Win A Free Critique from Writer and Editor Sharon Mayhew

Some of you may know the amazing Sharon Mayhew, our BLOM (blog Mom), friend, writer, and editor. She just started her own editing business and is giving away a free critique!

Sharon has critiqued my work and helped me enormously. When I struggled with the opening chapters of my novel (and we all know how important opening pages are) she gave me great advice that helped me re-look at it. This advice helped me land a lot of full requests from agents, and eventually, an offer of representation from an agent.

She has a great eye, is knowledgeable about the industry, and has sat on both sides of the slush pile. She's always so thoughtful, smart and kind with her feedback.  If you're looking for an editor, I highly recommend working with her.

More about Sharon's decision to start editing can be found here.

More about her services can be found here.

To win a free critique, please comment on this post by November 24th.

The winner will receive the choice of the first 250 words of a picture book critique/line edits, the first seven pages of a novel critique/line edits or a query critique/line edits.

International Be Positive Day

Robyn Campbell and Sharon Mayhew, two of the loveliest children's writers and friends I know, have declared today International Be Positive Day.

It's a day to be positive, to encourage one another, to share the happy, through twitter, Facebook, and your blog.  Will you join us?

I walked this path in Laguardia, Spain last May. When I think of this place, I think, here, is where dreams seem possible.

The dirt is thick sandy desert rushing into shrubbed meadows, lake, then mountain rock. There are jungle green grape vines, technicolor sky, and storybook clouds.  Nearby, a gardener tends to his roses, and they are larger and brighter than any other I've seen.

When I think of this place, I think dream big. I think, it is possible for the sky to open up to us, for us to see how endless it really is.

Do you have a place where it feels possible to dream bigger?

The Next Big Thing

The fabulously talented Janet Sumner Johnson tagged me in this blog game: The Next Big Thing.

What is the working title of your book?
Rabbit Island (Yes, I'm still working on Rabbit Island. No, I can't believe it either.)

Where did the idea come from for the book?
After learning about the historic Dreamland fire in Coney Island, I started to wonder what it means for a place called Dreamland to go up in flames.

What genre does your book fall under?
Oh the dreaded label. Contemporary YA.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Seeing how long it is taking to write the book, never mind get it published, never mind sell the film rights, I am hopeful that a young, amazingly talented friend I work with in children's media will be old enough, by that time, to play the lead role.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
When Rabbit Island's glittering amusement park, Dreamland, burns to the ground, sixteen year old Adelaine Cross searches for new life in her broken world.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Represented by an agency.  I am hopeful.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? May we see an intro?
The first, first draft took four months. The second first draft (yes, you're reading this right) is taking about the same.  Revisions are endless...

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I don't like to compare books to one another.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Wandering through Coney Island in winter.  The ocean. Judy Garland.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
There are underground canals, swan boats, kissing in concrete meadows, old theaters, midnight swims, a Bridge of Laughs, music (Nirvana meets Gershwin), and Luna Lovelorn, who you do not know, but who you will want to know.  

I am tagging some of the next big things:
Sharon Mayhew
Angela Cothran
Amy Mackechnie
Meredith @ Fairy Tales and Cappuccino
Jennifer Pickrell

Rules of The Next Big Thing:

*Use this format for your post
*Answer the ten questions about your current WIP (work in progress)
*Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them.

Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing:

What is your working title of your book?
Where did the idea come from for the book?
What genre does your book fall under?
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? May we see an intro?
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

Include the link of who tagged you and this explanation for the people you have tagged. Be sure to line up your five people in advance.