Author Naomi Rawlings on Genesis

I had the pleasure of meeting Naomi Rawlings during “contest season” last year. We both semi-finaled in the historical romance category of Genesis, and Naomi went on to finals! Along her journey she was quick to catch the eye of an agent and sign a publishing contract before ACFW conference in September. Her first book, Sanctuary for a Lady, comes out in April. I am excited to have the opportunity to get some great tips on Genesis from such a successful lady!

Text Copyright: 2012 by Naomi Mason

Cover Art Copyright: 2012 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited

Permission to reproduce text granted by Harlequin Books S.A. 

Cover Art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited. 

All rights reserved. Trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited 

or its affiliated companies, used under license.

Naomi, thanks for stopping by the Alley! I loved reading your submission for the Genesis contest last year. And I am so excited to read it in “print”! Tell us a little more about your novel.

I don’t have an official copy of the blurb, but here’s an earlier version I was given. It should be pretty close to what appears on the back of the book.
Running to freedom, she found love . . .
The injured young woman that Michel Belanger finds in the woods is certainly an aristocrat, and in the midst of France’s bloody revolution, sheltering nobility merits a trip to the guillotine. Yet despite the risk, Michel knows he must bring the wounded girl to his cottage to heal.
Attacked by soldiers and left for dead, Isabelle de La Rouchecauld has lost everything. A duke’s daughter cannot hope for mercy in France, so escaping to England is her best chance of survival. The only thing more dangerous than staying would be falling in love with this gruff yet tender man of the land. Even if she sees, for the first time, how truly noble a heart can be . . .

Wow, sounds like a powerful story! So exciting to see more books coming out that are from different time periods and settings! So, most Genesis entrants have a tiny spark of hope that entering the contest will be a possible step towards their publishing dream. I am dying to know how entering Genesis and being a finalist, helped you along the path to publication?

Entering Genesis put my writing in front of some great judges. With my manuscript polished, my philosophy was to enter any competition where the finalist judges were editors or agents who I thought might be interested in my writing. That philosophy paid off, though not in the manner I was expecting with Genesis. A best-selling, popular author was one of my first round judges. She liked my opening so much that she sent my entry to her agent and then the judge told me to email her.
As you can imagine, I could hardly breathe when I got my judging sheet back. God worked everything out better than I ever expected, and I did end up signing with the agent, Natasha Kern. I also had an editor who judged a different competition request the first half of my ms. So Personally speaking, I did a lot better with entering contests than I ever did with querying or conferences, but some people do well with querying and others with networking at conferences. It works differently for different people.
 
What a great story of getting your stuff in front of an agent. Just one set of eyes is all it takes...and a really polished manuscript. We have a lot of readers out there that are preparing their entries for Genesis. How many revisions did you go through before you sent the entry to Genesis?

Oh goodness, a crazy, unbelievable amount. On the opening scene, probably about 15. My subsequent scene which was also included in my entry didn’t go through nearly that many revisions, maybe 4 or 5. I had a really hard time figuring out how to get the reader’s rooting for my heroine by the end of the second page and I went through endless revisions..
I looked, but I don’t have a copy of my original beginning (probably because it was so bad I couldn’t stand to look at it anymore). It went something like this, though I can’t be exact: “Isabelle Cerise de La Rouchecauld walked down the middle of the road, glancing at the forest and wondering if she should harbor in the trees’ thick branches.”
By the time I finished my revisions, I had an opening that I loved:
“Silence surrounded her, an eerie music more haunting than that of any chamber players. It soaked into her pores and chilled her blood.
Isabelle surveyed the shadowed trees of northern France, so different from the wide fields she’d grown up with in Burgandie. The woods lay still, most animals caught in winter’s slumber. Her breathing and the crunch of her shoes against the road formed the only human sounds amid acres of forest and earth and animals—or the only human sounds of which she knew.
She clutched her cloak and glanced behind her. Did someone follow?”
I wish I could say I came up with that the first time I sat down at my computer. But I didn’t. It took hours of hard work and banging my head against the computer screen until I found something that worked the way I wanted it to. And it works that way for most people. Occasionally a writer might sit down and come up with the perfect start to a story, but more often than not, a good beginning means hours of hard work. So if your slogging through your first 15 pages right now, don’t give up! I understand how hard it is, but the effort might well be worth the pain. 

Great advice. I don't even think I can count the amount of times I've changed the beginning to my story...and I am sure I will still tweak it up until I hit send. What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare your submission?

Two things. First, have one or two awesome crit partners who don’t mind reading and rereading a chapter until you get it perfect. For every time I revised my opening, my poor crit partners, Melissa Jagears and Sally Chambers, reread it. They deserved to final just for putting up with me.
Second, I entered the ms in the Great Expectations RWA contest. Genesis was the second contest I ever entered, Great Expectations was the first. I would have never finaled in Genesis had I not gotten and applied the judges’ feedback from Great Expectations. In the draft I sent to Great Expectations, I had the heroine walking in the woods for seven or eight pages before the soldiers showed up and attacked her. Way too long!!! In the Genesis version, I had the soldiers show up on page three. But I never would have known to move the action up without getting the judging feedback from Great Expectations.
So before entering Genesis, I would advise contestants to get some professional advice on the manuscript. Whether it comes from a contest, a paid critique, or a published friend returning a favor, you’d do well to get some advice beyond your crit partners.
 
It's tough sometimes to take the criticism, but it pays off in the end!

Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom! I am looking forward to applying your advice to my own submissions. Can't wait to read the rest of your novel!

Thanks Angie, I enjoyed being here. This is my first ever blog interview, so I find the whole thing a little intimidating!

My pleasure! I am sure you have many readers who thank you for such great advice. Looking forward to reading more from you, Naomi!!
Visit Naomi at:

Website: www.naomirawlings.com

Blog: makinghomeworkblog.blogspot.com
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 Angie Dicken first began writing fiction as a creative outlet during the monotonous days of diapers and temper tantrums. She is passionate to impress God's love on women regardless of their background or belief. This desire serves as a catalyst for Angie's fiction, which weaves salvation and grace themes across cultures. She is an ACFW member and CEO of a family of six.

What's Up The Street For Next Week?

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Sometimes the time comes to say goodbye. We have to expect it in a way, because it's the cyle of life. We either have to move on or priorities need to be rearranged.

And while we are sorry to make this announcement, we wish our fellow Alley Cat, Wendy the very best in her writing life. In the plans God has for her. Plans of good and not of harm to give her a hope and a future.

So, please leave a comment wishing Wendy well and know we will be watching for monumental success from you, Wendy!! ;-) She'll be back once in a while for a guest post, so we aren't completely losing her.

Wishing you the BEST, Wendy!

New year, new week on the Alley. What's up??

It's the contest season and Angie has guest Naomie Rawlings on the Genesis contest. Check back on Monday.

Prayer is an intricate part of the writing life. Julia brings this topic to the blog on Tuesday.


Sarah brings tips on how to be a better blogger on Wednesday.


Thursday will be Wendy's final post for the Writer's Alley.

Cindy explains how to make a scene truly magical, by breaking down specific elements on Friday.

Sidewalk Talk

You can keep up with Wendy on her blog: Thoughts that Move, Twitter and Facebook.

You can now email the gals at the Writer's Alley and hear back directly from one of us! (not that we think ourselves celebrities or anything...) AND if you have a question, do share at this email: thewritersalleys(@)gmail(.)com We have some fun surprises in store for the questions you send, so don't be shy. ;-)

Hang in with us, we're still the same blog and will be proactively looking to bring in a new face as God leads.

What now?

You type "The end."

You sit back in your chair, close your eyes and take a deep, cleansing breath.

....
......
..........

You open your eyes back up. Everything on the screen is a little blurry. Your brain hurts from the tens of thousands of words you've just finished squeegee-ing out of it. You can barely remember your family member's names, or what day it is.

Now what?

Never fear... KRISTA'S TWELVE STEP PROGRAM is here!

1.) Push Save.

2.) Close your document.

3.) Run around the house, dancing with joy.

4.) Eat some celebratory chocolate

5.) Make you hubby (or wife, or parent, or significant other, or your own wallet) take you out to dinner.

6.) Tweet your fun news!

7.) Play on Facebook, catch up with what all your friends are up to while you've had your mind on your book and characters.

8.) Actually make your family dinner instead of the endless nights of frozen/takeout meals they've had.

9.) Sleep. A lot.

10.) Go to the store and stock up on chocolate and your choice of caffeine pleasure.

11.) After at least a week but up to a month, open your manuscript back up.

12.) EDIT. (And when you're done... lather, rinse, and repeat steps 1 through 12!)

Discussion: What do YOU do when you finish a novel? If you haven't reached this point... it's dream time!!

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Krista is a follower of Jesus, a wife, a mother, and a contemporary romance author. She recognizes that life can be frustrating and just plain not fun sometimes, but believes that laughter and smiles can make the not-so-fun a little better! She blogs about the amazing things God has been doing and her journey as a busy momma of 4 and caregiver to a daughter with a rare congenital heart defect at http://reflectionsbykrista.blogspot.com. She is also a contributor at www.wordservewatercooler.com. She is represented by the fab agent, Rachelle Gardner, and her debut novel, Sandwich, With a Side of Romance, releases in September 2012.

A Contest Conundrum. Do I? Don't I??

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How many of you are raring to go with the contest season basically jumping down our throats?

And how many of  you are set to gag at the thought of entering one. more. contest.

With many and varied options available to writers for getting their work in front of a contest judge and hopefully that last round of editors and agents, it can be hard to determine whether to enter and which ONES to enter. Contest hopping isn't cheap.

So many writers live and die by the contests they enter. Knowing someday that golden contest is going to strike the clock right at midnight and the goose will lay the golden egg. The Midas contest touch. And while contests are wonderful to enter and glean from, if you do enter, you must enter with a level of understanding firmly in place.

I have entered only a handful of contests in my writing life, but within those handful I've had a wiiidddeee range of info returned.

One contest told me I needed to invest in writing books and I couldn't write my way out of wet paper bag (my words, not the judge's).

Another contest, I was one of six finalists.

Not in the same year.

But do you see how crazy the contest world is!?!? It's definitely not for the faint of heart. And some contests give great feedback, others just write a little number down on the line. And if the judge woke up with indigestion that morning, you might not get a good score.

Contests are subjective. Incredibly subjective.

I don't say this to say you shouldn't enter contests, however I don't think contests are the answer to all of a writer's prayers.

Critique partners.

Freelance editors.

Mentors.

Writing classes and books all can help improve your craft without the emotional headache. (most of the time. ;-)

When you do enter contests, consider several things. Who reads this entry? You won't know beginning level judges-- you will know final round judges. Always go into a contest assuming you WON'T final or win. It'll be easier (or more joyful!) when you do/don't. But do take into consideration who those final judges are and would they be beneficial to your writing?

Don't enter just any contest. Smaller contests tend to give more feedback...but you have to look at the cost and whether or not they are with a reputable group. Asking other writers of their experience with that group is a great place to start.

Do a bit of research into the contests. Don't just enter any contest that lands on your doorstep. You'll be exhausted and so will your wallet.

Don't let a bundle of negatives overwhelm or discourage you. Take this as a cue that your writing needs a bit more work, and be willing to make the necessary changes.

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Do have a discerning eye or ask someone else to give you unbiased feedback if a certain judges' comment doesn't make sense to you. Like my 0 on writing ability, it held a grain of salt, but ultimately I had to look to other contest results and trusted writing friends to tell me the *real* truth.

On a personal note, I happen to be entering the Genesis and Frasier contests this year. Both contests are respected and known for their ability to discern high quality writing. However, in this case: the Genesis generally does not give much feedback. The Frasier is geared to help writers grow. I've decided this year that my writing has reached a level where I want to know how I might do in the Genesis. I enter that one to see if I've grown in my writing. I enter the Frasier to learn.

You of course will have to make that decision for yourself and your writing. Hopefully these few does and don't's give you an idea of what to gear for.

Are you entering any contests this year?

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Casey Herringshaw is a homeschool graduate and has been writing since high school. She lives in rural Eastern Oregon in a town more densely populated with cows than people.

The Privileged Class

Have you ever driven with a new teen driver in the car? Oh my, they are quick to say: You didn't come to a full stop, you didn't use your turn signal, your hands aren't at 10 and 2! 


And these aren't spoken, they're shouted.


Ah, yes, training in the hands of a newbie.




The writing journey has many newbie moments. As information/rules/guidelines are learned and opportunities to critique other's work grow, the writer is quick to see new "errors" in every written product from cereal boxes to famous published writers. Here is a slightly exaggerated sample :)  :

Adverbs Thou shalt avoid all adverbs , 

No Gerunds allowed (those "ing" words), 

Passive words Thou art a weak writer if even one passive word is used, 

and a myriad of other "no-nos" 

(Then again, all the good stuff gets missed
 when looking from the newbie side of the road
 toward what seems to be The Privileged Class)

Randy Ingermanson recently commented on this topic. He said:

"Since there are no actual 'rules,' in principle we could skip right over this idea. However, I won't, because it is hinting at a common but nonsensical notion that published authors are somehow a privileged class of people who don't have to write as well as other people.


"The fact is that published authors, as a class, are enormously better at the craft of writing than unpublished writers, as a class. Yes, there are some published authors who lack certain skills, and yes, there are some unpublished writers (generally those who are about to break in) who write extremely well. But looking at the average skill set for the two classes, they are well separated.


"The fact is that published authors who fail to improve their craft are damaging their careers. It's not about following or failing to follow some imaginary set of "rules." It's about writing well.


"The industry still prefers excellent writing to crap. Tragically, there is a very limited supply of truly excellent writing. There is a pretty good supply of good writing, which by definition is going to have some substandard parts. This should be good news.


"Be aware that your writing will never be perfect, even if you get published, and once you do get published, you'll be open to the usual sniping that comes at every published author. You'll survive this like everybody else does."




What can we do when we stretch our newbie wings after learning a new concept?

** Look for the qualities that can be learned from the book.

** Understand typos happen.

** Not everyone likes a certain story, this doesn't mean the book 

wasn't written well.

** Some "errors" are not errors at all. 

How about you? Chime in with kudos for published works


I'll start:. 

This week, a client of mine had a book in her hand when she came to her meeting. She was a native, single, young mother. I instantly recognized the book: Lynn Austin's Hidden Places. The young mom said she picked the book out from a bin at her college because she liked the cover. The bookmark showed she had read more than the first pages, yet she chose that book to have with her while waiting in the lobby! To think, she will be reading an award winning  Christian Fiction book. How cool is that?

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Quote used with permission
Randy Ingermanson
Publisher, Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine
http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com/blog

Image by: Freedigitalphotos.net

This blog post by Mary Vee.
Mary lives in Montana with her husband and loves to hear from her three college kids. She writes Christian young adult fiction (pirate tales, missionary and Bible adventure stories).

Her Tag: Stepping into Someone Else's World.

To learn more about Mary, 
visit her blog: http://www.mimaryvee.blogspot.com

A Writer's Greatest Tool

Writers live life with a perpetual question swirling through their minds. It is a question that draws deep from the well of creativity and reaches out to grasp the winds of inspiration. It is a question that builds the bones, and then breathes life into stories.

It is the question of "What if?".

When it is time to start a new story, brainstorm a part of the plot, or even hear a news story that plants a seed of a story in your mind, you begin to ask the question....what if?

What if...

• a young woman is held captive in a convent?
• the young woman escapes, disguised as a boy?
• the woman is beaten along the way by ruffians?
• the woman is saved by a handsome knight?
• the the handsome knight is on his way to her father's castle for a tournament?
• he takes her on as his squire (thinking she is a lad), promising to give her safe passage?
• she falls in love with the knight?
• her gender is discovered when she is injured in a fight?

These are just a few of the questions I asked while brainstorming my first story. A story starts with a germ of an idea. When you ask "what if", you can find many different directions that your story can go. When you are brainstorming a story idea, try to think of as many different ideas as you can. Having my heroine's gender discovered at the very beginning of the story would have made it an altogether different story. The tension would be stronger, but then my hero would not have been able to get to know my heroine the same way as he did while she pretended to be a boy. 

The question of "what if" is a powerful tool for the writer. Get a pen and paper out and start your list of "what ifs". You might even try a mind map, branching off in different directions...wherever your "what ifs" take you. See what you can come up with.

Better yet, let's experiment and see what we can come with. I'll start and you come up with a "what if". Let's see what kind of story we come up with through our commenters today. 

What if a woman was in an airplane, about to skydive for her 30th birthday, when she discovered that Gerard Butler (or whatever cutie-pie you would like to envision) was sitting next to her?

***What is your "what if"? Or what is your favorite writing tool for brainstorming?

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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.

Writing a Meet-Cute - hints from the best :-)

Happy New Year everyone.


It’s the time of new beginnings. New resolutions. Maybe some ‘firsts’ for you...or your writing ;-) That's why we're going to talk about 'first meetings' today.

One of the best moments in a novel or a movie is the first time a couple meets. In romance it’s called the ‘meet cute’. It’s a hallmark of romantic comedies and romance novels – so who better to teach us about it than the romance authors themselves?

Let’s get to it!

Jamie Carie is known for her fast-paced historical novels such as The Duchess and the Dragon or Pirate of My Heart. What does she say makes a great meet cute in novels?

For me, I love it when the hero and/or heroine is slammed with the impact of the other person. This could be an instant attraction or something deeper, like that feeling that they’ve just met their other half. In Love’s First Light, Christophé feels a mysterious, almost supernatural connection with Scarlett which leaves his already delicate emotional balance teetering on the edge of rational behavior ( i.e. he becomes somewhat of a bumbling, mad scientist in her presence). Here’s an excerpt of their first encounter.



He saw her and stopped. She was crouched low, her head down, her shoulders curled within her, stiff and unmoving. He couldn’t help but stare at her long, unbound hair. It was dark but alive with color, the pink glow of a morning’s glory reflecting in each strand.

Gold and amber and bronze and the color of glowing coals. Bright, white light. He saw the prism in his laboratory. Blinked and saw the split of white into the colors of the rainbow. Saw them reflected on his old castle’s walls. Brilliant but cold. So brilliant.

So cold.

He wanted to tell her of it. His chest heaved with the effort not to blurt it out.

She stood suddenly and whirled around—long, dark cape and glorious hair, flowers still clutched in her hand. Christophé’s gaze dropped from her frightened face to her rounded stomach and then the gravestone that glared chalk-white in the mist behind her.

“Color,” he thought as he stood transfixed. No, not a thought.

Heaven help him, he had said it aloud.

Mary Connealy is the queen of explosive first encounters. Let’s see what she says about them:

Pepper, What I like in a first meeting. One moment of attraction or connection or appreciation between them, even if it’s just a split second, then it alllllllllllll goes bad.


In this scene, thought I’ve sent it to you as the first meeting, they had one other ‘moment’ when Alex saved her life–but he did it to save his own life–or at least that’s the unflattering spin a very stressed out Beth puts on his help. He woke up, pulled a runaway stage to a stop when she didn’t have the strength to do it alone, then crawled off to be alone without saying a word.

Then she dived in to help the wounded.


She needs help. He’s not offering. That leads to this scene, their first real exchange.

 Doing her very best to set his skin on fire with her eyes, she leaned down, hoping to find a balance where she could rage at him without Mrs. Armitage hearing her. The poor woman had been through enough.

“You get up off the ground and help us, you worthless skunk.”

And wasn’t skunk just exactly the right word for the filthy pig?

“Get away from me.” The wormy, skunky pig’s eyes flashed like he had rabies.

Gritting her teeth so she could look fierce and still breathe through her mouth, she leaned closer. “You stand up right now.”

She hissed at him like a rattle snake, so she had a few animal attributes of her own. “I need help. I don’t care how hung over you are, how lazy you are or how stupid you are. Right now I need some muscle, and I know you’ve got it. Get on your feet and get over there and help us, or so help me I will rip your arm off and beat you to death with the bloody stump.”

The man’s eyes seemed to clear. Maybe she’d pierced the alcoholic fog. “I’m not drunk.”

Interesting that he hadn’t protested being called stupid or worthless or a skunk. . . what else had she called him? She’d lost track of her insults somewhere along the line.

“Oh, puh-leeze, you expect me to believe you’re this worthless without the help of whiskey?”

LOL. Oh my, I love Mary Connealy humor! And books! If you’ve never read one – GET THEE TO A BOOKSTORE NOW!!!

Speaking of great authors, Deeanne Gist has this to say about writing first encounters:

A slow, slow build. I want the reader to feel exactly what the heroine is feeling. That means I need to engage her emotions one baby-step at a time. If I do my job, then the tension building between the hero and heroine will ultimately extract a visceral response from my reader.

And the Maid to Match sample Dee provided??

“Mr. Sterling? Is everything—” A young maid stepped to the door. “Earl! What’s the matter with you?”


Black hair peeked out from beneath her small white cap. The eastern sun had reduced her pupils to dots, leaving eyes so blue they appeared almost lavender. Rushing out the door, she jumped between them, squaring off with Mack. “Stop it! Stop it right this minute.”


Releasing the man’s collar, Mack took a step back. Did she actually believe he was frightened of her? He felt a smile tug at his lips. “I’m not Earl, miss. I’m his brother, Mack.”


The disapproval she’d shown before was nothing compared to the horror that filled her eyes now. She pressed a hand against her stiffly starched apron. “Oh, no. You’re the brother?”


He nodded.


“And you came to the front door? What possessed you to come to the front door?”

“I was just looking.”


Rolling her eyes, she turned to the butler. “He’s a mountain man. He was engaged in fisticuffs when Mrs. Vanderbilt first saw him. I’ll take him round back myself and make sure he doesn’t get into any more trouble.”


Mack tucked his shirt into his trousers. “I can fight my own fights. You needn’t do it for me.”


She seared him with her gaze. “Do not say another word.”


He bristled and opened his mouth to argue.


She lifted her index finger. “Not. Another. Word.” With her finger still in the air, she turned back to the butler. “May I take him round back, sir?”


Tugging the hem of his jacket, Sterling tightened his lips. “Go ahead. I’ll talk with the housekeeper and tell you what we decide to do with him.”


Mack took a step forward.


The maid steepled one hand on his chest. With the other, she pointed toward the gate. “That way, Mr. Danver. The servants’ entrance is that way.”

YOUR TURN!
Care to share a meet cute from one of your novels? First encounters of the best kind?
Bring them on and let us see from your characters' eyes.
What do you like best about first encounters? Familiar friends or strangers, the meeting can be electrifying.
And remember - meet cutes do not always have to be 'cute'. Jane Eyre and Rochester? GREAT first encounter.
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Taking the story elements of her Blue Ridge Mountains’ heritage, Pepper  Basham writes a variety of fiction seasoned with grace and humor. From contemporary romance to fantasy or historical, Pepper likes to dip her creative interests in them all. She’s a pastor’s wife, mom of five, and university instructor. She can be found causing mischief at her group blog, The Writers Alley, or at www.pepperbasham.wordpress.com