E.M. CASTELLAN AND CARRIE PESTRITTO GUEST POST W/ QUERY CRITIQUE AND IN THE SHADOW OF THE SUN GIVEAWAY AND IWSG POST

Happy Wednesday Everyone! Today I'm excited to have debut author E.M. Castellan here with her agent Carrie Pestrtto with a guest post to celebrate the release of E.M.'s YA historical fantasy IN THE SHADOW OF THE SUN. I'm excited to read it because it's set in France and has hidden magic.

First, I have Follower News and my IWSG post to share.

FOLLOWER NEWS

Elizabeth Seckman has a new contemporary romance ABOUT US: A SECOND CHANCE that recently released. Here's a blurb and some links:

Hayden Matthews would rather be alone than be a couple in misery. She decides to leave, but leaving a husband who carries a badge and a gun could be dangerous. Especially once her heart is ready to move on.

Free downloads on Kobo and Smashwords. 99 cents on Amazon 

Kobo: (free)

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/about-us-a-second-chance-novel

Smashwords (free)

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1004700

Amazon (99 cents)

https://www.amazon.com/About-Us-Second-Chance-Novel-ebook/dp/B084SP8KF1/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=about+us+elizabeth+seckman&qid=1582301994&sr=8-1

Jemi Fraser has a new release, DANCING WITH DEMENTIA. Here's a blurb: Dementia slammed

into our family a few years ago. It took us by surprise and we missed a lot of clues. The book Dancing With Dementia is the story of our journey through the early stages of the disease.

Throughout the book, we share tips of what worked to help our Mom combat the disease. We share what didn’t work. What made us laugh and what made us cry. And here's a few links:

Amazon.com           Amazon.ca.          Apple Books.           Barnes & Noble          Kobo.     

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

IWSG POST

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday is officially Insecure Writer's Support Group Day.

I'm excited to be a co-host this month. The co-hosts this month are Jacqui Murray, Lisa Buie-Collard, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, (me) and Shannon Lawrence! 

Optional Question: Other than the obvious holiday traditions, have you ever included any personal or family traditions/customs in your stories?

My latest story, which I talked about last month, is about a 15-year-old Mexican-American teen who finds a strange button that turns out to be a magical implement. I have been a part of my late husband's Mexican-American family for over 30 years, and I did include her cooking some of the Mexican dishes that I learned from my mother-in-law in a few scenes. That's all I've included so far of my own traditions.

What traditions/customs have you included?

E.M. and CARRIE'S GUEST POST

Here's a blurb of IN THE SHADOW OF THE SUN from Goodreads:

It’s 1661 in Paris, and magicians thrill nobles with enchanting illusions. Exiled in France, 17-year-old Henriette of England wishes she could use her magic to gain entry at court. Instead, her plan is to hide her magical talents, and accept an arranged marriage to the French king’s younger brother.

Henriette soon realizes her fiancé prefers the company of young men to hers, and court magicians turn up killed by a mysterious sorcerer who uses forbidden magic. When an accident forces Henriette to reveal her uniquely powerful gift for enchantments to Louis, he asks for her help: she alone can defeat the dark magician threatening his authority and aid his own plans to build the new, enchanted seat of his power - the Palace of Versailles.

Now here's E.M. and Carrie!

EM Castellan to Carrie Pestritto:

  

1. What was it about IN THE SHADOW OF THE SUN that made you offer representation?

The writing and the story absolutely captivated me. You created a really fun world that felt decadent and lush, not to mention your characters’ voices were fantastic. Normally when I read requested manuscripts, I take notes as I go on areas/elements to revise, but with IN THE SHADOW OF THE SUN, I was so caught up that I just sat back and read straight through!

2. Being a literary agent requires an incredible range of skills. How do you manage to juggle everything in the course of a day? And what do you enjoy most about your job?

I think the key thing to note is that I definitely don’t get everything done in the course of a day that I want to! There is always more to do. I am very organized, though, and that helps a lot. 

While I’m in the office, I mostly work on administrative tasks (looking through contracts, rights lists, submissions, royalties, emails, etc.) and audio-related duties (since I am also LDLA’s audio rights director).  Actual reading is usually done at night and during my daily commutes!

What I enjoy most about being an agent are the achievement highs.  Finding an awesome manuscript; signing a new client I’m excited about; selling something to a great publisher; getting starred reviews—all those moments are what make it worthwhile and leave me feeling on top of the world!

3. You’re an editorial agent. Would you say that working with your clients on their manuscripts is the most important part of your job?

It definitely is an important part of what I do, but not the MOST important. I think the more

critical aspects of my job revolve around career advice, marketplace knowledge, and contracts.  I do like jumping on phone calls with my clients for brainstorming sessions (those are always a lot of fun and very productive), but I specifically choose to work with authors who are already strong revisers, so that when I give them big-picture feedback, they can run off and do amazing things with it without much hand-holding…like you, Eve!

4. In a submission, what is it that makes you want to request the full manuscript? The concept? The query? The pages?

I know it sounds basic, but the writing. More than the concept, more than the characters, more than the plot, whenever something has a really fantastic voice that blows me out of the water, I’m hooked.  For instance, when I first read the query for Mara Fitzgerald’s BEYOND THE RUBY VEIL, I was on the fence—the plot seemed kind of out-there and I didn’t know if I wanted something that was that wacky and dark—but then I read her opening pages and fell head-over-heels in love.  Her writing was just out-of-this-world and immediately made me a super fan.

  

5. What are you looking for at the moment?

I'm a little full on YA right now, so on the children’s side, definitely more upper MG.  For adult, I’m looking for rom-coms and romance, cozy mysteries, domestic suspense, thrillers, commercial fiction, and narrative nonfiction.  Diversity is a big priority for me, as well as finding projects that are fresh and high-concept. 

To get a more in-depth idea of what I'm interested in, people can always check out my #MSWL.

6. What upcoming releases from clients are you most excited about now?

Well, I’m obviously soooo excited for IN THE SHADOW OF THE SUN!  I’m also looking forward to Shauna Holyoak’s KAZU JONES AND THE COMIC BOOK CRIMINAL, Robyn Gigl’s BY WAY OF SORROW, Mara Fitzgerald’s BEYOND THE RUBY VEIL, and Kalyn Josephson’s THE CROW RIDER!

Carrie Pestritto to EM Castellan:

1. What about my background and/or our interactions made you decide to sign with me?

I knew from my research that you had experience in the publishing industry. When I signed with you, you had already been working for a literary agency for more than 5 years, and you had sold books in my genre and category, which was really important to me. Additionally, your enthusiasm for my book, as well as your willingness to answer all my questions, was very reassuring to me. 

2. By the time you send me something to look at, it’s usually pretty polished.  What are some behind-the-scenes things you do when writing or revising that I don’t know about?

Before writing a first draft, I spend a lot of time planning, doing research, and generally thinking about the story. I need to have a clear vision of what the characters and plot are going to be before I even sit down to write. I also don’t like having anyone read my manuscript before it’s quite polished. As a result, the story will go through several rounds of revisions before I even ask critique partners, beta readers, and you, to read a draft.

3. What have you found most helpful about having an agent, outside of editorial help and contract negotiation? 

Publishing is a complex world, and I have found that having someone to guide me through it is invaluable. As a debut author, it’s hard to know what expectations to have, and having an agent saying ‘this is normal’, or ‘I know who to ask to answer your question’ is incredibly useful.

4. How do you decide which books to pursue?  How much do your own interests factor in as opposed to marketplace trends?

I have a lot of ideas for potential books. When it’s time to focus on a new project, I try to see which ideas I’m most fond of, and which ones are easier to pitch. From there I narrow my list down to 3-4 pitches, which I send to you – and you can then tell me which one has the most potential. I have to love a project to be able to write it, but I’m also mindful of marketplace trends.

5. What are you working on next?

When I’m not working on the last edits of the sequel to IN THE SHADOW OF THE SUN, I’m getting ready to draft a secret new project. It’s another YA Historical Fantasy, set in a time period I love, and with what I hope is a fun magic system!

6. What is the most important writing craft or tool you’ve learned to use, e.g. sparkling dialogue, making sure to show instead of tell, etc.?

Learning to show instead of tell was definitely an important step in my writing journey. Historical Fantasy requires descriptions, and I’m always keen to bring a world to life rather than just describe it. I also find subtly weaving backstory into the story very important, in order to avoid the infamous ‘info-dumping’. Lastly, I’m always mindful of pace when writing a YA book. I find it’s important to grab the reader’s attention – and to keep it for as long as possible!

Carrie’s links:

ldlainc.com/about

literarycarrie.wixsite.com/blog

https://twitter.com/literarycarrie

EM’s links:

http://emcastellan.com/

http://twitter.com/EMCastellan

http://pinterest.com/emcastellan/

http://www.facebook.com/EMCastellan

http://www.wattpad.com/user/EMCastellan

Thanks for sharing all your advice, E.M. and Carrie!

E.M. and her publisher have generously offered a hardback of IN THE SHADOW OF THE SUN and Carrie has offered a query critique for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment through March 21st.  If you do not want to be included in the critique giveaway, please let me know in the comments. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter either contest.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog or follow me on Twitter, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. The book giveaway is U.S. and the query critique giveaway is International.

Here's what's coming up:

Monday, March 9 I have an interview with debut author Tanya Guerrero and a giveaway of her MG contemporary HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE SEA

Saturday, March 14 I am participating in the Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop 

Monday, March 16 I have an interview with author Beverly McClure and a giveaway of her YA contemporary GABE'S GUARDIAN ANGEL

Monday, March 18 I have an agent spotlight interview with Ann Rose and a query critique giveaway

Monday, March 25 I have an interview with debut author Alechia Dow  and giveaway of her YA sci-fi THE SOUND OF STARS

Hope to see you on Monday!