I write stuff for kids...and muse on writing, children's books, and the publishing industry in general

Monday, December 12, 2011

Have an awesome Christmas and New Year

It's been a year full of awesome, hasn't it! But that time of year has come, and I'm signing off from my blogging to take a break over the Christmas and New Year period.

Here's what we'll be getting up to Down Under :)

(prawn skewers, yum!)

(Nothing beats going to the beach on Christmas morning - no snow for us!)

(BBQs with family and friends)

(Test cricket on Boxing Day)

(Pavlova - my favorite dessert of all time!!!)

(And my niece/nephew is due on Boxing Day, woot!)

I hope you all have a fantastic festive season, filled with lots of good food, eats, and company. I'll miss you all, can't wait to reconnect in the New Year and hear all about what you've been doing.

Lots of hugs,

Monday, December 5, 2011

Loving what you do

As some of you may know from previous blog posts, I moved to a new city in January of this year. Canberra-the capital city of Australia-is very spread out, and there are wide open spaces in between many of the suburbs. I was driving along the other day looking out at the scenery (in between watching the road, of course), and I thought to myself, "I really love living here."


You see, while I've spent the last 15 years of my life in major cities, I was raised a country girl, and I'm just starting to realize that it's in my blood.


And that got me thinking. There are some things in life that we know are just right for us, that are in our blood, that have wriggled their way into our hearts and will never let go. There are some things we tolerate, some we push through hoping they'll change for the better, others we hate right from the start. But some things, the best things, just...click. It's how I feel about living here, in a city I now hope I never leave. And it's how I feel about my writing.


My writing is what I love. And it's what I want to do for the rest of my life. No matter what happens, whether I end up published or not, whether I publish multiple books or only one, I simply can't see a day where I give my writing up. And it brings a smile to my face just thinking about it.



How about you: Do you love what you do? What things in your life make you smile, make you think that you'll never give them up?

Monday, November 21, 2011

Physical Telling - Do you do it?

(Source)
It came as a complete shock to me one day when my critique partner told me: "you're still telling." I'd already had this conversation, of course, so I'd thought I was going along swimmingly. That night I stared at my CP's email, mouth open, eyes bulging while I tried to work out what she meant. I'd spent months learning all about the "show not tell" rule, and even more months eradicating it from my writing. And I'd even added in more interiority as the doctor (*coughs* my critique partner) ordered. Of course, I dived back into the piece of work I'd sent her, and read it all over again. And again.

I still couldn't see anything wrong with it. So I began to research. And here's what I found.

"Physical telling" means something along the lines of the use of the actions of a character to convey their emotions. For example: "I took a deep breath," "I sighed," "I wiped my eyes," "I tapped my foot."

At a superficial level, these phrases aren't necessarily "telling" for the purposes of the "show not tell rule". The phrases are not saying "I was flustered," "I was annoyed," "I was sad," or "I was impatient." The problem is, however, that these types of phrases also aren't showing the reader what the character is actually feeling. They're just telling about an action the character is performing. And they're usually cliche, turning up in most peoples' manuscripts (and numerous times at that). So two big problems, actually. See Mary Kole's post on Physical Cliches here for her take on it.

But physical telling was all I knew how to write. If I couldn't say, "Verity was sad," then how else did I show she was sad if I didn't have her wipe tears off her cheeks?

(Source)
It was back to the drawing board for me (well, to the internet for some research, anyway).

And here's what I came up with:
  • it's ok to have telling in your manuscript, as long as it's the "good" kind
  • "good telling" involves using story context and interiority to paint a three-dimensional picture where you make your reader feel like a part of the story experience, but you don’t exclude them from participating either (per Mary Kole)
  • for the most part, whenever you start to feel the urge to use a physical cliche, replace it with interiority instead (see here for how to do this and a definition of "interiority")
  • when you're narrating a story, particularly in first person, you're in the character's head anyway. So just tell what they're feeling, rather than trying to show it through physical telling and cliches
  • strong dialogue should convey the meaning that physical telling would otherwise give
In summary, read this amazing post by Cristin Terrill. Your writing will thank you for it. It's what finally crystallized everything in my mind, to the point where I'm finally confident I (nearly) have the showing and telling balance right in my manuscript.

How about you: Do you use physical telling in your manuscript? Have you found ways to avoid it (and does it even need to be avoided from your perspective)? What's your best tip on showing not telling?

Monday, November 14, 2011

Your Campaigner Challenge Stories - Ebook to benefit "Help Harry Help Others"

Guys, it's here! Katharina Gerlach has done an absolutely amazing job, and has published our ebook containing your awesome stories from the Challenges in my Third Writers' Platform-Building Campaign (August to October 2011). We'd like to say a huge thank you to all those who volunteered their stories for the ebook. We've ended up with 176 stories from 81 Campaigners.

The book is on sale for $2.99USD, and all proceeds will be donated to "Help Harry Help Others." Help Harry Help Others is a fund-raising organization of eleven year old Harry who recently died of his inoperable brain tumor. When his friend Robert, who had a brain tumor too, became very ill, he set up his charity. So far, he’s raised nearly half a million British Pounds that he has donated to Cancer Research UK, to help them find a cure for brain tumors. This charity and its goals resonates strongly with me, as my father suffered (and still suffers) from a brain tumor and its effects. And the charity is doing such a fantastic job helping so many in a similar position.

We'd love you to purchase a copy (but just so you know, there is no obligation to purchase it even if your story/stories are included).

Purchase details are as follows:

Amazon (US): http://www.amazon.com/Campaigner-Challenges-2011-ebook/dp/B0066UV28C
Amazon (UK): http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0066UV28C
Amazon (Germany): http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0066UV28C
Amazon (France): http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0066UV28C

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/104468

Barnes & Nobel: [To be advised on receipt]

I hope you enjoy, and I can't wait to hear what you think seeing your story and those of your fellow Campaigners in print :)

Thursday, November 3, 2011

The end of my Third Campaign (and the Winners of the Third Campaigner Challenge)

My Third Writers' Platform-Building Campaign is now at an end, and I wanted to let you all know how much fun I've had over the last two months. I've loved getting to know you and I've made some truly awesome friends--and you all know how much this blogging community rocks! I'll be running my Fourth Campaign next year, so keep an eye out for announcements if you want to take part :)

Thanks so much to all who took part in my Third Campaigner Challenge! We had 131 awesome entries and hundreds of people voting on those they liked the best. The time has come to announce the winners, woot! But before I do, did you read my earlier post about publishing your Challenge stories? If you didn't, make sure you pop over to take a look. Cat Gerlach is compiling your stories (if you want one or more of them published) in an ebook, and all proceeds from the sale will be donated to Harry Moseley's cancer research fund. We'd love you to take part, whether you're a winner of a Challenge or otherwise! If you do want to take part, make sure you let Cat know asap, as she'll stop taking entries the day after tomorrow so she can get the ebook published.

The time has come to announce the winners, woot! Winners have been chosen in three categories:
  1. 4 People's Choice Awards - chosen by you in the voting (by clicking "Like" on the entries);
  2. 12 places awarded by the judges, who've done an absolutely fantastic job of winnowing 131 entries down to the top 11 under the supreme organizational genius of J from Concrete Pieces of Soul; and
  3. 5 random prizes (chosen by Mr. Random.org).
Before I reveal the winners, I'd love you all to offer up a huge thanks to J, who has single-handedly administered the judging for this Challenge. I also want to thank the judges, who've generously given their time to choose the entries they think best and most deserving of a prize. And my thanks go again to the awesome people who've helped me out with the prizes for this round: K.T. Hanna, Rachel McClellan, Jeigh Meredith, Claire Hennessy, and Candy Fite. They did an amazing job administering the prizes and communicating with the prize donors (who generously donated the 130+ prizes you've seen be awarded). To say thank you, would you please pop over to all these peoples' blogs and follow them if you haven't already :)

And now to the winners and their prizes...*drumroll*:

Peoples' Choice Awards

First Place (tied) – LadyJai: A Proposal (91 votes)
First Place (tied) - K.T. Hanna: Do Unto Others (91 votes)
Second Place – Jessica McKendry: Synbatic Island (69 votes)
Third Place – Alynza: The Tacise Project (54 votes)
Fourth Place – David Powers King: Ghost by the Seashore (37)
(Source)

In First Place (tied) Lady Jai has won a choice of Children’s Books or Picture Books donated by Susanna Leonard Hill (in Susanna’s words: Winner can choose what they want: (1) A little kids vehicle package which would include one each of THE HOUSE THAT MACK BUILT, AIRPLANE FLIGHT! and FREIGHT TRAIN TRIP!, all hardcover or (2) two hardcover picture books of your choice (choose from PUNXSUTAWNY PHYLLIS, NOT YET ROSE, CAN'T SLEEP WITHOUT SHEEP and APRIL FOOL PHYLLIS - one each of two different titles or 2 copies of the same title))

In First Place (tied) K.T. Hanna has won a partial manuscript critique (up to 25 pages) or query critique donated by S E Sinkhorn from Maybe Genius

In Second Place Jessica McKendry has won a critique (25 pages) donated by Rachele Alpine from Freckle Head

In Third Place Alynza has won a first chapter critique donated by Sheri Doyle

In Fourth Place David Powers King has won a signed hardcover book “Hideaway” by Dean Koontz donated by Roland Yeoman from Writing in the Crosshairs (US/Canada shipping only)

Judging Round

The prizes below have been awarded based on the standard of your entries, as judged by a panel of judges (and thank you to everyone who volunteered!). Once the judges had determined the 11 Finalists, I decided which place each Finalist would be awarded. And boy was it hard, the entries were all SOOOO good!

Here are the Finalists and their prizes:

First Place: Kelly
Second Place: Avery Marsh
Third Place: Elisabeth Barrett
Fourth Place: Grillyfish
Fifth Place: The Chipper Muse
Sixth Place: Carrie Butler
Seventh Place: David Powers King
Eighth Place: Michael Haynes
Ninth Place: Barbara V. Evers
Tenth Place: Alynza Smith
Eleventh Place: Babydoll

Congratulations, you all really deserve it!!! Your prizes are:

In First Place Kelly has won:
  1. Critique (up to 30 pages) donated by Reinhardt from The Reinhardt Experience
  2. $30 Amazon Voucher donated by Matt Zandstra from Inflatable Ink
  3. Fully guided private tour of West Ireland + guest room for one night donated by Fiona Claire from The Ageless Druid (Fiona says: I am a professional tour guide, living in and writing about Ireland. I can offer a fully-guided private tour in the west of Ireland (valued at 150 Euros), as well as a lovely guest room for one night. If any of your authors are writing about Ireland, this might be a big help for them). 
In Second Place Avery Marsh has won:
  1. Editing (4 hours) donated by Bill Jones from This Page Intentionally Blank (Bill says: I can offer up to 4 hours' worth of editing services. I'm a Grammar Guerilla, probably useful to those grammatically challenged writers). 
  2. Book (PDF) “Ultimate Justice, A Trey Fontaine Mystery” written and donated by Ryder Islington from Ryder Islington’s Blog
  3. Book “Ribbon of Darkness” written and donated by Julie Coulter Bellon from LDSWriterMom
  4. $25 Amazon Gift Card donated by Cat von Hassel-Davies from Cat Rambles
In Third Place Elisabeth Barrett has won:
  1. First Chapter Critique (romance preferred) donated by Elizabeth Moss from Elizabeth Moss Regencies
  2. Book “Techniques of the selling writer” by Dwight V Swain donated by Aimee L Salter from Seeking the Write Life
  3. $25 Amazon Gift Card and “Bristol Boyz Stomp” written and donated by Doreen McGettigan 
In Fourth Place Grillyfish has won: 
  1. Manuscript Review of Three Chapters donated by Kris Yankee from Adventures that Score 
  2. $10 Amazon Gift Card donated by Brinda Berry
  3. Picture Book “Thanks to Tank” by Maureen Howard donated by Clar Bowman-Jahn from Clarbojahn’s Blog (US shipping only) 
  4. Signed Map from “The Dragon and the Crow” donated by T.B.McKenzie from Magickless
In Fifth Place The Chipper Muse has won:
  1. Critique (1 Chapter or Short Story up to 15 pages) and a digital copy of the Romantic suspense Breathe Again written and donated by Bonnie R. Paulson
  2. Book “Variant” by Robinson Wells donated by Donna K Weaver from Weaving a Tale or Two (US only)
In Sixth Place Carrie Butler has won:
  1. Critique (First Chapter) donated by Michelle from Oh! For the LOVE of BOOKS!
  2. Book “Making Waves” by Tawna Fenske donated by Coleen Patrick (US only)
In Seventh Place David Powers King has won:
  1. Book “Writing Magic” by Gail Carson Levine donated by Julie Hedlund from Write Up My Life
  2. Retro51 Rollerball Pen (choice of red, green or black) donated by Lesann Berry from Lesann Berry’s Blog
In Eight Place Michael Haynes has won:
  1. Book of winners choice (up to $10 from The Book Depository) donated by Trisha from Word + Stuff
In Ninth Place Barbara V. Evers has won:
  1. Book “A Happy Book for a Happy Baby” written and donated by Kristen Fairgrieve from Kristen Fairgrieve Write Create Inspire (US shipping only) 
  2. Ebook “Voodoo Dues” written and donated by Stephany Simmons
In Tenth Place Alynza has won: 
  1. e-ARC of Debut Novel “HUSHED” written and donated by Kelley York from Flowers for Ghosts 
In Eleventh Place Babydoll has won:
  1. Book (PDF) “The Devil to Pay” written and donated by Maria Zannini from Tales of Otherworlds
Remember, you've been chosen from 131 entries - how awesome is that!

Random Prizes 
  1. Kathy McKendry - Book donated by Scott Stillwell from Just a few lines… (US/Canada shipping if poss) (Scott says: The winner can choose one of the following: "Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline or "Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes" by Johnathan Auxier)
  2. S.B. Stewart-Laing - Book “Blank Slate” written and donated by Heather Justesen (ebook if outside US)
  3. Liz A. - Book “Life, Liberty and Pursuit” written and donated by Susan Kaye Quinn (US/Canada shipping only)
  4. Melodie - Book “Without Alice” written and donated by D.J. Kirkby
  5. Patient Dreamer - Hardcover book: “Tales from China: World Favorite Fables” (first edition printing) edited by Steve Jackson and Mirando Sibo Paul and autographed by Miranda Paul, donated by Miranda Paul
Congratulations to everyone who won a prize today!!! Unless you receive an email from me, I'll be contacting the donors and asking them to email you regarding your prize.

Lastly, don't forget to check out my earlier post about publishing your entries if you haven't already.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Winners - Second Campaigner Challenge

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Thanks so much to all who took part in my Second Campaigner Challenge! We had 192 awesome entries and hundreds of people voting on those they liked the best. The time has come to announce the winners, woot! But before I do, did you read my earlier post about publishing your Challenge stories? If you didn't, make sure you pop over to take a look. Cat Gerlach is compiling your stories (if you want one or more of them published) in an ebook, and all proceeds from the sale will be donated to Harry Moseley's cancer research fund. We'd love you to take part, whether you're a winner of a Challenge or otherwise!

For my Second Challenge, winners were decided on the basis on your votes. I've also awarded 5 random prizes (chosen by Mr. Random.org). Before I reveal the winners, I'd love you all to offer up a huge thanks to the awesome people who've helped me out with the prizes for this round: K.T. Hanna, Rachel McClellan, Jeigh Meredith, Claire Hennessy, and Candy Fite. They did an amazing job administering the prizes and communicating with the prize donors. To say thank you, would you please pop over to their blogs and follow them if you haven't already :)

I also want to give all my thanks to those Campaigners who've generously donated over 130 prizes for my Campaigner Challenges (wow!) All I can say is, you guys rock, seriously!!! Wait until you see the awesome prizes below, and we've still got the Third Challenge prizes to go :D

And now to the winners...*drumroll*:
  1. KT Hanna “Our Imago” (172 likes) 
  2. Lady Jai “Psycho Imago” (153 likes) 
  3. J “Deadly Imago” (118 likes) 
  4. K S Collier “Imago of the Swamp” (99 likes) 
  5. Jen “Mirror Imago” (66 likes) 
  6. Rachel McClellan “Imago Reborn” (64 likes) 
  7. Jeigh “Imago Ed.” (55 likes) 
  8. Michael Haynes “My Name is Imago Montoya” (46 likes) 
  9. Ruth Hartman Berge “Birth of an Imago” (45 likes) 
  10. David Powers King “Your Imago” (42 likes) 
  11. Claire Hennessy “Imago Nightmare” (39 likes) and Alynza Smith “The Imago Serum” (39 likes) 
  12. FE Sewell “The Battle of Imago” (35 likes) 
Congratulations to you all!!! Here are the winners' prizes:
(Source)

In First Place, K.T. Hanna has won:
  1. Full Manuscript Beta or 50 Line Page Edit AND $10 Book/eBook/Gift Card donated by Anonymeet from By Anonymous Writer
  2. Signed copy of “Delirium” by Lauren Oliver donated by Melisso Sarno from This Too…
  3. $50 Amazon Gift Voucher donated by Saba from Of Thoughts and Words
In Second Place, LadyJai has won:
  1. 30 page critique donated by Katharina Gerlach from Katharina Gerlach
  2. Ebook “Claiming the Prize” written and donated by Nadja Notariani from Nadja Notariani: An Author’s Adventures
  3. $30 Amazon Gift Card donated by Margo Berendsen from Writing at High Altitude
  4. Book Cover Art (or blog banner) donated by Shelly Koon from Dark Writes (examples at http://shelleykoon.com/artist) 
In Third Place, J has won:
  1. Three Chapter Critique plus eBooks: "The Familial Witch," "Scent of a Witch," "Glazier," and "Caffe' Seduzione" donated by Bri Clark from Bri Clark The Belle of Boise
  2. ARC of “Ditched” by Robin Mellom and “Dirty Little Secrets” by C J Omololu donated by Christa Desir from Christa Writes (US only) 
  3. book to the value of $10 from The Book Depository donated by Sher A Hart from Sher A Hart: Fantasy Writer’s Fancies
In Fourth Place, K.S. Collier has won:
  1. 30 page critique plus two eBooks: “Fencing Reputation” by William L. Hahn and "Urchin King" donated by Katharina Gerlach from Katharina Gerlach
  2. $5 Gift Card to either of her Etsy Stores (http://www.etsy.com/shop/KACSales or http://www.etsy.com/shop/VintageFusionJewels) and a custom made wallpaper donated by Kristy C from KAC Sales
In Fifth Place, Jen has won:
  1. Critique (3 Chapters, up to 10K words) donated by Kay Springsteen from The Romance of Your Life
  2. “Stealing Mercy” written and donated by Kristy Tate from Kristy’s Stories
  3. Jewelry: Sterling Silver and Swarovski Crystal Earrings and Bracelets donated by Julie Fedderson from Gypsy in my Soul
  4. e-ARC of Debut Novel “HUSHED” written and donated by Kelley York from Flowers for Ghosts 
In Sixth Place, Rachel McClellan has won:
  1. Manuscript Review (20-30 pages) donated by Ru from And then she was like blah blah blah
  2. ARC of "Possession" by Elana Johnson donated by Lola Sharp from Sharp Pen/Dull Sword
  3. Ebook containing two stories: “Sam, the Strawb Part” and “Dark Clouds” donated by Scott Bury from Written Words
In Seventh Place, Jeigh has won:
  1. Critique (up to 7K words) donated by Rebekah Loper from Rebekah Loper, Writer
  2. “Hating Game” by Talli Roland donated by Ann Ormond Fennell from Inkpots N’ Quills (US/Canada only) 
  3. eBook “The Last Page” donated by Lacy Camey from Live Learn Dance
In Eighth Place, Michael Haynes has won:
  1. “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creative Writing” donated by Saba from Of Thoughts and Words
  2. Detailed 15 page manuscript critique donated by Margo Kelly from Margo Kelly
  3. Mini hand decorated Surfboard donated by Janice Seagraves from Janice’s Home (US/Canada shipping only) 
In Ninth Place, Ruth Hartman Berge has won:
  1. Critique (limited for a new work or line edit of a final draft, up to 5K words) donated by Sedona Leigh from Sedona’s Attic
  2. “With Seduction in Mind” by Laura Lee Guhrke (signed) and “A Kiss at Midnight” by Eloisa James donated by Carole St-Laurent from Romance & Beyond Blog (continental US only) 
In Tenth Place, David Powers King has won:
  1. Critique (5 pages) donated by Chris Eboch from Write Like a Pro!
  2. $5 Starbucks Card donated by Madam P from P Nuttier Pearls
In Eleventh Place (tied), Claire Hennessy has won:
  1. Hardcover copy of “Exclusively Chloe” donated by J.A. Yang from jonyangorg
In Eleventh Place (tied), Alynza Smith has won:
  1. “Thanks for the Memories” by Cecelia Ahern donated by Len Lambert from Conversations with Self
In Twelfth Place, FE Sewell has won:
  1. Ebook “A to Z Stories of Life and Death” by D Biswas donated by Damyanti from Writing on Writing: Amlokiglogs
Random Prizes

I'm also awarding 5 random prizes, chosen by Mr. Random.org! The winners (and prizes) are:
  1. Tia Bach - “Walking on Water” by Madeleine L’Engle donated by Angelina C Hansen from Musing on the joy of writing
  2. Catherine M. Johnson - “The Proper Order of Things” written and donated by Tara Benwell from Beyond ELT (Canada only) 
  3. Elizabeth Varadan – Signed copy of “The House on the Corner” written and donated by Andrew Leon from StrangePegs (No International shipping) 
  4. Jana Denardo - “Yours Until Dawn” by Teresa Medeiros donated by Mary from Waibel’s World (US/Canada shipping) 
  5. Sheri L. Swift - “Journey’s End” written and donated by Dora Hiers from Heart Racing, God-Gracing Romance
Congratulations to all the winners, you've done such a great job in this Challenge!!! Remember, you've been chosen from 192 entries - how awesome is that! Unless you receive an email from me directly after this post, I'll be contacting the donors and asking them to email you regarding your prize.

I'll be announcing the winners of the Third Campaigner Challenge as soon as the judging is finished. In the meantime, don't forget to check out my earlier post about publishing your entries.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Campaigner Notice-Board (Friday, October 28th, 2011)

My Third Campaign is drawing to a close (*sad face*) and this will be my last Campaigner Notice-Board. I hope you've all found them useful and lots of fun too. So, for the last time in 2011, check out these great blogfests, contests, and other announcements:
  1. From C. Lee McKenzie at Write Game: It's the first annual Creepy Cake 'N Bake contest time, and the entries are amazingly CREEPY. A comment is your vote & you have a chance to win a $20 gift certificate from B&N or an official Creepy Cake 'N Bake doll! Please include your email in order to be entered to win.
  2. From Meradeth at Write Stuff: I'm giving away a few wonderful books, along with a 20 page critique. Come stop by and enter--it's simple! 
  3. From Alex J. Cavanaugh: The Insecure Writer's Support Group is open to all writers and posts the first Wednesday of every month. Share your struggles, encourage others, and connect with fellow writers. 
  4. From Jeigh Meredith at Writer Brained: I'm celebrating eleventy-one followers with my Eleventy-First Follower Giveaway. Eleven prizes up for grabs and it goes through 11/11/11. Just leave a comment to enter. 
  5. From Saba at Of Thoughts and Words: Saba and Michelle at Oh! For the Love of Books are hosting a New Author Blog Hop. This hop aims to introduce and support first time authors and their debut publications. 
  6. From Chris at The Kelworth Files: We're looking for new members at the Stringing Words writers' forum. If you're looking for a new writers’ community to support you through tough times, encourage you to set goals and stick to them, or just to procrastinate and have fun, come and visit!
  7. From J.A. Yang: I wrote a post about a board game for publishing.Who wants to help make it? 
  8. From Elizabeth at Liz Writes: I'm hosting a spooktacular writing contest with Natalie Lakosil, an agent at the Bradford Literary Agency! To enter, submit your spookiest, creepiest 500 words and Natalie will choose a winner to receive a critique of a query and first 10 pages. Contest ends on Monday, October 31.
  9. From S.B. Stuart-Laing at Writing the Other:To promote our new historical fantasy novel, Forgotten Gods, my coauthor and I are hosting a scavenger hunt. Enter by Dec. 4 2011 to win books and other Celtic goodies. 
  10. From A. J. Mullarky at Magpie and Pen: I want to get as much experience as I can in marketing and advertising so I want to help all you debut/indie authors out there :) So come take a look if you want me to interview you/host a guest post/be a stop on your blog tour!
  11. From Rachel McClellan from Blackbird in my Window: Oktoberfest Writing Contest is going on now! Submit your first chapter for the chance to win a full submission to Acquisition Editor Angie Workman. Contest ends at midnight on November1. 
  12. From Abby Fowers at Something To Write About: Abby needs our creative juices to help decide on a pen name for her. To enter is easy so be sure to click over and read the details and help Abby pick a cool pen name. 
  13. From Claire Hennessy at Crazy California Claire: Who knows about Scribd? I am doing a blog all about what it is and how it can help writers (whether published or not) gain a bigger platform and get people reading their work. For example, I just uploaded my entry to the Third Challenge and in less than 2 days it has had over 3,000 reads. It is an excellent resource with a fabulous and supportive community of writers. Also, once I hit 100 followers I will randomly pick someone to walk them through this process step by step, and help them meet the right people. The details are here

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Would you like your Campaigner Challenge stories to be published?

So many wonderful stories were written during my Campaigner Challenges, it would be a pity if they were forgotten. Katharina Gerlach (Cat as you may know her) has come up with the awesome idea to collect the stories in an eBook. It will be released at the end of the Campaign with my official Campaign badge on the cover.

The ebook will be sold for a small amount of money and all proceeds will be donated to Harry Moseley's cancer research fund. Help Harry Help Others is a fund-raising organization of eleven year old Harry who recently died of his inoperable brain tumor. When his friend Robert, who had a brain tumor too, became very ill, he set up his charity. So far, he’s raised nearly half a million British Pounds that he has donated to Cancer Research UK, to help them find a cure for brain tumors. This charity and its goals resonates strongly with me, as my father suffered (and still suffers) from a brain tumor and its effects. And it’s doing such a fantastic job helping so many in a similar position.

The ebook will be listed on Smashwords, Amazon, and Barnes&Noble and we'd love you to purchase a copy. However, just so you know, there is no obligation to purchase it if your story/stories are included.

If you would like one or more of your stories to be entered (under your name of course!), please do the following as soon as possible: 
  1. Decide which of your stories you would like published (one, two or three). Rank them in order of preference (eg, if Cat is only able to publish one or two of your stories, which would you prefer published most?)
  2. Email Cat at writecampaign[at]katharinagerlach[dot]com. Provide her with your author name, your blog name, the link to your blog/website, and one sentence (30 words max) about what you write or who you are (ie, a very short author bio). At the bottom of your email, copy and paste your three stories and clearly identify their titles and your preferred ranking for each (Rank 1, Rank 2, Rank 3)
Once the ebook has been published, Cat will send you a link in case you or your family/friends would like to purchase it. I'll also post the links on my blog.

I think this is a really exciting opportunity for all of you to have your work captured for others to read, and I'd love to see you take Cat up on this! :)

Cat will be reading the comments in this post, so any questions ask away.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Campaigner Notice-Board (Friday, October 22nd, 2011)

Check out these great blogfests, contests, and other announcements:
  1. From Lori M. Lee at you are the unicorn of my dreams comes this great giveway: a pre-order of either Shatter Me or Legend. Ends October 26!
  2. From Juliana at I Aspire To Be: The Warm Fuzzies Blogfest is starting Oct. 24th. Come join us for four weeks celebrating writers and all we go through for the love of our craft!
  3. Jason A Bieneke, Author, is sharing his short vampire story entitled "A Child Speaks to its Father", which was written for Rebekah Loper's First Annual All Hallow's Eve Writing Contest. From Jason: I did some information reports on classic horror monsters for Sommer Leigh's Monsterfest 2011. The reports were The Ghoul and The Djinn. During the month of October, I am giving away my novelette, "Night of the Tower", a horror story set in Ancient Arabia. Find it here at Smashwords. 
  4. From Jessica Aspen at Jessica Aspen Writes: Only two weeks left to win in Jessica's Halloween Treats Giveaway. Every blog post has a book giveaway and all commenters will be entered in the grand prize drawing!
  5. From Sher at Sher A Hart: Fantasy Writer's Fancies: 100 follower book giveaway thru 10/31. Winner chooses their own book (s). Contest has a gift card option for international addresses. Also, the Chocolate follower contest always open, a new winner chosen every month. Also has a gift card option. 
  6. From Kerri at Kerri Cuevas: The Choose Your Own Adventure Bloghop goes live on October 24th at 12:01 EST. Join me and 17 other Campaigners as we bring you an adventure of epicness. Ahoy! Sea Serpent?!?! Dramamine and lifejackets optional. The adventure starts here.
  7. From Sommer Leigh at Tell Great Stories: Become a NaNoWriMo Champion! If you are participating in NaNoWriMo, fill out the linky so we know where to find you. Everyone else not participating but would like to cheer the writers on, visit the links to participants and leave them comments of encouragement. It's a crazy month and NaNo writers can use all the support they can get! 
  8. From Susanna Leonard Hill: We're having a Halloweensie Contest over here! Write a 100 word story appropriate for children, using the words boo!, candied apple, and jack o'lantern, to be posted on Monday October 31st. The winner will receive a signed copy of Iza Trapani's wonderful picture book, Haunted Party.
  9. From Michael Young at The Canticle: Sign up for NaNoWriMo 2011 and enter the contest on my blog for a chance to win a full or partial manuscript eval of your NaNoWriMo manuscript. Enter now to be ready for November 1st.
  10. From Tyffani at Manifestations of My Mind: I am currently looking for three to five beta readers and a cover artist. Email me at WantedSchmedOrAlive (at) gmail (dot) com for details on both.
  11. From Rachele at Freckle Head: I am having a HUGE contest to celebrate the signing of my book contract. I'm giving away books, a writing bracelet, writing gloves, a Nook cover and other goodies.
  12. From J.L. Campbell at The Character Depot: The Romantic Suspense group (#43) will be hosting a Getting-to-Know-You Blogfest from November 13-19. It’s in the middle of NaNo, so we’re giving ourselves a week to drop by each others blogs and cement the connections we’ve made during this Campaign. It’s open to other Campaigners, so feel free to stop by here for the details of what will be a fun and easy hop.
  13. From Lorelei Bell at Lorelei's Muse: I’ve joined a blog hop called Coffin Hop that begins on Oct 24th thru 31st, and am hosting author John Everson on the 26th October. He’s having a great giveaway with his newest release “The Pumpkin Man”.
  14. From Jen at Jen’s Bookshelf: Want a copy of Lauren Myracle’s “Shine”? I bought two by accident! Come and tell me something random about yourself to win. Posts internationally.
If you have a blogfest, a contest, or a something-or-other you want me to let people know about, fill out this form and I'll run your announcement in the following Friday's post. Make sure you include all the details please. If your announcement is for a continuing event that you want included in other Notice-Boards, you'll need to fill out the form again each week.

Please note: Next Friday will be the last Campaigner Notice-Board for this Campaign :(


Monday, October 17, 2011

Third Campaigner Challenge - Show Not Tell

(Source)
Well, October is flying away, and the time has come for my Third Campaigner Challenge. It will be a bit different from the Second Challenge, as the lovely J. has volunteered to administer the judging (assuming we can get enough judges from the people who volunteered at the start of the Campaign--if not, we'll have to revert back to "like" judging). My thanks in advance to the judges for their help. Make sure you pop over to Concrete Pieces of Soul and thank J. for her efforts by following along.

Now for the Challenge (and please note the word count change!):
Write a blog post in 300 words or less, excluding the title. The post can be in any format, whether flash fiction, non-fiction, humorous blog musings, poem, etc. The blog post should show:
  • that it’s morning, 
  • that a man or a woman (or both) is at the beach
  • that the MC (main character) is bored
  • that something stinks behind where he/she is sitting
  • that something surprising happens.
Just for fun, see if you can involve all five senses AND include these random words: "synbatec," "wastopaneer," and "tacise."   (NB. these words are completely made up and are not intended to have any meaning other than the one you give them).
Here are some tips on "Show Not Tell" to help you out:
  • stay in the moment (describe what is happening to your character as it is happening to avoid telling)
  • avoid summarizing as much as possible (eg, "He stabbed her with a knife"). It can work well as a means of "skating over" unimportant details, or moving from one scene to another, but summarizing in the middle of a scene usually reads as "telling"
  • keep an eye out for words that (often) indicate the presence of "telling". Examples include "was" (or other forms of "to be") and "felt" (eg, "He felt scared" or "He was scared"). Though note that not every use of "was" is telling
  • try to avoid labelling feelings. Rather than saying, "I felt angry," describe what those emotions are doing to the characters, mentally and physically
  • but don't just describe the physical effects of an emotion (eg "I clenched my fists"). Dig deeper. Utilize the five senses, things the character notices or doesn't notice, and memories of past events, as well as physical reactions, to show how the character is feeling.
Once you’ve posted your Challenge post on your blog, pop back here and link directly to it in the Linky List below (please make sure you include the direct link to your post, not just the link to your blog!).

Entries in the Third Campaigner Challenge will close on Monday, October 24th (at 11.59pm EDT) (one weeks' time exactly). So make sure you get your post in the Linky List before then if you want to be eligible for a prize! As usual, while everyone is very welcome to take part in this Challenge, only Campaigners will be eligible for prizes.

There will be heaps of awesome prizes awarded this Challenge, for the entries that are judged the best, for Peoples' Choice Awards, and through Random.org. We're talking ARCs, books, critiques, and other items galore! My thanks go to everyone who has volunteered to donate prizes. You're all awesome!!!

I've again set up the Linky List to let you "Like" entries, so make sure you come back here and vote for your faves. This is an honor system, so please don't take advantage of this process either on your own or another's behalf. "Like" voting will close on Friday, October 28th.

I'll (hopefully) be announcing the winners before the end of October.

So, all that remains is to enjoy. Leave a comment to let me know you're doing the Challenge. Have fun writing your post, then pop round to the other entrants, check out their posts, follow and comment, and decide which entry or entries YOU like the best!

And don't forget to add your name and post link to the Linky Link below before 11.59 pm on Monday, October 24th!

IMPORTANT: DON'T PUT YOUR NAME IN THE LINKY LIST UNTIL YOU'VE WRITTEN YOUR POST - THEN LINK DIRECT TO THAT POST PLEASE (ie, insert the complete URL to your Challenge post, not your blog address/URL)


Don't forget to come back here and vote for your favorite entry/entries before Friday, October 28th!!!

Hope you enjoy the Challenge. How about you: any other "Show Not Tell" tips to add to the above list?

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Second Campaigner Challenge Prizes

As I've been unable to contact the people who were helping me with the prizes for this Challenge, I'm having to do everything again myself :( Because of this, it's going to take me some time to get all the administration done. I'll try to make the announcement as soon as possible but it may have to wait until I announce the Third Challenge's Prizes (where I can do a joint announcement). I hope you'll bear with me.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Campaigner Notice-Board (Friday, October 14th, 2011)

I hope you all had an awesome time entering my Second Campaigner Challenge. I can't believe how good your entries were, and I've loved reading them! I'm in the process of allocating prizes with the help of some great volunteers, and I hope to announce winners and their prizes over the weekend. Make sure you check out my post, because I'll be awarding heaps of random prizes as well as prizes for those with the most votes.

Then come back here on Monday, October 17th, when my Third Campaigner Challenge is announced. The lovely Jess P will be administering judging for the entries, and we'll be contacting those who volunteered to judge Challenges at the start of my Campaign (excluding those who've already done a round of judging). The prizes for my Third and Last Campaigner Challenge are super-awesome, so make sure you take part!

Check out these great blogfests, contests, and other announcements:
  1. From Alex J. Cavanaugh at Alex J. Cavanaugh: The Insecure Writer's Support Group is for those who want to share, connect, and encourage. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Details here
  2. From Dawn, Pam, & Brianna at 1st Writes: Like writing prompts? 1st Writes has a photo prompt every Monday called "See * Photo * Write" where you can linky your entry! Check it out here.
  3. From Theresa Milstein at Theresa's Tales of Teaching Tribulations and Typing Teen Texts:  Theresa Milstein's short story "Allured" is included in the new YA vampire anthology, Fangtales. It's available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.  
  4. From AJ at Ask What Next: AJ Borowsky's new book "What Next A Proactive Approach to Success" is now available but you could win a copy. For details go to my blog
  5. From Hildred Billings at Musings of a Procrastinating Author: Why I Write - an "introspective celebration" for writers to talk about the "why" behind their writing while reading others' and linking back and forth! A great way to make more meaningful connections with other authors online. Details here.
  6. From Kelley York at YAtopia: October starts the month-long sign-up window for November's I LOVE DARK YA blogfest! Make some new friends and participate in the weekly challenges, all centered around the dark young adult books you love.  Check it out here.
  7. From K. M. Walton at Some Things I Think: The third round of Campaigner Spotlights are up! Meet five fellow Campaigners each week. Details here.
  8. From Aaron at The Blogger Girlz: As writers we all know words can be beautiful things, but when they are used in a hateful way they can do a lot of damage. In honor of National Bullying Prevention Month please join us in a blog hop to help build awareness of “hate speech” and the role it plays in bullying. Sign up today, and post between Oct 15 and Oct 22. Check it out here.
  9. From David Powers King at The Cosmic Laire of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Celebrating 400 followers, David Powers King is hosting a FOUR BOOK GIVEAWAY! Check out his blog for more details before October 23rd. 

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Second Campaigner Challenge

(Source)
Repost: Originally posted September 22nd

I hope you all had fun with my First Campaigner Challenge, because it's time for the Second! And this one's even more challenging, so I've given you a week and a half to write it :D

The Challenge is:
Write a blog post in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, whether flash fiction, non-fiction, humorous blog musings, poem, etc. The blog post should:
  • include the word "imago" in the title
  • include the following 4 random words: "miasma," "lacuna," "oscitate," "synchronicity,"
If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional and included in the word count), make reference to a mirror in your post.
For those who want an even greater challenge (optional), make your post 200 words EXACTLY!
Once you’ve posted your Challenge post on your blog, pop back here and link directly to it in the Linky List below (please make sure you include the direct link to your post, not just the link to your blog!).

Entries in the Second Campaigner Challenge will close on Monday, October 3rd (at 11.59pm EDT). That's a week and a half (longer this time), so make sure you get your post in the Linky List before then if you want to be eligible for a prize! As usual, while everyone is very welcome to take part in this Challenge, only Campaigners will be eligible for prizes.

There will be heaps more awesome prizes awarded this Challenge, both for the entries that are judged the best and through Random.org. We're talking ARCs, books, critiques, and other items galore! My thanks go to everyone who has volunteered to donate prizes. You're all awesome!!!

I've again set up the Linky List to let you "Like" entries, so make sure you come back here and vote. Winners this Challenge will be determined solely on the basis of your votes. This is an honor system, so please don't take advantage of this process either on your own or another's behalf. "Like" voting will close on Friday, October 14th.

I'll (hopefully) be announcing the winners on Saturday, October 15th.

So, all that remains is to enjoy. Leave a comment to let me know you're doing the Challenge. Have fun writing your post, then pop round to the other entrants, check out their posts, follow and comment, and decide which entry or entries YOU like the best!

And don't forget to add your name and post link to the Linky Link below before 11.59 pm on Monday, October 3rd!

IMPORTANT: DON'T PUT YOUR NAME IN THE LINKY LIST UNTIL YOU'VE WRITTEN YOUR POST - THEN LINK DIRECT TO THAT POST PLEASE (ie, insert the complete URL to your Challenge post, not your blog address/URL)



Don't forget to come back here and vote for your favorite entry/entries before Friday, October 14th!!!

Friday, September 23, 2011

Campaigner Notice-Board (Friday, September 23rd, 2011)

If you haven't yet participated in my Second Campaigner Challenge, check it out here. Entries close on Monday, October 3rd (at 11.59pm EDT). Judging is by "Like" voting, which closes on Friday, October 14th.

Check out these great blogfests, contests, and other announcements:
  1. Amber West at A Day Without Sushi: I'm holding a very special blog link-up for charity. This is a great opportunity to visit other blogs and have your blog visited, but more importantly, it is a chance to use our community to help others. Check it out on my blog
  2. Rosalind Adam at Rosalind Adam is Writing in the Rain: I'm hosting a virtual coffee morning as part of the Macmillan World's Greatest Coffee Morning. It'll last the whole weekend, 30th Sept to 2nd October, and there'll be competitions, food, fun, awards and a chance to donate to Macmillan Cancer Support in memory of my Mum. Check it out on my blog
  3. Marlene Dotterer at Marlene Dotterer: SF Group#2 and Paranormal Romance Group #2: Send a message to Marlene Dotterer with your name and links to your books or website, or a blurb about what you are working on. She'll post all the messages on her blog, Wednesday, Oct. 5th. Contact details here.
  4. Kimberly Zook at Zook Book Nook: Get your opening lines for your WIP ready this week! The Hooked on Hooks event will begin on Friday September 30th and run through Sunday October 2nd. Post the opening lines to your WIP on your blog and publish the link on my blog to get your hook critiqued by other writers! Details here.
  5. Rebecca Ryals Russell at Under the Hat: Through the end of September MG/YA Author Blog-A-Thon: 12 authors guest post with FREE books and PRIZES. Also, Sept 24-Oct 1 Banned Books Week Blog Hop: GREAT PRIZES including my NEW book Prophecy Bk 2 Seraphym Wars Series. Check out details on my blog
  6. Stevie McCoy at Glitterword: #tuesdaytales 100 word flash fiction prompt challenge is being judged September 27th by Susan Utley from Haunted Waters publishing. Here's your chance to potentially be published in their next issue by being a winner of #tuesdaytales. Join in the fun! #tuesdaytales will post September 27th midnight PST and end 6 pm PST. Don't miss out
  7. Melodie at Forever Rewrighting: This Friday I'm posting an interview with Elisa Ludwig, one of the co-hosts of the new YA/MG mystery blog, Sleuths, Spies & Alibis. Join us to find out about Elisa's upcoming YA mystery debut and the site, aimed at mystery writers/readers. Details here.
  8. Kathleen Doyle at Kathleen Doyle: I am hosting a giveaway on my blog in honor of having 100 followers. Succubus Blues will be given by random picks from the comments. Details here
  9. Alana Garrigues at writercize: I am opening my blog to guest posts every Friday starting in October. I'd love to have campaigners participate! Guidelines are simple - sign up, then e-mail me with an intro to your blog and your favorite writing exercise that gets the creativity flowing, along with a sample! Check out the details here
  10. Megan Grimit at Megan: In honor of my birthday, I'm giving away a copy of Ann Brashares My Name Is Memory. All you have to do is fill out the form on my blog by September 25th at noon. Details here.
  11. Rebecca Enzor at Rebecca Enzor - Sticky Note Stories: Win a custom My Little Pony based on a character from YOUR novel! Use a pony generator, template, or draw a pony based on your novel (published or not) and have a chance to win your pony as a real custom - plus a book from the customizer! Check it out here.
  12. Elizabeth Flora Ross at The Writer Revived: The first in my Friday series introducing my fellow campaigners is up! I'll be highlighting several writers from the nonfiction group (#53) every Friday throughout the duration of the Campaign. Details here
If you have a blogfest, a contest, or a something-or-other you want me to let people know about, fill out this form and I'll run your announcement in the following Friday's post. Make sure you include all the details please. If your announcement is for a continuing event that you want included in other Notice-Boards, you'll need to fill out the form again each week.

Please note: Unless someone would like to volunteer to help me compile the entries and draft the post, I won't be able to run a Campaigner Notice-Board for the next two Fridays (1st and 8th of October). The next Notice-Board will be on Friday, October 15th.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Winners - First Campaigner Challenge

(Source)
Thanks so much to all who took part in my First Campaigner Challenge! With 384 awesome entries, and hundreds of people voting on those they liked the best, I've had a fantastic time. I hope you all have too.

The time has come to announce the winners, woot! Winners have been chosen in three categories:
  1. 4 People's Choice Awards - chosen by you in the voting (by clicking "Like" on the entries);
  2. 12 places awarded by the judges, who've done an absolutely fantastic job of winnowing 384 entries down to the top 12 under the supreme organizational genius of Michael Offutt; and
  3. 5 random prizes (chosen by Mr. Random.org).
Before I reveal the winners, I'd love you all to offer up a huge thanks to three awesome people who helped me out with this First Campaigner Challenge. Michael Offutt, who single-handedly organized the legion of judges through three rounds of judging, and brought order into the depths of chaos - I couldn't have done this without him! And Trisha Leaver and Sarah Ketley, who've done an amazing job administering the prizes and communicating with the prize donors. To say thank you, would you please pop over to Michael's, Trisha's, and Sarah's blogs and follow them if you haven't already :)

I also want to give all my thanks to those Campaigners who've generously donated over 130 prizes for my Campaigner Challenges (wow!) All I can say is, you guys rock, seriously!!! Wait until you see the awesome prizes below, and we've still got 2 Challenges to go :D

And now to the winners...*drumroll*:

(Source)
People's Choice Awards

First Place: Jessica Therrien (46 votes)
Second Place: Erin L. Schneider (45 votes)
Third Place: 1000th.monkey (41 votes)
Fourth Place: Claire Hennessy (38 votes)

Congratulations guys!!! That was such a close call, particularly between First and Second Place!

Oh, what was that? You want to know what you've won? Well...*grins*...
  • In First Place, Jessica has won: 
  1. ARCs of THE NAME OF THE STAR, THE SCORPIO RACES, FLYAWAY, and BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY, donated by Elana Johnson 
  2. A free social media consultation to discuss blogging and social networking and assist in building your platform, donated by Mina Burrows (Mina works in this field, so I can imagine how useful this will be!). The prize also includes a $10 office gift card.
  3. A $10 Gift card to Barnes and Noble, donated by Kimberly Krey 
  4. A blog critique and a short guide to a better blog, donated by Marci Richards 
  • In Second Place, Erin has won: 
  1. A prize pack of three YA novels plus a signed bookmark of THE BODY FINDER by Kimberly Derting, donated by K.M. Walton. The YA novels are a signed copy of I WAS A NON-BLONDE CHEERLEADER by Kieran Scott, a signed copy of THE YEAR OF MY MIRACULOUS REAPPEARANCE by Catherine Ryan Hyde, and a copy of WTF by Peter Lerangis
  2. Full manuscript critique, donated by Kelly McClymer  
  • In Third Place, 1000th.monkey has won: 
  1. A 10-page manuscript critique, donated by Alana Saltz (freelance editor)
  2. An ARC of SLIDING ON THE EDGE, donated by C. Lee McKenzie 
  3. An ebook copy of his contemporary mystery, DEAL WITH THE DEVIL (in a format readable by the winner), donated by J. Gunnar Grey 
  • In Fourth Place, Claire has won: 
  1. A 5-page critique by Jessica Aspen (contest judge and coodinator for CRW's AOE 2012 published author awards)
  2. Either a copy of Laura Pepper Wu's book WOW! GLOWING BRIDE IN 30 DAYS or a $10 Kindle giftcard sponsored by LadiesWhoCritique.com
  3. An eBook version of her debut novel, Purple Knot, donated by Raquel Byrnes 
Judging Round

The prizes below have been awarded based on the standard of your entries, as judged by a panel of 68 judges! Once the judges had determined the 12 Finalists, I decided which place each Finalist would be awarded. And boy was it hard, the entries were all SOOOO good!

(Source)
Here are the Finalists and their prizes:
  1. First Place: M.C. Rogerson
  2. Second Place: Juliana L. Brandt
  3. Third Place: Barbara V. Evers
  4. Fourth Place: Jessica Therrien
  5. Fifth Place: Jocelyn Rish
  6. Sixth Place: Christine Tyler
  7. Seventh Place: 1000th.monkey
  8. Eighth Place: Candy Fite
  9. Ninth Place: Leah Denman
  10. Tenth Place: Christine Rains
  11. Eleventh Place: Alynza Smith
  12. Twelfth Place: Chantele Sedgewick
Congratulations, you all really deserve it!!! Your prizes are:
  • In First Place, M.C. Rogerson has won: 
  1. A premium membership to QueryTracker.net, donated by Kimberley  
  2. A full manuscript critique, donated by Michael D Young, a published author with editing experience
  3. A $20 Amazon gift card (emailed), donated by Christine Tyler
  • In Second Place, Juliana L. Brandt has won:
  1. A signed hardcover of POSSESSION, donated by Elana Johnson 
  2. A book on writing, winner's choice (eg, The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell), donated by Linda Gray. International postage 
  3. $25 Amazon Gift Card, donated by Angela Kulig 
  • In Third Place, Barbara V. Evers has won:
  1. A first-25 page critique, donated by Gabriela Pereira 
  2. A signed copy of his book RING OF FIRE, a young adult fantasy novel, donated by The Dark Myth 
  3. Swag (THE AETHER CHRONICLES buttons), donated by Suzanne Lazear 
  • In Fourth Place, Jessica Therrien has won: 
  1. A 30-page manuscript critique, donated by debut author (2012) Sangu Mandanna 
  2. A signed copy of her MG novel NEW BEGINNINGS (international postage), donated by Rebecca Emin 
  • In Fifth Place, Jocelyn Rish has won: 
  1. Copy of her upcoming book, TEMPESTUOUS TALES (either PDF or paperback) OR a free 480x60 web banner for the winner, donated by Kandie Delley 
  2. A copy of Divergent (US/Canada only), donated by Catherine M. Johnson 
  • In Sixth Place, Christine Tyler has won: 
  1. A query or first page critique and a paperback copy of her novel THE SECRET OF SPRUCE KNOLL, donated by Heather McCorkle
  2. A Smashwords coupon for a free ebook, donated by Amanda Leigh Cowley 
  • In Seventh Place, 1000th.monkey has won: 
  1. $15 Amazon gift card (emailed), donated by Janet Johnson 
  • In Eighth Place, Candy Fite has won: 
  1. An eBook copy of his debut novel CASSASTAR, donated by Alex J. Cavanaugh 
  2. A copy of her debut novel THE ADVOCATE (US/Canada only), donated by Teresa Burrell 
  • In Ninth Place, Leah Denman has won: 
  1. First three books in his ISLAND OF FOG series, in either print form or electronic .epub format, donated by Keith Robinson. Keith says, "I can send signed paperbacks directly to winner for free if the winner is in USA, otherwise I can send to Canada or anywhere international if the winner pays for the postage (usually about $13.00). Obviously there's no cost if the books are electronic." 
  • In Tenth Place, Christine Rains has won: 
  1. A signed copy of A.S. King's Please Ignore Vera Dietz, donated by Sommer Leigh 
  2. A Halloween MG/YA anthology (US only), donated by Natasha Hanova 
  • In Eleventh Place, Alynza Smith has won: 
  1. A paperback copy of A LOVE REKINDLED (US only), donated by Myne Whitman 
  • In Twelfth Place, Chantele Sedgewick has won: 
  1. First chapter critique, donated by Allison Miller 
  2. A free copy of one of her ebooks, donated by Angelina Rain 
Congratulations again to all 12 Finalists!!!

Random Prizes

And just because I can, I'm awarding 5 random prizes, chosen by Mr. Random.org!

(Source)
The winners (and prizes) are:
  1. Sarah Pearson - A full manuscript critique (max. 85,000 words), donated by 1000th.monkey
  2. Jamilia Jamison - An ecopy, winner's choice, from her stories, donated by Nicole Zoltack AND a copy of DESPERATE SURRENDER (international postage), donated by Hildie McQueen 
  3. Nellie - Book of the winner's choice from TheBookDepository.com (International shipping), $15 max value, donated by Erin L. Schneider
  4. Theresa Milstein - A copy of THE SALEM WITCH TRYOUTS (international postage), donated by Kelly McClymer 
  5. Kate L. Lineberger - A critique of the first 15 pages of a manuscript or a short story under 15 pages, donated by Jocelyn Rish
Congratulations to all the winners, you've done such a great job in this Challenge!!! Remember, you've been chosen from 384 entries - how awesome is that! We'll be asking the donors to contact you directly regarding your prizes, but if you have any questions/concerns, please email us at thirdcampaign[at]gmail[dot]com.

And don't forget, the Second Campaigner Challenge will begin on September 22nd, so pop back then if you want to take part - there'll be more awesome prizes and you'll be able to vote for your favorite entries too!!!

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