Contest Update, Auld Lang Syne and the Kitchen Sink

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot

And days of auld lang syne?

Auld lang syne...a lovely song of past remembrances,

but when I hear this tune, I think of that final scene in

When Harry Met Sally.

What about you? What memories does Auld Lang Syne bring to your mind?

Here in Seekerville, we'd like to wish you all a Happy New Year!

Announcements

We're very excited to share the results of several running contests in Seekerville.

First the winners of Cheryl Wyatt's Plotsorming Sessions

are Avily Jerome and Vincent Mooney!!

MEA CULPA!! THERE WERE SIX WINNERS!!! CONGRATULATIONS TO JANELLE S!!

Congratulations to the winners of the 2008 Writing Challenge.There were five entries.Five friends of Seekerville who submitted full manuscripts to editors or agents in 2008. We are soo proud of you. And since you are all winners, each of you will receive a surprise writing gift from Seekerville.

Congratulations to those five:

Pat Jeanne Davis

Tami Holden

Jessica Nelson

Anne Barton

Linda Cacaci

Janelle S

.

The two winners randomly drawn for Godiva and $50 cash are:

Jessica Nelson is the winner of Godiva, and

Anne Barton is the cash winner.Congratulations again!!

(I need all five of these writers to send your snail mail address to tina@tinarusso.com)

~~~~~~~~

Kitchen Sink Alert!

I stumbled across this great book

and ordered it from the Barbour web site the old-fashioned way.

Emily Johannson discovers a cranky man living in a derelict house in the woodland behind her ranch. When she orders him off, Jake Hanson tells her he bought this wreck and is planning to live there. He's filthy, starving, and furious that Emily found him. He wants to be left alone. And she would if she didn't keep needing to save his worthless life.

Turns out it was written by a Seeker! Who knew?

Attention all Seekerville Divas and Divos!

It's Time for the New Year Contest Update.

It isn't too late to enter the Marlene and join the friendly competition between Vince and I. (Don't tell Vince that I am still putting my entry together)

• Marlene Awards:Deadline January 15, 2009 for hardcopy or electronic. Each entry will be read by three judges and scored using a 50 point scale. The lowest score will be dropped. The winner of each category will receive a Marlene Medallion and a detailed critique of her or his submission by a published author. Entry is synopsis and the beginning of the manuscript up to 35 pages total.

• The Winter Rose Award of Excellence-January 24, 2009 - Deadline for all print and electronic submissions. Enter the opening twenty-five (25) pages of romance novels of all above sub-genres (projected length of at least 50,000 words. Categories include:
  Contemporary Single Title: Hilary Sares, Kensington
  Historical (Includes Regency): May Chen, Harper Collins
  Mainstream w/ Romantic Elements: Elaine Spencer, Knight Agency
  Paranormal: Leah Hultenschmidt, Dorchester
  Romantic Suspense: Esi Sogah, Harper Collins
  Series Contemporary: Johanna Raisanen, Harlequin
  Young Adult: Allison Brandau, Berkley

• The Merritt Magic Moment-Deadline February 14, 2009. Entry Fee: $25 SARA members; $30 RWA members; $35 non-RWA members. Submission: 30 pages total, including a maximum 5-page synopsis. Finalists will have the opportunity to incorporate preliminary judges’ comments before their entry is sent to the final Editor. Contemporary: Patience Smith, Silhouette--Historical: Tessa Woodward, Avon--Romantic Suspense: LaToya Smith, Grand Central--Paranormal: Rose Hilliard, St. Martin’s Press--Mainstream With Romantic Elements: Megan McKeever, Pocket
  Grand Prize:Highest point earner as determined by first round judging will have a partial MS read by Kate Duffy of Kensington Books.(NICE!!!)

• The Duel on the Delta-Entries must be post marked by February 14, 2009 and received by February 18, 2009.The first chapter, up to 25 pages, including prologue, if applicable. You may include an optional one-page, single-spaced synopsis. The synopsis will not be judged, but may be used as a reference to answer questions that arise during judging. Categories: Paranormal, Inspirational, Young Adult, Mainstream/Single Title, Historical, Contemporary, and Mystery/Romantic Suspense. (Inspiration Final Judge- Tina Colombo, Senior Editor, Love Inspired Historical and Love Inspired Suspense, Harlequin )

• The Sandy-From The Friends of the Crested Butte Library. All entries must be received by midnight February 17, 2009. Electronic entries only: send the first 20 double-spaced pages of your novel and up to a 2 page double-spaced synopsis for a total page count of 22 pages. Finalists will have one week to edit their entries before they are submitted to the final judges. Categories & Final Round Judges:Romance — Adam Wilson, Assistant Editor, MIRA Mainstream Adult Fiction — Katherine Nintzel, Editor, William Morrow/Harper Collins Suspense/Thriller — Alex Logan, Editor, Grand Central Fantasy/Science Fiction — Cameron McClure, Agent, Donald Maass Agency Children’s & YA — Kaylan Adair, Associate Editor, Candlewick

• PNWA Literary Contest Deadline: February 20, 2009. Maximum length: 28 pages. The 28 page limit includes the synopsis and the first and consecutive chapters (beginning with ch. one or prologue). The entire entry must be double-spaced, in 12 point Times New Roman or Times (Mac).Synopsis: no more than five pages, must be double-spaced.Categories: Mainstream, Inspirational Genre, Romance Genre, Mystery/Thriller Genre, Science Fiction/Fantasy Genre, Young Adult Novel,Non-Fiction Book/Memoir. Fees: PNWA member: $35.00Non-member: $50.00 (OUCH!) Winners are given the opportunity to attend the Agents and Editors Reception at the PNWA Summer Conference. Awards will be given as follows:First Place: $600.Second Place: $300 Third Place: $150
  

Just For Fun

• Dame Lisbet Throckmorton Fiction Writing Contest. Deadline: Your short fiction entry must be postmarked by or received via email before midnight on January 31, 2009.Your submitted story must be an original work of which you are the sole author. Your entry must not exceed 3,500 words. Entry fee is $17.00. First Place$500.00-Second Place$125.00-Third Place-$75.00-Fourth Place-$50.00

And finally, from Walrus Magazine:

Dear Brave and Thoughtful Walrus Reader,

In celebration of the Canadian paperback launch of Four Letter Word, the acclaimed collection of fictional love letters edited by Joshua Knelman and Rosalind Porter, The Walrus magazine and Vintage Canada are begging and pleading and down on their knees, hoping against hope that you will consider writing an extraordinary love letter, so that you may enter it in this incredible contest of love letters from across the nation.

But don't worry, darling, the rules of the contest aren't nearly as complicated as love. Just follow these simple instructions:

1. Write a love letter.

Choose a person, object, or even an abstract idea that you believe deserves a love letter. Then let your heart race, and put pen to page.

Your love letter may address someone you know, or perhaps that illusive stranger you've pined for in desperate silence all these years. Your letter may be a dazzling work of fiction or real events disguised as thinly veiled fiction. Maybe you need to confess your love to Britney Spears, or to the Prime Minister of Canada, or to your favourite pair of designer jeans. Perhaps a sonnet to your trusted neighbourhood tailor who so carefully patched the hole in your football jersey from high school. Or the girl you never had the nerve to actually talk to in high school. Maybe it's a love letter to Free Market Capitalism. No one will judge you (Actually, we will. This is a contest after all).

There are so many ways to write a love letter, so surprise us: it could be a formal letter, a quick note, a short text message, or an email. (An enterprising young writer might even pen a letter to one of the wonderful authors who contributed to Four Letter Word, say Margaret Atwood or Douglas Coupland.) And remember -- don't be nervous, be yourself, and write something inspiring.

2. Your love letter must be devastatingly sincere, true to your heart, and LESS THAN 500 WORDS.

3. Once you have finished pouring your heart's deepest and most secret desires onto a Microsoft Word document (and then painstakingly editing your heart's desires over and over again), you should harness the necessary courage and send your love letter to mailto:loveletters@walrusmagazine.com.

4. Translating those pent up feelings onto the page or screen takes time. Do not fret. You have a few months to work it out. Kindly deliver your letter to us before the CONTEST CLOSES ON VALENTINE'S DAY, 2009.

WINNERS AND PRIZES

The winning love letter will be announced on March 1, 2009. The letter that wins the judges' hearts will earn a $1,000 GRAND PRIZE, as well as another $1,000 in prizes from Deutsche Grammaphon. The letter will also be published on the Walrus website.