A Teary Good-bye: RIP ABNA

So Monday afternoon I got news that for me was very very sad.

I've entered the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest five times. I expected it to be an annual event for a very long time, but sadly, Amazon has another bright shiny idea that they are allowing to take its place.

And it is not UN-shiny... they have something called Kindle Scout where readers get to nominate and vote on pre-published books based on their descriptions... Winners get a small advance ($1,500) and the full power of Amazon's promoting arm...

But...

You knew there was a but, eh? And not a butt, sadly...

They only want COPYEDITED, PROFESSIONAL COVER-WEARING books... which means those significant expenses are on the author... [I mean someone who has already decided to self-publish has nothing to lose, as these should be done anyway, but it DOES dim them compared to other reputable publishers, other than that marketing arm, I mean]. For ABNA, if you won, then they helped you with those things...

And it is on a rolling system... sure they are doing more of them, but there are no giant “8000 cut at pitch” bonding moments among writers. The common journey is 90% of the beauty of ABNA... a pilgrimage in a writer's life, if you will...

And my final issue? No deadline. This is a rolling thing, so there is no urgency. How am I EVER going to get something publication-ready with no deadline!?


So For My ABNA Wake...


The BOOKS (and how I did)

2010: Confluence (the first I ever did and one that will need to be split in two if I ever decide to visit it again. Kicked out at pitch.

2011: Kahlotus Disposal Site (6th book written—this has been repped and subbed and is now back in my lap): This was a semi-finalist in the first year they split General Fiction from Young Adult, so top 50 of 5000 YA.

2012: Legacy (2nd book finished): Quarter-finalist and harshest review at that point—the reviewer found it unnecessarily comlicated, which it may have been. I would also split this in two if I revisit it.

2013: Medium Wrong (11th book): Kicked out at pitch. Of note, this was the year they went from two categories to five, so YA dropped from 1000 passed along to 400. This is the YA after Kahlotus in mind for polishing.

2014: A Shot in the Light: Parts I-IV (13th book, self published serially one part at a time): This book was a semi-finalist in the mystery/thriller category (you can get the full bundled set for $5.99 if you want, or it is for sale as a trilogy if you have already read part of it). Semi-finalist meant top 5—there were only 25 total semi-finalists (instead of the 100 there were when there were only 2 categories)


Now I'm not saying doing well in this contest has been great for my career, but it HAS been great for my confidence. I can write. (my marketing skills on the other hand, are sorely deficient)


But By FAR the BEST part of ABNA has been the solid friendships I've formed. The people I met first on ABNA and then have reinforced either HERE or on Facebook are probably those writer relationships that are strongest (other than my Harry Potter peeps who've been with me since before I was “out” as a writer). I couldn't possibly list them all, but there have been some wonderful successes and some hardships and a whole lotta fun.

On the ABNA site there is a place called the Manse (the origin of the picture below... our little fantasy world) where the most silliness occurs, but there are facebook groups, and over the years I've met people THROUGH ABNA friends who have ALSO been involved.

I really wanted to list all my buddies, but then realized the impossibility of such a task. I will, though, give a shout to the couple who have blogs I read regularly, since blogging is what we are about around here...

Megan Bosnic: Creative Chaos
Allison DeLuca: A Fresh Pot of Tea
Michael DiGesu: In Time
Johanna Garth: Losing Sanity
Jenny Milchman: Suspense Your Disbelief
Erica Olson and Christy Hintz: Erica and Christy
Gae Polisner: Trying to Stay Afloat in a Sea of Word
Helena Soister: Becoming Layla

I'm sure I've missed some, so PLEASE don't be offended. Some others just don't blog very much or I am misremembering and feel like I knew them before we went through ABNA, so no disrespect intended if I met you there and am remembering wrong.

In any case, there are MANY MANY more people who've become good friends from this contest and I will sorely miss it. Though I will have the writer friends with me forever.

The Gratitude Post

I had something AMAZING happen to me on Friday. I will confess I had some hint it might be coming, as there was some 'just I case' paperwork involved, but it still really sent me into orbit. I've been on a high all weekend.

You see... Friday they announced the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Semi-finalists.

People who have been around a few years know I made this list once before, but this stage is different from what it was then. In 2011 I was a semi-finalist with Kahlotus Disposal Site, and was one of 50 young adult novels to make my list (another 50 made the general fiction list—100 altogether).

Last year Amazon broke the contest into FIVE categories instead of two. Mostly it just meant a different split of people passed on—made it more competitive to keep going in YA, as they were 20% rather than 50... But the semi-finalist stage cut winners from 100 to 25—that means only 5 in each category.

Friday I learned A Shot in the Light was ONE of those FIVE for the Mystery/Thriller category—there are 25 total semi-finalists... 25 of 10,000. I am AMAZED, and proud and intimidated and all that good stuff...

(in celebration, the price stays 99 cents as long as I am in the contest)

But the real gratitude came after. On the ABNA boards I had a ton of congrats—me by name... I had a ton of support from my various Facebook groups and friends. It is one of those times you realize just the daily showing up and making friends has a HUGE impact. I have a dozen little groups I am a part of and it can feel a little schizophrenic. They all have their different quirks and personalities

When you get mad at yourself for screwing around online, be assured, screwing around online can pay off... erm... but seriously. I feel a commitment to playing much of the time when I'm online and I think it really does help people feel like they know me, so when good stuff happens, then I end up a teary, sniveling mess because everybody is so nice to me. But that's GOOD.

In Other News...

I was clearly distracted Friday, but managed to pass the halfway point on Mere Mortals this weekend, so I am on track with my WriMo.

I learned my friend Lisa Koosis landed an agent, so congrats to Lisa!

Game of Thrones Finale... as of this writing, I haven't seen it yet but it HAS TO have been AMAZING...

Watched season 2 of Orange is the New Black in three days because that is sort of how I roll...

And I hope all you dads out there had a GREAT Father's Day!


Finally, a QUESTION: On #NALitChat Thursday night people were talking about Wattpad. What is Wattpad?

A Shot in the Light: Publisher's Weekly Review

This review is for my Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Entry, which is books 1-4 for the serial, available HERE if anyone is interested.

ABNA Publishers Weekly Reviewer

This novel is a compelling look at how people survive when everything they know has changed. Chapters focus on a cast of alternating characters across the United States and their reactions to a massive flu outbreak that begins killing people all over the country. Journalists Sydney Knight, Tonya Simons, and Theo Jacobs, grad students Nathan Drake and Jules Ahler, nurse Sarah McGrath, mercenary Matt Jacobs, senator's daughter Dorene Radcliff, and CDC employee Pierre Van Wouten utilize their skill sets and knowledge as they try to investigate and survive the epidemic. As paths cross and groups form, a picture of what caused the epidemic begins to emerge. This novel engages readers from the first page and keeps them turning pages until the end. Characters' backgrounds and motivations are explored in depth, and relationships grow. The sense of dread grows along with the epidemic, and action scenes leave readers on the edge of their seats. The author's writing style is engaging and serves the plot well. This novel is a very strong look at the lengths to which people will go to survive.

The underlined bit is the thing I plan to use for my promo stuff... Definitely a nice perk!

Tagged Authors and Vine Reviews

So today is the day my buddies I tagged last week are posting THEIR writing process posts. Please go be super supportive, as these are some of my favorite people (as are all of you):

Helena Soister

Stacy Gail

Jade C. Jamison

And for anyone curious... I was one of the lucky people who passed into the quarter finals in the ABNA contest last week. As early career writers, feedback can be hard to come by, so we savor the chance to hear from strangers what they think of our work. This round was a review of our first 3000-5000 words and they were done by Amazon's Selected Vine Reviewers. Now this job is a TON of work. I am ever appreciative they take the time. Initially all are given 40 reviews to do (that is up to 200,000 words if you are calculating, in just... I think 3 weeks)--and not just to READ, but to provide thoughtful reviews.

So a big THANK YOU to the Vine Reviewers who help. I think they get a nice gift certificate for it, but it has to amount to well below minimum wage for the time required. And while I've occasionally heard grumbles, I have always been treated more than fairly and believe that is a case of one or two bad-actors. MOST people do this sincerely and are doing a huge service to the writers in the contest.

Before I share my reviews, I should probably give you all the pitch, to let you know what they are reviewing:

Shot in the Light Pitch

A beach covered in dead seagulls brings Sidney Knight's quest for quiet to a halt. She's come to the Oregon coast to hammer out a few freelance deadlines but this breaks her concentration. According to her brother, a scientist at the Centers for Disease Control, the avian flu has reached epidemic classification. His warning not to get the flu shot, contrary to authority recommendations, scares her.

Back in Portland she begins to dig and notices a disturbing trend: the shot, rather than reducing risk, is increasing deaths. Health departments, hospitals, and news sources are silent and care providers have been warned not to "scare people". Sidney, young and inexperienced, doubts she can handle a story this big, but what if she's the only one looking? When the CDC is locked down with her brother inside and one of her closest friends dies from the vaccine, Sidney's mind is made up. Green or not, she has to figure out how this happened, who is responsible, and who can set it right.

A Shot in the Light is a new adult epidemic conspiracy thriller and will appeal to people who like a complex plot, powerful relationships and an emotional roller coaster.

This collection holds the first four books of 12 in the serially released A Shot in the Light.


And now for the Reviews:

ABNA Expert Reviewer #1
What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt?

The sense of tension is the striking aspect of the excerpt. It opens well with Sidney at the beach with the dead birds and never lets up even with the scene change from Portland to Oregon.

What aspect needs the most work?

The aspect that I found the most distracting while reading was that some of the sentences tried to do too much with not enough. An example: "They went to Mountain Sun, because Shana was a beer snob, and ordered a pitcher of something amber." When I read that, I thought, "What does Mountain Sun have to do with being a beer snob? And if she is a beer snob, wouldn't the beer that was ordered be a specific brand?" Sentence would seem more direct if it was simpler like "They went to Mountain Sun because Shana preferred the beer that was served there."

What is your overall opinion of this excerpt?

I really like the tension in the excerpt and in spite of the awkwardness of some of the writing, the plot and interaction of characters remained intriguing that I wanted to find out more.

ABNA Expert Reviewer #2
What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt?

The excerpt is written very well: good structure, grammar, and pace. It was easy to read and flowed nicely.

I also thought the character development was strong. I like that the author didn't introduce too many characters at once and, instead, chose to focus on and really flesh out just a few.

The dialogue is believable and effortless to read, which I appreciate. It all makes sense and is easy to follow.

The story is also intriguing. A crazy outbreak that kills off a huge part of the population is definitely one of my worst fears, so this topic is scary, but also interesting and definitely engaging.

What aspect needs the most work?

Chapter 1.1 moved a little slowly for me. On the one hand, it was nice to have the author take his or her time to calmly set up the premise of the story, but I also think it dragged just a bit. I'm not sure I needed all the back-and-forth between characters while they were setting up the barrels--or at least not as much.

What is your overall opinion of this excerpt?

Overall, this excerpt was really solid. It's well-written, and I am already invested in the characters. Plus, the storyline is very engaging, in my opinion. I would love to read the rest of this book to know how this mysterious illness progresses (even though I know it would completely freak me out). :)


My thoughts? Fair reviews, and food for thought. I am flattered, but see there is a bit of work to do, which, since I've published these, is a wee bit disconcerting, but I can always tighten a bit and re-release--that is the beauty of self-pubbing, eh?

Last Stops and Newses

I wind up my blog tour today...

I had two reviews over the weekend (I've been extremely pleased with my reviews for Keeping Mum--all of them have been good)

So if you get a chance, go see my the review Dru Ann did at Cozy Chicks

And I had a guest post at Lori's Reading Corner

The actor in my head for Cam's Dad

And then TODAY is my last blog stop. At Dru's Book Musing, Annie is doing a feature article about Nelson Harris (Cam's Dad).  These two have some good chemistry--not sure if any of you had a best friend's parent you really hit it off with, but these two are great buddies. I like Dru's feature about characters, but thought Annie was the best voice to talk about Nelson with. Nelson would NEVER just talk about himself and Cam is too close, as his daughter. Besides, any of my readers knows I am having the most fun when I channel Annie.


And then finally... the NEWSES!

Yesterday was the first ABNA amputation and I am please to say I still have all my limbs.  The pitch stage is a rough one. Writing a pitch is a lot harder than writing a novel, in my opinion... at least sometimes. I've had a book or two that the pitch nearly wrote itself (though one of those pitches got cut, come to think of it.)

My ABNA record is as follows:

2010: Confluence (1st book) cut at pitch
2011: Kahlotus Disposal Site (6th book) semi-finalist
2012: Legacy (2nd book) quarter finalist
2013: Medium Wrong (10th book) cut at pitch

So let's hope what you see is a PATTERN, as that would lead to semi-final material, though honestly, I can't see passing past quarter-finalist, as this is really only the first third of the story (but SHHHHHHH--I can always hope the writing does it--Jade compared me to Stephen Freaking King, after all *shifty*)

Anyway, for anyone curious, here is my pitch:

A Shot in the Light (mystery/thriller)

A beach covered in dead seagulls brings Sidney Knight's quest for quiet to a halt. She's come to the Oregon coast to hammer out a few freelance deadlines but this breaks her concentration. According to her brother, a scientist at the Centers for Disease Control, the avian flu has reached epidemic classification. His warning not to get the flu shot, contrary to authority recommendations, scares her. 

Back in Portland she begins to dig and notices a disturbing trend: the shot, rather than reducing risk, is increasing deaths. Health departments, hospitals, and news sources are silent and care providers have been warned not to "scare people". Sidney, young and inexperienced, doubts she can handle a story this big, but what if she's the only one looking? When the CDC is locked down with her brother inside and one of her closest friends dies from the vaccine, Sidney's mind is made up. Green or not, she has to figure out how this happened, who is responsible, and who can set it right. 

A Shot in the Light is a new adult epidemic conspiracy thriller and will appeal to people who like a complex plot, powerful relationships and an emotional roller coaster.

I. CAN'T. NOT.

For anyone clueless at this, there are two repeating themes I will be discussing today:

My FOMS (Fear of Missing Something)

and

ABNA (The Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award)

I seem to be unable to step away from this particular activity... It is still OPEN by the way... will be for a couple weeks for any category that doesn't fill up early...

So what IS the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award?

Every year Amazon has a contest for novels—they let in 10,000 entrants: 2000 each in the categories of Young Adult, General Fiction, Romance, Fantasy/Sci Fi, and my own category this year, Mystery/Thriller.

Every month the list gets narrowed, first, based on the 300 word pitch which cuts the playing field from 2000 per area to 500 per... Second month narrows the 500 to 100 based on the first 3000-5000 words (these are quarterfinals). And then the NEXT narrows it from 100 to 25 (semifinalists)... Then finally, there are the finals.

So see, this stress fest drags all the way out for 5 months... Who WOULDN'T want to be part of it?

But seriously, the WE-ness of it is awesome. It is one of those things like bootcamp or initiation or nursing school—you know—create forever bonds between people who share the experience.

My History with this Contest:

I entered for the first time with Confluence (my first novel) and got knocked out at pitch round.

I entered the next year with Kahlotus Disposal Site (my 6^th) and made it to the semifinals.

I entered the third year with Legacy (my 2^nd, substantially revised) and made quarterfinals.

Last year I entered Medium Wrong (my 11^th?) and got knocked out at pitch...

So this is my 5^th year and I am entering the first set of A Shot in the Light.... Here is the pitch.

A beach covered in dead seagulls brings Sidney Knight's quest for quiet to a halt. She's come to the Oregon coast to hammer out a few freelance deadlines but this breaks her concentration. According to her brother, a scientist at the Centers for Disease Control, the avian flu has reached epidemic classification. His warning not to get the flu shot, contrary to authority recommendations, scares her.

Back in Portland she begins to dig and notices a disturbing trend: the shot, rather than reducing risk, is increasing deaths. Health departments, hospitals, and news sources are silent and care providers have been warned not to “scare people”. Sidney, young and green, doubts she can handle a story this big, but what if she's the only one looking? When the CDC is locked down with her brother inside and one of her closest friends dies from the vaccine, Sidney's mind is made up. Green or not, she has to figure out how this happened, who is responsible, and who can set it right.

A Shot in the Light is a new adult epidemic conspiracy thriller and will appeal to people who like a complex plot, powerful relationships and an emotional roller coaster.

Who else is entering?

Taking My Knocks

And SHEEEEEEEE's OUT!

Oh, it's just part of the process... From everything we could tell, the YA category in the Amazon contest this year looked the most densely populated, and since 400 were picked from EVERY category, that means YA is where the competition was stiffest... My pitch was as good as I could make it...

Oh, I could engage in conspiracy theories... (I did notice VERY few H names made it through YA... stingy scorer?  could be... but I might have BENEFITED from NOT being in that group the last two years... there is always some chance to it). I have read a couple YA that made it in... and they are good, but they are also qualitatively different... maybe a little perkier?

So I spent a good part of yesterday pouting a bit... (no mention of big girl panties, please... you know my feelings on pants)

One, two, three... UP!

I will comfort myself with my good company... and maybe some fantasies about a brigade of men in kilts...

I know I am in good company, as I had some talented friends ALSO knocked out...


Okay, over that.

TODAY really ought to be celebrating our talented friends who are IN.

Congratulations to blogger friends:

Leigh Moore with Rouge!
Carolyn Abiad with Burnt Amber
Theresa Milstein with Sorceress Sisters

And also to some longtime ABNA friends:

Janet Oakley with Timber Rose
Sue Maynard with Suffer the Fury
Becky Kyle with Ms. President
Lisa Koosis with The Road of the Dead
Dwight Okita with The Hope Store
Sylvia Jefferson with The Agreement
Diana Wilder with The City of Refuge
Robert Leland Taylor with Holy Toledo and the Virgin Shirley

(okay, confess... who snorted when you saw Robert's title?)  I'm sure there are bunches more who made it. I go a little cross-eyed looking at lists... and I have a few friends I only know by first name.

So lets make a toast to these fabulous friends and the others who pass on and call it good. May they keep progressing!


In Other News:

Eating stuff going good... was down 11 pounds at the 6 week weigh-in (Tuesday).

Making polishing progress...

This is good... always good to have a bite of humble pie now and then...

And that is what I can manage today... so there...

Oh... and happy Valentine's Day... But please only PRETEND to massacre people in honor...

erm... (what?)

I'm Schrodinger's Cat

Welcome to Digressuary 6

What the heck am I on about Schrodinger's Cat for? Because of course it is first Wednesday, and therefore the day we have Insecure Writers Support Group. And I'm feeling... perhaps insecure...


See, it's like this...

No, lemme back up. What is Schrodinger's Cat?

Schrodinger was a mean rotten scientist that liked to make people imagine horrible things for the purpose of stretching their wee brains philosophically.

It goes something like this:

There is a cat in a box with some radio active something something poison something and there is exactly equal likelihood that the poison has or has NOT released and killed the cat... well philosophically, instead of saying there was equal probability, this nut wants us to think BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW, the cat is alive and dead at the same time. Both possibilities exist.

What does that have to do with me?

One word: ABNA. Okay, that's an acronym. Five words: Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest.

Right now we are ONE WEEK away from hearing if our pitches passed us to the next round. Chances are my pitch has been read... I am both alive and dead right now.

Of course in the grand scheme of the contest, only 5 of 10,000 get prizes, so probably I am headed for certain death, but I might live a little longer yet... long enough to go for a walk...

ALSO this week: I sent 5 queries... those are on top of the 7 I think I still have 'out there'. Most likely am dead on those. Odds aren't nearly as good as living another week in the ABNA contest...

But see... the thing of it is, unlike Schrodinger's poor cat, we can play this thing over and over and over... until we live!!!

So LIVE friends! LIVE! Even if you have to die a bunch of times first! Erm...

Reintroduce Blogfest Monday

I don't normally blog on the weekend, but it occurred to me this morning that I knew a bunch of groovy people (my friends old and new at ABNA) who haven't quite found their blogging groove. And MONDAY, there is a perfect time to dive into the deep end with a lifeguard on duty.

Say what?

I know. I sort of enjoy straining metaphors. Sue me.

What I mean is... the Reintroduce Yourself Blogfest is Monday... there is still time to sign up. And what it offers as a 'blog shopper' (someone looking for new blogs to follow) is you get to come in on a day where you can learn about the blog owner and make a decision on actual 'get to know you' information, rather than stumbling in on the day they need to obsess about slugs, or top 40 hits, or kale. There are lots of topics that might be covered by people we might otherwise like, but if we stumble in on THAT day, we will never know they really are a great fit.

So if you have a blog but haven't been maximizing that whole NETWORKING thing with it, we'd love you to join!

The information on it is HERE... just sign up at the bottom of the list. Easy peasy. And then on MONDAY post an 'about you' post.

Gratuitous Llama picture

How Writers Write

Oh, I know... y'all aren't representative annallat... but between responses HERE and responses over at ABNA where I posed the same questions (two blogs ago, if you want to look), I got more than 60 results, so not bad at all, as blog polling goes (at least in my experience).

Who ARE you?

Well, all of you are writers... a couple here hadn't finished a book yet (that's okay, we all start somewhere) but we'd written an average (mean) of 5.9 books in 12.1 years. Keep in mind there were some big numbers that skewed these—the MODE (most commonly mentioned response) was 3 books (8 people of 50 who answered that question)—2 and 2.5 also being fairly common.

I ALSO should let you know a number of you started writing ages ago, but if you gave a 'got serious' answer, that was what I used. Not tons of us have been serious for several decades (though there were a few)

About half of you answered here and half over at ABNA. The blog had more missing data, I think just because the format sort of lends to that.

HOW do you Write?

Almost half said fast (23/53), though slow was the #2 response (medium and in bursts also got a decent number). People who write fast or medium had written more books (shocking, I know; though the fact that I got a p value of .06 for a sample of only 60 is quite impressive *shifty*)--about 7 versus in the 3s. What CAN'T be told from this is whether people get faster as they write more books or whether people write more books because they can do it faster. The things sort of go hand in hand.

More than half claimed you write CLEAN (and so I'm just a bit envious). This was NOT different by number of books or years writing.

About half of you only work on one thing at a time. (followed by rotators). The people who worked on multiple books at once several times, mentioned of their own accord, that they have to be different genres.

About half set the book aside before editing, though about a third edit right away and another portion edits as you go (with the leftovers doing some mix)

About half either move on to the next, or at least wait on the current before submitting or publishing. Those who keep going until it is OUT THERE were split between self publishing and submitting.

We are almost evenly split between pantsers, outliners and people who do some level of planning that isn't quite outlining (notes, timelines)

And we are ALL over the board with genre, though YA was most common, followed by varied, though if I'd marked varied for anybody who had more than one, that would have risen to top—oodles put 2 genres.

Mixing it up

Pantsers write faster than outliners. I wonder if outliners count their time outlining as writing time and that explains some portion of this? Just as likely, it takes some effort to follow a plan. (people who judge their speed as medium are evenly split between pantsers and outliners). How we write seems to have NO effect on how clean we judge our books to be. Interesting. Totally would have thought outliners ended up with cleaner books, but about half of both pantsers and outliners are clean. Clean though, DOES absorb a greater portion of the other planning methods.

People who work on multiple works at once are 70% pantsers... One at a timers are planners (either outline or other systems); rotators are more of a mix.

Outliners edit right away, pantsers set it aside (broadly—there are exceptions—more exceptions in the outliners setting it aside category)

How a person writes doesn't seem to have much impact on what a person does once done in terms of publishing, waiting, etc.

I totally thought some pattern would emerge related to experience or genre, but that really doesn't seem to be the case. It was fun, though, to look at us collectively.

What Kind of Writer are YOU? (A poll)

Be sure to say that with incredulity and add just a note of disgust on that last word. It's how we all HEAR the question, anyway...

Oh, we're ALL mad here!

But what brings this on?

I've been hanging out over at ABNA... it is what I DO in January after all (besides go hungry). I like to get to know my fellow contestants... there are old friends and new acquaintances... and there are some discussions that cause me to... observe stuff.

Stuff??? You say? What KIND of stuff?

First, before I say anything, I need to shout out the big disqualifier... none of these observations makes one type of writer better or worse. It is ALL just an observation about the different ways we can BE... we are not all alike, much as we are more like each other than we are like non-writer types.

But I notice:

Some writers are so attached to ONE BOOK... Same book entered year after year. And I wonder... do they write other books, or have they just been perfecting THIS book?

This is not unrelated to the 'won't take on the next until this one is published'.

And then there are folks like me, who must seem very short-attention spanned... entering my 4th book in 4 years and year 1 I entered book 1, but this year am entering #10...


What this MEANS, is some writers focus on ONE BOOK until it is totally polished, finished and OUT THERE.

Do you suppose this helps?

OTHERS write a book, set it aside to work on something else, set THAT aside to work on a 3rd thing, then come back to the first thing. Know what I am? I'm a ROTATOR!

Still others work SIMULTANEOUSLY on a couple projects (writing two at once)--now I've done this—back in the day I was writing my first book and still writing fan fiction—but I can't do it anymore, though I CAN write one and polish another.


I've ALSO noticed some people write slow and clean and some people write fast and dirty (this would be me) and some people write slow and dirty, and SOME LUCKY BASTARDS write fast and clean.


And some people dive straight into editing, while others let it sit... Some share parts of their book right away, others wait until the book is done (maybe even edited—here is where I raise my hand again) to share.

So how do YOU do it?

Fast or slow?
Dirty or clean?
One at a time, multiple or rotating?
Can you edit right away, or do you need to set it aside?
Publish or die or do you go on to next project and wait to come back to it?

And to put this all in context:

Do you outline/timeline/ or pants?
How many books have you written?
How many YEARS have you been writing since you got serious?
What genre do you write?

3 Days: Can we Panic NOW?

Yes. Now we panic.

Wait. Have I lost you? The Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest opens in 3 days. Between now and then I need to:

Finish 43 pages of my OWN edit.

Incorporate Leigh's feedback

Incorporate Helena's feedback on the excerpt

Clean up the pitch... Thank you SO MUCH everyone who gave feedback! I really think I've got what I need to polish this puppy til it's fluffy! (and by fluffy, I mean fabulous).

FORMAT the excerpt (it is pasted, and so you need to manually add double spacing between paragraphs, not a HUGE ordeal, but with 15 pages or so, it takes time).

My PLAN *Buwahahahahahahaha* is to do the first today, the second two Saturday and the last two Sunday.

In the meantime, let me amuse you...

 

 

 

The ever ellusive Push-me-pull-llama

Not bad advice...

Glad my kids aren't the only ones...

It's true...

*snort*

And finally...

Funniest thing I saw this week...

My Son the Senior Citizen (and a plea for help)

The senior citizen in question (and 1/3 of me)

So somewhere around 2005 the AARP lost an old guy named Samuel Johnson. But never fear. If the AARP loses you, they will find you... or some near approximation. About my son's 9th birthday they started sending us stuff. Offers for magazines, life insurance (really A LOT of life insurance), assist beds and chairs... Never mind that his dad didn't qualify until last September...

When they would call us asking for him, my husband would lecture them on his age. But we've never done anything about the mail. Heck, sometimes they send us discounts. And more often, it is just really funny to think about my teenage son getting these Bizarro World offers.

[Note I am 5'11. You can see in this photo my 14 year old has passed me by more than a wee bit)

So last night I got the mail and there is a letter. It is that weird type that might be type, might be handwritten, but since it's addressed to my son, I do the magnanimous thing and pass it on, explaining it might just be an ad...

Me: So what was it, Bud?
Him: They want to help me with my ear wax.

*dies *

Oh, to be fourteen and treated like 64.


MEDIUM WRONG Pitch for Feedback...

So the Amazon contest starts in 5 days, right? And the first cut is based on the pitch... so here is my current pitch and I would LOVE feedback... 2 things: After reading the pitch would you want to read the book and do you see ways to improve it?

MEDIUM WRONG



Amanda Harden has anticipated summer break and her brother’s return from college since Christmas. She’s been biding her time, trying to stay under her volatile father’s radar. Within minutes of Asher’s return; however, she learns he’s flunked out of college and their father throws him out of the house.

Worried as much about Asher’s self-destructive response as her own well-being, Amanda insists on tagging along on the road trip he plans as an escape. He resists, but then decides on a plan that can use her. They learned the con young, under their father’s constant example, and Asher believes Amanda can help him run a doozy to pay for their trip. Amanda will bring messages from the dead to their loved ones ‘for peace of mind and profit’.

The plan seems to go well... until the dead decide their stories need more accuracy and detail and start talking to Amanda for real.  Amanda suffers vivid dreams and lurid visions, not to mention the puking and the headaches. But mixed in are messages that are much more personal about a series of lies and cover-ups. There is a wrong that needs to be righted—one that could change everything.

At 75,000 words, MEDIUM WRONG is a young adult novel that combines a road trip, a family mystery and the love-hate struggle siblings do so well.

I would LOVE feedback!!!

ABNAguity

See, it’s like this… there might be a few of us ABNA junkies… wait… you might need a definition if you are new around here…

ABNA: Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. The contest that begins every January and consumes the first 1 – 5 months of the year, depending on how far you advance. Note that it can also consume the 6th month, too, but I have never been a finalist.

So now that you know what’s what… I have been doing ABNA since 2010, which isn’t so long really… I’ve done three, coming up on my 4th. But heck, the thing only started in 2008, so I’ve done more than half of ‘em, right? I’ve got clout!

But more than clout, I’ve made a bunch of good friends who are ALSO ABNA junkies.

MUST. DO. IT. ALL.

Disclaimer: I am not JUST an ABNA junkie. I actually suffer from FOMS (fear of missing something) so am a joiner in general.

And there are discussion boards related to ABNA, so sometimes I hang out over there.

Well yesterday (note: this is where the actual blog begins, as opposed to the pre-information you needed just to follow the blog, but never mind) I was hanging out over there. There’s been some speculation about whether the contest would change this year. The speculation happens EVERY year, but this year there is reasonable reason—Penguin, one of the contest partners, merged with Random House this year (sadly NOT choosing the name Random Penguin), but part of the PURPOSE was to better compete with Amazon. (Ouch… business partner doing the nasty to smite you, eh?) So some of us feared…

I mean heck, we have an ADDICTION!

Gratuitous llama picture

Well anyway, we sneaky peekers SAW some stuff… and then they removed it and put up something else, and then they removed it. They are TOYING WITH US, MAN!

So the following may or may not be accurate and will probably be subject to change, but it LOOKS LIKE:


1) Contest opens January 14 and entry closes January 24. Note these dates are about 10 days EARLIER than last year.

2) We SAW (I swear it) that the GRAND prize (just one) will be a $50,000 advance contract.

Now for the past two years young adult and general fiction have been SPLIT and there were two grand prizes… this goes away.

BUT

It looks like the OTHER FINALISTS ALL get $15,000 advances… so five people get money rather than two, and one person gets a pretty nice deal.


3) Now SOMEBODY (not me) saw (maybe misunderstood?) the finalists might be from different categories?

Public service: Do NOT do this to your llama

But whatever the case, if you are interested in joining (and I strongly recommend it) there are 6-8 weeks to knock something into shape. They take books 50K-150K (or have in all past years) and take all ‘non obscene’ genres. (I don’t find erotica obscene, but somebody there does—I think this would also cancel out… maybe mutilation if it’s too graphic, incest or child sexual relations if it’s glorified, you know if you write on a fuzzy line)


I love this contest for the DEADLINE it gives me every January and for the writerly interaction in my life. There are also great threads for getting feedback on pitches. I’m sure I will be talking more of it as it approaches, but I wanted to give the heads up while there is time for you to do something about it.


UPDATE:  Contest still on but PENGUIN not participating... and it is YES on the genre thing.

Venting: Vicious Vermin

Whereby I have a wee tantrum about my Publisher's Weekly Review...

ROUS (rodents of unusual size)

See, when I entered the contest this year, I didn't realize Publisher's Weekly had hired ROUS to judge the semi-final round. But BOY, do I feel like that's what I just wrestled! MAN, it was scathing. Somehow I'd thought I was going to scrape through this writing thing without a lot of nastiness... I'd thought my writing had passed that phase where somebody would just be mean and rotten to me. Apparently not.

So you know what I'm talking about:

ABNA Publishers Weekly Reviewer
A teen girl escapes her mother’s risky lifestyle and joins forces with three children living in hiding in this absurdly plotted story. In 1988 Portland, Ore., 13-year-old Athena Garnett runs away from home after her heroin-addict mother tries to sell her daughter’s virginity for another hit. With nowhere to go, she lives on the street, sleeping in a park and scrounging food from the McDonald’s dumpster. Meanwhile, in the suburbs, the three Popescue siblings -- Kade, Tasha, and Peter -- are also lying low, but for a different reason. The children of a Romanian professor and a possible spy, they watched their father get gunned down in their house and hid in the secret passageways their father had built. A chance meeting downtown between the trio and Athena brings the kids together and soon they’re all hiding out in the Popescue family home, taking turns keeping watch for men responsible for Mr. Popescue’s death, who also turns out to be linked to Athena’s own past. The deeper they dig, the more links they discover between the four, including evidence of a potential art thievery ring, with a dangerous man named Balto at the center: someone with direct ties to the Popescue murder and Athena’s heretofore unknown past. While the sections detailing Athena’s life as a homeless youth are intriguing and could easily be a stand-alone story, the connections to the Romanian quasi-orphans are ludicrous at best.

So... Ouch, huh? Absurdly plotted? See, last year I felt my review was spot on, but I can't just buy this absurdly plotted thing. I think this reviewer had a large stack and was impatient with a complex plot... maybe even MISSED stuff. I mean the plot description sounds accurate, but I'm JUST not seeing what the trouble is except that the reviewer didn't like it... There is no hint.

Guesses? They aren't buying the coincidence? But there are hints that show WHY these secretive kids TRUST this girl (hints related to them really being connected).

I just think it was the complexity.

If it is something OTHER than that, they've given me NO CLUE.

It had me feeling VERY VULNERABLE there for a while... I mean I really LIKE the story... But maybe I don't have a CLUE what makes a good story? THAT kind of vulnerable... I just really feel like the reviewer could have done a far better job saying WHAT was ludicrous... How to a give it a ludicrousectomy? So I am sticking with my original assessment. I was reviewed by a vicious vermin... or maybe a viper... To cope, I had to go drink Vino and eat queso with the couch to keg team. Have I SAID how much I love the wine bar at Whole Foods? Maybe I will tell you more tomorrow...

So for a book plot, what is your tolerance for complexity? Do you LIKE some twists and turns? Or do you prefer it fairly straight forward? I'd REALLY love some feedback from my friends who've read it? Does this look right to you? Jenny? Stacy? Leigh? Leanne? Chary? I mean I can totally take it from someone I BELIEVE gave it appropriate attention, but at the moment I'm doubting this reviewer did.

Tomorrow's Tartish Tears

Know what? I'm a cry baby.

But see, the thing is, I cry whether I am HAPPY or SAD. So tomorrow I KNOW I will cry. I just don't know why yet. Tomorrow is the date they post the semi-finalists for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. So there will be either tears of joy, or tears of sad... Speaking of tears... I had a moment of being touched this weekend. On Friday I had my first ever review from somebody I didn't know at all. I shared it on facebook, and one of my high school friends posted a link to The Azalea Assault with the suggestion my whole high school class read my book as a summer read! I really was truly moved.

But my REAL blog efforts today are at Burrowers, Books and Balderdash where I am sharing a ton of fabulous books that had their beginnings as ABNA contestants.

Reviews: to Hear or Not to Hear

Actually... that should be to listen or not to listen... but that doesn't have the right cadence, does it? (and I DO like cadence) I remember a conversation once with my friend and neighbor from Colombia who asked be the difference. She said, “You say listen, I say hear. What is the difference?”

Well, my friends. Hearing just happens. It is a sense, and you do it whether you are trying or not. Listening is ACTIVE and requires attention on the part of the listener. So while we might HEAR all reviews, whether we want to or not, our decision is whether to LISTEN.

Why am I on about this?

My reviews were posted yesterday afternoon for my excerpt.

Now is when I decide what to listen to.

First note: My reviews seem sparse. This is a reviewer by reviewer thing, I think. A couple people shared theirs and some are really long. But each person had several to do, so I don't really begrudge 'short'.

I am going to share them, and as I go, in purple ink will note my thoughts...

ABNA Expert Reviewer 1

Designed by Joris Ammerlaan

What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt?
The plot is really interesting. I just want to see what that girl is going to do next. Athena seems like a capable and responsible girl, struggling against the world to survive.YAY!  Thank you!
What aspect needs the most work?
It needs some editing for misspellings and grammar mistakes - minor work. The very first scene might be rewritten to be a bit less explicit in case school libraries object to it. On typos: Erm... a little. I went through and found 3 actual typos--one in the pitch, two in the excerpt... As far as explicit?  I don't actually believe this. I have already toned it down a lot. I think it's necessary for setting up the desperation of the situation.
What is your overall opinion of this excerpt?
It is very promising and I hope someday to read the whole book.Thank you!

ABNA Expert Reviewer 2
What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt?
The writing is very good--suspenseful and evocative. The pacing is good.Thank you!
What aspect needs the most work?
Athena's situation is pretty grim and not exactly an appealing read. I don't know if it can be toned down a bit without diluting her reason for taking to the streets, but from the first pages, I wasn't keen on reading about it. Others may feel differently.  See... I see this as entirely preference. And I see the PREFERENCE as contrary to what a lot of teens want to read. YES, it's grim. THAT is what makes OVERCOMING it so BIG.
What is your overall opinion of this excerpt?
Well-written and promising. I'd keep reading unless things get really gruesome.


General thoughts:

I was a little surprised, with sort of luke-warm reviews, to pass. But I think (and respect the reviewers for recognizing) that their problems with it were sort of taste issues.  A person who read a lot of YA would know a lot of it is sort of explicit--and my explicitness is, I feel, necessary, to set up the situation so a girl has no choice but to leave home. If it wasn't horrible, she wouldn't need to GO, now, would she?

I DO though, really appreciate that both seemed to recognize that. I clearly must have had adequate scores to pass me through, so what they actually rated me on was fine.

On the other hand, I reread it last night and think it could actually be trimmed by about 20%. I have a tendency to write EVERYTHING that happens, when the story only needs the important points. It's been pared a little, but not as much as it could be.

You should be able to read it here (top entry, page 4) SOON. And looking over it... In spite of the overshare,  I think it moves along pretty well anyway.  The lists can be found here.

Whatever the case... How do YOU feel about reviews? When do you listen and when do you smile and say thank you, but ignore?

Mish Mash o' Stuff

This is the actual one: photo taken from Hudson Mills Metro Park

Today I am REALLY over at Burrowers, Books and Balderdash talking about the tornado that came THIS CLOSE last week. But I gotta couple sumpin sumpins here...

(the photo to the right is actually from a video--these loons stood there recording the thing when they should have yelled RUNAWAY and then DONE IT!--but you can find it on YouTube--Dexter Tornado)

So yesterday's post had a lot of great responses, but one in particular was HELPFUL... my friend Kathy actually does this disaster preparedness stuff and has a great blog with that in mind, in case you think you want to start prepping!  Go check this out. Some of it, I am not nearly domestic enough for (or don't have the storage or marital fortitude for---hubby can't handle what HE calls hoarding) but a lot of the ideas are great!

Next up...

L. Diane Wolfe is holding a Sad Songs Blogfest on March 30, so head on over and sign up! List the sad songs that really inspire you!

And finally...

Today is one of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award cut-offs--Quarter finals. I should find out mid-day some time and will come leave a note when I know. Whatever the case, you can rest assured I am currently obsessing and hitting refresh at least hourly. And then I will hit the ABNA boards where some sad people will behave very badly. Always happens. I love this contest and this community, but I think there is a growing process we all need to go through and for SOME people it is instigated by an ABNA cut. I've pouted and ranted about my work being better than I thought I was getting credit for. (secret:  It really wasn't ready yet, but you won't hear it until you hear it... usually requires writing something BETTER to see it).  Anyway, if you could all send a little mojo, it would be very appreciated.

UPDATE:  I did in fact make Quarter-finals, as did a few of our blogger friends. So congrats, too, to Roland Yeomans and Theresa Milstein!

First Round Fiesta

(DOH!  And posted 3 hours early... sorry...)

You may or may not know, but yesterday was the posting of the first round winners in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel award. It's so fun. Every year I read those lists, I know more and more people on them. This year was an impressive list, so I thought I'd share the people I know who made it. [disclaimer: there were 2000 winners this round, so undoubtedly missed a friend or two (or five) PLEASE don't take it personally if you passed and I didn't catch it.]

But first... a GIFT my friend Joris made for me. Legacy, the first of these listed, is my ABNA entry. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this poster for the trilogy. A part of me really wants to self-publish these so I can use these covers (though books 2 and 3 need SERIOUS rewrites—in fact the 3rd probably needs to start from scratch)

Individual covers and poster designed by Joris Ammerlaan

Okay, so now to the winners! (full lists are here)

In the General Fiction Category

Charity Bradford, Sendek: The Magic Wakes


Christine Beth Reish, Façade


Dana Brantley-Sieders, Waking the Dead in Music City

Jessica Bell, Bitter Like Orange Peel

Stephen Swartz, The Dream Land

Sue Maynard, Carving the Light


In the Young Adult Category (I know many more of these... I will ponder WHY later)

Brigid Gorry-Hines, Unraveling

Catherine Stine, Fireseed One (look familiar?--she was here Wednesday!)

Emily McKeon, Mothers of Monsters

Hart Johnson, Legacy ← do you see me? Right on top of Fielder *shifty*

J Allen Fielder, Four Dogs

HK Savage, Whispers

Johanna Garth, Orchard Girl

Lisa Koosis, Resurrecting Sunshine

Michael Di Gesu, The Blinded Gardener

PK Hrezo, The 49th Parallel

Roland Yeomans, The Bear With Two Shadows

Tamara Hart-Heiner, Shadows Fall

Theresa Milstein, Naked Eye (which gets bonus points for having naked in the title)

Tracy Walshaw, Paper Tigers



What is the rest of this process, you ask?

In March, 2000 will become 500 based on our excerpts. These winners will be called Quarter Finalists. In April 500 will become 100. This is based on a Publisher's Weekly editor read of the WHOLE book. Winners will be called Semi-Finalists. In May, 100 will become 6 and ALL of these finalists will get a trip to the finals. So we've only chipped the tip of the ice berg, so to speak... and a lot of GREAT books were knocked off because either the pitch wasn't quite there or there was a mismatch with the reviewer by genre or voice. Still... the step had to be passed to go on. So it is worth a party for all!

So YAY!