The Synopsis, Pinnacle of All Evil

Cower in fear, people. Cower in fear. It's usually what I do when confronted with the task of writing a *shudder* synopsis. We thought query letters were bad. But, it's okay. Sylar says:


The synopsis is uber-frustrating, partially because it's kind of hard to find concrete info on the internet about it. Some people say 1 pg. Some say 3-5. Some say 1 for every, like, 30 pages. (Don't do that.) For our purposes, we're gonna go with the 1 pager. Cause if you can write a 1 pg synopsis, you can write the higher page ones. I always just assume 1 to 2. Sooooo, the guidelines.

1) When I say 1 pg, I mean single spaced. Double spaced between paragraphs.
2) No indenting anywhere.
3) Include your contact info and the manuscript title on there, too. Those are important things.

Got that?



Next. Some more pointers.

1) Synopses should ALWAYS be written in 3rd person present tense.(Example of that to follow.)
2) You wanna hit all your main plot points. (If you're not sure what those are, go to Larry Brooks' website. He shall inform you.) So yeah. Main stuff. You gotta cover all the big twists. AND THE ENDING.


No. I'm not. ALWAYS PUT THE ENDING IN YOUR SYNOPSIS. Or it's not a synopsis.

3) Introduce your main characters. We don't need all your side characters, just the ones who play a major role in your story. And the first time (only the first) that you introduce them, put the name in ALL CAPS. Like that.

4) Put some voice into it. As much as you can reasonably.

Sooooo, without further ado, here is an example. It's a synopsis I wrote of A New Hope. It's a little less than a page. (If you haven't watched Star Wars, get off my blog and watch Star Wars. Cause this synopsis, like all synopses, gives away the ending.


STAR WARS EXAMPLE SYNOPSIS

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nineteen year old LUKE SKYWALKER has never been concerned with saving the galaxy. Living on a backwater planet in the middle of nowhere, he is much more concerned with his Uncle’s farm than he is with intergalactic politics. But, he spends his days dreaming, hoping for something more.

He gets more than he wished for when a crazy old hermit shows up and claims that Luke is the key to saving not only a beautiful princess, but the galaxy itself. And he cannot help but be intrigued. And when the evil ruler of the Empire murders his family, he has nothing left to lose, and follows the hermit into space.

The hermit, named OBI WAN KENOBI, reveals to him that he is a Jedi, a powerful mystic warrior. Not only is Obi Wan a Jedi, so is Luke. Though Luke has a hard time believing it, he begins to train anyway, and discovers powers he never thought he had. On their way to the princess’s home planet, they pick up the jaded and cynical HAN SOLO, a renowned smuggler and pilot, who charts their course through the galaxy.

Upon reaching the princess’s planet, they discover it has been destroyed by the Empire, the same agency who was responsible for the deaths of Luke’s family. So, they change course and board The Death Star, where the princess is being held captive by the ruthless leader of the Empire, DARTH VADER.

Disguising themselves as members of The Death Star’s crew, they sneak aboard, intending to rescue PRINCESS LEIA from certain death. But, their plans go awry when they are discovered, and Darth Vader challenges Obi Wan Kenobi in battle. Obi Wan fends off Darth Vader, and when he sees that Luke, Princess Leia, and Han Solo are on their way back to the ship, he sacrifices himself to save their lives.

Safely on board the ship, but mourning the loss of Obi Wan, Luke knows that he must truly embrace the teachings of the Jedi and fulfill his destiny: to destroy the Empire. So, he, as well as Princess Leia, convince the Rebels, a band of people not allied with the Empire, that they must fight.

On the eve of the planned attack, Han Solo decides to leave. But, his loyalty to Luke and growing feelings for Princess Leia compel him to cast off his cynical shell and join with the Rebels to fight against the Empire.

The attack is successful and Luke, with aid from Obi Wan from beyond the grave, deals the final blow, exploding the Death Star, and ensuring freedom throughout the galaxy.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There ya have it. We had to leave some favorite characters out, and some plot stuff in the middle, BUT, we got the major players, main point, plot, and a little voice.

You can DO IT.

 

And now, because I'm proud of you for writing your fantabulous synopsis, and a lot because I just really wanted an excuse to look up shirtless Ian Somerhalder gifs, a present for you. (Unless you are a straight male, in which case, this will do nothing for you. Apologies.)

 

The End.

 

On NaNoWriMo

Holy crap, guys. NaNo is crazy. And all you guys who do it are crazypants.

(During NaNo, we all look like this, whether we're "winning" or not. Haha. Charlie Sheen jokes.)

But, whether you won or not, congrats. Writing is freaking hard. If you wrote 500, 5000, or 50000 words in November, those are all words you didn't have before. Which is why anyone who does NaNo (or not, anyone who just writes) wins.

Congrats to all, and I tip my hat you.


Anyone who writes a novel is da bomb. (Now, go edit and edit. Don't freaking start querying today. Or all the agents will kill you.)

Next Big Thing

So0o0o0o, I've decided to do one of these cool "Next Big Thing" posts because the fantabulous Dan Malossi tagged me. (His book, The Fisherman sounds crazy awesome. Go check it out!)


Onward to the interview!

Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing:

 

 

1. What is the working title of your book?

 

It's called NEVER, NEVER.

 

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

 

I was hangin' out on Twitter in September (as I often do) and I saw this tweet from an agent who said that she would love to see a fairy tale retelling from the villain's POV. I was like, "That's brilliant!" And went through all the fairy tales and classics I could think of. I know Peter Pan isn' really a fairy tale, but it IS a classic. And I loooove Peter Pan. But I love Hook even more. Thus, the idea for writing a Peter Pan retelling from Hook's POV was born. (And seriously, if anyone has read the original Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie...that's some crazy dark stuff. Like, Peter's half a villain already. Just sayin'.)

3. What genre does your book fall under?

 

Adult Upmarket Retelling

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

 

So, I've been really excited to get to this question!

 

James Hook: Ian Somerhaulder.When in doubt, ALWAYS pick Ian Somerhaulder.

 

 

 

Tiger Lily: Roseanne Supernault. (No idea how her acting ability is, because she's pretty new/ unknown. But she looks just like Tiger Lily in mah head.)

 

 

 

Last but not least, Peter Pan: Paul Butcher. Look how cute that kid is. But also, in this book, he's not so nice...so...like...evil cute.

 

 

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
 

 

Ummmm...Imma cheat, mmkay? 3 sentences. Just 3 little sentences...

 

As a boy, James Hook is enticed away to Neverland by Peter Pan, who reneges on his promise to take James back home, and who, when James starts to grow up, (which is against the rules) tries to kill him. James is forced to run to the pirates, stepping naturally into the role of their Captain, and he falls in love with Tiger Lily, a woman who cannot deny her attraction to him, but whose heart belongs to the boy who took James' hand, his family, and his life. He struggles not to let hatred and anger overtake him, and to be a man in a world that hates men
 

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

 

I'm determined to go the agent route. Kudos to all you self-pubbers out there! But, agency is the path for me (Hopefully!)  ^_^

 

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

 

I edit as I draft, so by the end of all that, it took me around 10 weeks.
 

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

 

I'd say Wicked (except that the writing style is completely different) because of the villain aspect, and with a whisper of Lord of the Flies.

 

9. Who or What inspired you to write this book?

 

See the answer to number two...but also, I love the idea of villain backstories, knowing where they came from and what introduced that darkness into their lives. No one is wholly good or wholly evil, and I love the struggle between right and wrong, and the idea that the villain has a life and hopes and struggles and love, too. 

 

 

10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

 

Hmmmm, well, you'll certainly see an angle of James Hook you've never seen before, as well as the darker side of Neverland. I tired to stay as true to JM Barrie's original story as possible, just bringing out the dark bits of Peter that he already introduced. There's also a very central romance in the story, one that ends up being a catalyst for a lot of the changes in Hook. (Gotta love the hot, sexy bad boy love story, right?)

 

Below is a sample from the book. This is a scene involving Tiger Lily (who is of age..no Disney Tiger Lilies here, peeps.) and the Captain...

 

 

 

“You’re a fool, James Hook.”

            James held his hand out to her, then brought it back. He was at an absolute loss, and found that he was in something of a panic.

            “Tiger Lily, I am truly sorry,” he said, the deepest kind of fear washing over his face.

            She did not turn, and he stood, breaths shallow, staring at her back in the clearing. This was ridiculous. Managing a crew of pirates, he did with ease. But managing a woman was something else entirely.

            “Where have you been?”

            James blew out a breath. He would not lie to her.

            “Keelhaul.”

            Jealousy flashed across Tiger Lily’s face. She unfolded her arms and walked toward him.

            “Keelhaul?”

            “Indeed.”

            Her voice lowered and she stared up at him, eyes wide and unblinking and pensive.

            “You’ve finally done it, then.”

            “Done what?”

            “Become a pirate.”

            He paused.

            “I have always been a pirate.”

            Tiger Lily suddenly turned away from him and cocked her head. She was staring at something through the trees, something that James could not see.

            “Do you hear that?” she whispered.

            “Hear what?”

            She did not answer. She simply walked toward the sound that James couldn’t hear, and he could do nothing but follow her. It wasn’t long before James picked it up as well. The sound was haunting and beautiful, like nothing he had ever heard. He knew in a beat that it was the mermaids.

            The lagoon was quite a ways away, too far away for their voices to reasonably carry, but mermaids had a way of doing impossible things, James found. Their voices were ethereal and smooth, like they came from the spirits of bells. He wondered if Tiger Lily was even aware of his presence anymore. She walked slowly and sat in the eaves, wrapping her arms around her knees. Then, she closed her eyes and tilted her face toward the sky, entranced and smiling softly. His breath caught when her saw her that way, and he stopped walking.

            James stared at her, the music encasing him. But, he did not fall under the sirens’ spell; he was too mesmerized by the woman before him. The moons had just risen, bringing a soft glow to her face, silhouetting her body. James was pulled toward her, and when he reached her, he held out his hand. It trembled just slightly as he waited for her.

            She opened her eyes and stared up into his. The coldness was gone, replaced with a sort of enchantment. And she gave him her small hand. He pulled her up and drew her to him, heart racing as he pressed her body to his. He slid his hand down to her waist and to the small of her back. Then, gaze never breaking hers, he drew her arm gently out and encircled her hand with his hook. She did not shrink away from the cold metal; she just wrapped her fingers around it.

            James stared into her eyes and stepped. She stumbled a bit and he smiled. Then, he stepped again, and she followed. They spun in slow circles around the clearing, moons illuminating everything. James lifted his hook and spun her once, then brought her to his chest, closer than she’d been before. He could feel her heart beating against his, and he was at once petrified and at peace.

            It was a dark waltz, made of haunting voices and forbidden touches and hidden desire. James pressed his fingers into her back, and led her in the dance. Then, he brought his face against her cheek, intoxicated by her nearness, relishing the sweet scent of her. His long hair fell into hers, and they tangled together.  James did not know why this pleased him so.

            “Your hair is longer,” Tiger Lily said, and her voice was hoarse.

            “Long hair is the mark of a pirate and a fiend,” he whispered low into her ear. “Both of which I am.”

 

 Thus far, those tagged next arrrrrre:
Tabitha Martin- YA Fantasy- Song of the Phoenix

Let me know if you'd like to be tagged! Thanks for reading!

The Writer Crazy...Combatting It

This shall be a short blog post. Mostly 'cause I'm doing NaNoWriMo, and I'm worded out. Like all the time. Thus, brevity is the word of the day.

So, combatting the "Writer Crazy" as I call it. What is this thing I speak of? In my experience, as writers, we are pretty much constantly in a state of:



'Cause we're artists. It's how we roll. I mean, with the craziness of querying, publishing, and actually writing the darn novel, we have a lot to be crazy about. And writing is so scary, because we are completely putting ourselves out there, naked, and being like, "Judge me, world!"

Unfortunately, this comes with some severe writing-related mood swings, aka The Writer Crazy. For me at least, some days (had one of these a couple days ago), I think, 'Dang. This is so good, Ernest Hemingway would fangirl out over it.' (If ONLY there was an Ernest Hemingway Fangirl gif...) But then other days (yesterday) I end up just staring at the computer screen thinking, 'No. There would be no fangirling. My writing would drive Ernest to drinking.'

The magic cure-all to this? STOP IT. Just keep writing. Write a new, better chapter if you're in a spiral of self-doubt. And if you're on a roll, SWEET. Keep it up writer of awesomeness. The thing is, I'm pretty sure we all go through the crazy. I bet JK Rowling even, at one point, wanted to close Harry Potter and Mischief Managed the crap out of it. Good thing she didn't.

So, in short, if you're having an "I suck" kinda day, go back and read something you wrote that you LOVE. And have a sangria, or a hot chocolate. And then, tomorrow, get back on it. Cause I wanna see your book on the Barnes and Noble shelves one day, friend.

Curiosity Quills Query and First Page (Re-Post)

Hello, Super Villains and Minions! Below is my re-posted query and first page for the Haunted Writing Clinic and Contest. Thanks so much for taking a look!

 

Query

 

Dear Super Villain,

Implanted shortly after birth with a device that tracks her every word and move, Rynn 713 has learned to live a life of quiet rebellion. A Seller in the day, but a Cyber Hacker in the shadows, she is content with meaningless hacks for the best coffee and latest hairstyles, hiding behind stacks of illegal books and movies, and longing for the Book Seller next door, whom she can never have.

But when her friend and the disabled daughter she has been hiding away are brutally executed because of Rynn’s careless mistake, she can no longer blind herself to reality. And when the Seller’s District is raided and all their treasons are exposed, she and the Book Seller are faced with a choice: run, fight, or die. But how do you run when they know everything you say and everywhere you go? And how do you fight when the only weapon you have is a computer? In one move, Rynn is hurtled into an underground world where hope and passion are the only ways to survive and hacking is the only route to freedom.

CORRUPTED is a YA cyberpunk with a heavy dash of romance. It is complete at 77,000 words. Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Brianna R. Shrum

 

 

First Page of Corrupted

 

 

The tracker in my forearm began to beep at 3 a.m., yanking me from a peaceful sleep. I stared at it for a moment, wondering whether the GPS or microphone had prompted the warning. When the words, “…the gunpowder, treason, and plot…” came fuzzily through the television, I concluded it was not a malfunctioning GPS and panicked, leaping from my broken down couch to turn off the television. ‘How did it unmute?’ I wondered, frantically searching for someone besides myself to blame. My eyes came to rest on the loathsome remote, which I had apparently fallen asleep on, forcing the volume to rocket out of control. I never watched television…edit- interesting television… with the volume on, but chose to read subtitles, because any buzzword repeated too many times would undoubtedly trigger an inquiry and a Screener to monitor me for days, until The State realized I wasn’t a threat. Or worse, it could trigger a full-fledged investigation. If my house was raided, I would be dead in a heartbeat.

My heart stopped in my chest as, seconds later, my door was assaulted by heavy knocking. It seemed that someone had wrenched the oxygen from the room. This was it. I was going to die. The Enforcers would come in, find my stash of contraband, and shoot me on the spot…if I was lucky. My heart pounded against my ribcage relentlessly. It felt like little razors lined the inside of my throat, drawing blood with every ragged breath. I shakily climbed the steps to the main level, covering the opening to my hidden room with a floor tile and a rug, in case the Enforcers at my door were less than thorough. The barrage on my front door continued, and I stopped for a moment at the entry, took a gasp of air, and opened it.

On Querying

The Evil Query Letter

 

The query letter. About which every writing blogger and his mother have written. But, for whatever reason, when the time comes to write said letter, we're ALL like

 

But, it must be done. So, you may panic for a second. 

 

Now, stop it. Get thee to thine Scrivener or Word document and begin writing.

 

Step 1) Talk about your story. In like twoish paragraphs. Maybe three. But, seriously, agents are busy people. I tend to err on the side of too short if it's a choice between too short or too rambly. (Obviously, the best choice is perfect length. But, for those of us who are human, err on the side of too short.) IMPORTANT NOTE: This is not a synopsis. Repeat. This is not a synopsis. Don't sum up your whole story in two paragraphs. No one can do that without sounding ridiculous. All you have to do is get your character, possibly character's age, setting, main event that sets the story going, and super super important events/ characters. That's it. You can do that in a couple paragraphs. I believe in you.

 

Seriously?

 

 

2) Go ahead and do some personalization. (By the way, this applies to you, writer of "Dear Agent" at the top of your letter. At LEAST write the agent's name. Come on, people.) Just talk about why you picked this person to submit to. Hopefully, there is a reason, and you didn't just pick 800 random agents to mail your query to. Mentioning you're a blog or Twitter follower, that you are a fan of some book they represented, or something they said in an interview that made you think that this agent, specifically, could be the one for you. It can help you stand out. If you can't do it right, though, don't do anything at all. Odds are, this part won't make or break you.

 

3) The author bio. It isn't my favorite, because at this point, I'm unpublished. If you've got nothing, don't worry about it. Just leave it off. Most agents are totally cool with reading first time authors, and there's really no need to point it out in your query. BUT if you have relevant experience: publishing credits, short stories, magazine articles (that have to do with he subject matter in your book somehow), a degree in something pertinent, awards, membership in writing organizations...this is where you list that. NO MORE than a couple sentences, though. You're querying a book, not you.

 

4) Last-the stats. This should be short and sweet. Something to the effect of: Memoirs of a Muppet is a YA contemporary complete at 457,000 words and will appeal to readers of Kermit: Getting Froggy, and You're an Animal, Animal. The full manuscript is available at your request. Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.

 

5) Sign and contact info. (Name, address, phone number, e-mail, website.)

 

There you have it! Rejoice, for you have a shiny new query letter.

 

 

 

But wait! DON'T under any circumstances...

 

1) Write Dear Agent.

 

2) Send out a bunch of crap without researching first.

 

3) Send a query for something that isn't complete!

 

4) Ignore guidlines. They're not like the pirate's code. They're inflexible.

 

5) Pitch a 457,000 YA novel.

 

6) Say the words "fiction novel."

 

 

A more detailed post on how to do that ever important pitch section lata. For now, I leave you with this...

 

 

Tobias: So, fill each of these bags with some glitter, my photo, resume,  some candy and a note.

 

Casting Director or in your case, agent: Ack! The glitter queen strikes again! Never hire Tobias Funke!

Revised First Page for Curiosity Quills

Well, some wickedly wonderful super villains and minions stopped by and critiqued the first page of my manuscript: Corrupted. I have taken these critiques to heart. Here is the greatly improved result. Thanks to all! Especially to Krystal Wade for a fantastic line by line. All of you rock.

First Page of CORRUPTED

 

The tracker in my forearm beeped at 3 a.m., yanking me from a peaceful sleep. I stared at it for a moment, wondering whether the GPS or microphone prompted the warning. When the words “…the gunpowder, treason, and plot…” blared fuzzily through the television, I concluded it was not a malfunctioning GPS and panicked, leaping from my broken-down couch to turn off the television.

How did it unmute?

I frantically searched for someone besides myself to blame. My gaze rested on the loathsome remote, which I had apparently fallen asleep on, forcing the volume to rocket out of control. I never watched television - interesting television - with the volume on. I chose to read subtitles, because any buzzword repeated too many times would undoubtedly trigger an inquiry and a Screener to monitor me for days, until The State realized I wasn’t a threat. Or worse, it could prompt a full-fledged investigation. If my house was raided, I would be dead without question.

Heavy knocking assaulted my door and my heart stopped. The oxygen fled the room in an instant. This was it. I was going to die. The Enforcers would come in, find my stash of contraband, then shoot me on the spot…if I was lucky. My heart pounded relentlessly against my ribcage. It felt like little razors lined the inside of my throat, drawing blood with every ragged breath. I shakily climbed the steps to the main level, covering the opening to my hidden room with a floor tile and a rug, in case the Enforcers at my door were less than thorough. The barrage on my front door continued, and I stopped for a moment at the entry, took a gasp of air, then opened it.

Curiosity Quills 1st Page

~Pitch Live! Post here!~

Be aware, peeps, that I will eventually be posting blog entries that are unrelated to contests! I have 3 such entries, I promise! But not this one. This one is for an awesome contest.



Haunted Writing Clinic and Contest First Page

 

All right, all you minions and super villains from the spookiest writing contest around. Here be the first page from Corrupted. Do your worst!

The tracker in my forearm began to beep at 3 a.m., yanking me from a peaceful sleep. I stared at it for a moment, wondering whether the GPS or microphone had prompted the warning. When the words, “…the gunpowder, treason, and plot…” came fuzzily through the television, I concluded it was not a malfunctioning GPS and panicked, leaping from my broken down couch to turn off the television. ‘How did it unmute?’ I wondered, frantically searching for someone besides myself to blame. My eyes came to rest on the loathsome remote, which I had apparently fallen asleep on, forcing the volume to rocket out of control. I never watched television…edit- interesting television… with the volume on, but chose to read subtitles, because any buzzword repeated too many times would undoubtedly trigger an inquiry and a Screener to monitor me for days, until The State realized I wasn’t a threat. Or worse, it could trigger a full-fledged investigation. If my house was raided, I would be dead in a heartbeat.

My heart stopped in my chest as, seconds later, my door was assaulted by heavy knocking. It seemed that someone had wrenched the oxygen from the room. This was it. I was going to die. The Enforcers would come in, find my stash of contraband, and shoot me on the spot…if I was lucky. My heart pounded against my ribcage relentlessly. It felt like little razors lined the inside of my throat, drawing blood with every ragged breath. I shakily climbed the steps to the main level, covering the opening to my hidden room with a floor tile and a rug, in case the Enforcers at my door were less than thorough. The barrage on my front door continued, and I stopped for a moment at the entry, took a gasp of air, and opened it.

Pitch Live!

Title: CORRUPTED

Genre: YA Cyberpunk

Word Count: 77,000

(Note: I recommend maximizing this video so you can read the words at the beginning...unless you have a tiny-word-reading superpower. :-P  Also, if you just see a huge blank space, give it a sec. I swear the video will appear.)

The First Evah...Book Review!

~Curiosity Quills Query here.~

Huzzah! The first book review I've ever done! And this one, ladies and gents, is for a fantastic book I recently read called...

Jellicoe Road

by Melina Marchetta

 

 

Rating: 10/10 (Drat. Now you'll all think I'm one of those who gives perfect scores to everything...I'm not. This book was just ridiculously amazing.)

 

Okay, so basically, the idea of the story is this: it's a dual narrative, so the opening scene, which I believe is a prologue, (and quite a few more in subsequent chapters) is told from the perspective of someone from the past whose family got killed in a car crash on Jellicoe Road. :-( That whole POV, from beginning to end, is AMAZING. More on that later. The actual 1st chapter starts in a more modern time, from the POV of a girl whose mom abandoned her on the same road, hence the title: Jellicoe Road.

 

The story follows Taylor Markham, who lives at a kind of boarding school, as she deals with being the head of the school's secret society, piecing together pieces of her mysterious past, and trying to fight some undeniable feelings for a rival gang's leader: Jonah Griggs (sigh.) The other narrative (the one in the past) tells a fragmented story of a group of friends living in the same place years ago. Those parts almost have a "Stand By Me" kind of feel. (If you haven't seen "Stand By Me," what the heck are you doing on my blog? You should be watching "Stand By Me.")

 

At the beginning, it is rather confusing (though it helps when you realize that the prologue and 1st chapter are told by different people and don't have to re-read that second like 20 times...) but as the story goes on, you start piecing things together, and by the end, the result is fantastic. The romance, pacing, everything...I'm usually more nitpicky about these kinds of things, but I can't be here.

 

The mood of it is something I've never felt before in a book...like this great combination of nostalgia and suspense and peace and tragedy. There's no real way to put it. But, trust me. Read it! And the end was so beautiful, it nearly made me cry.  had to call up my brother and say, "Chase, I've just read a perfect book. Read it."

 

 

 

 



REVISED Query for CORRUPTED ~The Haunted Writing Clinic and Contest~

So0o0o0o, after some amazingly awesome minions stopped by and critted my query, I have put it through some major reworkings. Thanks oh so much to all of you! You're fabulous, and I <3 you. So, without further ado, here it be.

~The Haunted Writing Clinic and Contest~

Dear Super Villain,

Implanted shortly after birth with a device that tracks her every word and move, Rynn 713 has learned to live a life of quiet rebellion. A Seller in the day, but a Cyber Hacker in the shadows, she is content with meaningless hacks for the best coffee and latest hairstyles, hiding behind stacks of illegal books and movies, and longing for the Book Seller next door, whom she can never have.

But when her friend and the disabled daughter she has been hiding away are brutally executed because of Rynn’s careless mistake, she can no longer blind herself to reality. And when the Seller’s District is raided and all their treasons are exposed, she and the Book Seller are faced with a choice: run, fight, or die. But how do you run when they know everything you say and everywhere you go? And how do you fight when the only weapon you have is a computer? In one move, Rynn is hurtled into an underground world where hope and passion are the only ways to survive and hacking is the only route to freedom.

CORRUPTED is a YA cyberpunk with a heavy dash of romance. It is complete at 77,000 words. Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Brianna R. Shrum

Query for CORRUPTED

~The Haunted Writing Clinic and Contest~

Dear Super Villain,

Implanted shortly after birth, as all Citizens are, with a device that tracks every move she makes and listens to every word she speaks, Rynn 713 has learned to live a life of quiet rebellion. A Seller in the day, but a Cyber Hacker in the shadows, she is content with exploiting meaningless glitches in the system (hacks for the best coffee and forbidden hairstyles), hiding behind stacks of illegal books and movies, and longing for the Book Seller next door, whom she can never have.

But when her friend and the disabled daughter she has been hiding away are brutally executed because of Rynn’s careless mistake, she can no longer make herself blind to reality. And when the Seller’s District is raided and all their treasons are exposed, she and the Book Seller are faced with a choice: to run, to fight, or to die. But how do you run when they know everything you say and everywhere you go? And how do you fight when the only weapon you have is a computer? In one move, Rynn is hurtled into an underground world where hope and passion are the only ways to survive and hacking is the only route to freedom.

Thus far, most of my work has been written in the form of lecture notes on a chalkboard and speed-read by the victims, er, students in the middle school writing classes I teach. This is my first novel.

CORRUPTED is a YA cyberpunk with a heavy dash of romance. It is complete at 77,000 words. Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.

 Sincerely,

Brianna R. Shrum

 

October Contest Craziness

Well, apparently, contest season is upon us, fellow writers! I entered Brenda Drake's fantabulous Pitch Madness contest a while back, and it was oh so fun. (Though my husbamd probably disagreed, as I was basically OBSESSED and could speak of nothing but said contest until it was over...and even still, when it was over, it comprised a large percentage of my talking points for a while...) So0o0o0o, I'm going to be entering some more contests in the very near future which look aMAZing. (Not necessarily entering all of these, but wanted to give a helpful list anyway ^_^)

The Haunted Writing Clinic and Contest- Helps and crits for creating your subs package and a chance at publication from Curiosity Quills? Yes please! Enter as a minion and get help from Super Villains. The fun starts today! (10/8) and subs start 10/31. Join the dark side.

Hook, Line, and Sinker- Bunches of agents, some awesome blogger/authors hosting, and a fun format!  *Contest Info Link here.*   *My pitch in zis contest up for critique here.*  (Subs on 10/13)

Pitch Live- No doubt the scariest contest on the list (fitting for October) is Pitch Live! Pitch your MS on video for the chance to get offers from agents! Here be the link. (Subs on 10/15)

Trick or Treat with an Agent- Trick or treat? Hopefully treats for everyone! Costumed agents, awesome pitches, and treats! Quick! Go sign up! Hither. (Subs on 10/24)

Spooktacular Pitch Contest- Two great agents competing for your pitches in the Spooktacular Pitch Contest! o0o0o0o0oh, spooky. Spook it.

Pitch On- Wanna get your pitch seen by an awesome editor? Then you should probably get your pitch on! Do itttttt! Get it on, peeps. (Subs 10/15)

Hullo, blogosphere.
I am attempting to figure out how to do one of these bloggy things, and am reasonably confident that, one of these days, I will figure it out. Stay tuned for some ramblings.