Part of the fun of the @bathnovelaward.co.uk Children's Award is that Junior Judges pick the shortlist. Check out my favorite line from the feedback I received!

Proud to say I was shortlisted for the 2025 Bath Children's Novel Award for my MG novel. Congratulations to the winner and to my fellow listees! Additionally, the YA novel I'm querying received honorable mention in the Top 100 of 2,401 entries 🏆 #BathNovelAwards @bathnovelaward.co.uk

How on earth do you pitch a "mystery box" story? Survivors on a mysterious island investigate...the island Residents are trapped in a mysterious town....and explore it

"What's new with you?"

Odysseus: It's time to set sail on our odyssey home! Sailor: What's an odyssey? Odysseus: It's a long, dangerous journey named for the sole survivor. Sailor: Oh, I see--wait, what?

One of the best rebuttals to the "I don't want to read widely in my genre for fear of losing originality" fallacy I've heard in a long time. #WritingCommunity

Let's circle back on this

Dracula asking what time the event starts x My favorite type of diagram "Venn"

Reminder: to be jealous of another writer's skill is healthy. It pushes you to grow, study, and improve. To be jealous of another writer's success is unhealthy. We all walk our own path and yours will look different; the highs and lows will occur at different points on the road.

Recent accomplishments on a break from querying: -Repaired & reupholstered an antique chair -Started learning German -Searched every inch of the house (twice!) for tablet my 1st grader lost (& found it!) -Looked into donating my mane to Children With Hair Loss -Slept better 😮‍💨 #QueryTrenches

Any recs for hair donation? Mine grows like a weed. These were taken approx a year apart, with a trim at 6 mos. On a lark, I decided to grow it out "until I got a book deal" (you can see how that's going), but now I think I'd like to donate. Any tips? Should I wait a few more months? #hairstyle

My new fan theory: the Yautja can time travel. The reason their tech is "static" across the franchise is because all the stories take place in Predator Present Time (PPT), sending hunting parties across time and space. #predatorbadlands

I think my favorite horror subgenre is the one where the story is so compelling you forget it's horror...until you're very much reminded that it is. #horror

Spam email: "I loved your book!" Me:

Great post. As someone who has written extensively both as a screenwriter and in prose, it's important to consider the medium when crafting your message. rebeccamakkai.substack.com/p/youre-writ...

Lots of folks on Threads are talking about the staggering amount of scammer emails from people pretending to be book clubs, reviewers, and more. Seems like the endgame is eventually getting you to pay a good chunk of money for promotions and readers that likely don’t exist. Be careful out there.

Today's writing prompt:

Writing requires two disciplines: Patience and Perseverance. I've only mastered one, but I'll never stop pursuing the other... #writingcommunity

Books I'm #querying, a 🧵 (a bit about me: my previous agent, Kesia Lupo @ Donald Maass, changed careers and I'm now seeking new rep. Writer of teen & adult Sci-Fi, contemporary, dystopian, interactive fiction, and some horror)

Happy Circulatory System Walking Through the Kitchen Day to all who celebrate!

I remember reading your excerpt on the Bath website! Loved it!

"This is the year I stopped lying. It's also the year I became a vampire." HOW (NOT) TO BE A SOCIAL VAMPIRE -Shortlisted in 2023 -Signed my first agent -Editor feedback said voice a tad young -Rewritten for Middle Grade & ready to Query! #questpit #Q #MG #LF

"This is the year I stopped lying. It's also the year I became a vampire." HOW (NOT) TO BE A SOCIAL VAMPIRE -Shortlisted in 2023 -Signed my first agent -Editor feedback said voice a tad young -Rewritten for Middle Grade & ready to Query! #questpit #Q #MG #LF

I can't help but imagine marching forward with my fellow writers into the fray, hoping against hope, even as the soldier to my left takes a random musket round and the rest of us carry on in formation. #querying

It's SAD season again. If it hits you like it does me, daylight lamps do help! #daylightsavings

🐟FROM THE SEA FRET🐟 Callum Point moves to the dead-end town of Perne to scrape together a new life. He’s hoping to get what he always wanted; peace. Unfortunately, what greets him is a place rife with secrecy, conspiracy and creatures beyond comprehension. #GhostPit #A #H #Q #LGBT #OWN

ALL FOURS x THE WEDDING PEOPLE THIS ENDS NOW: Ditching perfectly good husbands is a bad look, especially for a wedding planner. But there's no breaking the cursed pattern until Lainey summons her first love—the man who whispered she was too much, too little and never enough. #GhostPit #Q #A #UP

BLACK MIRROR × SEVERANCE × THE GOOD PLACE Having a happy death is a luxury service for the rich and Wren is the rising top salesman—until a cynical coworker and a depressed billionaire force him to rethink it all in a world where even your last smile has a price tag. #GhostPit #A #DS #SF #W

Agent's guide for SELF/ISH, a genre-mashing YA magical realism novel now querying #GhostPit #T #LF #Con #Spec

A smartphone can serve as a mirror for teens, in more ways than one. In SELF/ISH, beware what gazes back... Seeking new representation. Now querying, with Big 5 editor interest! #ghostpit #YA #con #spec

What if your doppelgänger wanted to steal your life? 🔊Sound on #GhostPit "I wear the mask of Hannah Wilson" -SELF/ISH, opening lines #Con #Spec #YA now Querying with Big 5 Editor interest 🚨

SELF/ISH has Big 5 editor pit interest! (querying)🚨 "HANNAH (16) is eager to escape her dull and dusty life in Central Texas, but when a dead-ringer lookalike comes to take her life, she must confront her inner demons if she hopes to drive off the cryptid." #PitDark #Spec #YA

SELF/ISH is a genre-mashing doppelgänger novel with deep, meaningful themes for #YA with #A crossover potential. It's perfect for readers looking for a Young Adult BLACK SWAN with the emotional impact of Patrick Ness or John Green. #PitDark #Spec #T

SELF/ISH promises $1 million to the first "twin strangers." This could be Hannah's ticket out of poverty, but the contest is rigged to be impossible. Until Hannah gets that perfect match! Does she really have a long-lost twin? Or is the truth more mind-bending? #PitDark #YA #SPEC

What if your double wanted to steal your life? A fetch is a supernatural doppelgänger, often invited into the real world through a mirror. Smartphones can serve as a mirror for a teen...in more ways than one. SELF/ISH: #YA w/ crossover #A #PitDark #Spec #T (now querying)

SELF/ISH: A social app called Twen offers $1 mil to the first 100% match “twin strangers." Can Hannah lure her doppelganger out from beyond the streetlights and into the limelight to claim their millions? She’ll need to confront who she truly is inside… #PitDark #YA #SPEC

Who's with me? #writingcommunity

Always a pleasure to see my classic novel, [Book Title], resonating with fans of the *checks notes* ...Lovechildren Saga?

Taking a break from the #querytrenches to submit to some novel competitions! (which was how I got my first agent) Any I should put on my radar? Just submitted to the Caledonia Novel Award and will be sending to the Bath Novel Awards next month. Wish me luck!

This question really bugs entomologists.

Today marks 100 days since I had to start seeking new representation. #QueryTrenches by the numbers: Referrals: 15 Pitch event "likes": 5 Cold queries: 39 Rejections (all categories): 24 Awaiting reply: 32 Agents currently reading: 3 Oldest query: 100 days Newest query: 7 days

CONGRATULATIONS!!! We found your "twin stranger" online 👯‍♂️ [[[[Click to reveal your doppelganger]]]]* *warning: invite her into your life at your own risk--she may not leave... #UnhingedPit #YA #Q #Querying #SpeculativeFic (forgot to cross post over here yesterday 🫣)

Imagine if the Great Gray Owl struck the same sense of awe as the Great White Shark. I don't paraglide. I'm afraid of Great Grays. Or What do people expect when they're swooped away in the woods at night? That's *their* habitat.

Busy week in the #querytrenches: ☹️Newest full request rejected 😭Oldest full request rejected 🫤2 query rejections 😁New full request 🤯New partial request from a 60+ day old referral

Nothing beats an idea so exciting you're done sleeping #writingcommunity

'Tis the season 🎃 #pumpkinspice

Definitely my favourite review of my book so far. Given that the book is called ‘Chaos Theory’, I think they mean chaotic as a compliment, and, well, I cannot deny that the rest is accurate! Out Friday, eep!

The social media sweet spot. #goals

Want to reduce your negative replies? Just keep sending out queries...(as your total sample size increases, the negative percentile decreases). Follow me for more tips!😅 #querytrenches