jordansummers

I think everyone goes through a competitive stage. If they say they don't, then they're lying. I know it's not polite. Women in general are taught from a very early age to get along. Yet, from the moment school starts until the end of your life, you're competing in some way. Whether it's for a mate, a job, or a social position. I think the key is realizing when the competition should be against yourself and not others. That's the stage I'm at now. My writing is about to veer from the path I started out on. I don't want to be anymore alienated than I am right now. It's hard enough to get people to understand where you're coming from and what you're doing. Why shun the only people who 'get' you? Now that said, I'm not free with sharing my story ideas. I've heard of too many people who've been burned over that very thing. I also know published authors who won't do group pitches because they've had authors who are a little higher on the food chain (ie established) take their idea straight to their editor and get it published. All these 'horror' stories have made me wary of being open. I do think you have to let a few people in. How else are you going to be able to critique? I'm VERY selective with who I allow to read my work. I have to feel trust. If I get burned, I get burned. So far, I've been fortunate. Jordan www.jordansummers.com

I haven't decided what my goals will be yet. I definitely want to get into fighting shape again. I'm going to think about them while I'm abroad. They need to change from what I originally put. I think I'm going to consider Sherrilyn's pearls of wisdom before putting them to paper. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday. 'See' you soon. Jordan

:shock: Do you know what that sound is Sylvia? It's the countdown to your future book deal. :bom: Congratulations Woman! You are seriously walking on sunshine. :sunny: Jordan

Sylvia, Congratulations!!! You shouldn't be shocked. You're on a roll girl. Way to go. The final judge is terrific! Fingers, toes, and eyes crossed for you. Hang on, the latter kind of hurts , but I'll keep my fingers and toes crossed. Woo Hoo! Best, Jordan

I decided that since I put some of my own on Alison's site I'd pick a few from my TBR pile. 1. They'd told him he wouldn't feel it when the energy beam ripped him apart. 'Jane's Warlord' by Angela Knight 2. She woke to the knowledge that she was a murderess and that she would kill again. 'Dark Destiny' by Christine Feehan 3. Hey, where's Cinderella? 'Getting What You Want' by Kathy Love 4. Tillie Howard supposed the night could get worse, but in all truth, she couldn't imagine how. 'Lady Whistledown Strikes Back' by Julia Quinn, et al 5. When the thunder bolt hits, duck, baby, duck...'Tall, Dark, and Cajun' by Sandra Hill 6. Sophie Dempsey didn't like Temptation even before the Garveys smashed into her '86 Civic, broke her sister's sunglasses, and confirmed all her worse suspicions about people from a small towns who drove beige Cadillacs. 'Welcome to Temptation' by Jennifer Crusie 7. Francesca Honeycomb (oh, come on, if you think that in my fantasy life I'd be noble enough to keep the name my parents gave me you've got me all wrong) lived a life without compromise. 'Dog Handling' by Clare Naylor 8. Nothing but nothing scared Charlee Champagne except black widow spiders and wealthy, long-legged, brown-eyed, handsome men with matinee-idol smiles and a day's growth of beard stubble. 'License to Thrill' by Lori Wilde 9. I'd been waiting for the vampire for years when he walked into the bar. 'Dead Until Dark' by Charlaine Harris 10. Two things pain can do for you: sharpen you up or dull you down. 'I Thirst For You' by Susan Sizemore This final one is actually two lines, but it captures you all the same. 11. Carlotta Anne Fairleigh was coming out. Unfortunately, what she was coming out of at the moment was both her elaborate ball gown and the second-story window of her aunt Diana's Mayfair mansion. 'One Night of Scandal' by Teresa Medeiros These all sucked me into the story. There are many more, but I've been a blog hog today, so we'll leave it at eleven. Jordan

Sylvia, Thanks for not torturing me. I'm afraid it would be a case of the blind leading the blind. LOL! I'll let you know how the cheesecake turns out. We're looking forward to trying it. Jordan, who loves new recipes...

Sylvia, KO! Looking forward to it. Of course, don't expect a lot of feedback on that sypnosis. LOL! Jordan, who hopes to make the cheesecake this weekend... :D

Sylvia, Let me know if you need another set of eyes for that vamp story. The ever cheeky, Jordan

Hopefully you'll 'hear' something soon. <shaking head> Jordan

Sylvia, I'm glad you have it finished. I know EC is a bit behind. You aren't the only one talking about not hearing anything back from them. You should be reaching the maximum in 'length of wait' time. (I believe they said four months.) Hopefully you'll here something soon. For all our sakes. I don't want to have to wait for this one. Don't worry about the edits, unless there's something drastically wrong with the story. The editors will take care of it after they accept your work. (Thinking positive here. :-)The series reminds me of one of Angela Knight's stories she wrote for Secrets. It was about vampire bounty hunters in space. Very hot. I'm sure yours will have much success too. Hang in there. You're having a banner year. Jordan

Sylvia, Sorry to hear you're having message board problems. Didn't this same thing happen to Alison? I'm sure it'll get straightened out soon. BTW I loved your excerpt for the contest. Have you finished that story? You sucked me in. Jordan

First, congratulations on being a finalist. You are kicking butt this year. Second, you're right about having to choose a couple of genres to concentrate on...unfortunately. You can lose readers by switching often. Also it makes it extremely difficult to build up a following when you focus on more than one genre. (Twice as long I believe. ) They say to build a following in one genre takes approximately five years. :shock: This subject is currently near and dear to me, since my agent told me I'm going to have to choose a couple and concentrate on them. I hope you have an easier time of it than I'm having. :roll: Jordan, who wants to write EVERYTHING...

Congrats Sylvia! I'm darned upset that I tossed my October RT out already. I didn't get to see it. (This is what I get for reading it too quickly.) I'm still happy for you. Jordan

Hang in there girls. Have a cocktail or two if you need to. The truth is the game is JUST beginning. The hard work begins AFTER you get the call. :shock: I'm speaking from experience here. Jordan

I wanted to add that most editors can tell from your submission whether they want to read anymore of the story. Rumor has it you have about three paragraphs to win them over. Yikes! :shock: I never believed that until I started judging contests, but it's true. The good ones stand out. In this case, there are a lot of good ones, just like last year. So much goes into the decision like whether or not there have been a lot of stories released like your submission, whether someone just submitted a similar storyline, your voice, etc. All you can do is write the best story possible. The rest is a crap shoot. Jordan