johnson and Rebecca Sherman. I have also worked as a bookseller in both the adult and children’s markets, as well as on the house side of the publishing business in publicity. In 2015, I graduated from New York University with my Masters of Science in Publishing: Digital and Print Media, with a specialization in Media Content Development.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am actively growing my picture book, middle grade, young adult, and adult lists.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">She is looking for picture book author-illustrators, a wide range of middle grade and YA, and more speculative-leaning or genre-bent upmarket adult works. I’m committed to working with writers from diverse backgrounds and am looking to put forth a list of outstanding creators who will be able to provide windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors (thank you, Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop) into all kinds of experiences. I’m particularly looking for own-voices stories about historically underrepresented characters, identities, and cultures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">No matter the genre or age-range, I crave a distinctive voice and strong thematic point behind the work—I want to run screaming to my friends and family about your book because there is so much to discuss. I love character-driven stories that revolve around BIG topics (discussing things like mortality or grief in a new and hopefully somewhat uplifting way is always an instant lightbulb!). One might say that I have a great affinity for what used to be known as ‘issue books,’ however, I would argue that I’d like to represent authors and stories that stand for more than just a good yarn; I’d like to represent authors who provoke conversations around important and necessary topics in our world today. I don’t just want contemporary versions of these stories, either. Send me your fantasy, your sci-fi, your genre-bender!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Follow her on twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/AllieLevick" target="_blank">@AllieLevick</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.catugeau.com/about" target="_blank">Christy Tugeau Ewers of The CAT Agency</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Christy Tugeau Ewers, has been rooted in the children's literature industry since Chris started the agency in 1994, and she has been surrounded by artists her entire life. Aside from her mother, her brother, Jeremy Tugeau is an exceptional fine art and children's illustrator, represented by his wife, Nicole, at Tugeau 2. Christy's husband, Chris Ewers, is an artist too, as a talented cinematographer and film-maker. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With a degree in English/Journalism and over a decade of experience in various creative fields, Christy offers a different perspective to the agency, while maintaining the enthusiasm and love that her mother brings to the industry. Aside from writing, her interests include seaside escapes, very hot coffee and pitbulls named Gertie.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And of course, grandchildren/children, Billie & Finnegan, are The CAT Agency's resident experts and critics. Billie has over 5 years of experience in the world, and has formed a deep love of unicorn literature and all things Pink/Purple/anything-licious. Finn boasts a robust background in cars and trucks, with a specific expertise in MR. TIGER GOES WILD. Billie currently enjoys using every crayon in the box, while Finn likes to spend his free time dancing to The Imperial March (Darth Vader's theme). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.newleafliterary.com/people/devin-ross/" target="_blank">Devin Ross of New Leaf Literary </a></b></span><br />
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Devin hails from the windiest city in the Midwest where she spent most of her childhood. She earned her B.A. in English from Lawrence University and her Publishing Certificate from the Denver Publishing Institute. She began her publishing career as an author’s assistant, helping authors grow their platforms and meet their deadlines. Her next career move landed her in the Subsidiary Rights department at Crown Publishing Group before she found her home at New Leaf Literary & Media where worked under Joanna Volpe, soaking up every lesson in agenting she could, before becoming and agent herself.<br /><br />In adult, Devin is looking for peculiar, eccentric, character driven, commercial or upmarket fiction that is conceptually unique. She’s also looking for upbeat women’s fiction or rom-coms. She loves all types of fantasy, and is drawn to stories with magical realism. While she loves science fiction, she is not looking for it at this time. In nonfiction she loves a book that explains complex science to people unlike her *cough* who almost failed junior chem.<br /><br />In YA she’s looking for commercial fiction; coming of age, plot driven books with strong voices and crossover appeal that break the status quo. She’d love to see more contemporary projects that will make her laugh and cry and leave her with a smile. She is also drawn to fantasy and thrillers that suck you in from the very first page.<br /><br />Devin grew up wanting to be an artist. She painted to escape, and is looking for books that help her to do the same. She’s looking for anything that throws her into a new world, or that helps her see her own in a different light. Devin loves books that make her feel strongly; bonus points for stories that make her laugh and cry. Finally, she is looking for books that teach her things, whether purposeful or through the telling of a story, it doesn’t matter. She is a lifelong learner and is always looking to expand her horizons.<br /><br />Devin splits her time between Denver and Manhattan, her adorable puppy and staring longingly at the mountains. Follow her on twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/Devyross" target="_blank">@Devyross</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.olswanger.com/" target="_blank">Anna Olswanger of Olswanger Literary</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Anna Olswanger has been a literary agent since 2005. She started her career at Liza Dawson Associates in Manhattan, and in 2014 launched her own literary agency, Olswanger Literary LLC, where she represents a wide variety of genres, but is currently focused on illustrated books (picture books and graphic novels). She is a member of the AAR, </span><a href="http://aaronline.org/" style="background-color: white; color: #cc0000; text-decoration-line: none; text-size-adjust: none;" target="blank">Association of Authors' Representatives.</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Anna has sold to major publishers, including Bloomsbury, Chronicle, HarperCollins, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Macmillan, Penguin Random House, and Simon & Schuster. </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Her clients' books have won the Newbery Honor, Asian Pacific American Award for Literature Honor, Flora Stieglitz Strauss Award for Nonfiction, Orbis Pictus Honor, PEN/Steven Kroll Award for Picture Book Writing, Parents Choice Gold Award, Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Books, Sibert Award Honor, Ezra Jack Keats Book Award Honor, Sydney Taylor Silver Medal, Boston Globe Horn Book Nonfiction Honor, International Bologna/Ragazzi Nonfiction Honor, CCBC Choices, and been Junior Library Guild Selections and on </span><i style="background-color: white;">The New York Times</i><span style="background-color: white;"> Bestseller list. You can view many of her clients' books on </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/olswanger/anna-olswanger-literary-agent/" style="background-color: white; color: #cc0000; text-decoration-line: none; text-size-adjust: none;" target="blank">Pinterest.</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Anna enjoys discovering new authors and illustrators, and is looking for “voice,” the sound and rhythm of an author that is hers alone. She has a particular interest in picture books (author-illustrators only) and graphic novels. </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">She works hard with authors to get their manuscripts into shape for submission. She finds that most manuscripts need work on plot, so if you're a potential author or illustrator client, be ready to go through many revisions before Anna agrees to send out your manuscript. Her job is to get the story to the point where an editor will make an offer. (And then be prepared to make more revisions for the editor.) </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Follow her on twitter at @<a href="https://twitter.com/AnnaOlswanger" target="_blank">AnnaOlswanger</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://risingbear.com/about-us/" target="_blank">Rick Margolis of Rising Bear Literary</a></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For nearly 15 years, I worked for <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">School Library Journal</em>, the world’s largest reviewer of books for young readers. As <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">SLJ</em> ’s executive editor, I had the pleasure of interviewing many remarkable children’s book creators, including Kate DiCamillo, Mo Willems, Katherine Paterson, Gene Yang, Rita Williams-Garcia, Markus Zusak, Rebecca Stead, and Jon Klassen. One of the best parts of my job was writing a monthly interview column, “Under Cover,” which highlighted new and promising authors and illustrators (like John Green, Suzanne Collins, and Stephenie Meyer) who went on to have amazing careers. Along the way, I also met many publishers and children’s book editors. Because I’ve read so much and so widely, I have a strong sense of the stories that appeal to them, and I know the literary market well. And for some reason, almost every year I was able to predict the winner of the Caldecott Medal, which honors the year’s best-illustrated book.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Although I loved my stint at <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">SLJ</em>, I was ready for a new challenge. But not just any job would do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I wanted to find one that felt like my true calling—one that I was wild about—and that could contribute something of value to the world. I also wanted to stay connected to kids’ books—because I love them and because I was once a reading specialist (working with students who struggled to read) and I know firsthand what a profound difference the right book can make in a young person’s life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To make a long story short, after lots of praying and scores of meetings with some very insightful folks (and a fair amount of snacking), I launched Rising Bear Literary Agency, LLC, specializing in what I most love: picture books, early- and middle-grade fiction, young adult literature, and adult novels with unforgettable teen characters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rising Bear aims to help writers and illustrators do their best possible work, to pair them with the perfect publisher, and to see them develop long, rewarding careers. We’re excited to work with people who are passionate about creating exceptional books—and who are ready to change the world, one fabulous title at a time. We offer a full range of services that include foreign, film, and merchandising rights in all forms of media.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.theinnovationpress.com/" target="_blank"><b>Asia Citro of The Innovation Press</b></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #26282a;">ASIA CITRO, M. Ed, is a former classroom science teacher with a Master's in Science Education. She is the author of </span><i style="color: #26282a;">150+ Screen-Free Activities for Kids</i><span style="color: #26282a;">, </span><i style="color: #26282a;">The Curious Kid's Science Book</i><span style="color: #26282a;">, and the </span><i style="color: #26282a;">Zoey and Sassafras</i><span style="color: #26282a;"> chapter book series, among others. She is also the creator of the popular blog Fun at Home with Kids, the owner of (and an editor at) The Innovation Press, and the founder of the Seattle Children's Book Festival. Her work has been featured on Apartment Therapy, The Chicago Tribune, Today, Disney Baby, MSN, King 5 TV, and Highlights, among others.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love quirky and creative manuscripts that aren't iterations of children's books that currently exist; an ideal manuscript either covers a new subject or uses a new presentation or approach to cover a perennial topic. Manuscripts that make me laugh are a huge plus. As a former classroom teacher, I also appreciate having some form of learning tied in and definitely have a penchant for manuscripts that promote STEM skills/learning. We love diverse characters (and are VERY interested in any #OwnVoices manuscripts) and characters who challenge traditional gender roles. The Innovation Press is open to all kinds of submissions (board books, picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and graphic novel), so long as the target audience falls in the PreK-5th grade range.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Follow her on twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/AsiaCitroAuthor" target="_blank">@AsiaCitroAuthor</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.bluewhalepress.com/" target="_blank"><b>Alayne Kay Christian of Blue Whale Press</b></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Alayne Kay Christian is the content and
developmental editor for Blue Whale Press and an award-winning children’s book
author. She is the creator and teacher of a picture book writing course, <cite>Art of
Arc.</cite> She shares more or her knowledge and tips for writers
through her <i>Writing for Children Webinars</i>.
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has been a professional picture book and chapter book critique writer since
2014, and she worked as a 12 X 12 critique ninja for three years. Alayne is a
graduate of the Institute for Children’s Literature. In addition, she has spent
the last eleven years studying under some of the top names in children’s
literature. Alayne’s focus at Blue Whale Press is content editing, creative
direction, and working with authors and illustrators to coordinate the path to
quality books. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Blue Whale press is looking for unusual
characters, strong narrative arc, strong voice, fresh/unique premises, and
surprise twists. We are drawn to unique stories that standout from all the
rest. We gravitate toward humor, but we would love some stories that tug at the
heartstrings, but again, in a unique, standout way. Clever and/or humorous
informational fiction that is written with young readers in mind tends to get
our attention. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Note from Alayne: Some have asked what we are not interested
in, so I will offer that we are not interested in trends. Trends
eventually lead to an abundance of similar stories. If you haven’t seen it
before, your chances are probably better with us. We aren’t able to produce
board books at this time, so manuscripts for the newborn to three age range are
not for us. We are not against faith-based stories that give a mild universal
message. However, heavy messages about specific beliefs based on specific
religions aren’t a good fit for us. We are currently not looking for young
adult manuscripts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m excited about the many talented picture
book and chapter book writers in our kid lit community, and I look forward to
spotting some gems in your entries! Let the party begin!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Blue Whale Website: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://www.bluewhalepress.com/">https://www.bluewhalepress.com/</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Twitter: <u><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://twitter.com/alayne_kay"><span style="color: blue;">https://twitter.com/alayne_kay</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Alayne’s Website: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://alaynekaychristianauthor.com/">https://alaynekaychristianauthor.com/</a></span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.pagestreetpublishing.com/kids" target="_blank"><b>Charlotte Wenger of Page Street Kids</b></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love picture book biographies, sports narratives, and global stories. Additionally, topics and themes surrounding the performing arts as well as social awareness and justice pique my interest. I'm especially looking for debut (or newer talent) authors and author-illustrators with strong writing skills and distinct art styles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In narrative picture books (fiction and nonfiction), I look for well-developed characters with distinct voices; a strong plot with an earned resolution; and a clever, unexpected, yet satisfying ending. I'm always open to stories that break formula and just work – that have that special something that you can’t quite put your finger on – either in the art or the words. I like both prose and poetry, but I'm typically not a fan of rhyme unless it feels authentic to the tone of the story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm always on the lookout for what hasn't been done yet – stories that haven't been told and voices that haven't been heard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Follow her on twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/WilbursBF_Char" target="_blank">@WilbursBF_Char</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://www.clearforkpublishing.com/" target="_blank">Callie Metler-Smith of Clear Fork Publishing</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hi! I am Callie Metler-Smith. I am the CEO and founder of Clear Fork Media Group in Stamford, Texas. I answer to the following titles: Publisher of Books, Newspaper Chick, Bookstore Owner, Writer, Illustrator, Wife, Mom, and Friend.<br /><br />I am the illustrator for the Enchanted Snow Globe Chapter Book series written by Melissa Stoller. I have also written two other books: Swensons, Penick, and the TCR and Ben’s West Texas Snow. My third book, How to Babysit a Logan, tells the reader about autism from the perspective of my son Logan’s cat has a release date of April 2019.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />When I'm not working on my corner of the Stamford Square, I love spending time with my husband, Philip and two sons, Logan and Ben.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">CFP's Mission statement is to publish books that promote creativity, diversity, and books that expand your mind for adults and children. Our adult titles include poetry, non-fiction, and science fiction books. Our children's titles include board books; picture books; chapter books; and young adult.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Follow her on twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/CallieMetler" target="_blank">@CallieMetler</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="font-size: x-large;">Ninja Editor Dragonfly </b>This editor wishes to stay anonymous. Authors will be contacted by us with specific instructions if Ninja Dragonfly makes any requests. </span></div>
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Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308214465210382791.post-14468998360074631352019-02-08T08:00:00.000-05:002019-03-13T15:32:45.331-04:00Picture Book Party 2019<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 18.2px;">We are doing it again! </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Spunky. Adorable. Heartwarming.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span>Those are some of the words that describe picture books and chapter books. I'm happy to join with Sharon Chriscoe and Mindy Alyse Weiss to do a little something for a group that is left out of most contests. This mini-contest is for you!<br clear="none" /><br clear="none" />Tell your friends and please post on Twitter, Facebook, and in your writing groups. Spread the word, help aspiring authors, and celebrate picture books! The Twitter party will be for everyone, so I hope to see you there under the hashtag <b><span style="color: #cd232c;">#PBParty</span></b>. There will be daily topics that apply to all writers during the submission week. <b>I'd love for you to suggest some topics in the comments.</b> It's going to be a fun week!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Edit:</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Just to clarify this isn't a twitter pitching contest. Instead your entries are sent to the hosts by </span><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">email </b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">and we pick a variety of genres for the agents/editors to read </span><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">on my blog</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. What happens on the twitter hashtag #PBParty is an actual party, where we celebrate our writing and picture books with a variety of topics to talk about. Topics change each day. Examples include: share your favorite picture book. Share where you get your writing inspiration. And so on. </span><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" />The agent round will be<span style="color: red;"> Wednesday, March 27th - Friday, March 29th</span>. The submission day is<span style="color: red;"> Tuesday</span><span style="color: red;">, </span><span style="color: red;">March 19th</span> at<span style="color: red;"> 4:00 pm Eastern time</span>. </span><br clear="none" style="background-color: white; color: #666666;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br clear="none" /></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"></span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The window will stay open at least one hour. </b>That way no one has to rush. </span><br clear="none" style="background-color: white; color: #666666;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br clear="none" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Then Sharon, Mindy and I will go through the entries and pick our 20 favorites. We just might add a few additional ones--the amazing submissions make it hard to narrow down our final choices! </span><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span><b style="color: #444444; line-height: 14.56px;">The Rules:</b><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span>Please be a follower of this blog. You can click the "Follow" button in the left sidebar under the Followers app. Or if that is stubborn and won't work, you can subscribe to my newsletter or follow <a href="https://twitter.com/Michelle4Laughs" target="_blank">@Michelle4Laughs</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/MindyAlyseWeiss" target="_blank">@MindyAlyseWeiss</a> on twitter. We will be tweeting hints and advice as well as partying!</span><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span>You may send </span><b style="color: #444444;">two</b><span style="color: #444444;"> entries for </span><b style="color: #444444;">different</b><span style="color: #444444;"> manuscripts. That's two and only two, whether you have multiple pen names or multiple email addresses. Please be honest and not send more. Only one entry will be chosen per person. If you send two, still only one will be picked. Any attempt to cheat will result in entries thrown out (and sadly it has happened in the past.) </span><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span>On </span><b style="color: #444444;">March 19 at 4:00 pm </b><span style="color: #444444;">Eastern the submission window opens. </span><b style="color: #444444;">Do not send early or your entry will be deleted</b><span style="color: #444444;">. You may resend at the correct time if this happens. I'm recycling an email address as I already have too many. Please send your entry to </span><b style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: red;">SunversusSnow at yahoo dot com</span></b><span style="color: #444444;">. </span><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 14.56px;"></span>You should receive a confirmation email. </span><b style="color: #444444;">If you do not, please contact me or Mindy on Twitter before resending</b><span style="color: #444444;">. </span><b><span style="color: #444444;">Please note that your </span><span style="color: red;">second submission</span><span style="color: #444444;"> will likely NOT receive confirmation.</span></b><span style="color: #444444;"> That does not mean it wasn't received. Just that our vacation notification only works once. Chill. If we got your first, we got the second. </span></span><br clear="none" style="background-color: white; color: #666666;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br clear="none" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Remember: We want to get a good count of entries and duplicates make that harder. The window will stay open at least one hour in order to avoid the crush of entries and flooding us with requests to check for entries.</span><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">This contest is for unagented writers and writer/illustators with </span><span style="color: red;"><b>finished and polished</b></span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="color: black;">manuscripts. They must be ready to submit if requested by an agent or editor. </span></span><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span><b style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 14.56px;">The Format:</b><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span><b style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Subject Line</b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> of your Email: PBParty: Title</span><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Example: PBParty: Hot Tub Santa</span><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Inside the email please bold where bolded in my example. Single space with spaces between paragraphs. Use Times New Roman or equivalent font and the size should be 12.</span><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">(Here's a trick to keep your paragraph spacing: copy and paste your entry into your email and then put in the line spaces. They seem to get lost when you copy and paste. It may look right but sending scrambles the spacing. Note: We will still read your entry if you mess up the formatting.)</span><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span><b style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Name:</b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Sharon Chriscoe</span><br clear="none" /><b style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter Handle:</b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> @extracleansanta (optional)</span><br clear="none" /><b style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Title:</b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> HOT TUB SANTA</span><br clear="none" /><b style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Genre:</b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> (Here please tell us what type of picture book this is) Example: Board Book, Bedtime Rhyme, Nonfiction, Biography, etc. or List Chapter Book </span><span style="color: red; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If this is OWNVOICES, please say so here!</span><br clear="none" /><b style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Word Count:</b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> xxx (round to nearest ten, hundred for chapter books)</span><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span><b style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 14.56px;">Query:</b><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Your entire query letter here. Include your comps, bio, greeting, closing. Please be sure to note diversity and ownvoices in the query as well. (You may use whatever you want for a greeting. Dear Agent. Dear Michelle, Sharon, and Mindy.)</span><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here is your chance to make your entry shine and make the agent fall in love with your words.</span><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span><b style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 14.56px;">First 50 Words:</b><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Include your first 50 words for a picture book, 100 words for chapter books. Do not stop in the middle of a sentence. You may go over by one or two words to finish a sentence but not more than five. Single space and put </span><b style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">spaces in between</b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> paragraphs. You may center or tab if appropriate.</span><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span><span style="color: red; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Edit</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">: For short picture books, less than 50 words may be submitted. Any count under 50 is allowed.</span><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Also I will delete parts of entries after the contest ends, if requested. For those writers uncomfortable with their work being out there for all to see. </span><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span><br clear="none" /><span style="color: red; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Bonus</b></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">: You may attach one illustration to your email to show an example of your artwork. We love artwork. If you don't have artwork, don't worry.</span><br clear="none" /><br clear="none" style="line-height: 14.56px;" /><br clear="none" /><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 14.56px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 14.56px;"></span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That should cover about everything, but you may leave questions in the comments or on Twitter. Please no DMs or emails. Don't forget the </span><b style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cd232c;">#PBParty </span></b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">hashtag.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;">And don't forget to leave your suggestion of a topic for our twitter party!<br clear="none" /><br clear="none" /><span style="line-height: 14.56px; line-height: 14.56px;"></span>We can't wait to see all the heartwarming cuteness on March 19th! </span></span>Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.com55tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308214465210382791.post-12026659416362813812019-01-25T08:00:00.000-05:002019-01-25T08:00:39.574-05:00Cover reveal: BUTTERFLY GIRL by Sarah Floyd + Giveaway!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">I
have followed Michelle Hauck for many years. I admire her dynamic writing
style—her books are fantastic—and her contests, blog posts, and endless support
of the kidlit community has helped so many writers, including me! Thank you,
Michelle, for welcoming me to your blog to share the cover of my debut MG novel,
BUTTERFLY GIRL.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Michelle
suggested that I mention some thoughts about how I found my agent. I wish I
could offer a quick and easy formula for “how to wow an agent and land a
publishing deal,” but that’s not how it happened for me . . . <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When
I first started writing, I was eager to query my picture books, confident that
an agent would soon snap up my stories. I was a strong writer in high school
and college, and loved children’s books, so the long and painful journeys I
read about from other writers seemed like something I could avoid . . . but over
time I learned that the skills needed to write academic papers do not line up
exactly with the skills needed for writing books. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Like
many before me, much of my journey was difficult and discouraging. Mountains of
form rejections and long stretches spent hanging out in Cricket Land can leave
any aspiring author feeling stuck in place and frustrated—but with the help of amazing
friends and critique partners I met at the SCBWI Blueboards, my early
enthusiasm turned into a focused, serious commitment to learning the craft of
writing for publication. After several years of writing and querying picture
books and my MG novel (BUTTERFLY GIRL), I finally began to make progress in the
form of personal rejections, and a few requests. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As
my confidence grew, I began entering contests, like Michelle’s Sun vs. Snow (short-listed
by one of the mentors) and Query Kombat (winner in the picture book category).
I continued workshopping my projects with critique partners, and then jumped
into the online conference WriteOnCon, where I met my first agent, Danielle
Smith. (This was about two years before she abruptly closed her agency and
disappeared from social media.) I was elated when Danielle said she loved the
first few pages of BUTTERFLY GIRL and requested the full manuscript, along with
any completed picture books—and I literally danced with joy when she offered representation
a few weeks later. A book deal was right around the corner, or so I thought . .
. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">After
six months with little communication and nothing on submission, I lost faith in
the partnership and decided it would be best for me to move on. I took a month
off to decompress and gather my courage, and then started querying again, although
I privately worried that other agents might have unspoken questions about why the
relationship had ended, and my formerly agented status would be a mark against
me. Incredibly, all the agents I queried sent personal responses that were
encouraging and kind, and four of them asked for additional material . . . and
thankfully, one of those agents was Essie White of Storm Literary, who cares
deeply for her clients and is exceptionally hardworking, supportive, communicative,
and honest. She’s also super savvy about the industry and has a fantastic
editorial eye. Signing with such a phenomenal agent was a moment of pure relief
and happiness—she truly is the perfect agent for me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Essie
submitted BUTTERFLY GIRL to Callie Metler-Smith of Clear Fork Publishing—and we
received an offer of publication! Working with Callie and her team has been a great
experience. After writing a second stand-alone novel (going on submission soon),
I asked Callie if I could re-read the manuscript before she created the final
proof. I wondered if the things I had learned from drafting that second novel
might also apply to my first, since I hadn’t read it in a very long time, other
than copying and pasting the first 5-10 pages to query agents. After re-reading
I found that I still loved the story, but I noticed places where the writing
could be improved. Callie agreed with my thoughts, which meant delaying the
release so I could revise, and so she could read the new version and approve it
or offer additional feedback. I’m grateful to have landed with such a
wonderfully collaborative and supportive publisher!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It’s a fantastic
feeling to arrive at this point in the journey where I can finally share the
cover for BUTTERFLY GIRL . . . <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">By: Sarah Floyd</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Release date: March 26, 2019 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Publisher: Clear Fork Publishing <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">ISBN: 978-1-946101-64-8</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Available for Preorder Soon</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">About the
book: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">In
the summer before seventh grade, Meghan McCoy-Lee discovers there’s magic in
the sap of her family tree. She follows instructions in her great-grandmother’s
journal . . . and grows leathery wings! Meghan’s story goes viral and her
mother, who abandoned Meghan at Grandpa’s Oregon farm six years earlier, swoops
back into town with superstar plans for her Winged Wonder Girl. Grandpa says
stay on the farm and ignore the paparazzi, but her charismatic mom wants her to
leave for Hollywood and start a new life together. The popular girls at school
want Meghan gone, like yesterday—she’s getting way more attention than they
are.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">One
thing is certain: Meghan’s going to make up her own mind, and the designer
divas aren’t part of the equation. With the help of her brainy best friends,
there may be a way to make the queen of the mean girls stumble and fall off her
throne. Now Meghan must decide if a glamorous life with the mother she dreamed
of is worth moving away from the friends who stood by her—and from Grandpa, who
loved her before the whole world knew her name.</span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">About the author:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Sarah Floyd was born in Carmel Highlands, California, where she
and her friends explored, built forts, and acted out magical adventure stories
in the woods that surrounded their homes. When she was in first grade her
family moved to San Francisco, and then to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She always
brought her favorite books, wherever she moved, and she always found new
friends who loved to read. Now she writes books for children and teens—for her,
it’s the best job in the world!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Sarah is also the author of the picture book, TEN CLEVER NINJAS,
which will be released later this year by Clear Fork Publishing. She is an
active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and
lives in Florida with her husband and teenage son. To learn more, please visit sarahfloydbooks.com,
and follow her on Twitter @kidlitSarah<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
https://www.sarahfloydbooks.com/</div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
https://twitter.com/kidlitSarah</div>
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details:<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">WHERE WOULD YOU FLY FIRST, IF YOU HAD WINGS?</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">THANK YOU for celebrating with me today!! Please comment below with your answer (and include your Twitter handle or email) for a chance to win a signed ARC.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Michelle
will randomly select a winner to receive a signed ARC, along with a query and
first chapter critique (MG or YA), or a query plus full PB manuscript critique. Entry ends February 2nd. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308214465210382791.post-50218661389331182342018-11-26T08:00:00.000-05:002018-11-26T12:00:12.194-05:00Fall Fiction Fest Agent Round 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCp3shDSS9OAVFACDJq0hjvVA8Jqqceh_CB1ZV46vrahq-_ODzSYKcx45sbsku8TBpZNlIpa1zkkYvv0HYq95QnU-8zvgE4Wj-L0EiFCE6SJk5doRrRv60rN-pqEIU98n-M5iFmhERqo/s1600/Fall+Fiction+Fest+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCp3shDSS9OAVFACDJq0hjvVA8Jqqceh_CB1ZV46vrahq-_ODzSYKcx45sbsku8TBpZNlIpa1zkkYvv0HYq95QnU-8zvgE4Wj-L0EiFCE6SJk5doRrRv60rN-pqEIU98n-M5iFmhERqo/s320/Fall+Fiction+Fest+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">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! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">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 <a href="https://amytruebloodauthor.com/tag/contest/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #4d469c;">Amy Trueblood's blo</span>g</a> and Team Merry over at <a href="http://www.martymayberry.com/" target="_blank">Marty Mayberry's blog</a>!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">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 <strong>DOES NOT</strong> mean the entry was not worthy. No matter what happens, you’ve got to keep querying and <strong>NEVER GIVE UP</strong>!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Before the Cranberries squeeze the competition, here are some guidelines to remember:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">There is<span class="gmail-apple-converted-space"> </span><strong>no commenting</strong><span class="gmail-apple-converted-space"> </span>in this round except for agents. Sorry, but no cheerleading as this may lead to an unconscious bias.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">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. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">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!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Good luck to all! </span></div>
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<img alt="Image result for cranberries" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRDkks-3KB6VOx2AP1LktCQJaG_4EgHrEpu8AYDHwB583ipuVeQ" /></div>
Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308214465210382791.post-56040551240657064412018-11-26T07:59:00.000-05:002018-11-26T07:59:01.079-05:00Saucy Cranberries 12: JO RIVETTI AND THE MISSING MATH TEACHER, MG STEM Mystery<div class="yiv2190596050p2" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_32563" style="background-color: white;">
<span class="yiv2190596050" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_32567" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="yiv2190596050s1" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_32575"><b class="yiv2190596050" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_32574">Title: </b></span><span class="yiv2190596050s1" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_32566">JO RIVETTI AND THE MISSING MATH TEACHER</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="yiv2190596050" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_32849"><b class="yiv2190596050" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_32847">Genre: </b>MG STEM </span><span class="yiv2190596050">Mystery </span></span></div>
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<span class="yiv2190596050" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_32572" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="yiv2190596050s1" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_32571"><b class="yiv2190596050" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_32570">Word Count: </b></span><span class="yiv2190596050s1">49,000</span><br class="yiv2190596050" /><span class="yiv2190596050s1"></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span class="yiv2190596050" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_32572" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="yiv2190596050s1"><br class="yiv2190596050" /></span><b class="yiv2190596050" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_32852">How Did You Fall for Writing:</b> I started writing to help cope with my anxiety in the evenings, and I fell in love. Now i want to write all the books!</span></div>
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<b class="yiv2190596050"><span class="yiv2190596050" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Query:</span></b></div>
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<span class="yiv2190596050" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_32858"><span class="yiv2190596050" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_32857" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thank you for taking the time to review my Fall Fest submission. Fans of the Devlin Quick Series by Linda Fairstein and The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency by Jordan Stratford will enjoy this story and potential series.</span></span></div>
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<span class="yiv2190596050" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_32862"><span class="yiv2190596050" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_32861" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Twelve-year-old Jo Rivetti knows three things for sure: geniuses still have to go to school, math rules, and trouble is practically a swear word (she avoids both at all costs). So when Jo overhears her favorite teacher/fellow math savant being threatened, she dutifully avoids any conflict and assumes Ms. Blooms can handle the situation on her own.</span></span></div>
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<span class="yiv2190596050" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_32866"><span class="yiv2190596050" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_32868" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But then Ms. Blooms suddenly goes missing, and the police refuse to investigate. In a late night recon mission with her brother, Justin, and BFF, Ronnie, Jo finds a mysterious math website connected to a hidden treasure, along with death threat ultimatums— definitive evidence Ms. Blooms is in trouble. Unfortunately, the police not only dismiss Jo’s discovery, but are way more concerned about three kids trespassing after curfew. Typical. </span></span></div>
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<span class="yiv2190596050"><span class="yiv2190596050" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now, Jo, Justin, and Ronnie are in trouble with the parental units while Ms. Blooms’s life is at stake. The only way to save her is to solve the clues and find the treasure before the bad guys do, all while grounded and without internet access. Luckily, Jo has never met a puzzle she couldn’t solve. And honestly, she does have a reputation to maintain (she is a genius after all). But as the clues unravel, Jo finds the kidnappers will stop at nothing to get that treasure, even if it means Jo, her friends and family, and Ms. Blooms might all sum to zero. <br class="yiv2190596050" /><br class="yiv2190596050" />I have a bachelor’s of science in mathematics and am a member (assoc) of the International Thriller Writers as well as the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. I live in Denver, Colorado with my daughters and husband. Thank you so much for your time. </span></span></div>
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<b class="yiv2190596050"><span class="yiv2190596050" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First 250 words:</span></b></div>
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<span class="yiv2190596050" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Holy. Einstein. </span></div>
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<span class="yiv2190596050" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br class="yiv2190596050" />Jo Rivetti stared in stunned silence at the math test she'd been handed back. Ms. Blooms had to have made a mistake. A giant red B+ bled from the corner of her test. Jo didn't get B+'s, or for that matter, B's. She was a straight A student. Everyone knew that.</span></div>
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<span class="yiv2190596050" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br class="yiv2190596050" />A's were kind of her legacy. Even at the ripe age of twelve, Jo’d already planned to write her college entrance essay about her devotion and execution of perfect exam scores. </span></div>
<div class="yiv2190596050" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_32879" style="background-color: white;">
<span class="yiv2190596050" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_32880" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br class="yiv2190596050" />B's were simply unacceptable. Other people got B’s. Like Jo's sister, Jessica. But Jessica was the athletic Rivetti triplet so her priorities were on the field or track or whatever. And Jo’s brother Justin got B’s sometimes, though C’s and D's were more typical. Everyone called him the trouble triplet. Jo just thought he was lazy.</span></div>
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<span class="yiv2190596050" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_32878" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br class="yiv2190596050" />But Jo? She was the smart one. The prodigy. She did not get B's. <i class="yiv2190596050">Especially</i> in math. This test clearly had to be a mistake. </span></div>
<div class="yiv2190596050" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_32872" style="background-color: white;">
<span class="yiv2190596050" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_32873" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br class="yiv2190596050" />Jo set her lips in a firm line and told herself she would speak to her teacher after class. Ms. Blooms would correct this obvious error. After all, she was the nicest teacher on the planet, and practically a second mom to Jo. A math mom more or less, since Ms. Blooms definitely understood Jo’s cognitive function better than Jo’s real mom.</span></div>
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<span class="yiv2190596050" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <br class="yiv2190596050" />She knew how the letters and numbers danced into patterns inside Jo's head, and how the hardest mathematical proofs and concepts all appeared in her brain as beautiful dances.</span></div>
Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308214465210382791.post-61313029045638660162018-11-26T07:58:00.000-05:002018-11-26T07:58:01.815-05:00Saucy Cranberries 11: UNDERCURRENTS, MG Speculative Fiction<div class="yiv2645597081MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_6813" style="background-color: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_6812"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_6811">Title: </span></b>UNDERCURRENTS<span style="color: red;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_6819"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_6818">Genre</span></b>: MG Speculative Fiction</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_6823"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_6822">Word Count: </span></b>46,000</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_6830"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_6829">How Did You Fall for Writing</b>:</span></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_6831"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve always been a writer, starting with my first story, <i>Paddington in the Strawberry Patch,</i> when I was 7 or 8. Then as a teacher I rediscovered my love of writing when I modeled the writing process with my students. At first I just wrote in the classroom, but then I started writing with a friend once a week. That was about 15 years ago, and we still meet regularly (and I can’t stop writing!).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Query</b>:<b></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dear Agent,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Undercurrents</i><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_6837"> is set in a future when water is more precious than oil. Comparable titles include <i>Not a Drop to Drink </i>(Mindy McGinnis, 2014) and <i>The Water Wars</i> (Cameron Stracher, 2011).</span></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_6840"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this desperate time of drought and wildfires, 13-year-old Marin Holbert takes a summer job at her town’s water treatment plant in order to earn more water rations for her family. Marin is initially grateful to be part of the well-loved, local company, Hydrops, but she grows suspicious the company is not as reputable as it appears to be.<span style="background: yellow;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Marin soon discovers that Hydrops is plotting to take over water supplies across the country and has already diverted water to a lush, elite community. Even worse, she suspects that the growing number of wildfires around town are also part of their scheme. Unsure who to trust, Marin and her lifelong friend, Jax, race to expose the truth before Hydrops controls the water and everything around her burns away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My credentials include over 20 publications for the education market and many years teaching middle school language arts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first 250 words of <i>Undercurrents</i> are pasted below. Thank you for your time and consideration.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>First 250 words</b>:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My nexus pinged with a memo from Dad: <b>Grab your boots and gear, Marin. Meet crews in the 33rd sector</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I looked southeast. Smoke.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_6863"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then town warning sirens sounded. The nexus pinged again with the official emergency alert: <b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_6862">Growing grass fire – 33rd sector. Homes and businesses threatened. Volunteers meet at the incident command center.</b></span></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_6859"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I rushed upstairs to the room I shared with my grandmother.</span></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_6857"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the start of the summer I’d been excited that I was finally 13 and old enough to help on the fire lines. Dad had even scored second-hand equipment for me. That first fire was thrilling. Then I battled my second. And third. After number ten I just wanted to go back to school.</span></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_6842"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I pulled on my sooty canvas pants and heavy boots, the lingering smell of past fires filled the air. I grabbed my bulging backpack. Ninety seconds after I’d gotten Dad’s memo, I was on my bike, sweating rivers in my thick gear. As I pedaled toward the smoke, more and more people on bikes flooded the car-less, potholed streets. We were a parade of volunteers weaving through town. It happened every time an emergency alert went out. We didn’t have much water to fight fires with.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But we had people.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_6849"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the bridge, I glanced down at Alton Creek. It should’ve been renamed Alton Trickle – that’s how little water there was. But even though there wasn’t much water to watch over, the Colorado Guard still patrolled the rocky banks, reminding everyone to stay away.</span></span></div>
Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308214465210382791.post-71923335426776502032018-11-26T07:57:00.000-05:002018-11-26T07:57:00.408-05:00Saucy Cranberries 10: FAKING IT: A RECIPE FOR DISASTER, MG Contemporary OV<div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_6226" style="line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 6pt; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Title</b>: FAKING IT: A RECIPE FOR DISASTER <br /><b>Genre</b>: MG Contemporary Ownvoices<br /><b>Word Count</b>: 42,000</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>How did you fall for writing</b>: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_6231" style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a teacher and reviewer, I’ve read thousands of YA and MG titles, and I realized I have my own stories to tell. I stewed over it, talked about it and convinced my best friend, an avid reader, that we both could write our own novels. We drafted and edited with help from each other on every chapter. I can’t imagine writing a novel without our hours long text conversations. There is nothing better than a CP who understands your story. RECIPE FOR DISASTER is based on my own cooking adventures and entering recipe contests with recipes I dream up. In fact, Kyle’s winning recipe is my recipe, and like him, I never prepared it! </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Query</b>:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When plus-size e</span><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1542981117412_6234" style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">leven-year old Kyle enters a recipe in an online contest, he wins a coveted spot on a wildly successful junior chef reality TV competition, </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kids in the Kitchen. </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The winning junior chef will take home the $100,000 prize and a summer internship with a celebrity chef. Kyle knows exactly which chef he’ll choose: his very own father</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. His father may be a top celebrity chef, but he’s not a top father. He leaves Tampa Bay abandoning Kyle with nothing but a battered notebook of handwritten recipes and a love of cooking shows. Kyle mourns the loss of his father, turns to food to fill the void and dreams of a world where he’ll be judged by his body of work and not his body. Winning the cooking competition would show his father and the world that he can be good at something. There’s only one problem: Kyle can’t cook! </span></span><br />
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<span style="text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Kyle turns to his father’s notebook, finds an old recipe and tweaks it. His father’s recipe wins him a spot on the show...now all he has to do is learn to cook. Best friend Addie has the perfect solution: learn from YouTube. With her help, he pours his energy into learning the basics and feels he is ready. On the eve before the cooking show, Kyle shows how unprepared he really is. He sets a pan on fire at his hotel causing the hotel to evacuate all guests. As if this wasn’t embarrassing enough, the other junior chefs are staying in his hotel, and now everyone knows he’s the kid “who set the hotel on fire.” When the news cameras show up, Kyle hides. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Kyle must win “Kids in the Kitchen” to silence his bullies at home and to show his chef father that he is worthy of his attention. If he doesn’t win, the bullies will have the last laugh and he may never have another chance at a relationship with his father. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Complete at 42,000 words FAKING IT is a middle grade contemporary novel. It will appeal to fans of “MasterChef Junio</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">r,” </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">THE NEXT BEST JUNIOR CHEF</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and BETTER NATE THAN EVER. </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> It is own voices for weight and body image. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>First 250</b>:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No one ever said butchery was easy. I slide the steel blade down the delicate white backbone careful not to pierce the meat on either side. I want to get two clean, unbroken cuts. They make it look easy in videos.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lesson #1: Don’t trust videos.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> You see the edited, cleaned-up version. You don’t see the hundred early attempts and apocalyptic fails.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Do you need to watch it again?” Addie asks with her face scrunched up. She has that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You’re- not-doing-it- right!-</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">expression she gets when my performance isn’t up to her caliber of excellence. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The knife shakes in my hand. I rein it in trying not to get frazzled by her scowl. She’s only five feet tall. I tower over her, but it’s smart not to mess with Addie, trust me. She’s my best friend, but she’s also a master perfectionist. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chef Graysen Randell says, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A top competitor must keep his cool at all times.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> He’s my favorite chef, and I channel him when I cook. Well, him and my dad. My dad’s almost as famous a chef as Graysen Randell, but he’s not much of a father. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The doorbell rings and I jump, dropping the knife on the counter. As it clatters to a stop, I glance over at Addie who’s staring at me. “Nervous, much?” The smirk on her face makes me smile back at her. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My mom runs down the hall, and the door creaks open. Good. She answered the door, so I can continue my artistry. I reach for my knife.</span></span></div>
Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308214465210382791.post-31365411452097034652018-11-26T07:56:00.000-05:002018-11-26T07:56:04.060-05:00Saucy Cranberries 9: WRITTEN IN THE STARS, YA Space Opera OV<div class="yiv6945506690x_p2" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8894" style="background-color: white; color: #444444;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8893"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="yiv6945506690x_s1" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8892"><b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8891"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8890">Title: </span></b></span><span class="yiv6945506690x_s1">WRITTEN IN THE STARS</span></span></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8886"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="yiv6945506690x_s1" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8885"><b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8884"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8883">Genre: </span></b></span><span class="yiv6945506690x_s1"><span style="color: black;">YA </span><span style="color: black;">Sci-Fi/Space Opera Ownvoices</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8882"><span class="yiv6945506690x_s1" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8881"><b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8880"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8879">Word Count: </span></b></span><span class="yiv6945506690x_s1">89,000</span></span><br clear="none" /><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8873"><span class="yiv6945506690x_s1"><a name='more'></a><br clear="none" /></span><b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8872"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8871">How Did You Fall for Writing:</span></b> </span><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8867">I was *that kid* in elementary school, who read books beneath my desk instead of paying attention to the teacher. I devoured so many books that they kind of had to get out somehow, and so I wrote my first book, a picture book in glittery gel pen called “Alegna and the Secret World of Unicorns” (Alegna because it’s my name backwards…I was eight, okay?). And I’ve never looked back.</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Query:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8906">Seventeen-year-old Kalizah Xin will bring on the collapse of human civilization.</span><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8910">At least that's what Minerva—the Interplanetary Union’s largest and most accurate quantum computer—predicts. And Minerva has never been wrong.</span><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8913">To survive the hefty bounty on her head, Kalizah hides her identity, using her drones and hacking abilities to rise to the top of the pirating world and become the ruthless and calculating captain of the starship, </span><i>Starchaser</i><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8915">. Kept alive by a mechanical heart, there’s no depths Kalizah won’t sink to to steal her next batch of the rare element starcore, the only thing that can power it.</span><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8917">When the system's largest starcore mine is destroyed in a terrorist attack, powering her heart suddenly becomes a whole lot harder. Kalizah and her crew join the terrorists to sabotage their plans to destroy starcore—only to grow closer to them and understand their goals. Starcore is how the Interplanetary Union keeps its iron grip on power, punishing dissenters and keeping rebellion in line.</span><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8954">As Kalizah sabotages her new allies to power her heart, their hopes of a reformed solar system grow further and further away. She's always written off Minerva's predictions as the ramblings of a machine in error, but in the end, she must decide if she'll betray humanity—and the people she has grown to care about—to save the life she's fought so hard to cling to. </span><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8919">WRITTEN IN THE STARS is a YA science fiction complete at 89,000 words. It is #ownvoices, featuring a protagonist that shares my Chinese heritage, and a diverse cast of POC characters and a budding f/f romance.</span> <span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8921">It is in the vein of the action-packed space adventures of FIREFLY and the high-stakes heists and gray morality of SIX OF CROWS. I’m an electrical engineering student using my knowledge to write (mostly) plausible science in my science fiction.</span></span></div>
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<span class="yiv6945506690x_s1"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First 250 words:</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8961">The familiar whir of my heart hums through my chest, an ever-slowing rumble deep in my bones.</span><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few hours left.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8952">I lean back in the <i>Starchaser's </i>co-pilot's seat with a sigh. There's enough of my starcore stash left that it's not a big deal, but it would still be nice if this job worked out. </span><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8948">Above me, the vast darkness of space presses on the cockpit windows like a great maw, a reminder this darkness has been here long before I first opened my eyes and will be here long after the last time I close them.</span><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8946">That’s a scary thought to some, that eternity can take so little notice of them. But I’ve always found it comforting. Because no matter what I do, on the scale of billions of years, I’m not even a blip.</span><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So why not take all I can and run with it?<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Captain?” Tink glances over from the pilot’s seat. “You snoozin’ over there?”<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“What do you think?"<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8936">“Yeah, yeah. Our great and almighty leader never sleeps. May the system tremble before your creepy hyper-vigilance.”</span><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8971">“Did you need something, Tink, or do you just want to annoy me?”</span><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8970">“Just a reminder to be ready. Five minutes until contact with the target.”</span><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I know."<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1543072255432_8969"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A huff. “Of course you do.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tink goes silent, and I return my attention to the darkness. Tink’s scanner is keeping an eye on the ship carrying Evander Sugiyama—our soon-to-be hostage that we’ll ransom for starcore—but that doesn’t mean I’m not watching too.</span></div>
Michelle 4 Laughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06876457259362839114noreply@blogger.com1