link The magnificent Super Intern, Erica M. Chapman, who’s an agent intern for Louise Fury with L. Perkins Agency, went beyond what we expected from her. We asked that she tell thirty lucky writers when she had stopped reading their pitches or which ones she would snatch out of the slush pile. Instead, she critiqued each query letter and first page of the participants. Her comments are beyond awesome, so go check them out. Also, Read more…
link The Super Intern contest is here! For the rest of the week (as her schedule will allow) Erica M. Chapman, who’s an agent intern for Louise Fury with L. Perkins Agency, will tell thirty lucky writers when she stopped reading their pitches or which ones would make it out of the slush pile. Not enough? My other besties, Shelley Watters and Monica B.W. and I are giving away ten page critiques as prizes. Erica will Read more…
Genre: MG, ContemporaryWord count: 56,000 Query: Dear Ms. Chapman, Thirteen-year-old Ramon Mendes Figueroa is on track to become the principal cellist in the honors orchestra when an ugly break-up between his young uncle, El Guapo, and his cello instructor, Stefany, sends her to a new job a thousand miles away. Ramon doesn’t know if he can learn the difficult music without the Shakira-look-alike Stefany, plus he worries that his grandma might not be able to Read more…
Genre: Paranormal YAWord count: 71,000 Query: Dear Agent, In GRACEFUL DEATH, fifteen-year-old Grace thinks insomnia is her biggest problem, until she starts seeing shadow people that can’t be real. A black clad doppelganger splitting off from Raf, her best friend/secret crush, causing mischief? Yikes. Determined to sleep and end these hallucinations, Grace accepts a joint from Raf. One puff of the not-so-normal joint shatters the gateway between the normal world and the spirit world, Read more…
Genre: Science Fiction Word Count: 104,000 Query: Dear Ms. Chapman: If Dima could remember her life, she’s damn sure she’d want it back. The Humani Project’s latest test subject believes she’s human, but her sleek black fur, claws, and tail make that seem impossible. Her only clue to an existence before panther DNA was spliced to hers is a name—Janelle. Imprisoned in a Phoenix, Arizona lab, Dima must complete the grueling, and often deadly, physical Read more…
Genre: Science Fiction Word Count: 80,000 Query: Dear Ms. Agent, I am seeking representation for my novel, NUMBER BLUE, a work of Science Fiction complete at 80,000 words. Viz can use her as a weapon or he can help her escape but, with the city’s freedom at stake, either choice makes him a monster. Kiki will win him the war, unless she wins his heart first. For years, Viz has been fighting with the rebellion for Read more…
Genre: YA Fantasy Word count: 65,000 Query: When her father does things like slam her head into the fridge, sixteen-year-old Emma Sullivan copes the only way she knows how: she steals her mom’s pain meds and piles on extra makeup. What really hurts is that her mom would rather pretend she’s a total klutz than admit life is less than perfect. Emma has no one in her corner until she meets her late grandfather’s best Read more…
Genre: YA/ChristianWord Count: 63,000 Query: Dear Ms. Chapman, Rachel Harker prayed for God to change someone’s life; she never imagined it would be hers. When sixteen year old Rachel gets lost in the woods during a church sponsored hiking trip with skeptic Asher Jenkins, she expects help to come quickly. Once it becomes painfully apparent no one is coming, Rachel and Asher must take action to find their own way back. The mountain doesn’t make Read more…
Janice Sperry SHE CAME FROM THE HILL Genre: YA Gothic Fantasy Word count: 56,000 Query: Clay went to Strawberry Hill for the camping, not the ghost hunting. His friends’ stories about a dead little girl and her rainbow-winged fairy friends are not exactly the stuff that nightmares are made out of. He plays along anyway and even carries the EMF detector, which can double as a football on a long boring night. The quiet ghost Read more…
Genre: YA Contemporary Word Count: 52,000 Query: Dear Ms. Chapman: Thank you for allowing me to participate in the Super Intern Contest. I hope you may be interested in my Contemporary Young Adult novel OUTSIDE IN (52,000 words). Super-brain Alexis likes everything exactly so. Perfect prep school grades. School supplies arranged eight inches apart at exact angles. Timed phone calls with her mother. Scheduled hook-ups with her boyfriend Ben on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. Read more…