#PitchWars First 250 Critique Offer

O hai! I’m offering critiques on your first 250 words for #PitchWars. These are the rules (in so much as I have rules):

1. Send me an email (annemariewrites at gmail dot com) with your first 250 words pasted in the body. No query. No synopsis. And “Chapter One” doesn’t count against your 250. If this stops in the middle of a sentence, finish the sentence.
2. Add “#PitchWars250” in the subject line + your novel’s title.
3. Please let me know your age range (MG, YA, NA, or Adult) and your genre (contemporary, thriller, historical, etc.).
4. Leave a comment on this post with your title, in case my spam folder eats your email. (Has happened once already. Ah, technology!)

What I’m offering:

If I were an agent, I’ll let you know if I would request more pages + why or why not. I’ll give you line edits. I’m not going to be mean, but I will be honest and professional. This is just my opinion. No one but you can write the story of your heart! I’m aiming for a one-day turnaround. If you have follow-up questions, don’t hesitate to ask. 😀 Oh, and if you make changes, I’m 100% happy to look over the sample again.

I’m a voracious reader, a YA novel and short story writer, and an editor with a small press. I love seeing how books evolve. Even if I pass on your first 250, it’s just one opinion. I hope you’ll continue working on your craft and entering contests. And if I say “yes”, the same thing goes.

To get a feel for my reading tastes, here’s a list of some of my fav reads (alphabetical by author):

The Curse Workers trilogy by Holly Black
How the Irish Saved Civilization: the Untold Story of Ireland’s Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe by Thomas Cahill
The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
Grendel by John Gardner
The Wandering Unicorn by Manuel Mujica Láinez (trans. by Mary Fitton)
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
Stiff: the Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
The Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (trans. by Lucia Graves)

You don’t need to follow me on Twitter, or my blog, or anything like that. If you want to signal boost this offer, that would be lovely but not required. Sound good?

❤

Edit to add: This offer is open until 8/15, so that you’ll have a couple days to incorporate changes, or at least have a chance to mull over my comments.

#PitchWars Mentee Hopeful Bio

Anne’s #PimpMyBio

aka

I’ve been writing with publication in mind for a few years now. Even with my background in English Literature and love for reading and editing, I need a mentor. I’m willing to work hard and soak up everything you have to share with me. Here are some things about me:

1. I like wine. Especially chocolate and dessert wines.
2. Many of my summer vacations were spent on the Jersey Shore—Surf City! The “Jaws” movies were always on TV. Subsequently, I’m terrified and fascinated (read: fascified) by great white sharks. My fear is totally justified!
3. When I was wee I read comics (not so much now). I wanted to grow up to be a superhero. Unfortunately, I’m not an angel, mutant, alien, or Amazonian.
4. I’m on of those rare writers that doesn’t care for coffee or caffeine. Like, at all. It makes me shake like a chihuahua (which, oddly enough, I couldn’t find a gif for).
5. My owner is a 30lb beagle named Brody. His AKC name is Martin Brodeur, but I couldn’t call him “Marty” because what if he and the real Marty ever met? Awkward. Brody’s also referred to as the “Circus Dog” because he does a number of tricks. A stranger taught him this one:
6. I ❤ taking scenery photographs. I’m in no way a pro, but I do share them on Instagram.
7. My favorite shows are Supernatural and The Walking Dead. (Also, Elementary. Also, The Last Comic Standing.)
8. I’ve worked as a Zamboni driver, a website coder, a hockey columnist, and an IT Support Tech among other jobs. Zamboni driver was fun until I crashed into the boards. La la la. The photo below was not me. I swear.
9. Sports. Sports. All the sports. I support all my Colorado home teams, but I’m also a fan of the New Jersey Devils (they were the Colorado Rockies first!). I was the lacrosse manager in high school, so I’m pretty good at taking stats during games. I played hockey with a gay men’s team for a few years. Best. Time. Ever.
10. Lastly

♥ ♥ ♥ Regardless of whether my MS is picked or not, I wanted to say THANK YOU to all the mentors, agents, and especially the hostess, Brenda Drake, for all of your time and commitment to this amazing opportunity. And thanks to those of you (like Jen Malone, Melissa Albert, & Caitlin Sinead) who are giving away free query and first page critiques. You rock! ♥ ♥ ♥

Go here to check out more #PimpMyBios. Because they are full of awesome.

Anne’s Book Club 11

Cimmerian Tales

The Strange Maid by Tessa Gratton (summary from Goodreads.com):

Fans of Neil Gaiman, Holly Black, and Maggie Stiefvater will embrace the richly drawn, Norse-influenced alternate world of the United States of Asgard, where cell phones, rock bands, and evangelical preachers coexist with dragon slaying, rune casting, and sword training in schools. Where the president runs the country alongside a council of Valkyries, gods walk the red carpet with Hollywood starlets, and the U.S. military has a special battalion dedicated to eradicating Rocky Mountain trolls.

Signy Valborn was seven years old when she climbed the New World Tree and met Odin Alfather, who declared that if she could solve a single riddle, he would make her one of his Valkyrie. For ten years Signy has trained in the arts of war, politics, and leadership, never dreaming that a Greater Mountain Troll might hold the answer to the riddle, but that’s exactly…

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Anne’s Book Club 08

Cimmerian Tales

Summerset Abbey by T. J. Brown (summary from Amazon.com):

1913: In a sprawling manor on the outskirts of London, three young women seek to fulfill their destinies and desires amidst the unspoken rules of society in this stunning series starter that fans of Downton Abbey will love.

Rowena Buxton

Sir Philip Buxton raised three girls into beautiful and capable young women in a bohemian household that defied Edwardian tradition. Eldest sister Rowena was taught to value people, not wealth or status. But everything she believes will be tested when Sir Philip dies, and the girls must live under their uncle’s guardianship at the vast family estate, Summerset Abbey. Standing up for a beloved family member sequestered to the “underclass” in this privileged new world, and drawn into the Cunning Coterie, an exclusive social circle of aristocratic “rebels,” Rowena must decide where her true passions—and loyalties—lie.

Victoria Buxton

Frail in body…

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Warm Up for Winter Giveaway with Musa Publishing

Enter daily to win one of 17 promotional paperbacks
 

Outlaws by William Weldy

Only A Hero Will Do by Susan Lodge

First Frost by Liz DeJesus

Glass Frost by Liz DeJesus

Trusting Sydney by Helen Hardt

Taming Angelina by Helen Hardt

Treasuring Amber by Helen Hardt

2012: The Rising by Joanne Hirase

Typical Day by Gary K. Wolf

Obsession by JoAnne Keltner

Stained Glass byMindy Hardwick

Grape Bubblegum by Beth Bowland

Dragon Drop by Jerry Ackerman

New Girl by Joan B. Flood

The Fox’s Mask by Anna Frost

Unforgettable You by Marci Boudreaux

Storm’s Fury by Nya Rayne

And one of 30 e-books:

3.99 by Richard Satterlie

100,000 Midnights by Aaron Smith

A Company of Thieves by David Pilling

A Place to Call Their Own by L. Dean Pace-Frech

A Reason To Stay by L.S. Murphy

A Sense of the Ridiculous by Heather King

A Willing Spirit by Cindi Myers

Alaska Heat by Vella Munn

An Incident on MSR Tampa by SS Hampton, Sr

Apple of My Eye by Elizabeth Botts

Baiting The Hook by Mary S. Palmer & David Wilton

Between by Clarissa Johal

Black Widow by Lena Austin

Bring Me To Life by Scarlett Parrish

Captain Westwood’s Inheritance by Lynda Dunwell

Contingency Plan by Anita Ensal

Crazy Greta by David Hardy

Daughter of the Earth and Sky by Kaitlin Bevis

Deep Into The Night by Tracie Ingersoll Loy

Dragon Revealed by Nulli Para Ora

Enchanted Realms by Eleni Konstantine

Forget the Misteltoe by Lizzie T. Leaf

Her Goblin Prince by Thalia Frost

High Stakes by Chad Strong

ICE blue by Susan Rae

Identity Thief by Milo James Fowler

Keeper of Directions by L.K. Mitchell

Kojiki by Keith Yatsuhashi

Little Bird by Liza Gaines

Looney Dunes by Anne Skalitza

Masquerade by Sloane Taylor

All entrants are eligible for the Grand Prize Drawing January 31

Grand Prize 

Warm Up for Winter Basket

Snuggly Blanket

$20.00 Musa Gift Certificate 

Starbucks Coffee

Coffee Mug

Specialty Chocolates

 PLUS
 5 paperback books: 

Marissa’s Choice by Kadee McDonald

The Dominus Runes by Peter Lukes

Walking the Dog by Linda Benson

Love Lies Bleeding by Laini Giles

For his Love by Nya Rayne

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winners of paperback books who reside outside the Continental United States will receive their prize in e-book format.

Lists of 2013

These are my lists of books and movies watched during 2013. I wish my book list was longer, but many of them were like three books in one. (I’m looking at you, George R. R. Martin!) I also have a few books on my Kindle that I’m not quite done with yet.

Books:

1. A Clash of Kings: a Song of Ice and Fire, Book 2; George RR Martin (SciFi) 770
2. A Storm of Swords: a Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3; George RR  Martin (SciFi) 992
3. A Feast for Crows: a Song of Ice and Fire, Book 4; George RR Martin (SciFi) 865
4. Days of Blood and Starlight; Laini Taylor (YA) 528
5. A Dance with Dragons: a Song of Ice and Fire, Book 5; George RR Martin (Scifi) 1040
6. Something Strange & Deadly; Susan Dennard (YA) 388
7. The Blood Keeper; Tessa Gratton (YA) 419
8. Paper Valentines; Brenna Yovanoff (YA) 304
9. The Raven Boys; Maggie Stiefvater (YA) 408
10. In Darkness; Nick Lake (YA) 337
11. The Summer Prince; Alaya Dawn Johnson (YA) 289
12. Gone, Gone, Gone; Hannah Moskowitz (YA) 251
13. Teeth; Hannah Moskowitz (YA) 246
14. The Forgotten Garden; Kate Morton (F) 549
15. The Big Bang Theory and Philosophy: rock, paper, scissors, Aristotle, Locke; ed. by Dean A. Kowalski (NF) 260
16. World War Z: an oral history of the zombie war; Max Brooks (F) 342
17. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay: a novel; Michael Chabon (F) 636
18. Unspoken: the Lynburn Legacy Book I; Sarah Rees Brennan (YA) 384
19. Nightspell; Leah Cypress (YA) 326
20. The Lost Sun: the United States of Asgard Book I; Tessa Gratton (YA) 350
21. The Aeneid; Virgil (Poetry) 334
22. People Who Eat Darkness: the True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Toyko – and the Evil that Swallowed Her Up; Richard Lloyd Parry (NF) 454
23. Ash; Malinda Lo (YA – retelling) 264
24. Huntress; Malinda Lo (YA) 371
25. Scarlet: the Lunar Chronicles; Marissa Meyer (YA) 452
26. Seraphina; Rachel Hartman (YA) 464
27. Legend; Marie Lu (YA) 305
28. Adaptation; Malinda Lo (YA) 386
29. Defy the Dark; ed. by Saundra Mitchell (YA) 474
30. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea; April Genevieve Tucholke (YA) 360
31. The Bitter Kingdom; Rae Carson (YA) 433
32. Antigoddess; Kendare Blake (YA) 336
33. The Dream Thieves: Book II of the Raven Cycle; Maggie Stiefvater (YA) 437
34. The Handmaid’s Tale; Margaret Atwood (F) 311
35. Eleanor & Park; Rainbow Rowell (YA) 328
36. The Bone Season: a novel; Samantha Shannon (YA) 466
37. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan; Lisa See (F) 265
38. Peony in Love; Lisa See (F) 294
39. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown; Holly Black (YA) 419
40. Gorgon: Paleontology, Obsession, and the Greatest Catastrophe in Earth’s History; Peter D. Ward (NF) 237

Movies:

1. Magic Mike; Steven Soderbergh (2012)
2. Gladiator; Ridley Scott (1999)
3. Troy; Wolfgang Petersen (2004)
4. Into the Fire; Michael Phelan (2005)
5. Silver Linings Playbook; David O. Russell (2012)
6. The Avengers; Joss Whedon (2012)
7. Young Adult; Jason Reitman (2011)
8. Atonement; Joe Wright (2007)
9. Star Trek: Into Darkness; J. J. Abrams (2013)
10. Star Trek; J. J. Abrams (2009)
11. City of Angels; Brad Silberling (1998)
12. The Little Mermaid; Ron Clements & John Musker (1989)
13. The X-Files: Fight the Future; Rob Bowman (1998)
14. Shattered Glass; Billy Ray (2003)
15. The X-Files: I Want to Believe; Chris Carter (2008)
16. Brave; Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, & Steve Purcell (2012)
17. Warm Bodies; Jonathan Levine (2013)
18. Iron Man 3; Shane Black (2013)
19. World War Z; Marc Forster (2013)
20. Thor; Kenneth Branagh (2011)
21. The Damned United; Tom Hooper (2009)
22. Kapringen (A Hijacking); Tobias Lindholm (2012)
23. Dredd; Pete Travis (2012)

Anne’s Cimmerian Tales Book Club 03

Cimmerian Tales

Halloween is my favorite holiday. As a tiny human, “I cut my teeth on horror books in the darkness” (sung to Lorde’s Royals). There’s something visceral and vitally important about being scared. And what better way to do it than under your covers with a flashlight in one hand and a good book in the other?

In honor of the season, and to get you in the spirit, here are five books perfect for nighttime reading (listed in the order of publication):

1. Pet Sematary by Stephen King
   Amazon description:

   “Sometimes dead is better….”

   When the Creeds move into a beautiful old house in rural Maine, it all seems too good to be true: physician father, beautiful wife, charming little daughter, adorable infant son — and now an idyllic home.

   As a family, they’ve got it all…right down to the friendly cat. But the nearby woods hide a blood-chilling truth…

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Anne’s Cimmerian Tales Book Club

Cimmerian Tales

Golden by Jessi Kirby (summary from Amazon.com):

Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost has never taken the road less traveled. Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she’s about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules. So when fate drops a clue in her lap—one that might be the key to unraveling a town mystery—she decides to take a chance.

Julianna Farnetti and Shane Cruz are remembered as the golden couple of Summit Lakes High—perfect in every way, meant to be together forever. But Julianna’s journal tells a different story—one of doubts about Shane and a forbidden romance with an older, artistic guy. These are the secrets that were swept away with her the night that Shane’s jeep plunged into an icy river, leaving behind a grieving town and no bodies to bury.

Reading Julianna’s journal gives Parker the courage to start to really live—and it also gives…

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Fantasy Race Series: Mermaids

One of my fav mythological beasts!

Where Landsquid Fear to Tread

This week we veer away from the undead and the angelic and look into a race with that generates more of a splash. Ah, mermaids, temptresses of the sea. Sometimes they frolick through the waves, sometimes they lead sailors to their deaths. Here to tell us all about the children of the sea is Anne Marie, who is a lovely person and provided her own media to go with this post. This is a woman who knows what she’s talking about.

Mermaids

“Far out in the ocean the water is as blue as the petals of the loveliest cornflower, and as clear as the purest glass. But it is very deep too. It goes down deeper than any anchor rope will go, and many, many steeples would have to be stacked one on top of another to reach from the bottom to the surface of the sea. It is down…

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A Whole New Year

Photo © Copyright Anne Marie, 2012.

I haven’t yet had a chance to write 2013. Guess the first time will be on my February rent check. Jen and I stuffed 12 Gummi Bears into our mouths as the clock ticked down to midnight. It’s supposed to be grapes, in the Spanish tradition, but we saw Les Misérables (which is really long) and didn’t make it to the store before they closed. Last year I managed to complete 3/4 of the things on my list. This year I hope to match that or better.

Here are my 12 New Year Resolutions for all the world to see:

1. Detail and fix car, or buy a new one
2. Go back to being vegan instead of vegetarian
3. Do something nice for myself 3 times a year (new shoes, pedicure, etc)
4. Get open-water diving certification
5. Wear make-up for more than “special occasions”
6. Buy more eBooks and less paper books
7. Write
   1. Finish U by April
   2. Query TSC again, or let it go
   3. Attend at least one writer’s conference
   4. Submit more short stories
8. Go to a Broncos play-off game
9. Find out more about adoption
10. Either watch the movies from Netflix, or cancel my account (I’ve had the same disk since March of 2012 – OMG)
11. Learn a new skill (2010 = guitar, 2011 = crochet, 2012 = Comp TIA A+)
12. Go somewhere I’ve never been before.

How about you? What things are you planning for 2013?