Writing The Next Chapter . . .

- 2017 Pitch Wars Wishlist -

I am looking for…

u YA thrillers and mysteries! Send me all your unreliable narrators, thieves, liars, assassins, and spies! But make sure they have a reason for their shady actions and questionable behavior, be it revenge or the intellectual thrill of a well-planned heist. No evil just for the sake of being evil, please. Both YA historical fiction and YA fantasy (think SIX OF CROWS) are welcome in this genre.

u Contemporary! I would love to see a fun YA contemporary with super smart characters and a voice that pulls me in from the first sentence. Does your protagonist code? Is she intrigued by the physics of time-travel? Is your antagonist fascinated by the chemistry behind crime-scenes? Will your brilliant underachievers make me laugh? I love them already. I have a sense of humor and adore witty banter between characters. Bonus points if I'm laughing and crying at the same time.

u Swoony kissing? Not 100% essential, but intense romance that gets my heart beating wildly? Think IF I STAY, and I will say YES, PLEASE!

u Siblings! Imagine me rolling out the red carpet for your complicated, messy sibling story, especially if it involves family secrets, lies, and/or impossible choices. And sometimes the families we create are not the families we are born into. I want to hear those stories, too.

u Diversity! Please don't hesitate to submit a manuscript whose characters are people of color. I am interested in experiences outside my own. Take me away from the shore of Lake Michigan to a place I've never been. Or, bring me to LA, or Africa, or New York, or London and let me see these places through your eyes. I will not shy away from mental health issues and am fascinated by medicine. A few years ago I took Anatomy & Physiology at a community college FOR FUN! As for LGBTQ+, if you have written the next LAST SEEN LEAVING please send it to meeeeee!

(Please note that I can only accept YA manuscripts.)

About me, Jenny Chou

In 2015 I was a Pitch Wars mentee,
privileged to work with two AMAZING mentors,

Erica Chapman (TEACH ME TO FORGET)
and Brenda Drake (THIEF OF LIES).

I signed with my agent Steven Chudney of The Chudney Agency in the spring of 2016, and my YA thriller about Raj and Sasha, a brother and sister team of jewel thieves, is currently on submission. I write in a plant-filled sunroom at my house in Wisconsin, where I live with my husband, two teen daughters, and my research assistant, Dylan, who never hesitates to express his honest opinion of my work.

For seventeen years I held the world’s best job (besides writer or jewel thief): Indie bookseller, and until recently I interned for a literary agent. To add intrigue to my life, I keep his name top-secret. Lucky me, though, I had the chance to watch a manuscript move through the publishing process from early revisions, to an auction, to a deal, to publication day and a spot on The New York Times bestseller list! During my two years as an intern, I learned how to break apart a manuscript as an agent might, with an eye toward considering each character’s role in the story, as well as evaluating the plot, pacing, setting, and writing. I read each manuscript at least two times, often three, and looked closely for inconsistencies and problem areas. In my reader reports I offered suggestions along with my critique of the work. This will be my job as your mentor, though ultimately, you are the writer, and the novel is yours. My ideas are yours to accept or reject.

About You!

I'm already proud of you for taking your work seriously enough to write a whole entire novel and enter it into Pitch Wars! Welcome to this amazing community of writers. As a mentee, you can expect an in-depth edit letter similar to the reader reports I wrote as an intern. We will work together to polish your manuscript, and I will be available to reread scenes while you revise, discuss characterization, and offer more suggestions to fix sticky plot-points. Together we will ratchet up the tension on every page and make the most of every plot twist!

Your Query Letter

Please make sure your stakes are clear! If PROTAGONIST is stopped from doing X, then BAD THING will happen. Example: If Harry is stopped from finding the Sorcerer's Stone, the man who killed Harry's parents will return to life.

Recent Books I Loved

SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo

THE GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO VICE AND VIRTUE by Mackenzie Lee

ONE OF US IS LYING by Karen McManus

RAMONA BLUE by Julie Murphy

YOU'RE WELCOME, UNIVERSE by Whitney Gardner

THE HATE U GIVE by Angie Thomas

CITY OF SAINTS AND THIEVES by Natalie Anderson

MY SISTER ROSA by Justine Larbalestier

THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR by Nicola Yoon

LAST SEEN LEAVING by Caleb Roehrig

PHANTOM LIMBS by Paula Gardner

THE SERPENT KING by Jeff Zentner

FIRST & THEN by Emma Mills

UNDER A PAINTED SKY by Stacey Lee

KILL THE BOY BAND by Goldy Moldavsky
LIARS INC. by Paula Stokes
SplAT! by Origami Trepicchio - Kobzik
(Winner of the 2017 Drake Award for Excellence in 140 character fiction for Young Adults.)

For more information on what I like to read,
find me on Goodreads.

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

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