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ÌýThis is the original critique format for Miss Snark's First Victim, and the format used for the Secret Agent Contests and legendary Baker's Dozen Contests (now retired).Ìý We haven't done this for quite some time, so I'm keeping it small--a maximum of 10 entries this time.

Here are the submission instructions:

Submission window: Friday, February 26, from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm CST.Submit your entry .Genres: All genres except erotica/erotic fiction are eligible, in all categories (age groups).No picture books or non-fiction. Narrative non-fiction is acceptable.Please submit: The first 250 words of your manuscript.This is a lottery. 10 entries will be chosen by the bot after submissions have closed.Please do not end your excerpt in the middle of a
The winning entries will post to the blog on Monday, March 1, and will be immediately available for public critique. If your excerpt is chosen for the contest, I request that you critique at least 3 other entries (pay it forward, always!).Ìý
Please post your questions below!

I've gotta say--I was so encouraged by the response to Friday's poll. Thank you so much!Ìý

Admittedly, I didn't take my time choosing a widget for the poll. (Blogger used to have one, but apparently they've gotten rid of it.) The one I chose, as I'm sure you noticed after voting, does not show the results. Kind of silly, yes?

There's more. The data they share is pretty convoluted, and I ended up having to use old fashioned tally marks on a sheet of paper! Basically, instead of simply telling me how many votes each of the six choices received, they shared all possible combinations of votesÌýand how many of each of thoseÌýwere received. So, for instance, it told me how many people voted for "Secret Agent" and "Critique Partner Speed Dating". And then it told me how many people voted for "Secret Agent" and "Are You Hooked" and "Critique Partner Speed Dating". It wasn't particularly helpful.

BUT I'VE GOT THE NUMBERS, ANYWAY! And here they are:

SECRET AGENT: 51 votes

ARE YOU HOOKED: 36 votes

FIRST 3 WORDS: 25 votes

CRITIQUE PARTNER SPEED DATING: 21 votes

DROP THE NEEDLE: 21 votes

TALKING HEADS: 12 votes

Obviously, the SECRET AGENT CONTEST is a big winner! Not that I'm surprised. Unfortunately, I can't just pull one of those out of my hat; they are always scheduled several months in advance.

MY PLEDGE TO YOU: I will get on this right away after my release hoopla has died down!

So the plan is this: We will have an ARE YOU HOOKED critique very soon--STAY TUNED!

For anyone who is new here:

ARE YOU HOOKED is an in-house critique in which writers submit the opening 250 words of their manuscript for public critique.Ìý

IN OTHER NEWS:

A reminder that I'm currently running a special The Stolen KingdomÌýpreorder giveaway just for writers! The prize is a 30-minute FaceTime or Zoom meeting with me, to discuss your WIP or writing in general. (And if you send me your first chapter prior to the call, I will critique it.)

!

And, finally, please be sure you're . That's where I spend most of my time these days, and it's where you'll be able to connect with me most quickly.

Get your first pages in order! I'll be back soon with instructions.Ìý

Ìý

My dear fellow writers!

I miss our interaction. I miss this blog. Every time I sit down and look at it and say to myself, "I really need to do something here," I feel overwhelmed and shut it back down. And then someone says something like this: "oh it's so good to see your blogs again! please tell us you're coming back soon to host more hijinks!" And I go all gooey inside.

SO HERE'S WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO: Please take a minute to answer this poll. It will give me starting place for something in-house, for starters.Ìý

Also! If there's something you'd like to see that isn't included in the poll, please leave your suggestion/request in the comments below.
Spread the word! I can't promise the level of activity that we used to enjoy here, but there's no reason why I can't commit to some regular critiques and the occasional Secret Agent contest.
There. I've said it. Now hold me to it!

Ìý

Hello, friends!

Life has taken me far away from this blog, even though I keep telling myself I'm going to come back. For the record, I am no longer on Facebook and I seldom check in on Twitter. I'm most active on Instagram, though, so I hope you'll !

I'm writing today, though, to let you in on a PREORDER SPECIAL JUST FOR WRITERS that I've offered to subscribers of my newsletter and am now offering to you. If you preorder THE STOLEN KINGDOM before March 2, you can enter to win the following:

A free, 30-minute FaceTime or Zoom chat with me, to discuss your WIP and answer any writerly questions you'd like to ask. BONUS: If you send me your first chapter prior to the call, I will have notes for you!

Depending on how many entries I get, I may offer a second 30-minute chat so that I can give away two of them. Stay tuned!

Thank you, as always, for your support. Also? If you have a minute, please say hello in the comments. I MISS THIS COMMUNITY!!

ÌýHello, 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. ÌýI will complete your critique within 1 week of your having hired me.Ìý

Things to think about:

If nobody has ever read your work before (as in, ever), then don't hire me. ÌýFind a critique partner.If this is your Very First Novel, then I am not the editor for you. ÌýMy time--and your money--is better served if you have a novel or two under your belt, and if your current manuscript is clean. Ìý(Clean doesn't mean "perfect": it just means...clean. ÌýPolished and proofread.)I will edit most genres, but if you're not sure, please check with me in your introductory email. ÌýI will absolutely not accept erotica or erotic romance, and I also do not accept memoirs. ÌýMy strengths are YA and MG, though I've done a sizable number of adult critiques in the past. ÌýMy 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. ÌýI 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.ÌýIf you have questions or would like to go ahead and reserve a spot, please email me at [email protected].Ìý

Ìý

Hello, friends!

STORMRISE will be out in paperback one month from today, and I'm offering a little preorder giveaway to celebrate.

What to do:

1. Preorder STORMRISE from any bookstore before November 2.

2. Email a screen shot or scan of your receipt to me at [email protected].

3. IMPORTANT: Please include your mailing address in the body of the email!

4. You will receive a signed bookmark within a few weeks.

That's it! All I ask is a little grace--today is moving day, and it'll admittedly take me a while to get settled in our apartment. I promise I'll make every effort to organize myself as quickly as possible so you won't have to wait too long. :)

Cheers! And as always, thank you.Ìý

ÌýCONGRATULATIONS to the following entries:

#1 THE BENEFICIARYÌý#21 DESTROYING ENEMIES WITH LOVEÌý#25 THE GOOD FIGHT
THE PRIZE: Ms. Wessbecher would like to see the first 50 pages of your manuscript.
Winners--please email me at [email protected] for specific submission instructions.
To everyone who entered: THANK YOU and WELL DONE! I hope you have found the feedback helpful and the experience positive.
Yay to all!

Huge thanks to Katherine Wessbecher of for her excellent secret-agenting!
Katherine's bio:
Katherine Wessbecher joined the Bradford Literary Agency in 2020. Katherine began her publishing career at Penguin, where she edited children’s and YA books at Putnam Books for Young Readers. She then served as the science and technology editor of an academic book review journal before joining the agency world. Katherine holds a B.A. in English from the College of William & Mary and lives with her husband in San Diego.

What Katherine is currently looking for:

Katherine is currently looking for children's, MG, YA, and upmarket adult fiction. She's drawn to grounded stories that transport her somewhere new (the past, an imagined world, or a different perspective on her own). A few things she'd love to see more of in her submissions inbox include stories the history books left out, unexpected narrative techniques (bring on the epistolary novels!), and more bone-dry humor.
Winners forthcoming!

For those of you who are new to the blog (hi!!), you are warmly welcomed to offer your critique on as many of the entries as you would like.

Here's the way it works:
All readers may leave critique in the comment box of each entry. ÌýWhile the critiquing is going on, our Secret Agent will appear and also leave feedback--for ALL ENTRIES! ÌýThis is great not only for the folks who entered, but for everyone who takes the time to read through to see how a literary agent responds to various opening pages.Next Monday, I will post the identity of our Secret Agent AND the winning entries
Guidelines for Critique on MSFV:Please leave your critique for each entry in the comment box for that entry.Please choose a screen name to sign your comments. The screen name DOES NOT have to be your real name; however, it needs to be an identifiable name. Ìý("Anonymous" is not a name.)Critiques should be honest but kind, helpful but sensitive.Critiques that attack the writer or are couched in unkind words will be deleted.*Cheerleading IS NOT THE SAME as critiquing. ÌýPlease don't cheerlead.Having said that, it is perfectly acceptable to say positive things about an entry that you feel is strong. ÌýTo make these positive comments more helpful, sayÌýwhyÌýit's a strong entry.ENTRANTS: As your way of "giving back", please critique a minimum of 5 other entries.
*I can't possibly read every comment. ÌýIf you ever see a comment that is truly snarky, please email me. ÌýI count on your help.

Title: The Blue Jay
Genre: MG Fantasy

The bus rolled across the pavement like a living thing, its bright yellow sides warning of danger. I stood on the sidewalk, watching the beastly vehicle inch closer, ready to swallow me whole. There was no avoiding my fate. I was doomed.

Images whirled through my mind, escaping through the cracks of my willpower as I tried to get a grip on them, predicting a disastrous chain of events. The bus crashing into a truck, rolling down a hill, landing on its back, underbelly exposed, until an explosion engulfs it in flames. The sensible part of my brain knew the chances of that happening were almost zero, but the part that insisted on imagining the worst wouldn’t see reason.

In the real world, a squeal of brakes signaled the bus’s arrival. The doors hissed open. The long line of kids in front of me began filing up the steps, laughing and joking as if our very lives weren’t hanging in the balance.

My heart rate accelerated from race car to jet plane.

Mom would say I was being dramatic.

Kyle would call me a wimp.

Anna would offer to let me borrow her stuffed lion to give me courage. Like I was a baby.

There were only two kids in front of me now. One.

I stopped just shy of the door, staring at the black rubber stripes lining the steps. My mind went through its usual routine of trying to find a way out.