NOVEL PITCH & 1ST FIVE PAGES CONTEST: SEMIFINALISTS

Novel Pitch & 1st Five Pages of a Novel Contest

Sponsored by Smoke City Narrators

2009 SEMIFINALISTS by TITLE ONLY (alphabetically)

The BODY of HELEN
CHIN LEE'S PLACE
The END of ALL ROADS
The FIRST YEAR
IN and OUT of MADNESS
IN the SHADOW of the LONE STAR
INVISIBLE VAMPIRE
KILLING RABBITS
LETTERS from the DEAD
MY NAME IS SADIA
NO LIFE but THIS
RISEN
SECOND CHANCES
SHADOWS of the COMANCHE
SOMEWHERE HOME
The SOUND of INK
THICK and THIN
The THIRD STEP

Winners notified by end of the first week of February. A list of the winners posted by mid-February, along with a few comments by the final judge and contest director highlighting how the winners grabbed our attention.

We'll also give general pointers on how the entries that didn't reach the semifinalist level can be improved. We hope this will help writers find success when entering future contests or submitting their fiction for publication.

SCN Contest Deadline Extended - Announcing Judge Cindy Dyson

Smoke City Narrators
Novel Pitch & 1st Five Pages Contest

DEADLINE EXTENDED to Saturday 10/17/09
http://www.janicewiley-dorn.com/smokecitynarrators/pitch1st5contest.html

**Novel Does Not Have to be Complete.**

We're pleased to announce our 2009 Contest Judge: Cindy Dyson, author of THE LAST QUERY: A New Approach to Crafting a Novel Query Letter. Dyson shows how-to hone in on the most intriguing qualities of your novel and your life, even if you lack writing credits, and shape them into a unique query.

Her query letter hooked Agent Marly Rusoff, who sold Dyson's first novel, AND SHE WAS, to Harper Collins.

Her nonfiction credits include many magazine articles, five nonfiction YA books and three literary biographies in Harold Bloom's BioCritiques college library series. Dyson grew up in Alaska and now lives in Montana, where she's working on her second novel. Learn more about her and her writing process on these websites:

Cindy Dyson's website:
http://www.cindydyson.com/

THE LAST QUERY:
http://www.cindydyson.com/shopping.html

Agent Marly Rusoff and Associates - Dyson:
http://www.rusoffagency.com/authors/dyson_c/andshewas/andshewas_CDyson_bio.htm

Dyson Interviewed:

http://mjroseblog.typepad.com/backstory/2006/02/_cindy_dysons_b.html

http://49writers.blogspot.com/2009/09/author-interview-cindy-dyson.html

http://www.harpercollins.com/author/authorExtra.aspx?authorID=27501&isbn13=9780060597719&displayType=bookinterview

NOVEL PITCH and FIRST 5 PAGES CONTEST

Novel Pitch & 1st Five (5) Pages of a Novel Contest

http://www.janicewiley-dorn.com/smokecitynarrators/pitch1st5contest.html

$8 ENTRY FEE -- DEADLINE: Sept. 9, 2009 EXTENDED to:
POSTMARKED by SATURDAY OCTOBER 17, 2009

AWARDS: 1st -- $150 || 2nd -- $75 || 3rd -- $40
6 Honorable Mentions

Sponsored by Smoke City Narrators. Features a low entry fee. Open to residents of the USA and Washington, D. C., with the exception of members of SCN. Entries must be original and unpublished (includes Internet).

Novel need not be complete.

Multiple entries OK but only 1 prize awarded to any winner. Submit 2 copies of the first 5 pages of a novel, 1,500 words max. and a one-sentence pitch (mini-synopsis), 20 words max.

Optional: The 9 finalists will have their pitch and website link posted on SCN's website and blog.

Novel pages not published. Authors retain all rights. See website for complete rules.

Questions? Contact us at: scnarrators@janicewiley-dorn.com

I hope you'll use this contest as a practice run before querying agents or editors and/or attending pitch workshops.

Later this week, I'll post summaries of events that feature pitch sessions.

Good Luck with Your Contest Entries!