American Idol and Writing...Yes they are Alike!

Well, to me they are.

I can't begin to tell you how deep my obsession runs for AI this season.  I don't know if it's having a judge (Jennifer Lopez) actually giving constructive criticism or because Steven Tyler tries so hard to come up with unique quotes.

No, I know what it is...the freaking talent!  Are you kidding me, these kids can belt it out and I would be completely remiss if I didn't acknowledge how much I love Casey Abrams.  The boy is fabulous!

But more than the talent and the stars that show up every night, more than even the songs the finalists slay (in a good way...most of the time), I love that they are following their dreams.

I can only relate the sensation I get watching the show to how I feel when I beat on the key board in my own rhythmic melody.  I  LOVE to write.  They LOVE to sing and low and behold dreams are achieved when you dare to believe.  Am I right or am I right?

Next time you have a free Wednesday night turn on the tube to FOX and tell me if the lovely AI doesn't remind you of a querying frenzy.

Another Awesome Writing Contest

When it rains it pours...in a good way where writing contests are concerned!
The lovlies over at YAtopia are hosting an agent pitch contest with agent Ammi-Joan Paquette.  Now this is good people, because she isn't actually accepting queries!  It doesn't get more exclusive than that right?

So here are the rules:
1) Be a follower of the blog. Nice and easy.

2) Blog about this contest and include a link with your entry. If you don't have a blog, you may tweet or make a facebook status. But we prefer blog.

3) Create a TWO SENTENCE pitch. And not a massively long run-on sentence either. Two concise sentences that will hook Joan to your book and have her desperate to read more.

4) Include the opening line of your manuscript.

5) Manuscripts that you submit should be completed. I leave it up to you whether you decide to submit a half finished manuscript. You'll have to deal with it SHOULD Joan request you send her the full.

6) This contest will be capped at either 150 entries OR will end midnight on the 24th March.

7) Winners to be announced (along with prizes) on 31st March.

8) Only childrens and young adult categories will be accepted. Sorry!

and this is the entry form for ya:
Name:
Email:
Story Name:
Genre:
Blog/Twitter/Facebook link:
2 Sentence Pitch:
Opening sentence:

Good luck writers!

Show Me the Voice! Blogfest

Name: Deana Barnhart
Title: Remebered
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

The only thing Jonas was completely sure of was that Mackenzie Shae was going to die.  As he studied her walking along – practically bouncing – in step to the loud music still playing in the field behind her, he couldn’t help but stare.  Not that Mackenzie intrigued him.  No human had that affect on Jonas.  They were way too predictable.  Sure, she probably attracted a majority of the male population, but she was the whole reason this mess consumed him in the first place.  That annoyance completely trumped how she looked.

            Of course the bond between them continued to aggravate him as well.  He didn’t have time to ponder over some typical teenagers innermost thoughts.  So what if she turned misfit because her sister died?  What difference did it make that the boy standing at her side, eyes caressing her face like they could actually feel her skin, loved her, and she didn’t return that love?  Least of all did he enjoy that this link—which acted more like a shackle at times—forced him into caring.

            What he needed to worry about now consisted of finding out when and how Mackenzie would leave this life, and why he was hers to begin with.  It didn’t seem to him like she had anything extraordinary going for her.

As he waited for her to approach, many possibilities swam through his head in answer to those questions.  However, given all the ways he’d seen death take someone, he never, in the many centuries of doing his job, could have guessed he would actually be the cause.

Queries...AHHHHHH

This post is one filled with mixed emotions.  I am thrilled to say the first 312 words of my YA novel have been picked for third place in Gabriela's Birthday Bash Contest!  I've been doing some dancing let me tell ya. 
As a prize I get to have the uber-lovely Lora Rivera from the Claire Gerus Literary Agency critique my query. 
So this is where the mixed emotions part comes in...I haven't done one before.  I have about a million sites set as favorites giving me tips on how to write a killer query but I fear it like the plague.  For some reason putting a three hundred page book into a couple paragraphs sends me running for the hills. 

Enough whining!  There is no better than the present to get moving on it, especially with Ms. Rivera waiting patiently...or not, as the case may be.

In my quest for all things query, I found an e-book that I really like and thought I would spread the love.  Elana Johnson, From the Query to the Call  Check it out!    

3/12 Birthday Bash Contest Entry

Title: Angel Walker Series Book One: Remebered
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Status: WIP (3/4 finished)


          The only thing Jonas was completely sure of was that Mackenzie Shae was going to die.  As he studied her walking along – practically bouncing – in step to the loud music still playing in the field behind her, he couldn’t help but stare.  Not that Mackenzie intrigued him.  No human had that effect on Jonas.  They were way too predictable.  Sure, she probably attracted a majority of the male population, but she was the whole reason this mess consumed him in the first place.  That annoyance completely trumped how she looked.

            Of course the bond between them continued to aggravate him as well.  He didn’t have time to ponder over some typical teenagers innermost thoughts.  So what if she turned misfit because her sister died?  What difference did it make that the boy standing at her side, eyes caressing her face like they could actually feel her skin, loved her, and she didn’t return that love?  Least of all did he enjoy that this link—which acted more like a shackle at times—forced him into caring.

            What he needed to worry about now consisted of finding out when and how Mackenzie would leave this life, and why he was hers to begin with.  It didn’t seem to him like she had anything extraordinary going for her.

     As he waited for Mackenzie to approach, many possibilities swam through his head in answer to those questions.  However, given all the ways he’d seen death take someone, he never, in the many centuries of doing his job, could have guessed he would actually be the cause.

***

     Mackenzie was not usually the type to escape for fresh air in a portable bathroom, but extreme times called for extreme measures. Taking the ponytail holder from her wrist, she quickly wrapped her hair in a loose fitting ball on top of her head.  Having that small task accomplished

Writing Contests Worth Blogging About

Who doesn't love a contest where the end result could mean having your work critiqued by some amazing agents?  I know I do!  I found a couple that I thought I would share with anyone interested.  One begins today so if you have a polished manuscript and a blog then get to posting.

The 3/12 Birthday Bash (With Critiques from Agents)

Show Me the Voice!...Contest with Agent Natalie Fischer

Thanks to Gabriella at  Aspiring Writer's World, Brenda from Brenda Drake Writes...Under the Influence of Coffee and the wonderful agents willing to celebrate both of their birthdays the way a writer would want.

Changes

This has been something I have been working on since my last critique, but I have decided to do a major overhaul of my guardian angel story. 

Being a writer and learning as I go, I had to write a whole novel to realize that it wasn't what I wanted out of my writing.  I love that I think I am growing...I guess the agents I query will be the true judge of that though.

So far I have done three outlines (which totally works for me because I don't have to hold it all in my brain which is already exploding with thoughts to move the story along as I go).  These outlines are not even close to being uniform but they help me stay on the path intended.  When I see I'm veering off I make sure it is something I want to do and if it is I scribble down another outline. 

I am on chapter 10 and have decided the book is going to be called Angel Walker.  Well, it's what I like either as a first title or as the series name.

Here is a small blurb I wrote to semi-describe what the book is about.   Let me know what you think...is it catchy?  Is it lacking?  I'd love to get some opinions.

Mackenzie Shae discovers her destiny is unlike most seventeen year olds when she turns a guardian angel into a human with the mere touch of her hand.  How will she cope when she realizes she has stripped her only protector of his abilities in a time when she is being hunted by the evils of this world and the one beyond?