Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award

I am biting the bullet and entering a contest. Not that I have ever thought there was anything wrong with entering contests, it is just kind of intimidating to think about entering one for myself.

So this week I am beginning the process of making sure that I have all my ducks in a row for contest submission and hoping for some good feedback.

As it is called the "Breakthrough" novel award I want to make it clear that I am not entering this because I think I have written a very deep novel that will change the world, etc. But I do think it has some merit, and I am hoping to make it to the quarterfinals where the book where will be reviewed by Publisher's Weekly.

So, what am I doing to get ready?

I am reviewing the manuscript to edit out mistakes just to make sure it is as polished as it can be. This is a harder task than you might think. I had to print out the book because when I was editing it on the computer I found that I wanted to change more than just errors. It kind of became more of a full-on overhaul rather than just editing for mistakes.

I have to figure out my 3,000-5,000 word excerpt. It says it should be the first words, which makes sense, so I am trying to determine how far into the book the excerpt will go.

The "pitch," which I have shared with you here before. It is a 300 word cover letter/summary of the book.

So, those are the 3 easy steps to contest submission. It's a little bit of a daunting task to think about getting that much done, ready, and polished before submitting the work to professionals to review. But I am doing it.

Wish me luck and I'll let you know how it goes!

Lemons, Lemonade and Everything in Between

I figure there's been enough chatting about my book, with no follow through. I thought it was time to post a description here and see what everyone thinks! Apparently, you have to have something called a "pitch" in order to be taken seriously in the publishing world. 300 words or less describing your book- basically what you would find a on a book jacket. So, without further adieu, here is the "pitch" for my book Lemons, Lemonade, and Everything In Between.

Charleston socialite Emma Palmer has an aversion to lemonade.

Growing up her mother was constantly reminding her that whatever life handed her, she had the ability to turn it into something good. Emma was expected to turn her lemons into lemonade.

About to become a college graduate, Emma has it all- a job waiting for her in the family business, a boyfriend who loves her, and a bright future about to unfold right in front of her.

So why does she throw it all away?

She breaks up with Charlie, the boy who has loved her for too long. She turns down her parents’ job offer, wanting to make her own way in life. She gives up on lemonade and starts drowning in lemons.

When Emma meets Noah Gray, her world starts to change. Noah reminds Emma that life is about making the choices that are right for you, not about someone else. As Emma begins to fall in love with Noah, she has to also start contemplating the rest of her life and finally determine what comes next.

But as she takes this journey, she begins to wonder what if? What if she was on the right path all along?

Emma has to start weighing her lemons as they are, and not hiding behind an empty lemonade glass. Will she move on with Noah and a new life? Or will she realize that her life with Charlie was what she really needed all along?

In her story of life, love and lemons, Emma will take you along for the ride while sharing all of her ups and downs along the way. Only Emma has the answers she needs in life, she just has to find them inside herself before letting the world see her shine.