Agent Spotlight: Shannon Snow Interview and Query Critique Giveaway

Today I’m thrilled to have agent Shannon Snow here. She is an associate agent at Creative Media Agency. 

Hi­ Shannon! Thanks so much for joining us. 

 

About Shannon: 

 

1. Tell us how you became an agent, how long you’ve been one, and what you’ve been doing as an agent. 

I made a career switch from working in Finance and Marketing at Fortune 500 companies. I had spent quite a few of those years providing manuscript feedback and book reviews on the side just for the love of books and writers. Finally, I decided to participate in Creative Media Agency, Inc,’s internship program where I interned for a little over a year before becoming an associate agent.  I’ve been an agent for nearly two years now and am actively building my list. I also manage the Audio Department at CMA as well. 

 

About the Agency: 

 

2. Share a bit about your agency and what it offers to its authors. 

 

CMA is a boutique literary agency that has built an impressive list of clients who write primarily commercial and upmarket fiction. We are always looking to expand however and are also taking on memoirs, non-fiction, and other areas.  CMA also handles subrights for our clients as well as marketing and promotional guidance. We want to represent the author’s career and not just the book. 

 

What She’s Looking For: 

 

3. What age groups do you represent—picture books, MG, and/or YA? What genres do you represent and what are you looking for in submissions for these genres? 

 

I handle primarily adult and young adult, but I am open to almost any subgenre under these two including romance of all types, science fiction, soft fantasy, historical, paranormal, horror, thriller/suspense, etc., and probably others I forgot to mention.  I’m a sucker for a good Greek myth retelling!  I’m actively seeking adult or YA romance with diverse voices and those written by POC authors. 

 

4.  Is there anything you would be especially excited to seeing in the genres you are interested in? 

 

I would love to see either a rom-com or serious high school YA with diverse characters, perhaps featuring a trans romance.  I’m also looking for some dark boarding school stories, especially if they feature a romance. An eerie, creepy horror in either adult or YA would make me giddy! 

 

What She Isn’t Looking For: 

 

5. What types of submissions are you not interested in? 

 

Unfortunately, I’m not taking on any non-fiction or memoirs at this. Although that may change in the near future. 

 

Agent Philosophy: 

 

6. What is your philosophy as an agent both in terms of the authors you want to work with and the books you want to represent? 

 

One of the most important things for me is to make a connection with a perspective client because I want there to be trust and partnership in the relationship. I want my authors to feel they can reach out to me at any time with questions, thoughts, concerns, or even if they just want to brainstorm.  My main motto is that I want to represent the author and their career and not just the one book.  A solid relationship is needed, in my view, to make that happen. 

 

As far as philosophy for the types of books I want to take on, I need to love them. I want to feel passionate about a book in order to offer representation. I love to see a well-plotted book with a unique style and voice but I also have to love the characters. 

 

Editorial Agent: 

 

7. Are you an editorial agent? If so, what is your process like when you’re working with your authors before submitting to editors? 

 

Absolutely. I generally make some notes during my first read but then go back for a deep dive. Once I have all my thoughts together, I’ll send an Editorial Letter to my author with all of my suggested changes and thoughts. If they need to have a phone call with me to brainstorm any points, or they strongly disagree with something I’ve suggested, I always want them to feel that they can discuss it with me. If we can find a compromise, great! But in the end, it is their book and I want them to feel comfortable with what we will be putting out to editors. 

 

Query Methods and Submission Guidelines: (Always verify before submitting) 

 

8. How should authors query you and what do you want to see with the query letter? 

 

Queries should be sent to our query@cmalit.com email address. It’s always helpful if they put my name in the subject line. As far as content, I want to see a brief and tight summary telling me about the book, making sure that character goal, motivation and conflict are present. A short bio is helpful, including any comp titles that can give me an idea on the type of book.  Lastly, I like to see the first five pages pasted below the query. A query can be brilliantly written but I want to see that the writing can deliver. 

 

9.  Do you have any specific dislikes in query letters or the first pages submitted to you? 

  

It’s always a good idea for the person to address me or at least make certain I know the query is for me by putting my name in the subject. On the actual query itself, some of the most common problems I see are the lack of a title or genre, rambling queries where the author spends too much time telling me why they wrote the book and not enough time telling me about the book. Or perhaps it takes them so many paragraphs to give me their summary so that the message and actual story are lost.  Lastly, with the pasted pages, make sure you’ve started your story in the right place so it will immediately pull me in, and make sure you’ve checked your manuscript for a lot of telling and not enough showing. 

 

Response Time: 

 

10. What’s your response time to queries and requests for more pages of a manuscript? 

 

Generally, my response time is anywhere between four to six weeks, but I will admit that during this time of COVID, it has taken me a bit longer to meet that deadline since so many more people have been at home and thus so many more queries are coming in. 

 

Self-Published and Small Press Authors: 

 

11.  Are you open to representing authors who have self-published or been published by smaller presses? What advice do you have for them if they want to try to find an agent to represent them? 

 

Yes, I am open to self-published or small-press published authors. Just mention this in the bio section.  If these previously published books have been selling especially well, it would be great for the author to mention that as well.  

 

12. With all the changes in publishing—self-publishing, hybrid authors, more small publishers—do you see the role of agents changing at all? Why? 

 

I don’t necessarily see the agent’s role changing but I do believe agents will need to have very good pitch plans for submitting new works from previously self-published, hybrid or small-press published books, especially if the prior books may not have a good sales track record. A lot of the time, in those circumstances, editors at larger houses may view these submissions as more like debut authors. I believe the agent and the author should discuss this and have a good plan that they can both agree on. 

 

Clients: 

 

13. Who are some of the authors you represent? 

 

In addition to some of my amazing debut authors on submission now, I’m pleased to include some of my published authors, such as: Tina Gerow, Lucas Pederson, Mary Beesley, and Tricia Wentworth.  

 

Interviews, Guest Posts, and Podcasts: 

 

14. Please share the links to any interviews, guest posts, and podcasts you think would be helpful to writers interested in querying you. 

 

Duotrope Interview: https://duotrope.com/interview/agent/29466/shannon-snow 

 

The Manuscript Academy Podcast: https://manuscriptacademy.com/podcast-shannon-snow 

 

Query Letters and Colds Workshop from the Southwest Writers Conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MFqf7xYQb4 

 

Links and Contact Info: 

 

15. Please share how writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on the Web. 

 

Queries should be sent to our query@cmalit.com email address. 

 

My CMA page: https://cmalit.com/shannon-snow/ 

 

Manuscript Wishlist: 

https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/shannon-snow/ 

 

Publisher’s Marketplace: 

https://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/ssnow/ 

 

Twitter: 

Https://www.twitter.com/ssnow_lit_agent 

 

Additional Advice: 

 

16. Is there any other advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we haven’t covered? 

 

Write a book that you love, and that passion will shine through the pages to the agent. Believe in yourself and your work. Don’t let rejections get you down. If you’ve learned your craft, received positive feedback from beta readers and people tell you they love your work, up is the only way for you to go. That rejection just means that wasn’t your agent, or the timing wasn’t right. The right one is out there waiting. Don’t give up! 

 

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Shannon.  

 

Shannon is generously offering a query critique to one lucky winner. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment through January 29th. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. If you do not want to enter the contest, that's okay. Just let me know in the comments. 

 

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. This is an international giveaway. 

 

Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or e-mail me at natalieiaguirre7@gmail.com 

 

Note: These agent profiles and interviews presently focus on agents who accept children's fiction. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found here is subject to change. 

 

 

Agent Spotlight: Haley Casey Interview and Query Critique Giveaway

Today I’m thrilled to have agent Haley Casey here. She is an associate agent at Creative Media Agency.

Hi­ Haley! Thanks so much for joining us.

Thanks for having me!

About Haley:

 

1. Tell us how you became an agent, how long you’ve been one, and what you’ve been doing as an agent.

My road to agenting was a bit of a winding one. I knew for a long time that I wanted to work with books, so—living in the middle of Kansas—I started building my resumé toward that career without knowing exactly how I’d break into publishing. I majored in creative writing, worked in the Writing Center at my university, worked at Barnes & Noble, and finally attended the Denver Publishing Institute. That was the first place that I realized agenting was a viable option. Still, my first break was becoming an editor at a magazine publishing company in Topeka, Kansas. A few years later, at the same time I realized that wasn’t where I wanted to stay, I learned that an excellent way into agenting was by interning with an agency or two, and it could be done remotely. I applied immediately. That’s how I found Creative Media Agency, where I interned for two semesters, alongside an internship at Metamorphosis Literary Agency. I was lucky that Paige Wheeler at CMA was looking to bring on a couple of agents to work with her as my time as an intern drew to a close, and I’ve now been working there for just over a year!

Just like all agents, my work is varied and my priorities are different every week. First and foremost, I read and respond to queries (in as timely a manner as I can); read and evaluate manuscripts; and search for those un-put-down-able, beautifully written, moving, and marketable stories that I want to throw my support behind. I’ve signed eight amazing clients, and we’re working on revising their manuscripts, submitting to editors, and brainstorming second projects. If/when we do make a deal (and I have a couple in the works that I can’t announce yet!), I negotiate the terms and the contract as much in favor of those I represent as possible. My authors are my priority, and I’m always championing them as well as I possibly can.

I’m also our digital rights manager, which means I help republish CMA authors’ backlists as ebooks and work to find new digital outlets for their work. I run our agency’s Instagram, and I do have to keep my own social media accounts fairly active so querying authors can learn more about me. Through those channels, I often participate in pitch events, and I usually have a writing conference on my schedule. And of course, I’m always collaborating with Paige Wheeler and Shannon Snow—my wonderful colleagues—and working with our dedicated team of interns to help ensure they receive the same learning experience at CMA that I did.

About the Agency:

2. Share a bit about your agency and what it offers to its authors.

Creative Media Agency has launched the careers of bestselling authors and sold millions of copies of books around the world, but it still has the feel of a small, personalized, boutique agency. It’s one of the things that immediate drew me to the company. We’re seeking to nurture long-standing partnerships with the authors we represent on top of selling the books they create, which means we want our authors to be as excited about working with us as we are about working with them! Each of us approaches manuscripts with an editorial eye; we want to help make a project all that it can be before it goes on submission. Perhaps most important, though, is that our agents work collaboratively. At any time, I know I can reach out to Paige and Shannon for advice and opinions about projects, revisions, and editors, and they can do the same.

As our website says: “From queries and contracts to subrights and promotion, CMA agents will be with you through every step of your publishing journey.”

What She’s Looking For:

3. What age groups do you represent—picture books, MG, and/or YA? What genres do you represent and what are you looking for in submissions for these genres?

When it comes to children’s lit—though I’m happy to work with clients of mine who write picture books—I’m seeking to represent MG and YA across most genres.

In MG, I always like character-focused, relatable contemporary fiction that showcases diverse experiences; creative and compelling mysteries, like The Westing Game; well-conceived fantasy with high stakes, as in Gregor the Overlander; science fiction that teaches young readers something new; and dystopian settings that speak to the world around us.

In YA, my tastes are even wider! I love complex contemporary fiction that speaks to family dynamics, multifaceted friendships, and personal growth as much as romance—and I do love romance and all the tropes that come with it. I’m also very into mystery and horror for this age group right now, like Karen McManus and House of Hollow; fantasy, especially non-Western, that uses magic and character to say something meaningful, as in The Belles or Cemetery Boys; light science fiction with creative takes on the future of technology; hard-hitting dystopians, like Uglies; and nonfiction with a strong voice and unique perspective.

In all things, I’m seeking to uplift minority voices, including POC, LGBTQ+, disability, and mental health issues. I love thoughtful and meaningful magical realism for any age group; manuscripts with nuanced character relationships; unique urban fantasies; clever fairytale retellings; and reimagined classics. I have to fall in love with your engaging writing; your complex, flawed, and dynamic characters; and your plot, which should breathe new life into your favorite clichés. Whatever you submit, tell me what makes your manuscript different!

4.  Is there anything you would be especially excited to seeing in the genres you are interested in?

At the very top of my list at the moment are minority voices across genres and age groups. I’m especially excited about fantasies that aren’t based in Western settings, because I think they’re so interesting and so needed.

I would love to be queried with more books with unreliable narrators, interesting antiheroes, compelling villains, and psychological intrigue.

I’m craving a YA romance with a male love interest who oozes charisma and absolutely know it. As I described it on Twitter: “Please give me your Henry Montagues, Ian Flannerys, Jesper Faheys, and yes, even Jace Waylands.”

Something I’m eternally seeking are contemporary stories with a tight focus on ride-or-die female friendships, like Hello Girls or Booksmart.

Whether for MG or YA, I’m always in the mood for a fun and purposeful heist story with a wonderful and diverse cast of characters.

And truly, I would die for a fantastic, creative, dark, and whimsical take on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. I already read every retelling I can get my hands on, so to represent one is a dream.

What She Isn’t Looking For:

5. What types of submissions are you not interested in?

In general, I’m not looking for children’s picture books, chapter books, or graphic novels, and I’m not the best champion body horror or satire. In nonfiction, I’ll usually pass on self-help and how-to manuscripts and religious, scientific, and academic texts.

Agent Philosophy:

6. What is your philosophy as an agent both in terms of the authors you want to work with and the books you want to represent?

I want all of my authors to feel like they know me, that I understand their manuscripts and their writing goals, and that I have their best interests at heart. I want to use my career and the platform it creates to champion underrepresented voices and make sure I’m working to publish works by authors who can help readers—especially young readers—feel seen.

Editorial Agent:

7. Are you an editorial agent? If so, what is your process like when you’re working with your authors before submitting to editors?

I am an editorial agent! Editors see so very many submissions that I want the work I send to have its best chance at standing out in the crowd. However, any revisions I suggest go through the author first—and I tell authors as much before they sign with me.

The first step in my editorial process is to write what we call an “editorial letter.” I’ll take all of my developmental notes from reading the manuscript and describe my suggested changes—and the reasoning behind them—in paragraph form in a 3- to 4-page document. As I always tell authors, I think listing edits isn’t nearly as effective as explaining why I feel they might be necessary; this also gives the author a chance to think through a different change that might have the same effect for the manuscript.

Once I send the editorial letter to the author, they’re encouraged to talk over any concerns or questions with me. If we’re on the same page, however, they’ll dive back into the manuscript to make changes and send it back. If I feel there are still developmental concerns, I may write a second, shorter editorial letter to address them. Often, though, as I read the newly edited manuscript I’ll simply make comments and track changes on the page. This may include anything from suggestions to further draw out a specific scene and its emotional resonance to line edits. This, again, returns to the author for their input or acceptance. We may go back and forth with minor changes once or twice more, but once we’re both happy with the strength of the finished product and everything it has to say, it’ll be ready for submission!

Query Methods and Submission Guidelines: (Always verify before submitting)

8. How should authors query you and what do you want to see with the query letter?

Please send any queries to query@cmalit.com—addressed to me specifically! For any agent at CMA, we request that you include the first five pages of your manuscript below the query letter for fiction, or an extended author bio and the marketing section of your book proposal for nonfiction. (Memoirs can be a bit of a hazy area, but personally I prefer to see the pages in that case more than the book proposal sections, as the voice will be key.)

9.  Do you have any specific dislikes in query letters or the first pages submitted to you?

Query letters can be so difficult to write, and you’re probably going to hear different pieces of advice from anyone you ask. For me, first and foremost, you have to get my name right. If you don’t, I’ll be skeptical right away—and it happens more than you think. Same with following query guidelines. More specifically, though, while I do want to know a little about you as the author and where your inspiration started, I need to know about your book and its plot, conflicts, themes, and characters. If an author spends multiple paragraphs describing themselves and the reason they began writing, I’ll lose interest because I’m not hearing about the project they’re pitching me.

As for the first pages, I recommend doing your absolute best not to start the manuscript with backstory. You only have five pages to give your book its best chance with me, and an intriguing situation, a compelling voice, and/or emotional resonance will hook me more than hearing the history of a character I’m not yet connected to.

Response Time:

10. What’s your response time to queries and requests for more pages of a manuscript?

I try to respond to queries no later than two months after they’re sent, partial manuscript requests (the first three or five chapters) in two to four weeks, and book proposal or full manuscript requests within three months. Generally, I hope you’ll hear back from me earlier than that, but if I have a lot of client or agency work waiting for me, reading queries and manuscripts will be put on the backburner.  

Self-Published and Small Press Authors:

11.  Are you open to representing authors who have self-published or been published by smaller presses? What advice do you have for them if they want to try to find an agent to represent them?

I am open to represented previously self-published authors, or those who have been published by smaller presses. In fact, some authors I represent now fall into that category! However, generally I’m looking to represent new projects by those authors, not the same book that’s already been published.

I think it’s best to be upfront with any potential agent about the fact that you’ve been previously published in some manner, because finding out after the fact can sometimes change our plan for pitching what you’ve written. Personally, I like to know whether that book is still available for purchase, or whether you’ve taken it down (if self-published) or had the rights reverted back to you (if published by a small press). If it’s no longer available, I also like to know why. Having all of the information helps me make the best possible decision about whether I’m the right agent to represent you, and how best to move forward should I choose to do so.

12. With all the changes in publishing—self-publishing, hybrid authors, more small publishers—do you see the role of agents changing at all? Why?

I think that the role of an agent is to act as an author’s inroad into traditional publishing as well as the custodian of their career, and I don’t think that should change no matter how publishing shifts. Those changes to the publishing industry simply effect what we should be aware of as agents, what we need to learn about to best assist our clients, and what responsibilities we may have in the future.

Clients:

13. Who are some of the authors you represent?

As of this interview, my clients are Alli Vail, Stephanie Campisi, Sara Pintilie, Ana Wesley, Emma Duval, Stacey Anthony, Elizabeth Barrera, and Isabel Yacura.

Interviews, Guest Posts, and Podcasts:

14. Please share the links to any interviews, guest posts, and podcasts you think would be helpful to writers interested in querying you.

The Manuscript Academy podcast: https://manuscriptacademy.com/podcast-haley-casey

SWW Workshop on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MFqf7xYQb4

Links and Contact Info:

15. Please share how writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on the Web.

To query me, please send your query letter to query@cmalit.com. Our detailed submission guidelines can be found at https://cmalit.com/submit/.

Online, I can be found at…

CMALit.com: https://cmalit.com/haley-casey/

Manuscript Wish List: https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/haley-casey/

Publisher’s Marketplace: https://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/HCasey/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Haley_J_Casey

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haley_j_casey/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haley-casey-6805a9127/

Additional Advice:

16. Is there any other advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we haven’t covered?

My evergreen piece of advice for aspiring authors is that no agent is better than a bad agent. Make sure that any agent you query—especially those who make you an offer—is someone you genuinely want to work with, who shares your goals, and who sees a long-term future for you and the books you want to write.

And I do want to finish with some encouragement: Just by being here and following Natalie’s incredible posts, you’re putting in the time to help make your journey into publishing a successful one, but I know it takes time, and it can feel discouraging. Keep researching, writing, pitching, and querying; ask questions of people in the industry when you have a chance; and be patient! Your time will come.

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Haley.

­Haley is generously offering a query critique to one lucky winner. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment through January 29th. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. If you do not want to enter the contest, that's okay. Just let me know in the comments.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. This is an international giveaway.

Profile Details:
Last Updated: 1/18/2023
Agent Contacted for Review? Yes
Last Reviewed By Agent? 10/17/2022

Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or e-mail me at natalieiaguirre7@gmail.com

Note: These agent profiles and interviews presently focus on agents who accept children's fiction. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found here is subject to change.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lorin Oberweger: The Emotional Query

Hi everyone! I have independent book editor and ghost writer Lorin Oberweger here today to talk about the emotional pull (or lack of) in your query. Want more? Lorin is hosting a writing workshop called Your Best Book in Charlotte, NC at the end of the month. Details available in her bio below and at the website.

THE EMOTIONAL QUERY 

It feels impossible, doesn’t it? We spend months—or more likely years—creating a work of fiction, living and breathing our characters, immersed in their worlds, mentally enacting their conflicts over and over again until we can barely see what we’ve created. We whittle and refine and reconstruct, tearing down and reassembling to build, finally, a STORY.

And when we’ve finished—or sometimes before we even know what IT, the story, really and truly is—we’re asked to consolidate the whole thing into a couple of pithy paragraphs, meant to communicate the totality of the work in no more than a couple hundred words.

Like I said: impossible.

So, it often feels like enough if we just manage to communicate the basic mechanics of the story: its genre; where it’s set; who it’s about; and from what source the conflict originates. Oh, and word count. Don’t forget word count!

But what of the story’s real beating heart, the emotional chord that vibrates through each and every scene? What about the tenor of the times during which the novel unfolds? The protagonist’s emotional as well as practical arc? Capturing those elements can boost your query from mechanically adept to undeniably compelling.

Consider the difference between this:

In a future America, sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen fights for her life against other teens, pitted against one another in a battle to the death.

And:

In a future America, where “district” citizens are being brutally punished for a massive uprising, sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen saves her younger sister’s life by volunteering to take her place in a battle against other teens where only one will survive.

While both descriptions do the necessary work, the second packs much more punch. It gives a stronger sense of the FEELING of the story, the setting and its sense of turmoil, the sacrifice Katniss makes, which establishes her loyalty and heroism in just a few words.

Obviously, the second is longer, but it’s certainly still abbreviated enough to include in a query, with plenty of room for further development. In the case of HUNGER GAMES, there’s rich emotional territory to be mined in the fact that Katniss begins her battle caring only for her own survival and soon begins to care about—possibly even love—others.

Another example I’ve used in the past comes from the novel JAWS. Here’s a straightforward version:

Police chief Martin Brody must catch and kill a monster shark responsible for terrorizing and killing citizens of his seaside community of Amity Island, New York.

And here’s that same pitch with a few emotional elements in place:

Police chief Martin Brody must conquer his fear of the ocean and join forces with an arrogant oceanographer he suspects of having an affair with his wife in order to catch and kill a monster shark responsible for terrorizing and killing citizens of Amity Island, New York.

In this case, the emphasis is less on the setting and more on the machinations of the protagonist’s psychology. It’s bad enough to fight a shark but much more difficult to do so when suffering a fear of the water or being thrust into a situation with the person with whom your wife’s been unfaithful.

The good news is that in a query, you have room to develop all of it: a bit of the emotional texture of the world; a bit of the main character’s emotional struggles, which play out during the pursuit of his or her chief objective. You can talk about the ways other characters not only impede that pursuit but bolster or grind away at your character’s psyche. And you can talk about what’s at stake for your characters, what they stand to lose not only on a practical scale but on an emotional one as well.

Play with adding an emotional dimension to your query letter—not one to replace the practical one but to ENHANCE it. Doing so will help you feel as though you’re giving the reader—those industry gatekeepers and other folks—a TRUE sense of your story instead of one that feels flat and inadequate as so many queries do.

Give it a try, and you’ll find that the impossible becomes something truly great.

LORIN OBERWEGER is a highly sought-after independent book editor and ghostwriter with almost twenty-five years experience in publishing. Her company, Free Expressions, offers writing seminars nationwide with literary agent Donald Maass and others, including the upcoming Your Best Book workshop for YA and MG writers.

Her students and clients have millions of books in print and have been published by imprints of HarperCollins, Random House, Penguin, Scholastic, and other mainstream and independent presses. They have also gained representation with some of the industry’s leading literary agents.

Lorin is represented by Tracey Adams at Adams Literary.

A FREE AWESOME RESOURCE TO HELP WITH YOUR QUERY AND A GIVEAWAY OF POSSESSION

Today I’m going to talk about a super resource to help you with your query letters. Then I got a surprise in the mail a few weeks ago that I want to share too.

It all involves Elana Johnson, a wonderful friend and amazing writer I’ve gotten to know through her blog. First, about the query resource. Elana self–published a book about how to write a query letter called FROM THE QUERY TO THE CALL. I bought it when I started working on my query letter. And it gave me the courage to tackle it. Because even though I’m an attorney and have written thousands of persuasive letters in my career, the query letter is a whole other beast that terrified me. Okay I’m still a little scared of it.

Here’s what’s so helpful about Elana’s book. She literally explains every sentence you need in your query letter from your introduction to the pitch to your bio to the end. And she explains it using real live query examples—her own and ones she helped people with. For example, she’s got the query for THE LIAR SOCIETY by Lisa and Laura Roecker. So many people tell us what a query should say. But explaining it by showing numerous examples works so much better for me. And at the end of the book she has the completed queries.

The book came with an awesome query critique by Elana. Well to be honest, I spent over 40 hours on my query, got three critiques from Elana, a few from my critique group, and then Casey helped me. So I did need A LOT of help. But I couldn’t have done it without this book.

Now Elana is generously offering the book for FREE. She's not including a query critique so if you ever see a contest where she’s giving one away, enter it. You can download your copy of her book here. And if you don’t follow her blog, you should go here to follow it. It’s awesome.

I planned to talk more about queries because there are lots of other useful resources but then I got a totally awesome package containing an ARC of POSSESSION from Elana’s publisher! It’s my first one since I started blogging. Here’s a blurb of the story from Goodreads:

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn...and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they're set on convincing Vi to become one of them...starting by brainwashing Zenn. Vi can't leave Zenn in the Thinkers' hands, but she's wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous--everything Zenn's not. Vi can't quite trust Jag and can't quite resist him, but she also can't give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

Doesn't it sound good? And the cover's gorgeous! I loved the book. Vi has a great distinctive voice and I wish I was as brave as her in breaking rules as a teenager. The plot is fast paced and Vi’s problems mount. Elana has created a rich world filled with its own unique technology. Without spoiling it by telling the ending, I will say that I would not have guessed it.

When I started reading this, my 14-year-old daughter was on spring break and needed a book to read. She knew nothing about the book, but likes dystopian stories. So I told her I would share it with her. The first day she was nice and let me read the book at night. But the second day, she did not share. When we were supposed to be watching TV as a family, she snuck read it. And then when she could go do what she wanted, instead of turning on the TV or computer like she usually does, she read. And read when she was supposed to be asleep until she finished it. So yes, it is an awesome book. And yes, I was controlled. But it was for a good cause.

I’m giving away my ARC of POSSESSION. All you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment by midnight on April 23rd. I’ll announce the winner on April 25th. International entries are welcome. If you don’t win, be sure to come back on June 6th, when I celebrate Elana’s release of POSSESSION by interviewing her and HINT, HINT, there will be an awesome giveaway.

Stop by on Wednesday when I’ll be interviewing Anita Laydon Miller and giving away a copy of her e-book EARTHLING HERO. And on April 25th I’m interviewing Karen Mahoney and giving away a copy of THE IRON WITCH. I’m so excited!

Public Critique: POSSESSED Query II

Hello everyone! Sara has rewritten her query based on your fabulous comments. Please give the rewrite a look and offer any further advice or constructive criticism you may have. If you're interested in having a query, synopsis, or excerpt posted on Lit Rambles for critique, check out my contribute page.

POSSESSED
(query)
Supernatural Thriller
By Sara Kjeldsen

Dear Agent,

Nineteen year-old Gabriel awakens in a bright room. Only moments ago he was trapped in a haunted forest. Or so he thinks. Two people in long, white coats unstrap him from a reclined chair. They tell him that he volunteered at the White Horizon Research Facility for a classified psychological study two weeks ago. The reality that he had known before was only a product of radiation, electrodes, and drugs.

He is not supposed to remember who he is or what he has done. The experiment is a failure. His memory of the real world returns along with the angry voices that have plagued him for five years. He knows what they want with him. He is a murderer.

One of the other volunteers - Gabriel`s cousin, Adeline - suddenly goes crazy and escapes the facility in a violent rage. Gabriel and two of the other particpants overhear the doctors debating on whether or not to euthanize the rest of them. Gabriel, Julia, and Caleb barely escape. To make matters worse, Adeline will not rest until she kills all three of them. Wherever they go, she finds them.

Gabriel will have to find a way to keep himself - and his new friends - alive without reverting back to murderous ways.

Possessed is a young adult supernatural thriller with a final word count of 56,000 words.

Thank you for taking the time to review my work.

Sincerely,

Sara Flower Kjeldsen

Public Critique: EVER Query

Hello!  It's time for another query critique.  Give this one a good look!  Next week, Jamie will be back with a brief excerpt for critique and is looking for a critique partner.  If you have the time, please give the query a read and offer any advice or constructive criticism you may have.  If you're interested in having a query, synopsis, or excerpt posted on Lit Rambles for critique, check out my contribute page.

EVER
(query)
YA Paranormal
By Jamie Manning

Dear Dream Agent,

Waking up in a coffin hungry for blood is only the beginning for sixteen-year-old Everly Blue. Her desire to drink plasma, though, pales next to her desire for Chance Caldon, the hottie who dug her up. He’s gorgeous, super-nice, and has delicious-smelling blood that Everly wants very much to taste. But when Chance tells her that she’s half vampire, Everly’s world turns upside down.

Half vamp? No way. Everly can’t believe it. Not until Devon, a thousand-year-old vampire, shows up and tells her it’s true. And that he’s the one who turned her. Now Everly’s mind has to deal with that sudden bloodlust and the desire to see Devon dead. She’s a monster now, she can feel it; and her life is over.

But redemption isn’t lost. Devon turned Everly to save her life after he found her nearly dead, and now he’s giving her a chance to regain her humanity. The price? Kill 100 vampires or remain a bloodsucker forever.

So with Chance by her side and no other choice, Everly sets out to get her life back. All the while having to deal with her feelings for Chance, her hatred for Devon (who she knows has a hidden agenda), some new-found vampire hunting friends and that pesky taste for blood that just won’t go away.

Once Everly starts killing vampires, though, the local covens come after her, starting a battle that could destroy everything Everly has been working toward. In the end, Everly is forced to make a decision that will change her life forever.

My young adult novel, EVER, is complete at 70,000 words. I think fans of the supernatural will enjoy this story of a girl thrown into a life of danger and romance. Thank you for your time and consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Jamie Manning
jmanni32.blogspot.com

Public Critique: POSSESSED Query

Hey all! Here's the query I mentioned last week.  If you have the time, please give it a read and offer any advice or constructive criticism you may have.  If you're interested in having a query, synopsis, or excerpt posted on Lit Rambles for critique, check out my contribute page.

POSSESSED
(query)
Supernatural Thriller
By Sara Kjeldsen

Dear Agent So-and-So,

Fourteen-year-old Gabriel has killed more men than he can count. After fighting in the Napoleonic War for two years, he is now stuck at home with his parents. Gabriel's father has forbidden him to return to sea after losing his left hand in battle. To make matters worse, Gabriel is forced to go on a long trip to visit his aging aunt in the country. His boredom evaporates when he hears voices in a dark room filled with locked cabinets.

Gabriel's curiosity is cut short when a series of tragic events drive him into the woods with a madman in hot pursuit. The voices from the room follow him there. Just when he thinks that he is going mad, the truth unravels. Everything that he thought was real is a lie, including his identity. He is not a soldier. He is a cold blooded murderer.

The angry voices of those that he shot five years ago will not go away. Is there any way out of everlasting punishment for killing the innocent? Gabriel is certain that there isn`t one.

Possessed is a supernatural thriller that contains a final word count of 56,139 words. I have pasted the first ten pages at the bottom of this email.

Thank you for taking the time to review my work. If you would like to see more of my manuscript, please let me know.

Sincerely,
Sara Kjeldsen

Public Critique: THE EDGE OF OBLIVION

Hey all!  I have another query eager for your feedback.  Perhaps this will become a regular feature?  I have one scheduled for next week as well.  If you have the time, please give it a read and offer any advice or constructive criticism you may have.  If you're interested in having a query, synopsis, or excerpt posted on Lit Rambles for critique, check out my contribute page.

THE EDGE OF OBLIVION
(query)
YA Fantasy
By Tim Fletcher

My 60,000 word Young Adult Fantasy, THE EDGE OF OBLIVION, is the first in a series of adventures that follow Paul, a reformed juvenile delinquent, on a mission to save a secret magical town.

On the run from his probation officer, Paul and his disabled friend Billy accept a strange invitation to escape to a magical paradise. For years, outcast children have been invited to Splendor by a clairvoyant raven named Livingston. Here in this secret town, unwanted kids discover the magic that has always lain dormant inside them. For any kid who has ever wanted a second chance, Splendor is a perfect refuge, a place where the very thing that made them outsiders, now makes them strangely powerful.

But Paul’s presence ignites a raging battle. Once a simple garden slug, the Duke has tapped into the magic of Splendor to conjure a horrific new form. As he consumes his enemies, he acquires their magic. Each day his power grows. Now, as commander of the mutant army of Oblivion, he tears apart the city in a search for the singular source of all magic, the essence that keeps Splendor and her citizens alive.

Paul’s allies? There’s a brainy kid who can calculate anything, such as the split second that lightning bolt will strike, or the precise path of a falling leaf. There’s a little girl whose laugher is not only contagious, but for those without the anecdote, fatal. And there’s a bully whose words can kill – literally. Paul’s mentor is Livingston, a one-winged, half-blind raven who sees the future, yet dies a little when he tries to warn others. Everyone in Splendor has a unique magical talent – everyone but Paul. Livingston assures Paul that he was recruited to Splendor for a reason, and that he alone can lead the others to save the city. But how? Paul has no magic – or does he?

Paul must discover the awesome power - and the terrible curse - of his own hidden magic, before leading a band of misfit kids into battle against an army of wonderfully weird and grotesque monsters.

My background is in the entertainment industry. I have edited horror films and produced cartoons for Hanna-Barbara, the studio famous for Scooby-Doo and the Flintstones. Today I write advertising copy and design marketing campaigns for Microsoft. Each of the three of the novels I have planned in the series explores themes of self-discovery and hope for those who don't feel they belong. I think you'll find that the flawed characters and universal themes in the story reflect my background in persuading people to believe in something greater than themselves, which very often is the true version of who they are.

I’m happy to send you any number of pages,

Tim Fletcher