Write Hope

2012 dreams

2012-01-02T16:35:00.000-05:00

It's 2012! Which means Write Hope is officially last year! Wow. Speaking for myself, I just wanted to pop back here and say 2011 was really quite special for me and you - all the people involved in Write Hope one way or another - were a huge part of that. So thank you! I hope 2012 will bring you more wonder and awesomeness! <3

To start of this Apocalypse year, I hope you can spare a moment and have a look at our newest blog. If it looks familiar, that's because it probably is ;) But it's so very worth it and we hope to see you there!

M x

Please read, part two ;-) Or, THANK YOU!!

2011-04-18T16:00:00.002-04:00

Hey guys!

Well, the final tally is in! It took me a little while to add up all the numbers, doublecheck payments (because we had some awesome people whose awesome companies matched their donation so they donated the traditional way), add up more numbers, but we have it.

The result of the Write Hope auction is...

$10,351

And that's the net result you guys! All monies have either already been donated or will go to Save the Children as soon as possible!
It's humbling, awe-inspiring and absolutely AMAZING. There's really only one thing we can say to that.Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. To all who donated, bid, supported, promoted, cheered us on. You are truly amazing people. Thank you.

Now before I set the spotlight on Nozomi (cause that's where she likes to be!), one last announcement from my part: HELENE, winning bidder of Suzanne Kamata's bilingual picture book, and FLUR, second highest bidder of the signed copy of Across the Universe and a query critique by Beth Revis, one last call :-) Can you contact us within the next three days? If you don't we'll the next bidder will be able to claim the prize.

Now... t-shirt details!!

Nozomi's back!!!

I wanted to tell you a bit more about the Write Hope pack. Because it's pretty and I want one!

Luna is happy to make them up but we need a minimum order of 20, otherwise the manufacturing costs are too high. There will two version of the Write Hope pack, depending on the final quantities.

Version 1 (for orders between 20-49) = $35
1 Write Hope t-shirt
2 Write Hope Bookmarks (one sided design)

Version 2 (order 50 and above) = $35
1 Write Hope t-shirt
2 write Hope Bookmarks (one sided design)
1 Write Hope key-ring

I've attached the full list of sizes and colors for you to choose from, please note that the t-shirt colors aren't an exact match, but the closest I could find.

If you'd like one please let us know here by filling in this form.

Please read, part one ;-)

2011-04-11T09:00:00.001-04:00

Hey guys!

I'm reporting to you live from beneath a huge stack of paperwork with a few points of order.

We're busy wrapping everything up and fair is fair, you've all been amazing. All but a few bids have been confirmed and paid. Most details have been forwarded to the donors. We only have to coordinate :-)

Still, a few auctions are left open. Where possible I've emailed the winning bidders directly. Some of you I haven't been able to contact.

BOOK MAWSTER, winning bidder of the critique by A Writer Gone Mad,
HELENE, winning bidder of Suzanne Kamata's bilingual picture book, and
FLUR, second highest bidder of the signed copy of Across the Universe and a query critique by Beth Revis, can you contact us as soon as possible? (That is, before Friday! :-) )

Everyone who bid on our Write Hope prize pack, have a look at the comments. Joan offered to make all of you a wonderful handmade bookmark.

What is it you say? Do you want to know our amazing total? Have a look at our final project first. Cause the auction may have ended, we're not completely done yet.

Luna is offering to make Write Hope Packs, with a unique professionally embroidered WRITE HOPE t-shirt, bookmarks and a keychain. Come let us know if you want one! :-)

And then to answer that question... Well... We're still adding up numbers and will announce it shortly... But we're well past $10,000 *SQUEE*

Do you want a Write Hope t-shirt (and some other gorgeous goodies)?

2011-04-08T06:27:00.001-04:00

Nozomi reporting here, I’m coming to you from the frontlines of Luna’s creativeness. If you’ve ever wondered what creativeness looks like, in Luna’s case it's like she picked up all her art supplies and threw them in the air… it’s an obstacle course of paper, scrap sketches, fabrics, ribbon and glitter. I love the glitter!

About a month ago Marieke asked her if she’d make a t-shirt for Write Hope, a few designs later and we have:

It’s pretty right? *loves*

Instead of printed t-shirts these are embroidered. Long lasting, eye-popping and gorgeous! Not just that, but you yourself can decide how you want yours to look…

See I love pink (much to Luna’s irritation) so I’d pick a pink t-shirt with hot pink embroidery… or maybe sparkling silver? We have a long list of different t-shirt colors and embroidery thread to choose from.

Luna is willing to design and manufacture a Write Hope Pack, which would consist of a t-shirt, 2 bookmarks (one-sided design) and a keyring. The cost of these packs would be around $30 (unfortunately postage & packing eats up almost a third of that).

In order for us to proceed, we would need sufficient interest. So, would you want one?

Special Auction Item - From the Write Hope Team

2011-04-03T09:00:00.000-04:00

As our way of saying thanks to you all, we're donating the following items to form a package for one lucky bidder (though the second and third highest bidders will also receive a prize should bidding go high enough!):

From Luna:

1. Write Hope t-shirt, black with “space” embroidery butterfly and logo (W:40" L:28" = size S)

2. Write Hope bookmarks (two-sided designs)

3. and for one time only, Write Hope coaster (two-sided design) with stars :)

Luna says: If bidding exceeds $100 I will include the original pencil sketch of (adult) Nozomi, personalised to you: http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc256/lunalee_photo/nozomigrownup.jpg

From Marieke:

4. 50-page critique of a MG/YA manuscript (plus follow-up discussion on revisions with Marieke)

5. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

From Amanda:

6. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

7. Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

8. $50 Amazon gift card

From Rach:

9. query critique (plus one resubmit after you've revised so we can discuss your revisions)

10. synopsis critique (plus one resubmit after you've revised so we can discuss your revisions)

11. your choice of a paperback copy of: The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff, Paranormalcy by Kiersten White, or Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Rach says: And, if bidding goes over $200, I'll be donating a free query critique to the second and third highest bidders!

International

Bidding is open until April 6th, 3PM EDT

Day 11 - Item 12

2011-04-02T20:00:00.002-04:00

From YA author Margie Gelbwasser: a critique of your query and first 20 pages (MG/YA).

In Margie's own words: "I always wanted to be a writer, and when I was seven I got my shot. My second grade teacher held a writing contest. I wrote this ten page story about a girl who was kidnapped, taken to an island, and tied to a coconut tree. She found a way to use the coconuts as weapons and escaped, against all odds! I didn’t win. The girl who won wrote about a talking strawberry, and her story was only 3 pages long. Talk about being robbed!

I recovered, continued to write, edited my high school and college literary magazines, wrote an adult multi-generational novel about a Russian-Jewish family, scrapped the novel but realized the part about the teens really came alive. So I started writing a YA book about a Russian-Jewish girl with an alcoholic mom that is now called INCONVENIENT. I then found an agent, and in a little less than two years landed a two-book deal with Flux. During all this, I got married and had an amazing son who I consider my good luck charm.

These days, I’m home with my son and between our music, library, Mommy and Me classes, and truck and lawn mower spottings, I’m working on my second novel. Like with the first book, there’s some Russian stuff and some Jersey stuff (Jersey makes for great settings—take that all of you who think Jersey is a smelly state and nothing more) but it’s really dark, edgy, and the culture is more background/setting than center stage."

International

Bidding is open until April 6th, 8PM EDT

Day 11 - Item 11

2011-04-02T19:00:00.008-04:00

From YA author Jennifer L. Armentrout: a signed ARC of Half-Blood.

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi pure-bloods have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.

Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:

Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.

Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

International (to be shipped late April/early May)

Bidding is open until April 6th, 7PM EDT

Day 11 - Item 10

2011-04-02T18:00:00.015-04:00

From author Suzanne Kamata: a signed copy of Playing for Papa.

Playing for Papa is a bilingual (English and Japanese) picture book featuring a multicultural family in Japan.

International

Bidding is open until April 6th, 6PM EDT

Day 11 - Item 9

2011-04-02T17:00:00.001-04:00

From author Christine Lee: a hand-stamped silver key chain, with text of your choice to the two highest bidders

From Christine's website: "I make personalized, hand-stamped, sterling silver and gold-filled tags, in various shapes and sizes.

You select the tag style, and then customize it, by choosing the chain length, the stone color, the inscription, and whether or not you want the tag hammered (to create an antiqued/edgy look)."

For inspiration, have a look on Christine's website and the two examples she made (and then imagine the title of your debut novel or favorite WIP stamped on it!)

US

Bidding is open until April 6th, 5PM EDT

Day 11 - Item 8

2011-04-02T16:00:00.002-04:00

From author Tahereh Mafi: an ARC of Shatter Me.

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old-girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

US

Bidding is open until April 6th, 4PM EDT

Day 11 - Item 7

2011-04-02T15:00:00.002-04:00

From YA author Kristi Cook: a critique of your first 3 chapters (YA).

As a child, Kristi Cook took her nose out of a book only long enough to take a ballet class (or five) each week. Not much has changed since then, except she’s added motherhood to the mix and enjoys penning her own novels as much as reading everybody else’s. A transplanted southern gal, Kristi lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.

International

Bidding is open until April 6th, 3PM EDT

Day 11 - Item 6

2011-04-02T14:00:00.002-04:00

From artist Jeff Fielder: swag designs.

In his own words: "I'd like to offer up design services for swag. Here's what I propose, each $50 increment gets another item.
>$50 gets a bookmark, button, or sticker design.
>$100 gets 2 items,
>$150 gets 3, and so on and so on.
Vendor costs are still on the purchaser, but I'll make the files print ready in any format the vendor needs."

Left and right you can find bookmarks by Jeff's making, used with permission from the authors. For more information, take a look on his website.

International

Bidding is open until April 6th, 2PM EDT

Day 11 - Item 5

2011-04-02T13:00:00.002-04:00

From authors Natalie Zaman and Charlotte Bennardo: a critique of your synopsis and first three chapters (YA fantasy or paranormal) send within 6 months, 12 pt font, double spaced.

To go with that an awesome collection of SIRENZ swag: a set of Sirenz buttons, a music CD from the band that is doing the music for our book trailer, and phone charms (a tie-in to the book) with Japanese symbols of love, luck and protection!

Sirenz (Flux, June 2011): Bickering frenemies Meg and Shar are doing some serious damage at a midnight sample sale when they find themselves arguing over a pair of shoes—with fatal consequences. One innocent bystander later, the girls are suddenly at the mercy of Hades—the god of the underworld—himself. To make them atone for what they’ve done, Hades forces the teens to become special-assignment Sirens, luring to the Underworld any individual whose unholy contract is up.

But just because they have an otherworldly part-time job now doesn’t mean Meg and Shar can ignore life’s drudgeries (work) or pleasures (fashion!). Finding that delicate balance between their old and new responsibilities turns out to be harder than they expected, especially when an entire pantheon of Greek deities decides to get involved. Then there’s the matter of the fine print in their contracts...

International

Bidding is open until April 6th, 1PM EDT

Day 11 - Item 4

2011-04-02T12:00:00.004-04:00

From author Stephanie Burgis: an original short story set in the Kat, Incorrigible timeline.

Here's Stephanie's description:
"I'll write it for you and send you a personal copy (either electronic or on paper, whichever you prefer). After it's finished, it'll be yours alone for at least a full month, and afterwards, when I do put it up on my website, I'll include a notice that the story is dedicated to you."

In Kat Stephenson's Regency England, magic is the greatest scandal of all...

Twelve-year-old Kat Stephenson is in trouble again. Her father may be a respectable vicar, but her mother was a notorious witch, and now Kat herself is the target of an ancient and secretive magical order.

Any proper young lady would swoon at the very idea of it.

Luckily, Kat Stephenson is no ordinary young lady.

Stephanie Burgis grew up in America but fell in love with Regency England when she was seven. Now she lives in Wales, and her trilogy of Regency fantasy adventures for kids starts with KAT, INCORRIGIBLE, published by Atheneum Books on April 5. To find out more, please visit her website.

International

Bidding is open until April 6th, 12PM EDT

Day 11 - Item 3

2011-04-02T11:00:00.002-04:00

From the awesome people at Harlequin TEEN: a signed set of Julie Kagawa's NYT Bestselling series The Iron Fey - so a signed copy each of The Iron King, The Iron Daughter, and The Iron Queen, as well as an Iron Fey poster. And also, a query critique by Harlequin TEEN intern Amanda Sun.

MEGHAN CHASE HAS A SECRET DESTINY – ONE SHE COULD NEVER HAVE IMAGINED.

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school... or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

HALF SUMMER FAERY PRINCESS, HALF HUMAN. MEGHAN HAS NEVER FIT IN ANYWHERE.

Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her. Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help.

Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

My name is Meghan Chase.

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.

US/Canada

Bidding is open until April 6th, 11AM EDT

Day 11 - Item 2

2011-04-02T10:00:00.003-04:00

From author J.A. Sounders: a 50-page critique of anything YA, or adult romance (any genre minus erotica).

We've had some exciting additions from Jessica! She says: if bidding gets to $100, I'll add a query crit. If it gets to $150, I'll crit 75 pages. For $200, I'll do 100 pages. And if we reach $300 I'll do a full crit!

J.A. Souders was born in the heartland with an overactive imagination and an over abundance of curiosity that was always getting her into trouble. She first began writing at the age of 13, when she moved to Florida and not only befriended the monsters under the bed, but created worlds for them to play together.

Because she never grew up, she decided she’d put her imaginary friends to work and started writing. She still lives in the land of sunshine and palm trees with her husband and their two children and is an active member of the RWA, CFRW, and the SCBWI. She is represented by Natalie Fischer.

International

Bidding is open until April 6th, 10AM EDT

Day 11 - Item 1

2011-04-02T09:00:00.007-04:00

From YA author Arlaina Tibensky: a copy of Gemini Bites signed by Patrick Ryan.

One of the strangest (and funniest) love triangles ever to hit YA fiction, when a pair of twins (one boy, one girl) both fall for the boy who moves in with them…who may or may not be a vampire.

Judy and Kyle Renneker are sixteen-year-old fraternal twins in a rambling family of nine. They have a prickly history with each other and are, at least from Judy's perspective, constantly in fierce competition. Kyle has recently come out of the closet to his family and feels he might never know what it's like to date a guy. Judy, who has a history of pretending to be something she isn't in order to get what she wants, is pretending to be born-again in order to land a boyfriend who heads his own bible study.

When their parents announce that the family is going to be taking in a fellow student for a month so that he can finish the school year before moving away, both Kyle and Judy can't help but sit up and take notice. Garret Johnson, who is taking temporary residence in the newly finished attic, is a young man who moved into town less than a year ago and who is a mysterious, goth loner . . . and claims to be a vampire. He's not an easy person to get to know by any means, but the twins find him (to varying degrees) both strange and alluring.

GEMINI BITES explores what it means to pretend to be something you aren't, what happens when that backfires, and how in-your-face honesty is almost always the best course of action.

US

Bidding is open until April 5th, 9AM EDT

A few random facts

2011-04-01T18:00:00.002-04:00

None of the items posted today are April Fool's jokes.

Our executive decision still stands, so we tinkered a little with the end dates of today and tomorrow's posts.

We have posts tomorrow.

Or in other words: we have another nine auction items tomorrow. (Ha, see what I did there?)

One of which may or may not be an ARC of Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me.

The above fact may or may not be an April Fool's joke.

Finally we have one special auction item on Sunday, to conclude this auction. *sniff* So keep watching. This should be spectacular.

Over and out.

(And virtual cupcakes if you got that reverence ;-) )

Day 10 - Item 9

2011-04-01T17:00:00.002-04:00

From author Alma Alexander: a tiered critique. $30 and under for the winning bid, she'll do a 5 page crit; $99 and under, one chapter (3000 words); $200 and under, three chapter critique (9,000 words).

Alma A. Hromic (who now writes as Alma Alexander) was born in 1963 in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia, on the shores of the river Danube. Her father's employment with international aid agencies meant that the family spent twenty years living in various countries in Africa, including Zambia, Swaziland, and South Africa.

Her fantasy duology The Hidden Queen and Changer of Days (originally published as Changer of Days vol. 1 and 2 in New Zealand in 2001 and 2002), was released in the United States in 2005. The Secrets of Jin-shei was published in the U.S. in 2004 in hardcover and 2005 in paperback and is currently available in twelve languages worldwide (including Turkish, Lituanian, and Hebrew) and is a bestseller in Spain. The follow-up, Embers of Heaven, published in the UK in September 2006, is available in five languages. Alma's latest project is the Worldweavers young adult trilogy, which debuted with Gift of the Unmage in 2007 and was followed by Spellspam in 2008 and Cybermage in 2009. A Polish edition of the first book has already been published.

(For Alma's full biography, have a look on her website.)

International

Bidding is open until April 5th, 5PM EDT

Day 10 - Item 8

2011-04-01T16:00:00.013-04:00

From YA author Arlaina Tibensky: A handmade, one of a kind, ceramic AND THEN THINGS FALL APART "signed" soap dish and collection of Sylvia Plath buttons.

In her own words: I am the world's oldest teenager. I owe Columbia University a lot of $$. I have 2 children-boys with solid man-names. I am a writer with a young adult novel coming JULY 26, 2011 called AND THEN THINGS FALL APART. My husband is not American. I am not blond. I believe in the power of fiction and curate the Pen Parentis Literary Salon at the Libertine Library in NYC.

And Then Things Fall Apart: Keek has an adulterous dad, an unstable mom, and the chicken pox. She’s stuck in bed with no TV or Internet—just a typewriter and, mercifully, plenty of paper.

US

Bidding is open until April 5th, 4PM EDT.

Day 10 - Item 7

2011-04-01T15:00:00.001-04:00

From author Kiera Stewart: a signed ARC of Fetching, and you also get to name the family pet in Kiera's current WIP!

A crew of middle school nobodies secretly use dog training techniques on their classmates to go from eighth-grade underdogs to leaders of the pack, only to discover being top dog isn’t all they expected it to be.

International

Bidding is open until April 5th, 3PM EDT

Day 10 - Item 6

2011-04-01T14:00:00.002-04:00

From YA author Pat Schmatz: a full YA fiction manuscript critique plus editorial letter (double-space, 12 pt font, inch margins, up to 250 pages)

Pat Schmatz is the author of three novels for teens: Mrs. Estronsky and the UFO (Windstorm Creative, 2001); Circle the Truth (Carolrhoda Books, 2007), and Mousetraps (Carolrhoda Books, 2008). Circle the Truth was chosen by Wisconsin Library Association as one of the outstanding books for children by a Wisconsin Author in 2008. Mousetraps was awarded the Council for Wisconsin Writers Award for children’s fiction, and was a 2009 Lambda Literary Award nominee for best children’s/young adult fiction. Pat’s fourth novel, Bluefish, was awarded the 2010 PEN/Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship. Bluefish is scheduled for release by Candlewick Press in fall of 2011. Pat also teaches workshops on "Fictive Dream" and "Fierce Revision" and provides editing services for young adult fiction.

International

Bidding is open until April 5th, 2PM EDT

Day 10 - Item 5

2011-04-01T13:00:00.010-04:00

From A Writer Gone Mad: a query, synopsis, and first five pages critique.

In her own words: AWriterGoneMad is a seventeen year old adult thriller writer who hopes to have an agent by the end of this year. She maintains a blog as well as a Twitter, and is the assistant to Authoress on her new writing blog for teens, Write On! When she's not writing, she enjoys reading, karate, and shooting.

International

Bidding is open until April 5th, 1PM EDT.

Day 10 - Item 4

2011-04-01T12:00:00.001-04:00

From NYT bestselling author Andrea Cremer: a signed ARC of Wolfsbane, sequel to Nightshade.

Betrayal, loss, pain, fear. How many trials can love endure and still survive?

International

Bidding is open until April 5th, 12PM EDT

Day 10 - Item 3

2011-04-01T11:00:00.025-04:00

From Debra Driza: an ARC of Imaginary Girls signed and personalized by Nova Ren Suma, plus bookmarks.

Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby. But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

International

Bidding is open until April 5th, 11AM EDT.

Day 10 - Item 2

2011-04-01T10:00:00.003-04:00

From author Cathryn Lindsay: a signed and personalized copy of Who Ate All The Pies?

Cuthbert is hooked on his granny's custard pies. But his world turns topsy turvy when Granny starts feeding him turnip stew instead. With the help of his friend Arnold, Cuthbert embarks on a mission to discover who is eating all of Granny's pies... Will Cuthbert get his just desserts? Find out in this addictively funny adventure story filled with mad inventions, an out-of-control robot, barmy bakers, and lots and lots of custard!

Who ate all the pies is for 6-10 year olds.

International

Bidding is open until April 5th, 10AM EDT

Day 10 - Item 1

2011-04-01T09:00:00.005-04:00

From Ishta Mercurio: a picture book and query critique.

In Ishta's own words: Ishta Mercurio-Wentworth spent her college years at Simon's Rock College studying Literature, Theatre, and Dance, and working in the Writing Centre helping other students whip their essays and creative writing assignments into shape. Since joining SCBWI, CANSCAIP, and the Canadian Children's Book Centre, she has continued to develop her own writing and critiquing skills through classes, her critique groups, and WriteOnCon. She writes - and critiques - picture books, poetry, MG, and YA.

International

Bidding is open until April 5th, 9AM EDT.

Day 9 - Item 8

2011-03-31T16:00:00.000-04:00

From author Liz Michalski: a book club in a bag -- up to 10 signed copies of my novel Evenfall in a reusable bag, with mini-bookmarks, links to secret pages on my website, and a box of homemade chocolate cookies.

Cross a Murphy woman and she'll haunt you the rest of your days.

That's what they say in Hartman, Connecticut, where the Murphy women are known for their beauty, willfulness, and disastrous luck with men. No one knows the truth of this saying better than Frank Wildermuth. Fifty years ago, he fell in love with Gert Murphy, but through fate and bad timing wound up married to her sister. He spent the rest of his life quietly regretting his mistake. Now Frank's dead -- but not quite gone—and it's time to do some haunting of his own.

All Andie Murphy ever wanted was to get out of town. But she’s back to settle Evenfall, her Uncle Frank’s estate, where some things never change -- and some things have changed a lot. Aunt Gert, for example, still drives her crazy. On the other hand, Cort, the wide-eyed farmboy she used to babysit, is all grown up -- with a whole new definition for the word sleepover.

But if you're a Murphy woman, love never goes smoothly. As Andie struggles with her feelings, Frank sees a chance for redemption -- one that could cost his niece dearly. They'll both need to decide --

Is true love really everlasting? Is home just an address, or a place you carry in your heart? And if you truly regret your mistakes, can the long-buried dreams of your youth come alive again?

US

Bidding is open until April 3rd, 4PM EDT

Day 9 - Item 7

2011-03-31T15:00:00.000-04:00

From author Megan Bostic: a signed ARC of Never Eighteen, a query critique, and either a book trailer or a gift card.

I had the dream again. The one where I’m running. I don’t know what from or where to, but I’m scared, terrified really.

Austin Parker is never going to see his eighteenth birthday. At the rate he’s going, he probably won’t even see the end of the year. But in the short time he has left there’s one thing he can do: He can try to help the people he loves live—even though he never will.

It’s probably hopeless.

But he has to try.

International

Bidding is open until April 3rd, 3PM EDT

Day 9 - Item 6

2011-03-31T14:00:00.002-04:00

From author Sheela Chari: a pre-order of Vanished and a critique of your first three chapters (MG/YA).

Eleven-year-old Neela dreams of being a famous musician, performing for admiring crowds on her traditional Indian stringed instrument. Her particular instrument used to be her grandmother’s—made of warm, rich wood, and intricately carved with a mysterious-looking dragon.

When this special family heirloom vanishes from a local church, Neela is devastated. As she searches for it, strange clues surface: a teakettle ornamented with a familiar-looking dragon, a threatening note, a connection to a famous dead musician, and even a legendary curse.

The clues point all the way to India, where it seems that Neela's instrument has a long history of vanishing and reappearing. If she is able to track it down, will she be able to stop it from disappearing again?

US

Bidding is open until April 3rd, 2PM EDT

Day 9 - Item 5

2011-03-31T13:00:00.001-04:00

From author Christopher Grant: a copy of Teenie.

Teenie, that's what my girls call me. I'm 5 feet and 1/4 inch, 101 lbs, with all my books in my book bag and a pair of waterlogged Timberlands on.

High school freshman Martine (Teenie for short) is a good student, with a bright future ahead of her. She's desperate to be accepted into a prestigious study abroad program in Spain so that she can see what life is like beyond the streets of Brooklyn. She wouldn't mind escaping from her strict (though lovable) parents for awhile either. But when the captain of the basketball team starts to pay attention to her after she's pined away for him for months and Cherise, her best friend, meets a guy on-line, Teenie's mind is on anything but her schoolwork. Teenie's longtime crush isn't what he seemed to be, nor is her best friend's on-line love. Can Teenie get her act together in time to save her friendship with Cherise, save her grade point average so that she can study in Spain, and save herself from a potentially dangerous relationship?

US

Bidding is open until April 3rd, 1PM EDT

Day 9 - Item 4

2011-03-31T12:00:00.002-04:00

From writer Vicki Tremper: a pair of unique writer's mitts.

In Vicki's own words: "It will be a handmade crocheted item by a writer for a writer, made with the yarn color of the winner's choice. The mitt involves a shell lace pattern with a ribbed cuff (length of the mitt will be determined by the winner)." The pattern is similar to the mitt in the picture, and will be made from acrylic yarn.

US/Canada

Bidding is open until April 3rd, 12PM EDT

Day 9 - Item 3

2011-03-31T11:00:00.000-04:00

From author Poppet: Fey's Adventures as e-book.

Fey is six. In her own back yard she goes on adventures to visit elves, ride monsters and walk on the wind. Along the way she makes unusual friends and learns the value of preserving nature.

This is a thrilling tale which is fun and exhilarating. Ogham lives in the oak tree, Wizlin in the Apricot tree, and the two of them take Fey to visit magical lands to meet fantastical creatures like Smudge and Majjel.

International

Bidding is open until April 3rd, 11AM EDT.

Day 9 - Item 2

2011-03-31T10:00:00.000-04:00

From author Pat Schmatz: signed copies of the three current books: Mousestraps, Circle The Truth, and Mrs. Estronsky and the UFO.

Maxie's a cartoonist. Rick's a design genius. Back in grade school, they used to come up with crazy inventions, like mousetraps with a zillion parts. But high school is nothing like child's play. The traps Maxie and Rick encounter now are a lot more complicated – and a lot more dangerous…

~

First a spiral staircase replaces the regular stairs. The new stairs lead to a living room that isn't his, a cat that isn't his either, and a strange old man whose words are cryptic riddles.

Or are they? Rith's never been into religion. But he realizes those words have a spiritual source - and an uncanny ring of truth. Is he just dreaming? Is the old man God? As Rith tries to circle closer to the truth, the line between reality and unreality blurs…

This rhapsody on faith, acceptance, patience and the relationship between "truth" and "reality" is an unusual and valuable addition to the pantheon of literature for youth, particularly since faith is so seldom addressed with such neutrality in books for younger readers.

~

“But it’s my birthday. That isn’t fair! Why should I get punished for my birthday? If I’m going to be punished, it should be on your birthday!” That’s Jackie Riley’s response when she receives a gift of piano lessons on her twelfth birthday. Her father and brother have moved to Wyoming and forgotten all about Jackie. The house is empty and her mother cries more than any mother should. How could piano lessons do anything but make it all worse? But when Jackie starts her lessons with Mrs. Estronsky, some unexpected doors begin to open. One October night, something comes flying through one of those open doors and leaves Jackie reeling in the middle of a whole new world — a world much bigger than the one she knew before. “Trust your own experience, Jackie,” says Mrs. Estronsky. “It’s the only truth that you’ll ever know.” Jackie tries out this new idea by interacting differently with her family and friends. Nothing changes — and everything changes — all at the same time.

International

Bidding is open until April 3rd, 10AM EDT

Day 9 - Item 1

2011-03-31T09:00:00.006-04:00

From author Debra Driza: a critique of your full manuscript + query. Afterwards - once you've had the time to revise, say - her agent Taylor Martindale will read the full and give her feedback!

Debra Driza lives and writes in Southern California, usually surrounded by Rhodesian Ridgebacks, kids, and her husband--all of them just as messy as she is. She's a member of the group blog GotYA and a die-hard Veronica Mars fan.

MILA 2.0, the first book in her YA sci-fi thriller series, debuts Fall 2012 from Katherine Tegen Books (an imprint of HarperCollins).

Her agent Taylor Martindale also lives and works in Southern California--in fact, Debra is thinking about sending the kids and Ridgebacks to her house for a while. Taylor is an agent with the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. Her main interest is young adult, but she's also interested in children's picture books, commercial fiction, women's fiction, and multi-cultural fiction.

International

Bidding is open until April 3rd, 9AM EDT

Day 8 - Item 8

2011-03-30T16:00:00.000-04:00

From NYT bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater: a critique. Or perhaps more detailed:

"$50 and under for the winning bid, I'll do a 5 page crit.
$100 and under, one chapter (3000 words).
$250 and under, three chapter critique (9,000 words).
Anything over $500, 15,000 word critique.
$1,000 and over, 20,000 word critique, a signed copy of Shiver, Linger, Lament, and Ballad, and a Linger tank-top."

From Maggie's website: "All of my life decisions have been based around my inability to be gainfully employed. Talking to yourself, staring into space, and coming to work in your pajamas are frowned upon when you're a waitress, calligraphy instructor, or technical editor (all of which I've tried), but are highly prized traits in novelists, musicians, and artists (I've made my living as one of these since I was 22).

I now live an eccentric life in the middle of nowhere, Virginia, with my charmingly straight-laced husband, two small kids, two neurotic dogs, one criminally insane cat, and a 1973 Camaro named Loki.

I'm an avid reader, an award-winning colored pencil artist, and play several musical instruments, including the Celtic harp, the piano, and the bagpipes. I also make great cocktail party conversation."

International

Bidding is open until April 2nd, 4PM EDT

Day 8 - Item 7

2011-03-30T15:00:00.000-04:00

From YA author Shawn Goodman: a signed copy of Something Like Hope and a query or first chapter critique

Seventeen-year-old Shavonne has been in and out of juvenile detention since the eighth grade. Angry and confused, she turns to Mr. Delpopolo, an overweight, sad-eyed man who is struggling to accept the reality of his own shattered life. With compassion and honesty, he helps Shavonne understand the connection between her self-destructive behavior and the shame about her past that burns through her so with so much intensity. For the first time, she tells the truth about her crack-addicted mother, the baby she delivered straight into the foster care system, and the pain she feels about her role in her brother’s accident.

But even as Shavonne comes to understand the past, her present – life in the Center – threatens to explode in even more violence and confusion. Her fellow inmates, who have suffered their own unspeakable tragedies, can’t seem to escape the abusive guards and careless counselors who corrupt the system and make it impossible for even the most well-meaning employees to make a difference. But as her eighteenth birthday draws nearer, Shavonne is touched by a series of unexpected kindnesses that shift her vision of the world. She begins to believe that maybe she, like the goslings recently hatched on the Center’s property, could have a future beyond the barbed-wire walls of the system.

This gritty and unflinchingly honest look at life in juvenile detention, winner of the 2009 Delacorte Contest, will break your heart, change the way you think about “troubled” teens, and ultimately, leave you feeling something like hope.

International

Bidding is open until April 2nd, 3PM EDT

Day 8 - Item 6

2011-03-30T14:00:00.001-04:00

From NYT bestselling author Nancy Holder: the three books of her Possessions series - Possessions, The Evil Within, and The Screaming Season - as well as a copy of Crusade by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie.

For the past two years, Jenn has lived and trained at Spain’s Sacred Heart Academy Against the Cursed Ones. She is among the few who have pledged to defend humanity or die trying. But the vampires are gaining power, and the battle has only just begun.

Forced to return home after death takes a member of her family, Jenn discovers that San Francisco is now a vampire strong-hold. As a lone hunter apart from her team, Jenn is isolated — and at risk. She craves the company of her fighting partner, Antonio: his protection, his reassurance, his touch. But a relationship with Antonio comes with its own dangers, and the more they share of themselves, the more Jenn stands to lose.

Then Jenn is betrayed by one who was once bound to protect her, causing her to doubt all she had held as true. To survive, Jenn must find the courage to trust herself — and her heart.

International

Bidding is open until April 2nd, 2PM EDT

Day 8 - Item 5

2011-03-30T13:00:00.000-04:00

From YA author Leah Cypess: a signed hardcover copy of MISTWOOD and bookmarks

A desperate prince… a castle full of lies…

and an ancient shapeshifter trapped in the form of

a human girl.

International

Bidding is open until April 2nd, 1 PM EDT

Day 8 - Item 4

2011-03-30T12:00:00.001-04:00

From literary agent Weronika Janczuk of D4EO Literary Agency: 3 chapters critique (up to 75 pages)

Weronika Janczuk is a writer, a student, and as of August 2010, an agent with D4EO Literary.

Her name is pronounced ‘Veronica,’ the spelling different because of its Polish roots; Weronika is one hundred percent Polish and a first-generation American resident. She was born in Ontario, Canada, a few months after her parents immigrated, and since then has lived in Ontario, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. She has now made her home in New York. She speaks/reads/writes both English and Polish fluently and hopes to add French to the list before long.

Weronika writes YA, literary, and historical fiction, and blogs about it here.

Both Weronika’s love for writing and her love of reading contributed to her professional interest in publishing. Her career began in 2009, where she interned with Brian Farrey at Flux. She also worked in different capacities with Jenny Bent at The Bent Agency, Kathleen Anderson at Anderson Literary Management, Mary Kole at Andrea Brown Literary Agency, and Bob Diforio at D4EO Literary Agency before her promotion there to agent.

Weronika finds time for all of these interests by reading quickly, watching very little television, and living with less sleep on the weekends. She does, however, love to spend a bit of time now and then with ‘80s music, witty (published) novels, funky art, and nice, good, smart people.

International

Bidding is open until April 2nd, 12 PM EDT

Day 8 - Item 3

2011-03-30T11:00:00.003-04:00

From YA author Janice Hardy: a signed copy of The Shifter and a first chapter critique (all genres)

Nya is a Taker: with her touch she can heal injuries, drawing the pain into her own body. Unlike other Takers, she can’t push the pain into the enchanted metal used to store it. All she can do is shift it from person to person, a skill she must conceal or risk being used as a human weapon. But when her sister mysteriously disappears, Nya must decide—how far will she go to save her?

US only

Bidding is open until April 2nd, 11 AM EDT

Day 8 - Item 2

2011-03-30T10:00:00.000-04:00

From YA author Maurissa Guibord: Signed copy of WARPED

Tessa Brody doesn't believe in magic. Or Fate. But there is definitely something weird about the dusty unicorn tapestry that she discovers in a box of old books. The wild, handsome creature woven within it draws Tessa, and frightens her too.

Soon after the tapestry comes into her possession strange things begin to happen. Tessa experiences vivid dreams of the past and scenes from a brutal hunt. When she accidentally pulls a thread from the tapestry, Tessa releases a terrible secret-one that has been contained for centuries. She also meets William de Chaucy, a young sixteenth-century nobleman with gorgeous eyes, an odd accent and haughty attitude to spare. His fate is as inextricably tied to the tapestry as Tessa's own. "His Lordship" is pretty hard to get along with but equally hard to resist.

Together with Will, Tessa must correct the wrongs of the past to defeat a cruel and crafty ancient enemy.

But what is she willing to sacrifice in order to do it?

US only

Bidding is open until April 2nd, 10 AM EDT

Day 8 - Item 1

2011-03-30T09:00:00.003-04:00

From YA author Medeia Sharif: First 50 pages critique as well as a $25 Amazon gift card

In Medeia's own words: I’m a Kurdish-American author who was born in New York City, and I presently call Miami Beach my home. I received my master’s degree in psychology from Florida Atlantic University. Prior to my publishing career I was (and still am) a school teacher—but that’s a whole nother story. I became a voracious reader in high school and a relentless writer in college. My persistence paid off in 2008 when I attained agent representation and in 2009 when I got my first book deal. BESTEST. RAMADAN. EVER. is my first novel and it will be published by Flux in 2011. I am a member of Mensa and SCBWI.

International

Bidding is open until April 2nd, 9 AM EDT

Day 7 - Item 8

2011-03-29T16:00:00.000-04:00

From NYT bestselling author Beth Revis: a signed UK paperback copy of Across The Universe. And if the bidding goes over $50, she'll also do a query critique for the winner.

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awake on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into a brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone—one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship—tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn’t do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed’s hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there’s only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

US

Bidding is open until April 1st, 4PM EDT.

Day 7 - Item 7

2011-03-29T15:00:00.001-04:00

From author N. R. Williams: The Treasures of Carmelidrium as e-book.

When a hooded man steps in front of her car, Missie is thrust through a portal into a medieval world where she encounters monsters and mythical creatures. Here her flute has magical powers to heal and destroy and to empower, "The Treasures of Carmelidrium." She is romanced by a prince and hunted by the villain. Will she find her way home? Does she want to?

International

Bidding is open until April 1st, 3PM EDT.

Day 7 - Item 6

2011-03-29T14:00:00.000-04:00

From author Sara Bennett Wealer: a signed copy of Rival and a signed bookmark.

Meet Brooke: Popular, powerful and hating every minute of it, she’s the “It” girl at Douglas High in Lake Champion, Minnesota. Her real ambition? Using her operatic mezzo as a ticket back to NYC, where her family lived before her dad ran off with an up and coming male movie star.

Now meet Kathryn: An overachieving soprano with an underachieving savings account, she’s been a leper ever since Brooke punched her at a party junior year. For Kath, music is the key to a much-needed college scholarship.

The stage is set for a high-stakes duet between the two seniors as they prepare for the prestigious Blackmore competition. Brooke and Kathryn work toward the Blackmore with eyes not just on first prize but on one another, each still stinging from a past that started with friendship and ended in betrayal. With competition day nearing, Brooke dreams of escaping the in-crowd for life as a professional singer, but her scheming BFF Chloe has other plans. And when Kathryn gets an unlikely invitation to Homecoming, she suspects Brooke of trying to sabotage her with one last public humiliation.

As pressures mount, Brooke starts to sense that the person she hates most might just be the best friend she ever had. But Kathryn has a decision to make. Can she forgive? Or are some rivalries for life?

International

Bidding is open until April 1st, 2PM EDT.

Day 7 - Item 5

2011-03-29T13:00:00.001-04:00

From author Alex Epstein: a signed copy of The Circle Cast - The Lost Years of Morgan le Fay

The sorceress Morgan le Fay - seducer of King Arthur and destroyer of Britain - was a girl once. But how did an exiled girl become a king's nemesis?

Britain, 480 AD. Saxon barbarians are invading, pushing the civilized British out of their own island. Morgan is the daughter of the governor of Cornwall. But when her father is murdered and her mother taken as the King's new wife, she has to flee to Ireland to avoid being murdered herself.

But Ireland is no refuge. She's captured in a slave raid and sold to a village witch. As Morgan comes of age, she discovers her own magical powers. She falls in love with a young Irish chieftain, and makes him powerful. But will her drive for revenge destroy her one chance for love and happiness?

Author Alex Epstein spent several years researching early Celtic culture and spirituality. The Toronto Star says the book "has the darkness of Celtic magic" and praises its "poetic terseness."

The book's press kit – at http://thecirclecast.com – has a big excerpt of THE CIRCLE CAST, as well as a YouTube interview, and fact sheets about historical Britain, Wicca and the legend of Morgan le Fay. The author's blog – at http://morganslostyears.blogspot.com – has even more information about Morgan le Fay, King Arthur and Wicca.

US/Europe

Bidding is open until April 1st, 1PM EDT.

Day 7 - Item 4

2011-03-29T12:00:00.003-04:00

From freelance editor Allison Dickson: a full line edit up to 85K words (normally valued at around $1000!).

Aside from running Allison Edits, Allison M. Dickson spends her leisure time writing dark speculative fiction stories, publishing blogs, and burying her head in books. Her work has appeared in e-zines The Absent Willow Review and Reflection's Edge, as well as in the horror anthology The Black Garden. She has also published film reviews and is a die-hard, foodie, gamer, politico, and overall pop culture fanatic.

Allison lives in Dayton, Ohio with her husband Ken, her two children, Natalie and Elias, and a sweet little bobcat named Angus.

You can learn more about her past, current, and future work, her thoughts on the craft of writing and everything else at her author site.

Line Editing involves a far more substantial evaluation of your story and it is the most popular of the Allison Edits services offered. Line Editing evaluates the message and the flow of your writing and ensures the proper tone for your audience. A line edit not only checks for what you say, but how you say it and to whom. It also includes all of the proofreading and formatting services. (Have a look on the website for details.)

Tightens your prose by eliminating unnecessary modifiers, redundancies, cliches, and awkward sentence structure and dialogue
Eliminates stylistic issues like passive voice
Helps match your document's intent to its audience (i.e. reading and maturity level, proper, persuasive, or evocative vocabulary, etc.)
Looks for clarity among your metaphors and similes
Makes suggestions for the rearranging of sentences to maintain a consistent flow of thought
Makes smooth transitions between ideas
Uses knowledge of literary devices and other elements of storytelling to ensure the authenticity, believability, and consistency of plot, story, and character
Alerts you to a need for fact-checking or additional research

Allison is booked through to April, but will be able to start the edit come May.

International

Bidding is open until April 1st, 12PM EDT

Day 7 - Item 3

2011-03-29T11:00:00.000-04:00

From authors Corey Rosen Schwartz and Tiffany Strelitz Haber: A double rhyming picture book critique.

In their own words:

"We'd like to offer a "double" rhyming picture book critique

Corey Rosen Schwartz (www.coreyschwartz.blogspot.com)

HOP PLOP (Walker, 2006)
THREE NINJA PIGS (Putnam, 2012)
GOLDI ROCKS AND THE THREE BEARS (Putnam, TBD)

Tiffany Strelitz Haber (http://www.itsrhymetime.com/)

THE MONSTER WHO LOST HIS MEAN (Holt, 2012)
OLLIE AND CLAIRE (Philomel, 2013)

Tiffany and Corey will both critique a rhyming PB manuscript of under 1000 words. It can be the same manuscript or two different ones!"

International

Bidding is open until April 1st, 11AM EDT

Day 7 - Item 2

2011-03-29T10:00:00.002-04:00

From author Jessi Kirby: a signed ARC of Moonglass and bookmarks.

When Anna was little, she and her mother used to search for sea glass, but since they looked at night, they called it moonglass. Now, ten years after her mother's mysterious death, her father is working as head lifeguard on the same beach where her mother grew up and her parents first met and fell in love.

Reluctant to get close to anyone (including her father) and not pleased about having to start at a new school, Anna begins to spend more time alone, running the length of the beach and wondering about who her mother really was. After meeting a lifeguard named Tyler, she slowly lets her guard down and together they start exploring the abandoned houses that dot the beach.

But when learning more about her mother's past leads to a painful discovery, Anna must reconcile her desire for solitude with ultimately accepting the love of her family and friends.

US

Bidding is open until April 1st, 10AM EDT.

Day 7 - Item 1

2011-03-29T09:00:00.000-04:00

From author Tommy Greenwald: a signed ARC of Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide To Not Reading, plus swag, and a 15-page critique.

Charlie Joe Jackson is proud to say that he's never read an entire book from cover to cover. Sure, he's glanced at the first chapter and last chapters and maybe even read the flap copy, but when it comes to actually reading what's in the middle, Charlie counts on his friend Timmy McGibney to do the reading for him in exchange for an ice cream sandwich. But when Timmy decides that his price has gone up to three ice cream sandwiches, Charlie Joe Jackson is faced with two very unappealing options: let himself be blackmailed or read an entire book. What's an enterprising non-reader to do?

International

Bidding is open until April 1st, 9AM EDT.

Day 6 - Item 8

2011-03-28T16:00:00.003-04:00

From freelance editor Cassandra Marshall: a submission package (query and first ten pages critique).

Cassandra is a freelance editor, lit agent intern, YA writer, and loves to play with her dog Mollie. She dreams of one day owning a small house near the water, preferably in England, with a shelf full of books she has written and has helped others to write. She can be found in Emmett, MI and at camarshall.com

International

Bidding is open until March 31st, 4PM EDT.

Day 6 - Item 7

2011-03-28T15:00:00.008-04:00

From YA author Kiki Hamilton: a pre-order of The Faerie Ring (released October 1, 2011) plus bookmarks and postcards

A stolen ring, a broken truce, a kingdom in peril...

Orphaned and picking pockets in London’s Charing Cross station to support not only herself, but her ‘family’ of orphans, sixteen year-old Tiki steals the Queen’s ring and thinks she’s solved their problems. That is, until Rieker, a pickpocket from the North End, suspects her in the theft and tells her that the ring is really a reservoir that holds a truce between the British and Faerie courts.

When he warns her that the fey will do anything, including murder, to recover the ring, Tiki is unsure whether to believe him or not. To complicate matters, Rieker seems to know something about the unusual birthmark on Tiki’s wrist. But when Tiki and her family are threatened the game changes.

International

Bidding is open until March 31st, 3PM EDT.

Day 6 - Item 6

2011-03-28T14:00:00.004-04:00

From author Molly Zenk: a copy of Unheard Melodies, a query critique, and a first chapter critique (10 pages).

Unheard Melodies: Fanny Brawne inspired John Keats' greatest works but the pair endured disapproving parents, jealous friends, and John's illness which threatened to separate them forever.

In Molly's own words: Having a strong query and strong early pages are so important. I have a teaching and editing background along with the writing, so I can give a solid critique.

International (will post the book by shipping, so may take a few weeks to arrive)

Bidding is open until March 31st, 2PM EDT.

Day 6 - Item 5

2011-03-28T13:00:00.004-04:00

From author Savannah Chase: 10 children's books.

The books are: Disney's Aladdin, Disney's The Jungle Book, Disney's My Friend Tigger and Pooh On the Color Case, Care Bears Catch The Christmas Spirit, Dream Works Over The Hedge Animal Antics (plus stickers), Disney's Enchanted, Disney's G Force, Care Bears Oopsy Does It (plus stickers), Dream Works Over The Hedge The Cookie Heist (includes removable tattoos), Madagascar Escape 2 Africa.

International

Bidding is open until March 31st, 1PM EDT.

Day 6 - Item 4

2011-03-28T12:00:00.012-04:00

From MG author Dee Garretson: a query critique for an MG or YA novel.

Dee is the author of MG novels WILDFIRE RUN and the soon-to-be-released WOLF STORM, and is represented by Caryn Wiseman of Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Her successful query for Wildfire Run (previously called 'Escape from Camp David' and 'Danger's Edge: Wildfire at Camp David') was featured on The Guide to Literary Agents.

International

Bidding is open until March 31st, 12PM EDT.

Day 6 - Item 3

2011-03-28T11:00:00.000-04:00

From author Alison Goodman: a signed first edition hardback copy with a dust-jacket of EON: Dragoneye Reborn.

In a world of lies, the truth can be deadly …

Under the harsh regime of an ambitious master, Eon is training to become a Dragoneye – a powerful Lord able to command wind and water to protect the land. But Eon also harbours a desperate secret – he is in fact a young woman living a dangerous masquerade that, if discovered, will mean certain death.

Brought to the attention of the Emperor himself and summoned to the opulent court, Eon is thrust into the heart of a lethal struggle for the Imperial throne. In this new, treacherous world of hidden identities and uneasy alliances, Eon comes face-to-face with a vicious enemy who covets the young Dragoneye’s astounding power, and will stop at nothing to make it his own.

Eon is based on the ancient lores of Chinese astrology and Feng Shui. It is a thrilling, timeless novel of deadly politics, sexual intrigue and dazzling swordplay set in a brilliantly envisioned world …

International

Bidding is open until March 31st, 11AM EDT.

Day 6 - Item 2

2011-03-28T10:00:00.001-04:00

From author Mara Purnhagen: a signed copy of One Hundred Candles, plus bookmarks and magnet.

It’s taken a long time for Charlotte Silver to feel like a normal teenager. But now that she’s settled in a new school, where she’s made friends who know about her parent’s infamous paranormal investigations, it feels like everything is falling into place. And what better way to be normal than to go on a date with the popular Harris Abbott? After all, it’s not as if Noah is anything more than a friend.

But Charlotte’s new life takes a disturbing detour when Harris takes her to a party where they play a game called One Hundred Candles. It all seems like harmless, ghostly fun. Until the spirits supposedly unleashed by the game start showing up at school. Now, Charlotte, her friends and her family are in very real danger, and the door that she’s opened into another realm may yield deadly consequences.

International

Bidding is open until March 31st, 10AM EDT.

Day 6 - Item 1

2011-03-28T09:00:00.000-04:00

From literary agent Kathleen Ortiz: a critique of your first 50 pages as well as a 20 minute phone call to answer any questions about the critique.

Kathleen is Associate Agent and Foreign Rights Manager at Lowenstein Associates. With the continued demand for online marketing in publishing, a strong online platform is essential for today's authors. Kathleen uses her background in interactive media design to assist Lowenstein Associates’ clients with branding themselves.

She is currently looking for young adult, middle grade, chapter books, adult romance and contemporary women's fiction. In those age groups, she is open to both fiction and non-fiction.

Kathleen does not represent the following: screenplays, adult thrillers, adult fantasy, adult sci-fi, memoirs or picture books. Have a look on Kathleen's website for more details.

For this auction please make sure to only bid if your manuscript fits with what Kathleen is looking for.

International

Bidding is open until March 31st, 9AM EDT.

Special Auction Item - Mystery Box

2011-03-27T15:00:00.006-04:00

Announcing the start of...*drumroll*...the Mystery Box auction.

This is most definitely an auction item! The contents of the Mystery Box will remain a mystery until they are revealed to the winner. They comprise various MG/YA books, which are the favorite reads of the people donating them. There will be at least 5 books, possibly many more, and the winning bidder will receive them by mail in the days/weeks following the auction - what a lovely surprise!

We'll give one little hint. In honor of Diana Wynne Jones, the internationally-recognized fantasy author who inspired so many children's fiction writers, Marieke will be donating a copy of HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE.

As for the rest of this prize, well, the winner will soon find out :)

International

Bidding is open until April 1st, 3PM EDT.

Also, to make sure they're not affected by the weekend lull, we've made the executive decision to keep the day 5 items open for another day. So more chances to bid!

How to draw Nozomi

2011-03-27T10:00:00.000-04:00

At our halfway point also a look at our fabulous mascot - Nozomi.

Ever wondered how long it takes for Nozomi to come to life?

Hours, many hours. Our little mascot might be small and cute, but creating a decent colour picture is quite long-winded. Couple of reasons for this, mainly I haven't drawn in a while and I've never been great at colour pictures. Pencils are my friends. :)

I do have the correct art supplies buried somewhere, but once scanned, those images lose the 'wow' factor (you can see all the lines and mistakes). So the alternative is colour them in with an art program. I used a free one called Artweaver, it has layers - layers are very useful.

To begin with I did a sketch of Nozomi, traced it with black biro and then cleaned it. This is scanned and imported into the program. The image duplicated into various layers (16 this time) and then each part of the picture is coloured in separately.

First the skin, kimono, hair, etc... all on separate layers (that way you don't have to start again if you mess up). From there shadows and texture are added and I'm forever going back to tidy bits up.

Once the Nozomi is finished, in comes the background. I used to draw these as well but because we are on such a tight schedule I've imported a picture, faded it and added faint butterfly wings (Nozomi ♥ wings) and then traced Nozomi back in. All of this with a click of my mouse. >.<

Finally you merge the layers, save and add text. And we're done... total time – about 4-5 hours.

You can see all the steps here (minus all the tidying):

見ぬが花。

2011-03-26T12:57:00.005-04:00

There is a Japanese saying that reads 見ぬが花 (みぬがはな). Minu ga hana. Not seeing is a flower. It means something along the lines of reality being unable to compete with imagination.

These last few weeks I've lived and breathed Write Hope. I was so nervous when the first auction went up, and I saw it grow beyond our imaginations. We've raised a couple of thousand dollars already and we are fast on our way to raise more. As I said in the wrap-up post, there's a lot of fun to be had with the bidding, but at the same time I'm sure no one forgets who we're doing it for.

At this halfway point, I can't help but feel a little reflective. Watching this grow from the wings has taught me a lot. About hope. About how imagination can beat reality and how sometimes reality rises up to meet the challenge. About humility. About life. And invariably, about writing.

Some things - like raising a book - take a village, but when we come together as a community we can move mountains. This community is amazing, with extra glitter, in doing so and I'm honored to be part of that. Speaking for myself, organizing isn't the hard part, it's only the logical thing to do. But almost all of you have replied immediately wanting to help out, and you are all so generous with time, donations, bids, promotion. Reading all the mails coming in is a rollercoaster of emotions, as I keep bouncing between grinning like mad and tears in my eyes.

One day, when I'm no longer in the dreaded query trenches, but further down the road to my dream goal, I hope to be able to pay that feeling forward from the other side. Although it would be even better if it was never necessary again, but it's a comfort to know there'll always be hope.

Not seeing is a flower. As a writer, most of the time I agree. This week, however, I think our bubble of reality turned out to be a garden.

Here's to next week being even more magnificent!

<3

Wrapping up week one

2011-03-26T08:08:00.004-04:00

Then again, wrapping things up sounds like we can, and we're actually in the middle of SO MANY fantastic auctions.

Bidding on the items from day 3 closes today. That means you have to hurry if you want the chance to win: a signed copy of Haven and a Haven prize pack; a critique of your first three chapters by Kendare Blake; a signed copy of Soar, Elinor!; a signed copy of The Trouble With Half A Moon; a collection of books by Kate Messner; a prize pack with a signed copy of The Pull Of Gravity, loads of swag and a query + partial critique.
And last but not least a query critique by Meredith Barnes of Fineprint Literary as well as the 30-minute Skype chat still open from day 1.

So far you all came through in an amazing way. We've had bidding wars, twitter taunting, upped offers and we're raising a lot of money for Save The Children. Because in the end that's the most important thing. On the Save The Children Blog stories about how the Japan disaster is affecting the children in Japan are heart wrenching. Just have a look at Seina's story. This nine-year-old boy has been living with his mother in an evacuation center. He's lost his sister to the tsunami.

This auction is an amazing experience so far - more on that later today - but it's children like Seina that are the heart of it. If you can help in any way, please do.

And to that end we have a whole lot of amazing lots up on the site. What do you think of a query critique from literary agent Tina Wexler? A critique from the mysterious Authoress? A marketing consulting session from Shelli Johannes? Signed and personalized copies of Maria V. Snyder's Insider series? A collection of picture books? And my personal favorite: Tessa Gratton offering a first chapter critique for every $50 and signed copies of Blood Magic.

We have so much more to come too. Signed copies or ARCs of One Hundred Candles, Eon, Riva, Moonglass, Across The Universe, Mistwood, Imaginary Girls, and many more. A partial critique and phone call with literary agent Kathleen Ortiz. A full critique by Debra Driza, followed by a full read from her agent Taylor Martindale. A story in the Kat, Incorrigible universe written especially for you. And another last but not least: a critique by the one and only Maggie Stiefvater.

So bid high, bid often, and thank you, thank you, thank you. :-)

Day 5 - Item 8

2011-03-25T16:00:00.028-04:00

From MG/YA author and marketing consultant Shelli Johannes: a two-hour marketing consulting session (valued at $200) to discuss marketing your published book or creating an online presence.

In Shelli's own words: My passion is to inspire children with my words and help my fellow authors find creative ways to market their passions and products. Shelli is represented by Alyssa Eisner Henkin (Trident Media Group)

International

Bidding is open until March 29th, 4PM EDT.

Day 5 - Item 7

2011-03-25T15:00:00.001-04:00

From author Alissa Grosso: a signed copy of Popular

Meet the clique that rules Fidelity High: Olivia, Zelda, Nordica, and Shelly, each one handpicked by uber-popular Hamilton Best. You know you’re “in” when you make the guest list for one of Hamilton’s parties. And in the thralls of senior year, everyone wants to get noticed by Hamilton.

But Hamilton’s elite entourage is coming apart at the seams. Olivia fantasizes about finally having a boyfriend, Zelda dreams of ditching high school, Nordica wants to be alone with her photography, and Shelly’s plotting to dethrone Hamilton. Lies and secrets are ripping away the careful ties that have kept them together for years. But Hamilton has the biggest secret of all, one that only her boyfriend Alex knows. If the truth got out, it would shock everyone and destroy Hamilton’s fragile world—and she’ll do anything to protect her secret and keep her clique together.

International

Bidding is open until March 29th, 3PM EDT.

Day 5 - Item 6

2011-03-25T14:00:00.007-04:00

From critique group Will Write for Cake: a joint critique session of your first 20 pages of a MG/YA manuscript or a picture book.

In their words: "We're published in multiple genres (picture book, middle grade, young adult, non-fiction). We'll read the first 20 pages of a middle grade or young adult novel OR one picture book. We would all offer written comments for feedback."

Will Write for Cake is a critique group based in the Houston area made up of seven children's writers who happen to love baked goods. The members are: Laura Edge, Doris Fisher, Lynne Kelly, M. G. King, Christina Mandelski, Monica Vavra, and Tammy Waldrop

International

Bidding is open until March 29th, 2PM EDT.

Day 5 - Item 5

2011-03-25T13:00:00.033-04:00

From Megan Bickel: "Caldecott winners" picture book prize pack - softcover editions of THE LITTLE HOUSE by Virginia Lee Burton and THE SNOWY DAY by Ezra Jack Keats, and a hardback copy of A SICK DAY FOR AMOS MCGEE by Philip C. Stead,

plus (if the winner has a manuscript), a picture book critique.

International

Bidding is open until March 29th, 1PM EDT.

Day 5 - Item 4

2011-03-25T12:00:00.004-04:00

From children's author Susanna Leonard Hill: one signed hardcover copy* each of Punxsutawney Phyllis, No Sword Fighting In The House, Not Yet Rose, Can't Sleep Without Sheep, and April Fool, Phyllis, plus three signed copies each of Airplane Flight and Freight Train Trip (Lift-the-Flap Adventures in board books).

*Inscribed to the winner's specifications

International

Bidding is open until March 29th, 12PM EDT.

Day 5 - Item 3

2011-03-25T11:00:00.003-04:00

From Catherine Johnson: copies of The Lollipop Shoes by Joanne Harris and Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder.

The Lollipop Shoes: Since she was a little girl, the wind has dictated every move Vianne Rocher has made, buffeting her from place to place, from the small French village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes to the crowded streets of Paris. Cloaked in a new identity, that of widow Yanne Charbonneau, she opens a chocolaterie on a small Montmartre street, determined to still the wind at last and keep her daughters, Anouk and the baby, Rosette, safe. Her new home above the chocolate shop offers calm and quiet: no red sachets hang by the door; no sparks of magic fill the air; no Indian skirts with bells hang in her closet. Conformity brings with it anonymity and peace. There is even Thierry, the stolid businessman who wants to take care of Yanne and the children. On the cusp of adolescence, an increasingly rebellious and restless Anouk does not understand. But soon the weather turns . . . and into their lives blows the charming and enigmatic Zozie de l'Alba. And everything begins to change.

Chasing Brooklyn: Brooklyn can't sleep. Her boyfriend, Lucca, died only a year ago, and now her friend Gabe has just died of an overdose. Every time she closes her eyes, Gabe's ghost is there waiting for her. She has no idea what he wants or why it isn't Lucca visiting her dreams.

Nico can't stop. He's always running, trying to escape the pain of losing his brother, Lucca. But when Lucca's ghost begins leaving messages, telling Nico to help Brooklyn, emotions come crashing to the surface.

As the nightmares escalate and the messages become relentless, Nico reaches out to Brooklyn. But neither of them can admit that they're being haunted. Until they learn to let each other in, not one soul will be able to rest.

US/Canada Only

Bidding is open until March 29th, 11AM EDT.

Day 5 - Item 2

2011-03-25T10:00:00.001-04:00

From author Nicole MacDonald: The Arrival, book one of the Birthright Trilogy, as e-book.

Cat, Kassie, Sian and Loi are anything but damsels in distress. Fed up with a lack of decent male specimens they cast a love spell in the hopes of finding their soul-mates. And inadvertently land themselves on another planet. Oops.

The Arrival follows the girls' adventures as they stumble through a foreign and often hostile world where humans are NOT at the top of the food chain. Friendships are forged and love teeters on the horizon while the threat of civil war looms thanks to the girls' very unexpected 'gifts'. Will the girls master these gifts in time to survive a war in which, not only are they the ultimate weapons, but also the ultimate prize.

International

Bidding is open until March 29th, 10AM EDT.

Day 5 - Item 1

2011-03-25T09:00:00.004-04:00

From YA author Tessa Gratton: a first chapter critique

But that's not all. To add further awesomeness to this, Tessa says: "For every $50 bid I'll add another first chapter critique. So if the winning bid is $50 I'll do one crit, if it's $100 I'll do 2, $150 for 3... to the highest bidders. And for the top bidder I'll add a signed finished copy of BLOOD MAGIC, which won't be available until May."

Also, have a look at her "How Japan Changed Me" post, with a bonus auction comment: "The very least I can do is participate in this auction. I hope it gets a thousand bids so I have to do 20 critiques. I don't care how it happens - band together if you want. I'll critique all of you.

And I'll match the winning bid's donation up to $500. If it gets there, I'll put in a second finished, signed copy of BLOOD MAGIC."

For Nick Pardee and Silla Kennicot, the cemetery is the center of everything.

Nick is a city boy angry at being forced to move back to the nowhere town of Yaleylah, Missouri where he grew up. He can’t help remembering his mom and the blood magic she practiced – memories he’s tried for five years to escape. Silla, though, doesn’t want to forget; her parents’ apparent murder-suicide left her numb and needing answers. When a book of magic spells in her dad’s handwriting appears on her doorstep, she sees her chance to unravel the mystery of their deaths.

Together they plunge into the world of dark magic, but when a hundred-year-old blood witch comes hunting for the bones of Silla’s parents and the spell book, Nick and Silla will have to let go of everything they believe about who they are, the nature of life and death, and the deadly secrets that hide in blood.

International

Bidding is open until March 29th, 9AM EDT.

Day 4 - Item 8

2011-03-24T16:00:00.001-04:00

From the most mysterious and fantastic Authoress: a 3-chapter critique of a completed MG or YA novel

Authoress writes YA science fiction and fantasy and is represented by Josh Getzler of Russell and Volkening. She has an adoring husband and a stash of organic chocolate that keeps disappearing. (the chocolate, not the adoring husband.) She is also a classical pianist, a trained soprano, and an unabashed foodie. You can find her at Miss Snark’s First Victim, and follow her on twitter at @AuthoressAnon.

International

Bidding is open until March 27th, 4PM EDT.

Day 4 - Item 7

2011-03-24T15:00:00.000-04:00

From author Maria V. Snyder: a set of signed and personalized Insider books (Inside Out and Outside In) and a signed copy of After Hours: Tales from the Ur-Bar, featuring Maria's Sake and Other Spirits, a short story set in Feudal Japan.

Keep Your Head Down. Don't Get Noticed. Or Else.

I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. One of thousands who work in the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. The Trava family who rules our world from their spacious Upper levels wants us to be docile and obedient, like sheep. To insure we behave, they send the Pop Cops to police us.

So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? Not like it's all that dangerous--the only neck at risk is my own.

Until a lower level prophet claims a Gateway to Outside exists. And guess who he wants to steal into the Upper levels to get the proof? You’re right. Me. I alone know every single duct, pipe, corridor, shortcut, hole and ladder of Inside. It’s suicide plain and simple. But guess who can’t let a challenge like that go unanswered? Right again. Me.

I should have just said no...

US/Canada

Bidding is open until March 27th, 3PM EDT.

Day 4 - Item 6

2011-03-24T14:00:00.001-04:00

From artist Lori Landau: a 8 x 10 photograph titled 'Into the Dreaming I Go' mounted on 11 x 17 board, unframed.

Lori Landau’s work explores the link between creativity and consciousness, while striving to spark a concerned dialogue about global issues. Both artist and writer, yogi and mom, this native New Yorker has written for a variety of magazines including Adweek, AdAge, Elegant Bride, Sportswear International and others, and was a regular contributor to the Silicon Valley Mom's blog, where she wrote about contemporary issues. Her most recent photographic series titled Elemental Soul, was featured at the New York Open Center. Long inspired by Buddhist philosophy, she is certified to teach yoga and meditation. At www.consciousnesscreativity.com she blogs about her art, photography, and yogic philosophy.

The photograph on the left is an example of the series Elemental Soul

US only

Bidding is open until March 27th, 2PM EDT.

Day 4 - Item 5

2011-03-24T13:00:00.001-04:00

From screenwriter and author Kathy McCullough: two critiques, see below.

Kathy McCullough is a screenwriter and novelist located in Los Angeles. She is the author of “DON’T EXPECT MAGIC,” a contemporary comic novel with a supernatural twist, which will be published by Random House/Delacorte in November 2011. Kathy has written for Nickelodeon and she co-wrote the screenplay for TEEN SPIRIT, an ABC Family film that will air in 2012.

Since she doesn’t have ARCs or swag yet to offer for auction, Kathy is offering:

A critique of a first chapter of a novel, up to fifteen pages

as well as:

A critique of the first fifteen pages of a screenplay

Please indicate in the comments which one you're bidding for! :-)

International

Bidding is open until March 27th, 1PM EDT.

Day 4 - Item 4

2011-03-24T12:00:00.001-04:00

From author Angie Frazier: an ARC of The Eternal Sea, sequel to the magical Everlasting

After the thrilling journey that led Camille through the dangerous discovery of love, secrets, and a magical stone that grants immortality, Camille has everything she wants. She's escaped the men who wanted her dead, and now she is ready to build a new life with Oscar, her one true love. But things are not to be so simple. Oscar is acting strangely, and before they can even board a ship from Australia back home, to San Francisco, Camille learns that the journey is not over. If she does not follow the magic of the curse of Umandu, her life and Oscar's could be in grave danger.

International

Bidding is open until March 27th, 12PM EDT.

Day 4 - Item 3

2011-03-24T11:00:00.001-04:00

From author Greg R. Fishbone: a signed hardcover copy of The Penguins of Doom, inscribed to the winning bidder's specifications and including some character sketches.

Dear Reader, In order to make this book I had to escape from a mad scientist, adopt a trio of wild penguins, become an Olympic freestyle skateboarder, collect a whole bunch of empty yogurt containers, and find my missing tripletsister. In order to enjoy it, all you have to do is read every page. Thanks for doing your part! Sincerely, Septina Nash, Main Character.

US

Bidding is open until March 27th, 11AM EDT.

Day 4 - Item 2

2011-03-24T10:00:00.001-04:00

From literary agent Tina Wexler: a query critique or a critique of your first five pages.

Tina Wexler is an agent at ICM, representing writers in both the children’s and adult marketplace. Prior to joining ICM, she was with the Ellen Levine Literary Agency/Trident Media and the Karpfinger Agency. She is from southern Maine, holds an MFA in poetry, and lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband.

Per her AgentQuery profile, Tina specializes in middle grade and YA fiction, with particular interest in adventure stories with boy appeal, contemporary coming of age stories, tall tales, and mysteries.

On the adult side, she is looking for narrative nonfiction (religion, memoir, pop culture) and up-market women's fiction.

International

Bidding is open until March 27th, 10AM EDT.

Day 4 - Item 1

2011-03-24T09:00:00.001-04:00

From author Amy Holder: a custom signed copy of The Lipstick Laws and whole lot of lipsticky swag

At Penford High School, Britney Taylor is queen bee. She dates whomever she likes, rules over her inner circle of friends like Genghis Khan, and can ruin anyone's life as easily as snapping her perfectly manicured fingers. Just ask the unfortunate few who have crossed her.

For April Bowers, Britney is also the answer to her prayers. With zero friends and nothing close to a boyfriend, April is so unpopular, kids don't know she exists. That is, until Britney notices her. One lunch spent at Britney's table, and April is basking in the glow of popularity.

But Britney's friendship comes with a price tag.

How much is April willing to pay?

Aaaand....
Lipstick beauty kit from e.l.f cosmetics
Signed Lipstick Laws bookmarks
Class of 2k11 bookmarks
Lipstick Laws magnets
Stickers (The Lipstick Laws & Class of 2k11)
3 lipsticks (lipstick, liquid lipstick & hypershine lipgloss)
2 lipstick pens
1 lip gloss key chain
1 set of wax lips candy
1 lips lollipop

International

Bidding is open until March 27th, 9AM EDT.

Day 3 - Item 7

2011-03-23T15:00:00.012-04:00

From YA author Gae Polisner: copy of The Pull of Gravity* plus al whole lot of awesome swag (see photo. See? Trolls!) plus query critique and first 30-page critique**

While Nick Gardner’s family is falling apart, his best friend, the Scoot, is dying from a freak disease. Enter Jaycee Amato, a quirky girl with Siberian-husky eyes and an odd affinity for Of Mice and Men. She’s made a seemingly-impossible promise to the Scoot, and wants Nick’s help to keep it. Armed only with the wisdom of Yoda, the beauty of Steinbeck, and the vaguest of plans, Nick and Jaycee set off on a secret, whirlwind journey to find the father the Scoot has never known. When everything goes awry, will the pull of gravity be enough to keep them together?

* Either a marked-up ARC or a signed copy, depending on what Gae receives from her publisher
** Gae will be unable to do the query critique and first 30-page critique until after her book launch and BEA week in June 2011. If the winning bidder prefers, they can choose a query critique only, to be done before June (but in this case Gae will not do the first 30-page critique)

International

Bidding is open until March 26th, 3PM EDT.

Day 3 - Item 6

2011-03-23T14:00:00.013-04:00

From author Tami Brown: a signed copy of Soar, Elinor! plus bookmarks.

Elinor Smith was six when she first went for a ride in a rickety “flying machine,” and she was just sixteen when she earned her aviation license in 1928. But not everyone thought that girls should fly. When male pilots and newspapermen mocked her, Elinor decided to perform an aerial maneuver they thought was impossible: flying under all four bridges that span New York City’s East River. Gorgeous sweeping illustrations by François Roca show how Elinor pulled off this risky feat skillfully and with style.

US Only

Bidding is open until March 26th, 2PM EDT.

Day 3 - Item 5

2011-03-23T13:00:00.010-04:00

From award-winning children's author Kate Messner: A collection of signed books

2010 E.B. White Read Aloud winner, The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z., a novel about a 7th grade girl who left her school leaf collection project to the last minute and has one week to finish…or else! (signed hardcover,Walker/Bloomsbury, 2009)
Sugar and Ice, about a middle school figure skater from a small-town maple farm who earns a scholarship to train with the elite in Lake Placid. (signed hardcover, Walker/Bloomsbury, 2010)
Marty McGuire, the first in a fun new chapter book series with Scholastic (signed ARC of book releasing in May 2011)
Sea Monster’s First Day, a picture book about a sea monster’s first day in a new school…of fish! (signed, advance-copy hardcover - Chronicle, Summer '11)

US Only

Bidding is open until March 26th, 1PM EDT.

Day 3 - Item 4

2011-03-23T12:00:00.029-04:00

A query critique from Meredith Barnes at Fineprint Literary Management*

FinePrint Literary Management has been unable to rid themselves of Meredith since her arrival in January 2010. Parties have reached a gentlemanly agreement wherein it is specified, among other things, that Meredith sit as far away from the front door as possible. As it would happen, this is part of Janet Reid's agreement as well.

Meredith is not acquiring clients. She reads good writing, both fiction and non, and hawks the outstanding on Janet. Especially appealing are thrillers with worldwide stakes, quirky literary fiction, and characters that she wishes were real. Narrative nonfiction with a new story to tell and the requisite platform (yeah, yeah) is always welcome.

Convinced that technology is vital to the future of publishing, but also recognizing that it is scary and has sharp teeth, Meredith started La Vie en Prose to provide some perspective on the matter.

*Not that we at Write Hope want to put ideas into bidders' heads, but did you see Meredith's 30 minute Skype chat? Hmm, combine that with a query critique from Meredith, and you'd be able to discuss your query/manuscript at length. Is that not the height of awesome??? (Please note, to do this, you'd need to bid on AND win both items, as they are not automatically a package deal. Just to help out, we've extended the closing date for the 30 minute Skype chat with Meredith until March 26th, 12PM EDT)

International

Bidding is open until March 26th, 12PM EDT.

Day 3 - Item 3

2011-03-23T11:00:00.032-04:00

From YA author Danette Vigilante: a signed copy of The Trouble with Half a Moon plus bookmarks

Thirteen year old Dellie lives with the guilt that her little brother's death was her fault. Her mother cries all the time and because she wants Dellie to stay safe, she keeps her inside as much as she can. It doesn't matter that Dellie longs to go outside to be like other girls or that there's a boy she likes and he likes her too. All that matters to her mother is that she's safe at home. So, Dellie has no choice but to watch the world of her housing project through her second story window.

Things start to change soon after new neighbors move in on the first floor. Trouble like this has never happened in Dellie's building before. Now there are men fighting on the stoop, gunshots echoing through the night and Corey, a hungry and abused five year old boy knocking on her door looking for something to eat. Corey reminds Dellie of her brother and even though their friendship is dangerous, she wonders if this time, she'll be able to do what needs to be done. Will she be able to save Corey?

International

Bidding is open until March 26th, 11AM EDT.

Day 3 - Item 2

2011-03-23T10:00:00.009-04:00

From YA author Kendare Blake: a three-chapter critique

Kendare Blake is an import from South Korea who was raised in the United States by caucasian parents. You know, that old chestnut. She received a Bachelor's degree in Business from Ithaca College and a Master's degree in Writing from Middlesex University in London. She brakes for animals, the largest of which was a deer, which sadly didn't make it, and the smallest of which was a mouse, which did, but it took forever. Amongst her likes are Greek Mythology, rare red meat and veganism. She also enjoys girls who can think with the boys like Ayn Rand, and boys who scare the morality into people, like Bret Easton Ellis.

International

Bidding is open until March 26th, 10AM EDT.

Day 3 - Item 1

2011-03-23T09:00:00.013-04:00

From YA author Kristi Cook: a signed copy of HAVEN plus prize pack (a HAVEN scrabble-tile necklace, assorted bookmarks, pins, etc.)

A chilling destiny she can’t escape.

A devastating love she can’t resist.

Violet McKenna isn’t a normal girl with normal teenage issues; she has more to contend with than most people could handle. Violet thought she was just crazy when she had a vivid vision of her dad’s murder. Her life started falling apart when her premonition came true. She’s had flashes of other events too–the problem was nobody believed her until she found a new school: Winterhaven.

At Winterhaven, Violet finally feels like she belongs. She quickly finds a close group friends and discovers that they too have psychic ‘gifts’—as do all the students at Winterhaven. But as soon as she feels settled she discovers the most intriguing and alluring boy she has ever met, and things quickly go awry. As the attraction between them grows, intense visions of the boy’s death start to haunt her. In her premonitions, the secret he is unwilling to share begins to reveal itself. And to Violet’s horror, she learns that their destinies are intertwined in a critical–and deadly–way.

US/Canada only

Bidding is open until March 26th, 9AM EDT.

Day 2 - Item 7

2011-03-22T15:00:00.001-04:00

From YA author Jodi Meadows: a FULL critique of your YA or fantasy (plus subgenres) manuscript (up to 100,000 words).

Jodi is twenty-seven years old, and lives and writes in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. She has a husband, a Kippy*, and an alarming number of ferrets.

*A Kippy is a cat.

Her debut series, THE NEWSOUL TRILOGY, beginning with INCARNATE in 2012, will be published by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

International

Bidding is open until March 25th, 3PM EDT.

Day 2 - Item 6

2011-03-22T14:00:00.002-04:00

From author Michelle McLean: a signed copy of Homework Helpers: Essays and Term Papers and a swag pack.

The newest addition to Career Press’'s best-selling Homework Helpers series is a fun, user-friendly guide that takes the confusion out of writing essays and papers for students of all ages. Unlike other books that are so full of technical jargon they confuse more than help, Homework Helpers: Essays and Term Papers uses straightforward language and simple steps to guide students through the essay-writing process.

International

Bidding is open until March 25th, 2PM EDT.

Day 2 - Item 5

2011-03-22T13:00:00.002-04:00

From author Caroline Starr Rose: a signed ARC of May B and swag

Mavis Elizabeth Betterly, or May B. as she is known, is helping out on a neighbor's Kansas prairie homestead, “Just until Christmas,” says her Pa. Twelve-year-old May wants to contribute, but it's hard to be separated from her family by fifteen long, unfamiliar miles. Then the unthinkable happens: May is abandoned to the oncoming winter, trapped all alone in a tiny snow-covered sod house without any way to let her family know and no neighbors to turn to. In her solitude, she wavers between relishing her freedom and succumbing to utter despair, while trying to survive in the harshest conditions. Her physical struggle to first withstand and then to escape her prison is matched by tormenting memories of her failures at school. Only a very strong girl will be able to stand up to both and emerge alive and well. In this debut novel written in gripping verse, Caroline Starr Rose has given readers a new heroine to root for, one who never, ever gives up.

International

Bidding is open until March 25th, 1PM EDT.

Extra note: ARCs won't be available until August

Day 2 - Item 4

2011-03-22T12:00:00.002-04:00

From freelance editor Cassandra Marshall: a submission package and a $35 certificate. The certificate can be used towards a ten page substantive and copy edit, a four-page synopsis critique, a submissions package (a look at the writer's query and first ten pages), or used towards a full edit.

Cassandra is a freelance editor, lit agent intern, YA writer, and loves to play with her dog Mollie. She dreams of one day owning a small house near the water, preferably in England, with a shelf full of books she has written and has helped others to write. She can be found in Emmett, MI and at camarshall.com
International

Bidding is open until March 25th, 12PM EDT.

Day 2 - Item 3

2011-03-22T11:00:00.002-04:00

From author Ty Roth: a signed author's copy of So Shelly

SO SHELLY plunges the reader into uncharted territory as it transposes romantic poets John Keats, Lord Byron, and Percy Shelley into present-day high school students. Though forwarded in time by two centuries, many events in the narrative have been "ripped from the headlines" of the principal characters' lives and placed in a modern milieu, and all of their personalities are as true to the characters' own as one can reasonably draw them based on academic study; nevertheless, even the reader who doesn't know a jot about the Romantic poets is in for a thrilling read.

High school junior John Keats was never a close friend of schoolmate and literary prodigy Gordon Byron. At his best and worst, Keats was a distant, envious admirer of Gordon's talents, fame, and "player" lifestyle. That changes when their mutual friend, Shelly, mysteriously drowns. After stealing Shelly's ashes, the boys set a course for the small Lake Erie Island where Shelly's body had washed ashore and to where, according to Gordon, she wished to be returned. As they navigate obstacles and resist temptations during their odyssey, Keats and Gordon glue together the shattered pieces of Shelly's and their own pasts while attempting to make sense of her premature end.

Outrageous, poignant and in subtle homage to Lord Byron's classic Don Juan, SO SHELLY captures the indomitable spirit of Romanticism while confronting contemporary issues of sexuality, dysfunctional families, suicide, poverty, racism, alcohol and drug use, the hidden costs of popularity and fame, and friendship and while exploring themes of death, dying, grief, abandonment, abuse, and belonging.

International

Bidding is open until March 25th, 11AM EDT.

Day 2 - Item 2

2011-03-22T10:00:00.003-04:00

From YA author Robin Bridges: a critique of your first chapter (or first 20 pages) and a Amazon or B&N gift card (winner's choice) for $30.

By day, Robin is a mild-mannered YA fantasy and paranormal writer. By night, a pediatric nurse. Robin lives on the Gulf Coast with her husband, one soon-to-be teenager, and three slobbery fur-babies. Her book, The Gathering Storm, comes out from Delacorte/Random House in Fall, 2011.

International

Bidding is open until March 25th, 10AM EDT.

Day 2 - Item 1

2011-03-22T09:00:00.003-04:00

From YA author Angie Smibert a signed ARC of Memento Nora plus swag.

Nora, the popular girl and happy consumer, witnesses a horrific bombing on a shopping trip with her mother. In Nora’s near-future world, terrorism is so commonplace that she can pop one little white pill to forget and go on like nothing ever happened. However, when Nora makes her first trip to a Therapeutic Forgetting Clinic, she learns what her mother, a frequent forgetter, has been frequently forgetting. Nora secretly spits out the pill and holds on to her memories. The memory of the bombing as well as her mother’s secret and her budding awareness of the world outside her little clique make it increasingly difficult for Nora to cope. She turns to two new friends, each with their own reasons to remember, and together they share their experiences with their classmates through an underground comic. They soon learn, though, they can’t get away with remembering.

US/Canada only

Bidding is open until March 25th, 9AM EDT.

Day 1 - Item 7

2011-03-21T15:00:00.006-04:00

From YA author Julia Karr: a signed copy of XVI and a signed bookmark

In the year 2150, being a girl isn’t necessarily a good thing, especially when your sixteenth (read sex-teenth) birthday is fast approaching. That in itself would be enough to make anyone more than a little nuts, what with the tattoo and all – but Nina Oberon’s life has taken a definite turn for the worse. Her mother is brutally stabbed and left for dead. Before dying, she entrusts a secret book to Nina, telling her to deliver it to Nina's father. But, first Nina has to find him; since for fifteen years he's been officially dead. Complications arise when she rescues Sal, a mysterious, and ultra hot guy. He seems to like Nina, but also seems to know more about her father than he’s letting on. Then there’s that murderous ex-government agent who’s stalking her, and just happens to be her little sister’s dad.

US only

Bidding is open until March 24th, 3PM EDT.

Day 1 - Item 6

2011-03-21T14:00:00.005-04:00

A 30-minute Skype chat with the incomparable Meredith Barnes, professional godsend at Fineprint Literary Management about whatever you want - publishing, technology, books, anything.

FinePrint Literary Management has been unable to rid themselves of Meredith since her arrival in January 2010. Parties have reached a gentlemanly agreement wherein it is specified, among other things, that Meredith sit as far away from the front door as possible. As it would happen, this is part of Janet Reid's agreement as well.

Meredith is not acquiring clients. She reads good writing, both fiction and non, and hawks the outstanding on Janet. Especially appealing are thrillers with worldwide stakes, quirky literary fiction, and characters that she wishes were real. Narrative nonfiction with a new story to tell and the requisite platform (yeah, yeah) is always welcome.

Convinced that technology is vital to the future of publishing, but also recognizing that it is scary and has sharp teeth, Meredith started La Vie en Prose to provide some perspective on the matter.

International

Bidding is open until March 26th, 12PM EDT.

Day 1 - Item 5

2011-03-21T13:00:00.003-04:00

From children's author Jacqueline Houtman a signed copy of The Reinvention of Edison Thomas.

Eddy Thomas copes with the noise and crowds of Drayton Middle School by reciting the periodic table of elements, memorizing Morse code, and jumping on the trampoline in the gym teacher’s office. His mind stores thousands of facts and the scientific names of animals and plants, but cannot decode the meaning of the expressions on faces or the definition of a friend. When the local school crossing guard is laid off, Eddy can’t stop thinking about the dangerous intersection and the possibility that someone could get hurt there. Marshalling his talents as a scientist and inventor, he builds a traffic – calming device out of his collection of old machines. Could Eddy’s invention help with more than just the safety situation?

US/Canada only

Bidding is open until March 24th, 1PM EDT.

Day 1 - Item 4

2011-03-21T12:00:00.004-04:00

From YA author Rae Carson: a 20-page critique. In her own words, Rae is a nerd. She writes young adult novels full-time. She lives in Columbus, Ohio with her husband and two stepsons. In regards to the critique she promises to be honest and thorough.

ETA, in Rae's own words: I have a very strategic critiquing style! So in addition to the usual comments on plot, pacing dialog, etc, my critique will include a paragraph or two of "business" talk. ie. discussion of where I see the work fitting into the market, some possible comparison works, and whether or not a good tagline jumps out at me (and why or why not.)

International

Bidding is open until March 24th, 12PM EDT.

Day 1 - Item 3

2011-03-21T11:00:00.007-04:00

From YA author, mad scientist, and prom chaperone Carrie Harris: a pre-order of Bad Taste in Boys and a 50-page critique of a YA/MG manuscript.

The fantastic Carrie has upped the offer! "Guys, I'm so excited to see the bids get up to $50. In fact, I'm going to up the prize--now I'll critique 50 PAGES instead of 20, along with the book.

And if you keep those bids coming, I might even do MORE..."

Someone’s been a very bad zombie.

Super-smartie Kate Grable gets to play doctor, helping out her high school football team. Not only will the experience look good on her college apps, she gets to be this close to her quarterback crush, Aaron. Then something disturbing happens. Kate finds out that the coach has given the team steroids. Except . . . the vials she finds don’t exactly contain steroids. Whatever’s in them is turning hot gridiron hunks into mindless, flesh-eating . . . zombies.

Unless she finds an antidote, no one is safe. Not Aaron, not Kate’s brother, not her best friend . . . not even Kate . . .

It’s scary. It’s twisted. It’s sick. It’s high school.

International

Bidding is open until March 24th, 11AM EDT.

Day 1 - Item 2

2011-03-21T10:00:00.004-04:00

From YA author Denise Jaden: a signed copy of Losing Faith.

When Brie's sister, Faith, dies suddenly, Brie's world falls apart. As she goes through the bizarre and devastating process of mourning the sister she never understood and barely even liked, everything in her life seems to spiral farther and farther off course. Her parents are a mess, her friends don't know how to treat her, and her perfect boyfriend suddenly seems anything but.

As Brie settles into her new normal, she encounters more questions than closure: Certain facts about the way Faith died just don't line up. Brie soon uncovers a dark and twisted secret about Faith's final night...a secret that puts her own life in danger.

US only

Bidding is open until March 24th, 10AM EDT.

Day 1 - Item 1

2011-03-21T09:00:00.003-04:00

From NYT bestselling author Gayle Forman: a signed copy of If I Stay and a signed ARC of Where She Went.

International

Bidding is open until March 24th, 9AM EDT.