Tag Archives: Mystery

2021 Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition

Minotaur Books (Macmillan) and Mystery Writers of America are sponsoring the First Crime Novel Competition. This contest is open to writer’s age 18 and older, who has never been published or under contract to be published with a novel. The submitted manuscript must involve murder or another serious crime or crimes at the heart of the story. The winner will be offered a standard form author’s agreement and a $10,000 advance against future royalties. Submissions must be received by 11:59pm EST on January 1, 2021. For complete rules, go here.

As always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Writer and blogger of MG/YA fiction

Advertisement

#PitMad Is Coming!

Pitmad

Nothing soothes the writerly soul than a good twitter pitch party! This Thursday on September 3, 2020 is the infamous #PitMad founded by Brenda Drake, ran now by Managing Director Sonia Hartl, and a full committee (yeah, it’s grown that much!). This event will run between the hours of 8am-8pm (EDT). Common age category and genre hashtags are below.

Age Categories:
#PB = Picture Book
#C = Children’s
#CB = Chapter Book
#CL = Children’s Lit
#MG = Middle Grade
#YA = Young Adult
#NA = New Adult
#A = Adult

Genres/Sub-genres:
#AA = African American
#AD = Adventure
#CF = Christian Fiction
#CON = Contemporary
#CR = Contemporary Romance
#DIS = Disabilities
#DV = Diversity
#E = Erotica
#ER = Erotic Romance
#ES = Erotica Suspense
#F = Fantasy
#H = Horror
#HA = Humor
#HF = Historical Fiction
#HR = Historical Romance
#INSP = Inspirational
#IRMC = Interracial/Multicultural
#MR = Magical Realism
#M = Mystery
#Mem = Memoir
#LF = Literary Fiction
#NF = Non-fiction
#R = Romance
#P = Paranormal
#PR = Paranormal Romance
#RS = Romantic Suspense
#S = Suspense
#SF = SciFi
#SPF = Speculative Fiction
#T = Thriller
#UF = Urban Fantasy
#W = Westerns
#WF = Woman’s Fiction

Additional hashtags (optional):

#BVM = Black Voices Matter (to be used by black creators)
#POC = Author is a Person of Color
#OWN = Own Voices
#IMM = Immigrant
#LGBT = LGBTQIA+ subject matter
#IRMC = Interracial/Multicultural subject matter
#MH = Mental Health subject matter
#DIS = Disability subject matter
#ND = Neurodiverse subject matter

The rules clearly state to only pitch THREE times per manuscript during the contest. Don’t break the rules and clog the feed! Also, please remember anyone can stalk the pitches. So, do your research before submitting your manuscript. And as always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA Fiction.

#PitDark Is Soon!

PitDark-May-October

A cool twitter pitch party is coming on October 29, 2020 and I’m excited! Author Jason Huebinger is the host of #PitDark. This is one of my favorite contests because it’s strictly for manuscripts with darker elements, which is soooo down my alley. The event is between 8am and 8pm EST. Authors may pitch once an hour per manuscript. Please do not clog the feed by over pitching so agents don’t get frustrated and quit reading.

Hashtags for AGE CATEGORIES

  • #MG – Middle Grade
  • #YA – Young adult
  • #NA – New adult
  • #A – Adult

Hashtags for GENRES & SUBGENRES

  • #H – horror
  • #PH – psychological horror
  • #GH – gothic horror
  • #CSH – cosmic horror
  • #BH – body horror
  • #CH – comedy horror
  • #DC – dark comedy
  • #DR – dark romance
  • #SFH – science fiction horror
  • #PNH – paranormal horror
  • #ZH – zombie horror
  • #MH – monster horror
  • #GRH – graphic horror
  • #MM – murder mystery
  • #FA – fantasy
  • #DF – dark fantasy
  • #T – thriller
  • #EF – epic or high fantasy
  • #HF – historical fantasy
  • #LF – literary fantasy
  • #AH – alternate history
  • #PN – paranormal
  • #PR – paranormal romance
  • #UF – urban fantasy
  • #MR – magical realism
  • #SF – science fiction
  • #AF – apocalypse fiction
  • #ML – military science fiction
  • #PA – post-apocalyptic SF
  • #CP – cyberpunk
  • #SFT – sci-fi thriller
  • #SH – superhero / superhuman
  • #SO – space opera
  • #DS – dystopian
  • #SP – steampunk
  • #TT – time travel
  • #WW – weird west
  • #SPEC – speculative fiction
  • #NF – non-fiction

For complete rules, go here. (Note: If your curious about previous agent, editor, and film company participation, there is a link on this page.) As always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

#PitMad Is Almost Here

Pitmad

Nothing soothes the writerly soul than a good twitter pitch party! This Thursday on September 3, 2020 is the infamous #PitMad founded by Brenda Drake, ran now by Managing Director Sonia Hartl, and a full committee (yeah, it’s grown that much!). This event will run between the hours of 8am-8pm (EDT). Common age category and genre hashtags are below.

Age Categories:
#PB = Picture Book
#C = Children’s
#CB = Chapter Book
#CL = Children’s Lit
#MG = Middle Grade
#YA = Young Adult
#NA = New Adult
#A = Adult

Genres/Sub-genres:
#AA = African American
#AD = Adventure
#CF = Christian Fiction
#CON = Contemporary
#CR = Contemporary Romance
#DIS = Disabilities
#DV = Diversity
#E = Erotica
#ER = Erotic Romance
#ES = Erotica Suspense
#F = Fantasy
#H = Horror
#HA = Humor
#HF = Historical Fiction
#HR = Historical Romance
#INSP = Inspirational
#IRMC = Interracial/Multicultural
#MR = Magical Realism
#M = Mystery
#Mem = Memoir
#LF = Literary Fiction
#NF = Non-fiction
#R = Romance
#P = Paranormal
#PR = Paranormal Romance
#RS = Romantic Suspense
#S = Suspense
#SF = SciFi
#SPF = Speculative Fiction
#T = Thriller
#UF = Urban Fantasy
#W = Westerns
#WF = Woman’s Fiction

Additional hashtags (optional):

#BVM = Black Voices Matter (to be used by black creators)
#POC = Author is a Person of Color
#OWN = Own Voices
#IMM = Immigrant
#LGBT = LGBTQIA+ subject matter
#IRMC = Interracial/Multicultural subject matter
#MH = Mental Health subject matter
#DIS = Disability subject matter
#ND = Neurodiverse subject matter

The rules clearly state to only pitch THREE times per manuscript during the contest. Don’t break the rules and clog the feed! Also, please remember anyone can stalk the pitches. So, do your research before submitting your manuscript. And as always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA Fiction.

Secret Agent Contest

Authoress (aka Jillian Boehme) is hosting a round of Secret Agent on her popular Miss Snark’s First Victim site. If you’ve followed Authoress for several years, then you know that she unveiled herself because she got her first book deal, which is out in the world to read now! (And this was her one condition she had promised herself before unveiling her true identity.) And many of us are so excited for her because she has given back to the community for so-so-so long! (Thank you Jillian!)

Now, for a few basic details of the contest:

  • Submissions open between Noon to 6pm EDT, August 24, 2020
  • This is a lottery. The BOT will draw 50 random names.
  • Only the First 250 words will be submitted.
  • Only completed and polished manuscripts may be entered.
  • Only ONE entry per person!

As always, there is no fee to enter the contest. This month’s contest will include the following genres only:

ADULT

  • High-concept women’s fiction (NO genre fiction-high fantasy, romance, etc.)
YA
  • Fantasy
  • Narrative Nonfiction
  • Historical Fiction
  • Epistolary
MG
  • Fantasy
  • Narative Nonfiction
  • Historical Fiction
  • Epistolary

For complete guidelines and entry form, go here. Also, keep an eye on her blog because she’ll post more details a week before submissions, especially the brief time the window for entries will be open. As always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

#PitMad Is Almost Here!

Pitmad

Nothing soothes the writerly soul than a good twitter pitch party! This Thursday on June 4, 2020 is the infamous #PitMad founded by Brenda Drake, ran now by Managing Director Sonia Hartl, and a full committee (yeah, it’s grown that much!). This event will run between the hours of 8am-8pm (EDT). Common age category and genre hashtags are below.

Age Categories:
#PB = Picture Book
#C = Children’s
#CB = Chapter Book
#CL = Children’s Lit
#MG = Middle Grade
#YA = Young Adult
#NA = New Adult
#A = Adult

Genres/Sub-genres:
#AA = African American
#AD = Adventure
#CF = Christian Fiction
#CON = Contemporary
#CR = Contemporary Romance
#DIS = Disabilities
#DV = Diversity
#E = Erotica
#ER = Erotic Romance
#ES = Erotica Suspense
#F = Fantasy
#H = Horror
#HA = Humor
#HF = Historical Fiction
#HR = Historical Romance
#INSP = Inspirational
#IRMC = Interracial/Multicultural
#MR = Magical Realism
#M = Mystery
#Mem = Memoir
#LF = Literary Fiction
#NF = Non-fiction
#R = Romance
#P = Paranormal
#PR = Paranormal Romance
#RS = Romantic Suspense
#S = Suspense
#SF = SciFi
#SPF = Speculative Fiction
#T = Thriller
#UF = Urban Fantasy
#W = Westerns
#WF = Woman’s Fiction

Additional hashtags (optional):

#BVM = Black Voices Matter (to be used by black creators)
#POC = Author is a Person of Color
#OWN = Own Voices
#IMM = Immigrant
#LGBT = LGBTQIA+ subject matter
#IRMC = Interracial/Multicultural subject matter
#MH = Mental Health subject matter
#DIS = Disability subject matter
#ND = Neurodiverse subject matter

The rules clearly state to only pitch THREE times per manuscript during the contest. Don’t break the rules and clog the feed! Also, please remember anyone can stalk the pitches. So, do your research before submitting your manuscript. And as always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA Fiction.

Secret Agent Contest

Authoress (aka Jillian Boehme) is hosting a round of Secret Agent on her popular Miss Snark’s First Victim site. If you’ve followed Authoress for several years, then you know that she unveiled herself because she got her first book deal, which is out in the world today! (And this was her one condition she had promised herself before unveiling her true identity.) And many of us are so excited for her because she has given back to the community for so-so-so long! (Thank you Jillian!)

Now, for a few basic details of the contest:

  • Submissions open between Noon to 6pm EDT, April 13, 2020
  • This is a lottery. The BOT will draw 50 random names.
  • Only the First 250 words will be submitted.
  • Only completed and polished manuscripts may be entered.
  • Only ONE entry per person!

As always, there is no fee to enter the contest. This month’s contest will include the following genres only:

ADULT

  • High-concept women’s fiction
  • Rom-com
  • Mainstream with a hint of magic
YA
  • Fantasy
  • Magical Realism
  • Historical
  • Contemporary
  • Thriller
  • Mystery
MG
  • Contemporary
  • Mystery
  • Light fantasy
  • Light magical realism

For complete guidelines and entry form, go here. Also, keep an eye on her blog because she’ll post more details a week before submissions, especially the brief time the window for entries will be open. As always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

Pacific Northwest Writers Association Literary Contest

pnwa

The deadline for Pacific Northwest Writers Association Literary Contest is approaching. All unpublished entries must be received by March 1, 2020 (online entries) or March 27, 2020 (paper entries by 6pm). This is also a chance to get feedback on your work. There are twelve categories:

  1. Mainstream
  2. Historical
  3. Romance/Women’s fiction
  4. Mystery/Thriller
  5. Sci-fi/Fantasy/Paranormal
  6. Young adult
  7. Middle grade
  8. Nonfiction/Memoir
  9. Short story
  10. Children’s picture/Chapter book
  11. Adult short topics (articles/essays/memoir)
  12. Screenwriting/TV pilots

There are three monetary prizes:

  • FIRST PLACE: $600
  • SECOND PLACE: $250
  • THIRD PLACE: $150

Eight finalist will receive two critiques on their submissions. The agents and editors participating in the PNWA‘s summer conference will pick winners out of the finalists. Go here for contest details. As always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

SAN FRANCISCO WRITERS CONFERENCE

San Francisco Writers Conference

The 2020 San Francisco Writers Conference will be held on February 13-16 at the historical Hyatt Regency Embarcadero. Meet keynoters:  

But the SFWC presenters list also includes many more bestselling authors, literary agents, editors, and publishers from major publishing houses.  There are experts on self-publishing, book promotion, platform building, social media, and author websites.

2020 SFWC PRESENTERS:
Nina Amir, author and writing coach
Kathleen Antrim, author, copresident of International Thriller Writers
Jim Azevedo, marketing director at Smashwords
Armand Baltazar, author/illustrator ***KID’S EVENT PRESENTER***
Jordan Bernal, author and past president of CWC Tri-Valley Branch
Cara Black, bestselling mystery novelist
Carole Bumpus, travel/food writer
Stephen E. Browne, online editor and marketing pro
Stephanie Chandler, author and CEO of the Nonfiction Authors Association
Paula Chinick, author and past president of California Writers Club Tri-Valley Branch
Amanda Clay, novelist
Mark Coker, author and founder of major ebook distributor Smashwords
Christine Conradt, screenwriter, author, director and producer
E.J. DeBrun, animator and storyteller
Aya de Leon, author, activist, teacher
Laurie Ann Doyle, author, essayist, writing teacher
Taryn Edwards, Strategic Partnerships Manager and Historian, Mechanics’ Institute of San Francisco
Kate Farrell, author, librarian, storyteller
Grant Faulkner, author, Executive Director of NaNoWriMo, Co-founder of 100 Word Story
Joey Garcia, author, journalist, love expert
Joan Gelfand, poet, author, book coach
Cali Gilbert, author, screenwriter, filmmaker
Sarah Granger, author, playwright and screenwriter
Seth Greenwald, author, speaker, creativity coach
Connie Hale, author, journalist
Barbara Hall, TV producer, screenwriter and author
Dorothy Hearst, author
Rebecca Hunter, author
Meredith Jaeger
, author
Dr. Andy Jones, poet & Pub Quiz Host
Elizabeth Kauffman, indie editor and social media guru
Carla King, author and self-publishing expert, founder of Self-Publishing Boot Camp
Mary E. Knippel, independent editor, writing mentor, and author
C. S. Lakin, author, copy-editor, and writing coach
Rocky Lang, author, producer, director, screenwriter
Heather Lazare, editorial & publishing consultant
Linda Lee, website designer and WordPress expert, SFWC Volunteer Director
Christopher Locke, IBPA and author
Richard Loranger, poet, performance artist,
Jill Lublin, marketing guru
Louise Marley, novelist
Claire McKinney, PR professional
Brian D. Meeks, nonfiction author, fantasy novelist
Kira Ming, author, indie editor
Louise Nayer, memoirist, poet, and writing instructor
Anne Perry, NYT bestselling novelist
Adam Plantinga, police sergeant, author
Lissa Provost, poet, author and SFWC Operations Manager
Jordan Rosenfeld, author, editor, and coach
Bob Saenz, screenwriter
Barbara Santos, author of Practice Aloha and two cookbooks, and Marketing Director for SFWC
Kate Schatz, feminist writer, activist, educator
Maw Shein Win, poet
Kevin Smokler, author, performer, and public speaker
Miriam Klein Stahl, artist, activist, educator
Suzette Standring, author, TV host, syndicated columnist, national speaker
Ransom Stephens, novelist, scientist, international speaker
Alex Tillson, novelist, attorney
Kevin Tumlinson, Director of Marketing for Draft2Digital and host of Wordslinger Podcast
Eleanor Vincent, author
Lyzette Wanzer, novelist, essayist, writing instructor
Monica Wesolowska, author, independent editor, teacher
Victoria Zackheim, author
Paul Zeidman, screenwriter and actor

The lists for attending agents and editors looks topnotch! Some of the agents will even be accepting pitches during the Speed Dating For Agents. You can see a list of those participating here. But for an idea of the many agents and editors that will be in attendance, here is a list:

AGENTS:
Alicia Brooks, Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency
Karly Caserza, Fuse Literary
Michele Crim, Miller, Bowers, Griffin Literary
Karyn Fischer, Bookstop Literary
Rachelle Gardner, Books & Such Literary
Nicole Geiger, Full Circle Literary
Jennie Kendrick, Red Fox Literary
Liz Kracht, Kimberley Cameron & Assoc.
Rachel Letofsky, Cooke Literary
Paul S. Levine, Paul S. Levine Literary Agency (also entertainment lawyer)
Em Lysaght, Ladderbird Literary
Dorian Maffei, Kimberley Cameron & Assoc.
Jill Marr, Sandra Dijkstra Literary
Laurie McLean
, Fuse Literary and Director of SFWC
Mary C. Moore, Kimberley Cameron & Assoc.
Andy Ross
, Andy Ross Agency
Katharine Sands, Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency
Emma Sector, Prospect Agency
Alec Shane, Writers House
Eric Smith, P.S. Literary
Jennifer March Soloway
, Andrea Brown Literary Agency
Saba Sulaiman, Talcott Notch Literary Agency
Gordon Warnock
, Fuse Literary

EDITORS/INDEPENDENT EDITORS:
Sylvan Creekmore
, Wednesday Books/Macmillan
Rachel Diebel, St. Martins/Macmillan
Diane Frank, poet and publisher of Blue Light Press
Georgia Hughes, New World Library
Joyce Jenkins, poet and publisher of Poetry Flash
Jennifer Joseph, Manic D Press
Brenda Knight, Mango Press
Danielle Marshall, Amazon Publishing (Lake Union)
Laura Mazer, Seal Press/Hachette
Michelle Millet, Indie editor
Taylor Norman, Chronicle Books
Amber Oliver, Perennial/HarperCollins
Jill Roberts, Tachyon Publications
Jodi Warshaw, Amazon Publishing (Lake Union)
Jacob Weisman, Tachyon Publications
 

For those attending, this sounds like a great four days of learning and marketing yourself. Good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

#Pitmad is Almost Here!

Pitmad

Nothing soothes the writerly soul than a good twitter pitch party! This Thursday on December 5, 2019 is the infamous #PitMad founded by Brenda Drake, ran now by Managing Director Sarah Nicolas, and a full committee (yeah, it’s grown that much!). This event will run between the hours of 8am-8pm (EDT). Common age category and genre hashtags are below.

Age Categories:
#PB = Picture Book
#C = Children’s
#CB = Chapter Book
#CL = Children’s Lit
#MG = Middle Grade
#YA = Young Adult
#NA = New Adult
#A = Adult

Genres/Sub-genres:
#AA = African American
#AD = Adventure
#CF = Christian Fiction
#CON = Contemporary
#CR = Contemporary Romance
#DIS = Disabilities
#DV = Diversity
#E = Erotica
#ER = Erotic Romance
#ES = Erotica Suspense
#F = Fantasy
#H = Horror
#HA = Humor
#HF = Historical Fiction
#HR = Historical Romance
#INSP = Inspirational
#IRMC = Interracial/Multicultural
#MR = Magical Realism
#M = Mystery
#Mem = Memoir
#LF = Literary Fiction
#NF = Non-fiction
#R = Romance
#P = Paranormal
#PR = Paranormal Romance
#RS = Romantic Suspense
#S = Suspense
#SF = SciFi
#SPF = Speculative Fiction
#T = Thriller
#UF = Urban Fantasy
#W = Westerns
#WF = Woman’s Fiction

Additional hashtags (optional):
#POC = Author is a Person of Color
#OWN = Own Voices
#IMM = Immigrant
#LGBT = LGBTQIA+ subject matter
#IRMC = Interracial/Multicultural subject matter
#MH = Mental Health subject matter
#DIS = Disability subject matter
#ND = Neurodiverse subject matter

The rules clearly state to only pitch THREE times per manuscript during the contest. Don’t break the rules and clog the feed! Also, please remember anyone can stalk the pitches. So, do your research before submitting your manuscript. And as always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA Fiction.