Tuesday is the day I find out my fate in the ABNA contest (for my new readers that's Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award). I went through this last year. Same crap. I made it this far and that's it. I video taped by demise, do you remember?
This year I'm going to video again, but I'm truly hoping for a different outcome. Here are the reasons I think I may have a chance:
Just the fact that there is a YA category ups my chances. Of course, it ups everyone's chances that wrote YA.
Perusing the names of the novels entered, there seem to be a lot of fantasy novels. Since mine is not fantasy, that might give it a better chance.
There are no vampires or wizards in my book.
Hopefully a good pitch does not necessarily mean a good novel.
The writing stands up IMHO. My abilities since the first ABNA have drastically improved.
Okay, that said, here are some things I'm worried about:
I've heard that the vine reviewers were raving about the quality of the YA pieces in the contest this year, meaning, stiff competition.
There is always a crap shoot when it comes to reviewers. My upper, edgy YA has violence, language, drug and sexual content. Am I going to get some hardcore Christian reviewer that would never want their teen to read stuff like that?
Maybe Penguin is looking for a fantasy. One with a vampire or a wizard.
The action does not start right away.
Since I wrote it during Nano, it could have probably used more editing.
So, do I think I'll get in? I have no idea. I'm hoping, wishing, praying, rubbing a rabbit foot, throwing salt over my shoulder, with a four leaf clover in my pocket (I am NOT wearing last year's lucky socks).
Wish me luck. And for your reading please, a snippet from my novel, Lockdown:
I searched faces, behind the blood and the tears, but couldn’t find Cameron. I started calling his name, “Cameron! Cameron!” His tall frame should have stuck out in the crowd, as he would have towered above the rest; yet, he was nowhere to be found.
I felt eyes bore into me. I looked around to familiar faces staring at me in what? Fear? Panic? Why? At the time it made no sense. None at all. Not until I saw the weird Christian girl. She looked like she was in shock. A police officer had an arm around her shoulder, guiding her forward, as if she couldn’t move without his help.
I ran toward them, scanned the hill thinking there had to be more coming. I saw nothing. Just more cops poised and ready for action. I ran up behind her, grabbed her shoulder. She stopped, turned, looked at me with vacant eyes. I tried to remember her name. I couldn’t. Tear tracks ran through the dried blood on her face. She reminded me of one of those grotesque sad clowns, creepy, yet heartbreaking. Her clothes were covered with blood and God only new what else. “Cameron Pritchard. You know him, right?”
She merely nodded.
“Is he coming? Have you seen him?”
She shook her head.
“What? You haven’t seen him? Do you know where he is?”
“He, he,” she hung her head and began weeping, hard and heavy like rain. “He didn’t make it,” she said. Then she stretched her shirt out in front of her and looked up at me.
At first, I didn't get it. I stared into her tear filled eyes, then looked down at her shirt. That’s when I realized. She was telling me that was Cameron saturating her shirt, covering her face.
(and even now I see editing to be done. It is a never ending job. sigh.)
Megan, I'm rooting for you. I remember last year's video...you were robbed. I cried when I read Mending Fences...but you know that.
ReplyDeleteFingers and toes crossed.
Thanks so much Jarucia. I have to admit, getting two good reviews from my reviewers last year, I did feel a little robbed.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to you too. Third time's a charm, right?
I'm pulling for you, too, kiddo. I know that you're going to pull through to the next stage without doubt and all I can say is don't party too damn hard come Monday. You need all the brain cells you have, as do I.
ReplyDeleteI liked your reasoning above and have to agree with you. I don't think Penguin IS looking for Vampires of Wizards. If they were, they would have brought in three very different judges. Think TOR books. I do feel that 'intelligent fantasy' is on the rise and in all our future, I don't think it's quite there yet. High School driven young-adult drama is where it's at.
See you in the top 100.
Thanks Steffan. I appreciate it. Time will tell.
ReplyDeleteI wish you a ton of luck, Megan! And I think this looks extremely promising--I don't think I've seen your pitch, but your description and tension are fabulous.
ReplyDeleteThanks Hart. Appreciate it. I didn't actually post my pitch. I'm superstitious that way.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, Megan! Keep us posted, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the Amazon contest. Your books do not have to be perfect. That's what editors are for.
ReplyDeleteI'm still jealous. I'm gritting my teeth. OK, I'm fine now. Good luck again! Let the countdown begin.
Thanks so much all. I appreciate the support.
ReplyDeleteI was once told never to try to talk slang to a teen, because I will never be up to date and will just look and sound silly. After reading some of your writing I realized that it must be even harder to write slang (or like a teen), especially for the whole book. I am impressed. Now I get it when you say you study how your kids talk. But do any of their phrases they say stay current for more than a year?
ReplyDeleteGood luck with Lockdown. Really.
Keeping up with current slang is impossible. Fortunately I write science fiction, and so I try to keep slang to a minimum. Imagine how silly my already dated slang would sound spoken by people / aliens of the future? I once caught my spaceman saying, "far out." That got quickly edited out.
ReplyDeleteWhat is "hip" now? "HOT" seems to be the favorite word, but I am not sure. When my kids were growing up everything it was "rad." Does anyone use awesome, bitchin, or calabunga anymore? I hope not. Of course, being a product of the 60's (yes, I really can remember the 60's) I progressed from "neat" to "groovy" to "far out man" to "cool." Hmmm, we've gone from "cool" to "hot." I guress that's good.
Unfortunately I never listened to my parants, so I don't know what their favorate discriptive words were. I do remember laughing at my dad's, "How do you like them apples?" I remember my grandmother's equivilent to awesome was, "A cat's meow."
My point? Even if you listen to your kids, or your neighbor's kids, how can anyone really write current slang? Recently I had a nice conversation with a young man on an airplane flight. We were interrupted by his cell phone, at which time it sounded like he was speaking a foreign language to his friend. I managed to understand bits and pieces (yes, I'm a snoop). I gathered that "kicking" meant he was just relaxing. I guess "kicking" has now replaced "chilling?" When did that happen? But, I'll bet that even this young man's slang is dated to a teen's slang. And then there is black / white slang and the border slang I grew up with.
Gee, if I can't speak hip, how am I ever going to write hip? How's that for "Angsty?" Blah, blah, blah. Do teens still roll their eyes. Yes, that will never go out of date.
Teens definitely roll their eyes. My kids and their friends do say awesome, they "hang out", they don't "kick it".
ReplyDeleteSo, age matters for sure. When my kids talk to their friends, it's often like listening to a foreign language. They speak in half sentences, slang, and inside jokes. I love listening to them though, it cracks me up.
Thanks for the comments Walter.
Good luck, Megan! We find out soon.
ReplyDeleteTo you too, Don.
ReplyDelete