Guest Maven Angie Fox Dishes Demon Slaying, Research, and Biker Dogs

We're so thrilled to welcome New York Times Bestselling* Mave Fave Angie Fox! Her debut novel, The Accidental Demon Slayer, was released last Tuesday - buy it now! Angie answered some burning questions for us. She'll be around today if you have any more you'd like to pose. Plus, she's giving a signed copy of The Accidental Demon Slayer to one lucky poster!

How do you develop your plots and characters?
With The Accidental Demon Slayer, I started off with a kernel of an idea that amused me. What if a straight laced preschool teacher suddenly learns she’s a demon slayer? And what if she has to learn about her powers on the run from a bad boy demon? Ohhh and wouldn’t it be fun if she’s running with her long-lost Grandma’s gang of geriatric biker witches?

I started writing and let the story evolve based on the characters and that central issue of what happens when a reluctant heroine is thrust into a series of extraordinary situations. And I knew the story was working when I couldn’t wait to get back to the keyboard every day.

What comes first: the plot or the characters?
For me, it’s both. For example, when I sat down to write The Accidental Demon Slayer, I had no notes about a sidekick for my heroine. But in the second chapter, when she’d learned she was a demon slayer and all hell was after her, she took comfort in her dog. As I was writing, I thought, ‘This is a sweet moment. Now how do I throw her off?’ Simple. I made the dog say something to her. Nothing big. After all, he’s only after the fettuccine from last week. And he knows exactly where my heroine can find it (back of the fridge, to the left of the lettuce crisper, behind the mustard).

It amused me, so I did it. Thanks to her unholy powers, my heroine can now understand her smart-mouthed Jack Russell Terrier. I had fun with it. In fact, I suspect Pirate the dog is my editor’s favorite character. I wouldn’t have been at all surprised if Pirate helped talk my editor into buying The Accidental Demon Slayer.

So did plot influence character? Maybe there it did. But I can tell you that as the book evolves, Pirate the dog does his share of influencing the plot too. Bottom line? I think the most important thing when you sit down to the keyboard is to be willing to follow your story in new directions, because if you’re enjoying the surprise, chances are your readers will too.


Did you have to do a lot of research for the book?
Loads, actually. First off, the biker witches ride Harleys, and I’d never been on a motorcycle before. Second, I had to figure out how to get Pirate the dog onto a bike.

I went online and learned about the Biker Dogs Motorcycle Club, made up exclusively of Harley riders and their dogs. I ended up meeting some of them, along with a few other bikers along the way. These bikers were so great to me. They hoisted me onto the back of their Harleys (with dogs in tow). They took me to biker rallies (note to self: don’t wear pink). And they laughed at me when I tried to put my helmet on backwards (I still say I was distracted by the Pomeranian wearing a tiny pair of motorcycle glasses).


After a few outings with my new biker friends, I was able to make my geriatric biker witch characters a lot more realistic. And I took home some great pictures, too.

What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
I’m always trying to outdo myself, especially at the end of a book. It drives my critique partner nuts. Typical feedback will come like this, “What are you doing? Don’t get me wrong. I like it when you come up with quirky new hideouts for the Red Skull biker witches. But we’re heading into the climax of the book. Why do we need a new one?”


I usually don’t have any good answer to questions like that except, “I did it because it amused me.” But, really, if I’m entertaining myself as a writer, won’t my readers have more fun too? At least that’s my excuse. In the case of the new hideout, it worked out. The Red Skulls end up on this abandoned riverboat that they’d enchanted years earlier (while drunk on dandelion wine). Now they not only need a safe place, but they need to catch the Choking spells, Lose Your Keys spells, not to mention the Frozen Underwear spells ready to attack from around corners and behind the old jukebox.

Do you have anything else to add?
Sure do – check out the What’s Your Biker Witch Name? quiz. You can post your cool new biker name here, or even on my blog, where you can enter to have your real name in my next book.

Ooh, cool contest, Angie!

Angie Fox is the author of The Accidental Demon Slayer. Critics call it, "fresh, unique and larger than life," Angie simply calls it fun. That's because she gets a kick out of surprising herself, and her readers, with plenty of plot twists, magical moments and sizzling romance.

*Updated August 8 upon learning The Accidental Demon Slayer is number 34 on the NYT Bestsellers List. Congratulations Angie!! 

Get Ready for Fun - Maven Style!

Join us next week (July 14-18) as we celebrate (no, not Bastille Day) our first anniversary! Can you believe we've been at this for a year? Neither can we. And we're so, so thankful for your company. Let's hear it for our MaveFaves!

Next week's shenanigans are a Q&A with some of our favorite authors. Each day bears a new question with all sorts of fascinating answers. Plus, there's a prize question - correctly guess which author said what and you're entered in a drawing for a fabulous prize! And what is that prize, you ask? Well, there will be two prizes each day: one for a writer and one for a reader. Please indicate which one you are or "either." Reader prizes are books (natch!) and writer prizes are a Maven critique of your query letter (ooh, aah).

So get ready to party, jamboree style of course. Interestingly, we Mavens didn't answer our own questions. How about today you pose any question you want and we'll do our best to answer! Fire away!

Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Writer's Life for Me!

First, let me award B.E. Sanderson a signed copy of Stephanie Rowe's Sex and the Immortal Bad Boy for her hilarious title offering last week. Though I won’t be using Give a Lord a Bone as an official title, picture it as the subtitle. I did come up with a tentative title: Their Wicked Bargain. I also came up with a title for book three that I absolutely adore: His Wicked Heart. So, yay on both counts! Do let me know what you think.

I’ve been suffering from writer’s life this week. What is that? Please contribute to the following:

Angst

1. Have I edited my WIP enough?
2. Will my CPs love my WIP as much as me?
3. Is the hero’s arc strong enough?
4. Why won’t everyone leave me alone so I can write?!
5. Your angst here

Excitement

1. One of my CPs cried reading the end of Her Wicked Ways!
2. I can’t wait to start my next book in earnest!
3. Can’t wait for my agent to read HWW!
4. RWA is going to rock!
5. Your excitement here

Fear

1. What if I can’t write another book as quickly and efficiently as HWW?
2. What if no one ever buys my books?
3. What if I get a ginormous zit right before the GH ceremony (legitimate fear, people)?
4. How will I afford gas? (I assume this is everyone’s fear, but perhaps not.)
5. Your fear here

One thing I really love about the writing community is everyone’s willingness to share their angst, excitement, and fear. They’re the things that unite us as writers and as human beings. So, come on and let’s angst together.

Contest Winner and Guest Maven

Good morning, Mavenland. We're running a little late here, but never fear, the party with MaveFave and Kensington author Amie Stuart will get started presently.

In the meantime, the winner of a free copy of Wickedly Ever After is Shelli Stevens (who in addition to being preseident of GSRWA and an all-around great gal just sold to Kensington herself--so double congrats to Shelli!).

Several of you noticed that the cart went down at Cobblestone Press on the day of my release, preventing you from buying. Apparently, the vendor from whom Cobblestone contracts the service had a problem with one of their servers, but it's fixed now. So if you didn't win and you're still hungry, now's the time go buy!

Wanted: Book Title

I’ve mentioned a few times over the last several weeks that my next book is in need of a title. I’ve currently dubbed it The Tale of Gideon. I clearly need help. Let me tell you about the book and then you can post your suggestions (please, please have suggestions!) in the comments. The person who submits my favorite title (not necessarily the one I’ll pick, mind you) will receive the fabulous Sex and the Immortal Bad Boy, signed by my pal Stephanie Rowe.

Here’s the most current draft of the story blurb:

Cate Bowen would rather dirty her hands, literally, than consider marriage or any other feminine trade. Defining herself as an archaeological scholar is more than her life’s dream, it’s her absolute purpose. When Lord Gideon Bradshaw controls the means with which she can achieve what she desires, she’s forced to accept him as her partner. He doesn’t know the first thing about science or following the rules, and his arrogance may prove to be her downfall, both professionally and personally.

Lord Gideon Bradshaw ought to be the most envied man in England. With wealth, social standing, and a reputation any buck would kill for, why is his life an empty pit? A rundown Welsh estate and an independent termagant who would rather dig for lost treasure than shop on Bond Street shouldn’t entice him. But the temptation of something—and someone—to call his own is more than he can resist.

I’m still working on it, but hopefully this gives you the flavor of the book. This is book two (the Spare) in a trilogy about three siblings raised with silver spoons in their mouths who court scandal. In the first book, Her Wicked Ways, the youngest sibling (the Deb), Lady Miranda, flaunted Society’s dictates and found herself exiled to the country where she became entangled with a highwayman and an impoverished altruist. Book three is about the eldest sibling (the Heir), the Earl of Morley whose icy façade masks a violent interior that threatens to ruin their family forever. Fun stuff, right?

The Tale of Gideon is essentially Moonlighting meets Secrets of the Dead (yeah, that’s my high concept, so hands off! *g). If you aren’t familiar with Moonlighting, you should maybe not be reading this blog (kidding). In all seriousness, it’s one of the great romantic comedies (TV show) of all time. Now lest you think TTOG is a comedy, look at part two: Secrets of the Dead, a great documentary program on PBS about, well, the dead. Okay, this is what their website says:

Part detective story, part true-life drama, SECRETS OF THE DEAD unearths evidence from around the world, challenging prevailing ideas and throwing fresh light on unexplained events. Using the most up-to-date science in the laboratory and in the field, scientists and researchers examine the missing pieces of each puzzle, completing the picture of what had been merely an assemblage of suppositions.

Keep in mind that in TTOG, “up-to-date” is 1817!

Your turn! Hit me with some great titles!

Release Day!

That's right! Wickedly Ever After hits the shelves (figuratively, at least) at Cobblestone Press today. Exciting, yes?



If you click on over and it's not there yet, try again later. The new releases usually get posted before noon Eastern on Fridays, but sometimes, it takes a little longer! For an excerpt, hop on over to the Cobblestone Author's blog.

And if you're a gambling man or woman, I will be giving away one copy of the book to one lucky person who posts a comment either here or over at my blog under the cross-posted version of this post. I'm also giving away two query critiques and a signed copy of Brenda Novak's Dead Giveaway here.

To Contest or Not to Contest

Beverley Kendall, MaveFave and Avon FanLitter, contacted me via IM a couple of weeks ago with the exciting news that she'd finaled in her first RWA chapter contest for unpublished writers. I congratulated her and said I bet it was the beginning of a trend. Well, color me clairvoyant, but within a week or so, she had finaled in two more, and one of those was a double-final. She missed finaling in a third contest by ONE position.

As we were squealing with delight over this surfeit of good news, we started talking a little bit about the overall value of such contests and when/if writers should enter them. One of the things we've both noticed is that the same authors and works tend to reach the final round over and over again. It seems that once a writer reaches a certain level of skill and polish, she (or he) can pretty much count on reaching the finals in many (though by no means all) of the contests she enters. (All bets are off, of course, for those who write stories that are outside the box. Contest judges tend to be traditional/conservative, so the odds of running into one or more judges who just don't get your story are pretty high.)

As a consequence of this observation, we started wondering what motivated authors to continue entering the same manuscript in contests over and over again, especially when the pool of editors and agents reading in the final round is relatively small. Once a manuscript has reached the finals a certain number of times, the odds diminish that it will reach an editor or agent who hasn't already seen it before. And if the final round judge is one who's seen the manuscript before, but hasn't requested it, the chances the entrant will get a request this time can't be great.

Now, I can't claim any particular restraint when it comes to entering contests. I don't have an accurate count handy, but it's certainly in the neighborhood of a dozen over an 18-month period, and more than half of those were with the same manuscript. That said, I was pretty particular in that I didn't enter contests with the same final round judge more than once, and each time I entered the same manuscript, it was after I'd made some pretty significant changes that I wanted to "test-run."

Still, at this point, I didn't think there was anything that could induce me to enter another contest, at least not one for an unpublished manuscript. I just figured since I now have an agent, it's my job to write the books and hers to get them in front of the right people.

But as luck would have it, I met with my agent this week, and we discussed a story that's been taking up large amounts of real estate in my brain lately. The idea behind it is just far out enough that, even though everyone I've shared it with thinks it's fantastically creative and cool, there is some question of marketability. Kevan shared that concern and suggested writing it to the proposal stage, at which point, we'd float it out to a few editors to see what feedback we got and decide where to go from there.

That seemed like a great idea, but then it occurred to me that maybe I could get some of that feedback we were hoping for from the first round of editors by entering the manuscript in a contest. If the manuscript didn't make it to the final round, we'd have some feedback that might help us determine where to tweak to its marketability, and if I did make it to the finals with an editor we'd have targeted otherwise, we could get that editor's feedback without "blowing our wad," so to speak.

As luck would have it, I found a contest I'm eligible to enter with a due date next week with a final round editor we'd love to get the manuscript in front of. So, it looks like I will be going back on the contest circuit again, much to my chagrin.

All of this made me think harder than ever about what *I* think are valid versus invalid reasons for entering contests for unpublished manuscripts. Accordingly, here is my list of three bad reasons and three good ones (I was going to do five, but this post was getting WAY too long!):

Bad Reasons

1. To get published
   
   Yes, it happens. People do occasionally get requests from editors/agents for manuscripts they entered in contests and even more rarely, they get offers for publication. But as a primary strategy for getting published, entering contests is significantly more expensive than the alternative (sending out queries, partials, and fulls) and fickle (because whether or not you get to the final round is so dependent on the subjective opinions of people who are, in many cases, just unpublished authors like you!).
   
   I think authors get seduced by the logic that say a contest final is better than a manuscript in the slush pile because the agent/editor has to read it. (Guilty as charged!) But honestly, that agent or editor will make up her mind about your manuscript in the same number of pages whether it's a contest entry or something that came to her via the query route.
   
   
2. To gain "credits" for the author bio portion of your query letter
   
   Contrary to what we'd all like to believe, the only unpublished contest finals that really "matter" to agents/editors are the big ones. That is to say, the Golden Heart and a possibly a few other premiere contests like the Maggie. And having a lot of contest finals can actually be a negative. It raises the question, "If this author is so great, why hasn't she gotten an agent/sold yet?"
   
   
3. Purely for the thrill of finaling
   
   Getting that phone call or email telling you you've made it to the final round in a contest is pretty exciting. But if that's the only reason you're in it, you could probably get that excitement cheaper at an amusement park.

Good Reasons

1. To get feedback on a manuscript
   
   If this is your reason for entering, then you can't summarily dismiss the criticisms you receive as authors are sometimes wont to do. They may not all be valid, but if you really want feedback, you have to be willing to listen to what you hear. That's not always easy, especially if some of the things you hear aren't the things you want to hear.
   
   
2. For a chance to get the manuscript in front of an agent/editor you couldn't otherwise query
   
   Most of the time, the agents and editors who judge the final round on unpublished contests are people you can query privately as well. But every once in a while, an editor or agent who isn't "open" for submissions judges a final round. It can definitely be worth entering a contest to get a shot at that person, especially if he is your dream editor/agent.
   
   
3. To support your chapter
   
   If your chapter is running a contest, then entering your manuscript(s) is a way to add money to their coffers and get something in return. Of course, you should also judge said contest (but not in the category(ies) you entered, lol).

Of course, none of these rules apply to the Golden Heart. That contest is one you enter purely for the glory of finaling. Nothing else matters.

YOUR TURN: Can you think of other good reasons for entering contests? Bad ones? Have a contest experience you'd like to share? Come on down!

Maven Darcy is a Golden Heart Finalist!

I'm thrilled to share that Glorious is a finalist in the Regency Historical category of the Golden Heart!! I'm just starting to calm down, but wow was that phone call a rush! Mr. Burke listened in and was/is over the moon. He keeps congratulating me. And the Burkettes wanted to know what was wrong after I shrieked (that was after I hung up the phone). Quinn is excited that I'm going to wear a pretty dress. Off to register for the RWA Conference - see you in San Francisco!!

Loop-d-Loops on the Emotional Roller Coaster

Please join us in welcoming three-time RITA finalist and award-winning author Tanya Michaels! A professional split personality, she writes warm-hearted, community-oriented romances for Harlequin that have been translated into nearly a dozen languages and, under her real name, Tanya Michna, poignant women's fiction novels for NAL Accent. She's also the mother of two small children, a frequent speaker at writing conferences and book festivals, and a TV-on-DVD addict of series such as Supernatural, Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, Veronica Mars, Robin Hood and LOST. Welcome Tanya!

My morning started around 6 a.m. with a shot of terror because I had accidentally—one might say idiotically—saved five hours of work to a temporary folder my computer claimed no longer existed. There may also have been some anger on my part, accompanied by Naval Academy worthy swear words. When my husband helped me excavate the Lost Files, I was overcome with relief and love for my real life hero. Then there was exasperation with my four year old (who fights falling asleep every night and then, go figure, fusses in the morning that she’s “too tired” to get up for PreK.) I was touched and proud of my kindergarten son for picking out his own clothes because he saw I had my hands full with his sister…and somewhat mortified that anyone who saw his resulting ensemble might think I deliberately dressed him like that. I experienced a fleeting homicidal impulse when a jerk ran a red light, cutting me off with my kids en route to school, followed by gratitude that no one was hurt and finally guilt in car pool when I realized we were supposed to have brought something that started with S for my daughter’s class Letter Muncher and that I’d failed as a mom.

Not even eight-forty five in the morning, and I’d run a gamut of approximately ten emotions. I needed a drink. (Luckily, the lady at the McDonald’s drive thru closest to the kids’ school knows my minivan by sight and always has the Diet Coke ready and sticking out the window.)

In a perfect world, I could deal with a few less emotions—at least, not such intense ones before noon. But in the WRITING world, emotions are our bread and butter. Not only do all the best romance novels, no matter what subgenre, have a strong, believable emotional arc for the hero and heroine, the books that achieve KEEPER status are the ones that have made a strong emotional connection with the reader. Because my first published novels were short romantic comedies with Harlequin, I didn’t think of myself as a deeply “emotional” writer. But the more I looked at the authors on my own keeper shelf, the more that changed.

You want an emotional reaction from your reader! If you write beautiful but angst-filled books (Anna DeStefano, Catherine Anderson, Karen White), you may literally send your readers sniffling for the tissue box. If you write atmospheric romantic suspense with twisting plots and chilling villains (Gayle Wilson, Lisa Gardner, Rita Herron), the reaction you elicit may be that the reader can’t sleep for a week without leaving her hall light on—and I’m STILL having nightmares, thank you very much. If you write witty dialogue, fast-paced clever narrative and memorably quirky characters (Jane Graves, Jennifer Cruise), your readers will probably remember you for making them laugh. Even if you write romantica/erotic romance, where the physical relationship is obviously a strong draw, the emotion is still crucial! (Two authors that I personally think handle this well are Angela Knight and Sasha White.) And, in my opinion the very best authors, including those already mentioned, are those who combine emotions for a roller coaster of a book and a sigh-worthy ending – Eloisa James, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Teresa Medeiros, Julie Garwood, Elizabeth Hoyt.

I write for Harlequin under the name Tanya Michaels (shameless plug—An Unlikely Mommy is out this month!), but in September, 2007 my first trade single title for NAL Accent came out under my less-easy-to-spell-and-pronounce real name Tanya Michna. I was fortunate that Necessary Arrangements got some very nice reviews, but most of them warned that readers might not finish with dry eyes. Some of my writing acquaintances were stunned, wanting to know if I’d “gone over to the Dark Side” and if I’d had to change my craft to write this one.

No—to the second question, anyway. Jury’s still out on the first.

No matter what kind of emotion you’re trying to evoke, there are some tools we can all use to heighten the impact of our books. First of all, and this can’t be stressed enough: CHARACTER! Readers have to find your characters compelling enough to care. Two hundred years after Jane Austen wrote the story, many of us are still reading Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy have passed the test of time with flying colors. JD Robb’s In Death books are on my auto-buy list and I’ll be perfectly honest, it has little to do with the homicide investigation plots. It’s more that I worry about Eve, lust after Roarke, and consider Peabody a friend—I miss her if I don’t check in from time to time. Don’t make the newbie writer (or uptight contest judge) mistake of thinking that sympathetic characters have to be perfect, though. Flaws make characters more three-dimensional and stories more compelling. Watch for historical romance novel Private Arrangements (April 2008) by debut novelist Sherry Thomas to see what I mean! Great story about an estranged married couple who have made some very definite and even cruel (although motivated) mistakes. Consider some of the popular television shows in recent years—Grey’s Anatomy, with an entire hospital full of neurotic characters, or cable’s Dexter in which the hero is actually a serial killer. On the lighter side, check out Jane Graves’ Hot Wheels & High Heels. Her heroine may not be all sweetness and light, but it’s tough not to root for her!

Keep in mind that surprises in the plot or even just smaller unexpected moments within scenes jolt the truest emotions from audiences. So try not to be too predictable. Or try to give your scene that added extra touch that makes it YOUR scene. Also remember that emotion DOES NOT EQUAL MELODRAMA. You want your reader to experience the emotion; you don’t want to bludgeon her over the head with it. Not every kiss in the book can be the hottest kiss in the book; you want to avoid obvious set ups like “It was quiet…too quiet.” And you do not want a hero and heroine that whine. Or, if they do, it better be in such an incredibly entertaining fashion that readers can’t put the book down anyway. Emotions work better in contrast than they do endless stretches—even if you like to use punchlines, you don’t want the book to be one big yuk-fest. Similarly, even in a tear jerker book like my Necessary Arrangements, I used liberal moments of humor. I mean, “poignant” is good, but let’s not confuse it with “so bleak I temporarily lost my will to live.”

Finally, even though most of us are writing genre fiction, don’t overlook some literary devices that can really help your stories resonate with readers: theme/motifs, symbols, and symmetry/juxtaposition. Again, you don’t have to beat the reader over the head—she might not even consciously pick up on the fact that the tree in Waverley family garden is symbolic of the Tree of Knowledge, but symbols can be very effective even as a subconscious device. Also, try not to use a symbol in the expected way. Check out the vintage car being restored in Anna DeStefano’s The Prodigal’s Return; it was supposed to be a project that brought together a father and son. Ultimately, it kind of does, but in the opposite way of what the reader would have predicted. Themes can be both powerful and playful and if you pick a Jennifer Crusie novel to re-read a few times, you’ll have a better understanding of motifs. Elizabeth Hoyt did a beautiful job in her “Prince” trilogy (Raven Prince, Leopard Prince, and Serpent Prince) framing her stories with folk tales that were then thematically important throughout the story. I got especially teary-eyed with how she handled the leopard figurine in the second book.

And symmetry is a great way to frame the entire story, ending in the same place you started…but not exactly. Think about the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith, when they’ve just met and dance to a catchy tropical-sounding tune in Colombia as compared to the end of the movie, when after five or six years of marriage, they’ve finally gotten to KNOW each other and are moving together beautifully as they take out assassins…to the same original tune. In my romantic comedy Not Quite As Advertised, the first line of the book is: Jocelyn McBride was in hell. Who knew it looked so much like an airport? And 180 pages later, the last line of the story is: Joss was in heaven. Who knew it looked so much like an airport? Teresa Medeiros and Julie Garwood both use this on chapter levels, coming full circle in a chapter for comedic (or tender) affect or juxtaposing the last line of a chapter with a dramatically opposed first line of the following chapter.

Really, there are all kinds of ways to build on the emotion in your book! Just remember, you can always layer in the little details later, as you get to know your characters better (that’s the beautiful thing about manuscripts as opposed to real life—you never have to think of the perfect response right that minute) and writing shorter work is no excuse for not going for the emotional jugular. Some of my favorite authors can crack me up in a one paragraph blog post, and I’m STILL traumatized from a few pages of a Stephen King short story that I cannot discuss further on advice of my therapist.

Happy writing and just remember, next time you find yourself hovering on the verge of some kind of emotional breakdown or another, it’s valid character research!

Tanya will be around today to answer your questions about craft, publishing, LOST, or whatever you think to ask! And one lucky commenter will receive a signed copy of Tanya's Trouble in Tennessee!

Prize Jamboree!

Here are the daily winners from our Valentine's Day Choose Your Own Adventure®! Thank you everyone for participating! Your prize is listed next to your name, so email us (mavens [at] manuscriptmavens.com) to claim your prize!

Day 1: JENWRITER - choose any one of Colleen Gleason's books from Amazon.com

Day 2: HOLLI BERTRAM - Jody Wallace's new release, A Spell for Susannah

Day 3: KIM W - choose any one of Amie Stuart's books from Amazon.com

Day 4: HALFMOON-MOLLIE - choose any one of Debra Dixon fiction books from Amazon.com

Day 5: AMANDA - choose any one of Deanna Lee's books from Amazon.com

Day 6: KELLY R - choose any one of Karen Lingefelt's books from Amazon.com

Day 7: BRIDGET LOCKE - a signed copy of Stephanie Rowe's Sex and the Immortal Bad Boy

Day 8: KATHERINE C - a signed copy of Terri Reed's Her Christmas Protector

Day 9: BILL CLARK - choose Jackie Barbosa's Carnally Ever After, or the upcoming Wickedly Ever After or The Gospel of Love: According to Luke

Day 10: TETEWA - choose any one of Julia Buckley's books from Amazon.com

Day 11: LENORA BELL - choose any one of Virginia Henley's books from Amazon.com

Day 12: JILL JAMES - a signed copy of Julia Harper's Hot

Day 13: BYRDLOVES2READ - a signed cover flat of Delilah Marvelle's debut release, Mistress of Pleasure and a copy of the book when it's released in September

Day 14: MARY - choose any one of C.L. Wilson's books from Amazon.com

And our grand prize winner who commented every single day is... B.E. SANDERSON! B.E., you've won a fabulous Maven prize. Nitkitty, tell her what she's won!

"She's won a gorgeous new short-sleeved Manuscript Mavens t-shirt, perhaps with moi emblazoned on the chest. Quelle magnifique!"

(Bet you didn't know Nitkitty was French.) B.E. check out the Mavenabilia catalog over there on the right sidebar and let us know which t-shirt style you can't wait to wear, and we'll ship it to your door. You also win one of the original Choose Your Own Adventure books!

Finally, the winner of our title contest is AMANDA with My Heart-Shaped Box. You've won a Manuscript Mavens mug! Please let us know which one you prefer (lots of styles and slogans!) and we'll ship it right out to you.

YOUR TURN: We don't want any of these prizes going to waste, so claim yours today. And as always, thanks for playing! Be sure to join us for another CYOA next time. (Whenever that is.) Meanwhile, stay tuned for our regularly scheduled Maven posts!

CYOA Valentine's Day - What's It Called?

Thank you EVERYONE for joining in our fun Valentine's Day Choose Your Own Adventure®. We could not have done it without our fabulous guest authors: Colleen Gleason, Jody Wallace, Amie Stuart, Debra Dixon, Deanna Lee, Karen Lingefelt, Terri Reed, Julia Buckley, Virginia Henley, Julia Harper, Delilah Marvelle, and C.L. Wilson. A thousand, million thank yous for your brilliance, wit, and support. And let's hear it for our home-grown Maven authors, Erica Ridley and Jackie Barbosa. Finally, thank you readers for making our blog so much fun every day of the year!

Now it's time to vote on a title! Following is a list of submissions posted after the last chapter. Vote for your favorite between now and 3 pm Eastern on Friday, February 15. Or, write in a new one! The winning title will be posted after 3:00 and its maker will win a fabulous prize! (Unless you choose one of Erica's titles in which case she'll get shanked. Just kidding.)

All I Wanted Was Some Chocolate
Big Nose, Big Package
Cara Heart's Heart: An XXXX-Rated Valentine's Day Romp
Cara's Heart-Shaped Box
Cara's Valentine
Cara's Valentine Confession
Cara's Valentine's Day Package
Chocolate, Hunks, and a Poodle
Cupid Strikes Back
Cupid's Machete
Dames, Danger, & Doggy-style
Dangerous Delivery
Dateless and Confused On Valentine's Day
Dog Run
Dogged Romance
Double Trouble
Feelin' Lucky?
Flasher In The Woods
Following Cara's Heart
Give Me Chocolate or Die
Good Things Come in Large Packages
Grooms, Guns, and Godiva
Heart Shapes and I’m Not Talking Chocolate
Hearts and Shamrocks: Creative Shaving Techniques for All Occasions
Hearts, Hunks, and Happiness
How I Met the McStudMuffin
How to Carve a Poodle
How to love a Man Without chocolate
I Swear I Didn't Order A Stripper
Is That a Poodle in Your Pocket or Are You Just Happy to See Me?
Jayson and the Golden Fleece
Love Unleashed
Love and the Package
Machete Mayhem
Machete of Love
Machetes Are a Girl's Best Friend
My Heart-Shaped Box
Not Without Chocolate
Of Pelts and Fur
Oh Noes! It's Valentines Again
Pistols and Poodles
Poodle Love
Poodle Packing Grandmas
Posh Poodle’s Valentine Surprise
Puppy Love
Secret Agent Stripper
She Stole My Face, So I Stole Her Boyfriend
Shootout in Cara's Corral
That Ain't A Gun In His Pocket
The Bad Girl's Guide to Grooming
The Lady or the Poodle?
The Many Faces of Cara
The Nose Knows
The PETOP Caper
The PETOP Fiasco
The Package
The Poodle Caper
The Problem of the Purloined Package: A Valentine's Day Mystery
The Secret Agent Tycoon's Texas Cowgirl Valentine Surprise
The True Story of Ms. Cara Heart's Unforgettable Valentine's Day
The Valentine's Day Almost-Massacre
The Valentine's Day Machete Massacre
The Way to a Girl's Heart...
Twinkles' Machete Valentine's Day Surprise
Valentine’s Day Fiasco
What No Chocolate?
What’s Valentine without Chocolate
When the Doorbell Rings

Check back after 3 pm Eastern to see whose title won, and for a complete list of prize winners. A winner every day! A grand prize winner! A title winner! It's raining winners!

So what's it going to be? Jayson's Golden Fleece, Machete of Love, The Package, or Cara's Heart Shaped Box? Or something else? Or how about If You Show Me Your Heart, I'll Show You My Package?

Valentine's CYOA Chapter 13

From now until Valentine's Day, the Manuscript Mavens are running a Choose Your Own Adventure® story, in which YOU vote on what happens next! Every morning brings a new author, from the Mavens to the just-sold, to the best-selling. And every night brings a new twist!

Get your Choose Your Own Adventure® votes in by 7:00pm EST (4:00pm PST) and you'll be eligible for random prize drawings, where you can win books by our Guest Mavens! Vote every day, and you'll even be eligible for the Grand Prize. (More info: here.)

For yesterday's installment, click here. To read the previous chapters in order, click here.

Chapter Thirteen

I was frozen in a muddy mixture of lust, confusion and horror when…

Mrs. Peterson and her poodle burst into the room.

"Cara, he's coming!" Mrs. Peterson frantically yelled. "He's--" The old woman screamed the moment she saw the two of us in doggy style mode and immediately buried her face into the poodle she was holding. In turn, the poodle started barking at us in frenzied high pitched yaps, its beady little eyes reflecting about the same amount of horror I felt.

Obviously Mrs. Peterson wasn't yelling about Jayson coming. 'Cause we hadn't even freakin' started. Which meant someone else was coming.

If I had failed to mention it anytime before, people, my Valentine's Day sucked. Blowed. Yeah, that's right. You'd better notice the continual use of sexual innuendos. Because this is about as much as any of us were gonna get.

I snatched the sheet off the bed, in an effort to shield myself and scrambled off the mattress, knocking Jayson's naked butt off to the side. "Who's coming?" I demanded, wrapping the sheet tightly around me in a make-shift toga. "Who?"

Though Mrs. Peterson had stopped screaming, her poodle certainly hadn't. "My grandson!" she yelled over the yapping. "He's coming! And he says he's going to kill us all!"

Great. Now there was a grandson. Who was obviously pissed out of his mind. Like everyone else.

"Hello Mel. Hello Brant. Grandma. Let's finish this once and for all."

A cold knot formed in my stomach as I froze right beside the open door of my closet. Mr. Lexus himself stepped into the bedroom holding not one, but two guns in our direction. His hair stood up on all ends and his clothes and face appeared to be smeared with...something. Like he'd been rolling around in garbage. And the smell! Ugh! Jayson hadn't been kidding when he mentioned taking Mr. Lexus to the dump. Though clearly, Jayson hadn't dumped him far enough.

Everyone, including Jayson who had just finished yanking on his jeans, stilled and fell into complete silence. Everyone except for the poodle who kept right on yapping, only this time it focused all of its attention on Mr. Lexus as it pawed the air and leaned out of Mrs. Peterson's arms.

"Shut the dog up!" Mr. Lexus yelled, snapping one of the guns in the direction of the dog. "Shut him up before I blow the fur off his ass!"

"Harold, no!" Mrs. Peterson shielded her dog as best she could, and even tried to place a shaky hand over the dog's mouth. "Why are you doing this? You were supposed to help me and PETOP! Not cash all of our donations and take it for yourself!"

Harold? Pfff. I think I liked Mr. Lexus better. So anyway--

"Help?" Mr. Lexus snarled, flinging something mucky off to the side and leveling his gun back at her. "PETOP is nothing without me! Nothing! And I'm tired of not getting paid! I need the Goddamn money more than your stupid dogs!"

"It's finally catching up to you, Harold," Jayson finally said. "All of it. You might as well give it up." Jayson gestured toward me. "Mel, tell him."

The Mel bit I got. Been there, done that. But the whole telling him bit? Nope. Didn't get it. At all. Was I supposed to make something up? My brain wasn't exactly in high powered mode as of now.

Mr. Lexus snapped his gaze toward me and narrowed his gaze. "Couldn't do it, Mel, could you? Couldn't knock Brant off even after you told me over and over that you could. Told me that after we knocked him off and collected the money, we would quietly take off to Brazil and have a couple of bambinos. Were you lying to me? Is that it, Mel?"

I cringed and glanced over at Jayson, having absolutely no flippin' idea where I was supposed to take this. I hoped to God Mr. FBI man had something else up his sleeve. My brows came together. No, wait. He wasn't even wearing a shirt. Crapity, crap, crap, crap.

Jayson's dark eyes darted over to me. He slowly lowered his unshaven chin and there was now a dangerous look about him. "So you were planning to knock me off?" he hollered, angrily waving a hand toward me. "So was this before or after you claimed to love me? I thought we had something special."

Great. The guy was going to get us all shot. In the head. If only...

I paused, suddenly remembering something, and out of the corner of my eye glanced toward the open closet next to me. And sure enough, in full view was my black leather handled iron machete. Right next to my collection of thigh-high vinyl stilettos. Bingo.

Though come to think of it...I hadn't really done too well aiming a gun, had I? The likelihood that I was going to skewer everyone in the room, including myself, was probable. Very probable.

"She doesn't love you, Brant!" Mr. Lexus now pointed both guns at Jayson. His hands were visibly shaking, as if he'd pull both triggers at any moment. "She can't stand you! Tell me all the time about how you're always taking her assignments, making her look bad! She loves me, damn it! Me! Ain't that right, Mel baby? Tell him!"

Whoa-whoa-WHOA! To go from absolutely no dates in two years to two desperate proclamations of love in a single night was WAYYYYYYYYYY too much for this sleep deprived girl to handle. Which is why you could say I finally lost it. But then it's not like I had much to lose (well, except maybe my life, ehm). So I...

A.) dove for the machete.

B.) sucked it up and played the greatest role ever bestowed upon a non-Hollywoodonian. Placing my hands on my sheet wrapped hips, I casually turned toward Jayson and drawled, "Brant, honey, I'm sorry. I was just using you. Using you all along."

C.) screamed at the top of my lungs, "The first man to bring me a box of chocolates is who I'm going with, people! And I mean it! It's freakin' Valentine's Day and I want my chocolate!"

D.) stripped the sheet from my body and tossed it off to side, ready to use what my Mama gave me. And of course, save us all.

YOUR TURN: You decide what happens next! Leave your vote in the comments by 7pm EST (4pm Pacific) every day between now and Valentine's Day---Tomorrow's story continued by C.L. Wilson with the twist YOU choose!

Today's installment brought to you by Delilah Marvelle. Vote to win a signed cover flat of Delilah's debut release, Mistress of Pleasure, and a signed copy when the book comes out in September!

Don't forget to join the Manuscript Mavens' quarterly newsletter on the right for advance notice of other exciting upcoming events!

Valentine's CYOA Chapter 12

From now until Valentine's Day, the Manuscript Mavens are running a Choose Your Own Adventure® story, in which YOU vote on what happens next! Every morning brings a new author, from the Mavens to the just-sold, to the best-selling. And every night brings a new twist!

Get your Choose Your Own Adventure® votes in by 7:00pm EST (4:00pm PST) and you'll be eligible for random prize drawings, where you can win books by our Guest Mavens! Vote every day, and you'll even be eligible for the Grand Prize. (More info: here.)

For yesterday's installment, click here. To read the previous chapters in order, click here.

Chapter Twelve

His hands caressed my belly, then stroked my thighs, until I began to writhe. He was dark, dominant, and dangerous, and I wanted Jayson Brant more than any man I'd ever known. I raised my hands and stroked down his broad, muscled back as our tongues tangoed. By the time I reached the waistband of his jeans his tongue had taught mine to fox trot and was now demonstrating a little known rumba from the highlands of Chile.

We staggered together toward my bed—which I’d made that morning, oh, thank you, God!—and fell together. He rolled, placing me firmly underneath, and reached for the zipper of my jeans. A short tussle later and I was naked as a jay bird and he was examining my creative shaving technique.

“Nice,” he said huskily as he traced my heart-shaped pelt. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“You should see how I celebrate Halloween,” I purred, batting my eyelashes. He blinked and then a corner of his mouth kicked up. “Oh, yeah.” His fingers had reached the point of my heart and I arched as he delved below the point, hitting the right spot on the first try. I do like a man with a sense of direction. I clutched his round, firm butt and gasped, “Bedside table.”

“What?”

I felt myself blush. “In the bedside table. I’ve got condoms.”

He smiled, slow and sexy. “They won’t fit.”

I felt heat pool low in my belly. “But they’re extra large.”

“Cara mia,” he whispered in my ear. “I take extra, extra, extra large.”

Oh, God, a size Triple X condom? I’d heard tales whispered in smoky bars just before closing from women who’d had way too many nachos and Long Island Iced Teas, but I’d always thought the fabled Triple X was a myth. Had I just hit the orgasm lottery or would I be crippled for life? I looked up at his face, dominated by a nose of epic proportions. Either way I was about to find out tonight.

Brant reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a foil packet the size of a paper napkin. It was black, it was shiny, and three giant X’s were embossed on the surface. I watched as he tore the packet open with his teeth. What emerged was purple with pink racing stripes and a growth at the tip that wouldn’t look out of place at an ocean aquarium.

He arched a brow just like Spock when he was about to tick Dr. McCoy off. “I hope you like
ticklers.”

I was so excited I almost embarrassed myself by coming right there.

He had his jeans, socks, and shoes off in seconds. When he rolled to his back to sheath himself I think I may’ve heard a heavenly choir. Praise be, the schnoz did not lie. This man was hung like a Clydesdale.

I stretched welcoming arms to him. “Oh, baby!”

But a slight frown marred his handsome, big-nosed face. “Would you mind, uh, rolling over?”

Of course not. If he’d ask that we do it in a bathtub filled with green jell-o I would’ve hopped right in. In fact, so in lust was I with both the man and his magnificent member that it wasn’t until he was at the point of no return, so to speak, that the sinister nature of the position we were in hit me.

Doggy-style.

The words whispered ominously in my brain even as my lover rustled behind me, trying to get just the right angle of approach. Could the tale Imelda Brachos told me in her car be true? Could Brant in fact be a member of PETOP—People for the Ethical Treatment of Poodles?!

I was frozen in a muddy mixture of lust, confusion, and horror when . . .

A) Brant leaned down and whispered, “Can you bark like a dog?”

B) Mrs. Peterson and her poodle burst into the room.

C) Brant did something that made me lose all coherent thought.

D) I remembered that I was a lesbian.

YOUR TURN: You decide what happens next! Leave your vote in the comments by 7pm EST (4pm Pacific) every day between now and Valentine's Day---Tomorrow's story continued by Delilah Marvelle with the twist YOU choose!

Today's installment brought to you by Julia Harper. Vote to win a signed copy of Julia's latest release, Hot!

Don't forget to join the Manuscript Mavens' quarterly newsletter on the right for advance notice of other exciting upcoming events!

Valentine's CYOA Chapter 10

From now until Valentine's Day, the Manuscript Mavens are running a Choose Your Own Adventure® story, in which YOU vote on what happens next! Every morning brings a new author, from the Mavens to the just-sold, to the best-selling. And every night brings a new twist!

Get your Choose Your Own Adventure® votes in by 7:00pm EST (4:00pm PST) and you'll be eligible for random prize drawings, where you can win books by our Guest Mavens! Vote every day, and you'll even be eligible for the Grand Prize. (More info: here.)

For yesterday's installment, click here. To read the previous chapters in order, click here.

Chapter Ten

“Of course!” they said in unison. Well, at least they agreed on something.

I looked from Brant to Branchos and back again. I did my best to ignore the fact that looking at one of them caused butterflies to take up mass migration in my stomach, while looking at the other made me feel like I was looking in the mirror.

One thing was clear. I had to take matters into my own hands. I had to find out the truth for myself.

I pretended to consider my options while snaking my hand closer and closer to Imelda’s lap, where the wallet that held her badge lay, forgotten, between her legs. When I was within an inch of it, I struck like a cobra. I grabbed the wallet and launched myself from my seat, sending Gypsy Rose Lee and Agent McStudMuffin sprawling to the pavement.

I took off at a dead run, headed for Mrs. Peterson’s. It was time for me to do a little impersonating of my own.

On my street, blessedly quiet though it was, I found that Mrs. Peterson still had some company. I could face her alone, but I wasn’t going to face the cops with whatever cockamamie story I managed to dream up. I sighed, standing in the winter darkness, a shadowy figure outside my own home. How had this happened? This went beyond, way beyond, a bad Valentine’s Day. This was a nightmare, or a stupid comedy. I guess it depended on how it ended.

All I knew, suddenly, was that I was tired. I longed for the quiet halls of the sleep clinic, the gentle beep-beep of the brainwave monitor, the endless supply of beds, which the man with many names had suggested we might share together. It had seemed like not so wild a dream…

I shook my head. I needed to reclaim my senses and dump all of these people, including the handsome one. I needed my life back, which was looking much more appealing than it had that very morning.

I snuck back into my own house, my lovely warm house, through the back door, after retrieving my spare key from the bird feeder. I left the lights off, slipped off my coat (had I actually let him take off my bra in WINTER?), found my way to the couch, and said, “Ah.”

Then I got a whiff of myself. A day of running, riding, jumping, screaming, and sweating had created a powerful aroma. I moved, still in the dark, to the bathroom, where I took a wonderful, steamy, fragrant shower, also in the dark—a remarkably sensual experience. I sang “Some Enchanted Evening,” but I started too high and ended up squeaking out the last notes. Then I donned a fluffy towel and felt immeasurably better. Things were going to be okay. I was going to do this.

A shadow materialized in front of me. “Don’t scream, it’s me.” Brant’s voice came from the darkness.

I didn’t scream, but I yipped. He leaned down to kiss me, but I turned my head and it landed on my cheek.

He inhaled deeply. “You smell amazing.”

“You don’t. Go away.” My eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the hallway, and I could see that he was smiling.

“You shouldn’t leave the key in the birdhouse,” he said. “Very obvious. I’m going to borrow your shower. Want to join me? I bet I can make you sing even higher.”

I blushed, remembering how very badly I had warbled. “No.” My face was still heated, but not from embarrassment. I wanted to join him, very much.

He pulled me to him and gave me a real kiss on the mouth, a deep, delicious kiss with just the right amount of tongue. He pushed my towel to the floor with impatient hands, then stroked his palms up and down my shower-soft body. “Stop it,” I said, biting his lower lip. “You think I’m easy, but I’m not.”

“I don’t think there’s anything easy about you, Cara. But I like a challenge.”

He leaned in for another kiss, but I bent down to retrieve my towel. “It’s bad enough that I’d flashed the boy. But God only knows who could show up here: the CIA, Imelda and her gang, the poodle people, or whoever the hell you tell me about next. This day has been like a circus in hell. And I’m sure as hell not going to be naked when the next performer takes the stage. I’m going to be dressed and focused on my goal: getting that stupid package out of Mrs. Peterson’s house, giving it to you, and bidding you a final farewell.”

He laughed and moved into the bathroom. He was incredibly efficient. In barely two minutes, he came out smelling great and wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. I would have bet all my money he was going commando under there, but that was not something for me to dwell upon. Raising my gaze from that dangerous territory, I looked at his head wound. Clean, it seemed barely more than a scratch.

I tore my eyes away from him and stared back out the window at Mrs. Peterson’s house. There was still a light on in her living room, although it seemed the cops might be leaving. Why had they stayed so long?

Brant was next to me then, too close, but his eyes were staring out the window, too. He had donned a turtleneck. Where had he gotten a change of clothes? Was he wearing mine? I wondered dimly. Now he was the one who smelled amazing. “Your plan’s not going to work,” he said.

“Why not? I have a spare key to her house. She gave it to me when she visited her sister in Cleveland. She told me to keep it in case she ever has a heart attack in there.”

“The key’s not the problem,” he said. “He is.” He pointed at a car sitting parked on the street, looking like all the other parked cars.

“He who?”

“That Lexus has a driver. See? He’s sitting there keeping watch, just like you are. They couldn’t get to the money with all the police around. But obviously the money is still there, because he’s still waiting.”

“And what about the girls? Stripper lady and mini-me? Are they going to show up, too?”

“I doubt it,” he said grimly. “They’re out of commission for a while.”

I stared at him, shocked yet relieved. “So here’s a new plan,” I said. “You distract him, and I’ll get the money.”

“That could work,” he said, touching my hair. “But I have a feeling you could distract him better.”

A) I’d rather distract you,” I said, inching toward him.

B) "Are you kidding me? Now you’re going to pimp me out just to get your precious Euros? No way,” I said.

C) “Fine,” I said. “I’m getting tired of the present company.” And I left him sitting there on the couch while I donned a black jacket and some quiet shoes.

D) “But we’re forgetting one crucial thing,” I said, sitting up straighter. “What about the poodle?”

YOUR TURN: You decide what happens next! Leave your vote in the comments by 7pm EST (4pm Pacific) every day between now and Valentine's Day---Tomorrow's story continued by Virginia Henley with the twist YOU choose!

Today's installment brought to you by Julia Buckley. Vote to win a great prize!

Don't forget to join the Manuscript Mavens' quarterly newsletter on the right for advance notice of other exciting upcoming events!

Guest Mavens! Prizes! Mavenabilia!

What's all this exciting stuff going on in Mavenland?! Merchandise, Prizes, an adventure YOU get to make!

That's right, it's the return of the Manuscript Maven CYOA Round-Robin, where every day a new author adds a chapter to a story you choose by voting on your favorite plot twists.

(Click Here to read the 2007 Halloween story, to get an idea of the crazy-hilarious fun just ahead!)

How it Works:
Each new installment will be posted bright and early at 8am EST (5am PST). Be sure to bookmark ManuscriptMavens.com because the voting cutoff is 7pm EST (4pm PST).

How to Win:
Everyone who votes on a plot twist is eligible for a prize! That's right, we're awarding prizes every single day of the adventure. You must vote to win!

What about the Grand Prize?
All MaveFaves who vote every single day of the adventure will be entered into a special Grand Prize Drawing. We will send you the t-shirt of your choice from the brand spanking new Mavenabilia Catalog. Be the first on your cyber-block with a Nitcritty Kitty or Magical Mulch Pile printed on your chest. (But wait! There's more! Check out all 3 sections for the full listing.)

What's the adventure titled?
You decide! As before, on the last day of the adventure, we'll put out a call for titles. Leave as many suggestions as you can dream up in the comments. Winner gets a prize! (Of course!)

What's the starting lineup?

02/01/08
Historical romance writer Colleen Gleason, author of the Gardella Vampire Chronicals.

02/02/08
Jody Wallace writes paranormal comedy, fantasy romance, and Southern women's fiction, including A Spell for Susannah. She has also written several novellas for Red Sage publishing under the pseudonym Ellie Marvel.

02/03/08
Amie Stuart writes erotic romance for Kensington Press and futuristic urban fantasy, including her upcoming book Nailed.

02/04/08
Multi-published author, renowned speaker, and National Reader’s Choice Award Finalist Debra Dixon, author of GMC: Goal, Motivation, and Conflict.

02/05/08
Deanna Lee is the author of numerous print and e-book titles, including Bounty Hunter.

02/06/08
Historical romance writer Karen Lingefelt, author of True Pretenses and past president of the Tampa Area Romance Authors.

02/07/08
Avon FanLit winner and Thursday Maven Lacey Kaye, president and webmistress of Seattle's East Side RWA.

02/08/08
Multi-published author for Steeple Hill Love Inspired, RWA Region 4 director, and RITA Finalist Terri Reed, author of Her Christmas Protector.

02/09/08
Friday Maven Jackie Barbosa writes both historical and contemporary romance with an erotic edge for Cobblestone-Press, including her May release Wickedly Ever After.

02/10/08
Mystery writer Julia Buckley author of The Dark Backward and the Madeline Mann series.

02/11/08
New York Times best-seller Virginia Henley, author of 25 historical romances, including Notorious and Infamous.

02/12/08
Agented, multi-contest finalist, and Monday Maven Erica Ridley, webmistress for the Tampa Area Romance Authors.

02/13/08
Debut Zebra author and Golden Heart Finalist Delilah Marvelle, author of Mistress of Pleasure.

02/14/08
New York Times best-seller C.L. Wilson, author of Lord of the Fading Lands and Lady of Light and Shadows and president of the Tampa Area Romance Authors.

02/15/08
Grand prize drawing and title contest!

Holy crap, that rocks!

Yes, we know. ;-) And you rock too, because your votes are what will make the story happen! Feel free to link to us on your blog or email the Adventure link to your email loops. We'd love it! Tell your friends, tell your neighbors, tell your flock of pet Mynah birds--the more votes, the better the adventure!!

YOUR TURN: Test your Choose Your Own Adventure skills now. The moment you finish reading this post, you're going to:

A) Squee fangirl (or fanboy) about the must-see upcoming Valentine Adventure on every blog and email loop I know.

B) Throw out all my old clothing, coffee mugs, beer steins, etc, and replace everything I own with items from the ever-stylish Mavenabilia Catalog.

C) Post my own set of snarky CYOA options to the comment section of this post. Mua ha haaa.

D) All of the above, baby! I'm a MaveFave!!!

As always, the Manuscript Mavens would like to thank Chooseco for graciously letting us borrow the CYOA name. Choose Your Own Adventure is a trademark of Chooseco LLC, Waitsfield, VT. Check them out at cyoa.com. The trademark has been used by permission herein. Thanks, CYOA!

Don't forget to join the Manuscript Mavens' quarterly newsletter on the right for advance notice of other exciting upcoming events!

Halloween Choose Your Own Adventure® Prizes

We did it! We put together a story that will blow your mind. Or maybe turn it into zombie mush. Either way, it's something to share with your friends, right?

I truly loved the end -- I was standing beside Tessa Dare for the ovation! The whole thing came together, if not perfectly, absolutely hilariously.

(No idea what's going on? Read the story).

The prizes aside, let's give a round of applause to each and every one of you who voted. And then, because that was plenty long enough to forget about prizes, let's give an extra woo-hoo for our random prize winners!

The following books will be distributed in a first-response, first-choice fashion. Email the Manuscript Mavens [mavens (at) manuscriptmavens.com] with your snail mail address to claim your prize (we will ship it to you).

The books are:

Karen Ranney: An Unlikely Governess
Judith Ivory: Angel In a Red Dress
Edith Layton: For the Love of a Pirate
Alexandra Benedict: Too Great a Temptation
Linda Needham: The Pleasure of Her Kiss
Samantha James: The Secret Passion of Simon Blackwell
Stephanie Bond: Body Movers: 2 Bodies for the Price of 1
Daniella Brodsky: Diary of a Working Girl
Lynsay Sands: Bite Me If You Can
Lisa Kleypas: Sugar Daddy

The winners are:
Patricia W
Anne-Marie√
Camilla√
B.E. Sanderson√
Camilla√
Christine Koehler√
Jennifer Linworth√
Marnee Jo√
Ruth√
Steph√
Vicki M Taylor

And the Grand Prize winner is....drum roll, please!

Vicki Lane! √


Vicki has won her choice of autographed Mavens Rock! give-away:

Names I Call My Sister Anthology
Body Movers: 2 for the price of 1 by Stephanie Bond
Stray by Rachel Vincent
Cross My Heart by Carly Phillips

Now it's time to vote for the story's title. The winner of the title vote will receive a box of Hawaiian macadamia nut chocolates and a special book from Maven Darcy. The title contestants are:

A Ghoul is Aghast
A Midwinter Night's Dream
A Nightshade in Winter
All my Zombies
As the Brain Turns
Brains Wanted
Brains: As You Like It
Brains: They're not Just for Breakfast Anymore
Deadly Nightshade
Desperate Zombies
Dying for Desire
Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun
Guess What's For Dinner?
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
He Broke Her Heart, So She Ate His Brain
King Zombie
Little Script of Horrors
Love By Death
Maneater
Much Ado about Zombies
Nightshade Must Die
Novella of the Living Dead
One Brain to Give
Taming of the Zombies
The Accidental Cure
The Cold and the not-so-Beautiful
The Corpses of Our Lives
The Cotswold Curse: Being the True Story of the Late Mysterious Happenings in Rural Oxfordshire, Together With the Perilous Adventures of Miss Mary Goodweather and her Pesky Virginhood
The Good, the Bad, and the Zombies
The Last of the Zombies
The Tale of Two Zombies
The Undead and the Brainless
Too Stupid to Live
Two Gentlemen of Cotswold
Undead and Unpopular
While You Were Dying
While You Were Eating
Zombie for Zombie

Go forth and vote!

Afterglow

I dreamed of the RITA ceremony last night. Mostly because I realized as I was falling asleep that today was going to be Thursday and I needed to get my post up, but also partly because I'm getting excited about writing again and the RITA/Golden Heart ceremony is such an unforgettable event that I may as well dream of little golden statues all night long.

(But really, where does Thursday go? It gets sandwiched between Wednesday, which I spend the first half of the week looking forward to, and Friday, which is, well, Friday. When Wednesday finally rolls around, I train my eye on the prize. Thursday...meh.)

So Erica touched on the RITA ceremony back on Monday's post. Mostly, I just wanted to wax about it for a minute because I think all romance writers should experience it once in their writing careers (and by waxing I hope to convince you to get off your duff and go). You should experience being there, I mean. Sure -- getting a RITA would be grand -- but by definition, most of us will never have one to grace our office shelves. So it's the ceremony to which I refer, and I have to say: wow.

Every year it's a little different, with a different theme and, of course, it's in a different place. That's good. Keeps you on your toes. But some constants remain from year to year.

You will want to look pretty

Sure, you don't have to. It's probably not your night, and it's the last day of a very long weekend. Or actually, it's not because you still have to get up early the next day and drag yourself to the airport, then go home and greet your children and husband and waggy-tailed dog. But this is one of those cases where everyone else will be dressed up, and you wouldn't want to be the one little lemming that refuses to jump off the cliff, would you? No. (Can you imagine being that lemming? The one who goes "Hey, guys? I'm not so sure about this idea. I think I'm going to head over to that rock over there. You come get me when you're done. Guys? Guys?"

You will want to remember to go

Heh. Seems funny -- now. Just wait until it really is the last thing on your agenda before packing up and going home. Two years in a row now, I've been late. I've gotten ready in the very last 15 minutes possible and rushed downstairs, only to get crappy seats. So don't get carried away relaxing in your room the night of. Go have dinner! (They don't feed you.) Have a few drinks! (Trust me, it will improve the cut segments.) Don't rush your makeup! (See #1 above.)

You will want to bring your glasses, and maybe a Kleenex or two.

Obviously, you want to be able to see. But don't discount what you will hear. Everyone's touching story of triumph, and the mega-long list of people they will want to thank. If you don't get teary at least once during the ceremony, then you're either a cold-hearted you-know-what or you weren't listening.

You will wish with your very soul all the way down to your toes that it is YOU up on that stage!

Do I need to explain this one? The downside here is that you can't even enter unless you a) have a complete manuscript (so what are you waiting for!) b) the money to enter (I'm a little broke right now myself) and c) actually, you know, enter.

And then I suppose you have to d) draw the right judges for e) your story that rocks hard-core.

Just that.

Do not pass up the opportunity to hob-nob with your favorite authors, editors, and agents at the afterparty!

When people win prizes during a fabulous low-lit ceremony and tears are shed between friends, publishers and critique partners, everyone wins. Take advantage of the good cheer and thrill to talk one last time to the contacts you made during the week. And then hit the bar, or go out on the town. The party doesn't end until you get on your plane!

So. Have you been? Are you going to San Francisco? Did you eat up all the links on romancenovel.tv? (Navigate to the RWA 2007 tab.) Do you have pictures of yourself or the afterparty online? Share!

The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat: Contests are a Crapshoot

Or, I could call this Confessions of a Former Contest Junkie. As a former contest junkie, I've enjoyed the thrill of finaling and even victory (w00t!) as well as the agony of soul-crushing scores and comments (boo hiss!). Thankfully, I have the Mavens to pick me up, help me sort through the feedback, and ultimately appreciate the experience. I'm a former junkie because I'm not contesting Glorious beyond the Golden Heart and I'm not ready to contest my next ms. And when I do (I say when because I'm sure I will at some point), I will specifically target contests for their reputation for feedback and excellence as well as the final round judge(s). For instance, I entered the Maggie because I knew I would get detailed feedback from experienced authors/judges. And then I finaled, so yay for that! (Stay tuned next Monday when I return with fabulous stories from the Moonlight and Magnolias conference where I will learn the fate of my Maggie final!)


The very first contest I entered (the Emily two years ago) garnered me a near perfect score. And two not-so-near-perfect scores. I entered before I even knew what a "CP" was, before I understood the rule of POV shifting, and well before I'd ever heard "show, don't tell." It was a very, very positive experience and is probably why I continued to write. I threw my first ms (what I started the month before the contest as purely a "practice book") into the contest just to see if I was even remotely on the right track and thankfully I received very constructive and encouraging feedback. Little did I know then, this is not always the case.

I recently judged my first contest and we did a training session at our chapter meeting. We were cautioned not to "destroy" anyone and I kept thinking, "wow, would anyone really do that?" I don't think so, at least not purposefully. That said, I have received contest feedback that was fairly demoralizing, and I think it actually gets harder to take, not easier. The better I get at my craft, the harder it is to get smacked down by a judge who says I don't have enough description when another judge loved my description. The key is to be constructive and to recogize preference vs. craft. Just because a judge doesn't like something, doesn't mean it isn't well-written. (Practice saying it with me!)

The important thing to remember with contests is that they are absolutely a crap shoot. One person's masterpiece is another person's wallbanger and that goes for New York Times bestselling authors and the newbie who hasn't yet finished the book. Enter them for whatever reasons you may have, take the feedback for the value it can provide, and above all, write, write, write.

Dish your stories! The highs, the lows! Why do you love contests? Why do you hate them? Tell us what contests you're in now so we can root for you!

Be sure to check in Friday when my friend and CP, Delilah Ahrendt shares the story of her road to publication and how finaling in the Golden Heart contest helped her along the way!

The Other Side of Contests: Judging

While I've no plans to enter the Golden Heart this year, I do confess to being something of a chapter contest junkie. In the last fourteen months, I reckon I've entered ten chapter contests and, although I'd promised myself not to enter any more for a while, I have to admit to feeling the tug of both the Emily and Launching a STAR. It's those yummy agent and editor reads in the final rounda that tempt me.

But that brings me to the other side of contests. For each contest entry, there must be a judge. Someone who, presumably, is a reader and writer of romance, preferably of the sub-genre she's judging. Someone with a firm grasp of craft, the ability to be an open-minded and thoughful critic, and the time (and willingness) to do a thorough, careful job. Depending on the contest's criteria, judges may be drawn from published authors (PAN members), PRO members (unpublished authors who have completed a manuscript and submitted it for publication), Golden Heart finalists, and/or chapter contest finalists.

When I entered my first few contests, I suppose I had the judges pretty firmly on a pedestal. I imagined them as infallible, objective arbiters of the quality of my writing. If they liked what I was writing (i.e., I finaled), it meant I was on the right track. If they didn't, it probably meant I should chuck my manuscript in the nearest waste bin and never look back.

Since then, of course, I've come to realize that even an excellent manuscript can fail to make the finals in contest by sheer luck of the draw. Let's face it, even when it comes to published romance novels, not every reader likes every book. The chances that you'll draw one or more judges in a contest who just don't "get" you are quite high. (In one contest I entered recently, my manuscript received one perfect score of 100, a 93, and a 69. To say that last judge didn't respond well to my story would be an understatement, but it also probably just means it's not the story for her, not that the story is crap.)

Still, the ins and outs of being a contest judge remained a mystery to me until earlier this summer, when I volunteered to judge the Celtic Hearts Chapter's Golden Claddagh. Because I'd entered a historical in the same contest, I obviously couldn't judge the category I arguably know best. Instead, I wound up receiving three entries in the FF&P (Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal) cateogry.

I was a little nervous about judging these manuscripts since FF&P is not a sub-genre I normally read, but I decided to give it my best shot and be as fair and open-minded as I possibly could be. The contest scoresheet instructions stated very explicitly that judges must justify any score of 3 or below (out of a maximum of 5). As a result, if I couldn't come up with an objective reason other than "I just don't like it" when I gave a score, I gave the entry a 4. If I loved some aspect of the manuscript, I gave it a 5. Only when I could come up with solid, clear justification for my reaction did I give a score of 3 or less. (And I don't think I gave out any 1's.)

It was hard, time-consuming work, but also rewarding. It gave me a glimpse into what the judges who read, score, and comment on my contest entries have to go through. The amount of time and emotional energy it takes to do the job well is really pretty staggering. Those of us who enter contests should be extremely grateful that there are people out there who are willing to take time out of their busy schedules to read our work and provide us feedback. They provide us an invaluable service and deserve our thanks (and thank you notes are nice, too!).

YOUR TURN: Have you ever judged a contest? Do you plan to? What qualities do you think are most important in a contest judge? And do you send thank you notes to your judges? (Jacqueline hereby admits she didn't used to, but is sending some out very soon.)

Contests: Giving & Receiving Criticism

In keeping with this week's theme on criticism, the Manuscript Mavens are pleased to announce Guest Maven Anne-Marie Carroll who will be blogging about criticism as it pertains to all aspects of writing contests.

Hello, contest divas, and all of you who want to be or will soon become one. A dazzling tiara is your reward, with publication hopefully soon to follow.

Today I'm going to talk to you about the contest world, so I hope I don't wear you out with my rambling.

To fill you in on my contest history, I've worn all contest hats. Contest chair, judge, and contestant with numerous finals, which include The Maggie, The Laurie, and The Molly.

The first thing I'd like to talk to you about is entering a contest, and what to expect from it. A detailed rulebook isn't included, but I've highlighted what I believe to be some definite do's and don'ts in entering a chapter contest.

First, ask yourself why you're entering. Is it solely to final or for feedback as well? Or is it to hear the little canary sing only praise for your talents as a storyteller. If it's the latter, your first couple of contests may come as a shock to you. Especially if you've only let family and friends read your story, or you didn't at least consider sound advice from reputable critters on characterization, plot and conflict, stilted dialogue, style and pacing.

Well, here goes the rambling on some do's and don'ts of entering a contest.


Do...

* Read and follow all contest rules and instructions.

* Make sure you formatted your entry correctly and the font you used is what the contest specified.

* Check for spelling and grammatical errors. Don't laugh at this one. I've seen some entries...I won't say any more.

* Make sure the goal, motivation, and conflict is evident in your entry. If you can, try to bring your conflict out in the first couple of paragraphs---if you can.

* Limit backstory. Only use what is absolutely necessary, because backstory can slow the pace.

* Check out a sample contest score sheet and judge yourself to see whether you've covered everything that will be judged in your entry.

* Show action instead of telling it.

* A search and find on overused words, and passive and telling words. The words I check for are that, was, be, feel, felt, wonder, smell, hear, and see, to name a few.

* End your entry on a hook. This is the one time it's okay to piss off your judges because they don't have any more pages to turn.

* Send thank you notes to your judges, whether you agree with their comments or not. Your judges have taken valuable time away from their own writing to judge your entry.


Don't...

* Throw the rules away before you've read them - word for word.

* Leave your goal, motivation, and conflict for the judges to guess.

* Have pages and pages of backstory. You want your judges to drool over your entry, not sleep on it.

* Ignore some aspects of the score sheets and think it won't be noticed. Chances are, your judge has judged several contests in the past and knows the ground rules.

* End your entry in the middle of a sentence or scene.

* Try clever ways to get more of your entry judged by fiddling with the font, margins or by formatting part of another chapter into your entry that doesn't end on a satisfying hook.

As a contest chair, I noticed that many authors who have a great voice didn't final because they failed other criteria (for lack of a better word) in their contest entry.


Judging...

It is the judges' job to comment on any aspects of your entry where they marked down, not to give a detailed crit unless they want to. It's not, or shouldn't be, expected.

A judge should never be too harsh or include personal comments, i.e., market information, how they hate the polka dots your heroine is wearing, etc. Don't even ask me about comments on religion or politics. I'm cringing, and believe me I don't need help in getting wrinkles. At my age, I have that one covered all by myself, my kids, my grandkids, and let's not forget my darlin' supporter, my husband.

If two judges offer you similar feedback, you may want to consider revisiting and potentially revising. Although, please don't revise word for word what a judge recommends. This is your baby. You burp it the way you feel best doing it.


Okay, I'm off my soap box now. I hope that at least one of my tips help you into becoming a contest diva, like our own little Erica who was a triple finalist in the TARA contest recently. Way to go, Erica. Fingers crossed for a win.

YOUR TURN: Please share your contest experiences with us! Have you been an entrant? A judge? A category coordinator? In charge of the whole shebang? We'd love to hear the ups and downs, and any tips to get the most out of giving and receiving contest feedback.