Meet Query Kombat Grand Champion Erin King

Query Kombat Grand ChampionErin King Erin King hails from the deserts of Las Vegas, where she was a serious high school choir nerd (no, really, we won a Grammy), turned songwriter, turned novelist. These days, she lives in Manhattan with her designer husband, where they pretend “creatives” can afford the city. She writes Young Adult […]

Meet Query Kombat Adult Champion Maxym Martineau

Query Kombat Adult Champion Maxym Martineau Maxym Martineau is a staff writer and copy editor by day and a fantasy romance writer by night. She has a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Arizona State University and a borderline unhealthy addiction to Dr. Pepper and coffee. When she’s not reading or writing, she can be […]

Meet Query Kombat YA Champion Tracy C. Gold

Query Kombat Young Adult Champion Tracy C. Gold Every day I strive to help people learn, spark conversations, think about “what’s next,” and play with cute animals. I spend most of my time teaching, editing, and writing. I cofounded Sounding Sea Writers’ Workshop, which holds writing classes and provides writing tutoring. I teach composition at […]

Meet Query Kombat MG Champions Jess and Britney Gulbrandsen

Query Kombat Mid Grade Champions Jess and Britney Gulbrandsen Jess and Britney Gulbrandsen are a husband and wife writing team who spend their romantic date nights discussing plot points and hunting for Big Foot. When they aren’t writing, Jess and Britney like to read aloud first lines of novels and create dialogue for their children […]

Query Kombat Wrap-up, Part 1

It’s unofficially over! The Query Kombat Awards Ceremony usually marks the close of our brutal, month-long tournament. Praising the top performing entries in each age category as well as the Grand Champion is a something we can’t do without! That being said, the ceremony will be delayed for about a week or so due to […]

Query Kombat Success: MY SOUL TO GIVE by Magali Fréchette

What better time to share a Query Kombat success story than before the final round? Publishing is a long game. You tend to hear about the overnight successes, which is one reason it’s so important to celebrate the stories that take a bit longer to find their homes. Today, we’re hearing from Magali A. Fréchette about […]

Query Kombat Round 5 starts now!

Here we go! Round 5! Entries are on Michelle’s Blog! This round lasts until June 28th at 8 pm.On Wednesday, the host will call out for extra judges to come and break ties, or in case of extra close votes to try and get a more decisive margin.  The entry with the most votes for […]

Query Kombat Round 4! Round 4! This round lasts until June 25 at 8 pm EDT.On the last day the hosts may call out for extra judges to come and break ties, or in case of extra close votes to try and get a more decisive margin. In the event a tie remains, the blog host will […]

Query Kombat Round 4: BE GRATEFUL FOR COOKIES v. ALABAMA WITCH HUNTERS

Title: Plus-Size Entry Nickname: Be Grateful For Cookies Word Count: 45,000 Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary Query: Thirteen-year-old Lizzie will do almost anything for a cookie. Sadly, her mother banned them from her life months ago, replacing sweets with tasteless foods and a gym membership. Her mom claims it’s for her own good, even though her […]

Query Kombat Round 4: BOOK BOYS GONE WILD vs. BOY BAND NINJA ASSASSINS

Title: Paper Seeds Entry Nickname: Book Boys Gone Wild! Word Count: 109K Genre: YA Contemporary Fantasy Query:  When seventeen-year-old Harlow Jackson gets dumped at her grandma Minny’s wake, she’s devastated, pissed as hell, and without an escort for the debutante season starting the very next day. But then Harlow finds something Minny left her: paper […]

Query Kombat Round 4: BOUNTY AND THE BEAST vs. GUTTERS AND GALLERIES

Title: Dangerous Beasts Entry Nickname: Bounty and the Beast Word Count: 85,000 Genre: Adult Fantasy Romance Query: Exiled beast charmer Leena Edenfrell is in deep shit. Empty pockets force her to sell her beloved magical beasts on the black market—an offense punishable by death—and the Charmers Council hires a lethal assassin to exact punishment. With […]

Query Kombat Round 3 Starts Now!

Here we go! Round 3! Entries are on Mike’s Blog! This round lasts until June 22nd at 8 pm.On Thursday, the hosts will call out for extra judges to come and break ties, or in case of extra close votes to try and get a more decisive margin. The entry with the most votes for Victory moves forward […]