News, Reviews, and Giveaways, Oh My! Plus a Fun Friday Five with Nicole Deese!

First up! Awesome Alley Cat NEWS!!!

Our fearless leader Pepper Basham has a FABULOUS book releasing next week. In fact, it’s so fabulous it got 4 ½ STARS and was awarded a Top Pick for Romantic Times! Woo hoo!!! Get ready to be wowed! I mean, do you see this cover? And that's only the cover! The best part is inside!

Next order of buisness, we have WINNERS from our Coffee Talks:

Heather Gilbert’s Indie Publishing Handbook: Polaris Northstar

Heather Gilbert’s Reader’s Choice: Amber Schamel

Casey Herringshaw’s Surprise Book: Kelly Blackwell

And Mary Vee’s copy of The Ringmaster’s Wife goes to… Cara Grandle

Congrats! Please email your contact info to Angie at agdicken(@)gmail(.)com.

Today we also have a drop in with one of my favorite authors (and people) Nicole Deese. And since I can’t gush enough about her latest release, The Promise of Rayne, one commenter will win an e-copy of said masterpiece. (Check back in the comments on Sunday night. I’ll announce the winner and how you can claim your bounty) :)

So Nicole, dish….

1. What’s the most random thing in your bag right now?

Nicole: Slippers. Yep, I have a pair of black Isotoner slippers (the same style my grandmother wore) hibernating in my purse right now. They have bailed me out of numerous “ouchy shoe situations” (think super loooong wedding receptions and/or formal Christmas parties when your feet won’t take another step in your way-cute-but-so-not-practical high heels). Basically, these slippers are yoga pants for the feet. Not even kidding. I never leave home without them. (Get these babies on your Christmas list, ladies. You’ll thank me!) 

Amy: Haha! I knew I liked you. I have the same pair in white. Although I do tend to keep them at home. But that's thinking! Emerency slippers is genius!

2. Favorite holiday movie?

Nicole: “Can I refill your eggnog? Get you something to eat, drive you into the middle of nowhere and leave you for dead?” — Clark Griswold, Christmas Vacation (1989).

Amy: Well, at least you didn't say A Christmas Story. ;)

3. What are you currently reading?

Nicole: I just finished a great book and I’m about to start my Christmas reads for the season: One Enchanted Eve by Melissa Tagg and Starring Christmas by Rachel McMillan and Allison Pittman. These novellas look adorably sweet and festive! 

4. Any nervous habits or vices?

Nicole: I’d like to say I have no vices, but the mini fridge in my writing office crammed full of every flavor of La Croix Sparking Water would say otherwise. I always sometimes throw a few in my purse if I know I’m going to be out a while … which I guess could be an alternative answer for question #1. 

Amy: You did rather eagerly share your precious La Croix with me at conference this summer. (I think she was hoping to convert me.) It was a... ah... a little strange since it's not sweet, but not horrible. It could grow on me if I gave it a solid chance. And whenever I see them in the store I think of you and your crazy obsession and smile. One of these days I'll pick up a case. :) ANYone else like La Croix?

And most importantly, the world at large needs to know your thoughts on this very critical matter…

5. Chocolate or vanilla?

Nicole: Is this a real question? I feel insulted on the behalf of chocolate lovers everywhere. 

Amy: Poor vanilla. It's just too vanilla. 

About Nicole:

Nicole Deese is a full time lover of humorous, heartfelt, and hope-filled fiction. When she's not writing a sweet romance, she can usually be found reading one near a window while drinking La Croix. She lives in small-town, Idaho with her handsome hubby and two sons. 

Thanks for dropping in to chat with us, Nicole!

Alley Pals... be sure you pre-order Pepper’s beautiful book, The Thorn Healer, enter to win Nicole’s The Promise of Rayne (or just go get yourself a copy), and have a wonderful weekend curled up with an adventure!

Happy Friday!

<3 Amy

GUEST POST: Jeanne Takenaka on Learning from Contests

Learning From Contests

        

    Last year, I decided to be brave and enter some writing contests. My hope: to gain valuable feedback about my writing and my story. I entered two contests in the spring and received helpful observations. On a whim, I submitted to two contests in September and put them out of my mind. In early November, I received a few phone calls from a phone number I didn’t recognize. Since it was election season, I didn’t answer. After the third attempt, the caller left a message. Imagine my shock when I heard the words, “I’m happy to let you know you finaled in our contest. Congratulations.”

            My hands shook as I listened, and then re-listened to those words.” I finaled? The following week, an e-mail popped into my inbox notifying me that I had finaled in another contest. My kids wondered if Mama had finally taken a dive into the deep end as I “Eeeee-d” my way through supper preparations.          

            As I receive scores, I’m learning some great things about evaluating results. Contests provide feedback in various ways. One contest sent the judge’s score and comments on my actual entry. Other contests provided a rubric and a number score next to each item being assessed. Some judges left comments, others gave only the number score.

            After I entered the My Book Therapy’s Frasier contest for the first time, I created a spread sheet to consolidate everything onto one page. I made a column with category and sub-category descriptions (i.e. Stakes, Hero/Heroine Identity, etc) My next column was for the scores from Judge One. The third column was for the scores from Judge 2, and the fourth column was for me to make notes on ways I could improve based on scores and comments judges offered.

            I know, it sounds like a lot of work, but seeing everything in one place helps me detect patterns. If both judges scored me lower in a certain category, that is a great indicator of something I need to work on. On the flip side, higher scores from both judges indicate a writing strength. When I saw a discrepancy in the scores, I talked to a mentor about them. 

            Though not everyone is an analyzer, a few things I’ve come to understand through my contest experiences are:

1.  Pray before even peeking at scores. I’m guessing most of us enter contests because we want feedback on our writing. Sometimes we’re going to receive feedback that says, “Yes! You’re on the right track!” Other times, judges’ scores will be harder to embrace. The key is to ask God to help you see the gemstones within the disappointments. Take a day or so before you pore over your results. This allows you to calm down and gain some distance, so you can evaluate with a fresh perspective.

2.   Identify what will help you use contest scores to better your writing skills. And, no, I don’t mean shred the low scores. You may not be an analyzer like I am, so discover what will help you take the data offered and use it to make your writing better. Maybe that means focusing on one area of improvement and setting the rest aside for a later time.

3.   When judges offer positive comments and suggestions for growth, don’t focus only on the negative. Believe in your writing strengths. Even seemingly negative comments have nuggets hidden within their words. If someone says, “This story isn’t original,” you’ve just been given a great clue about a weakness. The challenge: mix things up in your story and add some sparkle.  

4.   Remember scores tell us something about our writing, but judges are subjective, because, well, they’re human. If you disagree with or don’t understand a score, talk with someone you trust for clarification.

5.   Above all, have a teachable spirit. Remember, God gave you your story, and He’ll help you write it, with help from others.

What about you? How do use contest results to become a stronger writer?

 Jeanne Takenaka writes women’s fiction that deals with real life issues with a heart to draw women closer to God and to those around them. She is wife to one amazing man who is her real life hero, and mother to two exuberant boys who hope to one day have a dog of their own. She loves being God’s girl always learning about His grace, making memories with her family, hanging out with friends and enjoying a great cup of coffee. She and her family reside near the mountains of Colorado. She is a member of ACFW.

 

Working with Your Contest Results...

90...98...76...

Its easy to focus on the numbers of contest results. Did you final or didn't you final?

Behind these numbers is a golden teaching experience. Take advantage of it. Here's how I personally processed my contest results, maybe you'll find an idea that works for you.
 
After you read your results, PUT IT AWAY. How long? That depends on you. Maybe a few hours, maybe a day or more.

Pick up those results again when you're in the right frame of mind. I sat down with a cup of hot tea and my laptop in my most comfortable chair, my sweet hubby only a few feet away in case I needed a tissue or hug.

Read the results slowly. I planned on spending a full evening looking over my results.

Plan on a reward for after you finish. Once I went over my results I rewarded myself with watching an episode of Downton Abbey. Helped me to keep on track and be willing to deal with the negative emotions that cropped up as I went over my results to know I had something fun to look forward to later that night.

Do you need to work on your expectations? I didn't expect to final in my first ever contest, but there was still a sting. Once I looked past the comparison game, I was able to see that I had performed my best. And THEN I was able to put all the comments to good use.

Find a way to organize those comments. I wanted to see how all the comments "fit" together. I copied and pasted all the comments into a Word document, then reread them as one cohesive whole.

Categorize "like" comments. I decided to use an Excel spreadsheet to mark the comments, putting similar comments next to each other. I made a column for strengths and one for weaknesses.

Spend a moment or two smiling about your "strengths." If you're anything like me, you spend MUCH more time focusing on the weaknesses. Spend a moment praising God for the changes he has brought in your writing. Reading my entry and the comments was encouraging because an area that had previously been labeled by critiquers as a weakness had now become considered a strength by two of the judges. That means I must have grown. And YOU have, too. Ask God to show you where you have grown when you need that encouragement. He will.

What are the most common areas of weakness mentioned? Pick a few and make these your writing resolutions for the year. My areas are showing character emotion and increasing conflict. These are based on the comments I received and you know what? They are RIGHT IN LINE with what God had used other people to show me. Ask God which areas he would have you focus on.

Hit the library. In the New Year I am planning to read Conflict and Suspense by James Scott Bell, Creating Character Emotion by Ann Hood and looking through The Emotion Thesaurus. Amazon is a simple search engine to use to find books on the specific topic you are attempting to learn.

Ask your critique partners to be on the special lookout for your areas of weakness. They have read more of your writing so will be aware of specific spots where you could improve.

Look for online courses. I have been looking over one of Margie Lawson's course packets and plan to go through her syllabus on deepening character emotions. There are many online courses available and there is most likely one in the area you struggle.

Thank the Lord for using contest judges as your teachers. He gives us the judges we need to help us to grow in our writing. He knows when we need advice, when we need encouragement, and gives us exactly what we need in exactly the right season.






Julia enjoys writing women's fiction whenever she can find a chair free of smushed peanut butter sandwiches and lego blocks. She is a wife and homeschooling mama of two littles. She also is a reviewer for Library Journal, Title Trakk and Christian Library Journal.

What's Up the Street for Next Week?

Photo credit

It's turkey week!

And it's my favorite holiday of the year.

Thanksgiving always puts me in a mood for cheer and good will, happiness and thanksgiving. And not to be cliche, but I am generally more thankful during this month, being reminded of all that God has given me.

Wonderful family.

Amazing friends.

And the ability to praise God without reservation.

It's not so much about the food (though let's not complain, I mean it's the one time of year I get pecan pie once a year. ;-) it's about the family and home of being together.

Sigh. I just love it.

What's your favorite part of the holiday?

Coming up next week... (yes, even on Thanksgiving)

What's the soundtrack to your novel? I love Country love songs. What about you? Pepper goes to the musical side of your brain on Monday.

Sherrinda is ALL about editing on Tuesday.

Unusual things to be thankful for with Mary on Wednesday, this Thanksgiving eve. What are you most thankful for as a writer?

Have you learned the value of the desk drawer? I promise this will all make sense on Thursday with Krista.  (if you can tear yourself away from that pumpkin pie long enough to read, don't worry it will always be in the archives for later viewing)

Lindsay Harrel is our AWESOME guest on Friday with tips she learned from a recent Susan May Warren retreat. (try not to be jealous...yeah, really ;-))

Word on the street...

Ginger is the winner of Beth Vogt's Wish You Were Here from Ashley's post on Thursday!

Mary and Cindy are FINALISTS in the Phoenix Rattler Writing Contest!!!

Toss out your congrats to them and Alley friend Jeane T. who ALSO finaled in a contest this week!!

Woo-hoo!! : D

Photo credit

Top 10 Ideas for Beating the Contest Blues, Part I

Photo by Kalexanderson

Contest results are coming in and many writers are now drowning in the depths of despair. They open their email only to find their name is not on the list of finalists. They didn't make it. They are not good enough. And then they open up the feedback on their contest submission.

What? One judge gave them a 95 and one judge gave them a 68? How in the world does that happen?

REMEMBER THIS: Judging stories is subjective! You may have a judge who has had a bad day. Or you may get a judge who really likes historical, but got stuck judging contemporary. Yeah, it happens.

So what's a person to do when they get these crazy, downer scores? Well, Casey and I are putting our heads together and have come up with a TOP TEN list of things to encourage you during the Contest Blues. (I have to admit...some of mine are a wee bit silly!)

#10  Go to your room and SCREAM and CRY and throw pillows at the wall. Okay, so you don't really have to scream, but go ahead and boo-hoo some. You have to get this out of the way, because face it, getting bummer scores hurts. You have to let out the hurt and the anger before you can move forward. So get it all out and then breathe in deep. Now you are ready for number 9.

#9  Get on Facebook or Twitter and give a shout out to the winners or finalists of the contest you didn't win/final. Yes, you can do it. Be a gracious non-winner (I refuse to say loser, because anyone who is brave enough to share their work in a contest is a HUGE winner!) and cheer others on! This is an excellent way to be like Christ and encourage others.

#8  Go to Barnes and Noble and purchase a couple of books you have been wanting to read, but haven't because you've been too busy writing. Splurge! Then hunker down on the couch or in bed, and read to your heart's content!

#7  Pity Party Time! Okay, so maybe leave off the PITY part. But seriously, gather a friend...or two, or three, or four...and go out to eat. See a movie. Have a slumber party. Go dance in a chair...oh wait...Casey may be using that idea!!!! (snicker) Get out and have some fun!

#6  Study up on a writing craft book. Grab a highlighter and glean writing nuggets to strengthen your writing. If you have gotten feedback from your contest judges, all saying you need to focus on character development, then study up on that. If dialogue was scored low, then find a good source to teach you how to do it right. There are so many tools out there to help you become the writer God has gifted you to be!

***

This is the end of Part I of Top Ten Ideas for Beating the Contest Blues. Casey will pick up on Friday with Part II, so don't miss out!

Have you ever experienced the Contest Blues? How have you coped?

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This post is brought to you by

 Sherrinda Ketchersid

Sherrinda is wife to "Pastor John" and mother to three giant sons and one gorgeous daughter. A born and bred Texan, she writes historical romance filled with fun, faith, and forever love.

A Day in the Life of a Contest Judge

Contest season is heating up. Maybe you've submitted an entry to the Genesis or another writing contest, and now you're chewing your fingernails down to nothing while you wait for results. Or maybe you're checking email every two seconds just in case the judges' feedback came through. (I'm not saying any of this from personal experience. *wink*)

Then when you finally get your entries back, you may find yourself wanting to chuck them in the trash can. Or shoot darts at a picture of the judge's face.

Before you get carried away, though, let me present some perspective. In the last couple years, I've been on the other side as a judge. And things on this side are much tougher than I would have expected.

For someone like me who has been on the receiving end, I'm extremely conscientious of the feedback I provide. But I'm also juggling my own writing (or in some cases during contest season, putting it completely on the back burner so I can judge).

Plus I'm also a stay-at-home mom of young children. Need I say more?

Here's a little snippet of what might happen when I open an entry to judge...

*Reading first sentence* Wow, nice hook!

"Mommy, I want a snack."

"What's that, honey? Oh, a snack?" *going to pantry to get some animal crackers* "Here you go."

Okay, let's read that first sentence again. *typing comment in entry* Great opening!

"Mommy, Mickey Mouse is done. Can I watch Little Einstein's next?"

"I'm sorry, honey. What'd you say? Oh, sure. Take the remote and watch whatever you want." (Don't judge...I'm desperate at this point.)

*finish typing comment in entry and read second sentence*

"Mommy, the TV isn't working."

Argh...

At this rate, it takes me three hours to read an entry and provide meaningful feedback. At least, I hope it's meaningful because I've had so many interruptions. For all I know, I may have said the entrant needs more description when they had too much of it.

As hard as it is to imagine sometimes, judges are people too.

And while we truly want to help develop other writers' skills, we have interruptions and agents or editors who still expect us to meet our deadlines.

When you get your contest entry back, read through the judges' comments with a clear mind. You may (hopefully!) find some great nuggets to take your writing to the next level.

But if something doesn't jive or comes across as mean, remember who's on the other side of the comments. They may have just gotten a snack for the tenth time during your entry, and they're taking their frustrations out on unsuspecting you.

Perspective is so important, no matter what stage we may find ourselves. We would all benefit from remembering there's a person behind the words--no matter which side we're on--and filtering everything with wisdom and understanding.

So let's talk...What side of contests do you sit currently--entrant or judge? If a judge, how do you balance your other responsibilities with contest entries? If an entrant, how does this perspective change the way you receive contest feedback?

*Feedback photo by Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
**Time photo by Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Sarah Forgrave is a stay-at-home writer-mom who feels blessed to pursue her calling and passion. She writes contemporary romance for the inspirational market and is a contributor to the webzine Ungrind.

To learn more about Sarah, visit her personal blog at:
http://www.sarahforgrave.com/blog