The Lost Month of Giveaways

The e-book release of the Love, Texas Style anthology is here! To get you in the mood to read The Lost Highway, enjoy an Elvis song that played a pivotal role in the story, tease your brain with the jigsaw puzzle below and gear up to enter the Lost Month of Giveaways Contest:

Every Thursday in March I’ll be selecting a winner. Check back often for updates and announcements. Good luck!

Three ways to enter:

(#1) Sign up for my e-group announcement loop powered by Yahoogroups(see sidebar). Your email address will remain secure and I’ll only pop up in your inbox when there’s fantastic news to shout about.

(#2) Mention The Lost Highway’s release on your blog with cover art and a link to The Wild Rose Press. Be sure to drop me an email at la-mitchell@la-mitchell.com or post a comment here on my blog to let me know so I can visit.

(#3) Watch The Lost Highway’s book trailer and email me (la-mitchell@la-mitchell.com) the answer to the question “What color is the ’59 Ford Thunderbird?” Please put CONTEST in the subject line.

Also, Refer a friend to participate and double your chances to win! Be sure to have your friend mention your name in his/her post or email.

Entrants will remain in the prize pool throughout the month and are eligible for all drawings.

Prizes:

--A Wild Rose Press Gift certificate valued at $10

--an Elvis Presley’s 30 #1 hits CD

--a time-travel 2 pack (my favorite time travel novel and movie)

--a basket of Texas-themed items

**One grand prize winner will receive a $25 Visa Gift card**

For more information and official rules, visit here.

The Time Machine ~ Week of October 8, 2007

This week:
~Writing Contests for Full-Length Novels


The Paul Gillette Writing Contest, sponsored by the Pike's Peak Writers group, is accepting submissions for short stories and full-length fiction in a wide spectrum of genres, including science fiction/fantasy/horror. Expect feedback from experienced writers, final round editors and agents and eligibility to attend their prestigious 16th annual writer's conference in Spring 2008. Entries must be postmarked by November 1.


Chris Keesler, senior editor at Dorchester Publishing, is final round judge for specialized category of the 2007 Great Expectations contest, sponsored by the North Texas Romance Writers of America. Entries in this category, which includes novels with futuristic, fantasy, time travel and/or paranormal elements, must emphasize the romantic relationship. Entry deadline for the first twenty-five manuscript pages is December 29, 2007.


Amazon and its CreateSpace company is open to 5,000 submissions from aspiring novelists to find the next breakthrough novel. Judged by both Amazon reviewers and Publisher's Weekly staff, the blend of Amazon-Idol-like popularity voting and true literary industry "weeding" promises to be an interesting blend. Entry deadline is November 5, 2007. Visit Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award space for more details.

Black Sharpies and Love

Chasing Midnight is a finalist in Romance Writer's of America's 2007 Golden Heart contest!!

Yes, I did check the "official" list today, just in case I had an out-of-body moment yesterday. Then, I called my mom to make sure she hadn't judged.

I keep thinking back to something Lori Wilde said at our NT meeting last month. The most wonderful things happen when we're not seeking them out (ie: falling in love). Deciding to enter the Golden Heart was something I did in a quiet moment late at night, not because I believe it's the Holy Grail of Unpublished Writers, or even because I crave the spotlight--I can almost hear everyone who knows me laughing--but because it was on my "list".

Bold, black sharpie line through "Enter the GH" on my goals list. Forgotten past the point I'd judged the entries I'd volunteered for. For me, it had all but dropped off the radar, the glare of more pressing goals blinding me. Maybe the key to success in writing (and life) is to focus on what we can do, the things we can control, then send it out into the world and let it go.

It's not quite falling in love, but it has the "heady" echo.