Squeeeeeeeeeeee! (Where's an animated gif of a happy dance when you need one?)
That's right, folks, Living In Sin finaled in the single-title historical category of the Portland Golden Rose. (The entry is listed under my real name, not my pen name, which I didn't include in my submission because I was told it was moot. Wonder if I can get them to change that? Not because I'm trying to hide anything, but because it's confusing!)
The "prize" for finaling (at least as far as I'm concerned) is that my synopsis and first three chapters have a date with Hilary Sares, editor at Kensington. And to be honest, it was only because I hoped to get my manuscript in front of Hilary that I entered this contest in the first place. Of course, Hilary might hate it and knock me down several pegs, but I'm just so delighted to get the chance to be at the top of her pile!
Almost equally exciting, my critique partner Erica Ridley finaled in the Romantic Suspense category with Witness. That manuscript has the funniest opening chapter I have ever read, bar none, so I'm not at all surprised by her success. Congratulations, Erica!
So now, I really have to get cracking and finish writing this thing. The results of the final round are supposed to be announced in the first week of November, so the fire has definitely been lit under my bum to have the manuscript wrapped up by then, if only in first draft form (though calling any of my chapters a first draft, since they have all been past at least one of my critique partners already, is probably not completely fair).
The good news is that FanLit did seem to help kick something loose in my brain that allowed me to figure out how to replot the ending without writing out any of the secondary characters. It's just that instead of two sub-plots, I now really only have one. Everyone who shows up in the story with a few exceptions is somehow related to that one sub-plot so they can all tie up neatly at the end in one package.
I also came up with a new scene to add at the very beginning of the manuscript between my heroine and her brother that allows me to set up her GMC before meeting the hero. And I think that will give the first scene between the hero and the heroine a little more "pop", as well as allow me to cut some dialogue and narrative in later chapters that I currently need to explain her situation. Anything I can do at this point to cut into the backstory development in later chapters will help me get to the end.
In the meantime, I should probably let FanLit rot. Except I've made some friends there. (I've even had a few FanLitters come visit my blog in the last week and maybe they'll come back again.)
/me waves to all FanLitters (or does that sound too much like KittyLitter, LOL?)
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14 comments:
YOU ROCK YOU GORGEOUS GAL YOU!
I'm sooooo honored to have no one but TWO critique partners final :-) Boost me, will ya? Let me get ahold of those coattails...
*whisper* C'mon, FanLit...C'mon, FanLit...Don't let me down, baby!
Congratulations, Jacqueline!! :-) I am so happy for you.
FanLit has all these oddly beneficial effects, doesn't it? It shook something loose in my brain, too. :-)
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you in the final round with Hilary!
Lacey, I have a good feeling for Star-Crossed. It made a lot of people's top ten lists on the forum. I actually have a good feeling for Lynne's first Loom of Time entry, too.
And yes, I do think FanLit has had some beneficial side effects. Which is a good thing, since it's hella addictive.
I'll be shocked if the two of you don't at least make the top twenty-five with one of your entries. I'm holding out for you to final, though! Thanks for the kind words, Jacqueline. :-)
Only 71 more minutes!
71? I thought it was 1pm PST. I'm going to DIE if they don't post it at 1. As in, they wait until 1:30 since the gave us overtime this morning. ARGH! I have a meeting to run at 1:30 and my mind will be Skittles if I don't know :-)
I'm going to be at a meeting with my husband and our financial planner when the 10 finalists are announced, so I'll have to wait a couple of hours to find out how everyone did unless I can sneak onto my hubby's computer, LOL!
I forwarded the message announcing I'd finaled to my husband (who is kinda lukewarm about this whole writing gig) and he wrote back:
This is great! I didn't know you were doing this. Way to go babe!
So, serious brownie points for the hubster! Now at least when I am at my computer and he asks me what I'm doing, I can tell him I'm writing my book without having him roll his eyes, LOL!
It looks to me like the FanLit site is hosted on the east coast, so all the times they publish are EDT. Which means 3pm their time is noon our time. Or 51 minutes from right now.
Damn, gotta go take a shower, make myself a lunch, and go to this meeting. (I did not know about FanLit finals when I scheduled this meeting.)
Maybe Lacey could text you, if your cellphone does SMS?
OK I'm officially brain-dead. I KNEW THAT!!!! OMG. whew. You're kidding, right?
OMG OMG OMG I did NOT know this.
Yes, J. Email me your number & I'll call you. I already have Darcy's.
Panic ensues.
That's okay, Lacey. I can wait until after I get back from my meeting. There is no way I'm going to final in the FanLit contest. Lightning does not strike twice in the same place, especially on the same day!
I do want to know that you and Lynne finaled (because you both should), but a couple of hours ain't gonna change the results!
But I'll send you my phone numbers so you can call me anyway, LOL!
I just looked over the rules for the Golden Rose again, Jacqueline, and you have MUCH to be proud of. The fact that you finaled in a contest where they read fifty-five pages of your work is a bigger deal than one where they only read, say, six. That you're being rated by other professionals who have to justify their scores also makes your Golden Rose final carry a lot of weight.
This is not to say that making the top ten in FanLit isn't important -- obviously, it's a very nice gold star to have -- but if I had to pick one or the other, I know what I'd choose. :-)
Thanks, Lynne. Although there were only sixteen entries in the historical category and four finalists, so it really only means I was in the top 25% (a similar showing on FanLit would mean I'd have to finish in the top 125--hm, maybe doable, LOL!).
I'm still stoked to get to a real-live editor at a publishing house, though. She may smack me down and leave me to collect up the broken pieces of my ego and put 'em back in the little box I keep on my desk, but shucks, it's awesome to get this far. And makes me think I might actually have something here. (I really am, at bottom, a bundle of insecurities, LOL!)
That's fabulous! A Golden Rose final is a nice boost for your book's credentials and getting Ms. Sares to read it is awesome as well.
Thanks, Annie. It definitely feels like things are "happening".
I've been reading your blog, you know. Haven't left any comments, but I've been reading. Well, okay, I lie. I just saw your most recent post about gamma heroes and I'm leaving a comment.
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