Now Offering: Premiere Critiques

 Hello, all!

It's been a while since I've worn my editor's cap, but I've decided, at least for a little while, to offer limited services to any writers who might need them. In short, I'm bringing back my Premiere Critique on a first come, first served basis.

WHAT IS A PREMIERE CRITIQUE?

A Premiere Critique is an editorial letter and a detailed line edit of the first 75 pages of your completed, polished manuscript.  I will complete your critique within 1 week of your having hired me. 

Things to think about:

• If nobody has ever read your work before (as in, ever), then don't hire me.  Find a critique partner.
• If this is your Very First Novel, then I am not the editor for you.  My time--and your money--is better served if you have a novel or two under your belt, and if your current manuscript is clean.  (Clean doesn't mean "perfect": it just means...clean.  Polished and proofread.)
• I will edit most genres, but if you're not sure, please check with me in your introductory email.  I will absolutely not accept erotica or erotic romance, and I also do not accept memoirs.  My strengths are YA and MG, though I've done a sizable number of adult critiques in the past.  My true loves are fantasy and science fiction, but again, I'm open to all the things, other than my exceptions noted above.

The cost:

• A Premiere Critique costs $260.  I will require a $130 dollar down payment, and the remaining $130 will be due after you've received my critique.
• Payments are accepted via Paypal or Venmo. 

If you have questions or would like to go ahead and reserve a spot, please email me at authoressedits@gmail.com. 

Our Tenth Birthday Giveaway!!

It's happening--Miss Snark's First Victim is celebrating TEN WHOLE YEARS this Wednesday, April 4!

To celebrate, there will be an exclusive interview and Q&A session with Elayne Becker, my lovely editor at Tor Teen.  As in, SHE WILL ANSWER ALL YOUR QUESTIONS!  So be sure to stop by and ask them.  (And remember--some questions are universal, so don't feel like you can't ask a question if you don't write what Tor Teen publishes.  ASK ANYWAY! This session is for everyone.)

In addition to the Q&A, we are having a HUGE BOOK GIVEAWAY FROM TOR TEEN! I'm super excited to offer these books, and a few ARCs, to you.

I mean, LOOK AT THESE BEAUTIES!

So, how do you win?  Easy! On Wednesday, I'll post a Rafflecopter entry form, which will give you a few different options for entering (you may choose as many as you'd like for extra entries!).  Winners will be announced on Thursday.

IMPORTANT: This contest is US-only. I HATE THAT, but there's really no way around it.  It's true that the majority of my readers are in North America, but I know that some of you hail from elsewhere on the globe. I'm sorry!

Several people will win a single title, and then there will be one grand prize winner who will receive A WHOLE BOX OF BOOKS.

Here are the titles:

Like Never and Always by Ann Aguirre

When I Cast Your Shadow by Sarah Porter

Roar by Cora Carmack

Dare You to Lie by Amber Lynn Natusch

Dark of the West by Joanna Hathaway

Blood and Sand by C.V.Wyk

The Echo Room by Parker Peevyhouse

Metaltown by Kristen Simmons

Windwitch by Susan Dennard

The Dark Intercept by Julia Keller

To Catch a Killer by Sheryl Scarborough

YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS! Mark your calendars for Wednesday and get your questions ready for Elayne.

T minus 2 days to Birthday Hoopla!

On Gabrielle Harbowy and My First Published Story

I have a lot to thank this gal for.

Years ago, for no reason that is clear to me, Gabrielle Harbowy took an interest in me--or at least in my blog.  In 2010, she interviewed me for her blog (the link is no longer active, else I would share it), which was a big dose of affirmation for me.  The following year, I met her for breakfast in San Francisco, and she posed for what has turned out to be one of my favorite pictures of people-wearing-my-red-hat.  She was utterly lovely, and made me feel like she was honestly glad to meet me.

You have to admit she wears the hat well!

For those of you who don't know Gabrielle, here is her bio:

Gabrielle Harbowy copyedits professionally and is a submissions editor at the Hugo-nominated Apex Magazine. With Ed Greenwood, she co-edited the award-nominated When the Hero Comes Home anthology series; their latest anthology endeavor is Women in Practical Armor, from Evil Girlfriend Media. Her short fiction can be found in several anthologies, including Carbide Tipped Pens from Tor. She’s also the author of two novels: Hellmaw: Of the Essence (TEGG) – which won Runner-Up in the Science Fiction/Fantasy category at the San Francisco Book Festival, and Gears of Faith (Paizo). For more information, visit her online at @gabrielle_h or gabrielleharbowy.com.

Gabrielle has been a big supporter and participator on this blog over the years, showing her face in places like The Baker's Dozen and Adorable Editors as well as announcing open submissions for Dragon Moon Press (and nabbing authors!).  I've always been grateful for this.

I was especially grateful, though, when, in 2012, Gabrielle invited me to submit a short story for an upcoming anthology from Dragon Moon.  When the anthology was published in 2013, the only thing I wasn't happy about was that I couldn't share it here on the blog, because of, yanno, the anonymity.  (Which is now gone!  Hooray!)

So it gives me great pleasure to finally let you know about WHEN THE HERO COMES HOME 2, a collection of science fiction and fantasy stories by a wide range of authors.  I'm honored that Beginning, my first short story, is included in this terrific mix!

You can buy your copy at AMAZON or BARNES AND NOBLE or INDIEBOUND.

Of course I'm dying to hear someone say, "Hey, I've read this! Never dreamed Jillian Boehme was Authoress!"  If that's you, please don't hold back!

Thank you, Gabrielle, for the part you've played in my writing journey.  And thank you for being a friend.

Amazing Editing Services For Serious Writers

You may or may not have heard me gush about the fabulous Adam Heine.  He's been my colleague/friend/critique partner for a number of years now, and he wrote this awesome book:

Izanimi's Choice by Adam Heine

Adam amazes me for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that he lives in Thailand and is a foster (and biological) dad to more children than you could possibly imagine living under one roof.

It's thrilling for ALL WRITERS that this man has now hung his official editing shingle.  I can honestly say that I couldn't imagine not sending my work to Adam for critique.  Adam is a master worldbuilder, and he's adept at poking holes in worlds that need shoring up.  (And when I get something right and he praises me? It's like Sudden Christmas.)  His in-line notes are relevant, thoughtful, and infused with his special brand of humor.  (Seriously, I laugh out loud. And everyone needs a bit of out-loud laughter in the midst of reading a critique, yes?)

I recommend him to you with great enthusiasm!  Here are his own words:

I've been writing (professionally) and editing (unprofessionally) for years, but I've recently opened up my services as a professional editor. I love helping authors, whether seasoned novelists or those still on the road to publishing, and I offer several different levels of editing -- including a sample edit so you can try before you buy. My specialty is speculative fiction (all categories), but I'll edit anything.

So if you'd like to have a professional author with an obsessive eye for detail take a look at your novel, I'm your guy. More detailed information can be found here: Editing Services

Kickstarter Campaign for WOMEN IN PRACTICAL ARMOR

Editor Gabrielle Harbowy is a long-time supporter of this blog -- and a personal friend and mentor.  Please take a moment to read about this EXCITING NEW PROJECT:

It's the final push for the WOMEN IN PRACTICAL ARMOR kickstarter. This is an anthology of 20 fantasy stories about the kind of already-empowered female warriors who know to cover their bellies when they go into battle. Edited by Gabrielle Harbowy and Ed Greenwood, to be published by Evil Girlfriend Media, this anthology met its crowd funding goal in the first 48 hours.

So why does it need your help? Because we've got just hours to go. And if we hit our next stretch goal, less than $2000 away, we'll be able to fund the second anthology in the series: WOMEN IN COMFORTABLE SHOES, stories about empowered female rogues, thieves, assassins, and other women who aren't afraid to do it solo, silently, and in the shadows.

Every dollar helps, and even a $1 pledge keeps you in the loop for everything going on with this exciting series, and goes toward further books from an award-nominated editorial team committed to showcasing emerging authors.

GO HERE TO SUPPORT THIS KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN NOW!

Showcase: Our 2012 Baker's Dozen Authors and Editors

It's exciting and heady and sometimes breathtaking when the agents start placing their bids during the Baker's Dozen Agent Auction.  But it's also a hard truth that I can't guarantee that each of the 60 entries will receive bids.  That's life, right?

What I can guarantee, however, is that each of the 60 entries will receive a critique from one published author and one editor, in addition to all the feedback from our community.  It's with great pleasure that I introduce to you our participating authors and editors!

THE ADULT ENTRIES

Author: Stephanie Thornton

I'm a high school history teacher obsessed with Hatshepsut and Theodora. I'd stalk them if I could, but they're kind of dead, so I wrote books about them instead. I'm represented by Marlene Stringer of Stringer Literary Agency. My debut novel, THE SECRET HISTORY: A NOVEL OF EMPRESS THEODORA, will be published by NAL/Penguin in July 2013. DAUGHTER OF THE GODS will hit the shelves Winter 2013-14, followed by an upcoming novel about the daughters of Genghis Khan.

Author Website




 

Editor: Peter Senftleben

Peter Senftleben is an assistant editor at Kensington Books, which he joined in 2006 after sharpening his editorial skills and red pencil while working at literary agencies. A graduate of Tulane University with a degree in chemical engineering and math (yes, math), Peter occasionally indulges the numbers side of his brain with a challenging Sudoku puzzle or by baking, but he can more often be seen watching trashy television shows.

Peter’s varied list of authors include T. Greenwood, Ken Wheaton, J.H. Trumble, Lisa Plumley, Christie Kelley, Theresa Meyers, Kira Brady, J.A. Kazimer, Annelise Ryan, and Jeffrey Allen, among others.  You can follow him on Twitter at @gr8thepeter.




THE YA/MG ENTRIES

AUTHOR: Myra McEntire


Myra McEntire knows the words to every R&B hit of the last decade, but since she lives in Nashville, the country music capital of America, her lyrical talents go sadly unappreciated. She’s chosen, instead, to channel her “mad word skills” into creating stories.

She’s an avid Doctor Who fan and will argue passionately about which incarnation is the best.  Her novels, Hourglass and Timepiece, are published by Egmont USA.

Author Website







Editor: Alison Weiss

Alison Weiss has been with Egmont USA almost since the company’s start. As an assistant editor, she focuses mainly on middle grade and young adult fiction. In addition to assisting on projects from Egmont’s stable of talented authors, including Walter Dean Myers, Christopher Myers, Tony Abbott, and Myra McEntire, she’s worked with Lindsay Eland (A Summer of Sundays – Fall 2013), Mike A. Lancaster (Human.4; The Future We Left Behind), Kristina McBride (One Moment), Penny Warner (The Code Busters Club series),  Lynn Kiele Bonasia (Countess Nobody), Aimee Ferris (Will Work for Prom Dress), Glenn Dakin (The Candle Man series), Kristin Clark Venuti (The Butler Gets a Break), Ali Sparkes (Frozen in Time), and Kate le Vann (Things I Know About Love). She’s just acquired rights to New York Times best-selling author Jessica Verday’s new series, Of Monsters and Madness.

Alison is Egmont’s resident Twitter correspondent (@EgmontUSA) and hosts monthly Q&A sessions with teen writers at Write On!

Announcing Open Submissions at Dragon Moon Press

Sparkly editor Gabrielle Harbowy has asked that I let you know about Dragon Moon Press's open submissions period, which is running through December 31, 2010. Dragon Moon Press's roster of authors includes winners and finalists of writing awards like ForeWord Book of the Year, the Bram Stoker Award, Sir Julius Vogel, IPPY and Endeavour.

And let's not forget that they've been part of the success story of our own J.M. Frey. (Read her SUCCESS STORY HERE.)

Submission guidelines and info on Dragon Moon Press can be found HERE.

Also, more info and resources are available on Gabrielle's blog.