Beth K. Vogt's Blog, page 104

Why This Romance Writer Believes in the MBT Frasier Contest

[image error]Picture this:

Me, in an overcrowded elevator at the 2010 American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) Conference. I'm standing nose to name tag with a petite blonde woman. Her nose. My name tag.

The conversation goes like this:

Woman: Oh, you're Beth Vogt. You finaled in the Frasier.

Me (uncomfortable & now a bit surprised she could even read my name that close up): Yes, I did.

Woman (who I later found out was Sandra Bishop, an agent with the Chip MacGregor Literary Agency & one of the judges for the Frasier): So-and-So editor wants to talk with you. She read your entry and really liked it.

Me: Stunned silence.

Here's what happened later: I sat at said-editor's table for lunch. She recognized my name. Remembered my story. Told me how eager she was to read it.

This was a writer's dream come true — all because I'd entered the Frasier contest.

Did the editor buy my manuscript?

Nope.

But guess what? My interaction with that one editor boosted my confidence so much, I walked into all my editor appointments relaxed . . . I mean, come on! I'd already been so encouraged.

And another editor did offer me a contract several months later!My novel, Wish You Were Here, debuts in May!

What's the moral of my little Frasier story? Does entering the Frasier guarantee that you'll final? No. Does it guarantee you a miraculous meeting with an agent or editor in an elevator? Sorry, no. Does it guarantee you publication. Not that either.

Here's what you will get from entering this contest — guaranteed:

Loads of encouragement from the My Book Therapy (MBT) writing community as you polish your contest entry.
Help from MBT coaches via Monday night chats, Thursday night bleacher sessions, and MBT flashblogs so that you can submit the strongest entry possible.
Some of the best judges' evaluations, zeroing in on your ability to write a story that hooks a reader.
Concrete, positive "this is what I liked" feedback.
Detailed suggestions for improving your story.

My husband has a favorite saying: Do the next thing.

Why not make your next thing as a writer be entering the 2012 MBT Frasier contest? What have you got lose? Maybe a few hours sleep while you polish your scene and synopsis. OK, I get that.

But what have you got to win?

Consider that for a minute . . .

You could be standing in an elevator at the 2012 ACFW conference when someone says, "Hey, you're . . ."

You don't want to miss that moment, do you?

 

Writing contests — love 'em or hate 'em? Are you entering the Frasier? Have you entered the Frasier — or another writing contest — in the past? I'd love to hear your experience!

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The 2012 Frasier Contest, My Book Therapy's storycrafting contest for unpublished novelists, is open now through March 31. The winner will be announced at the annual MBT Pizza Party during the 2012 ACFW Conference in Dallas – and will receive a free MBT retreat (a $500 value!). Final round entries will be judged by award-winning author Susan May Warren, Tyndale House acquisitions editor Stephanie Broene, and Karen Ball, literary agent with the Steve Laube Agency. All guidelines and registration details are available here

 

In Others' Words: Getting Ahead

"The secret to getting ahead is getting started." ~Mark Twain, American author & humorist

And the rest of the quote goes: "The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one."

Duh.

I tend to over-complicate things. Spend too much time staring at the big picture and letting it overwhelm me. Then the "I can't" thoughts ramp and before too long, I'm accomplishing nothing.

Sometimes it's the simplest truths that make the biggest difference in our lives, isn't it? Rather than try to tackle the big picture — the whole thing, that never-gonna-get-it-all-finished everything — all I need to do is get started. Or, as my husband likes to say: Do the next thing.

Getting ahead is as brilliantly simple as that.

In Your Words: It's Monday. Got a lot to do? Don't worry about finishing — don't think about Friday. What one thing do you need to do to get started?

In Others' Words: Winter

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home."

~Edith Sitwell, poet

We haven't had a lot of snow in Colorado yet this winter.  Today there's been a bit of snow on and off — nothing much to speak of. But you never know what you'll wake up to. And about an hour north of here in Denver, the weathermen are predicting 5-8 inches. Then there's always March, the snowiest month in Colorado — at least in the Front Range and in Denver. So, there's still time for winter to show off.

Snow or no snow, we haven't lacked for cold weather. Minus degree cold weather. And I couldn't agree more: good food (like a pot of homemade soup or a mug of hot chocolate) provides a certain type of comfort. But there's nothing like time spent with a good friend — maybe sitting in front of the fireplace sipping tea — or being with family, enjoying a game night.

Home wards off the chill of winter like nothing else — and as my husband said, home should ward of the chill of the world.

In Your Words: What warms you up when it's cold outside?

My Kind of Mad Lib Fun Contest Winner!

So laughter rocked the walls of my office tonight!

I read through all the entries with my husband and my two oldest daughters listening in. The judging was fairly subjective — we're writers, so we are used to the whole "it's subjective" thing, right?

Based on the amount of laughter produced, the winner of the first, but definitely not last, My Kind of Mad Lib Fun Contest is:

Coleen Patrick!

To refresh your memory, participants had a list of 21 words — a combination of names, verbs, nouns and numbers. Here's the story I plugged those words into:

A writer named ________1______ (name) was writing a __2__________ (genre) novel. Her heroine was a ___3__________ (occupation) named ____4________ (woman's name). Her hero was a ________5_______ (occupation) named _____6______ (man's name). And the villain liked to _____7_________ (verb), and everyone called him _____8_________ (nickname.)

She was all ready to _____9___________ (verb) the ____10_________ (number) draft of her Great American ______11______ (noun), but then the ___12____________ (noun) rang. It was her agent, telling her that a publisher wanted to _____13___________ (verb) her book!  The advance was for _______14____ (number) dollars. The writer was so excited she ___15___________ (verb) and _________16______ (verb).

"Wait!" she said. "Before I sign the ___17___ (noun), I need to know if I get to go on a _____18__(noun) tour and if I'll be a guest on the ______19________ (TV) show."

Her agent told her yes and so she signed on the dotted __20_______ (noun), thrilled that all her ____21_______ (plural noun) were coming true.

And here is Coleen's winning entry:

A writer named Anastasia  was writing a rom-com novel. Her heroine was a commercial diver named Eve. Her hero was a hand model named Ian. And the villain liked to surf, and everyone called him Pumpkin.

She was all ready to hiccup the one millionth draft of her Great American wax, but then the chia pet rang. It was her agent, telling her that a publisher wanted to eat her book!  The advance was for zero dollars. The writer was so excited she frolicked and sweated.

"Wait!" she said. "Before I sign the confetti, I need to know if I get to go on a spider monkey tour and if I'll be a guest on The Today show."

Her agent told her yes and so she signed on the dotted blueberry, thrilled that all her eyelashes were coming true.

Thanks to everyone who participated. Go here if you want to check out the other entries and plug them into the MKOML story! Believe me, your family/co-workers will gather around you wondering what's going on.

My family suggested I write up an entry with my favorite words from all the entries combined. I'm considering it. What do you think?

In Others' Words: Blessings in Disguise

"What seems to us as as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise." ~Oscar Wilde, Irish poet & playwright

Blessings in disguise.

If only those blessings-to-be showed up in our lives as what they were going to ultimately be: blessings. But no. They stay hidden as we trudge through the darkness. The pain. The days where our our hope is nothing more than a piece of fraying rope.

I've wandered through those desert days, parched, believing I'd die of exhaustion — or more likely from lack of faith.

And I've come out on the other side. Not because I was so faithful but because the God I believe in promises to be faithful even when I'm not. (2 Timothy 2:13) God's faithfulness: What a dipper-full of refreshing water to these thirsty lips! I came to the end of myself … and found healing.

Yes, the trial became a blessing. And I have the battle scars as a life-long reminder.

In Your Words: Do you have any blessings in disguise moments? I'd love to encourage each other midweek by sharing some of those.

What's a Tired Contemporary Romance Writer to Do: My Kind of Mad Lib Fun (& a prize!)

So yesterday was all about this:

And in between replying to a steady stream of comments on this blog — thank you one and all for celebrating my book cover with me! — I also edited a magazine and racked up almost 4300 words in my work-in-progress.

So, yes, I'm tired — but in an oh-yesterday-was-a-wonderful-day kind of way.

Which leads to this blog post.

I decided to have some fun today … which will continue over to Thursday's post. But for the fun to happen, I'll need your participation. There are three easy steps:

1. Read the list below.

2. Leave your answers to the list (please number your answers) as a comment.

3. Come back on Thursday for the "My Kind of Mad Lib" fun!

The list:

woman's name
genre
occupation
woman's name
occupation
man's name
verb
nickname
verb
number
noun
noun
verb
number
verb
verb
noun
noun
TV show
noun
Plural noun

Easy, right? 21 quick answers in the comment section. Just remember, this is "My Kind of Mad Lib" fun!

For an added incentive, everyone who plays the game will have a chance at winning a $10 Starbucks card. I mean, what's a contest without a prize, right?

Celebrate! Book Cover for Wish You Were Here … is here!

 

What a way to start the week!

I'm thrilled to show you the cover to Wish You Were Here, my debut novel with Howard Books (May 2012.)

And, yes, to answer your question, I love my cover. Love my cover.

Bruce Gore, the art director at Howard Books, and his staff were so supportive throughout the whole creative process of designing the book cover. And the final design?

So, so beautiful.

That's a glimpse of a Colorado sky … and the bride on the cover looks so much like Allison, the heroine I imagined in my mind as I wrote the story. Last week I came across a photo I clipped from a magazine that represented my idea for Allison. When I compared it to the final cover art, designed months later, I was stunned at the similarity.

That little wedding ring dangling from the book title? So, so symbolic.

And those of you who read Wish You Were Here – and I hope you all do! – will discover the significance of the postcards on chapter 1, page 1 … and other chapters after that.

My publisher is linking the cover to different sites this week, so I'll keep you posted as the cover goes live other places, including Amazon and CBD. But the cover celebration has begun!

In Your Words: How would you celebrate debuting your book cover? Or if you've been there/done that, how did you celebrate?

 

 

In Others' Words: Books

 

'A book worth reading is a book worth buying.' John Ruskin, English art critic (1819-1900)

The Wedding Dress, by award-winning author Rachel Hauck, comes out in April. I pre-ordered it months ago. I've been waiting to read this novel since Rachel first shared the story behind that beautiful book cover as we walked along the streets of Indianapolis during the 2010 ACFW conference.

I've recently pre-ordered several debut novels:

Dani Pettrey's Submerged
Keli Gwyn's A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California
Katie Ganshert's Wildflowers from Winter
Olivia Newport's Pursuit of Lucy Banning

 

Why the pre-orders? Well, yes, I am supporting my fellow debut authors. I know how much I value the support of family and friends for my up and coming debut novel, Wish You Were Here.

But I also agree with the quote: A good book is worth spending money on. Books = investment. First, an investment of dollars and cents. Then an investment of time. And what do you get for your investment? A glimpse into someone else's imagination. A visit to places you've never been before — or maybe a chance to revisit a city or country you miss. Entertainment. Education.

In Your Words: What's the last book you purchased? What did you get for your money and time?

Contemporary Romance Writer: What's in a Name

Watch this video on YouTube

I put alot of thought into naming my kiddos.

No one every told me that, as a novelist, I would agonize over naming fictional people.

But I do. This vlog, which runs about a minute and a half, gives you a glimpse into my author-angst about novels, names, and keeping it all straight.

Any favorite names for people — real or imaginary? And if you ever agonize over remembering names, let me know I'm not alone!

In Others' Words: Change

"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced." ~James Baldwin, African-American writer

 

Let's take a can change/can't change look at this quote.

Can Change:

It's Wednesday. How's your week going? Look at that To Do list you scribbled on Monday — or formatted on an Excel spreadsheet, for you uber-organized folks. What do you need to change today so that you achieve satisfying forward motion the rest of the week?

Can't Change:

It's Wednesday. Are you facing something you can't change? A disappointment? An illness? A no when you dreamed of a yes? A door slammed shut in your face?

I'm sorry. Truly. I've been there. More than likely, I'll be there again.

You may not be able to change your circumstances — the no, the illness, the closed door. But you can choose to face it.  Choosing to face something challenging, something you'd rather take a pass on, is a kind of change. Think about it: You're changing your mindset. Doing so allows you to decide how you're going to face the problem. Realizing you can't fix it isn't the end … sometimes admitting you can't is the beginning.

In Your Words: What kind of change are you facing today?