Here's something you may not know. Most of my books come from a dream. I will wake up one morning with a scene burning in my brain. It is, then, my job to create the rest of the story.
This morning, I woke up with a scene burning in my brain. I had to sit down and write it out. Before I got too far along I thought, "What am I thinking?!" I just finished writing/editing/submitting a book. Now I'm in the process of editing another and prepping it for publication on http://www.createspace.com/. Do I have time to write another one?! Do I have time to do the research, character building, world building, plot outlining, etc?
No.
So what am I going to do?
Write out the scene I dreamt, jot down some other ideas, and then leave it be.
This is kind of hard because it's going to be a good one. Maybe a sci-fi kind of thriller. I dunno. We'll see. I don't even have names yet. In fact, wherever a name should be mentioned, I did this: ______ or ______'s.
Someday I'll have time for you, Little Awesomeness.
Now the trial is going to be seeing how long I can leave it alone. :)
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Showing posts with label ABNA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ABNA. Show all posts
Friday, January 28, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
And now back to my regularly scheduled life. Please.
Here's something you should know about me. I am the Procrastinator. Not a procrastinator. The Procrastinator. I am the queen of waiting until the last minute, selectively remembering a task, or finding something completely unimportant to do instead of my very important thing I should be doing.
I need a deadline. Give me a date and time. I'll be there. Give me a, "Whenever you get around to it," and I'll never get around to it.
Even though I need a deadline, what that really means is I'll put it off until the last possible second, pull an all-nighter to get it done, and then wipe my brow with self-satisfaction. Disaster averted.
I've known for months that I am going to enter my book into the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. Months. I wrote this novel in November for goodness sake, and I've known since then that this puppy was going to be entered into the contest.
My dad and aunt are also writers, so we edit each other's manuscripts. I have had almost three weeks to review and edit my manuscript with the critiques from my editors.
Three weeks.
The contest opens tomorrow night at midnight. Yesterday morning I woke up with over 40 pages left to edit. Ouch. That doesn't sound like a lot, but considering it took me 3 weeks to edit 120 pages, that number felt like Mt. Everest.
Editing is not the same as reading. It's basically like taking what you wrote, pressing delete, and starting over with someone else's suggestions (as a reader) ringing in your ears.
Ok, it's not that bad, but you do end up deleting a lot and writing a LOT. In the course of my edits, I wrote an additional 13 pages of story, equaling almost 5,000 words. To sit down and write 13 pages is not hard for me. But to spread that over 165 pages (meaning a sentence here, a paragraph there, an explanation squeezed in...), that was hard. Really hard. Not to mention time consuming. (My computer chair has permanent hiney indentations I think.)
So, what does the Procrastinator do when she realizes she has a deadline looming? She makes crafts. What else? She watches a movie. She reads another book. She spends the day with her sister-in-law. And then she waits until her family goes to sleep and then sits down in front of the computer to edit until the wee hours of the morning. Either that or until she goes cross-eyed (which usually happens around 12:30).
Oh yeah, and there's the "other" stuff. You know, being a wife and mother. I still have laundry, dishes, sweeping, mopping, vacuuming to do. Library books still need picked up and dropped off, groceries need bought. Seth still needs fed, bathed, clothed, loved, read to. He still has doctor's appointments to go to and puzzles to do with mommy. Tyler, while arguably more self-sufficient, still needs listened to and occasionally fed. He needs attention and to know his wife hasn't disappeared. She hasn't been sucked into the black hole of the computer monitor.
This morning after editing for a few hours, I heard, "You want to go play in the snow? Maybe mom will come too."
That's code for: We are going outside and you are coming with us.
This evening I was so close to finishing I could taste it. I had 3 pages left, and I put it down to eat dinner or something. I don't even remember what it was. Tyler was acting a little like a grizzly bear with a thorn in it's paw. I asked him why he was upset and he said something like, "I thought I'd been pretty good about letting you finish your book. I haven't even complained!"
It's true. He's been so good about hiding in his bedroom to watch CSI reruns or playing Angry Birds on his phone so that I have time to edit. He's been a jem.
When he made that comment tonight, what he was really saying was, "I want my wife back!"
Aw. Thanks honey. You'll be happy to know I finished and plan to enter that puppy in the contest tomorrow night. Maybe this week I'll get to bed before 1am. Who knows. A girl can always dream.
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I need a deadline. Give me a date and time. I'll be there. Give me a, "Whenever you get around to it," and I'll never get around to it.
Even though I need a deadline, what that really means is I'll put it off until the last possible second, pull an all-nighter to get it done, and then wipe my brow with self-satisfaction. Disaster averted.
I've known for months that I am going to enter my book into the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. Months. I wrote this novel in November for goodness sake, and I've known since then that this puppy was going to be entered into the contest.
My dad and aunt are also writers, so we edit each other's manuscripts. I have had almost three weeks to review and edit my manuscript with the critiques from my editors.
Three weeks.
The contest opens tomorrow night at midnight. Yesterday morning I woke up with over 40 pages left to edit. Ouch. That doesn't sound like a lot, but considering it took me 3 weeks to edit 120 pages, that number felt like Mt. Everest.
Editing is not the same as reading. It's basically like taking what you wrote, pressing delete, and starting over with someone else's suggestions (as a reader) ringing in your ears.
Ok, it's not that bad, but you do end up deleting a lot and writing a LOT. In the course of my edits, I wrote an additional 13 pages of story, equaling almost 5,000 words. To sit down and write 13 pages is not hard for me. But to spread that over 165 pages (meaning a sentence here, a paragraph there, an explanation squeezed in...), that was hard. Really hard. Not to mention time consuming. (My computer chair has permanent hiney indentations I think.)
So, what does the Procrastinator do when she realizes she has a deadline looming? She makes crafts. What else? She watches a movie. She reads another book. She spends the day with her sister-in-law. And then she waits until her family goes to sleep and then sits down in front of the computer to edit until the wee hours of the morning. Either that or until she goes cross-eyed (which usually happens around 12:30).
Oh yeah, and there's the "other" stuff. You know, being a wife and mother. I still have laundry, dishes, sweeping, mopping, vacuuming to do. Library books still need picked up and dropped off, groceries need bought. Seth still needs fed, bathed, clothed, loved, read to. He still has doctor's appointments to go to and puzzles to do with mommy. Tyler, while arguably more self-sufficient, still needs listened to and occasionally fed. He needs attention and to know his wife hasn't disappeared. She hasn't been sucked into the black hole of the computer monitor.
This morning after editing for a few hours, I heard, "You want to go play in the snow? Maybe mom will come too."
That's code for: We are going outside and you are coming with us.
This evening I was so close to finishing I could taste it. I had 3 pages left, and I put it down to eat dinner or something. I don't even remember what it was. Tyler was acting a little like a grizzly bear with a thorn in it's paw. I asked him why he was upset and he said something like, "I thought I'd been pretty good about letting you finish your book. I haven't even complained!"
It's true. He's been so good about hiding in his bedroom to watch CSI reruns or playing Angry Birds on his phone so that I have time to edit. He's been a jem.
When he made that comment tonight, what he was really saying was, "I want my wife back!"
Aw. Thanks honey. You'll be happy to know I finished and plan to enter that puppy in the contest tomorrow night. Maybe this week I'll get to bed before 1am. Who knows. A girl can always dream.
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Monday, January 25, 2010
I didn't even get to say goodbye!
So you probably remember from last year that I entered that writing contest on Amazon. If not, here's a quick recap. Amazon.com holds a contest called Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA) where they accept 10,000 submissions for unpublished novels. There is a series of rounds and books are cut from 10k to 2k to 500 to 100 to 3 to 1. My novel, The Gifted, made it to the top 100.
I'm a little sensitive about this right now, so bear with me.
This year, I didn't get to enter a novel. I didn't have anything in good enough shape, and the novel I wrote in November was a sequel to The Gifted. I really tried to write another one so that I could enter it, but I only made it about a third of the way into the novel and had to put it down and walk away. Something about my little boy being more important.
So I'm not entering this year. It's not a huge deal, except that one of the judges is one of my all-time favorite authors. And they've split the grand prize this year (a publishing contract with Penguin) into 2 parts. One publishing contract for general fiction, and one for Young Adult...my genre! So my chances were better than last year, assuming my work was up to par.
I just feel sick about missing out, but every time I look at Seth I know I am making the right choice.
I tried to ignore the looming date on the calendar for when they started accepting submissions. I actually forgot it was today until I got an email a few hours ago saying, "Amazon is now accepting submissions..."
I bit my lip and closed my email, hoping to erase it from my memory. No luck.
And lastly, to add to the pain, the Amazon.com webpage that featured the excerpt from my book (and your wonderful comments) has been deleted. I forgot to check it one last time until tonight. But it was too late. The webpage was gone, and all I have are my prideful memories of my name in bold letters at the top of the screen.
So, and update on the Gifted. I've sent it to many publishers, and none of them feel strongly enough about it to pursue it. Yeah, that hurts. It's like being told no one wants to look at you because you're not pretty enough. But I have been doing a lot of thinking about this. I decided that while it would be nice to be a famous author (and Tyler wants me to make millions so he can retire), that is actually not what is important in life. In the eternal perspective of things, it won't matter if I got published. I just don't feel great about trying to get published by a publishing house unless I thought my work could help someone. And, while entertaining, The Gifted is not what we call "enlightening."
Now, my dad is a published author, as well as my aunt. My own sister has some short stories published. Am I saying to be published is naughty? Absolutely not. What I'm saying is that I have decided to take the "easy" way out and self publish. Meaning I'm pretty much representing myself here, and someday you will be able to buy and read The Gifted from Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com. But don't expect to see it on the New York Times Best Seller list...or even made into a movie.
I'm just not that gifted....:) Pin It
I'm a little sensitive about this right now, so bear with me.
This year, I didn't get to enter a novel. I didn't have anything in good enough shape, and the novel I wrote in November was a sequel to The Gifted. I really tried to write another one so that I could enter it, but I only made it about a third of the way into the novel and had to put it down and walk away. Something about my little boy being more important.
So I'm not entering this year. It's not a huge deal, except that one of the judges is one of my all-time favorite authors. And they've split the grand prize this year (a publishing contract with Penguin) into 2 parts. One publishing contract for general fiction, and one for Young Adult...my genre! So my chances were better than last year, assuming my work was up to par.
I just feel sick about missing out, but every time I look at Seth I know I am making the right choice.
I tried to ignore the looming date on the calendar for when they started accepting submissions. I actually forgot it was today until I got an email a few hours ago saying, "Amazon is now accepting submissions..."
I bit my lip and closed my email, hoping to erase it from my memory. No luck.
And lastly, to add to the pain, the Amazon.com webpage that featured the excerpt from my book (and your wonderful comments) has been deleted. I forgot to check it one last time until tonight. But it was too late. The webpage was gone, and all I have are my prideful memories of my name in bold letters at the top of the screen.
So, and update on the Gifted. I've sent it to many publishers, and none of them feel strongly enough about it to pursue it. Yeah, that hurts. It's like being told no one wants to look at you because you're not pretty enough. But I have been doing a lot of thinking about this. I decided that while it would be nice to be a famous author (and Tyler wants me to make millions so he can retire), that is actually not what is important in life. In the eternal perspective of things, it won't matter if I got published. I just don't feel great about trying to get published by a publishing house unless I thought my work could help someone. And, while entertaining, The Gifted is not what we call "enlightening."
Now, my dad is a published author, as well as my aunt. My own sister has some short stories published. Am I saying to be published is naughty? Absolutely not. What I'm saying is that I have decided to take the "easy" way out and self publish. Meaning I'm pretty much representing myself here, and someday you will be able to buy and read The Gifted from Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com. But don't expect to see it on the New York Times Best Seller list...or even made into a movie.
I'm just not that gifted....:) Pin It
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
The good, the bad, and the ugly.
We're actually going to change the order and make it the bad, the good and the ugly.
The Bad: Unless this is your first visit to my blog (and if so, welcome!), you've heard about my involvement in the Amazon contest. Quick rundown: Out of 10,000 submissions, my book made it to the top 100. Unfortunately, it stopped there. I did not make it to the top three finalist list. But that's not the bad news.
When I sent in my manuscript to Amazon, I basically signed a contract saying Penguin "owns" my book until the contest is over. Now that I'm out of the running, I'm ready to take off and find an editor, a publisher, the coupon I lost last week...anything!
Here's the bad news (finally!): I just found out (by sheer luck) that Penguin still holds the rights to THE GIFTED until June 30th. That means I am legally prohibited from querying publishers or agents. In other words I can't do anything with my book until July 1st (because it's not really "mine").
Phew, that was a close one! I was moments away from pushing SEND and releasing my book to see if any agent fishies bite.
The Good: There is still a possibility that Penguin will want to publish THE GIFTED. That would be awesome! It'd save the trouble of having to hook an agent or a publisher, and I'd be a real live author. Ok, so I'm a real live author now, but you know what I mean.
The Ugly:
The Bad: Unless this is your first visit to my blog (and if so, welcome!), you've heard about my involvement in the Amazon contest. Quick rundown: Out of 10,000 submissions, my book made it to the top 100. Unfortunately, it stopped there. I did not make it to the top three finalist list. But that's not the bad news.
When I sent in my manuscript to Amazon, I basically signed a contract saying Penguin "owns" my book until the contest is over. Now that I'm out of the running, I'm ready to take off and find an editor, a publisher, the coupon I lost last week...anything!
Here's the bad news (finally!): I just found out (by sheer luck) that Penguin still holds the rights to THE GIFTED until June 30th. That means I am legally prohibited from querying publishers or agents. In other words I can't do anything with my book until July 1st (because it's not really "mine").
Phew, that was a close one! I was moments away from pushing SEND and releasing my book to see if any agent fishies bite.
The Good: There is still a possibility that Penguin will want to publish THE GIFTED. That would be awesome! It'd save the trouble of having to hook an agent or a publisher, and I'd be a real live author. Ok, so I'm a real live author now, but you know what I mean.
The Ugly:
*cough*
...'Nuff said.
Pin ItFriday, May 15, 2009
Please vote!
Hola friends and family.
I did not make it to the final three in the Amazon contest. But that's ok. I've had my pout, and now I'm back up on my feet moving forward.
But if I had made it to the final three, I would want everyone I know to vote. And since I didn't, I'm still asking you to help choose the winner.
You have to have an Amazon account to vote, you can only vote once, and your vote cannot be changed once it's cast.
Go to www.amazon.com/abna to download the finalists' excerpts and vote. Sorry, there's no place for a write in. ;)
This is going to be a tough one to decide, so good luck! PS. I may ask you to vote, but I don't vouch for what you read. There is swearing and vulgarity...it's not my fault!
Well, I made it as far as I possibly could without winning, and that was more than I could have hoped for. I'm working hard on getting THE GIFTED published so that you can all read the rest of it!:) Thanks for your support and for giving me courage! Pin It
I did not make it to the final three in the Amazon contest. But that's ok. I've had my pout, and now I'm back up on my feet moving forward.
But if I had made it to the final three, I would want everyone I know to vote. And since I didn't, I'm still asking you to help choose the winner.
You have to have an Amazon account to vote, you can only vote once, and your vote cannot be changed once it's cast.
Go to www.amazon.com/abna to download the finalists' excerpts and vote. Sorry, there's no place for a write in. ;)
This is going to be a tough one to decide, so good luck! PS. I may ask you to vote, but I don't vouch for what you read. There is swearing and vulgarity...it's not my fault!
Well, I made it as far as I possibly could without winning, and that was more than I could have hoped for. I'm working hard on getting THE GIFTED published so that you can all read the rest of it!:) Thanks for your support and for giving me courage! Pin It
Monday, April 20, 2009
Who? Me? Never.
If you can imagine me, sitting at my computer in a bright green sweater with my hair up in a bun, you will also see that I am rolling my eyes and crossing my arms. (It's difficult to imagine since I'm also typing, but pretend I'm not typing, just throwing a fit.)
This is me in denial.
I just got my Publisher's Weekly review for my book. Apparently it's been on my stinkin' site since yesterday and I just didn't even see it. But I read a lot of people on amazon commenting about their PW reviews and thought, "Hey! Where's mine?" So I went looking and voila. It was on my webpage under editorial reviews...go figure.
So, for those of you who are biting your nails to figure out what on EARTH is going to happen next...the nice man (or woman) at Publisher's Weekly has written the Reader's Digest version for all the world to see. And here it is.
"From Publishers Weekly
"With its odd character names and troubled teenage protagonists, this competent contemporary fantasy aims straight for the “Twilight” audience. “Miracle child” Pyper Wynn drowned and came back to life but she came back with amazing powers. Hiding her telekinetic abilities has made her into a social outcast; her best friend is her little brother, Baler. When Kael, the hottest guy in her high school class, shows interest in her, Pyper’s sure it’s a set-up but his persistence wears down her resistance and he has her mom’s seal of approval. Then Pyper meets Kael’s mom and discovers they are Fae. They tell Pyper that she is the Gifted, the champion born to fight for them in the epic battle to choose the new King of the Fae. Relieved to know there’s a reason for her talents, Pyper begins to train for the upcoming battle but Kael’s warning to tell no one, especially Baler, creates some misgivings. As the battle draws near, Pyper’s questions about her place in the Fae world as well as her relationship with Kael must take second place to taking action, no matter the cost to herself. This gritty YA fantasy manages to smoothly blend modern teenage angst with enough elements of the fantastic to make an entertaining, if somewhat melodramatic, read."
So. There you have it. Now you know. Unless you don't know. And if you don't know, then I'll tell you. Fae = fairy. Yes, The Gifted is about fairies. I'm just relieved he didn't tell you the end!!
I only hope your not disappointed. I cringe at the thought, and then I remember I'm not disappointed...so that should count for something.
I was delighted to discover that The Gifted would appeal to "Twilight" fans, being a Twi-hard Fan-pire myself. But I completely skipped over all the good stuff, like "competent," "entertaining," "smoothly blend" and went straight for the guts. The bullet at the end of the shiny barrel.
Melodramatic.
He called me melodramatic. Me.
Ok. Fine. I'm melodramatic. But did you have to say it for everyone to see?! Sheesh. Give me a little privacy, allow me a shred of pride, please.
But in the end, my feelings were hurt for only a second until I realized a) the review is about The Gifted, not me. And b) a synonym for melodramatic is sensational.
Ha! I'll take it. I'll take my mediocre review and frame it on my virtual wall for all to see.
So there.
PS. I never ever, ever, ever said Kael was the "hottest guy in her high school class." That's enough cliche to make me barf. Seriously.
PPS. If you've ever written a novel or story of any kind you will find that characters tend to come with names. I don't love the name Pyper. I fought it tooth and nail...and I lost. That was her dagum name and I can't help it if it's odd. But quite frankly, so is she. So there you go.
The Last PS. I promise. I completely ignored "gritty" because it could mean course and rough, or it could mean determined, resolute, courageous. How on earth am I supposed to know which one it is? So I'm ignoring it completely before I give myself a complex. Pin It
This is me in denial.
I just got my Publisher's Weekly review for my book. Apparently it's been on my stinkin' site since yesterday and I just didn't even see it. But I read a lot of people on amazon commenting about their PW reviews and thought, "Hey! Where's mine?" So I went looking and voila. It was on my webpage under editorial reviews...go figure.
So, for those of you who are biting your nails to figure out what on EARTH is going to happen next...the nice man (or woman) at Publisher's Weekly has written the Reader's Digest version for all the world to see. And here it is.
"From Publishers Weekly
"With its odd character names and troubled teenage protagonists, this competent contemporary fantasy aims straight for the “Twilight” audience. “Miracle child” Pyper Wynn drowned and came back to life but she came back with amazing powers. Hiding her telekinetic abilities has made her into a social outcast; her best friend is her little brother, Baler. When Kael, the hottest guy in her high school class, shows interest in her, Pyper’s sure it’s a set-up but his persistence wears down her resistance and he has her mom’s seal of approval. Then Pyper meets Kael’s mom and discovers they are Fae. They tell Pyper that she is the Gifted, the champion born to fight for them in the epic battle to choose the new King of the Fae. Relieved to know there’s a reason for her talents, Pyper begins to train for the upcoming battle but Kael’s warning to tell no one, especially Baler, creates some misgivings. As the battle draws near, Pyper’s questions about her place in the Fae world as well as her relationship with Kael must take second place to taking action, no matter the cost to herself. This gritty YA fantasy manages to smoothly blend modern teenage angst with enough elements of the fantastic to make an entertaining, if somewhat melodramatic, read."
So. There you have it. Now you know. Unless you don't know. And if you don't know, then I'll tell you. Fae = fairy. Yes, The Gifted is about fairies. I'm just relieved he didn't tell you the end!!
I only hope your not disappointed. I cringe at the thought, and then I remember I'm not disappointed...so that should count for something.
I was delighted to discover that The Gifted would appeal to "Twilight" fans, being a Twi-hard Fan-pire myself. But I completely skipped over all the good stuff, like "competent," "entertaining," "smoothly blend" and went straight for the guts. The bullet at the end of the shiny barrel.
Melodramatic.
He called me melodramatic. Me.
Ok. Fine. I'm melodramatic. But did you have to say it for everyone to see?! Sheesh. Give me a little privacy, allow me a shred of pride, please.
But in the end, my feelings were hurt for only a second until I realized a) the review is about The Gifted, not me. And b) a synonym for melodramatic is sensational.
Ha! I'll take it. I'll take my mediocre review and frame it on my virtual wall for all to see.
So there.
PS. I never ever, ever, ever said Kael was the "hottest guy in her high school class." That's enough cliche to make me barf. Seriously.
PPS. If you've ever written a novel or story of any kind you will find that characters tend to come with names. I don't love the name Pyper. I fought it tooth and nail...and I lost. That was her dagum name and I can't help it if it's odd. But quite frankly, so is she. So there you go.
The Last PS. I promise. I completely ignored "gritty" because it could mean course and rough, or it could mean determined, resolute, courageous. How on earth am I supposed to know which one it is? So I'm ignoring it completely before I give myself a complex. Pin It
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tax day: a good day? It is if you're me...
Why is today a good day if you're me? No, it's not because I've already done my taxes. No, it's not because today is my day off and I'm still sittin' around in my bathrobe. No, it's not because I won the lottery...because I didn't.
Today is a good day for me because I just found out that I am in the top 100 semi-finalists for the Amazon ABNA contest!!!!!
Yes, you know my book that I've been trying to shove down your throats....it made it to the next level!!!!
Last time I had to wait ALL day before I heard anything. This morning I got on the website and saw the announcement. Tada!!
Go to www.amazon.com/abna and click on "Fantasy" and you will see little old me...well, The Gifted by little old me.
I honestly figured I wouldn't have not great news for you because I've read some of the other entrants and discovered they were filled with blood, vulgarity and sex. Mine is not. I don't write that and I don't want to read it. So I figured I'd be out. But hey, here I am telling you the good news!
I told my sister-in-law, I could really get used to having good news to share! Good news seems it's been few and far between for us up until recently.
So from here the 100 will be narrowed to 3. Just 3. I'm pretty positive this is as far as I go, but I'm not discouraged or upset. I'm already looking for an agent or publisher that will take me. (I've had a lot of people ask me if I'll try to get published. The answer is a resounding yes.) The problem is I legally can't submit my manuscript anywhere else until I'm booted from the contest.
I feel so blessed to have made it this far and I am EXTREMELY grateful to you for your support. I know I keep saying that, but I keep meaning it too.
Wish me luck! Pin It
Today is a good day for me because I just found out that I am in the top 100 semi-finalists for the Amazon ABNA contest!!!!!
Yes, you know my book that I've been trying to shove down your throats....it made it to the next level!!!!
Last time I had to wait ALL day before I heard anything. This morning I got on the website and saw the announcement. Tada!!
Go to www.amazon.com/abna and click on "Fantasy" and you will see little old me...well, The Gifted by little old me.
I honestly figured I wouldn't have not great news for you because I've read some of the other entrants and discovered they were filled with blood, vulgarity and sex. Mine is not. I don't write that and I don't want to read it. So I figured I'd be out. But hey, here I am telling you the good news!
I told my sister-in-law, I could really get used to having good news to share! Good news seems it's been few and far between for us up until recently.
So from here the 100 will be narrowed to 3. Just 3. I'm pretty positive this is as far as I go, but I'm not discouraged or upset. I'm already looking for an agent or publisher that will take me. (I've had a lot of people ask me if I'll try to get published. The answer is a resounding yes.) The problem is I legally can't submit my manuscript anywhere else until I'm booted from the contest.
I feel so blessed to have made it this far and I am EXTREMELY grateful to you for your support. I know I keep saying that, but I keep meaning it too.
Wish me luck! Pin It
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Today is the last day
Tomorrow I find out part of the fate of my book. This is the fork in the road. Either I continue on in the contest, or I find someone else to publish my book. Hanna tells me I need to be more positive and have more confidence...I'll try, but no promises.
Hopefully I'll have good news for you tomorrow (or probably Thursday actually).
So this is your final call if you'd like to read my excerpt.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UG3A1E
Thanks everyone, really. Wish me luck (though most likely my "fate" has already been decided).
PS. Kadie -- if you're reading this....STAY AWAY as long as you possibly can! It's snowing here!!!! Pin It
Hopefully I'll have good news for you tomorrow (or probably Thursday actually).
So this is your final call if you'd like to read my excerpt.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UG3A1E
Thanks everyone, really. Wish me luck (though most likely my "fate" has already been decided).
PS. Kadie -- if you're reading this....STAY AWAY as long as you possibly can! It's snowing here!!!! Pin It
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Three down...one to go.
It's been three weeks since I found out I'm a quarterfinalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. Since then I have received so many kind emails and calls from people telling me I'm brave for entering the contest (though I don't feel brave) and that I'm very talented (though I don't feel talented). Thanks so much for your support.
I've also received thirteen amazing reviews on amazon.com! Thank you so much! I know that you had to have made a purchase in the past on amazon.com before you can leave a review. So if you weren't able to, that's ok. I understand and I appreciate the thought. As Edward says, "It's the thought that counts. I should know." Yes, I just quoted a fictional character. No, I'm not ashamed of it.
Now I have one more week before I find out if I made it to the semifinals or not. Editors from Publisher's Weekly are reading the manuscripts (the entire book, not just excerpts) for ALL the quarterfinalists. They will score the MS on a couple of different things, including the reviews (so thanks again!!) and then the top 100 scoring MS will make it to the semifinals.
After that an expert panel of 3 people will read the remaining 100 manuscripts and choose the top three. Then amazon.com members will vote on the winner based on the excerpt (which will be extended an additional 5,000 words).
Ok, so back to where I am in the contest. I will find out next Wednesday if I've made it to the semifinals. Even though my "chances" (percentage wise) are better to making it to the semifinals than they were to make it to the quarterfinals (20% as opposed to 5%), I am not very confident right now. I kind of think this is as far as I'll make it. Which is still amazing! I feel very honored to have made it this far. Even though a guy posted on a website that all the excerpts he's read (including mine) are rubbish, we don't deserve to be there and we should be ashamed of our work. Can you guess who didn't make it this far? Anyway. My work isn't rubbish. I deserve to be here. And I am not ashamed of myself. But whether or not I'll make it any further in the contest is up in the air.
So three weeks down and one to go. Hopefully this time next week I'll have good news for you. Maybe not, but that's alright.
Thanks again for your support and kindness. You guys are awesome!
If you still haven't checked the excerpt for The Gifted by Deborah Andreasen (that's me!), here it is: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UG3A1E
I still can't believe I've got my own Amazon page!
Pin It
I've also received thirteen amazing reviews on amazon.com! Thank you so much! I know that you had to have made a purchase in the past on amazon.com before you can leave a review. So if you weren't able to, that's ok. I understand and I appreciate the thought. As Edward says, "It's the thought that counts. I should know." Yes, I just quoted a fictional character. No, I'm not ashamed of it.
Now I have one more week before I find out if I made it to the semifinals or not. Editors from Publisher's Weekly are reading the manuscripts (the entire book, not just excerpts) for ALL the quarterfinalists. They will score the MS on a couple of different things, including the reviews (so thanks again!!) and then the top 100 scoring MS will make it to the semifinals.
After that an expert panel of 3 people will read the remaining 100 manuscripts and choose the top three. Then amazon.com members will vote on the winner based on the excerpt (which will be extended an additional 5,000 words).
Ok, so back to where I am in the contest. I will find out next Wednesday if I've made it to the semifinals. Even though my "chances" (percentage wise) are better to making it to the semifinals than they were to make it to the quarterfinals (20% as opposed to 5%), I am not very confident right now. I kind of think this is as far as I'll make it. Which is still amazing! I feel very honored to have made it this far. Even though a guy posted on a website that all the excerpts he's read (including mine) are rubbish, we don't deserve to be there and we should be ashamed of our work. Can you guess who didn't make it this far? Anyway. My work isn't rubbish. I deserve to be here. And I am not ashamed of myself. But whether or not I'll make it any further in the contest is up in the air.
So three weeks down and one to go. Hopefully this time next week I'll have good news for you. Maybe not, but that's alright.
Thanks again for your support and kindness. You guys are awesome!
If you still haven't checked the excerpt for The Gifted by Deborah Andreasen (that's me!), here it is: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UG3A1E
I still can't believe I've got my own Amazon page!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your overwhelming support! I've received numerous emails, phone calls, blog posts, book reviews and comments about my book excerpt. It is humbling and very fulfilling to have something I created be so enjoyed!
This whole experience seems so surreal and I have to keep wondering if it's actually happening. To me, no less. My dear friend emailed me and asked how I'm handling all the fame. I had to laugh at that. Fame? I don't know. Maybe someday though.
I have been very encouraged to take my book to a publisher as soon as it becomes "mine" again. At the moment it's property of Penguin Books until they tell me they don't want it. But I hope someday soon you'll be able to read the rest of the book. (And hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as you enjoyed the first 1 1/2 chapters)
I also want to say thank you so much to everyone who has left a review. Those are so very helpful, and they make The Gifted look good in front of the judges!:) That point aside, they really do mean a lot to me. I treasure every single one, along with all the wonderful comments and emails and phone calls.
Anyway, I may sound a little loopy because I'm heavily medicated right now, but I'm coherent enough to say thank you to all of you so much for caring about me and answering my call for help. You're so great! What good is an experience like this if you can't share it with everyone you know?
Thank you. Pin It
This whole experience seems so surreal and I have to keep wondering if it's actually happening. To me, no less. My dear friend emailed me and asked how I'm handling all the fame. I had to laugh at that. Fame? I don't know. Maybe someday though.
I have been very encouraged to take my book to a publisher as soon as it becomes "mine" again. At the moment it's property of Penguin Books until they tell me they don't want it. But I hope someday soon you'll be able to read the rest of the book. (And hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as you enjoyed the first 1 1/2 chapters)
I also want to say thank you so much to everyone who has left a review. Those are so very helpful, and they make The Gifted look good in front of the judges!:) That point aside, they really do mean a lot to me. I treasure every single one, along with all the wonderful comments and emails and phone calls.
Anyway, I may sound a little loopy because I'm heavily medicated right now, but I'm coherent enough to say thank you to all of you so much for caring about me and answering my call for help. You're so great! What good is an experience like this if you can't share it with everyone you know?
Thank you. Pin It
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (updated)
I did it. Yay!! (Insert happy dance here) I made it to the quarterfinalists! I screamed and jumped and choked on my own spit. And then I did it again. I'm so excited that in the shower this morning I was so distracted that I almost washed my face with shampoo and shampooed my hair with conditioner. And then my hands were shaking so bad I almost couldn't get my contacts in.
I did it!! I have editorial reviews and everything! Oh, I'm getting ahead of myself.
I entered a manuscript to a contest on amazon.com. There were 10,000 submissions. From those ten thousand they have narrowed it down to 500 quarterfinalists. That's me. An excerpt of my book has been read and reviewed. And now it is posted on www.amazon.com/abna under "Fantasy." But before you go charging off to find it, let me give you a direct link. :) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UG3A1E My book is entitled The Gifted. In case you're wondering.
Can you believe that? I have my own Amazon page!!!
From my limited understanding of how the rest of this game is played, amazon readers are now able to download and review the excerpts. I thought you'd be able to vote on them, but I guess that's not until later. However, Publisher's Weekly is reviewing the excerpts and will pick a top 100. I guess reader reviews help the "judges" decide which books to move forward, so I could still use your help. Even if you don't know me and still read my blog, I could use your help.
(Update: Apparently you CAN vote on it. You can give me five stars. Sorry, that's the only option. :D)
Download the excerpt and read it, if only because I know you'll enjoy it. I did. I mean, I do. (You will have to go through the process like you are going to buy it, but it's free.) Anyway, then write me a review with the understanding that the judges will be reading that review. My book is not perfect, I know that. But I still think it's pretty darn good. Spread the word too. The more the merrier. Right?
If I don't make it to the semi-finalists, I'll be fine. I'll be disappointed, but I'll be ok because I have a polished manuscript and editorial reviews to send to publishers.
This has been a huge honor so far. I'm wondering if most of this post makes sense, but seeing has how I can't remember if I brushed my teeth or not and at the moment I'd run out the door barefoot (in 30 degree weather), I guess I can't rely on my coherency at the moment. Pin It
I did it!! I have editorial reviews and everything! Oh, I'm getting ahead of myself.
I entered a manuscript to a contest on amazon.com. There were 10,000 submissions. From those ten thousand they have narrowed it down to 500 quarterfinalists. That's me. An excerpt of my book has been read and reviewed. And now it is posted on www.amazon.com/abna under "Fantasy." But before you go charging off to find it, let me give you a direct link. :) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UG3A1E My book is entitled The Gifted. In case you're wondering.
Can you believe that? I have my own Amazon page!!!
From my limited understanding of how the rest of this game is played, amazon readers are now able to download and review the excerpts. I thought you'd be able to vote on them, but I guess that's not until later. However, Publisher's Weekly is reviewing the excerpts and will pick a top 100. I guess reader reviews help the "judges" decide which books to move forward, so I could still use your help. Even if you don't know me and still read my blog, I could use your help.
(Update: Apparently you CAN vote on it. You can give me five stars. Sorry, that's the only option. :D)
Download the excerpt and read it, if only because I know you'll enjoy it. I did. I mean, I do. (You will have to go through the process like you are going to buy it, but it's free.) Anyway, then write me a review with the understanding that the judges will be reading that review. My book is not perfect, I know that. But I still think it's pretty darn good. Spread the word too. The more the merrier. Right?
If I don't make it to the semi-finalists, I'll be fine. I'll be disappointed, but I'll be ok because I have a polished manuscript and editorial reviews to send to publishers.
This has been a huge honor so far. I'm wondering if most of this post makes sense, but seeing has how I can't remember if I brushed my teeth or not and at the moment I'd run out the door barefoot (in 30 degree weather), I guess I can't rely on my coherency at the moment. Pin It
Monday, March 16, 2009
Today is the day...supposedly (updated)
I find out today if my book made it to the ABNA quarterfinalists. But as of 8:12am my time, I have yet to receive any notification of my book's status.
Later today (supposedly) the quarterfinalists will be announced on Amazon.com. You can download excerpts and vote to see who will make it to the semifinalists and the finalists. So I'd recommend you do that, regardless of whether or not I make it. But hopefully I will:)
Cheers! (And keep your fingers crossed for me!!)
**Update**
It's 9:27pm. I have still heard nothing. Nada. Zero. Zilch. Zip.
I'm going to bed. Pin It
Later today (supposedly) the quarterfinalists will be announced on Amazon.com. You can download excerpts and vote to see who will make it to the semifinalists and the finalists. So I'd recommend you do that, regardless of whether or not I make it. But hopefully I will:)
Cheers! (And keep your fingers crossed for me!!)
**Update**
It's 9:27pm. I have still heard nothing. Nada. Zero. Zilch. Zip.
I'm going to bed. Pin It
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Wish me luck.
Some of you may know that I am a writer. I love to write (as you have all witnessed with my very, very long blog posts). I remember winning awards in eighth grade because of my writing. Ever since then I've just been enamoured by the power of the written word.
When I went to college I HAD to read. I read so much my eyes bled. Ok, not really. But sometimes I felt like they were going to bleed. I had to read so much boring stuff that I swore once I got out of college I'd never read again! Unless of course it was the scriptures. Or if I found a really good book. But that was it. No more reading.
And writing? Don't even talk about writing. With all my business writing classes (apparently when you major in business they want you to actually sound intelligent when you send out media to employees, co-workers and bosses. Who knew?) and English assignments (that the teacher never liked because I usually wrote about stuff that no one writes about...like eating disorders or how to avoid car wrecks when travelling home) and business plans (yes, actual business plans. I think I wrote five altogether) and estate plans and lessons for church (I was a RS teacher 3 out of my 4 years of college), I vowed to throw my laptop out the window and laugh at it.
But Tyler wouldn't let my throw the laptop out the window because we spent too much money on it. So I relented and kept it.
Graduation came and went. I was working at a bank when I graduated. My branch was half an hour away, so I had to stay there for lunches. And what is there to do when you're eating lunch trying not to dwell on this job that you hate?
Wouldn't you know it? I started taking books to work. ONLY because there was nothing else to do besides complain about my hostile work environment. (It wasn't really hostile. I just really disliked it from the depths of my soul.)
And then a funny thing happened. I started reading at home on the weekends. And Tyler and I started reading books before bed. And I got hooked.
I bought books from DI just so I had something to read. I got a library card!
And then I got a new job that I loved, but I still read. I read so much that Tyler started to feel neglected. So I cut back on the reading.
And then (there are a lot of and then's. Sorry.) something really funny happened. I suddenly had an overwhelming surge of creativity flow through me that I absolutely had to release it or else I would positively explode!
So I took a painting class. Though that helped, it wasn't quite enough. It was like a pin prick in a swimming pool. The pressure was building and I was going to burst.
Soon after I had a dream. It was such a crazy dream that when I woke up I had to write it down. (For those of you who didn't know this already, that's how Stephenie Meyer started Twilight. She dreamt the scene where Bella and Edward are in the meadow and he's "in the sun." And now look at her. She's the next J.K. Rowling. Don't ever discredit your dreams. They are very liberating to your creativity.)
Before I left for work that morning, I had fifteen pages of this fantastic gibberish written down. It was essentially two completely different chapters in someone's life. I knew I had to write the story to bind them together. So I did. Several months later Desert Snow was born.
Aaahhh. That hit the spot. I felt much better. But I wasn't done! I had to keep doing it; I had to keep writing.
Two months later, The Journey Home was born. A few months after that, The Dream Weaver was kind of born. It's about 2/3rds of the way done with the promise that I will go back someday and finish it.
And in November I took on the NaNoWriMo challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. I did it. I did it and have never been more proud of any other writing. In the month of November, The Gifted was born.
And do you want to know something funny? Every single one of my books started with a dream. I can tell you the exact scene or exact line from every book that came from my dream. In The Dream Weaver it was a single line that scared me to death. So when I woke up I had to write it into a book.
So. Here it is, February 1st and you are probably wondering why I'm babbling. That happens a lot, doesn't it? But you still love me anyway, and that's the point.
Tonight, at 12:01am EST (10:01 my time), submissions for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest will officially be accepted. That means that tonight, I will enter The Gifted into a contest against 9,999 other manuscripts.
The prize? A publishing contract with Penguin Group. Am I excited? Yes. Am I nervous? Not really. I don't have anything to lose. Do I hope I'll win? Yes, but I'm not completely naive. I know I'm up against some stiff competition (my dad and aunt are also entering). So even though I probably won't win the contest, I'm still grateful because now I have a polished manuscript to submit to publishers.
Here is the contest outline:
February 2 Contest submission period opens (That's tonight). 10,000 entries are slimmed down to 2,000 based on a "pitch." A 300 word summary of the book, it's strengths and character development, the intended audience and how readers identify with my book.
March 16 Quarter finalists announced on Amazon.com. The 2,000 submissions are cut to 500 based on an excerpt from the beginning of the book.
April 15 Semifinalists announced and Publishers Weekly reviews posted. The 500 semifinalists books are read by a panel of judges and given reviews.
May 15 - May 21 Three Finalists chosen by Penguin; Amazon.com customers vote for the Grand Prize Winner. Anyone with an Amazon.com account can get online, download excerpts from the top three and vote on the winner.
May 22 Grand Prize is announced on Amazon.com.
So, as you can see, it'll be at least a few weeks before I hear anything. I've been rushing for 20 days to get things ready, and then I'll have to sit and wait. I'll keep you posted and let you know anything as soon as I do. Because I know you're all dying to hear about my contest results. But you'll all have to have patience; it'll be a while.
It's ok though. While I wait, I'll probably read a book...or five. Pin It
When I went to college I HAD to read. I read so much my eyes bled. Ok, not really. But sometimes I felt like they were going to bleed. I had to read so much boring stuff that I swore once I got out of college I'd never read again! Unless of course it was the scriptures. Or if I found a really good book. But that was it. No more reading.
And writing? Don't even talk about writing. With all my business writing classes (apparently when you major in business they want you to actually sound intelligent when you send out media to employees, co-workers and bosses. Who knew?) and English assignments (that the teacher never liked because I usually wrote about stuff that no one writes about...like eating disorders or how to avoid car wrecks when travelling home) and business plans (yes, actual business plans. I think I wrote five altogether) and estate plans and lessons for church (I was a RS teacher 3 out of my 4 years of college), I vowed to throw my laptop out the window and laugh at it.
But Tyler wouldn't let my throw the laptop out the window because we spent too much money on it. So I relented and kept it.
Graduation came and went. I was working at a bank when I graduated. My branch was half an hour away, so I had to stay there for lunches. And what is there to do when you're eating lunch trying not to dwell on this job that you hate?
Wouldn't you know it? I started taking books to work. ONLY because there was nothing else to do besides complain about my hostile work environment. (It wasn't really hostile. I just really disliked it from the depths of my soul.)
And then a funny thing happened. I started reading at home on the weekends. And Tyler and I started reading books before bed. And I got hooked.
I bought books from DI just so I had something to read. I got a library card!
And then I got a new job that I loved, but I still read. I read so much that Tyler started to feel neglected. So I cut back on the reading.
And then (there are a lot of and then's. Sorry.) something really funny happened. I suddenly had an overwhelming surge of creativity flow through me that I absolutely had to release it or else I would positively explode!
So I took a painting class. Though that helped, it wasn't quite enough. It was like a pin prick in a swimming pool. The pressure was building and I was going to burst.
Soon after I had a dream. It was such a crazy dream that when I woke up I had to write it down. (For those of you who didn't know this already, that's how Stephenie Meyer started Twilight. She dreamt the scene where Bella and Edward are in the meadow and he's "in the sun." And now look at her. She's the next J.K. Rowling. Don't ever discredit your dreams. They are very liberating to your creativity.)
Before I left for work that morning, I had fifteen pages of this fantastic gibberish written down. It was essentially two completely different chapters in someone's life. I knew I had to write the story to bind them together. So I did. Several months later Desert Snow was born.
Aaahhh. That hit the spot. I felt much better. But I wasn't done! I had to keep doing it; I had to keep writing.
Two months later, The Journey Home was born. A few months after that, The Dream Weaver was kind of born. It's about 2/3rds of the way done with the promise that I will go back someday and finish it.
And in November I took on the NaNoWriMo challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. I did it. I did it and have never been more proud of any other writing. In the month of November, The Gifted was born.
And do you want to know something funny? Every single one of my books started with a dream. I can tell you the exact scene or exact line from every book that came from my dream. In The Dream Weaver it was a single line that scared me to death. So when I woke up I had to write it into a book.
So. Here it is, February 1st and you are probably wondering why I'm babbling. That happens a lot, doesn't it? But you still love me anyway, and that's the point.
Tonight, at 12:01am EST (10:01 my time), submissions for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest will officially be accepted. That means that tonight, I will enter The Gifted into a contest against 9,999 other manuscripts.
The prize? A publishing contract with Penguin Group. Am I excited? Yes. Am I nervous? Not really. I don't have anything to lose. Do I hope I'll win? Yes, but I'm not completely naive. I know I'm up against some stiff competition (my dad and aunt are also entering). So even though I probably won't win the contest, I'm still grateful because now I have a polished manuscript to submit to publishers.
Here is the contest outline:
February 2 Contest submission period opens (That's tonight). 10,000 entries are slimmed down to 2,000 based on a "pitch." A 300 word summary of the book, it's strengths and character development, the intended audience and how readers identify with my book.
March 16 Quarter finalists announced on Amazon.com. The 2,000 submissions are cut to 500 based on an excerpt from the beginning of the book.
April 15 Semifinalists announced and Publishers Weekly reviews posted. The 500 semifinalists books are read by a panel of judges and given reviews.
May 15 - May 21 Three Finalists chosen by Penguin; Amazon.com customers vote for the Grand Prize Winner. Anyone with an Amazon.com account can get online, download excerpts from the top three and vote on the winner.
May 22 Grand Prize is announced on Amazon.com.
So, as you can see, it'll be at least a few weeks before I hear anything. I've been rushing for 20 days to get things ready, and then I'll have to sit and wait. I'll keep you posted and let you know anything as soon as I do. Because I know you're all dying to hear about my contest results. But you'll all have to have patience; it'll be a while.
It's ok though. While I wait, I'll probably read a book...or five. Pin It
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