Critique Giveaway with Joy McCullough-Carranza

Hello, Writerly Friends.

Those of you who know the back-story of my book (AKA how to write a middle grade novel in eight years), know that I'm a huge fan of Brenda Drake's Pitch Wars. In 2013, when I needed a final push to revise and polish THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY, I was selected as a Pitch Wars mentee.

I knew my mentor, Joy McCullough-Carranza, was a middle grade and YA author and book doctor, and that she'd spent time as a playwright in the schools, similar to the school residencies I do for poetry. Joy coached me through that last revision. When the #1 agent on my wish list asked to see an updated manuscript, I was ready! And you all know the rest.

Here is a great way to support the Pitch Wars program. The most recent submission round closed on August 17. This year's mentors are currently making their selections, wrangling behind the scenes to figure out who is going to work on which manuscripts.

Meanwhile, many Pitch Wars mentors are GIVING AWAY first chapter critiques. Yes, folks, Pitch Wars is all volunteer. It's about writers helping other writers to get their books query-ready. And this year, the mentors are going above and beyond to help you with your manuscript.

According to the official giveaway blog, here's how you can participate:

You’ll get a free entry just for stopping by and signing in, and if you want to increase your chances, you can support the mentors by buying their books or pre-ordering them. If you want to increase your odds to get a critique from a particular mentor, you can go and buy/pre-order said mentor’s book by following the links above. You can buy more than one book, and up your chances in more than one giveaway, too! You might even win a chapter critique by more than one mentor.

Lovely Joy is supporting my book! If you pre-order a copy of THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY, you'll up your chances of winning a critique with Joy.

And because I'm such a huge Pitch Wars fan, I'm throwing in a chapter one critique with me. That's right! Leave a comment on this post and I will select one person at random to receive a first chapter critique on your work in progress.

To recap:

• Visit Monica Bustamante Wagner's blog for the full giveaway.
• There, you will find a full list of mentors giving away critiques including the most excellent Joy McCullough-Carranza.
• Enter for a chance to win your chapter one critique via Rafflecopter.
• You will also find links to pre-order books by the mentors and/or their mentees (that would be me -- thanks, Joy!). Remember, a pre-order increases your chances of winning.
• To win a critique with me, leave a comment on this post. A winner will be drawn at random.

Good luck, Pitch Warriors, whether you're in the game or cheering from the sidelines.

UPDATE:

A roll of the die says ... JAN GODOWN ANNINO is our winner!

Jan, please contact me via email. I'm looking forward to reading your first chapter.

Thanks to all who entered this extra giveaway and the larger giveaway for PitchWars.