YALITCHAT.ORG has awarded a $350 Conference-Palooza grant to member Lynn Dickson who plans to use it to attend SCNWI this summer. Interested in our grants? See below or visit the website.

Pitch Slam 2 is coming! We've lined up agents Tamar Rydzinski of the Laura Dail Agency and Elana Roth of Red Tree Literary, and plan to add more in the coming weeks. Get those pitches ready for YALITCHAT's Pitch Slam 2, coming May 28, 2012.

Lisa Colicutt announced in the Submissions Mailbox group she has signed a publication deal with Erika Galpin of Noble YA, pursuant to Erika's request for her MS through the mailbox.

Indonesian rights to Kiera Cass's THE SELECTION, to Bentang Pustaka, in a two-book deal, by Thananchai Pandey of Tuttle-Mori in association with Kathleen Ortiz of Nancy Coffey Literary on behalf of Elana Roth at Red Tree Literary.

Alison Kent's THE KITCHEN AT SECOND AND CHANCES, a contemporary romance about a woman who returns to the small Texas town where she lived as a foster child to buy the old Victorian she called home and turn it into a cafe with the help of a carpenter who mentors ex-cons, to Lindsay Guzzardo at Montlake Romance, in a nice deal, in a three-book deal, by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency.

 

Robyn Grady's THE GODDESS, the first in a series of contemporary romances set in exotic locations involving couples who are thrown together by circumstance then influenced by the mysteries surrounding a collection of rare artifacts, to Liz Pelletier at Entangled, in a three-book deal, by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency.

 

Romily Bernard's debut FIND ME, launching a new series about hacker and crime-solver Wick Tate, pitched as a Lisbeth Salander for teens, who is sent a journal written by a dead friend, apparently asking for her help and putting her on the trail of a dangerous predator who's after her little sister, to Phoebe Yeh at Harper Children's, in a significant deal, in a pre-empt, for publication in Fall 2013, plus two sequels, by Sarah Davies at the Greenhouse Literary Agency (NA). Foreign:

 

Lisa Schroeder's FROSTING AND FRIENDSHIP, a new companion novel to IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES and SPRINKLES AND SECRETS, again to Alyson Heller at Aladdin, for publication in fall 2013, by Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger (world).

 

THE DAY BEFORE author Lisa Schroeder's FALLING FOR YOU, about a teen girl who relives her love for a dangerous boy and unravels the secrets that haunt her family, as she hovers between life and death, again to Annette Pollert at Simon Pulse, for publication in Spring 2013, by Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger (world).

 

Lauren Dane's LAND'S END, about a lawman who patrols a dangerous landscape run rife with brigands and thieves and the woman who fights to break free of the sheltered life she leads after a deadly siege brings them together, for an upcoming untitled duology, to Leis Pederson at Berkley Heat, in a nice deal, by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency.

 

Megan Hart's BY THE SEA OF SAND, about a soldier returned from battle with a forgotten past who discovers the woman tending his wounded body and mind is more familiar than she should be, for an upcoming untitled duology, to Leis Pederson at Berkley Heat, in a nice deal, by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency.

New Releases

SPECTRAL

by Shannon Duffy
Publisher: Tribute Books

Convinced she's part of the witness protection program, sixteen-year-old Jewel Rose is shuffled around the globe with her family like a pack of traveling gypsies. After arriving at lucky home twenty-seven, she stumbles upon a mysterious boy with magical powers claiming to be her guardian... and warning of imminent danger.

 

As she struggles to uncover who her family has really been running from, she is forced to hide her birthmark that reveal who she is. With new realities surfacing, unexplained powers appearing, and two tempting boys vying for her heart, Jewel battles to learn who she can trust in an ever growing sea of lies, hoping she'll make it through her seventeenth birthday alive. 

 

Tribute Books Twitter Party for UNTIL NEXT TIME
Tuesday, May 8, 2012

8 p.m. EST

Follow hashtag #UntilNextTime as author Amy Lignor answers your questions live for 90 minutes on Twitter. A $50 cash prize will be given to the person who has a receipt confirming an ebook purchase of UNTIL NEXT TIME and tweets at least once during the Twitter Party. We'll also be giving away a variety of ebooks and print books throughout the event. Let us know if you are planning to attend by tweeting @TributeBooks or @HelloWritersAmy to RSVP.

 May Releases
5/01--WELCOME CALLER, THIS IS CLOE by Shelley Coriell
5/01--THE VICIOUS DEEP by Zoraida Cordova 

5/01--BLOOD RIGHTS (Pulse Vampire Series #7) by Kailin Gow

5/08--CITY OF LOST SOULS (Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare

5/14--LOVING SUMMER (Loving Summer Trilogy #1) by Kailin Gow

5/22--THE DOWNSIDE OF BEING CHARLIE by Jenny Torres Sanchez

5/22--FATED by Alyson Noel

Deal news reported by Publishers Weekly. Visit www.publishersweekly.com.

Each month we will be spotlighting one submission to the Submissions Mailbox, starting this May with Jennifer Iacopelli. Enjoy the first 500 words of this successful submission!

Jennifer is a twenty-something from New York with a major league sports obsession. If you can't find her, she's either at Yankee Stadium or has her nose buried so deep in a book that she missed her subway stop. This is her first submission to the panel.

Title: GAME. SET. MATCH.
Genre: Contemporary YA
Full requested by: Carlie Webber and Michelle Wolfson

Chapter 1

Indiana Gaffney's father looked her square in the eye and said, "No."

She scoffed, throwing her hands up in the air. He was such a hypocrite. "Why not?" she asked, following him from the living room, across the main foyer of their house to his office, her voice echoing up into the vaulted ceiling. She wasn't going to let him escape.

"Can't you find somewhere to train that's not three thousand miles away?"  Charles Gaffney ran his hands through his light blond hair, the same color as hers, except at his temples where gray was beginning to invade. "There aren't any tennis schools in California?"

"It's just as far away as Harvard. It's okay for me to move across the country for college, but not for this? Outer Banks Tennis Academy is the Harvard of tennis. It's produced six top-fifty players in the last five years."

"Six out of how many people?" Charles asked. "Those don't sound like great odds."  

Indy frowned at her father's practicality. "Like that matters. You know I'm good enough. You know I can do this."  She could see him deflating, if just a bit.  Time to go in for the kill. "It's what Mom wanted."

"Do not bring your mother into this, Indiana."

Maybe that was a little too far.

"It's what I want," she amended, retrieving her lost momentum. Striding across his office, she flicked on the television and found the match. "Look," Indy said, stepping out of the way as the camera zoomed in on the dark haired girl. "That's Penny Harrison. We're the same age and she trains at OBX. She's the fastest rising star on tour right now."

"Penny Harrison?" Charles said, shrugging. "Never heard of her."

Indy reached for the remote and raised the volume on the screen.

The commentator was shouting over the raucous crowd. "Penelope Harrison, just eighteen years old, is up a set, a break and 15-Love on the world's number one player. Two more serves like that and she'll have three match points."

"It's amazing. If you didn't know who she was before today, you sure do now. She's going to knock out Zina Lutrova, the defending champion, in the second round of the U.S. Open," the other commentator chimed in, gleeful at the upset playing out before him.

Indy couldn't stop the snort of amusement, but her father's glare cut off the giggle threatening to bubble up from her throat. Their focus returned to the television. He was a businessman who relied on real results. A win for Penny Harrison against the best player in the world would cement the facility's reputation. OBX would be a solid investment in her future and not just a flimsy fantasy.

The next serve was up into the body, an attempt to handcuff Lutrova, who managed a sharp return, grunting with the effort, sending Penny scrambling.

"C'mon Penny," Indy mumbled, twisting her long blonde hair around her fingers, knowing her future rested upon Penny Harrison's racket.

Erin Underwood and Hannah Strom-Martin have announced a YA Science Fiction anthology, FUTURE DAZE, to be published in June 2013 by Underwoods, and they are looking for fiction and poetry that sparks the imagination, twists the heart, and makes us yearn for the possibilities of a world yet to come. 

At a time when every other YA book features vampires, werewolves or other fantastical creatures, Futuredaze will be an anthology for the next generation of science fiction readers.

We're looking for hard science fiction, soft science fiction, and everything in between. Think Jules Verne, Isaac Asimov, George Orwell or Ray Bradbury with a YA focus. While we adore fantasy, Futuredaze is not the right anthology for fiction or poetry based in worlds where magic or the supernatural are the driving forces.

Submissions guidelines can be found on the Underwoods website.

Erin and Hannah are also raising funds through Kickstarter to cover production costs and author payments, which will be active for the next two months. Visit the website to find out more, donate to supporting YA science fiction publishing and to spread the word.

May is full of awesome conferences and events in the writing world! A few highlights are listed below.

DFW Writers Conference- Hurst, TX
LDS Storymakers Conference- Provo, UT
Backspace- New York, NY
Ontario Writers Conference- Ajax, Ontario
 
We're scouring the Internet to find events that our members might be interested in, but the Internet's a big place! If you know of a conference, festival, or other literary event that is of interest to YA writers and isn't on our calendar, please email: membership@yalitchat.org attention Jessica Capelle. 

Check the Events Tab often to see if a great event is headed your way!

May 2 - Banned Books 

EDUCATION GRANT

Available for Teachers and Librarians who are members of YALITCHAT.ORG. Educators join YALITCHAT.ORG's Tier 2 membership for $25/annually though it is NOT necessary to do so in order to qualify for the EDUCATION GRANT. 

Apply for a grant for use on classroom supplies, technology purchase, author visit, etc. Grants available in amounts of $50.00 per member. Five available per membership year. NB: Educators (regardless of membership level) qualify for FREE classroom supplies at beginning of each semester. Join our EDUCATORS group for more info. 

HARDSHIP GRANT*

Want to expand your horizons and connect with others in the industry but just don't have the funds? YALITCHAT offers TWO types of Hardship Grants and is available to individuals who desire to join YALITCHAT, SCBWI, RWA, RWAYA and other related organizations but need help doing so. 

YALITCHAT Membership Grant 

Covers the cost of a full year's membership in YALITCHAT.ORG or $30.00 per grantee.
There are 5 grants available for the 2011-2011 Membership year (July-July).
BALANCE AVAILABLE FOR 2011-2012 MEMBERSHIP YEAR: $150 (5 GRANTS).

YALITCHAT.ORG OTO Hardship Grant*

Covers the cost to JOIN any Other Trade Organization in disbursements of $25 per grantee.

There are 4 available for the 2011-2012 membership year (July-July). You MUST be a Tier II member of YALITCHAT.ORG in order to qualify for this grant. 

BALANCE AVAILABLE FOR 2011-2012 MEMBERSHIP YEAR: $100 (4 GRANTS).

MARKETING SUPPORT GRANT*

 Are you a newly published author in need of marketing support materials for a new release? How about an author about to head on tour in need of giveaways and promo items? Do you need to purchase more ARCs from your publisher to get exposure for your book? Need money to get that new website off the ground? We can help.

As of January 2012 we have given away $600 in grants towards supporting published members in promoting their books! 

The 2012/2013 grant season opens in July. There will be five grants available or $100 per person/grantee. Grants are available to Tier II members only.

BALANCE AVAILABLE FOR 2011-2012 MEMBERSHIP YEAR: $0 

QUICK LEARNING GRANT*

Up to $50 toward any learning initiative such as a webinar, online course, conference, etc. You must be already registered for said initiative and have already paid in full. Must be writing or publishing industry related.
$250.00 USD year available total and $50 per grantee.
BALANCE AVAILABLE FOR 2011-2012 MEMBERSHIP YEAR: $200 (4 GRANTS).

Want to learn more about grants or need an application? Please send an email to grants at yalitchat (dot) org.

*Available to Tier 2 Members ONLY!