Michelle Hauck's Blog, page 140

Query Kombat Judges and Mentors, Plus Winner of the Free Pass

We have a HUGE lineup of awesome judges and mentors for the Query Kombat tournament. Our goal was to bring you the most diverse group of opinions, talents, and specialties. Needless to say, I think we succeeded.


But before I get to the judges and mentors, there's my Free Pass winner to announce! ***The winner must put "Free Pass" in the subject line of their submission email (submission starts May 13) along with their nickname and genre.*** 


It was a difficult decision for me. There were many nicknames that I absolutely loved. (Everyone else please assume you came in second place, because they were all great.) 


But... I couldn't pass up a Jane Austin remix, especially when that remix involves Captain Wentworth. After all, I named my last dogs Emma and Lydia (Pride and Prejudice) and my daughter is named Anna, after Anna Weston, the governess in Emma. I read Sanditon, the partial story that was finished by another lady, everytime I go on vacation. And Sway is on one of my playlists. So my winner is:

   
SWAY ME BUBLE

Be sure and check out my fellow hosts (SC Write, Writer's Outworld) to see their winners and the winner of the #QueryKombat tweet.


Our fabulous judges: Brenda Drake
Brenda writes young adult and middle grade novels. She runs contests and holds workshops on her blog .Look for her debut young adult novel, LIBRARY JUMPERS, coming February 2014 and its sequels February 2015 and February 2016 from Month9Books.
Check out her site
Find her on Facebook
Rhiann Wynn-Nolett
Rhiann writes YA/NA fiction and is thrilled to be represented by Stefanie Lieberman of Janklow & Nesbit.
Check out her blog
Follow her on Twitter
Find her on Facebook
Angie Sandro
For Angie Sandro, writing is as necessary as breathing. She is represented by Kathleen Rushall of Marsal Lyon Literary, LLC.
Check out her blog
Follow her on Twitter
Find her on Facebook Mindy McGinnis
Also participating as a mentor
Mindy McGinnis is the author of NOT A DROP TO DRINK, coming 9/24/13 from Katherine Tegen / Harper Collins. She is also a YA librarian and overactive blogger at Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire.
Here's her site
Find her on Facebook

Lizzy Charles
Lizzy Charles, represented by Jamie Bodnar Drowley, is a YA contemp romance author who loves characters brave enough to face themselves, adventure stories, and anything with a thread of romance. Look for her debut novel, PRIMER, Fall 2013 from Swoon Romance of Month9Books.
Check out her blog
Follow her on Twitter


Mike Anthony
Mike Anthony loves writing about the tough stuff.  Whether it's YA, NA, or adult,  he enjoys dragging his characters through hell to toughen 'em up a bit. He's interested in reading anything with quirky characters, or that teaches a hard lesson. And if you can make him laugh, you've won his heart.
Follow his blog


SC
He is a YA and adult writer currently working hard(er) on a YA Fantasy about a teenage girl living with all the pressure and currents of an underwater world. In terms of authors, he is a HUGE JK Rowling and Victor Hugo fan. And he's a guy. Look at his icon. It's so hard to make that clear when you go by "SC"
Check out his blog
Follow him on Twitter
See what he's reading on GoodReads


Phoenix Sullivan
In the corporate world, Phoenix was a professional writer and editor for 23 years. Before that, she was a registered veterinary technician, working with small animal clinics and wildlife rehab centers. Today, she lives on a small farm in North Texas where she writes thrillers and fantasies. She also serves as the general manager of Steel Magnolia Press, an author consortium anchored by New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors Jennifer Blake and Christina Skye.
Check out her blog
Steel Magnolia Press
Summer Heacock

Summer is a writer of Women's Fiction and whatever else pops into her head, but a reader of anything she can get her hands onto. She exists as a mommy, wife, writer, geekling, and is repped by the fabulous Sarah LaPolla of Curtis Brown, Ltd.
Check out her blog
Follow her on Twitter


Michelle Hauck
Michelle Hauck lives in the bustling metropolis of northern Indiana with her hubby and two teenagers. Her epic fantasy, Kindar's Cure, is being published by Divertir Publishing in May 2013. Her short story, Frost and Fog, was chosen by The Elephant's Bookshelf Press for their summer 2013 anthology. Check out her blog
Follow her on Twitter
Find her on Facebook
See what she's reading on GoodReads


Terri Bruce
Terri Bruce has been making up adventure stories for as long as she can remember and won her first writing award when she was twelve. Like Anne Shirley, she prefers to make people cry rather than laugh, but is happy if she can do either. She produces fantasy and adventure stories from a haunted house in New England where she lives with her husband and three cats. Her second novel, Thereafter (Afterlife #2), will be released May 15, 2013.
Check out her blog
Follow her on Twitter







The best query trainers in the land:
Rebecca Yarros
Rebecca is a YA/NA author represented by Jamie Bodnar Drowley of Inklings Literary. She loves strong female characters, worlds she can get lost in, and great romance... oh, and brownies too.
Check out her blog
Check out her website
Follow her on Twitter

Richard Pearson
Richard Pearson grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas. At Rhodes College, he took numerous courses in theatre and creative writing (though his major was Sociology) and has never stopped writing or performing since graduating in 2004. Aware that he had to pay the bills somehow, Richard worked as a paralegal for many years, but eventually decided (thanks to some loving coaxing by his husband) to attend law school in 2007. After graduating from Rutgers School of Law in 2010, Richard passed both the New York and New Jersey state bar exams. He currently practices part-time out of his home in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Check out his blog
Follow him on Twitter



Brianna Shrum
Hello all! There will be no third-person here. Because, well, my brain doesn't quite function that way. So, a little about me. I've been writing since I was a wee bairn on my grandpa’s knee. We wrote fantastically silly poetry together. I never even considered, however, that being an author was possible. Once I finally realized that it was, though, that was it.So, now, I’m a writer of books. I love all things dark, twisty, and strange…I have a love for fairy tales and villains and things that go bump in the night. But meet me in real life, and you would have zero idea. I’m rather sunny, and extremely nerdy, and would rather do karaoke in a room full of people than brood in a dark, shadowy corner.I live in Colorado with my husband (who is also my high school sweetheart. Cue the ‘Awww’) and my crazy toddler. We read him lots of stories. We’re story people.
Check out my blog
Follow me on Twitter

Jean Oram
Jean Oram has worked as a freelance editor and was once agented for her nonfiction work. She is a moderator at the fabulous writer's websitewww.agentqueryconnect.com and has had several short stories published. She is currently celebrating her first indie publication, Champagne and Lemon Drops: A Blueberry Spring Chick Lit Contemporary Romance, and is working away on book two.
Check out her blog
Check out her site
Follow her on Twitter
Find her on Facebook



MarcyKate
She's an author of middle grade and young adult novels represented by Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media. Her debut middle grade fantasy novel, MONSTROUS, will be out from HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2014
Check out her blog
Follow her on Twitter


Jennie Bozic
Jennie writes sci fi and fantasy for young adults by night, and blow things up on television during day. She changes her hair color frequently, and she's represented by Steven Axelrod.
Check out her blog
Follow her on Twitter
Vicki Weavil
Vicki Lemp Weavil is the author of the YA Fantasy, CROWN OF ICE, which is out on submission, as well as two adult scifi novels. She is represented by Jennifer Mishler at The Literary Counsel.
Check out her blog
Follow her on Twitter

Cover Reveal and Speculative Fiction Marathon

First off I want to thank everyone who is hosting me and my cover art for Kindar's Cure on their blogs this week. My face is popping up all over the internet. Besides being very exciting, it's also kind of embarrassing. This shy girl is just not used to the compliments and attention. Thanks for opening your blogs to me! There's  nothing better than great friends who will help you out. You can find me here, and here, and everywhere: 


The Helpful WriterYesternight's VoyageHugs & Kisses of PoetryMelissa GreyQuestions and ArchetypesSC WriteWriting from the Padded RoomOh, The Things I've LearnedSoul and Sweet Tea

Second, I want to get in a plug for a fantastic critiquing event. Starting in June and running all summer is the Speculative Fiction Summer Critiquing Marathon at AQC. (You'll need to petition Clippership to give you the password.) I've mentioned AQC last week, but this week I want to shout about the critiquing marathon. It's a fantastic opportunity for writers of speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, horror both YA and adult) to get chapter-by-chapter feedback. Before you head into the query trenches, you'll want to polish those chapters to a glowing shine, and the marathon is the perfect way to get it done.
All you need is a AQC profile and a finished and cleaned-up (the best you can, no one is perfect) story. Each week you post one chapter in pdf format. There are usually between ten and twelve people participating each week, so that is a dozen different voices telling you what they think and making suggestions. With each critique comes a vote, up or down, for whether you can move ahead to share the next chapter in your story. If there are more no votes than yes, you have to rework the last chapter and try again. 
The Marathon has all ranges of talent, from beginning writers to very experienced, so don't be afraid if you are just starting. I promise the crew won't bite. Not at first anyway.
In return, you give the other participants your feedback on their work. And your vote on whether they can continue. It's an amazing way to meet new critique partners and learn what you didn't know you didn't know, if you get my drift. Plus, you'll develop the thick skin you need to query.
So if you write speculative fiction, drop by and ask Clippership to admit you. You won't regret it. I'll be there. Any questions? Leave them in the comments.

Query Kombat Agents and A Free Pass Opportunity

I know you are all salivating to hear what agents are participating in Query Kombat, but first up is the itinerary. This is an usually long contest and it moves like lightening once it starts. It is hard to keep track of all the activities without a calendar. So here you go, ink this in:


May 13th-17th: Call for submissionsTop 64 revealed: May 24th

Round 1: May 28th-June 3rd, Voting window closes at 8PM32 Winners announced: June 4
Round 2: June 5th-9th, Voting window closes at 8PMSweet 16 Winners announced: June 10th
Email mentors assigned entries: June 10thRevamped query emailed back: June 12th (by 10PM)
Round 3: June 14th-18th, Voting window closes at 8PMElite 8 Winners announced: June 19th
Round 4: June 20th-23rd, Voting window closes at 8PMFinal 4 Winners announced: June 24thAgents browse and make requests: June 24th-June 25th
Round 5: June 26th-27th2 Big Winners announced: June 28th
Final Round: June 29thGrand Champion announced: June 29th
Wrap up: July 1st
One week after the close of the tournament, we will invite agents back to make requests on the top eight...okay, okay fine...the top sixteen queries. Now, since we're talking about agents, why don't we introduce them. I think you'll be happy with the variety of genres they represent. (And no, we didn't invite only agents that start with J. Funny how things turn out.)  
The 10 Query Kombat Agents:Jenny Bent of The Bent Agency
Jennifer Goloboy of Red Sofa Literary
Jessica Sinsheimer of Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency
Jennifer Mishler of Literary Counsel
Jordy Albert of The Booker Albert Literary Agency
Rebecca Scherer of Jane Rotrosen Agency
Juliet Mushens of The Agency Group
Jamie Bodnar Drowley of Inkling Literary Agency
Claire Anderson-Wheeler of Anderson Literary Management
Julia Bannon of L. Perkins


Want to win a FREE PASS into Query Kombat?Okay! Here's whatcha gotta do:
1. Follow my blog.  2. Comment your Query Kombat entry nickname below. (One nickname only. No bombarding the comments with numerous versions.) I'll pick my favorite and announce my winner next Friday, May 3rd, when we show off the mentors and judges.

Some nickname examples from my own queries (They're up above in the tab sections.) might be: The Fighting Hamsters, Extra-Crispy Rabbit Gal, Coughing Princess with Attitude. Yeah, okay, those were really off the top of my head. 
Anyway, that's all ya gotta do. 
Now, you'll have three chances to win if you subscribe and comment on each blog (SCWrite, Writer's Outworld). You may even have a fourth chance to win if you use the QueryKombat hashtag to shout about your nickname. 'Cause if you think about it, 60 is nicely divisible by three...61 is not. Hmmm...

Before I go, I want to thank SC for inviting me to help host this contest. And I want to really give Mike all the credit for coming up with the idea and doing most of the busy work. He got all these great agents! And a super big thanks to the agents for participating!

So good luck! And show me those cute, humorous, scary, fun nicknames!

Free Pass Teaser

On Friday we are releasing the details about the wonderful agents who will be viewing your Query Kombat submissions! There is a real variety in the 'wants lists' in this group of ten. (Yipee! Ten!) We'll be able to accept adult, YA, MG, and NA entries. I'll hint that they might like to see adult commercial, adult and YA science fiction and fantasy, romance, woman's fiction, and many more genres. Lots of these agents aren't the usual contest participants so prepare to be surprised. And the amazing Mike (the genius behind the contest) is working on coaxing a few more agents into the fold.

To celebrate, we'll also be giving away three Free Passes starting Friday. A Free Pass will allow the winner to skip the screening process, pass Go, and head directly to a spot among the 64 Query Kombat entries. The Free Pass involves sharing a clever or amusing nickname. Just like in the NCAA basketball tournament, all our entries will have "school" nicknames by which they will be identified in the brackets.

(And tweeting those nicknames using the #QueryKombat tag might earn you another surprise.)

So stay tuned for Friday and work on those nicknames.

Goldmine of Information: AQC

With so many new friends stopping by the blog to check out the Query Kombat contest, I want to give a plug to a wonderful writer’s site, AQC. I was surprised the other day when someone questioned me on twitter about AQC. I thought every writer knew of about this vast mine of writing information. Apparently I was wrong.
Agent Query Connect is a huge forum with all kinds of threads. You can find discussions there ranging from the newest agents, to genre questions, to blogging. There is always someone ready to read your fledgling query letter and give you feedback. If you get a requestand aren’t sure what to do: post your questions. Even the dreaded bore of the writing world, the synopsis, has a forum. There is a whole section devoted to self-publishing help. An area close to my heart that lists the upcoming contests and conferences. (Hmm, you might see something there about Query Kombat.) And for those who have a success story, there’s the Good News “Boast” Bar. That is just a small part of what is available. It would take weeks to discover it all.
But best of all, if you look down toward the bottom, there is the Member Moderated Groups by Genre. Here is the place to relax with other writers that have the same interests as you. It’s a place where you fit in, and if you spend enough time there, they’ll become your writing family. Nobody understands the ups and downs of this crazy industry like your writing family. They commiserate when your full is rejected. They cheer you when you get an offer. I'd be lost without the Speculative Fiction group for fantasy and science fiction geeks like me.
I honestly admit that I would still be the stupid newbie if not for AQC. So if you drop by, don’t be afraid to create a profile and launch a post in the Guppie Pond. I’ve never met kinder or friendlier writers. I promise they won’t bite. Be sure to give me a shout and invite me to be your first friend. 

Announcing the Query Kombat Contest and Tournament!

Bloggers SC Write, Writer's Outworld and me are teaming up to bring you the first ever Query Kombat Tournament.  (If you are here for Terri Bruce's cover contest go here.)

Query Kombat will host 64 kombatants in a single-elimination, tournament style query-off. There will be a total of six rounds in Query Kombat. First opponents will be grouped by target audience (ie. YA, NA, Adult, and MG). After that, a bracket-style grid will dictate future opponents. If you secure a spot in the tournaments, your query and the first 250 words (to the end of a complete sentence) will be pitted against another query and first 250 words. Judges will read each match-up and vote 'Victory' on the best entry (Remember, this is subjective). The entry with the most ‘victories’ will advance to the next round until only one champion remains. A growing list of agents (which will be revealed at a later date) will browse the semifinal round to make requests on at least one of the final four queries. Details below.

Sound fun? That's 'cause it is. But that's not all we have up our sleeve...





If you make it into the third round, you will be paired with an agented writer who will act as a trainer to shine up your query and first 250 words. Edits are due back three days after teams are announced.

Before the start of the semifinals (round 5), agents will be invited to the blog to make requests and choose one query they think will become tournament champion. Agent(s) who guess correctly will receive a full or partial (their choice) of the selected manuscript one week before the other agents who requested material. To clarify, agents can make as MANY requests as they want, but can only bet on one query to win. One week after the contest closes, we will be posting the final eight queries and invite agents back to make more requests.


Here are the tournament brackets





The tournament is open only to unagented writers seeking representation. Your manuscript must be complete, polished, and ready to submit. Submissions for MG, YA, NA, and Adult works will be accepted. No picture books or non-fiction.

The submission window will open at 11AM EST on Monday, May 13th and close at 11AM Friday, May 17th OR WHEN WE RECEIVE 225 ENTRIES. You may submit entries for two manuscripts (in the same email) but we will only consider the second entry on the last day of the submission window. Kontestants will be revealed May 24th and the tournament will kick off on May 28th.

In order to enter the contest you MUST follow formatting guidelines, and submit during the contest window. All entries that follow those guidelines will be considered. In the event that we receive more than the available spots, hosts will be assigned a group of queries and pick the best of their group. We will also select a few alternates. Sixty-four queries will enter into the tournament.

Entries will be sent to: QueryKombat (at) yahoo (dot) com

Formatting guidelines:

Font: Times New Roman, 12pt font, single-spaced with spaces between each paragraph.

Subject line of the Email: A short, unique nickname for your entry [colon] your genre (audience included). Do not skip this step or your entry will be deleted. (ex. Magigeddon: YA Fantasy)

For the nickname, make it as unique as possible so that there are no duplicates. These will be the names used in the tournament brackets (or an abbreviated version if it's too long) so keep it PG-13 and try to have it relate to your story in some way.

In the body of the email (with examples):

Name: Mike Anthony
Email address: QueryKombat (at) yahoo (dot) com


Title: DOT REAPER
Word count: 81K
Genre: YA Fantasy

Query:

Fifteen-year-old Maxine Protega became a god and a demon overnight. Prophesied to abolish magic by one faction of her people and protect it by another, she’s cast into the middle of a campaign that’s ripping her world and her family apart. 

As it turns out, the prophecy is of the self-fulfilling persuasion, and Max finds herself on the fringes of a worldchanging choice: eradicate her race by destroying magic, or risk the slaughter of her family by protecting it.

(Only include the meat of your query. No bio. It doesn't have to be as short as mine, I just wanted to give you a quick example. Queries may be up to 350 words, but 250 is preferred.)

First 250 words:

First 250 words. Don't include the chapter title and please, don't stop in the middle of a sentence.

Also, no indentations.

Simple, huh?

All queries submitted are FINAL. We will not edit them in any way, shape, or form. Please read, reread, and rereread your submission before you hit send. Unless you make it into the third round, you will not have another opportunity to edit your query or first 250 words. You have several weeks to polish your work. Take advantage of it. Competition will be fierce.
Because the immense amount of work ahead of us, the tournament will be hosted on three separate blogs (following each of us would be a great way of saying thank you...just saying): Michelle4Laughs will host round 1 and 4. SCWrite will host round 2 and 5. Writer's Outworld will host round 3 and 6. Each blog will have links to all rounds so fear not. You will not get lost.
Agents, judges, and trainers will be revealed soon. (As of now we have 8 agents!)

Questions can be left in the comments and I'll answer them as quickly as possible. (Afraid I'm at work so it won't be right away.) So, yeah. That's it! I think this calls for celebration, don't you?

Hit it Pikachu!

You Made the Call: Cover Art for Kindar's Cure

I want to thank everyone who came by and left their opinion on the cover art for Kindar's Cure! You guys were awesome! Masako M. is the winner of the autographed copy. Congrats to her! I'll get that out to her as soon as I have the first paperbacks.

(If you are looking for Terri Bruce's cover reveal contest scroll down to the next post or go here.) 

I wanted the contest to give an idea of which cover looked the best to the most people and the response was huge, but also unexpected.

The vote was so overwhelmingly one-sided that I didn't have to actually count. You guys really made your desire known. The general consensus was for the white cover which was choice number 4. 



Now while I did love how well the white off-set the green of the photo, it didn't exactly shout epic fantasy. The cloud effect is a little on the romance side. And while there is romance in Kindar's Cure, I wanted the cover to fit as much as possible into the right genre. 

So my wonderful publisher came up with a compromise that I hope satisfies all sides. It keeps the white which everyone loved. And on a happy note, the new font and color actually stands out better in a thumbnail size than the original concept. To me it is has all the elements. The perfect model of my main character while looking clean, clear and modern.


So here it is: The Final Cover!!

    

Thereafter Cover Reveal and Contest!

I'm very excited to be a part of the cover reveal contest for Terri Bruce and Thereafter! It's seems like it has been forever since I read and enjoyed Terri's terrific first book, Hereafter. I can't wait to get my hands on Thereafter. And don't you think the cover model is fantastic? It's exactly how I picture Irene.

Author Terri Bruce is celebrating the upcoming release of Thereafter, the second book in the Afterlife Series, with a scavenger hunt/giveaway! One Grand Prize winner will receive a set of 20” x 30” unframed 

Nothing life is free. Turns out, nothing in the afterlife is, either.
When recently-deceased Irene Dunphy decided to “follow the light,” she thought she’d end up in Heaven or Hell and her journey would be over.
Boy, was she wrong.
She soon finds that “the other side” isn’t a final destination but a kind of purgatory where billions of spirits are stuck, with no way to move forward or back. Even worse, deranged phantoms known as “Hungry Ghosts” stalk the dead, intent on destroying them. The only way out is for Irene to forget her life on earth—including the boy who risked everything to help her cross over—which she’s not about to do.
As Irene desperately searches for an alternative, help unexpectedly comes in the unlikeliest of forms: a twelfth-century Spanish knight and a nineteenth-century American cowboy. Even more surprising, one offers a chance for redemption; the other, love. Unfortunately, she won’t be able to have either if she can’t find a way to escape the hellish limbo where they’re all trapped.

Art PostersEntering is simple:
     1. Visit all fourteen stops participating in the Thereafter Cover Reveal Blog Tour     2. At each stop, there is an excerpt from Thereafter with a word highlighted in red     3. Collect all fourteen of these highlighted words and arrange them into a fourteen-word sentence that reveals a major plot point of Thereafter     4. Email the sentence and your name to Contest@terribruce.net     5. Then enter via Rafflecopter to confirm that you emailed in your contest entry     6. Additional bonus entries for joining Terri’s mailing list, tweeting about the giveaway, and shelving Thereafter on Goodreads will become available once you have completed the main entry
Good luck!

And here is this blog's contest excerpt with the highlighted word:

“You will attract the Hungry Ghosts,” Andras said wearily, as if it was becoming an intolerable burden to continually explain the most basic of concepts to her.“I know,” she said, struggling not to bite his head off. “They may be harmless, pitiable creatures, but it is folly to draw their attention.”
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Find the other thirteen Contest Participants here:
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Terri Bruce has been making up adventure stories for as long as she can remember and won her first writing award when she was twelve. Like Anne Shirley, she prefers to make people cry rather than laugh, but is happy if she can do either. She produces fantasy and adventure stories from a haunted house in New England where she lives with her husband and three cats. Her second novel, Thereafter (Afterlife #2), will be released June 1, 2013.

Favorite Feature

The fantastic author, Terri Bruce, has mentioned this blog in her post celebrating bloggers! She loves my Getting the Call series as "Cinderella stories" that will "recharge your positive thinking." Thank you for the lovely shout-out, Terri. (And come see Terri's cover tour reveal for her second novel,Thereafter, starting on Monday on this very blog.)

I'm always on open to new Getting the Call stories where writers can share how they got their agent, publisher, or decided to self-publish. If you have a story to share, please get in touch. I run the feature once a week or whenever I have a willing victim author.

Confess Your Easter Eggs!

I've seen Easter Eggs hidden in favorite DVD's like the Lord of the Rings. My kids often show me things they find in their video games. I've come across a few myself when playing Zelda back in the day. But does anyone put Easter Eggs into their novels?

You get the picture that we're not talking delicious candy treats or the product of chickens. These Easters Eggs are little hidden treats. To find them you have to follow a special procedure or sequence of steps, unless, of course, you stumble upon them by accident. They can be funny scenes, an unexpected reward or piece of equipment, maybe a whole hidden level. Often times they are inside jokes that a game or video creator has stashed away for only the industrious to find. 

My teenage daughter has a very narrow definition. She insists true Easter Eggs are a reference to something not associated with the game you're playing but something that influenced the creator. For instance, in Zelda Skyward Sword you can slingshot your way to a picture of Mario and Luigi, who are obviously not characters in this game. It's a pop culture reference or shout out to the famous and infamous.

But can you put Easter Eggs into books where everything is in perfect view? You can't hide behind words. Or can you?

I admit that I can't resist, though most of mine are in the inside joke category. My favorite word is capricious. Capricious makes into each of my manuscripts exactly one time. And, let me tell you,  it was hard to work that jawbreaker into the middle grade hamster story.  It ain't exactly everyday language.

Capricious!!
I've included shout outs to my favorite sports teams. You find banners of the Chicago Cubs and Bears hanging in my YA dystopian. The hamsters worry about being painted blue and gold, a reference to my Fighting Irish. 
Nicknames for my children might be found if a person knew where to search. Also our family's favorite label for all people who act strange or bizarre  (That's right. You know it applies to you, creaper!) My sister's childhood misfortune with a turtle is there in the ending of Kindar's Cure. (Sorry, sis. She bit it, not the other way around.)
Besides inside jokes, I also enjoy planting little seeds in my manuscript that have double meanings. (No, not those type of double meanings, creaper!) Meanings only I know about that actually apply to something in the story. Keep an eye out for blue butterflies when Kindar's Cure is released and in my short story, Frost and Fog, coming from The Elephant's Bookshelf this summer. See if you can figure out the significance.
So how about you? Any hidden plants to own to in your own writing? Do you have a favorite Easter Egg or maybe one you discovered?