NaNoWriMo is coming! Are you game?

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It's that time of year!  When leaves change color, the weather gets cooler, and people start wearing sweaters.  (Unless, of course, you're in Arizona and the weather is still 100 degrees in the middle of October. boo.)  But we all look forward to the holidays!

November is officially National Novel Writing Month.  Your goal: to write 50,000 words in one month (which equates to about 2,000 words/day...doable by that standard, right?).

There's no prize, just the satisfaction of finishing a novel.  :)

You can sign up here!

I skipped out last year because I was distracted (a.k.a. being pregnant), but I have successfully completed all 4 years before that. In fact, The Prophecy Box was a result of one of those years!  :)

I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to be able to make 50,000 words this year, due to working full time and taking care of a baby, so my goal is going to be different: write at least 30 minutes/day and finish my sequel.  If I hit 50,000 words, great...if not, no big.  At least I'll have written consistently.

I find that the discipline is better training for me than the end result.

If you do sign up, friend me: writergirl810.  :)  See you in November!

New Poll on the Sidebar!

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Attention: a new poll/survey is available for voting on the sidebar! :) Just fyi, the question has a little something to do with my sequel. :D

The results of the old survey:
Which character are you most like (from The Prophecy Box)?

• 50% said Anna
• 25% said Robin
• 25% said Ferdinand

Let's hope that you have as much fun with that survey as this one!

Speaking at Chandler Traditional Academy-Independence Campus

Back on June 1, I had the priveledge of speaking to Mrs. Sung's 5th grade class at Chandler Traditional Academy - Independence Campus about my book.

Mrs. Sung and I are good friends and so it was quite fun not only to see her classroom but also to meet her students!

Only a few students had read my book before I came, but all were very enthusiastic about it, asking questions and easing my nervousness. :) I read an excerpt from Chapter 1 and explained that my book was definitely a fairy tale, adapted from one of Grimms' stories, so it had all of the elements of fantasy: creepy old ladies, dragons, and a mysterious jewelry box. I also answered a lot of questions about self-publishing (I'll be posting about my decision to self-publish and other information about it later).

Thanks to Mrs. Sung's 5th grade class for making my visit such a great experience!

I'm looking to increase my public appearances, so if you'd like me to come to your school/classroom, send me an e-mail at karen.s.chow at gmail dot com.

ABNA: The Quarterfinals

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Well, The Prophecy Box didn't make it through to the semi-finals of the Amazon Breakthrough Novelist Award. But, I made through to the quarter-finals, which was one step further than I thought I would go! So, there is definitely a silver lining to the gray cloud.


Upon reflection, there are a few things I learned about this experience:


1. Originality of plot is vital in the YA market. The majority of the 50 stories that moved on to the semi-final stage were very different than what is currently out there. Of course, I only read about 5 of those entries, but still...zombies as a sci-fi and a story within a writing assignment were two plots that I have NOT seen yet.


2. Too much exposition will break you. hahaha...this is HILARIOUS because I hate writing exposition! And yet, my excerpt was full of it. :( So, I must stick to my strengths.


3. No matter what the result (rejection or not), I still really enjoy writing. So I will continue until I am sick of it, which I hope is never.

:)

Update: Amazon Breakthrough Novelist Award

I have some exciting news! Remember when I submitted The Prophecy Box to a contest called the Amazon Breakthrough Novelist Award. The winner gets a $15,000 advance and a publishing contract with Penguin.

Well, I've made it through the first and second rounds and am now a Quarterfinalist!!! There are 250 quarterfinalist entries in the Young Adult division. Here is where I need your help:

1. I need you to go to the website: http://www.amazon.com/Prophecy-Box-Excerpt-Breakthrough-ebook/dp/B003CV7UQQ/ref=sr_1_167?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270092488&sr=1-167

2. Download my 3,000-word excerpt and write a review of my excerpt. (Some guidelines for reviews are located here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/guidelines/review-guidelines.html)

The more reviews I have, the better chance I have at progressing to the Semifinals. I would really appreciate it, if you could take some time out of your day. :) Thank you!

Review deadline date: April 27, 2010.

ABNA contest: First Round results

I made it through the first cut!!! Which is totally cool because this was my goal. All that stress over my 300-word pitch paid off. Seriously, I think I went back to edit my submission about 7 times within the 2-week entry period. EEE! The Prophecy Box is on its way to being discovered! :)

Here is the full list of the 1,000 entries that made it through the first cut in the YA fiction category (alphabetical by last name with corresponding title). Congratulations to everyone!

So, what's next? 1,000 entries will be narrowed down to 250, judged by a panel of Amazon editors and reviewers. The second cut is based on the first 3 chapters of your book (or the first 5,000 words) and will be evaluated on the criteria of...
1) overall strength of the excerpt
2) prose/style
3) plot/hook
4) originality of the idea

Personally, I don't think my first 5,000 words reflect the best of the book. I think it's a little wordy and expository. But, it does introduce you to Camilla's world and of the fantasy adventure that Camilla and Anna embark upon.

Exciting!! The 2nd round cuts will be made on March 23.

Happy Day!

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I hope you all had a happy Valentine's day yesterday! Or, if you're Asian, I hope you had a happy Chinese New Year!

I had a very successful book signing at Bookmans in Mesa. It was so crowded! And people moved in and out of the store like people in a supermarket. Everyone was so polite and friendly; and the staff was super supportive! Special thanks to Kyle! Though I was only at the store for 3 hours, I ended up passing out about 400 promotional postcards (cover of The Prophecy Box on front, summary on back). And for the grand total of books sold: 16!

Thanks, everyone, again for making it such a great day!!!

Out and About

Attention fans!

I’ll be signing and selling books again:
February 14, 2010 (yes, Valentine’s Day)
2-5pm
Bookmans in Mesa (NW corner of Country Club & Southern)
1056 S. Country Club Dr.
Mesa, AZ 85210

The Prophecy Box is available for $9, cash or check only.

Hope to see you there!

Tidbits about The Prophecy Box

While I sit here brainstorming ideas to generate a blogger following, I thought, Well, I gave some sneak peeks about the sequel, would people be interested in hearing more about The Prophecy Box ?

So, here are some little tidbits/trivia that are not on the official website. ;) (CAUTION: Spoilers ahead)

* The phrase "the kingdom will be paralyzed" came to me in a dream. I don't remember how or what the dream was about, but I remember that phrase very vividly. In fact, a lot of little things come to me in dreams (much like Stephenie Meyer of Twilight fame)...like the premise of the sequel: 3 orphan sisters.

* Robin's part in the story was originally very small. He had no name. He didn't even have a personality. I wasn't even planning on making him human again.

* Unconsciously, I made Robin and Camilla atypically beautiful. Both are healthily plump and are not the stereotypical prince and princess types. However, after the book was written, I was really happy with my unconscious choice because it creates a positive message for teens...that heroes and heroines can be outwardly plain but beautiful on the inside, which is what matters.

* I feel that I aspire to be like Camilla, but am totally not her. lol. However, I am very much like Jolene (of the sequel), especially when I was younger.

* I still have no idea why I included Anna in the story. I tell myself that I wanted to show that Camilla had a best friend (read: not a loner), but she really served no purpose. Why was she there? I don't know.

* I really, REALLY enjoyed writing scenes between Robin and Camilla. They jumped onto the page for me easily.

Anyone have any other questions about The Prophecy Box? I'll answer anything!

For a Good Cause

I was recently asked to donate my book for a "book lovers"-themed basket for a high school girls' synchronized swimming team. One of the members of that team has read my book and loved it! I thought that was the coolest idea!

So, if you'd like me to donate one of my books for your fundraising efforts, please let me know! Drop me a note: karen.s.chow (at) gmail (dot) com.

I'd love to spread the goodness. :)

Amazon Breakthrough Novelist Award

Every year, Amazon holds a contest, called the Amazon Breakthrough Novelist Award, to discover new unpublished authors...or at least an author's unpublished books. This year, they are holding the contest in two genres: fiction and YA fiction. (YA is my cup of tea!!! Hooray!) Entries are accepted Jan. 25-Feb. 7 (two weeks). Amazon's goal is to accept 5,000 entries in each genre. The grand prize is a contract with Penguin USA and a $15,000 advance.

Since they are accepting self-published novels this year (like The Prophecy Box), I've already submitted my entry!

The first cut will be announced on Feb. 25. They will narrow down the entries from 5,000 to 1,000 in each category. Cross your fingers!