Jaye Robin Brown's Blog, page 8

Contests and Favoritism and Maybe Wisdom?

I felt compelled to write this post because one time over the past few years of my online life I heard someone say that such and such a contest was all just people who were friends anyway.

So I thought I might dispel that myth before anyone thinks about snarking on the lovely Brenda Drake and her PitchWars tribe. (AMENDING TO ADD: I have heard NOTHING from anyone along these lines - everyone has been awesome, but it seemed an appropriate time to write about something I've thought about since I...

A Conversation with Skylar Dorset, Author of BREATHLESS

Skylar Dorset, author of BREATHLESS
Hi Skylar, thanks so much for joining me for a conversation. Your description on Goodreads for BREATHLESS makes me want to buy it immediately. But mostly it sounds like it's chock full of super fun characters (love the description of the aunts!). Can you tell us about a couple of your favorites? Who was the most fun to write?


THAT IS LIKE ASKING ME TO CHOOSE MY FAVORITE CHILD!  (Disclosure: I don’t have children. But I *imagine* that’s what it’s lik...

A Conversation with Leigh Ann Kopans, Author of ONE, TWO, and SOLVING FOR EX.

Leigh Ann Kopans: Author of One, Two, and Solving for Ex
Hi Leigh Ann! I'm so excited you agreed to a conversation! I've really enjoyed watching your career grow over the past couple of years. I loved your first novel, ONE. Now I have TWO and the soon to be out, SOLVING FOR EX, to look forward to! If you could name the highest point and lowest point of your publishing career so far, what would they be?



Ahhh thank you so much for having me! You've been such an awesome support and friend, and it'...

KEEPER OF WONDER: An Interview with Laura Blankenship

Today's Keeper of Wonder was recommended to me by author, Kelsey Macke. Librarian, Laura Blankenship, wasn't always a librarian, she was an English teacher. Kelsey's English teacher to be precise! But today she's here to talk to us about her new role: Librarian!

Tell us about your job (age level, where, school or community and the name I should use)I work as a school librarian at Plano West Senior High in Plano, a suburb north of Dallas. Our school serves about 2,750 juniors and seniors. In th...

The Devil's in the Details: The Difference between Fine and Fabulous in your Manuscript

As Pitchwars submission day looms nearer, I find myself thinking about what makes a manuscript sing when I read. What makes me perk up and say "oh this writer has it" versus "this is good, but I'm not quite feeling it." True for me, and I'm sure all of the mentors, is the excitement of these days leading up to submission day. It's kind of like speed dating on Twitter, but here's the thing, as fun and interesting and awesome as each of you are, the pick will really come down to the manuscript...

Some Random Jro Trivia for Pitch Wars participants

My pre-teen sulk was perfected.
In stalking looking at other mentor's sites, I realized I didn't give you much trivia, so here goes!
I can touch my nose with my tongue. 
I once worked for a company that had non-gambling poker tables set up at bars for people to play but THEY COULD NOT BET. Most annoying job ever. 
I'm a biologically half-Jew (whole according to the Torah - mom) who grew up Episcopal, going to Passover at my aunt's house and attending Catholic high school. I still p...

Are Online Pitch Contests for You? Prepping for PitchWars and Should You Enter?

This is my first year as a mentor for Brenda Drake's PitchWars contest and already I can feel the buzz of excitement and anxiety in the air as I follow the #pitchwars thread on Twitter. Because I've been in the shoes as a contest participant before (not PitchWars but others), I thought I'd share a few thoughts.

Are Contests For You?

Is your manuscript truly finished? As tempting as it may be to fling that Nano project to the winds, it's probably not going to stick. In my own process for No Plac...

A Conversation with Kristen Lippert-Martin, Author of TABULA RASA

Hello and Howdy - If you stopped in for PitchWars, HOORAH! Take a minute and read this interview with the lovely Kristen Lippert-Martin (@klipmart) before jumping down to the next blog entry. Her thriller, Tabula Rasa, comes out next fall! Whoot!
Kristen Lippert-Martin, author of Tabula Rasa
Hi, Kristen! I'm almost nervous to have you on my blog. You seriously raise the funny bar. So I've got to know. Your debut novel, Tabula Rasa, is a thriller. Please tell me your wicked sense of humor shines...

Pitch Wars Is Here!!!! And I Want You to Pick Me!

Hello! I’m supposed to razzle & dazzle you and make you beg to be my mentee. But here’s the deal, I’m begging you to pick me! Why? Because nothing is going to make me feel more fantastic than having a chance to give back to this amazing community of young adult writers.

But First, Have you seen the list of fantastic agents???? SUPER WOW!!!

1. LouiseFury – Bent Agency 
2. SuzieTownsend – New Leaf Literary 
3. NicoleResciniti - The Seymour Agency 
4. JohnM. Cusick – The Greenhouse...

KEEPER OF WONDER LIBRARIAN TOP FIVE BOOK LIST - Young Adult and Adult Recommendations July-November

As promised, I'm back with the second half of this list! Some fabulous picks here and the only order is the by the number of librarians who recommended them. Hunger Games winning at three different picks! Sorry for the lazy, but I'm not linking to Goodreads, not much time this week! But the list is worthy of a print out and a trip to your local Indie bookstore!

Please note that next week, Thanksgiving week, I'll be taking a blogging break, but when I return in December, I'm going to introduce...