Hailey Edwards's Blog, page 69

Six Sentence Sunday

[image error]

I have made less progress in word count than I'd hoped this week, but second round edits are done and I've seen a draft for Eversworn's cover. So not a bad week at all.

"I fear you were right when you said I found you charming." I sounded breathless.

His dark eyes didn't as much as blink. His fingers didn't as much as twitch. The only change was a slight curl of his lip. Knowing him as well as I did, I was unsurprised to see a hint of fang.

For more Six Sunday goodness, check out the official website.

I'm Being Interviewed…

…over at Natalie Owens's blog today. Comment for a chance to win a digital ARC of Evermine!

A Hint of Frost's First Review!

When I wrote Frost, I knew it was different, very different. I worried every day, every page, but I had to write the book. So I have worried, and I do worry, how well it will be received. In any case, I am grateful those characters came to me, and I hope I do their stories justice.

I have read other stories written by Ms. Edwards, and one thing that stands out is that she is a great world builder. Her stories feature worlds that are new, definitely interesting and dangerous with characters, creatures and beings that are both horrifying and attractive.

A Hint of Frost is the first story in the new series Araneae Nation. From the beginning Ms. Edwards writing gets the reader caught up in the beauty and danger of the new world, what is happening to the characters and how they approach and solve problems and conflicts. There is excitement, danger and love as well as intrigue and political machinations and when you put it all together you have one great read!

Read the full review here.

Six Sentence Sunday

[image error]

First round Eversworn edits are done and a little birdie told me I might see the cover draft as early as next week. Wheee! Now if I could just get this book finished, I'd be in business.

His hand lowered, his lips hitched to one side, and I got the impression I had amused him.

Dangerous, that smile of his, for warming me when he said, "Be careful, little mouse. At the first sign of danger, scurry as far and as fast as you can. Don't look back. Get yourself to safety."

I nodded, knowing if the Theridiidae found us, I had no hope of outrunning their arrows.

For more Six Sunday goodness, check out the official website.

Fabulous Five Contest

***Permission to forward granted, encouraged and appreciated* **

The Wisconsin Romance Writers of America Fabulous Five contest is open for

entries!

For over twenty years, we've provided detailed critiques to all entrants and

an opportunity for the top five in each category to get their work in front

of key editors and agents in the publishing industry. Our fees continue to

be among the lowest for contests of this type – just $18 for WisRWA members

and $20 for all other entrants.



This contest is available to writers unpublished in book-length romance

fiction during the past five years. All entries must be limited to the first

2,500 words of your manuscript and must be submitted electronically. For an

entry form and complete details regarding rules and eligibility, click the

Contests link on our website: http://www.wisrwa. org/

Deadline for entries is 11:59 CST, March 1, 2012. We reserve the right to

cap certain categories at thirty entries. Enter early to beat the rush!

Here's our great lineup of categories and judges for 2012:

Historical : Deb Werksman, Sourcebooks

Paranormal/Fantasy/

Futuristic/Time Travel: Angela James, Carina Press

Romantic Suspense: Katherine Pelz, Berkley

Series Contemporary

(Long/short) : Megan Long, Harlequin Enterprises

Single Title: Nalini Akolekar, Spencerhill Associates

Women's Fiction: Paige Wheeler, Folio Literary

Young Adult Melissa Frain, Tor

Six Sentence Sunday

[image error]

Well, I don't know about y'all but I'm going to miss 2011. That year was mighty good to me. Here's to 2012 and here's hoping it's a blessed year for us all.

For weeks I haunted this underground warren of twisted maze buried beneath the frozen city of Erania. Who else could give these spirits respite when no one but me knew of their existence?

Clenching my teeth to stop their chatter, I flexed stiff fingers inside my gloves and exhaled. I craved fresh air, clean in my lungs. I coveted sunlight, warm on my skin. I yearned to go home.

For more Six Sunday goodness, check out the official site.

 

How Lyrical is Your Romance?

The First Annual Lyrical Press How Lyrical is Your Romance? Contest opens on Monday, January 16th. This contest is open to both published and unpublished authors.

Entries must be complete works, ranging in word count between 15,000-100,000 words, any heat level, and fit into one of the following subgenre categories:

Contemporary romance
Historical romance
Paranormal or urban fantasy romance
Romantic steampunk
Romantic Suspense

Prizes:

1st Place: $200 advance and digital publishing contract (advance payable as $100 upon finalized contract and $100 upon publication).

2nd Place: $100 advance and digital publishing contract (advance payable as $50 upon finalized contract and $50 upon publication).

3rd Place: Top-scoring contestant in each genre category will receive an acquiring editor's critique of synopsis and first 50 pages of manuscript.

Guidelines:

File type: .rtf, .doc, or .docx only
12pt black font (Times New Roman, Cambria, Courier or Georgia preferred)
Line spacing: 1.5
Margins: 1″ all
Page-breaks between chapters

Please include a title page listing the following information:

Legal name
Pen name
Email address
Contact phone
Working title (include series name and details if applicable)
Word count
Genre/category

Entries will be accepted from January 16, 2012 through February 5, 2012, and must be emailed to contest@lyricalpress.com. Entries sent to an email other than the aforementioned will be ignored. Please include book title and contest in subject line thusly: Booktitle – How Lyrical Is Your Romance?. Attach full manuscript, and 2-5 page synopsis in .rtf, .doc, or .docx format (Booktitle_MS and Booktitle_SYN as file names–your book title replaces "Booktitle"). After February 5, the contest will close, but we'll still be accepting submissions as always at our submissions@lyricalpress.com address.

No entry fee required. Judges reserve the right to Decline to Judge any entry if it does not fit our lines, level of writing is not acceptable, or submission guidelines are not followed.

Entries will be judged on the following criteria: Hook, Pacing/Plot, Characterization, Dialogue, Mechanics, and Author Voice.

Winners will be announced on March 12, 2012 via our blog http://lyricalpress.blogspot.com/ and direct emails to winners.

Six Sentence Sunday

[image error]

Now that it's official, I can share my news. I signed a contract for Eversworn this week. Yay!

It will be released digitally on June 26, 2012 and in print in April 2013.

Now, let's get back to Vaughn, shall we?

"You're playing a dangerous game." He bent low and inhaled against my neck. "I hope your friend knows the rules." Those vicious teeth of his rasped and my treacherous body leaned close.

My mind became a twisted jumble. "There are rules?"

For more Six Sunday goodness, check out the official website.

Evermine's First Review Is In!

I got an early Christmas present today–Evermine's first review.

Sabine at Manic Readers gave it 4 stars. This is what she had to say:

This is a story of a deep love that could not be revealed and of a bond that did not break despite the distance or the circumstances. It is also the story of growth and how one demon finds his love and his sanity in the arms of his mate, and how one demoness finds serenity and forgiveness in the arms of her mate. Add to this the tale of a missing queen, court intrigue, glamour and magic being used and you have a great story of a love that withstands the test of time and everything else thrown at it.

I cannot wait to see how this series develops and I look forward to reading more about the Askari demons and their lives and loves! Fantastic series Ms. Edwards! Keep them coming!

She does recommend readers read the first book, Everlong, prior to Evermine, and I agree. Maddie and Emma are so close, their stories had to reflect that. You get much more out of Harper and Emma's relationship if you understand Maddie and Harper, and Maddie and Emma's relationship.

To read the entire review, head on over to Manic Readers.

Stung by the Good News Bee

I am so excited to announce I signed a contract with Samhain Publishing this morning for Eversworn. It's the third novel in my Daughters of Askara series, and this means a double dose of Askara in 2012!

This is Dillon and Isabeau's story. If you'd like a sneak peek at the hero who made my editor swoon, check out my Six Sunday excerpts here.

For those keeping tabs, I'm about a quarter of the way finished with Vaughn and Mana's story (A Feast of Souls, Araneae Nation, book two). Good lord willing and the creek don't rise, it will round out 2012 for me with four releases, this one in winter.

Let's cross those fingers, shall we?