Volume 3

By Colin Conway

I needed a good book to distract me. Distract me from what? I had three boxes of Thin Mints, and the way I was going through them they weren’t surviving the week. To distract me from my cookie binge I turned to The Case of: The Silent Witness by W. Robert Wallis and Patrick M. Wallis.

To divert my mind I needed a novel that was both entertaining and cerebral. The Silent Witness proved to be just that. I was intrigued by this book because it was not your classic detective novel, nor was it a police procedural, but rather it was a mix of the two. The novel was made even better by the fact that it wasn’t just focused on the investigator or who done it. The book took time to develop all of the characters involved so that I understood what exactly each character had invested in the mystery.

Something I loved about this book was the fact that it was a type of ‘cold case’ novel. The story begins in 1953 with the disappearance of a young girl, and goes all the way through 1988 when the detectives are finally close to figuring out what happened all those years ago. One of the authors’ strongest assets was the fact that since they did get me invested in the characters I couldn’t help but care about their growth. The characters retained their core attributes over the years, but they added more layers as they faced hardship and loss. One of the most important elements of this novel was the relationship between the main characters Mac and Merrill. Their friendship is something solid that the reader can use to anchor themselves in while mystery swirls around.

This book was an excellent mystery novel and there was nothing to complain about up until the very end. Two things made me sit up and say, “Waych uh Mummut” (that’s ‘wait a minute’ with a mouth full of Thin Mints). Without giving anything away I will say that there is a fairly major plot hole that becomes apparent only when the story is almost over. Considering the plot hole I felt like this mystery, which had baffled the characters for so long, should have been solved fairly easily by the detectives had they done the most basic investigating. The second thing that made the ending somewhat unsatisfactory is the fact that the main conflict is resolved using a deus ex machina. Considering the skill with which the rest of the story was crafted I was disappointed in the fact that the ending seemed to lack the attention and care evident in the rest of the book.

All in all, this book did its job. I was able to lose myself in the story and walk along with the characters as they tried to figure out the truth. Thanks to this intriguing mystery I was able to forget all about my chocolate covered vice. Now, however, I need a new novel to distract me from the painful realization that I have no more Thin Mints, truly a frightening revelation. I’m giving this book the go-ahead for someone looking for a good read, or for anyone who needs to forget that they just consumed ten times their daily allotment of sugar.

My name is Colin Conway and I’m from Abington, Pennsylvania. I’m a senior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Fiction Writing and English Literature. I enjoy writing short stories and not so short novels. I like to run and take Judo to stay in shape. In the future I hope to find a job at a publishing company or literary magazine writing about books and the publishing industry.

By L.L. McKinney

One of the many questions that rise for new writers after they’ve completed their first manuscript deals with conferences. Well, more than one question actually, it’s almost like playing Twenty Questions with yourself. Should I go? Are they worth it? Do I go alone? When am I ready? Which one(s) do I go to? How do I decide with so many options and not so much money? In just a few weeks I’ll be attending my first conference ever. Dreamin’ in Dallas, hosted by the Dallas Area Romance Authors. I’m so excited! I’m going with the writers group Novel Clique and I cannot wait to hit the road.

With my registration submitted and paid for, I’m left with polishing my pitches, shining up my manuscript—synopsis and query included—and making a list so I don’t forget anything when it’s time to start packing. But this is the end of the game and all of those questions from before, and more, have been answered. Let me say playing wasn’t easy, but in the end I’m glad I did.

The first questions I tackled were a pair: Should I go and am I ready. Deciding whether or not I should bother with a conference, and if I was in a position where it would benefit me, sort of went hand in hand. I couldn’t really say yes to one without saying yes to the other, so I decided to make sure I was ready before even looking at conference possibilities. How could I be certain of such a thing? I decided that when I was ready to query I would be ready for a conference. Now that’s just for me, and by no means am I saying that anyone else has to wait until that point in their writing before going to one of these things—there are plenty of things for people mid-manuscript to help them along—but that was the standard I set for myself so I could benefit the most from my experience.

Once I determined I was ready, and that I should indeed try to attend at least one conference, I then had to decide which one I’d attend. That turned out to be both simple and complicated. Simple because I narrowed down the rather long list of possibilities using the genre of my completed manuscript, complicated because there were still a lot of choices, and in the end I could only pick one for my first. While a lot of conferences would be a good fit for an urban fantasy, with hints of paranormal romance, Dreamin’ in Dallas has a really great YA focus. That’s everything Coveted is wrapped up in a pretty bow.

On top of being a good fit for my book, I needed to make sure the conference was a good fit for me, and by doing that I took a loot at who would be presenting, speaking, on panels, etc. Imagine my surprise when I saw that two of the three agents who would be in attendance were on my Wish List! That right there was the clincher. The chance to get an appointment with either of them, and maybe run into both at lunch, in an elevator, a hallway, whatever, was too good to pass up. The seminars and keynote speakers were an excellent draw as well. I did do my research before getting giddy about agent appearances alone, I wanted to go for more than just the appointments, even if they are ridicu-awesome.

The last question listed above deals with whom I would go. Even though I have no problem with attending a conference alone, it’s always more fun—and less nerve wracking—to go with friends or at least meet up with friends once you’re there. I’m blessed enough that I didn’t have to worry about finding someone to go to me. As I mentioned before, I’m going with the writers group Novel Clique. I’ve been attending their First Tuesday sessions, where they open up meetings to new writers every first Tuesday of the month, for some months now and one of those lovely ladies brought in a flyer for Dreamin’ in Dallas. Funny enough, we had already planned to attend a different conference together later on this year, but it turned out that DiD was just too good to pass up, so we shifted gears and mad plans to go to Texas.

Now, the conference later on is still in the works for Novel Clique, and due to finances on my end of things (I’m saving up to do a lot this year and that means I can only attend one conference before the summer) I had to make a choice between the two. In the end I chose for myself, even though it went against the initial plan for attending the other conference. DiD is a much better fit for me and for my book. As April first draws closer with each day I get more and more excited. I just hope I don’t do something silly like forget to pack actual clothes while I’m getting all of my writing materials together…

“When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.” ~Susan Heller

L.L. McKinney is a freelance writer, a published poet and a playwright. As an active member of First Tuesdays and YA Lit Chat, she is currently seeking representation for her young adult paranormal urban fantasy, Swayed.

The Last Bookstore by Colin Conway



In a world where literature was all but dead I was on a quest... Read More

Brooklyn By Colm Toibin

By Carlotta Holton

In the years after World War II many immigrants came to America. As a result ethnic neighborhoods sprung up across the country. One such area was Brooklyn, New York. Enter book keeper Eilis Lacey a young woman who cannot find work in Ireland and who leaves her mother and sister behind in Enniscorthy – the author’s native land - to pursue a new life in America.

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Do you ever feel guilty for asking an editor or client for more time with a project? How do you reconcile that sensation of being overwhelmed about being unable to finish something within an assigned time frame with the sheer necessity of wanting to present professional, polished work that is worthy of having your name attached to it?

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Hit The Road By L.L. McKinney

One of the many questions that rise for new writers after they’ve completed their first manuscript deals with conferences. Well, more than one question actually, it’s almost like playing Twenty Questions with yourself. Should I go? Are they worth it? Do I go alone? When am I ready? Which one(s) do I go to? How do I decide with so many options and not so much money?

Read More

By Colin Conway

In a world where literature was all but dead I was on a quest. A quest for…

The Last Bookstore

I drove through the post apocalyptic wasteland, searching, searching. I guided my battered war machine, a Mitsubishi Galant, into the parking lot of a Starbucks, dismounted and walked inside. As I approached the counter and the smiling barista I cracked my neck and began to speak in a gravelly no-nonsense voice.

“I’m looking for a bookstore.”

“We sell coffee here, sir. I think you’re in the wrong place.”

I slammed my fist on the counter, “Don’t play with me bar keep. I know what you peddle here. That hot mud back there and a little thing called information. Now, spill it! Where’s the nearest bookstore?”

“Would you like to try our new caramel blend?” She asked uncertainly.

“Don’t be coy damn it! I don’t care which chain it is; Borders, Barnes and Noble it doesn’t matter! I’ll even settle for a public library. Just tell me!”

“Oh, one of those. There haven’t been any of them around here for at least a year now. The last Borders in this area closed last March I think. I don’t know about public libraries though. My grandpa had a home library. I think he watches TV in there now or something.”

I sighed in defeat. “Of course there aren’t any. Alas, Bookstore, for in a single year your doom has come. People thought I was crazy when I said they would disappear. Amazon became huge and I told them the stores would disappear. Then the libraries began to fold and still they said I was overreacting. Well here I am, years later, not a bookstore to be found. I told them this would happen, damn it!” I finished with a shout that left the other customers sitting in an awkward silence, trying to avoid looking at me angrily waving my arms in the air.

“Sir, please refrain from vulgarity this is a family establishment.”

“Listen, kid, I’ve traveled hundreds of miles looking for a bookstore. Do you have any idea how many school zones I’ve passed through? The traffic jams I’ve seen would turn your hair white. I was once stuck behind a school bus for two hours as it made stops every couple blocks. You can’t even begin to understand how annoying that is! But the thing that kept me going was the rumor that there were still some bookstores out west. Well, here I am, a third of the way across this God forsaken wasteland…”

“We call it Iowa.”

“…And you’re telling me there isn’t a single bookstore anywhere?”

“You know, you could just order a book online. We have free WIFI here. You could use it while you drink your order, which is?”

My eyes took on a faraway look as I called up old memories, “It’s not just about the book! A bookstore was more than just a place to buy. It was a place where people could come together and lose themselves in stacks upon stacks of books. You could wander for hours through wide ranges of topics just going from one section to the next. A bookstore was complete freedom, but it was also a community. That was all lost after the Great Bookstore Catastrophe of 2011,”

“I don’t think that’s a real thing.”

“Maybe you’re right. Maybe I’m just an old fool, chasing a dream that only exists in my battle scarred, booze soaked mind…”

A line had started to form behind me, but I was still lost in my own thoughts. The barista had had enough; she was done playing my game.

“Battle scarred?” She scoffed, “You have a bumper sticker that says ‘Party Naked’ and you’re wearing a Bruce Springsteen t-shirt. I’m pretty sure you’ve never even been in a fight.”

I glared at the unhappy barista, “Oh, I’ve fought alright. I’ve fought a losing battle with reality. I need to face the truth, bookstores have gone the way of the dinosaurs, VHS and Brett Favre’s career.”

“Look, since I’m pretty sure you’re at least half demented, I’m going to be very clear. I see you in here almost every day, so I know you didn’t travel more than about half an hour looking for book stores. Just because there isn’t one around here doesn’t mean they are all gone. A lot have closed down, but there are still more out there. You just have to drive a bit further to get to them.”

“How do I know those won’t all be gone by the time I get there, looted by marauders?”

“Look, Crazy, the way books are sold has changed, and that means the distributors need to find a new balance between online sales and physical stores. They will find a balance though, and when they do you will be able to choose between buying books online or going to the store. You just might have to drive a bit further to find the nearest bookstore. It’s not the end of the world.”

Customers were beginning to complain about the wait. Things were turning ugly.

“So, you’re saying there are still bookstores out there!”

“Yes, now please order something or get out.”

“No time for that now, the search continues!”

I dashed out the door and hopped into my war machine. A minute later I walked back into the store and up to the counter.

Staring at the ground I sheepishly asked, “You wouldn’t happen to have any jumper cables would you? My war machine died.”

“Looks like you should have been searching for a mechanic instead of a bookstore.”

My name is Colin Conway and I’m from Abington, Pennsylvania. I’m a senior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Fiction Writing and English Literature. I enjoy writing short stories and not so short novels. I like to run and take Judo to stay in shape. In the future I hope to find a job at a publishing company or literary magazine writing about books and the publishing industry.

By Cynthia Sterling

Cynthia: How did you become interested in WritersNewsWeekly?

Colin: Well, I had a friend who used to write for WNW, and she only had good things to say about the newsletter and everyone who wrote for it. I had been looking for a way to talk to people about my views on literature, the publishing industry and just how it feels to be a writer. I thought that WNW was a great opportunity for me to reach out to other aspiring writers and start a real dialogue about what we go through to become the best authors we can be.

Cynthia: What do you think will make your writing different from what readers are used to seeing in WNW?

Colin: I’ve always been, for lack of a better word, kind of weird. I’m a pretty quiet person and I usually just allow my friends and peers to carry the conversation. This tendency has allowed me to just watch how people interact, and over time I’ve developed an odd sense humor that I really think is going to come out in my writing. If someone reads my column and they end up laughing but also feeling like they’ve gotten a new view of a familiar issue then I’ll feel like my personality has really come through for them.

Cynthia: What is the most exciting part of being editor-in-chief for WNW?

Colin: The most exciting thing for me is the people I’m going to get to talk to and get to know. I’m really excited to work with you and our other two writers Brittnee and Danielle. Also, I’m hoping that everyone who reads WNW will take my column as an invitation for a dialogue. What I really want is that while I’m here I can get to know who is reading what I write, and see what they think about issues that we all have to face as writers.

Cynthia: What do you think is going to be your biggest challenge here at WNW?

Colin: One word, deadlines. It seems like a hallmark of youth culture that we love to procrastinate and I am no exception. I’ve obviously had due dates in school, but working with a deadline for something that’s going to be published is an entirely different experience. I’ll have the urge to constantly go over what I’ve written and fine tune the details knowing that a lot of people are going to be scrutinizing my work. I’ll have to balance this urge with the knowledge that I am on a timetable and I have to keep up.

Cynthia: Do you have any initial advice for other writers?

Colin: Dialogue isn’t just something you write for your characters. It’s important for writers to have an almost constant dialogue with the people around them. Whether you love them, hate them, know them well or just met them it is the people you know that will inspire you the most and give you the raw material you need to create new characters. It’s hard to get inspiration if you aren’t talking to people. Writers don’t only exist hunched over poorly lit desks with a glass of whiskey sitting nearby and a cigarette smoldering in the ash tray. A writer’s work reflects their relationships, both healthy and dysfunctional.

By Danielle Bissert

Supernatural by Robert Bostian FREAKED ME OUT!!! I mean that in good way because that is exactly what a ghost story should do. For a moment, I thought I was sitting by a camp fire in the middle of a dark forest listening to ghost stories when all of a sudden Stephen King showed up dressed as a zombie. Bostian is that good. I’m NOT one of those people who love horror and get a kick out of being terrified. For the most part I’m a rational nonbeliever and an enthusiastic fact-checker, so these stories challenged me.

Supernatural has four short stories, each with a different kind of spooky vibe. They’re about normal people who run into some pretty abnormal forces—things I would never, ever want to encounter. My favorite is undoubtedly, “A Gifted Slave Girl.” It takes place in the early 1800s at a slave plantation in the south, where the slaves secretly practice their tribal magic in the dead of night. Mariah, a talented young witch, decides to start a slave rebellion with the help of her magic. She and her posse aren’t alone though. Their patron spirit Azamzel aids them in battle, with catastrophic results. The midnight tribal rituals and supernatural powers really gave me the goose bumps, not to mention the building tension and suspense I endured as I waited for the rebellion to unfold. The thing I found most chilling was Mariah’s “take no prisoners attitude”. She is influenced by the spirit, and this changes her into something inhuman and immoral. She will do anything, and I mean anything, to win. I don’t want this girl coming after me!!!

Bostian’s stories are fascinating because of the human element. Anyone could throw in some spooky events and other-worldly spirits and have a perfectly scary ghost story. But Bostian sets up these stories so that the humans are the ones causing the damage, spurred on by some supernatural creatures. The stories speak to unbelievable arrogance.

Here’s a hint: This egotistical thinking hurts not only the person causing the trouble, but everyone around them. The stories screamed warnings to me:

• Don’t trust something you don’t understand!
• Don’t mess around with forces you can’t control!
• Don’t open your door if you don’t know who or what is knocking.

I definitely learned my lesson, and if I ever see anything spooky going on in real life, thanks to Supernatural I know I’m running straight home, speaking to no one, and locking my door!

By Carlotta G. Holton

In the years after World War II many immigrants came to America. As a result ethnic neighborhoods sprung up across the country. One such area was Brooklyn, New York. Enter book keeper Eilis Lacey a young woman who cannot find work in Ireland and who leaves her mother and sister behind in Enniscorthy – the author’s native land - to pursue a new life in America.

There isn’t much action in the first third of this character-driven coming- of- age- novel about the experiences of Lacey. And while the story of immigration and the resulting struggles and determination of those who have resettled has a rich premise, I found such development sadly lacking. There was little in the way of conflict/resolution of her story and consequently, I had little sympathy for her. Since it was her well meaning older sister, Rose and her mother with the help of their family priest Father Flood who initiated her move, there was no struggle for her to get here. Despite a trying ocean voyage, once on American soil, she stepped into a job in a department store on Fulton Street, a position procured for her ahead of time. Similarly it was arranged for her to return to school to earn an accounting certificate and stay in a boarding house run by an Irishwoman. She did not go hungry nor lack shelter. Nor could I believe any serious sense of homesickness.

When the news comes of a death in her family, she returns to Ireland. Not once did I get the sense that she was “torn” with indecision as to whether to stay in her homeland or return to her work and her fiancé in America. Back in Ireland she reflects on Tony, who is “part of a dream from which she had woken,” while when she’s in New York it was Ireland which was “a strange, hazy dream.” I believe this is part of assimilation, something any transplant must face.

While my curiosity was piqued by the ethnic differences between Irish Lacey and her Italian-American- born fiancé, Tony, I was disappointed in the sophomoric descriptions of intimacy between the two which at best were belittling to the adult reader. I found this more appropriate for young adult fiction. Perhaps this is because it is written by a man trying to give a woman’s point of view.

On a secondary level Toibin tackles the lack of communication between members of her family in the old country quite well. Eilis is never told by her mother that she will be missed. Eilis “would have given anything to be able to say plainly that she did not want to go, that Rose could go instead.” But the Lacey women do not speak candidly to one another. “They could do everything,” Toibin writes, “except say out loud what it was they were thinking.” In the same vein, Rose never discloses the fact that she is ill and Ellis never shares her secret marriage.

Where Toibin fails to create a sympathetic character facing a conflict, he is more successful in recreating the Brooklyn of the 1950’s including experiences at Coney Island and Ebbets field. For a brief scene he describes how the sales girls were instructed to show black women nylon hosiery. Implicit in the storyline is that ethnicities stick together.

While Brooklyn was an easy read, I found the story mundane and uninspiring. Because of the passivity of the protagonist, Eilis, it is hardly a tribute to the many men and women who traded their homes for America.

Carlotta Holton is the author of Salem Pact, Touching The Dead,Vampire Resurrection, and Deadly Innocence and is a member of the National Federation of Press Women and an affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association.

It’s okay. You can stop stockpiling supplies and trying to convert your neighbor’s pool into a fallout shelter. Everything is going to be fine. After a brief hiatus WritersNewsWeekly has returned with new editions.

First, a special thanks to our staff: Sara Halleman, Chris Stokum, Sarah Schiavoni, Meghan Morrow and Elizabeth Milo all who helped to create an informative, top-notch and thoroughly enjoyable publication. They are all busy with new ventures but we hope to hear from them from time to time.

Now, for a warm welcome to our new staff: Colin Conway, Brittnee Alford and Danielle Bissert. Colin is the Editor-In-Chief and has his own column: Colin’s Corner. You can contact him at editor@writersnewsweekly.com. Brittnee is our editor and our book reviewer. She’s tough but fair. Danielle is the assistant to the Publisher and also conducts author interviews. If you are looking to have your book reviewed or to be interviewed contact them at submissions@writersnewsweekly.com.

Thanks for your continued support.

Here’s to good writing, good reading and a good life.

Enjoy!

Oh Brother! The Life & Times of Jeff Fazzolari by Cliff Fazzolari By Britnee Alford

Cliff Fazzolari had me from beginning to end, simple as that. I literally laughed out loud, teared up, and felt everything that was happening to Jeff and the Fazzolari family. The prankster’s tricks never got old, and all I could do was laugh at the reality of having a guy like Jeff in the family. Fazzolari did a great job with constructing the story, intertwining funny anecdotal stories, flashbacks, and memories throughout the experience of pain and suffering.

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Do you ever feel guilty for asking an editor or client for more time with a project? How do you reconcile that sensation of being overwhelmed about being unable to finish something within an assigned time frame with the sheer necessity of wanting to present professional, polished work that is worthy of having your name attached to it?

Read More

Get Back Up By L.L. McKinney

Rejection is something every writer has to deal with, point blank period. It’s an intimate part of what we’re trying to do—get our work published in some form or fashion—and it rears its ugly head in more than one way. We face rejection from other writers, from BETA readers, from editors, from agents and especially from ourselves.

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By Emilee Stanford

I feel about e-readers the same way I feel about nudists, Star Wars enthusiasts, and KFC’s Double Stacker. They all induce a mixed twinge of panic, angst and contempt.

I cringe when I see someone intently reading from the screen of a one-inch thick, battery-operated device. There’s just something odd about it. But, as with nudists, I wouldn’t dare intervene and attempt to alter their habits. In fact, although I’m holding onto my paperbacks for dear life, I admit that these e-readers might be a good thing, a great thing, even.

Nora Roberts recently joined Stieg Larsson and James Patterson in the Kindle Million Club, selling one million paid copies in the digital format. Now, despite my traditional preferences when it comes to book format, I believe this is great news, a dove delivering an olive branch. Amid bookseller foreclosures, library closings and the pathetic, almost nonexistent, recreational reading habits of my peers, people are still reading. Does it matter the format?

To me, it does. It’s all a matter of preference. So here, for the record, let me state the reasons behind my preference for the tattered pages, the notes in the margins. I aim not to convert any Kindle-loving techies out there, just to speak to my fellow traditionalists, to elaborate on my opinion, and maybe even to remind myself why I remain averse to these technological advances that will surely change, perhaps for the better, the publishing industry I ache to see thrive.

1. Kerouac’s On the Road in digital format. Think about it. It just doesn’t make sense. A story marked by spontaneity, the subversive lifestyle, a rebellion from attachment simply cannot be read on a device that relies on battery power. Bottom line: some stories are fortified by their traditional formats, and a digital format jeopardizes their message and the reading experience.

2. Books are meant to be shared. Passed off to friends, left in public places for strangers to find. I like to imagine that my book has been places, has been read, and loved, by others. It’s been shoved in back pockets, toted around in purses, ready to be pulled out at a moment’s notice, in a dentist’s office, a traffic jam, the line at Starbucks. Reading from a digital screen is just too sterile, too isolated. It takes away all the romance, history and possibility carried by old, used books.

3. It’s a matter of style. Picture it: tall, dark and handsome, patiently standing in line, mentally detached from the scene and immersed in the actual paper pages. He looks poetic, timeless, content. Now picture the same scene with an iPad, or a nook. Even if he’s still reading a digital copy of the same tattered text, we can’t tell, and the gent transforms from a sensitive, thoughtful man into a complete techie, unable to dislodge his Bluetooth headset long enough to engage in reality. He’s someone who would probably check his email during a date.

Alas, I can’t deny that Kindles are the future. Despite my hesitations at embracing the digital book, I really couldn’t be happier about the idea of it. The publishing industry’s ability to adapt signals staying power, and challenges the pessimists who preach gloom and doom.

So welcome, ye e-readers. Pull out your chargeable devices and read to your heart’s content. I’ll refrain from judgment. Yet, as music-purists hold on to their turntables and vinyl records, despite the convenience and accessibility of iTunes, so shall I maintain my bookshelves.

By L.L. McKinney

It’s not unusual for a topic in the writing world to catch on and spread like wildfire. People blog about it, then blog about it and finally blog about it some more. Well, it’s my turn and this week at Fiction, from the First Draft Forward I’m going to jump on the “Rejection” bandwagon and present a few viewpoints I’ve seen surface across the web.

First and foremost, rejection is something every writer has to deal with, point blank period. It’s an intimate part of what we’re trying to do—get our work published in some form or fashion—and it rears its ugly head in more than one way. We face rejection from other writers, from BETA readers, from editors, from agents and especially from ourselves.

There’s a popular saying that ‘you are your own worst enemy’ and it is so very true. I know I’ve dumped on myself, and my writing, more than anyone else, and more harshly than anyone else as well. I’ve also heard stories from fellow writers about battling their own downer demons that tell us we’re not good enough and we never will be. Some writers will keep their work hidden for years because they listened to those demons. We just have to face them, and ourselves, knowing our worth and the quality and potential of our writing.

Once self-rejection has been faced and overcome, the confidence to put our work out there rises. More readers means more opinions, good and bad. A negative review can feel like another type of rejection. It can even bring back that doubt from before, and we’ll want to take back everything we did in getting our stuff out there, but we can’t. It’s counterproductive to the goal, after all. If we can play past this stage of the game, the real fun begins.

Now that we’ve survived the critiques, be they from writers groups or online organizations, we’ve grown a thicker skin and an even greater confidence in our craft and ourselves. There’s been editing and revisions galore and the next step is The Big Leagues, querying and contests. Unfortunately, this also means big-time rejection. I’ve sent my letter out to a handful of agents, pitching a story I’ve poured a lot of time, thought, heart and effort into, but I haven’t heard back from any of them. Yet.

Even though I’m hoping for the best I know there is still a chance I’ll receive a rejection letter, probably several. But at this point I also know I can’t let it stop me. I love what I do too much to stay down when I get a virtual punch in the gut. That’s what those rejections feel like, at least to me. Like someone balling up their fist and just letting me have it so hard I hit the ground like a bag of bricks. After taking such abuse, it’s understandable that we’ll want to crawl away and lick our wounds somewhere safe and comfy where we won’t be hurt again, but tucking our writing under a rock is unacceptable. We have to pick ourselves back up, dust off our hurt feelings, put a band-aid on our wounded pride and keep right on going.

Just here recently I entered my manuscript Coveted, formerly Swayed, into the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest hosted every year. This is probably the thirty-something-th contest I’ve entered; I stopped counting after twenty-five. Out of all of those entries, I have only won once. Uno. Un. Ichi. One. That’s at least twenty-four gut punches, because losses can be just as devastating as rejection letters. There hasn’t been a winner announced for the ABNA yet, and there won’t be until June, but I’ve learned that I made it through to the second round. If I hadn’t gotten back up twenty-four times, after every loss, I wouldn’t have made it far enough for that single win, which was completely worth the struggle to reach it.

“People's best successes come after their disappointments.”- Henry Ward Beecher

L.L. McKinney is a freelance writer, a published poet and a playwright. As an active member of First Tuesdays and YA Lit Chat, she is currently seeking representation for her young adult paranormal urban fantasy, Swayed.