Below is a list of writers who were AWESOME enough to donate their time to help compete strangers achieve a dreams that they have accomplished themselves. It truly takes a special kind of person to do that, so I ask that anyone and everyone participating in Nightmare on Query Street take a moment to thank, follow, or shout out a few of our mentors (and agents), because without them, none of this would be possible. Michelle, Mike, and I may put these contests together, but it is out AMAZING volunteers that truly make the magic happen.
Now, I present to you...
The Wonderful Mentors Of Nightmare on Query Street 2014!
Laura Heffernan is a California-born women's fiction writer, represented by Jen Karsbaek at Foreword Literary. One Saturday morning when she was four or five, Laura sat down at the family's Commodore 64 and typed out her first short story. She's written both fiction and non-fiction ever since.
In her spare time, Laura likes travel, baking, board games, and new experiences. She lives in the northeast, freezing like the true California girl she is, with her amazing husband and two furry little beasts. Her fuzzy sock collection is becoming impressive. Check out her website and follow her on Twitter @LH_Writes.
Betsy Aldredge is a former magazine editor turned museum professional and YA/NA writer. This summer, Betsy and her co-author, Carrie DuBois-Shaw, were named Grand Champions of Query Kombat 2014 for their YA Contemporary Romance, Sasquatch, Love, and Other Imaginary Things. The entry, nicknamed “Shalom Sasquatch,” earned them 10 requests from agents and led to signing with the wonderful Christa Heschke at McIntosh and Otis. Betsy lives and works in New York. Check out her blog and follow her on Twitter @betsyaldredge
Sarah Glenn Marsh is a YA fantasy author represented by Christa Heschke of McIntosh & Otis Literary. She lives in Virginia with her husband and four rescued greyhounds. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s baking, painting, traveling, or fervently wishing for another season of Firefly. You can check out her blog and follow her on Twitter @SG_Marsh.
Caitlin Sinead is represented by Andrea Somberg. Her debut New Adult novel, Heartsick, comes out on February 16, 2015 with Carina Press. She earned a master's degree in writing from Johns Hopkins University and her short stories have appeared in multiple literary journals. In her writing, she enjoys mashing the fluffy aspects of life right up against the not-so-fluffy aspects, while sneaking in fun words she wished more people used (e.g., nincompoop, ragamuffin, and peccadillo, to name a few). You can check out her website and follow her on Twitter @CaitlinSineadJ
Before Tracy Townsend became an English teacher at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, she earned degrees in Creative Writing and Rhetoric studying in the American midwest and the Republic of Ireland. She flirted briefly with careers as an assistant martial arts instructor, a Wal-Mart associate, and a janitor before realizing the only thing that gave her as much pleasure as writing was teaching others how to do it, too. Her super-powers include the ability to feed a house full of unexpected guests with nothing more than a box of macaroni, a tomato, and a package of cold cuts. She is renowned for her steely gaze and quintessentially Irish penchant for self-deprecation. When not elbow-deep in speculative fiction, she can be found in the nearest garden, kitchen, or book store - or asleep on her kids' bedroom floor. She's represented by Bridget Smith of Dunham Lit., who is both classier and more mature than she could ever hope to be. You can find her on Goodreads and follow her on Twitter @TheStorymatic
Aside from exploring magical places, investigating unexplained occurrences, and time traveling, Wendy Nikel enjoys a fairly quiet life with her family in Utah. She has a BA in elementary education, which she currently puts to use in homeschooling her two very imaginative sons. Among her favorite things: black coffee, chai tea, photography, board games, bookstores, and road trips. Wendy is represented by Natalie Lakosil of the Bradford Literary Agency. You can check out her website and Facebook, as well as follow her on Twitter @wendynikel
CZ holds a B.S. in Psychology and an M.Ed. in Counseling. She is a voracious reader, eats too many cupcakes, loves to travel, and hopes to one day be bi-coastal – the east coast of the US and the east coast of Scotland. She lives just outside Washington DC with her husband and the world’s most rambunctious four-year-old. CZ is represented by Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon Literary. You can check out her website or follow her on Twitter @CZKetchem
Lara Rectenwald is a graduate of Baldwin Wallace University. She writes adult historical fiction. When she's not writing, Lara records audio books for ACX. She lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and two cats, Chicken and Duck.
Lara is represented by Brianne Johnson of Writers House. Follow her on twitter @lararectenwald.
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Kristen Scheer has a B.A. in Political Communications and Legal Thought, and a J.D. from the University of Tulsa College of Law. In law school, she spent a year interning under an international corporation’s in-house counsel, which led her to write LEGAL MOXIE, pitched as The Pelican Brief for teens. A YA contemporary legal thriller, LEGAL MOXIE is Kristen’s debut novel. Kristen is represented by Laura Bradford with the Bradford Literary Agency, and is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Kristen lives in Oklahoma with her husband and two children, and is working on her next novel.
Find Kristen on Twitter @Kristen_Scheer, and talk to her about writer-y stuff, Supernatural, dirty jokes, and/or anything involving baby animals.
Cale Dietrich is the writer of the upcoming novel LOVE INTEREST. He hails from a small picturesque town in Australia, and now lives in the coastal city of Brisbane. His hobbies include reading any YA books he can get his hands on, binge-watching TV, and spending way too much time on Tumblr. Seriously, if he didn't have a Tumblr he probably would've written like fifty books by now. He can be found on twitter at @caledietrich.
Wade White hails from Nova Scotia, Canada, land of wild blueberries and Duck Tolling Retrievers. He teaches ancient Hebrew, dabbles in animation, and spends the rest of his time as a stay-at-home dad. It is also possible he has set a new record as the slowest 10K runner. Ever. He owns one pretend cat and one real one, and they get along fabulously. He has been writing speculative fiction for over thirteen years and is now represented by the Elizabeth Kaplan Literary Agency.
If he could only bring three series to read on deserted island, it would be the three Hs: Harry Potter, Hellboy, and the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Oh, and just for the record, Firefly should have had a seven season run. No question.
You can follow Wade on twitter @wadealbertwhite and check out his website.
CZ Ketchem writes young adult contemporary fiction when she’s not writing college recommendation letters during her day job as a high school counselor. She loves the little moments in life that help someone discover who they’re meant to become – whether it’s her students or her characters.
CZ holds a B.S. in Psychology and an M.Ed. in Counseling. She is a voracious reader, eats too many cupcakes, loves to travel, and hopes to one day be bi-coastal – the east coast of the US and the east coast of Scotland. She lives just outside Washington DC with her husband and the world’s most rambunctious four-year-old. CZ is represented by Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon Literary. You can check out her website or follow her on Twitter @CZKetchem
Lara Rectenwald is a graduate of Baldwin Wallace University. She writes adult historical fiction. When she's not writing, Lara records audio books for ACX. She lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and two cats, Chicken and Duck.
Lara is represented by Brianne Johnson of Writers House. Follow her on twitter @lararectenwald.
Kristen Scheer has a B.A. in Political Communications and Legal Thought, and a J.D. from the University of Tulsa College of Law. In law school, she spent a year interning under an international corporation’s in-house counsel, which led her to write LEGAL MOXIE, pitched as The Pelican Brief for teens. A YA contemporary legal thriller, LEGAL MOXIE is Kristen’s debut novel. Kristen is represented by Laura Bradford with the Bradford Literary Agency, and is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Kristen lives in Oklahoma with her husband and two children, and is working on her next novel.
Find Kristen on Twitter @Kristen_Scheer, and talk to her about writer-y stuff, Supernatural, dirty jokes, and/or anything involving baby animals.
Gamer and librarian Max Wirestone writes geek-themed mysteries and is represented by Caitlin Blasdell of Liza Dawson Associates. When not rescuing his precious Japanese-imported game soundtracks from his toddler, he is usually writing. Or playing Mario Kart. But probably writing. Catch up with him at maxwirestone.com.
Carrie DuBois-Shaw is a YA writer and playwright. This summer, Carrie and her co-author, Betsy Aldredge, were named Grand Champions of Query Kombat 2014 for their YA Contemporary Romance, Sasquatch, Love, and Other Imaginary Things. The entry, nicknamed “Shalom Sasquatch,” earned them 10 requests from agents and led to signing with the wonderful Christa Heschke at McIntosh and Otis. Carrie recently relocated from New York City to San Francisco. Check out her blog and follow her on Twitter @carriedubois
Katherine Locke lives and writes in Philadelphia where she's ruled by her feline overlords and her addiction to chai lattes. She graduated from Allegheny College, a college that actually did change her life, and she'd do it all over again if she had the chance. Except she wouldn't take microeconomics again, even if you paid her. When she's not writing, she's reading and when she's not reading, she's tweeting about reading and writing. She likes heroes with boyish charm and heroines with dirty mouths. She writes romance, New Adult, and Young Adult novels. Her debut novel, SERENADE, is forthcoming spring 2015 from Carina Press. She is represented by Louise Fury of The Bent Agency. You're most likely to find her on Twitter @bibliogato or blogging at www.KatherineLockeBooks.com
Lisa Koosis is a prize-winning short story writer whose work has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Family Circle, Abyss & Apex, the British-Fantasy-Award-winning Murky Depths, and Blade Red Press’s Dark Pages anthology, which was shortlisted for the Australian Shadows Award. Lisa is a contest success story, having found her agent after entering The Writer's Voice. She is represented by the amazing Brianne Johnson of Writers House. You can find Lisa at http://writingonthinice.blogspot.com/ or on Twitter at @MidnightZoo.
Amy is a two-time Golden Heart finalist (2013 and 2014) who writes Young Adult fiction as Amy DeLuca and New Adult romance as Amy Patrick. She lives in Rhode Island with her husband and two sons and actually craves the heat and humidity of Mississippi, where she grew up. She's been a professional singer and news anchor and currently narrates audio books as well as working as a station host for a Boston TV station. You can check out her website or Facebook, and follow her on Twitter @AmyPatrickBooks
If he could only bring three series to read on deserted island, it would be the three Hs: Harry Potter, Hellboy, and the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Oh, and just for the record, Firefly should have had a seven season run. No question.
You can follow Wade on twitter @wadealbertwhite and check out his website.
Angie Sandro was born at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Within six weeks, she began the first of eleven relocations throughout the United States, Spain, and Guam before the age of eighteen.
Friends were left behind. The only constants in her life were her family and the books she shipped wherever she went. Traveling the world inspired her imagination and allowed her to create her own imaginary friends. Visits to her father's family in Louisiana inspired this story.
Angie now lives in Northern California with her husband, two children, and an overweight Labrador. She is represented by Kathleen Rushall of Marsal Lyon Literary, LLC. She is the author of the Dark Paradise series.
Naomi Hughes writes quirky middle-grade fiction (mostly about unicorn riders) and is a freelance editor. She lives in rural Oklahoma with her hubby, baby daughter, and a Border Collie named after a Last Airbender character (the show, not the movie). In her free time, she likes to play video games, re-watch Sherlock episodes, and overuse parentheses. Check out her website.
Nicole Byers is an adult horror writer, gamer, and book nerd. She recently moved to Ruckersville, Virginia where she's waiting to see snow for the first time. She's represented by Italia Gandolfo of the GH Literary Management team. Her short fiction appears in both Under the Bed and eFiction Magazine under the pseudonym of Dr. Self Destruct. While she now writes horror, her first love is and always will be high fantasy. Dragons, man. Dragons. Check out her Facebook and follow her on Twitter.
MJ O'Neill writes lighthearted,adult romantic mysteries and contemporary. YA drama-edies full of rich characters and family escapades that will leave you dying with laughter, diving for the tissue box and sometimes both at the same time. She is thrilled to be represented by Lotus Lane Literary and is currently on submission. Check out her blog and follow on twitter.
Having spent a lifetime travelling the globe, Kate Larkindale is currently residing in Wellington, New Zealand. A cinema manager, film reviewer and mother, she’s surprised she finds any time to write, but doesn’t sleep much. As a result, she can usually be found hanging out near the espresso machine.
Her short stories have appeared in Halfway Down The Stairs, A Fly in Amber, Daily Flash Anthology, The Barrier Islands Review, Everyday Fiction, Death Rattle, Drastic Measures, Cutlass & Musket and Residential Aliens, among others.
She has written eight contemporary YA novels, five of which other people are allowed to see. She has also written one very bad historical romance. Agented by Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary, she is currently working on a new YA novel that is still looking for a title other than its Twitter hashtag, #juvvielesbian. Her debut novel, An Unstill Life, is available now. Check out her website and Goodreads page, and follow her on Twitter @Vampyre14
Holly Jennings
My love of speculative fiction has seeds in my early childhood. My mother gave me the gift of books while my father gave me the gift of Star Wars. At some point, these two things converged and I started writing science fiction and fantasy.
In 2012, my New Year's resolution was to be published by the end of the year. To my complete amazement, my first short story was published through a professional level market on December 31, accomplishing my goal with less than 24 hours to spare. After writing short stories for a few years, I fell in love with New Adult books and now write novels about being 18 and lost in fantasy worlds or sci-fi futures. I find the voice of New Adult is unlike any other. It weaves a line between mature and immature, rational and irrational, teenager and adult.
As a big believer in "We Need Diverse Books", I strive to write stories about minority protagonists with backgrounds other than my own, where their differences are not the highlight of the story, but sometimes where they draw their strength.
My first novel is currently on submission via my agent -- who is awesome, by the way. Set in the year 2054, the book features an 18-year-old Chinese-American girl inside a virtual gaming tournament. Fighting rivals in the digital world, fame in reality, and the man after her heart in both, she soon uncovers her real battle -- the venality of electronic sports and the demons within herself.
Thank you so, so much mentors for doing this! These contests would not work without your time and selfless energy.
For those who are participating in the contest, please, take the time to thank/follow on Twitter/buy the books of at LEAST 5-10 of these mentors. Pick randomly, so if everyone does this, all the mentors will get some love :) We'd love it if you did it for all of them, obviously, but if you can't do that, try for at least 5-10.
THANK YOU MENTORS!
