Query Kombat would not be possible without the wonderful people who donate their time to help. For this month-long contest, we've recruited 40+ industry professionals to critique entries and vote for a winner of each match-up. Each and every one of these judges is participating out of the kindness of their heart, so please join the QK Crew in thanking them for volunteering.
On Friday, May 12th, we'll be hosting a Twitter party where writers can reach out to the judges and ask questions about their entries, writing, querying, etc. Join us at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Eastern. The hashtag will be #QKChat.
We'll have a second chat to calm raw nerves on Tuesday, May 23rd at 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm Eastern.
THANK YOU!
On Friday, May 12th, we'll be hosting a Twitter party where writers can reach out to the judges and ask questions about their entries, writing, querying, etc. Join us at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Eastern. The hashtag will be #QKChat.
We'll have a second chat to calm raw nerves on Tuesday, May 23rd at 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm Eastern.
Aden Polydoros grew up in Long Grove, Illinois, and now lives in Arizona. He is a writer of young adult fiction. When he isn’t writing, he enjoys reading and going on hikes in the mountains. His debut novel, Project Pandora, will be released on August 1, 2017, from Entangled Publishing.
Book: Project Pandora
Goodreads
Author Website
Cam Montgomery
Blog
Christina JuneChristina June writes young adult contemporary fiction when she’s not writing college recommendation letters during her day job as a school counselor. She loves the little moments in life that help someone discover who they’re meant to become—whether it’s her students or her characters. Christina is a voracious reader, loves to travel, eats too many cupcakes, and hopes to one day be bicoastal—the east coast of the U.S. and the east coast of Scotland. She lives just outside Washington, D.C. with her husband and daughter. Christina’s debut, IT STARTED WITH GOODBYE, releases May 9, 2017. A companion novel, EVERYWHERE YOU WANT TO BE, will be published in 2018.
Author Website
Blink YA Books
Diana Pinguicha
Born and raised in the sunny land of Portugal, Diana lives in Lisbon, where she works as a game developer and writer. In her free time, she can be found writing (obviously), painting, and devouring extraordinary quantities of books and video games—especially anything on the fantasy spectrum. Keeping her company are two awesome kitties, Sushi and Jubas, and her bearded dragon Norbert!
Blog
Gloria MendezGloria has been making up stories since she can remember and writing them up since she learned her ABCs. She has a degree in Creative Writing and more hours of workshop critiquing experience than she'd like to admit to. Gloria has worked in corporate communications as a writer and editor for a number of years, but prefers to focus her creativity on writing fiction for young adults. She's an obsessive reader, and devours books across the board--from literary, to historical, to horror, to light sci-fi. She prefers YA in most genres, and has a soft spot for stories with fantastic, speculative or magical elements, though she rarely spontaneously picks up high fantasy, hard sci-fi or romance. She's represented by Myers Literary Management.
Jennifer Dugan is a queer novelist and comic book writer represented by Brooks Sherman of The Bent Agency. While her novels are firmly YA Contemporary, her comic work trends toward fantasy and horror. She strives to create the types of stories she needed growing up, and is a huge fan of character driven stories of all genres. She lives in upstate New York with her family and an embarrassing number of animals.
Blog
Born in 1985 was a visionary. Not just a master of pitch competitions, but an expert in all they attempted, the very embodiment of virtuosity. Born a leader, they would go on to use their words to alter expectations and meld the minds of millions - nay - billions into a harmony of meaningful thought. This person, this model of humanity at its finest, is none other than the great, the illustrious, the beautiful... Anna Kendrick.
(Also born that year: Jim O'Donnell. He writes stuff, was a finalist in last year's Query Kombat, and is represented by Victoria Selvaggio of Jennifer De Chiara Lit.)
Let us all bask in the greatness that is Anna by visiting any of her many websites and social media accounts and granting her the praise that she deserves. Her Twitter account is @AnnaKendrick47. (Jim has social-whatever, too. If you're seriously bored you could tweet him. Or check out his website, JDODonnell.com. I guess.)
Auther Website
Kate Strawther
I write authentic Southern fiction based on my family's generational experiences of hunting, fishing, and thriving in the backwoods of East Texas for the past 148 years. I hope to open readers' minds to the deep, marshy swamps, rolling pine forests, and extremely unique atmosphere of East Texas through genuine and exciting works of fiction. I am represented by Mark Gottlieb of Trident Media Group.
Author Website
Kelly deVosA third generation native Arizonan, Kelly deVos can tell you everything you’ve ever wanted to know about cactus, cattle and climate. She holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from Arizona State University. Her debut novel, FAT GIRL ON A PLANE, will be published in 2018 by Harlequin Teen and her work has been featured in Normal Noise and 202 Magazine.
Blog
Tumblr / Instagram
Goodreads
Kosoko is a Washington D.C. native who has been writing novels since 9th grade. With a goal of bringing marginalized voices to the forefront of all genres of literature, Kosoko finds beauty in addressing complex questions & themes for young adults, aided by complex prose. Kosoko is a digital media associate for Rock the Vote and finishing his BS in Public Health with dual minors in History & Communications. When not writing or working, he is trying to finish his 100 movies in 2017 goal, walking the streets of DC, or trying to convert believers to the Cult of Wonder Woman. He is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.
Author Website
Marty MayberryMarty Mayberry writes adult and young adult fiction. When she’s not dreaming up ways to mess with her character’s lives, she works as an RN/Clinical Documentation Specialist. She has a BA in International Affairs in German and an Associate’s Degree in Nursing. She lives in New England with her retired Seabee Chief husband, children, and three neurotic cats. She’s a member of SCBWI, YARWA, and a PRO member of RWA.
Her young adult sci-fi thriller, PHOENIX RISING, won the YARWA’s Rosemary Award for speculative fiction.
She’s represented by Jessica Watterson of the Dijkstra Agency.
Author Website
Monica Hoffman
Monica M. Hoffman is a Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy author represented by Laurie McLean and Tricia Skinner of Fuse Literary. She is an active member of SCBWI, RWA, and the writing community. She is the Communications Director and a YA mentor for Brenda Drake's Pitch Wars organization. She’s a Trekkie, Dr. Who, and Star Wars fanatic, and a PC gamer when she’s not writing or reading. You can find her tweets about all things YA lit & entertaining GIFs on Twitter and Facebook.
Author Website
Peggy RothschildPeggy Rothschild grew up in Los Angeles. Always a mystery-lover, she embraced the tales of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys before graduating to the adult section of the library. An English major in high school, she switched to art -- her other passion in college. Peggy has authored two adult mysteries, CLEMENTINE'S SHADOW and ERASING RAMONA. PUNISHMENT SUMMER is her first young adult book.
Peggy is represented by Melissa Jeglinski of The Knight Agency. She lives in the beach community of Ventura with her husband and their cats. In her spare time, she is learning how to throw a hatchet, loves to garden and work in clay, and practices yoga.
Author Website
Sarah Janian
Sarah Janian is an educator-turned-MG author and harried parent of a toddler. She is a graduate of Swarthmore College ('05) and earned her master's in literacy education ('09) from Bank Street in NYC. Last year, Sarah was shocked and thrilled to be chosen for Laura Heffernan's Query Kombat team for her MG contemporary, The Sixth Grader's Guide to Divorce (aka Mustache Head). Even though she was crushed in round 2, the feedback she received paved the way to her later signing with agent Andrea Somberg at Harvey Klinger. She is once again thrilled to be participating in QK, this time as a judge rather than as a maniacally-page-refreshing stress ball of a Kombatant. Her very supportive husband is apparently even more so.
Teresa Richards writes speculative and contemporary YA. She is the author of Emerald Bound, a dark twist on the fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea. She found her agent through Query Kombat 2016, and her manuscript (nicknamed My Boyfriend Rigged the Lottery) is now on submission. When Teresa's not writing, she can be found chasing after one of her kids, driving one of her teens around, or hiding in the house with a treat she's not planning to share. She is represented by the amazing Mallory Brown of Triada Literary Agency.
Author Website
What an awesome line up of talent! Why not use these lists to follow each and every one of these wonderful writers? Browse their collection of work and pick if but one that speaks to you. They're giving so much of their time to give back to the industry they love. Help support them as well!
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