Thursday, September 27, 2012

Enter the MRW Vixen contest before 9/30!

LAST CHANCE TO ENTER 2012 REVEAL YOUR INNER VIXEN CONTEST
Attention romance writers: show us the chemistry!
WHY ENTER THIS CONTEST?
* FEEDBACK: Entrants receive constructive feedback from first-round judges,
many of them published authors. Finalists receive a brief critique by the
final round judge.
* EXPOSURE: Finalists in each category will be judged by editors publishing
in that subgenre. First place winners and category finalists will be listed
in advertising and announcements in the RWA® Romance Writers Report.
* PRIZES: First place category winners receive a $50 cash prize and a gold
Vixen pin!
* OPPORTUNITY: Last year, ONE THIRD of our contest finalists were asked to
submit partial or full manuscripts.

WHAT TO ENTER
Up to 20 pages of any scene that showcases your use of sensual tension, plus an
unjudged 1-page set-up (optional).
WHO CAN ENTER?
Anyone! Membership in Maryland Romance Writers or Romance Writers of America is
NOT required. The author can be published or not yet published, but the contest
entry must be original and uncontracted as of September 1, 2012.
WHAT ARE THE CATEGORIES?
(Word counts apply to targeted finished length of completed manuscript.)
* Series Contemporary: 1950-present, 40,000-79,000 words finished length
* Single Title: 1950-present, 80,000-120,000 words finished length
* Historical: BCE-1950, 40,000-120,000 words finished length
* Alternative: time travel, fantasy, futuristic, paranormal, 85,000-120,000
words finished length
* Erotic Romance: 60,000-120,000 words finished length
* LGBT Romance: 40,000-120,000, any genre/era
* Young Adult: 40,000+ words finished length

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
$20 MRW members
$25 Non-MRW Members–U.S. entries and International entries
WHO JUDGES MY ENTRY?
Each entry will be judged by THREE qualified judges, i.e., trained and/or
published authors. The three top-scoring entries in each category will advance
to the final round for evaluation by one editor and one agent who acquire in
that genre.
2012 Judge List
Category Editor House Agent Agency
Series Contemporary Elizabeth Mazer HQN Jessica Alvarez Bookends Literary
Single Title Emily Ohanjanians HQN-Mira Paige Wheeler Folio Literary
Historical Erin Molta Entangled Nicole Lukosil Bradford Literary Agency
Alternative Chelsey Emmelhainz Avon Nicole Resciniti Seymour Agency
Erotic Christa Desir Samhain Jenn Schober Spencerhill
LGBT Kelli Collins Elloras Cave Alissa Davis Carina Press
YA Aubrey Poole Sourcebooks Kevan Lyon Marsal Lyon
WHEN IS THE DEADLINE?
Contest opens for entries on July 1, 2012. Entries must be received and
time-stamped no later than October 1, 2012.
Visit http://www.marylandromancewriters.com/ or email the 2012 Reveal Your
Inner Vixen Contest Coordinators, Christi Barth or Eliza Knight at mrwvixen@yahoo.com.

Afton Locke
www.aftonlocke.com

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Plucking the Pearl gets 4.5 star review

Plucking the Pearl earned a 4.5 star review from Long and Short reviews!
 



Pearl is a sympathetic and well crafted heroine...And the sparks in this story are hot and plentiful... I highly enjoyed the forbidden nature of their affair and the uniqueness of the time period and setting. The historical aspect was good and genuine. ...All and all, a hot and enjoyable historical that I highly recommend. This is definitely a re-read for me. Take an emotional escape to a different time and era with Plucking the Pearl.

***
And Ellora's Cave Romanticon 2012 convention is just weeks away! See you there.
http://ecromanticon.com

Afton Locke
Unlock your fantasies...
www.aftonlocke.com