Friday, September 11, 2009

Finalisms and Other Sundries



*taps dust of microphone*

Phew! It's been a while! And though I've been absent, I haven't been idle. ;)

I'm closing in on my final rewrites for my parnormal romantic suspense novel, Inner Eye. My goal is to have them complete by 9/15 and I should land thereabouts. It will be a *crazy* month and a half for me coming up -- lots of fun stuff!

On to the good news . . .

I'm happy to announce that I'm a finalist in the Golden Gateway's paranormal category again this year (different ms than last year). They haven't announced the finalists on their website yet, but I hear I'm up against some stiff competition. I'm just happy to final. It's good to know that the baby you've spent the better part of a year tearing up and piecing back together doesn't suck. Coming from fanfic roots, I'm a glutton for that reassurance.

And I'm equally ecstatic to announce that the same ms finaled in the Romantic Suspense category of the Emerald City Opener contest. (Okay, maybe slightly more ecstatic, because the prize for this one is PRICELESS.) I get a personal one-on-one appointment with an agent/editor at the 2009 Emerald City Writers' Conference. *squee-gulp*

Yes, that's the same manuscript in two different contests, in two different categories. It is a paranormal romantic suspense, so I've been entering it into whichever category I think fits the specific contest. In my next entry, Inner Eye will be in the Single Title category. What can I say? The story really doesn't want to be pinned down to one narrow genre!

Obviously, since I have an appointment with an agent/editor all lined up, I'll be popping my conference cherry on October 9th. I'm equal parts excited and nervous. I have to get a pitch together, get my hair done, and go shopping! Luckily, the members of the GSRWA have been very welcoming, and I already have a conference buddy.

I'll also be going to hear my mentor/cp Debbie Mumford speak at a Vancouver Writers Mixer on October 3rd. It's starting to feel like this writing thing is actually *happening.* Perhaps the most gratifying moment was one day on a vacation/weekend outing, hubby picked up my Crackberry, looked at the list of emails, and just about choked. "How do you keep track of all that sh*t?" he asks. Truly, sometimes I think my whole family believes I'm just screwing off on the internet all the time. Srsly.

I'm also going to be visiting with mah girls in Atlanta the last weekend of September. I'm sooooo excited! (Except for the flying part, but I have Valium, so I'm covered

My next goal, after all of these social events, is to launch my new website/blog. I'm aiming for October. (I know, I know . . . I've said this before.) In my defense, learning a new coding language ain't no bowl of cherries.

Then I will hit the grindstone hard polishing up Inner Eye and my first novel, Cloak of Deceit. I plan to submit both to the Golden Hearts this year, and to get them going on the query-go-round in early December. I have entered a few other contests, so I may have more good news to share soon *crosses fingers*.

Oh, and I'll definitely post a conference update or two. I've got to get back on this blogging horse . . .

TTFN!!

~Gwen

9 comments:

Thomma Lyn said...

WOO!!!! I'm thrilled that IE finaled in the Golden Gateway contest! And yup, it sounds like you've got a wild couple of months ahead -- but a wonderful kind of wild. :) And I've no doubt the good news will keep on a-coming!

((((((((excited hugs)))))))), sweetie! :-D

Roni Loren said...

Congrats on being a finalist in both. :) I'm sure you'll do great with the agent pitch.

Gwen said...

Thanks ladies! I think the biggest hurdle for the pitch will just be staying calm, lol.

Erin Quinn said...

Gwen, congratulations on your finals! You're almost there. But why, girl, are you aiming for 120k words on your WIP? That's about 20k over. Pare it down. 100k is going to serve you better. :)

Thanks for reaching out on goodreads. Nice to meet you and good luck with your writing. It sounds like you're on your way!!!

Gwen said...

Wow, Erin - thanks soooo much for stopping by! *fangirlglee*

Man, I know you're right - that extra 20K will make it much harder to sell. The problem is, I'm cutting it down from 145K o.O. I know you're right, though. Maybe after I finish this major overhaul I can shave another 5-10K off with another pass.

DawnB said...

Congrats on the contest final. Sounds like you have a lot of exciting things going on right now. Good luck with it all.

Gwen said...

Thanks, Dawn! :D

Danni said...

Good luck with your book!

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