Judges comments from the “First Kiss” Contest
In
December 2005, I finaled in the New England Chapter’s “First Kiss”
contest with my entry Prairie Fire. The contest required submission of
up to a 10-page first-kiss scene from an unpublished manuscript. I
entered a scene I call my corset scene, which appears in the first
quarter of the book.
One published author and one qualified
author judged the first round of the contest. Both gave me perfect
scores. Here are excerpts from their comments, which were entirely
positive.
• "I could not put this entry down... The characters
jump off the page... Wonderfully, vividly, distinctively written... The
writing was almost kinetic in its liveliness."
• "This is a well
done scene. Evoked emotion, senses, time, and place… Great tension and
conflict after the kiss… You have a nice voice and use of language… I
think this scene is perfect for the First Kiss contest. Well done,
great conflict, believable characters… Your presentation seemed
flawless. Again, nicely done!"
Judges comments from the “Picture This” Contest
In
October 2003, I took first place in the Inland Empire chapter’s
“Picture This” contest with my entry Prairie Fire. The contest required
submission of a 5-12 page scene from an unpublished manuscript that
best describes the book, hero, heroine, plot, etc. I entered the
black-moment love scene from near the end of the book.
Here’s what some of the first- and second-round contest judges had to say:
•
“You’ve developed a strong writing voice and you write with a smooth
assurance that’s impressive. I think you have a great future ahead of
you!”
• “Great hero. Great heroine. … Very clear, distinct voice. Evocative writing. Good dialogue and emotions.”
•
“He’s gentle, commanding and sexy. She’s pretty cool. I can see her. I
like the gentle way she shows she’s from another time. … [The sexual
tension was] slow, tender and very compelling. The tension, emotional,
was achy. I want them to be able to stay together. … [Style/voice was]
very vivid. An easy read. Definitely ready to submit.”
• “A very
real person from the first paragraph. He didn’t turn to greet her, but
he felt the heat from her body – great sensory detail! Nice handling of
inner conflicts. Great sex scene! … I was invested in both characters
early in the scene. The attraction between them was real and earthy.”
A judge's comments from the "Stepping Stone" contest
In
2004, I entered the Stepping Stone contest, which has similar rules to
the Golden Heart contest -- enter the first 55 pages, including a
synopsis. Prairie Fire placed second in the contest. Here's what one
published judge had to say:
• "First of all, you are an
extremely talented, skilled writer. You have a fresh, strong voice and
to me, 'voice' is difficult to achieve as a writer. You've got that
mastered. ... You have great characters. ... You excel at description.
You really know how to paint a picture with words. ... Wonderful humor.
... You have real talent as a writer. The story is intriguing and
compelling and your voice and style are superior."
A judge's comments from the "On The Far Side" contest
In 2006 when I entered Prairie Fire in the time travel category of the FF&P
On the Far Side Contest,
I didn't final. But, I came really close to finaling. Really close.
Each judge read the first chapter of Prairie Fire and a five-page
synopsis. Here's what one judge had to say:
• "Wow! A Time
Travel with a heart and a brain. I love the hint of magic in both their
lives -- made me think the time travel could come from magic in the
Heroine/Hero or someone in either of their lives. The setting is alive
and vivid. ... This is certainly something I would love to read more
of. ... This is a strong voice; I'd know this one again. In fact, I'd
be looking for it."
1/15/2010
