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Query Critique 75
Seventeen-year-old Elizabeth Winters may be a witch, but she doesn’t know the first thing about magic. Overall, I think this is a pretty good hook. I really like that the story takes place in Salem,...
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Writing a Great Antagonist
Last week we talked about two compelling types of villains. This week we’re going to talk about a checklist of things that you should have for every villain you write. Motivation. Most readers aren’t...
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Query Critique 76
Dear Agent Awesome RIVER SPELL is a 92K word young adult fantasy based on the Russian legends of the Rusalka. Like THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS, my novel shows one girl’s struggle not only against...
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Should you do NaNoWriMo?
It’s almost that time of year again. That hectic month in which the writing community bands together in an attempt to write as much as humanly possible. A lot of people are gearing up. Right now you...
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Query Critique 77
Dear Lucky Agent: TITLE TBD, an upmarket suspense novel, is complete at 90,000 words. It follows the mental deterioration of a desperate character and will appeal to fans of Dennis Lehane’s Mystic...
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Query of Horror
It’s almost time for Halloween. What better way to celebrate than with a horrific query letter. So here you have it. The worst query letter I could write. Deer sir or madame: Are you tired of reading...
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Query Critique 78
Dear __________: What if everything you wanted was at your fingertips but at the cost of your soul? I’m pretty much never in favor of beginning with a rhetorical question. This is Pita’s secret. He can...
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Don’t go hating on other people’s books
Here is a new querying commandment which you should commit to memory: Thou shalt not dis other books in your query letter. You may laugh, but I’ve received a lot of queries that say something to the...
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Query Critique 79
Dear [agent’s name], [PERSONALISATION] As such, I thought you might enjoy my young adult novel, THE BACKSLIDERS. Three years ago, Great Britain closed its borders and no-one has entered or left the...
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#MockPit 2
Hey guys! After the success of the first round of #MockPit, I’ve decided to host it again. This round will take place on Wednesday, November 18th and will run officially from noon to 7 pm EST. See...
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Query Critique 80
Dear [insert agent’s name here], [This is where I’d personalize the query, citing why I’m choosing to query this particular agent and why we’d be a good fit.] I’m seeking representation for my young...
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To Prologue or Not to Prologue
I’ve heard a lot of negativity about prologues. Overwhelmingly, the advice is not to use one. However in my opinion, there are times when a prologue not only works but is necessary to the story. The...
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Query Critique 81
Dear Miss Nelson, When music lover and Massachusetts native Sarah McPhee transfers to the London offices of Sixteen Magazine, she expects the number of miles between herself and her old life to be...
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Query Critique 82
Ashlynn Weaver doesn’t know she’s a dream-walker, only that she can control her dreams So for this first sentence I would try focusing on the dream controlling aspect rather than throwing out this...
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Get to the Point
I’d like to pretend that I read every query letter I get thoroughly. That would be a lie, though. I sift through queries pretty quickly, and that means that if my attention isn’t captured fast, I quit...
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Query Critique 83
I am seeking representation for THE PERFECT WIFE, a 70,000-word novel. I noticed that you are looking for upmarket women’s fiction, and I think this book fits that genre very well. This would probably...
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Kyra’s Rules of Publishing
Be nice. Read as much as you can. Keep an open mind. Network with as many people as possible. Make friends. Be prepared to work your butt off. Learn what you can from whatever experiences you have, no...
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Query Critique 84
Baronet Brandon Shrike is in serious trouble. Too vague! Give me something specific in the hook. King Justin Capet has been poisoned and is near death. Tasked with finding the perpetrator, Brandon, the...
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A linguistic look at YA
As some of you know, I’m currently studying to get my MA in linguistics. In my field, you can study basically anything pertaining to language. I’ve focused mostly on fiction. Specifically YA. I thought...
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2015 in Books: What I’ve been reading
It’s that time of year again when I get to go through and review my year in books. With charts! This year I read 101 books. That’s 31,993 pages and an average of 330 pages per book. Which is more than...
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