Jaye Robin Brown's Blog, page 6
January 30, 2014
A Conversation with Meradeth Houston, Author of COLORS LIKE MEMORIES and CHEMISTRY OF FATE
Meradeth Houston, Author of Colors Like Memories and Chemistry of FateHi Meradeth! I'm so happy you agreed to stop by the blog for a chat. I've had so much fun watching your career with Muse It Up Publishing develop, along with your Sary novels, Colors Like Memories and Chemistry of Fate. What attracted you to a digital publisher?
Goodreads LinkHi JRo! Thanks a million for asking me to be here today! And a very good question here, right out of the box. I'll admit, I'm totally debating on...
January 21, 2014
PitchWars Alternate Showcase!
Welcome to the Alternate showcase!
I am so excited to be hosting some of the AMAZING writers who participated in a six week boot camp where published/agented authors and industry interns mentored a team of writers to help them polish their manuscripts for agents. The mentors picked one to go into the agent round on Brenda Drake’s blog (http://www.brenda-drake.com/) and two alternates in case their top pick dropped out of the competition.
BUT LET ME TELL YOU, THE ALTERNATES WERE THE BOMB,...
Pitch Wars ALT: JB-13 WILLOW BORN
MENTOR: Stacey LeeALTERNATE: Shanna MilesTITLE: Willow BornGENRE: YA Southern Gothic FantasyWORD COUNT: 92,000
Pitch: Death has come to Carolina. When Collette is resurrected by a coven she didn’t know existed, she's forced to choose between a normal life and a cosmic destiny that could kill her...again.
Excerpt:The imp prowls anxiously behind the ancient Willow tree, his muscles rippling under his too-tight feline skin. He knows the old witch isn’t as skilled as he needs her to...
Pitch: Death has come to Carolina. When Collette is resurrected by a coven she didn’t know existed, she's forced to choose between a normal life and a cosmic destiny that could kill her...again.
Excerpt:The imp prowls anxiously behind the ancient Willow tree, his muscles rippling under his too-tight feline skin. He knows the old witch isn’t as skilled as he needs her to...
Pitch Wars ALT: JB-12 ELEGY
MENTORS: Natalie Knaub and Stephanie GarberALTERNATE: Julie DaoTITLE: ELEGY
CATEGORY/GENRE: YA Paranormal
WORD COUNT: 60,000
PITCH:
When her best friend becomes obsessed with a haunted violin at their music school, Stella must put aside their rivalry to uncover the truth before the ghost claims her friend forever in this Phantom of the Opera-inspired paranormal.
EXCERPT:
One warm night beneath an August moon, the streets of Paris emptied into the Grand Theatre. The crowd ebbed and fl...
CATEGORY/GENRE: YA Paranormal
WORD COUNT: 60,000
PITCH:
When her best friend becomes obsessed with a haunted violin at their music school, Stella must put aside their rivalry to uncover the truth before the ghost claims her friend forever in this Phantom of the Opera-inspired paranormal.
EXCERPT:
One warm night beneath an August moon, the streets of Paris emptied into the Grand Theatre. The crowd ebbed and fl...
Pitch Wars ALT: JB-11 WISHING
MENTOR: Natalie Knaub ALTERNATE: Jerilyn PattersonTITLE: WISHINGCATEGORY/GENRE: YA Contemporary Fantasy
WORD COUNT: 64,000
PITCH:
To save her family from a life of magical slavery, seventeen-year-old Mona sells magic to pay an overdue debt. But when her clients start using the magic to commit crimes and hurt innocent people, Mona finds herself torn between fixing the harm she's caused and making her lender's next payment.
EXCERPT:
The man sitting across from me on...
WORD COUNT: 64,000
PITCH:
To save her family from a life of magical slavery, seventeen-year-old Mona sells magic to pay an overdue debt. But when her clients start using the magic to commit crimes and hurt innocent people, Mona finds herself torn between fixing the harm she's caused and making her lender's next payment.
EXCERPT:
The man sitting across from me on...
Pitch Wars ALT: JB-10 FIGHTING CHANCE
MENTOR: Jessie Humphries
ALTERNATE: Amy Trueblood
TITLE: FIGHTING CHANCE
CATEGORY/GENRE: YA Mystery
WORD COUNT: 60,000
PITCH: When seventeen-year-old black belt Nica agrees to be geeky Braeden's bodyguard, she must protect him from the local douche extraordinaire. But when the bully is murdered, and everyone thinks she did it, Nica and Braeden team up to battle something far more serious than accusations: the real killer.
EXCERPT:The jagged marks carved deep in my knuckles glowed under the fluoresc...
ALTERNATE: Amy Trueblood
TITLE: FIGHTING CHANCE
CATEGORY/GENRE: YA Mystery
WORD COUNT: 60,000
PITCH: When seventeen-year-old black belt Nica agrees to be geeky Braeden's bodyguard, she must protect him from the local douche extraordinaire. But when the bully is murdered, and everyone thinks she did it, Nica and Braeden team up to battle something far more serious than accusations: the real killer.
EXCERPT:The jagged marks carved deep in my knuckles glowed under the fluoresc...
Pitch Wars ALT: JB-9 UNAUTHORIZED
MENTOR: Jessie Humphries
ALTERNATE: B. A. Wilson TITLE: UNAUTHORIZED
CATEGORY/GENRE: YA Sci-Fi
WORD COUNT: 116,000
PITCH: Twenty-three years ago, Amendment 57 denied people the right to parent without appropriate licensing. Within six large territories live the Sanctioned, including Zeke Holloway, military sniper, and Jude Carmichael, nerd extraordinaire, whose prestigious families are hiding terrible secrets. The Unauthorized, or unlicens...
ALTERNATE: B. A. Wilson TITLE: UNAUTHORIZED
CATEGORY/GENRE: YA Sci-Fi
WORD COUNT: 116,000
PITCH: Twenty-three years ago, Amendment 57 denied people the right to parent without appropriate licensing. Within six large territories live the Sanctioned, including Zeke Holloway, military sniper, and Jude Carmichael, nerd extraordinaire, whose prestigious families are hiding terrible secrets. The Unauthorized, or unlicens...
Pitch Wars ALT: JB-8 THE BLOOD TRAIN
MENTOR: Megan WhitmerALTERNATE: Megan GrimitTITLE: The Blood TrainCATEGORY/GENRE: YA HorrorWORD COUNT: 83,000
PITCH: When seventeen-year-old Olivia is abducted by a nightmare infested train that uses its passengers as fuel, she must fight with everything she has to find the exit before death finds her.
EXCERPT: All Olivia could think about was forehead skin. Not in a crazy, I-want-to-chop-up-your-face kind of way. The inside of the taxi window was absolutely...
PITCH: When seventeen-year-old Olivia is abducted by a nightmare infested train that uses its passengers as fuel, she must fight with everything she has to find the exit before death finds her.
EXCERPT: All Olivia could think about was forehead skin. Not in a crazy, I-want-to-chop-up-your-face kind of way. The inside of the taxi window was absolutely...
Pitch Wars ALT: JB-7 STOP MOTION
MENTOR: Megan WhitmerALTERNATE: Ann FosterTITLE: Stop MotionCATEGORY/GENRE: YA Urban FantasyWORD COUNT: 76,000
PITCH: Becoming a Hunter means Astrid's wish to be the It Girl has finally been granted—as long as she kills enough Wraiths. If she doesn't, the universe resets and everyone, even her new boyfriend, stops noticing her. On top of that, Hunters are being killed, and she's next on the hit list.
EXCERPT: "So Astrid, tell me what brought you here today."...
PITCH: Becoming a Hunter means Astrid's wish to be the It Girl has finally been granted—as long as she kills enough Wraiths. If she doesn't, the universe resets and everyone, even her new boyfriend, stops noticing her. On top of that, Hunters are being killed, and she's next on the hit list.
EXCERPT: "So Astrid, tell me what brought you here today."...
Pitch Wars ALT: JB-6 PIANO FIRE
MENTOR: Sarah HenningALTERNATE: Wendy NikelTITLE: Piano FireCATEGORY/GENRE: YA FantasyWORD COUNT: 73,000
PITCH: Shipwrecked on a lonely beach, Aria fears that her life—and impending career as a pianist—is over, until a handsome hero whisks her away to his opulent island castle. But the fairy tale splinters with each secret revealed: the island exists outside the bounds of time, her 400-year-old “hero” is using her musical talent for his own devices, and if she doesn’t escape, Aria will soon be...
PITCH: Shipwrecked on a lonely beach, Aria fears that her life—and impending career as a pianist—is over, until a handsome hero whisks her away to his opulent island castle. But the fairy tale splinters with each secret revealed: the island exists outside the bounds of time, her 400-year-old “hero” is using her musical talent for his own devices, and if she doesn’t escape, Aria will soon be...
