Shock and awe

[To follow my ABNA journey from the very beginning, click the ABNA label at the bottom of this post]

Somehow, some way, Out of Nowhere made it to the semifinals of the ABNA contest. Somehow, some way, my name keeps appearing in the "next round" lists. It's insane. Yesterday morning I had several anxiety attacks as I waited for the results. The list came up at exactly 12:00pm AST. I took a deep breath and opened it up, scrolling down the list of names, looking for "P" for my last name. Didn't see it. I thought "Oh well..." and scrolled through again to see who did make it. Then I looked at the "R"s and saw my name. Rebecca. I slapped a hand over my mouth, muttering "Oh my God" over and over. After a few seconds of total freak-out, I told my husband and then posted the news on Facebook. It was awesome. I then waited several more hours for my Publisher's Weekly review, which I was no longer really worried about because, of course, I made it through so it had to be good. It was good.

This manuscript is a very good example of a contemporary coming-of-age novel, with well-rounded characters and honest emotion. Riley is a hypochondriac, worried that stomach pain is appendicitis or a hernia. She's been that way ever since her father collapsed in their kitchen and an 11-year-old Riley found him. Adding additional complexity to Riley's character, that event also inspires her to be a doctor. She spends time with friends Eva and Sydney, and works with her friend, the closeted Lucas. When Riley goes to the ER for an allergic reaction, she meets Cole, who's had a skateboarding accident. Later, by chance, Cole stops by the coffee shop where Riley works, and a friendship begins that soon turns to romance, distracting Riley from her problems at home. Cole encourages Riley to start facing her father's death, yet the closer they get, the more Riley worries that Cole's daredevil ways will get him hurt or worse. But when Riley's mother announces two major changes for their lives, Riley lashes out. Riley's story is thoughtful and grounded, showing the impact of a traumatic event years after the event occurred. Even supporting characters are well-rounded, and the relationships ring true.

Isn't it nice? Today, it's still surreal.

Vine reviews

[To follow my ABNA journey from the very beginning, click the ABNA label at the bottom of this post]

Putting these here for posterity, as they will disappear after the semifinal announcement on the 24th.

ABNA Expert Reviewer

What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt?

Main character development is very strong. The reader wants to know more about Riley and about how she moves past her trauma and who helps her.

What aspect needs the most work?

Maybe the secondary characters could be improved. The mother seems to be a strong positive woman but she is not really emphasized. Maybe she is later in the book, of course.

What is your overall opinion of this excerpt?

This is a very interesting book, with possible appeal to girls going through difficult times. And what teen girl does not feel she is having a difficult life? The main character has had tragedy strike her and has developed some phobias but is still working hard for a goal. This would make it excellent for a school library or for a parent to get for a child.


ABNA Expert Reviewer

What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt?

The writing is really solid and professional. The dialogue is believable, and so are the characters. There's just the right amount of description.

What aspect needs the most work?

So far, it's not a hugely mesmerizing story. It's interesting and draws you in, but it's not gripping.

What is your overall opinion of this excerpt?

Very sound writing and could get more compelling as the story progresses. It's just hard to tell from this excerpt, which is really just setting things up.

Quarterfinals, baby!

[To follow my ABNA journey from the very beginning, click the ABNA label at the bottom of this post]

On Tuesday, much to my shock, I advanced to the quarterfinals in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest. I swear, I almost fell out of my chair. Then I did a little dance. Then I squealed a little. Then I told everyone I knew. It was awesome.

Publisher's Weekly will read and review my full manuscript. I am terrified. What if they hate it? What if the person has something against contemporary YA? On the other hand, what if they LIKE it and I advance to the top 50? I think my head would literally explode. The next round will be announced on April 24, which is also my 13th wedding anniversary. I know that I will not sleep or eat that day. Double celebration? Let's hope.

My excerpt is up at Amazon.com, but there are formatting issues with everyone's entries so I want to wait until that's resolved before I link the page to my family and friends.

I'm stoked.

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest

[To follow my ABNA journey from the very beginning, click the ABNA label at the bottom of this post]

For the third year in a row, I entered the increasingly popular Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA) contest, aka American Idol for writers. And for the second time, I made it to Hollywood...err, I mean, Round 2! This just means I wrote a pitch interesting enough to rate a couple of reviews of my 5000 word excerpt. If that goes well, I get a review of my full manuscript from Publishers Weekly. If that goes well...well, I can't even think that far ahead right now.

I'm a little scared about the excerpt. It's the first 5000 words of the manuscript, in which--with my novel at least--the real story hasn't quite started yet. Let's hope these reviewers smell something good cooking.

I'm actually really surprised because I wasn't expecting to advance at all. My book is 100% free of vampires, werewolves, angels, demons, zombies, fairies, poltergeists, gnomes, or three-headed unicorns with super powers. I hear agents are getting sick of mythical creatures anyway.

So here's the pitch that got me this far:

At eleven years old, Riley Tate witnessed the sudden death of her father. Now, at sixteen, she still can’t bring herself to step on “the spot”—-the section of kitchen floor on which her father landed after collapsing from a brain aneurysm. For someone like Riley, a hypochondriac with anxiety issues, moving on is never easy.

Since losing her dad, Riley has become obsessed with the human body, how it works, and what can go wrong with it. Reading about diseases distracts her from the things she’s not ready to deal with, like the fact that her mother started a whole new family with a man who has more muscles than brains and tries to act like her new dad. And that her doctor thinks she’s a mental case. And that her ex-boyfriend dumped her because she wouldn’t have sex with him. But she refuses to let anything—-especially not a guy—-interfere with her dream of becoming a surgeon.

When she meets Cole Boyer in an ER waiting room, Riley realizes immediately that he’s far from the safe, predictable boy she usually goes for. A fearless daredevil with mysterious scars and a thirst for all things dangerous, Cole is like an accident waiting to happen. Still, despite their differences, they forge an unlikely friendship that eventually blossoms into something more. Dating someone who’s so casual about death has its challenges, but as Riley soon learns, not everyone can be—-or needs to be—-saved.

OUT OF NOWHERE is a 69,000 word contemporary young adult novel that will appeal to fans of authors like Sarah Dessen and Elizabeth Scott. With flawed, relatable characters and a blend of heavy issues and humor, OUT OF NOWHERE explores the total randomness of life, death, and love.

My baby is now out in the world.

I'm am totally overwhelmed and delighted with all the support I received today (and every day) from my family and friends. Writing is a lonely, frustrating job, and just knowing there are people out there pulling for me helps a lot. THANK YOU!

Next cut is announced on March 20. Stay tuned!

A lot has happened since my last post...

In December, I finally finished the first draft my manuscript. Then I gave it to my beta reader (hi, Shannon!) to critique and fish out the mistakes. Then I revised. Last week, I wrote the first draft of my query/pitch. This week, I'm doing more revisions on the manuscript. Next week, I'll do revisions on the query because I'm still not 100% happy with it and I don't know why. On January 23, I will enter the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA) contest for the third time in a row. Hope I'm ready!