The Writer’s Voice Contest is a multi-blog, multi-agent contest hosted by Cupid of Cupid’s Literary Connection, Brenda Drake of Brenda Drake Writes, Krista Van Dolzer of Mother. Write. (Repeat.) and Mónica B.W. of Love YA. We’ve based the contest on NBC’s singing reality show The Voice. So the four of us selected projects for our teams based on their queries and first pages, and later, we coached these talented writers as they polished their Read more…
Title: SUBHUMAN Genre: YA Science Fiction Word Count: 96,000 Query: 17-year-old Kensington Randall has always felt invisible – until she becomes a moving target, and the prize in a devastating global war between mankind and their alien progenitors. When arctic drilling unearths an alien ship, the discovery sets off a chain of events that leaves the Earth scorched and twisted, and steals six years of Ken’s life in an instant. Six years in which her Read more…
Title: MAD AS A HATTER Genre: YA Thriller Word Count: 60,000 Query: London, 1882. Seven years ago, Emil Aleric and his sister were kidnapped and taken to ‘Wonderland’ by a man claiming to come from the future. He called himself the Hatter. Emil survived the torture. His sister didn’t. When Emil hears of a serial killer ravaging London and leaving notes quoting Alice in Wonderland, Emil knows his former abductor has returned. And when his guardian, Read more…
Title: KIDS, INC. Genre: Middle Grade Word Count: 35,000 Query: Twelve-year-old Anna Fraser’s father always told her that necessity was the mother of invention, but for her, it was all accidental. After Anna and her genius “I skipped a grade” younger brother Chris’s class project goes missing, a little mischief in their father’s workshop results in a tasty invention— a spray that makes the grossest foods taste like cupcakes. Soon, Yuck Away Cupcake Spray becomes Read more…
Title: THE ALTERAE Genre: YA Urban Fantasy Word Count: 64,000 Query: Sixteen-year-old Emma Hawthorne agonizingly hides her ability to pick up people’s emotions and memories like a radio signal. But when she discovers her best friend’s lifeless body floating in the river, her own grief makes resisting the constant bombardment even harder. With her ability spiraling out of control and an unshakable conviction that the drowning wasn’t an accident, she launches a search for Read more…
Title: PECULIAR DARK Genre: YA Urban Fantasy Word Count: 89,000 Query: There are a few things Angela James never thought she’d do, like: 1. Throw a birthday party for a supernatural creature. 2. Break into a police officer’s apartment. 3. Wield an axe. 4. Burn a house down. 5. Kill a monster. Scratch that – kill anything, period. Let’s just say, Angela’s sophomore year isn’t exactly panning out as she’d Read more…
Title: WINNING BACK THE LOSER Genre: YA Contemporary Word Count: 65,000 Query: Sixteen-year-old ward of the state, Lulu Meriwether, has always believed she’s a victim of chance. And ending up at O’Dell High, a former all boys’ Catholic school that has just opened its doors to girls is no exception. Lulu feels lost in a sea of testosterone until she finds her niche in life: expert heart-breaker. After a string of boyfriends, she Read more…
Title: SPARK Genre: YA Paranormal Romance Word Count: 61,000 Query: It’s just like seventeen-year-old, Taisie Monahan, to fall flat on her face the first day at her new school in her deceased mother’s hometown. When the popular clique in school accepts her into their group, she goes from zero to hottie in a flash, but their friendship comes at price. When nightmares of a ghostly girl stalking Taisie her entire life invade the real world, Read more…
Title: COVETED Genre: YA Urban Fantasy Word Count: 81,000 Query: Seventeen-year-old Caleb Dunnelly would rather spend the weekend at home, searching the net for clues about his parents’ disappearance. Which is why his best friend has to trick him into going out every Friday night. The two end up at Confessions, local hotspot, and—apparently—the perfect place to be ambushed. When a couple freaks in robes set the club on fire, Caleb pulls his friend Read more…
Title: TIME BOUND Genre: YA Historical Fantasy Word Count: 64,000 Query: Sixteen-year-old Holly Kimura expects her annual visit to her grandmother in Japan to be just another summer of boredom and sushi, until she meets a mysterious local boy, Tamashi. When he saves her from a gang of thugs at the market, Holly jumps at the chance to get closer to him, hoping to unearth his secrets, and maybe steal a kiss or two. Read more…