A Solstice Scavenger Hunt with lots of winners!

Fantasy SciFi Readers Lounge Presents its first ever Solstice Scavenger Hunt!

This month I'm participating in my first ever social scavenger hunt. It runs from June 16th to June 29th. With a name and theme based on the summer solstice, how could I resist? Back in my college days my friends and I created superhero personas for ourselves. I opted to be more of a sidekick, but my name was Solstice.

I could fly, travel at the speed of light, which made me almost invisible and form fireballs to use as weapons. Sometimes I really miss those carefree days of adventure.

Art by Sketch at The Sketch Pad (from a long time ago)

Now you know why I was interested in this scavenger hunt, but why should you check it out? Let me lay it out for you.

19 Authors have joined forces to offer readers:

• a chance at $75 cash via PayPal
• 19 eBooks as Grand Prize
• 38 secondary prizes (an eBook from one of our participating authors) will be given to randomly chosen participants who solve the puzzle

And I will be giving away audiobooks of three of my books to those who comment on my blog.

You could get THE MAGIC WAKES, DAWN OF THE MAGES, or STELLAR CLOUD for free, just for commenting!

To play for a chance to win the other prizes, you must go to each of the authors' sites listed below, collect the "hidden" word(s), unscramble them, and then enter to win! Enter Here

The 2015 Bold New Worlds Contest

You may remember that last year I started my own spec fic short story contest for high school students in the United States. It's that time of year again! Some schools are getting started and some still have a few weeks to go before the students get back to the daily grind, but it's time to spread the word for the 2015 year.

2015 Theme:

Creative Creatures! Whether it's machine, plant, alien, paranormal, horrific or some human hybrid, creative new creatures can elevate a story. Share your most creative creature with us this year. Make us believe anything is possible!

Here's an example. For my first novel I created a human dragon hybrid (I did it 14 years ago and now they're everywhere!). They were meant to be a bridge between the two races, a way to bring them closer. Of course things never turn out as planned, do they?

By Phillip Bartles 2013

The form to submit your story is now live HERE. You can also email your submission to boldnewworlds@gmail.com

One of our lovely judges, Elizabeth Arroyo, made this great graphic for us. 

Feel free to share it on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, your blog, wherever you hang out with your high school friends. 

Finally, if you'd like to read all the rules and see what the prizes are, you can view them HERE.

You can also Meet the Judges and learn about our Logo Contest that's running at the same time this year.  

October IWSG--What if no one comes?

Purpose of IWSG: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. I'm currently #87.

I've come to grips with the fact I will never be the level of writer I want to be. There's just not enough time in my day to devote to what I need to learn. But there are young writers out there already better than me. All they need is a nudge here and there to follow their dreams.

My High School Short Story Contest is live. No one has entered yet. What if no one does? The only goal I have with this contest is to provide a positive experience to encourage young writers. I've sent email after email to high school principals all over the United States. Not a single one has replied.

What if my email went straight to junk mail?
What if they never passed it on to the English department?
What if...

Arg! I need to stop.
It was just an idea.
There's still time for people to enter. The deadline isn't until November 10th. If I put it out there, surely someone will come? Right?

I have 4 amazing judges, and I hope to have something for them to judge. A wonderful friend donated $100 to add to my $100 in the prize pot, so now we have cash prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place! There is so much potential in this contest idea, but I'm afraid my inadequacies with marketing it will cause it to fall flat on it's face.

Do you live near a high school? 

Would you be willing to take a flyer to the front office for me? All you have to do is print the Info Sheet and ask the office staff to give it to one of the English teachers and ask them to share it with their students. It's free for the students to enter and they can win cash prizes and feedback on their writing.

Would you be willing to share this on your blog? I have a website set up with all the information and a form the students can use to enter the contest. It's called Bold New Worlds. You can read all the contest details, meet the judges and see the theme and prizes for this year.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

***I also need to apologize here. Since I'm subbing for a kindergarten class the next three days, it will take me a while to visit your blogs. Don't give up on me though! I will get there eventually. Please leave me a link if you comment so I can get there quicker. Thanks!***

IWSG June 2014 and Bold New Worlds

Purpose of IWSG: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. I'm currently #100.

This month I want to talk about some insecurities that are also exhilarating. Mid May I started working on a new project. It's something I've been thinking about for a few years but thought I couldn't do. I finally decided that trying would be better than always wondering "what if?" It's my chance to give back to the writing community in the way I feel most comfortable and qualified to do, but I'm terrified it will flop.

This fall I'm launching my own national high school speculative fiction short story contest. I'm going to need lots of help spreading the word. That's where YOU come in. We live in different towns and states. I need you to find one English teacher at your local high school and tell her/him about this contest. They will share it with the other teachers and the word will spread. Here's the deal...

Bold New Worlds

A High School Short Story Contest for Speculative Fiction

Contest Description:
Short story, 1,000 words or less in the science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, steampunk or other speculative fiction genre.

2014 Theme:

"Bold New Worlds"

Create and share your own world with us. It can be alien, futuristic, epic fantasy, steampunk, alternate timelines, whatever you can think of. Let your imagination take us somewhere we've never been. 

Prizes:
First place winner receives $50 and $50 for their school library. The top 5 entries will also receive in-depth critiques for their stories.

Deadline:
Emailed or sent via online form by November 15, 2014.

Submission:
You can click HERE to submit by online form or Email your submission to boldnewworlds @ gmail.com (no attachments please, include story in the text of the email).

Include with your story:

• Name
• email address
• high school (and HS address)
• year in school
• word count
• title of story

Winners will be announced in December. Winning stories will be posted here and on the Bold New Worlds Facebook page. Some entries, including winners, may be published in a collection of short stories. (Note: Any proceeds from the sale of this collection will be used solely to fund the prizes for future short story contests with more prizes given for more placings).

Criteria:
Short stories will be judged on:

• creativity
• imagination
• world building
• character development
• plot development

Questions? Visit the webpage or email Charity Bradford at boldnewworlds @ gmail.com

And here's the best part...I have four amazing judges to help me out this first year.
L. Blankenship--fantasy
Cindy Borgne--science fiction
Alex J Cavanaugh--science fiction (space opera)
Roland Yeomans--paranormal fantasy

Can you help spread the word? 

Don't worry, I'll remind everyone in August when the submission window opens and the students are back in school.

The Subjective Nature of Judging

First off, today is the last day you can submit your inspirational stories to Unicorn Bell for the Real Imprints Contest.

Yesterday I received my batch of high school short stories to judge for the "Imagination Begins With You" contest. Brian mentioned that we have somewhere around 850 entries this year! 850 divided by 5 judges equals 170 for me to read through and pick my top 4-5 stories. I should mention that I've not been given any kind of rubric for how to judge. The only rule is to pick my  4-5 favorites.

Do you feel the weight of that task???

170 stories that are someone's brain child.

I try and look at how well the student used words with correct grammar and punctuation to share their story. Is there a beginning, middle, end? Is there something about the story that makes me think, or at least remember them after reading fifty more? Do they say something about humanity without being preachy?

Sometimes it's easy to mark one off my list. Other times I read one and it goes straight to my short list of favorites, but most of the time I end up with a long  "maybe" list.

Why?

Because reading is subjective. Some stories just don't do it for me even though I try and look at the quality of writing as well as the flow and emotion of the piece. But I'm always thinking of some teen somewhere wondering what the judges think of their story. You see, when this is all over two winners will be chosen. No one else will hear a thing about how their stories stacked up to the others.

848 people will lose. I wish I could tell them not to let losing bother them. The judging is so subjective I'm not even sure winning means much, other than you get money. Lots of really great stories will get passed by.
Reminds me how subjective the query process is and that as writers we can't let rejection stop us either.

Here are my day 1 judging stats.

My file contains:

• 293 pages
• 115,036 words

After 1 hour of reading:

• I read 13 stories
• 28 pages
• 1 poem
• 9 about death/suicide/murder/war
• 1 no
• 2 marked "consider"
• 4 marked "maybe"
• 6 were good but didn't stand out in any way to receive a marking
• Only 1 was science fiction :( You might not be surprised to note that it received two checks toward the "maybe". I can't help it! That's the way I gravitate.

If you were judging a short story contest, what elements would you be looking for?

High School Writing Contest with Opportunity for Feedback!

*sigh* Life is angry making at the moment. My family is on day 5 of no hot water and the home warranty company could care less. In order NOT to grumble too much about that, I'm going to focus on something I enjoy doing and see a way to improve on my participation in it.

Here's one more plug for the...

Imagination Begins With You High School Short Story Contest

I've been a judge for this national short story writing conference for a couple of years and wanted to make sure you knew about this opportunity. The deadline is March 15th to enter, the winner gets $250 and their high school library gets $50! You can get the submission guidelines at http://coolimagination.com/

Although I can't help with the writing, after the judging is over I will gladly look at your story with you or your high schooler and tell them where I would have placed it in the hundreds of stories I get to read. We can then talk through email or Skype about their writing and discuss ways to make it stronger.

Why would I do this?

Because last year I read tons of really great stories. These teen authors are way ahead of the game and I felt bad that if they didn't win they would have no idea how good their story might have been. You see, I think I'm the only judge drawn to the science fiction side of things, and sadly I get out voted. That doesn't mean the story wasn't amazing, it's just for a different audience.

ME!

So I want to give encouragement to those who just wonder, "Why didn't I win? Was my story that bad?"

Winner of the Dragumon Art Contest!

Isn't this great!

Philip Bartles was the only one up to my challenge, and I think he did a wonderful job. I love the energy coming off the staff, love the texture of the scales with the smooth yet reflective quality. The talons are wicked and I definitely would not want them slicing into me. The best part is the head is moving in the right direction. More dog like and less snake like.

Great job!

Philip will be getting a signed copy of The Magic Wakes in the mail, and when I finish the Dragumon novella he will get a copy of it.

I actually get more excited about this picture every time I look at it!

Unicorn Bell, School's In Query Contest

I'll be over at UB all day long (mostly) for the next three weeks. There won't be anything new here until our big Query Extravaganza comes to an end at the end of the month. Please swing by and check out the great posts we have lined up.

This first week is a mini conference of sorts devoted to the query letter. What it is, why you need one, how to write one, examples of bad queries, and even some examples of queries that have garnished some full requests/deals for us.

There will be multiple posts per day, and we don't want you to miss any of it. You can also follow the Twitter Hashtag #QuerySchoolsIN to see each new posting.

Here's the schedule:

Monday, August 13th
5:00 AM The Purpose of a Query and How to Write One
9:00 AM Stalking/Researching Agents
1:00 PM Interview with Donna O'Brien
5:00 PM Bad Query Example

Tuesday, August 14th
5:00 AM Guest Blogger Matthew MacNish of QQQE
9:00 AM Researching Small Publishers
1:00 PM Interview with Sapphire Star Publishing
5:00 PM Queries that Worked

Wednesday, August 15th
5:00 AM Our Editor's Query Pet Peeves
9:00 AM Submission Guidelines are Your Friend
1:00 PM Interview with Andrew Buckley
5:00 PM Bad Query Example

Thursday, August 16th
5:00 AM Great Places to Read and Get Feedback on Queries
9:00 AM Formatting E and Paper Queries
1:00 PM Interview with Krystal Wade
5:00 PM Queries that Worked

Friday, August 17th
5:00 AM Queries that Worked
9:00 AM A Last Word on Research and Patience
1:00 PM Interview with Nancy Bell
5:00 PM Queries that Worked


Monday, August 20th
I'll post the information you need to submit your queries for critique to Unicorn Bell. All queries will go up on Tuesday and stay up for the week for comments.

Saturday, August 25th
I'll post the rules for submitting your query for your COMPLETED and polished manuscript for our agent judging.

Sunday, August 26th
The submission window for our agent judging will open at 1:30 PM US Central Standard Time. We are accepting up to 20 entries. You will receive an email confirming your spot in the Final Exam Week.

Regrouping and Shifting Gears

Ah, it's good to be back home. Last week was wonderful on so many levels, but the sleeping situation not so much. Just think mice, bugs, damp sleeping bags, and nervous jitters about pulling off another day.

Anyway, I wanted to take a minute or two today to share last week with you and to list what I'm planning to post over the next month or so. This is the easiest way for me to reset my brain from church serving mom to writer once more. Yeah, I know I'll still do both, but the heavy summer activities are over now.

Here are some stats:
7 days of fast paced, hard work

1 Mystery Dinner 50's Style (that I wrote and they enjoyed!) for 40 people (the leaders that came a day earlier than the other girls)
14 meals served
140 girls and leaders
1 Writing Class taught
4 Cooking Classes taught
60 dozen eggs
80 lbs pulled pork
13 lbs elbow noodles turned into mac n cheese
20 gallons of milk
12 gallons of apple juice
6 gallons of orange juice
10 large containers of lemonade mix
More fruit and veggies than I can count
14 hours of dish washing
1 new burn scar on my arm
3 days of thunderstorms--which I loved because it kept the temperatures down
a zillion flies because of the rain--ick!
multiple bug bites
7 trips to town for forgotten items--this is an improvement over last year
2 small bottles of Ibuprofen opened and used up
Smiles and hugs from appreciative girls and staff that made it all worth while
529 posts in my Google Reader--I just deleted because I knew I'd never get through them all
118 emails in Gmail
99 emails in Yahoo

I also learned that communication is key to running a kitchen. We asked my daughter and her friend to cut the bananas for breakfast. At first they were slicing them, with the peel on! Then we corrected them and asked them to cut them in half. Can you see how they interpreted that?! We laughed so hard.

Now, what's in store for me the next few weeks? Tomorrow I'm driving 7 hours to my Mom's for a well deserved vacation with my kids. While there I have three goals.

1. Finish revisions for my editor.
2. Exercise every day.
3. Get totally prepared to pull off an amazing School's In Query Contest over at Unicorn Bell August 13th--31st.

In order for me to do that, I won't be posting here during the 3 weeks of the contest. All my blogging time will be spent at Unicorn Bell. I hope you'll join us over there. The first week is a mini conference of sorts with 3-4 posts every day on how to make your query sparkle. Week two is an intensive critique session for your queries. During week three the queries for completed and revised manuscripts will be posted for our guest judges to comment on and maybe request pages.

After the contest ends, I have a 5 part Story Problems series lined up based on Angela Ackerman's guest post 5 Top Issues I Find When Critiquing.

Q4U: Would you like me to post my notes from the Writing Class I taught?

Exciting things brewing at Unicorn Bell

This is what I posted over there today. If you want to join in the fun, head over there and follow so you can get all the details as they unfold.

We've been sitting on something here at UB.

Well, yeah, that too, but I'm talking about something new for our little blog.

Something we've been dreaming of doing.

Something with YOU in mind.

The time has finally arrived to fill you in on our plan to take over the world!

*cough* *cough*

Sorry, not that plan.

What plan? We aren't plotting to take over the world so just stop already.

Now, where were we?

Oh yes. The plan to help you wonderful followers get some quality feedback on your work.

We are excited to announce the School's In Query Contest!

We are devoting most of August to queries: how to's, examples, workshops and the query process in general. The last week of August we will have three wonderful guest judges reading all polished queries for FINISHED manuscripts.

Krystal Wade from Curiosity Quills
Nancy Bell from MuseItUp Publishing
Amy Lichtenhan SapphireStar Publishing

If they like what they see, they may request pages and who knows where that may lead you?

There will be more info coming over the next few weeks, but we wanted to give you time to comb through that MS one more time. Maybe even get one more beta reader? Here's what these ladies said they are looking for right now.

Krystal--I love older mc's (18+)! I'd like to see some good dystopian, more male
mc's too, and then of course anything scifi/fantasy/paranormal with
something new and unusual.

Nancy--MuseItUp is looking for more dark fiction, horror, as we are light in
that department. However, romance, historical romance, YA/MG from a male
POV that will entice that sector. Of course, we are open to anything
that is well written and crafted. We don't publish literary fiction or
poetry.

Amy--We're especially interested in contemporary romance and paranormal
romance at this time, although we are accepting submissions in all
fiction categories.

If you are interested in playing, what questions do you have about the contest?
Please email them to unicornbellsubmissions@gmail.com and I'll post and answer all of them for our Friday post.

...And for anyone who might be interested, look what I found on Google.

A Picture Paints 1000 Words--Earth Four

Today is the beginning of the blogfest hosted by Unicorn Bell.

Head over there for full rules and Mr. Linky. I'm participating for fun and to get a new short story started. That was the plan anyway, but I didn't get very far. I have a beginning. My biggest problem was the pictures to choose from were all wonderful--that's why I chose them. ;)

Here's the one I settled on over the weekend. Unfortunately, I wasn't home for much of the weekend. Here's my 200 word start. I don't even know if it's enough to hook someone and make it worth finishing the story. What do you think?

Earth Four

The ship’s engines pitched lower as it dropped out of hyper drive and powered up the reverse thrusters. It wouldn’t be long now.

Overhead lights dimmed then brightened signaling a ship wide message. Thousands of people paused mid-stride and waited.

“Attention all passengers, we are now approaching our destination. Earth Four will be within view of the front and starboard viewing halls in thirty minutes time. We will dock and begin debarkation in two hours. Remember, you may carry your own luggage or recycle it. If you choose to recycle, you will be issued a class two mandate for your stay on Earth Four. Gold members will receive an automatic upgrade.

“Thank you for traveling on the Galaxy Gala. It’s been our pleasure to serve you and we hope you enjoy the rest of your vacation.” The voice fell silent.

Tensati hobbled forward once more on his arthritic legs. He had to find Lyria so they could watch the planet come into view together. They had waited a long time to get passage on a cruise liner destined for a young earth. He wanted to enjoy every minute of it with her.

Two hours. 

Two hours until their dreams became a reality.

Doing the Snoopy Dance

Okay, here's the long version of my happy news. It starts with some of this.

Disappointment. Noon rolled around. Arrows flew over at Cupid's Literary Connection, but none landed on SENDEK. My biggest question as always was WHY? These contests are great opportunities, but only if you "win". It can be frustrating when you don't know why you're not getting bites.

Is it because the idea is bad? Or the writing just not there? Or simply that your story doesn't fit into an easily labeled shelf? My other thought, after reading the entries being picked, was that 1. not YA, and 2. I'm just out to tell a story--not make a statement or change the world.

Anyway, I wandered around my house for twenty minutes telling myself it was okay. Then I saw the tweet that the ABNA list was out. 

"Well," I said, "let's get all the dissapointment over at once."

I took my kindle upstairs and pulled up the ABNA list of second round entrants for General fiction. Scrolling down the list I came to a Bradford. It wasn't me. I almost closed the page and then I realized it was alphabetical by first name, not last. I scrolled down one more page, and...

I made it past the first round!!! 

I have to admit I cried just a bit. Chances are nothing will come of it, but it's an improvement over last year. It gave me just enough hope to keep me going. Now I have to wait another month to see if I make it past another round. So, a little more patience please.

Did you enter? Did you make it?

Here are a few of the names I noticed:
Jessica Bell--GF (general fiction)
Michael Di Gesu--YA
Theressa Milstein--YA
Roland Yeomans--YA
Hart Johnson--YA
Misty Waters--GF
Johanna Garth--YA
Karen Hoover--YA

Birth of a Novel February 20th

Sorry, no pics today. I'm still computerless. :( So, I'm keeping this post short and sweet:

• The part arrived. It's been tested and it works. He just has to put the computer back together and hand it to me. ????
• Even computerless, I'm filling pages and pages in a notebook. My goal was to add another 10,000 words to Faerie Wings by the end of February. I think I'm well on my way to reaching that.
• Carter is surprising me with the silly little flaws he has. This is a good thing because he's becoming more real to me.
• My February goals for Write1Sub1 have been flushed. Sort of. I did get one written and sent to my CP. The computer died right after that. Revisions have not been made and I don't have anything else ready to submit.
• I'm a basket of nerves right now. Bidding on the Cupid Blind Speed Dating starts in an hour and a half. I'm entry #41. Only the undercover agents can make comments, so if you visit, come back here to let me know what you think. What if no one bids on SENDEK? I can't help but get my hopes up.
• Thursday is the day that the first round of ABNA ends and those going forward are announced. I actually had a conversation with hubby asking what I should do if I won ABNA and got an offer from an agent. See, no matter how hard I try not to set myself up for crushing blows of failure I can't help it!
• Small publisher X has had my full MS for about 3 weeks. I sent it the day BEFORE the computer died.

I feel like something is going to happen this week. But what will it be? And will I be crushed when nothing happens?

#DaysITsucksTObeAwriter

Pitch Help Please

January 23rd is the day. Yep. That's the first day you can submit manuscripts for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. I entered last year and didn't make it past the first round, but that's not going to stop me from entering again this year.

However, I thought a little feedback from you might be helpful. Here's what I need to have prepared in order to submit:

(1) the complete version of your manuscript ("Manuscript"); check (almost finished with the seek and destroy mission for the word "felt")
(2) up to the first 5,000 words, but not less than 3,000 words, of your Manuscript, excluding any table of contents, foreword, and acknowledgments ("Excerpt"); check
(3) a pitch of your Manuscript consisting of up to 300 words ("Pitch"); and
(4) the personal information required on the entry form.

I've been working on my Pitch. Do you mind reading it and offering up your thoughts. Be tough because this is the only thing the judges look at to move you to round two.

1. Does it pique your interest? 
2. Should I drop the first paragraph and/or the last paragraph?
3. Do I need to give more or less information?

I can use up to 300 words and this is currently only 237 so there is wiggle room.

The planet Sendek has a rich magical heritage. Unfortunately, the people forgot it when they embraced scientific thought. After thousands of years, they no longer believe in dragons, mages, or the two-legged hybrid they created. These Draguman are returning from exile stronger than ever with only one thought on their minds. Wipe out the humans on Sendek and claim it for their own.

Talia Shannon has kept her dreams of invasion a secret, but she knows they will soon come true. Caught between her job at the Space Exploration Foundation and her magical nature, she struggles to warn her people without revealing her source of information. This task leaves no time for personal relationships, but Landry Sutton isn’t looking for a friend.

As nephew to the King, Landry protects his family from a radical group determined to depose the monarchy. He thinks Talia works for them until a touch sizzles between them, and they discover they can communicate telepathically. It turns out Landry has magical secrets of his own.

As a direct descendant of the mage who created the Draguman, Talia is the key to their destruction—if she can learn to trust the magic coursing through her veins.

The arrival of the invading force makes one thing desperately clear—science cannot save them, and magic is now their only hope.

SENDEK: THE MAGIC WAKES is the stand alone first novel in the science fantasy SENDEK SAGA.

Guess My Character's Age Blogfest Contest

Today, Brenda Drake is hosting a Blogfest Contest. Click on the link to find Mr. Linky to the other entrants. Here are the rules:

On December 8th post the first 250 words of your finished, or not quite finished, manuscript (any genre) to your blogs. This contest is about voice--whether or not your character's voice matches his or her's age. So if you mention the age or school grade in the first 250 words, please edit it out or block it out for this contest. Don't list the genre or title on your posts.

It is directly related to finishing Nanowrimo, but she states the story doesn't have to be finished. Now, my lovely followers already know my MCs age, but the other participating won't have my Birth of a Novel info, so hopefully I can still get some good feedback.

For those that do know the MCs age, please voice your opinion on if I'm close to the right voice. I really would like to know.

Here are the first 250 words:

“Ryanne Killian, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Jessie’s shrill voice rose above the chatter in the hall.

I turned to meet her gaze. “What are you moaning about now?”

“I am not going to let you ruin my special day. You have to tell Kevin that you can’t be his best man.” She crossed her arms across her chest. “It’s ridiculous.”

Funny, those were the same words I used when he asked me. I told him a girl couldn’t be best man, but I sure as heck wasn’t going to tell that to miss high and mighty.

“That’s too bad Jessie, ‘cause I already rented a tux.” I turned to walk away, but she grabbed my arm.

“Look, wear whatever you wear to------. -------------------------------------------- . Just smile and don't embarrass us, okay?" Jessie turned and let her nose lead the way as she flounced off with her ----------posse trailing behind. She turned to one of them and said, “Don’t worry, this isn’t over.”

I rolled my eyes and headed the other way. Great, that’s all I needed. If not for Kevin, Jessie would never stoop to speak to someone like me. If not for Kevin, I would have been perfectly happy with that arrangement.

Ah, Kevin. Idiot, jerk, and my best friend since ----------.

First 250 Words Agent Contest

This one is hosted by Shelley Watters. Post your first 250 words, visit, comment, accept critique, polish and then post your final version on her blog (May 31st) to be judged by Judith Engracia of Liza Dawson and Associates. Visit Shelley's blog to find Mr. Linky.

It doesn't qualify for the Agent part of the contest since it isn't finished, but here is the first 258 words of my summer novel (meaning I work on it in the summer, imagine that!) I hope to finish it this summer. 

Faerie Wings
YA Contemporary Fantasy (I'm not sure yet what to call it).

Jesse wore her cap and gown over the top of her wedding dress. Kevin gazed into her eyes and declared his love with such fervency that half the women sobbed into their hankies. I admit, I might have teared up for a moment myself. Lucky for me, no one else knew about my brief time with Kevin. It had been a test to see if our friendship could be more, but it only took a week for us to agree that we made better friends than lovers.

The next week I introduced him to Jesse, and the rest as they say in the story books is history. Truly happy for both, I performed my maid of honor duties with ease, but grew restless while they danced surrounded by the rest of our graduating class. The music drummed inside my head and all I could think of was getting out.

Jesse sat down beside me. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, why do you ask?”

“I dunno. Usually you’d be out there dancing with us.” Jesse flicked her head toward the gyrating mass of bodies.

“Headache.” I tapped my temple.

“Why don’t you walk through the garden or something? I don’t want any wall flowers at my graduation party.”

“I thought this was your wedding reception.” I squinted at her.

“Of course it is, but Daddy wouldn’t pay for both, so I’m combining them. Just because I got married doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate the end of high school.” She laughed and started bobbing her shoulders in time with the music.

Well, what do you think? Is it too slow a start? That's my big concern, but I've been told I "rush" things, and I'm trying to slow it down a bit. This leads to the inciting incident, so I think its the right place to start. The bombshell falls in the next 88 words.

If you liked it, what was it you liked? Would you keep reading?

Oh, and what would you call a novel set in our day/age/world that also has magic and faeries?

Thanks in advance for any and all comments!

The Power of Tension Blogfest

First--Unicorn Bell is live as of today! Carol is calling for a First Kiss segment for critique, so head over and read the rules and other information.

Today starts the Power of Tension Blogfest hosted by Cally Jackson and Rachel Morgan.

Here's what you need to do:
1. Give an excerpt (up to 300 words) from your manuscript or recently completed work (or just a random scene) that just drips with tension and will tie us up in knots wanting to know more. It doesn’t matter what the piece is about, as long as it screams tension.
2. Go to either Cally or Rachel's blogs (follow links above) and add a DIRECT link to your blogfest post to Mr. Linky by midnight on the 27th.
3. Be polite, read other entries, make constructive and polite comments.
4. Return to their blogs on June 2nd to see the top six entries. Did I mention there are prizes?

Ok, I struggled to pick something for this. Mainly because my tension is spread out in a slow build throughout Sendek--and most of my other stories. All the sections that move the tension up just a notch don't seem like much out of context. *sigh* Well, that could be ok, I don't know.


Can I cheat and give you two 300 word clips?

Scene 1 from Sendek--

"I'm glad I found you." Shishali walked toward me with the grace of a cat on the prowl. "Nothing to say?"

I found it hard to swallow as her lips curled back to reveal the dagger sharp teeth. When I did swallow, my mind pulled away from my body, leaving me numb but freeing my voice.

"Not really." I shrugged.

"Too bad. I plan to kill you slowly for what you did to Nysyk." She circled me so I turned with her to keep her in my sights.

"I don't know what you’re talking about."

"I found him in a canyon in the mountains. How did you do it? You don’t look strong enough." Her head tilted to the side as she talked.

Understanding dawned. "I didn't."

She made two complete circles and I felt dizzy. I almost wished she would get it over with, because I knew I would never be able to fight her. As if she read my mind, she stepped in closer, towering a foot and a half over me.

The sweat trickled down the back of my neck, cooling in the breeze until a shiver moved through me.

Time slowed as I watched her taloned hand reach out and slice through my left side. A gasp escaped my lips as the pain shot through me. I clutched my side and the warm blood made my fingers sticky.

I pulled energy from the trees to stop the bleeding. Shishali's eyes narrowed, her jaw twitched, then she growled as she watched my wounds heal.

"I wonder how long you can do that before you are too weak. Let's have a little fun and find out."

And scene 2 is from a 1st draft (so the dialogue is stinky) section of Faerie Wings--

The doorbell woke me. 2:52 am. Heather had better be in real trouble to wake me at this time. I tossed the covers aside and padded my way to the front door as she rang the bell over and over.

"Heather, stop already. I'm coming." I removed the chain, turned the deadbolt and opened the door.

Strong arms grabbed me, spun me around and pinned my arms to my side. Someone else shoved a cloth bag over my head.

"Scream and we will kill you." A gruff voice rumbled by my ear.

I hadn't even thought of screaming. They dragged me down my steps and pushed me into a car. It didn't feel like a big car, as I hit the far side as soon as I was in. My knees rested against the seat in front of me. One of the guys got in beside me, making things feel even more cramped. I heard the front door close and the sway of motion as we pulled away from my house.

My heart pounded. I took shallow breaths as the air in the bag warmed. My hands were still free and I tried to lift the bag desperate for air.

"Oh, no you don't." A voice growled by my ear.

He grabbed my hands and crushed me against the car door as he pulled my arms behind me. A strong cord was wrapped around them until my fingers went numb.

Show Me the Voice Blogfest

Somehow I missed adding the link. Thank you Brenda Drake for hosting this blogfest! Everyone, please click HERE to see the list of participants and rules.

I really needed this challenge because I think I've revised all the voice out of my WIP. It's awful! Here are the first 250 words of my sci fi adult novel SENDEK. Yes, I keep coming back to it because I can't give up on it yet since it is still improving. :)

Please be brutally honest with anything you see that pulls you out of the story. Look for voice. Is it there? I'm going to be reading the 100+ entries and will come back to respond as soon as I can...and make adjustments/improvements to this. I can email them in to be judged and possibly win a critique from the awesome agent Natalie Fischer.

Note: I've posted an alternate first 252 words. Is this better than the original? The backstory that is in this is very important and needs to be established right away. Unfortunately, my MC doesn't have any friends or family to talk to, so it has to come out this way. I tried to pare it down to the barest necessity. All thoughts appreciated, cause you guys are awesome!

New version after reading comments--While other girls dreamed of ponies and boys, I dreamed of fire and pain. By the time I turned seven, I knew the dreams foretold my future. I understood they were a gift, a chance to save myself if I could find the way. Those dreams shaped my life, and it’s up to me to stay alive.

The last of Sendek’s three moons had set, but I didn’t need their light. My legs knew the way and moved me instinctively up the tree-covered hill. The moss, soft and cool under my bare feet, carried the promise of relief. With only moments left before the double suns crested the horizon, I ran faster and reached the clearing at the top. My muscles twitched as I stared at the light of Gneledar below me. The small city was aglow with activity, and as I watched the skylanes filled with transports.

Is it safe? I asked the trees around me.

YES. Their deep calm filled me and I knew they would continue to protect my secret. 

The first sun rose beyond the village and light bounced off the metal and glass of the city in a glaring shower of light. Tendrils of light pushed their way into the shadowy places at the base of the buildings chasing away the darkness. As the second sun climbed into view, I called the light to me.

My lungs expanded as I inhaled the energy of the suns. Synapses fired and blood pumped the pure life through my veins.

Original--Joharadin, known to most of the world as capital of Algodova, but I know from dreams that it’s where I’ll meet my death at the hands of scaled demons. The nightmares have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Because of them, I’ve avoided the city all my adult life, but if I want to keep my job with the Space Exploration Foundation I’ll move there today.

There’s always the hope I’m crazy, but if not, this will be the last time I drink the sunsrise from my secluded hilltop. 

I breathed the cool morning air, felt the ache of every muscle in my body. Each dream drains me of energy and leaves me bruised and battered. Only one thing heals the damage. Sendek’s double suns at sunsrise.

The last of Sendek’s three moons set an hour ago, but I didn’t need their light. My legs knew the way, moving instinctively up the tree-covered hill. The moss, soft and cool under my bare feet, carried the promise of relief. With only moments left before the double suns crested the horizon, I ran faster and reached the clearing at the top. My muscles twitched as I stared at the light of Gneledar below me. The small city was already aglow with activity and the skylanes filled with transports as I watched.

Is it safe? The thought filled my mind and pushed out to the tree line.

YES. A deep calm filled me and I turned to the sunsrise.

Emergency Advice Needed!

If you are coming to see Margo Benson's guest post, you can find it HERE. Sorry to move on so quickly, but I need all my awesome writerly friends advice.

Yesterday I found out that this months Agent Judged Contest on QueryTracker.net is for adult SF/F, Horror, Thriller and Romance. It started today, twenty-nine minutes ago. The good news is that they are taking all entries for the next 24hours. I need to submit a one sentence pitch and then the first 100 words of my novel.

Last night I tried to boil my novel down to one sentence, but my brain is mush. Seems like it is always mush lately. Anyway, can you look at these and tell me which one pulls you in more, and any advice you might have? You're the BEST!!

1. The only way for Talia to escape death at the hands of the scaled aliens is by embracing the magic flowing through her.

2. With scaled aliens hunting her down, a female scientist learns to trust the magic flowing in her blood to save her people.

3. Scientist Talia Shannon wants to live, but the dragon-like aliens invading her planet are determined to kill her and wipe out the last of Sendek's mages.

4. Scientist Talia Shannon has lived life on her terms, separate and alone, but now that her prophetic nightmares are becoming reality she must work with others to revive a forgotten magic to save her world.

Additions thanks to comments based on standard format:

5. When Talia Shannon finds herself in the city of her nightmares, she knows an alien race will invade any day, and if she doesn't find a way to warn her people without revealing her magical nature all will be lost.

6.  Independent scientist Talia Shannon struggles to warn her people that dragon-like aliens are coming to claim Sendek for their own without revealing magical gifts, but magic is the only thing that can save them.

7. Independent scientist Talia Shannon struggles to warn her people of an alien invasion without revealing her magical gifts, but magic is the only thing that can save her world.

8. When an independent scientist dreams of a brutal alien invasion and it comes true, she realizes science alone cannot protect her way of life, and magic is the only hope.

Write 1 Sub 1 Challenge

Where to begin? I signed up for this challenge back in December and never got around to sharing it with you. I'm sorry. But, it isn't too late to jump in if you want. The goal is to submit a short story every week this year (52 for the year), or one every month (12 for the year). You can sign up and read all the details on the Write 1 Sub 1 Blog. Check it out. They also have a page dedicated to helping you find places to submit to.

Knowing how hectic my life already is, I joined the Monthly club. Look at the cute badge!

For the month of January I submitted my novel to the ABNA contest. Hey, it counts! Remember my motto, "Make it work for you".

Now, I'm working on several shorts to submit in the coming months. Here's the thing. I really want to enter the Writer's of the Future Contest too. I have an idea, and a draft, but I need to finish and polish the story. Is anyone else interested in doing this? Maybe we can start a small crit group with this contest in mind. I know they have a group on Hatrack, but I thought a smaller group of us that sort of know each other already might be more fun.

I want to enter the 3rd Quarter, which I think is the one that starts on April 1st (the deadline would be June 30th). This should give us plenty of time to craft and perfect our stories. Thoughts?

Here is a link to the WofF Contest Rules.

Oh! And what do you think of the new layout? I thought it was time for a change, and I needed another tab up there to link to my writing.