Lame-Duck Writing ... And CONTEST!

Post-elections, a congress that has "nothing to lose"  has gone into overdrive passing the Post-911 GI Bill, repealing a shameful "Don't ask don't tell," pushing for a vote on the DREAM Act (a bill that would give children of illegal immigrants a legal, and easier, road to citizenship) among others. In fact, they're in a mad scramble to pass through twenty pieces of legislation.
This, of course, begs the question: What the hell were they doing twiddling their thumbs for the past two years? Oh yeah. That's right. They were so worried about losing their seats in congress (which they did), they didn't do anything. It makes me wonder had they actually passed through these pieces of legislation their constituents would most likely support, they might still have their jobs come 2011.
Nevertheless, I'm thankful they're acting like the politicians we elected four years ago -- doing their jobs -- and makes me think about the kind of job I want to do as a writer.
I want to be (and strive to be) a lame-duck writer -- a writer that has nothing to lose; a writer who's determined to take some pretty big risks; a writer who believes that putting my heart, soul, imagination, and quirky ideas into each book I write will help me produce the best work I can.

So I want to tip my hat today to some lame-duck writers out there -- writers with gumption -- and to lame-duck agents, editors, and publishers (because  a writer won't get too far without them -- lame-duck or not). And to give you just a little glimpse of the wonders out there in the world of lit, I'm going to give one to two-line summaries of some of the coolest lame-duck pieces of lit out there. You just might recognize some of these novels that, by taking huge risks,  made huge splashes in the literary world.  Don't confuse simplicity for "easy" either. Some of the richest novels out there take risks being exquisite pieces of simplicity.

And, to make this interesting, in the comments section, write a note that you've entered the competition: Name that Lame-Duck Novel. Then send me an e-mail to info@heidiayarbe.com with the name of the novels you think I'm referring to. (In the RE line, please put Name that Lame-Duck Novel). The winner will get one of the novels plus a 20 page critique of his or her novel. (And if you're not a writer, I'll critique your friend's writing, husband's writing, postman's writing, cat's writing ... whatever!)
Contest Ends December 31 at midnight. (Okay, if you're up at 1:00 am on January 1st, entering the contest, I'll take it simply because that's madness. You should be doing something else!)

All of these novels have inspired me to take big changes in my own work. And these chances I take have always been backed by my agent, Stephen Barbara, editor, Ruta Rimas, and publishers Balzer & Bray. So for those of you grumblers out there saying publishing houses don't take chances. Ummm ... go to your library, bookstore, and open the pages. Be prepared to be amazed.


1. A string theory novel about a kid with mad cow's disease.
2. A Revolution era novel written in eighteen century language about a kid who's basically a living petri-dish for a bunch of radical philosophers.
3. A novel about a little girl whose father suffers from mental illness and mother is a work-aholic, enters  a wheeze-bag organ competition playing FOREVER IN BLUEJEANS.
4. Death narrates his experiences in WWII Germany.
5. A kid's obsession to discover the truth behind the mysterious death of the neighbor's dog leads him on a perilous journey.
6. A Siamese cat dreams about being a Mexican Chihuahua superhero.
7. A Sam Spade-style , hard-boiled detective novel about a middle school with an organized crime ring that deals in forgeries, stolen test papers, and more, where a kid is hired by the underworld boss to do a simple job.
8. A kid refuses to sell chocolates in the school's annual fundraiser.
9. An older father, who is a small town's preacher, writes a long letter to his son.
10. A genius is stuck in a body that doesn't work for him, and he thinks his dad wants to kill him.

Have fun! Have a Happy Happy New Year!!

This contest is open to anybody ... as of now!