One Pitch Wars Spot . . . Who Wants It?

Photo by Lotus Head

Some of you might find it most endearing that I love to travel and experience different cultures, or that I’m a vegetarian who would never go vegan and give up ice cream and cheese. Or maybe when you hear that Grease is my all-time favorite movie, you don’t care what my writing qualifications are. But, for those of you who are still wondering why I’d be a good mentor, here goes. I’m an elementary teacher, and believe me, third grade writing conferences count as experience. I can spot a grammar error or choppy sentence flow like it’s a semi-truck whizzing past me.

I’m a freelance educational writer, and you’ll find a handy list of links to my work over at my website, Teacher’s Idea. I’m a Middle Grade writer, represented by Kerry Sparks of the Levine Greenberg Literary Agency and I am constantly reading, writing, or critiquing with a fabulous list of critique partners. I’m fairly certain they’d all vouch for me. Um, right, you guys? 

I believe in pointing out the strengths in a manuscript as well as what might need work, I love to chat about ideas, and if your manuscript needs a polish, I always have my cleaning gear ready. :) 

 

So, if you’re interested, here’s what I’d love to find for my Middle Grade team . . .

Contemporary
Contemporary with Magical Elements
Mystery/Adventure
Light Fantasy/Light Sci-Fi

I'm most drawn to MG stories grounded in reality- contemporary or contemporary with magical elements. I’d even go light fantasy and light sci-fi, but I prefer stories based in our world. I also love combinations of mystery and adventure or either one on its own. I’m not your girl for straight up historical, but if it has a dash of history thrown in, it’s a yes! I like fun, clever, stories with strong or developing relationships, whether it's family, friendship, or first love. Most of all, give me great characters and a story that keeps me turning the pages.

Now the only question is, what do you have for me? :)

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Submissions start today (11/26) ! The cut off time to get your applications (query & first five pages of manuscript) in is 8PM EST on December 5.

Send your applications to brendadrakecontests@gmail.com. Writers can apply for up to 3 coaches. The coaches' categories are set. Coaches can only consider the categories they've signed up for. Writers cannot apply for a coach that is not in their category.

For additional information about this contest go HERE.

· This is open to finished manuscripts only.

· You may only enter one manuscript.

· Only the genres requested by each coach will be considered for the contest.

Formatting...

Subject line: Pitch Wars Application: Coach Name you want to apply for: Title (Example: Pitch Wars Application: Brenda Drake: GONE WITH THE WIND)

Name: Your Name

Genre: The genre of your manuscript

Word Count: The word count of your manuscript

Query letter here (embedded in email). Single spaced. No indentions. A space between each paragraph.

First five pages of the manuscript here (embedded in email). Single spaced. No indentions. A space between each paragraph.

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REMINDER: You can send an application for up to 3 coaches. 

Check back soon for a complete list of the amazing agents participating in the contest. There's over a dozen!

Today all the coaches are posting bios/wish lists on their blogs. So before choosing your top 3 picks, check all the coaches' posts in your category before deciding which coach to submit. To jump from blog to blog, just click on our pictures below.

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