My 2021 Pitch Wars Wishlist

WHAT IS PITCH WARS?

Pitch Wars is a mentoring program where published/agented authors, editors, or industry interns choose one writer each to spend three months with revising their manuscript. It ends in February with an Agent Showcase, where agents can read a pitch/first page and can request to read more. Details about the program and information about how to submit can be found at https://pitchwars.org/

THIS YEAR I’M A YA MENTOR. YES!

WHAT I’M ACCEPTING

I’ll accept the following genres in the YA age category:

Mysteries

Thrillers

Fantasy 

Contemporary 

Retellings

STEM

Horror

  

GENRES ARE GREAT, BUT WHAT WOULD PUT A BOOK HIGH ON MY LIST?

If it’s Young Adult . . .

Give me a murder during a formal dance, a protagonist I can’t trust, an anti-hero with a soft heart, or a conspiracy at the Junior Science Championship. If it happens during high school and it’s bad, I’m interested.

If your book is dark and twisted, and not everyone makes it out alive, I might be in love with your book already.

If you’ve got a YA GONE GIRL or GIRL ON THE TRAIN, send it to me. I love psychological thrillers and want more of them for YA.

How about a light hearted and current love story? I’m not all about murders and thrillers. Sometimes, you’ve got to get the FEELS. Please punch me in the gut with great emotion.

Diverse  stories. I’m excited to discover stories from diverse narratives and am especially drawn to characters and experiences written by voices with direct experiences within these communities. Note: I won’t ask if you share your characters’ diverse narratives and will not expect you to tell me.

Have problems with faeries sabotaging the Homecoming game or demons using the school cafeteria as a portal? I’d be interested in that.

Since I was awkward and forgotten growing up, send me your story about a character left behind who makes the best of things in a comedic way. We can relate.

Supernatural characters or abilities. Check.

Complex relationships. Always.

Romantic plots (and subplots) involving any and all representation. Of course.

Retellings done in a unique and different way. YES!

Give me all the tropes. I’m not picky. When written well, I love them all!

Twists. If you set up a twist right, and I mean perfectly (a little foreshadowing, the right mix of confusion, and a satisfying shock that makes me drop my iPad because I should have seen it coming), I’ll be your fan forever.

STEM Girls. They’re going to save the world, did you know? Well, they are, and their stories are fantastic. If you’ve got a book about one, send it to me. (PS-my Pitch Wars book was about a chemistry genius who might—or might not—have used those skills to poison her best friend.)

  

PLEASE DON’T SEND ME

Discrimination or bigotry exhibited by the POV character, or any that goes unchecked.

Sexual assault or rape on the page.

Abuse or deliberate death of domestic animals.

  

SEVERAL BOOKS I’VE ENJOYED

While this isn’t a complete list, perhaps these books relate well with your project? Maybe they could serve as possible comp titles. If you’ve read and enjoyed books like these, we’ve got similar tastes.

A Good Girls Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

Alex Approximately by Jenn Bennett

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Bad Girls with Perfect Faces by Lynn Weingarten

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Heartwood Box by Ann Aguirre

Little Monsters by Kara Thomas

Love, Hate and Other Filters by Samira Ahmed

Sadie by Courtney Summers

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin

The Cousins by Karen McManus

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe

The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The River Has Teeth by Erica Waters

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

Under the Dome by Stephen King

 

QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT I’D LOVE OR WON’T LOVE?

 Feel free to ask me about my preferences. I’m on twitter and Instagram. @JamieMcHenry

Here are a few questions and my answers: 

• Will I accept Horror? YES. YA Horror is definitely welcome. 
• Will I accept Sci-Fi? It depends. Anything taking place in space is a no for me. 
• Will I accept High Fantasy? Yes. High Fantasy is welcome. 
• What are my thoughts about prologues? I enjoy them if they're short and introduce the story well. If the prologue in a book is longer than 3 pages, I'll skip it and start on chapter 1. 
• Will I accept multiple POV's? Yes. Multiple POV's are great. Make sure the voice for each POV is distinct. 

  

WHAT AM I LOOKING FOR IN A MENTEE?

Delightful commitment to their story and the process. That sounds simple and since everyone who enters Pitch Wars has written a book, it seems obvious that they’re committed to it. But here’s the thing: Pitch Wars is hard work—there are physical demands and there are emotional demands. The process of getting a book ready for the showcase takes time, effort, and (maybe) a few tears. I’m looking for a mentee who is excited and determined to make their story better. A positive attitude will be crucial.

  

MY MENTORING STYLE

Since I’ve been a Pitch Wars Mentee before, I’ve got a pretty good understanding about what future mentees are about to experience. For me, Pitch Wars was a roller coaster ride of emotions. I anticipate this year’s mentees to go through something similar. My role as a mentor is to help my mentee navigate and enjoy every part of Pitch Wars.

I’ll be honest but never brutal. If you’re chosen as my mentee, understand that I’m going to do what I can to help you make your book the best it can be while also having fun. I know, I know—I didn’t put cool gifs on this post or fun, exciting memes. I seem kind of boring and dry on the page. Fear not, future mentee, I’m everything but boring and dry. When we’re working, I’ll share what I feel needs to be fixed, based on my experience, and give details about why. And I’ll always be kind about my feedback. My personal belief is that writing is a journey and this is one exciting part of that. Enjoy the moment. I don’t have all the answers, but I can find them. If I choose your book, I know I can help it.

This is your project and I respect that. If there’s something I’ve recommended that you don’t want to change, so be it. You won’t have to explain why to me, either. I’ve worked on revisions with editors and agents and have held my ground before so I know what that’s like.

Depending on how much work will be necessary, getting your book ready for the showcase can feel daunting. I’ll be here to inspire you and keep you moving forward. If you’ve never done revisions with a deadline before, we’ll work together and establish some benchmarks to fit your schedule. Know, however, that it will be hard work. Sometimes you’ll need to put in the hours and sometimes you’ll want to step away to refocus—with both, I’ll help you hit your goals.

Whatever type of communication you’re comfortable using, we’ll make it happen. Because of my job, I’m usually connected at most times of the day/night. Whether Zoom calls, DM’s, email, chat, or whatever, you’ll be able to reach me. Got a question about a midnight epiphany, I can respond quickly.

  

A BIT ABOUT ME

Hi, I’m Jamie. Always have been. In 2017, I was a Pitch Wars mentee and my book, I KILLED BRENDA MORRIS, helped me connect with my agent during that year’s agent showcase. I wrote that book for fun after taking a class about unreliable narrators and discovered my writing voice through the project. While that book is still looking for a home, which is fine, I keep busy by writing new things, learning new skills, and helping other authors.

YA mysteries and thrillers are my current love, though I’ve been known to pen some speculative words now and then. I also wrote some light fantasy, once upon a time. My most recent revision project is a mystery involving a high school bus trip in the desert, a violent thunderstorm, and a dead body. My current WIP has witches and warlocks.

I’m a character driven writer and enjoy writing deep POV. Long ago, I learned that pouring my emotions onto the page makes me feel better. So that’s what I do. When my characters make you laugh, that's me on the page. When they make you cry, know that I was crying first.

  

WHAT ABOUT NON-WRITING STUFF?

Animals have my heart. Give me a choice between a room full of people and a room full of pets and I’ll choose the pets every time. And I might not ever leave the room.

Simplicity is my jam. I enjoy spending time with my kids and my dogs, listening to vinyl records, exploring the outdoors, stargazing, watching movies, reading, testing new recipes, and writing. I work hard at balancing my time because I believe that it’s possible to burn out on all things.

I speak French so I guess that’s interesting. I lived in France for a couple years and got pretty good at the language. Okay, I was fluent at the time. Un peu. Sadly, though, my skill has dropped off due to lack of practice.

During the day, I work as a Retail IT Manager for a fashion and jewelry catalog. This company is great and everyone there has supported my writing since I started there. Several years ago, they let me start a library in their call center so that the employees have books to read when they’re not busy. A couple of my old, self-published books are there (of course!) and it’s fun to wander over and see folks reading my stuff. A couple of my books were actually 100% written while at work.

Lastly, I’m just a nice guy trying to enjoy this writing journey. I’m not loud about much and will shy away from confrontation most of the time. (Although, if I love your Pitch Wars entry, I will fight for it. Know that.) I try to do the right thing as often as I can, but I’m also mischievous so I’ll sometimes play a prank or two.

  

FINAL THOUGHTS AND OTHER RESOURCES

Still have questions? Find me @JamieMcHenry on Twitter or Instagram. Reach out any time.

Are you still reading this? Wow, good on you! Here’s some bonus material:

My Pitch Wars entry from 2017. You can tell a lot about a person from the way they write. I think this says a lot about me:

https://pitchwars.org/pw-348-young-adult-contemporary-mystery-i-killed-brenda-morris/

I wanted to make this list accessible for everyone, so that’s the reason it’s text only. If you’d like a visual idea of who I am and my tastes, you can find a handful of helpful boards on Pinterest. I've even created a visual wishlist there:

https://www.pinterest.com/jamiemchenry/_saved/

The other YA Mentors’ wish lists are below

Pitch Wars

While working full-steam ahead on my fantastic new project about a guy haunted by his ex-girlfriend, I had another book idea pop into my head. I shouldn't use the word pop. It exploded! The idea hit me with so much force that I had to begin right away. And I did. That day, I outlined the book and wrote the first chapter and the last chapter. The date was May 31, 2017.

And the book was enjoyable to write. I loved the characters and the story—and the twists. This was the type of book I’d been looking to read, so the words flowed and the story got better and better.

Then I remembered a contest I had entered last year. Pitch Wars. In the contest, you submit a query letter and the first chapter of your manuscript to four mentors who then pick a lucky winner from all their submissions and help get that manuscript shiny and magnificent. I didn’t get in to the contest last year. (Between you and me, not getting in motivated me like crazy. I started writing a new story the day the winners were announced and then rewrote the manuscript I entered in the months following the contest. The re-write is awesome and I’m certain it’ll draw interest once I start querying it.)

Now I’m rambling. So I remembered this contest and I didn’t want to enter the same novel as last year. I thought, perhaps, that I might get this book done in time to enter. And that’s what I did. I wrote non-stop to get the first draft done and managed to get some edits complete before the submission date arrived for the contest. Yay. At least I had an entry.

After failing last year, I learned how subjective contests can be, so I didn’t have high expectations for this book. While I loved the story, I wasn’t sure how other people would react. The book was dark at times, and twisted, and also contemporary. I had never written a Contemporary YA before. Would I pull of an authentic voice? Would people think I needed therapy? Would people scream at my title and ban me from the contest? These were real questions stirring in my mind as I researched authors participating in the contest as mentors.

I eventually made my choices and submitted my book, I KILLED BRENDA MORRIS, to Pitch Wars.

Fast forward to today.

I made it into the contest and I couldn't be happier. Destiny Cole took a chance on me and accepted me as her mentee. To say that I was shocked to get chosen is a huge understatement. I get emotional thinking about it. This contest was what I needed and it’s making me better every day. Destiny is a fantastic mentor and I’m lucky to have her cheering me on and helping mold this book into something that will surprise and delight a lot of readers. 

Pitch Wars is wonderful. If you entered and didn’t make it in to the contest, keep writing. Keep imagining. Keep entering. If you are a mentor, thank you for giving up your time to help people like me get better. If you are a mentee, hello again. I love our community of support.

Writing is an art, a skill that can be developed. We’re all improving and learning, and putting our dreams onto pages together. And that’s what I love about it.

Jamie 

ABNA: My Pitch

So I entered my latest book in a contest hosted by amazon.com called the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. There are many reasons for entering, though the biggest is a search for validation. I think I write well; those who read my books say I write well; agents and editors say I write well; however, there's still this lingering doubt about my abilities. Entering the contest and, hopefully, tasting some success is my intended therapy for doubt.

The first round of the contest involved sending in a book pitch. I'll admit, this is my biggest weakness when it comes to writing. I cannot pitch or sell anything. I have worked, reworked, revised, and purchased help with queries and never truly found success with any of my methods. Ironically, the requests for full manuscripts have come from contests, not from querying. So . . . I wrote a pitch for this contest and entered. Here's what I wrote:

Ryan Moon is infected and dying. The virus that killed his family and his best friend now threatens to turn millions of people into flesh craving zombies. Too late for Ryan, though. Part of a government program to find a cure, he lives a captive existence between a hospital and high school. It bites. How’s a guy supposed to focus in class with this kind of life? But he tries. Because all Ryan has to live for is a chance to survive and graduate, and the affections of a mysterious girl he met online. Jessica Snow. She’s Ryan’s only friend these days. Pure and perfect, Jessica brings out the best in Ryan—though she’s exposing emotions that are making his condition worse.

And he’s getting worse. Every day brings Ryan closer to becoming a monster, closer to the end. Desperate to live, and for love, Ryan promises to take Jessica to prom. A promise made impossible after a violent attack at his school forces Ryan into a secret clinic run by Jessica’s father. There, Dr. Snow, who has a daring plan to use Ryan’s blood as a possible vaccine, tortures Ryan for the sake of science. But the drug won’t work on everyone, and if Ryan doesn’t act, he could start the apocalypse.

He is desperate to escape, to save the world and to be with Jessica. Ryan will take her to prom, if her father doesn’t kill him first. 

That's my pitch for Dead and Beloved. And guess what? It worked. The book made it to round two of the contest. I don't know what will happen from here, but it doesn't really matter. I have a bit of validation and a realization that I'm getting better. 

Happy reading. 

~ Jamie

The Writer's Voice Entry

As part of the process to move forward with my newest project, I’ve entered a couple contests. One contest, The Writer’s Voice, randomly selected 150 participants who will have the chance to receive feedback and guidance on both queries and the first 250 words of a manuscript from some wonderful coaches. I have been selected to participate and am thoroughly thrilled at the opportunity. This is my first time dabbling in a contest like this, so I’m a little nervous; however, I know I’ll be in good hands.


Okay. The contest is over so I'm removing the details of my entry. Hopefully,  we'll all get to read the first page in print one day. Congrats to all the fine folks who moved on and received requests. There were some great entries. 

~ Jamie

Contest Winners

I’m pleased to announce several contest winners.

First, from the contest a couple week ago: Jamie won a signed copy of ON FALLEN WINGS! Jamie has already received her copy. I can’t wait to hear what she thinks of the book.

The correct answer for the $20 giftcard to amazon.com is twenty-seven. Aisling has twenty-seven faeries. Congratulations to Becky!

This week’s winner of a signed copy of ON FALLEN WINGS is Laura. Way to go!

The winner of a Signed ON FALLEN WINGS bookmark is Esther. Woohoo!

The winner of an ON FALLEN WINGS mouse pad is Nicole. Yay!

The giving isn’t over. I’ll announce another contest here next week. If you have any ideas for cool swag that you would like to see in a contest, leave a comment below. I can have almost anything made up, and I’m happy to do it. There’s also a giveaway on goodreads. Here are the details for that one.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

On Fallen Wings

by Jamie McHenry

Giveaway ends May 08, 2012.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Have a great day. Until next time, happy reading!

~ Jamie

From Rising Flames

I’m participating in the Write Campaign sponsored by Rachael Harrie. The first challenge is to write a piece of flash fiction. Here are the rules:

Write a short story/flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, “Shadows crept across the wall”. These five words will be included in the word count.

If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), do one or more of these:

end the story with the words: "everything faded." (also included in the word count)

include the word "orange" in the story

write in the same genre you normally write

make your story 200 words exactly!

There are a lot of great entries, which are accessible here. If you are participating in the campaign, please visit them and be sure to vote for your favorite.

 
I decided to write a short scene that could fit in the sequel of ON FALLEN WINGS. It’s exactly 200 words and uses all the words listed above. I hope you like it. I’ve decided to give it the same title as the sequel.

FROM RISING FLAMES

 

Shadows crept across the wall of the cave, sharp angled reminders that I wasn’t supposed to be here, that none of this was part of the fate I had expected. They cautioned me with their silence and warned of the dangerous fortune that waited if the men knew where we were hiding.

How had it come to this? I stared at the wavering flames between us and tried to imagine the peace of my life before the red and the orange, and the smoke took my village. Before Sean was taken, and the man sleeping across from the fire had ruined my future. I had no reason to trust the bandit, and every reason to let him die. But there he was, and here I lay. Like the shadows and the light around us, we were two enemies facing the unknown together. And we needed each other.

I glanced again at Darian. So weak and frail, it seemed a miracle that he had saved me. I wondered if I could keep my promise—if I could heal him. Faeries weren’t that strong, I wasn’t that strong anymore. I stopped trying to focus and stared at the wall until everything faded.

I hope you enjoyed my little teaser. Have a great week.
~ Jamie

This is Halloween

I love this time of year. The air turns cold, the leaves add color to the landscape, and the yard work ends! I also love Halloween. I enjoy haunted houses, scary movies, frightening stories, and yummy food. With five children, our candy supply never seems to disappear after October 31st.

This year, our neighborhood held a chili cook off and costume contest. Let's talk about chili first. I love chili, but it's hard to find a perfect bowl sometimes. So a few years ago, I made my own recipe and have been tweaking it ever since. I decided this would be the year to introduce my creation to the neighbors. I'm glad I did. I won! In honor of my achievement, I'm sharing my recipe with the world. Take it, enjoy it, share it. I won't mind a bit. If you make money off it, give me credit.

Jamie's (Award Winning!) Chili

1 Pound          Bacon                    chop into 1/2" pieces and fry
1 Pound          Ground Sausage           
2 Each            Onion, chopped          
7 Clove           Garlic, minced          
1 Each            Green Pepper, chopped    coarsely chopped
1 Each            Red Pepper               coarsely chopped
1 Pound          Tri Tip Steak            smoked and cubed
1 Pound          Turkey Breast                smoked and cubed
2 Tablespoon  Brown Sugar             
2 Squirt           Honey                    or 3
30 Ounce        Tomato Sauce            
30 Ounce        Tomatoes, diced          do not drain
2 1/2 Tablespoon      Cumin Seed, ground      
2 Tablespoon   Chili Powder            
1/2 Teaspoon   Cayenne Pepper          
1 Teaspoon      Oregano                 
15 Ounce          Black Beans              drain and rinse
15 Ounce         Chili Beans              DO NOT DRAIN

 Instructions
------------------------------------------------------------
Combine first 6 ingredients in Crock pot and set to "low" until sausage is cooked, then set to "keep warm."
Add smoked meat and set for "keep warm" overnight.
Add rest of ingredients and simmer on stove (unless it fits in the Crock pot) so ingredients can infuse into each other.

There it is. It's that easy. I also made some dutch oven cornbread as a side dish. That recipe isn't my own, so I won't share it here. This is how everything looked:

Yes, it was tasty. I won a cool apron and a golden bowl of chili for my efforts. Yay!

Now, for the really cool part. Our family went to see Tron: Legacy this past winter on IMAX 3D. It was the first 3d movie I had seen in the theatre, and it was a lot of fun. My kids enjoyed it so much, they asked if they could be Tron characters for Halloween. They designed their costumes, we did the sewing, and I added a few final touches(including the technical headache work of all the lights).
They won the costume contest! I'm sorry the photos aren't great. The costumes look so much cooler in the dark, so that's where we took them. We also added some light to our Suburban window, to complete the effect.



However you celebrate Halloween, I hope that you enjoy it. We are so far.

Somnium Perfecta Imago

I see the mirror glass, but it’s not my room on the other side; there’s rampant, swirling fog. And her. This must be the dream. I’ve been here before. The same eyes, the flaming hair, her voice calls the same angelic words as before. But I don’t know them. Are they a warning, or a blessing?

“Cursum Perficio,” she says.

My heart pounds its response and I catch myself not breathing. It’s impossible not to oscitate—I’m transfixed.

“Cursom Perficio.”

I mouth the words with her. Who is she? What is the meaning of this synchronicity? As I ponder, she beckons to me. The fog changes from gray to crimson in a brilliant miasma of warning while her words envelop the space.

“Cursum Perficio.”

I lean close and draw a breath. Then I reach to touch the glass, to break the lacuna between my wanting and her.

“Please,” I whisper. “This is perfect.”

“Cursum—”

I interrupt. “Please.”

Brilliant light blinds my vision, forcing me back. I collapse on the bed and close my eyes. I sleep. When I awake, the dream is gone. I am alone again.

If you enjoyed my 200 word blog entry, please like it here.

The Door Swung Open

Here's my attempt at a short story. If you're wondering what I'm doing, Rachael Harrie has this wonderful author networking challenge. I'm required to write a short story, limited to 200 words, and use the door swung open as the opening line. If I'm brave, I'm to use the door swung shut as the closing words. So, at 200 words, here's my story: THE ZOMBIE LIFE

The door swung open and a pair of hands grabbed my ankles.

“Get out here,” commanded a sharp voice that scarred my ears as it passed.

Scream. Where is your scream? I clawed at the walls with my fingers. “No.” My weakened rasp barely broke my breath. “Let go.” As I slid, against my wanting, my body left the shadow of my home. My feet burned from a blaze that I couldn’t see. I wouldn’t look; I needed my eyes for the darkness. When my ankles met the pain, I howled. There’s my scream!

“He’s fighting me,” yelled the voice.

More hands gripped me. I pulled one leg back and kicked the enemy, but the motion twisted me and my face struck the floor. More pain. My legs met the fire. I clawed again, this time at the floor.

This was no way to die. First, the fevers, then the shakes. When the poison of daylight ended all hope for a normal life, I had promised myself I would live. In darkness, yes, but I had lived so long.

Removed from my home and completely exposed, I dared a final defying glance at the sun before the door swung shut.

* * *

Well, there it is. If you like it, please LIKE it here. Oh, and I'm not really into horror or zombies, but it was the first thing that came into my mind when I read the contest rules. Thanks for visiting!

Another Type of Contest

After some self doubt and internal debating, I have decided to throw my hat into another type of contest. Shelley Watters has teamed up with the magnificent agent Suzie Townsend of Fine Print Literary Management to present an Epic follower/Blogfest Contest. The winner of the contest receives a FULL MANUSCRIPT REQUEST from Suzie. That's a big deal!

I'll need your help with my entry. I'm allowed 140 characters to pitch my novel, On Fallen Wings, to the agent. Every word, every character, every space is valuable and could doom my entry or help it soar. I'll post my initial thought below and it's your job/duty/pleasure to tear it apart and tell me what you think. Here it is:

When her boyfriend disappears, a Faerie's search for answers forces her to choose between the life she loves and the life he could lose.

Revision 9:40

I love all of the feedback. Give me more! Many of you have asked that I incorporate names into the pitch. I agree; I think the names of the characters add value to the pitch. The dilemma is the 140 character limit. The next version doesn't have names. Let me know what you think. Here's the latest:

When a Faerie's boyfriend is kidnapped, her quest to save him forces her to choose between betraying her village and watching him die.

Something else. 10:40 pm

I'm putting in the name! Let me know how this works:

When Rhiannon's boyfriend is kidnapped, her quest to save him forces her to choose between the Faerie life she loves and losing him forever.

Care about your Characters

When I read, I want to know the characters in the story.

If I don’t care about them, then I’m not concerned about what happens, regardless of how tragic or exciting the plot is. Conflict is necessary, but it’s the gripping characters and their reactions to conflict that, for me, create a story worth following. Often, the author has drawn me in with a person that reminds me of myself. Other times, I’m compelled by the bravery of the protagonist. Even more, some characters are simply intriguing and I can’t turn away.

 

When I started this blog, I didn’t know what to expect. There are so many great sources of writing information out there, I felt like I had nothing new to offer, save a story. The story is what I love. Until recently, I had been living a writer’s life inside a deep hole, scribbling my musings in solitary darkness, hiding them in fear. Except for my wife, children, and a few co-workers, no one knew I was writing. Then I pressed the publish button on the screen and started meeting you. Since my first post, I’ve discovered online friends and acquaintances that make this story so interesting, that I can’t turn away.

 

 

To celebrate you all, I’m giving away one $15 gift card to amazon.com.  I’ll use random.org to generate the winner.

 

Here are the rules:

To enter, simply comment on this post using the format listed below. That’s easy!

 

Want additional entries?

1. Using your creativity, mention this contest online for one additional entry. Please provide a link in your comments so that everyone can follow what you’ve mentioned.
2. As an appreciation to my blog followers, each follower will receive one additional entry with their comment.
3. Selling a book through amazon.com. Mention it for another entry. Give us a brief blurb about your book.

That’s it. One random commenter will win the gift card!

 

To recap:

• 1 entry for commenting
• 1 additional entry for sharing the contest online.
• 1 additional entry for following the blog.
• 1 additional entry for mentioning the book you sell through amazon.com

How do characters relate to this contest?

I want you to name your favorite character from a book.

So, here's the format.

• Your name:
• Your favorite character’s name:
• Did you tweet/post this contest? Give us the link to your creative online sharing.
• Are you following the blog?
• The name of your book available through amazon.com and a brief blurb. One book only, please.

 

Just a few minor points. There’s no need to list your email address with your post. Once the winner is selected, I’ll provide instructions for that person to claim their prize. Also, the gift card will be emailed. Unfortunately, the contest cannot accommodate anyone outside of the US—I’m sorry. Finally, one comment per person.

 

The contest will end at 11:59 pm Mountain Time on April 3, 2011. I’ll announce the winner on April 4th. Good Luck!