The search is on…

Hello fellow bloggers and readers.  Today begins my quest for the perfect blog title.

For those of you who didn’t read yesterday’s post, I’ll sum it up here.  I’m going to be changing my WordPress Blog to a more interactive play site centered around my epic YA Fantasy novel, IN THE SHADOW OF THE DRAGON KING, slated for release in Fall 2016.  BUT, it’s only the first in the Chronicles of Fallhollow Trilogy, so, I will need a title that can encompass the entire series.

What is the theme of the books?  Think dual dimensions, magic portals, dragons, kings, knights, spunky teens, mystery, murder, strange beings.

My plans for the new blog are to introduce everyone to the fantasy world of Fallhollow and its surrounding kingdoms.  This means you’ll get to read interviews with some pretty awesome characters. You’ll get the behind the scene tour with characters not in the books but make up the settings.  You might even get to meet a real dragonologist!

Anyway, all of this is still in the design stage but I’d at least like to have a name for my blog, so put your thinking hats on.  Dive into the fantasy part of you where hobbits and mystical beings reside, and see what fabulous name you can come up with.

You can comment below and all suggestions will be taken under consideration.  The winner will will a digital copy of your choice of

This is a collection of some of the most awesome, spell-binding speculative fiction short stories I have ever read.  Truly fantastic. It also includes my short story, The Passing of Millie Hudson, but that’s neither here nor there.  All of these stories are fabulously written and any fan of speculative fiction will fall in love.  Click the book to find out more.

The contest will remain open until December 1, 2014.

Thank you for all your help, and I can’t wait to see what you all come up with.

“Dear Lucky Agent” Contest!

Writer’s Digest has a new contest going and boy, do I love this one!!!  Why, might you ask?  Because this one is open to YA authors!!!!  Whoo Hoo!!  If you’re a YA author, you’re going to love this one, too.

So what are the rules to enter?

 

1. You must have a completed YA manuscript.
2. Send the first 150 – 200 words of your manuscript by e-mail to: dearluckyagent15@gmail.com. Please paste everything. No attachments.
3. You must mention the contest twice through any social-media.  Provide a social-media link or Twitter handle or screenshot or blog post URL, etc., with your official e-mailed entry so your eligibility can be verified.  Please read all the details HERE.

 

What is the prize if you win?

Top 3 winners all get: 1) A critique of the first 10 double-spaced pages of your work, by your agent judge. 2) A free one-year subscription to WritersMarket.com ($50 value)!

So, do you have a YA manuscript you’ve been wanting to get feedback on?  Here’s your chance, folks.  The contest is open to all genres and all authors, young and old, save those employees, officers and directors of GLA’s publisher, F+W Media, Inc.

Go on!  What are you waiting for?  You have until 11:59 PM PST April 9, 2014 to submit.  I’ll race ya!  🙂

 

Yes, it’s time for a flash fiction contest!

Hi everyone!  Glad to see you stopped by.  If you’re new to the site, please feel free to wander around and make yourself at home.  Pull up a chair, grab a cup of jo and chat for a bit.

I am really excited about the contest I’m hosting.  For one, it’s going to be a blast to participate.  Second, I wanted to do something fun to help promote Julie Reece’s debut novel, CRUX.

You’re going to see a lot of promo on my blog about this novel because I absolutely believe in this diamond.  If you want to learn more about this YA urban fantasy, click here.  I had the pleasure of reading this as a beta and let me tell you, it rocks!  It truly has movie potential.  The publisher is J. Taylor Publishing and has a release date of July 9, so mark it on your calendar and put this one on your Must-Read list.

Okay, so what does that have to do with the flash fiction contest?  Everything, since author, Julie, came up with the writing prompt AND she will be the judge of the contest.  What’s the prompt and the prize? Pop over to my contest page to find out.

Can you hit a perfect pitch contest

The fabulous Brenda Drake is at it again with another fantastic contest.  This time the grand prize is a request to read more of your novel by the amazing agent, Ammi-Joan Paquette.

Here are the details, as copied from Brenda’s site:

Here’s how the contest is going down …

On January 15th post a two sentence pitch (no more than 35 words) along with the first 150 words (if it falls in the middle of a sentence, go to the end of that sentence) of your finished Young Adult orMiddle Grade manuscript to your blogs. From January 15th-16thhop around each others’ blogs and critique or praise them. Revise your entries, if you want, and post them by 8:00am (EST) January 17th to the official entry post. DO NOT POST THEM TO THIS POST. If you want, you may skip the blogfest/critique portion of this contest and just enter the contest.  I will have the official post up, along with details on how to format your entries, on January 15th so that you can start posting when you’re ready. To participate, sign up on the linky below.You want to know the prizes? The prize (or prizes) is a request to read more from agent, Ammi-Joan Paquette. I’m crossing my fingers for all of you. Have I told you how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE this agent? Okay, well, I can’t say it enough! I totally ❤ her!

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Here is my entry:

Title:  In the Shadow of the Dragon King

Genre: YA Fantasy
Word Count: 87,000
Pitch:     A seventeen- year old boy is thrust into a magical world, awakens an evil threat and sparks a war.  His salvation:  embrace his destiny, even if it means risking the life of his best friend.

First 150:

David Heiland sketched the final details on the cat-like eyes staring back at him.  Just like in his nightmares, the dragon clung to the castle’s battlement, a body clutched in one talon. Small horns jutted from the top of the creature’s head and two leather-like whiskers protruded from both sides of its snout. Crouched in the shadow of a turret were a man and a woman. Their arms were raised like shields above their heads, terror etched into their eyes and mouths.

Charlotte leaned in from behind, her arms folded across his shoulders. “Wow, talk about a major creep out.  I can’t get over how real it looks.” She kicked off her shoes and climbed into the center of the carved, four-poster bed. “Who are the people?”

“My parents,” David said, examining his work.  “You know, it’s funny.  When I was little, all I ever dreamed was for them to be alive, and someday they would walk through the door and all would be right with the world.”

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Good luck to everyone!  What a great contest.