December, 2009

Chase The Dream Contest

The third annual CHASE THE DREAM contest will officially kick off on January 1, 2010. Once again, author Rachelle Chase (www.rachellechase.com) and Leigh Michaels are teaming up to offer what may be one of the best contests in the romance-writing world.

Details about rules and prizes and how to enter are on the contest website at http://chasethedreamcontest.wordpress.com/

But here’s the short (unofficial) version: Enter the first 1,000 words of a romance novel (or novel with a romantic theme). Each week Rachelle chooses a finalist; each week author Leigh Michaels of Harlequin Romance fame will choose a non-winning entry to receive a mini-critique.

The eight finaling entries will all be reviewed by a panel of editors and agents. (This year’s agents and editors include Alex Logan of Grand Central Publishing; Deb Werksman of Sourcebooks; Theresa Stevens of Red Sage Publishing; Susan Swinwood of Harlequin/Mira/Spice; Esi Sogah of Avon Books; Kelli Martin of Kumani Press; Christine Witthohn of Book Cents Literary Agency, and Laura Bradford of Bradford Literary Agency — with more to be announced.)

No promises about what might happen this year, but in previous contests, many finalists have received offers of agent representation and requests for full manuscripts, and several have been published as a result of entering CHASE THE DREAM. (See my friend Jeannie Lin’s story on her blog, All That You Desire.)

The contest is free, and they have great prizes — including a free class donated by Gotham Writers Workshop, manuscript critiques, books, and other goodies. Check it out — and polish up the first 1,000 words of YOUR book to enter!

Happy New Year!

Yeah, I’ll be wishing you another one in a few weeks, but Happy New Year, folks! I will see you next year. ;D

What Do You Fear?

My reading has sparked interesting self-introspection, but I’ve decided I need to face my fears.

When I was an eight-year-old child, I came home and found my dog had hung himself. (He was a fence climber, so we had tied him inside the enclosure.) I tried to get him down, but he was already stiff. I must have been in a formative development stage because this has haunted me and shaped me in uncomfortable ways. But I’ve come to the conclusion this morning that I WANTED it to.

This makes me squirm. Why do I cling to this agonizing fear of loss? So much so, that I made it my hero’s main flaw. This is not who I am! What’s worse, it has taken me over so much that there are days I find it hard to operate because of the what ifs. Part of me shrugs and says “What ifs are a part writing, therefore, your fear has made you a writer. Don’t knock it.” I choose not to believe that. God made me a writer.

I must find a way out my self-made fear of losing loved ones before I am undone, but I know I am not alone in using my fears as a crutch or as a resource.

Today’s homespun therapy question is: What do you fear and how do you use it?

Agent Marietta Zacker Answers Your Questions

You’ll want to scroll down through this really long blog entry, but it might be worth it to you. Especially if there’s a chance you write stories for children or young adults. The agent will respond to questions once a day through December 16th.

New Film Adaptation

An online aquaintance sent this to me:

Just saw this on wikipedia: The film version of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (Book by Lisa See)will be directed by Wayne Wang in early 2010. Original script adaptation by Angela Workman. Revised by Wayne Wang and Michael Ray. Produced by Florence Sloan, Wendi Murdoch and Zhang Ziyi, to star Zhang. Sounds interesting.

Interesting indeed! I loved this book, though I usually dislike the time period used in the novel. The events of the war only touch on the last twenty or thirty pages of the novel, so it’s mostly about the friendship of two women. It’s poignant and extraordinary. I look forward to the movie. Many thanks to Kristen for letting me know!