Though I didn't win, I got a pleasant surprise!

Last year I entered my poetry collection, Twisted Velvet Chains, into the 20th Annual Writer's Digest Annual Self-Published Book Awards. If you know me well, you know that I'm quite against paying to submit things. But when it's something as prestigious as Writer's Digest, even I can sometimes be swayed.

When I hit that submit button though, I fretted. Big time. I thought I had set myself up for some major criticism. I thought that the conservative judges (well, that was an assumption on my part), wouldn't "get me". Oh how wrong I was!

I didn't win, but I received the judge's feedback today. Here's what it said:

Books were evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5. This scale is strictly to provide a point of reference, it is not a cumulative score and does not reflect ranking.

Structure and Organization: 4

Grammar: 5

Production Quality and Cover Design: 4

Plot (if applicable): N/A

Character Development (if applicable): N/A

What did you like best about this book?
Twisted Velvet Chains by Jessica Bell is a soul-wrenching collection successfully focusing on the mother-daughter angst in most such relationships, yet she goes deeper, because the relationship goes deeper, through childhood and teen and young adult scenarios.

Poems like "Gothic Neanderthal" and lines like: Grey netting hangs / from naked papery breasts, / dark purple tulle / fastened round her waist / black smudges / smeared 'cross her face. / patterned like lace / wet stringy hair / sticks / to her brow / her neck / wet cotton / sweat / toxic breath / menstruation blood / the onion soup we ate for lunch / I dry-wretch" // ... are potent, visceral.

This is a strong and well-represented collection. Kudos to Jessica Bell.

How can the author improve this book?
Very little raised red flags. I suppose the cover could have been a little bit sharper. The interior was well done. Overall, a very nice book.

Oh. My. Gosh. I am so thrilled! A "proper" judge liked my work. Now this is enough for me to gain confidence in my poetry again. Recently I've been thinking that I'm crap, as you most likely know, writers' emotions are frequently in flux.

Will I enter again this year? Yup. But this time I'm going to enter my new novella.

How do you feel about competitions like these? Worth it? Have you had any good/bad experiences with writing competitons? What impact did these experiences have on you?

Want to win a query critique from Chuck Sambuchino of Writer's Digest, and a one-year subscription to WritersMarket.com? Then keep reading ...

To celebrate the beginning of summer, Vine Leaves Literary Journal is offering you the opportunity to win  free critiques from publishing experts and a one-year subscription to WritersMarket.com! All you have to do is email the logline of your novel (any genre, and no longer than two sentences), and the three best will be chosen. Winners will be announced in Vine Leaves Literary Journal Issue #03, out on Friday, July 6.

Here’s what you’ll receive:

First Prize

• A query critique by Chuck Sambuchino of Writer’s Digest.
• A free one-year subscription to WritersMarket.com.
• A detailed vignette, short story, script, or poem critique (800 words max) by me and Dawn Ius, the editors of Vine Leaves Literary Journal, with follow-up guidance via email. (Plus inclusion in Issue #04 of the magazine if the changes suggested are implemented and well-done.)

Second Prize

• A query critique by Chuck Sambuchino of Writer’s Digest.
• A free one-year subscription to WritersMarket.com.

Third Prize

• A detailed vignette, short story, script, or poem critique (800 words max) by me and Dawn Ius, the editors of Vine Leaves Literary Journal, with follow-up guidance via email. (Plus inclusion in Issue #04 of the magazine if the changes suggested are implemented and well-done.)

How to enter:

email: vineleaves.contests@gmail.com

subject line: logline contest June 2012

details needed:

• your name
• title of project
• genre of project
• your logline

Contest ends June 30. Spread the word!

PS: thank you to Talli Roland, Sheri Larsen, and Tracy Blowers for promoting FABRIC last Friday and today! :)

#AtoZChallenge: Gearing Up!

I'm taking this week off posting to finish preparing my A to Z posts for April. And guess what? I have a superduperawesome surprise for you all when the challenge begins.

Hint: You know how all my posts are going to be about music? You know how I'm a musician? Well, let's just say it is going to fit together very nicely, and you are going to benefit from it :o)

In other news, if you missed it yesterday, check out my post over at Writer's Digest discussing why literary fiction is NOT boring. Would really appreciate if you could share the link around too, you know, FB, Tweet, etc. Thanks!

A great friend of mine, Glynis Smy, not too far away in Cyprus, is gearing up for something else. A book launch! She is an excellent writer, so if you're in any way interested in historical fiction and feel like helping a fellow author promote a new book, please head over to her blog to see how! I'll definitely be jumping on board!

Also, the Homeric Writers' Retreat & Workshop now has a FACEBOOK PAGE! Please come like us! :o)

Are you preparing for A to Z? Looking forward to it?

Blogging at Writer's Digest today ...

I'm over at Guide to Literary Agents blog discussing why literary fiction isn't boring. Would love for you all do drop by!


Hope everyone's weekend is shaping up nicely!

A great BIG thank you to the fabulous Chuck Sambuchino of Writer's Digest, for teaming up with me for the Homeric Writers' Retreat & Workshop this year!

To be completely honest with you, when I came up with the idea for this retreat last year, I thought it was a far stretch for it to actually take place. One, because I don't have an agent to 'prove' my abilities as a writer.

We all know that some people feel having an agent is the be all and end all to becoming published. They also seem to think it a validation that you can write. But those of us who've been around a little longer, pushing their way independently through the thick mud more commonly known as 'trying to get published', know this is not the case. And now, thanks to Chuck Sambuchino, this dream of a retreat on the island of Ithaca, Greece, is no longer a dream, but a reality.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank him publicly for taking the bull by the horns and making this amazing event happen. Chuck, THANK YOU.

I have to say that, ultimately, it does not matter how we get that publishing contract (or decide to self-publish). All that matters is that we do everything we can to reach our dreams.

It isn't important whether we follow the yellow, red or purple brick road to getting our writing into the hands of readers. Because if you are a good writer, it will be evident. Not only will it be evident in readers' reviews, but it will be evident because you will continue to live your dream no matter how many obstacles get in your way. If you love to write so much, that when you don't write, it feels like you're missing a limb, or an organ, or even worse, a loved one, you will reach your dream.

When writing becomes an element of the oxygen you breathe every day, then yes, one day you will become a published author. I can guarantee that.

This is what the Homeric Writers' Retreat & Workshop means to me. It's an opportunity, not only to hone your craft and be taught by experts in publishing, but also to forget what is expected of you for a little while and to remind yourself why you write.

Ithaca is paradise and has so much history. It is magical and inspiring and when you sit down to write in a place like this, 'the industry' becomes an aspect of publishing that you can think about when the time is absolutely right: later. When you sit down to write in a place like this, the process of writing becomes just as important to you as the result you are seeking when you finish.

So yes, please do come to this retreat to learn, because you will learn A LOT, not just from me, but from one of the most respected and experienced individuals in the publishing industry, Chuck Sambuchino.

But please, I beg of you, don't come only to learn. Come because you want to live and cherish the process of writing. Because you want to explore the places in your heart that don't often see the light of day. Come because you want to write something that will make readers 'feel', and will make you feel too ...


... Come because it's not only the result that matters, it's the time you spend getting there: Homeric Writers' Retreat & Workshop, 2012.