Time to introduce your hosts and critiquers! Please welcome and stalk them! These amazing authors will host the entries on their blogs, leave feedback to help you refine your query, and generally explode awesome all over the place. The hosts will decorate their choice of My Little Pony so you can rally behind your team!
With no further ado, here they are!
Blog Hosts:
Kathleen Palm loves the weird, the scary, and the fantastical. She started writing about twelve years ago with no idea of what she was doing or where the road lined with words would take her. She wrote several manuscripts before finally facing the haunting truth. She wanted her words to be a real book! Choosing the best of the bunch, she queried her YA fantasy FAERIE WIND and, well, failed. The following year, she polished her YA fantasy DOORS and decided to query small presses. After receiving two offers to publish DOORS, she chose REUTS Publishing. The making of the books is a slow endeavor, and she waits for her turn to be a debut author. She writes to pass the time…writing new manuscripts and revising old ones…and has found a love of creating short stories. Her stories DARK WOLF and TOGETHER can be found in the anthology FAIRLY TWISTED TALES FOR A HORRIBLY EVER AFTER. Her horror short WHAT LURKS IN THE DARKNESS can be found in the anthology HALLOWEEN NIGHT: TRICK OR TREAT. Of course, she has a few more on sub, because short stories are fun.
She likes to read mostly YA fantasy, the darker the better, and horror. Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, Neal Shusterman, Holly Black, Scott Westerfeld, and Amy Lukavics are some of her favorite authors.
Samantha Bryant believes in love, magic, and unexplainable connections between people. Her favorite things are lonely beaches, untamed cliff tops, sunlight through the leaves of trees, summer rains, and children's laughter. She has lived in many places, including rural Alaska, Kansas, Kentucky, Vermont, England and Spain. She is fierce at heart, though she doesn't look it.
She's a fan of Charlotte Brontë, William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Neil Gaiman, Nicole Perlman, and Joss Whedon, among many others. She would like to be Amy Tan when she grows up, but so far it doesn't look like she'll be growing up any time soon.
Samantha writes blogs, poems, essays, and novels. Mostly she writes about things that scare or worry her. It's cheaper than therapy. Someday, she hopes to make her living solely as a writer. In the meantime, she also teaches middle school Spanish, which, admittedly, is an odd choice for money-earning, especially in North Carolina.
When she's not writing or teaching, Samantha enjoys time with her family, watching old movies, baking, reading, and going places. Her favorite gift is tickets (to just about anything).
How I Came to Get my Book Deal:
Getting my first book contract was a matter of lucky timing and paying attention. While I was still writing the book, I began participating in a lot of forums and groups for writers (digitally and in real life). When authors talked about their experiences, I listened for names as well as direct advice. I'd go look up publishers who had worked with writers I liked and keep a list of places I thought might be a good fit for my work. That's how I heard of Curiosity Quills.
Because I'd just spent a year querying another novel at bigger publishers and it had taken that long just to get two nonspecific and non-helpful refusals, I was looking at small, independent publishers. My theory was that the time frame, at least, would be shorter.
Because I liked what I saw on their website and couldn't find anything scary about them in the usual places (Preditors and Editors; Writers Beware), I decided to query CQ. I was very lucky in my timing and hit the acquisitions editor at less busy moment. We moved from query to full to contracted book in the space of two weeks, and the book was produced eight months later. That's got to be some kind of speed record!
Three years later, they've published three of the novels in my series, included me in a multi-author anthology, and put out a collection of side stories in my Menopausal Superhero series.
What I Like to Read:
I'm a diverse reader. I like science fiction, fantasy, superhero, cyberpunk, weird, historical, steampunk, comics, post-apocalyptic, literary, women's fiction, fairy tale, ghost, poetry, nonfiction, memoir, horror, comedy, mystery, classic, paranormal, and (some) romance. Really, I'll give just about any sort of book a try. I am drawn in by beautiful language and interesting characters. I love it when a book can surprise me, going a different way than I anticipated, but still going in a way that makes sense to the story as a whole. Since this already feels like a personals ad for books, I'll add: turn-offs include clunky dialogue and stereotypical portrayals.
Like most mad scientists,
Rena Rocford has made an art form of living as a muggle. Today the bills, tomorrow the world. From her secret base in California, Rena builds her armies of books, one word at a time. When she isn’t planning for world domination, Rena creates nerdy art and enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She unleashed her first book Acne, Asthma, And Other Signs You Might Be Half Dragon, on the world in late 2015.
How I got my book deal:
I had a story that I had queried too early. I'd ambitiously sent it out into the world without as much work as I could have. It came back to me in form rejections, so I kept my chin up and moved on to another project. The second project didn't find a home either, but it did get several revise and resubmits. One of the suggestions in one of those R&Rs seemed like they were talking more about my earlier project, so, for grins and practice (and to keep myself from pulling out my hair), I revised my earlier project. And there just happened to be a contest on the Aussie Owned and Read website. I submitted my pitch and they took me in the contest. Kathleen of Curiosity Quills requested chapters of my manuscript, and the rest happened very quickly.
Reading preferences:
Fantasy, Science Fiction, both in YA and Adult. I've been known to pick up a good general fiction, but I really like there to be a taste of the fantastical.
ELIZABETH RODERICK is the author of the LGBT romantic suspense novel, Love or Money, and The Other Place Series, which includes The Hustle, The Other Place, Love and War, and Synchronicity. She has written ten other novels in a wide range of genres, which are in various stages of revision and pitching.
She grew up as a barefoot ruffian on a fruit orchard near Yakima, Washington, and she has recently returned to the family farm, where she lives in an off-grid tiny house she renovated and built herself, and grows most of her own food.
She earned a bachelor's degree in Spanish from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, and worked for many years as a paralegal and translator. She is a musician and songwriter, and has played in many bands, rocking some instruments she doesn't even know the real names for, but mostly guitar, bass and keyboards.
Elizabeth’s stories are about love, death, gang warfare, and madness. Her characters tend to be of the type that society generally shuns: addicts, convicts, and the neurodiverse. She herself is a neurodivergent person.
Elizabeth believes if people get to know those who live on the fringes of society, both in stories and in real life, they'll find them more likeable than they originally thought.
Find her on:
Publication Story:
My publication story, like most, is one of perseverance and the desire to learn and improve.
I got tired of hearing that my novels were well-written, but that they didn’t quite fit agents’/publishers’ expectations with regard to plot, and/or that they had a hard time identifying with my neurodiverse, homeless, addicted and criminal characters. So, I tried to write a more “traditional” novel—Love or Money, a LGBTQ romantic suspense book. It was my first attempt at romance, and I think I did okay…even though my characters still turned out to be criminals and ruffians. I think I sent one regular query, but otherwise I just pitched it on #PitMad. I got several requests, and two offers. It was published by Limitless Publishing. Limitless has now taken on a good chunk of my backlist, and I’m busy revising my other books, and drafting more, in hopes that more of my stories will find a home.
Wish List:
I love pretty much all the books. I write in a stupidly-large range of genres, because I read all those genres.
With regard to what I love most, it would be books of all genres with neurodiverse/mentally ill characters, and/or characters that are down-and-out, especially when those characters aren’t objects of pity or contempt, but just people with their own stories to tell. The book doesn’t have to be about “overcoming” their situation or diagnosis…in fact, I’d prefer it weren’t.
I also love humorous books, or books with humor as a large part of the voice. I’m also a big fan of YA fantasy of all sorts.
Can’t wait to hear about your stories!
Born and raised in Australia,
Katie Hamstead's early years of day dreaming in the "bush," and having her father tell her wild bedtime stories, inspired her passion for writing.
After graduating High School, she became a foreign exchange student where she met a young man who several years later she married. Now she lives in Arizona with her husband, daughters, and their dogs.
She has a diploma in travel and tourism which helps inspire her writing.
When her debut novel, Kiya: Hope of the Pharaoh, climbed into bestselling status, she believed she was onto something, and now has a slew of novels available, and is published through Curiosity Quills Press, Soul Mate Publishing, REUTS Publishing, and soon Limitless Publishing as well.
Katie loves to out sing her friends and family, play sports, and be a good wife and mother. She now works as an office lady at an elementary school to help support her family. She loves to write, and takes the few spare moments in her day to work on her novels.
Publication story:
Back in 2012, I'd just completed writing the Kiya Trilogy and although I'd written other manuscripts and researched into querying, the trilogy was the first thing I felt confident had the potential to get me a deal. At this point, I was introduced to the online writing community and the competition GUTGAA. GUTGAA was a game changer for me which provided my query feedback I so desperately needed.
Immediately after refining my query, I went out and cold queried and ended up with many partial and full requests. Within two months I was offered my contract for the trilogy with Curiosity Quills. The trilogy is now in it's forth year of publication, sold more than 100,000 copies, and is an Amazon bestseller, topping the charts several times.
Wishlist:
I love ROMANCE! The sweeter and more wholesome the better! Give me a real couple that love each other quirks and all, and I'm there! HEA/HFN's are a must for me, I need books that leave me feeling all warm inside at the end, even if I'm dragged through the coals for the rest of the book.
Historical is among my favorite genres, including time travel. But I want unusual history, not the most common Regency etc. History from Asia, Africa, the Americas pre European settlement, including mythology make me all kinds of happy. As a kid, my favorite Disney movie was Mulan. I was a complete sucker for the Chinese culture and still am!
And of course, Magical Realism. There really aren't enough books in this genre around.
Twitter Pitch Critiques Host:
Liana Brooks writes science fiction and sci-fi romance for people who like fast ships, big guns, witty one-liners, and happy endings. She lives in Alaska with her husband, four kids, and giant mastiff puppy. When she isn’t writing she enjoys hiking the Chugach Range, climbing glaciers, and watching whales.
Published Work: The Day Before, Convergence Point, Decoherence, Even Villains Fall In Love, Even Villains Go To The Movies, Even Villains Have Interns, Seventy, Real Lies, and several short stories featured in several anthologies.
WISHLIST!
I love fast paced books with amazing twists. Sci-fi, urban fantasy, contemporary thrillers, fantasy, romance... I'll take them all! Just give me strong female characters (not just muscular but strong willed), honest relationships, and make me laugh, and you'll win me over. I love Enemies-to-Lovers and Found Family tropes.
I'd especially love to see #OwnVoices stories from authors who are disabled, on the asexual/aromantic spectrum, come from a mixed ethnic or racial backgrounds, or are Third Culture Kids. Diversity is the spice of life, so make books spicy!
Not For Me: Brooding males, alphaholes, angsty characters, dubious consent, rape, dead or injured children, MG, YA, horror, or erotica. There are people who loves those books, but they aren't for me.
Critiquers:
Sara O. Thompson’s first attempt at a book was prepared on a Remington typewriter and bore a suspicious resemblance to a famous novel whose title rhymes with ‘Gourd of the Spies.’ In her spare time, she performs improv comedy, occasionally tells stories on stage, and loves ballroom dancing. Sara lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her family.
How I got my book deal:
I participated in a twitter pitch contest and was "acquired" by Curiosity Quills. My tweet was something like, "Solving crimes. Doing magic. Drinking bourbon."
Wishlist:
I used to be huge into literary fiction, but now it's pretty solidly in the SFF realm. Love anything funny. I want to see Science fiction and fantasy, especially urban fantasy, especially funny stuff. No love triangles, love rectangles, love rhomboids. Pretty much ixnay on the kissy stuff. Love writing that doesn't take itself too seriously. Anything that turns tropes on their heads.
When she was a child, CC Dowling knew two things. That she would never have kids, and she would be a writer, which makes her right half the time. CC shared her passion for writing with music and science, and still does.
She spent the first half of college singing, and most of the second half in a lab. After twelve years spent chasing a four year degree, and enough college credits to ensure student loan debt well into her nineties, CC graduated in 2009 with a B.S. in Biotechnology and went to work playing with stem cells and neuro pathways.
Now, CC lives in America’s finest city with her preschooler (who plays in the back yard with the faeries), her husband (the financial shaman), her aussie (with mesmerizing blue eyes), her very real pet dragon (who guards the perimeter of her house at night), and an unknown bundle of joy currently taking up residence behind her belly button. When she’s not working or writing (which is still technically working), CC can be found playing a round of disc golf with the boys and the dog, or desperately trying to figure out which pair of sandals are the most appropriate for the harsh Southern California winters.
Her debut novel, Conduit, is the first in a New Adult Paranormal Romance series.
She likes to read NA and Adult Urban fantasy, paranormal romance, light sci-fi, especially mixed with fantasy elements, and contemp romance.
