
As of Monday Nov. 16th, the field of contestants in America’s Next Best Celler contest have been narrowed down to ten.
Finalists are, in no particular order:
Enchanted Season by Alicia Pace
Stay by Candi Wall
How to Lose a Demon in 10 Days by Saranna DeWylde
Confessions of the World’s Oldest Shotgun Bride by Gail Hart
The Hooded Man by Courtney Sheets
Primitive Nights by Candi Wall
Courting Demons by Kerri Nelson
Tossing the Gloves by Christy Finn
Vampire Vacation by C. J. Ellisson
Muse Struck by Liane Gentry Skye
I’m ecstatic that both STAY and PRIMITIVE NIGHTS made the cut!
OMG – I’m a double finalist!!!
(YEP, serious shocked gasping came with the announcement, then I called hubby who thought something was majorly wrong since he couldn’t make sense of my screeching.)
But on a more serious note, this is by far the most intense contest I’ve been in since taking my writing career seriously.
Maybe if I had nails like this I’d have some left!
The pressure and waiting is incredible, as one of my writing partners said,
“It’s that excited, scared feeling that gets the adrenaline pumping and the mind doing all kinds of crazy thoughts.”
But I’ve learned so much from this contest, both about myself as a person, and as a writer.
I’ve learned that as much as I always thought I was an introvert – I’m not.
As much as I love to write, I love the whole process that goes with it!
I work well under pressure. Who knew?
But the best thing to come from this contest thus far are the incredible connections I’ve made with other talented, amazing writers. It was very difficult to see some of these stories not go on to the next round. Incredible stories that I’ve followed as the contest progressed, that truly humble me. More than that, the ladies and gents behind these works are amazing, supportive people who I count lucky to have as friends and colleagues.
You can read any of their works here: TEXTNOVEL
I have no doubt that numerous novels I’ve had the pleasure to read at Texnovel, will someday sit on my bookshelf. I hope too, that anyone of you decide to join. It’s a great way to network, and a fantastic place to find support, encouragement and even just the added push you need to keep writing.
Now I get to enter the next phase of this contest.
Jacket Copy edits.
We’ll spend the next few days revamping, cleaning, and pretty much tearing apart the 10 or so lines that are supposed to hook the reader right off the shelf.
The 10 finalists will then post their revised Jacket Copies at Textnovel and Dorchester Publishing for YOU, the public and fellow writers to vote on for your favorite. Fan Favorite voting will run from Nov.23rd – Nov.30th and the FAN FAV will be announced on Dec. 4th!
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On December 11th the contestants will be whittled down to YIKES Five!
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On December 18th The fifth place winner will be announced
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On January 4th The fourth place winner will be announced
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On January 8th The third place winner will be announced
And on January 15th both the runner-up and the winner of America’s Next Best Celler Contest will be announced!
I’m keeping my fingers crossed for still being in the running come Jan. 15th, but every contestant I’m competing against has something to offer, a well written novel and a professional presence. Even before the 21 Semi-finalists were announced, the competition was amazingly good! Of the 21 Semi-finalists, I have no doubt we’ll be seeing many of them do great things in the near future.
And the other top ten, well let’s just say they are an amazing group of writers, and I’m beyond proud to be their fellow writer.
Hope to see you all vote and comment on the jacket copies.
You can vote and comment at TEXTNOVEL now
or at DORCHESTER PUBLISHING starting on Nov. 23rd.
We’re all working hard!
Thanks for your support thus far.
Candi
We are thrilled today to host New York Times Bestselling fantasy author C.L. Wilson! I have just started to read her first in the Taren Soul series and I am sold. I love her writing. In matter of second, she managed to transport me in a magical world that I cannot forget. I am thrilled to know this series has four books out with the fifth coming soon.
Au contraire.
Simply put, worldbuilding is the craft of building a believable world in which the events of your story can unfold to the best effect.
Tips: Ask yourself cultural questions that impact your characters’ internal (emotional) and external (physical quest) story arcs. How educated are the members of this culture? What does this culture value the most (money, honor, truth, freedom, power, etc.)? What will they do to protect this value? What are the traditions and taboos in this culture? Ask yourself: “What is it about this character that makes him/her the best—or, better yet, the only—person who could tell this story?”
The above is not meant to be an all inclusive list. It’s just the tip of the worldbuilding iceberg. The best worldbuilding tools any author has are questions: who, what, when, where, how…and mostly importantly…why.
Please leave C. L. a comment or question for your chance to win a cool vintage looking journal from the Harlequin Notable collection where you can jot down all your worldbuilding ideas!
FIVE ESSENTIAL STEPS ON THE PATH TO PUBLICATION
2. GET SOME FEEDBACK AND LEARN HOW TO SELF-EDIT
Anthea Lawson is the pseudonym for a husband-wife team who write spicy Victorian romance. Their debut novel, PASSIONATE, was nominated for a Best First Book RITA in 2009, and their newest book, ALL HE DESIRES, hit the shelves on November 3rd.

I thought that was particularly clever. I am not so good at research (unlike our own research queen Jenn) and I am paralyzed at the though of writing historical romance. But I though Powers methid might be one more tool for the writer’s tool box.
I am thrilled to welcome 
My thanks to Marie-Claude for allowing me to visit today. Since my debut urban fantasy romance, SEDUCED BY SHADOWS, has been loose on the shelves of bookstores for three weeks now, I wanted to muse a little about the transition from writer to author.
I remember one piece of wisdom that suggested: “If you knew for a fact no one would ever read your stories, would you keep writing? Then you are a true writer.” And I thought: “No, then you are a lunatic.”
What fantasies about publication do you have? Do you think it’ll be easier or harder to write once you sell? Published authors, feel free to burst our bubbles or let us in on all the secrets.
twenty-one publishers before William Morrow bought the rights to the novel, originally titled “Mobile Army Surgical Hospital”. An editor rechristened the manuscript M*A*S*H*. M*A*S*H* became a runaway best-seller, spawning a blockbuster movie and one of the longest running series in television history.
Louis L’Amour, possibly the most respected author in the Western genre received more than 350 rejections before he made his first sale. As of this date, there are more than 200 million Louis L’Amour books in print.







