OneFour Kidlit

Exciting things, y’all!

As if I don’t have enough on my plate already, I’ve joined 7 other authors to form 2014’s (?first) YA and MG debut authors community—OneFour KidLit (Heard of The Lucky 13s? Like that, ‘cept for 2014. But also awesome.) I’m a moderator. It’s sort of a big deal.

OneFour is a way for other 2014 debut authors to get together, network, and best of all, chat about all the stuff we can’t really chat about publically because a) we’re not allowed to, and b) no one outside of publishing industry cares. Here we’ll discuss edit letters, revision hell, option books, cover reveals, foreign sales, marketing, tours (holy crap! tours!), etc., etc. As we come closer to 2013, a blog will be added for marketing of our novels.

Like I said—exciting!

So any authors out there with a YA or MG book debuting in 2014 who are interested in joining our community can head on over to OneFour Kidlit to check out the submission criteria.

And don’t forget to follow us on twitter!

Attention querying children's and YA authors!

Gemma Cooper, literary agent extraordinaire and all-around awesome gal, has just moved over to the The Bent Agency! CONGRATS GEMMA!!!

Gemma's profile, from The Bent Agency's website:

Before joining The Bent Agency, I worked as a literary agent at Bright Literary Agency, representing a wide range of authors and author/illustrators, from picture books to YA. I love being an agent as I get to be the first fan of an unpublished book and then champion this book - nothing beats being able to talk up your passions to other book fanatics.

Originally from London, I started my publishing career while living in NYC for three years. I have since moved back to the UK, and I work with UK and US authors.

My client list is typified by character lead stories, with voice being the biggest thing I look for. I love younger fiction, and have a soft spot for funny books aimed at 7+ with series potential. With Middle Grade fiction, I'd love to see a good mystery, but really any MG with strong voice will get my attention whatever the subject matter. For YA, I'm a sucker for boy POV. Author/illustrators writing MG or chapter books would get my immediate attention!

There you have it, folks. I know there were quite a few YA and MG entries in the Christmas in July blog contest Ruth and I hosted this summer, so if you haven't already you'll want to be checking out The Bent Agency's website for submission guidelines. Gemma is seriously awesome, yo. You'd be lucky to have her.

Query Letter Critique

Original Query Letter

Dear [Ms./Mr. Agent Name];

For sixteen-year-old Lilly, life unfolds according to God’s Plan. But after befriending Parker at a New Year’s Eve party, his insight into free will causes Lilly to rediscover who’s really in control of her fate. Our choices, not some ultimate plan, shape our lives. Thanks to Parker, Lilly accepts full responsibility of her actions, and the risk of falling in love with him. Although fascinating, Parker is abusing drugs in an attempt to escape a deadbeat mother and a Christian extremist father. But, if she can replace Parker’s next quick fix, she thinks they can have a happy future together.

On her way home from work, Lilly is assaulted by a classmate. Before, she would have thought God commanded it. Now, she knows that people have the power to both heal and to destroy. With the trial of her offender drawing near, Lilly turns to Parker for comfort, but he’s tampering with his favorite substances again. If she can just inspire meaning in his life, he can restore meaning in hers. It isn’t easy. One moment he’s putting down the needle, the next he’s shooting up. If Parker doesn’t abandon his old life, Lilly must find the strength to fight for herself; a strength that can’t help but inspire others to live with purpose.

BATTLEGROUND is a contemporary novel for young adults, complete at 60,000 words.

I work as a college-level writing assistant and tutor in writing and literature. I am the former opinion editor for the Linn-Benton Community College newspaper, The Commuter, and write the weekly opinion column Straight from the Hartsock and the humor column Dear Conscience.

Thank you for considering BATTLEGROUND.

Sincerely,

(Name redacted)

Query Letter After I Got My Grubby Paws On It

Dear [Ms./Mr. Agent Name];

For sixteen-year-old Lilly, life unfolds according to God’s Plan. <Nice opening line! But after befriending Parker at a New Year’s Eve party, his fascinating insight into free will causes Lilly to rediscover question who’s really in control of her fate. Our choices, not some ultimate plan, shape our lives. The way this is stated is a bit too telly, in my opinion. I’ve suggested where you can insert this below. Thanks to Parker (obvious), Lilly accepts full responsibility of her actions, and the risk of falling in love with him. <I’d like to see this expanded upon so that the two thoughts merge a little more smoothly. What draws Lily to Parker? Why does she believe his views, especially when he’s apparently a druggie? I’m assuming it’s the ‘he’s fascinating’ factor. Can you work that in earlier so that the thoughts connect better? Suggestion (which you are totally welcome to ignore!) ‘Lily embraces a new outlook on life: our choices, and not some ultimate plan, shape our lives. Her first choice under this new mind set? Allow herself to fall in love with Parker, even if all signs point to him being a drug addict. (only less sucky :P) Although fascinating, Parker is abusing drugs in an attempt to escape a deadbeat mother and a Christian extremist father. <This is very interesting, but I’m not sure you need this in the query since it’s ultimately about Lily. Parker does sound very fascinating though. And much of the query seems to focus on him. Are you sure Lily is your main character? But, if she can replace Parker’s next quick fix<This is a bit confusing. I’m assuming you mean replace it, as in, Lily will take the place of drugs in his life, but it sort of comes off like she might replace his heroin with a placebo J Which obviously isn’t the case. , she thinks they can have a happy future together.

On her way home from work, Lilly is assaulted by a classmate. <I’m not sure that it’s clear in this query (or the other, more on that later) what role the assault takes in the main plot. It’s like it’s introduced and then not tied up, or like it’s a completely separate plot running alongside the main plot instead of complementing and escalating the stakes for the main plot. I’m sure this isn’t the case with the book, but it appears that way in the query. Before, she would have thought God commanded it. Now, she knows that people have the power to both heal and to destroy. With the trial of her offender drawing near, Lilly turns to Parker for comfort, but he’s tampering with his favorite substances again. If she can just inspire meaning in his life, he can restore meaning in hers. It isn’t easy. One moment he’s putting down the needle, the next he’s shooting up. If Parker doesn’t abandon his old life, Lilly must find the strength to fight for herself; a strength that can’t help but inspire others to live with purpose. I can see what you’re trying to do here with the last few sentences, but I’m afraid it’s falling a bit short. This query starts off pretty strong, but it plateaus around the time the sexual assault is mentioned (which is theoretically when the query should be the most exciting, as you’re just introducing the stakes). Exciting and concrete stakes are key. Sure we can probably deduce them by picking apart the query, but I think it would pack much more of a punch if they were laid out nicely for the reader. In the last few sentences you focus very much on the moral underpinnings on the book, but first and foremost we need to know, in no uncertain terms, what Lily stands to lose if she fails.

BATTLEGROUND is a contemporary novel for young adults, complete at 60,000 words.

I work as a college-level writing assistant and tutor in writing and literature. I am the former opinion editor for the Linn-Benton Community College newspaper, The Commuter, and write the weekly opinion column Straight from the Hartsock and the humor column Dear Conscience. Great credentials. All’s good here J

Thank you for considering BATTLEGROUND. <Love the title, btw!

Sincerely,

(Name redacted)

I’ve been quite verbose in my critique, but it’s because I want this to be the best query humanly possible and for this author to get a gagillion million full requests. I just don’t think this is quite there yet.

Now in the interest of fairness, the author did send a shorter/different version after this one. I liked the original better so I asked to critique it instead. I felt there was more to work with, more meat to the story. But see for yourself below and maybe one of my lovely writerly counterparts will jump in and contradict me.

Before sixteen-year-old Lilly met Parker, she believed life unfolds according to God’s Plan. After Parker presses her mind beyond the limited bounds it once knew, Lilly decides that she controls her own destiny. But besides fascinating, Parker is a drug addict, and Lilly may find that falling in love with him is the worst choice she can make. And when she’s the victim of an assault, she has to face the fact that people have the power to both heal and destroy. Although the trial of her offender is drawing near, saving Parker from his next quick fix is more important. If she can just inspire meaning in his life, he can restore meaning in hers. In the end, Lilly must find the strength to fight only for herself; a strength that can’t help but inspire others to live with purpose.

And…GO!

Book Review: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

What to say about a book I’d give 10 stars to if I could? Sure, it’s touching, poignant, powerful, and absolutely, gut-wrenchingly heartbreaking, but none of these adjectives properly sum up this book. I don’t think such an adjective exists.

This book had me crying before I even delved into chapter one. I read the author’s introduction and learned that Patrick Ness was asked to write the book after Siobhan Dowd, a fellow YA author who came up with the concept, died prematurely of cancer before she got the chance to write it. That? Is just. Ugh. Seriously.

 The blurb of A Monster Calls, from Goodreads:

The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming...

This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.

It wants the truth.

So I cried. Lots. Gulpy, hiccupy, crying. Super ugly crying that left me with red puffy eyes and forced me to wear sunglasses to the park on an overcast day so that I looked like a hungover mommy. Am I properly conveying to you how much I cried?

It’s the type of book that makes you feel vulnerable and realize how fragile life is and how little control you have over it in the end. It makes you want to hold onto those you love and never let go. I’ve heard it even makes some people climb into their son’s cribs and sleep there for the night. Weird, huh?

Here’s the thing about Patrick Ness: a lot of authors try to convey emotion by using all sorts of fancy metaphors and similes and, let’s be honest, end up coming up a bit short. In A Monster Calls, Ness uses simple language and a quiet, lyrical type of storytelling that conveys raw emotion so amazingly well that it’s like he’s reading my mind and then translating onto paper everything I’ve ever thought about death in a way that I could never have done myself.  

Did I mention it’s illustrated? It is. And they’re absolutely stunning and powerful illustrations. Buy the hardcover for this one. You’ll thank me later.

A Monster Calls is categorized as a contemporary middle grade novel, but this isn’t a book that just children will enjoy. This is a book every single human being can understand, if not relate to. This is a book for anyone who would like to have their still-beating heart ripped from their chest, stomped on repeatedly with spiky-toed six-inch heels, pulverized with a meat tenderizer, and then shot at with an AK-47, only to be put back together in a completely different yet better shape, a shape that makes you feel like sort of like a baby bird emerging from its egg, hopeful and cautious at the same time, and…oh, who am I kidding?

Just read it.