Guest Post: Half Dragons and Pitching Comps

Thanks for hosting me on your blog, Katie!
Writing contests!
As some of you may or may not know, my book, Acne, Asthma, And Other Signs You Might Be Half Dragon went from manuscript to honest to goodness book because of a contest. Which is to say, contests have been very good to me, and I have been very lucky. Love them or hate them, writing contests are part of the writing community, but there are definitely things to keep in mind when considering a contest:
First: Do you want to sign/publish/get a critique from the people participating. This one seems like a no brainer, but if you don’t want to work with the people who are judging or handing out prizes, then why are you entering? I’ve seen a number of writers get to the other side of a contest and be disappointed when they got exactly what the contest had announced as the prize. Do some research and think before you hit send.
Second: Writing friends. Most of the real ways to win at a writing contest have nothing to do with winning the contest. I’ve met so many amazing writers while waiting for a contest to reveal who made the agent/editor round. Those kinds of friendships are priceless, and by far, this is the best reason to participate in a writing contest. Writer buddies are a necessity when you’re out in the world of query trenches and submission blues.
Third: feedback. As a writer, it can be hard to get solid feedback on your writing, and one of the best ways is to enter a contest. If you’re feeling really brave, you can then ask your fellow contestants to swap query or first page critiques. This is how Crit Partners are found and made. This part can be really scary, and you might get a lot of people who just do the bare minimum work before hightailing it out of there. That being said, writing contest can really help you find solid feedback on your project, so long as you come to it with open eyes!
And like I said, I entered a contest in June of 2014, one Katie helped to host at Aussie Owned and Read, and that contest got me a publishing contract! And here is the very same book:

Allyson fights acne, not trolls. As an inhaler-carrying member of the asthma society, she just wants to meet the father who turned her mother into a paranoid, move-across-the-nation freak. Now she’s trying to fit in at yet another school, but for the first time in her life, she has a best friend, Beth. When Allyson accidentally spits fire at kidnappers in the mall, she realizes why her father isn’t in the picture: she’s half dragon. Her acne? Emerging scales. Her asthma? The side effects of her dragon’s fire breath. Instead of freaking out, unflappable Beth reveals her own troll heritage and explains how things work with the supernatural creatures hiding within the modern world of smartphones and skyscrapers.
When trolls kidnap a unicorn, Beth gets blamed. Allyson is determined to prove Beth’s innocence and keep her friend off the unicorn chopping block. When they start looking for the kidnappers, they get a call from the last person they expect: Allyson’s father. He tries to warn them off, but he’s been put under a spell by the kidnappers to keep the victims from escaping. Nothing short of death can stop him. Now Allyson must choose between killing the father she’s always dreamed of, or letting her best friend die for a crime she didn’t commit. 

Add Acne, Asthma, And Other Signs You Might Be Half Dragon on Goodreads.



Like most mad scientists, Rena Rocford’s early works were largely met with scorn and mockery, but she bided her time. After all, what did her fellow kindergarteners know about literature? From that day forward, Rena kept her writing on the mythical back burner as she pursued more logical goals. Today, crayons. Tomorrow, the world. She moved on to essays and egg drops, then experiments in shady laboratories. 
Living as a muggle brought Rena some levels of success, procuring a master’s degree from a well vetted university, but always the stories returned, calling her to the keyboard in the dark of night. Now, having built armies from words, Rena has set her sights on world domination, one book at a time.
From her secret base in the wine country, Rena has enlisted the help of her cats, her loyal dogs, and her family―who can be relied upon to hide the launch codes at a moment’s notice. You can find Rena at her blog, follow her on Twitter, or find her on Facebook. Her debut novel, Acne, Asthma, And Other Signs You Might Be Half Dragon just released with Curiosity Quills. You can find it here on Goodreads, or buy it here!

***If you want to participate in a pitching comp, join So of a Pitch right here in Feb!***