Cupid's Literary Connection

Laura Bradford (Bradford Literary Agency)

Carly Watters (P.S. Literary Agency)

Website / Blog

Annie Bomke (Annie Bomke Literary Agency)

Andrea Somberg (Harvey Klinger, Inc.)

Website / Blog

Pamela Harty (The Knight Agency)

Jessica Sinsheimer (Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency)

Ali McDonald (The Rights Factory)

Olga Filina (The Rights Factory)

Woohoo! Excited to have them all as Honorary Cupids!

*This list is subject to be added to. :)

Now you're wondering…

How to Submit:

There will be ONE SUBMISSION WINDOW on Monday, January 27th at 10:00 AM EST.

Good news is I am not limiting the number of entries I will accept and will be open for a few days. If you want a chance, you got it. I doubt we will get too many and we have lots of Bouncers ready to read. But get yours in ASAP so it can be confirmed.

Entries will be emailed to cupidslitconnection(at)yahoo(dot)com.

What to Submit:

The entries will consist of a query and the first 250 words of your completed manuscript.

Contest Entry Fee - There is a $10 entry fee for this contest. Your entry is not official until the fee is paid. Please do so by using the Paypal Donate button on the top right hand corner of this blog. It's pretty easy, but if you need assistance, please let me know.

(*You may submit an entry for more than one manuscript as long as it is completed and you follow all guidelines for each.)

Now let's talk formatting…

FORMATTING: VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!!!

PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW ALL OF THESE GUIDELINES!!!!

When you submit your entry please make it very simple:

PLEASE no tabs or double spacing. I want it email style. Single spaced. One space between paragraphs. No tabs! (This is my biggest enemy!)

Just the meat of your material. No "Dear so and so" or "I chose you because..." Just the meat of the query and first 250. You may add your applicable credentials at the END of your query.

Your entry will be like this: (Yes, bolded where bolded)

Title: NAME OF YOUR BOOK (Yes, CAPS there!!!)

Genre: Genre of your book

Word Count: xx,xxx (to the nearest thousand please)

Query:

Your query formatted correctly. (per above guidelines) DO NOT include genre/word count again!

First 250:

Your first 250 formatted correctly. (per above guidelines)

*Look at Mary Elizabeth's "Surprise Agent Invasion"entry for further example.

The SUBJECT of your email should be: TITLE - Your Name (This is important for me if I need to go back and find your email!)

THANK YOU!!!!! for following these specific guidelines. Makes me very happy!

So…

Things should be open for everyone this year and simple. There will probably be some pros and cons to doing this this way as opposed to last year. We'll just roll with it. And please keep these important dates in mind:

January 27th at 10:00 AM EST - Submission window opens

February 12th - winners of Bouncer round emailed

February 13th/14th - selected entries posted for agent round

February 17th-20th - agent round

February 21st - Winners announced, identities revealed

Whew! I think that covers it. Questions in the comments please. And if you haven't already, check out our Bouncer's Spotlights below.

Introducing our BOUNCERS!!!…..

Simon P. Clark (MG)

Goodreads

Simon P. Clark is a British children's author living in NJ, USA. His debut novel, Eren, will be published in September '14 by Constable & Robinson. After getting a BA in English Simon moved to Japan for three and a half years to work as a teacher / adventurer. After wooing a great American girl by saying she looked "fetching" he moved to the States. He likes the pizza here very much. Simon is represented by Molly Ker Hawn (The Bent Agency).

MarcyKate Connolly (MG)

Website / Tumblr

Goodreads / Google+

MarcyKate Connolly is an author and arts administrator who lives in New England with her husband and pugs and writes weird little books. She’s also a coffee addict, voracious reader, and recurring commuter. She blogs about all those things and more at MarcyKate.com, and can often be found on Twitter (@marcykate). Her work is represented by Suzie Townsend of New Leaf Literary & Media, and her debut upper middle grade fantasy novel, MONSTROUS, will be published by HarperCollins Children’s Books in Winter 2015.

Erin Fletcher (YA)

I'm a young adult author from North Carolina, represented by John M. Cusick of Greenhouse Literary. My debut novel, WHERE YOU'LL FIND ME, was published in January 2014 by Entangled Teen. My favorite things in the world are flip-flops, the beach, and coffee. My talents include figure skating and playing the piano. Someday I will learn to do both at the same time.

Helene Dunbar (YA)

Goodreads

Helene Dunbar usually writes features about fiddles and accordions for Irish Music Magazine, but she’s also been known to write about court cases, theater, and Native American Indian tribes. She’s amazed that she has a day job that pays her to spend time on Facebook and Twitter, and that, on a good day, gives her time to let the voices in her head out into the world to tell a story. If she had to put money on it, she’d bet that if music didn’t exist, she wouldn’t be able to write. She’s lived in two countries, six states, and is currently holed up in Nashville with her husband, daughter, two cats, and the world’s friendliest golden retriever. She is repped by the delightful Molly Jaffa of Folio. Her debut YA Contemporary, THESE GENTLE WOUNDS releases from Flux on May 8, 2014.

Jenna Lehne (YA)

Heyo! I'm Jenna Lehne, a YA writer rep'd by the fantastical Kat Rushall. My first book, SECOND HAND LACE, an adult horror, came out last year. I like popcorn flavored jelly beans, books that make me double check the doors are locked, and tea!

Dahlia Adler (YA)

Amazon / B&N

I’m an Assistant Editor of mathematics by day, a Copy Editor by night, and a YA author and blogger at every spare moment in between. (I've also been a Production Intern and Editorial Assistant at Simon & Schuster, a Publicity Intern at HarperCollins, and a Fashion Intern at Maxim, so, I'm pretty into that whole publishing thing.) I’m repped by the awesometastic Lana Popovic at Zachary Shuster Harmsworth, and my debut novel, BEHIND THE SCENES, will be published by Spencer Hill Contemporary on June 24, 2014. You can find me on Twitter as @MissDahlELama and blogging at The Daily Dahlia, YA Misfits, and B&N Book Blog.

Jessica Taylor (YA)

Goodreads

I'm a fashion industry professional and young adult writer represented by Sarah LaPolla of Bradford Literary Agency. I adore sleepy southern settings, magical realism, unrequited love, and characters who sneak out late at night. My YA debut, INVINCIBLE WILD, is slated for fall 2015 release from Egmont USA.

Jessica Leake (Adult)

Jessica Leake is author of ARCANA (Skyhorse/Talos, October 2014), her debut historical fantasy with a heavy dose of romance. She is represented by the fabulous Brianne Johnson of Writers House, and she lives in Greenville, SC with her brilliant husband, two adorable toddlers (soon to be three--three under three, in fact, so you can see why she might be a little nutty/heavily addicted to caffeine), and two mischievous dogs. After participating in countless writing contests as a querying writer, she is ridiculously excited to be giving back and helping out on the other side of things!

Karina Sumner-Smith (Adult)

Karina Sumner-Smith is a fantasy author and freelance writer represented by Sara Megibow of the Nelson Literary Agency. Her debut novel, Radiant, will be published by Skyhorse Publishing’s new SF/F imprint Talos in October 2014. Prior to going freelance, Karina worked for a university, a bookstore, an IT consulting firm, and a recruitment agency, and published short stories, including the Nebula Award nominated “An End to All Things.” Though she still thinks of Toronto as her home, Karina now lives in a small, lakefront community in rural Ontario, Canada, where she may be found experimenting with strange foods, dancing in the kitchen, and making things from sparkly beads.

Kat Ellis (YA)

Kat Ellis is a young adult writer from North Wales. Her debut novel, BLACKFIN SKY, is forthcoming in 2014 from Firefly Press (UK) and Running Press Kids (USA). Kat is a keen amateur photographer and adventurer, and when she isn't writing, photographing or adventuring, you'll find her up to no good on twitter. She is represented by Molly Ker Hawn at The Bent Agency.

Marie Langager (YA)

I'm Marie Langager and I live in Portland, OR. I love walking through foggy, creepy woods, all woods actually, and my tastes in reading include books in many different genres. I'm represented by the fantastic Lucienne Diver of The Knight Agency and my debut, BEYOND OUR STARS, a YA sci-fi with a dose of romance, was published this winter by a new digital first imprint called Bloomsbury Spark!

Michelle Hauck (Adult, MG)

Goodreads / Amazon

Bookworm and chocoholic, Michelle Hauck lives in northern Indiana with her hubby and two teenagers. She is a co-host of the yearly query contests Query Kombat, Sun versus Snow, and Nightmare on Query Street. She writes Adult, YA, and MG fantasy and her epic fantasy, Kindar's Cure, is published by Divertir Publishing. Her short story, Frost and Fog, is published by The Elephant's Bookshelf Press in their anthology, Summer's Double Edge. She is represented by Sarah Negovetich of Corvisiero Literary.

Stephanie Diaz (Intern, YA)

Stephanie is a twenty-one-year-old author and publishing intern. She recently graduated from San Diego State University, where she wrote her debut YA novel, EXTRACTION, when she should've been making short films and listening to class lectures. EXTRACTION, the first book in a new sci-fi trilogy, will be published by St. Martin's Griffin on July 22, 2014.

Tatum Flynn (MG)

Tatum Flynn has spent the past decade telling lies for a living as a professional poker player, and hopes to spend the next one telling lies for a living as a kidlit author. Her MG Fantasy, BRIMSTONE FOR BREAKFAST, will be published by Orchard Books/Hachette in Summer 2015, with a sequel to follow. She's repped by Zoe King at The Blair Partnership. She loves Calvin & Hobbes, hates long walks on the beach, and can probably be bribed with bourbon.

Tiffany Rose (Intern)

After growing up with a strong dose of science fiction and fairy tales, Tiffany Rose mostly writes about magical girls and killers full of warped justice. When Tiffany isn’t writing, she is either messing around with graphics, working on websites, or helping out with two indie publishers. You can follow her daily adventures @FromPawnToQueen.

Veronica Bartles (YA)

Website / Blog

Veronica Bartles grew up in Wyoming and currently lives in New Mexico with her husband and four children, but she’ll always call Maryland “home.” When she’s not writing or lost in the pages of her newest favorite book, she enjoys creating delicious desserts, exploring new places, and recycle knitting. Veronica is represented by Jessica Sinsheimer of the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency, LLC. Her debut novel, TWELVE STEPS (Swoon Romance) will be released 25 March 2014.

Diana Gallagher (YA)

Goodreads

Though Diana Gallagher be but little, she is fierce. She’s also a gymnastics coach, writing professor, and country music aficionado. She holds an MFA from Stony Brook University and writes about flipping-related activity for The Couch Gymnast. Her work has also appeared in The Southampton Review and on a candy cigarette box for SmokeLong Quarterly. She’s represented by Tina Wexler of ICM Partners and her contemporary YA novel, WHAT HAPPENS IN WATER, releases in fall 2015 (Spencer Hill Contemporary).

Diana Sousa (Intern)