To ABNA or not to ABNA?

It's that time of the year again! The Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest will be open for submissions on January 23rd.

In my opinion as a self-published author, getting into ABNA is the next step after NaNoEdMo, which of course follows NaNoWriMo. I'm not sure if I will enter the contest this year, because I don't have a novel anywhere near finished for January 23rd. Last year, I didn't get past round one, which is solely based on the pitch.

However, that's not to say I don't have the tools to get in the contest. I think over the last year I have received some good advice on writing book descriptions (i.e. focusing on the main character). Also, I am home until January 22nd, which gives me plenty of time to crank out the words I need. Quite frankly, I am thinking about working on The Book of Earth when I finish this post.

My fellow writers: Are you thinking about entering ABNA? If so, how do you feel about your pitch-writing skills?

Happy Writing!

A Change of Plans

As I write this post, I am sitting in my room/office in Springfield. I should be on my way to Florida right now, but due to unforeseen circumstances, the trip was cancelled.

Despite the circumstances, I had  an excellent Christmas. Santa was very generous to me, even giving me a camcorder for my new YouTube project. Since it won't have anything to do with Realms Quintessential, I set it up as a separate channel.

Speaking of Realms, I am getting back to The Book of Earth starting in January. I was working on Epic Sofa D this month, but between holidays and the story's complexity, I decided it was best to put it on the back burner for now.

Today's Question: How do you plan on getting back on track after the holidays? Leave your responses below.

Happy Reading!

Reading Day

Hello everybody,

Things are finally quieting down as far as schoolwork goes. It's finals week and I have two exams this week on Thursday and Friday. I also have a paper I need to finish today, for which I only need 400 more words. That shouldn't be too big of a task for a two-time NaNoWriMo winner.

I am excited to be going home soon. Originally, I thought I wouldn't be going back to Springfield until Monday, but one of my professors opened up the option to take the exam on Friday. I'm exercising that option so I can be home on Saturday morning, giving me ample time to wrap gifts.

I am perhaps even more excited about my plans for winter break. I am going to Florida with my family. We are taking a road trip like we did a few years ago, so I'll have to bring a few things with me to keep myself entertained. I know I'm bringing The Book of Earth with me to write, and probably Doctor Sax by Jack Kerouac to read. I'll probably bring my DSi along for the ride and work on my pokedex.

My question for my readers is: what are your plans for the holidays? Leave your responses in the comments below.

Happy Reading! 

Thank Goodness It's Over!

Hello everybody!

I am back after winning NaNoWriMo! Epic Sofa D crossed the finish line on the morning of the 30th, making for my second NaNoWin in a row!

As for NaNoEdMo (Ed short for Editing), I am continuing to work with Epic Sofa D. After December, I pass things off to my cover artist (open), my content editor (closed), and my technical editor (open). I am not putting a definite date on the novel yet, but it should be out sometime in 2012.

As for Realms Quintessential, I will get back to The Book of Earth in January. I only have 16K so far for word count, so I plan on wrapping it up NaNo-Style, then doing a similar thing where I edit during the following month.

If you are interested in sharing in the royalties for Epic Sofa D,  and you are interested in one of the open positions, email me at RealmsQE@gmail.com for details.

Happy Reading!