Two Contests for Writers!

Just a quick blog entry today. I wanted to mention two contests for writers, both with upcoming deadlines. (Wow, December is only a week away! Hard to believe.)

One of the gorgeous prizes to celebrate Renegade.

The first is being held at J.A. Souders' blog, Angels and Demons and Portals, Oh My!, to celebrate her book deal with Tor Teen. Congratulations to her!  I've met one of the editors at Tor Teen, and they're an amazing team. (They also have a fabulous booklist, and Ms. Souders is giving away some of their books. I am DYING to read Kiki Hamilton's The Faerie Ring!) I love this contest because it has a prize pack for both readers and writers-- and the prizes are incredibly generous. Among the offerings are gift cards, an ARC of her novel, and even the chance to have your query letter and first 50 pages of a manuscript critiqued! She is a kind, inspiring author and I look forward to reading her upcoming book, Renegade.

The second contest is a YA Novel Discovery contest being held at Gotham Writer's Workshop. The prizes are a dream come true for writers: a chance to send your manuscript top agent Regina Brooks, the opportunity to pitch your novel, and even a free ten-hour writing course. Entering is deceptively simple. All you have to do is send the first 250 words of your manuscript, along with your title. But if you've ever studied the first 250 words of your manuscript in detail, you know how difficult this will be! I plan to enter, but I don't expect to win by a long shot. Anyone who can catch the eye of an industry expert in 250 words has my sincere admiration. Just thinking about this contest was an inspiration to continue to improve my craft, to do more with less, and to grab the reader's interest and never let go.

Good luck to all the entrants! Have you seen or entered any interesting contests lately?