The 2010 Orange Rose Contest finalists have been announced, and I am happy to report that HEARTS OF DARKNESS is among them. The entries were judged by three published judges, and the top ten scoring entries, regardless of category, were selected as finalists. Entries now go to two as-yet-unnamed editors for the final round of judging. This contest judged the first 50 pages, as opposed to the usual 25. I’m glad that my difficult third chapter, which I’ve rewritten five billion times, is up to snuff. It’s nice to have good writing news in the midst of my writing dry spell. Motherhood has not been kind to my free time, and my 3.5 month old dislikes naps. Ah, for time to write again! I miss it.

I got the call this week that Hearts of Darkness is a finalist in the prestigious 2010 Daphne du Maurier Awards! The Daphne is sponsored by the Kiss of Death RWA chapter and honors excellence in mystery and suspense. Winners are announced at the KOD Death by Chocolate soiree at the RWA National Conference in July. Due to flooding in Nashville, the National Conference has moved to Disneyworld! One more reason I’d love to go. The paranormal division reached maximum entries, 50, and the top 5 were selected as finalists. The final judges in the paranormal division are Heather Osborn, editor at TOR, and Paige Wheeler, agent at Folio Lit.

Congrats to all the finalists, but especially my Greater Seattle RWA chapter mate Ann Charles, whose entry Nearly Departed in Deadwood is a finalist in the mainstream mystery suspense category.

I am delighted to announce that Hearts of Darkenss has won First Place in the 2010 Great Expectations Contest! The final judge of the Specialized Category, editor Talia Platz of NAL, has requested the partial. Congratulations to my fellow finalists. This was a very well organized contest with good feedback. Thank you North Texas RWA for sponsoring it. Keep your eyes peeled for the contest winner announcement in the RWR–I intend to frame my copy.

In other news, my DABWAHA bracket is failing miserably. My friend Seattle Heather won round one and a lovely collection of historical romance novels. My mother (a doctor) has predicted that I will go into labor on the full moon, plus or minus two days, which is next monday. I think this is appropriate, as the hero of my novel is a werewolf. I expect a hairy, howling child. She will be cute.

I received the good news today that HEARTS OF DARKNESS is a finalist in the Paranormal Category of the 2010 Marlene Awards. The top three scoring entries were selected for the final round and will be forwarded to editor Katherine Pelz at Berkley for the final ranking. The First Place winner receives a critique of her entry by author Gwyn Cready. Ms. Cready won the 2009 RITA for Best Paranormal Romance for her Jane Austin-time travel romance, Seducing Mr. Darcy. The Marlene Award is  sponsored by the Washington Romance Writers (the other Washington).

It would be easy to become a contest whore–addicted to the rush of positive feedback. This is the third contest for Hearts of Darkness, and the third success. I wish there were contests that judged the whole book, not just the first 20-50 pages. If you know of one, please pass along the info!

You might assume the pin-up girl above is holding a love letter, but in our little world she’s showing off her winning manuscript.

In other news, Mr. Wonderful and I bought our first house and are madly packing for the movers to arrive tomorrow. I’d promise to blog more after the move, but that is a pie crust promise. There are 34 days left to prepare for our little bundle of joy. I’m working on making time to write book 2, which so far I like even better than HoD.

Off to pack…or take a “break” to read Nalini Singh’s ARCHANGEL’S KISS. I need lots of breaks.

More good news on this rainy Sunday morning: my manuscript Hearts of Darkness is a finalist in the North Texas RWA’s 2010 Great Expectations writing contest, Specialized Category (fantasy, futuristic, paranormal & time travel). I have two days to revise and resubmit my query letter and entry for the final round of judging. The Specialized Category judge is Talia Platz, an editorial assistant at New American Library (Penguin). Winners will be announced at the North Texas Two Step conference, March 19-21.

This business has cyclical ups and downs, validations and rejections, so we learn to celebrate every success. Skål!

My guest today is aspiring author Candi Wall. She is a co-contributor at MuseTracks Blog and a contestant in the latest Dorchester contest for aspiring authors: The Next Best Celler. Contestants publish a story in increments of 500 words between June 1 and November 1, 2009. Readers vote on their favorites, and the twenty most popular stories move on to the next round. Dorchester editors pick their favorite ten out of the semi-finalists, and a winner is chosen from those ten based on fan base and editorial input. The finalist wins a coveted $2000 publishing contract from Dorchester.

Ciara: What’s your story about?

Candi: My story STAY is a contemporary romance set in Maine.

My hero, Bracken Elliot is the Captain of the local Fire & Rescue team. He’s a bit cynical and lives with a deep seeded guilt over the deaths of his youngest son and wife in a tragic accident. Overcautious tends to be an understatement with Brack, and when his deaf sixteen year old son is kicked out of school, he’s got his hands full.

Candi: I first heard about the contest on the RWC loop. At first, I didn’t think about it too much. Just seemed like a strange way to write. When I read a few blog posts and visited the site, I was intrigued by the novelty of the idea. I registered, posted my first chapter – and I was hooked..

Ciara: What makes text novels different from regular novels?

Candi: I think what really sparked the text novel popularity is the emotion that’s contained in some of these novels. Short chapters might be daunting for those of us used to reading a huge portion at a time, being sucked into another world and reading for hours, but the intensity inherent in some of these small chapters is amazing. I truly believe that the power of the words in that small increment is what makes the readers come back for more.

Ciara: How do I read your story on my iPhone?

Candi: Textnovel is accessible through the browser of most cellphones. Just open your browser and go to textnovel.com to read through stories. Normal connection and data charges from your carrier apply.

Ciara: If you were stranded on a desert island, what five books would you bring?

Candi: This is an easy hard! Would I get a day at the bookstore before being stranded?

Ciara: Do you think you are the next Charles Dickens or the next Louisa May Alcott?

Candi: Absolutely not! I don’t even pretend to want to stand in the shoes of greatness. I want to write and be read. I want to know that somewhere, somehow, my words affected someone and made them smile, laugh, cry, or think.

My manuscript won First Place in the 2009 Golden Gateway writing contest, sponsored by From The Heart Romance Writers! I am, to say the least, thrilled. The first fifty pages and synopses were judged. September 1st I found out I was a finalist, and last night I found out I won first place. The final judge editor requested to read the full manuscript!! I’ve got it finished and ready to send out, so as soon as the Emerald City Writers’ Conference this weekend is done I’ll print it and send it off. Wish me luck!

HEARTS OF DARKNESS is a completed 101,000 word, apocalyptic paranormal romance set in a grisly Seattle where betrayal will unleash the demons of hell and only love can save the world from annihilation.

Romance in the Back Seat (which has great author interviews, if you didn’t know) is hosting a contest for unpublished paranormal romance authors. The set up is similar to the American Title or the Next Best Celler: parts of the story are published online for the audience to vote on. The stories with the fewest votes get kicked out of the contest, the others go on to the next round, where more of the story is published and voted on. The contest starts October 1st with 8 contestants, and RITBS is still looking for entries. I’m not sure what the grand prize is.

Aspiring Paranormal Authors can enter by visiting here and emailing RITBS. (All questions about the contest should be directed to RITBS, as I am only passing on the information.) For the rest of us, visit RITBS on October 1st to VOTE for your favorites.

Good Luck!

Many big name authors started out writing for the Harlequin and Silhouette category lines, including Nora Roberts, Suzanne Brockmann, Cherry Adair and Susan Mallory. Do you aspire to join their ranks? The Presents line features ruthless billionaires, greek tycoons and many secret babies. Alpha males at their brawniest and the women who tame them. I have often thought this would be a fun line to write for.

Harlequin Presents/Modern Heat guidelines
Length: 50,000 words

Upmarket, glossy and sharply contemporary, these stories sparkle with lively dialogue and sizzling sensuality! They offer all the international glamour, passion and alpha-male heroes you expect from Modern/Presents, with a flirty young voice and a whole load of sass! These entertaining romances reflect the life experiences of today’s young women, within a chic, glamorous and usually urban setting. The heroines are often your twenty-something girl-about-town but there’s no compromising on the hero: he must be very alpha and absolutely to die for! There’ll be sparks flying when these two meet—and nothing short of fireworks once they get to the bedroom!

I Heart Presents Contest details:

1. The competition entry must consist of either the first chapter and synopsis of a Harlequin Presents or Modern Heat novel
2. Please email your entry to writingcompetition@hmb.co.uk
3. The WINNER receives an editor for a year
4. TWO RUNNERS-UP will be given critiques of their first chapter entries and an editorial consultation
5. The competition will close on November 2nd 2009 and the winner will be announced in December 2009 on I Heart Presents
6. More detailed rules will be added to I Heart Presents on July 9

PS: I’m passing this information on, but I have no involvement in the contest. Please visit the I Heart Presents blog for all your contest needs.

Dorchester, the publishing house that brought you the American Title and Mr. Romance contests, is again looking to social networking for their next publishing contract. (Marie Claude Bourque, the winner of American Title V, will be published in February 2010.) Dorchester is bringing cell phone novels–popular in Japan–to America by inviting aspiring authors to post their novels in short increments online. Fans and readers will download, read and vote on their favorites. The winner of the NEXT BEST CELLER CONTEST earns a coveted publishing contract with a $2000 advance.

“Our increasingly fast-paced and chaotic lifestyles have created challenges for many individuals who can’t or won’t make the time to read.  Between fragmented attention spans, the enthusiasm and devotion cultivated by fan participation in reality television and the social networking revolution, we think the time is perfect to bring readers and writers together through Textnovel and we hope to discover America’s Next Best ‘Celler’.” -  Brooke Borneman, Dorchester’s Sales and Marketing Director

The serial novel was popular in the Victorian era, with now-famous authors Charles Dickens and Louisa May Alcott making a career out of it. Dorchester’s latest contest pairs Victorian romanticism and futuristic technology; Did someone say Steampunk?