Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards 2013

In case you didn't know, Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award 2013 has begun. The entry period started yesterday and runs through January 27, or until they receive 10,000 entries. This year they have five categories: General Fiction, Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror and Young Adult Fiction . 

Last year I entered Screwing Up Time and it was a Quarter-finalist. It was a wonderful experience. (Though not everyone has had positive experiences, a lot depends on the reviewers you get.) This year I debated whether to enter or not. I'm not sure whether books in a series like Screwing Up Babylon have a chance, especially since SUB is the second book in a series not the first. (I mentioned that it was a book in a series in the pitch paragraph, so there's no confusion later.)

In the end, I have nothing to lose by entering, assuming I'm not too discouraged if the book doesn't do well. (For those of you who are considering entering--read the small print regarding exclusivity, agents, etc.)

In the meantime, good luck to everyone entering! And if you're entering, leave me a note in the comments section--I want to cheer for you!

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest, Quarterfinals

Last Tuesday, I found out that Screwing Up Time made it to the quarterfinals of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. I was so excited that my hands shook, and I kept checking the page to make sure I wasn't misreading something. But it was real!

Now I am in the running for the semi-finals, which will be announced on April 24.

After the announcements were made, Amazon allowed writers to see the reviews that the experts gave to their novels. A lot of writer friends have asked to see mine, so I thought I'd post the two reviews that I received here. (I really like the second one.) And I want to encourage everyone who's interested to check not only my excerpt but the others as well. You can download the excerpts for free, and you can review them or "like" them.

Here are my expert reviews.

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Reviews

ABNA Expert Reviewer

What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt?

I liked the dialogue and first person narration. Additionally, I liked Miranda's appearance early in the story. Mark makes a likeable, current, interesting hero-to-be.

What aspect needs the most work?

I thought, all in all, all aspects were above average. Plot, dialogue, narrative all brought color to the piece. Nothing spectacular, but nothing lacking.

What is your overall opinion of this excerpt?

I thought this had an interesting premise, one that had been explored in other books, usually the other way around. Someone from the present going to the past. Although this was not totally original, it made the plot interesting. I thought the pace was good, the characters realistic and the dialogue typical of young adults. From the pitch, it sounds like some fun adventures fold into the plot, so I would be interested in reading more. Good work.

ABNA Expert Reviewer

What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt?

To choose one strongest aspect of this book is difficult; I loved the entire excerpt. The dialogue between Miranda and the narrator, and thoughts of the protagonist were very funny. The high concept time-travel aspect of the story has me hooked.

What aspect needs the most work?

Don't change anything. Please. This has been by far my favorite of all the excerpts I've read to date for this year's contest. If I have to nitpick, I'd say get rid of the rectangular glasses comment. It doesn't add anything.

What is your overall opinion of this excerpt?

Without a doubt this has been my favorite excerpt to date. Overall, I think the storyline, dialogue, and pacing are excellent. My best wishes to the author on getting this published and picked up my a major house.

The More Things Change...

First some exciting news! I submitted Screwing Up Time to the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest. And I found out that my novel made it to the second round!! I’m very excited. (The winners of the next round will be announced March 20.)

More good news. I’m over 75% done with the second big edit of the sequel to Screwing Up Time. I’d love to have it done by the end of next week, but I’m also having some editing burnout. And even chocolate isn’t soothing it.

Besides fixing plot holes and tightening up the words themselves, I also use the second edit to verify facts. I like to have two sources for each fact. So I’m reading sources that I didn’t read the first time. And I’m always amazed that sometimes ancient texts could have just as easily been written by my next-door neighbor.

The SUT sequel is set in an ancient, but fairly literate, society. Which means that there are a fair amount of primary sources. Though this doesn’t mean that they all have tremendous historical value, they do teach us a lot about people. For example, I was reading the translation of a particular tablet—a loose, condensed translation is “Several years ago we loaned you a certain amount of money for your travels. We have yet to see one coin of repayment.” The translator of this tablet and many others went on to say that he’s translated many tablets where parents complain about their children, businesses try to collect on loans and purchases of goods, etc. The translator comments that while times change, people stay the same.

I think that’s the reason that historical fiction, time travel fiction, science fiction, and even fiction in general is so popular. We see someone in very different circumstances—a king, a concubine, and a soldier who may live under the rule of Amenhotep, Alexander the Great, Henry V, or Genghis Khan—but their concerns are still the same. They want to take care of the people they love. They may be heroes, and sometimes even villains, but they have the same motives and desires that we do. Perhaps that’s why when we read, we can become them for a little while. After all, we’re really not that different. They may eat goat, drink date wine, and wear tunics, but they still want to get the girl and live happily ever after.