Sharon Baylis, (Sci-fi and fantasy author) and Krystal Wade, (Curiosity Quills Acquisition Editor for Young Adult) have teamed up to host a Blog Hop where there is a prize or prizes, depending on quality of submissions, for a chance at a publishing contract with Curiosity Quills.
All of this is to celebrate
Krytal Wade's book release
"Wilde's Fire"!
Under the YA and NA umbrella, Curiosity Quills is most interested in the following genres:
Fantasy
Speculative Fiction / Dark Sci-Fi / Traditional Sci-Fi
Paranormal and Urban Fantasy
Steampunk / NeoVictorian
Mystery / Crime Thrillers
Quirky/Humorous Fiction (in any of the above genres)
2) By 5/25, post your query and first 500 words on your blog. I recommend that you refer to Curiosity Quill's submission guidelines
when crafting your query. They don't need the bio section, they like to
judge a work by its merits only. You can go slightly more or less than
500 words so you're not stopping in the middle of a sentence.
3) From 5/25-5/28, pop over to the other blogs and comment on entries.
Contests like this are a great way to get useful feedback from a lot of
people. So let's make it useful! Please post meaningful and helpful
feedback that we can use to improve our work. Constructive criticism is
encouraged but of course, unhelpful meanness will not be tolerated. If
you're lucky, you may even find comments from Curiosity Quills editors
themselves.
4) On 5/28 I will post again asking you to email me your revised, final
entries for consideration by Krystal. From these entries, she will
choose winners (assuming entries are strong enough, she will choose more
than one winner!). These winners will get a full request from Curiosity
Quills.
On the very last day of submissions, I have decided to submit an entry. Click here to find out the details of the Blog Hop and visit the other participants!
MY QUERY:
Dear Krystal,
Courtney has just finished university and has landed a job in Melbourne, as an advertising editor for a new fashion magazine called 'TINT'.
She leaves her country life, family and friends to move to Melbourne, engulfing herself in her new city lifestyle. But, this fashion mag isn't all it seems to be....
Courtney finds herself attracted to one of the many gorgeous models on staff, Slater and discovers a very different world beneath the surface of the fashion magazine and big city life.
She is changed forever as she sinks deeper into a relationship with the very sexy, attractive Slater.
'TINT' is a New Adult Paranormal Romance, set in modern day Melbourne, Australia. As it stands it is an incomplete story which may have possibilities to become a series.
Sincerely,
Carolyn Brown
Here is my first 500 words of 'TINT'
Shadows crept across the wall as the room swam and
the figures in front of me merged and swirled into one. I felt as if I would not be able to stand up
straight for long. The orange tablet
they had made me swallow was taking effect and my mind was beginning to become
foggy and unfocused. I knew I was in
trouble when I felt my heart beat faster and droplets of sweat formed upon my
skin!
Slater walked into the room, I knew it was him even
though my senses had begun to wane. The others
in the room parted as he strode past them, giving him a wide berth to move
towards me. I did not expect him to hit
me, but he did, with the full force of his giant fist smashing into my
cheekbone, sending me down towards the floor.
Droplets of blood escaped from my mouth, dripping
down my chin, but I was unable to wipe them off as my hands were bound behind
my back. I tried to gain some composure
as I struggled to stand again, defiantly looking my once vampire lover in the
eyes! He hit me again and everything
faded….
Chapter
One
“Hey you! What are you doing lying around here?” Came
the familiar voice.
I was lying amongst a field of clover, listening to
the bees buzzing around me, collecting nectar to make honey, the birds singing
to each other amongst the trees and the trickling sound of the nearby stream as
it meandered past the field I was resting in.
Ali had been my friend since primary school and we
had never spent much time apart. She
lived nearby on one of the neighbouring properties that adjoined this one.Together we had learned to ride our bikes, played with our dolls and chased the local boys. When we were a lot younger we had spent
almost every waking hour together exploring our neighbourhood.
Feeling the warm sun on my skin, I shielded my eyes
as I moved to greet her, a smile spreading across my face when I saw the pack
she carried in her arms. Knowing Ali,
she would have packed my favourite olives, pate´s and cheeses. I could feel my mouth begin to water.
“I was just enjoying the sunshine! Can never get too much of just laying around,
you know!" I paused before continuing, "Actually, I just wanted to
reinforce my memories of this place, just once more before I leave for the big
city in the morning.”
“Yeah! I’m
going to miss you, ya know.”
“Me, you as well!” I answered and walked over to
give her a huge hug.
We sat down together, she opened up her bag, and I
was right, she had packed it full of my favourite delights. Even those special chocolate balls her
grandmother used to make us when we were kids.
We spent a couple of hours together just enjoying each others company before we separated and headed back to our respective
homes.
****
I hope you enjoyed it. Feel welcome to comment or make critiques below, (be nice though). Please be aware as I am Australian, some words may not be spelled the way you are accustomed. I was inspired to continue writing this story after entering a challenge earlier this year.
Carolyn
ADD 'WEIGHTED' TO YOUR GOODREADS SHELF
