Winners - First Campaigner Challenge (Fourth Campaign)

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Well, the votes and judging for the First Campaigner Challenge are now in, and I'm really excited to be able to announce all the winners in this post! With 210 awesome entries in the Challenge, and hundreds of people voting on those they liked the best (not to mention the fantastic work by the judges), it's been an awesome few weeks. I hope you've all had a great time too!

As with previous Challenges, Winners have been chosen in three categories:

1. People's Choice Awards - chosen by you in the voting (by clicking "Like" on the entries);
2. Places awarded by the judges, who've done an absolutely fantastic job of winnowing 210 entries down to the top 10 under the supreme organizational genius of Michael Offutt; and
3. Random prizes (chosen by Mr. Random.org).

Before I reveal the winners, I'd love you all to offer up a huge thanks to five 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 Ozlem Yikici, Steph Schmidt, and Kathleen Doyle, who've done an amazing job administering the prizes and communicating with the prize donors.  I'd also like to thank K.T. Hanna, for all her awesome help with the Campaigner Notice-Board.

To thank them for all of their help, I'd love them to accept this Campaign Appreciation Badge :)

And now to the winners...*drumroll* (We have heaps of prizes, so if by chance you receive a US only prize but you live internationally, email me asap and we'll see what we can come up with).

People's Choice Awards

First Place: Kevin Hiatt (120 votes)
Second Place: Jessica McKendry (108 votes)
Third Place: Carrie Butler (48 votes)
Fourth Place: David Powers King (42 votes)
Fifth Place: Alynza (37 votes)
Sixth Place: Morgan Shamy (33 votes)
Seventh Place (tied): Alyssa McKendry (30 votes)
Seventh Place (tied): Rachel Morgan (30 votes)

Congratulations guys!!! And as for what you've won, here it is:

In First Place, Kevin Hiatt has won:

1. A full manuscript critique, donated by Carl Duzett. Carl says: “I will provide a critical read of a full-length work. The winner must contact me via email with their work attached. My feedback will be honest and geared towards improvement, not towards validation. Allow a 2-3 week turnaround on the critique.” 
2. ARCs of Anna Carey's EVE (YA Dystopia), Martha Southgate's A TASTE OF SALT (Contemporary Fiction), and Jennifer Castle's THE BEGINNING OF AFTER and/or AMERICAN DERVISH, donated by Jenn Baker-Henry (US/Canada only). 

In Second Place, Jessica McKendry has won:

1. A critique of the first five chapters/twenty pages of your manuscript (whichever is longer) or a complete short story. In addition I will offer a critique for the overall design of your book cover and advice on artistic direction, donated by Ozlem Yikici.
2. ARCs of INTERRUPTED by Rachel Coker (release March 2012), NUMBERS INFINITY by Rachel Ward (Release May 2012), and ONCE by Anna Carey (Release July 2012), donated by Alison Miller.

In Third Place, Carrie Butler has won:

1. A detailed 20 page critique (double-spaced) or first chapter critique (whichever is smaller), and a $15 Barnes & Noble voucher (by email), donated by K.T. Hanna.
2. An ARC of LIVING VIOLET by Jaime Reed, and a copy of HEREAFTER by Tara Hudson, donated by Akossiwa Ketoglo (US/Canada only).
3. A copy of the ebook CURSE OF ANCIENT SHADOWS (YA Fantasy) by Rod Tyson, donated by Rod Tyson.

In Fourth Place, David Powers King has won:

1. A partial critique (up to 30 pages) of a manuscript and/or query letter donated by Jenn Baker-Henry .
2. A signed copy of Holly Black’s WHITE CAT, donated by Celesta (US only).
3. The first three books in the Sefuty Chronicles by Alberta Ross (e-books from Smashwords, in the format the winner prefers), donated by Alberta Ross.

In Fifth Place, Alynza has won:

1. A query and first chapter critique, donated by Mark Koopmans.
2. A TOUCH MORTAL by Leah Clifford, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis, SNITCH by Allison van Diepen, donated by Liz (US only)
3. Book Swag (for ORACLE by J.C. Martin) including postcard, bookmarks, and magnet, donated by J.C. Martin.

In Sixth Place, Morgan Shamy has won:

1. A first chapter or first 2000 words critique, donated by Lynda R. Young.
2. An ebook copy of URCHIN KING (YA Historical Fantasy) by Katherina Gerlach (Smashwords voucher or directly via email), donated by Katherina Gerlach. 

In Seventh Place, Alyssa McKendry has won:

1. A first chapter critique, donated by Amymarie
   

In Seventh Place, Rachel Morgan has won:

1. A 10 page critique of a manuscript, donated by Jenny.

Judging Round

The prizes below have been awarded based on the standard of your entries, as judged by our awesome judges! Once the judges had determined the top 10 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:

1. First Place: Kevin Hiatt (and congratulations on winning both first places!) 
2. Second Place: Sher A Hart 
3. Third Place: Angeline Trevena 
4. Fourth Place: Brooke R. Busse 
5. Fifth Place: Carrie Bastyr 
6. Sixth Place: Kerri Cuevas 
7. Seventh Place: Sarah Pearson 
8. Eighth Place: Esther Spurrill-Jones 
9. Ninth Place: Andy Brokaw 
10. Tenth Place: Tara Tyler 

Congratulations, you all really deserve it!!! 

In First Place, Kevin Hiatt has won:

1. A $20 Amazon/Kindle giftcard, donated by Melissa.
2. A signed copy of BRISTOL bOYZ STOMP by Doreen McGettigan and a 100 page critique, donated by Doreen McGettigan.
3. A copy of HOOKED: WRITE FICTION THAT GRABS READERS AT PAGE ONE AND NEVER LETS THEM GO by Les Edgerton, donated by Christine Tyler (USPS media mail - US only).

In Second Place, Sher A Hart has won:

1. A book of the winner’s choosing up to a $15 value on Amazon, donated by David P. King.
2. A 5K or 20 page critique (whichever comes first), donated by Melissa.
3. A signed copy of each of the current books in the MEANT TO BE series (MEANT TO BE and THE COUPLES) by Richard Alan (and a free download via Smashwords coupon of both books), donated by Richard Alan (US/Canada only).
4. An ebook copy of OPRESSION (CHILDREN OF THE GODS #1) by Jessica Therrien, donated by Jessica Therrien.

In Third Place, Angeline Trevena has won:

1. A query and first 20 page critique, donated by Cortney Pearson.
2. A $10 e-giftcard to Barnes & Noble, donated by Komal Lewis.
3. An ARC of GRIMM by Anna Waggener, donated by Anna Waggener (US/Canada only).
4. An ebook copy of CURSE OF ANCIENT SHADOWS by Rod Tyson, donated by Rod Tyson.

In Fourth Place, Brooke R. Busse has won:

1. A $10 Amazon gift card, donated by Lady Gwen.
2. A signed copy of ARTICLE 5 by Kristen Simmons and a first chapter critique, donated by Julie Maughon.
3. A copy of DARK MIND by Jennifer Chase, donated by Jennifer Chase (US/Canada only).

In Fifth Place, Carrie Bastyr has won:

1. A $10 e-gift card to a national coffee shop chain, donated by Jenn Baker-Henry. 
2. A ten page critique and a signed copy of ERAGON by Christopher Paolini, donated by Kate Coursey (US/Canada only).



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3. An ebook copy of HOW TO DATE AN ALIEN by Magan Vernon, donated by Magan Vernon.

In Sixth Place, Kerri Cuevas has won:

1. A critique of a first chapter (up to 10 pages or 3000 words) OR query critique,
2. donated by Julie Daines.
3. A copy of BESTEST.RAMADAN.EVER by Medeia Sharif, donated by Medeia Sharif (US/Canada only).

In Seventh Place, Sarah Pearson has won:

1. A 15 page critique, donated by Avery Marsh.
2. An ebook copy of VOODOO DUES and a copy of the follow-up VAMPIRE BLUES by Stephany Simmons, donated by Stephany Simmons.

In Eighth Place, Esther Spurrill-Jones has won:

1. A query critique OR a critique of the first ten pages of a manuscript, donated by Susan Francino.
2. A signed copy of THE DRAGON AND THE CROW by T.B. McKenzie, donated by T.B. McKenzie

In Ninth Place, Andy Brokaw has won:

1. A detailed critique of first 15 pages, donated by Margo Kelly.

In Tenth Place, Tara Tyler has won:

1. A critique of 2500 words, donated by Jodi Su Tharan.

Random Prizes

And just because I can, I'm awarding 7 random prizes, chosen by Mr. Random.org! The winners (and prizes) are:

1. Cortney Pearson - A book cover design or blog banner, donated by Shelley Koon and a one page critique, donated by Cherie Reich. 
2. Roland Yeomans - A $10 Barnes & Noble gift card, donated by Miranda Hardy (US only) and a one page critique, donated by Cherie Reich. 
3. Synithia W - A signed copy of DEPRESSION COOKIES by Tia Bach, donated by Tia Bach.
4. Siv Maria - A copy of the ebook CURSE OF ANCIENT SHADOWS by Rod Tyson, donated by Rod Tyson.
5. RaeAnn - A critique of winner’s query, donated by Nancy S. Thompson.
6. Sylvia van Bruggen - An ebook copy of BLUEBERRY TRUTH by Ute Carbone (in a format preferred by the winner), donated by Ute Carbone. 
7. Megan Orsini - A one page critique, donated by Cherie Reich.

Congratulations to all the winners, you've done such a great job in this Challenge!!! Remember, you've been chosen from 210 entries - how awesome is that! We'll be asking the donors to contact you directly regarding your prizes in most cases, but some donors have asked some winners to get in touch with them - if that is the case, we'll send you an email to let you know. If you have any questions/concerns about your prize, please email me.

And don't forget, the Second Campaigner Challenge is now taking place, so make sure you enter before 11.59pm EDT on Friday.

 

Campaigner Notice-Board (Friday, February 24th, 2012)

Hey guys, another week of my Fourth Campaign has now passed :)

The First Campaigner Challenge is going fabulously, and we've just hit the magic 200 entries!!! There's still time to enter, though only a few hours left until 11.59pm Friday, EDT, so get in quick! "Like" voting will be open for another week for those making their way through all the awesome entries. The judges are hard at work (thank you judges!) on judging your entries, and we're sorting out and allocating prizes as we speak.

Make sure you come back for the Second Campaigner Challenge on Monday, March 5th. I'm putting the finishing touches on the Challenge now, and it'll be much harder *grins* (though there'll be easier options too for those of you who wish to take them). Here's a clue:

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And, of course, check out these great blogfests, contests, and other announcements:

• From K.T. Hanna at K.T. Hanna – The Scribble Muse: March 2012 is a #writemotivation Goal-Check Month! "The point of a #writemotivation Goal-Check Months is not about competition or getting first or second place - the only competition is with yourself and that damned writer’s ego. There will be rewards in the way of critiques, betas, and perhaps technical blog help for those who achieve their personal goals. Sign Up closes Feb 28 11:59pm CST. Check it out here! 
• From Callie Kingston at Callie Kingston: Blog Tour for Undertow runs Feb. 16 through March 13th. Giveaways at each stop, plus entry to grand prize drawing. Drop by my blog and take a look! 
• From Mark Koopmans at Aloha, and Hi! from Hi!: As I was born and reared in Dublin, Ireland, I'm mad excited for my Blog O'Hop with the theme of Got Irish - Get Pinched If You Don't Post! The linky list will officially open from March 12 to March 16, with the invitation to post the next day, which is, of course St. Patrick's Day :) 
• From Daniel R. Marvello at The Vaetra Files: If you have published a fantasy book that includes magic, consider joining your peers at The Magic Appreciation Tour and Book Sale. This is a unique Web-site is specifically for fans of magical fantasy, where readers find books and authors find friends. The Magic Appreciation Tour includes other Campaign alumnae (Roger Eschbacher and Katharina Gerlach) and the current Campaigner Vanna Smythe.
• From Daisy Carter at Fresh as a Daisy: In honor of the campaign, Daisy Carter is having a multiple books GIVEAWAY! Enter by March 5th for your chance to win! Check it out here! 
• From Alison Miller at Left Brained all Day; Write Brained - All the Time: Alison Miller is giving away ARCs of Wanderlove, I Hunt Killers, and more. Contest ends March 2. Check out this post! 
• From A.E. Martin at A.E. Martin: I'm giving a way a signed copy of Jessica Spotswood's debut novel Born Wicked. Follow my blog and leave a comment for a chance to win! Giveaway closes 2/29/12. 
• From Komal at Komal Lewis: I'm holding a giveaway to celebrate reaching 100 followers! Head on over for your chance to win e-gift cards for Barnes & Noble or Amazon! Check it out here! 
• From Amanda at Born Bookish: Do you love novels in verse? Amanda's hosting a novels in verse reading challenge. Click here to learn more. 
• From Jessica Therrien at Jessica Therrien - From Imagination to Publication: The Kindle edition of my debut novel, Oppression (Children of the Gods #1), is available for only .99 cents on Amazon! 
• From Kathy McKendry at Imagine Today: Join the Knights of Micro-Fiction, the last Monday of every month, in our quest to spark the creative genius in us all! Check it out here! 
• From Tina Moss at Tina Moss | Urban Fantasy & Romance Author: Twitter-Sized Pitch Contest from today Friday, Feb. 24th until Friday, March 2nd. Three winners will receive a query and first five page critique from me and my agents at Literary Counsel. The details are here! 
• And don’t forget to sign up for my Beta-Match (an opportunity for you to find critique partners and/or beta readers).

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.

First Campaigner Challenge (of my Fourth Campaign, February 2012)

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The time has come for my First Campaigner Challenge, woot!!! The Challenge is:

Write a short story/flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, “Shadows crept across the wall”. These five words will be included in the word count. 

If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), do one or more of these:

• end the story with the words: "everything faded." (also included in the word count)

• include the word "orange" in the story

• write in the same genre you normally write

• make your story 200 words exactly!

Feel free to use the picture to inspire you, or else see how whacky, creative, and original you can get :)

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 URL link to your post, not just the link to your blog! Otherwise we won't be able to find your entry.

I've also set up the Linky List so you can "Like" entries, so make sure you come back here and vote for the People's Choice Awards!!! Like voting will remain open for the week after the Challenge ends, so you can take your time reading some/all of the entries and voting. As the like voting is not a popularity contest, it is only intended that people taking part in the actual Challenge should vote. So please don't go out and get your family/friends/other bloggers to vote for you. If you only have time to read/vote for a few entries, consider randomly selecting entries or starting at the end rather than at the beginning, so that the people at the end have their entries read and voted on as well.

Entries in the First Campaigner Challenge will close on Friday, February 24th (at 11.59pm EDT), so make sure you get your post in the Linky List before then. As usual, while everyone is very welcome to take part in this Challenge, only Campaigners will be eligible for prizes.

Thank you so much to all the Campaigners who have volunteered to judge one or more of the Challenges. I'm amazed by your generosity—you all rock!!! In terms of judging, Michael Offutt from SLC Kismet will be in touch about that very soon. If you don't hear from us this Challenge, we may contact you to judge the Second Challenge (there are more judges than we need though, so it's possible we might not need your help this time, though we would love to take you up on it in my next Campaign in August). I'd love you all to take a moment to pop over and follow Michael, to say thanks for all his hard work in co-ordinating the judging.

There will be a stack of prizes awarded this Challenge (and the Second Challenges), both for the entries that are judged the best (by the judges and by yourselves) and through Random.org. We're talking ARCs, books, critiques, and other items galore! I'll be announcing the winners in the weeks after the Challenge finishes, so keep an eye out.

And as to that, thank you so much to everyone who donated the dozens of prizes we'll be awarding in the Challenges. I'm blown away by your generosity! Ozlem Yiciki or Steph Schmidt will be in touch over the course of the Campaign to discuss details of your prize donation. And would everyone please take the time to follow Ozlem and follow Steph as a sign of your appreciation for their help - without them, I wouldn't have been able to offer prizes.

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 this Friday!

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)

Where to from here? (and the Campaigner Notice-Board) (Feb 2012)

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I'd like to say a huge welcome to all the Campaigners (here, have some cookies!). I can't wait to get to know you over the next two months, and I know you're all looking forward to meeting and networking with each other. Now, halfway through sign-ups, we have 189 Campaigners who've come on board (what an awesome number!). And you still have until 11.59pm EDT Wednesday to sign up before I close the List of Campaigners.

First Campaigner Challenge

The First Campaigner Challenge begins on Monday, February 20th, so pop back here then if you want to take part in the fun! Remember, you don't have to take part, though it is great fun and a cool way to meet your fellow Campaigners.

Where to from here?

Where to from here, you ask? I gave you some suggestions in my previous post. Basically, take advantage of all the networking opportunities the Campaign is providing you. You can:

• meet and chat with other Campaigners on Twitter at #writecampaign
• visit the Campaigners' blogs
• take part in the Campaigner Challenges
• pop around to all the events on the Campaigner Notice-Board
• and above all, get to know the members of your Campaign Group(s) and see what fun activities you can come up with together (previous Campaigners have organized joint blogfests, Campaigner interviews, Choose Your Own Adventure Bloghops, and so on)

If you haven't already, now's the time to go around to your fellow Campaigners and some or all of the Campaigners in your Group(s). Make sure you follow and leave a comment and tell them who you are. Some awesome blogging connections have been made this way in the past. Try to visit them as much as possible during the Campaign, and make sure you leave comments as this is one of the key ways Campaigners can show their support.

This post about organizing Google Reader may help.

Campaigner Notice-Board

Check out these great blogfests, contests, and other announcements:

1. From Rach at Rach Writes: I will be holding a Beta Match (matching up critique partners and beta readers) on Monday, February 13th. Make sure you pop back to Rach Writes... on Monday to put your name down or search the list for your perfect match :) 
2. From T.B. McKenzie at Magickless: On Friday the 13th I will be giving away a signed, first edition copy of my debut novel, the Dragon and the Crow. All you have to do is tell me who your favourite dragon is and why. From Puff to Smaug, or a dragon more obscure -- just tell me why they are the best, and I'll pick the most sincere and eloquent entry. There can be only one! Check it out here.
3. From K.S. Collier at K.S. Collier: New book is being launched. "The Veil" by K.S. Collier is now available on Amazon Kindle. The hard copies will be following soon, as will Barnes & Noble for the Nook. Excited to meet everyone on my blog!
4. From Kimberly at Here's What I Think About That: Blog Hop for "Weekend" Happiness. Opens Friday and closes Sunday. Check it out here! 
5. From Meradeth at Write Stuff: I'm holding a $10 Amazon gift card giveaway--all you have to do is tell me what you think is the most romantic city in the world is--very simple! Tell me here.
6. From Chris Kelworth at The Kelworth Files: I'm looking for Campaigners to interview for my Campaigner Spotlight feature. Let me know on my blog.
7. From Rachele Alpine at Freckle Head: I'm doing a poll to see how people "discover" books.
8. From Rachele Alpine at Freckle Head: I'm having a Valentine's Day contest where I'm giving away heart hand warmers that are great for writing with!
   From Juliemybird at Rosewood Pencil Box: is hosting a giveaway for a(t least one) signed copy of Article 5 by Kristen Simmons. All you have to do is leave a comment with your email address. Winner(s) will be announced March 6. Come join the fun!
9. From Rebekah Loper at Black & Dark Night: "There's lots of stuff happening in February! Almost every Tuesday, there's an author interview/guest post & book giveaway, covering everything from Christian fic to paranormal to memoir. Current giveaway is Shades of the Orient (interview & details here). On Saturday, February 11th, is an extra interview & book giveaway with Rebecca Hamilton, author of The Forever Girl. Upcoming authors include Jean Marie Bauhaus, Dana Sitar, and Jessica Therrien. Check it all out on her blog!
10. From Stella Atrium at Stella Atrium on OpenSalon: The Blog from Stella Atrium focuses on indie writers for the fantasy genre, and especially developing more and more interesting girl heroes. 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.

And don't forget to stop back at Rach Writes... on Monday for Beta-Match (an opportunity for you to find critique partners and/or beta readers).

How do you deal with a case of the Bleh???

Only a short post today in anticipation of the kick-off of my Fourth Writers' Platform-Building Campaign next Monday, yay! Make sure you all come back then and sign up, so you don't miss out on joining. Instructions will be in my post next Monday.

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I've been struck down with a bad case of the Bleh over the last few weeks. You all know the symptoms I'm sure: general lethargy, inability to write much, the beloved manuscript you've worked on for months (years?) looks like it has a bad case of Spotty Needsmorerevision-itis and you simply don't know where to start, shiny new ideas start creeping around the house and whispering to you that you should drop everything and work on them, emails get backed up because you haven't responded, you're behind on visiting all the places your friends hang out on the interweb, etc etc etc.

Hmm.

Do you all have these days as well? What do you do when (if?) you get like this? Is there a magic potion I can take to cure myself, or do I just have to keep pushing through? Can't wait to hear your thoughts.

Fourth Writers' Platform-Building Campaign - Announcement

Thanks heaps to all of you who voted on the question of whether we should have one Campaign or two this year (and an even bigger thanks to those who volunteered to help out!). The results were so close (50% each way) and many of you were so keen to go ahead, that I've decided to do the following:

I'll be having two Campaigns this year, one beginning in February and the other in August (after WriteOnCon). However, this coming Campaign in February will be a mini-Campaign and will only run until mid-March (one month). I'll be setting up a List of Campaigners so you can meet each other, and I'll run one or two Campaigner Challenges and a Campaigner Notice-Board. That will be about it. Then the main Campaign will be in August.

Sounds good, I hope :)

The Fourth Campaign will begin on Monday, February 6th, so make sure you come back then and sign up. Can't wait to see you all on board!