Researching Hoosier Hysteria

The Speed City chapter of Sisters in Crime held its February meeting last Saturday at the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, which spotlights the highs and lows of high school basketball in the state. It was wonderful trip to New Castle, where the hall and museum are located, not the least of which being because it was such a beautiful sunny day for the 45-minute drive.

The decision for visit and tour the hall was mostly to help people generate ideas for Speed City's next anthology is about Indiana basketball. It was certainly beneficial to me. During the hourlong tour, I took two pages of notes on everything from famed coaches -- the late John Wooden, a Hoosier native, played at Purdue and coached high school ball in South Bend before heading out west -- to famous players, like Larry Bird.

But my story for the anthology centers around girls playing high school basketball. While there were no rules against girls trying out for high school basketball teams, which only had boys, there were no girl teams in inter-school play. Only beginning in the 1950s and picking up stream in the follwing decade did schools begin to develop teams for both boys and girls. There wasn't a girls high school basketball championship until the mid-1970s.

The story I have planned is coming along well, particularly because of the research I was able to do in New Castle. Plus I am developing further questions for the guide, who gave me is business card and encouraged me to call back if I had needed additional information.

While I try to do as little research as possible -- I always remember: "Write what you know." -- some research is always needed no matter what you write about. And I enjoy having as much information on hand as possible even if I don't even use it.

On another note, attended a big Oscar Night Party downtown last night. It is a fundraiser for the local United Way and is always a lot of fun. I attend most years. (The food is usually outstanding.)

And I was so pleased to see Woody Allen win for best original screenplay for "Midnight in Paris," which I saw for the first time last Friday night. (I knew he didn't stand a chance for the best director nod.) I loved the film and the writing was incredible, as you would expect from Allen. He remains my favorite film writer. He is witty and urbane but less neurotic than he was as a young man. When I want to see neurotic, I pop "Sleeper" in the player. It's my favorite of his "early funny films."

Anyway, that's all this aspiring novelist has to say at the moment, except thanks for reading and don't give up.

Eliminated, Part II

What I hate about being eliminated in ABNA's first round is that I have no idea why. Could be a poor plot and a badly written pitch, or I could just put it down to bad luck. I don't know. But a couple of hours ago, a friend whose debut novel was published nine months ago to wonderful reviews reminded me that her novel was eliminated in the first round a few years back. You just pick up and move forward.

So I will pour over the pitch again, shorten it to query-length -- about 250 words as compared with about 300 -- and start querying agents.

Then, perhaps, I will get some answers.

As for now, I am playing sad music, as is fitting my mood, and preparing for what's next.

Thanks again for reading.

Eliminated

Didn't make the cut this year in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, though it's the best novel I have entered in the three years I have tried. But a friend from my critique group advanced to the second round. I'm happy for her.

So, it's on to querying agents.

Thanks for reading and don't give up!

Nervous Nellie

I'm going to try to make this one of my last posts for a while on the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. But ABNA is gearing up at the moment and the first round results will be announced tomorrow.

There are three components to an entry in ABNA -- the pitch, an excerpt and the complete manuscript. In the first round, the only thing that is judged is the 300-word pitch. It's like a sales pitch that needs to include the main character, the plot and some really good writing. (It's kind of like the description you see on book jacket covers.) But since 80 percent of the entries are eliminated in the first round, more than a good story and good writing are required.

Luck will play a major factor.

Some of the past contestants estimate that luck plays up to 50 percent in whether you advance out of the first round/pitch stage and into the excerpt stage, which is the second round. If the reviewer is having a bad day or doesn't care for your genre, you likely could be bounced.

Just today on one of the ABNA community discussion boards I was reading the pitch of someone whom is active in the ABNA contestant community and who revised their pitch for a fantasy novel several times before it was entered. It is still a complete mess. I had no idea what the story was about and, worst of all, I didn't care. If I was a judge, I'd eliminate them immediately, although the book itself may be quite good (although I doubt it). But then, I don't care for fantasy novels. If I were judging, it would have a hard time with me anyway.

All that is to say I am a Nervous Nellie waiting for the first round results tomorrow, which should come in by early afternoon. I keep dreaming of advancing but know realistically the odds are against me.

All that said, below is my pitch. Read and send me a comment if you'd like. And above all, thanks for reading.

___

Rachel Edelstein is a rarity - it's not easy being black AND Jewish in America - but she has developed her own unique survival instincts. When Nazis come to kidnap her and she finds out her boyfriend is an Israeli intelligence agent, her life depends on trusting those instincts - and in trusting the right people.

The person she trusts most is her grandfather, Julius Edelstein, but he has suddenly disappeared. As Rachel searches for him, she learns Julius is the surviving member in a financial agreement called a tontine, which was created with millions of Deutsche Marks stolen from the Nazis during World War II. The men planned to use the dividends from the tontine to fund a resistance movement and ultimately support Jewish charities for the rest of their lives.

But the Nazis have long memories. Now, seven decades later, the descendants of a former Gestapo chief who escaped judgment are still looking for Julius. And they will stop at nothing to recover the money, including murder or kidnapping. That puts Rachel, who doesn't know why Julius is missing, in their cross hairs.

After the bad guys attempt to kidnap her hoping she will lead them to Julius, Rachel must use her instincts to determine whom to trust - her boyfriend, who lied to her about being an Israeli agent, or the black New York City police detective with a sketchy past who is investigating her grandfather's disappearance.

The wrong choice could lead to more chaos - and more dead bodies.

THE LAST TONTINE SURVIVOR is written in a style similar to that of authors Jeffrey Archer or Jack Higgins, and its target market is educated readers over the age of 30 who enjoy mystery and suspense, and a bit of history.

PSA and other thoughts

If you have read my blog for some time, you know I am a prostate cancer survivor. Or at least so far. But I still see the doctor every six months to have my PSA levels checked. I generally don't think much about the cancer except just before having to see the doctor again.

And that time is upon me again.

I had bllod drawn last week and my appointment to see the doctor for the results is on March 6. Can't wait. (Well, actually, I can.)

If all continues as it should (and as it has been), I probably won't touch on this subject again for about six months. If not, well, I'm not sure when I will bring it up again.

On other matters . . .

The Speed City chapter of Sisters in Crime is working on another anthology, this time with basketball as the theme. The deadline for submission is in July.

Over the weekend, I hashed out the outlines for an interesting story. I won't bore you with the details at the moment but it will involve a female high school basketball player. Our SinC chapter is meeting at the Indiana High School Basketball Hall of Fame in New Castle this Saturday so I will be able to do some research while I am there.

(Oh, for the first time in three years I'm NOT the secretary of our chapter. Was tired of that, thank you very much. But I was roped into being the membership, so I am still on the board. That's not so bad. I just check the membership rolls once a month or so. It's do-able.)

I had something else on my mind but I can't remember what. So I am going to go for now.

Thanks for reading and catch you on the flip side.

Discover Mystery contest

Poisoned Pen Press, a small but well-thought-of indie publisher, has a new contest this year for unpublished authors. It is called the Discover Mystery contest and I have decided to enter AN UNTIDY AFFAIR.

The mystery manuscript must be between 60,000 and 90,000 words, and the winner will be offered a publishing contract with a small ($1,000) advance. The submission deadline is April 30, with the winner being announced one month later on May 31.

Though I like Poisoned Pen Press, I have never submitted a manuscript there before, mostly, I think, out of fear of rejection. The publisher prides itself on the fact that it accepts and considers authors without representation. And I know a local author who has had several of her mysteries published through Poisoned Pen and has enjoyed some success them.

As you may remember, I originally wrote AFFAIR in November 2009 during National Novel Writing Month and it has gone through numerous rewrites. I think I am up to 12. Because it is polished is one of the reasons I decided to submit it. That and the fact that I have another work currently in the Amazon contest. The Poisoned Pen rules state I can't enter the same mss to another publisher at the same time it is being considered in the Poisoned Pen contest.

So this is two contests this year -- Poisoned Pen and Amazon -- with different novels. Way to go, me!!

One of my stated goals was to enter four contests this year for novels or short stories and so I am nearly half way there. Plus I am looking around for other contests to enter. Both AFFAIR and THE LAST TONTINE SURVIVOR are good works which are completed and edited (as best they can be by an non-professional editor). So I am prepared to shop them around and hope for the best.

Your prayers would also be helpful.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.

The first step is to admit your addiction

I have met so many wonderful people through the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest over the years. The way you meet your fellow contestants -- and well, anyone, really -- is primarily through the community forums. And while Ammy monitors the conversation threads, they can, and do, cover virtually any topic.

And they are addictive. So much so, you can get lost reading and commenting on the various conversation threads that you don't get any of your work do.

The topics cover everything from the serious, such as questions about the contest, writing suggestions and information on other contests; to the silly, such as bad song lyrics, and posting stupid questions.

This year, I promised myself that I would stay away from the threads as much as possible or, if I went there, I would merely 'lurk' and not comment on any topics.

I failed on both counts.

I tend to visit the threads everyday, though to my credit, I have commented less this year than in previous years. I am lurking more. Viewing and not commenting is made easier because many of my friends from years past are not in the competition this year, so I don't see them commenting much. And I don't know most of the regulars who are commenting this year and they don't know me. I posted an excerpt from my novel this year seeking comments but didn't get any.

This is the fifth year for ABNA and unfortunately something that generally happens later in the contest has started to occur, although the first round eliminations aren't due for more than a week. The problem is negativity.

When you pour your heart and soul into your work and then have it eliminated from competition is often hard to take. Most people accept it quietly, although it hurts. Others do not. There can be whining and crying and lashing out, saying the contest is unfair (which it isn't) or that the contestant was unfairly targeted for elimination (which also doesn't happen). Plus, some people take shots at the non-professional Vine reviewers who act as judges in the second stage of the contest. And the Vine reviewers sometimes fire back.

The problem this year seems that the Vine reviewers are complaining amongst themselves and to some degree on the ABNA threads even BEFORE they have any of the materials to judge. And there is one self-righteous, myopic SOB who takes pride in -- and indeed seems to get a perverse pleasure out of -- writing harsh reviews. Many of the contestants are afraid of him. I am not but I also avoid reading any of the comments on the contest or its contestants that he writes. He is a cancer, vile and ugly. He ruins the contest for many people and I don't understand why Ammy continues to use him.

That is another reason I am trying to stay away from the threads this year. There are 10,000 entries in the contest and there will only be two grand prize winners. They rest of us will eventually face our disappointments. Before that happens, I'd like to keep my dreams of winning alive and not have them killed prematurely by people who take joy in the misery of others.

I hope this doesn't sound like I am whining because I'm not. I have nothing to whine about. I wrote a good novel and wrote a good entry into the contest. Now, it is out of my hands and I will just have to wait and see what happens.

So, I'm going back to lurking, and working on my next novel.

Thanks for reading and you also, get back to writing.

My Muse Can Beat Up Your Muse: The Road to Publication: Part Three

My Muse Can Beat Up Your Muse: The Road to Publication: Part Three: [ This is part 3 of a summary of Spookygirl’s journey toward publication. Use the Progress tag to access all related entries. ] ...

Hello. It's me again. Finally.

I entered the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest again this year. I first entered in 2009 with A MURDEROUS DISPATCH. (I should have kept the original -- and once again -- title, "Death at the Jungle-Bunny Journal.") I didn't make it past the first round.

Last year, I entered A NASTY AFFAIR. and again I should have kept the original -- and once again -- title, "An Untidy Affair." The original title is a better fit for the story. It implies something both sexual and non-sexual.

I made it to the quarterfinal round last year, which was farther than 95 percent of all the entrants. And though I got a reasonably positive review from someone at Publishers Weekly, I failed to advance to the semifinals. Unfortunately, the review was vague and I couldn't get much out of it.

AFFAIR was written during National Novel Writing Month in 2009 and my entry this year, THE LAST TONTINE SURVIVOR, was originally written during NaNoWriMo in 2010. (It's original title was merely, "The Tontine," but this time, I like the change.) It is a good story and I think the writing is strong. I have gotten three critical reads of the manuscript, including an edit. But I have no idea how it will do in the contest.

So much of ABNA comes down to luck, particularly in the first round. I have no idea whether I have any of that. But I have done my part. I have written a good novel with an interesting plot. I have done what I could. Now, I just have to while until the first round results are announced on Feb. 23. The finals will be in late May. I hope I make it that far.

There are two categories in ABNA -- general fiction and young adult. I am entered in general fiction. There is a grand prize winner in each category.

And while I don't believe the best novel always wins, I certainly believe a deserving, well-written novel always wins. And the winner last year in the YA category was a delightful novel called, SPOOKYGIRL, PARANORMAL INVESTIGATOR. And its author is a wonderful woman named Jill Baguchinsky.

Jill just started a blog on what it is like to win ABNA. And if I do things correctly, there should be a link to her blog in this blog posting. You should go check it out. I enjoy reading it and look forward to her next posting.

Well, that's it for now. Thanks for reading and, always, keep writing.

Hello

I know I have been away for months -- since last June. But my focus has been on other things and, frankly, I didn't have a lot to say.

But I am trying to get back on the stick.

Look forward to coming posts, starting with when I entered ABNA this year.

Bye for now. Chat you up again soon.