Family Collage

Family Collage
Lots of Love in this Bunch!
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Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Amazing Contest & Humpday Reads!

As of 8:03 P.M. last night, I officially landed a spot at Querytracker's agent-judged query contest in which the super talented literary agent, Kathleen Ortiz, volunteered to critique the first 100 entries received.




Phew...I'm still stoked about this one!

You see, from countless hours of stalking Ms. Ortiz' blog (www.kortizzle.blogspot.com) and other social networks, I knew this contest would fill within minutes. So, with help from my ever-so-patient husband, I was able to sneak to my parent's home and complete the online form with nothing more than seconds to spare before the contest filled. Seriously, I barely had time to verify if I'd cut and pasted the first chapter of my YA novel successfully to the contest form.

But I did!!! *Cue confetti falling from the ceiling*

Now, to some of my friends reading this post, you may not understand what all the hoopla is about. Let me explain!

Anytime an aspiring writer *imagine ME waving a huge, red flag* receives feedback from a top-notch agent, the effort is worth this and so much more! As brutal as Ms. Ortiz' critique may be (she seems super sweet and very professional), I'm still hopeful she connects with the first chapter of my YA novel and asks for more. At this point in my writing career, any feedback is good feedback.

Okay, given that I hear little footsteps running around upstairs I'm going to quickly switch gears and list my book recommendation for this week's version of Humpday Reads.

I suggest: The Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr All her life, Aislinn has been able to see faeries, and they are everywhere, invisible to mortals except for her. And these are not your average cute Disney pixies -- they are the same size as humans, and can be very nasty, especially to those mortals who can see them. To survive, Aislinn has had to learn to pretend not to see them, and to live behind steel walls, which keep them out.
All Aislinn wants is to explore her growing relationship with Seth, finish high school, go to college, and lead a relatively normal life. But now she's being stalked by the faeries, especially one, Keenan, who is the Summer King and wants her for his Queen. Keenan is able to endure steel, and will have Aislinn whether she agrees or not -- if she doesn't, the power of his mother, the Winter Queen, will be unchecked, and winter will descend on the earth forever. (www.commonsensemedia.org)

I hope you enjoy! Tory





11 comments:

  1. Congrats! Kathleen is amazing!

    And you have a beautiful family :)

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  2. Tory, good for you! I'm so glad you made it before it filled up. I, however, was not quite fast enough. Lesson learned! My cutting and pasting was done at 5 minutes after, but by then it was too late.

    I'm curious what type of feedback you'll hear. Please let us know!

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  3. THAT IS AWESOME!!!! I can't wait to hear all about it!
    Hey, Don't forget to register the little ones for the summer reading program. Can't wait to see you guys! I also forwarded you an email about a writer's conference in Auburn in October... Road trip?? :)
    - Jess

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  4. Cheyanne, Im so glad you stopped by and hope you visit again soon.

    Julie, I swear, I don't even know how my shaky fingers pulled it off. Geez...these writing contests are nerve racking! I will DM you with any developments, I promise.

    Jess, Thank you so much for sharing info about the writer's conference. My calendar is marked w/ a HUGE red star for this one! And yes...ROADTRIP for sure!:)

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  5. Tory, what a great blog and what a beautiful family portrait! SO SWEET! I am always looking for new books for my nieces and I don't think the oldest knows of the books in the series you just reviewed, so I am off to the store to get it for her. THANK YOU! and I will be back!

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  6. Congratulations! I didn't attempt to enter the contest, but I know the competition must've been stiff.

    I've read WICKED LOVELY and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Thanks for the recommendation.

    And thank you for following and commenting on my blog. <3

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  7. I saw the contest posted but my WIP isn't ready for querying :( I'm always so impressed whenever I read any interviews with Ms. Orritz - I'm sure her feedback will be invaluable! Congrats for getting in!

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  8. Congrats on landing such an important critique, and good luck with your writing journey! I hope Kathleen loves your entry and gives you some great feedback.

    Thanks for stopping by and following my blog! I love your blog. Your kids are so cute, btw. :)

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  9. Cool! I got in too... it really did fill up fast! I think the feedback will be really valuable.

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  10. Tory,
    First of all, you have a BEAUTIFUL family! Second, that is so awesome that you got your excerp in, in time! I'm excited to hear how it goes.
    Glad our paths crossed. :)

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  11. Good luck! I hope you get exactly what you need from the agent critique, whether that be interest or just feedback for now. :-)

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