What's Up the Street For Next Week?

Welcome, welcome!

Did anyone else notice how many followers are up here?!? 164! Since we like to party so much around here, when that grand number hits 200 - we're going to have to have a double giveaway. Don't you think?

Speaking of giveaways...

SYLVIA is the winner of The Vigilante’s Bride by Yvonne Harris. Sylvia send me your snail mail at pepperbasham(at)yahoo(dot)com.

Ralina and Wendy are the winners of Laura Frantz books. WOOHOO!!! Send your snail mail to me or Casey, ladies, and one of us will forward the info to Laura.

Pepperbasham(at)yahoo(dot)com or caseym.writer(at)gmail.com

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Don’t lose heart people. We’re having ANOTHER Giveaway TODAY!!! Leave a comment and we’ll place your name in the drawing for Marylu Tyndall’s newest novel, Surrender The Heart. A fabulous read, btw. It was one of my personal favorites of MaryLu’s swashbuckling fiction :-)

Won’t you be our neighbor? :-)

Isn’t it neat to meet new people? Well, we’ve got a week for you! New faces, new information, and a lot of new tips from great writers. So sit back, kick up your feet, and get ready to meet our new additions to The Writers Alley. Let's see those lovely faces again, shall we? ;-)

On Monday, get ready as Pepper interviews Angie Dicken.

Sherrinda finds out about Julia Reffner on Tuesday.

See what Mary and Cindy Wilson have to talk about on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Casey interviews Wendy Miller.




And end the week with a bang, as Krista finds out more about Sarah Forgrave…with a few laughs.

Does anyone else think these ladies are TOO YOUNG to be moms...let alone writing moms?!?

THE NEWSTAND

Pepper starts her new blog series, Fall Into Love, on Words Seasoned With Salt. The fun begins on Monday, October 11th and runs until she can't find any other authors willing to participate. :-) Join some of your favorite authors as they answer the question – What does it look like when your characters Fall In Love? Each other will also provide an excerpt to prove their points :-)

Mary Connealy starts off the week, followed by Rachel Hauck on Wednesday, and Patti Lacy on Friday. Mary’s have a GIVEAWAY of her new release Wrangler in Petticoats.

Mary is talking about Moses, Pharoah, Aaron and plagues # 9 & 10. Check it out here.http://mimaryvee.blogspot.com/

Check out Operation Encourage An Author where Shannon Vannatter is the author of the week. And don’t forget to stop by Casey’s blog for her usual giveaways

Sarah is very reflective this week. Check out her reflections about the ACFW conference on her blog. A wonderful opportunity to see some pics too, I’m sure.

To Enter or Not to Enter - That is the Question

Sorry ladies and gents, my internet has been down all weekend and I've just had an opportunity to post. But, better late than never, right?

Okay - we told you it's a celebration week here at The Writers Alley, but I don't want to leave you without a bit of knowledge too.
So...
Why do people enter writing contests?
Well, I can only speak for myself, but here are a few of the reasons I've entered seven contests in the past 14 months.

1. CHEAP (a few were really inexpensive and caught my eye)
2. to LEARN (how can I improve my writing?)
3. to WIN (who doesn't want that, right? Come on, be honest)
4. to CATCH the eye of a Publisher - ('nough said)

I entered my first contest when I attended the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference last May (2009). I'd just finished the Journeyman course through Christian Writers Guild, polished my WIP to the best of my ability, and wanted to get some valuable feedback. Truly. I NEVER imagined winning the overall Award of Excellence in Christian Literature. In fact, I didn't even stay for the awards banquet because I had to get home to take care of my kids. AAHHHH!

With that encouragement, I entered my second contest - The Golden Rose, an RWA contest. I placed third.

Wow, I was smokin' now, right? Publication couldn't be far away now, RIGHT? NOT - the next three contests ended in no finals, only LOTS of intense comments on how my writing needed to improve. (though in the Linda Howard, my scoring placed me in fourth) ;-) I gleaned important info from those judges and with fear and trepidation I entered...

THE GENESIS

Oh my, with the great reputation of the Genesis, I knew I'd benefit from whatever the judges had to say, but the REAL, honest, totally human reason I entered was...to WIN.
There, I wrote it for all the world to see.
I wanted to have my name announced at ACFW, possibly go before some editors, you know? "Livin' the dream, baby" :-)

But my dream, and the contest judges' comments, didn't quite agree. They gave thorough feedback in mnay cases, and even though I was disappointed, I ended up learning a lot about how I could improve the story I'd thought was nearly perfect. Sigh.

It was a very good thing that I didn't receive the Genesis scores back until AFTER I'd entered the TARA (Tampa Area Romance Authors) contest. If I'd read those judges' reactions to my manuscript before the TARA, I wouldn't have 'wasted' my money (or the judges' time) on another contest until my novel was in better shape.

But I entered the TARA for one reason. Only one. An editor from Barbour was the finalist judge. I LOVE Barbour's books. I READ Barbour's books. Mary Connealy, Janice Thompson, Kaye Dacus, Marylu Tyndall...
Why not try it? (#4 reason on my list)

So here I am, celebrating with you guys. Only a few weeks ago, I got a call that I'd finaled in the TARA. Revisions, plus a synopsis were submitted, and now the waiting begins. Will the Barbour editor read my work and think "Wow, this lady is an editor's dream!"?
Probably not :-)

But HER input will be a great list to add to the many others.

So I'm celebrating. Waiting for the end of September when word comes back about my placement, but right now I'm just tickled to final.

Contests are subjective, you know. If you enter them for more than the 'winning' reason, you'll glean so much more from the process.

And who knows?
Suprises might be in store for you too.

So, have you guys entered contests? Why did you enter them, or what has kept you from entering them?

Btw, THIS JUST IN - Sherrinda is the guest of honor on Kaye Dacus blog today. There's another thing worth celebrating, so stop on by to tell her 'hidee'. :-)

What's Up the Street For Next Week?

Good morning everyone. I’d like to welcome you to The Writers Alley celebration week.


Oh yes – it’s a great week for all sorts of news from our Alley to yours, so – to keep you in suspense, I won’t list what’s going on each weekday. Just stop in to find out the news :-)

Also, check in Saturday for Swashbuckling expert, Marylu Tyndal, as she stops by to talk about writing authentic historical characters.

SIDEWALK TALK

August 14 – Stop by to read about author Cara Lynn James

August 21 – Interview with award winning author, Angela Hunt.

August 28 – Interview with Margaret Brownley

September 4 - Amanda Cabot talks about the good, the bad, and the ugly of writing a series

What's Up the Street For Next Week?

Good morning, everybody.


We welcome you into a new week with rainbows. (Is that not the COOLEST rainbow picture EVER!!)
A spectrum of possibilities waiting to unfold. IN fact, we’re hoping Krista will meet baby Annabelle this week, right Krista? Any time now is good, right?

Life is filled with all sorts of colors. Sometimes the beauty of life seems as elusive as touching a rainbow, or sometimes we don’t even notice the beauty around us because of all the dark clouds. So today, let’s remember the rainbow is bound up in a promise – of love and hope.

Okay –  the news! It’s going to be a GREAT week with lots of tips from the ladies at The Writers Alley.

Monday – To keep up with the fun from last week, Pepper is going to introduce you to the TOP 20 websites for writers, according to the Writers Digest.

Tuesday- Sherrinda will be back from vacation with fun stuff to share. We're not quite sure what yet - but I'm sure it will be fun ;-)

Wednesday – Get ready for a fabulous post by Mary entitled: The Imposing Write Tight Rule- Strangling unnecessary words--and enjoying it

Thursday – Casey talks a little about possessive writers today. For those of us who hold on to each word like Gollum with the ring of power (from Lord of the Rings), then this post is for you :-)

Friday – Even though the highlight of Krista’s life right now is the expected arrival of her new daughter, (due the end of this month) Krista still has enough creative juices to ‘inspire’ others :-) Stop by for Inspire Me Please, Huh?

Saturday – Join us for another intro into e-publishing with Shawna Williams.


SIDWALK TALK

July 31 - Big hats and corsets? Donna Winters drops by to chat about women's fashion from 1900-1905.

August 7 – Swashbuckling expert, Marylu Tyndal, stops by to talk about writing authentic historical characters.

August 14 – Stop by to read about author Cara Lynn James

August 21 – Interview with award winning author, Angela Hunt.

August 28 – Interview with Margaret Brownley

NEWSTAND

This Monday on Mary's blog: Calling All Detectives, Summer Tip for Kids and Families #6

Wednesday and Saturday's Bible story tells of an adventure down one of the longest rivers known to man in a mini ark, small enough to hold one baby, yet save an entire nation.

Pepper’s blog, Words Seasoned With Salt, will feature a few devotions and book reviews, as well as an ongoing series entitled, Chocolate for Moms.

What's Up the Street For Next Week?

When it rains it pours – and in many places in the U.S. there are lots of people praying for a good downpour. So in big hopes for groups of people ‘singin in the rain’, here’s a rainy weekend lineup for you. Good rain. The kind that’s terribly romantic and leaves a wonderfully sleepy sound. (Think England, or Ireland…sigh)


So don’t let the rain keep you away. In fact, pull up a chair on our front porch and listen to the lovely pitter patter, as you read along. We have an awesome week of fabulous writing tips and lessons for you.

Monday – Eliciting Character Emotion - tips from Michael Hauge with Pepper

Tuesday –Sherrinda introduces you to a new helpful device for writers. A Writer's Organizational Tool: The OneNote

Wednesday – To add icing on top of Sherrinda’s post of Tuesday, Mary is compiling a fabulous list called A Treasure Chest of Resources

Thursday – Stop in with Casey today to polish up your manuscript and get her Top Ten Editing Tips.

Friday – ACFW has it’s very on Blog Stop here with Krista’s post, Overcoming Conference Jitters.

Saturday – Kathleen Y’Barbo is our guest today and teaches us the importance of adding the five senses to our writing.

SIDEWALK TALK

July 24 - Join Shawna Williams as she discusses e-publishing and her writing journey.

July 31 - Big hats and corsets? Donna Winters drops by to chat about women's fashion from 1900-1905.

August 7 – Swashbuckling expert, Marylu Tyndal, stops by to talk about writing authentic historical characters.

THE NEWSTAND

Stop by Reflections in Hindsight THIS TUESDAY, July 13th to learn more about Casey’s blog – Operation: Encourage and Author

Pepper’s final week of Sizzling Encounters is up this week – with the Amateurs ;-) Stop by and give them some encouragement at Words Seasoned With Salt.

Mary retells a story about a Miniature Ark that Saved A Nation on Wednesday and Saturday.  Monday stop by for a great witnessing tool for kids and families at God Loves Kids Blog.