Bad Girl Wins Beacon Contest FF&P Category!
Yay! My futuristic won the First Coast Romance Writers Beacon contest for unpublished manuscripts! I was very excited to get the judges' comments, particularly from the final round judge, Meghan Conrad from Cerridwen Press/Ellora's Cave. Bad Girl has been seen by agents but never by an editor, so waiting to see what she had to say was nerve wracking. But her comments were positive and shed some light on where I could make the story better. And that's really what we're looking for when we enter contests--advice that makes our stories better.
Congrats to fellow FF&P category finalists Eden Glenn with her story, Dragon's Mark, and Mary Karlik with her Izzy's Tale, as well as to all the Beacon contestants and finalists. Thanks to the first round judges who have a lot of entries to read (this contest was for up to 30 pages! 30!), and it's not an easy task. They did a great job explaining what worked and what didn't in my story. More thanks to Ms. Conrad for her comments and suggestions, and for taking the time to explain things as well. And thanks to the First Coast Chapter and its contest coordinator Maria Connor. Contests are part of a chapter's bread and butter. Fees let them continue the work of helping writers of all levels navigate the world we've decided to occupy. Plus, you get read by people who understand you. How cool is that? And coordinating a contest requires more patience and organization I'll ever possess. My hat is off to you, Maria.
Finally, a big thanks to my friends and crit partners, Sharron and Jody. Your comments on the early manuscript helped form Bad Girl, for better or worse : ) Thanks!
Labels: contest results, writing
posted by Cathy in AK @ 4:44 PM
10 comments
10 Comments:
Yay, congrats! So does that mean it's going to be published?
I wish! No, but the editor's remarks were very encouraging. Made me think I might have a shot with this story somewhere along the line : )
I guess my gushing post implied more (I'm feeling chatty today), but it was great to have an industry professional tell me I don't suck : ) I will let you know if/when BAD GIRL does get picked up. Unless you want it now as a beta reader...? No pressure!
Anyhoo, thanks for the congrats, LVLM!
Coooooooooooooooooool.
Thanks, W&C. I'm pretty darn happy : )
Unless you want it now as a beta reader...? No pressure
I don't mind to beta read it if there's not great hurry. Am swamped with school work, but I'd love to read it.
I leave it up to you. :)
I figured you'd be busy with school, so there'd be no hurry, LVLM :) I'd appreciate the chance to get a target audience response. I'll contact you later this week : ) Thanks!
Hi, Cathy, I'm a friend of Eden's and saw you post over there, so I thought I'd swing by and offer my congratulations! And I'm so glad the judges' comments and the Ellora's Cave editor were helpful. Good luck with your story.
Thanks, Gayle. I'm glad Eden and I got a chance to chat a bit. She seems like a genuinely nice person. I's great how writers support each other, even when going head to head : )
Congratulations!
So what's up with the MS now? Who is it with now? Detail, details!
I live vicariously, you know?
Geez, it's hard keeping up with you, Meretta : )
I subbed Bad Girl to Carina in May and received a great letter from one of their editors. She really liked it but wasn't ready to make an offer. She had a list of suggestions for making the story stronger and said I was welcome to revise and resubmit. So that's what I'm doing now. I hope to get the revised MS back to her by mid September or so.
I'll let you know what happens from there.
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