Tuesday, January 22, 2013

January Mystery Agent REVEALED!

It's time for our first Mystery Agent reveal of the year!! *bounces up and down* Are you ready? Okay, okay. Our January Mystery Agent is...

Thao Le of the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency!!


And here's Thao's winner of a FULL manuscript request:

Eric Steinberg
BETTER LIVES
YA Science Fiction
Pitch: Arrogant 17 year-old prep school student Marc is abducted and replaced by aliens to avert a future where he’s the president who starts WWIII.


CONGRATS, Eric!! Please send your full manuscript to thao (at) dijkstraagency (dot) com!!!

Thao was awesome enough to answer a few pressing questions. Here's what she had to say:
  
 
1) If you could pick one book that every writer should read, which one would it be and why?

Any book by Diana Wynne Jones because every single one of her plots are so intricate and complicated, yet despite the many twists and turns, in the end they all come together perfectly. She definitely knows how to keep the reader guessing and I love that.
    
2) What are you dying to see in your slushpile right now?

I’d love to see a manuscript with a new spin on teen superheroes. I also find myself very attracted to unique retellings of fairytales, myths, and folklore.

3) Favorite TV show?

Of all time? Battlestar Galactica. When that show ended, it left a hole in my heart that no other TV show has managed to fill. I’m also currently loving The Walking Dead’s season two and for guilty pleasure I cannot deny those sexy vamps on Vampire Diaries.

4) Chocolate or candy?

Candy. I like the artificial fruit flavors. I can pretend they have vitamin C.

5) Any tips for writers struggling with their one-line pitches?

Avoid clichés and hook me with a cliffhanger or mystery that makes me want to read more to find out what happens.

6) Do you have any exciting client/agency news to share?

I’m REALLY excited about THORN JACK, the first book in a planned trilogy by debut author Katherine Harbour, which I just sold to Harper Voyager. It’s a beautiful modern retelling of the Scottish ballad, Tam Lin and I think fans of Melissa Marr and Maggie Stiefvater would just love it.


A huge thanks to Thao for being our January Mystery Agent!!! Want to know more about Thao? Check out the following links: 

 

4 comments:

Katrina L. Lantz said...

Wow, congratulations, Eric! That book sounds fabulous! Thank you, Thao! I'm a fan of super hero stories myself, so I look forward to seeing more books by your authors.

Thanks to everybody who participated in the contest. The pitches are always so much fun to read.

greta garbo said...

While I certainly agree about the quality of the pitches - congratulations, Eric! - I'm fretting about the typo in the answer to question #3. There's a huge difference between a cavity and an entirety.

Eric Steinberg said...

Thanks so much for running a great contest and for this fantastic opportunity.

greta garbo said...

thnx for the fix!