"And You Are...?" Blog Hoppin' Time

Drinking eggnog and opening presents are just a couple of the things I've been thinking about this Christmas season. But I never thought it would be this early and in the form of a bloghop. 

That's right. 

It's time for Emily and Tammy's, "And You Are...?" Bloghop!

Here's what it's all about in Emily's words:

Once eggnog hit the shelves, Mrs. Claus thought it'd be funny to "juice up" Santa's drink. Now the jolly elf is passed-out after one cup and Mrs. Claus can't keep up with the pre-Christmas demands. She's asked Tammy and me to help her out.
We told her, yeah, of course we'd help! But we're Hollywood, baby, so she'd have to speak with our assistant, David Spade.
After David picked up our dry cleaning, sorted out the green and red M&M's, and bought our kids' presents, he had a minute to sit down and tell us what Mrs. Claus wanted.
We need to give away three Christmas presents, so we're going to interview a group of people, some naughty and some nice, to find those most deserving of Santa's toys.
We threw some hot cocoa on David and told him to get on it by cutting his girly hair and going back to his '90s SNL character to start the interview process.

Cool, right? I'm always up for some presents so I answered the questions. If you want to take part too, sign up HERE and follow the rules. Simple as that. 

And now for the questions:

1. How many speeding tickets have you gotten? 

Oh crap. I'm gonna say four, but that was over a seventeen year period. 

2. Can you pitch a tent? 

Heck yeah! I used to live in one after all:)

3. What was your worst vacation ever? 

I have never had a bad vacation. Bad things have happened, like cars breaking down, my mom breaking her ribs on a ride, that sort of thing, but a vacay is a vacay. I enjoy them while they last.  

4. What was the last thing you bought over $100? 

Groceries

5. We're handing you the keys to what? 

A fully paid off house!

6. What was the last meal you cooked that made even you sick? 

I honestly couldn't say, but I can remember the last food that made me sick. It was this crab souffle at a Chinese restaurant. I've not been able to eat it since.  

7. Fill in the blank: Oh my gosh! Becky, look at her butt! It is so big. She looks like  ____? 

ME:) (Love that song, BTW)

8. What was your first car? 

1989 Maroon Ford Mustang

9. Your best friend falls and gets hurt. Do you ask if he/she's okay or laugh first? 

Depends on the fall. A trip warrants a giggle at least. A rough fall and I'm as caring as they come.

10. What's the worst song ever? 

Barbie Girl by Aqua

That was fun! I can't wait to see what everyone else answered.

Thanks, Emily and Tammy for hosting!

As a side note, I'm curious what everyone has planned for the holidays?

Pitch Polish Window Opens Today at 11 AM EST

UPDATE #2: 1st GUTGAA WINNER!!!
What a great 1st week!! The time has come to give away a little something to one of you fabulous people. If you look to the right sidebar under Helpful GUTGAA links, you will see the Prize Center. You can find the winners and what they've won there. Have a great weekend!

UPDATE: The submission window for the pitch polish is now closed. If you didn't get an email, then I'm sorry, but you didn't get in. 
If you still want eyes on your query and first 150 words, scroll down and sign up on the pitch polish blog hop. This hop will not be anonymous like the one on my blog, but can be just as helpful!

Today's the day! If you're looking for some guidance on your query and first 150 words, you've come to the right place.

At 11 AM EST I will be opening up the window for you to send me your query and first 150 words. I can only take the first 100 correctly formatted entries. So please read the following information closely.

You must be signed up for GUTGAA HERE if you want to join in this Pitch Polish

Subject line in the email needs to read: 
Pitch Polish Entry

Format required:

AUTHOR'S NAME

TITLE OF MANUSCRIPT

GENRE

WORD COUNT

Query...

First 150 words. If your 150 ends in the middle of a sentence, you may finish the sentence. 

Please email the query and 1st 150 words to:

deanabarnhart(at)gmail(dot)com

Here are a couple of other things to take note of before sending off your query:

-If you do not make it into the pitch polish, no worries. After I have sent a confirmation email to those that made it through, I will update this post with a linky list. If you didn't make it in, have a blog and still want to get some pitch feedback, sign up on the linky list for a fun little Pitch Polish blog hop next week.

-Monday I will post the 100 entries that made it through on my blog for constructive criticism. Please no rude comments.  If something in a pitch doesn't sit right with you, there is a professional to leave your opinion. "I'm not a fan." "This sucks." And other such comments are not helpful. The whole 'golden rule' totally applies here!

-If you make it in, you will be required to read through some of the other pitches and help them out. Again, golden rule please:)

-Check the #GUTGAA hashtag for updates for when the window opens and closes. 

 As always, if you have questions please leave them below in the comments section. 

Critique and Beta Connections

If you're here for the Meet and Greet, follow this LINK

Looking to sign up for GUTGAA? Go HERE

Questions about GUTGAA? Look to your right and you will find the Helpful GUTGAA links. 

All I've wanted to do is scream with joy and give each one of my Gutgann's (a name one of you geniuses came up with:) a massive hug. You all seem to be having such a good time getting to know each other and making writer connections in the Meet and Greet. It just makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. So naturally, I want to continue the love fest and take things one step further. Get your minds out of the gutter people, not that way.  

Critique and BETA Connections

I know when I began writing seriously five years ago, I had no clue what a BETA reader was, much less where to find a critique group. Not only that, but I was embarrassed to ask because I didn't want to look like an idiot. 

Don't be like me. There are no idiots here. For those of you that need a little schooling, here are some basic definitions of a critique partner and a BETA reader:

Critique Partner/Group

A critique partner is typically a fellow writer who is giving you an objective opinion and generally focuses more on improving the craft of your writing as well as editing and clarity. 

BETA Reader: 

1. A BETA reader is there to give you a reader's perspective on your story, which is entirely subjective. Did they like it? How did they feel about the characters? How about the pacing? At any point were they confused or thrown out of the story?
2. A BETA reader is often NOT A WRITER, just someone who is widely read in the genre you write in and whose opinion you trust.

However, as anyone who's been in a critique group or who's had a good BETA reader knows, sometimes the lines are blurred. But generally, the guidelines are: 

Subjective = BETA Reader 

Objective = Critique Partner/Group

Rosslyn Elliot has great in depth answers to all these questions on her blog if you want to check it out.

Here's the fun part...

Today, myself and Ellie Heller, (a fellow GUTGAA buddy) will be lending a hand to those of you that are lacking in the BETA/critique department by helping you make some connections.

Here's what you do:

If you are a writer looking for a critique partner or group, please answer the following questions in the comments section below. If you are looking for BETA readers, please keep reading past this.

1) Name and a one sentence intro of who you are.

2) What do you write (age target and general genres).

3) Are you ready to jump right in and begin submitting your work to another?

4) Are you looking for a critique partner or a group?

5) Would you prefer to submit weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or as needed? And how much would you like to submit each time (chapter, 2 chapters, etc)?

6) What kind of critique feedback are you looking for?

7) How can I contact you? (email)

I'd also suggest linking to your blog/website. :-)

If you're in need of a BETA reader or would like to be a BETA reader, hop over to Ellie's blog HERE and answer her questions in the comments section on her blog.

I'm not sure how long I will keep this beta/crit connection going on. It depends on how the response goes. I'm thinking through Friday. After I close this up I will go to work connecting you wonderful writers to each other. I also have no problem if you see someone listed that you would like to contact on your own. Go for it! Just let me know if you all work out so I can take your names off the list:)

I think that's about it. I hope you have fun with this and hopefully you can make some lasting relationships:)

GUTGAA: Week 1 - Let's Get our Meet and Greet On!

It's Meet and Greet Time, Writers!!!

Who's ready to get to know each other? I feel like we've already bonded...in a way. It's our writing that links us and which has brought us together for this six week blogfest. But just as our writing journeys differ, so do we all. And it's those differences that develop lasting friendships and writing partners. (How's that for deep?)

So...

Who's ready to meet some writers?

 Here are the rules as a reminder:

-You must first sign up on on the master GUTGAA linky list found HERE (this is so I know who is participating in any one part of the blogfest).

- Then, sign up on the Meet and Greet  linky list HERE (meaning you will have signed up on two different lists in order to participate). You can jump in any time this week, sign up and join the introductions.

-Copy the questions below and paste them in your Meet and Greet post along with a mini bio about yourself. If you don't like these questions, make up your own.

-You will have from Monday, Sept 3rd- Friday, Sept 7th to visit other's blogs and get to know them. Have fun and visit as many as you can!

Here is mine...

Me Doing Me!

What is 'me doing me' exactly? HA! Your guess is as good as mine. I'm 33 years old, married with two kids, and still trying to figure out who I am. But that's okay, because I love being an imperfect, constantly evolving human who still enjoys the thrill of discovering something new about myself. 

 What I have already figured out, though, is that I'm a loner, daydreamer, reader, family gal, 90's hip hop fan and guess what else? I love to write - to invent stories and characters. Gah! There's nothing like creating people and places, then throwing them into tumultuous situations. What's even better is learning that your characters and your story impacted another. And that's one of the main reasons I'm throwing this blogfest. Because if you haven't felt the thrill of that yet, and you're a writer. YOU MUST!!!!

Now for the questions...

-Where do you write? At my desk in the basement.

-Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see? Well, I'm visiting family in Atlanta so I can't honestly do this. BUT, I will imagine I did and what I see is my computer that crashed two weeks ago. I went and picked it up from the Geek Squad last week (fixed), but the crash erased everything so I can't use it again until the programs are installed again.

-Favorite time to write? Morning. My brain hasn't started to overheat yet.

-Drink of choice while writing? Diet Pepsi all the way!

-When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence? I wish I could say I listen to music, but I'm waaay to easily distracted. Silence is my writing friend. The music comes before and after.

-What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it? I gain my ideas from anywhere and everywhere and I really hope I don't upset anyone by saying this, but my latest idea came from events surrounding the Aurora, CO movie shootings. Nothing about the shooting itself, just a tiny thing really. And it brought about this crazy, absurd story I'm obsessed with. Please know, however, the guilt I feel is pretty massive, that such a scary time for so many brought about one of my stories. My heart goes out to all those affected by that horrific tragedy. Whew, that made me nervous saying that, but I couldn't lie about the question.

-What's your most valuable writing tip? Save the Cat by Blake Snyder. If you haven't read it, you MUST! It changed my life as a writer!!!

Welp, that's me in a very small nut shell! I can't wait to learn more about you!

Reminder:

Wednesday I will be posting some information about getting connected with beta readers and crtique partners if you're interested.

GUTGAA Meet and Greet Sign-Ups and Questions

T-minus 3 days and counting until the Gearing Up to Get an Agent Blogfest begins!!! How excited are you? I know I am! 

If you writers are ready to get this party started with a little 'get to know you' action, then you've come to the right place! 

Meet and Greet Rules:

-Sign up on the linky list below if you are going to participate in this bloghop.

-Copy the questions below and paste them in your Monday's Meet and Greet post along with a mini bio about yourself. If you don't like these questions, make up your own.

-You will have from Monday, Sept 3rd- Friday, Sept 7th to visit other's blogs and get to know them. Have fun and visit as many as you can!

Questions for the Meet and Greet

-Where do you write?

-Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see?

-Favorite time to write?

-Drink of choice while writing?

-When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?

-What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?

-What's your most valuable writing tip?

That's it! I can't wait to see your answers! And as always, if you have questions, please post them in the comments section.

Wait. Before you do....

Other tidbits to remember for week 1 of GUTGAA:

If you're interested in hooking up with beta readers or critique partners, come to my blog Wednesday for further instructions.

Don't forget, Friday is the call for Pitch Polish Entries and I will be announcing the first random prize winners!

If you want to get in on any part of the Gearing Up to Get an Agent Blogfest/Pitch Contests you must sign up on the master list first. Sign ups will continue until the last event begins. Go HERE to sign up on the master list.

The complete GUTGAA schedule is HERE.

Badges are HERE.

Wanna yap about it on Twitter? #GUTGAA talk is HERE

I have a new side bar to the right ---->>>> and up, with links and a recently added GUTGAA FAQ's 

And one more thing...

I had to tell you guys that I'm being interviewed by the lovelies at Falling for Fiction. I'd love for you to check it out. If you want to, that is:) The link is HERE

Now that really is it. 

Questions? If not have a great holiday weekend and I'll see you back here Monday!!!

GUTGAA Pitch Contest Agents...REVEALED

I know you want it. So I'm not going to waste your precious time.

I present to you the Gearing Up to Get an Agent Pitch Contest...

AGENTS!!!!!

Sarah LaPolla

Agency: Curtis Brown LTD

Reps: YA and Adult

What would she like to see?

Twitter

Blog

Jennifer Azantian

Agency: Dijkstra Literary Agency

Reps: YA

What she would like to see?

Twitter

Website

Molly Jaffa

Agency: Folio Literary Management

Reps: YA and MG

What she would like to see?

Twitter

Linda Glaz

Agency: Hartline Literary Agency

Reps: Adult

What she would like to see?

Blog

Hannah Bowman

Agency: Liza Dawson Associates Literary Agency

Reps: Adult and YA

What she would like to see?

Twitter

Blog

Sara D'Emic

Agency: Talcott Notch Literary Services, LLC

Reps: Adult

What she would like to see?

Twitter

Tricia Lawrence

Agency: Erin Murphy Literary Agency

Reps: Picture Books, Chapter Books, MG and YA

What she would like to see?

Twitter

Website

Brittany Booker

Agency: Corvisiero Literary Agency

Reps: Adult, New Adult and YA

What she would like to see?

Twitter

Blog

Molly Ker Hawn

Agency: The Bent Agency

Reps: YA and MG

What she would like to see?

Twitter

Sarah Younger

Agency: Nancy Yost Literary Agency

Reps: Adult and YA

What she would like to see?

Twitter

Weronika Janczuk

Agency: Lynn C. Franklin Associates, LTD

Reps: Adult and YA

What she would like to see?

Twitter

Jordy Albert

Agency: Corvisiero Literary Agency
Reps: Adult, YA and MG
What would she like to see?

Twitter

That's quite the line up don't you think?! I'm thrilled to have them all on board. In the next couple of weeks we're going to be getting to know some of these agents better through interview questions they've been gracious enough to answer. And speaking of interview questions, today only you can catch one of the judges, Brittany Booker (see above) over at Cassie Mae's blog answering your writer questions. You can't miss that! 

What we have coming up for GUTGAA:

-Come back Friday to sign up for the Meet and Greet portion of the blogfest and to pick up your 'get to know me' questions

-Next week it's official, GUTGAA will begin!

-We still have Small Presses to reveal (I was going to do it today with the agents, but I feel like they all deserve their own day) so stay tuned for that next week!

And as always...

If you want to get in on the Gearing Up to Get an Agent Blogfest/Pitch Contests go HERE to sign up.

The schedule is HERE.

Badges are HERE.

Wanna yap about it on Twitter? #GUTGAA talk is HERE

1st Round Judges for Agent Contest...REVEALED

This week is going to be so much fun! The reason? I get to reveal the 1st round judges for the agent pitch contest today! And Wednesday, I will be posting the agents participating!!! 

If you want to get in on the Gearing Up to Get an Agent Blogfest/Pitch Contests go HERE to sign up.

The schedule is HERE.

Badges are HERE.

Before I go introduce these amazing people to the blogosphere, I want to bring up two possible issues that may arise with this judging and how I am going to go about handling them.

1) Many of the 1st round judges are YA writers. Yes, this is the case. I know for those of you who do not write YA this may cause some trepidation, and for that I am sorry. Being just a minuscule writer in this industry myself, I have to utilize the tools and helpers that I come in contact with. Because I'm a YA writer, many of the agented authors I know write YA too. No worries, though. I do have a plan of action to combat the worry that may arise from this. My plan is to separate the pitches into groups based on the writer's target audience. For example, those with adult manuscripts will be grouped together, as will YA, MG and so on. I will do this, as well as grouping the genres together as best I can. Now, you must understand, with only five host blogs, this won't be a perfect science. So I repeat, I will do the best I can:)

2) Many of the judges may know some of those entering. To take car of this being a problem I am a.) making the entries anonymous and b.) going to try and separate the judge from any entries they recognize. 

I am very aware this may not work out perfectly and that no matter the planning I do, problems will arise. Because that may be the case, I ask that we can all go about this contest with the general understanding that myself and the judges have only the best intentions for the writers entering the contest and we want to make it as fair as possible. Please, if you have questions on this matter, put them in the comments below and I will do my best to answer them.

Now, without further ado, I present to you....

ROUND ONE JUDGES FOR THE AGENT PITCH CONTEST

(Listed in no particular order - They are all full of awesomeness)

As a reminder, these are the 20 judges who will be grouped into fours and spread throughout five different blogs who will each host forty pitches (query plus first 150 words of their manuscript). The goal is to pick their top ten to move on to the final round with the agents.

Angelina Hansen

Angelina C. Hansen eats and writes young adult and middle grade books everyday. In order not to gain all that weight (books weigh a lot, ya know) she likes to takes hikes in the woods where she conjures up all sorts of trouble for her characters. You can find  out what she's up to on Twitter: @AngelinaC.Hansen Website: http://www.yascribe.com/

Taryn Albright

Taryn Albright does almost every job in publishing (writer, freelance editor, lit agency intern, author assistant) for free. But such is the life of a teenager. When she's not reading or writing, she swims collegiately and checks the campus post office for care packages. Twitter: @TarynAlbright Website: http://www.tarynalbright.com/ 

Cindy Thomas

Cindy Thomas lives in NH with her husband and two sons. She adores all things blue, is a total bookish fan girl and has way too many pets. She'll read almost anything, but writes YA and is represented by Marcy Posner of Folio Literary Management.  Twitter: @CindyisWriting Blog: http://cindythomasbooks.blogspot.com/

Ryan Graudin

When she’s not writing and drifting around the globe, Ryan Graudin enjoys hunting through thrift stores and taking pictures of her native Charleston, SC. Her novel LUMINANCE HOUR, the story of a Faery who falls in love with the prince she’s forced to guard, is due out with HarperTeen in 2013. You can learn about all of these things and more at http://ryangraudin.blogspot.com. You can also follow her on Twitter at @ryangraudin

Kelley Lynn

Kelley Lynn's dog, allows Kelley and her sister to live with her in a suburb of Milwaukee, WI. An engineer by day, and writer whenever she can find the time, Kelley Lynn is releasing a YA Fantasy in March 2013 from Sapphire Star Publishing and is represented by Brittany Booker of The Corvisiero Agency. Twitter: @KelleyLynn1 Blog: http://getbetweenthebookends.blogspot.com/

Lori M Lee

Lori is a YA writer represented by Suzie Townsend of New Leaf Literary. Twitter: LoriMLee Website: http://www.lorimlee.com/

Elizabeth Briggs

Elizabeth Briggs writes YA sci-fi, lives for Comic Con, and volunteers with dog rescues. She's represented by Kate Testerman of KT Literary and interns for Jill Corcoran of Herman Agency. Twitter:@lizwrites Blog: http://elizabethbriggs.blogspot.com/

Melodie Wright

Melodie Wright lives in Palmer, Alaska, with her family. She's a teacher and a writer repped by Tricia Lawrence of EMLA for her YA fiction, and a soon-to-be-named agent for her adult fiction. Twitter: @rewrighter01 Blog: http://foreverrewrighting.blogspot.com/

Bethany Crandell

Bethany Crandell lives in San Diego with her husband, two daughters and a chocolate Labrador who has no consideration for personal space. She loves chunky guacamole and generous hugs. Her debut, SUMMER ON THE SHORT BUS will be released by Running Press in spring 2014. Twitter: @rookieriter Website: http://www.bethanycrandell.com/

Cassie Mae

Cassie Mae is a total peanut butter cheesecake addict from Utah, who likes to sing along to High School Musical and quote Harry Potter with her best buds. She writes humorous YA Contemporary Romance, and is repped by Brittany Booker of the Corvisierso Agency. Twitter: @CassieCook2 Blog: http://readingwritingandlovinit.blogspot.com/

Angie Sandro

Angie Sandro was born at Whiteman Airforce Base, Missouri. Within six weeks, she began the first of eleven relocations throughout the United States, Spain, and Guam before the age of eighteen. For her thirteenth birthday, she visited Japan, Korea, Philippines and Okinawa which developed her love for learning about other cultures.

Traveling the world inspired her imagination and allowed her to create her own imaginary friends. For Angie, writing is as necessary as breathing. She is represented by Kathleen Rushall of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. http://anjeasandro.blogspot.com/ https://twitter.com/AngieSandro http://www.facebook.com/pages/Angie-Sandro/253044268078356

Beth Hull

Beth Hull lives in northern California with her husband, two kids, and cat. Three of her favorite words (in alphabetical order) areblackbird, haruspex, and lackadaisical, and she overuses parentheses. She writes YA and is represented by Brandi Bowles of Foundry Literary + Media. Twitter: @tbethhull Website: http://bethhull.com/

Lisa Chickos

Lisa Ann Chickos is a zookeeper and environmental educator by background, and she has been kicked, cornered, bitten and chased by nearly every animal she loves. She surfs (poorly), snowboards (moderately) and utilizes commas (proficiently). She also digs young adult fiction, and she is represented by Hannah Bowman of Liza Dawson Associates. Twitter: @LisaAnnChickos Blog: http://lisachickos.blogspot.com

Ilima Todd

Ilima Todd is a homeschooling mom of four by day, writer by night (usually late late night) rep'd by Jennifer Skutelsky of Veritas Literary. She writes YA sci-fi and fantasy with lots of kissing while listening to the M83 station on Pandora. Sometimes she thinks her husband is a sleeper-cylon but doesn't think avocados are the greatest invention ever. She knows it. Twitter: @ilimaktodd Blog: http://ilimawrites.blogspot.com/

Jenny Morris

Jenny Morris lives in the Pacific NW with her husband and two young padawans. She writes Young Adult Fiction and is repped by Brittany Booker with Corvisierio Literary Agency. Twitter:@jennysmorris Blog: http://jennysimaginaryworld.blogspot.com/

Julie Murphy

Julie lives in North Texas with her husband who loves her, her dog who adores her, and her cat who tolerates her. When Julie's not writing or trying to catch stray cats, she works at an academic library. Side Effects May Vary (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray 2014) is Julie's debut novel. Twitter: @andimjulie Website: http://www.juliemurphywrites.com/

Krista Van Dolzer

Wife of one, mother of three, writer of several unpublished things. Fan of BYU football and sideways smiley faces. Represented by Kate Schafer Testerman of kt literary. Twitter: @KristaVanDolzer Blog: http://www.motherwrite.blogspot.com/

Alex Villasante

Alex Villasante didn't always know she wanted to be a writer. She's got an MFA in Fine Art to prove it. The fact that she was a storyteller eluded her until she moved to the wilds of Pennsylvania and began painting with words. She writes YA Fantasy and Paranormal Mystery and anything else that gets the muse going. Alex makes her home with her husband, two children and a pair of cranky rabbits. She's represented by Barbara Poelle of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency and blogs almost faithfully at magpiewrites.blogspot.com Twitter: @magpiewrites

 Angela Cook

Angela is a young adult writer, represented by Eric Myers of The Spieler Agency.  She lives just outside of Detroit with her husband and two children. Twitter: @AngelaVCook Blog:http://www.angelavcook.blogspot.com/

Kathryn Purdie

Kathryn Purdie grew up spouting Shakespeare on the stage and playing folk songs on her guitar, but it wasn’t until she had three children that she discovered her passion for creative writing. Now she channels her artistic energy into the pages of her young adult fantasy novels, where she gets to act out all the parts and write swoonworthy love songs for her characters. Kathryn is represented by Weronika Janczuk of Lynn C. Franklin Associates. Twitter: @KathrynPurdie Blog: http://www.purdiewriting.blogspot.com/

***

Pretty amazing right! I feel privileged to be working with every last on of them! And I can promise you, they feel the same to be able to pay it forward to those entering this contest. 

During the 1st round of judging, the above judges judge will go incognito with some very interesting names they've picked out for themselves. So be prepared, folks, to be entertained when the time comes.

So I ask you: ARE YOU EXCITED YET?

Me too!

See you back here Wed. for the agent reveal!