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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤

@johnberkowitz.bsky.social
367 followers 1.2K following 137 posts

Husband, father, designer, #MG author of WISH UPON A CURSE and EDISON SKROOLUSE AND THE JUNKYARD BODYGUARD. Three-time RevPit runner-up. “Sodomy non sapiens” #kidlit #historicfantasy #amquerying

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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Meet Clank. 10yo Edison Skrooluse’s failed invention (until he adds a forbidden golem scroll which brings it to life). Clank has many hidden “talents.” Think a post-apocalyptic Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang.
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Oh, a Plotter 100%. I’ve tried pantsing, and I write myself into a corner every time. Which just means I end up scrapping half of what I wrote and just plotting the rest anyway. I HATE throwing away what I’ve written. So why not just plan and write to the plan, I say.
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
#CRPSugarGliders Hi, guys. I'm 62, Director of Pubs by trade (I lay out magazines), and I'm working on my 5th book (4th MG). I've been in the querying trenches for the last decade with little or no success, but my amazing editor @mariatureaud.bsky.social assures me it's not me; it's the market.
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
#BringBackFirefly Spread the word! youtube.com/shorts/gfK-s...
youtube.com
🚀 Firefly is returning… as an ANIMATED series with the original cast!
YouTube video by Small Screen
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
#BringBackFirefly Spread the word. www.instagram.com/stories/anyk...
instagram.com
Instagram
Create an account or log in to Instagram - Share what you're into with the people who get you.
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
Just received my first full request on my #MG Elf Punk Fantasy, EDISON SKROOLUSE AND THE JUNKYARD BODYGUARD after 31 queries and 6 form rejections. Now, there are 3 agents I queried who noted I should notify them if I receive a full request. Let’s see if I can make this thing go viral! #amquerying
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
I hesitate to call her an “animal,” but 10yo Kitomi is a kitsune (her other 6 tails haven’t grown in, yet). #FiFRevPit
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
Querying my #MG Elf Punk & starting the sequel! Interested in swapping w/a story about the fae returning to Earth & humans resenting them for fritzing out Earth’s electrical grid? A gang of fae orphans deal w/bigotry, preconceptions, and mercenary Ice Elves rounding up “bad” fae. #FiFRevPit #match
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Revise & Resub @reviseresub.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
🍂🍁 Critique Partner Matching is tomorrow!🍁🍂 For those seeking critique partners, post to the #FiFRevPit feed on Bluesky on Friday, the 14th, and then take some time to scroll through this weekend to find your match! 🧵
Fall Into Fiction with RevPit: Tomorrow is CRITIQUE PARTNER MATCHING #FiFRevPit
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
“I wasn’t old enough to remember the time before the faeries came back to Earth, back when lektricity still worked and people still used money and tell-phones and puters.” #MG #amquerying
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
Well, there’s the human Anti-Fae League that hates all refugees from the Faerie Realm and demands they go back where they came from. Then there’s the army of mercenary issalfar (ice elves) tasked with capturing criminal fae and sending them back to the war-ravaged Realm. Take your pick.
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
10yo Edison is just a kid with no magic, a broken robot, and a workshop full of failed inventions. But when the Anti-Fae League targets his fae friends with hate and lies, Edison must fix the one thing he doesn’t believe in to save them: Himself. #MG #STEM #F #FIFRevPit #MockPit
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J.J. Phillips | #SCBWI #KidLit @jjphillipsyo.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
12yo Catch doesn’t know magic. The Acolytes hunting him for his meteorite wand don’t care. At Alpine—a spy school for wizards—he must master spell-hacked spycraft to stop them from enslaving Guardian Spirits & seizing the Minerals of Power. NEVERMOOR X AMARI X ANDOR #QuestPit #MG #F #AmQuerying
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
10yo Edison is just a kid with no magic, a broken robot, and a workshop full of failed inventions. But when the Anti-Fae League targets his fae friends with hate and lies, Edison must fix the one thing he doesn’t believe in to save them: Himself. #MG #STEM #F #SkyWrite #amquerying #KidLit #MSWL
Edison Skrooluse and the Junkyard Bodyguard book cover
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
I just entered #RevPit #10Queries. Enter now for a chance to win free feedback on your query and 1st 5 pages. Totally worth it. Do. It.
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
You want to read this book. You NEED to read this book. So full of supernatural and historic goodness.
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
I just put in my request on Netgalley. Can't wait to dig in.
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
13yo Clio doesn’t believe in fairytales until she & her BFF awaken in 1508 Ireland. Caught between the faerie queen & her wicked ambition, only Clio can prevent the curse that will destroy her own family. But she must choose between saving her BFF & going home. #PitchFPP #MG #HF #FT
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Maria Tureaud 🕯✒️🕯✒️ @mariatureaud.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
It's that time, frens! From July 8-11, 2025, Barnes & Noble are running 25% off all hardcover pre-orders for premium/rewards members, so now is the time to get your copy of THIS HOUSE WILL FEED. Use promo code: PREORDER25 #newbooks #writingcommunity @barnesandnoble.com #booksky
Pre-order THIS HOUSE WILL FEED for 25% off at Barnes & Noble July 8-11 with promo code PREORDER25. (Cover of This House Will Feed by Maria Tureaud nestled in the backdrop of The Burren, that's been edited to match the colors of the cover: pinks, purples, and dusky cyan.
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
Hey guys! I just typed "The End" on my #MG Elf Punk manuscript for Edison Skrooluse and the Junkyard Bodyguard (42K words)! Post-apocalyptic, inventor-kid in an orphanage full of fae refugees, builds a 7-foot robot that comes to life.... OK, who wants to read it? #KidLit #STEM #MGBookChat
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
Thank you, Hanna! I am deeply grateful to have been chosen out of all the wonderful mss you received this year. It means a great deal to me that you enjoyed my book enough to select it for this honor. If you have any comments on what you read, I would love to read them.
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Just dropping in to share that I finished writing the finale to Act III of my middle grade elf-punk fantasy. Big milestone for me, and couldn't be more excited. Now I just need to figure out how to wrap up this bumbitch and put a bow on it. #amwriting #WriteSky #MG #WIP
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
10yo Edison Skrooluse wishes just ONE of his inventions would work so he can defend his orphanage. When his 7-foot robot comes to life, they resist the Anti-Fae League who demand all fae-born leave Earth to the humans. CHITTY-CHITTY BANG-BANG + BUMBLEBEE #QuestPit #W #MG #SFF
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
13yo Clio doesn’t believe in fairytales until she & her BFF awaken in 1508 Ireland. Caught between the faerie queen & her wicked ambition, only Clio can prevent the curse that will destroy her family. But she must choose between saving her BFF & going home. #QuestPit #Q #MG #HF #SFF
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Patricia J Wentzel @patriciajwentzel.bsky.social · 02/02/2025
A gentle reminder to all #amquerying authors that #mswl is reserved for agents and editors only. Please don't pitch your book there. Thanks and best wishes for success!
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Manuscript Wish List® @manuscriptwishlist.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
A gentle reminder that #MSWL is just for agents and editors to post their wishes. We’ve seen some agents blocking writers posting in the feed, and don’t want this to happen to you!
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 02/01/2025
As a white middle class cis male, I don’t really have a unique voice, but as a closeted Liberal in a deep red state, I experience a definite feeling of being an “other,” while watching library books get banned and LGBTQ+ people get threatened. My #MG #WIP is an attempt to capture some of that angst.
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 02/01/2025
I meant to hit the 25,000 word mark on my #WIP before midnight last night, but I missed by a handful of words. So I’m starting the new year with that milestone. That’s just as good, right? #WriteSky
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 02/01/2025
My last book was originally going to be the sequel to my previous book, but since that ms never got any traction with agents, I decided to change it up to be a standalone. Making those necessary changes and creating a fresh cast of characters made it so much better than it would have been. #WriteSky
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
Just a random post to anyone who will listen that I am incredibly lucky to have found my CP. She is insightful and intuitive, and it is pure joy when she gets me. Thank you, @leah-holler-writes.bsky.social #WriteSky, #amwriting, #WIP
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 23/12/2024
What's happening with #MSWL? How is the feed empty?
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
#TimeTravelAuthors D19 Happiest character 13yo Clio went back in time to prevent her family's curse, and the Faerie Queen is trying to stop her. Clio's not having a good time. But her BFF Mary was turned into a 4-inch pixie and now she can fly! Mary's living her best life. #MG #amquerying #WriteSky
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 17/12/2024
#TimeTravelAuthors D17 "A sentence you love from your story." Clio’s breath caught as her very great grandmother’s Sidhe beauty slowly evaporated and drifted down like tears. Picking just ONE SENTANCE out of an entire novel is HARD. #MG #WriteSky #amquerying
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 17/12/2024
#TimeTravelAuthors D15 "What year does your story start in?" Undefined present day. It could be any time between 2020 and the next 5-10 years. But by midway through chapter two, my two MC's are lost in 1508, in the North of Ireland. #MG #WriteSky #anquerying
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
#TimeTravelAuthors D13 Bad Timing As soon as the door closed behind them, Clio spun on Shaylee, “Is he kidding?! We were gone for three days? It was like a couple of hours!” “I told you, Clíodhna, time moves more quickly on Earth." "Wait. It's Sunday already?" "Obviously." #MG #amquerying #WriteSky
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
#TimeTravelAuthors D11: "Device" “She abandoned me, Mary. Officially, with paperwork and everything! I just...I wish there was no such thing as the stupid O’Neill curse!” There was the sound of two faint pops, like bubbles bursting. Where the girls had been sitting, the gold coin spun in place. #MG
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
#TimeTravelAuthors Day 9: Celebrations Maeve's blue lips curled into a mirthless sneer. She gripped Clio’s neck in her frigid fingers and pinned her against the wall. “Well, well,” she sang. “Clíodhna, Queen of the Summer Court, in the flesh. I guess the only one having a lucky day is me!” #MG
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
#TimeTavelAuthors Day 7: "Joy" “You mean you would be my mother and father? Basically, the king and queen of Ireland? And Eden-duff-carrick would be my home?” Parents who loved her and wanted her in their lives? With her own room in the biggest castle in all of Ireland? “Aye. All that and more.” #MG
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
#TimeTravelAuthors Day 5: Something Sparkly The thing glinted in the sun as it spun, then landed with a thud at Clio’s feet. She bent and picked up a small gold coin with a clover stamped into one side. “A wish?” “Right ye are.” The leprechaun sniffed. “Best ye save that for somethin’ special.” #MG
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
#TimeTravelAuthors Day 3: Time Travel on purpose or accidentally? Clio O'Neill most definitely went back in time by accident, when she angrily wished her family's curse never existed while holding a coin of leprechaun gold. She was also holding her best friend's hand... #amquerying #writeSky #MG
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
#TimeTravelAuthors I JUST found out about this, so I'm playing catch-up. Day 1: 13yo Clio doesn’t believe in fairytales until she & her BFF awaken in 1508 Ireland. Only Clio can prevent the curse that will destroy her family. But she must choose between saving her BFF & going home. #amquerying #MG
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
Ahhhhh. Just finally put a period on a chapter that has been torturing me: “Every hero was once just an ordinary person who made a hard choice, Edison. And every single one of them started out as a little kid like you.” And I broke 24,000 words at the same time. Sleep, now. #amwriting #writesky
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
I’ve FINALLY muscled through a section where my MC gets a pep talk that just refused to be written. But NOW I’m delighted to write the parable that explains why sometimes huge things come in small packages. Can’t wait to put this troublesome chapter to rest. Otherwise loving my #MG #elfpunk #WIP
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 07/12/2024
Why didn’t anyone tell me?!
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 07/12/2024
The cover mockup I made to inspire my #WIP. 10yo Edison wishes just ONE of his inventions would work so he can defend his orphanage. When his robot comes to life, they resist the Anti-Fae League who demands all his fae friends go back where they came from and leave Earth to the humans. #amwriting
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
My writerly quote for the day. #amwriting #amquerying #writingcommunity #writesky
There is no way that writers can be tamed and rendered civilized or even cured. The only solution known to science is to provide the patient with an isolation room, where he can endure the acute stages in private and where food can be poked in to him with a stick.

-- Robert Heinlein
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
I recently discovered I over-use the phrase "his/her head snapped up." I guess my characters experience a lot of surprise. 😮
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
Does it count if you just finished a chapter ABOUT gremlins? #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity
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John Berkowitz is querying 🪤 @johnberkowitz.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
A Plantser? My first serious book I wrote without a plan, then suffered through the nightmare of trying to hammer it into shape afterwards. Now, I outline with a beat sheet and know all the major plot points, but the in-between definitely deviates and evolves. #amwriting #writingcommunity #writesky
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