A Micro Synopsis competition is no small feat - it's HUGE! And a real test of a writer's ability to use economy of words. So YA agent John Cusick from S©ott Treimel NY (can check out his tweets here and an interview with him here), wants you to woo him with not a one page synopsis, but a THREE SENTENCE synopsis that covers the set-up, story and ending (you don't have to give away a twist/ending - but a taste of it to spark interest).
Example to help you get your head around the concept of a micro synopsis without spoilers (I'm not entering the competition, but I am querying this MS, which John has already seen anyway):
Eighteen-year-old heart transplant recipient Mishca Richardson is plagued by terrible nightmares after her operation and a burning desire to find her birth parents, something that has never bothered her before. She ignores her dreams, as well as the new found speed and strength that have come with her new heart, and tries to focus on love with fellow adoptee Ryder. But when she meets her university lecture, Collin Reed, and falls in love with him the moment she sees him, it begins a chain of events that will lead her to the truth about her past and her new heart.
You also need to include (post your entries in the comments):
Your name
Your email
Promo link (blog post preferred, but if you don't blog you can tweet it or pop it on FB/Google+)
Genre
Age Group (open to MG, 8 - 12, & YA, 13 - 18, only)
Word Count
The manuscript must be complete and ready for querying. John is open to nearly any genre, but says High Fantasy (dragons, dwarfs and elves) and Vampires are a hard sell at the moment, so you probably won't get a request if you enter a MS in one of those areas.
There's no limit on the number of entries (yes you can enter multiple times if you have more than one MS), but you MUST be a follower of the blog.
The all important prizes! The winner will get a full MS request and two runners up will get a request for the first 30 pages of their MS.
Remember this is NOT a pitch contest, so don't just condense your query. The contest will be open until midnight 11 August. So start shrinking your synopsis!
So you want us to post them here? It doesn't say.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I imagine some will be wary of posting their ending, etc., online. Just sayin'.
You guys are killing me here! It was hard enough to condense 78K words into 600 for my real synopsis, this is quite a challenge! Luckily my genre doesn't fit, so I can take a cop out LOL.
ReplyDeleteI agree with S. Kyle about posting the ending. In the event that one of the entries gets published, the winner's ending will already be out there in the world. That kind of stinks.
Thanks for the contest :)
ReplyDeleteYour name: Marquita Hockaday
Your email: marquita_hockaday@yahoo.com
Promo link: http://seepamwrite.blogspot.com (will be posted by Friday morning).
Genre: Historical
Age Group: YA
Word Count: @70,000
Title: In Limbo
Synopsis: Syl Houston is a white boy living in urban Virginia with no goals and no desire to do anything more than steal from pawn shops for money; Sarah Justine Meyer is an African American girl living in the country who only wants to get out of Virginia and make it big in Hollywood. When Syl begins to lose people due to the Spanish Influenza and World War I, his world collides with SJ and they travel across the country to follow their dreams. During their journey they survive money woes, racial discrimination, and the police, only to be thwarted by the Spanish Influenza once again.
Yes, please post your entries as comments right here! :)
ReplyDeleteAnd please do NOT give away the endings! Just give enough of a taste to spark interest. Use your own best judgement and creativity for the three sentences.
Your name: Francesca Zappia
ReplyDeleteYour email: francesca.zappia42@yahoo.com
Promo link: http://zapslobstertank.blogspot.com/2011/08/agent-contest.html
Genre: Science Fiction
Age Group: YA
Word Count: ~85,000
Title: THE NOCTURNIAN
Synopsis: In the year 3029, the Government and the Pirates fight over the hemisphere’s remaining landmass and Amity Hager, the new host of the alien Watcher. The Government wants her to kill the Pirates’ immortal captain, Damien Faust; the Pirates want to keep her safe. Amity, who spent a lifetime learning to trust the Government, must reevaluate her beliefs as the Pirates take her around the hemisphere and reveal the truths of the Government’s power.
Great idea for a contest challenge! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYour name: Katrina Lantz
Your email: katrina (dot) lantz (at) gmail.com
Promo link: http://www.katrinalantznovelist.blogspot.com (will be posted by Friday morning).
Genre: Fantasy Adventure
Age Group: MG
Word Count: 40,000
Title: Drats! Foiled Again!
Synopsis: Being the only good twin in a hatchery school for villains makes Robert prime fodder for the headmaster's Villain Rehabilitation Program. When his properly evil twin Rupert gets passed over for valedictorian, he takes his revenge on the headmaster, getting both brothers banished and nearly killed. Robert's new allies across Blackbramble Forest shed light on the headmaster's secret plot for world domination, but there's barely enough time to rally the forces of good and evil before The Earl's terrible plan goes live and the secret war between Heroes and Villains spills into the Ordinaries' world.
Your name: Leigh Ann Kopans
ReplyDeleteYour email: leighannkopans (at) gmail (dot) com
Promo link: http://www.leighannkopans.com/2011/08/contests-contests-everywhere.html
Genre: Science Fiction
Age Group: Young Adult
Word Count: 81,000
Title: THE TRAVELERS
Micro-synopsis: On her eighteenth birthday, Nik learns she is a Traveler, someone who can move through history to change Events for the better. When Nik and another Initiate, Davis, find themselves repeatedly and uncontrollably pulled back to the same dangerous Events, they realize that Events themselves need them to stop the deranged Director of Traveler's City from Traveling to bring her husband back from the dead. Their attempts to thwart her plans end in tragedy and shocking discoveries, and Nik and Davis come to question everything they thought to be true about Traveler's City and their future there.
Thank you so much for the opportunity, Mr. Cusick, Ms. Johnston, and YATopia!
Your name - Kimberly Miller
ReplyDeleteYour email - kimberlymillerpa@aol.com
Promo link - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1353348262
Genre – sci-fi adventure
Age Group - MG
Word Count – 32,000
Synopsis - Thirteen-year-old TRINITY BISHOP lied about getting abducted by aliens to avoid punishment for coming home late one day, so when she discovers real aliens stranded on an island during vacation, her parents don't believe her. Together with her friends MAYA and NICK, Trinity sets out to prevent the aliens from attacking her cruise ship to get the diamonds they need to power their busted ship. But when the aliens abduct Nick and demand an exchange of the diamonds for the human, Trinity must find a way to save Nick and her fellow cruisers before her next tale of alien abduction happens to be true.
Your name: Cara Ruegg
ReplyDeleteYour email: cararuegg@yahoo.com
Promo link: http://carawritesanddreams.blogspot.com/2011/08/yatopia-contest.html
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Age Group: YA
Word Count: 75k
Ashlin has always lived a somewhat unnoticeable life, preferring invisibility to popularity, but then she encounters Priscilla, a muse with the ability to transport artists into a world known as Inspiria. As if being transported to this strange, new world isn't enough, Ashlin also finds that her mother was the queen of muses, making Ashlin half-artist, half-muse and the next in line to the throne.
Thank you for your time!
Name: Elizabeth Arroyo
ReplyDeleteEmail: elizabeth.arroyo5@gmail.com
Promo link: http://chandarawrites.blogspot.com/ will be posted Friday 8/5
Genre: Supernatural Horror/Thriller
Age Group: YA
Word Count: 60k
When Angel is exiled to the lake house for getting kicked out of school, she meets Jake and she's unexpectedly drawn to him, which means she doesn't have the urge to beat him up, a good sign considering her brother's an angel and she's...well, she doesn't know exactly what she is. After her friends begin to commit murder or fall victim to a murder, she believes that the demons have come for her. However, her soul is not the only thing up for grabs, but something far worse.
Thanks for the opportunity!
Your name: Kelley Gerschke
ReplyDeleteYour email: kger215(at)gmail(dot)com
Promo link: http://getbetweenthebookends.blogspot.com
Genre: Contemporary Adventure
Age Group: YA
Word Count: 110K
Ava Shore is thrown servitude after watching her government murder her mother. She spends three years in captivity and then reemerges into civilization only to have the King’s murder placed on her head. She receives protection from the most feared gang in the land and must battle against becoming what everyone thinks she is, the “CrownKiller” while finding the fervor to fight the oppression that gave her that title.
Thank you so much for this opportunity!
Name: Ann Braden
ReplyDeleteE-mail: annbbraden (at) gmail(dot)com
Promo link: http://twitter.com/#!/EngagingHistory
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Age Group: YA
Word Count: 65,000
Fifteen-year-old Sally arrives in St. Petersburg, Russia focused only on her upcoming cello competition – until her host father Misha is kidnapped in retaliation for his exposé about corruption. Now when Sally plays cello, she sees visions of Russia’s past, and she’s convinced the visions contain clues to help rescue Misha. Unfortunately, deciphering the visions leads her to the upper echelons of the police department, and Sally, who has always prided herself on following the rules, realizes taking on the government is the only way to save an innocent man.
Your name: Robbin Luckett
ReplyDeleteYour email: robbinluckett (at) gmail (dot) com
Promo link: http://writewhatyaknow.com
Genre: YA Mystery
Age Group: Young Adult
Word Count: 70,000
Micro-synopsis: The mystery begins when fifteen-year-old Taylor accidentally runs across an old obituary in the attic. She discovers a connection between a newspaper article and a long ago automobile accident, which leads to a hidden adoption. Taylor must decide whether to tell the truth, at the risk of destroying her BFF's family, or stay silent -- which Taylor isn't prone to do.
Name: Lyla Lee
ReplyDeleteEmail: naseoullee@gmail.com
Promo link: http://lylawrites.blogspot.com/2011/08/yatopia-agent-contest.html
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Age Group: YA
Word Count: 98 K
Title: Nocturne
Micro-synopsis: Eighteen-year-old Gabriel Durante has served a demon for seven years as a Conduit, harvesting energy from the dead so the demon can feed on their combined energy from his body. A disastrous fire in a nightclub forces him to confront Ana, a sixteen-year-old self-proclaimed fashionista, who is the sister of one of Gabe's victims and insists on knowing what he did with her brother. After accidentally nearly killing Ana, Gabriel discovers that he is losing his humanity and (unwillingly) teams up with her and the Angel of Death in order to kill the demon that messed up his life.
Thank you for this opportunity!
Your name: Michelle Mason
ReplyDeleteYour email: mfaszoldmason(at)gmail(dot)com
Promo link (blog post preferred, but if you don't blog you can tweet it or pop it on FB/Google+): http://twitter.com/#!/michelleimason/status/99500188527374336
Genre: Adventure
Age Group (open to MG, 8 - 12, & YA, 13 - 18, only): MG
Word Count: 43,000
Micro Synopsis:
When twelve-year-old ETHAN WILLIAMS discovers a map with instructions that lead to the surface through the forbidden Deep Caves, he convinces his older sister, ALLY, and their best friend, GWEN, to help him escape the Underground City. Within hours, they’re in trouble: Gwen injures her ankle, there’s an extra tunnel that isn’t on the map, and an attack by a bat colony leaves the girls whimpering and Ethan wounded. And that’s before they find the light that isn’t the surface – the light that conceals a secret determined to trap them in a place much worse than the Underground City.
Your name: Melanie Stanford
ReplyDeleteYour email: mmstanford@hotmail.com
Promo link: http://daydreamertowriter.blogspot.com/2011/08/contests.html
Genre: Time-travel
Age Group: YA
Word Count: 83,500 est.
Micro Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old daydreamer Jessica Jacobs winds up in Crazy Medieval Land with no idea how she got there or how to get home. Trying to make the best of things, she takes a job working for a medieval diva, learns swordfighting to fend off Lord Pervy, and in the meantime, falls crazy in love with Lord Alric, AKA: knight-in-freaking-hot-armor. Together Jessica and Lord Alric must battle against mysterious traitors, power-hungry Dukes, and even Time- all trying to keep them apart.
Name: Melodie Wright
ReplyDeleteEmail: rewrighter@gmail.com
Promo link: https://twitter.com/#!/rewrighter01/status/99542428343734273
Genre: mystery
Age group: YA
Word count: 75K
Micro synopsis:
Eighteen year-old Emma hunts for the truth behind her birth mother’s murder confession. A famous bio-dad, simmering family feuds and a hostile crew of new relatives trip up her investigation, which kicks into high gear when Emma realizes Andromeda gave a false confession. Her hunt to discover who Andromeda was really protecting leads to a confrontation with a killer determined to let the truth die with Emma.
Your name: Lindsey Loucks
ReplyDeleteYour email: loucks(dot)lindsey(at)yahoo(dot)com
Promo link: http://jessesaidyes.blogspot.com/2011/08/micro-synopsis-contest.html
Genre: Horror
Age Group: YA
Word Count: 63,000
Title: The Grave Winner
Micro Synopsis: A dead prom queen climbs out of her grave because two evil sorceresses need it empty. They're looking for someone special to put inside, someone just like fifteen-year-old Leigh Baxton. If Leigh is buried in the grave, the third hinge on the door of the Core, the magical prison inside the Earth, will be broken.
Ack! Where are my manners? Thank you for this lovely contest!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't resist the challenge. Thanks for this contest!
ReplyDeleteName: Janet Johnson
Email: rjljohnson.janet@gmail.com
Promo link: http://janetsumnerjohnson.blogspot.com/2011/08/micro-synopsis-contest-at-yatopia-with.html
Genre: Contemporary
Age group: MG
Word count: 41K
Micro Synopsis:
When her best friend's house is threatened with foreclosure, ten-year-old Annie Jenkins is full of ideas to save it: selling her appendix on e-bay, winning the lottery, finding a hidden treasure, even confronting the stuffed-shirt bankers who caused the problem in the first place. One by one, her plans fail, each failure more epic than the last until she single-handedly manages to out her best friend's family secret by destroying their garden---the one they were living off of. Now Annie has to pull off her biggest plan yet . . . trick her friend's too-proud parents into accepting help.
Great contest thanks for the chance!
ReplyDeleteYour Name: Cynthia Elomaa
Your email: cindy.elomaa@gmail.com
Promo link: http://randomthoughts-myblog.blogspot.com/
Genre: contemporary
Age Group: YA
Word Count:72,954
When Tony decides to leave the gang and is given a chance for a college scholarship his world opens up to opportunities he thought were out of his reach. But, Miguel has plans to expand beyond just selling drugs and he needs the money Tico, Tony's brother stole from him in order to do it. With his brother on the run Tony must find the strength to face Miguel alone and break free of the gang with his life and his dreams intact.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteName: Kate Norris
ReplyDeleteEmail: katherynlnorris@gmail.com
Promo Link: http://twitter.com/#!/editrixkate
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Word Count: 73,000
Micro-synopsis:
When smart, prickly Emmie is accepted into a clique of hipster intellectuals and rich bitches there are some pretty choice perks—after all, studying for the SAT is more fun in a hot tub—but when Emmie's crush starts dating her mortal frenemy, she wants to quit school, crawl into a hole, and die. Emmie goes to India as an exchange student instead, but discovers that being a teenage girl in a conservative developing country has its own challenges—flocks of beggars pinch her arms until they bleed, there are men that start masturbating on the street at the sight of a white girl, and her host mom reads her mail. Emmie finally begins to enjoy her time abroad when she meets and falls for Chris, a fellow exchange student, on a month long tour of India with a multinational group of teens, but Emmie’s violent reaction to a gang of street kids in Calcutta shocks her friends, and precipitates a breakdown that just goes to show that when people say 'whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger', they’re lying.
Thanks YAtopia and John Cusik, that was a fun (and challenging!) exercise.
Thanks for this awesome contest! It was SO hard, but I'm always up for a challenge...
ReplyDeleteNAME: Kate Larkindale
EMAIL: katelarkindale(at)gmail(dot)com
LINK: http://katelarkindale.blogspot.com/2011/08/fabbo-contest.html
GENRE: YA Contemporary
AGE GROUP: Upper YA
WORD COUNT: 87 000
TITLE: Chasing the Taillights
SYNOPSIS: After their parents die in a car crash, Tony and Lucy must rely on one another despite a lifetime of resentment and differences, but there are certain secrets neither can reveal--ever. What Lucy knows about the accident sends her into a spiral of self-destruction. Only Tony’s strength can save her, but concealing his crush on his best friend, Jake, is taking its toll and Tony’s stability is dwindling with each passing day.
Your name: Linsey miller
ReplyDeleteYour email: Miller.Linsey@gmail.com
Promo link: http://nationsofthread.blogspot.com/2011/08/pitch-contest-over-at-yatopia-slowly.html
Genre: Fantasy
Age Group: Young Adult
Word Count: 75,000
Title: The Ash Plague
Synopsis: It started with a drunkard in her library shouting about a revolution in the neighboring country and an arrow in her arm a day later. Adalmund Pratt, the youngest and last person in her country able to weave the threads of magic that encompass everything, is ordered to spy on and kill the foreign army unit that murdered the Heir in the same attack that nearly crippled her, but Adalmund’s magic and past on the streets isn’t enough to prepare her for the revolution brewing. To find the man who ordered the attack, Adalmund must make an uneasy truce with Peace, the well-intentioned but dangerous leader of the revolution—even if the price of Peace is her life.
Your name: Theresa Paolo
ReplyDeleteYour email: Tmpmarkmajor@aol.com
Promo link http://theresa-foreverours.blogspot.com/2011/08/another-great-contest.html
Genre: Contemporary
Age Group: YA
Word Count:80,000
Title: Prove Me Wrong
Synopsis: Hailey just wanted to start fresh at a new school where nobody knew that she was a seventeen year old mother, but when she meets Luke her secret becomes almost impossible to keep. As their relationship deepens and Hailey’s lies continue to pile up, she decides that she wants Luke to know that the boy he thinks is her brother is actually her son, but someone beats her to it blindsiding Luke and making him realize the only girl he ever trusted purposely deceived him. All Hailey can do is sit back and wait to see if the boy she has fallen so deeply in love with will be his father’s son and walk away or prove her wrong and be the man she knows he can be.
Awesome contest! Thanks :)
Your name: Theresa Paolo
ReplyDeleteYour email: Tmpmarkmajor@aol.com
Promo link: http://theresa-foreverours.blogspot.com/2011/08/another-great-contest.html (and tweeted about it)
Genre: Contemporary
Age Group: YA
Word Count: 77,000
Title: Uncharted Territory
Synopsis: Anna’s dad probably never took in to account the impact his words would have on her when she was in the third grade or he probably never would have told her she was good enough for Ivy League, since that is what she based her entire life goals on after he was gunned down in the line of duty. Her mind was set and her schedule was jammed packed with community service and extracurricular activities, there was nothing and no one, not even her party loving best friend, that could convince her to choose her own path, that is until she meets Dean, a bitter homeless boy that is trying to come to terms with his own past. Dean’s reluctant at first when it comes to Anna, though, in time he lets her in, but when another person he let in turns up dead and he is jumped for the only paycheck he has ever earned he pushes Anna away in an attempt to keep her from getting hurt without realizing that Anna is not one who will easily be pushed away and when she goes to find him she puts herself on the tracks of danger and he is the only one who can save her.
Good luck to everyone.
Your name: Suzi McGowen
ReplyDeleteYour email: suzi.mcgowen@gmail.com
Promo link: http://suzimcgowen.blogspot.com/2011/08/in-which-there-is-micro-synopsis.html
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Age Group: YA (13-18)
Word Count: 83k
In the suburbs of Southern California, 17 year old Troll Maid is looking for a job beyond the traditional three B's (bridges, bodyguard or bouncer), yet one that is still open to trolls. The job she finds is protecting human children from Oubliette, a monster that can cause forgetfulness or death with a simple, poisonous scratch. When a human boy in her care is kidnapped, Troll Maid teams up with Oubliette to find him, and Troll Maid discovers that both monsters and heroes come in many different forms.
Name: J Elayne Hill
ReplyDeleteEmail: jehill91(at)yahoo(dot)com
Promo link: jehill.blogspot.com
Genre: Contemporary
Age Group: YA
Word Count: 71,000
Title: BREAKING UP THE GIRL
Set in suburban Alabama, at a private school, 16 year-old BRAD GARREN cheated on his girlfriend over the summer and now they’re broken up; there goes junior year – blown. His ex, DANICA, doesn’t want crap to do with him, but he’ll be damned if he gets pushed out of her life altogether, especially when she collapses at school and he discovers her health is deteriorating. All while cock-blocking, he failed to catch her skipping meals and her anxiety attacks, and now Brad just wants to put the girl he cares about back together, before he loses her forever – then she unexpectedly comes to his house to open up, on the verge of another emotional break which prompts Brad to act immediately.
Your name: Tracy N. Jorgensen
ReplyDeleteYour email: tjorg86 (at) gmail.com
Promo link: http://tracynjorgensen.blogspot.com
Genre: YA Fantasy
Age Group: YA
Word Count: 84,000
After seven assassination attempts in the last five years, Jerome Harold Prewitt III wants some answers, and he’s hoping the time-traveler known as the Girl with Brown Eyes has them. Unfortunately, the seductive witch behind the attacks has her and control of Jerome’s family. Jerome heads to the Underworld for the help, confidence, and lost records he’ll need to rescue the girl and stop the attacks.
Name: Michelle Fayard
ReplyDeleteE-mail address: mefayard(at)yahoo(dot)com
Blog address: http://michellefayard.blogspot.com/
Genre: Historical YA
Word count: 80,000 words
Parkville, Missouri, 1861, one of the most notorious pro-slavery towns on the Kansas-Missouri border. It is here sadistic Bushwacker turned slave catcher Benjamin Michaelson becomes fixated with destroying two teens who come under his control—Josepha, a slave, and Reeca Fitzgerald, the daughter of a New England abolitionist who refuses to marry him. When Reeca encourages Josepha to help conceal coded messages in quilts for those riding the Underground Railroad, both of their lives will be caught up in a web of fear and revenge when Josepha attempts to solve a mystery only hinted at by her former mistress and mammy.
Thank you very much for providing this opportunity, Mr. Cusick. I’ll be blogging about, tweeting and popping this on Facebook Aug. 8.
Sincerely,
Michelle
What a fun contest! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYour name: Luisa Perkins
Your email: luisaperkins@gmail.com
Promo link: http://kashkawan.squarespace.com/novembrance/2011/8/8/micro-synopsis-contest.html
(I have also posted a link to the contest on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy
Age Group: YA
Word Count: 81,000
Micro Synopsis:
Cathy Wright would rather not travel to hell and back to rescue her stepbrother, but she doesn’t have a choice. Years ago, Blake left his body in search of his dead mother, returning home to find that a demon had stolen his identity in his absence. His ghost now haunts his body without remembering why, and Cathy must give everything she's got to get rid of the demon and restore Blake’s body to its rightful owner.
Your name: Marquita Hockaday
ReplyDeleteYour email: marquita_hockaday@yahoo.com
Promo link: http://seepamwrite.blogspot.com/2011/08/another-contest-micro-synopsis-with.html
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Age Group: YA
Word Count: @58,000
Title: The Blues
Synopsis:
Blake Farmer just wants to go on with his life after the unsolved murder of his father over the summer, but when his best friend, Kyle—high school drug king pin—is found bludgeoned to death, Blake’s determined to figure out who did it and why. When outcast Margo insists on helping him figure out who dunnit (either a rival drug dealer, his best friend’s boyfriend, or the high school jock who Kyle was cheating with), Blake doesn’t think twice about her intentions. In the end, the answer to Blake’s questions were staring him right in the face but his own lust blinded him.
Name: Sarah Belliston
ReplyDeleteEmail: sarahbelliston(at)gmail(dot)com
Promo link: http://twitter.com/#!/sbelliston
Genre: Fantasy
Age Group: YA
Word Count: 84K
Title: The Nightmare
Synopsis:
Morgan’s last day of school ends with her brother in detention (normal), Morgan in the nurse’s office (normal), and another bruise from a bully named God (normal); then after school, a stranger invites Morgan to an island theme park (not normal), every candle at home is melted (not normal), and her mother is kidnapped (definitely not normal). To get her mom back, Morgan must keep her brother alive, learn who she can trust, and defeat a castle full of impossible monsters. But when Morgan finally enters the castle, she doesn’t know if the island is real or fake; if it’s fake then she’s crazy, and if it’s not then her mom is as good as dead.
Thank you!
Name: Misty Provencher
ReplyDeleteEmail: misty_pro at msn dot com
Promo Link: http://tinyurl.com/44wa2na
Genre: contemporary fantasy
Age Group: YA
Word Count: 82K
Title: CORNERSTONE
Synopsis:
Nalena Maxwell is called The Waste at school, because her mom seems to be some cuckoo paper hoarder, and Nali is set to keep on believing she’s a total waste too -until she receives a sign. The sign invites her to become what her mom is and has kept secret: one of the ancient Alo who are responsible for recording the memories of the dead that keep the intellectual evolution of the human race on track. The problem is that Nali has received the wrong dang sign, and now, the girl who was supposed to be a throw away has to decide if she wants to safely remain a nobody or take on the role of a nobody that steps up to help preserve the future of human life on Earth.
Your name: Scott Springer
ReplyDeleteYour email: scott(at)scottspringer(dot)com
Promo link: www.scottspringer.com
Genre: Sci-Fi - Space and Alien
Age Group: (MG, 8 - 12 / YA, 13 - 14)
Word Count: 49,000
Title: WORMHOLE
Synopsis: Jerry wants to be with Margo, Margo wants to go to space, and thanks to Jerry's rocket scientist dad, Jerry has a spaceship hidden in a barn; so it all works out, except for being pulled through the wormhole and captured by rat-like aliens—aliens who hate those other kind of aliens, the ammonia drinkers that have taken over Earth. Jerry is sent home with a mission and Margo is kept as collateral; but while Jerry is supposed to send a poisonous message to the ammonia drinking diplomat on Earth, he's a kid who can't even step on creepy spiders. Despite the stakes, he doubts he can deliver, but he tries: forces himself to lie, questions his dad's integrity, reevaluates what it means to be a hero; but in the end, will he be able to compromise his core value and kill for love; or it not, what happens then?
Name: Tricia Clasen
ReplyDeleteEmail: btclasen(at)att(dot)net
Promo link: http://tclasen.blogspot.com
Genre: Magical Realism
Age Group: MG (8-12)
Word Count: 48K
Title ANNIE WALKER, ANIMAL TALKER
Synopsis:
Twelve-year old Annie Walker thinks she’s either dreaming or going crazy when her brother’s iguana and the neighbor’s St. Bernard wake her up asking for help—that is until they both disappear. Because she possesses the rare gift of being able to talk to animals, neighborhood pets recruit her to help them fight the battle brewing against jealous wild animals. Annie doesn’t know who to trust or how she can help negotiate a truce, but when the wild animals kidnap her little brother, she’ll fight any creature in her path in order to free him.
Name: Louisa Clarkson
ReplyDeleteEmail: lc7ultraviolet(at)gmail(dot)com
Promo link: http://louisaclarkson.blogspot.com/2011/08/micro-synopsis-competition-at-ya-topia.html
Genre: MG Fantasy Adventure
Age Group: 10-12
Word-count: 55,000
Title: The Silver Strand
Synopsis: Mastermind Academy’s latest recruit, twelve year old Isabelle Tresdon has five days to save her magical, silver strand of hair before it drains her life. It’s too bad she trusts two silver-stranded tricksters, whose idea of reviving her strand blend fairytales with nightmares. Cast into two deadly tests, Isabelle battles her survival, her mother’s deceit and plays into the trickster’s game, where she makes powerful enemies that threaten her freedom and future at Mastermind Academy.
Name: Lois D. Brown
ReplyDeleteEmail: loisdbrown@rfburst.com
Promo link: Life of Lois
Genre: MG mystery
Age group: 10-12
Word Count: 30,000
Title: Catching Katil
Synopsis:
Using skills she’s learned from watching her favorite T.V. detective Magnum PI, 12-year-old Jenny launches an investigation into the murder of her neighbor's cat. Surprisingly, her quirky spy tactics work, and she uncovers a gang of criminals who live on her newspaper route and who will do anything to keep Jenny quiet. She is kidnapped and in order to escape she must face her deepest fear or share the same fate as her neighbor's dead feline.
What a fun contest...but very difficult.
ReplyDeleteName: Lauren Becker
Email: Lauren51990@aol.com
Promo Link: http://twitter.com/#!/ShootingStarMag/status/101141370416283648
Genre: YA Contemporay
Age group- 13-18
Word Count- 54,000
Title: The Heartbreak Boys
Alex and Annabelle were going to be teen parents, but that didn't mean they would give up their newborn son, Ryan, until Annabelle and her family disappear days after she gives birth. Now, Alex is desperate to forget he ever loved her while dealing with his new feelings for Eoghan, his male roommate. The two boys are desperate to make it work with just the three of them until Annabelle makes a reappearance and their secrets threaten to break them all apart.
Your name: Sarah Fiete
ReplyDeleteYour email: sarahfiete@gmail.com
Promo link: http://twitter.com/#!/SareeseFeet/status/101178087701610497
Genre: Science Fiction
Age Group: Young Adult
Word Count: 80,000
Title: BRINK OF LIFE
Synopsis: Living in suburban Starlinton, Ohio, Della and Wynne are sure their teenage years will be disappointingly normal—that is, until they meet two girls who claim to be runaway experiments. The teens decide to join these girls on a quest to find the rest of the experiments by following a trail of clues left by the cruel doctor who made them. But once they find their laboratory of birth, the doctor refuses to cease his brutal projects without a fight, and he personally sees to it that any victory they obtain is stained with tragedy and confusion.
Your name: Lucy Curtis
ReplyDeleteYour email: lucycurtiswrites@gmail.com
Promo link: http://lucycurtiswrites.blogspot.com/2011/08/microsynopsis.html
Genre: Contemporary
Age Group: YA
Word Count: 58,000
Sixteen-year-old Jenna Powell has cultivated a strategy for escaping the torment that comes with being a fat kid in a place like Gulf Breeze, Alabama through keeping just to the side of her best friend Lauren’s spotlight. It works out well for Lauren too, because her home life makes having a captive secret keeper a necessity if she wants to maintain her flawless image. But as Lauren slips deeper and deeper into an eating disorder, Jenna has to learn to step out of the shadows or lose her friend forever.
Your name: Pam Vickers
ReplyDeleteYour email: pjv2001@att.net
Promo link: http://twitter.com/#!/Pam_Vickers/status/101424717356990465
Genre: Speculative thriller
Age Group: YA
Word Count: 80,000
Title: GAME SHOW
The humans lost the war for the world twenty years ago and now the Earth is nothing but a colony to harvest resources for the alien; teens who haven’t met a desired score on their aptitude tests to be placed into a vocation are sent to Processing, where their bodies are painfully prepped for butchering, providing the aliens with the sustenance they demand. Teens assigned to Processing have only one hope at survival—be chosen to play on the reality show, Face Your Fear—winners receive freedom from Processing for their entire family and a release from the mandatory seven-day work week. GAME SHOW is the story of four teens who must face their worst nightmares in the ultimate game show; but even if they win, will the aliens allow them to survive?
Your name: Pam Vickers
ReplyDeleteYour email: pjv2001@att.net
Promo link: http://twitter.com/#!/Pam_Vickers/status/101424717356990465
Genre: Speculative thriller
Age Group: YA
Word Count: 60,000
Title: NO LONGER MY WORLD
When 17-year-old Kimmy is kidnapped by rebels, she finds her loyalty for the alien invaders that raised her and her love for the leader’s son tested as she realizes the perfect new world order might not be as it seems. Human girls are dying because of an alien government experiment run by her adopted father and it becomes clear Kimmy is the only one who can solve the problem. But which race will she choose to save: the aliens that rescued the Earth from destruction or what remains of the humans that caused it?
Your name: Tamara Heiner
ReplyDeleteYour email: tamara at byu dot net
Promo link: http://www.facebook.com/tamara.heiner
Genre: dystopian
Age Group: YA
Word Count: 63,600
Title: Rigid Steppes
When the government announces a safe-haven after a series of disasters ravage planet Earth, seventeen-year-old David knows he and his sister have to make the journey out west, no matter how dangerous it might be. But then he learns the catch: only husband and wife and children can make the trek. Desperate not to be left behind, David marries a girl from the survivors camp that he’s never met before, not realizing that her feisty attitude will soon prove harder on him than the disasters that await on the snowy steppes of the trail.
Your name: Tamara Heiner
ReplyDeleteYour email: tamara at byu dot net
Promo link: http://www.facebook.com/tamara.heiner
Genre: Urban fantasy/paranormal
Age Group: YA
Word Count: 64K
Title: Inevitable
Sixteen-year-old Jayne hates her “gift” of Sight that shows her the impending deaths of those who carry the trademark lemon smell (which, coincidentally, only she can smell). It goes from an inconvenience to a liability when she witnesses a murder through the victim’s eyes and recognizes the murderer. Suddenly Jayne is caught up in a high-stakes race to prove the murderer's identity before he makes her own death the next one on the list.
Fantastic contest! This blog was new to me, but I'll be back often.
ReplyDeleteName: Lee Ann Setzer
Email: leeannsetzer (at) me (dot) com
Link: www.lookunderthings.blogspot.com (also linked on FB)
Genre: historical fantasy
Age group: YA
Word Count: 80K
Symbol in a Thimble
Abby enjoys her new job with Chicago’s most prestigious dressmaker—until everyday objects from hoopskirts to horseshoes start glowing green and trying to kill her. If Abby is to believe the eccentric aunts who found her the job, their family is cursed, and Abby must save them all by stealing an enchanted thimble back from her mysterious employer. If Abby fails, she and all the women in her family will die; if the dressmaker catches her, she may take Abby’s body for her own.
I ran across this today by accident, and I have to say it makes me want to write a book! Thanks to everyone who posted...
ReplyDeleteYour name: Andrea Leech
ReplyDeleteYour email: hazel_tree@yahoo.com
Promo link: http://everythingsdone.wordpress.com/2011/08/11/writing-contests/
Genre: romance thriller
Age Group: YA
Word Count: 68K
Title: Storm Chasers
Jan Marco runs away from home to join a gang of motorcycle riding shape shifters. Between robbing banks, learning to fight and high speed chases, she falls in love with Dorian, the dark gifted artisan who is her mentor in the gang. When Dorian is kidnapped, Jan will either destroy the shape shifters to get him back or die trying.
Wow! What a challenge condensing to three lines! I follow this blog on live feeds… I couldn’t find a way to sign up through email. I hope that fits the bill.
ReplyDeleteName: Jennifer M. Eaton
Email: seaton21@comcast.net
Promo link http://jennifermeaton.wordpress.com/2011/08/09/yatopia-micro-synopsis-writing-contest/
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
Age Group YA
Word Count 112,000
Synopsis: Overwhelmed by the power given to him by the Great Goddess, Magellan Talbot kills hundreds of people before he erases his memory in hopes of saving the galaxy from suffering a similar fate. Undaunted, the Goddess surrounds her champion with friends who will unknowingly protect him as she maneuvers him toward the threat he was created to thwart. Without his memory, though, Magellan is vulnerable, and the Goddess must protect him from unknown enemies seeking to smother him.
Name: Alison Miller
ReplyDeleteEmail: alisonmiller20@gmail.com
Promo Link: http://alisonmiller20.blogspot.com/2011/08/did-you-know.html
Genre: Paranormal
Age Group: YA
Word Count: 73,000
Title: Envious
Seventeen year old Becky has managed to restrain her envy-induced powers for over ten years, but when her best friend supposedly kills himself, leaving no explanation, she unwittingly summons rats to rip out a cheerleader’s hair and magically blows out the tires of ten cars in the school parking lot. On top of that nightmare, she begins to experience bizarre dreams about the night he died, unleashed memories that put her at the scene of the crime. And the more she finds out about her friend’s death, the more she fears she had something to do with it.
Thanks for the opportunity!
ReplyDeleteName: Kelly Fillius
ReplyDeleteEmail: kellyfillius@att.net
Promo Link: Facebook
Genre: Contemporary
Age Group: YA
Word Count: 90,500
Boys don’t stand a chance with seventeen-year-old relationship saboteur, Jess Kaplan, after her father, the only man she ever loved, dies on her kitchen floor amidst her botched attempt to call 911. Bottling up her sorrow, Jess dupes everyone until RJ Montag intuitively winks his way into her life from the quad below the Mt. Escala High School balcony. For as long as Jess can remember, Kaplans do not consort with Montags, but RJ—with his bright-blue eyes, his shaggy just-got-out-of-the-pool-and-shook-my-head hair, and the sexy way he says her name—gives her every reason to fight the relationship saboteur within.
Sorry, I forgot the name of my novel. The title is "Hidden in Plain Sight"
ReplyDeleteAfter reading through all these fantastic microsynopses, I'm dying to know who won. Did I miss the post on this or are decisions still being made?
ReplyDeleteCritical lover of your site, a considerable variety of your blog posts have genuinely assisted me out. Hunting in the direction of updates!
ReplyDelete