Jennifer Bray-Weber's Blog, page 42

Editor Shopping Day! Boroughs Publishing

Welcome Boroughs Publishing! Thanks so much for taking the time to visit us and read pitches. MuseTracks hopes you find something you like. Happy shopping!

Without further ado, we give you the correctly submitted pitches.

#1

Title: The Perfect Tree

Genre/Subgenre: Historical Romance

Word count of manuscript: 85,500

In the latter part of the 19th Century, ten-year-old Logan Gallagher was plucked from the streets of the Lower East Side and adopted by Conn and Deirdre Callaghan. For 16 years Logan’s lived a good life, even though he’s always at loggerheads with Conn. At least life would be good if Logan wasn’t an ass and a magnet for woman trouble. This causes nothing but grief for everyone. Bad enough when Logan goes after ranch hands’ daughters and wives. Getting involved with Lupe, the recently widowed daughter of Conn’s ranch manager, can bring nothing but trouble. To keep Logan from making a mistake that would ruin his life Conn sends him to deliver four horses to a man who claims to be making moving pictures in the desert outside of Los Angeles. The trip could prove Logan’s downfall or his salvation. Especially when he convinces Lupe to run away with him. No mistake, it will change his life forever.

 

#2

Title—Stumble Stones

Genre/Subgenre – Romantic Thriller

Word count of manuscript – 50,000

A cache of priceless diamonds hidden in World War II sparks a hasty wedding on the high seas and a dangerous chase through Europe that holds the key to an unsolved mystery and a promise of lost love in this dark and humorous Romancing the Stones-style thriller.

Stumble Stones, set alternately in contemporary and 1940s Europe, tells the story of HALLELUJAH (HALLIE) WEISS, a writer for the steamy sudser, As the Planet Spins, who gets a second chance at love when she flees to Italy to get over her recent divorce. She meets lonely Berlin hedge fund manager ALEXANDER STONE, a number cruncher who puts his faith in numerical data, on a connecting flight from Berlin to Rome, and they face danger from a shady organization when they team up to solve the mystery of the missing diamonds and travel documents hidden in Alexander’s house during World War II.

The beginning of most chapters in Hallie’s POV opens with a snapshot of dialogue from her soap opera characters, Parker and Polly Winthrop. Parker and Polly’s adventures inform how the normally cautious Hallie lives her life. Will these unlikely soulmates survive long enough to solve the mystery and fulfill their destiny?

 

#3

Mystery of the Crystal Skull – 26,200 words

Genre/Subgenre – Romance Mystery

A story was passed down by generations of Incas of a mystical crystal skull in the rainforest high up in the Andes. It’s power was great because it came from ancient wisdom and mystical religion, a spiritual culture now longer practiced. Only the few gifted were able to tell and teach how to use this power. All through the years, the government suppressed the existence of the crystal skull. The power of this folklore and its belief created great concern and remained damaging to the strength and leadership of the authorities. Yet, the saga never disappeared. Rather, it surfaced again and again. This story tells of the gripping adventures of four research scientists high into the Andes mountains, in search of the crystal skull. It speaks of relationships, disappointments, fears, betrayals, and murder. But, also speaks of joy, love, and commitment. One asks, is the Mystery of the Crystal Skull a parable filled with vital truth, or just a story like all stories lost in the translation of time.

 

#4

Title: Going Twice

Genre/Subgenre: Contemporary/Romance

Word Count: 70000

Auctioneer, Dana Packard works to forget mistakes of her past. Moving forward quickly is the only way she can move past a failed relationship. Her quiet life of small town living makes progress forward easier.

Bruce Levenger, insurance salesman, has no interest in small towns or auctions but his brother, an antique store owner, needs that china. For Bruce, canceling his weekend plan and instead wasting a day at a sale isn’t his idea of fun but what can he do? The store needs that piece of glass and after helping survive a disaster relationship, Bruce knows he owes his brother more than a day standing around.

Just outside of small town Nebraska, Bruce almost collides with Dana and their personalities repel. At the auction, Dana knows Bruce wants that tea pot and assures he gets it, for a price. Bruce knows Dana wants the auctioned land and, without a plan, finds himself the owner of 20 acres in the country.

Making the best of an unplanned situation, they become partners. Under protest, sparks between Dana and Bruce turn to love. Gaining that final bid proves best for both in Going Twice.

 

#5

Title: Bet On IT

Genre/Subgenre: Contemporary Romance

Word count of manuscript: 52,000

“Are you trying to talk me into bed?” Cat Warner asked breathily. “Or into your business deal?”

Catherine “Cat” Warner has problems. The profits from her inns are down. The pressure from her parents is up. Her love life is non-existent. But Cat did manage to get the attention of tough, powerful, gorgeous hotel magnate Ty Orland. Unfortunately, his interest in her is for all the wrong reasons. Instead of wanting Cat, this debonair CEO only wants her land—a parcel he desperately needs for his next big development deal. Too bad it’s not for sale. A pleaser by nature, Cat knows to stand strong. If she caves to this sexy, alluring man, it will be her own neck on the line.

Ty Orland has a lot of things going for him. Success. Power. Respect. He’s also got an old chip on his shoulder and a new financial nightmare. His development deal is tanking—and fast. His only way out is if Cat sells him her strategically located parcel. But romancing the land from her is not easy when love gets in the way. The woman is as beautiful as she is beguiling. Which prize is more valuable?

 

#6

The Deathlands

Fantasy

88,000 words

Within the fading remnants of a dying world, four travelers meet in common cause to retrieve their stolen property from the clutches of a fleeing wizard.

Bound together against this mutual enemy, they must set aside their misgivings of each other as they chase the wizard Mathias across the Deathlands of Staldrung, a region blighted by the effects of ancient wars, and face its dangers along with the traps Mathias has left behind him. Shared adventures reveal their secrets to each other, sometimes increasing understanding but often also increasing distrust. Yet only together can they hope to overcome Mathias.

And even if they succeed, is this unlikely band ready for what answers they might uncover about the nature of their world?

 

#7

Dance With Destiny

American historical romance

70,000 words

Susannah Myers wages a daily battle with herself. She has pride that her husband, William, was one of the first to volunteer to fight the Civil War. But she also feels anger and abandonment at being left to care for their four children by herself.

Raoul Lone Wolf Lafontaine, half Ojibwa, half French-Canadian, flees the Indian camp where memories of his dead wife haunt him daily. His nightly dreams are filled with a fair-haired white woman. But he has vowed never to love again.

Their worlds collide on a small spit of land in southern Ohio. When their friendship escalates into love, Raoul and Susannah both realize the best course of action is for him to leave. William will return to his homestead and they’ll once again be a family. One in which Raoul has no place. Or does he?

 

#8

Once Upon a Masquerade

Historical Romance/Regency

115,012 words

Cordelia Clarke waited two long years, in vain for her brother’s best friend to view her as more than a sisterly acquaintance. The night of his family’s masquerade, she produces a false identity and wears a costume in colors she knows he adores. She proceeds to show him she is a desirably lady and not as he had called her numerous times, a dear girl. Her wildest dreams come true when he kisses her upon the balcony. Alas, she leaves him quivering and wanting more.

Andrew Daventry, Viscount Sutton does not view himself as a usual aristocrat. He is a gentleman in every sense of the word. But, on the night of his masquerade, he meets an enchantress who beguiles him, sets him aflame. After the encounter, he is completely changed. Bitter by her rejection to become acquainted with one another out of costume, he sets out to find her identity.

His search leads him to a woman he never even knew he wanted.

Their lives become complicated when another suitor vies for Cordelia’s affection. Nosy relatives, misunderstandings and secrets tear them apart.

Yet, the most powerful means to live out their happily after ever, resides in their close friendship.

 

#9

A Mule, A Mobster and A Mountain of Trouble

Romantic Adventure/Suspense

88,000 Words

Miranda Whitley’s inconspicuous life involving plant care in commercial buildings implodes when she witnesses a horrific crime. Learning she’s next on a hit-list forces her to search out an FBI agent she’s had one awkward encounter with. The victim is her friend, a respected judge, and he alerts her crooked cops are involved. Warned by him to disappear from Seattle, she impulsively chooses to disrupt Agent Grant Morley’s vacation in Emma Springs, Montana and seek his help.

The dude ranch she’s booked into near Grant’s ranch advertises a trail ride up the nearby mountain, perfect for her plans until a gunshot rips through her side. The mule she’s ridden grows into her most trusted ally while Grant receives threads of evidence, weaving Miranda into a hapless victim, or a cold-blooded accomplice.

Miranda and Grant fight their uninvited attraction while defending themselves against criminals willing to do anything to prevent Miranda’s testimony. Bureau blood courses through Grant’s veins, but Miranda carries guilt from the shootout death of her family and can’t tolerate guns or the thought of losing Grant to violence. Fortunately for both of them, there’s always room for love, if it’s properly tended.

 

 

 

Today’s The Day- Editor Shop!!

Get ready. Get set. GO!!!!!!!

Remember, the first twenty sent to us, in correct format, will be forwarded to an acquiring agent with Boroughs Publishing. We wish you the best of luck.

Please check each agent/editor’s website for what types/genres they accept.

 

 All entries must be submitted on  Sunday, March 27, 2016


You will send your entry to  musetracks.blog@gmail.com

NO attachments. All the required information must be in the body of the email.


Only one pitch per email. No exceptions.


The pitch must be 200 words or less. No exceptions. Word count WILL be verified before your pitch is accepted. (Contact info is not counted toward your pitch word count.)


Please put Agent/Editor Shop in the subject line.


The email should follow this format:

Title

Genre/Subgenre

Word count of manuscript

Your 200 word synopsis pitch

Happy green traffic light.

EDITOR SHOP WITH BOROUGHS

Grab the rules from the top of the blog and send it in!

I will post a big “go” button this Sunday March 27, 2016. We will present the first 20 (that are properly sent) to an acquiring editor at Boroughs Publishing.

A big “stop” button will let you know when we have reached quota.

We will let you know by next Friday how many writers have been requested to send more to Boroughs.

Good Luck!!!!

Hump Day Kick Start – Love in an Elevator Edition

Hump Day Kick Start – for your muse, a writing picture prompt, or ju st a visual treat.

 

Love in an elevator! Whoop! Raise your hand if you’re a member of the elevator club.

Tell me about today’s prompt. Who are they? Is she a much too uptight socialite being seduced by the playboy as he corners her leaving a fundraising gala? Strangers who met in a hotel bar? Could she be a spy working her magic? What if he is a con artist fleecing her out of her clothes and money? Are they enemies out for the same job/bid/promotion/information, giving in to their attraction? Maybe he’s just trying to reach around her to push his floor number.

I’d love to hear your take or caption the pic.

Link of the Week – MuseTracks Agent/Editor Shop

It’s been a long hiatus but MuseTracks is bringing sexy back. Er, I mean Agent/Editor Shop.

Here are the quickie deets. Got a great polished, ready-to-go story? Want to fast track it in front of an agent or editor? Send it to MuseTracks during a predetermined limited time. We post it on MuseTracks for an agent or editor to “shop”. Just like in a supermarket or atrociously lit dressing room,  after squeezing for freshness or trying on the latest fashion, if the agent or editor finds something they like, they will let us know. We, in turn, will contact you with the details—where and what (full or partial) to send. It’s no fuss, no muss, no cost, and a nothing to lose approach.

It’s been a long time since we hosted an Agent/Editor Shop. We are pleased to announce Borough Publishings will be our editor guest March 27th. Get those pitches ready!

For more info, click HERE or just click the above Agent/ Editor Shop tab in the menu bar.

Editor Shop With Boroughs Publishing

March 27, 2016!

What’s “Agent/Editor Shop” you ask?

 

This isn’t a contest… there aren’t any winners… just a chance to put your pitch in front of acquiring agent/editors(s). They’ll read the pitches and request more if your pitch grabs their attention. What they request is up to them. We do not make guarantees.

Agent/Editor Shop will only be “open” one day, per quarter, and we only take the first twenty pitches.

After the pitches go live on the blog, the agent/editor reads and decides if they want more. They will then contact us and we will forward on information to the author(s) who received requests. We will also post results after the agent/editor contacts us. Just the total number of requests made—no specifics or names.

The rules are simple and easy to follow. They must be adhered to in order for you to be considered by our guest agent or editor.

 

**Very Important**

Please check each agent/editor’s website for what types/genres they accept.

 

We will post a big green GO! on the HOME page the Sunday morning of the Shop. All entries must be submitted on that day. (1 Day Only)  Sunday, March 27, 2016


You will send your entry to  musetracks.blog@gmail.com

NO attachments. All the required information must be in the body of the email.


Only one pitch per email. No exceptions.


The pitch must be 200 words or less. No exceptions. Word count WILL be verified before your pitch is accepted. (Contact info is not counted toward your pitch word count.)


Please put Agent/Editor Shop in the subject line.


The email should follow this format:

Title

Genre/Subgenre

Word count of manuscript

Your 200 word synopsis pitch

We will take the first 20 pitches. A big red STOP! will be posted when we have 20 viable pitches. (Please note that we will not contact you if these rules are not followed. They simply will not be used.) If your pitch was one of the first twenty to reach our inbox, you’ll see it posted the next day, on the main page of the MUSETRACKS blog, for the shopping agent/editor to peruse.

This is a great opportunity to get in front of an agent/editor, so most important of all—polish that pitch until it shines! Hone your synopsis. Double check spelling and grammar. Strictly follow the rules. Breathe.

 

MUSETRACKS wishes you the best of luck!

The number of requests made will be published April 1, 2016!! No joke.

Hump Day Kick Start – Contemplation Edition

Hump Day Kick Start – for your muse, a writing picture prompt, or ju st a visual treat.

Hmm…unfinished house, empty tub, gun, crease in brow. I give you today’s prompt. Who is he? Where is he? What is thinking about? Hitman paid for a kill, but something doesn’t seem right to him? Is he waiting on a call to tell him what to do next? Or who his target might be? Maybe he’s waiting for someone to show. Waiting on her. Could he be making an exchange for his girl? With what? Is he pondering the meaning of life…his life? There is a chance he’s just protecting his house from vandals, again.

Tell me a tale or caption the pic.

Friday Fun Facts-Ants

They are everywhere.

In Texas, we battle the ever lovin’ fire ant almost on a daily basis. While they are a terrible scourge here, they are pretty fascinating creatures. Let’s take a look:

Soldier ants will plug the entrance to the nest with their heads. When a worker ant returns, they will touch the soldiers head and be let in. (I’m not sure many men would do that!)
If we had the same muscle capacity an ant does, we could carry a Hyundai over our heads- that’s 50 times our weight.
There are plants that are known as “ant plants” and they share a type of co-dependency. The plants have hollow sections, maybe hollow thorns or stems, where the ants can crawl into and hide. In return, the ants protect them from many herbivores. The ants will eat the sweet secretions and thrive within the plants.
Here’s a big one! The total mass of all the ants in the world is roughly the same as all the humans in the world. For every human, there is 1.5 million ants. ACK! Reminds me of the movie (done on an extreme budget) where they were trying to stop an invasion of ants from killing everybody. Gives me the creeps. 
Ants will create slaves out of other ants. (If they do this with their own kind, they will most certainly eat us. Back to the creep factor.)
Ants will actually herd aphids. What?!?! Yes! They absolutely love the sugary secretions from these sap sucking critters and will herd them from plant to plant to have an abundant supply of this sweet “dew”. (What a great word for aphid poop.)
Scientist believe that ants have been on earth for 130 million years. Whoa.
Some ants will form super colonies that can stretch for thousands of miles. (Creep factor alert!) Argentine ants, native to South America, are now on every continent, except Antarctica, through accidental travelling. Ants, as a whole, secret a chemical signature for their colony so other ants can recognize when it’s not their own. Scientist have tested the chemical make up of this super colony and it is the same everywhere. It is worldwide. Shudder
You’ve heard of the queen bee…it should be the queen ant. She is protected by everyone in the colony! She has her own chambers, is surrounded by neutered females who take care of everything in the colony, and has a whole host of male ants whose only job is to mate with the queen (they usually die after mating)…….hmmmm sounds like a great set up.
Army ants will prey on birds, reptiles, and even small mammals!

Hump Day Kick Start – Chains and Rain Edition

Hump Day Kick Start – for your muse, a writing picture prompt, or ju st a visual treat.

It’s been storming in MuseTracks’ neck of the woods the last couple of days. Seemed appropriate to post a sexy, wet prompt.

Who are they? Why does she have a chain around her throat? Is she a victim or is she a threat? And to what? The heart or the body? Are they ex-lovers reuniting during an apocalyptic storm? Is she dying and he’s about to give her a life-giving kiss? Could she be a shape-shifting beast and he a beast master? Maybe she is a storm chaser and he’s the storm.

What’s your take? Or just caption the pic.

Link Of The Week-Boroughs March Madness

Wanna get over the winter blahs? Join 30 Boroughs authors for a little March Madness. Gifts & Prizes galore.

I’ll be there tomorrow at 3pm, Central time, with some special things to give away. Also, Boroughs Publishing Group is giving away two prizes of $50 in Boroughs Bucks. All you have to do is sign up for their newsletter – go to their website – and follow them on Twitter.

http://boroughspublishinggroup.com/

 

https://www.facebook.com/events/963561607047565/