IT’S COMING! FIGHT FOR YOUR DREAMS BATTLE TO THE DEATH BE THE SOLE SURVIVOR! ***UPDATED*** Submission: Monday, May 16 – Friday, May 20 Round 1: 64 entries/32 matchups split over 3 blogs, June 1st- 4th Agent round: June 8-11(Wednesday-Saturday). 32 entries. All three blogs. Round 2: 32 entries/16 matchups over 2 blogs, June 15-17 Round […]
I am ecstatic to announce that I’ve been asked to join Michael Anthony and Michelle Hauck as the third host of Query Kombat this year! (They didn’t even make me change my name to Mlaura.) Query Kombat holds a special place in my heart not only because it’s the first contest where I got agent […]
As you may be aware, I help host the PitchSlam contest run every year by the amazing L.L. McKinney. Writers submit a 35 word pitch for feedback, then their first page for feedback, then both together for consideration for the agent round. The hosts, with a slew of talented readers, work to pick the most polished […]
Now that Query Kombat is over (and with New Agent coming up on Wednesday), I want to explain some of things that impacted some of my votes. Hopefully, it’ll be useful for future contests and people thinking about submitting to me in Pitch Wars. Yes, I frequently picked the entry with the voice that spoke […]
Here’s a peek at some of the good things that happened during the past week. Grass is growing on our front lawn! It’s not all brown and dead anymore! And there’s no massive hole around where the For Sale sign was (which, for some reason, it was at least 8x the size of the post). […]
Wow, I can’t believe it’s almost June. Anyway, a peek at all the things in life to be grateful for: On Sunday, we had a BBQ with friends. Great food, board games, excellent conversation, and someone showed us the glorious result of mixing cinnamon schnapps with apple cider (that should almost get its own mention). […]
One of the hardest things about writing a query is trying to infuse some voice into it. But it’s also really important to make sure your query fits the genre you’re telling me your story fit into. Consider the following (made up) query: Ten-year-old Harry hates living with his aunt and uncle: They make him […]
I’ve been reading a lot of first pages over the past couple of months. A lot, a lot, a lot. (My best guess is around 300, so while I am prone to exaggeration sometimes, when I say “a lot,” I mean it.) And here are some (made-up) examples of problems I see over and over. […]
With QueryKombat right around the corner (and PitchWars coming up soon after that), here’s a glimpse into things I do (and do not) want to see on your first page. Do: Show us your character’s awesome voice. I want it to sound like they’re talking to me directly (without them actually breaking the fourth wall […]