“No Mother of Mine” Book Giveaway!

I realize it’s only been a few days since I last posted, but I wanted to share the fact that there is currently an Amazon Giveaway contest currently running for No Mother of Mine, the first book in the Jorja Matthews mystery series. You can take part in the giveaway contest by using the link below for a chance to win a copy of the book (in paperback). Even if you already have a copy, take a shot at winning the giveaway if you know someone else who enjoys reading mysteries and who might like to receive a copy of the book from you as a gift.

Use this link in order to enter: 

https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/6d7413148e36d5de

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Requirements for participation include 18+ years of age and resident of the United States or District of Columbia. For complete information and Official Rules please check out: http://amzn.to/GArules.

The giveaway ends when all prizes are claimed or by September 17, 2018 11:59 PM PDT.

Good luck!

Feeding my Writer’s Soul

You ever have one of those months when you’re looking forward to something and it just takes forever to get here? 

It’s definitely been one of those months for me.

The month of February is almost over and while this month has been a satisfying one for my writer’s soul, this next week is one I’ve eagerly been waiting for.  It’s already been a busy month, and very productive too as I continue to work on my third mystery book and after I published my latest short story 1313 Psycho Path and entered Best Kept Secrets into the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest.  I’ve also continued with daily readings to learn more about the craft and about branding but this next week will add a real boost to what I’ve been learning and it should also lend a hand towards the inspiration I’m always on the lookout for.

So what’s in store for me this week?

First, I’m looking forward to an online conference that occurs from Tuesday through Thursday.  Last year the speakers had an amazing amount of content they covered and it was all very useful information, full of motivation, as well as many tips about the trade of writing, publishing and marketing.  I look forward to another great conference dedicated to indie publishing and all the information other established authors are willing to share.

Second, I’m planning to attend a book signing of New York Times bestselling author, J.A. Jance.  Our state is one of the few on her Moving Target tour and I’m happy for the opportunity to finally take part in such an event with someone who has done so well with their writing career.  I’m also pleased Jance did not limit her appearances to only one major metropolis in our state, making it easier for me to find a date and time that works with my own schedule. 

And last, but certainly not least, there’s the AWP Bookfair in Seattle.  I’ve never attended such an event but from what I’ve read about it so far, I have to be prepared for the fact that it will be overwhelming.  Regardless of how much my head will be spinning during and after the event, I look forward to taking part in this experience, especially since the event moves around from state to state every year and this may be my only chance to see what’s it’s all about. 

So I’m gearing up for an eventful and fulfilling week, full of new experiences, while I gain knowledge from those in the know and soak up all sorts of motivation to feed my writer’s soul.   I’ll be back next weekend with my thoughts about the events. 

Have a great week! 

Checking the tasks off the list

We’re just over half way through the month and I’ve been doing pretty well at staying on top of the Game Plan I let everyone in on the end of January.  My list of to-do’s included writing often, joining a writer’s association, editing and publishing a short story, continuous studying of the craft, entering a contest and attending a book fair.  Overall, I have to say I’m very pleased with my progress.

My writing schedule isn’t fixed but I write as often as I’m able and I’m really excited about how the third book in the Jorja Matthews series is working out.  I love, love, love how my characters tend to surprise me and I’m having so much fun with the book as I also anxiously wait to see what’s going to happen next.  Sounds odd coming from the writer but I’ve said this before about how I write…I share the story as the story unfolds, or as it’s told to me by the characters.    

Available soon on Amazon

I’m also really excited about the short ghost story I wrote over the holidays.  I wasn’t really sure what I’d be doing with the story because I originally wrote it at the request of my boys, who wanted either a ghost story, suspense or horror, but I’m happy to be able to make additional work available to those who are waiting for my third book in the Jorja Matthews mystery series.  I finished the final edit of what is titled “1313 Psycho Path” and once I receive word that the interior and book cover meet with submission guidelines, I’ll be able to hit the publish button and make it available to anyone who might be interested, both as an eBook and in a small paperback.  I’ll keep the eBook at 99 cents since it is a short story and while I’d have preferred to sell the paperback for less (it’s a 5x8 soft cover, around 12,000 words and 80 pages long), it’ll be priced at $5.50 in order to meet Amazon’s minimum pricing requirements for that size of book.  I’ll definitely post here when the book is actually available on Amazon.

I haven’t joined a writer’s association yet…I’m debating on two and haven’t quite decided which association might be the better fit for what I need.  However, I have been studying daily the craft of writing, the necessity of branding and the give and take behind marketing.  My main study book right now is The Writer’s Workout, which includes 366 tips, tasks and techniques, by Christina Katz.  I like how it’s broken up into different relevant sections and it really is full of tips, tasks, techniques and also inspirational quotes and ideas.

I’m very much looking forward to the book fair in Seattle at the end of the month, as well an on-line study course the last week of this month.  The weeks until these events take place have really appeared to pass by s-l-o-w-l-y.  That’s how much I’m looking forward to both events.

And I did enter Best Kept Secrets in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest this morning.  I’ll do my best to Stay Calm and Keep Writing as I wait for the monthly results…but it will undoubtedly be difficult.  With these sorts of contests you can only hope for the best but not expect too much so that you’re not disappointed if you don’t get very far.  With No Mother of Mine I made it as a quarter-finalist, or the top 100 out of 10,000 entries.  I’m hoping Best Kept Secrets makes it as far but no matter what, I’ll post here as the results are provided.

So the month has been pretty productive and there’s still more to look forward to – that makes me a happy camper, or happy writer anyway.  How about you?  Is your February working out to be a productive month?

Game Plan in the Works

Football may be what everyone is talking about these days but my Game Plan has nothing to do with the Super Bowl.  Don’t get me wrong; I’m thrilled our Seahawks have made it to the Super Bowl…they deserve a shot at the title and I’d love to see them win.

No, my Game Plan is personal.  My Game Plan is going to help keep me inspired and moving forward.  My Game Plan will give me direction, motivation and results to help me monitor my progress.

Why do I need a Game Plan? 

Because I want to continue to be inspired and I don’t want to get stuck just going through the motions.  I want to continue to have a passion for writing, a yearning to continue to learn more about the craft, and I want to continue to feel inspired so that the ideas just flow through me like water from a faucet. 

Everyone needs some kind of plan so they know what they want, what it will take to get the results they need and what the next step will be once those results are achieved.  We always have some kind of plan, whether on paper or in the back of our minds, but sometimes the plan gets fuzzy, or it fizzles out, or too many gray areas take over so that we may become side tracked from the original plan.  The desired end result may never change but sometimes, when the daily grind of every-day life threatens to suffocate your muse, you have to get serious, take control, and put together a plan of attack, aka a Game Plan. 

So, here’s what my Game Plan is going to be…

• I’m going to continue to write as often as I can and when life gets tricky and keeps me away from my writing longer than I’d like, I’ll make up for it the best I can but I won’t beat myself up about it in the process.  The negative thoughts and self-loathing attitude that can come from believing we aren’t doing well enough is something I’d like to remain free from. 
• I’m going to join at least one, maybe two writers associations.  I’ve meant to do this for some time but just kept putting it off.  Now, I’m come to realize I probably missed out on a number of opportunities by not taking part in a local writers association and I look forward to joining an established group who I can continue to learn from and where I can relate to other writers.
• I’m going to finish editing the proof of a short ghost story I wrote over the holidays as a gift for my kids and I will make it available for others as an eBook and as a small paperback.  I really hadn’t thought too much about writing short stories but after finishing this one, I discovered just how much fun they are to write and how rewarding it is to be able to offer something else in between the books in my series. 
• Because short stories give that extra bit of satisfaction, I’m going to play around with the idea of trying to write and publish a couple of short stories a year in between my regular books.  Short stories are a great way of dabbling in other genres and it will also help me strengthen my writing skills.
• I’m going to take a chance again and enter one of my books in a contest – this time Best Kept Secrets will feel the brunt of scrutiny by judges but I have to step away from the fear and take a shot because you just never know what might happen.
• I’ll continue to study the craft and while blogs and websites do offer quite a lot of useful information, I’m going to focus again on actual books on the craft and I will study them like the student I am.  The knowledge I gain from these books will continue to inspire me and the very act of reading will keep my eyes on the prize rather than on the World Wide Web where my thoughts can be so easily sidetracked. 
• I’m going to make plans to attend an upcoming book fair I was recently made aware of which will occur in Seattle at the end of February.  While I won’t be able to take time off to attend the annual conference, I do look forward to attending what will be one of the largest book fairs I’m sure I will ever view first hand. 

As I write, I will continue to learn and as I learn, I will continue to write.  That’s all any writer can do.  And with this Game Plan under my belt, I look forward to the inspiration that will continue to fuel my passion for writing and move me even closer to the future I see for myself as a writer. 

Short story coming soon!

My Top 10 posts for 2013

We’re at the end of another year and, as I did last year, I’d like to share my Top 10 blog posts for the year.  While I’d like to think the most popular posts might give me a better idea of what readers are most interested in, I have to say it seems to be quite a variation if these posts have anything to say about it. 

Here are the Top 10 posts:

10.  A week to test my patience.  This post was written after dealing with a difficult week and I assume I must have struck a chord with others who could feel my pain.

9.  Can creative chaos be organized?  Whether you are creative, organized, creative about organizing or buried by creative chaos, if you’re like me you feel the need to get totally organized at some point or another.

8.  My Mother’s Day weekend.  I like to share about time spent with family and it would appear others enjoyed reading what I had to share.

7.  Tenino as Jorja sees it.  This post was great for those who needed to see a map of my fictional version of Tenino.

6.  My recipe for a happy marriage.  This was offered from the heart after celebrating 22 years of marriage with my soul mate.

5.  Judging by Looks?  It’s just a human trait.  I wrote this post after coming up with a cover design for Best Kept Secrets.  The cover is the first impression and very important when it comes to attracting the interest of new readers.  No matter how many years I continue to write, I believe I will never learn to stop biting my nails as I anticipate how readers will respond to the newest book cover.

4.  Why America’s Got Talent makes me cry.  Because I’m a softie and I love to see people work hard at achieving their dreams.  I believe many of you must feel the same way…or maybe you were just interested in my post because you happened to also like the show.

3.  Who made the quarter-finalist cut?  This was an extremely exciting contest for me to take part in and I was thrilled when I made the top 400 out of 10,000 entries in the mystery/thriller genre and even more thrilled when I earned my spot as a quarter-finalist as one of the top 100 in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest. 

2.  Pitch Perfect.  This had the second highest amount of views and I wonder if it was because at the time there was a movie titled Pitch Perfect.  My post wasn’t about the movie but about the pitch I had to come up with to enter my book in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest and how nervous I was about the whole thing. 

1.  What would we do without distractions?  This was my number one post for 2013.  I guess many of you relate to the fact that we all live with distractions in many areas of our lives and the trick is how we deal with them. 

So there’s my list of the top ten posts which seemed to draw the most interest, for one reason or another.  My top 10 for 2012 also saw a variation so I’m curious to see what readers respond to in 2014.  While I’ve only been blogging for two short years, it seems so long ago that I finally came out as a writer on December 31, 2011.  Since then I’ve published just over 200 posts on this blog, published two books, finished a short story (which was a gift for others this Christmas but will likely be on sale soon) and began writing my third novel.  Maybe it feels longer than two years because I’ve been able to do so much.  Having said that, I look forward to the coming year and I truly appreciate everyone who continues to follow me on my journey as an author.

I’m not a NaNo Winner…

 

But I’m not a loser either.

I joined National Novel Writing Month with every intention of completing my 50,000 word-count goal for my third novel by November 30th and realistically, it was very possible.  It should have been a breeze for me to complete my desired word count, considering the fact that I haven’t had to plug away at a day job all month long.

Even so, I’ve had less available days to write this month than I anticipated, mostly due to how I was feeling health-wise or because of extra time I got to spend with family.  The first half of November was not very productive in the writing department at all so the last half of the month I’ve had to try to make up for lost time.  And it hasn’t been easy.

So why doesn’t it bother me that I didn’t “win” my NaNo certificate?

I’ll tell you why…

Because I feel like a winner regardless of whether or not I made my word count.  I didn’t meet my goal of 50,000 words but I did start writing my third book.  I put words to a page and have made pages into chapters and I’m moving ahead with another fun story plot and a set of circumstances I will enjoy watching Jorja tackle in her own way. 

Not only did I get a good start on my third novel, I’ve also been working on another project that required more of my immediate attention due to the timeframe I have to complete it.  While I may have made the word count on my third novel if I hadn’t decided to tackle something else at the same time, how can I feel like a loser when I’ve been able to use my spare time to work on not one, but two important writing projects? 

No, I don’t feel like a loser just because I didn’t “win” NaNoWriMo this year.  I proved to myself I’m capable of the task, even if I have to plug away nightly after busy work days as I did last year.  This year didn’t pan out – that’s just the way it goes. 

And I won’t complain one bit. 

This year, November was not all about working and writing.  Instead, it’s been about writing when I can as I focus on getting healthy and take advantage of the opportunity to spend more time with my family.

If that isn’t a win-win situation, I don’t know what is.

Sunday…a day to rest and take it all in.

I made it through another book signing.  Even with my anxiety nudging me about the ‘what if’s’ and at least one dream I had about words printed backwards in my book, it went well, the event was fun and before I knew it…the day was over. 

There was only one unexpected incident when a customer accidentally knocked over a wine bottle sitting on a nearby wine barrel.  Thankfully, the book display we had placed near the area was at an angle and far enough away so that it wasn’t struck by the spray of red wine and shards of glass but it sure did make a mess on the floor.  The manager, who I can’t say enough positive things about, kept his upbeat attitude in place as he helped to clean up the area and then he added some humor to the situation by placing this cute announcement on the floor in the middle of the ‘watch your step’ cones:

 

As with the other book signings – and I was wrong, this is actually my fifth event because I completely forgot to include Lakefair as a signing event – I met new people and was also able to put faces to names of those who I only knew through Facebook or some other means.  Some who stopped by had been waiting for the second book ever since they purchased the first when it came out a year ago and others were lucky enough to have only waited since purchasing the book at Lakefair in July.  I also met some readers who were either taking the book with them as they traveled back home out of state or were sending the book to someone else who lived out of state.  A few admitted to me they were buying the book, or both books, as gifts but only after they read them first (sharing is caring so that’s okay with me).  Another kind lady who stopped by had decided to purchase both books as a gift for a co-worker who is retiring on Halloween (what a great idea!). 

One funny moment was towards the end of the event when a gal ran into the store short of breath and worried she might have missed the signing because she was late after the battery in her car had to be jump started.  She was glad I was still there and that she could still purchase a signed copy of the books.  My husband, my mom and my aunt were all standing nearby as she explained what had happened with her car and then the subject changed as she was fanning through the books and happened to catch sight of the name ‘Lydia.’  She then informed us that her name was Lydia and I had to laugh when the looks on my husband’s, my mom’s and my aunt’s face all mirrored each other as they said, ‘Oh…Lydia.”  You can bet Lydia was very curious as to why all three of them commented in the same way, and with an expression she probably couldn’t quite figure out the meaning of.  I’ll be curious what her own thoughts are about Lydia after she finishes the first book.

Another great experience is over and now it’s time to move on to the next.  I’m going to continue to take a break from writing during the month of October but I’m gearing up for National Novel Writing Month when I’ll work on a draft of at least the first 50,000 words in the third book.  I’m also thinking of some ideas for my first book give-away contest – I haven’t used that idea yet but it sounds like fun so be on the lookout for a contest in the near future. 

Now that I’ve shared my thoughts on how the signing went, I’m struck by the fact that Monday will be here much too soon so I’m off to enjoy the rest of my day.  Until next time…

 

Birthday Wishes are Never a Guarantee

I’m a day late, I realize but I didn’t post yesterday for two reasons:  first, it was my birthday and I decided to take the night off and second, I received news I wasn’t quite sure I was ready to share at the risk of saying something I’d later regret.

From the beginning when I started this Blog, I said I would share my writing journey with you, good or bad, and now that I’ve had a day to really digest the news, I’m ready to share it with you so I can move on.  While I did enjoy my birthday, my day fizzled a bit after I also received the much anticipated news on the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest.  It was what I expected in one sense but also a surprise in another. 

But not in a good way.

As everyone knows, I made it as a quarter-finalist in the contest, which really is a big deal.  Moving on as one of the semi-finalists would have been awesome, to say the least, but I knew the odds were against me when the numbers were being cut from 100 to only 5 in each category.  One can certainly be hopeful but you also have to be realistic.

The prize I was really shooting for was the consolation prize each quarter-finalist would receive, whether they moved on as a semi-finalist or not.  That prize was a review by Publisher’s Weekly.  As a new author, gaining that sort of review as an indie author is a hot commodity.  As it turns out, I was wearing rose-colored glasses with no real idea of the potential for creative growing pains should the review not be what I was hoping.  Not that I expected a completely glowing review; if that were the case I’d expect to be one of the top 5 remaining in my genre.  But I did expect a review somewhat consistent with the combination of positive feedback and constructive criticism I received with the first tworeviews at the beginning of the contest. 

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

After reading my review, I’ll admit I was very disheartened and somewhat dumbstruck.  I don’t expect everyone to like my book, my writing or my characters but when it comes to a professional review, especially in light of a first novel, I would certainly expect a critique that can help me learn from the process rather than leave me crushed with hurt feelings.  And that’s exactly how I felt.  I wasn’t quite sure the reviewer even read the whole book, based on some of the comments, and I very much doubt the reviewer even likes the genre my book represents.

But then, that’s my opinion.  And that’s my point; this is a very subjective world, the world of books and writing.  But it takes a very tough skin and stubborn attitude to remember that fact.

I’ll admit I was troubled by the review and even spent some wasted time as I doubted myself and my book.  That is NOT what an author should ever do.  Instead, we have to remember there are critics out there who only wish to cut rather than cure, hinder rather than help and create adversity rather than provide opportunity. 

Here’s a quote I found from the author of one of my favorite books, The Lord of the Rings:

“Some who have read the book, or at any rate have reviewed it, have found it boring, absurd, or contemptible, and I have no cause to complain, since I have similar opinions of their works, or of the kinds of writing that they evidently prefer.”

~J.R.R. Tolkien~

Not everyone loves the story involving all the characters in Tolkien’s fantasy world of Middle-earth.  Not everyone has to.  What matters is that Tolkien wrote the story anyway so that he could share his fantasy world with those who would enjoy it.  And I’m certainly glad he did.

While the art of writing, as well as the author, can and will get better with age, it is from experience, knowledge, research and constructive criticism that we learn and grow from.  Negative reviews which are provided in such a way as to destructively criticize or provide absolutely no worth whatsoever are not worth crying over.  I will say I was disappointed with the review and while this is one review I thought would really help me with marketing, I guess I learned very quickly that I cannot put all my eggs in one basket.  Instead, I had to remember all the positive feedback I’ve received so far and also the great reviews I’ve already received on Amazon, as well as the positive reviews and constructive feedback I received from the Expert Reviewers from the contest.  It’s been over six months since I first published No Mother of Mine and this was my first negative review.  Should I really discount what so many others have said just because I received a negative review from the love child of Cruella DeVille and Simon Cowell? 

It took me awhile to chew on the notion but after I simmered for a bit, I finally realized the answer to that question is a definite and very firm ‘NO.’

 

Taking a Break for the Weekend

Happy Sunday. 

I hope everyone has enjoyed their weekend and possibly tackled a few things on their to-do lists or spent extra time with family or friends.

For me, today was a day to catch up because of getting behind on one very important task, other than my writing, that is.  What could be more important?  Taxes, of course.  I should have had them done already but with so much else going on I kind of put that task off until literally the last minute.

So I’m taking a break from blogging this weekend, except to say hello.  Enjoy the start of your week and I’ll be back on Wednesday where I will hope to be sharing some sort of update with regard to the writing contest.  The question will be whether it is semi-good news or extremely good news. 

Until then…I will follow this rule:  create, inspire, dream.

Mystery vs. Romance…Who has The Following?

Which do you prefer?  Do you yearn for a good romance as two characters play out their love-hate relationship throughout the book or do you enjoy burying yourself in a good mystery you can attempt to solve right along with the main character? 

Maybe you like both?

How about a mysterious romance?  Actually, that might be interesting.

Or possibly a romantic mystery?

A long time ago, I used to read romance novels, right along with mysteries, thrillers and horror books.  My preference, when it came to romance, were books written by Danielle Steel, Nora Roberts, Lavyrle Spencer and such others like them.  But over the many years I’ve been reading, I’ll admit I’ve become bored with romance novels.  If they have humor and a bit of mystery, it helps to hold my interest but typically the romance is overpowering and there isn’t much mystery when the boys always gets the girl. 

Based on that, I’ve shelved romance novels when it comes to the books I plan to read.  But I am curious which genre might have the most followers.  There are many readers out there and many authors to support their need but overall, which genre can come up with the most responsive following than the other?

The reason I’m asking is this…I’ve been keeping an eye on the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest as each Quarter-Finalist’s excerpt has been made available for readers such as yourself to download, read and review.  It’s my understanding that our place as a Semi-Finalist in this contest will depend on how Publisher’s Weekly rates our books as a whole now that the books are undergoing a PW review, but readers do have the option of reading the excepts the Amazon expert reviewers provided feedback on which in turn made each of us a Quarter-Finalist.

Do you know what I’ve noticed with regard to the contest? 

There are 500 total excerpts available for you to download; 100 excerpts for each genre to include mystery/thriller, romance, young adult, general fiction and science fiction.    I don’t know that the books are listed in any particular order and in fact, the order does seem to change when I go back to view them again.  But what I did notice was that out of the first 200 books, the romance category appears to be ahead of the game when it comes to reviews.  At least when it comes to reviews in double digits.  General fiction is a close second, young adult and mystery/thriller have about half the amount of double-digit reviews and science fiction is way behind.  Many books have a few reviews or up to a handful while many others have not received any yet.  I do hope that will change before the results are made available the middle of next month.  Those reviews do help the authors quite a bit and are obviously very useful. 

If you want to see for yourself, use this search for books on Amazon.com:

 

You might wonder why I’m even discussing this particular discovery but if you think about it, I have a very good reason for it.  When the top Finalist in each category is finally revealed, do you know who will be casting their votes for the Grand Prize Winner?  You will!  Amazon customers will be able to read and review each excerpt for each Finalist and cast their vote for their favorite. 

At the rate the reviews are coming in up to this point, romance appears to have a larger following or at least a larger following willing to leave reviews.  So my request to you is this…let’s make this an even race.  Let’s show the authors in all categories that there are enough readers out there to read and review what each of us has put so much work into with the hope of some useful feedback and a chance at a terrific prize. 

If you want to check out my entry, click here:

As with all entries, you can download the full excerpt for free.  Check it out…if you like mysteries, start with mine and go onto the next.  Don’t forget the general fiction titles, the young adult, science fiction and yes, even the romance.  Of course, if my title were to end up as one of the Finalists up for voting, you can bet I’ll be asking you to vote for mine.  But for the time being, take a look at what I and the other Quarter-Finalists have offered up for this contest and give us your feedback, your ratings and your support.

 

 

Who made the Quarter-Finalist Cut?

If you read my initial post in January about my decision to enter the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest, you already know that this contest goes through various rounds.  The first round, I was judged on what I hoped was the perfect pitch for No Mother of Mine.   After waiting a month to learn the results, I was ecstatic to learn my pitch had earned me a spot in the second round as one of the top 400 entries in the Mystery/Thriller genre.  

This next round I waited with bated breath as the excerpt of my book was reviewed and rated by the judges.   Oh, how I waited…

It was this round when I feared I might not make the cut.  My book starts out strong, with my prologue working as a great hook, but because I am writing a series, the beginning of this first book also spends time molding the story and the characters.    

So I waited and I did my best not to think about it but I was truly hopeful I would make the cut.

After I arrived home yesterday, an e-mail was waiting for me to inform me that the chosen entries moving on had been announced.  I opened the e-mail, clicked on the link provided and I downloaded the list of the top 100 in the mystery/thriller genre now moving to the Quarter-Finals of the contest.  To make the top 100 in my category when the contest allowed up to 10,000 to enter, how much of a thrill would that be?

It was not long before I found out. 

Scanning the now much shorter list than the one I scanned last month, I was able to quickly find my name and the name of my book as one of the top 100 now moving to the Quarter-Finals.  I’m a Quarter-Finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest!

If you’ve entered a contest of this sort or of this scale, you know how I feel.  It is an amazing feeling, a great accomplishment and a terrific validation for my work.  Whether I move on from here or not, the title of Quarter-Finalist is a great title to have.  On top of that, the excerpt of my book was reviewed by expert reviewers and the reviews were very good overall and also offered helpful critique.  

Here’s a sample of the reviews I received: 

“The writer knows how to unfold a story…I am following the story and delighting as the writer carries the story seamlessly from strength to strength, and if the writer succeeds in delivering the early promises, the reader will be rewarded.  Good work.” 

“The sequencing of the story, along with the character arc for Jorja are both written well.  I think the story’s set-up is well done, and that the author is doing a terrific job exploring Jorja’s character.”

So what’s next? 

Now, Publishers Weekly will read, review and rate our complete manuscripts based on certain criteria.  From the top 100 Quarter-Finalists in each category, the ratings offered by the judges will decide who will make it as the top 5 in each category.  Top 5 out of 100…that’s a huge cut.  Yikes!

Either way, it will be great to receive a review from Publishers Weekly.  As a new author, any professional critique I receive will be humbly acknowledged and put to use to the best of my ability. 

It’ll be another month before we receive the results of who made it into the Semi-Finals.  Good or bad, I’ll be receiving the news the day before my birthday.  *Sigh*  I’ll do my best not to let the news determine how well I receive my birthday.

If you want to check out the excerpt of No Mother of Mine the judges reviewed for the contest, you can find it here.  You can read it (download it for free), rate it and review it if you’d like.  It won’t be my book cover you’ll see, instead it will be the Amazon contest cover for the mystery/thriller genre but if you click on it, you can download the excerpt of my book. 

I’ve gone on long enough but it just goes to show, I’m excited about sharing the news.  If you want to help me spread the word, please tell your friends and family to check out my contest entry.  Any ratings or reviews I receive will be very helpful and appreciated.

 

The Contest Pitch Results

If you read my post from last month, you know I entered my book, No Mother of Mine, in a yearly contest held by Amazon.  The contest goes through several tiers in the elimination process and your work is judged on several levels, starting with a pitch, then moving on to the first 5,000 words of your book and finally, your book as a whole if you make it that far.

The pitch was the first level of judging and it was very difficult to come up with something I hoped would please the judges so that they would advance my work into the second round.  You can only rework and reword something so much before your eyes begin to cross and you constantly question any changes you make.  Eventually, you just have to enter what you feel is the best and then all you can do is hope for the best. 

Actually deciding on which draft is the best out of each rewrite is easier said than done.  Especially since it is the selected pitches which will land you in the top 400 chosen out of 10,000 in your genre category. 

So how did I do?

I finally received an e-mail the other day informing me that the second round selections had been announced.  I was instructed to visit the website, download the list from my genre category and then look for my author name and title.

I hopped right on the website, found the mystery/thriller category and clicked on the link to download the list. 

I first scrolled down to the H’s, believing the author names would be categorized by last name but I soon discovered authors were instead in alphabetical order by their first names.

So I scrolled further down to the P’s…

I looked for my author name, P.J. Howell…

And discovered I wasn’t on the list.

Oh, I won’t deny it.  I was crushed.  I was so hoping to get much further than the first round.

Just then, my husband walked into my office and he immediately saw the expression on my face.  He asked me what was up.  At first, I didn’t want to say anything.  I thought I’d wallow in my own self pity for a bit but I knew I had to tell him eventually. 

I told him I hadn’t made the cut.

As I was showing him the list to prove my name and book were not on the list, I was scrolling down through the P’s…

Patrick…Patty…Paul…

Suddenly another name caught my eye…

Paula…

Wait…what?

And yes, under author name was Paula Howell with the book title, No Mother of Mine.

I made the cut!  

So you might be wondering…does it take a judge or two in a contest to make me believe my work is worthwhile? 

No.

But as a writer, you have to be brave and get your work out there.  You have to make it available to others.  You also need to experience feedback from others in the big bad book world of publishing.  And hopefully, there comes a day when you make your work available to the right people so that eventually, you hit the rewarding domino effect the right distribution can get you.

I won’t deny it.  I am very delighted I made the first cut and am now in the second round of judging.  I’m proud of the fact that all the work I put into my pitch landed me into the top 400 out of 10,000 in my genre category.  But this is a tough contest and I’m certain I’m up against very stiff competition.  Whatever happens, happens, but I’m thrilled to enjoy the ride a bit longer. 

The next round of selected entries will be announced next month so I will share the news when I receive it, good or bad.  I will try my best not to expect too much…but it won’t be easy.

 

 

A Week to Test my Patience

Some weeks stand out more than others, whether the reasons are good or bad.  This has definitely been a week designed to test my patience…

First, the late posting this week is due to the fact that I’ve been ill.  I hate being sick; it cuts into the time I need to spend on more important things.  When I get sick, it causes me to have to slow way down…which is not a speed I’m used to.  I’ve been fighting what I thought was a cold for over a month.  Actually, I’m sure it just started out as a cold but eventually my immune system was reduced so that the cold morphed into an unexpected illness.  I finally went to see the doctor the other day and when he entered the waiting room, do you know what his first words were? 

He said, “You must really be a patient woman!”

Obviously, he doesn’t know me very well.

Actually, he really doesn’t.  My doctor retired last year and I’m still looking for a good replacement.  So when the doctor made that statement to me, which really didn’t make any sense considering he hadn’t made me wait in the little room as long as I thought he might, I could only look at him with curiosity as I asked him “why?”  His reply was that he couldn’t believe I’d been sick for over a month and was just now coming in to see him.

While I did fight the urge to see the doctor, because I was sure I had only a cold, I’m very glad I finally went in.  The diagnosis actually surprised me and it turns out this was not a condition I would have been able to make go away on my own. 

Another setback this week involved my vehicle.  I guess the health of my vehicle wasn’t much better than my own because the darn thing decided it did not want to parade me around any longer.  The only good thing about this was that it decided to die basically on the door step of an auto shop owned by someone we know.  The bonus is that we avoided a tow bill; the not-so-good news is that the vehicle needed some TLC badly.  What can be worse than your vehicle breaking down?  The cost of getting it to run well again.  Ouch.

And that’s on top of having to take time off without pay while I’m sick because I have run out of leave.  Double ouch.

Are you ready to ask me if I’d like some cheese with my whine?  Well, my patience may have been tested in one way with regard to the worries about my health, money and the condition of my vehicle but the fact that I am actually able to find patience has also brought about good prospects with regard to my writing: 

Just this week I entered No Mother of Mine into a breakthrough novel contest after spending many patient hours working on the submissions required for the contest.  However, the true test to my patience will occur as I wait for the results.

As I have from the beginning and will continue each week from now until I know it all (which will be never) I will continue to learn and improve my knowledge in marketing and publishing techniques.  This is only possible as I patiently research and read what works or doesn’t work for others. 

I’ve made promising relationships with local business owners, which takes time and patience as I get them to believe in my capabilities.  This week I am preparing for and looking forward to another book signing I have scheduled at one of those very businesses the end of this month.  If you are interested, come by the Scatter Creek Winery in Tenino on January 26th between 2p and 6p.  It is a charming wine tasting room and gift shop with owners who will make you feel at home while you taste their homemade wines. 

As this week and many like it have shown me, my patience may be tested but I’ve also proven what I’m capable of when I test my patience.  I’m sure there will be many more weeks lining up to give me the opportunity to prove myself and as always, I look forward to the challenge.        

 

Pitch Perfect

Never knew I was fond of singing? 

Well, I’m not…at least not when I know anyone is listening.

No, the definition of a perfect pitch here is what is necessary to enter into a contest.  This is a big one…by Amazon for new writers and their “breakthrough” novels.  The contest offers big bucks, contracts, a trip to the venue for all finalists where the ceremony to name the winners will take place and also other smaller prizes for those who make second and third place.

This contest is limited to a certain number of entries…in the official rules it just states 10,000 entries but on the signup form I used it seemed to indicate 10,000 entries per category…that would mean 50,000!  There are five categories and they include general fiction, mystery/thriller, science fiction/fantasy/horror, romance and young adult fiction.  Of course, my entry will be for the mystery category.  I’m curious which of the categories will receive the most entries first.

I have been preparing my pitch to submit with an excerpt of my book along with the whole manuscript.  You might think the contest is based on the book but in this case, it all starts with the perfect pitch.  The pitch can be no more than 300 words and must relay enough information to pique the judge’s interests because only 400 from each category will be chosen.  If I can get past the first round of judging, I would then move to the second round which involves a review of an excerpt of my book.  This excerpt includes only up to 5,000 words of the book.  The amount of 5,000 words may seem like a lot but it really isn’t.  From the 400 entries for each category, only 100 will be chosen to move on.  That’s a bit scary.  Even if the pitch caught their interest, you really have to hope that the excerpt you send will keep the judges interested enough to move you into the next round. 

As a writer, it can certainly cause some worry if you fear the rule about too much back story in the beginning of the novel.  Whether it comes back to bite me, only time will tell but I will have to stick by my story as I wrote it no matter what happens.  Because this was the first in a series for me, I wrote the book as time progressed for the characters, knowing those who have read the first novel won’t need the back story as they continue to read each book in the series. 

Hopefully, the judges won’t use it against me.

From there the fat is really trimmed as only the top five from each category can move to the semi-finals.  From the top five, only one semi-finalist is chosen for each of the five categories.  So how is the grand finalist out of those five chosen?  By none other than Amazon customers.  Yes, they’ll offer up the manuscripts for people to read and vote on.  The finalists will be wringing their hands as they wait for the final count to be determined.  I can only hope I’ll be one of them.

The grand prize is awesome and the four first-place prizes are pretty good as well, all involving contracts and royalty advances.  Whether I’m knocked out at the beginning, become a finalist and enjoy a free trip and a few smaller prizes or actually make it to the end and wind up with one of five contracts, my plan is to enter the contest and keep an optimistic attitude. 

As I keep my optimistic attitude, all I can do is wait to see what happens.  I made a resolution to get my work out there and seen by publishers.  This is one way to do it.  In the meantime, it is time to get back to writing my second book.

Have a great week!