Contests!

Well, it seems like it’s been years (it hasn’t), but the Liz Norris Pay it Forward Contest is almost over. It was quite a ride and a hell of a learning experience, and I want to say thank you to Janet Reid and all the judges for spending the last month buried nose deep in unpublished authors. There were over 400 entries, and they finally narrowed it down to nine finalists. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, April 24th, and if you haven’t had a chance to visit Janet’s blog and check out the finalists, do it. Do it now. (Not right now. Finish the post first.)

While you’re there, check out Janet Reid’s Query Shark blog. It might be the single best resource for do’s and don’t when it comes to writing your first (or second, or fifteenth) query letter. Query letters aren’t fun. Trust me. If you can find an agent who’s willing to give free advice on how to fix yours, take it.

And speaking of free advice…

There is a fabulous (yeah…said it) contest hosted by Ann Marie Walker and her agent, Erin Niumata (!!) running through May 1st, with a chance to win a critique by said agent. Ms. Niumata has been kind enough to offer the winner a review of the first three chapters of their novel, and, one can presume, answers to life’s deepest mysteries.

Um, hell yeah.

You have the chance to skip the querying process entirely (a nightmare if there ever was one) and get right to chapters. That’s worth its weight in gold. If you’re like me and can’t write a query to save your life, this contest is a godsend. I definitely recommend heading over and checking it out.

And follow Janet, Ann, and Erin on twitter. It’s good for your soul, and not bad for your book.