Why It Doesn't Suck To Miss Out On The Top 21

What does Nora Roberts, Stephenie Meyers, Charlaine Harris, Stephen King and Amanda Hocking all have in common?

They’ve all been rejected.

MULTIPLE TIMES.

If you’re one of the 1069 who are licking their wounds today, having not made it into the Top 21 of Mills and Boon’s New Voices competition perhaps it’s because you’re following in the publication footsteps of the greats. People are going to try and kill each other to get to your new release first. That’s something to look forward to.

Of course, what’s going to happen in the future doesn’t help you right now, but this list of rejected authors might. I’ve started with #43 the Queen of romance herself, Nora Roberts, but the other links are in the sidebar. Find Nora and others here.

And remember, the editors haven't had the opportunity of reading a synopsis of your story and they can’t know how fabulous it really is. So, make sure you polish up your partial and send it off. Mills and Boon just bought a new author from last year’s competition and she didn’t make the Top 10 or the additional list of entries they requested more work from. Imagine what she would have missed out on if she hadn’t gone on and submitted anyway?

There’s also a lot less pressure on this side of the fence. You don’t have six days to churn out a perfect second chapter. The words “pivotal moment” aren’t going to make you hyperventilate. And you won’t be having dreams of giant roses eating your house.

You can be polishing while you’re wallowing so that you can get that partial into an editor’s hands ASAP.

For inspiring words from Mills and Boon authors check out:

Jessica Hart

Maisey Yates

Happy submitting and congratulations to this year's Top 21!

Survival of the Fittest

I don’t like watering plants. Actually I don’t like watering period. To me it’s so boring it’s painful which makes it very difficult when the family requests you water their plants while they’re away. I live by the survival of the fittest theory and they don’t (although sometimes I get all mushy and take pity on the plants). Their beautiful gardens can’t take the elements the way mine can. I have a hearty garden. I have a garden with character. I have a garden that could survive a nuclear explosion.

My plants don’t actually die (which is good because I’d find that upsetting) so I guess that there’s something in me that nurtures (that’s comforting!) but in the last year I’ve watered them once (and we don’t get a lot of rain…). So either they’re miracle plants, I’m just lucky, or the plants hate being watered as much as I hate doing it…

Anyway! Today I posted off S,K&BW so Silhouette editors beware! It’s such a shame that the men and women manning our post offices don’t find the process as exciting as I do. I’m pretty sure the woman who was serving me drifted off to sleep at one stage… There will be no sleeping!

On an intriguing note I may have lied before (I can’t decide). I did say that I wasn’t entering the I Heart Presents contest but noooowww… Well it doesn’t close until November and I get a bit of a rush from the whole process (yes adrenaline junky and lover of sleep deprivation right here!) So to enter or not to enter that is the question…

No point entering if they’re going to have to lock me up somewhere mid October because I keep repeating “tutty fruity” and dribbling.

Is anyone else considering the comp and wondering if they’re about to bite of more than they can chew?