GUTGAA Query Blog Hop

If you are a writer, you know what it feels like to try to put together a query for your latest manuscript.  On GUTGAA this morning there was a chance for some people to get critiques from Deana Barnhart.  While I was not one of the lucky people to get a critique, there is a blog hop for any one who wants to come visit and critique my query and first 150 words in my own blog.  Since it's MY blog, I thought I would put up TWO queries.  Feel free to take a shot at either one...

Soooo...here it is query ONE:

Donna L Martin

Oh No, Moe!

Picture Book

397-word count

Moe, the mouse, tries every year to win Tarry Town’s annual Halloween costume contest so he can ride in the parade.  He just wishes his costumes would stop playing tricks on him.  One year his dragon tail gets caught in the door and he misses the judging.  Another time his mane is too long and he tears his mask.  He even tries going as a monster but he is too scary.  This year Moe has the perfect plan to win first prize!

Oh No Moe! Is a 397-word holiday tale for children ages 4 through 8 about one mouse’s journey in his search for the perfect Halloween costume.

All the mice in Tarry Town scurry around, squeaking with excitement.  The

annual Halloween party is just three days away.  The winner of the costume contest

will ride in the town’s Halloween parade.  The mice know what they are going to

wear.  Every mouse that is, except Moe. 

Moe digs around in his closet looking for the perfect costume.   He really wants

to win this year.  Three years ago, he was a dragon.  His brother, Teenie, said, “Oh no,

Moe! Your tail got caught!”  

Two years ago, he was a lion.  His sister, Queenie, said, “Oh no, Moe! Your

mane’s too long!”

Last year he was a monster.  His other sister, Mary, said, “Oh no, Moe!  You’re

too scary!”  Moe doesn’t know what to do.  How will he ever win the costume

contest? 

Finally, the day of the party arrives.

Here is query TWO:

Donna L Martin

The Warriors Three

Middle Grade Boy Adventure

9,500-word count

Nine-year-old Nathan wishes he were brave like his friend Billy or outgoing like Alex. All three boys want to compete in their school's martial arts tournament. But Nathan doubts himself and is afraid his friends will tease him if he loses. When Nathan and his friends devise a plan to earn the entrance fee money by delivering books to their library's annual book drive, they soon run into trouble being able to make good on that promise. Teamwork finally gets the books delivered and the day of the tournament arrives. But as each of Nathan's friends miss out on first place, his fledgling confidence is shaken until Master Hargis, his instructor, reminds him the value of believing in himself. The only thing standing in the way of victory is Nathan’s inability to unleash the warrior within him.

THE WARRIORS THREE, a 9,500-word middle grade boy adventure, is loosely based on real events and tells the tale of friendships, competitions, and the power of believing in yourself.

Chapter One: Krutch Park

Large oak leaves swirl down, showering the three boys with bursts of red, yellow,

and brown as they race each other to Krutch Park.  Reaching the monkey bars first, Billy

lets out a shout of victory before pushing his shaggy blond hair out of his eyes.  He

glances over his shoulder at the others as they run to catch up to him.

           

“I told you I would beat you guys!"

           

“Awww, you got a head start, otherwise I would have left you in the dust,”

replies Alex.  His hair matches the rust on the monkey bars.

           

“But, Alex, he always wins this race,” Nathan says as they scramble to the top.

The three boys started coming to Krutch Park on Saturdays ever since the

summer Billy convinced the others there was buried treasure at the bottom of the sandbox

dominating one corner of the park.

GUTGAA Meet & Greet

September is GUTGAA (Gearing Up To Get An Agent) month and the first thing I'm supposed to do is provide a short bio then answer the meet and greet questions to help others get to know me.  

Sooooo...here I go...

BIO:

I have spent many years hanging out with my cat, Tommy, and perfecting the worlds in my imagination.  I write children's picture books, as well as middle grade and young adult novels. When I'm not training for my Master Fifth Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo or helping run our school, I'm working on my latest project.  My story, "The Road Less Traveled" was picked up by Chicken Soup For The Soul: Angels Among Us and is due out in January, 2013.

GUTGAA Meet and Greet:

Where do you write?

    

     I have two places I like to write.  Either in my study or in my recliner in my living room.  Tommy prefers my recliner because he can snuggle next to me and play with the keyboard.

Quick.  Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left.  What is the first thing you see?

      My filing cabinet.  I'm a pretty organized person when it comes to my study and my filing cabinet is to the left of my roll top desk so I can keep track of research info, wips, submissions, and hopefully published pieces of work.

Favorite time to write?

      With my crazy work schedule, I have to split my writing time into two different times.  During the weekdays I wake up around 6 am each morning and write until I have to leave for work around 9 am.  I will get back home usually around 9 pm and will write again until around midnight.  On the weekend I run errands on Saturday but usually get a chance to write Saturday night and all day Sunday.

Drink of choice while writing?

     It depends on my mood and the weather outside.  I will rotate through water, Coke Zero, hot tea, or hot chocolate.

When writing, do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?

     Most of the time complete silence but again it depends on my mood. Sometimes I will have the music cranked up and sometimes I'll have the tv on as background noise.

What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?

     I'm a visual writer so pictures and the outdoors give me a lot of ideas for stories.  The story I wrote this weekend came from a picture I ran across on the internet which made me think of life during World War II.

What is your most valuable writing tip?

     Don't stop believing in yourself.  You won't be able to please everybody with your writing and there will be times when some people will think your writing stinks.  That doesn't mean your writing actually DOES stink...it just means it's not for that particular person or audience.  As long as YOU believe and work hard at this career every day, it will reward you in ways you never imagined!

This & That

Now that GUTGAA is almost here, I've been blessed with a few more followers who might not know about the Blog Contest I have going on until September 6th.  You can read all about it here...http://donasdays.blogspot.com/2012/08/its-that-time-again.html,,,there's still time to give a shout-out for my blog and have a chance to win some great prizes!

*****************

Inside every fat book is a thin book trying to get out. - Unknown

The long-lived books of tomorrow are concealed somewhere amongst the so-far unpublished MSS of today. - Philip Unwin

The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair. - Mary Heaton Vorse

A story isn't about a moment in time, a story is about the moment in time. - W. D. Wetherell

I never want to see anyone, and I never want to go anywhere or do anything. I just want to write. - P. G. Wodehouse

I'm writing a book. I've got the page numbers done. - Stephen Wright

It is my contention that a really great novel is made with a knife and not a pen. A novelist must have the intestinal fortitude to cut out even the most brilliant passage so long as it doesn't advance the story. - Frank Yerby

Exercise the writing muscle every day, even if it is only a letter, notes, a title list, a character sketch, a journal entry. Writers are like dancers, like athletes. Without that exercise, the muscles seize up. - Jane Yolen

ONE Isn't A Lonely Number

I'm getting ready to participate in GUTGAA (http://deanabarnhart.blogspot.com/2012/07/sign-up-time-for-gearing-up-to-get.html) and I've begun to visit the bloggers who will be participating.  I've come across many lovely blogs, but I can tell when I come across a newbie blogger.  A few things will give them away.  They will only blog maybe once a week. They have six maybe seven followers...the faithful friends who show their support and the fledgling attempt to make their mark in the social media arena.

And they think they are alone.  Those new bloggers might not realize the world of connections, friendships, and camaraderie to be had in this wonderful writing community.  I remember those first few days back in December 2011 when I began my own blog and wondered what I had gotten myself into.  I thought I was by myself in this.  But I was wrong.

I concentrated on uplifting blogs and the word spread.  What started out as one lonely number in this big ol' blogosphere has turned into a readership of over 250 followers from 22 different countries,  over 95,000 page hits to date, and an array of wonderful friendships to last a lifetime.  I have discovered that ONE isn't a lonely number...especially when it is combined with many other ONES to create the power of WE and THAT is a lovely number indeed!

Now, if I can just find ONE day to do some cleaning...