Caitlin McDonald

Q2: Thriller. Spends way too long providing protag's entire backstory instead of starting the story. Pass. #tenqueries

Q1: Fantasy. 2nd-person w/ Prince of Persia time gimmick but no real plot; suited to a video game but not a novel. Pass. #tenqueries

Trying to get back into the swing of social media after my vacation and agency transition. I think it's time for some #tenqueries. :)

Q10: YA paranormal. Another one opening with a huge block of exposition. Not doing it for me. Pass. #tenqueries

Q9: Adult paranormal. Writing's not bad, but the scenes are too disjointed for me to follow, & the pitch doesn't grab me. Pass. #tenqueries

Q8: YA fantasy. Portal fantasy... I'll be talking about this trope on my blog next week. I am not a fan. Pass. #tenqueries

Q7: YA fantasy. The pacing of this is way too fast, plowing through scenes and convos w/o taking time to make them real. Pass. #tenqueries

Q6: YA dystopian. This is a REALLY over-saturated market right now, I'm afraid this query isn't amazing enough to cut it. Pass. #tenqueries

Q5: Adult fantasy. Strong worldbuilding, premise, & the protag is very different from the usual fare. I love the voice-request! #tenqueries

Q4: YA fantasy. I really don't love ominous but obtuse openings. You have to earn readers' trust first! Pass. #tenqueries

Q3: YA fantasy. It's a retelling of a story I don't like, so I'm probably not the best person for this one. Pass. #tenqueries

Q2: Nonfiction. No sample pages, & cites incorrect facts about me--seems like a holdover a previous query. Pass. #tenqueries

Q1: Adult horror. It didn't grip me; the opening is a lot of exposition and kind of rambling. Pass. #tenqueries

Q10: adult fantasy. Opening with a battle isn't bad, but watch the pacing. This one goes on FAR too long. Pass. #tenqueries

Q9: adult SF. This reads somewhat like a parody, but only halfway. Parodies are tricky: you have to fully commit! Pass. #tenqueries

Q8: Screenplay. We don't represent screenplays. Always research agents before you query! #tenqueries

Q7: YA historical. Tries to hard with the prose; excessive description and big words do not a historical novel make. Pass. #tenqueries

Q6: YA SF. Great pitch, I wanted to love this one. But the voice was overwrought & I couldn't quite make it work for me. Pass. #tenqueries

Q5: MG contemporary. I don't work with as much MG and this one opens with more tropes that I dislike. Pass. #tenqueries

Q4: YA fantasy. Also heavily romance with some tropes I'm not keen on. The dialogue reads very stilted. Pass. #tenqueries