How to make your contest entry sing!

Be very, very quiet….  There’s a contest entry sneaking around here, and as the mighty hunter, Elmer Fudd would say – "Darn, you rascally rabbit…."

Okay, I really don’t see myself as Elmer Fudd, but there is something to be said for hunting down a good story in the midst of the contest entries.

I was contest coordinator for the Gateway to the Best contest.  That year, I judged for every contest who asked for help.  Favors to call in later, which I capitalized on, believe me.

Another reason I support contests is because my Council Series, was bought off a contest entry. (Return of the Fae is book two in that series.)

So want to know what I look for as a judge?  Remember, this is just me, so your mileage may vary.

First, I read the score sheet.  Do I give points (or take away) for a great hook? A great first page?  Conflict, characterization, plot?  First and foremost, I follow the score sheet.

That should be obvious, but you’d be surprised at the number of entries I give low points because they didn't review the sheet before they sent the entry.  I want to give everyone full points on one section, writing or mechanics.  If this isn't your first rodeo, (ahem, entry) you should have that piece polished to a Mr. Clean shine.

So, read your score sheets. One contest  asked if the section ended on a hook. Easy fix, even if you aren't planning on submitting the full with the storm tearing apart the farmhouse and Little Nell being swept away on her moped on page 30, for the sake of your judge, give me the hook!

Number one rule of contests – follow the score sheet.  That’s what the judge is tied to judge on, even if they think your story is the best.

Number two?  Give me a great story.  I've read so many entries that I so hope will be published soon, because I’m still wondering what happened to Little Nell. 

And isn't that what we all want from our readers?  To leave them wanting more?

Tell me your contest stories.  And if you haven’t judged a contest lately, what are you waiting for? 

Lynn

Adding a little spirit to your mystery...

And I don’t mean drinks.

So who writes mysteries with a touch of the other world?  I’m playing with a cozy that has a paranormal twist.

 

I have to say, I love a good dark gothic romance.  Give me an old house with creaks and groans, a flicker of light that may or may not be a ghost, and a tortured hero, and I’m in heaven.  I grew up watching Dark Shadows and always felt a little sad for the lonely, unloved vampire. 

Zombies, not so much. Zombies remind me of the slasher films, Halloween, Friday the 13^th, those types, where evil is going to win. Every time.  Even in Final Destination, death won.  Maybe not in movie number one but eventually.

I've got books of spells around the house for research purposes. Which brings up a side note, does it bother anyone that spell books so easy to obtain?  I didn't have to go to the Voodoo R Us store in the bad section of town, just down to my favorite paper bookstore.  I’m sure I could have found tons more books on line.  Is it because more people believe? 

Now, I’m researching rune stones and the ancient gods they represented.

I brought home a voodoo zombie doll from my last trip to Nashville.  She’s dressed in a ballerina outfit over her mummy wrap.  The doll is supposed to help me bring out my natural talents.  She does make me smile every time I see her pink tutu so out of place on the bandages.

Oh, and I live in one of the most haunted towns in America. The picture above is the remnants of the first prison in Illinois- after 1860 when prisoners were transferred to Joliet, then the site was used to incarcerate captured confederate soldiers.  Being on the Mississippi, the prison often flooded and the daily death rate was 6-8 men. The site is said to be haunted by the ghosts of these men.

So what books or movies do you love that brings in a touch of the woo woo? Or are you a realist in your reading and writing?  

Lynn

It's A Mystery to Me by Anne Carter

Everyone loves mystery. No, seriously. Even those who say they only read mainstream fiction, historical romance or Zane Grey westerns are mystery buffs—of a sort. For if every book written didn’t have some kind of unknown contained therein, there would be no point in reading it. The mystery is what happens between the covers.

I write romantic mystery. Some call it “mysterious romance”. It all depends on what grabs you as a reader. Because it is considered somewhat “cross-genre”, I have trouble deciding how to label it when I enter contests or categorize my work on marketing platforms. People ask, “is it more mystery, or more romance?” Darned if I know! Yet this can and will be an issue with some novels. Is it romantic enough to be called a romance? Or, is the mystery strong enough to appeal to mystery lovers?

Worse, my latest release has no body. No overt murder. No amateur sleuth or hard-boiled flatfoot. As a member of Sisters in Crime, I sometimes feel a bit fraudulent. But there is death, I insist, and yes, there is a crime and a mystery to be solved. There is a heroine who needs to know, a hero who knows too much, and a friendly, if restless, spirit subtly helping them to find answers.

Whoops! A spirit, too? Well now, what we might have here is a paranormal romantic mystery. Cross-genre just took on a whole new meaning. Now that I am mixing three genres, does my marketing appeal narrow, or am I winding my way into a new niche? I prefer to think the latter, and hope that my books are helping to create a new stratum of mystery fans.

Oh, did I mention my stories take place inside of lighthouses? Does that make them paranormal, romantic, lighthouse mysteries?