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Critique My Novel
Manuscript editing, proofreading, and critique service
Critique My Novel
Amarillo, TX 79102
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Ink & Insights 2015
Meet The Judges
Here are the people who will be reading all of your wonderful stories.
Elizabeth Badovinac
Liz has been a freelance editor for nearly two years, working with projects ranging from short stories and novels to large-scale corporate and academic projects. In addition to critiquing manuscripts, she has also ghostwritten dozens of successful novels in both nonfiction and fiction.
With a BA in English/Creative Writing from Hope College, Liz has worked as a journalist, academic writer, freelancer, and fiction enthusiast (that’s a job, right?). With a diverse range of interests and skills, she enjoys reading and has experience editing and writing a multitude of genres. In-between writing for others and editing manuscripts, she is working on her debut novel, set to be finished next year.
New to Ink & Insights, Liz looks forward to providing honest feedback while exploring new worlds, meeting new characters, and helping contestants grow as writers.
Liz will be concentrating on the following genres for this contest:
- Romance
- Western
- Young Adult
- Fantasy
- Paranormal
- Religious
- Memoir
- Biography
Tania Brown
Tania is a freelance editor, poet, and author. She studied Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania and uses cultural and philosophical themes in her writing. An avid reader, Tania frequently digests writing craft books and enjoys helping writers make the most of their words. As a freelance editor, Tania has experience with both fiction and non-fiction work. She enjoys reading a variety of genres.
Tania will be concentrating on the following genres for this contest:
- Dystopian
- Magical Realism
- Literary
- Nonfiction
- Romance
- Historical
- Young Adult
Melissa HarrMelissa has four years of full-time experience in the field of writing and editing; she holds a B.A. in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her published works span a variety of genres, including Arts and Crafts, Travel, and Education. In addition to working with both novice and experienced authors as a writing coach and editor, she has taught prep courses for the reading and writing sections of the SAT.
An avid reader from a young age, Melissa has an undeniable enthusiasm for working with writing and language. She believes every writer can grow through constructive feedback, and she aims to make the editing process a positive experience.
Melissa will be concentrating on the following genres in this contest:
- Fantasy
- Science Fiction
- Horror
- Mystery
- Thriller/Suspense
- Nonfiction
Victoria JonesVictoria holds a B.A. in English from the State University of New York at New Paltz. She is currently a high school English and Special Education teacher. She has been a freelance editor for the past four years and specializes in working with novice authors.
Victoria has always been an avid reader of genres spanning the spectrum and is a frequent creative writer. She works to make the writing and editing process as constructive and positive as possible, as she strives to do daily with her students.
Victoria will be concentrating on the following genres for this contest:
- Fantasy
- Science Fiction
- Horror
- Mystery
- Thriller/Suspense
- Romance
- Crime
Erin LongErin is a full-time freelance writer, editor, and book designer. She has worked on bestselling romance, new adult, and sci-fi titles. As a ghostwriter, her work has appeared on the websites of The Huffington Post, The New York Times, and Forbes, among others. She's also the author of America by Train, a travelogue, and the forthcoming Wordsmith's Guide to Publishing.
As a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College's prestigious creative writing program, she knows what makes a story tick. This is her first year as a judge with CMN.
Erin will be concentrating on the following genres for this contest:
- Horror
- Young Adult
- Middle Grade
- Paranormal
- Mystery
- Science Fiction
- Fantasy
- Erotica
- Steampunk
Risana MalikRisana is an English literature major currently studying at BRAC University in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She is also a part-time copy editor and high-school drama instructor. This is her second year as a judge for CMN.
As a reader from a very early age, Risana has always been interested in the mechanics of storytelling and engaging audiences. She began writing in her early teens for the youth publication of the national newspaper. From there, she branched out to articles, book reviews and ad copy. She has since moved to editing and instructing alongside her own work, with hopes of nudging more people in the direction of the page and the stage.
Risana’s literary interests include children’s and YA literature, magical realism and environmental fiction.
Risana will be concentrating on the following genres for this contest:
- Comedy/ satire
- Romance
- Children’s literature
- Young Adult
- Erotica
- Women’s fiction
- Environmental fiction
- Fantasy
- Historical fiction
- Supernatural
- Magical realism
Susana PenaSusana Pena is a freelance writer, proofreader, book reviewer, and translator. She previously worked for the Harris County Public Library in Houston, TX for 11 years, so she is used to being surrounded by books. While working there, she gained knowledge about different authors and genres. She also had the opportunity to travel several times to Guadalajara, Mexico for their annual book fair. She usually reads a book a week and also listens to audio books during her spare time.
Susana also attended the University of Houston and she has a Bachelor’s in Psychology, with a minor in Business Administration.
Susana will be concentrating on the following genres for this contest:- Romance
- Mystery
- True Crime
- Historical
- Erotica
- Psychological
- Memoirs
- YA
- Biographies
Sean Rogers
Sean received a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies with concentrations in English Literature, Linguistics, and Rhetoric from Western Michigan University. He uses the knowledge of grammar, technique, and style that this provided in his work with others’ writing as well as his own. Throughout his undergraduate degree, he has helped writers compose, improve, and polish their work whether that was academic writing, fiction, or resumes and cover letters.He currently works as a freelance editor and proofreader.
Sean will be concentrating on the following genres:
- Science Fiction
- Fantasy
- Young Adult
- Historical Fiction
- Realistic Fiction
- Magical Realism
- Dystopian Fiction
- Cyberpunk
- Literary Fiction
eet the literary agents who will help choose the winners of this year's contest:
Returning guest judge:
Mollie Glick
of
Foundry Literary + Media
Mollie will be reading the top three Master novels.
After graduating with honors from Brown University, Mollie began her publishing career as a literary scout, advising foreign publishers regarding the acquisition of rights to American books. She then worked as an editor at the Crown imprint of Random House, before switching over to “the other side” and becoming an agent in 2003.
See more about Mollie at Foundry
First-time guest judge:
Brent will be reading the top three Master novels.
Brent Taylor is a literary agent at TriadaUS Literary Agency in Sewickley, Pennsylvania.
After graduating from university, Brent Taylor worked as an intern for two years at The Bent Agency in New York. During this period and for a short time after, Brent also worked as an editor for a leading teen fiction website.
In late 2014, Brent joined the TriadaUS Literary Agency, and he is now actively building his own list of clients across a range of genres.
You can find Brent at TriadaUS
First-time guest judge:
Cassie Hanjian
of
Waxman Leavell Literary Agency
Cassie will be reading the top three non-fiction manuscripts.
Prior to joining Waxman Leavell in 2014, Cassie held positions at the Park Literary Group, where she specialized in author support and foreign rights, and at Aram Fox, Inc. as an international literary scout for publishers based outside the United States.
She holds a B.A. in English/Creative Writing from the University of South Florida, a Graduate Certificate from the University of Denver's Publishing Institute and an M.S. in Publishing from Pace University.
You can find Cassie at WL
First-time guest judge:
Alec Shane
of
Writers House LLC.
Alec will be reading the top three non-fiction manuscripts.
Alec majored in English at Brown University, a degree he put to immediate use by moving to Los Angeles after graduation to become a professional stuntman. Realizing that he prefers books to breakaway glass, he moved to New York City in 2008 to pursue a career in publishing.
Alec quickly found a home at Writers House Literary Agency, where he worked under Jodi Reamer and Amy Berkower on a large number of YA and Adult titles.
Alec is now aggressively building his own list and looking for both fiction and nonfiction titles.
You can find Alec here.
More of our judges
Stuart Sharp
Stuart is an author, ghostwriter and editor who has worked on over fifty novels and biographies. He has worked across a wide range of genres since finishing a PhD in medieval history. He has been lucky enough to work with New York Times top twenty novelists, politicians, and business people.
Stuart collaborated with Eve Paludan on the first three novels of her Witch Detectives series. Stuart's own novels Court of Dreams and The Glass have delved into comic fantasy territory.
Stuart is a new judge with Ink & Insights.
Stuart will be concentrating on the following genres for this contest:
- Fantasy
- Science Fiction
- young Adult
- Dystopian
- Romance
- Biography
Elizabeth Sheets
Elizabeth is a writer, freelance editor, and part-time copy editor and reader for Black Fox Literary Magazine. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English (with a concentration in Creative Writing) from Arizona State University in May of 2015. During her academic career, Elizabeth took classes in writing and technical editing; interned for Superstition Review Magazine where she held positions as Blogger, Content Coordinator, and Student Editor-in-Chief; and also interned for the Pen Project where she provided editing services to the maximum security inmates of prisons in Arizona and New Mexico.
Her creative work has appeared in Kalliope – A Consortium of New Voices and in Black Fox Literary Magazine.
Elizabeth will be concentrating on the following genres for this contest:
- Literary
- Nonfiction/Memoir
- Young Adult
- Romance
- Fantasy
- General Fiction
- Fairy Tale
- Magical Realism
- Supernatural/Paranormal
Critique My Novel
Amarillo, TX 79102
question