But enough about my six pack of (fl)abs. Here's the itinerary for the tournament:
May 13th-17th: Call for submissions
Top 64 revealed: May 24th
Round 1: May 28th-June 3rd, Voting window closes at 8PM EDT
Winners announced: June 4
Round 2: June 5th-9th, Voting window closes at 8PM EDT
Winners announced: June 10th
Email mentors assigned entries: June 10th
Revamped query emailed back: June 12th by 8PM EDT
Round 3: June 14th-18th, Voting window closes at 8PM EDT
Winners announced: June 19th
Round 4: June 20th-23rd, Voting window closes at 8PM EDT
Winners announced: June 24th
Agents browse and make requests: June 24th-June 25th
Round 5: June 26th-27th
Winners announced: June 28th
Final Round: June 29th
Winner announced: June 29th
Wrap up: July 1st
Jennie Goloboy of Red Sofa Literary
Jessica Sinsheimer of Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency
Jennifer Mishler of Literary Counsel
Jordy Albert of The Booker Albert Literary Agency
Rebecca Scherer of Jane Rotrosen Agency
Juliet Mushens of The Agency Group
Jamie Bodnar Drowley of Inkling Literary Agency
Claire Anderson-Wheeler of Anderson Literary Management
Julia Bannon of L. Perkins Agency
And we're expecting more!!!
Wrap up: July 1st
One week after the close of the tournament, we will invite agents back to make requests on the top eight...okay, okay fine...the top sixteen queries. Now, since we're talking about agents, why don't we introduce them.
The Agents:
Jenny Bent of The Bent AgencyJennie Goloboy of Red Sofa Literary
Jessica Sinsheimer of Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency
Jennifer Mishler of Literary Counsel
Jordy Albert of The Booker Albert Literary Agency
Rebecca Scherer of Jane Rotrosen Agency
Juliet Mushens of The Agency Group
Jamie Bodnar Drowley of Inkling Literary Agency
Claire Anderson-Wheeler of Anderson Literary Management
Julia Bannon of L. Perkins Agency
And we're expecting more!!!
Want to win a FREE PASS into Query Kombat?
You have to do this...
Or you can follow these two simple steps (your choice):
1. Follow my blog. If you don't have a blog...*le sigh*...move on to step-o numero deuce-o
2. Comment your Query Kombat entry nickname (the creative name your entry will be called during the tournament) below. I'll announce the winner on Thursday.
Yep, that's all ya gotta do.
And, of course, you'll improve your chances to win astronomically if you briefly explain the reason behind your name. I have to pick the most creative nickname, and I don't know what is creative and what is not if I don't know the meaning behind the name."
And, of course, you'll improve your chances to win astronomically if you briefly explain the reason behind your name. I have to pick the most creative nickname, and I don't know what is creative and what is not if I don't know the meaning behind the name."
Now, you'll have three chances to win if you subscribe and comment on each blog. You may even have a fourth chance to win if you use the QueryKombat hashtag. 'Cause if you think about it, 60 is nicely divisible by three...61 is not. Hmmm...
Links to the other host blogs can be found at the top right-hand corner of my blog. Right above my pic and bio. On the right...no...no, your other right...yeah, now up....up a little more...okay, now down. Yep, right there. :)
Can't wait to see what you come up with. Oh, and remember, they have to be short, related to your story in some way, and you can only submit ONCE. And by short, I mean fifteen characters or less.
PS. Got into an accident the other day, car is totaled. It may take me a little while to answer any questions posted.
Later days.
Links to the other host blogs can be found at the top right-hand corner of my blog. Right above my pic and bio. On the right...no...no, your other right...yeah, now up....up a little more...okay, now down. Yep, right there. :)
Can't wait to see what you come up with. Oh, and remember, they have to be short, related to your story in some way, and you can only submit ONCE. And by short, I mean fifteen characters or less.
PS. Got into an accident the other day, car is totaled. It may take me a little while to answer any questions posted.
Later days.
Hey Mike! Thanks to you, Michelle & SC for all the hard work and also a huge thanks for helping out fellow writers.
ReplyDeleteLike I told SC, getting my gloves & tape ready & searching thru my giant stash o' 80's music for the right song from one of the Rocky movies!
Anyhow, My manuscript has had one nickname since she was born, and I call her the Evil Little Manuscript. She knows her name, and we're great friends. Love her so much that she budded off recently, spawining one sequel and another totally wild and unrelated new manuscript.
Her equally evil little sisters are excited to make their way into the world, but the E.L.M. to me is one of a kind. You always love your firstborn, right?
Have a great day,
J.
:) Wow, this was a great start to my day. Thanks for making me smile!
DeleteDang it, I need more coffee this morning. Would like to autocorrect myself...spawning NOT spawining.
ReplyDeleteOff to find more java before I get sillier.
Firstly, sorry to hear about the car accident and I hope you weren't injured. But on another note, this looks like it's going to be a fantastic contest, so thank you so much for helping to put this together this fantastic opportunity. I'm pretty psyched to see how this plays out.
ReplyDeleteMy novel's nickname is Killer Kiss. The book starts with my seventeen-year-old protagonist accidentally killing his girlfriend with a kiss, so you can understand why I thought it fitting. :)
Thanks again for this wonderful opportunity!
Hey Mike, so sorry to hear about the car accident. I was in one once and it was terrifying. Hope you aren't hurt!
ReplyDeleteI'm really looking forward to QueryKombat. The nickname for my novel is "Spirit Slayer." It's about a girl named Dare who has to figure out how to lay a murderous ghost to rest. :)
Thanks so much for putting on this awesome contest!
Thanks for your concern. I'm not hurt, not one bit :D I had an ancient car and the accident tore off my front bumper, my radiator, and crumpled my hood. I really didn't realize it until I saw everything on the road in front of me...sorta felt like going over a speedbump. The biggest PITA is finding a new car. I'm not exactly Bill Gates, so my options are limited.
ReplyDeleteI'm loving the entry names so far. Evil Little Manuscript, Killer Kiss, and Spirit Slayer sound awesome!! It's going to be difficult to pick just one.
So sorry to hear about your accident. Glad you are ok. I wish you all the luck finding a new car.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to nickname my novel Rocketeer because he is a superhero and my book is about a kid that gets abducted by aliens and is given a superpower.
Also it fits with my day job as an Aerospace Engineer (Rocket Scientist) ;)
I'm excited to get involved with the contest :) Thanks for hosting it!
Sorry about your car. That bites. An old car that gets you from here to there is better than no car. I've driven many a hand-me-down car in my day. (Still am, actually) Sometimes the radio didn't work, sometimes the A/C, oh well...
ReplyDeleteMy "code name" is DeadGuy'sDatingGuide, because the actual title is "How to Date Dead Guys", and it looks fun all run together, and it sort of rhymes this way.
Take care and thanks for all the work involved running this contest!
Sounds like a rough day Mike, sorry to hear about the car (but at least you are alright and that's the most important thing).
ReplyDeleteMy nickname is going to be Lightning Slinger because the main character, a man trying to avenge his murdered wife, shoots lightning based spells out of his revolvers.
Thanks for all the work you put into this contest!
Sorry about the car accident. Glad you're not hurt. Good luck finding a new/used car :)
ReplyDeleteMy YA novel's nickname is Genie Smackdown.
Because when genies are dying...someone's gotta lay the smackdown.
Thanks for this! You guys are awesome :)
I'm sorry about your car. The most reliable car I ever had met its end when my sister hydroplaned it into a fence. A 1977 Honda Civic. It still ran, but the damage was more than the car was worth. At least to my insurance company.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this contest. It looks like fun! I've gone with the nickname Prophylactic Decapitations. There are a few decapitations in the manuscript. Some prophylactic, some not.
My nickname is Odyssey2-Homer meets Pippi
ReplyDeleteIt's an MG fantasy that tells the story of Michael Homer, who sets off on an epic adventure in a stolen tall ship with Anatolia Strongarm (inspired by Pippi Longstocking) to seek treasure, fight monsters and save his family from destitution.
My entry's nickname would be HeadscarfJazz.
ReplyDeleteMy MC's name is Yasmeen, which is the Arabic version of Jasmine. The story is about the obstacles and opportunities come with wearing a headscarf.
My nickname is H2OhNo! Which is because the title of my manuscript is What the Water Gave Us, and to give a little bit of a hint, what the water gave them wasn't such a good thing.
ReplyDeleteMy nickname is Beelzebub Basher. The name should be obvious. Okay, here's a little background. First, I sold my soul to the Devil for a book deal (don't judge, when you are just one out of a-billagillion wanna be authors, one needs to resort to drastic measures) Second, the Devil requests that I write his biography (he wants me to show the World how caring and benevolent he really is. He seems to have had a lot of bad press since that apple and garden fiasco) Third, he plans to use some kind of devilish trickery to hypnotize the World's population t believe whatever I write in His new biography. Fourth, I guess you will just have to read the book to find the reason for the nickname.
ReplyDeleteMy entry will be:
ReplyDeleteMORTAL PROM KORT SHENANIGANS
Wanted a name that would pay homage to the Mortal Kombat style contest and thought Ultimate Overlord of the PromCourt might be too long, partially name drop my title, and I always appreciate a chance to use the word shenanigans.
@amilouiseallen
I originally was going to go with “A Tale of Two Narrators” but in the interest of sticking to the 15 character guidelines, my nickname is going to be “Phantasmagoria.”
ReplyDeleteMy novel deals with the blurry areas where nightmares start to bleed into reality. I also like to say it’s Alice in Wonderland with guns, so this seemed appropriate.
May is so far away…
@StephenTBW
Ugh. I'm sorry about your car! I hope you can find a good replacement :)
ReplyDeleteMy nickname will be: BMW
It stands for Bourne for More Work. Bourne because my MC has a lost memory. More Work because, well... my dog's nickname is Work, and my little brother's nickname is Extra Work, and my MS's nickname is More Work. I know it sounds bad, but I mean work in a good sense because I love all three of them!
Oh, and BMW because the novel is fast-paced.
DeleteFrom the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Echo E. Firebird
ReplyDeleteE.L. Konigsburg's novel From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler was not simply one of the reason why I began writing, but it's also the reason why the main character of my novel Firebird, Echo, lives in the New York Public Library after running away from home. Inspired by the book she read as a child, Echo stops by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Finding the Met's security a little too thorough, she opts instead to make the NYPL her home. America's brave librarians have fought valiantly to keep security cameras out of libraries to protect their readers' rights so all Echo has to do is avoid the night guard. The nickname is an homage to the book that inspired both me and my character to do the things we do.
Control Freak and the Demon Monkey.
ReplyDeleteSo there's a circus where everyone is controlled by the man behind the scenes who first kidnaps the performers when they utter a certain phrase. He has a monkey that really likes to bite one of the 15 year old MC's...
YA Low Fantasy
My Query Kombat nickname will be ForbedenLove. I know this sounds incredibly cheesy but my YA sci-fi thriller romance is called The New Eden Chronicles and focuses on a forbidden love between the two narrators.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to this contest--sounds crazy and fun! Thanks!
I think I'll go with Kombat Kikewile because I like the spirit of the Query Kombat and because the secret my MC discovers is known by a native term: Massache Kikewile (loosely translated as "wicked evil").
ReplyDeleteIn the ancient tradition of James Bond Villains, my entry shall be known as:
ReplyDeleteDR. THERMO
My MC has her doctorate, and her superpower is thermodynamics.
My nickname for this contest will be "Paladin Peter".
ReplyDeleteThe main character in my book "The Paladin's Code" is a young paladin who contains a lot of my own personality, and even more of who I would want to be if I had been born into his world.
"The Hookers" will be my Query Kombat nickname. Curious yet? 8-)
ReplyDeleteThe two MCs in my NA contemp are not actual hookers (I know, you're so disappointed--maybe for the next novel, huh?), but they are (for most of the story) two college students who can't keep their hooks out of each other. The original title was HOOKED ON YOU.
You all have some awesome nicknames. If your stories are as interesting as their nicknames, win or lose this mini contest, you'll have a spot in the tournament.
ReplyDeleteMy Query Kombat nickname is SWAY ME BUBLE because it's a Persuasion redux and the Captain Wentworth character is a Michael Buble-esque singer.
ReplyDeleteMy nickname is...Born-again Virgin!
ReplyDeleteIn my new adult MS, my 20-year-old MC, after a two-year dry spell, is dubbed as such by her roommate. So on a year abroad in Scotland, she's determined to gain re-admittance to "the club"!
*hope you are ok after the car accident!
I was one of the first followers! Neener! Point for me :)
ReplyDeleteI've got a nickname on SC's, a different one over on Michelle's, so what the heck, I can come up with a third one!
Time Braiding Klutz - MC has the ability to change timelines, but is a major klutz throughout the entire book. Much to the amusement of her three sidekicks, and her frustration.