I just got an email to say I’m one of four finalists in the Between the Sheets contest, run by Greater Detroit RWA! They announce the winners by 4 May, so I’ve got plenty of time to sit around and get nervous.
I also wanted to send out a big congrats to all the Golden Heart finalists. My manuscript didn’t make the final list, but I’m not letting that get me down. I’ve done lots of polishing and revising since November, and I’m more confident about my current work in progress. It’s amazing how much you can learn in a few months.
I’m with you as a non-finalist for GH – but a BIG CONGRATS on the final in Between the Sheets! Now you can enjoy a celebratory glass of vino vice whine!
Thanks, Robin. I, um, had a couple celebratory glasses. They tasted particularly nice last night.
Hey great news on Between the Sheets – well done you!
I was going to email you and Coxy today, Sarah, to let you know. Good luck in Haiti and take care of yourself!
Congrats, Katrina! I was never a finalist in GH, either, yet here I am, almost nearly semi-famous. I also have a friend who has finaled twice, and still can’t find a publisher. So, go figure. You’ll get better feedback from smaller contests. So way to go!!!
Thanks for the encouragement, Kaki. I got my feedback this morning, and it’s really funny to see how people responded to my scene. Fortunately, the lowest of the three scores was dropped, because one person gave me half the score the other two did, and made the exact opposite comments. It’s a funny old business.
You’re right, Katrina. The responses I’ve gotten to PoS have been quite varied, too. I knew going into this that there would be strong reactions to some of the violence, and I was told by many to drop the first scene. After much thought, I decided to keep it anyway and I’m glad I did. You write your story your way. Maybe on your twelfth book you can write for the critics, but this first one is for you. So do it right.
I’m amazed people told you to drop that scene. I know what they were objecting to, but that’s the scene that first grabbed me by the gut and told me this book would be different. Glad you kept it.
I had no choice. And anyway, I figured if the reader could get through that scene, then what comes later might not seem too bad…or at least he/she might be prepared for it.
The point, though, is to sift through your feedback very carefully before you make any major changes. That’s why I entered into so many contests–so if I got the same crit from several sources, I knew I might need to do some re-thinking. Overall, I got some wonderful insights that made the book much better. The last two in the trilogy I had to write pretty much on my own, which is pretty scary. We’ll see. But this whole process has reinforced something I’ve suspected for a long time: your average romance readers are very smart and have high standards. They expect a lot, and if you can deliver, they’ll stick with you. I think too many authors in this genre write down to their readers, which is a big mistake.