New Team Member Search at Operation Awesome

We're looking for a new team member! Nathaniel is leaving us after April. Big shoes to fill! Friday posts have contests and feedback. Plus, this role is for the person who reaches out to the agents during our Pass or Pages events. It's a bit of responsibility and a whole lot of fun. Interested? Fill out the form to apply.




Tell your friends about this, please!

Change of Heart at Operation Awesome #WEP #IWSG

Write Edit Publish

Perhaps a bit unusual for this challenge:

Operation Awesome proudly introduces our three new operatives!

The members of the team are the HEART of Operation Awesome. 

Due to time restraints, mostly thanks to successes, we have an influx of new members this month, which is a big 

CHANGE OF our HEART. 

So, in under 300 words each, here are quick introductions from our new team members!

They'll do longer, individual introduction posts later. This is just a fun way to say hello to everyone out there. No feedback is needed for this non-fiction post, but it'd be great if you'd say hi back!

Nathaniel:

Hey, everyone! My name is Nathaniel Glanzman and I'll be the new Query Friday/ Flash Fiction Friday point guy. I found out about Operation Awesome through #QueryKombat, and as soon as I was introduced to it, I was in love. My favorite thing about Operation Awesome is its ability to bridge connections between writers. It is an excellent resource to strengthen and nurture one of my favorite things in the whole world: Writing. I know this may sound cliche, but I've been a writer all my life (The first thing I remember writing was a poem about how much my mother loved money when I was four) and there is hardly a moment in the day when I'm not thinking about a character or a plot point to write down later. My default novel is a character-centric, internal conflict-heavy slice of life with an ensemble cast of mentally ill, neurodivergent, queer social misfits. Writing has both changed my life and saved my life on more than one occasion. I can't imagine my life without it. I'm honored to be a part of a team that cultivates that in others.

Amren:

Hi y’all, I’m Amren! I’m so excited to be a part of the OA team. It’s hard out there for those of us going through the writing process, so having a group like OA to provide support through every stage is a huge help. I know I was lost before I found an online community of writers, and I’m grateful to have the opportunity to share some of what I’ve learned along the way. I can’t wait to get started! I’m going to be starting a new recurring event with OA to critique manuscripts’ first pages, so hopefully I’ll be seeing your pages soon 😊

Kate:

Hello!

I’m Kate and I’m thrilled to be joining the Operation Awesome team. I have been a long-time reader of the blog, and it has been an incredibly useful resource as I’ve attempted to navigate this tricky world of writing and publishing. I am looking forward to giving back to the community in my own small way as Operation Awesome’s new OAbby. So if you have any burning questions about writing or publishing, send them my way!

Writing and publishing is a long game, and one that’s not for the faint of heart. You have to have perseverance, the hide of a rhino and not allow yourself to be overwhelmed by the crippling self-doubt that comes at some point in every writing project. Writing is a solitary act, so it’s important to have a community to support you when you need it. And a community that understands the unique challenges of being a writer is important.

I’m proud to be a part of that community and look forward to meeting and supporting you as part of the new OA team.

We hope you'll come back to visit Operation Awesome, where we focus on helping those in the publishing journey. 

Pass or Pages is our quarterly query critique contest. We also have synopsis critiques, posts about feelings on writing, Dear OAbby, the Debut Author Spotlight, and other fun features.

Introducing Our New Operatives!

A few weeks ago we advertised for new bloggers to join the Operation Awesome team. We had several people apply; they made it really tough to narrow it down to two people. We're so grateful to those who applied, and hope they'll consider applying again in the future.

We're very excited to have two new members of the team. They'll introduce themselves in the next few weeks, but for now we can tell you who they are!

J Lenni Dorner

will conduct the Wednesday Debut Interview feature. If you or a friend has a book coming out this year, please reach out to J! We'd love to have you on Operation Awesome.

Donelle Lacy

  is our new weekly blogger, covering Mondays. We look forward to reading her thoughts (and seeing her artwork; seriously, it's amazing!).

Introducing Samantha

Hello, fabulous fellow writer- and reader-folk! Around these parts, I'm known as S. L. Saboviec, although you can call me Samantha. I’m a member of the current freshman class here at Operation Awesome, and I’m thrilled to join this great bunch.

Shall we jump right into me? Because, after all, this post is about me. Who doesn’t like talking about me? I definitely do.

In a sorta particular order, but not precisely so, here are ten things about me:

1. I love villains. They’re fascinating. I can list more favorite antagonists than I can favorite protagonists, ohyesreally: Hannibal Lector, Agent Smith, Frank Underwood (fine, he’s a protagonist, but he’s villainous), Keyser Soze, Tyler Durden… Who am I missing?


2. I wrote my first book when I was twelve years old. It’s about a girl who discovers a journal in a shack in the woods. This journal chronicles the sad, lonely life of a man whose wife died at a young age. When my protagonist reaches the end–hold onto your hats for this plot twist–she realizes he’s still writing in it and that he’s the creepy, old hermit everyone is afraid of. But now that she knows, she understands that he’s just sad and lonely! No one has to be afraid of him anymore!
   
   I wanted this to be made into a Disney movie, but sadly, no one from Disney has broken into my file archives and stolen it to pitch to their producers.


3. I love fall. And pumpkin spice everything. And nippy weather, warm jackets, and fireplaces after being outside.


4. My house doesn’t have a fireplace. L


5. I was recently curious about my strengths as a critique partner, and after asking a CP what I'm good at within the critique process, I received this as a response:
   
   
   
   
   I've decided this is a compliment. I'm good at the pointed comments. Yes, sir, I pull no punches. Want me as a CP? I will, apparently, make you cry.


6. I’m a perfectionist. I love grammar. My latest mission is to ensure everyone understands the difference between “compliment”and “complement.” Please use it properly, I beg of you. The misused "i" version wants a break.


7. I self-published my first novel, Guarding Angel, in May 2014, and I’m releasing the sequel, Reaping Angel, in February 2016. The journey has been fraught with many lessons and sharpenings of my writerly tools. Although I don't consider myself an expert, I’m happy to field self-publishing questions. Hopefully I will have an answer. If not, I’ll make something up. Just kidding. Probably. I did mention I write fiction, yes? I like making things up.


8. I’m on the third revision of my fifth novel. (OK, fine, fourth, since you insist upon not counting the childhood one.) I plan to start querying agents in 2016 after another revision or two. I’m going the hybrid route: my self-published novels are paranormal (eek, I know), and my latest is science fiction with more mass appeal. Also, it has a villain protagonist. Yes, I see your look of complete and utter not-surprise.


9. My one-year-old daughter, Morrigan, is pretty much the cutest thing ever:
   
   
   
   
   You think this is cute? You can't see the little curls she's growing on the back of her head, which would, if I shared them, cause the entire internet to break.


10. Starting two weeks from today, I will be hosting a twice-monthly flash fiction contest. The prizes, at the moment, are increased command of your writing ability as a result of creating an inspired flash piece and a nifty badge proclaiming you won.
    
    Come back on the morning of Friday, September 18^th, for your first writing prompt. You’ll have until Saturday at midnight Eastern to post your story in the comments. I will choose and post a winner by Sunday night.
    
    Note: This contest is just for funsies. My judgments will be based on personal taste and should not be construed as a statement on your talent at the writing craft.
    
    Also, I might invite guest judges and/or introduce more exciting prizes in the future if you guys decide you like the contest.
    
    So show up, is what I’m saying.
    
    And don’t take it personally because funsies.

Thanks for reading. I’ll see you again in a couple weeks!

P.S. Here are some links, in case you're interested:

• My website, which includes Guarding Angel links
• Chat with me on Twitter (I'm on a lot!)
• Like me on FaceBook (I'm not on as much there.)
• Check out  visual representations of my brain on Pinterest
• Are you a book blogger or reviewer? Sign up to help with my cover reveal in about a month or to get a Reaping Angel ARC at the beginning of next year.

UPDATE: New OA Member

Howdy all!

I just wanted to give a shout out to our new member applicants. We've been combing over your submissions and have decided one thing for certain so far.

THIS IS A REALLY HARD CHOICE!

We will have an answer for you by the end of the week.

In the mean time (and very off topic) Who else is excited for the Walking Dead season finale this Sunday?

**Raises Hand**

We want YOU to join Operation Awesome!

TGIF, everyone! I come bearing a message from all of your friendly neighborhood Operation Awesome bloggers:

Some changes have been happening behind the scenes here at Operation Awesome, as we’ve moved a few members over to the Alumni section (a big thanks to Kellie DuBay Gillis and Max Gladstone for all their contributions!) and welcomed a new member, Karen McCoy.

We’re even in the process of revamping our popular Mystery Agent contest, so we’ll be checking in with you all on that in a few days. But in the meantime, you may have noticed that two members have moved on, and only one has joined, so that means we still have one spot left!

We’d like to open up the every-other-Sunday slot for a new Operative who can commit to posting on that day, and also pitch in with the Mystery Agent contests and other special events we run as a group.

As far as blog posts go, pretty much anything writerly is welcome. There are a few things that we avoid though, such as politics, religion, etc. We have a fairly diverse group on here, and something political will likely offend someone else. Also, we don't bash a blog post or article on someone else's blog. Let’s just say, if it is a topic that is controversial and might not reflect the collective beliefs of everyone on here, you will want to share that on your personal blog.

We maintain a calendar on our private forum to make it easy to keep track of your posting obligations—and with the wonder of Blogger Scheduling, you can always schedule your post ahead of time when you know you’ll be busy on your day. We understand that life events can sometimes put blogging lower on the priority list, but our members are more than willing to switch spots on such occasions to ensure that the posts keep coming.

We see membership in Operation Awesome as an opportunity to make meaningful connections in the publishing community—with writers, agents, and editors—no matter where you are in the journey. Each of us has grown and learned from the experience of group blogging, and if that sounds like something you’d be interested in, please send an email to OperationAwesome6 (at) gmail (dot) com with a short message on why you think you would be a good fit for Operation Awesome, and please include links to your social media and blog sites. Thank you!

Aloha, Operatives!

Since "aloha" can be used in both farewells and greetings, I thought it was an appropriate way to announce some changes here on Operation Awesome.

Firstly, we bid farewell to both R.R. Russell and Wesley Chu, whose schedules have made it difficult to continue their posts on Operation Awesome. We greatly appreciate their time and contributions, and they will be missed! But keep an eye on those two--they each have sequels in the works to their books released this year.

Secondly, join us in welcoming our newest members:

JESSICA L. BROOKS

Jessica resides with her husband of sixteen years, three awesome daughters, and a plethora of pets in Central California, where fog, frost, triple-digit heat and various items of produce arrive bountifully, depending on the season.  She has an affinity for both coffee and owls, and loves to connect with other readers and writers whenever possible. You can find her on Twitter (@coffeelvnmom), Facebook, Goodreads, or at her blog, Let Me Tell You a Story. Jessica writes YA and adult fiction. She shares reviews of her favorite books on Afterglow Book Reviews, and spreads the writing and author love for independently published authors at Indie Ignites.

PITY ISN'T AN OPTION, a young adult near-future dystopian novel about a guy and girl finding something they thought they'd long lost, is her debut novel. Jessica will be posting every other Wednesday, with her first post on August 14.

AMY TRUEBLOOD

Amy has spent her life surrounded by books. As a child, her fondest memories are of following her mother and four siblings to the library every week to check out spectacular new adventures penned by the likes of Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary and C.S. Lewis. After college, she worked in the entertainment business in Los Angeles and eventually ended up surrounded by books again at Ingram Book Group in Tennessee.

Now a writer living in Arizona, she spends her time doing freelance public relations work and promoting her favorite non-profit event, The Cinderella Affair (www.cinderellaaffair.org).

Her short stories, “Emanate,” and "Unearthed," are part of The Fall and Summer's Edge anthologies published by Elephant’s Bookshelf Press. Her writing has also appeared in Liquid Imagination. When not “chasing the crazy” dream of being published, she feeds her addictions to good TV (Bones, Castle & Fringe), Barnes & Noble and mango ice tea. She blogs at www.chasingthecrazies.wordpress.com and can also be found on Twitter (@atrueblood5). 
Amy will be posting every other Tuesday, with her first post on August 13.


Can't wait to see what these two bring to the Operation Awesome conversation!

Mystery Blogger Contest #5-8: Critique Winners!

Join us in welcoming the last four new Operation Awesome bloggers!


Yesterday the final four of our 8 new bloggers were introduced mysteriously. They gave us three truths and a lie, and you took your best guesses on which fun facts were LIES. 

Now meet our Mystery Bloggers, discover who won each critique prize, and find out who lied about what!

The first four Mystery Bloggers were revealed on January 29th:

Mystery Blogger #1: Angelica R. Jackson

Mystery Blogger #2: Becky Mahoney

Mystery Blogger #3: Max Gladstone

Mystery Blogger #4: Abby Annis


Here are the final four: 

Mystery Blogger #5: 

KELLIE DuBAY GILLIS

Writing reminds me of riding my favorite purple tandem bike. You can do it alone, but it’s more fun with someone along for the ride. That’s why sharing the ups and downs of my writing journey with on-line communities like Operation Awesome have been so important. My first love is the picture book and, because I’ll forever be 11, middle grade novels are near and dear to my heart. I’m pedaling along in my ride to becoming a better writer in each genre. When I’m not blogging here, you can catch me over at Verla Kay’s Blueboards or on Twitter as part of the weekly #mglitchat hostess team. My lucky number is 13 and I feel very lucky to start 2013 as a part of team Operation Awesome.
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Website
Kellie will be blogging at Operation Awesome on every other MONDAY.

Here are Kellie's three truths and a lie:

• Author Verna Aardema blurbed my first award-winning book.

• To date, three people have had to save my life by performing the Heimlich Manuever. Each incident involved me talking too much at the table and an oversized piece of steak.

• I single-handedly delivered a baby in less than 50 minutes in a bathroom.

• I've been in a commercial and a movie, seen only from behind a ketchup bottle in each one.

THE WINNER of Kellie's prize of 2 PB manuscript critiques {700 words or less} OR 5 pages of a middle grade novel is Haley!


Mystery Blogger #6: 

WESLEY CHU

Hello, I write, and on the side I work for the Death Star. I didn't originally want to be an author, nor a Death Star Laser Technician. If it was up to me, I'd be a NFL punter, a heir to a family fortune, or maybe just professionally beautiful.

But I'm a writer, or at least I try to be. I can't help but write for some strange reason (anyone else feel that way?). I'm currently represented by Russell Galen of Scovil Galen Ghosh with two books coming out this year: my debut, The Lives of Tao (April 30th 2013, Angry Robot Books) and its sequel (Title TBD, Late 2013 - I will totally have a contest for the title)

So, um...let's do it. I'll bring the scotch.

You can find me here:
Publisher press release
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
Website

THE LIVES OF TAO
Wes will be blogging at Operation Awesome on every other TUESDAY.

Here are Wesley's three truths and a lie:

• I almost cut Rachel Weisz with a tappanyaki knife as she was being stood up for a date.

• I once hunted boar with the natives of Kauai, with nothing more than a knife and a pack of hounds.

• I broke through the 18th mile wall of a marathon without ever running a mile.

• Michael Jordan and I used to sell underwear together.

THE WINNER of Wesley's first 5 pages critique is Chelsey!

Mystery Blogger #7:

TONI KERR

Hello Operation Awesome Readers!

First, I'd like to thank the writers at OA for all the time and commitment they've put into making this place such an incredible resource for writers. I've learned many great tips for editing, revising, and writing tighter, and I've been inspired by personal experiences that cheer me up, or remind me to keep going. We all know this isn't an easy field to thrive in, but it's a heck of a lot more enjoyable (and downright hilarious at times) with a crew like this! So, while I don't consider myself an expert, I'm happy to poke fun at myself and share the things that took me years to figure out.
Facebook
Blog
Toni will be blogging at Operation Awesome on every other TUESDAY.

Here are Toni's three truths and a lie:

• I have eight years of Martial Arts training, and secretly look forward to the day my skills can be used for more than just writing. 

• I did the unthinkable by sending a nude picture in reply to an editor's form rejection.

• I love cooking, especially when the wonders of spice and flare are appreciated by my characters. 

• I built a writer's cave disguised as a treehouse, and am patiently waiting for the kids to lose interest so I can reclaim it as my own.

THE WINNER of Toni's first chapter critique is nobody! This is unprecedented, but nobody guessed that Toni really doesn't like to cook. She does like to eat (and the nude picture was not of herself, thank goodness).



Mystery Blogger #8: 

ROBYN RUSSELL writes as R.R. Russell

I’m a mom, a judo coach, and a writer for kids and teens. After thirteen years battling with the publishing industry, I think I’ve finally found a crack in its armor. My middle grade debut, Wonder Light: Unicorns of the Mist, will be out May 1 from Sourcebooks. I also write a YA crossover series, the Venture Books, as R.H. Russell.
I look forward to sharing the perks and perils of debut-ishness, as well as musings about writing and books, with the most awesome readers and bloggers here at Operation Awesome!
Website/blog
Facebook
Twitter
Robyn will be blogging at Operation Awesome on every other WEDNESDAY.

Here are Robyn's three truths and a lie:

• When Mystery blogger’s first novel was 80% finished, her hard drive, along with her zip drive backup, were deleted by a helpful twelve-year-old. There were many bitter tears, but she pieced it back together from old pages she’d given her preschoolers to scribble on.

• Mystery blogger wrote a middle grade novel while driving with a van full of judo kids into the mountains of Idaho for a tournament. One of them asked her when she was going to write “a real book.” Surprisingly, he is still alive.

• Mystery Blogger’s favorite rejection is her query letter with “No!” written on the top in red ink.

• Mystery Blogger gathered all her old-school paper rejections and papier-mâchéed them into a piñata. She filled it with chocolate and took a bat to it when she signed her first book deal.

THE WINNER of Robyn's first 5 pages critique is letmebeyoursong!

Congrats to the winners and the right-guessers! Thank you to all of you who played along with us. Thank you to our readers for making the online writing community the coziest place on the interweb. 

We're very excited going forward with fourteen Operation Awesome bloggers, all at different stages of publishing, including authors in every genre, from picture books to adult fiction. We know our readers will enjoy the new content and fresh voices these eight fabulous people bring to OA. And you'll still get posts from the familiar voices of Angela Townsend, Kell Andrews, Kristal Shaff, Lindsay Scott, Michelle McLean, and Katrina Lantz.

2013 will be phenomenal. I can't wait. And I hope you'll let us be part of your journey, too. Come share your successes and struggles, and especially book news. We all love book news!


If you won a critique, please send the material you'd like critiqued to operationawesome6 (at) gmail (dot) com with subject line: MYSTERY BLOGGER WINNER

Mystery Blogger Contest #5-8: Guess the Lie and Win

Source

In case you missed our BIG news at Operation Awesome, we are welcoming eight new bloggers to the owlery. 

We could just announce their names, but what fun would that be? 

So instead, we're holding a Mystery Blogger contest, and you have 4 more chances to win a critique by one of the newbies. The first four Mystery Bloggers were revealed yesterday:

Mystery Blogger #1: Angelica R. Jackson

Mystery Blogger #2: Becky Mahoney

Mystery Blogger #3: Max Gladstone

Mystery Blogger #4: Abby Annis


Today we'll meet four more Mystery Bloggers! They've each given us three truths and a lie about themselves in random order. To win a Mystery Blogger's critique, guess which fun fact is really the lie. Out of those who guess correctly, a random name will be drawn for the prize critique and announced tomorrow -- along with secret identities and the real truth about their fun facts.

Four people are offering critiques today if you guess their lies correctly.

*rubs hands together*

Here are the final four: 


Mystery Blogger #5: (prize for guessing right: random entry for a choice of 2 PB manuscript critiques {700 words or less} OR 5 pages critique of a middle grade novel)

• Author Verna Aardema blurbed my first award-winning book.

• To date, three people have had to save my life by performing the Heimlich Maneuver. Each incident involved me talking too much at the table and an oversized piece of steak.

• I single-handedly delivered a baby in less than 50 minutes in a bathroom.

• I've been in a commercial and a movie, seen only from behind a ketchup bottle in each one.

Mystery Blogger #6: (prize for guessing right: random entry for a first 5 pages critique)

• I almost cut Rachel Weisz with a tappanyaki knife as she was being stood up for a date.

• I once hunted boar with the natives of Kauai, with nothing more than a knife and a pack of hounds.

• I broke through the 18th mile wall of a marathon without ever running a mile.

• Michael Jordan and I used to sell underwear together.

Mystery Blogger #7: (prize for guessing right: random entry for a first chapter critique)

• I have eight years of Martial Arts training, and secretly look forward to the day my skills can be used for more than just writing. 

• I did the unthinkable by sending a nude picture in reply to an editor's form rejection.

• I love cooking, especially when the wonders of spice and flare are appreciated by my characters. 

• I built a writer's cave disguised as a treehouse, and am patiently waiting for the kids to lose interest so I can reclaim it as my own.

Mystery Blogger #8: (prize for guessing right: random entry for a first 5 pages critique)

• When Mystery blogger’s first novel was 80% finished, her hard drive, along with her zip drive backup, were deleted by a helpful twelve-year-old. There were many bitter tears, but she pieced it back together from old pages she’d given her preschoolers to scribble on.

• Mystery blogger wrote a middle grade novel while driving with a van full of judo kids into the mountains of Idaho for a tournament. One of them asked her when she was going to write “a real book.” Surprisingly, he is still alive.

• Mystery Blogger’s favorite rejection is her query letter with “No!” written on the top in red ink.

• Mystery Blogger gathered all her old-school paper rejections and papier-mâchéed them into a piñata. She filled it with chocolate and took a bat to it when she signed her first book deal.

Which one is the lie?
Guess only one lie for each Mystery Blogger, and list your guesses in a comment below.

Good luck!

(Remember, winners will be announced tomorrow along with the big reveal of who these people are and what lies they told you.) *cue ominous, mysterious music*

Mystery Blogger Contest #1-4: Critique Winners!

Yesterday we announced that 8 new bloggers were joining Operation Awesome! The first four were introduced mysteriously. They gave us three truths and a lie, and you took your best guesses on which fun facts were LIES. 

Now meet our Mystery Bloggers, discover who won each critique prize, and find out who lied about what!


Mystery Blogger #1: 

ANGELICA R. JACKSON

Hi, I'm so excited to join the illustrious Operation Awesome group and lend some credibility to my writing career! I'm looking forward to seeing the "behind-the-scenes" drama of the contests, as well as continuing to learn from the collective wisdom of my fellow bloggers and the commenters.
Where you can find me on the web:
My Facebook
My blog
My Twitter
My photo website (oh yeah, I'm also a photographer/artist)
Angelica will be blogging at Operation Awesome every other MONDAY.

Truths and a lie about Angelica:

• On her very first time volunteering at a regional SCBWI conference, Mystery Blogger introduced Well-Respected Editor without any verbal stumbles. And then as MB exited the stage, she promptly tripped over Well-Respected Editor’s purse and nearly faceplanted.

• The most cats that Mystery Blogger has ever had piled on her at one time is seven, distributed equally between her lap, feet, head, face, and shoulders. There were another five in the queue waiting for an opportunity. Or a fight to break out, which also clears the decks.

• Mystery Blogger once scared an agent on Twitter by trying to make a joke. Agent had tweeted something along the lines of “you don’t ever want to send me a query so bad it ends up on my Special List” and Mystery Blogger responded with “Challenge Accepted!” Agent tweeted back that the Special List was not meant to be aspired to and Mystery Blogger apologized profusely. They shared a laugh and became the best of friends.

• While recording a video pitch for a PitchFest, Mystery Blogger misspoke “sets a ship afire” with a bad word that rhymes with ship. And then couldn’t stop laughing for the next twenty takes. Now whenever she talks about that book, most of her brain cells are devoted to screaming, “make sure you say ship!”

THE WINNER of Angelica's query critique is Steph Scott!




Mystery Blogger #2: 

BECKY MAHONEY

I am a longtime Operation Awesome fangirl, and I am super excited to join the big leagues and become part of this amazing blog. I am an unassuming admin by day and a young adult writer by night, represented by Sara Crowe of Harvey Klinger Inc. My preferred genre trifecta is fantasy, mystery, and horror. I am a lover of good food, awesome fashion, and any and all things creepy. You can find me here:
Blog: Rebecca Mahoney - Writer
Twitter
Becky will be blogging at Operation Awesome every other FRIDAY.

Truths and a lie about Becky:

• Mystery Blogger's favorite non-writing hobbies are handicrafts, especially origami. Mystery Blogger once signed up to help out at an origami instructional workshop, and ended up teaching the class entirely by accident.

• Mystery Blogger has a serious scarf problem. She was pretty sure she had one in every possible color, until she obtained three more over the holidays. Now she has every color. Maybe.

• Despite (or due to) the many gallons of coffee Mystery Blogger serves her bosses during her day job, Mystery Blogger is forever loyal to tea. No writing session is complete without a mug of red milk tea by her side.

• This Mystery Blogger began the first book she ever queried during a 13-hour car ride across Japan with her host parents and their two very restless young children. Mystery Blogger would like to thank that manuscript for saving her life that night.

THE WINNER of Becky's first 5 pages critique is Manju Howard!



Mystery Blogger #3: 

MAX GLADSTONE

I met my agent at an Operation Awesome contest, sold my debut novel soon after, and feel that Operation Awesome does exactly what it says on the tin. In various lives I've been an EFL teacher, researcher, tour guide, translator, smart grid analyst / cube operator, and an editor. These days, when I'm not making up stories about necromancers, I'm hunting my manuscripts for errant semicolons. I just deleted one from this paragraph!

My blog: Max Gladstone - Myths for Hire
My twitter: @maxgladstone
THREE PARTS DEAD
Max will be blogging at Operation Awesome every other SUNDAY.

Truths and a lie about Max:

• Mystery Blogger has been an illegal alien in the People's Republic of China.

• Mystery Blogger has shaken the hand of the Dalai Lama.

• Mystery Blogger has shaken the hand of a Vice President.

• Mystery Blogger has shaken the hand of Stephen King.

THE WINNER of Max's 5 page critique is Eliza Tilton!



Mystery Blogger #4: 

ABBY ANNIS

I am mom to three brilliant and talented kids. No bias there. ;) I write YA sci-fi and speculative fiction. My day job is in numbers (yes, I’m one of those weirdos who enjoys math), but I love words and writing. Taking beautiful writing and making visual art is one of my favorite things to do. Photoshop is a great procrastination tool. :) And I have a tendency to overuse smilies and the word awesome.

I’ve been a longtime lurker on the blog, and I’ve learned so much from the fabulous folks here. I’m excited to be a part of the awesomeness.

Blog
Twitter

Abby will be blogging at Operation Awesome every other SATURDAY.

• My AP English teacher from my junior year in high school made me HATE writing. And though I’ve journaled my whole life, I didn’t discover that I actually enjoy writing fiction until four years ago.

• I love anything peanut butter—PB&J, cookies, smothered in chocolate, plain—but I especially love to put it on waffles with maple syrup. Yum!

• The first piece of writing I got published was a poem I wrote in tenth grade titled “Down Yonder”. It was written as a joke and it was so very, very awful, but my English teacher loved it and put it in the annual school anthology.

• I really enjoy taking things apart to see how they work. So much so, that I get a little thrill of excitement when something breaks because that means I don’t have to feel bad about dissecting it.

THE WINNER of Abby's first 5 pages critique is Tiffany!

If you won a critique, please send the material you'd like critiqued to operationawesome6 (at) gmail (dot) com with subject line: MYSTERY BLOGGER WINNER

If you didn't win, come back tomorrow to meet our other Mystery Bloggers. There will be four more winners on the 31st, when our last four Mystery Bloggers' true identities are revealed!

Mystery Blogger Contest #1-4: Guess the Lie and Win

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BIG news at Operation Awesome as we welcome eight new bloggers to the owlery. We could just announce their names, but what fun would that be? 

So instead, we're holding a Mystery Blogger contest, and you will have 8 chances to win a critique by one of the newbies. The first four are posted below. The last four will be posted January 30th, 2013. 

They've each given us three truths and a lie about themselves in random order. To win a Mystery Blogger's critique, guess which fun fact is really the lie. Out of those who guess correctly, a random name will be drawn for the prize critique and announced tomorrow -- along with secret identities and the real truth about their fun facts.

Four people are offering critiques today if you guess their lies correctly.

*rubs hands together*

Here are the first four: 

Mystery Blogger #1: (prize for guessing right: random entry for a query critique)

• On her very first time volunteering at a regional SCBWI conference, Mystery Blogger introduced Well-Respected Editor without any verbal stumbles. And then as MB exited the stage, she promptly tripped over Well-Respected Editor’s purse and nearly faceplanted.

• The most cats that Mystery Blogger has ever had piled on her at one time is seven, distributed equally between her lap, feet, head, face, and shoulders. There were another five in the queue waiting for an opportunity. Or a fight to break out, which also clears the decks.

• Mystery Blogger once scared an agent on Twitter by trying to make a joke. Agent had tweeted something along the lines of “you don’t ever want to send me a query so bad it ends up on my Special List” and Mystery Blogger responded with “Challenge Accepted!” Agent tweeted back that the Special List was not meant to be aspired to and Mystery Blogger apologized profusely. They shared a laugh and became the best of friends.

• While recording a video pitch for a PitchFest, Mystery Blogger misspoke “sets a ship afire” with a bad word that rhymes with ship. And then couldn’t stop laughing for the next twenty takes. Now whenever she talks about that book, most of her brain cells are devoted to screaming, “make sure you say ship!”

Mystery Blogger #2: (prize for guessing right: random entry for a first 5 pages critique)

• Mystery Blogger's favorite non-writing hobbies are handicrafts, especially origami. Mystery Blogger once signed up to help out at an origami instructional workshop, and ended up teaching the class entirely by accident.

• Mystery Blogger has a serious scarf problem. She was pretty sure she had one in every possible color, until she obtained three more over the holidays. Now she has every color. Maybe.

• Despite (or due to) the many gallons of coffee Mystery Blogger serves her bosses during her day job, Mystery Blogger is forever loyal to tea. No writing session is complete without a mug of red milk tea by her side.

• This Mystery Blogger began the first book she ever queried during a 13-hour car ride across Japan with her host parents and their two very restless young children. Mystery Blogger would like to thank that manuscript for saving her life that night.

Mystery Blogger #3: (prize for guessing right: random entry for a 5 page critique)

• Mystery Blogger has been an illegal alien in the People's Republic of China.

• Mystery Blogger has shaken the hand of the Dalai Lama.

• Mystery Blogger has shaken the hand of a Vice President.

• Mystery Blogger has shaken the hand of Stephen King.

Mystery Blogger #4: (prize for guessing right: random entry for a first 5 pages critique)

• My AP English teacher from my junior year in high school made me HATE writing. And though I’ve journaled my whole life, I didn’t discover that I actually enjoy writing fiction until four years ago.

• I love anything peanut butter—PB&J, cookies, smothered in chocolate, plain—but I especially love to put it on waffles with maple syrup. Yum!

• The first piece of writing I got published was a poem I wrote in tenth grade titled “Down Yonder”. It was written as a joke and it was so very, very awful, but my English teacher loved it and put it in the annual school anthology.

• I really enjoy taking things apart to see how they work. So much so, that I get a little thrill of excitement when something breaks because that means I don’t have to feel bad about dissecting it.

Which one is the lie?
Guess only one lie for each Mystery Blogger, and list your guesses in a comment below.

Good luck!

(Remember, winners will be announced tomorrow along with the big reveal of who these people are and what lies they told you.) *cue ominous, mysterious music*