Greetings from the Newest Operation Awesome Blogger, Jaime Olin!

Hi there! I'm Jaime Olin, and I'm pleased to introduce myself as the newest blogger for Operation Awesome.

I'd like to to answer a few questions you might have about me and tell you what I'll be doing for Operation Awesome - I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you!

What do you write? Mostly YA Contemporary. I also dabble in mysteries, and would love to someday write a sci-fi book set on the moon.

Who is your agent? Mallory Brown at the TriadaUS Literary Agency.

How did you find your agent? I entered my YA Contemporary manuscript, Forgotten, in the 2016 PitchSlam contest (this is a GREAT contest for those who don't know about it - www.pitchslamcontest.com). I made it to the agent round, and Mallory was one of the agents who requested the manuscript. She made an offer of representation, and after notifying the other agents who had the manuscript (some of whom also ended up offering), I ended up choosing Mallory because she felt a real connection with the manuscript. I'm excited to see where things go from here!

How long have you been writing? Casually, since I could hold a pen. Seriously, about seven years ago, once I began participating in some local creative writing workshops. Forgotten is my fourth completed manuscript.

Where do you live? Dallas, Texas now, but I've lived all over the country.

What's your day job? I'm a lawyer for a non-profit.

What kinds of posts do you plan to do for Operation Awesome? My first order of business is to start a weekly (or so) synopsis critique. There are several great options for query critiques on the internet, but I haven't seen any specifically dedicated to synopses. Writers seem to universally dread writing synopses, but it can be done (and done well!), and there are some tips and tricks to it. Since many agents, editors, and contest judges are requiring writers to provide synopses of their manuscripts, and since synopses are also excellent tools to maintain 'the forest for the trees' while writing first drafts, I want to help writers draft and edit them. Details to come next Thursday...

I'm also hoping to create a 'What's the Big Idea?' critique, which will focus on concept. I'll encourage readers to submit a short summary of a work in progress (or work not-yet-in-progress), and allow commenters to ask the author questions about the concept. The questions should help the author hone in on the necessary plot and character points to determine if the idea is viable.

What Hogwarts house would you get sorted into? I'm a Hufflepuff through and through, with hints of Gryffindor occasionally poking through.

What books are you currently reading? Colson Whitehead's Underground Railroad and Bruce Springsteen's memoir Born to Run. I most recently finished Nicola Yoon's The Sun is Also a Star. I'm trying to alternate reading adult and YA fiction this year, and I like to always have a non-fiction book going at the same time.

Don't you have a couple of really cute dogs? Funny you should ask! Here they are...

What do you mean, we're not supposed to be on the bed?

Come find me on Twitter (@jkolin27) and visit my website (www.jaimeolin.com, which is very much a work in progress)!