Son of a Pitch Hosts and Voting Authors!

For the second round, published authors will be swinging around to critique queries and first 250 words posted on three blogs, as well as casting votes on who will make the final round. Here today you can meet those authors!

Blog Hosts:

Samantha Bryant

Samantha Bryant is a middle school Spanish teacher by day and a mom and novelist by night. That makes her a superhero all the time. Her debut novel, Going Through the Change: A Menopausal Superhero Novel is now for sale by Curiosity Quills. You can find her online on her blog,  Twitter, on Facebook, on Amazon, on Goodreads, on the Curiosity Quills page, or on Google+.



Ayden Morgen
Ayden lives in the heart of Arkansas with her childhood sweetheart/husband of over a decade, and their five furry minions. She is the author of the Amazon bestselling Ragnarök Prophesies series. When not writing, she spends her time hiking, reading, volunteering, causing mischief, and building a Spork army. Ayden graduated summa cum laude with her Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and Forensic Psychology in 2009 before going on to complete her graduate degree in CJ and Law. She currently puts her education to use in the social services and CJ fields.
Ayden also writes New Adult romance under the penname Ayden K. Morgen.
Website: http://aydenmorgen.comBlog: http://aydenmorgen.com/blog
Pitch Success Story:In July of 2015, Ayden participated in #pit2pub with her urban fantasy/paranormal romance novel, STRICKEN. Her Twitter pitch received ten requests from publishers, and ultimately led to four contract offers. Ayden has since signed the entire War Scrolls series with Limitless Publishing.


Elsie Elmore:
Elsie Elmore lives in North Carolina with her husband and two kids.
She loves the color red, has an appreciation for chocolate and coffee that borders on obsession, writes stories that challenge the laws of nature, and wishes fall temperatures would linger year round. 

Elsie is a member of  SCBWI, and WSW. The Undead : Playing for Keeps is her debut novel. Find her on the web: on twitter at @ElsieWriter, her blog at www.elsieelmore.com, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/elsieelmorewriter.


Her Story:
I wrote The Undead during the winter and finalized it mid-summer. I started querying a few agents and then participated in the September #pitmad. I had two requests for partials.After I sent the first three chapters, I tried to relax, but it was difficult. Someone was interested. That such a great feeling to know you've piqued someone's interest in your work.  About a week after I had sent my partial, the full manuscript was requested and I couldn’t push SEND fast enough.At the end of September, I attended the SBWBI conference in Charlotte, NC. While I was there, I received an email asking about my online presence.My heart stopped.I didn’t have an online presence. I had a twitter account with about twelve tweets (mostly from pit mad because I’m not much of a tweeter), I had no Facebook page as an author, and no blog. I panicked. Would they think I wasn’t serious?An online presence was a great way for people to read about you and get to know you, even if you’re an introvert (which I am, with a dash of shyness in the mix). So, I started timidly tweeting (which still is the best way to describe my tweeting habit), I created a blog where I sometimes talk writing and more, and then set-up a Facebook page as an author. And while I networked to find my voice online (which is still quiet), I read about Curiosity Quills. I checked out their book covers and their online presence. I was excited and hopeful.In November, I was offered a contract. I withdrew my queries / partials from other agencies and signed on the dotted line. And of course, went out to dinner to celebrate.
Yolanda Renee:
The Keystone state couldn't satisfy my adventurous spirit, yet Pennsylvania will always be home. Alaska called to me and I answered. I learned to sleep under the midnight sun, hike the Brooks Range and traveled from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez. These experiences influenced my murder trilogy, Murder, Madness & Love, Memories of Murder, and Murder & Obsession to be released in 2016.I enjoy reading all genres, but mysteries, romance, and horror will catch my attention first.Defending the Pen is my blog. http://yolandarenee.blogspot.com/
My Query Journey: In September 2012, I won a query contest hosted by author, Sharon Bayless and won the opportunity to send my completed manuscripts to Curiosity Quills. The challenge was titled The Haunted Writing Clinic and Contest; it was an opportunity to get help constructing a submission package by posting on a blog and getting feedback from other authors. Each session was critiqued and we were given the chance to tweak, change, and re-post until perfect. Then the completed query and the first page were judged.I was thrilled to learn I was one of the winners. 

Leigh Statham - quantumfairytales.com


Critiquers and Voters:

Mara Valderran

Mara Valderran is an author of young adult and new adult books, but she's more than just a madwoman with a writing box. She is an avid reader and fan of all things sci-fi and fantasy. She loves roller skating and movies, though typically not together. She hopes to one day meet Daniel Jackson from SG1, or at least the actor who played him. When she’s not writing, you can find her reading, playing video games, or counting down the days until DragonCon.


Website  
Success story:I wrote ALTAR OF REALITY for NaNoWriMo in 2013. Once I cleaned it up, PitchMas was happening. So, on a whim, I decided to pitch it and see if I got any bites. I had a few from agents that didn't pan out, but then James Wymore, one of the acquisitions editors from Curiosity Quills, asked me to send it over. A few months later, I had a contract! 



Stacey Nash