WANTED: YA Readers for Sherry

Hey all!  Sherry has another request.  She's looking for some teen/college-age readers to read the first 50 pages of her YA manuscript.  If you're a young adult, please check out her ad below. For a sample of her writing, view her ad from last week (now closed) or go to her website.  Interested in being a reader for her?  She can be reached at paranormal_writer @ yahoo.com

Here's Sherry:

YOUNG ADULT READERS WANTED!

Do you love to read? Do you enjoy helping others? Do you review books on a blog or website?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, than you're perfect for my Reading Evaluation! Yea!

I am looking for YA readers to review the first 50 pages of my manuscript.

I'm presently working on a YA paranormal/romance and would prefer a reader who loves reading supernatural love stories, horror, and/or paranormal suspense.

If you love scary, romantic or fantasy fiction, you might enjoy this process.

Who? High School or College Students who love to read.

What? You will be reading 50 pages of an unpublished work of fiction that I’m trying to find an agent for. After reading it, you will formulate an opinion and offer insightful feedback.

This will include a short questionnaire to be filled out after reading the text. Questions like: Does the heroine sound and act like a typical teenager? Do her reactions seem believable?

Where? You can do this from school or home, on your computer.

How? I will send you the pages via email. You get a two-week turnaround deadline. That is, you have two weeks to read the 50 pages and fill out the questionnaire.

Why should I help? Wouldn't it be wicked cool to get to say, "That book got published because of me?”

And if the book does get published, I will include your name in the dedication page and send you a signed copy in the mail before it hits the shelves.

Cat on The Witches of Greenwitch

Cat recently did an interview for Beth at writing it out on her free serial novel The Witches of Greenwitch.  I was interested in Cat's decision to publish one of her earlier novels online serially, a move I expect to see more often in the future, and invited her to tell us a little more about it.  When you're done reading her post, please click over to the site to check out the story and illustrations.  Here's Cat:

A Different Approach to Blogging

I confess that I am no good at blogging. I try but somehow time slips by so fast that I forget to post regularly. Also, I find it hard to come up with topics others might be interested in - I don't think dissecting bull's eyes or cleaning out hunted animals qualify. On the other hand, I really do want to reach new readers since I know that there are people who like my stories (like my German agent for example). I needed something a) interesting for my readers that b) could be posted regularly and that c) wouldn't eat up too much of my writing time.

What better could I use than one of my existing stories? I decided to serialize my MG-All Age Fantasy ""Die Hexen von Greenwitch", a story I wrote a few years ago and that my agent had considered too short to publish traditionally although she loved it. In the story, a mysterious stone magics book-rat Melissa to the world of Greenwitch where she meets fairy tale creatures that are not at all what she expected. Desperately, she looks for a way home and tries to ignore her past which pops up at the most inappropriate moments. At the same time, dangerous pursuers are at her heels getting closer by the minute.

When I realized that I needed illustrations because the Internet is a very visual medium, I took the time to translate it and searched for the right artist. By the time I had found Eszter Bohus, the translation was nearly done. Eszter is a 16 year old girl from Hungary with an amazing talent for drawing any sort of creature. I stumbled over her deviantArt page when another artist I had contacted realized she couldn't deliver four pictures a month without fail.

I chopped the story into 52 bits of 1500 to 2000 words each and started posting "The Witches of Greenwitch" both in German and English on March 2nd 2010 without any obligation for potential readers. The site has had 100 hits the first day (by the way, new readers are always welcome).

For me, this idea is still good. I know I gave away first worldwide print rights with publishing the story online - but I do believe that I would never have gotten illustrations (especially of this quality) had I chosen the traditional route - and I might have faced a long wait. Also, with current technology, it should be no problem to PoD-publish the story with all the pictures and some additional information if enough readers pester ask me.





This post was written by Katharina Gerlach, a writer and triple Mum from Germany.

Tip Tuesday #33

Today I have a tip from Carmela Martino.  Carmela blogs at Teaching Authors and her website.  If you have the time, please click over to both and check them out.  Here's her tip!

I picked this up from reading Natalie Goldberg’s WRITING DOWN THE BONES: timed writing sessions. I use these sessions to come up with new ideas or find a way to revise a scene when I’m stuck. Before starting, I set a timer for 10, 15, or 20 minutes and then try to keep my hand moving the whole time without stopping. I find that the pressure of the timer helps to turn off the inner critic. As Goldberg says, “the aim is to burn through to first thoughts, to the place where energy is unobstructed by social politeness or the internal censor, to the place where you are writing what your mind actually sees and feels, not what it THINKS it should see or feel.” I have a specific example of how I use the timer in my writing classes in a “Writing Workout” I posted on our TeachingAuthors.com blog. You can read the post here:

http://www.teachingauthors.com/2010/01/story-i-never-expected-to-tell.html

What an amazing quote!  Boy, do I need to burn past my internal censor.  I've seen quite a few writers using timed writing sessions lately.  I plan to give them a try.  Thanks, Carmela!

WANTED: Critique Partner for Sherry

Hey everyone!  I have a "wanted ad" today for a YA writer looking for a critique partner. Please read her details and excerpt below and consider swapping some pages to see if you're compatible.  Here's what she's looking for:

I am a previously published author, trying to find an agent for my latest novel. I am looking for a critique partner to exchange a chapter with per week. I work with published authors and struggling writers who share a love of the written word. I cannot, however work with first drafts right now. Sorry!

I have a completed, 90,000 word YA paranormal/ghost story that I'm working on and would prefer a partner who writes in the YA genre. Please contact me if you're interested in working together. My email: paranormal_writer @ yahoo.com

Thanks!! And thanks to Casey for letting put up this ad. ;-)

***

First page of working title, DARK ANGEL (A Girl's Guide to the Supernatural)

For as long as I can remember, I’ve heard whispers in the shadows. Dark twisting shapes that chilled my blood. During the day I was safe, felt the heat of the sun on my skin chasing away the chill. This morning the gloom did little to abate my fears or warm my bare flesh.

I was tempted to jump back into bed and pull the covers over my head. Instead, I went over to the closet to pick out my clothes. I threw a dress on the bed, and then rummaged in the closet again.

The rush at the edge of my skin made me shiver.

Out of the corner of my eye, a maelstrom of shadows glided over the walls, murmuring in an ancient language. Ah, hell.

I glanced over my shoulder—and froze.

An amorphous darkness crept along the wall, different from the others. This shadow slid closer to where I stood, vague in shape, yet growing in size. It shifted, altered, trickled into blood and limbs and then...

Oh god, the thing was almost touching me. I blinked, but it didn’t go away.

I let out a yelp and stumbled back, bumping into a chair. The temperature dropped, my breath made white puffs in the air.

My eyes darted to the window. I figured that if I could get the shade up, the sunlight would swallow the darkness. I inched forward, yet kept a keen eye on the otherworldly beings. Within the shadows were shapes, hands, arms…faces. Obsidian fingers reached out, trying to grab my ankles. I knew these creatures fed off my fear, doled out like so much bitter candy. Black, evil things with darkling eyes, probing for weakness, a way to steal my soul. The biggest shadow swelled to a bulky mass and blocked my path. The other shadows backed away, helpless in the dim light—more silhouette than solid—and the large one rose higher, it’s head bobbing like a serpent near the ceiling. He watched me, with red eyes, and inside my heart, something awakened. Something dark as the creature before me. My mouth tightened.

Move. Now. My legs refused to budge. Terror, stark and vivid, squeezed my throat, so I was unable to make a sound. My fists clenched and unclenched at my sides.

This was just a nightmare, only a bad dream. And nothing more.

But it wasn’t, because I was wide awake.

A knock on my door made me jump. “Serenity?” my mother cried. “Are you all right?”

I knew I should go to the door, but I couldn’t let her in. Couldn’t let her see those indiscernible shadows that I couldn’t tell anyone about. She wouldn’t understand. Parents told children monsters weren’t real. But they were.

“I’m sorry.” I tried to steady my voice. “A nightmare.”

“Is that all?”

“Yeah.”

“You shrieked.”

“Sorry. I’m fine.”

The shadows shifted and moaned.

“All right…hurry up. We’re going to be late.”

Silence descended.

The dismal March weather mingled with the quiet made my bedroom seem oddly dim and barren, hollow just like me. I tried to ground myself as I glanced around the messy room, at the mound of clothes in the corner, stuffed animals littering the shelves, and the pile of books stacked under the windowsill. The walls were painted a dusty-rose and covered with posters of my favorite bands, and one of the hottie actor Zac Efron, and the film, High School Musical. The iron frame bed had a pink and lime green comforter trimmed in white trim that matched the curtains. The urban IKEA dresser and desk were light-colored pine. It looked like a normal teenage girl’s room except for the silhouettes moving stealthily over the crème colored carpet. They covered everything in their path like a dense, opaque blob.

I swallowed. Hard. My heart beat so fast it wanted to leap from my chest.

The hulking mass before me pulsated with death.

Well, hell. I knew I couldn’t just stand there doing nothing.

Agent Spotlight: Jodi Reamer

This week's Agent Spotlight features Jodi Reamer of Writers House.
Status Update on 1/10/2026: Jodi is accepting submissions.
About: Jodi Reamer is an "agent and an attorney and have been at Writers House for 25 years. I handle both children's books, from young -adult to picture books, and adult books. My focus is commercial fiction. I would love to represent a legal thriller". (Link)
About the Agency: "Writers House is an independently owned full-service literary agency, providing individual client attention with in-house international licensing, media, contracts, and accounting teams." (From the agency website)Web Presence:
Writers House website.
Publisher's Marketplace page.
LinkedIn.
AgentQuery, QueryTracker.
What She's Looking For:
Genres/Specialties:
General fiction, Mystery, Romance, Fantasy/science fiction, Juvenile fiction, Biography, Lifestyle, Children's books (Link)
What She Isn't Looking For:
Screenplays
Editorial Agent?
Yes. She makes revision requests as needed.  Many of her clients have mentioned doing revisions for her. 
Clients:
You can find a listing of Ms. Reamer's clients on the agency website and her Publishers Marketplace page.

Query Methods:
E-mail: Yes.
Snail-Mail: Yes.
Online-Form: No.

Submission Guidelines (always verify):
Mail or e-mail a query letter and your manuscript. the first 10 pages of the manuscript (or until the end of that chapter). Queries are reviewed by her assistant, Alec Shane.
Do not query more than one agent within the agency at a time. For further details and contact information, see Jodi's Publisher's Marketplace page.
Response Times:
The Writers House agency has a stated response time of 6-8 weeks on queries. 
What's the Buzz?
Jodi Reamer is a top notch agent. She boasts an impressive list of children's and teen authors, many award winning and/or bestselling, and has a keen eye for potentially successful manuscripts.  Her clients seem very loyal and pleased with her.  She's been with Writers House for over twenty-five years, has great contacts in the industry, and is a fantastic negotiator.
Worth Your Time:
Interviews:
An Inside Look at Agents at Erica Verrillo (07/2017)
Jodi Reamer: Agents' Panel at The Official SCBWI Blog (08/2015)
Contact:
Please see Writers House website and Jodi's Publisher's Marketplace page for contact and query information.
Profile Details:
Last updated: 1/10/2026
Agent Contacted For Review? No.
Last Reviewed By Agent? 4/15/10.

***
Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or e-mail me at natalieiaguirre7(at)gmail(dot)com

Note: These agent profiles presently focus on agents who accept children's fiction. They are not interviews. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found herein is subject to change.

So Tell Me: How Do You Use Twitter?

I love Twitter.  It's second only to blogging as my preferred form of social networking.  You'll rarely see me on Facebook, except to accept friend requests and  "like" or comment on the occasional thing, and I don't like Myspace.  
 
But the problem I have with Twitter is that I approach it too much like blog reading.  I like to follow certain people closely so I can read most, if not all, of their tweets.  This has kept me from following as many people as I would like.  But that list is growing as more people become active on Twitter, and I'm beginning to lose track of tweets anyway.  I hate feeling like I have to be selective!  Until recently, lists seemed inconvenient to me. I have everyone divided up into groups like "writers," "agents," "publishers," etc. and I don't like clicking around from list to list.

Well, I've given it some thought and here are my options (the two I'm aware of):

1) I could make a list of "favorites," as I've seen others do, and lump all my favorite tweeters together.  Since I use Tweetdeck (love!), I could keep my "Favorites" column up next to my "All Friends" stream and follow both.

2) I could subscribe to their RSS Twitter feeds and have tweets come into my reader with all the blogs I read.  Definitely more discreet, but not at all convenient in terms of "real time" following.

What do you guys do?  I see people following thousands and it just boggles my mind.  I'd miss tons and tons of great tweets!  Do they track certain people somehow (lists, a reader)?  Or is it that they simply have a different approach to Twitter?  I saw someone explain Twitter one time like a big party you're stepping in to.  You only know what's going on while you're there and interact accordingly, but I still haven't been able to shake the desire to know what certain people are tweeting all the time.  Does that increase my stalkerishness? Heh... maybe. 

So Tell Me:  Do you use Twitter?  Do you like it?  Why or why not?  If you do, how are you using it?

P.S. The picture will take you to my Twitter page, and if you'd like to leave a link to yours in the comments, please do!)

Tip Tuesday #32

Wow, guys.  Thanks for all the great support and encouragement yesterday.  You are truly made of awesome, every one of you.  In fact, there is so much awesome there, I'm still responding to comments.  Stay tuned!  Speaking of awesome, today I have Carrie of Fanfreakingtastic (isn't that the coolest site name ever?) on the blog for Tip Tuesday.  Here she is!

I feel like I have a pretty stellar secret weapon when it comes to finding your story and writing your first draft. The shower. No joke. The shower is, for me, an Idea Creation Machine. While I crank out a rough draft I shower up to three times a day. When I get stuck, I hop in the shower. The ideas just flow.

Now, the real secret, I think, is the white noise. The shower creates a neutral, distraction-free zone. While the shower is a magic writing place for me, other folks may ftind their ideas while driving, walking the dog, or cleaning. Walking the dog also works well for me. I think the trick is recognizing that space wherein you can be most creative, and then consistently utilizing it as such. It's a bit like sports psychology. As a competitor, you want to warm up the same way, every time. Writers can create mental muscle memory in much the same way athletes create actual muscle memory. I also think it's wise to treat it that way. Elite athletes take practice and competition very seriously, they place a priority on it, and they find ways to make it work for them. There's a lot to be said for that mindset and getting things done.

The shower is my secret weapon too!  I love your thoughts about creating mental muscle memory.  Now, if only my kids would actually let me shower...  Thanks Carrie!  Everyone, please tell us about your creativity zone and then visit Carrie's blog.  Happy Tuesday!