Aug 13, 2010

Breaking the Rules on WriteOnCon


So I hope you attended the fantastic WriteOnCon (a FREE online conference run by writers--it rocked!). And if you didn't, check out all the recaps and archived workshops here.

And to wrap it all up on the Coffey. Tea. And Literary. I am happy to announce the final two winners of the Query Critique Contest. That's right. I said TWO. I broke the rules and picked a second 2nd place winner. Because although there were queries that needed a little help, there were also so many good ones that sucked me right in. Do you know how hard it was to choose??

The first winner was Matthew Rush, and you can check out his awesome query here.

Now the second winner to share in Matthew's prize (each of them receiving a double-eyed 10 pp critique from myself and our lovely Sara Kendall) is...

Dawn Allen!!

Here's her amazing query (this story sounds so freaking cool):

Dear Ms. Volpe,

Until now Ginny Carrera believed that she was a normal teenage girl with concerns about zits, boys, and trig; although, not necessarily in that order. Then she discovers her life is a lie. Her parents are not her parents, scientists designed her, and a Kansas senator wants to sell her DNA.

In the space of a week, Ginny finds herself fleeing a past she didn’t know existed. Worse than discovering she’s a genetic freak is the knowledge that she is being chased by government factions who want the ‘proof’ of the program – the genies – to disappear and hunted by Senator Emerson who wants to sell her valuable DNA – whole or in parts – to the highest bidder. With the help of lifelong friends, Toad and Mayo, she sets out to bring down the senator and his crew of human engineers.

Can Ginny stay alive long enough to blow the lid off the biggest scientific scandal of the century? On the Run is a speculative thriller of 60,500 words.

I am a writing instructor and workshop presenter, the founding member of a critique group, Novel Clique, and an active member of Midwest Children’s Authors Guild, a division of Missouri Writer's Guild. My stories have appeared in Soft Whispers; A Fly in Amber; and my articles with First Opinions, Second Reactions (Purdue University). My story, "Taking Out the Trash", is in the 2010 Don’t Tread on Me anthology. I hold an MFA in Writing from the University of Nebraska.

Sincerely,

Dawn Allen

Yay, Dawn!

Now...for the GRAND PRIZE winner, who will get not only a query critique, but a double-eyed critique from Sara and I, plus a 10 minute phone conference to discuss the overall project and the industry goes to...
Omgomgomgomgomg....

Elizabeth May!!!!

Seriously, this query rocks. This story sounds kickass. And I can not wait to start reading.

Dear Ms. Volpe,

Falconers are an ancient line of female warriors, born with the gift for hunting and killing supernaturals. In 1844, one Falconer remains in all of Scotland.

Seventeen-year-old Aileana Kameron battles Edinburgh’s monsters in secret, aided by her various invented weapons and flying machine. By day, she is an aristocratic lady, possibly doomed to spinsterhood because of her obsession with testing explosives and frightening potential suitors. By night, Aileana is a hunter, armed with modified percussion pistols and fueled by strong black tea. She is determined to track the faery that murdered her mother and destroy the remaining supernaturals not trapped underground by an ancient Falconer device.

But Midsummer is approaching, and the forthcoming eclipse will unlock the device binding the most powerful supernaturals underground. Their freedom will begin the Wild Hunt, and the ensuing battle could destroy Scotland. With so many lives at stake, Aileana must figure out how to imprison the supernaturals again — if she can find a way out of attending society balls and events, that is.

THE FALCONER is a YA steampunk paranormal set in Victorian era Edinburgh. I would be happy to send you the full 70,000 word manuscript at your request. Thank you kindly for your time and consideration.

Best wishes,
Elizabeth May

Winners, please email me at Joanna (at) Nancycoffeyliterary (dot) com to set a schedule for the prizes. Thank you all for participating, and GO WriteOnCon!!!

21 comments:

Amanda C. said...

Wow...I'll be keeping my eyes out for ON THE RUN on shelves! I want to read it now!

Also, good on you for breaking the rules. :)

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Two really amazing queries. Congratulations to the winners and thanks again, Joanna, for sharing this process with us.

lisa and laura said...

Holy crap! Sounds like you're going to have fun reading these, Jo. I'm jealous!

Shannon Messenger said...

Congrats to all the winners--and thanks for all your support with WriteOnCon!!!

Somehow I'd stupidly forgotten to follow this blog, so I'm happy to say I've corrected the problem. Sorry about that. :)

Carolin said...

Yay!! Congrats to the winners. The queries sound amazing. :D

Elizabeth May said...

HOLY CRAP HOLY CRAP HOLY CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


:clutches chest: :faints: :revives self: :gulps tea: :dies again:

You guys have seriously made me the happiest woman on the entire planet! THANK YOU THANK YOU!

:faints:

Marieke said...

Yay, go Elizabeth! I still think The Falconer sounds *so* amazing! :D

Tessa Quin said...

Congrats! Both of you.

THE FALCONER sounds amazing. I'd really like to read that *crosses fingers that Joanna will get it published*

Speculative thrillers are not up my alley, but I'm sure it's also amazing.

~Jamie said...

AHHH Congrats to the winners! I'd read BOTH OF THESE books!

That first one makes me want to swoon... seriously, it sounds freakin' FANTASTIC!

Karen said...

Congratulations Matthew and Dawn! Like the others, I'll be looking for these books on the shelves! Great job!

Natasha Hanova said...

So proud of you Dawn! See, I told you so.

Dawn Allen said...

Thanks for all the congrats. I'm excited beyond belief. Wow! What a rush!

Deb Salisbury, Magic Seeker and Mantua-Maker said...

Congrats, Matthew and Dawn! Your books sound great!

Matthew MacNish said...

Well it's quite clear why you would select these queries, they are both top notch. I would love to see you analyze WHAT specifically drew you in with these two, as you did with mine, but even if you don't have time this is still awesome!

Congratulations to Elizabeth and Dawn!

Marsha Lytle said...

I'm so proud of Dawn. Way to go. I told you this was going to be our year.

Jemi Fraser said...

These are awesome! Thanks so much for sharing them :)

Congrats to the winners!

Casey McCormick said...

YAY!!!!! Congrats winners!

Artistadonna said...

congratulations winners!

Stephanie Lorée said...

Wow, The Falconers sounds so high-concept and intriguing. I would read that.

Congratulations to all the winners and thank you for taking the time to read all of those queries!

Jamie Grey said...

Congrats winners! I read Elizabeth's query on the forums and fell in love - I'm so excited for her!!!

MAGolla said...

Thank you for posting these queries. Though mine didn't make the cut, reading these queries makes me want to get my A game on, rip mine apart and start all over again, and again, and again. I have a feeling version 8 or 9 might make the cut. . .