Laura Heffernan's Blog, page 3
October 30, 2017
NoQS YA Contemporary: LOTUS ISLAND
Title: LOTUS ISLAND
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Word Count: 70,000
My MC and MA (main antagonist) are dressed as:Despite having the huge desire to repeat her Ms. Frizzle costume from last year (her favorite ever), Lucy would be talked into a team dress-up with her best friend, Rachael, who comes up with the more daring costumes. It would take some cajoling for her to put on the miniskirt and push-up bra, but she’d be Twilight Sparkle to Rachael’s Apple Jack of My Little Pony. Calvin would channel his desire to be a journalist and go as Clark Kent in mid-undress as Superman.Read more »
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Word Count: 70,000
My MC and MA (main antagonist) are dressed as:Despite having the huge desire to repeat her Ms. Frizzle costume from last year (her favorite ever), Lucy would be talked into a team dress-up with her best friend, Rachael, who comes up with the more daring costumes. It would take some cajoling for her to put on the miniskirt and push-up bra, but she’d be Twilight Sparkle to Rachael’s Apple Jack of My Little Pony. Calvin would channel his desire to be a journalist and go as Clark Kent in mid-undress as Superman.Read more »
NoQS Adult SF: THE CAMP
Title: THE CAMPGenre: Adult Science FictionWord Count: 94,000
My MC and MA are dressed as:Celia, the main character, is terrible at picking costumes but she found a ridiculous blue pinafore at a second-hand shop. In a stroke of genius, she decided to go to the party as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. At the party, Eavar Kilgore arrived with a whole herd of his cronies. They were dressed as flying monkeys and spent the entire time wreaking havoc on everyone and everything around them. Celia got fed up and left, opting to go home and read a good book rather than put up with them.
Read more »
My MC and MA are dressed as:Celia, the main character, is terrible at picking costumes but she found a ridiculous blue pinafore at a second-hand shop. In a stroke of genius, she decided to go to the party as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. At the party, Eavar Kilgore arrived with a whole herd of his cronies. They were dressed as flying monkeys and spent the entire time wreaking havoc on everyone and everything around them. Celia got fed up and left, opting to go home and read a good book rather than put up with them.
Read more »
NoQS YA Thriller: FLASHES
Title: FLASHESGenre: YA Thriller, Own VoicesWord Count: 71,000
My MC and MA (main antagonist) are dressed as:Levi, being a huge horror movie fan, would opt to pay homage to Freddy Krueger. He would wear Freddy’s classic red and green striped sweater, but would forego his trademark hat and gloves, and any sort of mask. The nod would be enough. Levi’s antagonist is Fate. In “Flashes,” Fate appears to Levi in several disturbing ways, while its most unsettling form is a doppelganger of Levi, but…off. Expressionless, dead eyes. If Levi ran into Fate at this Halloween party, he would be facing himself, but his doppelganger would be all-out Freddy Krueger, scorched skin and all.
Read more »
My MC and MA (main antagonist) are dressed as:Levi, being a huge horror movie fan, would opt to pay homage to Freddy Krueger. He would wear Freddy’s classic red and green striped sweater, but would forego his trademark hat and gloves, and any sort of mask. The nod would be enough. Levi’s antagonist is Fate. In “Flashes,” Fate appears to Levi in several disturbing ways, while its most unsettling form is a doppelganger of Levi, but…off. Expressionless, dead eyes. If Levi ran into Fate at this Halloween party, he would be facing himself, but his doppelganger would be all-out Freddy Krueger, scorched skin and all.
Read more »
NoQS Adult Contemporary Romance: DISTRACTED
Title: DISTRACTED
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Word Count: 80,000
My MC and MA are dressed as: Although Jackson mandated that the team would all dress as characters from popular videogame Halo, and assigned Alicia the Cortana character, there’s no way she’s going to wear skintight blue spandex in front of her all-male team. Instead, she dresses as Master Chief Petty Officer John-117. Why shouldn’t she get to be the hero? Jackson had planned to be the muscular hero and is irritated when Alicia shows up in an identical Master Chief costume. Especially when he has to admit seeing her in body armor turns him on.
Read more »
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Word Count: 80,000
My MC and MA are dressed as: Although Jackson mandated that the team would all dress as characters from popular videogame Halo, and assigned Alicia the Cortana character, there’s no way she’s going to wear skintight blue spandex in front of her all-male team. Instead, she dresses as Master Chief Petty Officer John-117. Why shouldn’t she get to be the hero? Jackson had planned to be the muscular hero and is irritated when Alicia shows up in an identical Master Chief costume. Especially when he has to admit seeing her in body armor turns him on.
Read more »
NoQS MG Historical Fantasy: THE HOLLOW WOODS
Title: THE HOLLOW WOODSGenre: Upper MG Dark FantasyWord Count: 48,000
My MC and MA (main antagonist) are dressed as:Henry would dress to match his father at a Halloween party. Not the side of him draped in tattered clothes that reek of manual labor from working their apple orchard. To him, work’s more important than a silly party, anyway. Rather, Henry would emulate the father he escapes to see every night, beyond the woods he’s not supposed to venture into after dark. The one dressed in a suit with tails, matching top hat, and a cane with a frog atop. If only Henry could complete the ensemble by making his skin glimmer the silvery-white of the moon as well. Read more »
My MC and MA (main antagonist) are dressed as:Henry would dress to match his father at a Halloween party. Not the side of him draped in tattered clothes that reek of manual labor from working their apple orchard. To him, work’s more important than a silly party, anyway. Rather, Henry would emulate the father he escapes to see every night, beyond the woods he’s not supposed to venture into after dark. The one dressed in a suit with tails, matching top hat, and a cane with a frog atop. If only Henry could complete the ensemble by making his skin glimmer the silvery-white of the moon as well. Read more »
NoQS MG Fantasy: THE WISHBONE CURSE
Title: THE WISHBONE CURSE
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary Fantasy
Word Count: 51,000
My MC and MA (main antagonist) are dressed as:
Pip's dressed as The Bride of Frankenstein. She has poliosis, so she's already got white streaks in her black hair. (She has a pretty self-deprecating sense of humor, so she wouldn't mind). Daryl would go dressed in his martial arts uniform holding his katana. "Because I'm scary enough just as I am."Read more »
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary Fantasy
Word Count: 51,000
My MC and MA (main antagonist) are dressed as:
Pip's dressed as The Bride of Frankenstein. She has poliosis, so she's already got white streaks in her black hair. (She has a pretty self-deprecating sense of humor, so she wouldn't mind). Daryl would go dressed in his martial arts uniform holding his katana. "Because I'm scary enough just as I am."Read more »
October 20, 2017
MEET LAURA'S LEGIONS!
It was a tough decision. There may have been some tears, some begging, some desperate pleas for second reads from the amazing Kara Reynolds. But at the end of the day, we whittled the original 180 or so entries down to one amazing team that I can't wait to share with you.
If you were chosen, you should get an email from your mentor today or tomorrow. Please reach out to me on Twitter if you do not hear from your mentor by Monday.
Here they are, in no particular order:
GETTING BACK
TARNISHED
THE WISHBONE CURSE
DISTRACTED
A COUNTESS BETRAYED
FLASHES
THE WITCH AND THE DEMON
DENALI SUMMER
THE HOLLOW WOODS
POPULIST
THE ROSE VENDETTA
THE CAMP
CURTAIN RISING
LOTUS ISLAND
CONGRATULATIONS to everyone who was chosen! Yes, that's right, we wound up picking entries each! We didn't want to stop at 13, so added an extra for good luck.
If you made it, send me a shoutout on Twitter so I can follow you. And everyone be sure to check Michelle's and Mike's blogs to meet their teams, too.
October 13, 2017
Nightmare on Query Street Submission Time!
The submission window opens at 4:00 pm (EST) on October 13th. Don't send too soon or your entry will be deleted. You may resend when the window opens. There will be email confirmation. After the window opens, please don't resend an entry unless you check with us. Sometimes the confirmation process gets overwhelmed. The window will close when we receive 250 entries or in two hours, whichever is first.
Michelle and Mike and Laura will make thirteen picks each, and those picks will go up on our blogs on October 31. Before this, there will be a mentor round to whip that entry into shape. We've already got amazing mentors lined up, so know that your entries will be polished for the agents.
We are accepting all age categories and genres, excluding picture books and erotica. The story does not have to be scary. But be sure to check our list of agents when it goes live to see if they represent your book's genre.
If you plan on participating in the contest, you have to be following all our blogs (Michelle, Mike, Laura). If you can't get the blog follow to work, just follow on twitter. You'll want to be on twitter for the party anyway.
Send your submission to nightmareonquerystreet (at) yahoo (dot) com. Only one submission per email address AND person is allowed.
Here's how it should be formatted (yes, include the bolded and everything!). Please use Times New Roman (or equivalent), 12 pt font, and put spaces between paragraphs. No indents or tabs - they mess up our formatting.
Subject Line: NoQS: TITLE, Age Category + Genre
(example: NoQS: GRUDGING, Adult Epic Fantasy)
INSIDE THE EMAIL:
Name: Laura HeffernanTwitter Handle: @LH_WritesTitle:AMERICA'S NEXT REALITY STAR
Genre:Adult Romantic Comedy (Age category and genre. YA/MG is not a genre. Note #ownvoices here.)
Word Count:XX,XXX
My MC and MA (main antagonist) are dressed as:
Jen's dressed as a great pun, something like Ruth Vader Ginsburg, the Supreme Court justice with a light saber. She'll make the entire thing herself. Ariana's looking to get noticed, so she'll dress to impress: Sexy Supreme Court justice, anyone?
Query:
Here is my fantastic query! DO NOT INCLUDE BIO OR COMPS PARAGRAPH. Try to stay in the 250-300 word range. Please put spaces between paragraphs and don't indent.
Please remember this is a query letter andNOT a pitch. Don't send pitches.
First 250 words:
Here are the first 250 words of my manuscript, and I will not end in the middle of a sentence, even if I hit 255 words. Do not abuse and send 256. Keep it fair for all. Use Open Office/Word to determine your official word count.
Entries will be disqualified at our discretion for rule violation.
And that's it! Send in that email during the submission window and you're ready to go. There will be a confirmation email.Topics for the twitter party are as follows:
October 13: All day, shout out the genre and age category you're sending. After 4:00 shout out if you got in.October 14: Share a scary line from your manuscript. It can be from any chapter.October 15: What costume would your MC character wear for Halloween?
October 16: What's the most fearsome thing about querying?
October 17: What's your favorite candy to gorge while writing and what kind would you toss back to give out to the neighborhood kids?
October 18: What's your favorite scary, or not so scary, Halloween movie?
October 19: What's your main character's greatest fear?
October 20: Picks released. Tell us how you deal with stress as a writer. What helps while you wait on query letters?
Best of luck to everyone submitting today. Competition will be fierce.
October 9, 2017
Meet the Nightmare on Query Street Agents!
The big reveal is HERE.
Want to know which agents we have for Nightmare on Query Street? WE HAVE TWENTY-FOUR AND COUNTING!! There are so many agents participating, we can’t fit them all on one blog! View one-third of them below, then click on over to Michelle's and Michael’s blogs to see the rest. We’ve got both well-established agents and some newer professionals who are actively seeking to build their lists.
Jennifer March Soloway, Andrea Brown
Jennifer represents authors and illustrators of picture book, middle grade, and YA stories, and is actively building her list. Although she specializes in children’s literature, she also represents adult fiction, both literary and commercial, particularly crime, suspense and horror projects.
For picture books, she is drawn to a wide range of stories from silly to sweet, but she always appreciates a strong dose of humor and some kind of surprise at the end. When it comes to middle grade, she likes all kinds of genres, including adventures, mysteries, spooky-but-not-too-scary ghost stories, humor, realistic contemporary and fantasy.
YA is Jennifer’s sweet spot. She is a suspense junkie. She adores action-packed thrillers full of unexpected twists. Throw in a dash of romance, and she’s hooked! She’s a sucker for conspiracy plots where anyone might be a double agent, even the kid next door. She is a huge fan of psychological horror that blurs the lines between the real and the imagined. But as much as she loves a good thriller, she finds her favorite novels are literary stories about ordinary teens, especially those focused on family, relationships, sexuality, mental illness, or addiction. In such stories, she is particularly drawn to a close, confiding first-person narrative. Regardless of genre, she is actively seeking fresh new voices and perspectives underrepresented in literature.
That’s her wish list, but the truth is an author might have something she has never considered before, and it might be absolutely perfect for her. She is open to any good story that is well written with a strong, authentic voice. Surprise her!
Melissa Jeglinski, The Knight Agency
A graduate of Clarion University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in English with a writing concentration, Melissa began her career as an editor with Harlequin Enterprises. Looking to work with a variety of authors and genres, she joined The Knight Agency in 2008.
With over two decades experience in the publishing industry, Melissa has fostered her clients to National prominence including a recent Newbery Honor. She is a member of RWA and AAR. Melissa is currently seeking projects in the following areas: Romance (contemporary, category, historical, inspirational), Women’s Fiction and Mystery.
Patrica Nelson, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency
Patricia Nelson joined Marsal Lyon Literary Agency in 2014. She represents adult, young adult, and middle grade fiction, and is actively building her list.In general, Patricia looks for stories that hook her with a unique plot, fantastic writing and complex characters that jump off the page. On the adult side, she is seeking women’s fiction both upmarket and commercial, historical fiction set in the 20th century, and compelling plot-driven literary fiction. She’s also looking for sexy, smart adult contemporary and historical single title romance. On the children’s side, Patricia is open to a wide range of genres of YA and MG, with particular interest in contemporary/realistic, magical realism, mystery, science fiction and fantasy. She is interested in seeing diverse stories and characters, including LGBTQ, in all genres that she represents.Patricia’s clients include RITA Award-winning and USA Today bestselling romance author Sarina Bowen (Rookie Move, Berkley/Penguin); women’s fiction authors Susan Bishop Crispell (The Secret Ingredient of Wishes, St. Martin’s Press) and Loretta Nyhan (All the Good Parts, Lake Union Publishing); young adult novelists Mary McCoy (Camp So-and-So, Lerner/Carolrhoda Lab), Axie Oh (Rebel Seoul, forthcoming from Tu Books) and Catherine Alene (The Sky Between You and Me, Sourcebooks); and middle grade novelists Kristi Wientge (Karma Khullar’s Mustache, forthcoming from Simon and Schuster Children’s), Hayley Chewins (The Turnaway Girls, forthcoming from Candlewick) and Margaret Dilloway (Momotaro: Xander and the Lost Island of Monsters, Disney-Hyperion), among others.Patricia is a member of SCBWI and RWA. She received her bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary in 2008, and also holds a master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Southern California and a master’s degree in Gender Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. Before joining the world of publishing, she spent four years as a university-level instructor of literature and writing.
Sarah Landis, Sterling Lord Literistic
Before joining Sterling Lord Literistic in 2017, Sarah worked as an editor for fifteen years, holding roles at G.P. Putnam Son’s, Hyperion Books, HarperCollins Children’s Books, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers. Over the course of her career, Sarah has had the pleasure of editing many talented authors including the likes of: Jodi Lynn Anderson, Kasie West, Claudia Gray, Michael Buckley, Eileen Cook, Erin Summerill, and Megan Shepherd. Sarah is looking for middle grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction across all genres. She is particularly drawn to middle grade fantasy and contemporary with heart, humor, and magic. In the young adult space, she has an affinity for southern voices, high-concept plots, grounded sci-fi/fantasy, historical, mysteries & thrillers, and emotionally compelling contemporary. Sarah graduated with a BA in English from the University of Virginia.
Gabrielle Piraino, DeFiore & Company
Gabrielle Piraino is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University with a dual-B.A. in Honors Classical Languages and English. After graduation, Gabbie earned her Masters of Science in Publishing at Pace University. She has previously worked for both major commercial publishing houses and literary agencies alike, including Farrar, Straus & Giroux and most recently at AGI Vigliano. Gabbie joined the team at DeFiore and Company in the summer of 2016.
Gabbie is actively seeking projects that you can lose an entire afternoon reading: imaginative sci-fi/fantasy with strong world building, blood-curdling horror, whip-smart thrillers, and up-market chick lit that pairs well with sand and a margarita. She’d love to see any of the above for Young Adult readers (virgin daiquiri, though!), and wholeheartedly enjoys spunky, stubborn characters that never do exactly what you’d expect. For Children’s and Middle Grade, Gabbie is looking for books that introduce curious young readers to new concepts—be it historically leaning or learning your manners—with compelling characters and an engaging voice. She’s also interested in author-illustrators working within the comic/graphic novel space and can’t wait to develop the next generation’s favorite villains. An avid personal baker/cook, Gabbie would also love to receive queries for cookbook and crafty lifestyle projects.
Carlisle Webber, Fuse Literary
Carlisle Webber refused to major in English in college because she didn’t think there was anything fun to read on the required lists. No Stephen King? No R.L. Stine? No thanks!After college, she took her love of commercial, YA, and middle grade fiction to the University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences, where she earned a Master of Library and Information Sciences. She worked as a public librarian for years before deciding to move to the business side of publishing. She attended the Columbia Publishing Course, interned at Writers House, and worked at the Jane Rotrosen Agency in New York City.She considers herself to be an editorial agent and has industry experience as a copy editor for Yen Press, a division of Hachette Book Group, and the health and parenting website Spright.com. She belongs to the American Copy Editors Society and Bay Area Editors’ Forum and holds a Professional Certificate in Editing from University of California, Berkeley. When editing, she aims to make a book the best possible version of itself, shaping it in a way so it can best use its unique voice to appeal to a wide audience.
Cate Hart, Corvisiero Literary Agency
Cate represents young adult and middle-grade fiction, select commercial adult fiction, contemporary and historical romance, and nonfiction in the areas of history and pop culture. Cate has been with the Corvisiero Literary Agency for three years. She works with clients to build their platform, works on PR projects to help promote clients’ books, and reads manuscripts with an editorial eye.
Cate seeks unique stories with well-crafted plots and unforgettable characters with a strong voice. She loves characters that surprise her and plots that keep her guessing until the very last page.
In adult fiction, she is actively looking for Romantic Suspense. She loves FBI agents, Special Law Divisions, Cyber Crime. She'd love a caper or heist romance, sexy and stylized like To Catch a Thief or fun and adventurous like Ocean's 11. She would love to find Historical Romance set in the Gilded Age, give her a swoon-worthy Fifth Avenue Tycoon or Knickerbocker. She is also looking for contemporary fantasy and especially magical realism.
She is looking for adult and children's nonfiction specifically in the areas of lesser known or quirky historical facts and forgotten people of importance. She prefers pop culture nonfiction centered around music and film, and Nashville and unique Southern culture.
In Middle Grade, she accepts all genres, but is drawn to stories of strong bonds of friendship, or mischief and adventure. Cate prefers more high-concept, commercial young adult, especially fantasy, fairy tale and classics retellings, mystery and thrillers, and historical fantasy.
As always, Cate welcomes all diverse stories and authors.
Want to know which agents we have for Nightmare on Query Street? WE HAVE TWENTY-FOUR AND COUNTING!! There are so many agents participating, we can’t fit them all on one blog! View one-third of them below, then click on over to Michelle's and Michael’s blogs to see the rest. We’ve got both well-established agents and some newer professionals who are actively seeking to build their lists.
Jennifer March Soloway, Andrea BrownJennifer represents authors and illustrators of picture book, middle grade, and YA stories, and is actively building her list. Although she specializes in children’s literature, she also represents adult fiction, both literary and commercial, particularly crime, suspense and horror projects.
For picture books, she is drawn to a wide range of stories from silly to sweet, but she always appreciates a strong dose of humor and some kind of surprise at the end. When it comes to middle grade, she likes all kinds of genres, including adventures, mysteries, spooky-but-not-too-scary ghost stories, humor, realistic contemporary and fantasy.
YA is Jennifer’s sweet spot. She is a suspense junkie. She adores action-packed thrillers full of unexpected twists. Throw in a dash of romance, and she’s hooked! She’s a sucker for conspiracy plots where anyone might be a double agent, even the kid next door. She is a huge fan of psychological horror that blurs the lines between the real and the imagined. But as much as she loves a good thriller, she finds her favorite novels are literary stories about ordinary teens, especially those focused on family, relationships, sexuality, mental illness, or addiction. In such stories, she is particularly drawn to a close, confiding first-person narrative. Regardless of genre, she is actively seeking fresh new voices and perspectives underrepresented in literature.
That’s her wish list, but the truth is an author might have something she has never considered before, and it might be absolutely perfect for her. She is open to any good story that is well written with a strong, authentic voice. Surprise her!
Melissa Jeglinski, The Knight AgencyA graduate of Clarion University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in English with a writing concentration, Melissa began her career as an editor with Harlequin Enterprises. Looking to work with a variety of authors and genres, she joined The Knight Agency in 2008.
With over two decades experience in the publishing industry, Melissa has fostered her clients to National prominence including a recent Newbery Honor. She is a member of RWA and AAR. Melissa is currently seeking projects in the following areas: Romance (contemporary, category, historical, inspirational), Women’s Fiction and Mystery.
Patrica Nelson, Marsal Lyon Literary AgencyPatricia Nelson joined Marsal Lyon Literary Agency in 2014. She represents adult, young adult, and middle grade fiction, and is actively building her list.In general, Patricia looks for stories that hook her with a unique plot, fantastic writing and complex characters that jump off the page. On the adult side, she is seeking women’s fiction both upmarket and commercial, historical fiction set in the 20th century, and compelling plot-driven literary fiction. She’s also looking for sexy, smart adult contemporary and historical single title romance. On the children’s side, Patricia is open to a wide range of genres of YA and MG, with particular interest in contemporary/realistic, magical realism, mystery, science fiction and fantasy. She is interested in seeing diverse stories and characters, including LGBTQ, in all genres that she represents.Patricia’s clients include RITA Award-winning and USA Today bestselling romance author Sarina Bowen (Rookie Move, Berkley/Penguin); women’s fiction authors Susan Bishop Crispell (The Secret Ingredient of Wishes, St. Martin’s Press) and Loretta Nyhan (All the Good Parts, Lake Union Publishing); young adult novelists Mary McCoy (Camp So-and-So, Lerner/Carolrhoda Lab), Axie Oh (Rebel Seoul, forthcoming from Tu Books) and Catherine Alene (The Sky Between You and Me, Sourcebooks); and middle grade novelists Kristi Wientge (Karma Khullar’s Mustache, forthcoming from Simon and Schuster Children’s), Hayley Chewins (The Turnaway Girls, forthcoming from Candlewick) and Margaret Dilloway (Momotaro: Xander and the Lost Island of Monsters, Disney-Hyperion), among others.Patricia is a member of SCBWI and RWA. She received her bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary in 2008, and also holds a master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Southern California and a master’s degree in Gender Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. Before joining the world of publishing, she spent four years as a university-level instructor of literature and writing.
Sarah Landis, Sterling Lord LiteristicBefore joining Sterling Lord Literistic in 2017, Sarah worked as an editor for fifteen years, holding roles at G.P. Putnam Son’s, Hyperion Books, HarperCollins Children’s Books, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers. Over the course of her career, Sarah has had the pleasure of editing many talented authors including the likes of: Jodi Lynn Anderson, Kasie West, Claudia Gray, Michael Buckley, Eileen Cook, Erin Summerill, and Megan Shepherd. Sarah is looking for middle grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction across all genres. She is particularly drawn to middle grade fantasy and contemporary with heart, humor, and magic. In the young adult space, she has an affinity for southern voices, high-concept plots, grounded sci-fi/fantasy, historical, mysteries & thrillers, and emotionally compelling contemporary. Sarah graduated with a BA in English from the University of Virginia.
Gabrielle Piraino, DeFiore & CompanyGabrielle Piraino is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University with a dual-B.A. in Honors Classical Languages and English. After graduation, Gabbie earned her Masters of Science in Publishing at Pace University. She has previously worked for both major commercial publishing houses and literary agencies alike, including Farrar, Straus & Giroux and most recently at AGI Vigliano. Gabbie joined the team at DeFiore and Company in the summer of 2016.
Gabbie is actively seeking projects that you can lose an entire afternoon reading: imaginative sci-fi/fantasy with strong world building, blood-curdling horror, whip-smart thrillers, and up-market chick lit that pairs well with sand and a margarita. She’d love to see any of the above for Young Adult readers (virgin daiquiri, though!), and wholeheartedly enjoys spunky, stubborn characters that never do exactly what you’d expect. For Children’s and Middle Grade, Gabbie is looking for books that introduce curious young readers to new concepts—be it historically leaning or learning your manners—with compelling characters and an engaging voice. She’s also interested in author-illustrators working within the comic/graphic novel space and can’t wait to develop the next generation’s favorite villains. An avid personal baker/cook, Gabbie would also love to receive queries for cookbook and crafty lifestyle projects.
Carlisle Webber, Fuse LiteraryCarlisle Webber refused to major in English in college because she didn’t think there was anything fun to read on the required lists. No Stephen King? No R.L. Stine? No thanks!After college, she took her love of commercial, YA, and middle grade fiction to the University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences, where she earned a Master of Library and Information Sciences. She worked as a public librarian for years before deciding to move to the business side of publishing. She attended the Columbia Publishing Course, interned at Writers House, and worked at the Jane Rotrosen Agency in New York City.She considers herself to be an editorial agent and has industry experience as a copy editor for Yen Press, a division of Hachette Book Group, and the health and parenting website Spright.com. She belongs to the American Copy Editors Society and Bay Area Editors’ Forum and holds a Professional Certificate in Editing from University of California, Berkeley. When editing, she aims to make a book the best possible version of itself, shaping it in a way so it can best use its unique voice to appeal to a wide audience.
Cate Hart, Corvisiero Literary AgencyCate represents young adult and middle-grade fiction, select commercial adult fiction, contemporary and historical romance, and nonfiction in the areas of history and pop culture. Cate has been with the Corvisiero Literary Agency for three years. She works with clients to build their platform, works on PR projects to help promote clients’ books, and reads manuscripts with an editorial eye.
Cate seeks unique stories with well-crafted plots and unforgettable characters with a strong voice. She loves characters that surprise her and plots that keep her guessing until the very last page.
In adult fiction, she is actively looking for Romantic Suspense. She loves FBI agents, Special Law Divisions, Cyber Crime. She'd love a caper or heist romance, sexy and stylized like To Catch a Thief or fun and adventurous like Ocean's 11. She would love to find Historical Romance set in the Gilded Age, give her a swoon-worthy Fifth Avenue Tycoon or Knickerbocker. She is also looking for contemporary fantasy and especially magical realism.
She is looking for adult and children's nonfiction specifically in the areas of lesser known or quirky historical facts and forgotten people of importance. She prefers pop culture nonfiction centered around music and film, and Nashville and unique Southern culture.
In Middle Grade, she accepts all genres, but is drawn to stories of strong bonds of friendship, or mischief and adventure. Cate prefers more high-concept, commercial young adult, especially fantasy, fairy tale and classics retellings, mystery and thrillers, and historical fantasy.
As always, Cate welcomes all diverse stories and authors.
October 4, 2017
Nightmare on Query Street Mentor Chat!
Writers like to socialize from the comfort of their homes.
So we're having a twitter chat to get to know the mentors and ask questions and just visit!
Join us on Thursday, October 12th right before the submission window opens for Nightmare on Query Street on the 13th. Bring your questions, writing problems, and curiosity at 3:00 and 8:00 pm Eastern time and mentors will be there.
All this happens under the hashtag #NoQSchat.
Time to have a little fun, maybe learn something, and talk to writers with experience in querying, editing, and submissions.
See you there!
So we're having a twitter chat to get to know the mentors and ask questions and just visit!
Join us on Thursday, October 12th right before the submission window opens for Nightmare on Query Street on the 13th. Bring your questions, writing problems, and curiosity at 3:00 and 8:00 pm Eastern time and mentors will be there.
All this happens under the hashtag #NoQSchat.
Time to have a little fun, maybe learn something, and talk to writers with experience in querying, editing, and submissions.
See you there!
