March Pass Or Pages Entry #1

Welcome to the feedback reveals for the first round of Pass Or Pages in 2018! Many thanks to our agent panel for taking the time to critique these entries. Props to the authors who were brave enough to submit. We hope everyone learns something new this week!

Entry # 1: ADLER ADVENTURES: THE PURPLE LAKE

Query:

Arabella Adler, a sixteen-year-old with a chronic illness [MF1], has had a strained relationship with Nana, her paternal grandmother, since her father died three years ago.[LM1] When Nana tells Arabella that her father may be alive, Arabella decides she has nothing to lose. She must find him and uncover the answers to all her questions. [LM2][KA1]

Her quest for answers transports her to Tipoua. [LM3][MF2] In a world where wolves speak to humans and elements of Cherokee oral history are prominent, there is more to do than discover her father’s fate. Someone is trying to control this new world via the Purple Lake, a place where animals go to heal wounds. She is killing anyone that defies her, humans and animals alike. Arabella is promised that if she helps fight the Evil Witch, she will be brought to her father. [LM4][KA2]

Arabella has a fierce connection with water, which gives her great strength and the ability to save countless lives. But in the wrong hands, this Power of Creation could become a Power of Destruction. Learning to manage her illness in a new world, making new friends, and falling in love, Arabella is hellbent on saving Tipoua. [LM5] And with help from many people, animals, and ancient mermaids, she could succeed. [MF3] After all, saving the world is a team endeavor. [KA3]

But when Arabella discovers the identity of Tipoua’s oppressor- someone unimaginable- [LM6][MF4] and the depth of her powers, Arabella will have to decide between her dream family reunion and preserving life and culture in Tipoua. [KA4]

MARK OF THE THIEF by Jennifer A. Nielsen meets elemental magic and a flawed heroine like in A SHADOW BRIGHT AND BURNING by Jessica Cluess. ADLER ADVENTURES: THE PURPLE LAKE in which a diverse group of people and animals of all kinds must work together to achieve one common goal against slavery, cowardice, and dark magic [KA5] is complete at around 74,000 words and would work well as a stand-alone novel or the first in a series.

**********

Kurestin's Notes:

[KA1]: Why is this? I don’t know much about Arabella other than her chronic illness, which isn’t really a character trait. I would save that for when you mention it later (her having to manage it in a new world does sound interesting!) and instead here underline why she feels like she has nothing to lose, why her questions are so desperate, why she feels that SHE must go find her father.

[KA2]: This feels very generic “fantasy world + savior protagonist” to me, unfortunately. I’m definitely intrigued by the elements that have gone into your worldbuilding, but without more of Arabella’s particular personality coming through, I don’t have enough to make me feel invested in seeing how this situation turns out.

[KA3]: This does sound interesting, but also, I still don’t really see why Arabella is so personally tied to saving this world. Perhaps picking one side character she had a close connection with to tease here would help?

[KA4]: Ah, so this is a common problem I see in queries. I’m guessing this happens pretty far into the book? But the query should be ending max 20% of the way through your book’s plot—I want to feel propelled to read the entire book to find out what happens next, not sense I can read the last 10 pages and get the gist.

[KA5]: Awkwardly worded.

 Moe's Notes:
[MF1]: So I was looking to see how her illness effects her and didn’t see it in the query. I know there’s a line later about having to learn how to manage her illness but if you’re going to open your query with a mention of an illness, I would assume it’s important.
[MF2]: How does it? Is this a portal fantasy? Is it some other way? Is it somewhere here on Earth or elsewhere?
[MF3]: Honestly, I’m struggling a lot here where I feel like this is more a collection of bullet points about what happens rather than giving me a good feel for the story. The most effective query letters are the ones that have voice in them and I don’t see that here. Also, I admit, I’d rather have a better sense of what’s going on and who she meets to give me a sense of the stakes. So many fantasy novels are about saving the world so what makes yours stand out?
[MF4]: Who? I know you’re trying to make this sound mysterious and have me want to request more because I’m curious, but it’s honestly more frustrating than intriguing.

Lindsay's Notes:
[LM1]: The paternal grandmother is sort of implied by the mention of Arabella’s father. This is a lot of information for a first sentence, so I’d look at tightening it up and removing excess info.
[LM2]: What does her father being alive have to do with her having nothing to lose? I would nix that and give us more personal motivation. Maybe she’s asking why her dad abandoned her, or why he faked her death. I’d like something a little more compelling and less clichéd feeling.
[LM3]: The first paragraph made me think I was reading a contemporary, now I’m in a portal fantasy. How does a search for answers lead her to a new world and what does this have to do with her father?
[LM4]: What does your character want? What is at stake for her?
[LM5]: Why though? I’ve been given nothing so far to show me this.
[LM6]: Remember this is a pitch to an agent, not back cover copy, so I don’t need the no-spoiler version.

First 250:

The day the hummingbirds showed up was the weirdest day of my life. [LM1][KA1]

“Follow the hummingbirds, Arabella,” Nana told me. So that’s what I did. I still hadn’t decided whether I would carry out her plan, [LM2] but I had to be prepared. [MF1] Back at Nana’s, I packed an oversized drawstring bag of essentials, all in plastic bags, just in case: my cell phone, a hair brush, tooth brush, a full water bottle, blanket, make up, two changes of clothes, and my thyroid pills. [LM3]

Driving in Dad’s ‘99 Dodge Intrepid, which was older than me at sixteen years old, [LM4] I followed them away from Nana’s three-bedroom, one bath, half-brick, half-vinyl ranch, [LM5] and past all the other half-brick, half-vinyl ranches in her development. I drove as close as possible to the twelve dots. The tiny birds were only visible because they flew as a flock, directly in front of my windshield.

The roads they brought me down were familiar. I drove them multiple [LM6] times over the past three years. My palms were slippery with sweat on the steering wheel as we approached the group home my mom lived in. If Nana was right, [MF2] and these birds led me to find my dad, a man I thought was dead for three years, would I see Mom again? [LM7]

Turning my head right toward the home, thinking maybe I could spot her out front beyond the iron gate, I said, “I’ll come back for you, I promise. I love you,” knowing she couldn’t hear me. [MF3]

**********

Kurestin's Notes:

[KA1]: This falls a little flat for me. “Weirdest” is just a bit weak for the opening to a big adventure.

 Moe's Notes:
[MF1]: Prepared for what? I feel like we’re missing a scene here. I love your opening line but I want more here. Someone telling you to follow hummingbirds – I don’t know if I would do it without question. So she doesn’t know if she’d do it, but she’s still packing.
[MF2]: Wait what? Nana didn’t say anything to her.
[MF3]: Is she in the car driving past? I’m really struggling with your blocking here. Overall, I feel like through all of this you’re telling me the setting and what’s going on here rather than showing it and I’m just not drawn in to your world. Especially since we are in her head, I want to hear more of her thought processes rather than just describing everything she’s seeing.

Lindsay's Notes:
[LM1]: This style of opening sentence doesn’t work for me. It immediately makes me think this book will be written in a memoir style where your MC is narrating to me. Just put me in the action.
[LM2]: What plan?
[LM3]: I’m already lost. I have no idea why she’s packing. 
[LM4]: This isn’t necessary and reads awkward.
[LM5]: I think you mean ranch house, or rancher? I’m reading this as a farm, which doesn’t make sense in context.
[LM6]: Use a stronger word that evokes more emotion from the sentence.
[LM7]: You’re jumping way ahead and given me nothing to follow you here. I’m feeling totally lost at this point.
 


Results:
Kurestin: PAGES! Please email the first 50 pages to kurestin@psliterary.
Moe: PASS
Lindsay: PASS

#QueryFriday

Friday is here again, and that means you have the opportunity to win a query critique! Comment on this post--along with one other blog post from this week-- in order to be eligible to win. You have until noon EST on 03/25 to enter by, with the winner announced in the comments section later that afternoon/evening. Also, please note, that if you do not leave your email address in your comment, do not have it listed on your Blogger profile (or somewhere that I can find it easily on your own blog), I will then pick someone else as the winner. The rest of the rules can be found here.

Good luck, and have a great weekend!

Dear OAbby: How Do I Reconcile Conflicting Feedback?

Dear OAbby is a new feature on Operation Awesome where we answer your questions! It's an advice column by writers, for writers, chock-full of information about writing, querying, the publication process, etc. If you have a question you'd like answered, just send it to operationawesome6@gmail.com. All questions may be edited for clarity and/or space, and will be posted anonymously, with no identifying information.

Dear OAbby:

I've been languishing in the query trenches for a few months, and have been lucky enough to score a few partial and full requests amid all the rejections. But when I've gotten feedback from these requests (once they've turned into rejections), they're all over the place. Some agents love the concept and the writing and think the plot doesn't work; some like the plot but think the story isn't high-concept enough. Some love the voice, some don't connect with the voice. Some just didn't fall in love with it enough to pursue representation. How do I reconcile all these different reactions?

Yours truly,
In a Feedback Loop

Dear Feedback Loop:

Ah yes, conflicting feedback is one of the more maddening aspects of the publication process! One of the things that makes it particularly frustrating at the querying stage is you can't always be sure if the feedback is specific to your work, or if it's politely-worded form rejection language (the 'I didn't fall in love with it' language is a sure sign of the latter). Setting that aside, I've found using the following procedure can help:

First, make sure you're collecting all your feedback in one place. An email subfolder works, or you can cut-and-paste feedback from emails into a Word doc. Also, make sure you know which agent sent which feedback.

Second, create a chart (or spreadsheet) where you can compare all the feedback in one place. For example, if you make a chart, you can have the agent name in the first column, the outcome of your query in the second (rejected, requested pages/then rejected, etc.), and the specific feedback in the third column. Being able to look at a single document that has all the feedback organized like this will enable you to recognize trends and commonalities. If more than one agent is giving the same feedback (for example, not connecting to the main character), then you'll know that's something to focus on when you revise.

Third, if you really find that no two agents have the same feedback, and they're completely in conflict on some points, then it's time to send the manuscript to another beta reader or two and get their thoughts. Once you get their feedback, put it into the chart along with the agent feedback. Then take another look. At this point, you should be able to see some themes emerging.

Fourth, if you have the means to do so, you might consider hiring a developmental editor. They can work with you to pinpoint the weaknesses in your manuscript and help you create a revision plan.

Rejections are never easy, but remember, every rejection gets you one step closer to that eventual 'yes'! Happy Querying!

Breaking Your Own Rules

We all know there are a million "rules" for writing, and that not everyone follows the same rules. I think it's pretty awesome, actually, that there is no one way to write.

Most of us, after a while, decide on what rules work for us. These may change over time; a writing rule is only useful as long as it is helping you achieve your writing goals.

One of my writing rules is that I'm not allowed to go back and edit what I've written until the first draft is finished. This is a rule I had to adopt during my first NaNoWriMo, and I've never looked back. I've found that without enforcing this rule, I don't finish my first drafts. (YMMV, obviously)

A few weeks ago I wrote about my experience getting my groove back by participating in #AHundredOrDie on Twitter. I was having a great time, plugging along a little bit every day, until... I wasn't.

It took a lot of pondering, but I eventually realized my frustration was because of a structural mistake in my book: there was way too much time between the reveal of the twist and the characters acting upon it. I couldn't move forward without fixing this big mistake, so I broke my own rule and edited to get the scenes in the right order.

Progress restored! I was able to move forward. And that's the plan: continue moving towards The End without stopping to edit. Editing was helpful in the moment, but it was only an exception to the rule. Full steam ahead!

Which of your writing rules have you had to break, and why? 

A Depressed Writer: Introduction

There are two aspects that have come to define who I am, in my own mind at least: I am a writer. I am depressed.

The way these two identities interact and play with each other in order to create who I am on a daily basis is...honestly, I think I could write an entire thesis or dissertation on it. Not that anyone would necessarily want to read that, but I could still write it.

In lieu of a dissertation, I thought I would use this platform to regularly explore what it looks like to a be a writer who is depressed. I should note that this is my experience only: I'm not trying to claim some sort of universal depressed writer way of living; and the things that work for me may not work for someone else! I do hope, though, that my openness and exploration of this topic will help you as you seek to make sense of your own life, calling, and illness.

I've considered myself a writer since I was a small child. I think I was in second grade the first time I told someone I was going to be an author when I grew up? It's just an aspect of myself that I've accepted and grown comfortable with for a long time now. I write not just because I have something to say, but also because, well, I have to. It's a compulsion, a need, a fierce burning in my chest that only grows hotter if I don't let the words come out.

That said, it took years for me to call myself a "writer," not just "aspiring" or "someone who writes." But once I accepted that this is who I am, not just what I do, it became so much easier to fall into this identity.

The depression was a different story. Not that it took me a long time to accept it, because I think that as soon as the symptoms began and the thought occurred, "maybe this is depression," I allowed it in. More that: I have a significant trove of memories that are un-depressed. I actually lived a life before Depression.

It's been about 10 years since the two have converged. Writer Karis met Depressed Karis and the two became one. It's not a happy marriage.

See, both of these selves want to be the one. The one [self] to rule them all. The king under the [brain]. (Listen, I don't know if these references are working so I'll just come out and clearly state: I am reference The Lord of the Rings. I am doing this for the laughs. Please let me know if you do laugh, as that will be a great boon for my Humor Self.)

There are periods in which I give myself over to one identity. I write and am not depressed. I am depressed and I do not write.

Most of the time, though, I straddle both identities. I write in spite of my depression. I am depressed despite my writing.

It's...a monumental struggle. When things are super bad, depression-wise, it's honestly the hardest thing in the world to do the bare minimum of getting out of bed. Eating, putting on clothes: those are worthy of a medal. Then if I'm actually productive? At that point, I may as well award myself the Nobel Prize for Achievements through Depression.

Through this series, A Depressed Writer, I want to explore the different nuances of writing while depressed; chat about a few things that have helped me cope with depression while remaining productive as a writer; and generally dive into this subject which is so personal to me for so many reasons.

I hope you'll enjoy, learn a lot, and be encouraged!

Theme Reveal #AtoZchallenge

Thank you for stopping by Operation Awesome today.

Operation Awesome is a group of writers, both published and unpublished.

We post tips on the publishing journey, from that first spark of inspiration to debut novels.

Our "theme" this year is coordinating our usual posts with the A to Z challenge.

You'll also get a chance to know us better on the weekend posts.

We hope you enjoy what we have planned for you.

a-to-zchallenge.com/2018/03/theme-reveal-atozchallenge-themereveal

OAtoZ #AtoZChallenge 2018

Synopsis Critique #16: Historical

And now, it's time for this week's synopsis critique! The author of AT THE HEM OF THE EMPIRE, a Historical novel, submitted this synopsis. My in-line comments are [blue and in brackets], and I'll include a summary at the end. Feel free to comment below!

If you'd like a primer on how to write a synopsis, see my posts here and here. And if you want your synopsis critiqued on this website, fill out the form here, or email your 1-2 page synopsis to me at operationawesome6@gmail.com. (NOTE: I'll email my critique to the author as soon as I'm done, so the author won't have to wait to see his/her synopsis on the site). Thanks for participating!

Synopsis

In 1838, Eighteen year old [this should be ‘eighteen-year-old’] Ann Neilson is living in poverty amid the Glasgow Wynds [can you explain what this is? I assume it’s Scotland, but the reader may not have heard of Wynds]. Her father’s enigmatic friend, John Smith, talks of emigrating to the convict free [‘convict-free’] settlement of South Australia. Ann naively admires John but she thinks him oblivious to her, until he unexpectedly proposes. Ann immediately regrets her shocked refusal [why does she refuse? Why is it shocking?]. John perseveres, and they become intimate, so must marry. Ann’s mother is unaware of the urgency, and opposes the match as she does not wish to lose her daughter [does the father have an opinion about this match? What does Ann think/feel about it?].

Sailing to Liverpool, they board the newly constructed railway to London. Ann learns of John’s less admirable traits after he tricks her into riding without a ticket [that’s sneaky, but are there other, more extreme examples of John’s less admirable traits?]. They discover only labourers are eligible for free passage to the Colony [Is this detail necessary?]. While Ann enjoys the sights of London, John purchases, without consultation, a berth on the first cargo ship to call into Adelaide on its way to Sydney [why is this significant?].

At Adelaide they disembark onto the beach. The roads and houses of the colony are rudimentary. The presence of Aborigines, and the murder of a shipmate has Ann questioning their safety. Meanwhile, the colony is suffering economic difficulties. With fewer opportunities than John hoped, he is keen to try New Zealand. John conceals the dangers to obtain Ann’s agreement [If Ann is the main character, it’s helpful to keep the focus on her throughout the synopsis. What is Ann doing/thinking/feeling while these things are happening to her?].

Settling in Kororareka, they establish a business [what kind of business?], and their family grows. Meanwhile, Maori relations with the European’s [Europeans] deteriorate. John downplays the risks, keeping Ann ignorant. The Maori attack, the town is ransacked, and their eldest [child] suffers a life threatening [‘life-threatening’] accident [In the last paragraph, it appears this child died. So it’s not a life-threatening accident, it’s a fatal accident. Right?]. Discovering the extent of John’s duplicity [How does she discover this?], Ann loses faith in him [which results in her doing what? How does Ann change?].

By 1890, Ann is a wealthy widow. After returning to South Australia, Ann and John prospered. They established a township, owned an elephant, even revisited Scotland [The last two sentences are good details, but belong at the beginning of the prior paragraph]. But Ann is chaffing at the restrictions placed on her by John’s will [what are those restrictions?]. A lifetime of subjugation has made her selfish and manipulative [if this is true, it would help to have a few more examples of how John treated her badly]. Desperate to be recognized as an individual, she is determined to establish her own bequests [to whom? Why?]. However, unwittingly, she is the architect of a very different legacy which has greater ramifications. Her youngest and middle daughters do not get along, unaware their attitudes have been shaped by Ann’s refusal to discuss the death of their 16 year old [‘sixteen-year-old’] sister, which she finds too painful to acknowledge. At their mother’s deathbed, the sisters open up, compare their experiences, and reconcile [is this the very different legacy you mention a few sentences earlier? Why is this significant? It’s good the sisters get along now, but is this the only legacy Ann leaves to the world?]

Summary

This sounds like an interesting story, but I’m finding myself wanting more details throughout the synopsis. Your reader is going to want to know what motivates your characters to act, because that’s much more interesting than how they react to things that are done to them. Here, even though it seems like Ann is the main character, a lot more of the focus is on John. As you’re revising, keep the focus on Ann and ask yourself what she thinks and feels, and how and why she takes whatever actions she takes in response to what’s happening around her.

Best of luck with this novel!

Pass Or Pages March 2018 Entry Form

We are now accepting entries for Pass Or Pages! Before you enter, be sure to check out the rules. This month's round of Pass Or Pages is for Young Adult Science-fiction and Fantasy novels. Any entry not falling under that umbrella will be deleted. The entry window closes at 6pm Eastern time on Wednesday March 14th. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility!

#QueryFriday

Friday is here again, and that means you have the opportunity to win a query critique! Comment on this post-- along with one other blog post from this week-- in order to be eligible to win. You have until noon EST on 03/11 to enter by, with the winner announced in the comments section later that afternoon/evening. Also, please note, that if you do not leave your email address in your comment, do not have it listed on your Blogger profile (or somewhere that I can find it easily on your own blog), I will then pick someone else as the winner. The rest of the rules can be found here.

Good luck, and have a great weekend!

Synopsis Critique #15: Lower Middle Grade

And now, it's time for this week's synopsis critique! The author of MYSTERY OF THE MISSING CHIMP, a Lower Middle Grade novel, submitted this synopsis. My in-line comments are [blue and in brackets], and I'll include a summary at the end. Feel free to comment below!

If you'd like a primer on how to write a synopsis, see my posts here and here. And if you want your synopsis critiqued on this website, fill out the form here, or email your 1-2 page synopsis to me at operationawesome6@gmail.com. (NOTE: I'll email my critique to the author as soon as I'm done, so the author won't have to wait to see his/her synopsis on the site). Thanks for participating!

Synopsis

Nine-year-old Tanner has special privileges at the zoo because his dad is the director. He uses these privileges [this phrase is a little awkward. Maybe ‘Because of that, he gets to spend time…’?] to spend time with his animal friend, Gloria the chimpanzee. The zoo keepers allow him into the back area of the chimp compound and let him help prepare Gloria’s food. When the keepers announce that Gloria is expecting, Tanner is excited because it will be her first baby. The special day arrives, and everyone is surprised that her baby is all white. Tanner is given the honor of naming the [albino baby] chimp. He chooses Angel thinking of his baseball team hat that Gloria once stole from him when he delivered her food. [This is great. It introduces us to Tanner, Gloria, and the inciting incident (the birth of Angel)]

The whole community [what community? Can you tell us where we are?], even the world, is excited about the new albino chimp. But then the excitement turns to horror a month later when the baby is suddenly gone. The police find no clues as to how it happened [I would change ‘how it happened’ to ‘what happened’]. However, [Take out ‘however’ and just start with ‘Blame falls on Tanner’] blame falls on Tanner when he is suspected of leaving the back gate unlocked one evening [it’s not just one evening, right? It’s the specific evening Angel disappeared]. His father cuts off his visits to the zoo until further notice. That means Tanner can’t console Gloria who is in crisis.

Tanner knows that he didn’t leave the gate unlocked but no one will believe him. He must find out what happened if his father is ever to trust him again. [Nice stakes, but it’s also because he’s close with Gloria and wants to find her offspring, right?]

Tanner sees a flyer at school for a circus coming to town that advertises a special surprise. He is sure the surprise is Angel. He begs his father to take him to the circus but hides the reason why he wants to go. When the surprise turns out to be a huge condor, Tanner’s hopes are smashed.

A chance call from his uncle, a New York museum curator, and something he says [remove ‘and something he says,’ since that phrase makes the sentence less clear] gives Tanner an idea. He searches the internet and finds a newspaper article about people who collect rare animals. He connects the article with the information from his uncle about a rumor [delete ‘about a rumor’] that a rich man is looking for an object to buy and builds a theory of who might have Angel. He tells his father, but the mystery remains as to how they grabbed the chimp. [Isn’t the mystery still where Angel is? It might also be how they grabbed Angel, but isn’t the more immediate issue finding Angel (and then they can figure out what happened afterwards)?]

Determined, Tanner goes looking for clues behind the chimp gate area, and finds a key buried in the dirt under the fence. The police must have missed it. With help from the Police Chief and his [Tanner’s] uncle, the thieves are caught, and Angel returns to the Zoo.

Even though Tanner is proved innocent of leaving the gate open, trouble isn’t over. The zoo keepers aren’t sure if Gloria will accept her baby back. There is a possibility she won’t. But Tanner isn’t ready to give up. He knows he is connected to Gloria and that she loves him. He also knows she recognizes his smell. He finds one of his dirty shirts in the laundry and rushes it over to the chimp compound. A keeper drapes the shirt onto Angel and lets Gloria see him in another room. At first Gloria shows aggression but calms down when she sniffs the baby. Gloria slowly approaches her baby and then pulls him towards her to snuggle. [You might need to clarify this a bit. Gloria accepts Angel because Angel smells like Tanner, and Gloria loves and trusts Tanner?]

The zoo keepers congratulate one another, and Tanner earns the praise of everyone, especially his father.

Summary

Really nice job with this, and it sounds like a fun story! You’ve kept the synopsis focused on Tanner, what he wants (to find Angel), the stakes (that his father will never trust him again if he doesn’t find Angel), and it all ties together nicely. I’ve noted a few places where greater clarity could help, but this is pretty much ready to go. Great job!

Debut Author News

Hey everyone!

Remember Mark Engels from the August 30, 2017 debut author spotlight?

His book, Always Gray in Winter, is up for TWO Ursa Major Awards. Best Published Illustration and Best Novel.

Interested in cheering him on (or seeing who else made the list)?

http://www.ursamajorawards.org/voting2017/  There's the link.

Best of luck, Mark!

March 2018 Pass Or Pages Agent Panel

Meet the agents who will critique your Young Adult Science-fiction and Fantasy entries!

Kurestin Armada

P.S. Literary Agency

Kurestin Armada began her publishing career as an intern with Workman Publishing, and spent time as an assistant at The Lotts Agency before joining P.S. Literary. She holds a B.A. in English from Kenyon College, as well as a publishing certificate from Columbia University. Kurestin is based in New York City, and spends most of her time in the city’s thriving indie bookstores. She reads widely across genres, and has a particular affection for science fiction and fantasy, especially books that recognize and subvert typical tropes of genre fiction.

Moe Ferrara

BookEnds Literary Agency

Becoming a literary agent was fitting for the girl who, as a small child, begged her dad to buy her a book simply because "it has a hard cover." Growing up, she had a hard time finding YA books outside of Christopher Pike and R. L. Stine, and instead tackled Tom Clancy or her mom's romance novels. Though her career path zigzagged a bit—she attended college as a music major, earned a JD from Pace Law School, then worked various jobs throughout the publishing industry—Moe was thrilled to join the BookEnds team in May of 2015 as a literary agent and the subsidiary rights director.

Lindsay Mealing

Emerald City Literary Agency

Lindsay has been writing stories since she could first hold a pencil. It wasn’t until she sat down to edit a manuscript for the first time she realized her true love was not on the writing side of the publishing industry, but the business side. She began interning for Mandy in early 2015 and quickly realized agenting was what she wanted to do forever more.

Lindsay is a self-proclaimed nerd, loving everything science fiction and fantasy – from epic tomes to gaming. She fell head over heels with the SFF genre when she read KUSHIEL’S DART by Jacqueline Carey (she even has Phedre’s marque tattooed on her back).

Details for March 2018 Pass or Pages:

Entry starts: Monday, March 12 at 6 a.m. Eastern
Ends: Wednesday, March 14 at 6 p.m. Eastern
Category/Genre: Young Adult Science-fiction and Fantasy
How To Enter: Fill out the entry form on the contest post when it goes live
What Is Required: Your query (NO BIO or personalization for agents), your first 250 words, a complete and polished MS


You can also read more about the rules here.


The winning entries with agent commentary will be posted on Operation Awesome the week of March 26th, one entry each day. If you aren't comfortable with having your entry (which will be anonymous) shared on the blog, please don't enter Pass or Pages!


If you have any questions, please ask in the comments or tweet @OpAwesome6. Also, feel free to chat about the contest with fellow participants on the hashtag #PassOrPages.