My latest essay talks about what I learned from landing my agent but failing out on submission to book publishers. If you are #amquerying, please read and learn from my mistakes! You only get one bite at the apple.
#writingcommunity #writers #writingtips #querying
medium.com/middle-pause...
They say Trix are for kids, but that includes big kids too
Check out my essay about being Hispanic when you don't speak Spanish. They call me a "no sabo kid"--but I'm doing what I can to preserve my father's culture.
#hispanic #writing
medium.com/middle-pause...
Top L - man and woman hands w/ wedding rings Top C - Blackberry Top R - a woman typing on a laptop Center - the word “Time” Bottom L - a checklist Bottom C - a couple in bed not interacting Bottom R - a fountain
THE GOOD PART x DO I KNOW YOU?
An impulsive anniversary wish sends an unhappy power couple back in time, rewinding two decades of deception and offering them a chance to explore what might’ve been if they hadn’t married #cupit #a #ttr #rc
Read about the time I was catcalled with my kids while at lunch, teaching me that sexual harassment doesn't end with motherhood!
#writingcommunity #women
medium.com/middle-pause...
I’m so conditioned to seeing query rejections that my body has a visceral physical response to the words “Query Reply” in a subject heading and doesn’t know how to reconcile reading positive news in the body of the e-mail…
Enjoyed the #P2Ppit experience on Bluesky - great to see how vibrant the #writingcommunity is here. Tried to return the favor on support as much as I could without being online all day.
Getting a like from an agent we were already planning on querying when they opened was an awesome cherry on top.
About 88K words
Additional comps is NOPE and FIFTH WAVE.
Agents/Editors guide to my YA literary sci-fi book
INTERSTELLAR meets NOPE with the emotional appeal and first alien contact of ARRIVAL (2016) & the suspense and alien hostility of FIFTH WAVE
Today is 2094 & dealing with grief. What worse could possibly happen?
#P2Ppit #YA #literary #scifi #book
JOURNEY TO RALLEM
Josie, Jameson, and their friends travel across the continent in the hopes of bringing back Josie's lovers. They face unexpected challenges from meddling, immortal ancestors with age old vendettas. At each turn, events drive Josie and Jameson closer. #P2Ppit #Q #r #f
A yellow tinted faded photo of a cup of coffee with flowers. In the center is a separate photo of a purple carnation with the title "Live My Life" in front. Arrows point out from the center saying points of the book including, tragic past, found family, drama, bipoc mc, small town, and opposites attract.
In 1950s Texas, Jimmy and Leticia are anything but the norm. Jimmy runs the local beat cafe that locals claim is a front. Leticia is the ideal home maker, just not the ideal color. At a crossroads in her life, Leticia has to choose between past grief or future happiness.
#W #UA #A #HF #U #C #P2Ppit
A Guide to Away From Beyond YA Sci-Fi by R.A. Young
Comparison Titles The Velveteen Rabbit, cover art. A.I. Artificial Intelligence, movie poster. Chobits featuring Chii with wires plugged into her head. Similar recent releases A promo image from Netflix's The Electric State that shows the main character and her robot. ARTificial Intelligence by David Biedrzycki, cover art. Playground by Richard Powers, cover art.
Pitch and Plot Teens Sofia's age have no qualms naming the AI assistants they grew up with. Yet Sofia naming her AI makes him believe he's a magical girl mascot?? This is the worst possible time for Sofia, because she’s just started at a new school where she doesn’t know anyone. A glitching AI assistant that keeps popping up as a black cat is not going to make her any friends... Except for maybe the AI assistant itself, now going by the name Pithy. But Sofia and Pithy now have to figure out if it’s safe to trust anyone at school with Pithy’s glitch, whether it’s students, teachers or even the cloud that’s supposed to support all AI assistants...
Moodboard with 5 images, all from Getty images. Images from left to right, top to bottom are: 1. A girl sleeping on her side with golden glowing orbs overlaid over her. 2. A girl wearing fancy glasses, with glowing technology symbols floating around her upper body. 3. A velveteen rabbit propped in a sitting upright position. 4. A hand holding up a mobile phone that shows a cartoon icon of an AI assistant. 5. A black cat lying on its side, looking at the camera with green eyes. Its front legs are crossed over each other.
A guide to Away from Beyond
📚Teen starting at her new school
👾AI that believes in magic
❓Unsure of who they can trust at school or online
Chobits + The Velveteen Rabbit + A.I. Artifical Intelligence
#BluePit 📖 #W #YA #SF
Leo and CeCe’s checklist after getting sent back to the past
THE GOOD PART x DO I KNOW YOU?
After a power couple’s impulsive 20th anniversary wish sends them back in time and erases their unhappy marriage, they make a pact to help each other fulfill the lost dreams of their youth.
#P2Ppit #a #r #q
Hopefully some agents check this out and enjoy Drew and Everly as much as @juliecalidonio.bsky.social and I do…
That’s such an interesting combination of comps that I’d definitely be compelled to check it out
THE GOOD PART x DO I KNOW YOU?
#agents What if I told you my wife & I wrote a book about an unhappy power couple whose impulsive anniversary wish sends them back to their wedding day, where the ceremony has been canceled… #P2Ppit #a #r #q
Cc: my amazing wife @juliecalidonio.bsky.social, with whom I co-wrote this novel, currently tiptoeing its way through the query trenches
😲
What could go wrong?
I’m not sure whether Bluesky is all fantasy writers or if fantasy writers just wake up earlier than everyone else…
Love the premise
I suspect that she will, in fact, fall for the villain…
Top L - man and woman hands w/ wedding rings Top C - Blackberry Top R - a woman typing on a laptop Center - the word “Time” Bottom L - a checklist Bottom C - a couple in bed not interacting Bottom R - a fountain
THE GOOD PART x DO I KNOW YOU?
An impulsive anniversary wish sends an unhappy power couple back in time, rewinding two decades of deception and offering them a chance to explore what might’ve been if they hadn’t married #P2Ppit #a #r #q
All I want for Christmas is the safe return of the other halves of all the mismatched sock pairs I own
@juliecalidonio.bsky.social calls me this morning excitedly to tell me that we should join the #5amwritersclub
I place a roughly 0% probability that she actually follows through on this but I’ll keep everyone posted
I may or may not have written a draft query letter tonight #writingcommunity
Happy fantasy football playoffs day to all who celebrate
With #type1diabetes, you can do everything right 99.99% of the time, but it will only take one untreated low to lose my son. Those are not odds I will roll the dice on--ever! Neither should his school district. Click below to learn more.
#type1diabetes
medium.com/middle-pause...
What it’s like writing a book with your wife…
@juliecalidonio.bsky.social “I love our new idea for the beginning of our book…
…what was it again?”
#writingcommunity
This morning I’ve discovered that I’m “need to wear reading glasses to remove all the pins from a new dress shirt without stabbing myself in the fingers” years old.
