>Whew! I made it through the first round of Samhain’s 1st Line Contest.

Yay! Yippee! On to Round Two.

But this is nerve-wracking, y’all. Seriously. And I feel so badly for those who checked that blog and didn’t see their number and line listed. Big cyber (((hugs))). OTOH, it was quite a relief to see my line and # in the lineup for round two.

Entering this contest and being judged this way–by 7 editors, no less–is kind of like a miniature view of the entire publishing aspect. Out of hundreds of entries (Yes, there were 272. More if they hadn’t culled some out for not playing by the rules.) a fraction make it into the 2nd round, fewer of those into the 3rd, and so forth until the fifth lines are posted. Then only 3-5 people will be asked to submit to a house currently closed to submissions.

So look at it this way. Hundreds of people query publishing houses every day. A few catch the editors eye enough to warrant a request. Out of those requests, a few are asked to submit a full. If the editor feels strongly about the book, she may take it to her boss–who may or may not feel the same way compared to the others being brought to her attention.

Nerve-wracking, I’m tellin’ ya. But that’s what we signed on for in this business.

And on a side note, I’m entered as Carol B., but this is a Crainesian work, an Annie Rayburn work. Creatively speaking, it keeps me excited. I like my characters, even the ones who won’t get a book of their own until later. So whether I go the distance in this contest or not, I feel like I’ve won the lottery by having strong conflicts and plot lines.
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Today’s Menu:
Baked Tilapia
Mussels in Tomatoes and Garlic Sauce
Bay Scallop Scampi over angel hair pasta
Seasoned green beans
and the ever present pitcher of sweet tea. 🙂