2014 ABNA Judging - Update #2

I blogged last week about how I was finishing up my quarterfinal judging for this year's Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.  Today was our due date. I'm happy to say that I finished everything in time and am happy to probably just watch some bad tv for the next few days.  I DO however, have some excellent books just waiting to be read this weekend... *grins*

So, like last year and the year before and the year before...well, you get the idea... I can't actually tell you what I've read.  I can, however, give you a little teaser for each and then you can all wait with me to see how they do in the next round! 

Novel 1 - A college student discovers that she can manipulate the elements.  Now she's being hunted for her powers and if she can't band together with one aggravating/cute boy, she may not survive to get her degree...

Novel 2 - A high fantasy about a man who can travel between worlds.  When a dragon egg is stolen and brought to our world he must return it or risk both worlds falling to ruin...

Novel 3 - A dystopian set in a snow-covered London.  A stranger enters a small, self-sufficient community of survivors and brings danger into their cozy world. 

Novel 4 - A horror story about a serial killer targeting a neighborhood to create an artistic vision that will shock the world...

Novel 5 - A dieselpunk adventure set in an alternate Prohibition-Era Chicago where the gods topple Capone only to bring ruin to the City as they try to grab power for themselves... 

This year, I was pleased that I really enjoyed two of the books! Enough that I would love to read sequels for them both.  I can only hope that someday I can...      

So, until next year, I'm officially done with ABNA... *wipes forehead and grins*

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. 

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...

Guest Post - Teen Author Boot Camp!

Hello All! I'm thrilled to be able to bring you a guest post today about a fabulous opportunity for TEEN authors... the Teen Author Boot Camp!

Here you tell you more is Tahsha Wilson, co-founder of Writers Cubed, and one of the creators of the Teen Author Boot Camp:

Hey everyone,

My name is Tahsha, and I’m a member of Writers Cubed. I’m here to talk about something I think is downright amazing:

Teenagers.

Particularly teenage authors.

 

Did you know that there are tons of teen writers out there?

 

There are. And guess what? They are freaking good at writing! Good chance is you are one of those teen writers, or maybe you want to be but you’re hiding behind your facade of coolness, not believing that you actually have the skills to be a writer.

 

That was true for me (though I’m not a teenager-even though I act like one half the time.) I always wanted to be a writer, but I didn’t believe I could. In fact, I was embarrassed to admit that I wanted to be. Silly, I know.

 

Then I found an awesome writing group, (feel free to pause and go to our website if you want to know just how cool we are--I’ll wait for you.) and we started learning how to write together. We attended classes and conferences that taught us that there is more to writing then just romantic tension.

 

Guess what we discovered through the process? There wasn’t much available to help the super talented teenage writers that we were friends with. So, with our combined brain power, super awesomeness, and freaking hard work…

 

Voila!

 

TEEN AUTHOR BOOT CAMP WAS BORN!!!

 

The boot camp, held in Orem, UT, has been so popular in the past, that this year Writers Cubed wanted everyone out there a chance to be a part of it, even if you live in the middle-of-no-where and even if you are just a teenage wanna-be like me.

 

So we are introducing the first EVER LiveStream of Teen Author Boot Camp. 

 

The keynote address by Newbery Winning Author Shannon Hale will be free for anyone to watch. It will be on March, 16th, 2013 at 9 a.m. MST. A subscription to the Live Broadcast costs $4.99 and includes the following:

 

9 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.—Writers Cubed: Welcome

 

9:15 a.m. to 9:55 a.m.—Keynote by Newbery Award winner Shannon Hale (Princess Academy)

 

10 a.m to 10:45 a.m.—Tyler Whitesides (Janitors)  Class: Imagine and Create. 

 

10:55 a.m. to 11:40 a.m.—Janette Rallison (My Fair Godmother)  Class: Bad dialogue can kill a story.

 

12:50 a.m. to 1:35 p.m.—NYT bestseller Kiersten White (Paranormalcy)  Class: Plot Like a Villain.

 

1:45 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.—J. Scott Savage (Farworld)  Class: Finding Your Voice.

 

2:50 p.m. to 3:25 p.m.—Journey to Publication Panel: Agent Amy Jameson & authors Chad Morris, Tess Hilmo, J. Scott Savage, Cindy Bennett

 

3:35 p.m. to 4:20 p.m.—NYT bestseller Aprilynne Pike (Wings)   Class: World-building is the invisible foundation to your book.

 

4:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.—Writers Cubed: Winner of the First Chapter Contest and closing remarks.

 

If you just can’t get enough of TABC, there is also an All Pass Subscription to the rest of the conference (including more than fifteen awesome presentations, including mine--haha). That only costs $9.99 and, as if it wasn’t a sweet enough deal already, you can watch the whole conference whenever you want for an entire year.

 

To register to watch Shannon Hale’s Keynote for free, visit www.teenauthorbootcamp.com and click on Livestream. It only takes a minute. While you’re there, check out the other presenters who will be teaching at the conference under the tab “Drill Sergeants.”

 

See below for details on how to win a subscription to the TABC Live Broadcast for FREE!!

 

Tahsha Wilson is a co-founder of Writers Cubed, a group of Utah writing activists who created the Teen Author Boot Camp in 2010. Please visit her website at www.writerscubed.com.

 

  

 



Are you a teen author? Do you know any teens who are looking to become writers? If you or someone you know is interested in attending the Teen Author Boot Camp, here is a chance to attend the live broadcast for FREE! (Open to teens ages 13-19)

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*Winner* Chloe Neill Swag Pack Giveaway

The Chloe Neill Swag Pack Giveaway closed yesterday. I used a random number generator this morning to randomly pick the winner (found at random.org) and the lucky winner is.... (drumroll, please!)...Van_Pham!!!!

Congratulations!!! I will email you to get your full mailing address then have the swag pack sent out to you!

*Van_Pham, I tried to email you, but it wouldn't go through...can you email me at ireadtorelax@yahoo.com with your mailing address so that we can get the swag pack out to you?*

***Since Van_Pham never emailed me to accept the swag pack, I used random.org to generate another winner... #4 - roo-24!!!! Please email me your info so that we can get the prize pack out to you!***

Karma Club

Check out this great trailer for Jessica Brody's book, The Karma Club, out tomorrow, April 27th!!



You can also enter a contest on Jessica Brody's website, for a chance to win one of four Flip Video Cameras! Very cool.

Check it out and boost your karma!!

Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show - CONTEST!!!!

Alright everyone...this is my first ever contest on the blog!! :P

I just reviewed Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show in my last post and now the publisher is offering a free copy to the winner of my contest! Very exciting.

If you would be interested, just comment on the review (found here) before April 3rd and I will randomly draw a winner!

Good luck!!!

Whoo Hoo - Mari Mancusi Book Giveaway Contest!

Check out this huge pile o'books that Mari Mancusi is giving away for the holidays!!

Want to check out the details and enter?
Go to her blog at: http://marimancusi.blogspot.com/, then get follow her directions for reblogging, tweeting, etc. and you could win!

Keep your fingers crossed for me (and I'll keep'em crossed for you if you enter too!)