2014 ABNA Judging - Update #1

I blogged last year (here and here) about the fact that I am one of the contracted Quarterfinalist judges for Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award each year.

As with last year, Amazon allows entries in five categories: General Fiction, Mystery and Thriller, Romance, Science Fiction and Fantasy, and finally, Young Adult. Like last year, I'm judging in the Science Fiction and Fantasy category. I love it because I've always been a sci-fi/fantasy enthusiast...ever since I could first read.

A few weeks ago, I received five anonymous manuscripts that I have to read and review by the middle of next week. It is such an interesting process to judge for this contest because not only am I reading to see if the premise is intriguing and the characters engaging, etc, but I also have to take tons of notes as I read so that when I go back to do my review, I can cite each piece of information that I use to discuss the work.

While I have a lot of fun reading each new story (it's so fun to just read a book with NO prior knowledge of its content sometimes), the critical skills necessary to reading for this specific contest can become fatiguing. It's absolutely rewarding at the end, though, like when I found out that one of the books that I read and pushed forward two years ago (Regina Sirois' On Little Wings) actually went on to WIN the category. Then last year, Rysa Walker's YA book won the whole contest... which I found thrilling, as well! (GO YA!)

So...for the next week or so, you may hear almost nothing from me as I finish up my last two books and their reviews, but I'll try to keep you posted...

ABNA Author Interview - Rysa Walker

Today, I am super excited to welcome the newly announced 2013 ABNA grand-prize winner, Rysa Walker, to the blog. I was so excited that the YA finalist entry won the whole shebang! 



Author Bio:
RYSA WALKER grew up on a cattle ranch in the South. Her options for entertainment were talking to cows and reading books. (Occasionally, she would mix things up a bit and read books to cows.) On the rare occasion that she gained control of the television, she watched Star Trek and imagined living in the future, on distant planets, or at least in a town big enough to have a stop light.

When not writing, she teaches history and government in North Carolina, where she shares an office with her husband, who heroically pays the mortgage each month, and a golden retriever named Lucy. She still doesn't get control of the TV very often, thanks to two sports-obsessed kids. (Taken from Goodreads.com)

Some of you know that I help to judge the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award each year.  This year, the format for announcing the winners changed.  With five finalists, one each in five different judging categories, only one of the finalists would be announced the grand prize winner. Though I did not personally judge her book, Timebound, for this year's competition, I was super excited when they announced that the YA book finalist had won the whole contest! Congrats to Rysa, it's an amazing accomplishment! 

Rysa very graciously agreed to answer a few questions for me on the blog today and I couldn't be more excited to get to share more about her and her work here with you! 

Hi, Jessica! Thanks for inviting me to chat with you at I Read to Relax.

1. How long did it take you, from first spark of idea to entering ABNA to write "Timebound?" 

It was actually a long journey. My son, who will be ten in August, was toddling around in his Elmo slippers when I began writing Timebound. Given the day-to-day challenges of balancing teaching college and two small kids, however, the book was something that I played around with during my rare breaks between classes, and very little writing was actually accomplished until about two and a half years ago. Most of the first draft was written during the spring and summer of 2011, with editing and revision during the fall. I agent-shopped for about a year, before finally deciding to self-publish the book as Time's Twisted Arrow in October, 2012.

2. Since you've won, has your writing/life routine changed?

No major changes yet, because I'm still teaching a class at the University of Maryland's University College this summer. That will wrap up in a couple of weeks, however. After that class ends, I'll be stepping back from teaching to focus almost exclusively on my writing for the next year or so. That's the really great thing about winning the grand prize -- it's given me the flexibility to work on the next books in series this year without having to worry about how bills, including my gargantuan student loans, will be paid.

3. Any advice for aspiring authors out there?

First, believe in yourself, and don't stop knocking on doors just because they keep getting slammed in your face, as they almost certainly will. If you persevere and work hard, one of those doors will be the right one. And if the right door doesn't open, carve one out for yourself. Second, don't stop writing. Whether you set aside certain hours each day to write or, as was the case for me, are often unable to write for days on end, don't stash the manuscript in some folder you never see. Leave it out on your desktop as a visual reminder that there's something you'd rather be doing. If it's out there and visible, odds are good that your imagination will keep working on the idea even during the stretches when your fingers are otherwise occupied.

4. If you could write a book under a pseudonym that no one would ever connect to you, are there any genres you would love to secretly explore?

Hmm. I already write under a pseudonym because no one can spell my actual last name! I'm not sure there are any genres I'd want to explore that would require absolute secrecy -- I don't have a secret desire to write the next Fifty Shades of Gray. The ideas I have for other works are all pretty solidly in the science fiction or fantasy genre. That's what I tend to read today, and really what I've always gravitated toward even as a teen.

5. If you could cross one thing off your bucket list tomorrow, what would it be?

Having one of my books on the New York Times Bestseller List. That's not something that can happen tomorrow, given that Timebound doesn't debut until October 22nd, but I think the series is in excellent hands with Skyscape and Amazon, so maybe it's not outside the range of the possible for the near future. :)

Thanks again for having me on I Read to Relax. Happy reading!
Rysa

Rysa, thank YOU for taking the time out of your schedule to stop by! 

Timebound: 

When Kate Pierce-Keller’s grandmother gives her a strange blue medallion and speaks of time travel, sixteen-year-old Kate assumes she’s delusional. But it all becomes horrifyingly real when an assassination in the past destroys the foundation of Kate’s present-day life. Suddenly, that medallion is the only thing protecting Kate from ceasing to exist.

Kate learns that the 1893 murder is part of something much more sinister—the plans of a cult leader hell-bent on annihilating all dissenters—and Kate’s genetic ability to time-travel makes her the only one who can stop him. Risking everything, she travels to the Chicago World’s Fair to prevent the killing and bring down the cult.

Changing the time line comes with a personal cost: if Kate succeeds, the boy she loves will have no memory of her existence. And she wonders—regardless of her motives, does she have the right to manipulate the fate of the entire world?

For more information on Rysa Walker and Timebound, you can check out her website here. To preorder a copy of Timebound, you can go here. 

The 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Winner Was Announced!

Though I did not personally review this book at all, I'm so excited to see that a YA book took the grand prize at this year's ABNA contest.  So cool, I just had to share! 

Here's the official press release:

Rysa Walker Named Grand Prize Winner of the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award

Walker, author of the young adult fiction novel Timebound, receives a $50,000 advance and publishing contract with Amazon Publishing

SEATTLE—June 15, 2013—(NASDAQ:AMZN)—The votes are in and Amazon customers have chosen Rysa Walker of Carey, N.C. as the Grand Prize winner of the sixth annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest for her young adult novel Timebound. The award was announced this evening during a ceremony at the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle. Timebound will be released October 22, 2013 by Skyscape—an imprint of Amazon Children’s Publishing—and Walker will receive a $50,000 advance in addition to her publishing contract.

Walker’s Timebound was inspired by her love of history and science fiction and explores how the choices we make affect our future. In the novel, 17-year-old Kate learns that she’s inherited a genetic license to time travel when her grandmother shares a strange blue medallion, an even stranger tale about future historians, and the unshakeable conviction that the fate of half the planet lies in Kate’s hands. The book is now available for pre-order in print and Kindle formats on Amazon.com at www.amazon.com/abna.

The remaining four category winners, Ken Moraff (General Fiction, It Happened in Wisconsin), Jo Chumas (Mystery/Thriller, The Hidden), Evelyn Pryce (Romance, A Man Above Reproach) and J. Lincoln Fenn (Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror, POE), each received publishing contracts from Amazon Publishing with a $15,000 advance. Their books will also be released in print and Kindle formats in the fall and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.

“Rysa’s novel is one of those up-til-dawn reads that you just can't put down, so it’s no surprise Amazon customers gave her this award,” said Daphne Durham, Editor-in-Chief, Amazon Publishing. “We are looking forward to sharing all of the 2013 ABNA winners’ books with readers this fall.”

Amazon Publishing is the publishing arm of Amazon.com. Amazon Publishing is composed of ten imprints: AmazonEncore, AmazonCrossing, Montlake Romance, Thomas & Mercer, 47North, Little A, Amazon Children’s Publishing (Skyscape & Two Lions), Grand Harbor Press and Amazon Publishing. For more information about all imprints of Amazon Publishing, visit www.apub.com. Amazon Publishing is a brand used by Amazon Content Services, LLC.

The 2013 ABNA contest was hosted by Amazon’s CreateSpace, an independent publishing platform enabling authors to create, publish and distribute their books in print worldwide.

For the complete Official Rules for the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award and more information, please visit www.amazon.com/abna.

So very, very cool. Congrats to all the winners, especially Rysa Walker! 

ABNA Author Interview - Regina Sirois

Today, I am super excited to welcome the 2012 ABNA award-winning author, Regina Sirois, to the blog! 

Author photo taken from http://reginasirois.com/

Author Bio:
Regina Sirois believes in a lot of things: running outside when it's raining, walking to the mailbox barefoot, banana popsicles on hot days, crisp, white sheets, and especially the power of words.

She identifies herself as a reader first and a writer second, and as such her loyalty lies with readers. She believes that a book should not just mildly entertain- it should change us.

She graduated summa cum laude from Missouri State's Departments of History and English and settled in the golden wheat fields of Kansas with her High School love. She is currently doing laundry (probably) and raising her two daughters. She fell in love the day she learned to read and cried the first time she did a word problem in math ("But it's not a problem..." sob, sob. "It's a story!").

In her debut novel, Sirois explores the many ways we get love wrong, and why, despite every disappointment, we keep fighting to get it right.

Some of you may remember me mentioning that one of the books I read for the ABNA contest last year was  Regina's On Little Wings. Well, Regina very graciously agreed to answer a few questions for me on the blog today and I couldn't be more excited to get to share more about her and her work here with you! 

1. How long did it take you, from first spark of idea to entering ABNA to write "On Little Wings?" How long has the process been to officially publish the book since you won the ABNA contest's YA section?

I started this book four years ago, when my daughter was in first grade. She will be finished with fourth grade before the first copies hit bookstore shelves.
I spent one year writing.
One year editing and trying to get it published.
One year giving up and not writing anything.
And one year winning ABNA and getting it ready for publication.

2. Since all of this happened, how has your writing/life routine changed?

Since writing On Little Wings I have finished two more manuscripts and am working on a fourth. It changed my life because it got me in the habit of writing. When people were interested in what I had to say I felt so much more excited to sit down every day and try to make something special. Now I devote about an hour or two a day to writing or research. Sometimes research for a book takes far more time than writing the book. Also, I now give presentations to schools, libraries and community organizations so some of my writing time is swallowed up in preparing for public appearances. Now that more people know I write, it is harder to find time to write!

3. Any advice for aspiring authors out there?

Yes! My advice to have a person you trust to read your work. And make sure you respect them by being objective and trying their suggestions. If you try it and hate it, then brainstorm other possible solutions with them. Knowing someone is waiting for my chapter every week, and knowing it is a writer that I respect immensely, keeps my derriere in the chair and makes me stretch myself. Writers need frequent feedback. It won't always be good, but I save my harshest criticism for the books and writers I love the most. It is only when I see amazing potential that I take the time to get very particular and nit-picky. Don't be afraid if they criticize. That probably means they think your writing is special.

4. If you could write a book under a pseudonym that no one would ever connect to you, are there any genres you would love to secretly explore?

I wouldn't have to have a pseudonym because I write for the genre I love the most. Literary YA is my first and biggest passion. If someone said I could never write YA again I might try a historical novel because I majored in history in College and am passionate about it.

5. If you could cross one thing off your bucket list tomorrow, what would it be?

I would be throwing things in my suitcase right now because tomorrow I would be standing on a British moor with my family, a castle in the background, a village in the valley below me, reciting Bronte, Shakespeare, Dickinson, Doyle and every other pioneer of the English language that changed my life with his/her words.

6. Quick Picks List: 

Favorite vacation destination? Sanibel Island, Florida

Favorite childhood book? You have no idea how cruel you are being right now. It would cause me physical pain to narrow it down to one. Oh, What a Busy Day by Gyo Fujikawa, Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood, Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag, Cat Stories by James Herriot and any poems that anyone would read me. 

Favorite writing snack food/drink? Chocolate covered berries, chocolate covered almonds, italian cream soda

Favorite item of clothing? As much as I love to dress up and look pretty, nothing compares to an old pair of jeans.

Regina, thank you so much for stopping by my blog and taking the time to answer my questions. I love to hear about the writing process and get that little peek deeper into authors' lives. 

For more information on Regina Sirois and On Little Wings, you can check out her website here. For more info about Regina's winning the ABNA contest last year, you can go here, or check out the book's official listing on Amazon. I can't wait to order my own finalized copy at the end of this month! 

2013 ABNA Update #2

Sorry guys! I thought I would be able to give you more updates through the judging process this year, but I was BUSY!! Let me catch you up to speed: 

I've mentioned before that I am one of the contracted Quarterfinalist judges for Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award each year. This year, Amazon decided to open things up more and now there are five categories: General Fiction, Mystery and Thriller, Romance, Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, and finally, Young Adult.  This year I am judging in the Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror category. 

This year, aside from changing categories, I also changed the *way* that I received my manuscripts... in previous years, I received loose leaf paper manuscripts which I physically flipped through to read, take notes, and basically take up space in my house (LOL).  So, this year when the option to receive the manuscripts as Kindle documents was offered, I jumped at the chance.  Now some of you may know that my ereader is actually a Nook...so why on earth did I accept Kindle manuscripts?  Well, because I have a Kindle app on my phone and figured that would be just as easy...and less bulky to carry around. 

And...I was sort of right.  It was GREAT not having to carry around the equivalent of two or three reams worth of paper while reading.  I'm one of those people who can read just fine on an ereader, so having the electronic copies didn't bother me at all.  Being able to highlight in the text and then just check for my highlighted "notes" like bookmarks was amazing...I didn't have to physically flip through an entire manuscript each time to verify info I used in my reviews. BUT... I wasn't able to transfer my manuscripts to the Kindle Cloud app where I could have read them on my computer (which would have made things even easier sometimes!) and I found that trying to read on my phone while laying in bed pretty much sent me straight off to dreamland... 

All in all, though, I think I will do the same thing next year... if I don't enter the ABNA contest myself! (I keep considering that...and I might be ready next year...I don't know...) 

So, what did I read this year? Well, I can't tell you much because we have to wait for the results of the judging, but here's a little teaser for each manuscript: 

Novel 1 - A scifi story with an alien presence that speculates that humans use of genetic manipulation is slowly causing the species to lose its ability to naturally survive...

Novel 2 - A dark fantasy where a grieving girl is taken to another world only to be pursued by a murderous being... 

Novel 3 - A scifi story where a girl strives to outdo her wildly successful, but cold half-brother who is secretly pursuing his own agenda...

Novel 4 - An alternate history following Napoleon's escape from Elba Island in a world where magic influenced the outcome of the war... 

Novel 5 - (My favorite of this year's bunch) A murder mystery set out west, told from the perspective of the ghost who ends up trying to find the murderer in order to save the living girl he's haunting... 

So, this year's quarterfinal judging is officially over today...and as always, I feel both accomplished..and EXHAUSTED, LOL.  I can't wait to find out which manuscripts make it to the next round...and I'll be VERY interested to see what happens in the finals!   Until next year... 

2013 ABNA Update #1

I've mentioned before that I am one of the contracted Quarterfinalist judges for Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award each year.

This year I'm intrigued to see how things pan out with the new changes to the contest system.  In previous years, there had only been two categories for writers to enter, adult and young adult.  This year, Amazon decided to open things up more and now there are five categories: General Fiction, Mystery and Thriller, Romance, Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, and finally, Young Adult.  Unlike previous years, I am *not* judging in the young adult category. This year I am judging in the Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror category.

I have received five anonymous manuscripts that I have to read and review by the beginning of April.  It is such an interesting process to judge for this contest because not only am I reading to see if the premise is intriguing and the characters engaging, etc, but I also have to take tons of notes as I read so that when I go back to do my review, I can cite each piece of information that I use to discuss the work.

While I have a lot of fun reading each new story (it's so fun to just read a book with NO prior knowledge of its content sometimes), the critical skills necessary to reading for this specific contest can become fatiguing.  It's absolutely rewarding at the end, though, like when I found out that one of the books that I read and pushed forward last year (Regina Sirois' On Little Wings) actually went on to WIN the category. I CANNOT wait to see that book resting on my Library's book shelves this summer.

This year I decided to tackle my largest manuscript first and though I cannot tell you about what I'm reading at this point, I will say that it's an interesting story with genetic mutations and an alien presence. Currently I'm speculating about how the main characters will save the world...

I'll try to keep you posted...

ABNA is here again!!

Are you an aspiring author?  Have you self-published a book?  Check out the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award!! Submissions started being accepted for this year's contest yesterday...

Amazon Announces Sixth Annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award

One Grand Prize winner will be chosen by Amazon customers and receive a publishing contract with Amazon Publishing, with a $50,000 advance.

 

Finalists will be chosen in five categories: general fiction, mystery/thriller, romance, science fiction/fantasy/horror, and young adult fiction and receive publishing contracts with Amazon Publishing.

 

Starting January 14, authors can enter the contest in one of five categoriesgeneral fiction, mystery/thriller, romance, science fiction/fantasy/horror, and young adult fictionfor the chance to win a publishing contract with Amazon Publishing. A finalist will be chosen in each category, and a Grand Prize winner will then be selected by Amazon customers and receive a $50,000 advance. The remaining finalists will also receive a publishing contract with Amazon Publishing, with a $15,000 advance.

This years ABNA contest is open to unpublished and self-published English-language novels, which can be submitted from January 14, 2013 through January 27, 2013. The five finalists will be announced on May 21, and the Grand Prize winner will be announced during a special ceremony at Amazon headquarters in Seattle in June.

Up to 10,000 eligible entries will be accepted for the ABNA contest this year. The top 400 entries from each category will advance to the second round. Amazon reviewers will then read excerpts of the entries and narrow the pool to 100 titles in each category. In the subsequent round, reviewers from Publishers Weekly will read, review and rate the full manuscripts to find the top five semi-finalists for each category. Amazon Publishing editors will then choose a finalist in each of the five categories. In the final stage of the contest, Amazon.com customers will vote for a Grand Prize winner.

CreateSpace, an Amazon company, will again this year host the contest entry platform, which includes a community for authors that will keep them up-to-date on the contest and help them prepare their entries.

For the complete Official Rules for the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award and more information about the contest, please visit www.amazon.com/abna.

 

This year, I'll once again be one of the Publishers Weekly judges.  Last year, my favorite young adult manuscript went on to actually win the entire young adult category! On Little Wings by Regina Sirois officially goes on sale from Penguin on August 15th.

The 2012 ABNA Young Adult Fiction Winner!

I'm so happy! So happy, you guys!!

They announced the winner of the 2012 ABNA Young Adult Fiction contest and the entry that I reviewed early on in the contest, On Little Wings, won the division! It was a touching, well written read that I will review here at a later date, and I am so glad it won! :)

Here's the official announcement:

Amazon and Penguin Group (USA) Name Alan Averill and Regina Sirois Winners of 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest


Averill, author of “The Beautiful Land,” and Sirois, author of “On Little Wings,” receive publishing contracts and a $15,000 advance from Penguin Group (USA)

SEATTLE & NEW YORK—June 16, 2012—Amazon.com customers around the world cast their votes and this evening, Amazon.com, Penguin Group (USA) and CreateSpace announced the winners of this year’s Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA) at a special ceremony held at The Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle. Alan Averill is the Grand Prize winner in the general fiction category for his novel, “The Beautiful Land,” while Regina Sirois was awarded the Grand Prize in the young adult fiction group for her novel, “On Little Wings.” Both authors have received a publishing contract from Penguin Group (USA) that includes a $15,000 advance. “The Beautiful Land” and “On Little Wings” will be published by Berkley Books and Viking Books for Young Readers, respectively. The novels are now available for pre-order on Amazon.com at www.amazon.com/abna.

This year's competition drew thousands of submissions from aspiring writers around the world – the most entries in the history of the contest. Through several rounds of judging, six finalists rose to the top. An expert panel of authors, agents and editors weighed in with comments on the finalists’ work, and in the end, Amazon.com customers voted to select the winners.
 
“Today's winners were chosen by Amazon.com customers, which is one thing that makes ABNA so special,” said Nader Kabbani, Director of Independent Publishing at Amazon. “This contest not only recognizes talented authors but also connects them directly with readers looking to discover great new writers. We congratulate Alan and Regina, whose work clearly resonated with customers.”
 Tim McCall, Penguin Group (USA) Vice President of Online Sales and Marketing said, “Penguin is always looking for talented new writers to bring to our readers. We were thrilled to see the many promising manuscripts entered in this year’s competition by writers who aspire to be published by Penguin. We look forward to publishing Alan’s and Regina’s novels.”

Hailing from Seattle, Alan Averill, a former “video game script doctor,” wrote a draft of “The Beautiful Land” as a part of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), a movement that challenges writers to complete a novel in 30 days. “The Beautiful Land” is a story of two people in love from the moment they met but destined to be apart forever. Thanks to a time machine and a mysterious invention buried deep in the Australian Outback, they now have one more chance to get it right. One customer reviewer writes: “From the opening statement to the last quote, [it] had me excited all the way through. The prose is strong, descriptive in a quirky way, charming, and unique. The characters are extremely memorable. I can't wait to read how they will be interacting with one another later in the story.”


Regina Sirois was born and raised outside of Kansas City. She minored in Creative Writing, but never found the right inspiration for a story until she became the mother of two girls. “On Little Wings” is her first novel. In it, 16-year-old Jennifer’s discovery of an aunt she never knew existed reunites her family and provokes love and forgiveness. One customer reviewer writes: “…some of the most exquisite writing I've seen in a VERY long time. Any given sentence, paragraph or scene was sublime.”

Now in its fifth year, the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest is an international contest co-sponsored by Amazon.com, Penguin Group (USA) and CreateSpace. For the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest Official Rules, to view the winning excerpts and reviews, or pre-order the novels, please visit www.amazon.com/abna.

I highly recommend if you get a chance that you check out the excerpt from On Little Wings. It was a standout for sure. I'm pleased to be hosting an interview with author, Regina Sirois, here on the blog soon, too, to discuss her experience participating in the ABNA contest.