So I go to the mailbox, and what's there?
A box of Similac.
Apparently they're redesigned the container. Well, redesigned container or not, I don't have a formula-drinking baby in my house. Nor am I expecting one anytime soon.
This is a crazy world we live in.
***Permission to forward to loops is granted and appreciated***
Gear up to submit your polished chapter for a chance of getting in front of our awesome line up of final editor judges. (See below)
TARA is proud to announce, out of 22 TARA finalists last year, 9 entries were requested by editors. One request resulted in a sale. Congratulations, Caroline! See Caroline's comments below.
I’m thrilled to tell you that as a result of your wonderful Tara contest I’ve sold my first book!! My western historical manuscript, The Jingle of Spurs, won the historical category and the full was requested by e-mail by Leah Hultenschmidt from Dorchester Publishing. In less than a month I was offered my very first book contract. It’s a dream come true!! I can never thank you enough for your fabulous contest and the terrific people involved in coordinating it. Please look for my August 2009 release now titled, Where The Wind Blows.Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!Sincerely, ~Caroline Fyffe
2009 TARA
Sponsor: Tampa Area Romance Authors
Fee: $25 (PayPal accepted)
Receipt Deadline: May 1, 2009
Enter: The first chapter, 4,000 words max (actual word count), including prologue, if applicable. *Word count will be verified. No part of a second or any additional chapters will be judged. You may also enter an optional synopsis (unjudged) of up to 1,500 words. End your entry on a hook, leaving your judges breathless with no more pages left to turn. Please be sure to go to the TARA website www.tararwa.com for important additional contest information
Note: Finalists must include a synopsis of up to 1,500 words at the time they submit revised entry for final judging.
Eligibility requirements: The TARA Contest is open to unpublished writers and to any author who has not been published in the past three years and is not currently contracted for any novel-length work of fiction (40,000 + words) in any format (ebook, mass market, etc). (Any author found breaking this rule will be immediately disqualified, their entry fee forfeited.
Judges: trained/experienced, published
Categories/Final Judges:
Series contemporary, Wanda Ottewell, Harlequin
Historical, Leah Hultenschmidt, Dorchester
Paranormal, Danielle Poiesz, Pocket
Single title, Deb Werksman, Sourcebooks
Women's fiction, Lindsay Nouis, NAL
Romantic suspense, Amy Pierpont, Grand Central
Inspirational, Anne Horch, Faith Words
Top prize: Sterling Silver TARA pendant, certificate
FMI, entry form, and rules, send SASE to Anne-Marie Carroll, 5022 Umber Way N, Tampa, FL 33624, e-mail TARAContest@gmail.com, amcresume@aol.com or visit our website at www.tararwa.com
Friday, March 27, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Touched by Love Contest 2009
2009 TOUCHED BY LOVE CONTEST RULES
Deadline: Entry Form, nonrefundable fee (checks made out to FHL or by paid by Paypal) and manuscript must be received no later than Midnight, April 1, 2009. Entries and fees received after contest is officially closed will not be accepted.
Eligibility: Contest is open to all unpublished authors and to any author not published in the past threeyears. All work must be the author's original work. Entrant must retain all rights to the entry and not have granted any of them to a publisher other party by the contest entry deadline.
Definition of an inspirational romance: Stories written by writers whose worldview, influenced by their faith in the God of the Bible, is woven into the fabric of the book or manuscript. Entries in FHL’s contest should not include inappropriate or gratuitous demonstration of sin, whether in language, violence, or sexual situations.
Inspirational Romance Categories: Contemporary (under 75, 000 words), Contemporary (over 75,000 words) and Historical.
Entry fee: $20.00 for members of the Faith, Hope and Love (FHL) chapter. $25.00 for non-FHLmembers. Non-members can elect to join FHL and pay the member entry fee. Any checks must be made out to the FHL Chapter of RWA.
ENTRY FORMAT:
An entry consists of up to the first 30 pages of an unpublished manuscript and an unjudged synopsis (no more than two pages double-spaced).
The entry should have at least one inch margins all around with exactly 25 lines per page. A standard professional font should be used with at least a 12 point font size. Entry and synopsis must be double-spaced using the same font.
The header must have manuscript title and projected or approximate word count on the left and page number on right.
Example:
Love’s Journey/ 60,000 words Page 1
Optional: You may include your target publisher in the header to assist the judges in evaluating your manuscript.
Example: If you are writing a Short Contemporary targeted for Steeple Hill Love Inspire line your header would look like this:
Love’s Journey/60,000 words, Steeple Hill: Love Inspired Page 1
The author’s name should not appear anywhere on the manuscript. Remove all personal information from the document.
Chapter Headers: (Chapter One, Chapter Two….) to begin 1/3 to 1/2 way down the page.
EMAIL INSTRUCTIONS:
Entrant may complete an entry form online and pay entry fee using Paypal OR mail an entry form and a check to the appropriate category coordinator. (mailing instructions for entry forms and checks are on the entry Form)
Address the email to the appropriate Category Coordinator. Please put TBL Contest and the contest category in the subject line.
In the email body include the author's name, phone number, email address, mailing address, manuscript title, projected length, and category entered. Your name appears only in the email body, which is kept by the contest coordinator.
Attach to the email a copy of entry and synopsis in one file in .doc or .rtf format only. The synopsis should be placed at the end of the manuscript pages.
The file name should contain the title of the manuscript. Send the email and attached file to the appropriate category coordinator before the deadline. Follow formatting guidelines listed above.
**The total attached submission is to be no more than 32 double-spaced pageswith up to 30 pages of the beginning of the manuscriptand a synopsis of not more than two pages. (synopsis is not judged)**
Email each entry as an attached document in .rtf or .doc format to:
Historical Romance Entries to Kelly Riley: RileyK1(at)aol.com
Short Contemporary Romance (under 75,000 words) to Gina Welborn: gina(at)gabcrush.com
Long Contemporary Romance (over 75,000 words) to Gina Welborn: gina(at)gabcrush.com
Enter as many manuscripts as you wish. For each entry, the entrant must complete an online entry form and pay the entry fee with Paypal OR send an entry form and check to the appropriate contest coordinator. (Mailing information is on entry form)
Each entry should be emailed separately.
**Entrants who do not comply with the above rules will be disqualified and entry fee will be forfeited.** {GW says, "I'll work with you to keep your entry from being disqualified.}
JUDGING:
Preliminary judging begins April 10, 2009. All manuscripts will be judged by three judges, one of which will be published or PRO. The highest two scores will be averaged for the preliminary score. The lowest score will be dropped.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, finalists will be notified no later than May 16, 2009. Finalist scores must be in the top 25% with an overall possible point total of 155.
Finalists will receive the opportunity to have their entry judged by five published inspirational authors. Scores will be averaged in order to establish a winner. The winner will be announced at the 2009 RWA National Conference. There will be three finalists in the three categories. There will be a winner in each category and an overall winner from the three categories.
The overall winner chosen from the three winners of the categories will receive a critique of their entry by an editor and $100 toward any writing related expense paid within one year of the end of the TBL contest. The remaining two First place category winners will receive $75 toward any writing related expense paid within one year of the end of the TBL contest. Second place winners will receive $50 toward any writing related expense paid within one year of the end of the TBL contest. Third place winners will receive $25 toward any writing related expense paid within one year of the end of the TBL contest. Writing expenses include the Golden Heart or other writing contest entry fee, conference fees, National RWA dues, etc. Receipts are required for reimbursement.
Any questions, contact contest coordinators Kelly Ann Riley at RileyK1(at)aol.com or Gina Welborn at gina(at)gabcrush.com
Deadline: Entry Form, nonrefundable fee (checks made out to FHL or by paid by Paypal) and manuscript must be received no later than Midnight, April 1, 2009. Entries and fees received after contest is officially closed will not be accepted.
Eligibility: Contest is open to all unpublished authors and to any author not published in the past threeyears. All work must be the author's original work. Entrant must retain all rights to the entry and not have granted any of them to a publisher other party by the contest entry deadline.
Definition of an inspirational romance: Stories written by writers whose worldview, influenced by their faith in the God of the Bible, is woven into the fabric of the book or manuscript. Entries in FHL’s contest should not include inappropriate or gratuitous demonstration of sin, whether in language, violence, or sexual situations.
Inspirational Romance Categories: Contemporary (under 75, 000 words), Contemporary (over 75,000 words) and Historical.
Entry fee: $20.00 for members of the Faith, Hope and Love (FHL) chapter. $25.00 for non-FHLmembers. Non-members can elect to join FHL and pay the member entry fee. Any checks must be made out to the FHL Chapter of RWA.
ENTRY FORMAT:
An entry consists of up to the first 30 pages of an unpublished manuscript and an unjudged synopsis (no more than two pages double-spaced).
The entry should have at least one inch margins all around with exactly 25 lines per page. A standard professional font should be used with at least a 12 point font size. Entry and synopsis must be double-spaced using the same font.
The header must have manuscript title and projected or approximate word count on the left and page number on right.
Example:
Love’s Journey/ 60,000 words Page 1
Optional: You may include your target publisher in the header to assist the judges in evaluating your manuscript.
Example: If you are writing a Short Contemporary targeted for Steeple Hill Love Inspire line your header would look like this:
Love’s Journey/60,000 words, Steeple Hill: Love Inspired Page 1
The author’s name should not appear anywhere on the manuscript. Remove all personal information from the document.
Chapter Headers: (Chapter One, Chapter Two….) to begin 1/3 to 1/2 way down the page.
EMAIL INSTRUCTIONS:
Entrant may complete an entry form online and pay entry fee using Paypal OR mail an entry form and a check to the appropriate category coordinator. (mailing instructions for entry forms and checks are on the entry Form)
Address the email to the appropriate Category Coordinator. Please put TBL Contest and the contest category in the subject line.
In the email body include the author's name, phone number, email address, mailing address, manuscript title, projected length, and category entered. Your name appears only in the email body, which is kept by the contest coordinator.
Attach to the email a copy of entry and synopsis in one file in .doc or .rtf format only. The synopsis should be placed at the end of the manuscript pages.
The file name should contain the title of the manuscript. Send the email and attached file to the appropriate category coordinator before the deadline. Follow formatting guidelines listed above.
**The total attached submission is to be no more than 32 double-spaced pageswith up to 30 pages of the beginning of the manuscriptand a synopsis of not more than two pages. (synopsis is not judged)**
Email each entry as an attached document in .rtf or .doc format to:
Historical Romance Entries to Kelly Riley: RileyK1(at)aol.com
Short Contemporary Romance (under 75,000 words) to Gina Welborn: gina(at)gabcrush.com
Long Contemporary Romance (over 75,000 words) to Gina Welborn: gina(at)gabcrush.com
Enter as many manuscripts as you wish. For each entry, the entrant must complete an online entry form and pay the entry fee with Paypal OR send an entry form and check to the appropriate contest coordinator. (Mailing information is on entry form)
Each entry should be emailed separately.
**Entrants who do not comply with the above rules will be disqualified and entry fee will be forfeited.** {GW says, "I'll work with you to keep your entry from being disqualified.}
JUDGING:
Preliminary judging begins April 10, 2009. All manuscripts will be judged by three judges, one of which will be published or PRO. The highest two scores will be averaged for the preliminary score. The lowest score will be dropped.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, finalists will be notified no later than May 16, 2009. Finalist scores must be in the top 25% with an overall possible point total of 155.
Finalists will receive the opportunity to have their entry judged by five published inspirational authors. Scores will be averaged in order to establish a winner. The winner will be announced at the 2009 RWA National Conference. There will be three finalists in the three categories. There will be a winner in each category and an overall winner from the three categories.
The overall winner chosen from the three winners of the categories will receive a critique of their entry by an editor and $100 toward any writing related expense paid within one year of the end of the TBL contest. The remaining two First place category winners will receive $75 toward any writing related expense paid within one year of the end of the TBL contest. Second place winners will receive $50 toward any writing related expense paid within one year of the end of the TBL contest. Third place winners will receive $25 toward any writing related expense paid within one year of the end of the TBL contest. Writing expenses include the Golden Heart or other writing contest entry fee, conference fees, National RWA dues, etc. Receipts are required for reimbursement.
Any questions, contact contest coordinators Kelly Ann Riley at RileyK1(at)aol.com or Gina Welborn at gina(at)gabcrush.com
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