Introducing our fabulous judges for each of the three contest rounds (in no particular order).
BLOGGER ROUND:
Carrie
daydreamed her way through college—until they thrust a marketing degree into
her hands, slapped a summa cum laude seal on the corner, and
booted her out into a less-than-stellar job market. Instead of panicking at the
prospect of unemployment, she used her Midwestern logic to steer into the skid
and point her life in the direction she really wanted to go: writing out those
daydreams.
Her
passion for New Adult fiction led her to co-found NA Alley—one of the first websites
dedicated to the category. A year later, she started a design business
specializing in graphics for the publishing industry, called Forward Authority. Her
Mark of Nexus series has appeared on Amazon bestselling, top-rated, and hot new
release lists in various genres.
Natalie Aguirre is an aspiring middle grade and YA fantasy writer. She’s an attorney by day, a wife, and a mother of one child. She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She joined Casey as a blog partner on March 7, 2011. She interviews authors, many who are debut and/or middle grade authors, and spotlights their books with ARC or book giveaways on Mondays.
Rabid reader of young adult and middle grade books, all genres. Love to analyze books from a writing perspective. Somewhat deluded that writing at high altitude (Laramie, Wyoming, 7200 ft) gives me an edge. Also suffer from the delusion that mythical creatures are real. Because a pendragon isn't just a medieval surname but a tiny dragon that sparks flames when you write with it.
Angelica R. Jackson, in keeping with her scattered Gemini nature, has published articles on such subjects as gardening, natural history, web design, travel, hiking, and local history. Other interests include pets, reading, green living, and cooking for food allergies (the latter not necessarily by choice, but she’s come to terms with it). Ongoing projects include short fiction, poetry, YA novels, art photography, and children’s picture books.
In 2012, she started Pens for Paws Auction, which features critiques and swag from agents and authors to raise money for a no-kill, cage-free cat sanctuary where she volunteers, Fat Kitty City. This year's auction will run July 14-19. She blogs at Angelic Muse and as an operative at the group blog Operation Awesome, and also volunteers at the regional conference for her local SCBWI chapter (which she recommends as a great way to get involved in the writing community). She can be found on Twitter at @angelicarjaxon and onFacebook .
It should be noted (and perhaps celebrated) that Angelica successfully restrained herself from writing a satirical bio this time around.
In 2012, she started Pens for Paws Auction, which features critiques and swag from agents and authors to raise money for a no-kill, cage-free cat sanctuary where she volunteers, Fat Kitty City. This year's auction will run July 14-19. She blogs at Angelic Muse and as an operative at the group blog Operation Awesome, and also volunteers at the regional conference for her local SCBWI chapter (which she recommends as a great way to get involved in the writing community). She can be found on Twitter at @angelicarjaxon and onFacebook .
It should be noted (and perhaps celebrated) that Angelica successfully restrained herself from writing a satirical bio this time around.
Stacee Evans
An avid reader since she was young, Stacee started blogging in 2011 after going to 4 author signings in 5 days. Since then, she has traveled all over [even flying from SoCal to Chicago] to see her favorite authors in person. Her blog, Adventures of a Book Junkie chronicles the different events she attends.
When she's not battling the TBR stacks in her apartment, she is a: NOH8 Campaign supporter. Book boyfriend hoarder. Whovian. Road trip taker. London lover. MINI driver. Tattoo getter. Concert goer.
Angela
is a thirty-something writer living in Calgary, Alberta, which is nestled close
enough to the Rockies to go on a day jaunt, but not so close as to be pummeled
by snow and excruciating cold temperatures in the winter months. Despite being
Canadian, she lives in a house, not an igloo, she refuses to wear toques and
she generally travels by truck, rather than moose or ATVs or beavers or
whatever other things the outside world suspects.
Angela's
husband and two kids are beyond awesome. The former rarely complains about the
hoarder-like piles of books and paper surrounding her desk, regardless of being
a self-professed neat freak. Her kids, both teen boys, have inherited Angela's
interest in All Things Strange, and are great to bounce off apocalypse
theories and freaky 'what-if' scenarios that are common in Angela's books.
Angela
often writes about mythology in the real world, but twists
everything so that it's much darker and interesting. Bad things happen, but her
teen and pre-teen characters always rise to the challenge in impossible
situations. This is no surprise, because kids have internal strength that
represents the best qualities in all of us. They struggle, adapt and survive.
This is why she writes for this amazing YA & MG audience.
Another
passion of Angela's is helping writers succeed. She enjoys working with
writers on strengthening their craft and helping them find the tools and
resources they need to take their writing to the next level. She teaches
workshops on writing and social media, belong to SCBWI and is a strong believer
in paying it forward. Along with Becca Puglisi, she is the author of popular
brainstorming tool, The Emotion
Thesaurus: A Writers Guide To Character Expression.
Candace Redinger
Candace is a wife and mother to two. She’s blogged at Candace’s Book Blog since November 2008. She's an eclectic reader who enjoys a variety of genres. She's also the owner and operator of CBB Book Promotions. You can find her on her blog at http://www.candacesbookblog.
S.A. Larsen grew up in one of New England’s smaller communities surrounded by family and the influence of tight-knit relationships with nearby towns. Through her love of dance, athletics, and writing, she expressed her hopes, and dreams, being involved in shows and the theater. She began creating quirky worlds at an early age, more attracted to telling stories through illustrations (elementary scribblings >_<). In middle school and high school this morphed into exploring her world through creepy and eerie tales, stretching her vivid imagination as she shared frustrations and misunderstandings as a teen with a world she figured would never ‘get’ her. And today, she’s just fine with being misunderstood.
Her deep love for writing children’s literature pushes her to explore the joys and angst of the young adult years, the awkward middle grade years, and the curious and sweet younger years of picture books. She lives in the land of lobsters, snowy winters, and the occasional Eh’ya, with her husband of over twenty years, their four children, and a playful bich-poo Gracie.
AUTHOR ROUND
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Gretchen McNeil is an opera singer, writer and clown. Her
YA horror POSSESS about a teen exorcist debuted with Balzer + Bray for
HarperCollins in 2011. Her follow up TEN - YA horror/suspense about ten teens
trapped on a remote island with a serial killer - was released September 18,
2012, and her third novel 3:59 - sci fi doppelganger horror about two girls
who are the same girl in parallel dimensions who decide to switch places - is
scheduled for Fall 2013. Gretchen's new YA contemporary series Don't Get Mad
(Revenge meets The Breakfast Club) about four very different girls who form a
secret society where they get revenge on bullies and mean girls begins Fall
2014 with GET EVEN, followed by the sequel GET DIRTY in 2015, also with
Balzer + Bray.
Gretchen is a
former coloratura soprano, the voice of Mary on G4's Code Monkeys and she
sings with the LA-based circus troupe Cirque Berzerk. Gretchen blogs with The
Enchanted Inkpot and is a founding member of the vlog group the YARebels
where she can be seen as "Monday." She is repped by Ginger Clark of
Curtis Brown, Ltd.
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Kimberly
Sabatini is a former Special Education Teacher who is now a stay-at-home mom
and a part-time dance instructor for three and four year olds. She lives in
New York’s Hudson Valley with her husband and three boys. Kimberly writes
Young Adult fiction and is represented by Michelle Wolfson of Wolfson
Literary Agency. TOUCHING THE SURFACE is her debut novel.
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i’m
addicted to twitter and bad reality television. and some good ones too, like
Project Runway. Silver Phoenix and Fury of the Phoenix, my two young adult
fantasies from Greenwillow Books are available now! my first published short
story, “Blue Skies”, is also available in the Diverse Energies anthology (Tu
Books). a children’s picture book with my chinese brush art is also in the
works! i’m represented by bill contardi of brandt & hochman. when i’m not
writing or painting, i like to read, daydream, travel, eat and watch films in
the theatre. and i love pastries, americanos and taiwanese food! =D
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 I am the
author of The Celestine Chronicles, a fantasy series for middle grade
readers. Book I: The Rock of
Ivanore came out in 2012, Book II: The Last
Enchanter came out in 2013. Book III: The Seer of
the Guilde will be released in 2015. My debut young adult novel, a
sci-fi thriller called Contact comes out in June 2014 with
Hallowed Ink Press.
In addition
to writing, I am also a book editor with Hamilton Springs/Xchyler Press
and the Editor-in-Chief of Middle Shelf:
Cool Reads for Cool Kids, a magazine for middle grade
readers.
I am a
full-time mom of 5 kids, a homeschool mommy, a graduate student, and an avid
scholar of the history of ancient Christianity. I enjoy Broadway musicals and
digital scrapbooking, family history.
The question I
hear most often is "How do you find time to write?" In all honesty,
I have no idea. I guess if I didn't write, I'd go nuts. My kids know that if
Mommy doesn't get a little time to herself every day, she gets cranky. And
when I get cranky, the only thing that can remedy the situation is a bar of
Godiva chocolate.
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Janet Gurtler
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Maurissa is
represented by Ted Malawer of Upstart Crow Literary Agency
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Sarah
Skilton is the
author of Bruised, which received a starred review from Publishers
Weekly, and which Horn Book called "nuanced and
honest." Her second book, a YA mystery called HIGH AND DRY, comes out April 15 from Amulet. She lives with her husband and their son in Los Angeles.
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I’m
a 29-year-old reader, writer, lover of animals, and eater of cookies. I used
to be a marine biologist, but now I write novels. And not novels about fish
either, but novels about kick-butt heroines and swoon-worthy rogues (I really like
swoon-worthy rogues).
I
live in the Midwestern US with my French husband and Irish setter, and you
can learn more about my crazy thoughts and crippling cookie-addiction
on twitter, facebook, or Goodreads.
My
debut, Something Strange and Deadly, is now available from HarperTeen along with its
sequel, A Darkness Strange and Lovely.
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 YA
author represented by Karen Grencik of Red Fox Literary Agency. I'm wife to
my high school honey, and the mother of three amazing sons. When I'm not
shuttling my boys here, there, and everywhere, I'm either tapping away on my
keyboard, researching for nonfiction, or keeping up with writing tips and
markets. My debut YA novel, THE BOY WHO LOVED FIRE, is now available. |
I write edgy Young Adult and New Adult
stories with hot guys, strong girls…and emotionally banged-up characters.
My
New Adult contemporary romance TELL ME WHEN releases January 20, 2014 from
Carina Press (Harlequin imprint)
Born in Brighton England, I have lived in a
number of countries, including England, the U.S, Finland, and Canada.
I have a Physical Education degree from the
University of Calgary and a Master’s of Science in Exercise Physiology from the
University of Alberta, where I specialized in energy metabolism. Definitely
cool stuff (seriously, it is!). I also had the opportunity to work with elite
athletes through the universities and at several sport-training facilities
(you know, in case you’re wondering why I always have athletes in my
stories). During my undergrad, I worked in Helsinki (Finland) for one summer,
cleaning bathrooms and saunas in a recreation center for the elderly. The
seniors were great. The bathrooms, not so much. I eventually became a
pharmaceutical sales representative (not a great one may I add) and now I
write full time.
In addition to writing fiction, I love
photography, especially the close-up variety, and currently live in Calgary,
Canada, with my husband and three kids.
I
am represented by Marisa Corvisiero of Corvisiero Literary Agency.
AGENT ROUND
Susan Hawk
 Before agenting, I spent over fifteen years in children's book marketing at Penguin, Henry Holt and North-South Books, where I was lucky to work on many different books ranging from Eric Carle's Baby Bear, Baby Bear to Betsy Partridge's This Land Was Made for You and Me, to Nancy Werlin's Black Mirror, as well as the work of Mary E Pearson, Richard Peck and Joan Bauer. I also worked as a children's librarian and bookseller, and remember still the satisfaction of putting just the right book into a child's (or teenager's) hands.
While
at Penguin, I also worked for a time in Dutton Editorial, acquiring select
picture book and YA projects for that list. My favorite part of that time was
reading new submissions -- finding something wonderful and imagining where it
can go was thrilling to me then and remains so now.
I
handle books for children exclusively: picture books, chapter books, middle
grade and YA, fiction and non-fiction. The projects I represent share powerful
and original writing, strong story-telling and a distinctive, sometimes
off-kilter voice. In middle-grade and YA, I'm looking for unforgettable
characters, rich world-building, and I'm a sucker for bittersweet; bonus points
for something that makes me laugh out loud. I'm open to mystery, fantasy,
scifi, humor, boy books, historical, contemporary (really any genre). In
picture books, I'm looking particularly for author-illustrators, succinct but
expressive texts, and indelible characters. I'm interested in non-fiction that
relates to kid's daily lives and their concerns with the world. I'm actively
looking for diversity in the stories and authors that I represent. My favorite
projects live at the intersection of literary and commercial.
Karen Grencik
California native KAREN GRENCIK makes her home in Shell Beach, midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. A court reporter by training, Karen initially launched her own literary agency in 1999 to champion writers and manuscripts she discovered on the Central Coast of California.
The opening chapter of The Karen Grencik Literary Agency was an astounding success, propelled largely by Karen’s major sale of the middle grade memoir Double Luck: Memoirs of a Chinese Orphan by Lu Chi Fa with Becky White. Karen quickly found herself on the New York publishing circuit and in regular contact with editors and publishers, while also finding time to be a favorite presenter at several West Coast writers’ conferences.
Karen signed new clients and sold award-winning titles. Among the awards garnered by her authors are the Parents' Choice Gold Award for Best Nonfiction, the SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Best Picture Book, and the Benjamin Franklin Award for Best New Fiction.
Karen regularly consults with Emma D. Dryden, former children’s book publisher and founder of the children’s editorial consultancy company, drydenbks. Karen’s mentor, San Francisco agent Linda Allen, will partner on special projects with Red Fox Literary as needed.
Karen’s philosophy is simple: “When you choose to write children’s books, it’s just that—it’s a choice. You do it because you love it. You do it because it fills you with passion. You do it because it brings you joy. You are among the lucky ones who live life with purpose. But you also must do everything you can possibly think of to achieve your goals.
“And you must be nice.”
Christa Heschke
 Christa Heschke graduated from Binghamton University with a major in English and a minor in Anthropology. She started in publishing as an intern at both Writers House and Sterling Lord Literistic, where she fell in love with the agency side of publishing. Christa has been at McIntosh and Otis, Inc. in the Children's Literature Department since 2009 where she is actively looking for picture books, middle grade, young adult and new adult projects and is currently building her list. She is a fan of new adult and young adult novels with a romantic angle, and strong, quirky protagonists. In young and new adult, Christa is especially interested in contemporary fiction, horror and thrillers/mysteries. She’d also like to see any steampunk and fantasy (urban and high), that pushes the boundaries of what's currently on the shelves, perhaps a new take on these genres that has yet to be seen. As for middle grade, Christa enjoys humorous contemporary, adventure and magical realism for boys and girls. For picture books, she’s drawn to cute, character driven stories.
Kent Wolf
Kent Wolf began his publishing career in 1997 at Dalkey Archive Press. He then moved to Harcourt Trade Publishers where he headed the Subsidiary Rights Department, handling rights sales for many acclaimed authors, including Nobel Prize winners Octavio Paz, Günter Grass, and Jose Saramago and novelists Umberto Eco, Yann Martel, and Michel Faber. Kent represents a number of New York Times bestselling authors and is on the lookout for literary fiction, upmarket women's fiction, memoir, pop culture, all types of narrative nonfiction, and select YA. He is a member of the Association of Authors' Representatives and PEN.
Roseanne Wells
 Nonfiction
I'm interested in authors who have a unique story to tell and are dedicated to building their platform and reaching their audience. I like narrative nonfiction, select memoir, science (popular or trade, not academic), history, religion (not inspirational), travel, humor, food/cooking, and similar subjects. I'm also interested in fresh, modern self-improvement that not only inspires but energizes readers to strengthen and empower themselves in this rapidly evolving world.
Fiction
I'm looking for strong literary fiction that emphasizes craft and style equally, and doesn't sacrifice plot and character for beautiful sentences; young adult of all genres; very selective middle grade that connects me to a strong main character; science-fiction and fantasy; and smart detective novels (more Sherlock Holmes than cozy mysteries).
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