Pitch Wars Mentor Bio AND Super-Awesome Wish List!!!!!!

This is it!!! The post of all posts! The post where I tell YOU, Pitch Wars Star Applicant, what I'm looking for as a 2015 Pitch Wars mentor!

Ready?

Set?

Go!!

I want your . . . .

MG 
MG

MG

MG 

MG

MG

MG

But what kind of MG, you ask? This is a bit tricky to describe. I write contemporary fantasy with a sprinkle of science and am partial to fun, light-hearted stories. If your manuscript is a dark fantasy, an epic fantasy, or a realistic contemporary involving *serious* issues, I'm probably not your gal, and there are certainly other mentors who are a better match.

Here's some MG I've read and adored:

1. Wendy Mass's Willow Falls' series (12 Finally, 13 Gifts, etc.) and, really, ANYTHING by Mass, including Every Soul a Star and The Candymakers
2. Liz Kessler's Emily Windsnap series and Phillipa Fisher series
3. Chris Grabenstein's Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library
4. Carl Hiaasen's Hoot, Flush, Chomp, and Scat
5. Brandon Mull's Fablehaven series and Candy Shop War series
6. Jennifer Nielsen's Ascendance trilogy
7. Jody Feldman's The Gollywhopper Games
8. Jodi Lynn Anderson's May Bird trilogy
9. Natalie Lloyd's A Snicker of Magic
10. Jessica Day George's Glower Castle series
11. Megan Frazer Blakemore's The Water Castle

As you can see, I like my MG (for the most part) with some foot in the real world and a tad of whimsy or fantasy, but there's some straight medieval type fantasy and contemporary on the list. If your manuscript falls anywhere in the above range, even if you wouldn't necessarily use one of these books as a comp, SUBMIT to ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's what else I'm looking for in a mentee:

** Someone who has a polished manuscript you've just started querying OR are *thisclose* to starting to query. If you've already queried widely or if you already have full manuscript requests out with agents, your time is better spent working on a shiny NEW manuscript, not continuing to focus on this one.

** Someone who is open to comments/suggestions and really wants to take his/her manuscript to the next level, not just "get in" to Pitch Wars and then do nothing until November, when it's time to post your pitch for agents.

Here's what I'm NOT looking for in a manuscript:

** Perfection. Seriously. If you think it's perfect, there's no need for this contest. If your CPs love it, betas think it's great, and you've already received agent interest and things are rolling along, don't submit because . . . what do you need me for??!!! (Also, if those things are true--YAY for you!!) I'm looking for a manuscript that I think I can help, and that means polished, but it doesn't mean perfect.

** Anything that's not MG. Duh. MG' s target audience is 8-12 years old with the main characters no older than 13. Word count is about 40,000 to 65,000, but 65,000 is the end of the spectrum and usually limited to fantasy. That being said, word count is something we can easily work on, so don't fret too much about it.

Here's what you can expect with me if I choose you as a mentee:

** I read fast. You can expect a full set of comments/suggestions pretty quickly. I'll be open to discussion as you make edits/changes after my comments, but remember it's YOUR story and you'll know the characters the best, so after receiving my notes, it will be up to you to make any revisions you think will improve your manuscript.

** I'll read your revised manuscript again, with another round of comments (as long as time permits) prior to the agent-reveal time.

To Everyone who Submits to Me:

I will try and provide feedback to those who submit to me who I do not choose. I entered Pitch Wars twice and was not chosen either time, but yet I really appreciated any feedback the mentors gave me. So, I will do my best to offer feedback, even just a couple sentences, to everyone who submits to me.

More about Me:

I always struggled whittling down which mentors I was going to submit to, so if you're still wondering if I'm your gal, here's some extraneous info:

** My day job is a lawyer. I'm a big fan of strategic board games (mostly from Europe)--particularly those designed by Stefan Feld, but my new favorite game is Castles of Mad King Ludwig. Other hobbies are biking, fantasy football and baseball, and drawing with soft pastels. 

** Some favorite TV shows are Seinfeld, White Collar, Mad Men, Top Chef, and Once Upon a Time

** Some favorite movies are Star Wars, Shawshank Redemption, Pitch Perfect, Rounders, The Prestige, and The Devil Wears Prada

And I think that's it! Really, reading my MG list above is the best way to tell if your MG is something I'd be interested in reading, but hey if you're in doubt, go ahead and send it! You get to submit to FIVE mentors this year, so take a shot.

I read a lot of MG, YA, and adult fiction that includes contemporary, fantasy, horror, and everything in between. Overall, I just want to get lost in your story and root for your MC, whether she/he is training to be a trapeze artist, a spelling bee champion, or conductor of an animal choir. Make it fun, make it original, and I'm in. Totally. 

Still have questions? Comment below or tweet me - @theSol23! 

And please visit the Blog hop! to see the other mentors' pages!!



Find Other Pitch Wars Mentors Here



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PITCH WARS IS COMING!!!

All of the important dates can be seen at Brenda Drake's blog. I'm not allowed to announce my wish list yet, but make sure to join us for the blog hop on August 3!!!!

AFTER Query Kombat!

Query contests are always thrilling. Throwing your work out there to be judged takes courage, and if you're lucky enough to make it into a contest, your work will be posted/commented on/seen by others. It's easy to get caught up in votes, moving on, agent requests, and the whole whirlwind of twitter activity.

But eventually the contest will end. They all do. So what's next?

Um, old-fashioned querying! You've evaluated feedback and made your revisions. You're ready to send out that shiny new query!

But my advice is to wait a second and take a good look at your entire manuscript. If you received comments regarding your first 250 words that your language was too flowery, was it really the case that you were too flowery only in the first 250? If you received feedback that your language tags were confusing--check and change throughout your manuscript. If you received comments that you were repetitive (and I saw a LOT of this), I doubt that issue was limited to only your first 250 words.

So before you jump on querying, take a look at the suggestions you received, and if you think there's merit--if you revised your first 250 based on those critiques--do yourself a favor and apply those same principles to the rest of your manuscript. Your work will be that much stronger for it, and when you get that full request from an agent, you can feel comfortable sending it off without first diving back in and trying to make a bunch of quick fixes before you press send.

Good luck everyone!

OH! And since I'm a part of Michelle's guess the QK judge contest, all I can say is: 138.

Query Kombat - Standing Out 

Last year I entered my MG contemporary fantasy into Query Kombat. It was the first contest I entered with that MG, and I was thrilled when Michelle chose it for her team. I subsequently advanced through a few rounds and received a few agent requests. While those didn't pan out for me and I eventually found my agent through the slush pile, more than a few of my former competitors did obtain their agents through Kombat. I also found CPs and beta readers during the fight, so yeah, in case you didn't know before, it is a big contest.

Of course, before you even get to the Kombat stage, you have to be picked by one of the three creators: Michelle, SC Write, or Michael Anthony for their team. They get only 21 picks each, and with hundreds of entries expected, that in itself is going to be a challenge. So how can you stand out? Here's a huge tip from what I noticed last year:

*** The queries chosen were not perfect. ***

I know, right? But for real--I saw typos, unclear thoughts, queries with no stakes, queries a bit too long (ME!), etc. Thing is--this is a query contest, but it's also a mentoring contest in that, when voting, the judges offer suggestions and critiques on how the query can be stronger and complement the first 250 words. The entrants then get to make changes to their queries and first 250 as they advance. This means that the queries chosen are not necessarily the most expertly written, but they do have one thing in common:

ORIGINALITY

VOICE

AWESOME FIRST 250 WORDS

ALL of the entrants that made it into Query Kombat had one or more of these things in common. They had a clever hook or a fresh idea or voice that killed. Something to make Michelle, SC, or Mike sit back and think, "Hey, if this query was better, this could rock."

I'm not saying you shouldn't proofread, and I'm not saying you shouldn't format your query the right way. What I'm saying is that to stand out in this contest, you need to provide that spark or glimmer of a cool idea to show you're different from the others and can benefit from the structure of the contest.

How can you do that?

BE SPECIFIC

None of these:

"If Kim can't defeat the king, the kingdom will fail."
"Kim has to choose between her heart and her career."
"Kim discovers a secret that will change everything."

You get the idea--nothing vague. Offer us those details that show you're story is different.

Instead of "must save her kingdom":

"If Julie can't travel to the neighboring solar system, steal the sun, and trap its rays in the bottle, her kingdom will freeze."

Instead of "choosing between heart and career":

"If Amy accepts the appointment to the bench, thereby fulfilling her life-long dream of becoming a judge, she'll miss out on moving to Wyoming and being with the man she loves."

Instead of "discovers a secret":

"Then Carrie discovers her rescue dog is a robot and is just one of many animals the government is using to collect secrets on its citizens."

It's those details that peak our interest and make us stop and think, "Hey, this sounds neat. Yeah, the query could be clearer, and I'm not sure about the first 250, but the idea's intriguing. I want to see more."

THAT type of thing gives you a better chance of making it through than a perfectly written, dry query. For more ideas of what caught each judge's attention the first time around, head over to the three judges' blogs. I know Michelle still has last year's rounds on her blog--you can see what caught her eye!

Good luck! Can't wait to read!

  

Liebster Award/Blog Hop fun!

Been stuck here with the flu (I think--but isn't that the purpose of a flu shot?) so sorry for the delay, but here we go . . .

I've been tagged by Wade White to answer the following questions for the Liebster Award/blog hop.

1. Is the book you landed an agent with the first book you ever wrote?

Alas, it is not. It is not even the first completed book I wrote. When I began seriously writing a YA a few years ago, I would read "How I found my agent" posts and see that, most of the time, the successful writer reported the book that landed the agent was not the first book. I'd scoff at those people. Scoff! Because of course MY first book would be different. It'd be awesome, and I'd get an agent once it was done. Uh, not so much. I think it does take one under the belt to understand not only the writing, pacing, etc. process, but also the query process.

2. Favourite type of pie (you must answer this even if you don’t like pie)?

Easy. My sister makes a triple berry pie for my birthday and for Thanksgiving -- raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. Yum!

3. Was there any aspect of querying agents that turned out differently than what you anticipated? If so, what is it?

I don't think so, but I joined Query Tracker early on, so I could see what other people were doing, what worked, what to do/not do, etc.

4. Name one book or author that has had a significant impact on your own writing and why.

Stephen King. I loved his books when I was in high school, especially the short story books--Night Shift was a particular favorite. His On Writing is one of the best books on writing there is. I also loved Crichton and the way he brought science into mainstream fiction. His nonfiction book, Travels, is one of my favorites, and I will still go back and read it, along with stories in Night Shift.

5. Where do you do most of your writing?

My basement. And I know that sounds creepy, but I remodeled my basement, and it's comfy without distractions.

6. The genre(s) you tend to read the most versus the genre(s) you tend to read the least.

Hmm. I do read a lot of YA and MG, simply because that is what I write, and it helps with developing voice. Those are more contemporary or fantasy. In the adult realm, I'm all over the map, from King to Patterson to George Martin, Terry Brooks, Terry Goodkind, Crichton, and one of my recently discovered favorites is Chris Kusneski. I've also read Patrick O'Brian, whose more literary. Oh, and John Sandford's Prey books! Really all over the map in adult, except women's fiction.

7. Best piece of general advice you’ve received from a critique partner?

Try and make chapter endings have a hook. I try to do this, but he emphasized it.

8. Do you prefer to read the book first or see the movie first? And with or without popcorn?

Read the book, and then complain the movie didn't hold up! Doesn't everybody? Not a big popcorn eater, so I'll sit and sip my Diet Coke.

9. What is your favourite part of the writing process (first draft, editing, revising, submitting, etc.)?

I LOVE editing. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. To me, the best part is getting a good first draft done, so I can print it on crisp white paper, take it to McDonald's, where I again am sipping a Diet Coke, and read it through with a red pen, making edits, revisions, etc. This obsession spills over into my job as a lawyer too, where I am always volunteering to read other people's motions/briefs, and edit them.

10. The one bit of advice you wished you had discovered before you started querying.

I don't think there's any advice I wished I had discovered. I think I pretty much exhausted the query process before I started. Now, there's parts I should have listened to more, like making sure word count makes sense with genre, etc., but I don't hink anything caught me off guard.

AND, there we go. Now, I hereby tag Samantha Joyce with the following questions:

1.  When did you first decide you wanted to write a book, and how long after that did you start your first real attempt?
2.  Is there a particular book or author that made you want to write a book?
3.  Did you pattern any of your characters after people you know? Use any names of people you know as characters in your book?
4.  Do you watch TV, listen to music, or do anything while you write?
5.  What is your favorite movie from a book and why?
6.  While writing your book, did you think of actors/actresses who would play your characters when they make your book into a moive?
7.  What part of the writing/editing/revising process do you like the most? The least?
8.  Do you outline before you write? How much of the plot/character development do you have mapped out before you begin?
9.  If you had to do it over again, from first writing your book, to the querying process, to the phone call with agents process over, is there anything you would do differently?
10. Now that you have an agent, have you started the next book?

Agent News!

Hi everyone! The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity at my day job and in writing. But now that the craziness has died down (somewhat at least!), I'm happy to report that I am officially agented!





And although I did not get an agent via Query Kombat, it was Query Kombat where I first submitted my query, got great feedback, met my wonderful CP, and well, why I am telling you all this? Check out the story at the blogs of Query Kombat's sponsors:

Michelle's blog

SC's blog

Michael's blog

And while you're at it, check out the blog of my CP, Wade White:

Wade's blog

Pitch Wars is Here!!!!!

Part of the fun of any contest is getting to know the fellow contestants, judges, and contest coordinators. With the submission date for Brenda Drake's Pitch Wars around the corner, it's time for a "Get to know me" post for my fellow participants. And, hopefully it doesn't turn out to be a "Wow, that woman is strange" post -- "I better stay away!"

1) I was born a troublemaker

Like most of our favorite YA and MG protagonists, I've faced conflict since birth. The trouble started with my name. That's right, the obviously-controversial name of Kimberly was not met with "Awww, how cute," or, "great name!" with my relatives. Turns out Kimberly, Wisconsin was a huge rival of my father's hometown.

 


Apparently, the father's side of my family was very upset when my parents' advised Kimberly would be my name. They seemed, however, to get over it until . . .

2) The doll incident: 

I hate dolls. Always have, always will. They're creepy.



(As an aside, an image search of "creepy doll" produces disturbing results.) ANYWAY, when I was four, and I still remember this, my great aunt (may she rest in peace) on my father's side (of course) gave me a doll for Christmas. I recall opening the box with enthusiasm, seeing it was a doll, and then tossing it aside while saying, "I hate dolls." Yes, that's right. Tons of tact there. But it's really not my fault. I mean, c'mon.

The funny thing is my younger sister feels the exact same way. There was never a doll in our house. Alas, we've come to learn this trait isn't genetic. I have two nieces who, much to my and my sister's chagrin, love dolls and keep asking for dolls for presents no matter how much we try to steer them toward other, better obsessions, like stuffed animals and board games.

3) I was writing fan fiction before I knew what fan fiction was:

And what wonderful mash-ups they were! Laura Ingalls meets the A-Team. CHiPS meets Dukes of Hazzard. Star Trek and anything. My third-grade "essays" were based on any combination of the above. Yep. That's right, peeps. I created fan fiction!

4) I have a favorite game designer

I cannot describe the brilliance of Stefan Feld any better than fellow game nerd Nicholas Shayko. I am a big fan of European board/strategy games, and Feld's are the best. So not only am I a gamer geek, but I am a gamer geek with a favorite designer. Shhh.



Some of Feld's greatest games (not my collection, but awesome!!).


5) I like things with the letter "S"

I have no idea why, but Stephen King, Star Wars, Seinfeld, (Stefan Feld), Springsteen . . . the list goes on, and it's really kind of freaky. Even my MG protag's name (truly coicidentally) is a double S!

6) I love to write

Always have, always will. I lost my way a bit after college. I, like many others, had no idea what I wanted to do and writing for a living didn't seem possible. So I went to law school, and since then I spend my days telling judges and juries my clients' (absolutely true, of course) stories. Fast forward to a couple years ago when I started (again) a novel. But this time it was different. I fell in love with the idea (YA fantasy) and couldn't stop. It was then I made the decision to switch to being a part-time lawyer so I could focus on writing.

After an unsuccessful round of querying that YA fantasy, I shelved it to work on an MG story I simply couldn't get out of my mind. I finished it in a few months, right in time for Query Kombat in May, where I won a few rounds and received great feedback. Now, a few revisions later, it's ready for Pitch Wars as I work on a new manuscript. Switching to part-time and giving myself permission to write was truly one of the best decisions I've ever made. To any other forty-year-olds out there: it's never to late to start doing what you love.

Thanks for stopping by, and best wishes and good luck to all!