Krista Van Dolzer's Blog, page 17
March 16, 2016
An Agent's Inbox #19
Dear Mr. Taylor,
I have read that you are interested in stories about "finding [one's] place in the world" and SO MUCH MORE THAN EVERYTHING, a coming of age YA novel, complete at 92,000 words, is this kind of book.
Sixteen-year-old Alice Burton loves school, lacrosse and her two best friends (who can’t stand each other). But when her mother, a wannabe health-food guru, concocts a diet shake that may be more than a fad, Alice surprises everyone by shedding her lingering baby fat to reveal an eye...
I have read that you are interested in stories about "finding [one's] place in the world" and SO MUCH MORE THAN EVERYTHING, a coming of age YA novel, complete at 92,000 words, is this kind of book.
Sixteen-year-old Alice Burton loves school, lacrosse and her two best friends (who can’t stand each other). But when her mother, a wannabe health-food guru, concocts a diet shake that may be more than a fad, Alice surprises everyone by shedding her lingering baby fat to reveal an eye...
An Agent's Inbox #18
Dear Mr. Taylor,
In the summer of 1914, seven year old Ruchel and her siblings lead a poor but happy life on the far eastern edge of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but as World War 1 begins, her father is forcibly drafted into the Austrian Army. Three days later, the Russian Army invades, leaving her and her family far behind enemy lines. To survive, they take jobs in a canteen cooking for the occupying Russian soldiers. One of the officers’ pastimes is playing chess. Ruchel learns the game from...
In the summer of 1914, seven year old Ruchel and her siblings lead a poor but happy life on the far eastern edge of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but as World War 1 begins, her father is forcibly drafted into the Austrian Army. Three days later, the Russian Army invades, leaving her and her family far behind enemy lines. To survive, they take jobs in a canteen cooking for the occupying Russian soldiers. One of the officers’ pastimes is playing chess. Ruchel learns the game from...
An Agent's Inbox #17
Dear Brent Taylor:
DAMAGED GOODS, a contemporary young adult novel, is complete at 71,000 words.
Sixteen-year-old Justin Marshall has caused trouble for years, but he never expected his father to kick him out of the house.When Justin is sent to live with a grandmother he can’t remember, he vows to escape. Leaving becomes difficult, however, when he realizes that Margaret suffers from dementia and needs his help.
Dad has always been all talk, no action, so Justin is shocked and outraged when he i...
DAMAGED GOODS, a contemporary young adult novel, is complete at 71,000 words.
Sixteen-year-old Justin Marshall has caused trouble for years, but he never expected his father to kick him out of the house.When Justin is sent to live with a grandmother he can’t remember, he vows to escape. Leaving becomes difficult, however, when he realizes that Margaret suffers from dementia and needs his help.
Dad has always been all talk, no action, so Justin is shocked and outraged when he i...
An Agent's Inbox #16
Dear Mr. Taylor:
I am seeking representation for Three Drops of Magic, my 21,000 word, middle grade fantasy, and would appreciate your consideration.
Lucy Rose Hay is an orphan. Or is she? It's true that she lives at the Ayrshire Orphanage for boys and girls. It's true that her mother is deceased. It's true that in eleven years, no one has inquired after her. But the slim folder that contains Lucy's records holds one blank page: her father's. And Lucy is certain that he lives.
One extraordinary...
I am seeking representation for Three Drops of Magic, my 21,000 word, middle grade fantasy, and would appreciate your consideration.
Lucy Rose Hay is an orphan. Or is she? It's true that she lives at the Ayrshire Orphanage for boys and girls. It's true that her mother is deceased. It's true that in eleven years, no one has inquired after her. But the slim folder that contains Lucy's records holds one blank page: her father's. And Lucy is certain that he lives.
One extraordinary...
An Agent's Inbox #15
Dear Mr. Taylor,
I'm currently seeking representation for my 96,000 word young-adult sci-fi novel, Deadly Nightshade. Deadly Nightshade may appeal to readers who enjoyed the narrative voice of Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me and the moral conflict and speculative aspects of Marvel’s Jessica Jones.
Whenever fifteen-year-old coder Morelle Noire looks into someone’s eyes, she hears a number from one to ten, quantifying the total good or evil in their soul. This makes finding friends complicated--not to...
I'm currently seeking representation for my 96,000 word young-adult sci-fi novel, Deadly Nightshade. Deadly Nightshade may appeal to readers who enjoyed the narrative voice of Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me and the moral conflict and speculative aspects of Marvel’s Jessica Jones.
Whenever fifteen-year-old coder Morelle Noire looks into someone’s eyes, she hears a number from one to ten, quantifying the total good or evil in their soul. This makes finding friends complicated--not to...
An Agent's Inbox #14
Dear Mr. Taylor,
Alistair Toddlefin spends his days playing in the haunted woods near his house, wishing his too-busy parents would notice him, longing for a friend. So when spooky, freckle-faced Lucy Punch appears near his fort in the laurel bushes, he believes she could be the answer to all of his problems.
Ali follows Lucy deep into the forest, to a dark and looming willow tree. There, she pulls back the Curtain of Illusion, revealing a world where children rule. A world of lantern-lit treeh...
Alistair Toddlefin spends his days playing in the haunted woods near his house, wishing his too-busy parents would notice him, longing for a friend. So when spooky, freckle-faced Lucy Punch appears near his fort in the laurel bushes, he believes she could be the answer to all of his problems.
Ali follows Lucy deep into the forest, to a dark and looming willow tree. There, she pulls back the Curtain of Illusion, revealing a world where children rule. A world of lantern-lit treeh...
An Agent's Inbox #13
Dear Mr. Taylor,
Tristen’s dad is missing, her boyfriend is an alien, the cool kids want her dead…and she’s flunked her driver’s test. Who better to save the world from a psychotic extraterrestrial warlord? Different Constellations is a young adult science fiction novel, complete at 112,000 words.
In Creighton Lake, one of the most haunted places in Illinois, a teenage boy wakes up from an accident to find himself in an alien’s body; turns out it was his true form all along. With his human disg...
Tristen’s dad is missing, her boyfriend is an alien, the cool kids want her dead…and she’s flunked her driver’s test. Who better to save the world from a psychotic extraterrestrial warlord? Different Constellations is a young adult science fiction novel, complete at 112,000 words.
In Creighton Lake, one of the most haunted places in Illinois, a teenage boy wakes up from an accident to find himself in an alien’s body; turns out it was his true form all along. With his human disg...
March 14, 2016
Now Accepting Entries
UPDATE: As of the end of Monday, we still have 7 slots available, so keep those entries coming! I won't be back at my computer until noon EDT tomorrow, so if you send your entry sometime between now and then, you can expect to receive my reply shortly thereafter.
I'm now accepting entries for this week's round of "An Agent's Inbox." Here's a quick refresher:
The Rules
1. To enter, your manuscript must meet two conditions: First, it must be COMPLETE, POLISHED, AND READY TO QUERY, and se...
I'm now accepting entries for this week's round of "An Agent's Inbox." Here's a quick refresher:
The Rules
1. To enter, your manuscript must meet two conditions: First, it must be COMPLETE, POLISHED, AND READY TO QUERY, and se...
March 11, 2016
"An Agent's Inbox" Contest Alert
THIS IS NOT A CALL FOR ENTRIES! I'M JUST GIVING YOU A HEADS-UP. THE CONTEST OPENS NEXT MONDAY, MARCH 14.
“An Agent's Inbox” is exactly what it sounds like--next week, I'm turning the blog into an agent's inbox, a public one. We'll get to see 25 queries along with their first pages, and we'll get to hear what a bona fide agent thinks of each one.
The queries and first pages will be yours, of course. I'll accept your entries this Monday, March 14, and then I'll post them next Wednesday, March 16....
“An Agent's Inbox” is exactly what it sounds like--next week, I'm turning the blog into an agent's inbox, a public one. We'll get to see 25 queries along with their first pages, and we'll get to hear what a bona fide agent thinks of each one.
The queries and first pages will be yours, of course. I'll accept your entries this Monday, March 14, and then I'll post them next Wednesday, March 16....
March 9, 2016
What If Selling a House Were Like Selling a Manuscript?
I've been elbow-deep in house listings for the last couple of weeks, and it's gotten me thinking: what if selling a house were like selling a manuscript?
"Please describe your home in two hundred and fifty words or less. No pictures or attachments, please."
"I'm afraid I'm just not connecting with this house as strongly as I would have liked."
"I liked the exterior, but the kitchen was outdated, the second bathroom was unsightly, and the basement felt too big."
"That said, if you address those is...
"Please describe your home in two hundred and fifty words or less. No pictures or attachments, please."
"I'm afraid I'm just not connecting with this house as strongly as I would have liked."
"I liked the exterior, but the kitchen was outdated, the second bathroom was unsightly, and the basement felt too big."
"That said, if you address those is...
