Katie Hamstead's Blog, page 11

Son of a Pitch Entry Window Now OPEN

Round 2 Entries are now...
OPEN
That's right! We're now open for business! The window will remain open until all 50 slots are filled. Everyone will receive a confirmation email.

Please use the formatting below and email to:
sonofapitchcomp@yahoo.com.au

Subject line: Son of a Pitch! (Category and Genre of your manuscript)


Formatting:

Title: (Name of Manuscript)
Category and Genre: (YA/NA/Adult then Genre)
Word Count: (to the nearest thousand)
Query:
Insert query here. No bio or comparisons please, just the explanation of your manuscript. Title/Genre/Word Count are all listed above.
First 250 Words:
I don't care if this is from a prologue or chapter one. That's up to you.


Incorrectly formatted emails will be returned.
Thanks you, and Good Luck!

Son of a Pitch Round ONE!

ROUND ONE!

A chance to refine your query and first 250 words. Post your query and 250 words on your blog then leave a direct link in the comments below. Please leave feedback on the author's blog, and for a minimum of three other queries and first 250. 

All feedback left in the comments below will be deleted.

***You don't have to participate in this round to join Round 2, but it is highly recommended to get that extra polish before the voting round.***

GOOD LUCK!





Want to see my query that won me my first book deal? Well, here it is!

To save her younger sisters from being taken to the cruel life of the palace, Naomi intervenes and gives herself to be a wife of the erratic Pharaoh. She is the oldest daughter of the direct line of Israel, and as her father's favorite child, she is well-educated and knows she is the closest thing her people have to a princess.

In the palace, Naomi finds herself thrust into the intrigues of the royal family. She is savvy and bright, so the Great Queen Nefertiti perceives Naomi to be her greatest threat. But Naomi refuses to submit to Nefertiti’s physical and emotional abuse. Naomi becomes beloved by the Pharaoh, who declares that she will bear him his heir. Nefertiti, furious with jealousy, schemes to destroy Naomi and even brings her fidelity into question, which could cost Naomi her very life.

Naomi must play the deadly game carefully. She is in a silent battle of wills, and a struggle for who will one day inherit the crown. And when she does bear an heir, she must fight to protect him as well as herself from Nefertiti who is out for blood.

Son of a Pitch Success Story: Mark Engels

Success story and how Son of a Pitch helped me get there!
At an early age, trains became my focus to the exclusion of everything else. I wanted to know everything about them, be around them, planned to work with them when I grew up. In my teens I came to feel likewise about anime, manga and anthropomorphics. My fellow otaku and I played table-top roleplaying games throughout university where I studied computer technology and electronics. After earning my bachelor's, I got married, chose railroading as my career, started a family.

Decades later working night shift testing signal systems on a rail transit job site, my book's main character showed up, slashing away at my subconscious. I tossed and turned all day long at the hotel trying to ignore her. But Pawly, a werecat, makes a very convincing argument with fangs and claws. She wanted out of my head! Weeks later, I caved and began writing. By the end of that month, I had a series outline. A year later, I had a draft manuscript. And a year after that, I had a polished draft thanks to my prereaders and suggestions from several writing and editing books I’d read.

That’s when I began researching markets heavily. I learned what pitch parties were, how to write (and revise!) a query letter and what markets were (and were decidedly not) worth presenting my book to. I got to know Katie and learned about SoaP over the course of several pitch parties and decided to give it a try. My query was selected and the SoaP reviewers, Elizabeth Roderick chief among them, pointed out things I ought consider to make my query more accessible and gripping. I once again revised my query and sent out a round, this time landing me some requests. After one offer came in (much to my surprise!) I let all the others considering my book know per industry practice. That motivated another publisher to offer, Thurston Howl Publications, and I signed with them. After many months on the query/pitch/submit trail, I would wait just under a year (in which we did, you guessed it, more editing!) for them to release my debut novel.

My series outline, detailing travails of three generations of Pawly's family from the height of the Cold War to the present day, suggests I'll need two more books to tell their stories. Maybe three? The same obsession drives me--share Pawly's tale with the world. She deserves to have it told. When I finish in the next couple of years, I'll gladly go on with life and obsess over something else. I'll have accomplished what I set out to do. And I'll encourage my son to do the same.


Blurb:

The modern day remnant of an ancient clan of werecats is torn apart by militaries on three continents vying to exploit their deadly talents. Born in an ethnic Chicago neighborhood following her family's escape from Cold War-era Poland, were-lynx Pawly flees underground to protect her loved ones after genetically-enhanced soldiers led by rogue scientist and rival werecat Mawro overrun her Navy unit in the Gulf of Oman. Pawly's family seeks her out in a desperate gambit to return their ancestral homeland and reconcile with their estranged kinsmen. But when her human lover arrives to thwart Mawro's plan to weaponize their feral bloodlust, Pawly must face a daunting choice: preserve her family secrets and risk her lover's life or chance her true nature driving him away forever.






Bio:
Boyhood interests in trains and electronics fostered Mark's career as an electrical engineer, designing and commissioning signal and communications systems for railroads and rail transit agencies across the United States. Along the way Mark indulged his writing desire by authoring articles for rail and transit industry trade magazines. Coupled with Mark's long-time membership in anime, manga and anthropomorphic fandoms, he took up writing genre fiction. Growing up in Michigan, never far from his beloved Great Lakes, Mark and his wife today make their home in Wisconsin with their son and a dog who naps beside him as he writes.

Mark is a member of Allied Authors of Wisconsin, one of the state's oldest writing collectives. He also belongs to the Furry Writer’s Guild, dedicated to supporting, informing, elevating, and promoting quality anthropomorphic fiction and its creators.

Author web site (includes social media links, message box, and email list opt-in)
https://www.mark-engels.com/

Amazon “buy” link
https://www.amazon.com/Always-Gray-Winter/dp/1945247193/

Goodreads review page
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36008025-always-gray-in-winter

Son of a Pitch Success Story: Mark Engles

Success story and how Son of a Pitch helped me get there!
At an early age, trains became my focus to the exclusion of everything else. I wanted to know everything about them, be around them, planned to work with them when I grew up. In my teens I came to feel likewise about anime, manga and anthropomorphics. My fellow otaku and I played table-top roleplaying games throughout university where I studied computer technology and electronics. After earning my bachelor's, I got married, chose railroading as my career, started a family.

Decades later working night shift testing signal systems on a rail transit job site, my book's main character showed up, slashing away at my subconscious. I tossed and turned all day long at the hotel trying to ignore her. But Pawly, a werecat, makes a very convincing argument with fangs and claws. She wanted out of my head! Weeks later, I caved and began writing. By the end of that month, I had a series outline. A year later, I had a draft manuscript. And a year after that, I had a polished draft thanks to my prereaders and suggestions from several writing and editing books I’d read.

That’s when I began researching markets heavily. I learned what pitch parties were, how to write (and revise!) a query letter and what markets were (and were decidedly not) worth presenting my book to. I got to know Katie and learned about SoaP over the course of several pitch parties and decided to give it a try. My query was selected and the SoaP reviewers, Elizabeth Roderick chief among them, pointed out things I ought consider to make my query more accessible and gripping. I once again revised my query and sent out a round, this time landing me some requests. After one offer came in (much to my surprise!) I let all the others considering my book know per industry practice. That motivated another publisher to offer, Thurston Howl Publications, and I signed with them. After many months on the query/pitch/submit trail, I would wait just under a year (in which we did, you guessed it, more editing!) for them to release my debut novel.

My series outline, detailing travails of three generations of Pawly's family from the height of the Cold War to the present day, suggests I'll need two more books to tell their stories. Maybe three? The same obsession drives me--share Pawly's tale with the world. She deserves to have it told. When I finish in the next couple of years, I'll gladly go on with life and obsess over something else. I'll have accomplished what I set out to do. And I'll encourage my son to do the same.


Blurb:

The modern day remnant of an ancient clan of werecats is torn apart by militaries on three continents vying to exploit their deadly talents. Born in an ethnic Chicago neighborhood following her family's escape from Cold War-era Poland, were-lynx Pawly flees underground to protect her loved ones after genetically-enhanced soldiers led by rogue scientist and rival werecat Mawro overrun her Navy unit in the Gulf of Oman. Pawly's family seeks her out in a desperate gambit to return their ancestral homeland and reconcile with their estranged kinsmen. But when her human lover arrives to thwart Mawro's plan to weaponize their feral bloodlust, Pawly must face a daunting choice: preserve her family secrets and risk her lover's life or chance her true nature driving him away forever.






Bio:
Boyhood interests in trains and electronics fostered Mark's career as an electrical engineer, designing and commissioning signal and communications systems for railroads and rail transit agencies across the United States. Along the way Mark indulged his writing desire by authoring articles for rail and transit industry trade magazines. Coupled with Mark's long-time membership in anime, manga and anthropomorphic fandoms, he took up writing genre fiction. Growing up in Michigan, never far from his beloved Great Lakes, Mark and his wife today make their home in Wisconsin with their son and a dog who naps beside him as he writes.

Mark is a member of Allied Authors of Wisconsin, one of the state's oldest writing collectives. He also belongs to the Furry Writer’s Guild, dedicated to supporting, informing, elevating, and promoting quality anthropomorphic fiction and its creators.

Author web site (includes social media links, message box, and email list opt-in)
https://www.mark-engels.com/

Amazon “buy” link
https://www.amazon.com/Always-Gray-Winter/dp/1945247193/

Goodreads review page
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36008025-always-gray-in-winter

Son of a Pitch Requesting Publishers

For the third round of our events, I've lined up an amazing collection of publishers who are ready to read the efforts of the finalists. Many have returned from previously, so I'm really excited! Check them out.


At Blaze, we’re committed to bringing you high-quality, hard-hitting books full of heart. Whether the story is a mystery, thriller, horror, steampunk, or some goofy comedy, there will be a message woven into the pages for readers to find and fall in love with. We want you to walk away inspired, in awe, or just happy to be alive. Or maybe you’ll look at other people differently, in a less negative light. Whatever the case, you will find heart in our stories.

We're looking for contemporary or high fantasy.

Curiosity Quills Press (CQ) is a hybrid press founded in 2011 that specializes in fresh, unique fiction of the highest quality.At CQ, we believe that everyone needs an escape, and we want to be yours. Come grab a book and nerd out with us for a while.
Over the past three years we have successfully tripled our business going from writer-advice blog to full-service publishing press. If you are an author interested in submitting, please visit our submission page: http://curiosityquills.com/submission-guidelines/
***Personal note: I have been with CQ for about 5 years and love them. I've obtained bestseller status through them and their marketing efforts.***


Falstaff Books is a digital and print publishing company based in Charlotte, NC dedicated to bringing to life the best in fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and dramatic literature. We love bringing amazing stories to light and giving incredible writers a voice. The battered, ignored, rejected “misfit toys” of fiction are all welcome at Falstaff Books, where we understand that every scar is a story and only with different voices can harmony be created.
So many wonderful stories struggle to find homes and an opportunity to reach readers; Lakewater Press was founded to offer some of these a chance. They’re small, personal, and savvy, focusing on quality not quantity, and ensuring each book isn’t simply released then abandoned, but nurtured for its entire life.




Soul Mate Publishing welcomes you to romance, where two become one.  We offer high-quality romantic fiction for readers around the world.  Our novels, written by only the finest authors, will be available both electronically and in paperback.Whether you enjoy traditional romance or are searching for stories that push the limits, you'll find what you're looking for.  We are NOT the same old thing!

Review: 18 Truths (My So Called Afterlife #2) by Jamie Ayres

From Goodreads:
Lying is unbearable, betrayal is inevitable, and choosing which path to take is impossible.

Olga Gay Worontzoff ended her senior year as an eighteen-year-old girl totally in love with Nate, enjoying their new romance and about to attend the university of her dreams. Now she’s spending her summer in the weird subculture of the Underworld, with charmingly witty and powerful angels, and problematic demons, trying to rescue Connor, the best friend and secret crush she was unable to save during a freak accident.

But Nate has other things on his mind, mainly Grace. She’s their first assignment as joint spirit guides, and Olga’s feeling hurt and jealous. His mysterious behavior has Olga questioning everything she believed about him and now she must decide whether to stick to their plan, or follow her heart. Unfortunately, a series of mistakes threatens everyone around her and plants Olga in the center of cosmic events much larger than she ever imagined.

Only one thing is certain: the chilling truths uncovered during her journey will leave no one untouched. 

My Thoughts:
Now I'm back at work, I've got the Audible going again, and since book 1 was read at the end of the last school year this way, I got started on this book now I'm back.
Honestly, I struggled in the beginning to like this book. The whole thing didn't sit well with my own personal understanding of life after death and made me uncomfortable. But, since I really enjoyed the first book, I pushed on.
Once Olga and Nate started their assignment with Grace, I was hooked. I played the book at any moment I could to find out what they'd do next. I could really feel Olga's conflict and her need to know what had happened to Connor. I'd want to know what happened to the guy if I was in her shoes too!
I was still rooting for Nate, even when he seemed to be distracted. After getting to know him in book 1, I knew there would be more to it than his eyes wandering. The waiting for find out killed me though, and broke my heart.
By the end, I flicked straight onto book 3 on my Audible because THAT ENDING!  No spoilers, but the need to continue was imperative.
So, basically I'm still enjoying this series, even if this book had a rocky start for me. Now, to conclude Olga's sordid tale.

Son of a Pitch: Author Hosts and Critiquers

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.

HALLOWEEN NIGHT: TRICK OR TREAT AnthologyFAIRLY TWISTED TALES FOR A HORRIBLY EVER AFTER Anthology
DOORS (Goodreads)

Twitter Blog Facebook

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).
Her debut novel, Going Through the Change: A Menopausal Superhero Novel is now for sale by Curiosity Quills as is the sequel, Change of Life. You can find her online on her blog,  Twitter, on Facebook, on Amazon, on Goodreads, on the Curiosity Quills page, or on Google+ , and now on Tumblr.


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:Amazon Goodreads Twitter Facebook Website

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!


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.

You can find Liana on the web at www.lianabrooks.com or on Twitter as @LianaBrooks.

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.
Amazon Author Page Website  GoodReads

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 you came to get your 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."



What you like to read
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.Find her on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DowlingMisfits/
She likes to read NA and Adult Urban fantasy, paranormal romance, light sci-fi, especially mixed with fantasy elements, and contemp romance.

Son of a Pitch Success Story: Brianna Kienitz

I participated in SoaP in February of 2017. It was the first in a long line of Twitter pitch games I participated in this year. The experience was invaluable for me. I went into the event with next to no querying experience and landed a publishing deal barely two months later. I'm not saying that Son of a Pitch is a miracle elixir that will cure all of your publishing woes. However, it did set me off on the right foot in a hurry. I didn't make it past the second round of the competition, but the advice I received helped me establish good querying habits AND helped me polish my manuscript. 
What was more - and the thing that continues to surprise me on my writing journey - are the friends I made along the way. I was very new to Twitter, and my network was still very small when I entered Son of a Pitch. I met many wonderful people through the process, several of whom have become permanent fixtures in my writing clan. They have been there to support me all along the road to publishing and I can't say enough good things about them, or thank them enough for being such wonderful people.
But enough gushing. Onto the juicy stuff. Son of a Pitch was the foundation upon which I built my querying process, and it was an excellent one indeed. I used the critiques from the second round to re-vamp my query and my manuscript and dove headfirst into the Twitter pitching season in March. I could hardly keep track of the pitch events I took part in on almost a weekly basis after Son of a Pitch, sometimes even two at a time! With every one I was able to refine my pitches, and with every submission request I was able to bump my query game up another notch. 
Only two months after Son of a Pitch I landed my first book contract with Ninestar Press. They were everything I'd dreamed of for my debut novel and I couldn't be more excited about everything I've been through since February. Don't get me wrong. The process has been grueling at times and an exercise in patience as I wallow in the pit of endless waiting that is publishing. However, I wouldn't trade it for anything, and I wouldn't be where I am without everything I learned during Son of a Pitch.
Brianna Kienitz (pronounced Kee-nits) started out as an avid reader of lesbian fiction on Wattpad. When reading no longer sated her appetite, she turned to writing the stories she craved. Brianna believes a good story should make you feel every moment deeply, whether it be laughing until it hurts, crying yourself dry, or screaming with unbridled rage. Her Wattpad works have been widely read and have received multiple awards from the Wattpad community. Her current project, Off Pitch, was named Wattpad LGBT Book of the Month in March 2017.Brianna lives in Missoula, Montana, where she works as a slayer of transit demons, and a dance instructor. She spends most of her down time hiding in her Hobbit Hole with her wife and cat, curating T-rex costume GIF’s and pretending not to be socially awkward on the internet. Her debut novel, Off Pitch, is a contemporary new adult f/f romance between two career-focused college stars is coming soon from Ninestar Press. You can find her at BriannaKienitz.com.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Son of a Pitch is MAGIC!

OMG This totally snuck up on me! Did it sneak up on you? AHHH!!! Let's DO this!

Follow along with the silliness and discussion under #sonofapitch on Twitter. This time our theme is  My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic   because who doesn't need more friendship and magic in their life?? Our hosts will be decorating their blogs using the Element of Harmony within them!

It's less than a month until the first round, so although it's short notice, I hope you jump in. Below are all the details, my little ponies.

This comp is for Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult manuscripts of all genres.


Week 1 starts September 11, 2017:  A chance to refine your query and first 250 words. Post your query and 250 words on your blog then leave a direct link in the comments of a post I will put up on my blog the week of Sept 11. Please leave feedback on the author's bog, and for a minimum of three other queries and first 250. All feedback left in the comments of the post for links will be deleted.
***You don't have to participate in Round 1 to join Round 2. It is highly recommended to get that extra polish before the voting round.***
Week 2 starts September 18, 2017:
This week, published authors will give you feedback. The September event will be smaller than the February one, but there will still be amazing authors joining in, including some regular and familiar faces. They write a wide range of genres, so don't miss this opportunity. The Son of a Pitch team, who are all published, will post your emailed in queries and 250 words on their blogs. Please use the formatting below and email to:
sonofapitchcomp@yahoo.com.au

Subject line: Son of a Pitch! (Category and Genre of your manuscript)

Formatting:
Title: (Name of Manuscript)
Category and Genre: (YA/NA/Adult then Genre)
Word Count: (to the nearest thousand)
Query:Insert query here. No bio or comparisons please.
First 250 Words:I don't care if this is from a prologue or chapter one. That's up to you.

Incorrectly formatted emails will be returned.
The team will vote for their favorites from the fifty who make it through to go onto the final round. They will cast five votes each, anywhere they want, and the top 20 will go onto the next round. Feel free to coax judges your direction! But please, only you and the judges can comment on your entry, or the comments can get confusing for tallying votes at the end. Votes will close on Thursday 11:59 p.m. Pacific.
The  first fifty entries  will go into this round. So get your clickers ready to email at precisely 10 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday September 15th.
You will receive a confirmation email once I have checked your formatting. I will let you know if you need to make an adjustment, but EVERYONE will receive an email. Be patient with me and don't send a second email unless I ask for one. IF you have concerns, contact me on Twitter: @HamsteadKatie


But don't be discouraged! You will get good feedback to help you even if you don't make the top twenty. So please go and query elsewhere afterward, and let us know your success story so it can be shared on the blog.


Week 3 starts September 25th, 2017:  We are working on a fantastic line up of editors and publishers. They'll swing by the final contestants to try to bribe you into subbing to them. The final Twenty will post right here on this blog, where editors will come and make requests for you. If you make the top twenty, you will be emailed on Friday 22th, and all updated entries sent to the email address by Saturday 23th 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. If you don't make the deadline, the next highest voted entry will be emailed, and will have 24 hrs to get the entry into the inbox.
Feel free to email any requests made whenever you feel like it, but note that the editors are allowed to give feedback on your entry. Also, make sure to include that your query to them is from the comp by putting Son of a Pitch Request in the title.
EXTRA FEEDBACK! One of our authors will be hosting a twitter pitch critique session to help you prepare for the Twitter Pitch Party. The host will set up a blog post at the same time as round 3, and you leave your twitter pitch in the comments. To critique, just hit reply to the comment in the post! Not only will your peers be patrolling, but the published authors will swing by to leave feedback during this time as well.

Twitter Pitch: October 2nd, 2017: And finally, we'll have a free-for-all twitter pitching opp under the hashtag #sonofapitch
Rules: Makes sure to include #sonofapitch and your genre/age category with the tweet. You can tweet any number of manuscripts, but only once every hour each.
It will open all day, but since I'm in Arizona, I won't be monitoring the earlier stages since that's like 5 in the morning here.

So there you have it! Come back on Monday the 28th to meet the hosts and published authors who will be leaving feedback.I will post participating pubs/agents soon.

Review: Secrets of the King's Daughter by Renae Weight Mackley

From Goodreads:
It was a relationship designed to unite not two young people in love, but two powerful kingdoms. And for Princess Karlinah, eldest daughter of King Lamoni, her marriage to the haughty heir to the throne of Jersusalem has led to a life of fear and abuse. There seems to be no escape—until her husband is murdered and Karlinah is unexpectedly free to return to her father’s kingdom. She can begin again—but no one can ever know of the part she played in the prince’s demise . . . 
Karlinah’s relief is short-lived, for upon her return to the land of Ishmael, she is once again swept into her father’s plans for a politically powerful marriage. Then the arrival of a young missionary in her father’s court changes everything: her family is converted to a new religion, and Karlinah is free to choose her path. Yet she is not so easily convinced by the words of Ammon—especially when repentance means confessing her crime. 
But as her faith grows and a young stone artisan captures her heart, Karlinah realizes that she must face the consequences of her past in order to move forward with her future.


My Thoughts:
This book starts out showing Karlinah traded off as a political marriage, but it's a far from happy one. Her husband is dead, and we can tell she has something to do with it, but we don't know what, just that she's relieved to be free of him.
Upon returning home to her family, her father is about to marry her off again so her sister can have a love-match marriage. To me, her sister was a real selfish brat throughout the book and I didn't like her at all. At this point we also meet the villain, who is truly villainous throughout.
When Ammon arrives, everything changes for not only her father the king, but her and the entire kingdom. There are good things; she is released from being forced to marry someone she despises (said villain) and there are things she struggles with, like her actions that resulted in her abusive husband's death.
Many of the side characters are so obnoxious it hurt my brain. They had this narrow mindedness typical of Utah Mormons rather than converts from vastly different cultures. No one saw Karlinah struggling, not even her parents, who were supposed to know her so well. They just judged her for not converting with everyone else.
Aside from that, I did enjoy the story. Her hesitance and fear was understandable, and I empathized with her. I do wish there was more to the romance because I did like her love interest and I wish I could have seen more of him.
It helps that the story of Ammon is one of my favorite BOM tales. I've loved it since I was a kid watching the Living Scriptures cartoons! Seeing another fictional perspective on the events made me happy.

This is a clean read, easy reading, with a steady pace.