The Talent Collector

I marketed The Talent Collector to agents in the winter of 2010. There was a lot of interest, but the consensus was, they didn't feel they got to know my protagonist, Corbi McBride, well enough. That was my fault. The original version of the novel was 104K words. I dropped it to 80 to meet middle grade page number guidelines. To do that, I cut out a lot of introspection and emotional scenes for Corbi. Since agents now say once you submit never resubmit, I've decided that since I love this book and want to write two more sequels for it, I will self-publish it with CreateSpace and then as an e-book. I am currently putting it back to it's original version with some other edits suggested by agents.

Here's my Query Letter:

My protagonist, thirteen-year-old Corbi McBride, loves puppeteering. Her fingers move across the strings, breathing life into the inanimate with an ease and confidence absent from the rest of her suburban existence. She never dreamed there were worlds where magic ruled and science stopped with the gas lantern and steam engine, or that her talent as a puppeteer was more than child’s play.

Whisked away to a different world by a flying nymph, Corbi meets her eccentric aunts and their living, sentient house, George. When George and the aunts offer more secrets than answers, she sets out across the universe accessing different worlds through a maze of brass pipes, catwalks and ladders. Each new world brings adventure, danger, and new friends with powerful talents. As Corbi learns to perfect her gift, she begins to understand why others want to control her and why so many fear her. Haunted by a lineage of manipulators and murderers, she promises herself, destiny is made not inherited.

The Talent Collector is determined to prove her wrong.

The novel is a fun fantasy adventure rich in characters, creatures, imagery and sub-plots with a steampunk feel. It incorporates the adventure and teen camaraderie of Percy Jackson, the imagination, magic and moral dilemma of Harry Potter and the emerging girl character development of The Golden Compass and The Hunger Games. Although I have planned it as a series and have storylines for the next two books, all sub-plots are satisfactorily concluded.

Read my first chapter

About Me

I've been writing most of my life. It was creative essays full of BS that got me through high school and allowed me to write technical documents which led me to a career in computer training and software design.

As a child, my sister locked me in a crypt at a local cemetery and left me there for hours. Some say that is when my imagination took hold and they're probably right. As I watched the sun set through a clover leaf cutout in the heavy door, I imagined all sorts of things.

I am in love with the idea of schizophrenia--not to downplay the seriousness of the illness. The idea that our minds can form other worlds, people, and experiences fascinates me, and shows up in many of my stories. As do sociopaths, and the idea that for most it is easier to follow than lead.

Needless to say, Crime and Punishment and 1984 are two of my favorite novels. I Never Promised You a Rose Garden is the book that peaked my interest in schizophrenia. The Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens taught me the importance of bringing characters to life. And I would be a liar to not say Stephen King influenced a lot of my earlier writing.

Today, my favorite YA books are The Hunger Games Series and Going Bovine. Besides Harry Potter, my favorite MG novels are The Tale of Deveroux, The Golden Compass, and Ink Heart (I know they were movies, but the books are much better). I love epic, complex stories that allow me to escape into new worlds.

Movies of course impact our lives as well. The Wizard of Oz captivated me as a child and has never let go. It is still my all time favorite. I have a confession though, I never liked Dorothy. It was the Wicked Witch of the West and those flying monkeys I loved. Glinda was the true villain. I can't even describe how thrilled I was to read Wicked.

I have become a fan of Studio Ghibli and consider Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away two of my favorite movies right beside Labyrinth and The Never Ending Story.

One last disturbing thing about me: All my morals come from Aesop Fables and Grim Fairy Tales. The most important thing they taught me was if you were blond, pretty, and dimwitted some strange prince would rescue you from life. If not, you had to work hard to get what you wanted and learn to take care of yourself. I always prided myself on my dark hair.

I hope to make my mark in the middle grade/young adult market and share with children the beauty of a wild and vivid imagination.