Go! Go! Go!
Speedbo ends on March 31.
The 167 participants are edging towards the finish line!
The winners of this week's $25 Amazon gift card winner is Leola Ogle. The winner of a Seeker critique is LoRee Peery. Let us know if you want to be considered for next week's critique.
(All critiques can be claimed AFTER Speedbo. That's April 1st. You have 8 weeks to turn in your pages for critique.)
The Seekerville reader winner of a surprise box of books is Heidi Robbins. To make things fun, we'll be giving away one more box of books to a reader who comments in this Weekend Edition. Don't forget that next Saturday we'll give away our final $25 Amazon Speedbo gift card too...so keep those comments coming!
You probably think the end of the month means you're done. Well, tighten your seat belt and get ready. The Seekerville Perfect Pitch Contest is about to begin!
We Have Winners
If you are a winner, email us asap at seekers@seekerville.net. Please read our legal page here. If you haven't received your prize in 8 weeks, drop us a line (we get busy writing books and forget). You must contact us every single time you win.
Thank you to everyone who sent questions for Emily Rodmell's visit coming up in May. Winner of a $10 Amazon gift card is Dianna Shuford.
On Monday, Sandra Leesmith shared "What Do You Do When You Have Finished." Winner of an ebook copy of her new release Love's Promises and a ten page edit by Amber Stokes of Editing Through the Seasons is Walt Mussell.
Seeker Glynna Kaye kicked off a mini-series on Wednesday, with “Layering As You Go: Part I.” Winners of Glynna’s April Love Inspired release, Pine Country Cowboy are:
Marianne Barkman, Eileen, and Jennifer Smith.
Seeker Cara Lynn James joined us on Thursday to talk about "Dressing Your Characters." Winner of a $10 Starbucks gift card is Olivia.
Friday: Day 28 of Speedbo and Love Inspired author Tina Radcliffe is your hostess with her post, "Your Cast of Thousands." Book winner is Bonton. Reference book of choice per blog guidelines is Lee Kilraine.
Next Week In Seekerville
Monday:"How Rawhide and a Cracking Whip are Like Speedbo." Monday we report in, we share what we've learned and we heave a sigh of relief as Mary 'Ramrod Rowdy Yates' Connealy makes Tina 'Trail Boss Gil Favor' Radcliffe put away her bull whip--UNTIL NEXT YEAR!
Tuesday: Literary agent Susan Brower of the Natasha Kern Literary Agency is our special guest today and tomorrow. “The Perfect Pitch Part 1: Grabbing the Agent's Attention." On day one, Susan Brower will cover the basics of how she wants to receive the proposal (attached documents, not in the email itself) and the things to include in the query message that will get her attention. She will cover the synopsis, jacket blurb and a kind of table of contents.
Wednesday:“The Perfect Pitch Part 2: Compelling an Agent to Ask for the Full Manuscript” Day two, Susan Brower will talk about marketing and comparable title sections. She'll get down to the nitty gritty of what she personally looks for when she gets a proposal.
Thursday: Join hybrid author, Audra Harders, as she offers a piece of advice to our friends who wrapped up a month of Speedbo. Let's discuss an element of style that's evolved over the years, "Not Your Momma's Comma." We've got giveaways too, so let's compare notes!
Friday: Time for the April Contest Update. Stop by to meet the April Contest Diva. Of course the prize vault is open!
Seeker Sightings
Seekerville is doing the happy dance! Thanks to our Villagers, we made the 2014 Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers again! WOOT!! Do pick up the May/June issue and check us out!
Glynna Kaye’s Love Inspired April release, Pine Country Cowboy, is on the shelves now! Stop by and say hello to Glynna at the Love Inspired Authors blog.
Ruth Logan Herne's latest independent release Safely Home is FREE this weekend on Amazon for your Kindle! Simply jump over to Amazon and download your free copy of "Safely Home" on Saturday or Sunday!
Mary Connealy will be on Petticoats & Pistols on Wednesday, April 2 with her TOP TEN MOST FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT NEBRASKA.
Join Audra Harders as she shares an excerpt of her book, Second Chance Ranch on An Indie Adventure. The cowboy hat is out, so leave a comment and your name will go into the drawing for a copy of Second Chance Ranch.
SALE! The ebook version of Claiming Mariah by Pam Hillman will be $2.99 from March 30-April 5. Go to Tyndale's Ebook Extra and click on the vendor of your choice to grab a copy.
Stop by Kav's Best Reads blog, for an opportunity to win a copy of Four Weddings and a Kiss : a Western Bride Collection by Mary Connealy, Robin Lee Hatcher, Margaret Brownley and Debra Clopton. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday March 30, 2014. Offer open to international readers.
Tina Radcliffe is cooking in the Yankee Belle Cafe on Saturday, April 5. Stop by!
Random News & Information
Thanks to all those who contributed links this week! WOW! It was a busy week in publishing!
Seekerville shouts out a big CONGRATULATIONS to the 2014 RWA Golden Heart and RITA finalists. See the list here.
More Congratulations are in order. WOOT! for the writers who moved on to the next stage of the Killer Voices competition. Teams are posted here.
How About We CP? (Tumblr)
Open Letter to RWA from a RITA Nominee (Stephanie Draven)
The Cost of Office For iPad vs. Its Competitors (Mashable)
ACFW ONLINE Auction Ends March 31 (You don't have to be a member to bid!)
Okay, writers. No excuses for poor grazing habits-Deadline or Not. Do you know about GRAZE.COM? If you sign up using the code SIMPLEFREE you can get your first box free.
Writer/Blogger? You May Need a Contact Page Intervention (EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS) Catherine Caffeinated
The Best Time to Write and Get Ideas, According to Science (Buffer)
22 Strong Female Characters In Literature We All Wanted To Be (BuzzFeed)
Web Fiction, Serialized and Social (NYT)
5 Valuable Charts That Show How Publishing Is Changing (Jane Friedman)
Using Scrivener to make .mobi and ePub files (for Kindle and Nook etc.) (Julie Kenner)
The New Age of E-Libraries. The Authors Collection (Venture Galleries)
Lit Madness: Introducing Our Character Brackets! (Bookish)
8 Things You Should Know About BookBub Subscribers (BookBub)
8 Ways Scrivener Will Help You Become A Proficient Writer Overnight (The Creative Penn)
RWA offers Novel Engagement App (RWA)
Going to RWA 2914 San Antonio? The San Antonio Romance Writers post helpful local information on their blog here. And here's some fun from last year in Atlanta to excite you about this year. (see Missy Tippens, 2013 RITA finalist at 8:33)
Self-Editing for Beginner's Night Class will close enrollment on Monday March 31st!
All you need is the first three chapters of your manuscript. This is a self-paced course with Q&A opportunities, but no live sessions. We'll review actual editorial revision letters during week 5. All participants receive a 3 chapter + a one page synopsis critique.More details and enrollment information here.
What's up next??
We're so excited to have the author of Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View, Jill Elizabeth Nelson, live and in person for May's Seekerville Night Class.
If you've ever had a critique or contest judge tell you that your Deep POV needs fine-tuning,or you aren't utlizing your Deep POV, then this is the workshop for you!
All this and more:
Understand the difference between Basic Point of View and Deep Point of View.
Learn what Deep POV is, what it is not, and what it can do for your writing.
Grasp the methodology of Deep POV through simple, practical, and specific techniques.
Practice the application of Deep POV through guided exercises
Practice the application of Deep POV in your own manuscripts
Details here. Enrollment is OPEN!!
That's it from Seekerville. Speedbo ON!