Literary agent Christa Heschke of McIntosh & Otis seeks picture books and middle grade, young adult and new adult novels

McIntosh & Otis, Inc.

353 Lexington Avenue

New York, NY 10016

http://www.mcintoshandotis.com/

Established in 1928, McIntosh & Otis is an elder statesmen among American literary agencies. It’s a full-service literary agency, representing a broad range of adult and children's fiction and non-fiction.

Christa Heschke is the newest member of the team and is actively looking for new authors. Christa graduated from Binghamton University with a major in English and a minor in Anthropology. She started in publishing as an intern at both Writers House and Sterling Lord Literistic, where she fell in love with the agency side of publishing. Christa has been at McIntosh and Otis, Inc. in the Children’s Literature Department since 2009. Find her on Twitter: @ChristaHeschke

Christa is seeking picture books, middle grade, young adult and new adult projects.

She is a fan of new adult and young adult novels with a romantic angle and strong, quirky protagonists. In young and new adult, Christa is especially interested in contemporary fiction, horror and thrillers/mysteries. She’d also like to see  steampunk and fantasy (urban and high), that pushes the boundaries of what’s currently on the shelves, perhaps a new take on these genres that has yet to be seen. 

As for middle grade, Christa enjoys humorous contemporary, adventure and magical realism for boys and girls. For picture books, she’s drawn to cute, character driven stories.

Query Christa at CHquery@mcintoshandotis.com

Paste a synopsis and the first three consecutive chapters (not to exceed 25 pages) of the manuscript into the email. No attachments. Full submission guidelines here.

Brian Henry will host “From the Horse’s Mouth: Getting published or self-published” at Ryerson University on June 15 with Stacey Donaghy of the Corvisiero Literary Agency, Greg Ioannou of Iguana Books, and Patrick Crean of HarperCollins Canada (details here). To register, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Brian will also be leading “How to Build Your Story” workshops in Brampton on June 22 (see here), in Kingston on July 20 (see here), in Peterborough on July 21 (see here), in Woodstock on July 27 (see here), in Barrie on Sept 21 (see here), and in Sudbury on Sept 22.  To register, emailbrianhenry@sympatico.ca

However, before you submit, though, the best way to get your manuscript into shape is with a weekly course. This summer, Brian will be leading an Intensive Creative Writing course on Thursday evenings in Mississauga (see here) and an Exploring Creative Writing course on Thursday afternoons in Burlington (see here).  To register, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

See Brian's full schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Milton, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Orillia, Bracebridge, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

How to Build Your Story workshop, Sat, Sept 21, Barrie

“How to Build Your Story”

~ an editor & an author explain it all ~
Saturday, September 21, 2013
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Grace United Church, 350 Grove Street East, Barrie (Map here.)

This workshop will show you how writers plot a novel and will give you the best tips on writing short stories. We’ll also look at where to get your stories published and how to win contests. Best yet, you’ll see how to apply the story-building techniques you’ve learned to your own writing.

Workshop leader Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing teacher for more than 25 years. He teaches at Ryerson University and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Sarnia to Moncton. But his proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get published.

Guest speaker Lynda Simmons has published eight novels and has built a reputation for herself as an outstanding comic novelist. But her most recent novel, Island Girl (from Berkley Books, a Penguin USA imprint), represents a departure for Lynda in that it's a much more serious book. Set on the Toronto Islands, the novel recounts the emotionally riveting story of a 55-year-old mother, Ruby Donaldson, who fights to reunite her family as she struggles with the diagnosis of early on-set Alzheimer's and her determination to control her own future.

Lynda's previous novel before Island Girl was Getting Rid of Rosie (Berkley Books), which sold especially well in Germany. 

Prior to going mainstream, Lynda served her apprenticeship as an author by writing six romance novels, published by Harlequin, Silhouette and Kensington. As Lynda specializes in comic novels, it’s not surprising that her presentations are known for their humour.

At the workshop, Linda will share her insights into into plotting novels and creating a character arc. 

Fee: $38.94 + 13% hst = $44 paid in advance by mail or Interac
or $42.48 + 13% hst = $48 if you wait to pay at the door
To reserve a spot now, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

See Brian's full schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Milton, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Orillia, Bracebridge, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Brian,

I am pleased to announce that I’ve self-published my novel, The Aftermath. This is my first novel. It's based in post-war Kosova where I was privileged to serve as a microbiology consultant from 2001 to 2004.

The Aftermath is available from Kindle, iBooks, Kobo, Nook books, and Sony eBookstore

Steve
J. Stephen Thompson

www.jstephenthompson.ca

Hi, Brian.
Hope your workshops are going well. Really enjoyed your latest in London on Young Adult Writing.

Wondered if you could give me a mention in your newsletter of my second novel, The Scorpion recently released by in paperback by Amazon Createspace and Kindle ebook. Here's my press release: 

The Toronto Daily Express chronicles continue bringing more news, murder, action and romance.

London, Ontario, author James A. Anderson has published his second Canadian thriller, which is set in the world of big city newspapers. 

The Scorpion (self-published with Amazon’s CreateSpace) is a sequel to Deadline (Lulu Publishing, see here). The Scorpion is a terrorist. A nameless, faceless killer leading a team that plans to attack North America, bringing death and destruction in a daring scheme called Operation Saladin. 

Reporter Katie Cannon and Daily Express Publisher Andrew Chase are planning their wedding, but their happy day may bring more than they expect. 

The Scorpion is $11.99 paperback and $2.99 Kindle ebook. It is available from Amazon here.

Thanks and best wishes,
Jim

See Brian Henry's schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Milton, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Orillia, Bracebridge, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Three writing contests, including a Free poetry contest

The Poetry Foundation Ghana invites entries for inaugural (2013) Ghana Poetry Prize. Prize: $1000. The aim of this prize is to support younger emerging poets. Open to international entrants. Submit up to two poems, 30 lines max. This is a free contest; no entry fee.

Deadline: June 30, 2013. Guidelines here.

The mission of ArtAscent is to promote artists of images and words, and connect them with art lovers. This is accomplished by art and writing competitions, art magazine publication, and artist and writer directories. Each competition is theme based, with the intent to showcase diverse creative explorations of that theme via various media, including paintings, drawings, photography, mixed media, installations, ceramics, jewelry, sculpture, poems and stories. Competition winners are included in our publications and directories.

For Writers, Art Ascent currently invites Entries are invited for the Emergence International Literature Competition. First prize: $50. Theme: Mother Earth – environmentalism, spirituality, wellness, cultural unity and responsibility. Entries may include fiction, non-fiction, poetry, short stories and other written explorations (up to 500 words). 

Deadline: June 30, 2013. Entry fee: $7. Guidelines here.

 

The Eden Mills Writers' Festival Literary Contest

Update, June 13, 2013: The deadline for this contest has been extended to July 30 and the prize has been increase to $250.

Open internationally to new and modestly published writers, ages 16-plus. Submit a short story (2500 words max.), poetry collection (of 5 poems or less), or one-act play. The best entry in each category will win a $100 prize.

Margaret Atwood chilling at the Eden Mills
Festival in 2006

Entry Requirements:
Include four copies of each submission.
On a cover page, include title, with your name address, phone number, and email. Name and contact info should not appear on other copies.
Manuscripts will not be returned.
Finalists will be notified prior to the Festival, and winners will be announced at the Festival.

Submission Fee: $15 per entry. Cheques to be made payable to EDEN MILLS WRITERS’ FESTIVAL. A combination of entries may be sent in one envelope with one payment for all entries; e.g.., a short story and a poetry collection, and $30.

To Submit, mail four copies to:

Laurel Marsolais, 39 Bushmills Cres., Guelph, ON  N1K 1T6

Submission deadline: June 30.  

New deadline: July 31, 2013

For more information email lmlmarso@gmail.com or visit www.edenmillswritersfestival.ca

See Brian Henry's schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Milton, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Orillia, Bracebridge, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Intensive Creative Writing course, Wed afternoons, Sept 18 – Dec 4 in Burlington

Intensive Creative Writing

An adventure in creative growth

Fall session

Wednesday afternoons, Sept 18 – Dec 4, 2013

12:15 to 2:45

First set or readings emailed Sept 11
Appleby United Church, 4407 Spruce Ave, Burlington, Ontario. (Map here.)

Note: "Intensive Creative Writing" will also offered Wednesday evenings in Mississauga and a similar but marginally less demanding course, "The Next Step in Creative Writing,” will be offered on Thursday afternoons in Mississauga (at the border with Oakville) and Thursday evenings in Georgetown. For details email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

This course is for people who are working on their own writing. Over the eight classes, you’ll be asked to bring in four pieces of your writing for detailed feedback. All your pieces may be from the same work, such as a novel in progress, or they may be stand alone pieces. You bring whatever you want to work on.

Besides critiquing pieces, the instructor will give short lectures at the start of each class, addressing the needs of the group.

In addition to learning how to critique your own work and receiving constructive suggestions about your writing, you’ll discover that the greatest benefits come from seeing how your classmates approach and critique a piece of writing and how they write and re-write. This is a challenging course, but extremely rewarding.

Instructor Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing teacher for more than 25 years. He teaches at Ryerson University and has led writing workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Sarnia to Charlottetown. But his proudest boast is that he's helped many of his students get published.

Fee: $181.42 plus 13% hst = $205 Payment in advance by mail or Interac.
Note: These courses usually fill up, so enroll early to avoid disappointment.

To reserve a spot now, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

See Brian's full schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Milton, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Orillia, Bracebridge, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Two agents at Waxman Leavell seek new authors

Waxman Leavell Literary Agency

443 Park Ave South #1004

New York, NY 1006

http://www.waxmanleavell.com/

 Two agents at Waxman Leavell Literary are actively looking for new authors.  

William Callahan of Waxman Leavell Literary is from Iowa City, Iowa. He went to the University of Iowa and Fordham University and previously worked at InkWell Management.

Here’s what Callahan has to say:

The point of my job, as I see it, is to show my clients what is possible. Whether that means diving in and helping shape a manuscript, develop a new idea, or make sure that publishers are doing everything they can for the health of the book, I’m here to create opportunities and nurture success for my authors. 

Luckily, it’s what I love to do.

I bring a strong development-based approach to agenting, and there’s nothing better to me than finding a new voice and working with that author to best put his or her vision on the page. 

I’m also drawn to authors who sound on the page like he or she is a character in real life: whether in great crime thrillers, or memoir, or history, my chief interest is in finding authors telling stories in new and compelling ways. 

The authors I’ve worked with have included winners of PEN awards, National Magazine Awards, Fulbright grants, CWA Daggers--as well as many first-time and unpublished authors. Recent titles include Daniel Stern's SWINGLAND, Marie Myung-Ok Lee's FIRST-BORN SON, Christobel Kent's THE DEAD SEASON, Timeri Murari's THE TALIBAN CRICKET CLUB, and Robert Zorn's CEMETERY JOHN.

Callahan is currently most interested in narrative nonfiction and memoir, comedy and pop culture, and American history. For fiction, he represents crime and commercial thrillers, and literary fiction.

Query Callahan at williamsubmit@waxmanleavell.com

For fiction, include 5 – 10 pages of your manuscript in the body of your email. No attachments.

Rachel Vogel says,“I am interested in fiction that pays equal attention to both the voice and the story, and am particularly drawn to literary fiction that pops off the page, upmarket thrillers and mysteries, “book club” books, and novels with a fantastic/paranormal element that reach beyond genre.

“In nonfiction, I’m on the lookout for subject-driven narratives, memoirs and biography and journalism. Some of the books I’ve represented include Rebecca Dana’s memoir Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blond (Amy Einhorn/Putnam), the debut novel Race Across the Sky by Derek Sherman (Plume), a narrative nonfiction work about the Japanese tsunami and earthquake disaster Strong in the Rain by Lucy Birmingham and David O’Neill (Palgrave), and the first authorized biography of Jonas Salk, Jonas Salk: American Icon, Scientific Outcast (Oxford University Press)."

Query Rachel at rachelsubmit@waxmanleavell.com

For fiction, include 5 to 10 pages of your manuscript pasted into the body of your email. No attachments.

Full submission guidelines here.

Brian Henry will host “From the Horse’s Mouth: Getting published or self-published” at Ryerson University on June 15 with Stacey Donaghy of the Corvisiero Literary Agency, Greg Ioannou of Iguana Books, and Patrick Crean of HarperCollins Canada (details here). To register, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

On Saturday, June 22, Brian will lead a “How to Build Your Story” workshop in Brampton, with guest speaker Lynda Simmons (details here). To register, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

However, before you submit, though, the best way to get your manuscript into shape is with a weekly course. This summer, Brian will be leading Intensive Creative Writing courses on Tuesday afternoons in Burlington (details here) and on Thursday evenings in Mississauga (details here).  To register, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

See Brian's full schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Milton, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Orillia, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

“Remembrance Day in Lion’s Head” by Sally Wylie

Remembrance Day in Lion’s Head

November 2012

Our impatient feet knead the soft ground freshly soaked with rain

sinking slightly,

 we wonder how soaked the shoes will get,

unfocused

until the pastor reads ... in Flander’s Fields.

What of those soldiers’ feet, their boots worn thin,

with holes, no soles

 too big, too small,

the winter mud and freezing snow

cordite in their face, plugging their nose;

not like here,

on a clear November morning watching wreathes held by old hands.

Next to us, just on the other side of the fence, a clothes line of t-shirts catches the wind,

then the long-sleeved white shirts,

they fill with wind, long arms dangling,  

row on row

waving  to the crowd of townsfolk  clustered with the veterans, the trumpeter and the vicar.

The shirts, straining against the clothespins, stretch out, as if calling

“Remember me”, they flutter … ghosts in empty sleeves.

*

Sally Wylie has recently retired from her career in Early Childhood Education.  In 2012, she co-authored her 4th edition of Observing Young Children:  Transforming early learning through reflective practice with Nelson Publishing.  She has published numerous articles in Canadian journals on subjects relating to early childhood.  Every summer you will find her and her husband working the ramp at air shows in Ontario and New York.  Happily much of her time involves fun times with their grandchildren. When she’s not traveling or doing Tai Chi, Sally enjoys writing.

See Brian Henry's schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Milton, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Orillia, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.