The Top 3! – It Wasn’t Me – Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award

I’d like to offer my congratulations to the Top 3 winners of the YA side of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest!

• Casey (Cassandra) Griffin, Dreamcatchers
• Rebecca Phillips, Out of Nowhere
• Regina Sirois, On Little Wings

Cast your vote TODAY to help decide the grand prize winner. On June 16, 2012, one of these ladies will receive a Penguin publishing contract and a $15,000 advance!

Check them out at:

http://www.amazon.com/Breakthrough-Novel-Award-Books/b?ie=UTF8&node=33226401

Making the Top 3 is quite an accomplishment – a long shot really. I’m not even bummed I didn’t make the Top 3 because I made it farther in this contest than I ever imagined I would.

Plus, my Visions query letters can forever boast Semifinalist status in this contest! (Hopefully I won’t be sending them out forever . . .)

Let me know how you’re doing!

Happy Writing!

And . . . It’s Another No

Bummer. . .

The agent who requested my first three chapters of Visions a few weeks ago got back to me and said she just didn’t connect with my writing. It was actually a very nice, personalized rejection letter – one of the nicest I’ve ever seen. I’m a little bummed but not destroyed. And I added this letter to my impressive stack of rejections.

I have to admit that it’s a good thing Visions has gotten as far as it has in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest, because at this point I might have been tempted to burn it in a raging bonfire.

Well, okay, honestly I’d never EVER burn it because I love my characters too much. And I believe in it. Someday it will be good enough if I just keep working at it.

Anyway, the fact that someone likes it enough to keep advancing it in the contest is very inspiring and keeps me hopeful.

Big lesson learned – this business is subjective. Duh. Some will love it; others will hate it. I know, I know. We’ve heard it all before. But this should show us that after we’ve improved our work to the best of our ability, we need to get it out there in front of many pairs of eyes. Find that agent/editor who loves it.

But absolutely DO NOT crumble at the first – or even the twentieth – rejection. Or at least pick yourself up after you crumble and send out your next query. (Yes, I’ve done this.)

It’s hard when you’ve poured your blood, sweat and tears into a piece of writing and someone doesn’t like it. There have been many times I thought this business was just too hard for me. There were many reasons I wanted to quit:

• I’d never be able to write as well as (fill in the blank)
• I’d never be able to learn it all (news flash – I never will)
• I didn’t know how to create a blog.
• I didn’t know how to use Twitter.
• I didn’t know how to write a good query.
• I still suck at writing the synopsis.

Except that I couldn’t quit. So I’ve had to knuckle down and get over/learn how to do/or just find the balls to do what had to be done. Now I’m so far in that there’s definitely no going back. And I’m glad, because I love all this in some sick sort of way. Plus, I’ve found that the more rejections I rack up, the easier it gets. Perks of having been around the block a few times.

I’d love to know what’s going on with you. Feel free to leave me comments about your successes or rejections (and how you bounce back from them).

Happy Writing!

Leigh Michaels – Gotham Writers’ Workshop Instructor

Leigh Michaels is an outstanding writing instructor! I’m currently taking my first (online) class with Gotham Writers’ Workshop – Romance Writing.

I have to say – I’M LOVING IT!

Leigh is an attentive instructor who is present and active in the class. Her critiques of my homework assignments and manuscript excerpts are in-depth, spot-on and kind. I’m learning so much from her, not only about romance writing, but about writing itself.

What’s been invaluable to me is the way Leigh breaks down and teaches the structure and the components of the romance novel – in a way that’s easy to digest and learn. Maybe not easy to implement, but understanding is the first step. I’ve been able to see my YA romance from a different perspective, recognizing what might be missing and how I could make it better.

Leigh is a prolific author, having penned about one hundred published novels. She must be a machine because in addition to writing all those books, she teaches at least a couple classes – simultaneously – maintains a blog, a website, AND has a new cookbook coming out! I need to learn her time management techniques. (She probably doesn’t get sucked into Twitter/Facebook/YouTube very often.)

I’m also impressed with my fellow students – many of whom are beginning writers – but they’ve created vivid characters and settings, as well as interesting conflicts. They are absolutely talented and inspiring.

Another great element of this Gotham Writers’ Workshop class are the weekly live chats we have with Leigh and all classmates who can make it. It’s a great way to get to know each other and have questions answered immediately. Also, being able to submit two sizeable pieces of my manuscript for Leigh and my classmates to critique has given me priceless feedback.

So, if you’re looking for a class, I absolutely one hundred percent recommend Gotham Writers’ Workshop, and of course, Leigh Michaels.

You can check out all about Leigh at her website, http://home.mchsi.com/~leighmichaels/.

And all about Gotham Writers’ Workshop at, http://www.writingclasses.com/index.php.

Happy Writing!

VISIONS Made the Top 50! – Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest

Once again I am in total shock. Happy shock!

My novel, VISIONS, made the Top 50 in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest! This is a contest with a publishing contract with Penguin and a $15,000 advance waiting for the grand prize winner.

The picture is a collage of how I see my main characters. I’m a very visual person.

 

VISIONS has now made it through three rounds:

• From the original 5000 entries, the Top 1000 were chosen based on the 300-word pitch (like a back of the book blurb)
• From those 1000 entries, the Top 250 were chosen based on the first 5000 words of the novel
• From those 250 entries, the Top 50 were chosen based on a full manuscript read – that’s where VISIONS is now!

It seems I will also receive a full manuscript review by Publishers Weekly – all the semifinalists receive this. I’m looking forward to it, and scared out of my mind about it.

http://www.amazon.com/b?node=332264011 – click on this link and select YA semifinalists and you’ll see my name! AAHHH!

Next round, the Penguin editors will read the Top 50 manuscripts and select the Top 3 to be announced on May 22.

For the last round, the grand prize winner will be chosen and announced on June 16.

I entered this contest just hoping my 300-word pitch was good enough to win. That the whole manuscript has made it this far is just AMAZING. And it’s been rewritten since I submitted it in January (I shudder to think about some of the scenes they read).

Happy Writing!

Lucky 7 Meme – Seven Lines From My WIP

I’VE BEEN TAGGED!

One of my favorite bloggers, Erin Brady Pike, http://erinbradypike.com/ – tagged me for the Lucky 7 Meme! Thank you, Erin! Please be sure to go check out Erin’s enticing Lucky 7 Meme for her novel, Enchanter.

So what is Lucky 7 Meme, you ask? Well, here are the rules:

• Go to page 7 or 77 in your manuscript
• Go to line 7
• Post on your blog the next seven lines or sentences as they are – no cheating – or seven lines of your poetry
• Tag 7 other bloggers to do the same

My novel, Visions, is about fifteen-year old Bailey Tucker who wants to be a detective and use her gift of visions to solve crimes and cold cases. On page 7, Bailey and best friend, Jasmine, are going on a river rafting trip. And they just met their hot rafting guide, Luke.

—

            “Hi, Jasmine,” Luke said. “Hello, Miss Bailey.” My breath caught as he reached out and checked the latches on my vest. “Pretty hair,” he said as he swept it over my shoulder. My legs got wobbly. Then he turned and pulled the raft down to the water. “You ladies look strong. Think you can handle the front?” Jasmine rolled her eyes.

            “Handle it?” I said. “That’s our usual spot, huh, Jazz?” I didn’t wait for her answer but slid into the front left seat.

            “Ever done this before?” Luke said as he handed me a paddle.

—

The picture to above shows what my characters will be doing right after these seven lines. And yes, I am in the raft.

I now tag and pass the Lucky 7 Meme torch to:

• Alexis Bass – http://alexisbasswrites.blogspot.com/ @alexisbasswrite
• Jeannie Anaya – http://www.jeanmarieanaya.blogspot.com/ @janaya75
• Shelley Batt – http://voicesofawriter.blogspot.com/ @SFB98
• Subhakar Das – http://ficfaq.com/
• Julie Hill – http://jelizabethhill.wordpress.com/
• Lori Lane – http://loreezlane.wordpress.com/
• Amy Weaver -  http://thelongandwritingroad.com/ @LongWritingRoad

Enjoy!

And Happy Writing!

A Must-Read – CATCHING JORDAN by Miranda Kenneally

You must read Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally. Go out and get it TODAY. I haven’t had so much fun reading a book since I don’t know when. Maybe ever.

Now I’ve read thousands of books across all genres. But I’ve never read a book that made me literally laugh out loud from the first page to the last.

One evening, my girls were watching TV in another room when I was reading Catching Jordan. As usual, I burst out laughing several times. My girls called from the other room, “Mom, are you reading that book again?”

I’m telling you. You will laugh your butt off!

Jordan is a high school senior, who also happens to be the starting quarterback - the leader - of her football team. Don’t let all that football talk scare you, though. Jordan is very much a girl, and you don’t have to understand football to enjoy this book.

Although why everyone doesn’t adore football just as much as I do is a mystery to me. I mean, beefy guys running around in tight pants? What’s not to love? Or maybe it’s because I was born in Auburn, Alabama, and that Auburn Tiger blood runs through my veins. Either way, I watch way more football than even my husband does – college and NFL. So I, of course, LOVED all the football talk.

But again, even if you’re not into football, you will love this book. The way Jordan thinks, the things she says, the inner view of the life of guys. Priceless. One of my favorite lines from the book goes something like, “My splash kicked his splash’s ass.”

Check out what else Miranda Kenneally is up to on her website at http://mirandakenneally.com/. I will be reading EVERTHING else she writes!

So, take a chance on Jordan. You won’t regret it.

If you do, you can come back here and rip my butt.

Put It In a Drawer, People! Seriously

I’ve heard one crucial piece of writing advice a million times. But was never man enough to actually implement it.

PUT IT IN A DRAWER for a while.

I should’ve put Visions in a drawer for a while – for at least two months – before I EVER sent it out.

But. I. Just. Couldn’t. Do. It.

Until I thought it was finished, set it aside, and have been working on Streetlight for the past six months.

Imagine my horror upon opening the manuscript last week and reading it with fresh eyes.

One of my supporting characters – who’s supposed to be strong and sexy – is just plain bossy and annoying. And my main character – who’s supposed to be strong and courageous – comes off as quite whiney more times than I care do admit. How did I miss this before??

Because I didn’t put it in a drawer.

So, I’ve been in a deep revision of Visions because an agent up and requested my first three chapters last week. I furiously rewrote those chapters before sending them out. And now of course I must rewrite the whole thing in the event the agent wants more. And it’s in terrible shape. What’s worse, I sent it to the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest like that.

Ugh.

But I’ve learned so much in this process. Like I need to listen to the experts. Have you learned anything the hard way? Any tips for helping me bypass another blunder? Any help would be very much appreciated.

Happy Writing!

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award News

I am in TOTAL shock.

I mentioned in an earlier post that my novel, Visions, made the Top 1000 (out of 5000) in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest, based on my 300-word pitch. I also mentioned that Visions wouldn’t be going any farther in this contest because it needed to be seriously rewritten.

Apparently, I was wrong. Oh, it still needs to be seriously rewritten.

But Visions made it into the Top 250 (out of 1000), based on a read of the first 5000 words! I am still in total shock!

The judges for the young adult side of this contest are:

• Regina Hayes, President and Publisher of Viking Children’s Books
• Charlie Olsen, Agent at InkWell Management
• Andrea Cremer, New York Times best-selling author, Nightshade, Wolfsbane, Bloodrose

A huge THANK YOU to the judges who liked the beginning of my story enough to send me to the next round!

http://www.amazon.com/Breakthrough-Novel-Award-Books/b?ie=UTF8&node=332264011

Next up? The Top 250 will be whittled down to the Top 50, based on a full manuscript read. Yikes! Results will be posted on April 24, 2012.

Pitches and excerpts of the Top 250 are currently posted on Amazon for reader review. The formatting is a bit awkward – weird symbols pop up where italics should be – but hopefully this will be fixed soon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=br_lf_m_1000778871_pglink_9?ie=UTF8&plgroup=8&docId=1000778871&plpage=9

Let me know what’s going on with your writing world. I love to hear success stories!

Happy Writing!

My Awesome Critique Partners!

I have three best friends. I’ve never met them face to face. I don’t even know what their voices sound like. But I ‘talk’ to them almost daily.

They are my critique partners.

We have a forum where we secretly meet. We hash out our stories, critique partials and even full manuscripts for each other. We talk about what we can’t talk about with anyone else in our normal lives – WRITING. The process, the craft, our successes, our rejections.

None of us are the same age. None of us live even remotely close to another. But we all write YA.

The four of us met in a young adult writing class with Writer’s Digest http://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/. This amazingly helpful and productive class was facilitated by Gloria Kempton, who can be found at http://writersrecharge.com/.

After the class was over, the four of us decided to continue supporting each other. So for the last three years, these girls have been my lifeline. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without them.

We’ve all become better writers with each other’s no-nonsense but respectful feedback. We don’t beat each other up. We have a lot of love and respect, and each other’s best interest at heart. We truly want each other to succeed. I don’t know how I got so lucky.

Alexis, Jeannie and Shelley – you’re the best! The absolute BEST!

My CP’s Blogs:

• Alexis – http://alexisbasswrites.blogspot.com/
• Jeannie – http://www.jeanmarieanaya.blogspot.com/
• Shelley – http://voicesofawriter.blogspot.com/

If you don’t currently have a critique group, I highly recommend finding one – or creating one. The benefits are too many to count. I sincerely hope you find excellent critique partners like I have.

Happy Writing!

And It’s a ‘No’

And it’s a double ‘no’ at that.

Streetlight didn’t make it to the Top 5 of the YA Novel Discovery Contest provided by Gotham Writer’s Workshop and Serendipity Literary Agency. The Top 5 winners can be found at the following link: http://www.writingclasses.com/InformationPages/index.php/PageID/828

Bummer. But I’ll always have the Top 24. Even when we don’t make it all the way, we have to celebrate what we have accomplished. At least that’s what I’m telling myself.

I also heard back from the agent who’d requested my full manuscript of Visions. And it was a ‘no.’ But as far as no’s go, it was very hopeful. She said Visions had a great concept and she enjoyed reading it, but it just wasn’t for her. She even encouraged me to keep sending it out to find the right agent.

I sent her a quick thank you for her time and consideration. I also mentioned that I’d like to query her with my next project when it was ready – which is Streetlight. I didn’t expect to hear from her after that, but she emailed me –again- saying she’d like to see that query. Guess who’s first on my list when the manuscript is shaped up?

Anyway, like I said before, the good thing about having been around the block once or twice – that would be the Rejection Block – is they just don’t hit as hard any more. I feel like I’ve grown up a little.

So, that’s the news for today. I must get back to Streetlight. I left Logan and Damian in a horrible mess in West Virginia – and I have plans to make it much worse!

Happy Writing!